Chapter 51: Volcano’s Inquiry
[Warning!]
[The target world contains an Unbounded Soul.]
Volcano frowned as he stared at the crimson notification.
Purely by definition, an Unbounded Soul referred to a soul that wasn’t bound by certain rules or regulations. Yet within the terminology of Godcraft Genesis, it could only mean one thing.
A soul that wasn’t bound by the world itself.
Which was absurd in its own right.
"Is this a glitch?"
Godcraft Genesis wasn’t known for being glitchy like many other virtual games. Even so, Volcano couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility. After all, regardless of how revolutionary it was, it was still a game, and he refused to believe that any game could ever be completely free of errors.
Without wasting another moment, he retrieved another 10× Time Acceleration Ticket from his Divine Inventory and tore it in half, just as he had before.
The golden ticket dissolved into countless particles of light.
Yet almost instantly...
[Warning!]
[The target world contains an Unbounded Soul.]
[Temporal Acceleration cannot be enforced.]
"..."
"Tsk! Damn it! I am such an idiot... I just wasted another ticket..."
Volcano smacked his forehead before staring bitterly at the fading golden particles drifting through the Void. His first instinct had been to verify whether the notification was merely a system error.
Instead...
He had just burned another precious Time Acceleration Ticket for absolutely nothing.
"There goes another century..."
His lips twitched helplessly.
Nova had specifically warned him that those tickets were valuable, yet the moment something unexpected happened, he had instinctively ripped apart another one without thinking.
"Calm down."
Taking a slow breath, Volcano forced himself to suppress the urge to curse any further. Regretting it now wouldn’t bring the ticket back. What mattered was figuring out exactly what this so-called Unbounded Soul actually was.
His gaze returned to the crimson notification still hovering before him.
[Warning!]
[The target world contains an Unbounded Soul.]
[Temporal Acceleration cannot be enforced.]
The wording bothered him.
It didn’t say the ticket had malfunctioned.
It didn’t say the system had encountered an unknown error.
Instead..It simply stated that Temporal Acceleration could not be enforced.
"So this isn’t a bug."
If it were merely a glitch, the system would’ve reported an error.
This...
This was a restriction.
"But why would my tiny civilization have any restrictions? I don’t even remember doing anything wrong..."
Volcano let out a helpless sigh, though another possibility soon surfaced—one he was reluctant to acknowledge.
The possibility that an actual Unbounded Soul truly existed within his civilization.
If that were the case...
He already knew exactly who it could be.
Volcano slowly lowered his gaze toward the molten world rotating beneath him, his expression gradually turning serious.
"Let’s not jump to conclusions."
Exhaling softly, he opened the Universal Chat, hoping someone might know what this strange phenomenon was.
A translucent interface unfolded before him.
[Universal Chat]
Volcano quickly typed across the virtual keyboard.
Volcano: Hey guys, what’s an Unbounded Soul? Does anybody else have this restriction called Unbounded Soul?
He pressed SEND.
The message survived for barely a second before being swallowed by the endless flood of trade requests and negotiations.
Kingsfolk: Need a ton of mana crystals. If you have any, kindly GM me.
Ashenheart: Looking for a world’s crust. It’s urgent.
SilverRoot: Buying high-grade spirit seeds.
EmberLord: Selling volcanic sulfur at a discount.
"..."
Volcano stared at the rapidly scrolling messages before his shoulders slumped.
"It’s no use..."
The Universal Chat moved far too quickly for a random question to attract any attention, especially one that sounded like a confused beginner asking for help.
With a sigh, he closed the chat and looked back toward Volcan.
The molten planet continued rotating peacefully, as though nothing unusual had happened.
Yet the crimson warning still lingered stubbornly at the edge of his vision.
[The target world contains an Unbounded Soul.]
Now that he’d calmed down, those words felt far heavier than before.
If the system was correct, then somewhere on that planet existed a soul that even the laws of time could not fully contain.
And if his suspicion was right...
"Gre Ka Go."
The name escaped his lips almost unconsciously.
The moment it did, Volcano’s eyes narrowed.
The more he thought about it, the more unsettling everything became.
Gre Ka Go had appeared under circumstances that were already abnormal. His astonishing growth, his uncanny instincts, his titles and the intelligence and cunning he displayed far beyond someone of his Era ...
Until now, Volcano had simply admired those qualities.
Now...
He couldn’t help but wonder whether they had been warnings all along.
"No."
He shook his head.
"I won’t made a mistake..I can’t jump to conclusions."
He knew better than anyone how little he actually understood about Godcraft Genesis. Drawing such a severe conclusion based on nothing but suspicion was both reckless and unfair.
Perhaps there was another explanation.
Opening his private messages, he immediately contacted the person he trusted most.
Volcano: Hey Nova! Is there any way a player could descend upon a world as primitive as ours? Or do you know what an Unbounded Soul refers to?
Several minutes passed before a reply finally arrived.
Nova: Ughh! Sorry, I was busy! And damn, you won’t believe what happened! My Divinity Level just increased to 3! Can you believe it? Three!! After only a day and a half!
Volcano blinked.
Volcano: ...Is it that special?
The reply came back almost instantly.
Nova: WHAT DO YOU MEAN "SPECIAL"?! Go check! I bet most people are still stuck at Level 2! I’m certain of it!
Although the message read like a scolding, Volcano couldn’t understand her excitement.
After all...
He was already Divinity Level 6.
And they had both been playing for roughly the same amount of time.
Pushing that thought aside, he steered the conversation back.
Volcano: I see. Congratulations, Nova. But could you answer my question first?
Nova: Thanks, partner. Unfortunately... I don’t know. Logically it shouldn’t be possible unless the player is someone connected to the Godcraft company... maybe a developer or someone important? Honestly, I’m just guessing.
Volcano frowned.
That explanation sounded even more absurd.
Why would someone from the company secretly descend into his insignificant little world?
Volcano: Thanks anyway. Sorry for bothering you. Happy gaming.
Nova: It’s alright. Besides... I think I’ll be needing something from you again soon. So consider this an investment.
A faint smile tugged at Volcano’s lips.
Volcano: Of course. I’m always happy to help.
Closing the chat, he rubbed his forehead.
The answer he was looking for wasn’t with Nova.
His thoughts quickly drifted toward the next person he could rely on—the one who had helped him last time and who seemed almost obsessed with fairness.
Void Null.
Opening another chat window, he typed.
Volcano: Hey, brother. If you’re not busy, could you tell me whether it’s possible for another player to enter someone’s world this early? And... do you know what an Unbounded Soul means in Godcraft terminology?
He waited for a long moment but the reply never came even though Void Null’s status remained Active.
"He must be busy."
Volcano sighed before scrolling through the list of players he knew.
Tripido — Offline.
Nox — Busy. Do not dare bother me.
Axitro — Online. Help me learn new things... for free please.
"..."
Another helpless sigh escaped him.
It seemed he wasn’t getting an answer from anyone today.
"Ugh... screw it."
His eyes gradually hardened.
"If nobody else can answer....then I’ll just ask the culprit himself."
He merged his consciousness with Volcan, allowing his awareness to descend toward the world below. Countless scenes flashed across his vision before his senses finally settled upon a familiar figure seated inside a wooden house.
Gre Ka Go.
Volcano quietly observed the scene for a few moments.
The Magnari surrounding him all seemed unusually focused. Their expressions shifted constantly as though something important was unfolding, while Gre Ka Go himself remained seated among them with the same composed demeanor as always.
...It seems they’re in the middle of some important gathering.
The thought crossed his mind almost instinctively.
’This is probably bad timing...’
He hesitated for only a brief moment before exhaling through his nose.
"...No."
"I’ve already waited long enough."
Whether Gre Ka Go was truly the mysterious Unbounded Soul or not, he needed answers now. Waiting any longer would only leave him drowning in speculation.
Without another moment’s hesitation, he reached toward the one feature he had never intended to use so casually.
[Commencing "God’s Whisper"...]
[Each spoken sentence will consume 20 Faith Points.]
Volcano took a slow breath.
Then spoke.
"Hey,You fraud!"
"Tell me..Who the hell are you?"
"...And why are you pretending to be Gre Ka Go?"