The next stage of the Dimensional Runes, known as the Ruin.

This refers to a state where the distortion of dimensions occurs more intensely than with the Dimensional Runes.

Ruin is divided into two forms: external ruin and internal ruin.

The distinction lies in the “time of creation.”

If the creation time is short, it is classified as an “internal ruin.”

If the creation time is long, it is categorized as an “external ruin.”

The degree of “overload” also varies depending on this time difference.

When the ruin takes the form of an internal ruin with a short creation time, monsters do not emerge from the ruin.

In other words, as long as someone enters and clears the ruin, it can be closed without causing any harm.

However, if the ruin is left unattended for a certain period, a phenomenon called “overload” occurs, where monsters pour out of the ruin.

Depending on the type of ruin, specific “species” or “monsters” emerge, designating all living beings on the continent as enemies until someone closes the ruin.

‘Come to think of it, didn’t this cause a duchy to collapse? Depending on the choices, even Ashtalon was destroyed because of it…’

Alon sighed softly as he recalled various pieces of information.

‘Looking at it like this, by the time the psychedelic world reaches the starting point of the original story, it’s complete chaos. The Five Great Sins, Outer Gods, and the Four Great Powers all intricately intertwined.’

Of course, the Five Great Sins were ultimately the most critical element.

‘Even the Dimensional Runes and Ruins were said to have occurred due to the Five Great Sins… What kind of structure is this?’

Alon thought back to the settings he had seen in the game but shook his head after some contemplation.

He couldn’t deduce the connection between the Ruins and the Five Great Sins.

‘Well, Eliban will handle the ruins anyway.’

Alon looked at the man before him.

Constantly smiling as he chatted with his companions, he appeared to be a genuinely likable person.

In other words, he truly looked like a protagonist.

“Marquis? Do you have something to say…?”

“Ah.”

Eliban had turned his head to meet Alon’s gaze at some point.

‘Hmm, maybe I was staring too openly.’

After some hesitation, Alon decided to ask something he had been curious about.

“I was wondering something. May I ask?”

“If it’s you, Marquis, of course.”

Eliban straightened his posture as he responded.

The excessive reaction left Alon feeling slightly flustered.

“You don’t have to go that far.”

“No, please speak freely.”

“Hmm—”

Impressed by Eliban’s courtesy, Alon began his question.

“I’ve heard you became a Chosen One. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It might sound strange to ask, but what drives you to act?”

In truth, Alon’s curiosity was genuine.

In Psychedelia, players who become Chosen Ones move autonomously and choose their storylines.

While the Chosen One receives the special mission of “handling the ruins” and a minimal guideline, most players do not follow it.

This is because the guideline is sparse, and as ruin phenomena occur simultaneously in multiple places over time, players are forced to make choices.

For this reason, Alon was curious.

What drives Eliban’s actions, and what criteria does he use to make his choices?

“Hmm—”

After some thought, Eliban smiled.

“For ‘them,’ of course.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I believe I must act for their sake. I’ve been blessed by them, after all.”

Unconsciously, Alon nodded.

‘It seems he follows the original purpose of a Chosen One… Though his devoutness is somewhat surprising. Then again, maybe it isn’t surprising at all?’

Of course, even without Sironia’s blessing, Eliban’s talent was already extraordinary.

However, receiving Sironia’s blessing and becoming even stronger was undeniable, so Alon simply nodded in agreement.

‘Maybe I should use this opportunity to form connections with Eliban’s other companions.’

He then turned his gaze to those standing beside Eliban.

The three companions who followed him were all incredibly talented and would later become renowned throughout this world.

It wouldn’t hurt to establish a rapport with future luminaries.

The only issue was—

‘…Why does that one seem to be glaring at me with such wary eyes?’

—one of them, Yan, seemed to be watching him with oddly sharp eyes.

It wasn’t blatantly obvious, but Alon, who had grown accustomed to such looks after attending countless banquets, felt puzzled.

He hadn’t even had a proper conversation with her.

***

On a steadily warming early summer day—

The Holy Kingdom of Rosario, which served the goddess Sironia, had been peacefully flowing along without major incidents since the last Outer God event.

However, that was only from an external perspective.

Internally, two significant and unsettling events were taking place.

The first was the pope’s reclusion.

Since the appearance of the artificial Outer God, the Holy Kingdom’s pope had not shown himself.

In other words, he had been in the prayer room for over a year.

No pope in history had stayed in the prayer room for such an extended period, prompting the cardinals to personally visit him numerous times, only to fail each time.

It was physically impossible.

From the moment the artificial Outer God appeared until now, a golden barrier had surrounded the pope’s prayer room continuously.

As a result, no one had been able to see the pope since he entered the prayer room.

However, the second issue was even more problematic than the pope’s absence.

Since the incident with the artificial Outer God, the voice of the goddess Sironia had completely ceased to be heard.

“Hah…”

Inside the Saint’s chamber,

Yuman let out a heavy sigh as he gazed at the statue of Sironia.

The goddess statue, which always glowed white light during his prayers, had been utterly silent for over a year.

‘Why on earth…?’

A sense of unease and confusion clouded Yuman’s face.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t guess why he could no longer connect with the goddess Sironia.

‘Did I commit some irreverence toward the goddess? No, I’ve been using my divine power properly.’

Yuman stared at the golden divine power flowing from his fingertips.

His divine power had certainly not vanished.

If anything, it had grown stronger compared to a year ago.

Yet, despite this, the goddess Sironia remained silent to his words.

And it wasn’t just him.

The goddess had stopped responding to anyone.

What’s more, since the goddess’s silence, no new individuals capable of wielding divine power had emerged.

It was as if the goddess had withdrawn her blessings from her followers.

There had been previous occasions when the goddess’s communication had been severed for over half a year, but never before had there been a case where no new priests were ordained.

‘Could something have happened to the goddess…?’

Mulling over this recurring concern, Yuman left the Saint’s chamber.

“Oh my, Saint, how are you?”

“…Cardinal Yutia.”

“Yes.”

He soon encountered Yutia.

Looking at her, with her enigmatic smile as always, Yuman asked,

“…So, did you meet with the Chosen One?”

“Yes.”

“Was he truly someone blessed by the goddess Sironia?”

“Of course. That’s why I acknowledged him, isn’t it?”

Yuman murmured slowly,

“…That’s a lie.”

“What makes you say that?”

“This is a matter handled with utmost secrecy among the cardinals, so the information hasn’t leaked outside, but you are aware, aren’t you? Currently, the goddess has not spoken to anyone. Furthermore, no one has received her blessing since.”

Despite Yuman’s logical remark, Yutia’s smile remained unchanged.

She only slightly narrowed her crescent-shaped eyes.

“Who knows, Saint—perhaps Sironia is offering her special care exclusively to the Chosen One. Just as she does with you.”

“…Given that the connection to the Saint’s chamber, closest to the goddess, has been severed, you must know that is impossible.”

Yuman’s pointed observation.

Yutia did not reply.

She continued to gaze at Yuman with her narrowed eyes—

“Let’s discuss this later. It’s time to attend the meeting, isn’t it?”

“Are you evading the question?”

“Not at all, but time’s up, so I’m merely moving on.”

She walked past him.

Yuman stared at her with wary eyes for a moment before quietly following behind.

‘…Eliban, was it?’

He thought about the Chosen One Yutia had chosen—real or fake, he wasn’t sure.

***

About a week and a few days later, Alon arrived at the ruin near the Duchy of Altia in northern Asteria.

‘The Duke of Altia asked me to visit, so I suppose I should stop by after dealing with this ruin. And I should also try using this.’

After glancing at the “Oath of Lemiel,” which he had acquired in a deal with Perion in Lartania, Alon shifted his gaze to the entrance of the ruin, which shimmered violet.

‘It’s massive.’

Though he had seen it in the game, the entrance to the ruin was far larger than he expected.

‘Was it always this big?’

Though puzzled,

“Shall we go in?”

“Let’s do it.”

Alon began walking into the ruin, following Eliban.

“Are we really supposed to go in here?”

Evan, looking anxious, hesitated.

But Alon moved forward without hesitation.

Even Evan, after a moment of hesitation, squeezed his eyes shut and stepped into the ruin.

And soon—

“Wow—”

Evan let out a deep exclamation.

The scenery within the ruin was stunningly majestic.

‘…It really is impressive.’

Even Alon couldn’t help but admire the breathtaking view within the ruin, though he maintained a neutral expression.

The atmosphere was more surreal and dreamlike than anticipated.

A violet sky, a hallmark of the ruin, stretched endlessly.

Below it, a violet fortress stood tall amidst rugged mountains.

‘So this is the Ironblood Citadel.’

As the name of the ruin surfaced in Alon’s mind—

Thunk!

He realized something had embedded itself in the ground not far away. Looking over,

“What… what is that?”

“…Living Armors, it seems.”

He spotted Living Armors turning away from the fortress and charging toward the intruders with murderous intent.

There were at least hundreds of them.

‘In the game, their level was only around 10, so at this point, you’re supposed to avoid fighting them and sneak through a side path directly into the fortress, but—’

Alon’s lips curled into a small smile.

As someone well-acquainted with the Ironblood Citadel, he saw no need to flee.

‘Once I wipe out these enemies here, there won’t be many Living Armors inside the fortress. Besides, dealing with these will help Eliban’s party grow stronger.’

For Alon, this was a chance to cast spells without worrying about conserving his mana. The situation wasn’t bad at all. He began forming hand seals.

It was also an opportunity to test the results of his magical research over the past two months.

Creak! Creak!

The Living Armors began readying their bows in response to Alon’s actions, but he wasn’t concerned.

He already knew that Living Armors prioritized attacking their targets before moving and that their movements were slow.

As Alon calmly prepared to recite his incantation—

Zing!

Eliban suddenly darted forward.

Incredibly fast.

Then—

“Hah!”

Reaching the line of Living Armors who had nocked their arrows, Eliban wasted no time unsheathing the sword at his waist.

CRASH!!!

In an instant, dozens of Living Armors before him were reduced to piles of scrap metal.

Completely powerless.

“Are you all right, Marquis?”

Eliban turned back and urgently asked, concern evident on his face.

“Huh?”

Above Alon’s head, countless thoughts churned.

Among them—

‘…Level 10… wasn’t it?’

One thought, in particular, stood out.