“It’s such a headache…”
Somewhere above the altar Lily had been expelled from, a raccoon scratched its head and looked down at the newly born Master of the Altar, positioned in a space where only one with the ability of a ‘Manager’ could exist.
The Master of the Altar, still fuming, was venting frustration on the poor ground, kicking it like a petulant child.
Despite acting like a child, the power they wielded was anything but childish.
Just one little kick sent tremors rippling through the entire altar.
‘Even though the Master has almost lost their powers.’
“…Why are they making us tolerate that? It looks dangerous right off the bat.”
In Deoen, there were several prisons referred to as altars, where beings once imprisoned long ago remained trapped.
Each one was powerful enough to be called a disaster.
Of course, compared to the seniors at the Management Bureau situated ‘above’ them, they were infinitely weaker, but it was still beyond the level that mere raccoons could handle.
Without invoking power, there was almost no chance a subordinate could defeat the Master of the Altar.
“Tch. They’re already a troublemaker.”
But that was only if we considered the premise of not invoking power.
Members of the Management Bureau could draw power as needed for maintenance, and while it was a hassle to write up reports, calling on power wasn’t all that difficult.
The real trouble lay in the aftermath, not in summoning the power itself.
Thus, Gaeyeon, a level 3 Administrator in the altar management team, attempted to intervene when the existing Master of the Altar tried to escape.
Additionally, Lily, labeled a troublemaker, began engaging in erratic behaviors like tampering with the system or trying to pull the Master down, and Gaeyeon sought to stop that as well.
But they could not.
-This won’t do! I need to make this place sturdier!
“…So frustrating.”
Watching the Master of the Altar prettily and sturdily alter the throne, Gaeyeon swallowed hard.
When the abnormal actions of Intio were first reported up, the command received was simply ‘Just watch.’
Whether it was an escape attempt, a disruption of the altar’s difficulty, or intervention with the system, the order was to just leave it be.
No matter how much the Managers advocated for non-intervention, it seemed a bit too excessive.
Masters of the Altar were, quite literally, beings who had been ‘imprisoned,’ and there were valid reasons for their confinement.
Having been products of the mythological war era, it was hard to comprehend why they were being released like that.
However, unable to refuse the orders from above, Gaeyeon merely complied and watched.
Lily’s antics, as well as the new Master of the Altar fighting against her, were simply left alone.
‘The new Master of the Altar. I heard they were a ‘clone’ of Lily.’
“It was clearly stated that it was a clone of ‘Lily.'”
So, it’s understandable that this clone of Lily is strong.
However, I couldn’t make heads or tails of that clunky helmet.
The mastermind that caused even the notorious Lily to be driven out.
Gaeyeon rummaged through the altar’s records and Intio’s research materials to uncover the helmet’s identity but ended up with no useful information.
“The helmet is just a helmet. But something strange has changed it, that’s all.”
Gaeyeon realized that this clone might be more than just a clone and decided to report this matter “up the chain.”
Of course, the lower ranks can’t report directly without going through the mid-levels, but if it’s “unofficial,” it’s entirely feasible.
Sure, reporting something trivial could cause issues, but Gaeyeon was convinced this was definitely not trivial.
“It seemed suspicious when it got tangled up with Cheongsu. Suddenly, a lot of mid-level staff from other departments came pouring in too.”
To prepare for the report on this matter, Gaeyeon collected traces and research materials related to the altar, along with the newly ascended Master of the Altar’s identity, before leaving the place.
Normally, leaving without permission would be forbidden, but looking at the situation, it didn’t seem like anything bad would happen at the altar.
– Hehehe~
The new Master of the Altar also showed no signs of escape.
Thus, Gaeyeon departed from the scene.
Thud!
“It’s always a fascinating space.”
Unaware that someone had invaded.
■
Thump!
I surrounded myself with the blackened portal, but all I could hear was the sound of hitting an empty wall; it wouldn’t open.
Trying to break through using holiness yielded the same result.
I hadn’t attempted Sacred Transformation or Annihilation, but those seemed too excessive, and more importantly, this was ‘outside’ the altar.
Other ‘Administrators’ besides the altar’s master were also keeping watch.
In the end, I tried various methods but finally gave up on the portal.
“Hmm… can’t get in.”
[LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL]
[Evan Dengd]
[Lily got kicked out LOL]
[Now we can’t see Baby Lily?]
[Can’t break through?]
[Poor Baby Lily…]
“It seems like a miscalculation. I guess I can’t get in for now…”
My original plan was just to sever the bond with the altar and smoothly take her out.
Baby Lily wasn’t absolutely necessary, but she hated being trapped.
“I also didn’t want to just let it happen the way Intio, who was of the Celestial Race, intended.”
The problem was, while I had managed to sever the bond as planned, there was still something strange lingering.
It was left behind.
‘Helmet.’
The mysterious helmet with a gap in the Y shape maintained the bond between the altar and Baby Lily.
I tried to take out the helmet, but ultimately failed, and Baby Lily continued to remain as the Master of the Altar.
[Can’t go back in?]
[Evan Deng]
[Wouldn’t it be possible to break in with a hammer?]
“At least for now, it’s tough. I think it might be possible when I hit around 140…”
If I reach level 140 like Myeosin, I might be able to break through the portal’s barrier without any issues and deal with the helmet’s connection.
Since I exerted my power while separated from the armor, it could’t be the Master of the Altar’s ability.
It’s unclear whether this is the helmet’s power or Baby Lily’s own strength, but I feel like my power is amplifying in that place.
If I go in with even more power than now, I’ll probably have even more abilities I can utilize.
“Let’s come back later. It’s tough to do anything right now.”
Even using Sacred Transformation or Annihilation doesn’t guarantee anything.
[O.K.]
[Baby Lily, stay safe~]
[Hahahahahaha]
[LOL]
[But is Baby Lily asking to be rescued?]
[Isn’t it a bit pointless to rescue her? Hahaha, she didn’t seem to hate it that much though.]
[For real, LOL]
[Rescue (forcefully) LOL]
“…Hmm. That’s true.”
Maybe it’s because she lost her memory and reincarnated, but Baby Lily doesn’t seem to mind her position as the Master of the Altar.
In fact, she seemed to like the image of herself wearing armor and helmet while wielding a spear.
When I tried to forcibly take her out, she seemed to have resistance, but if given another chance, she might think differently.
“She’s still young and doesn’t know much about the situation. If she truly wants, I could just leave her be.”
Even though she reincarnated because she disliked living trapped by someone, the moment she lost her memory, she became like anyone else.
There’s no need to rush into judgments at this point.
Since she has become the Master of the Altar and possesses that mysterious power, it shouldn’t be a big problem.
I decided to go to Multi-Dimension to achieve level 140 first, then left the altar.
‘…But this time, she didn’t show up.’
Black Lily, who had always been hovering around me since Blodia, didn’t appear this time.
Now would be the perfect timing for her to be active since I can completely ignore the Administrator’s gaze.
“…Maybe.”
[?]
[Maybe?]
‘She might have already shown up.’
Zzaaaang…
“?”
Strange curtains loom over the head of the Master of the Altar, who is diligently decorating the altar.
As the black magic curtains grow to cover the entire altar, the Master tilts his head, observing the strangely transforming space.
Soon, three entities appear before the Master.
A tall woman with black hair and violet eyes, and a smaller, pretty smiling girl with red eyes.
The smiling girl is riding on a huge boulder that looks quite unhappy, almost as if it’s being forced to work.
Among them, the tall woman warmly greets him…
“Hey! A familiar face!”
“…As expected, huh?”
“What! Is that totally weird person your sister? Or your younger sister?”
Clang!
The Master’s helmet rattles ominously as immense power radiates from him, targeting the black-haired woman and the other two.
Threatening as if about to chase them away, the black-haired woman gently raises her hands, indicating she means no harm.
“Calm down. We just came to confirm something.”
“Confirm?”
“Yeah. I purposely covered my eyes for that. Even if the observing eyes disappeared, you never know.”
With a smile, the black-haired woman grins.
Realizing she wasn’t doing anything harmful, the Master slowly relaxes and nods.
“Alright. You seem kinder than your sister.”
“Hehe. That might upset another sister if she hears you.”
“Hmph! No matter what she says, that person is totally a dud.”
The Master says, crossing his arms, which makes the woman laugh even more.
“So what are you here for? Just so you know, if you do anything weird, I’ll kick you out right away.”
“Thinking about it, her ‘clone’ isn’t an easy task. I’m not perfect either, and how much tougher would it be for a clone with the same power?”
“? Huh?”
“The order was reversed, it seems.”
“???”
The black lily smiles as she watches the confused Master of the Altar before her.
She isn’t something that was created alongside Lily.
Long ago, something that detached from Lily merely mimicked her again.
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