Chương 18: The Curse of the Undying

"... That's certainly one way to be insane." Zelier chuckled and shook his head. For some reason, it reminded him of the infinite monkey theorem —monkeys pounding away on typewriters forever until one of them eventually stumbled onto the right answer.

"Oh, they're much worse than merely eccentric." Bev's expression hardened.

"They've caused some truly catastrophic disasters."

"When you scribble together a Spell Matrix without understanding what you're doing, you have no idea what kind of spell you're creating. Different circuits can reject each other outright, and that's incredibly dangerous."

"Three years ago, an Idealist mage in the royal capital created a spell that drained every drop of moisture from four people—including himself."

"Four living people..."

"They all turned into mummies in an instant."

"One of them was even a member of the royal family." She continued without missing a beat.

"And last year, another Idealist accidentally invented a spell that permanently turned soil into salt flats."

"Unfortunately for him, he tested it beside the largest wheat field supplying an entire town."

"You can imagine how that ended."

"Let's just say... his head is still hanging from the city wall."

"There are countless examples like that."

"People accidentally cursing innocent bystanders."

"Turning themselves into... things that were neither human nor monster."

"Or simply exploding on the spot because their mana became unstable."

"I could go on all day." Zelier stared at her.

"... Doesn't the Mage Guild stop them?" Bev sighed.

"It's not that simple."

"Most mages with functioning brains despise the Idealists."

"But there are always believers."

"Some of them even hold powerful positions inside the Guild." She shook her head.

"And despite all their reckless experimentation..."

"Every now and then, one of them gets unbelievably lucky and actually creates a useful spell."

"Because of that, the Guild leadership can't just wipe them out entirely."

"The only thing they've done is ban experimental casting inside populated areas."

"That... actually makes sense."

"So just remember one thing." Bev looked him squarely in the eyes.

"Idealist mages are lunatics."

"Whatever you do..." Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"Don't get mixed up with them."

"I won't." After hearing her explanation, Zelier's thoughts began racing. First... He was now almost certain The Grand Creation truly existed. The legend wasn't fiction. That also explained why The Grand Creation had appeared in Spell Evolution's analysis queue the instant he'd chosen the talent. Because... This entire world had been created by it. Everything he could see. Everything that existed. Every blade of grass, every stone, every living creature... They were all fragments of The Grand Creation. Second...

He found himself fascinated by the possibility of recreating that spell. If the Creator God had really stumbled upon it the same way the Idealists hoped to... Then the Creator's Luck stat must have been 99, 999.... Wait. Recreating The Grand Creation... Didn't he already have the perfect method? Zelier suddenly froze. At that instant... It was as though another timeline unfolded before his eyes. His perspective rose above his own body. He watched himself from the outside. One frame after another flashed past.

A cold, emotionless narration echoed through his mind. Zelier realized something. He had already obtained the final script of destiny's game. The Grand Creation. With it waiting at the end, every struggle became meaningless. Every effort. Every sacrifice. Even resistance itself seemed laughable. It was the answer to every question. The destination of every journey. A silent monument standing at the end of time. There was nothing else left to seek. From this moment onward... He needed to think about only one thing.

Survive. Yes. He only had to survive. No matter the cost. No matter the method. No matter what he became. As long as he remained alive... One day... The Grand Creation — Analysis Progress: 100% It would happen. The journey might take an eternity. But eternity still had an end. So... Zelier chose that path. He abandoned morality. He abandoned compassion. He abandoned every human emotion. Only survival remained. He buried himself in forbidden grimoires. He mastered ancient blood magic.

He learned how to harvest life from the screams of living creatures. How to replenish his decaying flesh with fresh blood. He performed unspeakable sacrifices. One innocent life after another was offered before eldritch gods... All in exchange for a few more years. Then... He was no longer human. After countless fleshcraft rituals... Zelier became nothing more than a writhing mass of living flesh. An abomination. He sealed himself away beneath the deepest caverns beneath the earth. It writhed. And writhed.

Its shape changed endlessly. Even its mind had begun to disappear. But none of that mattered. It writhed. And writhed. As long as it remained alive... It would eventually reach the end. As long as it lived. Time passed. The analysis was agonizingly slow. Yet before eternity itself... Even impossibility eventually yielded. The Grand Creation — Analysis Complete. Zelier obtained supreme authority. All existence knelt before him. How much time had passed? Ten thousand years? A hundred thousand? A million?

It no longer mattered. He had won. At last. The world itself bent beneath his twisted consciousness. Through The Grand Creation, the land transformed into an endless sea of flesh. Tumors and pulsating meat spread across the continents. Rotting tissue swallowed every mountain. Every ocean. Every inch of the earth. Silence reigned. Every independent will had been erased. Only newborn flesh buds continued to bloom beneath a crimson moon... Joyfully accepting the gift Zelier had bestowed upon them. Eternal life.

[Ending I: The Curse of the Undying]"Hey, Zelier?" Bev waved a hand in front of his face.

"You listening?" Her voice yanked him violently back to reality. Zelier jerked as though awakening from a nightmare. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.... What... was that? He touched his own cheek. His fingers were trembling. His breathing had become ragged. [Ending I: The Curse of the Undying.] Was... that really a future I could reach?

"I..." His voice quivered.

"... How do I look right now?" He stared at Bev with barely concealed panic. She blinked.

"You look... normal?" She studied him for several seconds before tilting her head.

"Wait..."

"Are you fishing for compliments?"

"You want me to tell you you're handsome?"

"... Normal is good." Zelier let out a long breath. At least I'm not a pile of flesh. That alone was enough. If immortality meant becoming that... He'd rather die. Those visions... They were just my imagination... right?

"What happened?" Bev frowned with concern.

"Your face suddenly went pale."

"Are you feeling sick?"

"I'm fine..." Zelier forced himself to shake his head.

"I just... zoned out for a minute." Nothing more. Before he realized it, the sun had already begun to set. His business at the Mage Guild was finished. After saying goodbye to Bev—and agreeing to meet again sometime in the future—Zelier left the Mage Guild behind.