Let's Go Explore
Let's Go Explore
The Altar of Kimaris had appeared.
A demon hadn't descended. It was simply a lone altar that had abruptly risen up near a remote village.
And strangely enough, this incident had nothing to do with Lemegeton.
"What is this?"
Upon hearing the news, Sepir, the Fifth Branch Leader, had furrowed her brow.
At first, she'd assumed one of the other branch leaders had secretly used Andromalius's arm.
The reason she'd thought "secretly" was that the arm now had only a single use remaining. Andromalius's arm had gradually rotted and crumbled away with each use, and now it was on the verge of vanishing completely.
Like it or not, they couldn't help but realize how few uses were left.
And precisely because it had to be used with such caution, the General Assembly Chair had temporarily suspended its use.
"Which person on earth... surely it isn't Livia again?"
"It isn't. The thing is, this time it appeared naturally, they say!"
"...Pardon?"
Naturally, when she'd been informed of the facts, she too could only be astonished. After all, she could tangibly feel that the day the General Assembly Chair had spoken of was gradually drawing near.
But that surprise was only momentary. Ever cool-headed, she swiftly finished her assessment.
"This is an opportunity. We will gather forces at once and seize the altar. One of the branch leaders will step forward as well. Who might have the time..."
"As it happens, the Fourth Branch Leader has said she will take the lead."
And so Lemegeton rapidly began to assemble the believers who would take part.
The reason, obviously, was to occupy the altar as quickly as possible.
And Lemegeton was not the only party involved.
Because the altar had appeared out in the open, word quickly reached the knights of other nations as well.
"Those damnable Lemegeton bastards."
The knights likewise saw this as an opportunity.
Getting chewed out from above because of those cretins had already become a daily occurrence lately; the time had come to make up for it.
And it was also patently obvious that if they failed, a fiery hell would open up in their futures.
The moment a demon revived, mass casualties and property damage would occur, and they'd be run ragged organizing a subjugation squad.
For them, this event was something they absolutely had to prevent.
"Immediately muster every available soldier! Commission the Adventurer's Guild and gather adventurers too! We must occupy and destroy the altar before those scum!"
A demon's altar didn't necessarily mean a demon would descend.
If they destroyed the altar through which those fiends would appear, the creatures would lose their exit and be trapped in the Demon Realm. And so this situation could only be of the utmost importance.
Thus the knights rapidly assembled their forces.
That wasn't all.
This news was also a fascinating tidbit for the Otherworlders—the players, that is.
Demons were starting to get a bit tiresome, but an altar was a sight they'd never seen before.
And the signs that the game world was stirring were far from ordinary. It was palpable enough that players could feel it in their skin, with forces being gathered everywhere.
Some clans and alliances that players had formed together were even reportedly scouted directly—whether by Lemegeton or by the knights, it didn't matter.
Players who caught wind of such news cautiously floated the following speculation:
+
[Isn't this war content...?]
+
War content. Specifically, content that took the form of an occupation battle.
Nearly hundreds of people would gather and clash with all their might. The powers concentrated in one place would smash against one another and fizzle out.
Of course, for the people of Gaia it would be a serious matter, but for players who always craved entertainment, it was simply a fine topic of discussion.
And so clans of high-level players, famous streamers, and the like all began converging on the altar for views and rewards.
But as ever... this was a matter of no particular relevance to Yor.
*
"Has the world really reached the point of going to ruin?"
After hearing that Kimaris's altar, or whatever it was, had appeared...
That was the first thing I said.
It had just barely been over a year since the Otherworlders showed up, and the number of demons that had emerged was already over three.
If you even counted this altar, the demons that had already appeared numbered four.
No matter how much that rootless group called Lemegeton had meddled, the appearances were just too frequent.
I asked the person who'd brought me the information.
"So, everyone's gathering there right now?"
"Yeah, apparently they've already set up tents near the altar and it's total chaos."
The one who'd visited today was Ha-neul. At that, I felt a moment of puzzlement.
Normally, this kind of info shuttle duty was handled by Chae-rin.
"But why are you the one delivering it today?"
"She's recuperating at the moment... Seems the strain of forcibly using mana last time took a toll on her body."
"Ah-ha..."
Well, it figured. She had moved beyond her own physical limits using someone else's mana, after all. It made sense that the backlash would hit her body.
Anyway, having heard the whole story, I nodded. Honestly, it was a little surprising, but that didn't mean I had any intention of taking part.
To be frank, I'd been moving around way too much lately.
After dealing with Amdusias and then Seere, it was about time I lay low for a while.
And wasn't that place currently a madhouse packed with knights and cult scum?
If I, a Manifestor, were to go looking for them there...
'Ugh...'
It was obvious I'd suffer something unpleasant the moment I arrived.
And there was no reason to go out of my way to find them anyway.
Because the restrictions on Holy Water had loosened up a bit!
The demand was still high, but it had eased somewhat. Because this time a demon hadn't appeared—only an altar had. There was no pressing need to stock up on Holy Water.
Thanks to that, I'd barely managed to secure some Holy Water myself.
"Here."
... Though it was just one bottle.
'Still, that's something.'
I decided to think positively. It meant the supply was trickling back in, little by little, didn't it?
If I kept an eye on the market steadily, at some point I'd be able to gather enough to endure one Berserk cycle.
And so I expressed my thanks to Ha-neul.
"Thanks for letting me know. Must be rough, with your sugar mommy laid up sick."
"No, it's fine. More than that..."
And that was when it happened. For no good reason, her face flushed red as she swallowed her next words.
At that hesitant, faltering demeanor, I tilted my head.
The hesitation didn't last long. Soon she asked me, cautiously:
"Um, actually, I'm a bit curious too about how you move mana, so I was wondering..."
"..."
Her impure intentions were so painfully obvious that I couldn't help but crack a faint smile.
Well, to be fair, those moans that Chae-rin had let out back then were pretty damn suggestively charged.
And since transferring mana required physical contact in the end, from a third party's perspective it might have looked quite... ambiguous.
But still. Even so—asking for that after watching your own sugar mommy collapse into a sickbed.
"Sorry, but that's too dangerous, so I've decided not to do it anymore."
"Ah... okay."
For now, I refused her request with that obvious line.
At that, Ha-neul nodded with a dejected look on her face.
At times like this, I could sense their feelings clearly. At the very least, I could tell they held some fondness toward me.
If I flirted even a little, I could probably talk my way into bed with one of them on the spot.
Honestly, it wasn't something I'd mind either.
Unlike this forest with nothing worth looking at, my libido was on the lively side, after all.
But... I kept hesitating.
They knew I was a Manifestor, but in the end, they were Otherworlders.
Meaning, to them, this world was ultimately just a game.
And because of that, I was afraid of how our relationship might change if we happened to spend the night together.
"..."
I knew. I knew I seemed like a coward.
A grown-ass man who can't even properly wield the tool hanging between his legs.
If the version of me who'd triggered Berserk B could see this, he'd probably curse me out and call me a faggot.
But what could I do? For over ten years I'd lived in solitude, and these were the human connections I'd barely managed to form.
So I wanted to preserve them as much as I possibly could.
Right, done with the griping.
After shaking off my stray thoughts, I added something for her sake, since she still looked dejected.
"And I've got something to do today. I'll probably be busy."
"Ah, now that you mention it, I've been wondering—what are you doing right now?"
She looked at the various blades laid out in front of me and asked.
I answered casually.
"Weapon maintenance."
Some preparation was necessary.
Because what I meant to do today was dangerous even for me.
Today, I planned to reconnoiter the Deep Layer.
I'd picked up a fairly useful ability in the form of enhanced hearing; it seemed like about time I started testing my limits again.
Partly to get a look at how the ecosystem had changed, and partly to gather some high-quality medicinal herbs if any were around.
When I explained that much to Ha-neul, her eyes flickered with worry.
"Isn't that dangerous...?"
"It's fine. I'm not planning to go in deep."
I knew my own life was precious too.
So I intended to advance as cautiously as possible. The creatures in the early parts of the Deep Layer were at least manageable, after all.
For that reason, I didn't have time to chat with her today.
At the latest, I needed to be out of the Deep Layer before nightfall.
When I told her that, she gave me a meaningful look for a moment.
Then she asked me:
"Could I... maybe follow along too?"
"...Hm?"
I considered it for a moment.
It was a little—no, very dangerous, but she was an Otherworlder anyway.
Having someone to talk to along the way didn't seem so bad either. And she was a wizard who'd mainly learned support magic.
"Sure."
Thanks to that, the decision came quickly.