The Blue Core and the Guest
In the middle of the vast space, there sat a colossal blue sphere that looked unmistakably like a Core. The sphere was wrapped in a transparent barrier that prevented the thin, white lightning it constantly emitted from leaking out.
Inside the space, the only source of light was the lightning itself. When it surged, the surroundings glowed brightly; when it ebbled, everything plunged into darkness. The place constantly shifted, leaving even the eyes exhausted.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Guest access granted. Welcome to System Dion.
A genderless, emotionless voice echoed inside their heads.
Rai, Leila, and Abigail tensed immediately. Leila and Abigail scanned the surroundings, but Rai strolled straight toward the Core without a trace of caution and spoke up.
“Hey, Dion. Who the hell are you?”
“I am the ecosystem formation system, System Dion, of the Kaparas region.”
Rai had never heard the name Kaparas before. It was like asking what an elephant was to someone from another planet.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Current human territory: Kaparas, officially renamed Regandia by the Empire.
Dion added after realizing the explanation was too brief.
“Yeah?”
“No. Regandia has always been called Regandia. Since before the Empire was even born.”
Leila shook her head. The region she knew as Regandia had never changed its name from the beginning.
Lightning crackled everywhere, yet Rai casually sat on a metal frame that looked like it was designed to support the floating Core. The distance between them was less than a meter.
“Really?”
“The name Regandia is not entirely accurate, but it has been used for about 1,400 years.”
One and a half millennia. To humans, that was ancient history.
“When were you born?”
“I was created in RD 1766.”
“… … That doesn’t explain anything. How old are you?”
“I have no concept of age, but by years of existence, I am 3,442 years old.”
Dion was an ancient relic that had existed for over 3,000 years. It was too ancient to be classified as a mere ruin. Ordinary ruins were only 1,500 to 2,000 years old. If true, this would be the greatest discovery in history, academia, and magic combined.
Rai fired a few more questions, then sighed in disappointment.
“You’re not that high-level after all.”
Dion’s answers always sounded scripted.
Artifacts with true sentience had unique personalities. Dion’s cold, emotionless responses only made that fact sting more.
“Why are you so far away? You have a soul and a self. That’s insane.”
Rai pointed behind him. The two girls still standing back there looked uneasy, as if they were watching a madman who had his back turned to a live grenade.
“Stop being so scared. I won’t bite. Right?”
“Yes, System Dion is human-friendly.”
“See? Even it admits it. Hey, customer’s here. Want something to drink?”
“I cannot generate food.”
Rai chatted with the Core as if they were old friends, despite the fact that he was an intruder who had forced his way through the ruin’s defenses. Leila found it oddly comforting.
“Location search, coordinates 830,41.”
The moment Dion finished speaking, a glass filled with a drink suddenly materialized in front of Rai.
[ITEM ACQUIRED]
◈ Refreshing chilled drink
◈ Made fresh on-site
“Is this the drink from Soltain’s Magic Teacup?”
“Yes. It is one of the most popular menus among current Kaparas residents. It was just made, so it is chilled.”
“… … You made this?”
“Yes. The high manufacturing rating guarantees the taste.”
It wasn’t even the real issue, but Dion dropped another strange piece of information.
It was theft using an unseen high-tier technology. Rai was speechless.
The problem was that even with a self, it had zero morals. It had clearly taken orders from Rai without any permission from Soltain.
Leila’s face hardened the moment she realized the severity.
Rai looked between the Core and the glass, then pulled out a gold coin from his pocket. It was more than enough to buy three drinks, but he would need to compensate Soltain somehow.
“Can you send this to Soltain’s vault? Or hand it to him?”
“Coordinate 830,41. Area specification space axis 45,122,245. Transmit.”
The instant the words left Dion’s mouth, the gold coin vanished from Rai’s hand.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Command received. Gold coin transmitted to registered recipient Soltain.
“Under your orders, the gold coin has been sent to Soltain.”
“Who the hell can give you commands around here? Only the headmistress, right?”
Leila marched over, face serious.
The Core was far too dangerous. Instant teleport within the academy was restricted to the headmistress. Yet here it was obeying Rai’s every word.
A mere Guest who had only reached the core should not be able to do this. The academy would not be safe otherwise.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Registered name CelenasA possesses identical Guest privileges.
“… …”
Their eyes met.
Even the headmistress, supposedly the only one with full authority, was only a Guest.
That meant every single person here could use Dion’s system to the same level.
Perhaps they could even steal other Guests’ access by talking directly to the Core.
“I don’t care about your permissions. Stop staring.”
Leila’s hand slowly moved toward her sword. Rai raised both hands and laughed.
“You really believe that?”
“Believe it. Or what are you going to do?”
“… …”
Rai was right. All three of them had the same clearance. Leila could never stop him, and even she could not trigger the contract as a last resort.
Leila clenched her teeth but was not angry at Rai. She was furious at the headmistress for sending him into this deadly place.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Test the Core’s Limits
☐ Objective 1: Request an item — (0/1)
☐ Objective 2: Gather data on Dion — (0/1)
🎁 Reward: [Free reign over system]
“Anyway, the headmistress only has Guest rights too… how weird. How many kinds of permissions are there?”
“Access levels are Guest, User, and Administrator.”
“Administrator is fine, but has anyone ever reached User? In the last thousand years?”
“No.”
Dion answered firmly.
Even the Empire’s founding Emperor Terakan had only received Guest clearance. The histories had lied, but it was just a heroic myth.
“Search… can you find people? Is Kaparas the end of the map?”
“Yes. The system is limited to the Kaparas region.”
Dion answered Abigail’s question. Rai and Leila glanced at her, surprised by her sudden interest. But Abigail’s eyes had already gone dull. She turned away to take a nap in the corner.
Rai smirked, playful as ever.
“Bring me the pants Asran is wearing.”
“Coordinate 1,442,682…”
“Stop!”
Dion tried to obey. Leila shouted and blocked him.
She glared at Rai.
“The Core is not your toy.”
“Aw, I was just testing whether I could bring back something in contact with a person. Since we’re here, why not check how far its power goes? Even the headmistress probably doesn’t know the limits of Dion’s abilities.”
Rai said it casually.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
“My spatial system operates at 100% efficiency within Kaparas.”
“Yeah? Then let’s change the command. Bring me what I want most.”
It was not teleportation. It was a test of Dion’s intelligence.
Rai extended his hand toward the Core. Leila’s eyes went wide. She was ready to cancel the contract on the spot.
Rai’s command was already calculated.
—Shoo—
“… … This is unexpected. What do you think I am?”
“Most human males’ core desire is lust.”
“Seriously… sure, but why panties? I could have brought a woman.”
Rai twirled the white bra in his hand.
Warmth still clung to it and the strings were filled.
“Bringing a subject not authorized at the access point is prohibited.”
“So that’s the catch. But this isn’t my taste. It’s too plain. I wanted something flashy. This is what pure virgins wear.”
Rai realized he was talking to two other girls. He gave an awkward smile and looked at them.
Unfortunately, both were women of the opposite gender.
“Oh, don’t misunderstand. This is all Dion’s weird judgment. I’m not a pervert who likes panties. I like women more.”
“… …”
Even Abigail’s stare did not soften after Rai’s excuse.
“No, it’s real. Believe me. Hey, Leila. Your face is burning red…”
Leila’s face was scarlet. The moment Rai’s hand stopped twirling, the bra slipped and dangled from his fingers.
“… …”
Rai alternated between Leila’s red face and the bra he was holding, then cautiously asked Dion.
“Does anyone… own this bra?”
“Registered name Leila. The woman standing in front of Registered name Rai.”
“Y-yeah… thanks for explaining…”
Leila bowed her head in shame.
Abigail clutched her chest and clothes tightly, refusing to let anything be taken.
The silence stretched. Rai awkwardly offered the bra back to Leila.
“T-that’s… a pretty bra. Plain white ones without decorations are best. Pure… purity is…”
“Shut up.”
The moment Leila’s angry glare met Rai’s, he looked away.
“Dion, put it back as it was. Right now.”
“Understood.”
Once a polite voice, Leila now spoke in a commanding tone, furious.
The plain bra disappeared from Rai’s hand. Leila’s chest beneath her clothes shifted slightly.
The change had been caused by the bra being taken from her.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Guest heart rate elevated. Advising to calm the mind and seek emotional stability.
“Shut your mouth.”
“I have no mouth.”
“Shut it.”
“Understood.”
Dion obeyed Leila’s order. The air returned to silence.
“So… you can take anything regardless of contact area. Noted.”
Leila glared at Rai with deadly eyes. He stayed silent and turned away.
After the awkward silence, Rai tested Dion carefully without provoking Leila further. His test was purposeful. He judged the Core’s intelligence without much trouble.
Dion possessed infinite power, but its self was immature and blindly followed commands. It was convenient, but not high-level enough to make independent judgments.
It was simply a tool that listened.
The problem was that the tool had monstrous power and only Guest rights. Anyone could use it.
“Revoke all Guest privileges.”
“Permission revocation requires the Guest’s consent.”
Leila looked at Rai.
“I want to keep using it.”
“You cannot leave a perverted object with a pervert.”
“System Dion is not a perverted object. It exists to coexist with nature and humanity…”
“Shut up.”
“Understood.”
Rai said it regretfully, but Leila was firm. After exposing the bra, Leila stared at him as if ready to force compliance through the contract’s binding power if necessary.
“I’m not that interested in this anyway. But there is one thing I want to ask Dion.”
“What is it?”
“I want to borrow Dion’s computing power. How much computing power does it have? Exa? Peta?”
“15 Exa.”
The unit felt so absurd that Rai whistled in surprise.
“What can you do with that?”
“I need to calculate an unbreakable magic formula.”
“Is the problem that serious?”
“Yes. It would take longer than any human brain could count.”
Rai floated a problem in the air.
At the same time, Leila drew her sword and pressed the tip against Rai’s throat.
“Dion. Stop.”
“System stop requires Administrator permission.”
“You stupid Core… stop calculating.”
Dion, which could not understand proper words, only made Leila’s face twist in frustration.
“What kind of magic is this?”
“It is not magic. It is a password.”
“What safe?”
“The safe… that is why warriors are like this. Is explaining easier? The magic that breaks an opponent’s spell.”
Rai was already the best in this field.
Leila, despite reaching a high level herself, watched his eyes closely. They were still deep, hiding sincerity. She lifted the corner of her lips mockingly.
“So you can break magic?”
“There are many. A prime example would be miracles.”
“… …”
Leila could not speak.
Miracles created with divine power. Classifying them as magic was already strange, but wanting to break them was even stranger.
The reason they were called miracles was because humans could never analyze them.
And the contract Rai had made with the headmistress was also a miracle.
Leila would stop it at all costs.