“We don’t know exactly what the sacrifices need to be,” Milayna admitted. “But for the Lord of Hell to descend, it must be something far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.” Ketal stroked his chin in thought. Although he had managed to defend the elven sacred ground from the demonic assault, the defense wasn’t perfect. The World Tree’s branch had been taken. He could guess that this was another necessary sacrifice for the Demon King’s descent. So far, the known offerings were the Primordial Essence of Purity from Pisarapia, the ancient meteorite from Mantamia, the World Tree’s branch, and numerous other treasures. “This situation might be more dangerous than I realized,” Ketal muttered. “It... really is,” Milayna replied quietly, unable to deny it. The world had never felt so unstable. In every city, doomsayers were shouting that the end was coming. If even the royal capital felt this way, then things had to be even worse in places with weaker law and order. “I can’t believe this is happening in my lifetime,” Milayna sighed, her frustration evident. To face such a world-ending crisis as the Demon King’s descent, and in her own era—she could almost curse the gods themselves. “Is that so?” Ketal said with a faint smile. Of course, he felt the exact opposite. The fact that all these great events were unfolding while he was out in the world made him feel oddly grateful, almost as if he should thank the gods for the spectacle. “Would you like to see more of the capital?” Milayna asked him. Ketal nodded, and together they stepped out to wander the streets. “Things have been restored pretty quickly,” Ketal observed. The world was dangerous, even teetering on the brink. Yet, even in times like these, people had no choice but to live, to push forward. Google seaʀᴄh 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝔫𝔢𝔱 The capital of the Denian Kingdom had been left half-destroyed by the previous demons’ descent. When Ketal last saw it, the devastation was unimaginable. Yet now, much of the city had already been rebuilt. Considering it had only been a few months, the speed of recovery was remarkable. “We spent every last coin on the restoration,” Milayna muttered. “Most of it was my money, honestly.” Her words were laced with bitterness. The city might be standing tall again, but the costs had nearly ruined her. One wrong move, and she would have lost everything. As they walked, one of Milayna’s employees hurried over. “Lady Milayna,” he called respectfully. “What is it?” Milayna replied. The staffer caught sight of Ketal and flinched a little, but didn’t show any real fear or discomfort beyond that. It was as if he didn’t find Ketal’s presence intimidating at all. Ketal smiled slightly at the reaction. Ever since learning how to conceal his presence from Karin, he’d become so adept at suppressing his natural aura that strangers barely noticed anything strange about him. Even if they were startled at first, the feeling quickly faded. It was a very satisfying change. The employee spoke up, a bit hesitant. “Um, the party who commissioned the artifact is asking for an update. They’re getting impatient.” “Ah...” Milayna grimaced, rubbing her temples. “Tell them we’re doing everything possible to finish it quickly. But if they keep pushing, let me know. I’ll handle it myself.” “Yes, understood,” the staffer said, bowing and walking off. Ketal watched him leave, then remarked, “Sounds like you’ve got a problem.” “Yeah...,” Milayna admitted, clicking her tongue in annoyance. The Akasha family was, first and foremost, a merchant house. Among their businesses was artifact production, which was a core part of their income. However, right now, that part of the business was in trouble. “The mage who was supposed to handle artifact production had to leave on urgent business. This isn’t the first time it’s happened, either,” she complained. “Sounds like a troublesome mage,” Ketal observed. “He’s always making excuses to take time off. I’d fire him if alchemists weren’t so rare. But there’s nothing I can do right now. It’s driving me mad,” she said, shaking her head. Things had been fine when Arkemis was still around. Arkemis was a Transcendent alchemist, almost absurdly skilled, so much so that sometimes her artifacts turned out a little too unique for comfort. However, with that kind of ability, the risks were worth it, and the Akasha family’s artifact commissions were booming. Since Arkemis left, though, everything had gone downhill. Milayna let out a heavy sigh. “If this keeps up, I might have to give up on artifact production altogether.” Ketal fell silent for a moment, thinking. “Is it that you have to start making the artifacts all over again?” “No, the basic frames are already finished. The only thing left is to infuse them with Myst and activate the circuits, but, of course, the mage disappeared right at the final step. I mean, how lazy can he be? There’s only one thing left to do, and he’s dodging the work,” she grumbled, shaking her head. As she vented about her unreliable mage, Ketal’s eyes lit up. “In that case, I’ll help you!” he announced suddenly. “Huh?” Milayna stared at him in surprise. “Y-you will?” “A-are you sure you can?” Milayna knew that Ketal had learned alchemy from Arkemis. However, as far as she was aware, he was only an apprentice, and the artifacts in question were far from simple. However, this was high-level work. Besides, there was another problem: Ketal couldn’t use Myst. The activation of artifact circuits required the infusion of Myst—something Ketal, as a barbarian, should have been unable to do. However, Ketal just grinned. “I can handle it.” “If you say so...,” Milayna replied, looking skeptical. She led Ketal to a warehouse filled with unfinished artifacts. “There are a lot, as you can see. It was a big commission... Are you really sure about this?” Milayna’s doubt was obvious. She knew how strong Ketal was, but that was physical power, not technical skill. Artifact crafting was a whole different game. Ketal just nodded. “I can do it since I’m not the one who’ll be finishing them.” Ketal smiled. “Let me show you. I summon you! Bearer of the primordial purity—’” “Wait, what?” Milayna’s eyes widened. Before her, fire began to swirl in the air, gathering into a single, glowing mass. The energy was so dense that it warped the very atmosphere around them. Milayna stumbled backward in alarm as Ketal calmly finished his incantation. “Come forth! Horned one bearing the flames of purity. Fiego!” With a roar, the fire twisted into a doorway, and out of it stepped a great bull wreathed in living flames. “You called?” Fiego said. “A legendary spirit!” Milayna gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief. She couldn’t help it. Spirits were pure beings of nature. For elves, making a contract with a spirit was hard enough, but for humans, it was nearly impossible. Mages were rare, but spirit mages were rarer. And among them, strong spirit mages were even more uncommon. There wasn’t a single spirit mage in the entire Denian Kingdom who had a contract with even a Rare spirit. One would have to check two or three kingdoms just to find one. As for Epic spirits, those were almost never seen among humans. To her knowledge, there were fewer than five humans who had contracted an Epic spirit across the whole continent. However, the being Ketal had summoned was even greater—a Legendary spirit, a being considered impossible for any human to contract with. Yet, here was Ketal, calling forth a Legendary spirit right before her eyes. The heat and energy filling the space were unmistakable. Even Milayna, with no magical talent, could feel the overwhelming purity of the flame. She stammered, “K-Ketal, how...?” “I received it at the elven sacred ground.” “You... received it?” “As I said, I helped them with their troubles. This was my reward.” “They can... just give out Legendary spirits?” Milayna was lost for words. “It wasn’t the elves who gave it to me,” Ketal corrected her. “It was the Spirit God. I received it directly from them.” Milayna felt her mind spinning. The summoned spirit, Fiego, snorted and glared at Ketal. “So, why did you call me? There’s no sign of battle.” “There are some artifacts here,” Ketal said, gesturing. Fiego glanced at the piles of artifacts, then scowled as if realizing what Ketal had in mind. ”Don’t tell me...” “We just need the finishing touches. Can you handle it?” Ketal asked it with a grin. “You...” Flames surged around Fiego, prompting Milayna to hold her breath. “You dare summon me for such menial labor?” The Legendary spirit’s pride was clear. Even for a contractor, calling a spirit of this stature for chores was a dangerous move. Most Legendary spirits would be deeply offended, and might refuse to ever answer another summons. However, Ketal looked completely unconcerned. “That’s exactly what I’m asking. Is there a problem?” Fiego fell silent. Any normal contractor would have been scolded, and Fiego would have stormed back to the Spirit Realm, refusing to appear again for weeks. However, Ketal wasn’t an ordinary spirit mage. His contract was forged directly by the Spirit God. To disobey Ketal would be to defy the will of the Spirit God themselves. In the end, Fiego forced itself to swallow its anger. With a blast of heat, Fiego swept the artifacts in a wave of fire. Instantly, the dormant Myst within each artifact was awakened, circuits activating in a blink. “Oh, it worked,” Ketal said, grinning. “That’s going to make things so much easier.” He just realized that as long as he had Fiego, he’d never need to worry about these tasks again. Fiego swayed, feeling faint with disbelief. It was one of the oldest spirits, a being who had witnessed the dawn of flame itself. Even when it made contracts with mortals, it always maintained the upper hand, with mortals doing anything to please it. Now, it was being used like a convenient tool. Fiego was utterly humiliated. “I am a Legendary spirit. You should treat me with respect, with reverence!” “I do respect you,” Ketal replied, tilting his head. “Please, help me with these artifacts.” Spirit God, Fiego thought. Why did you bind me to such a brute? Milayna could only watch in shock as the Legendary spirit, Fiego, worked at Ketal’s command. It felt surreal to see a powerful spirit like Fiego being treated like a common tool. Is this really happening? Or am I dreaming? Milayna thought. Still grinning, Ketal turned to Milayna. “Just wait a bit. It’ll be done soon.” “R-right...” Milayna replied, still dazed. The artifact work was completed in an instant. Milayna left to deliver the finished products, still looking a little shell-shocked. While she took care of business, Ketal spent the night at the estate. The next day, Ketal happily went to find Milayna. Now that the artifacts were done, it was time to move on to his real purpose for helping her: he wanted to wield Myst, and to do that, he needed powerful catalysts filled with Myst. As the head of the continent’s most prominent merchant family, Milayna would surely know where to find such things. That was the real price he sought for his assistance. However, as Ketal headed to Milayna’s office, he found it unusually hectic. Curious, he opened the door to find Milayna shouting frantically into a communication artifact. “Line up! At least five! If you close the deal today, I’ll give you a week’s vacation!” She was barking orders at her staff, her face red with urgency. “What’s going on?” Ketal asked her. “Oh, Ketal,” Milayna stammered, flustered. “Are you familiar with the Wandering Merchants?” “I know of them. They’re those mysterious traders, right? Every adventurer’s dream, as I recall.” Even Ketal’s own artifact pouch had once belonged to a Wandering Merchant. Milayna nodded quickly, eyes shining with excitement. “One of the Wandering Merchants has come to the capital!”