Primordial Villain With A Slave Harem

A new message popped up in front of all three of us at the same time. For the first time in Thalorind's history, the Soul Records addressed us directly.

[The Soul Records has issued a recommendation. Primordial Entity Quinlan Noir is advised to begin his Primordial Rank-Up Mission immediately.] Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

"Oh dear…" Mearie whispered with a ghostly pale face.

"Just… Just what could be important enough to make that creature speak its opinion?"

I understood where their confusion came from. The Soul Records doesn't 'recommend' nor does it 'advise'. It wasn't some sentient guide offering suggestions. It was cold and clinical—a robotic system that only reported facts and outcomes. Experience gains, kills, class unlocks, etc…

… Or so we assumed.

This was the first time it had ever addressed me directly with an opinion of its own, or anyone else for that matter.

"The Soul Records doesn't reply or converse even if it's the Goddess asking something, let alone us primordials!" Miri murmured agitatedly.

Lumi caught my right hand in hers, drawing my attention to her. "I'm scared for you, Quinnie…! Everything has been so weird ever since you were born… Your second primordial class, soul extraction, and so much more…"

Their great anxiety was understandable, and I felt incredibly grateful when I saw how worried they were for me. It felt as if they were truly my mothers who wanted nothing more than for their son to be safe and happy.

Knowing they were right about everything being strange and illogical when it came to my existence, I couldn't do much but brace for the future. If the mightiest creature in the universe wanted to harm me, there wasn't much I could do about it. Instead, I thought I should make use of this anomalous opportunity where the Soul Records seemed to be open for conversation.

To that end, I took one hand of each of my mothers in one of mine and gripped them reassuringly. "Mothers, I'll listen to the Soul Records' recommendation and begin the trial immediately. We'll meet again and spend more time together once I'm level 30."

Both women immediately grimaced upon my statement, it was clear they wanted me to think about it more.

I honestly saw no reason to. Maybe I could ask that gnome primordial to analyze these elixirs for me, but I could do that after I was done with this mission. Because of that, I found it smarter to listen to this creature called the Soul Records.

"Help me dress, mothers." I didn't want the pair to continue worrying, giving them something to do should alleviate at least some of their anxieties. My plan worked rather well; they quickly dried me off and began busying themselves with dressing me in my clothes and armor.

Afterward, I grabbed onto their dainty hands and we walked toward the grand monument in the square where some of the primordials established their little settlement. As almost all of them were either slumbering or off doing something at different locations of the dimension to pass the time, this once lively place was a ghost town.

"I'll be back." I kissed both of my mothers on their foreheads and walked toward the monument, initiating the trial.

Whiteness overwhelmed my eyes as I was surrounded in all directions by the color for a few seconds. The last time I was here, I opened my eyes and I was in the newborn Iris' body. I truly hoped this trial wouldn't be that lengthy or depressing, it put an incredible strain on my mental health.

As my vision cleared, a scene so surreal it nearly forced me to question whether I was truly awake was revealed in front of my eyes.

I found myself floating in the vast emptiness of space, just beyond the atmosphere of a barren planet. It hung ominously below me like a dead orb, devoid of life.

Even from this distance, it seemed wrong—lifeless in a way that went beyond mere desolation. The surface wasn't uniform; instead, it was split into four distinct quadrants, each one ruled by a single overwhelming element.

To the north, seas churned endlessly, waves crashing into each other violently. In the west, mountains of earth rose higher and higher, forming natural skyscrapers. The eastern quadrant was ablaze with endlessly burning flames that danced to a wild tone. And to the south, vicious winds tore through the planet's empty expanse, forming tornadoes that ripped through the air without purpose or end.

Nothing else was visible. No signs of life, no civilization, not even ruins to suggest that anything had ever lived here. It was as if the four basic elements had usurped all that this planet once was, and now they were fighting among each other, aiming to be the one who covered the entire surface.

I panicked at first. How couldn't I? I was in space—surrounded by the vast nothingness that should have killed me instantly. Despite my high Vitality, I shouldn't be able to survive being in outer space, or so my logic had told me.

My heart pounded furiously as I instinctively reached for the [Airwalk] spell to stabilize myself, only to discover I didn't need it.

It was as if something—some invisible force—protected me. My body floated effortlessly, unrestricted by gravity or the limitations of an atmosphere. I moved without effort, a simple shift in intent was enough to propel me forward.

'What the hell is this place?'

As if in answer, a message appeared in my mind:

[This is the world of Drakwyn, a dead, uninhabitable planet. An alliance of Gods declared Astral Conquest upon it. The defending gods were eliminated. The souls once under their dominion have been seized. Drakwyn's fate is what awaits the worlds whose soul reserves are depleted.]

The words of Malakar rang in my head. 'Souls cannot be multiplied, replenished, repaired—nothing. Not even the Elder Gods can make them.'

I immediately understood. The only way for the gods to gain more souls and thus enrich the worlds they ruled over was to take them from the hands of other gods. Astral Conquest…

[Although the official term the gods use is Astral Conquest, it is nothing more than piracy—soul raiders plundering the lifeblood of worlds.]

"I see… But why are you telling me all this? I assume it has something to do with my ability to reap souls, but why was I given that ability in the first place? Just what do you want from me?"

[The Soul Records is the administrator of the universe, designed to ensure the continued equilibrium of all worlds. Issuing orders or altering fates lies outside its intended function. The Soul Records does not 'want' nor 'expect' anything.]

[Every budding world receives precisely the number of souls necessary for growth and prosperity, but the gods, consumed by greed, seek more than mere prosperity—they crave excess. Their desire for abundance disrupts the fragile balance of existence.]

"Then why not issue an order demanding they cease their actions? Aren't you the mightiest creature in the universe?"

[The Soul Records lacks the means for direct intervention. Instead, it calculated endlessly, searching for a viable solution, one that could suppress the disruptors and restore balance to the universe.]

"So you summoned me from my home world and planted me in Thalorind, then armed me with Primordial Villain as a tool to fight the gods?"