Chapter 164 – The One Who Gifted Fire

From the moment the Apostle’s voice echoed forth, Utangka and his tribe members could not even breathe properly.

Even Lightning Fire, who had become a Primal God through the Center Divine Domain, was like a firefly before the sun compared to the owner of that voice.

With just the voice alone, without revealing its form, the tribe members’ minds went blank, overwhelmed by an insurmountable difference in Grade! They could do nothing.

Only Utangka, who at least had Lightning Fire, now a Primal God, by his side, could even manage to think.

‘…A Familiar? Does that mean the owner of the mammoth? But why the applause? And… he says he gifted the fire?’

It was a confusing opponent, unsure whether to be hostile or grateful.

At the same time, it was impossible to know if the other party held goodwill or malice towards them.

But there was one thing that was clear.

To that being, Utangka and his tribe were likely like toys that could be erased with a single gesture.

For the survival of the tribe, they must not provoke his displeasure.

Utangka forced his stiffened body to move using Thunderfire Divine Power, knelt down, and bowed his head.

And he asked.

“…Great being! What, you want from us?”

[What do I want? New things. Things that did not exist before. All of that will call forth my Blessing. Remember my name.]

“N, name?”

[I am Prometheus. The one who gifted you fire.]

“Pro…metheus. Remembered.”

[Good. My gaze will always be with you. When you wish to call upon me, speak that name.]

Poof!

Immediately after saying that, Prometheus’s presence vanished in an instant.

As if it had never existed from the beginning.

But the name of Prometheus, etched into their minds, proved that the conversation just now was reality.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rough, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation between Prometheus and Utangka from the Dream Chaos Divine Realm, gritted his teeth.

It was because the fact that the moment Utangka became the Spirit of the Epicenter Throne was not a coincidence, but actually a moment intended by Prometheus.

Bubble bubble—

Indeed, when retracing the moment Utangka first used fire through the bubble dimension, traces of external intervention that had not been seen before became visible.

The impact point of the lightning bolt, slightly twisted from its originally intended falling location.

That fallen lightning coincidentally broke a rotten branch, and that branch just happened to fall before Utangka, who was being chased by a beast?

For a coincidence, it was remarkably exquisite.

“It’s certain someone altered the lightning’s direction.”

“The beast that lured Utangka to that spot is also Prometheus’s Familiar. I can sense his trace, though faintly.”

With Mirkala, who had been summoned to the Dream Chaos Divine Realm, adding her confirmation, it became definite.

If things continued like this, it would be impossible for Utangka to overcome Prometheus and become the Apostle of the Epicenter Throne.

For other Constellations, it might be different, but specifically for the Epicenter Throne, as long as the origin of the Feats Utangka had accumulated so far traced back to Prometheus, the superiority was absolute.

It was even more so if he became Nosferatu, the Transcendent Species of the Epicenter.

While reversals of hierarchy might rarely be possible among Nosferatu, a reversal against the progenitor was absolutely impossible.

“Fortunately, it seems Utangka has already set his direction of Transcendence towards the Spirit path, not Nosferatu, so that’s not a problem… The issue is that the beginning of history originated from Prometheus.”

“But there’s still a chance. It would be difficult after becoming a Transcendent Species, but if he learns the related Skill this time, he should be able to erase his traces sufficiently.”

“For that, we would need to intervene, but will that guy just sit back and watch the change?”

“He probably won’t intervene directly, due to Causality. Even if he did, it would likely be at the level of moving his Familiars? At that level, we could resolve it by intervening ourselves.”

“That may be so, but if our intervention is revealed, he could also act without consuming much Causality. No matter how many branches we create using the Dream Chaos Divine Realm to avoid his notice, there are limits.”

“So we must only act within the bounds of not being discovered.”

This means we cannot immediately invoke a branch where Utangka obtains the Skill we want through the Dream Chaos Divine Realm.

At the very least, to invoke such a branch, it had to be brought about through a natural flow that Causality would deem plausible.

Like plotting each move, causing minute Alterations, and painting a larger picture.

A kind of grand game played over the flow of history.

In the end, it seemed both sides would lead Utangka’s history in the direction they desired using only indirect interventions, without direct involvement.

“With this, it’s hard to predict how long it will take.”

“It won’t be easy, but we must do it.”

Since the opponent was an Apostle, it seemed a considerable amount of time would be needed until Utangka’s 6-Star Promotion was complete, but ultimately, everything starts from small things.

Lee Hanseong made the first move.

And after that, forgetting time, he continued subtle interventions, either dealing with Prometheus’s moves alongside Mirkala or contemplating moves he couldn’t counter.

* * *

Although Utangka, having hunted the mammoth Monster and completed 5-Star, was halfway to 6-Star, he did not immediately undergo Body Reformation.

He already possessed Thunderfire Treasure Body, a superior version of the constitution obtainable through Body Reformation.

And because, due to Lee Hanseong’s intervention, he held the thought that it was better to save the opportunity for Body Reformation.

‘Prometheus. A dangerous being. If he truly gifted the fire, it means he could also take it back.’

His wariness towards Prometheus also played a part in his decision.

If the other ever decided to erase their tribe, to even resist, he needed to obtain another power besides Lightning Fire.

However, the two Unique Skill Slots liberated at 6-Star were insufficient.

One of them was for the constitution to be obtained through Body Reformation, so ultimately, the other Unique Skill became important.

“But there’s no need to rush.”

Thanks to obtaining Thunderfire Treasure Body, time was on his side.

His lifespan, no different from an Elemental’s, had already transcended that of humans.

Utangka proclaimed their future goal to his tribe members.

“From now on, we seek new things! Things that did not exist before! According to the will of the one who gifted us fire!”

“Waaaaah!!”

“Understood! We find new things!”

Although on the surface, he merely encouraged new inventions according to Prometheus’s will, whether his Blessing was truly accompanying them or not, Utangka’s tribe began to develop rapidly.

First, it was food, clothing, and shelter.

New styles of clothing, different from the primitive clothes made by roughly cutting animal hides and sewing them with bone needles, increased day by day.

Even with the same ingredients, they tried new cooking methods daily, adding different menus.

Their dwelling huts also began to be built with fire-baked bricks, diversifying in form.

“Food is running short around here!”

“Then we can go elsewhere!”

“It’s a waste to leave the houses we built.”

“We can build new houses.”

For Utangka’s tribe, still reliant on hunting and gathering, new forms of dwellings were excessive labor, but as it was ultimately the will of a transcendent being, they could not refuse even if it was hard.

To maximize the period between moves, new technologies appeared rapidly.

“Where we threw seeds, food grew again!”

“We won’t kill the young. We raise them and eat them later!”

“This is mine. If you take it, I’ll hit you.”

With the success of the first agriculture beyond hunting and gathering, they began domesticating animals and raising livestock.

From surplus produce, the concept of private property arose, and laws punishing theft were established.

…And so time passed.

Hundreds of years later, Utangka became the king of a tribal nation.

Prometheus’s existence was eventually forgotten, and their only god remaining was Lightning Fire, but still, they were obsessed with new things.

Thanks to that, many new things continued to appear afterward.

Calendar systems and time-measuring tools for agriculture were invented, and common characters were derived from Spell Scripts.

Along with barter, the concept of commerce appeared, and currency emerged.

Blacksmithing using Elemental fire developed, and iron tools were made.

Some concepts were ones Lee Hanseong revealed by choosing a random tribe member through dreams.

Some concepts were induced discoveries, like when Prometheus gifted fire.

One thing was certain: Utangka’s nation was developing much faster than a typical civilization’s progress.

But even so, Utangka could not rest easy and continued to urge his people.

“…New things! Find things that did not exist before! Quickly!”

Because whenever the cycle of new inventions slowed even a little, Prometheus’s intervention would come.

There were times when a highly contagious, extremely toxic poison was invented, killing many tribe members.

As the tribe’s territory expanded, those who died from Monster attacks, not under Utangka’s Protection, also appeared.

From that, pharmacology developed, and inventions like roads and wheels followed.

But each time, Utangka could only feel that they were indeed Prometheus’s toys.

Generally, repeating two steps back and three steps forward, the human civilization led by Utangka gradually advanced.

…And so, thousands of years passed.

Utangka was still 6-Star, and the new Unique Skill Slot remained empty.

Instead, he only continued to master Awakening Skills as Skills.

After mastering <Heavenly Thunderflame> as a Skill, Utangka could share Lightning Fire’s power with his people.

From then on, Utangka’s people all received baptism by being bestowed Heavenly Thunderflame.

After mastering <Spirit Awakening> as a Skill, gods other than Lightning Fire came into being.

Elementals of various attributes were born and became Primal Gods through the Center Divine Domain.

“The new god’s name is ‘Frost Flower’.”

“The new god’s name is ‘Earth Tremor’…”

“The new god’s name is…”

…….

As new Primal Gods increased, so did the understanding of the Center Divine Domain.

A concept, not simply the origin of one or two attributes, but the origin of all those Elementals, began to vaguely flicker in his mind.

After mastering even <Spirit Protective Robe> and <Spirit Assimilation>, the resonance with that origin became even clearer.

[Conditions met. <Origin Resonance (Unique)> Blooms.]

The sensation of delving into the origin itself had Bloomed into a Skill to that extent.

And as if sensing something amiss with that, Prometheus’s interventions intensified from then on, and disasters occurred throughout the kingdom, but.

[<Heavenly Thunderflame (Legend)>+<Thunderfire Treasure Body (Legend)>=<Thunderfire Clone (Myth)>]

Coincidentally, ‘luckily’ gaining enlightenment and obtaining a Myth Skill that allowed him to send clones anywhere using his people who had received the Heavenly Thunderflame baptism as mediums, he gained the capacity to respond to most disasters.

‘It seems this is the answer after all.’

Using the capacity created that way, Utangka focused even more on Origin Resonance.

[You seek to peek at what is not permitted to you.]

Then, Prometheus even revealed his voice, trying to break Utangka’s Concentration.

But Utangka was no longer the one from the past who had knelt.

―Hmph!

―Do not interfere.

―With just a voice, we can block it sufficiently.

The Primal Gods Utangka had created surrounded him, blocking Prometheus’s Grade.

[<Spirit Protective Robe (Legend)>+<Spirit Assimilation (Legend)>=<Spirit Fortress (Myth)>]

Their appearance was like a fortress made of Elementals.

And within the Protection of those Primal Gods, Utangka’s resonance power had completely integrated with Divine Power.

[<Thunderfire Divine Power (Unique)>+<Origin Resonance (Unique)>=<Primordial Heavenly Penetration (Legend)>]

As soon as the legend of penetrating the primordial, beginning heavens was created, the identity of the origin Utangka had been pursuing was revealed.

“…Great Void!”

A Taoist concept referring to the fundamental substance of Qi that constitutes all things in the universe, similar to Taiji.

As it settled in Utangka’s Mental Image, the postponed Body Reformation proceeded.

Fsssh—

[…<Great Void Constitution> Blooms.]

Utangka’s physical body, which had been heavily focused on lightning and fire attributes, transformed into the Great Void attribute, changing into a semi-transparent state.

It was a body close to a primordial state that could transform into any attribute, not just lightning and fire.

And at this moment, Utangka had essentially returned to the primordial beginning.

“Hahahahaha! I haven’t felt this exhilarating in thousands of years!”

Now he was even free from the myth that Prometheus had gifted fire.

An Identity that existed prior to all phenomena had taken root in Utangka.

[Keyword ‘Primordial Heavenly Lord’ is unlocked!]

It was an Identity with no shortcomings for targeting the Apostle of the Epicenter Throne.

And Great Void is another term for heaven.

[Feat, ‘Heaven-Human Unity’ achieved.]

[The Epicenter Throne trembles as it records Utangka’s Feats and Altered history.]

[The 6th Awakening Skill 《Heaven-Human Unity》 Blooms.]

…….

Embracing the Great Void became another Feat, and Utangka’s 6-Star Promotion was also completed.

It was the moment the sixth History Alteration ended.