Chapter 311

Chapter 311
### Chapter 311

—

**A Mutual Agreement**

The Eight Houses. To the general public, the name was synonymous with the ‘Eight Houses Knight Order,’ the premier military force of the Empire commanded by Lyca. However, the true nature of the ‘Eight Houses’ remained a mystery to most; few knew if it referred to a literal lineage or a symbolic title. Even fewer were aware that the actual ancestral members of this bloodline were imprisoned within the Sanctuary of Honor. I had encountered rumors of the sentinels guarding that holy ground before—beings of such terrifying caliber that even a standard transcendent would be unworthy of standing in their presence.

‘I assumed it was part of an undiscovered secret quest.’

Theories regarding their true identities had been rampant among players, yet the truth remained elusive. Most players concluded that the content simply hadn’t been patched in yet or that the specific triggers to unlock the lore hadn’t been found. I had banked on the guardians of the Sanctuary of Honor being a hidden questline, which meant my intuition was only partially accurate.

‘Nobody guessed they were actually the Eight Houses themselves.’

Consequently, I was likely the pioneer among the player base. I was the first to realize that the Sanctuary’s protectors were the true Eight Houses and that they shared a blood bond with Lyca. And then…

‘……A man riding the heavens.’

An elderly figure descended, perched atop a shimmering white cloud. The sight sent an immediate chill down my spine. It wasn’t merely his intimidating presence or the density of his mana that unsettled me. Even the spectacle of him drifting on a cloud reminiscent of a legendary mystic’s mount was secondary to the sheer scale of his aura. It felt as though I were facing the raw, unfiltered essence of the natural world. I realized then:

‘If a true Immortal walked the earth, he would look exactly like this.’

Never had I encountered a human so saturated with the energy of the world. His connection to nature seemed to surpass even that of the Dryads.

“Do you understand where you stand, Lyca, that you presume to behave with such insolence?”

The old man spoke from his cloud with an air of absolute authority, though his words were laced with open disdain for Lyca.

“You ask if I know this place?”

A sharp smile traced Lyca’s mouth. He responded in a flat, clinical tone.

“It is the domain I rightfully own. The home I once cast aside. And the inheritance I have returned to seize!”

Lyca’s proclamation to retake the Eight Houses caused the old man’s expression to turn to stone.

“……You were never the master of this domain from the start. For that reason, you have no power to discard it, nor any right to reclaim it. The isolation of the Eight Houses was a path we walked by choice.”

“A fairy tale only a fool would believe.”

Tsk.

Lyca let out a derisive click of his tongue. What clan would willingly choose to entomb themselves in shadows? No family would voluntarily tear down their own crest and consign their legacy to oblivion. Such an event only occurred because it was forced upon them by Lyca’s own mentor, the former Patriarch. These elders were merely nursing their wounded pride by labeling their exile a ‘choice.’

The elder shook his head slowly.

“Leave this place. There is no ground here for one such as you.”

“First Elder. I thought my words were clear. I am taking it back.”

“……Then you insist on draining the chalice of retribution to its dregs.”

The First Elder made a single, sweeping motion with his hand. Suddenly—

Whirrrrrrrrr!
K-BOOOOOOM!

Violent gusts erupted from every corner of the sky. Hundreds of wind blades converged on Lyca, spiraling into a monstrous cyclone. Simultaneously, a runic boundary manifested in the air, sealing Lyca within the eye of the storm. The atmospheric pressure inside the cage spiked to a lethal degree, combined with gale-force winds designed to shred matter at a molecular level.

“Can you endure pressure that grinds reinforced steel into a fine powder?”

The First Elder’s voice was a low rumble. Within that barrier, even the impenetrable hide of a dragon would be flayed. A human’s fragile form should have been pulverized instantly, stripping meat from bone. Conventional mana reinforcement was a futile gesture against the overwhelming weight of the natural world; it was only a matter of seconds before total collapse.

“If you offer your submission now and retreat……”

I shall grant you passage with your life intact. But before the First Elder could finish his ultimatum, a look of pure bewilderment crossed his face.

Slice!
Crack!

The impenetrable barrier was bifurcated by a clean, singular line. Lyca stepped through the rift with measured strides. He was untouched—not a single hair out of place, his composure entirely undisturbed.

“……!”

The First Elder was paralyzed by shock. It was a fundamental law that man could not triumph over nature; they could not sever the ‘Grain’ of the world itself. Yet—

“A truly pitiful ‘Grain’ you have there.”

Lyca had sliced through the fundamental fabric of the spell as easily as drawing breath. He began to close the distance toward the First Elder. In that heartbeat—

“H-Halt……!”

The First Elder cried out, his voice cracking. He wasn’t shouting at Lyca. His terrified gaze was fixed on the space behind the warrior. The elite guardian of the Sanctuary—the same executioner who had decapitated the trespasser reaching for the Grail—had unleashed a blinding draw-strike aimed at Lyca’s blind spot.

However.

Thud!

The guardian collapsed before his blade could even clear its scabbard. An unseen strike had pierced his vitals with surgical precision. The First Elder’s face drained of all color.

“Heart Sword……?”

The Blade of the Soul. He recognized the technique of the formless Heart Sword—a level of mastery that even the previous Patriarch of the Eight Houses had failed to achieve. It was the undeniable proof that Lyca had eclipsed his own teacher.

“…My patience has reached its limit.”

Lyca’s voice carried the cold finality of a death god. Without emotion, he issued a simple directive:

“Inform the others. Tell them their rightful sovereign has returned.”

And since your lord is back… bow down as you should.

—

Past an invisible veil at the edge of the Sanctuary, a hidden realm unveiled itself. Jagged peaks reached for the sky, and a mystical landscape of thundering waterfalls and heavy fog lay before us. A solitary, grand pavilion sat perched on a cliffside, adorned with the crest of the Eight Houses. The area teemed with legendary creatures.

‘……Every single creature here is a mythic spirit beast.’

I saw a serpent of five hues, a toad of living gold, a tortoise radiating solar light, a spider with a human visage, and a massive crimson carp. These were spirit beasts that appeared once in a blue moon within Pangenia. They were walking reservoirs of spiritual energy, the kind that could spark international wars over a single specimen. The internal cores of such beasts provided mana-amplification effects that transcended any monetary value. Creatures I had only read about in lore were roaming here like common livestock.

[You have entered the ‘Sanctuary of the Eight Houses (???)’.]
[Achievement Unlocked: ‘First Mortal to Tread the Sanctuary of the Eight Houses.’]

It was a true paradise for Immortals—a region previously untouched by any player. I had crossed into a legendary map.

Creaaaaak!

Guided by the First Elder, we reached the pavilion. The massive timber doors groaned open of their own accord. Inside waited seven elderly men and one youth. These were the Eight Elders. Like the First Elder, they each exuded a sense of being one with the elements, hovering on clouds of flame or vapor. However, the young man standing at the center was an anomaly. He stood on his own feet, greeting Lyca with a calm, practiced smile.

“Forty years have passed, Lyca.”

“Great Elder. It has been a lifetime.”

The youth was the Great Elder—the apex of the council and the de facto ruler currently overseeing the Eight Houses legacy.

“The small boy has certainly grown.”

The Great Elder beamed. I noticed a flicker of tension in Lyca’s gaze. He might dismiss the other seven, but the Great Elder was clearly a threat he took seriously.

[???]

The man was an enigma. My interface revealed nothing—no stats, no level, no presence. Despite his youthful features, he was clearly ancient. If he had known Lyca four decades ago, his age far exceeded his appearance.

“Indeed. It has been far too long since we hosted a guest. Let us share a cup of tea.”

“I didn’t come back for a social visit, Great Elder.”

“Patience. Do not be in such a rush.”

While the Great Elder remained pleasant, the other council members looked on with visible disgust. With a casual wave of the Great Elder’s hand—

Whoosh!

Our surroundings blurred and shifted. Suddenly, we were seated at a grand table set with tea and wooden chairs. The Great Elder took a slow sip before speaking.

“There must be a profound motivation for you to seek us out after forty years. Speak your mind.”

“…You are already well aware of it.”

“To claim the title of Patriarch? Abandon that thought. You have very little time left to achieve such a thing, do you not?”

“……”

Lyca’s brow twitched. Despite his iron composure, the Great Elder had diagnosed Lyca’s terminal condition instantly. The Elder continued:

“Even your Master could not bypass the Death of the Five Gates. He stood before me just as you do now, bringing along a child who was nothing but skin and bone.”

The Great Elder’s eyes drifted toward me. He knew exactly why I was there.

“That child was a mere slave. Yet, your Master insisted on testing his worthiness at the true ‘Sanctuary of Honor’ within the Holy Land, ignoring every voice of protest.”

“……”

“And the Holy Land spurned you. Considering you had slain your own masters multiple times as a child, perhaps that rejection was inevitable.”

“……Silence.”

Fury boiled behind Lyca’s eyes, but the Great Elder remained unbothered.

“We didn’t seal the gates because we feared your teacher. A human lifespan is a fleeting thing, and his was shorter than most. There was never a reason to fear him.”

“So, you chose to keep the world shut out simply because you refused to acknowledge me?”

“You state the obvious. Lyca, we do not accept those cast out by the Holy Land as legitimate heirs to the Eight Houses.”

“Then I will tear it all down and build it again from the ashes.”

Vroooooom!

A suffocating aura erupted from Lyca. In an instant, his Heart Sword was leveled at the Great Elder’s throat.

“Heart Sword…… though your edge is still shallow.”

The Great Elder reached out and literally caught the intangible blade. With a flick, he diverted the spiritual pressure, turning Lyca’s own killing intent back toward him.

“To challenge me, you shouldn’t rely on such a weak Heart Sword. You would need to unlock the Five Gates. But if you dare to open them again, you will drop dead where you stand.”

“I don’t care. I have no use for an Eight Houses that denies my right.”

“How strange. Even your Master wasn’t this hostile toward me……”

The atmosphere was electric, balanced on the edge of a total bloodbath.

Grin!

Unexpectedly, the Great Elder started to laugh.

“A proposal, then. Lyca, you shall submit to the trial of the Holy Land once more to verify your worth.”

Lyca’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.

“……A second trial is possible?”

“It is. The outcome rarely deviates from the first, but it is not entirely unheard of.”

Thud!

The murderous intent vanished instantly. Lyca was captivated by the prospect of redemption. The memory of being deemed ‘dishonorable’ as a child had been a weight on his soul for decades. Perhaps now, with a lifetime of deeds behind him, the verdict would change. He had nothing left to lose.

“There is, however, one caveat.”

“Name it.”

“The boy must undergo the trial alongside you.”

The Great Elder fixed his gaze on me.

“Both of you will have your souls weighed to see if you are worthy to lead the Eight Houses. If you are both accepted, I will break the seals and hand the clan over to you.”

“And if the Holy Land rejects us?”

“Then that will be a very unfortunate end to your journey.”

“……”

Lyca fell into a deep, conflicted silence. The chance to reclaim his honor was a massive lure, but the requirement for both of us to pass was a steep gamble. The Elder had said it himself: the result rarely changed. It might be safer to stick to the original plan of total conquest.

“We accept.”

“……!”

A new voice cut through the tension. Every eye in the room turned toward the speaker: Hyun. I had been silent until now, seemingly cowed by the overwhelming power in the room.

“I’ll take the test—to see if I’m fit for this ‘Eight Houses’ title. Isn’t that why we came to this dump after forty years? Master?”

“……This dump?”

“What did that insect just say……!”

The council erupted in indignation. Even Lyca was stunned, though not by the insult to the Sanctuary.

‘Master……?’

It was the first time the boy had ever addressed him with that title. Ignoring the chaos, Hyun just offered a bright, confident grin to the Great Elder, meeting the ancient man’s gaze without a trace of fear.