Lord of the Path of Metamorphosis

When the "Iver" in the game obtains this book, he definitely doesn't have a single Phantom Demon Card.

Or rather, he realized that this book contained a "means to obtain power," so he began to Card Making as the key to unlock the hidden power in the book.

Long, long ago, when Iver first started using Shadow Fiend to Card Making, he had a question in his mind—why was he able to Card Making so easily? While it's true that as long as the "knowledge" is correct and the materials are fine, even insufficient energy levels can be used to Card Making, that's the special nature of rituals. They possess the characteristic of being "passed down through generations" and offer the possibility of "overcoming the strong with the weak." This is a symbol of the Serpent Father's origin.

But what ordinary people can replicate are only the rituals that already exist.

To initiate a completely new ritual, one must possess the rank of ritual master. Only ritual masters can deconstruct these Path Power, accurately capture their mystical origins, and achieve symbolism through various masterful means.

This is also why Iver conducted experiments with Shadow Fiend alone, finally confirming that he could save Yulia through this method.

If this was a ritual developed by Jacob ... then everything makes sense! Leaving aside the "Iver" from the original game storyline, this world's Iver has been him from the very beginning. Despite losing his memories, he still possesses a mature soul. His ability to care for Yulia like an adult from a very young age is proof of this.

—But after Iver came of age, he suddenly began to crave knowledge Path of Transcendence, just like the "Iver" in the game. Moreover, what he craved was not even rituals and curses... but "demonic knowledge".

His grandfather, Jacob, was a Ritual Mage.

At the time, Iver even craved this knowledge to the point of losing his rationality, willing to risk meeting alone with his dangerous "pen pal".

... Looking back now.

If Iver hadn't become Demon Scholar back then, he wouldn't have been able to advance to Great Sin Scholar in the future.

But from whom do the Great Sin Scholar and the Great Beast Master obtain their knowledge?

—It comes from the "Sacred Entity" that Jacob saw! Iver remembered that it appeared within a magic circle. In other words, it was very likely that it was summoned by Jacob.

Shortly after that, Iver Alexander was born.

That was the fourth year since Hai Na was created.

That so-called "Sacred Entity" was probably created from a fragment of it, which is likely Swamp People Iver. Just like how Hai Na was created using fragments of Lancelot I.

... But thinking about this made Iver feel puzzled.

"He did not come from the East, nor from the West. He did not come from any house that you know."

What that sacred being said sounded like something a player or a time traveler would say.

However, in the timeline with players, "Iver" doesn't have such a strong uniqueness. Iver did eventually master the power of the Great Beast Master, but he still died—he willingly took a bullet for the players.

In this world, there are no "Player Character." Only Iver exists.

Furthermore, Iver also met the conditions of "not coming from the East, nor from the West, nor from any house you know," and indeed he was able to understand what He was saying.

... What if we look at it from another angle?

The reason why players were able to arrive at the crucial moment and save Iver when he was in danger was...

Could it be because the "player" is actually inextricably linked to "Iver"? The original NPC "Iver" didn't kill to level up, meaning he didn't have an "Experience Points" system. However, he was "a child born from your heart and gut" and did indeed possess the profession of the Great Beast Master.

He was once saved by a player, and ultimately he saved the player with his own life, creating a cycle.

To this day, Iver still doesn't know what the main storyline is after "Iver's " sacrifice—because he time-traveled after that.

But if we say that Iver and players are two sides of the same coin... that one part of the Sacred Entity is used to create Iver and the other part is used to create players, then it becomes reasonable!

—However, Iver had never seen such a person before. He had gained the power to use "Experience Points," and now he had summoned the Book of Law on his own.

"So that's how it is..."

"Iver murmured."

According to the setting, the Player Character is the Son of the Serpent Father. However, "Ouroboros," also known as the Ring Angel, is also the Son of the Serpent Father.

In other words, according to seniority... the player and A Huan should be brothers.

But the players have their own self-defined "origins." Their parents clearly don't have the blood of the Serpent Father, so where does the title "Son of the Serpent Father" come from? Iver had an idea.

He made a bold guess.

—The "player" is very likely a fragment of the Ring Angel! This would explain why the game is called "Ouroboros Ring".

And another fact corroborates this.

In the original storyline, shortly after Iver became the "Great Beast Master"...

The owner of "Path of Transcendence," the Serpent Father, perished.

Replacing Him as the Pillar God was the former Ring Angel, the revered leader of the new path of "Transformation"—the Pillar God who inherited the Sacred Number 8, "The Ouroboros Ring." Neither the Great Sin Scholar nor the Great Beast Master suffered any loss in this upheaval... because they both belonged to the profession of the Ouroboros Ring.

"—To the Fool I am 9, to the righteous I am 8. And also 1 of 8."

The voice of that Sacred Entity resounded in Iver's mind.

At the time, Iver didn't understand that sentence. But now he does.

9 symbolizes perfection, eternity, and is also 8+1. It signifies being greater than the Serpent Father.

And 8 is the Sacred Number inherited from the Ouroboros Ring.

1 represents the Constant Self on the Path of Love, and is a symbol of primal desire.

"Transcendence" minus "desire" equals "authoritarianism." And "transcendence" plus "desire"... equals "eternity."

Transformation represents the constant nature of change in all things; it does not require the weak to overcome the strong, but only requires continuous progress. It can indeed be considered a kind of eternity.

"So that's how it is."

Iver repeated his muttered words, but his tone gradually became more resolute.

He raised his head, his pupils gleaming with a purple light.

—Do you want to use me as a pawn to ascend to the position of Pillar God? Use the Ouroboros Ring Ritual to pull down the beings of the Dream Realm one by one... thereby scattering the Angel Shard throughout the world, causing a great change in the world and shattering the old balance.

Let transcendence become unsurpassable, and let the world descend into chaos.

This is exactly the "great achievement" He desired! Ring Angel! If I truly am a fragment of you...

If you can do it, there's no reason why I can't!

A perfectly clear thought popped into Iver's mind.

This was something he had never imagined since he came into this world.

—I too will ascend to the position of Pillar God! I will reclaim your Path of Transformation! Chapter Two, complete!

Ah, I'm so tired of watching the game, so I'm writing this a bit late... but I'll still post the update as promised!

In a sense, this is when the main storyline of the book finally begins (x)