Everyone Else is a Returnee
chapter-148

The Eternal Flame was a treasure on a scale where describing it as simply ‘amazing’ was unjust. The characteristics of being able to burn forever and continually growing by feeding and absorbing various things were definitely an absolute ability.

When Yu IlHan first acquired it, it was only at the level of being a ‘good flame for smithing’, but how about now? Having absorbed numerous records, the scale and temperature of the fire had expanded in an absurd fashion, not to mention that it acted as the core element of making all sorts of unique armaments starting from the Giant’s Rubber Band?

Heaven had initially went through a long period of deliberating before bestowing upon Yu IlHan the Eternal Flame. In the initial stages of the Great Cataclysm, when Earth had met with unprecedented challenges, if it had not been for Ilhan, at least two or three more countries would have perished.

Despite that, the accumulated achievements were nowhere near enough to allow the Eternal Flame, belonging to Heaven, to be passed onto a human’s hands. Unknown to many, it also counted as an additional reward to compensate Yu IlHan’s millennium of solitude.

There was also Liera, who was Lita back then, who actively pushed for the decision. She acted as if she would rob the entire treasury of Heaven’s Army for Yu IlHan. The bestowal of the Eternal Flame was derived almost entirely from her efforts!

However, even Liera herself did not think that they would reach a situation where a human would be able to rule over the Eternal Flame with a skill.

[Hm.] (Erta)

[What do we do? This is unprecedented…… If this gets found out, I don’t think it would just end with some simple paperwork.] (Liera)

[Even though we gave the Rule skill as a reward, we never imagined that things would reach this point. Spiera, we need the endless wisdom from your wide experience!] (Erta)

[Help us, Spiemon!] (Liera)

The angels were relying on their higher-ups since they couldn’t restrict Yu IlHan on their own accord.

Spiera, who inwardly grumbled that they only treated her as a superior in times like these, seem to fall into deep thought, before abruptly opening her eyes.

[Hm….. Let’s see, let’s do it this way.] (Spiera)

[Oooh, as expected of Spiera] (Liera)

[We had faith that you might have an idea! How very reassuring!] (Erta)

[Hanging out with Yu IlHan ruined these angels……] (Spiera)

Liera and Erta clapped. Yu IlHan was thinking about why accepting the Eternal Flame as his subordinate was such a big deal, but it seemed like the situation was more complicated than he initially believed.

Liera urged Spiera on.

[So? What’s the method?] (Liera)

[We did not see this.] (Spiera)

[……Sorry?] (Erta)

[We do not know anything about this. No one in this world knows that the Eternal Flame is being ruled by a human. Heaven’s Army will do our work as always. We, also, shall support Yu IlHan to the best of our abilities.] (Spiera)

The angels that were ruined due to hanging out with Yu IlHan wasn’t limited to just Liera and Erta!

The angels’ expressions turned stiff. Their expressions were rather comical to look at. And the following cycle of conflicted looks on their faces! Spiera asked as if to hit the nail on the head.

[Liera, answer me. What just happened?] (Spiera)

[……Dunno, was there anything?] (Liera)

[Erta.] (Spiera)

[I also don’t get what you’re saying……?] (Erta)

The angels came to a compromise with reality! Following that, all three of them glared at Yu IlHan. The desperate eyes of the angels denying reality and Yu IlHan’s absent-minded gaze met in mid air, causing sparks to fly.

[Yu IlHan, what are you doing now instead Traps of Destruction? I’ll add another 30 mana potions so start moving those arms right now.] (Spiera)

“So you want me to shut my mouth by giving me bribes, huh…….”

[What do you mean bribe? I don’t get what you’re saying. Will you be willing to work if I give you an additional 20 bottles?] (Spiera)

“……And I like that! Let’s start immediately!”

He just needed to stay still, and they were giving him 50 extra bottles, so it was a profitable trade indeed! Yu IlHan picked up a lump of harkanium from the pile in his workshop and placed it into the furnace while humming.

And as such,the enjoyable work began.

He had a wealth of experience from making Traps of Destruction the previous time. Of course, this time, the situation was quite different, and the blueprint he was given also had some major differences.

“So this enhances the original Traps of Destruction scattered over the world, huh.”

[Now you’re instantly analyzing them….. You’re right. To allow for the entrapment of more as well as stronger monsters. What you’re making can be considered an upgrade kit that enhances the nearby dungeons.] (Liera)

The Traps of Destruction that Yu IlHan made before for Earth were able to enhance other nearby Traps of Destruction, but if that was changing the properties of mana, what he was going to make this time was capable of upgrading all the nearby dungeons by a tier.

And the ones made with rarer materials, were the super versions that could entrap 3rd class and 4th class beings in the dungeons without a problem!

[We are conflicted that we cannot give these out to every world. If such dungeons aren’t scattered all over the world, they may end up like Dareu some day. Although, Dareu was quite, no, very much more serious than the others.] (Liera)

“Just ten dragons on Earth would horrify me already.”

Even looking back right now, he had no idea how he could defeat those frightening monsters. He thought that he could never let that happen on Earth.

As such.

“Can I change the blueprint a little?”

[Huh?] (Liera)

“You guys use the language of Heaven, but you don’t use the dragon tongue or ancient elven language, do you? If we use that, although there will be a slight increase in mana consumption during the mana crafting process, I think we can increase its effects and reduce the probability of dungeon breaks.”

[And you do not think that you’re exceptionally strange for being able to pull it off?] (Spiera)

Spiera thought about it for a little but eventually nodded.

[We’re forcing the production work on you, for Traps of Destruction to be used in other worlds, so it might no be so bad to give you a little freedom…. However, experimenting comes first. Can you first make a sample? We shall officially give you permission after testing its safety and efficiency in a higher world.] (Spiera)

“Of course, of course.”

Yu IlHan modified the blueprint right there and then. He drew a minute amount of the Eternal Flame onto his fingers, and dragged it on the surface of the blueprint to draw tiny lines by burning it. From his figure, it could be seen that he had definite control over the Eternal Flame.

“Done.”

[Hm, I don’t understand it. We will not be able to know the effects without a sample.] (Spiera)

“Wait a moment.”

Yu IlHan picked up the hammer while humming. He ripped slight bits of the half-molten harkanium and made it into a cube, before adding elements needed in Traps of Destruction.

He hammered and chiselled while communicating with the Eternal Flame, and ended up form-creating and inlaying within 40 minutes. A new record.

“It will become faster from now on. I’m aiming for under 15 minutes.”

[Inhuman.] (Spiera)

[Let’s do the mana crafting right away. There’s two 6th class angels, so there won’t be a need for a third angel.] (Liera)

The mana crafting was done as quickly as grilling beans with lightning. There was no need to mention the completeness. As this was a sample to be used in a higher world, they couldn’t use rare materials, but what if he added a spice that won’t be known by anyone?

[The skill, Soul enchant, has become level 25.]

“Complete.”

Yu IlHan handed it over to them with a smile. The angels looked at the Trap of Destruction and exclaimed.

[I can feel a great power. If it’s an unintelligent 4th class, it might be able to entrap it.] (Spiera)

[My mana crafting skill levelled up too……] (Erta)

[Spiera, be quick with the experiment, okay?] (Liera)

[Then I’ll go immediately. If the experiment is successful, this blueprint may be accepted officially.] (Spiera)

[I don’t think anyone other than Yu IlHan can make it…… Anyway, see you later.] (Erta)

Yu IlHan stretched his arms after confirming that Spiera had left. It wasn’t that he was tired; he still had to make hundreds of these. It was only to calm down his excitement a little.

In fact, he felt like a gambler betting his life right now.

The reason he used Soul enchant on the Trap of Destruction was definitely to enhance it, but he did not tell that to the angels. They wouldn’t even be able to imagine what had happened, so he did not see the need to tell them, and if they knew what he was trying to do, they might urge him to stop.

Now then, what he was trying to do through the Trap of Destruction, was,

He slightly closed his eyes and called out a record he wanted. It was the skill evolution criteria of a certain skill that was at level max the moment he awakened it.

[The following is the skill evolution conditions of the skill, Language.]

[3rd class magic stones 24,498/1,000]

[4th class magic stones 22/100]

[5th class magic stones 0/1]

[Record of worlds 7/100]

“So they didn’t activate it yet.”

It was the Language skill. The one that supported him in unexpected times, such as just now, when upgrading the Traps of Destruction.

[IlHan, what is it?] (Liera)

“Nah, I’m just wondering what ‘record of worlds meant.”

[That’s very vague. Although your immunity towards new worlds increase as you visit more of them, I don’t know a lot about it either.] (Liera)

[I never thought that we’d hear that from a lower existence.] (Erta)

When Yu IlHan first peeked at the evolution criteria of the Language skill, it was not long after he acquired it. At that time, he didn’t think much about it since there were absurd things like 4th class and even 5th class magic stones, but if an advanced skill required such conditions, he wondered what abilities that skill would bring.

What tugged at his mind the most, was the last requirement, the record of worlds. He had assumed that he had to acquire records of many worlds, including Earth. However, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how he could acquire records from one hundred worlds.

Living on Earth acquired him the record of Earth, and killing the 4th class mage that came to Earth, he acquired the record of the world he came from, and acquired Dareu’s by going there, Kiroa’s by confronting them, and Ferata by visiting them.

Up till here counted as five, and the 6th was the higher world Lu Füera from a while back. The reason he asked Liera to take some grass was also because of that.

Although he wasn’t granted permission in the end, gaining victory in that world, and coming into contact with various organisms and natural phenomena, he successfully acquired the record in that process.

The remaining one was, surprisingly, was the record of the Abandoned World that his subordinates, had been to. Thanks to the actions of his subordinates connected to him via the Rule skill, their records transferred over to him!

Although he didn’t think much of it when he realized that, when Liera asked him to create Traps of Destruction to be used in other worlds, he thought ‘perhaps?’ and pondered about it.

And when he realized the combo of the Rule skill and Soul enchant skill, he felt like lightning had struck inside his head.

With this, it was possible. If a Trap of Destruction had his subordinate’s soul in it, it was possible to gain the record of a world that the Trap of Destruction was used in! – was the conclusion he arrived at. (PR: Souls from his deathgod skills)

He moved his thoughts into practice without hesitation, and reached this stage smoothly. As such, what was left now……was to wait.

[Subordinate, Giant Snake, absorb a portion of the record of the higher world ‘El Tièfè’.]

[Record of Worlds 8/100]

Yu IlHan’s mouth curved into a smile.

It looked like his gamble was a success.

Author’s notes

A total of 200 advanced mana potions, profit indeed!

Translator’s notes