<667 – Irresponsible Pleasure (15)>
As the sky split in two, revealing a scarlet hue and black darkness, the Destroyer fell into deep contemplation with a serious expression.
‘Is the black side Oknodie?’
Judging by the amount of dark mana, it could be, but the mystery surrounding that suspicious apprentice was perplexing; one moment it seemed filled with profound insight and the next it felt awkwardly incomplete.
Just as one might think it was due to extraordinary genius, to the untrained eye, solid fundamentals painstakingly built over a long time rivaled the thousand-year history of renowned swordsmanship.
While I knew there was an organization that preceded the Foundation, I didn’t want to admit how formidable their traditions were, which only intensified my discomfort.
“Ha ha ha! If the Emperor of the Eastern Empire saw this, he’d immediately launch a flagship to retrieve the legendary powerhouse I’ve been searching for in a different country!”
“This is a harmful area that can become a danger just from observation. Elder, it’s best you return home…”
Trying to respond to the old man’s words as if he were marveling at a rare celestial event, akin to a supermoon appearing after 50 years, the Destroyer suddenly realized.
He was granted the right to stretch out his hand, so close it felt like he could reach it without a sword.
The old man speaking casually, as if calling a friend from the senior citizen’s club, was no ordinary elder.
“What brings the Domain Controller here?”
“Old enough to be a walking corpse stuck underground would cause a bit of a fuss. It’s nice to see something enticing after so long, so I came out to take a look.”
It was only after discovering another elderly figure behind the elegantly dapper elder, laughing like a celestial being, that the Destroyer realized.
‘That’ was a being so formidable that even Warrior Ni’alatotep rarely showed wariness, known as [Jibsa Jang Okashii-ne].
“Ho ho. Don’t look at me that way. Domain Expansion, Domain Extension, Domain Specialization, Domain Contract. At the end of it, the contract encompasses the world, birthing a new god. So, the desire to explore the domain, whether young or old, is a natural phenomenon, wouldn’t you say?”
“…You bring up something that even the world’s top educational institution, Gift Academy, has never discussed, implying your depth of knowledge is questionable. As I heard, it’s rather concerning. [Jibsa Jang Okashii-ne].”
If that was the case, it helped me understand the robust elder’s true identity, his sole master.
“Seonhwang. What brings you, who abdicated the throne, to a theme park?”
“Are you afraid? Even if there are unknown purposes, I realize I cannot stop them.”
In an instant, a breathless tension ensued, but the sudden pressure dispersed like the fickle wind, granting freedom.
“Think simply. Desire isn’t something complex. If my adopted granddaughter, who’s like a granddaughter born late in life, is putting on an external event, then I must go and see.”
“…As long as it doesn’t harm Oknodie’s Collection City, I don’t care.”
The Destroyer was not a lunatic yelling “Kill on sight!” at just the sight of the Seonhwang like the Three Great Evils were known to do!
Though the Empire was also Havi’s enemy, standing before the Seonhwang in a transformed body that had gone through both a metamorphosis and transmutation made that realization striking.
He still found himself in a position where he was ‘looking up’ at the Seonhwang.
There wouldn’t be many steps to take.
It wasn’t a vague, daunting gap.
Yet, every single step wouldn’t be easy or light.
“What are your thoughts? Do you believe Oknodie would challenge the ultimate domain, the divine proclamation?”
A journey toward the divine far greater than taking the path of dragon slaying.
A terrifying realm to discuss, but somehow it eased the Destroyer’s heart.
Separate from levels of expertise, he was convinced he knew Oknodie the best, reinforced by the current question.
It was a creepy superiority, thinking, no matter how skilled one was, he had superiority in knowing Oknodie better.
“Oknodie’s interest is not that.”
“Oh? Now I’m curious about that unique perspective.”
“Those who have exceeded a certain level typically develop, expand, and specialize in their domains, but confusion often arises regarding Oknodie.”
It was a part he had been perplexed about for quite a while since the first time he encountered it.
How many specialized domains did Oknodie handle, and what specialization was the core to split into countless domains?
Most likely, it was the realm of darkness.
He handled a domain engulfed by his own darkness.
Without capturing that specialization effect within the domain, countless subdivisions would remain inexplicable.
But now, in that darkness covering the sky, he felt no boundless greed.
Rejection.
Confrontation.
Destruction.
What was forged from nothing but boundless hatred and resentment could be stated with certainty: that was not the domain of Oknodie.
The child’s joy could not harden like that.
“Oknodie handles many domains, but never swallows or digests them.”
“Then how do you think he manages so many domains?”
“By observing and imitating.”
“…Oh?”
“Principle, composition, effect. If there’s a desirable ability, I interpret it visually and unfold it as my own. By the time I’d swallow it, I’ve already comprehended, so there’s no need for digestion.”
Upon that revelation, seeing Oknodie, it seemed even the Seonhwang contemplated with a serious expression.
“The Director of the Foundation appears to possess a
The Seonhwang of the Empire and the Previous Hero’s comrade.
Though their paths through life and trajectories of existence were different, at this moment they shared the same thoughts and worries.
Oknodie was always peculiar.
His body was filled with deficiencies that were hard to define from where to where.
Yet, when it came to realization, it was far above.
While the body struggled to keep up with the mind, awkwardly consuming food and drinks to amass collection effects, the mind never faltered to fall ill in tandem with the body.
As if all comprehension was already banked within her eyes—once realized, she could trace back that path at the shortest speed.
The Seonhwang focused on the physical body.
He believed Oknodie’s body was a result of quickly cultivating the remnants of an ancient god into a homunculus.
Given that the body originated from a god, there would be no need to seek new human wisdom.
If wisdom instinctively reached that divine realm, what insights would be necessary?
Simply growing to maturity would allow it to blossom into the same body that was the foundation of the ancient god.
Whether that end was the culmination of Oknodie’s potential or the rebirth of the old god was uncertain.
Meanwhile, the Destroyer fixated on the pure dark mana.
The property of that endless, pure dark mana was too harsh to deem the results as merely the outcome of elite torture training received at the Foundation since childhood.
Even surviving that torture into his current age seemed a question in itself.
So he wondered.
How could the primordial malice of interdimensional spirits, born as the true essence of dark mana in the collection of threats to the world, have been instilled in that child’s body to elevate her potential?
As it turned out, it was a simple problem.
If the spirit itself dwelled within the body, the resistance it possessed would naturally be inherited.
Following different methods to the same conclusion, however, the result remained the same.
Oknodie’s body harbors some secret.
A colossal secret arranged by the Director of the Foundation.
Thus, curiosity escalated further.
The Director’s direct subordinate, the Butler of the Foundation.
Labeled as the hasty blade of the Director by the Seonhwang.
Assumed to be the mentor of Oknodie by the Destroyer.
Would the Butler know Oknodie’s secret, truly?
What would happen if the Butler and Oknodie were to meet?
*
“Hmm?”
The confrontation between the Mayor of the City of Pleasure and the hosting Butler of the executive meeting grew increasingly intense.
As if poking the pleasure domain with a finger, the Butler recognized the feel of the area.
“This seems very familiar??”
A veteran player who engages in the latter stages of the game with skill rather than luck wouldn’t be unaware.
This was the domain of the ‘Three Great Evils.’
The part regarding the first-year upper-class, quelling internal discord within the Academy, overcoming traps set by seniors and professors in the second-year upper-class, and confronting threats looming over the world in the third-year upper-class.
Among the threats to the world, the most easily encountered inevitable enemy faced by any character was precisely the Three Great Evils.
[The Mysterious Domain]
A domain that bore strength of a different caliber compared to others.
Only one being possessed the domain of the Three Great Evils.
“Leader of the Organization!”
Instead of the Wahyhiemhai Foundation, this was the ability of the true evil from the original game’s canon, a power that had completely vanished somewhere in this iteration.
