I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain-Chapter 615

"That sounds like a bit of a stretch to me," Archeas replied calmly, a slight smile on its face. "There were many other events after that which carved rifts into the world. It was only a matter of time. The same result would eventually have occurred."

"Still, it seems he moved that timeline up quite a bit," Ian said with a chuckle. Perhaps all legendary beings were just bastards who had a hand in ruining the world.

"To a dragon, such things are minor differences. And perhaps we could have repaired the damage. But we didn’t. Even after realizing we should not have stood by, we left rather than take responsibility."

The smile on Archeas's face had turned bitter. "As far from the continent as possible."

"If you ask me, you should have done the same," said Ian.

Archeas let out a soft, amused laugh. "Someone had to stay behind. And it was only natural that I, the one closest to humankind, should be the one. Even if it hadn’t been, I would’ve volunteered."

Its golden gaze drifted back to Ian. "I was curious what would become of the continent once the dragons were gone."

"So you chose loneliness just to satisfy your curiosity?"

"I have no regrets. The age of humans has been more interesting than any before it. Besides, it led me to meet you, did it not?"

At Archeas’s teasing tone, Ian snorted. "Save your breath. It's not like I'm your first Agent."

"But you are the most interesting, and the one I am most fond of. Just look at you now. You've surprised me yet again, haven't you? And perhaps all of this might not be a mere product of chance."

"What, are you saying I'm fated to clean up my ancestor's messes?" Ian scoffed in reply, then suddenly froze.

A thought brushed his mind—maybe it wasn’t entirely wrong. After all, every playable character was a descendant of the so-called heroes who had once helped tear the world apart.

"You seem to have realized something," Archeas said softly, misreading Ian’s expression.

As Ian merely licked his lips, a chuckling laugh echoed in his mind.

—It's surprised by just that? Aren't you curious how it'll react when it learns your biggest secret, Friend?

No, not at all.

Ian swallowed a scoff. He had no desire to reveal it, nor any reason to.

There was a limit to the wordplay he could use to deceive the Platinum Dragon. He didn't want Archeas to live its near-eternal life doubting that its world was a mere game. That kind of thought was enough to breed madness.

"In any case, he certainly spent his final years in that cursed jungle," said Ian.

Archeas nodded. "That’s how I remember it. But why does it matter? You’re not suddenly curious about your ancestor’s demise, are you?"

"It seems I must find his legacy to awaken the memories dormant in my blood," Ian replied.

Archeas let out an exclamation. "Memories dormant in the blood... Yes... Blood and soul can hold the most information. Perhaps all of his lost spells might be recorded in your blood."

"I doubt it. Wouldn't it only contain information up to the point he had descendants?"

"We cannot be certain. It isn't a physical phenomenon, is it? Until now, there had only been rumors that he’d left an heir, and no proof."

Archeas's yellow gaze flickered meaningfully. "But now, we might finally be able to confirm it."

"Well, that's if I succeed in fully awakening the memories."

"Indeed. But that jungle is dangerous, Ian. Make sure you’re well prepared before you set foot there."

At the inevitable lecture, Ian chuckled softly and said, "Then you can just support me. With carefully selected treasures, just like this time."

"You never miss a chance to be greedy, do you?" Archeas shook its head with a quiet laugh, but then suddenly stopped in its tracks.

Ian took a few more steps down before noticing and turning back, puzzled.

"Even if you happen to learn spells related to souls or dimensions, you must never attempt them, Ian," said Archeas in a low voice.

"Why the sudden concern over that?"

"Of course. No matter how much favor you have with the gods, some lines cannot be crossed. Both of those subjects are forbidden. Besides, he must have failed in the end. Just as his body vanished, his soul was likely torn to shreds. Even if he had succeeded..."

Its voice, lower and more solemn than usual, grew even colder. "He would not have escaped the rifts or the void. A shattered soul would have been a less gruesome fate. So please... won't you promise me you won't?"

To Ian’s surprise, Archeas’s words carried something close to pleading.

Ian met its gaze for a long moment before letting out a faint sigh. "I have a feeling you won’t let me take another step until I do."

Ian finally replied, one corner of his mouth twitching upward, "I promise. I have no desire to face divine punishment or end up worse than dead."

"Good. That eases my mind."

Archeas's expression finally relaxed, having realized the sincerity in Ian's words. Of course, that promise wasn’t entirely for the dragon’s sake.

—Maybe his experiment didn’t fail after all. You know that already, don’t you, my friend?

Yog's whisper continued in Ian's mind as Archeas descended the stairs again.

Yeah, I know it well enough.

Ian started walking again. His very existence was proof, but that changed nothing.

Those really seem like spells for the corrupted.

Necromancy, curses, void magic—those were all the domain of dark mages. Spells dealing with souls, minds, and dimensions were more than likely the same.

The White Mage was the pinnacle of mages, and simultaneously, the pinnacle of dark mages as well.

And I’m not about to corrupt myself just to confirm it.

Besides, he doubted the game had ever included skills that could transcend dimensions.

You couldn't check the info window for items that didn't exist in the game. Skills were likely the same. Even if the White Mage had perfected his spells, Ian couldn’t use them unless they were registered in the skill window. He wasn’t a real mage, after all.

"Would’ve been nice to know that a little earlier," Archeas muttered just then.

Ian's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

Archeas shook its head, staring at the dim corridor revealed at the bottom of the stairs. "It's nothing. I just thought the battle against it might have been easier if you had awakened the memories in your blood."

"Perhaps. But it's not too late." Ian nodded readily and jerked his chin back up the stairs. "Give me the summoning talisman and send me to the frontier swamp. I'll enter the jungle and find the White Mage's legacy."

Completing the quest before facing the Heaven Defier had been his original plan, after all.

"It won't take long. In my current state, I won't burn to death even if I run around turning that forest into a sea of fire."

"A tempting offer, but it won't be easy. We caught the gods off guard once, but a second time will be difficult." Archeas narrowed its eyes at Ian's words but shook its head.

It glanced back at Ian, its gaze somewhat apologetic. "The moment you leave, the gaze of the Heavens will be fixed on you. It may last much longer than we expect. If I try to summon you, they will actively intervene. They might even try to discover the location of my lair."

"That would surely complicate things," Ian muttered, licking his lips.

Archeas chuckled and nodded. "Neither persuasion nor compromise works on the gods. Or... would you rather leave now? I am fine entering the Dragon's Tomb alone."

"I can't turn back after coming this far," Ian replied instantly and strode ahead into the dim corridor. "Let's go. We're almost there."

Archeas sighed softly, as if it had expected this, and fell in step beside him.

Beyond the corridor, a round stone chamber blocked the path. Its high, concave walls were perfectly smooth and unadorned.

"Are we supposed to stand on that?" Ian asked, easily spotting the disc on the floor, which was made of a darker stone.

Archeas nodded readily. "You have a sharp eye. Yes, that's correct."

Archeas glided forward and stood on the disc. It turned to face Ian and held out its right hand.

"Here. Stand in front of me. Give me your left hand."

Ian stepped onto the disc and placed his gauntleted left hand in Archeas's palm.

They were so close their toes almost touched. Archeas covered the back of Ian's hand with its left hand and smiled.

"We aren't transporting immediately, so don't be nervous."

Its glowing gaze intensified. At the same time, a faint golden light spread from where its hands clasped Ian's.

Shaaaaa—

Ian felt the dragon’s magic flowing into his arm, dense and heavy enough to make his skin prickle.

Archeas then slowly parted its hands.

Swoosh…

Magic scattered like gold dust, and the light on Ian's gauntlet subsided, though it didn't vanish completely.

He turned his wrist to check his palm and smiled. "This brings back memories..."

A glowing golden scale was stuck to the center of the gauntlet's palm. It was the source of the magic now flooding him.

"As you probably know, I’m sharing a portion of my magic with you. It’ll help when facing dragons," Archeas added, slowly spreading its magic-wielding hands.

Ian clenched his fist and nodded.

At least I won't have to drink the Elixir of Life.

Clenching his fist felt natural. Immediately after, the disc they stood on glowed.

Swoosh—

Magic radiated from Archeas's palms and flowed into the stone. A hidden Mantra circuit lit up, and golden magic surged from the disc's edge to envelop them. Overhead, radiant spell circuits etched themselves into the air.

"It’ll hurt far less than last time, so don’t worry," said Archeas, wrapping one arm around Ian's waist.

It met Ian's gaze and smiled gently. "Then, let us go."

The next moment, a dazzling golden light filled Ian's vision. Once again, his body stretched and twisted, as though being pulled through a tunnel of light.

Whoosh!

His body snapped back like a stretched rubber band. This time, however, he didn't tumble to the floor. He landed on his feet, held steady by Archeas's arm around his waist.

As the remnants of the spell scattered, Ian winced beneath his helmet. It was definitely better than the first time, but the aftereffects weren't gone. His stomach churned, and his limbs felt weak.

—Fantastic. I can’t move an inch.

Yog groaned, but Archeas’s expression remained as calm as ever. Its eyes glowed faintly, golden light sharpening as the haze cleared.

—So, you’re still awake.

A deep but soft thought pierced Ian's mind.

He understood it perfectly, though it wasn't the common tongue. That, however, was not the important part.

—Unexpected, but welcome, Faded Gold.

This was unmistakably the Heaven Defier.