Chapter 153

Rumble—

The ground shook. An earthquake? No. Floating Island Sion was trembling. From overwhelming emotion.

-Divine Mage…

Nadia’s voice was tender. Like a girl seeing her first love, like a mother watching her grown child.

I silently stared at the text strings floating in the air.

The letters rippled like waves before disappearing.

The Shadow Library fell silent. They didn’t press for an answer. The silence that filled this space wasn’t merely quiet. Like hexagonal crystals growing in water to become ice, it was a silence that steadily filled and solidified what had been churning restlessly.

At last, the Shadow Library answered.

[The Shadow Library unanimously agrees to lift all suspicion and wariness toward Divine Mage. As of this moment, we fully acknowledge the Level 1 Administrator authority that Divine Mage possesses. Administrator. We apologize for our past rudeness and previous unfaithfulness.]

Acknowledged.

By the final legacy left by the gods.

Could there be any achievement closer to divinity than this?

Magical powers rushed toward me. All five types, without exception.

Whooooosh—

The movement of magical power summoned a whirlwind. A refreshing breeze would have blown all the way from Lanciel City to the edge of Floating Island.

Wow… what should I do with all this magical power? It’s enough to form the 6th Circle and still have some left over.

But before I could even savor the thrill, the Shadow Library, having completely changed their attitude, began their duty.

[Then we shall now report on the progress thus far. It begins with the intrusion of the Outer God. This information was obtained through the administrator network and is generally information that was not permitted to us egos.]

And so began the explanation about gods and the universe.

* * *

The Outer God—a god from another dimension.

His intrusion was something even the gods had not anticipated.

The outside of the universe is like an ocean filled with chaos and meaninglessness. When the sea of nothingness churns, bubbles are created with low probability—that’s the birth of gods. Bubbles that avoid being devoured by nothingness and become aware of their own meaning.

Those floating bubbles eventually encounter impurities and settle. Those impurities are universes with the potential for creation. The ‘sanctuary’ that gods who had drifted dangerously their entire lives finally reach.

Just as bubbles and flour mix to form bread dough in murky water, gods begin the ‘creation’ they had dreamed of their entire lives in that place. They design eternal universes that won’t be devoured by nothingness—rather, universes that will devour nothingness and grow ever larger.

But what if that universe rushes toward destruction before it’s even born? What if most of the gods within it have died? If a ‘new god’ arrives at such a chaotic universe… what would he think?

[Originally… it would be proper to inherit the maintenance of existing administrators. First-time universe creators inevitably lack experience. Generally, following and learning from previous administrators’ precedents is considered normal. But… he was different. This didn’t seem to be his first universe.]

The essence of a god is pure will. But will, to put it negatively, becomes obsessive.

Once a god has experienced creation even once, they’re extremely reluctant to follow another’s methods.

“So… that Outer God’s purpose became the destruction of the world, followed by its recreation?”

[That’s our assumption. At the war’s end, when not a single administrator survived and all perished… his intervention must have been involved. And the moment the last administrator was annihilated, victory was already decided.]

Victory.

The battle between the entire world left by the old gods and the Outer God who had decided to destroy it.

The Shadow Library hadn’t expected victory. Even a newborn god would be formidable, but how strong would one be with experience?

Their choice to completely separate from the Akashic Record was understandable.

Suddenly, I recalled the words left by the god’s fragment.

‘Still, wasn’t that life for you all?’

Perhaps calling it a battle was even embarrassing. All that long struggle had been nothing but stalling for time.

Hmm.

Now I’m finally getting a real sense of it.

In [Simulation], Hwi Someong had told me about an ‘Outer God’ who was just some demon lord-like being from another dimension… but hearing it now, it’s nothing like that.

An Outer God who had already completed one act of creation. So that bastard is the final boss? Hah…

“Good. Where is this Outer God currently holed up?”

[Presumably the deepest part of the Divine Realm. That place is the origin of this universe and the first location reached by gods crossing the chaotic sea.]

The deepest part of the Divine Realm meant the top of the Tower of Covenant.

“Are you certain? If he’s seized such an important place, shouldn’t the battle have ended already?”

[Of course it’s important, but it’s also just as difficult to tamper with. That place, being the origin of all records in the world, is like the deep sea. The foundational records at the deepest level that underlie all records cannot be destroyed at will just because one wants to. Even the greatest administrators found it difficult to make a single mark there.]

“Hmm… really?”

[Yes. Unless the Outer God abandons his stubbornness and joins our world’s order, the deepest part of the Divine Realm remains the strongest fortress as long as he insists on his own order. If he had crossed that line, the world would have already perished.]

That’s why the Outer God created minions. The minions are a type of virus. He infiltrates them to weaken the world from within while he directly drives in the wedge from outside.

“Then we need to catch the minions first.”

That was the only option.

The Shadow Library had probably been concentrating all their efforts on dealing with the Outer God’s minions, hadn’t they?

That’s why I asked.

“Tell me the location of the minions.”

But what came back was an unexpected answer.

[…We don’t know.]

Huh? What did you say?

[That’s… we’ve been acting extremely cautiously to avoid being detected since we’re like the last bastion. Usually, we’ve only indirectly countered the Outer God and his minions based on information collected by human users… We don’t know specific information.]

So… you stood by and watched?

The word “indirect” sounds nice, but that included the Knight Order massacring innocent mages.

Rather than finding and directly countering the minions… they just killed random people who might be related to the minions.

The Shadow Library didn’t care either way.

My blood boiled.

But Nadia was the one who exploded before me.

-Hey, you crazy bastards! Is that supposed to make sense? Then what the hell have you guys been doing?!

The text scattered like they’d been hit by a bomb. Hastily drawn letters decorated all directions.

[P-please consider our position, Nadia. A full 300,000 years. It’s been 300,000 years since the administrators disappeared! Do you know how many civilizations have been born and collapsed again during that time? Do you know how fiercely we’ve endured against the Outer God who wanted to end the world completely each time? Do you know how hard we’ve worked to help rebuild fallen civilizations? From a long-term perspective, recent times like these are actually stable periods. Rather than recklessly stepping forward over small matters and getting our tails caught, it’s right to protect ourselves.]

Excuses.

Though they dressed it up like they were making excuses to Nadia, in the end it was excuses directed at me.

Of course, I had no intention of listening to those excuses.

“The administrators disappeared? Don’t make me laugh. Didn’t you know about the existence of mages?”

[That’s…]

The Shadow Library couldn’t continue.

Of course. Haden, that bastard from the Underground City’s ego, had blatantly shown it. Those guys thought mages were usurpers who defiled the gods’ remains. It’s not entirely wrong, but… so what? I have no intention of accepting such a view.

Just look at the immediate situation. It wasn’t the Shadow Library that directly pursued and fought the Outer God’s minions. It was Truth Tower instead. The most legitimate successors to the administrators are us mages.

[We’re sorry. We seem to have given up too early and blinded our own eyes.]

Having acknowledged me as an administrator, the ego couldn’t assert its own judgment. My judgment takes precedence over all egos’ judgments.

[From now on, we’ll actively step forward as you lead us.]

Massive authority—and at the same time, it was also the responsibility an administrator had to bear.

Actually, I understand their position too.

The Shadow Library’s goal was simply to delay ultimate destruction even a little. There was no need to risk coming to the forefront.

They probably judged that having a few civilizations perish was better than being discovered and annihilated themselves.

But now I can call them to the forefront.

Slowly but surely perish. Or stake this universe’s fate on an all-or-nothing gamble. That decision rests on my shoulders.

Of course, I made that choice long ago.

“Right. Fight. We’re fighting too, after all.”

[We will remember. We apologize once more for arbitrarily determining the annihilation of the administrator.]

“Fine if you understand. Continue the briefing.”

[Yes. We’ll begin briefing on enemy forces. Balrog, the Outer God’s first apostle, was one who disguised himself as a demigod. He constantly changed forms and his combat power rivaled that of 3rd generation giants. His special abilities were…]

As I listened to the Shadow Library’s explanation, I pulled at my hair. Black. Proof that the god within me had been annihilated. Destruction was already accelerating beyond control.

There was no turning back now.

I bit my lip firmly as I listened with disgust to the explanation about the destruction caused by the Outer God and his followers and their power.

After listening to that explanation, which felt like a nightmare, with a deliberately calm expression, I brushed off my clothes.

“Got it. Hearing that, we’ll need to hurry.”

-Please give us any orders!

Nadia’s voice was more disciplined than before.

I chuckled and said,

“We’ll immediately begin repairing Floating Island Sion. You said 5 percent operation rate enables basic flight? We’ll reach 5 percent within a week.”

-Waaaaah!

Nadia screamed.

-Really? Have you secured all the resources needed for repairs?

“Of course.”

The sacrifice was brutally heavy… but it was worth it.

Shilo de Medissa. That guy was like a treasure trove.

The resources that bastard gathered by any means necessary were more than massive could describe.

Just in Light currency alone, 7 million Morning. In Earth money terms, that’s 7 trillion won. I thought I’d need to gather resources for at least a year, but I obtained them all at once. Thanks to that, I can advance the plan significantly.

‘After completing the repairs, the first destination will be Truth Tower.’

The Magic Emperor would know. How to find the Outer God’s minions.

As I prepared to leave, I gave the Shadow Library one more warning.

“Remember this. Never again judge mages according to your whims.”

[We will remember.]

Even these trivial things all get recorded.

When records accumulate, mages will truly be acknowledged as successors to the gods. Without having to argue endlessly, the universe itself will vouch for our qualifications.

* * *

After Baek Jun-woo left, Monggu placed the Coin of Rebellion against his chest.

With its light extinguished, the coin that had been rolling around like a rusted penny quietly resumed operation.

Emitting only a faint glow, the coin opened a subtle channel.

[Nadia.]

The answer came quickly. It was a sullen voice.

-What is it? You guys who were just lying flat, afraid of being caught. Is it okay to create channels like this now?

It was clearly sarcastic, but the Shadow Library didn’t respond to that.

They just asked what they wanted to ask.

[What do you think? Do you really believe he’s an administrator?]

A moment of silence followed. Then Nadia’s answer came back.

-Does that matter? Still? Divine Mage said it directly. That he’s the existence we’ve been waiting for. Then that’s enough! Or do you have another alternative?

[No… that’s sufficient.]

-Right. Don’t worry about administrators as mere egos. Judgment isn’t our responsibility, is it?

[You’re right. It seems… our autonomous operation has gone on too long. Haha, hahahaha.]

The Shadow Library’s voice was full of relief, and by the end, a thick sense of comfort seeped through their laughter.

[Thank goodness…]

The faintly glowing Coin of Rebellion lost its light again.

In Monggu’s embrace, it was a conversation no one else knew had happened.