NoveLight ™
“This… this can’t be…”
Clatter—
“Was I the frog in the well all along…?”
The sound of cracking bones echoed softly. He had remained completely still, unmoving, for the entire duration of the broadcast.
“This is… far beyond anything I could have anticipated.”
Clatter—
The Lich King.
The pinnacle of dark magic.
The ruler of the Black Shroud.
Known by many such titles, he leaned deeply into his throne, gazing at the ceiling above him.
“A new world…”
Yes. What other words could suffice?
A new world.
That was the impression the Lich King had as he watched Kalstein’s broadcast.
Rising from his throne, he began to circle it, a habit he indulged in when lost in deep thought.
“A civilization so advanced that not even magic can emulate it…”
Scattered throughout the massive chamber were strange, otherworldly objects. Artifacts of innovation so alien that even magic paled in comparison.
And their power… what could possibly rival it?
Raymond, lost in his muttering, suddenly halted in place.
Creak—
Screech—
Someone had entered the grand hall.
“What is it?”
The Lich King turned his gaze toward the intruder, a figure clad entirely in jet-black armor.
A Death Knight.
One of Raymond’s loyal undead subordinates, often referred to as knights of death.
“Lord Raymond. Representatives from the Elf Union have arrived.”
“….”
The voice was sharp and articulate—an unusual trait for the undead. This signified that this was no ordinary Death Knight but a highly advanced one.
“They’ve come regarding the recently discovered mana stone mine.”
“Hah. That pathetic…”
In this world, the Lich King Raymond and the Elf Union were two dominant forces, their territories dividing the land in half.
“…Fine. I’ll see them in the reception hall shortly.”
A mana stone mine, of all things.
Raymond’s tone carried indifference.
Once, such a matter would have consumed his attention. But now, his reaction was uncharacteristic.
Raymond had grown weary of squabbles with the elves. In the past, he had desperately clashed with them to expand the horizons of dark magic, but those days were long gone.
“I have no desire to cling to such trivialities.”
After all, he had glimpsed a mountain of gold with his very own eyes. Why bother wrestling over a measly chunk of copper?
He no longer cared.
“If it’s such a nuisance, I might as well just hand it over.”
That was how far his disinterest had come.
***
Viola, the High Elf from the Elf Union, stood nervously as she prepared to meet the infamous Lich King.
Despite being a High Elf, she was still young and inexperienced. Her clan had orchestrated this meeting as a growth opportunity for her, a critical moment in her development.
Still, this wasn’t an event she could afford to handle carelessly—especially since it involved the discovery of a mana stone mine, a matter of utmost importance.
“Is this the reception room?” she asked cautiously.
The black-armored Death Knight who escorted her said nothing, as expected. Without waiting for a response, Viola began to glance around the room.
‘Hmm… It’s not as dark as I expected.’
Meeting the ruler of the Black Shroud, she had anticipated a gloomy, oppressive atmosphere reminiscent of a demon king’s castle.
“Well, I’ll wait here, then,” she said.
The Death Knight quietly left without a word, leaving Viola alone in the room.
“Hospitality is… lacking,” she muttered to herself.
Truthfully, her status as a "guest" in this situation was tenuous at best.
She wandered the reception room, taking in her surroundings.
‘Hmm… Is this the Lich King’s taste?’
The room was unexpectedly clean and orderly, filled with items crafted from various metals—not the piles of bones she’d imagined.
“Hmm?” she murmured.
She didn’t sense any magical power here.
Soft music resonated faintly in the background, accompanied by a strangely soothing light. The room’s lighting had seemed off when she first entered, but it now felt… welcoming.
‘How odd…’
She settled herself on what appeared to be a chair. Standing and waiting would only make her seem foolish.
The material was an intriguing blend of leather, metal, and wood—unlike anything she’d seen before.
As she leaned back into the seat—
Plof!
“Ah!” she gasped involuntarily.
The chair wrapped around her body with a snug, comforting pressure, neither too tight nor too loose.
‘If I’m not careful, I might fall asleep here.’
Shaking off the creeping drowsiness, she straightened her posture. She knew better than to let her guard down entirely, especially in enemy territory.
‘What kind of magic chair is this?’ she wondered.
Perhaps it was a tool, designed to disarm guests by lowering their mental defenses?
Her gaze shifted to the other peculiar items in the room—a cylindrical device that seemed to purify the air and regulate temperature, and a strange metallic plate on the table.
Curiosity getting the better of her, she reached out to touch the plate.
Tap.
Zzzzt—
Pop!
“!!”
Viola nearly unleashed a barrage of magic in sheer surprise.
“What—what’s this?!”
A soft, blue holographic image floated in the air, projecting a detailed visual.
‘Is this… illusion magic?’ she thought, puzzled.
But no, there was no trace of mana.
Even if it were magic, creating something this precise and intricate seemed beyond possibility.
When she touched the image with her fingertip, it shifted and morphed with fluid motion.
‘Wait, is this how you use it?’
She didn’t fully understand, but the intuitive controls were easy to grasp with minimal experimentation.
The projection depicted a human-shaped figure of light, moving as she interacted with it. Pressing another button caused the figure to walk, and soon she found herself utterly absorbed in the strange device.
By the time the Lich King arrived—
Creak—
Raymond entered the room silently, but Viola was too engrossed in what she now realized was a holographic game to notice.
“….”
Raymond stood there, watching the High Elf fully engrossed in annihilating virtual monsters, a peculiar expression on his skeletal face.
“Ahem.”
Click.
“Ah!” Viola jolted, snapping out of her trance.
Raymond’s gaze shifted to the holographic screen, where her character was enthusiastically slaughtering digital foes.
“….”
“….”
He understood, of course. The allure of games.
The omnipotence of controlling the avatar.
The thrill of overcoming a challenge.
The satisfaction of conquering obstacles.
“I see you’ve made good use of the device I left for my guests,” he said with a knowing tone.
“….”
Viola’s face flushed with embarrassment as she hastily composed herself. But there was no fooling the Lich King.
“So, you’ve come regarding the mana stone mine?”
“…Y-yes,” she stammered.
Already, she felt as if she’d lost the upper hand in the negotiations before they’d even begun.
‘This reception room is a trap!’ she realized too late.
And yet—
“Fine. Do as you please.”
“…Excuse me?”
Raymond’s indifferent tone threw her off guard.
‘Is this another trap?’
But his expression remained unchanged.
“You haven’t even heard our terms yet,” she said cautiously.
“Huh? Oh… whatever.”
‘What’s going on?’
This wasn’t just any resource; this was a mana stone mine—one of the most valuable assets on the continent!
Even for elves, who lived amidst the great forest, mana stones were indispensable for crafting magic artifacts and materials.
To hand over such a treasure without negotiation—was this a joke?
“T-these are the terms our side is proposing,” Viola stammered, handing him a document.
Raymond barely glanced at it, his disinterest palpable.
Then he froze.
“?”
Even Viola noticed the subtle shift.
A faint, eerie glow ignited in the hollow sockets of his eyes.
“Hold on.”
Viola tensed.
‘As expected… he’s unpredictable!’
She began to fear the worst. Though she doubted he would harm her outright, the Lich King’s notorious reputation kept her on edge.
“…What is it?” she asked carefully, striving to maintain her composure.
But Raymond didn’t answer. He simply raised his hand and stared into the air, lost in thought.
“….”
Seconds passed. Then minutes.
Finally, he turned to her, his gaze sharp.
“As a High Elf, you must have extensive knowledge of flora and vegetation, correct?”
“…Excuse me?”
The sudden change in topic left her baffled.
Unbeknownst to her, Raymond had just read a notice posted on his community forum:
[Notice]
Seeking skilled individuals to join the World Project.
Preferred skills include:
A sinister smile spread across his skeletal face as he cackled softly.
“Ha ha ha…”
Viola shuddered as the reception room began to tremble, filled with his eerie laughter.
By the time he erupted into black flames, she was visibly trembling in fear.
“These conditions are irrelevant. The mana stone mine is yours.”
With a sharp rip, he tore the negotiation document in half.
“However, I have one condition.”
“…!”
Raymond’s glowing gaze locked onto her.
“You must accompany me.”
“…!”
Viola could barely comprehend his words, her thoughts spiraling in confusion.
***
"Aria, I’ll leave the rest to you, alright?"
[No issues detected.]
The battlefield had been cleared.
After Prohydan retreated with half of the monstrous army under its command, the cleanup of the remaining creatures was swift.
Even the spoils of war were rather impressive this time.
First, the monster corpses.
Particularly valuable were the bodies of the specialized monsters encountered during the battle, providing excellent material for experiments.
Specialized monsters typically stayed far from the frontlines to avoid unnecessary losses, but today had been an exception.
Additionally—
A silver greatsword, now half-reduced to ashes.
Or was it a wooden sword?
"This… it looks similar to the ones those Sephiroth bastards were wielding," Kalstein muttered.
The sword was promptly sent to the lab via Aria for research. It would become yet another sample to be analyzed and dissected for dimensional studies.
"And this egg…"
Kalstein examined the unusual egg. Prohydan had seemed to value it greatly, indicating it was no ordinary item.
The egg continued to absorb Kalstein’s ether, yet showed no signs of change. It reacted to no one but Kalstein, which was why he had kept it close.
"At any rate, this should secure the second phase of expansion as planned."
Since the invasion, the monsters’ counterattacks had noticeably weakened.
The more Kalstein pressed, the more they retreated, almost as if deliberately ceding ground.
"I’m not sure what they’re up to, but securing the high ground will pay off in the long run."
Still, Kalstein didn’t expect to fully secure the second expansion territory. The lands beyond the barrier would inevitably become a battleground.
"They won’t stay passive forever."
Eventually, they’d push back.
Until then, fortifying the defenses would ensure the Galactic Empire gained a significant advantage in its warfront against the monsters.
"And the tracking coordinates?"
He couldn’t just let the monster retreat without consequence.
"Running off after daring to strike first?"
[Well…]
"Hmm?"
Aria’s holographic form looked hesitant.
[The first location identified is 'World.']
"World?"
The name struck Kalstein as odd. Someone had once gone to great lengths to craft an entirely new body just to reach that place, and yet the monster had fled there effortlessly.
"Was it really because of that sword?"
[There are significant astral reactions, but…]
"And you said the samples were too damaged to draw conclusive results?"
[We can produce some findings, but it will take time.]
"No choice, then."
Kalstein tapped the mysterious egg thoughtfully.
"And the new body? Is it ready?"
[Almost completed.]
"World, huh? Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to follow you there? Just wait, you monster."
"This time, the new body has different attributes, right?"
[Yes. At your request, the metal dominion factor has been integrated.]
"Good. Running around in person gets tiresome, and the last one didn’t last long anyway."
Kalstein rubbed his palms together in anticipation.
"Let’s make sure we finish things properly this time."
[All preparations have been made.]
"Good. Then I’ll leave it to you."
[Understood.]
Kalstein’s preparations for his second connection to World were now complete.