The Eighth Floor Awakens
The 8th floor of Manuel Lucas's Tower.
The tower where the power of Grand Duke Lucas resided had grown vastly in scale as the floors increased.
Even the 7th floor alone had been several times larger than before. But this 8th floor completely defied all standards.
“This is truly…”
The royal library of the Lheinhatz Kingdom—its pride—had such immense size?
A space spanning 300 meters in diameter and 50 meters in height was filled to the brim with books.
“I hope most of these are just decorative graphics created for the game, right?”
I muttered the thought without thinking.
“Everything here is real.”
At the voice's response, my heart skipped a beat. I quickly drew my magic staff and adopted a combat stance.
Could the trial for reaching the 7th Circle not yet be over?
Even though I was tightly tense, Arsia inexplicably stared only at the empty space.
“Adrian-nim, it is fine.”
As if easing my tension, she showed a smile I rarely saw.
I dropped my weapon, placing a question mark above my head, and the owner of the voice from the air revealed its identity.
“A fairy?”
That was a human.
An extremely small human, barely the size of one palm.
But there were far too many differences from the fairies in the story. No wings, and the appearance was far too…
“Grandfather fairy?”
It was because he was old.
Long white beard, black robe, pointed hat—just like a magician from a movie.
‘Could a new supporter have appeared?’
A new existence unseen on the previous floor filled me with wonder.
But soon I recalled someone from his appearance and had to widen my eyes.
“Grand Duke Lucas!?”
Only someone in Rondel could recognize that face.
A figure engraved not only in textbooks on history, science, society, and more, but also on high-value banknotes of the Brigham Empire, appeared as a miniature.
At my question, he looked up at me with a neutral expression and introduced himself.
“My name is Chester. I am the manager of the Chronicle and also a trace of Manuel Lucas.”
The Chronicle manager?
No, more than a manager, a trace?
“It would be easier to explain that I am an artificial personality created by replicating Manuel Lucas's memories.”
Grand Duke Lucas was a savior.
If he had not been in this world, if I had not been a human from Earth, if he had left no such Chronicle behind, my life would have been far more miserable than it is now.
But no matter how much it was just a copy, facing a being equivalent to a savior made my head spin with mixed emotions.
‘Could he really take back what he gave?’
I wanted to welcome him coolly, but without knowing his true purpose, caution rose alongside countless wild thoughts.
He introduced himself as the Chronicle manager.
That meant he could also reclaim what had been given, did it not?
‘If he meant no harm, it would be perfect, but if the opposite, dealing with him here would be difficult. At least within the Hollywood System, he was equivalent to a god or something.
There must be a clear purpose behind the appearance of Grand Duke Lucas's replica personality.
So I could not relax my tension until I found the answer.
* * *
“You are the vice-commander now? You really climbed the ranks.”
William, vice-commander of the Lawrence Marquis's knight order, smiled politely even though the person on the video call was rude.
“It is thanks to Sir Pessius, who kept everyone safe.”
At that, Pessius—the former vice-commander—let out a hearty laugh on the other end.
But the laughter did not last long, and soon he shook his head with a powerless expression.
[I was ultimately a deserter, wasn't I? If I had endured to the end, the lord and marquis's situation might have been better than now.]
A reaction of regretting the past choice.
William's eyes grew serious at the sight of the usually confident and easygoing Pessius.
“So that's it.”
[What is it?]
“It is why you returned to the marquis instead of participating in the second young master's branch.”
[…]
The silence was affirmative.
William nodded in satisfaction, realizing that Pessius's choice was atonement for the past.
[You didn't contact me to convince me to switch to Cedric's side, did you?]
Pessius narrowed his eyes with a cold expression.
But realizing something strange in the conversation, William furrowed his brows.
“You too, huh?”
[The commander told me not to do foolish things and urged me to return to Cedric's side.]
“So?”
[Did you go crazy!? Do you forget why I left the estate? I'd rather rely on another noble family than attach myself to that single-celled creature. Even if it means lowering the commander's position, there are many places where I am needed.]
William had known the commander's recent tendency leaned toward Cedric more than the lord Marquis Lawrence.
But he had not expected such overt behavior.
William could not hide his displeasure.
‘Commander, does it not matter what happens to the estate? The Lawrence marquisate is our home, is it not?’
And the fact that a call came from the knight order meant someone was watching Pessius's movements.
That was not a good situation.
[Haha… Judging by your face, it seems you are still my lord's person.]
“Yes.”
At that, Pessius's expression softened and he crossed his arms, asking the reason for the call.
“Of course, it is for the future of the estate.”
[Hmm?]
“Sir Pessius, I would like to see you once.”
[It seems you are scheming something.]
“Scheming? What a terrifying thing to say. I only wish to seek your opinion.”
William tried to back away, but Pessius was no fool.
Realizing something was up with the other party, Pessius pondered for a long time before nodding.
[All right. We shall discuss the details in person.]
If Pessius was marked, I could not know where and how he was being watched.
It was better to meet directly and talk to maintain secrecy.
“Then, shall we meet at 1 PM tomorrow in front of the teleport gate No. 2 in Nichen City?”
Nichen City was one of the king's territories located in the western frontline.
William recalled that he was still a commander of the frontline unit and nodded in agreement.
[Good. Then I shall see you tomorrow.]
“Understood.”
But both William and Pessius attached little meaning to this city chosen by Adrian himself.
Nichen City, with its modest size, had no guard sky fortresses.
That was an important factor that would expand Adrian's range of action as a mage.
Adrian did not trust Pessius.
Therefore, until he checked his movements with the Mankyung, he thought there was no need for alliance.
* * *
Swallowing dry saliva at the appearance of Chester, the Chronicle manager who claimed to be a trace of Manuel Lucas, I observed him closely.
“There is no need to be so tense.”
Even though he was miniature, his face was exactly like the one in the textbooks.
“It is rare to have such independent conversation; you do not look like an artificial personality at all.”
“That cannot be helped. Although I have no soul, I possess data containing a human's life.”
This was a fantasy world.
Even if there were miracles beyond common sense, it would not be strange.
Especially in a fantasy world like Rondel with high technological levels.
“The body could not overcome aging and met death, but the mind remained in the virtual world… What meaning is that for eternal life?”
“That is possible. After all, the reason Manuel Lucas created the Hollywood System was for this.”
I had heard of Grand Duke Lucas's greatness countless times.
But when experiencing it directly, the limits of his ability left me with chills.
The same Earth origin, yet such a difference…
Could it be that upon reincarnation, like the cliché in mass-produced comics, he had received a cheat ability from a god?
“But this system is not perfect. Dataized memories are lost or corrupted in places, and above all, this is not something that can be considered alive. It is merely existence like a ghost.”
Did I really need to distinguish reality from virtual?
If I focused, I could experience everything here as if it were real.
Within the Hollywood System, he was not a being equivalent to a god.
If so, he could build an entirely new world to his liking.
“Manuel Lucas thought that even if the copied memories gained a self, it would not be himself. If he was interested in eternal life through memory copying, he would not have wandered in this virtual space. Instead, like Arsia, he would have created a homunculus and transplanted the memories.”
“Hmm, that is indeed true.”
I felt a suspicion that his final purpose might be to take my body, but fortunately it seemed not.
I let out a sigh of relief inwardly and asked the reason for his visit.
“The conversation strayed off course for a moment. May I ask now?”
“What?”
“The reason for your appearance, Chester-nim. Honestly, I was startled by the situation being different from the previous floor. I wondered if any restrictions or forced missions had been placed on me.”
At that, Chester turned his small magic staff toward me with his usual unchanging expression.
**[Hollywood System Administrator Permission '5' granted.]**
And a message window appeared.
It was fortunate that Chester's appearance was not a negative factor, but I had to be suspicious of the completely unexpected message.
“The Chronicle acquired by Adrian Lawrence is everything of Manuel Lucas. Naturally, various permissions are included. Although not yet fully mastered, restrictions remain, but in the future you will be able to exercise the permissions as you wish.”
“What can I do with this?”
Seeing my bewildered expression, Chester smiled in a strangely solemn way.
“You will be able to exercise administrator permissions on all programs based on the virtual reality Hollywood System.”
Instantly, countless possibilities flashed through my mind.
But swallowing dry saliva, I asked carefully for examples.
“If a company or institution uses the Hollywood System, could I infiltrate their internal network, create or modify non-existent data, and such tampering?”
“It is not difficult. After opening a stock account, create transaction history, or turn a paper company into a real unicorn enterprise. The recommended method is to make investments in the online currency market and create stock transaction history.”
“What about the risk of being discovered through investigation?”
“The possibility of discovery approaches 0%. Not only manipulating ledgers, but also modifying all related information so that it becomes a completely real event on record.”
The property acquired through the Chronicle would be a great help, but if large amounts were used, the tax office would cling due to source inquiry.
Of course, if investigated, I would not be able to explain the source, and it might even reveal that I had acquired Grand Duke Lucas's Chronicle.
That gave me a chill on the back of my neck.
For someone like me who was still weak, the possibility that the entire world would attack was also there.
Therefore, at Chester's firm answer, I clenched my fist and immediately asked for the fund laundering.
“Understood. Current assets are 1.26 trillion roots. When the treasure chest of the 8th floor of the tower is opened, assets are added. Shall I process those as well?”
“Yes, please.”
“I will process them evenly through several overseas investment firms.”
I did not have to do anything; he would handle it all on his own.
And opening accounts and manipulating transaction history could be done with just one use of the administrator permission.
“Is there anything else you wish to request?”
My gaze naturally turned to Arsia.
“Arsia needs legal family registration. Ideally, she should be from the holy land Everhill.”
“It is possible. I will create family registration noting that her family has all died and she is now an orphan.”
The small being in front of me, Chester, was like a genie's magic lamp.
It was a shame that I had already used two of the five administrator permissions, but I was not greatly concerned.
With fund laundering and Arsia's identity processing, my freedom of movement would be greatly enhanced.
I had some thoughts on the remaining permissions, but I deferred them and gazed at the treasure chest behind Chester.
“Is it Chester-nim's role to grant me administrator permissions and assist in the processing?”
“That is correct.”
He must be a butler left behind by Grand Duke Lucas for his successor.
Upon entering the 8th floor of the tower, I realized how much Grand Duke Lucas cared for his successor.
I was only grateful.
“Why does Grand Duke Lucas do all this?”
“It is an expression of longing for his hometown and a consideration to live as he did not.”
“Live as he did not”?
It sounded odd coming from a being worthy of the title ‘great.’
I knelt on one knee, matching Chester's gaze, and poured my honest feelings into words.
“Thank you, Master.”
“I am not Manuel Lucas.”
However, Chester's reaction was emotionless.
Although his eyes were cold, the corners of his mouth seemed faintly trembling—perhaps an illusion?
“Well, then…”
A short while later, I stood up with a smile full of joy and approached the treasure chest.
Institutional Integration Complete 📍 Location: 8th Floor of Manuel Lucas's Tower 🎁 Reward: Administrator 5x + Asset Integration