The monster emerged at dusk. It wasn't drawn by noise or scent; it was drawn by the excessive stability of the area.
A massive creature, plated in irregular bone and dark flesh, with multiple eyes glowing a dull, hateful red. An ancient predator of the Jura Forest, accustomed to chaotic territories. It didn't attack immediately. It evaluated.
Eryon felt the mana churn and stopped in his tracks. Too big, he thought. And too fast.
「Arcana Customize」 reacted by reflex, shifting the soil beneath his feet to facilitate a retreat. But he didn't move. Because Esdeath was already stepping forward.
"So..." she said, studying the beast with genuine interest, "this is the kind of thing that thinks it rules this world?"
The monster roared. The response was absolute cold. The air froze in a heartbeat. Geometric patterns of frost claimed the ground. The monster lunged—and lost a leg, frozen solid and shattered with surgical precision.
"Slow," Esdeath remarked.
Her 『Ice Devil Slayer』 magic didn't act like common sorcery. The ice devoured the monster's mana. Every layer formed weakened the creature's core, tearing away its resistance from the inside out. The beast tried to scream, but its throat was already crystal. Esdeath snapped her fingers. The ice contracted. And then... silence.
Eryon watched the ice slowly dissipate. "I couldn't have done that."
『Elem of Saga』 presented immediate paths:
Defensive customization.
Indirect amplification.
Environmental combat.
Eryon took a deep breath. "Until now... I've only prepared the field. Pure support."
He looked at the thick branch he had been carrying. He didn't transform it. He adjusted it. He made the wood denser, more responsive to mana, capable of conducting high-pressure alterations without splintering.
"It's not a weapon," he murmured. "It's a medium."
He applied localized pressure. The branch didn't break; it vibrated with a hum of potential.
"I don't need to fight like her," he thought, glancing at Esdeath. "I need to fight like me."
Saga presented a final set of paths:
Active combat customization.
Continuous adaptation.
Progressive specialization.
The world didn't answer yet. But inside him, the gears had shifted.
Esdeath didn't call it training.
"If you survive," she said, circling him like a wolf, "it means you've learned something."
Eryon held his customized staff. It was simple matter, primed for real-time adjustment. "I don't intend to beat you," he said.
"Obviously." She smirked, her aura predatory. "Intend not to die."
Frost spread across the floor, not to attack, but to limit his movement. Eryon felt the environment closing in and reacted. 「Arcana Customize」 flared—not on the staff, but on the ground. The ice lost its friction only where he stepped. Invisible, minute adjustments. He lunged.
Esdeath attacked. An ice blade manifested in her hand and descended in a perfect arc. Eryon dodged by mere centimeters, the impact cratering the earth behind him.
"Slow," she teased. "You think too much."
"Because I can't afford a mistake," he replied, adjusting the air around his body to reduce wind resistance.
She came again, faster. This time, Eryon didn't flee. He customized the impact. The staff met the ice blade—not by blocking, but by redistributing the kinetic force through the mana channels he had laid. The wood didn't break. The ice blade shattered.
Esdeath paused. Her eyes sparkled. "Hm... so you don't fight. You interfere."
The real test came the next day. A serpentine creature of compact muscle and long fangs slithered through the brush, drawn by the residual cold. Esdeath crossed her arms.
"Your test. Don't die."
The creature lunged. Eryon didn't back away. He adjusted the terrain in the path of its strike—the soil yielded just enough to break the monster's rhythm. As it stumbled, his staff touched its flank.
「Arcana Customize」 didn't deal direct damage. It altered the density of the creature's muscles at the point of impact, creating a momentary failure in its physical structure. The monster roared, trying to snap its jaws shut, but Eryon increased the air pressure around its maw.
"Now," he whispered.
He concentrated everything into a single point. Not power, but function. The staff vibrated. The next strike bypassed the creature's scales and struck its internal alignment. The monster collapsed.
Esdeath clicked her tongue. "Ugly... inefficient... but effective."
Eryon breathed heavily. "I'm not you."
"No." She stepped closer. "You are worse for the right kind of enemy."
The Voice of the World acknowledged the evolution.
[Confirmation.] [Sub-function detected.] [Arcana Customize: Combat Customization acquired.] [Description: Ability to alter matter, environment, and mana flow in real-time for combat purposes.] [Warning: High cognitive consumption. Prolonged use may lead to decision-fatigue collapse.]
In the weeks that followed, the forest changed.
"You are weak," Esdeath said one afternoon. "As a commander."
"Commander?" Eryon asked.
"I am a general," she said simply. "But I have no soldiers. A power that does not command... rots."
Her 『Ice Devil Slayer』 magic flared.
[Unique Skill: Ice Devil Slayer — Evolution detected.]
Humanoid forms rose from the frost. Ice soldiers, silent and absolute, stood in rank and file. They exuded a concentrated chill, sustained by her will alone.
"Now..." she smiled. "An army that does not betray, fear, or retreat."
Eryon watched, fascinated. Saga presented new paths:
Dependent entities.
Mana-based maintenance.
Absolute loyalty.
"They aren't alive," Eryon noted.
"They don't need to be," she countered. "They need to obey."
It was then that Rimuru appeared. "Yo, Eryon! Long time no see, right?"
The blue slime bounced into the clearing. He froze for a second, noticing Esdeath. "Whoa... chilly."
She stared him down. "Are you the ruler of the North?"
"Ruler is a bit much," Rimuru replied. "I prefer 'accidental leader'."
She liked that. "Hm. Acceptable."
Rimuru invited them to his village. Tempest. They arrived just as the village was transforming into a nation. Eryon watched as Rimuru named the six ogre survivors—Benimaru, Shion, Shuna, Soei, Hakurou, and Kurobe. He felt the surge of power.
Naming... he thought. That's just another form of customization.
The Orc Disaster came and went. Eryon watched from the sidelines as Rimuru defeated and then absorbed the Orc Lord's sins, turning enemies into citizens.
"He is dangerous," Esdeath said as they prepared to leave Tempest.
"Yes," Eryon agreed. "Because he chooses not to be cruel."
She smirked. "Cruelty is simple. Control... is not."
As they returned to the south, Eryon closed his fist. Saga presented new horizons:
Physical customization.
Indirect population creation.
Structure → Command → Nation.
Esdeath walked ahead of him, her ice soldiers trailing behind. "When you finally build your army," she said, "call me."
Eryon smiled. "Don't worry. I won't leave you without soldiers for long."
Two wills. Two paths. Two types of kings. And both were only just beginning.