The Rise of the Winter Wolf - Book 6 - Chapters 72, 73, and the Epilogue

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Don't mind this fluff. It's so that free readers can't read half the chapter.

And this marks the end of The Rise of the Winter Wolf book 6! Chapters for other primary stories will resume as usual starting Sunday. Winter Wolf will now be getting about two chapters a week instead of the daily chapters, and Undying Magician will be getting four or so a week.

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Table of Contents

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Chapter 72

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Notifications

Wolf

I feel both proud and tired as I read the notification that appears in my vision the moment I finish off Beelzebub’s clone.

Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification

Congratulations! You have officially become the Champion of the Centurion Quinzel!

Originally, this was a mere copy of a previous Centurion Quinzel with some alterations to allow your entry, however it has become an entirely new tournament with the addition of the Creator of the Quinzel himself!

As a reward for defeating a clone of the Quinzel’s creator, your name – as declared by Beelzebub himself – shall be inscribed in the Hall of Fame for the Centurion Quinzel Champions!

In addition to that, Beelzebub has declared that you may contact him for aid one time as he now owes you a favor for your part in his plans.

However, as he may not enter the dungeon without the dungeon’s permission, should you request his aid within the dungeon, it will be through a temporary clone and not his true body. Otherwise should you wish for aid from his true body, you must request a favor that is outside of the Beta Dungeon.

Looks like Beelzebub is giving me some extra rewards for killing his clone. So that’s nice.

Another notification appears in my vision as a large raised dais appears with a massive and cool looking chest on top of it. No doubt the Centurion Boss Chest, especially considering the carapace that makes up its structure. One that looks identical to Beelzebub’s carapace.

I focus on the notification for now.

Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification

Congratulations! You are the very first being within the entire System to defeat a progenitor, even if it was just the clone of a progenitor!

As a reward, the System grants you pseudo-Administrator Status within the System!

Through this, you may create lunar ice skills and implement them into the System. Additionally, you may create and enter your own personal viewing room as you please without any restrictions.

With this viewing room, you may invite anyone you please to enter it, change the appearance of the viewing room however you please, and collect payment from anyone who enters however you wish.

Lastly, as a full-fledged progenitor who is also within the System and was within the System before manifesting your Domain and becoming a progenitor, you may bless users with the assistance of the System.

Turning them into Harbingers of Lunar Ice.

System Favor: As a secondary note to be kept from everyone else, you are officially recognized by the System and the Reality Treasure itself as the next potential owner of the Reality Treasure, the Reality Chronicle. Should you complete the Beta Dungeon, you will find the Reality Chronicle at the end of the 1000th floor, where you shall be able to bond with it.

Do not disappoint the System and the System shall not disappoint you.

Oh. Wow.

That’s…

Unexpected.

Very unexpected.

A grin begins to spread across my face.

And very welcome.

I guess the System is jumping ship from Grim to me? Probably?

And right now it’s testing me to see if I’m worthy of the Reality Chronicle.

As for that last note? I’m guessing it means that it’ll still fulfill the promises I was given? The one about reviving Alexia should I clear the dungeon?

At least it’s better, because I get the feeling Grim may not fulfill that promise anymore.

Hmm.

I hope the System fulfills that promise, otherwise I’ll have to figure out how to do that myself. Even if I have to force Grim into doing it personally.

Another notification appears in my vision.

Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification

Congratulations! You have cleared the three hundredth floor of the Beta Administrator Dungeon!

As a reward, you shall be given up to one entire month of rest between the three hundredth and three hundredth and first floors!

In order to enter the rest floor known as the 300.5th floor, simply receive your reward from the Centurion Boss Chest and enter the exit that appears afterwards!

And another rest floor. Nice.

That means I have more time to catch my breath. Which I really need after this last floor…

I frown at that thought.

Actually, after the last floor theme. Not just the last floor.

This has been an exhausting floor theme.

Wait a second.

I blink before looking around for the lunar winter beasts, only to find all of them having completely disappeared. Both the living and the dead ones.

Which kind of leaves this massive platform completely empty without a single thing in it other than the damage from our battle, me, and this single Centurion Boss Chest.

It looks so eerie compared to before.

I glance at my follower count before wryly smiling at the number being in the upper quadrillions now. So high that it doesn’t even matter to me anymore.

Sapphire suddenly leaves my shadow before walking up and hugging me without saying a word.

I pat her on the head while looking at the number of people viewing me right now, which amount to more people than there were on Earth times over a dozen. Then I focus on Sapphire, who is literally just clinging onto me without saying a word.

“You okay?” I ask with a worried look on my face. But Sapphire just shakes her head into my side without saying a word.

She must’ve been incredibly worried. Not that I blame her.

“We’re okay,” I tell her with a faint smile spreading across my face.

Sapphire just nods again, still without saying anything.

Alright. Now that I’ve checked all of those notifications, it’s time to claim my loot.

Because loot is important. More important than the dozens of levels I just got from that battle.

So without any hesitation, I begin to walk up towards the Centurion Boss Chest. After which I stop at the very top right next to it before taking a deep breath.

I really hope this was worth that battle. Because if I get trash from this, I am going to complain.

And with that last thought, I go ahead and reach out for the Centurion Boss Chest.

Chapter 73

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A New Perspective

Wolf

The moment I touch the Centurion Boss Chest, a bright white light shines out from the thing despite its rather dark appearance. Then a description of an item appears above the chest in unusually colored text – silver to be exact – on one of the notification screens. Which is something I’ve never seen before for an item description.

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Item | Headphones of the Blue Moon | Tier 10.5

This item was created by the Progenitor of Curses and Insects working side by side with the Progenitor of Metal for the Progenitor of Lunar Ice and the Blue Moon as a reward for defeating the Progenitor of Curses and Insect’s clone.

These headphones allow The Winter Wolf to connect to the System in various ways, to mute all sound based attacks, and to absorb the energy of the Blue Moon given off by the Wolf of the Blue Moon himself. This energy may then be used to empower the Wolf of the Blue Moon at any point in time.

Additionally, the Headphones of the Blue Moon may transform with the Wolf of the Blue Moon when he turns his body fully into his Domain, and they passively increase The Winter Wolf’s control over his Domain.

System Favor: As an item outside of the System’s bounds, these headphones may be worn while using the Sword of the Blue Moon.

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I stare blankly at the headphones that appear next to the description. Then I feel a faint smile stretching across my face.

And to believe I get this not long after I was thinking about how I felt odd without my headphones in my Blue Moon Armaments form.

I faintly chuckle before focusing on the headphones themselves. Only to blink when I reach out to touch them.

Because the moment my hand makes contact with the silvery blue set of rather cool looking headphones, a bunch of knowledge floods my mind about them. Knowledge that wasn’t stated in the description of the item.

For one, the headphones passively increases my maximum energy capacity by fifty percent. Which is a massive boost in and of itself.

In addition to that, it also has all of the features of the other headphones I have in it.

As for the feature to absorb the passive blue moon energy I emit? I can already feel it absorbing the energy. Which I didn’t even realize I was emitting until now, if I’m being honest.

Lastly, I can make the headphones unable to be felt when I wear them. So if I ever get sick of wearing headphones, I can just make it so that I don’t even feel them on my head.

A wide smile stretches across my face as I look at the headphones.

Finally. An item I am genuinely happy about as a reward for killing a boss.

Up until now, I haven’t seen a really good item I use outside of sponsorships. Even if I have technically gotten some good items from chests up until now, I haven’t gotten any that I really want to use.

So I honestly wasn’t expecting all that much from this one.

But these headphones…

My smile grows even wider as I put them on my head and immediately feel just how comfortable they are. Which is incredibly comfortable.

The most comfortable headphones I’ve ever seen.

I glance at Sapphire to find her finally looking up from my side. Then she smiles and lets out a yawn.

“Go ahead and sleep,” I tell her with my smile still staying on my face as I feel more relaxed than I have ever been in a very long time. “We’re going to another rest area in a minute.”

She immediately closes her eyes after my words before transforming into her tiny spider form, with me catching her in my hands moments prior to her hitting the ground. Then I lift her up to my shoulder, only to realize that I’m still in my Blue Moon Armaments. So I go ahead and dispel it at last and put her in my hood.

I put my hands in my pockets after that and look around the ruined battlefield at everything with my brand new headphones on my head. Meanwhile my hair – which has grown a little longer now, to at least a few inches in length – blows in the wind as I look.

It’s nice and quiet.

Peaceful.

My smile grows a little at this before my face returns to neutral and I begin to walk over towards the exit that appeared near the dais. An exit in the form of a large and fancy arch instead of the usual door.

It’s been a while since I’ve felt this way about an item after killing a boss. A very long while.

And I feel like things will change soon. For the better, and for the more dangerous.

Also, I need to start figuring out some ways to make skills out of my lunar ice element. Then I can spread my element to everyone in the universe instead of just the lunar winter beasts.

And, of course, there’s that viewing room. I can use that to meet with my family from time to time.

Not to mention to get some free income, regardless of whether I actually need it. Seeing as I don’t actually have much of anything to spend any of that income on. And no one actually uses the System’s Skill Points anymore. Not after The Reaper’s little ploy of using his Voided Karma on them.

And I can’t really blame them for that.

It kind of makes me wonder if the System might try to make its own currency.

That would be interesting.

But there are so many things changing after that battle, and I rather like it.

The corner of my lips rise a little as I stop right in front of the arc, just looking up at it.

I feel a lot better now.

A lot better indeed.

Epilogue

Within Tiamat’s Throne Room

Tiamat kneels down close to the ground as her Lady sits on Tiamat’s own throne, claiming it as hers without even looking at Tiamat. But despite what others may consider rude actions, Tiamat feels nothing but reverence for the woman.

The woman who originally created the Ascendancy and turned Tiamat into a chaos dragon in the first place.

The Progenitor of Chaos.

Eris.

And the true source behind Tiamat’s powers. Behind Tiamat’s chaos manipulation.

Behind Tiamat’s blessing as a Harbinger of Chaos.

“Raise your head, dear,” Eris states, making Tiamat immediately lift her head to look at her Lady. At which point she finds the progenitor tapping on the armrest of her throne and lazily looking at a screen next to her. One belonging to the structure known as the System.

Tiamat feels no surprise when she sees the most viewed person in the entire universe on the screen.

The Winter Wolf.

The only mortal in the universe to become a progenitor. The only mortal in the entire multiverse in fact.

Even Tiamat feels some awe towards that, because she was not expecting much from him when she first took notice of him. Not like the werewolves and draugr did.

“This man…” Eris says while staring at the screen without taking her eyes off of him, “…keep your eye on him.”

Tiamat once again feels no surprise at this as she immediately answers, “As you wish, Lady Eris.”

What she does feel surprised about though is what Eris says after that.

“I plan on sending my clone into the Beta Dungeon to test him soon,” Eris declares, making Tiamat’s eyes widen in shock. Because, while her Lady is big on chaos, she usually doesn’t deal it out herself. Since her Lady has always been the hands-off sort who manipulates all others behind the scenes to cause as much chaos as possible. “Keep an eye on his family as well. Make sure they aren’t harmed before I come to a decision.”

Tiamat barely hesitates before she answers, “Of course, Lady Eris! As you command!”

Her Lady continues staring at the screen for several more seconds before finally turning her attention to another screen. One that shows The Reaper on it.

Tiamat has never liked The Reaper. In her opinion, the only good thing that’s come out of his scummy head is his System.

And even the System was created through stealing something as it turns out, nor does it belong to him anymore.

All of which prove Tiamat’s opinion on him.

So she can’t for the life of her figure out why her Lady would ever support The Reaper’s side in the war.

Unless...

“I will be sending monsters for Grim to play with again soon,” Erin states again while narrowing her eyes a little bit on the screen showing The Reaper. “They should keep him occupied for the time being.”

Her words confirm Tiamat’s suspicions.

Then Lady Erin vanishes from Tiamat’s throne, leaving Tiamat in the utterly silent throne room. So after several seconds, Tiamat finally climbs to her feet before walking over to the balcony, where she looks out at the view from her castle.

This war, the progenitors’ interest in the Reality Treasure and in The Winter Wolf, The Winter Wolf’s actions, all of it… they’re all exactly what Lady Eris thrives on. And all of it has been set into motion now by The Winter Wolf.

Tiamat stares out from her balcony without saying a word for several minutes.

Then she eventually mutters, “I hope he can handle the attention…”

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Within a Grand Ceremonial Hall

Ceremonial trumpets resound throughout the Grand Ceremonial Hall of the Grand Werewolf Empire as rows upon rows of trumpeters play on the side platforms. Each of which are located on the other side of the large ice rivers running parallel next to the Ceremonial Hall, on the large walls overlooking the hall. Meanwhile a full orchestra can be seen behind one of the rows of trumpeters, and rows of knights line up along the frozen rivers’ edges.

Diane looks out over it all from the entrance at the very beginning of the Grand Ceremonial Hall. At the trumpeters, the orchestras, the knights, the nobles watching from behind the trumpeters on the wall with the orchestra, and even the citizens of the empire who are watching on the opposite wall from the one with the orchestra. And after several minutes of the trumpeters playing, the full orchestra enters in, signaling Diane’s queue to enter the hall.

So she does just that, with the crowds watching on both sides breaking out into loud applause at the sight of their empress walking down the hall with her husband alongside her. The Emperor of the Dread Empire.

And as they walk, the orchestra continues playing. All the way until they reach the thrones atop the raised dais on the other end of the hall.

Then Diane, who is now a lunar winter beast, the same as her husband and a vast majority of the people here, turns around and spreads both of her arms out in front of her.

“My people! The people of the Grand Werewolf Empire! We come here to celebrate the victory of our Crown Prince, The Winter Wolf himself! Progenitor of the Blue Moon, and creator of the lunar winter beast species!” Diane declares, her voice echoing across the entire Ceremonial Hall through magic. “He has defeated the clone of another progenitor and earned himself a place amongst their ranks! And he did this with our aid! Marking the very first time in history where we have managed to aid our crown prince in his ascension of the dungeon!”

Diane glances at her husband as the crowds – both nobles and commoners – cheer loudly and applaud at her words. Then she turns her gaze back to her people once again.

“Through this battle, we have gained an enormous number of lunar winter beasts of pure and noble blood amongst our number!” Diane continues speaking, getting to the second purpose of this ceremony. “And in addition to that, we have had all of our lesser werewolves turned into lunar winter beasts to halt their werewolf urges! Therefore a change must be made to the Grand Werewolf Empire! One to mark this auspicious occasion!”

The crowds applaud even louder at her words, making her own excitement grow. Which is hard to do when she’s already far more excited than she’s been in as long as she can remember.

After all, she was able to help her adopted son for the first time beyond connections and sponsorships. And she was actually able to do something.

“From now on, the Grand Werewolf Empire shall be changing its name!” Diane declares, her voice echoing all throughout the ceremonial hall, and this time, throughout the entire empire and all of its worlds as well. “The Grand Werewolf Empire will henceforth be known as the Empire of the Blue Moon!!!”

Roars of applause echo across every last planet controlled by the former Grand Werewolf Empire, with news spreading of the Empire’s name change across the entire universe in mere moments after her announcement.

All while Diane herself finds it difficult to stop smiling.

“This marks the beginning of a new reign!” Diane declares before turning into her lunar beast form and howling. Then she finishes using magic, “The reign of the Lunar Winter Beasts!!!”

Another round of roaring applause is soon joined by the howls of lunar winter beasts that can be heard across every last planet owned by the Empire of the Blue Moon. And some howls can even be heard outside of the empire in other nations that happen to have citizens currently living within or passing through them.

Thus beginning the start of a new era for the mortals of the universe.

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Within the Void

Grim watches apathetically as the ceremony conducted by the former Grand Werewolf Empress comes to its peak. But after that he just waves his hand to make the screen disappear, following which he turns his attention to numerous other screens in front of him. All of which are made out of his own void element and with no aid from the System.

A System that has betrayed him, just like everyone else.

Just like his former allies. Just like the Reality Treasure. And just like his family.

They all betray him in the end.

The Reality Treasure was his from the very start. Not his allies. Not anyone else’s. And certainly not its own.

It was not him who betrayed them. It was them who betrayed him.

No matter how much they try to call him a traitor.

This time he will be the one with the last laugh.

He will be the one to end all of this.

Him. And no one else.

Not the pitiful mortal-turned-progenitor playing in Grim’s toybox. Not the damned insect that’s always buzzing around his head about his dishonor. And not the mutt controlling the council with his power and declarations of neutrality.

Grim will be the one to end it.

But for now, the only thing that’s important to him is to get his Reality Treasure back, and to swat the damned insect.

Because all that Winter Wolf is to him is nothing more than a mortal playing with power that he has no right to. Nothing more than a child playing in a toybox.

And the mutt won’t interfere unless his precious pup is in danger.

So the start of the war is only now truly beginning.

Grim will make certain of that himself.