Sjur's glasses cracked and he jumped out of his chair, staring at me with wide eyes.

"U-Uncle Sjur?" Freyr called out, looking between me and Sjur with hesitation.

As for me...

[You have been granted access to the Sponsor System.]
[You have been granted access to the Constellation System.]
[You have been given forewarning of the Final Story.]
[Upon the conclusion of the Tutorial, Babel will begin the recreation of 'Scenarios' that lead to the Final Story.]
[Note: These messages have been relayed to you specifically due to your nature as <redacted>. Other Chosen are unware of the change in circumstances.]
[Warning! Revealing information about these systems and the Final Story to other Chosen before they are announced will alert The Overseer.]

...I had even more things to worry about, so I didn't pay much attention to him.

Sponsors, Constellation, Final Story... What the hell was this? Some rip off of the Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint? At first, I thought it might have been just a generic Korean Web Novel setting but dammit.

And what did it mean 'specifically due to your nature as <redacted>'?! What the hell was redacted!?

"Heh." Sjur let out a breath and then tossed his glasses to the side. They cracked and splintered as they flew, turning into motes of light before vanishing.

Freyr's eyes widened. "Uncle-"

"Interesting." Sjur stared at me with his bare electric blue eyes and said, "It seems that you are a man prone to being misread. Or should I say instead that you yourself are too well-read to be seen through by others?"

I ignored the messages for now and looked back at Sjur.

The man was staring at me with a wide smile. His gaze was still sharp, but I didn't detect any hostility in his eyes. Just curiosity.

"And you are a man who is too nosy for his own good." I responded and made extra sure to stand between him and Freyr, shifting Avalon to be ready to block an attack at a moment's notice.

...Of course, if that guy was really Freyr's uncle, he was probably fast enough to move behind us and attack, but I'd like to think I'd be able to survive one fatal blow.

Hopefully.

Sjur noticed my actions and chuckled.

Freyr looked confused, but she shook her head and recovered. After that, she looked at Sjur and said, "Uncle Sjur. I apologize for being rude, but-"

He waved his hand. "I cannot give you the dragon heart, Freyr. Nor can I give you the dragon blood."

I blinked.

Dragon heart? Dragon blood?

Freyr frowned. "But you have so many of them!"

Sjur nodded. "I do. And I have used them all recently to forge a sword."

Freyr's frown deepened. "What sort of-"

"You." Sjur cut her off and stared at me.

I prepared [Disengage] and then said, "Yeah?"

He flicked his eyes towards Freyr and then said, "You have taken her hand, so prepare yourself." He shifted his gaze back to me and said, "The moment you let her go, I will come after you myself. And regardless of your true nature..."

The azure flames behind the steel throne surged, for a brief moment revealing the sillouette of a towering bastard sword.

"...I will cut you down." Sjur stared at me and said, "Are we clear?"

I laughed, but I kept my gaze cold.

...At least, I used [Man of a Thousand Faces] to keep my gaze cold. Because goddamn that was intimidating.

Anyway, I smiled and said, "Why you gotta be so rude?"

Sjur snorted and then flicked something towards Freyr.

She caught it and then held it up to examine.

I couldn't see it because of the room's darkness, but I did see Freyr's eyes widen.

"Uncle Sjur-"

Sjur leaned back in his throne and said, "A congratulatory gift on making it here safely, Little Valkyrie. It is nothing much."

Freyr shook her head. "But this is-"

Sjur looked back at me and said, "Keep an eye on her. Our Little Valkyrie is prone to trouble, with or without the gifts you gave her. And be wary of that Morning Star." He frowned and said, "That one is trickier than even Loki."

I frowned.

...Why did I feel like I just got dragged along into a forced hidden story event in a game because I recruited a character that was only supposed to be recruited in a new game plus? There was a lot of context I was missing here...

"Now." Sjur looked at Freyr and said, "I will see you again when you reach Valhalla. Stay out of trouble."

"E-Eh?" Freyr blinked and said, "But did you not promise to stay in Eden to help guide me?"

Sjur smiled. A proper smile instead of the cold expressions he had earlier. "You made a choice for yourself, Little Valkyrie. Now is the time to cut a path on your own instead of relying on the remnants of the past. And so..." He held up his left hand.

Runes appeared in mid-air. Norse runes, glowing like holographs and shimmering in every hue imaginable.

And seeing that, I knew what was happening next. I sighed and walked over to grab Freyr's hand.

She flinched and looked at me, a faint blush on her face. "Vain-"

"This time, you follow my lead, alright? Also, you suck at keeping a poker face still."

Freyr huffed.

I shifted my gaze back to Sjur... No. With all the clues he let off, I knew what his real name was now.

Did he realized that I found him out? Sjur- No. Sigurd, the ill-fated King of Warriors who fell in love with Brynhildr and fell to a tragic fate.

At least, that was how the story should have gone. But-

Wait. I was pretty sure that guy died in the myth, so how the heck was he here?

"Heh." Sigurd nodded and then flicked his wrist. The moment he did, the runes flared in light. "Train hard."

A swirl of magical energy. Runes and barely audible chanting, whispering in the wind. And then-

We reemerged in a vast grassy plain.

...Right in front of a horde of about a hundred orcs.

Freyr quickly drew her sword and moved in front of me. "Vain! Stay on your... guard...?" Her voice trailed off as another burst of runes appeared on the ground. However, these were centered around Freyr and actively moved away from me.

Freyr's eyes widened and she reached out to me. "Vain! Quickly-!"

Before I could react, light flared and she vanished.

Which meant I had to deal with this on my own.

"Damn." I held Avalon in front of me and carefully eyed the horde of orcs. "Guess I won't be riding on a bus today..."

[Message from the Guide]
[Urgent Quest: Defeat the Orc Horde!]
[Reward: +100 Merit Points, +10 Bonus Stat Points]
[Failure: Death, Miss Valhalla going Berserk]
[Additional Details: Looks like you ticked quite a few people off... Don't worry! I'll make sure you're compensated for your troubles! ...If you survive. Good luck, Pal!]

I groaned and swiped the message away. "Goddammit, Lucy. Some Guide you are..."

Did the orcs take my action as a sign of aggression? Or were they just fed up at a random human standing nearby? Either way, the ground started trembling as the hundreds of muscle-bound humanoid monsters rushed towards me, letting out battlecries as they charged.

"Well." I took a step back and raised Avalon. "Guess it's just you and me, Avalon. Er... Help please?"

I didn't know what Avalon could do, but it was an Ego Shield. That meant that it 'should' be sentient... Or at the least, it should be aware enough to try and help me out. And surely it would have become strong enough to develop *some* abilities. Right?

<My name is not Shirley.>

"Right, right." I took a few steps back and said, "Just do something alright, Avalon?"

<Understood, Master. Deploying [Steel Barricade]>

Neat. So it could use abilities-

Wait.

My eyes widened and I glanced down at the shield on my left arm. "You can talk?! Since wh-?!"

Before I could say anything else, a familiar wall of silver emerged in my field of view, cutting across the grassy plains and blocking the orc horde. No, not just blocking them. I saw about a dozen orcs fly back through the air, launched by the sudden appearance of the metal wall.

It was my usual tactic of spamming a giant slab of metal with [World Creator (Minor)] to stall... Except that it wasn't me who made it this time.

I blinked and then let out a deep sigh. "Why can't I just have an easy life here...?"

<I am sorry, Master. I will become stronger to ensure you do not have to suffer as you did before.>

I shook my head and started walking forward.

<Master?!>

"Not sure how, when, or why you can talk, Avalon, but you should know this since we'll be working together a lot."

<...Yes?>

I held out my right hand and summoned a handful of Ragnarok's flames.

At that moment, the metal wall crumbled, easily ripped apart by the orcs.

...Considering how thick that wall had been, I didn't like my odds of fighting those guys head on. After all, I just had an average squishy human body. Against things that could charge through about three feet of solid steel... Yeah. Fighting, bad. And I wasn't very good at it in the first place. Most humans weren't.

However, we were *very* good at being creative. And especially being creative about killing things. So...

"All you have to do is watch my back, alright? Leave the heavy lifting to me."

<I can do that.>

I nodded.

The orcs roared and charged again, sending metal shrapnel into the air as they thundered across the plains towards me. With the wall destroyed, it would be less than ten seconds before they reached me.

<But Master. This situation seems rather dire...>

"It's fine. Now, you've got my back, right?"

<Yes?>

"Good." I stared at the horde of orcs and then said, "I always wanted to do this."

<Master?>

White flour. Combustible particles, finely ground and scattered across the area. Then, paired with the flames of Ragnarok in my right hand...

<Master?!>

I swung my right hand out, sending the crimson flames flying into the air. At the same time, I used [World Creator (Minor)] to create the flour. And to finish it all off...

"Eksu-plooozhun!"

I swung my right arm down and then brought my left up to cover my head and chest. Of course, that meant Avalon was there to protect me then.

<MASTER?!?!>

Don't let me die, please and thank you!

<I-I will do my best!>

*BOOM*

-V-

[Status Screen]

-Biography-

Name: Vain Glory

Age: 20 (Adjusted)

Race: Human (Heaven Defying)

Class: Shameless Flirt

Current Condition: Healthy

-Racial Traits-

Divine Anathema - Those not only forsaken by their gods, but those who have killed their gods and constructed their own. Drastically reduces effectiveness of Divine Attacks. Minor probability of obtaining partial Divine Authority through analysis and perception. Greatly increased hostility by Divine Beings.

-Traits-

Man of a Thousand Faces (Can filter emotions and experience through personas)

Well-Read (Increased intelligence growth)

Self-Determined (Luck is treated as 100 for calculations)

-Titles-

World Creator (Minor) - Allows construction of non-magical items through one's will

Hero Creator - Removes growth limitations on user and their allies. Rapidly accelerates growth of allies.

-Parameters-

Level: 5

Strength: 18

Agility: 23

Vitality: 18

Intelligence: 77

Mana: 70

Luck: 15 [100]

Bonus Stat Points: -77

-Skills-

No One's Story - A gambit that defies the gods through sacrificing one's identity and very memory. All attempts to scry your status are denied. Removes skill requirements. Memory and visualization abilities are enhanced.

A Different Path - Direct interference with a hero's fate, granting him a new path and divergent futures. Allows reproduction of 'conceptual weapons' provided the requisite materials. Allows reproduction of 'sword skills' provided the requisite understanding.

Flames of Muspell (Degraded) - A spark of the flames that will harken the end in Ragnarok. An authentic spark of the world-consuming flames that can burn even the divine. Immune to all but extreme temperature changes. Moderate resistance to Absolute Zero or Absolute Flame. Can summon a handful of Ragnarok's flames.

First Aid - A basic healing spell that stops bleeding and accelerates the body's natural regeneration.

Disengage - A skill that allows the user to immediately retreat from battle as well as return the user's condition to the state prior to engaging in combat. Can be used once per engagement per hostile opponent.

Loki's Blessing (Minor) - A blessing from the Trickster God, Loki. Can change and conceal one's appearance. Due to synergy with No One's Story, it is a flawless disguise, capable of fooling even Loki without intense scrutiny.

Item Box (Minor) - A skill that grants the user a small spatial pocket to store items. Time is slowed within the spatial pocket to 1/10th of the normal flow. Can hold approximately 1 cubic meter of items.

-Class Skills-

Silver Tongue - A skill that aids in persuasion and manipulating the emotions of the target. Super effective against members of the opposite sex, or those interested in the user. Chance to instantly charm the opponent. (Extreme Synergy with <Well-Read> and <Man of a Thousand Faces>)

Rapport - A skill that builds rapport with the target. Passively increases general likability. Similar to <Charisma>, but the core of this skill is trust and empathy rather than admiration. With enough mastery, it is possible to create allies willing to throw their lives away for your sake. (Extreme Synergy with <Hero Creator> and <Well-Read>)

-Inventory-

N/A

-V-

[Status Screen]

-Biography-

Name: Avalon

Age: Less than a week

Race: Ego Shield

Class: Shield of Vain Glory

Current Condition: Healthy

-Racial Traits-

Evolution - Can consume items to improve attributes, acquire skills, or gain experience. Can change forms and rise to a higher level of existence provided the proper conditions.

-Traits-

Devoted Protector (Prioritizes the well-being of someone else)

Rapid Adaptation (Easily assimilates new experiences and knowledge to grow stronger)

-Titles-

The Ever-present Utopia (Fake) - Cannot be destroyed. Absolutely protects a target from harm. Mitigates damage of protected target in proportion to Mana. (Damage Mitigated = Damage - Mana)

-Parameters-

Level: 1

Strength: 0

Agility: 0

Vitality: N/A

Intelligence: 200

Mana: 200

Luck: N/A

Bonus Stat Points: 0

-Skills-

Steel Barricade - A towering wall of steel forged from mana, replicating a feat that was performed by Vain Glory.

Item Box (Minor) - A skill that grants the user a small spatial pocket to store items. Time is slowed within the spatial pocket to 1/10th of the normal flow. Can hold approximately 1 cubic meter of items.

-Class Skills-

The Shield's Pride - Allows the reproduction of feats that have been performed by Vain Glory. Limited by total mana pool. Cannot reproduce certain phenomena without an appropriate form.

-Inventory-
Spark of Ragnarok's flames.
Puff of Lernaean Hydra's toxic breath.
Basic Elemental Fragments (fire, earth, poison, light, lightning, water, wind, darkness)
Drop of Vain Glory's Heart Blood.