“What are you going to do now?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I was thinking of resting for another day before heading to the Main Temple. That’s all that’s left.”
Yena said as she put down the pink hatchling that was spinning around her head.
The Holy Seal Yena acquired includes Teshiniria and the Main Temple.
Having fully cleared Teshiniria, the Main Temple is all that’s left.
“Would you like to go with me, Lady Lily?”
“I don’t have the Holy Seal.”
“Oh, right.”
Originally, you could only access the multi-dimension through the Holy Seal.
The reason I could roam freely in Teshiniria was because of the Holy Seal of Teshiniria.
If I were to forcefully go to the Main Temple through the Crack in Space, there would likely be various penalties like with Blodia.
Upon hearing my words, Yena made a sulky face.
“That’s too bad. It would have been nice to go together.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it. You might get lucky and acquire another Holy Seal. Or you could just go without it.”
Even though the penalties would be a bit annoying, I was already at level 140.
There was no urgent need to level up, so it wouldn’t matter if I proceeded slowly, even in a slightly weakened state.
‘The viewers might find it frustrating, though.’
“Are you sure you’re okay with this? From what I’ve heard from the rankers who went to the Main Temple, it’s supposed to be much harder than expected.”
“Really?”
“Meow. It’s not just about having power; you have to attain ‘enlightenment’… so it requires considerable technique.”
“Oh?”
It’s a significant technique that even renowned rankers struggle with.
I’m quite curious about how formidable it must be.
“I guess I should check out the Main Temple at least once. You go ahead, Lady Yena. I’ll take care of some things and catch up later.”
“Okay. Then let’s meet again, meow. You’re always welcome to drop by!”
“You just want to eat chicken skewers.”
“I can’t deny that, meow. But isn’t it better to feed it to a human vacuum cleaner than it going straight to the trash?”
“Um… I concede.”
In reality, I had been experimenting with Celestial Skewers and making over a hundred chicken skewers a week.
I usually eat most of them, but since it’s a bit much for me to finish everything, I’ve been sharing some with my neighbor, Yena.
It sounded like some kind of leftover disposal, but at least it tasted good, so she was probably happy about it.
I even joked that if Deoen fails, I could just start a chicken skewer business.
Swish!
As Yena quickly stepped forward, she disappeared like the wind.
I remained, hugging the pink hatchling that was looking around in the empty space and headed toward the Central Continent.
Once the site of the Spring of Life, it now featured a massive mountain range in dark hues.
At the center of the mountain range was a vast emptiness, as if something enormous was curled up protectively around the hollow space inside.
A place where countless protective magic arrays and dragon magic circles are located.
I gently set down the two hatchlings I was originally holding while watching Sre playing with my friends inside.
The young dragons welcomed the hatchlings with cute “Wuu!” sounds.
As Sre stuck out his tongue to lick the pink hatchling, the pink hatchling licked Sre back.
It was a lovely sight to see them grooming each other.
And that scene…
“It looks like they’re having fun.”
“…Well. Sort of?”
The giant mountain range, the black dragon Seriphed, was watching over everything.
Seriphed’s thoughts finally regained control of his corpse after everything was done, moving his position to the central continent where the Spring of Life was located.
The reason was that the eastern continent, where darkness dwelled, was a dead land, but also because the central continent is the focal point of all the continents.
From now on, it was essential to occupy the central position for managing and protecting the dragons.
The eyes of the dark mountain range blinked.
“It’s nice to have regained the main body, but… it’s a total wreck. It feels like my body is about to fall apart after just one flight.”
“Since it’s a body that died thousands of years ago. There’s no way an overworked body would function well.”
“I was originally going to let it go right away, but for now, I’ll have to manage it like this. My body doesn’t feel like my body, so I have no choice but to have an adaptation period.”
“It breaks my heart that I can’t help.”
While recovery is possible for other general attributes, it was difficult to accept even a small amount of holiness in the case of darkness and undead.
Seriphed’s darkness didn’t match with me.
Seriphed scoffed.
“If you had chosen my heart, it would have been an immediate recovery. No need to go through difficulties unnecessarily.”
“Who said they’d do that because you’re pretty? You didn’t trust me.”
“Just call it a strategic choice rather than trust. The future of the dragons rests solely on me, so how could I take such a gamble?”
“Hmph.”
“…Well, aside from that. Don’t worry about what I said yesterday. I’ll handle it well.”
“I trust you, Seriphed.”
“Sure.”
If it’s Seriphed, he’d care not just for the dragons but also for other lives, including humans.
He’s a belligerent hothead who loves to fight but has a deep heart.
The problem is that this heart only applies to the dragon race, but he wasn’t one to not understand what I was saying.
“If you want to see Sugarado, just contact me. I’ll wake him up at least once.”
“No thanks. I’m satisfied just seeing the little bear. Just come visit sometimes.”
Seriphed closed his eyes again.
He must be tired in his own way as well.
I smiled and placed my hand on the bridge of the giant Seriphed’s nose.
“Yes.”
■
I reached level 140 by finishing my work in Teshiniria.
Level 140 was the benchmark I aimed for, fulfilling the power needed to sever my contract with Myeosin and the administrator.
It was a time that met the power to break the contract.
The contract tied to Myeosin held the utmost power, which originally would have been impossible to attempt.
But now, having built intimacy through the training requested by Myeosin, the situation had changed.
As Myeosin was bound to the system, if she got entangled with me systemically, there would naturally be a way to delve in.
Of course, that gap would be very narrow, but if I exerted the utmost power at that moment, it might just be possible.
I immediately set off for Kiki Island, arriving at the place where Myeosin resided.
I didn’t turn on the broadcast.
Though I decided not to worry about it for now, it wouldn’t matter if I did…
“I feel like I’m just going to stir up trouble.”
With rumors about my identity surfacing, any actions I took would surely balloon into a massive controversy.
Especially since this wasn’t merely knowing each other but actually poking at the ‘system.’
Shaking the system itself would likely cast a negative light on me from the users’ perspective.
I entered Myeosin’s space and could see her sitting in the garden, where the cherry blossom trees were clearer than before.
Dressed in silk clothing similar to her hair color, Myeosin was reading a book.
Around her were cats wandering about, and one of them was perched on a small tree, peeking at her book.
“Welcome!”
Thud. Myeosin closed her book and smiled softly.
“I thought the time had come.”
“Ah… Finally.”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure you’re not overdoing it? If so, I can wait longer.”
Myeosin looked at me with a worried expression, but I felt that now was the right time.
Just having achieved level 140 and with Myeosin’s system affinity at its peak, it was the perfect moment to pull her out amid the slight commotion of completing Teshiniria.
Whoosh!!
I spread my Wings of Light.
One pair was clear, while the other pair was faint, resulting in a total of four wings on my back, and I felt the holy power of destruction raging violently within me.
The holy power of healing through the compassion of the Saintess could sever the contract, but that would take too long.
My holy power, which had been in the mid-upper range, surged to the absolute utmost level.
At this point, I could easily crush even the Kraken, with its six eyes that had given me such a hard time months ago.
As for the Pharaoh and even Lasty’s true form, I could at least hold my own against them.
But this was only the ‘upper’ level.
“Phew…”
To reach the target I desired, I needed to use one more.
“By burning my body as fuel.”
I would bring forth the karma to set the world ablaze.
“Sacred Fire.”
Kugugugugu!!!
An immense holy power surges forth.
My strength, which belonged to the upper echelon, surged momentarily to the extreme upper limits, and I felt the long-lost separation of space and time.
It was a mystical experience, akin to an out-of-body state, where the soul of ‘I’ separated from the physical body, and I gazed at myself.
Instinctively, I looked up to the lofty heights.
There lies a world.
An enormous metaphysical something that cannot be expressed in just a few words or sentences.
The world gazes at me.
I also gaze at the world.
The utmost must impose its own concept, definition, will, and other self-representations onto the world.
One must not falter before the world that gazes upon itself, for even a slight slip would forfeit one’s position as the utmost.
The world fully focuses on me…
.
.
.
────
───
─────!
───────────.
Lily Elbrite.
‘!’
I fall.
My soul, which had soared to incredible heights, crashes back down, and I find myself returned in front of Myeosin.
“…Phew!”
Breath returns.
The brief excursion brought a tremendous fatigue.
While the Sacred Transformation contributed, a significant reason was the encounter with the ‘world.’
“Are you okay? If you overexerted yourself, we can—”
“No. Let’s do it now.”
For some reason, it felt like it might be hard to do it later.
I quickly opened the Book of Magia.
The pages were still at a point a bit early for me — the third line of page 29.
“Loop (ruminátĭo), dissolve (solútĭo).”
Swoosh…!
Thousands of threads of holy power charge at Myeosin, shattering the contract.
Just before the long-held contract binding Myeosin’s freedom is completely undone.
Kaboom!
“What is the meaning of this?”
A raccoon in a suit appeared with a yellow electric current.
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