Siegfried felt his heart drop at the sight of Deus fading away. To him, Deus was like a father figure. Even though he was just an NPC, his teachings greatly influenced Han Tae-Sung in the game and in real life.

It sounded a bit silly to others, but Han Tae-Sung had learned about life through BNW.

Thus, seeing Deus ascend into godhood and leave this world was no different from feeling like losing a parent.

“M-Master! Please do not leave!” Siegfried cried out. Then, he clung desperately and pleaded, “You must stay longer, Master! Please do not leave me!”

Deus narrowed his eyes and asked, “What are you doing?”

The look he was giving seemed to wonder what kind of nonsense Siegfried was talking about.

“When did I ever say I’m going somewhere?”

“...Huh?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. This is merely the backlash from the laws of causality.”

While they were talking, Deus’ body, which had been fading away just moments ago, returned to normal.

“B-But just now your body was—”

“Have I not told you already? This is due to the laws of causality.”

“I-I see...”

“It seems the advice I gave you is the cause of it.”

“Huh? Even giving advice can be a problem?”

“Would you have been able to attack Maugris without any hesitation without my advice?”

“That is...”

“Maugris would have defeated you if you hadn't renewed your resolve. He wasn’t an opponent you could easily defeat.”

“I... apologize for being an unworthy disciple,” Siegfried bowed and apologized.

Deus waved his hand dismissively and said, “That is enough. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Master...”

“It was only a brief backlash, so pay it no mind.”

“That is truly a relief, Master.”

“What? Were you worried that I’ll ascend to godhood?”

“Yes, I was.”

“Kekeke!” Deus cackled. Then, he said, “Don’t worry. My ascension depends solely on my own will. I can assure you that nothing can force me to ascend.”

“That is truly a relief. I thought you might ascend after resolving your grudge, Master.”

“My grudge...” Deus muttered. Then, he smiled and said, “Yes, it was a grudge. But it no longer matters. In the past, I would’ve ascended without hesitation, but watching over you has become quite entertaining these days.”

“Hahaha...”

“So put aside your worries and just worry about yourself. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master!”

“More importantly... Let’s do something about that child first.”

“O-Oh!”

“We must bring him back to life, must we not?”

“But it does not look easy, Master. We have to create an artificial body to be the vessel—”

Deus cut him off firmly, “That’s impossible. Even if you have his soul, creating a body would take too much time. Also, that necklace has the effect of breaking down souls, so his soul will not last long in it.”

“T-Then what should we do, Master?”

“Let him be reborn.”

“R-Reborn?!”

“Why? Don’t you know what being reborn means?”

“I do... but if we do that then—”

“His soul will fly somewhere and be born again in a new body.”

“Ah...”

“I shall tie a thread to his soul.”

“...!”

“Send him to another world and timeline. That way, you can find him later and awaken him.”

“Is that... possible?”

“Would I even bother mentioning something impossible?”

“N-No, of course not!”

Siegfried was truly shocked by what Deus said.

Sending Carell’s soul to another world and timeline would mean that Carell would be reborn there. Once Siegfried found him again and awakened him, he would regain his memories from his previous life.

This was so shocking and absurd that if anyone else aside from Deus had suggested it, then Siegfried would have waved it off as a bunch of nonsense.

“I will help you.”

“M-Master?”

“That boy was saved by me before, was he not?”

Deus had personally transplanted a mechanical heart into Carell when he was dying after losing his real heart.

“This child’s spirit was truly admirable. For such a young child to sacrifice himself for the sake of the world... While he was lacking as a warrior, his mindset alone deserves commendation.”

“I agree, Master.”

“You will meet him again within two to three years at the latest, so worry not.”

With those words, Deus extracted Carell’s soul from the Dark Abyss: Necklace of Greed and Betrayal. Then, he tied an invisible thread to the soul and sent it into another dimension.

“I aligned the timeline to some extent, so he should be exactly around twenty years old once you find him in about two years.”

“Oooh!”

“Of course, traveling to another dimension will not be an easy journey for you. But I’m sure it’s something you can do.”

“I am eternally grateful, Master!” Siegfried exclaimed, his face blooming with a radiant smile.

Although Carell had died in this world, knowing that it wasn't a farewell was enough for Siegfried.

‘Wait for me, Carell. I’ll find you,’ Siegfried thought, vowing that he would definitely bring him back one day.

***

After defeating Maugris and successfully destroying the altar and censer that were being used for the ritual to help in the Creator’s descent, Siegfried and his comrades returned to the Proatine Empire to regroup and recover.

They had no choice but to go back to the empire and take a break, as they suffered severe injuries, the durability of their items had dropped to dangerous levels, and they had run out of potions.

During that time, Siegfried went to Deus and sought more advice.

[Path to Invincibility]

[An elusive path visible only to those pursuing enlightenment in achieving the ultimate martial prowess.]

[This is a trial to achieve true invincibility.]

[Passing this trial might allow the user to claim the power of invincibility.]

[Type: Special Quest]

[Level Requirement: 650+]

[Progress: 33.3% (1/3)]

[Rewards: Level +200]

[Objectives]

- Complete the Master’s Regret Quest ✓

- Seek Deus

- Attain Enlightenment

[Note: Completing this quest will be difficult and may take a lifetime.]

He had finally completed the quest, Master’s Regret, so he was now attempting to fulfill the second objective of the quest, Path to Invincibility, which was to speak to Deus.

“Have you hit a wall?” Deus asked.

As expected, he immediately noticed Siegfried’s condition.

“Yes, Master.”

“Hmm... You’ve already grown enough to hit another wall...” Deus muttered with a warm smile. Then, he asked, “Do you know what happens when you surpass the realm of Grandmasters?”

“No, I do not.”

It was only natural that nobody would know about the realm beyond that, as only one person had ever surpassed that realm in the whole history of mankind. That person was none other than the one standing before Siegfried.

“I have named the realm higher than that of Grandmasters as Arc Grandmaster,” Deus said.

“Arc Grandmaster...”

“That is the final stage a mortal can reach.”

Deus proceeded to explain the higher realm beyond that of Grandmasters.

1. One’s lifespan dramatically increases upon reaching the realm of Arc Grandmaster, making it possible for them to live up to one thousand years.

2. The combat power of an Arc Grandmaster surpasses that of an Archangel or Demon Lord.

3. There is no realm above the Arc Grandmaster. One can choose to ascend into godhood upon growing beyond that realm.

4. One is free from the law of causality even after stepping into the realm of Arc Grandmaster, but choosing to ascend into godhood will make it impossible for one to interfere with the world.

5. The body of an Arc Grandmaster cannot be destroyed by ordinary means. Even if their heart is destroyed or their head is blown off, they will not die.

6. An Arc Grandmaster can kill a god under the right conditions.

7. Only a few have reached the realm of Arc Grandmaster, even across the entire universe.

Siegfried could tell from just hearing about it that an Arc Grandmaster was a truly overwhelmingly powerful being.

An Arc Grandmaster would without a doubt be the most powerful being in the world—excluding the gods themselves—and anyone in that realm stood the closest to attaining the power of invincibility.

“My disciple.”

“Yes, Master.”

“I do not wish for you to surpass the realm of Arc Grandmaster.”

“Huh? Why not, Master?”

“If you ascend into godhood, then the law of causality will force you to sever the threads of fate that bind you to this world.”

“Ah...”

“I wish for you to be happy. To fully experience the joys and sorrows this world has to offer. Therefore, I do not want you to become a god.”

“Master...”

“My disciple.”

“Yes.”

“I have already taught you everything.”

“...Eh?”

“You already have the final enlightenment you need.”

“W-What do you mean by that, Master?”

“There is nothing more for me to teach you. I have taught you everything there is to know, and you have learned diligently. Whether you recall my teachings or not depends on you alone. Now, you need not seek any more advice from me.”

Siegfried couldn’t understand what Deus was saying, but he knew that every single word that came out of Deus’ mouth had some reason behind it.

Since Deus had already taught him everything he needed to know, it meant Siegfried had already learned what he ought to know.

Perhaps that was the reason why, but...

Ding!

A notification popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

[Alert: The progress of the quest, Path to Invincibility, has increased! (66.6%)]

Even though Siegfried had gained nothing except for learning about the Arc Grandmaster Realm, the quest progress still went up.

With that, only one thing remained.

‘Enlightenment... What is the enlightenment I need? What do I already know yet have to recall?’

Siegfried pondered deeply about the enlightenment that he already possessed, yet he couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

***

A few hours later, Siegfried and his comrades immediately headed toward the area where Michael had gone to investigate.

There was no reason for them to go there anymore, as the descent of the Creator would only occur when the six pillars of light ascended into the heavens and formed a hexagram.

Since Siegfried’s party had already destroyed one of the altars and the censer, there was no need for them to head to the last remaining area.

Regardless, there was still the possibility that the five pillars of light could create a pentagram and start the ritual.

After all, there was no guarantee that the descent of the Creator could only occur with the hexagram.

Thus, they also intended to destroy the altar and center in the area where Michael was located. This was a matter involving the fate of the world, so they were prepared to do whatever it took in order to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.

However, the area where Michael had gone to investigate was not on land—it was in the open sea.

The size of the hexagram was so ridiculously large that it extended beyond the continent’s landmass and stretched into the ocean.

“Erm... How are we supposed to do anything in the open waters, hyung-nim?” Seung-Gu asked, bewildered as he stared into the vast horizon that stretched endlessly.

“We call in the navy,” Siegfried replied.

“Okay, I’ll handle that,” Seung-Gu volunteered.

“I’ll leave that to you then. Meanwhile, I’ll head over there first and see what’s going on,” Siegfried said.

Delegating the task of calling in the navy to Seung-Gu, Siegfried spread out his wings and flew toward the coordinates where the pillar of light was expected to appear.

As he was flying over the surface of the water, an idea suddenly crossed his mind. ‘Hold on a second... Does it even make sense for an ancient ruin of the Illuminati to be located right in the middle of the ocean? Is there a hidden island or something around here?’

It was an entirely reasonable suspicion, as there was nothing as far as his eyes could see.

“There’s no place around here where an ancient ruin could exist...” he muttered while looking around.

He continued scanning the area around him, but there was nothing but the endless sea.

How could an ancient ruin possibly exist in such a place where there were no landmasses at all?

“Hmm... Is there some kind of barrier hiding it? Maybe there’s an illusion spell somewhere?” Siegfried muttered under his breath.

“Kyuuuu! Are you dumb or stupid?! Why is your imagination so dull, dumbo punk?!” Hamchi shrieked in frustration.

“Huh? What’s with that all of a sudden?”

“Hasn’t it occurred to you that the ancient ruin could be underwater?”

“Hm? Nah, there’s no way that’s possible. What kind of ancient ruin would be underwater? Besides, the Illuminati weren’t mermaids or fish.”

“Kyuuuu! Still!”

“Can you cut the crap if you’re not going to be helpful? Unless it was located on land that sank due to the shifting plates, then it’s highly unlikely that—”

SPLAAAASH!

A massive surge of water burst upward.

Whoosh!

Then, something shot up from the waters down below.