"That alone is a problematic statement."

Edwin chuckled and replied.

Frondier thought for a moment. Thanatos, who tried to kill him at first, then Hephaestus, who controlled Edwin, Renzo's divine power Ares, and even Hestia.

At first, he only felt dislike towards the gods of this world. It was natural. Whether they hated 'Weaving' or Frondier himself, all the gods seemed to want him dead.

However, Hestia had said that the gods themselves were currently in conflict. He didn't know what they were clashing over, but Hestia had helped Frondier as if to prove it.

She had met Frondier knowing that he would store her furnace.

The conflict of the gods. He didn't know which side was on his side. It could be neither.

However, it was enough to change Frondier's thinking a little.

"If I had to say,"

Frondier finished his thoughts and spoke.

"The gods are quite...human-like."

A conflict where their opinions couldn't be reconciled. He learned from Thanatos that a god could harbor murderous intent towards a single human, and from Hephaestus, he learned about the hatred and anger of gods. From Hestia, he received information and even felt goodwill.

All of these things made Frondier no longer feel like the gods were gods. Perhaps it was because he never believed in gods in the first place that he had such an impression.

"...Keuk."

Edwin let out a small laugh at those words. He smiled as if genuinely pleased.

However, his expression turned a little serious as he said,

"If that's how you truly feel, be careful of temples and believers from now on."

"...Temples."

"For gods to descend upon the human world, several conditions are needed. But temples already fulfill some of those conditions. If a god pushes themselves a little, they can descend upon a temple."

As Edwin said, gods had actually descended upon temples several times in the past. It was a much more direct and powerful manifestation of power than the appearance of gods in sanctuaries. Thanatos, who appeared to kill Frondier, was the closest example.

There were several famous temples on the continent. In particular, the 'Parthenon Temple' remained in a perfect form without any damage or defects.

"This is just my intuition, but I don't think you're only hated by Hephaestus."

His intuition was too good.

Frondier felt something strange as he listened and asked,

"Something I've been wondering, Senior Edwin also doesn't use honorifics for Hephaestus."

"..."

"...Don't tell me, Senior also...like me..."

Edwin lowered his gaze from Frondier's fingers and met his eyes. A playful smile spread across his face.

"It's a secret."

* * *

After Frondier's fingerprint registration was complete, Binkis determined the direction of the design and began working.

However, it seemed like it would take longer than initially expected.

'I won't be able to go to Yeranhes with the completed artifact.'

Enfer had mentioned a preparation period of a week, but it seemed like it would take at least two weeks more. Frondier requested that it be sent to Yeranhes as soon as it was completed.

He didn't expect to get Obsidian as soon as he arrived in Yeranhes anyway. The fragment of Helheim was beyond the barrier, and Enfer wouldn't allow him to go there.

If it was certain that the artifact would be completed within this winter break, it would be better to stay quiet within Yeranhes until then. Frondier wasn't crazy enough to want to die.

Frondier picked up his phone. Several messages had arrived.

Unlike last summer break, Frondier had informed most people about going to Yeranhes this time. Of course, he emphasized that he was going to learn under the Roach Knights, not to stop the barrier.

Most people sent messages of support. It seemed like Sybil and Aten wouldn't be coming along this time either.

However, there was one message that stopped Frondier for a moment.

[Don't die.]

It was Elodie.

It seemed like a simple message of well-being and support, but another message followed.

[I know you'll push yourself.]

It was sharp, as if predicting Frondier's actions.

Frondier tried to respond for now.

[I won't push myself.]

[Don't lie.]

An immediate reply.

And another one. This time, it was a rather puzzling message.

[And this time, I won't say anything either.]

[Huh?]

He asked back, but no reply came for a while.

Did something urgent come up? Just as he was thinking that, another message arrived.

[Because I'll push myself too this time.]

"..."

Frondier closed his mouth and fell silent.

Elodie, who was already overwhelmingly powerful, pushing herself. He couldn't quite imagine what would happen.

"I told you, you don't have to do that."

Unable to send that in a message, Frondier muttered to himself.

There was one thing Frondier didn't know right now. How the current situation differed from when he was playing the game.

Among the first-year students of Constel, Aster and Elodie were recognized geniuses. They were also already the top of their respective fields in the first year.

Aster had Robald following him, and Elodie had Lunia and Aten, but there was still a visible gap between them.

So, although they were both naturally inclined to practice diligently, being the strongest also meant that their motivation was weaker.

Even though Aster was controlled by the player, the player only moved along efficient routes and couldn't change Aster's inherent mindset. Therefore, there was a limit to his growth curve.

However, Frondier's appearance made them reconsider their complacency.

During the midterm and final exams of the second semester, Frondier intentionally adjusted his ranking. He didn't need to achieve a higher rank as long as he stayed out of Enfer's bad books. And those who knew about Frondier also knew that he had intentionally adjusted his ranking.

To Elodie and Aster, Frondier's skills were immeasurable. So, they couldn't afford to be at ease. The title of the top of their respective fields was just an empty formality.

To surpass Frondier. To stand on equal footing with him.

The image of Frondier in their minds had already become an insurmountable wall.

To overcome that wall, they would put in any effort and spare nothing.

Aster didn't send a message to Frondier, but his intentions were not much different from Elodie's. The fact that he didn't send a message even hinted at his determination.

"...Alright then."

Frondier, unaware of this fact, simply took another step, slowly.

"Let's go, Yeranhes."

To change the future of the game, he took another step forward.

Even in places he didn't know, the future was slowly starting to change.