Editor : Amethyst00



When the darkness lifted from his vision, what Leo saw was none other than a library lined with countless shelves of books.

Leo had seen a similar scene before.

'It looks like the Akasha Record.'

The Akasha Record.

The ultimate record system created through the combined power of all the gods.

It is the foundation of the Hero Record—a ridiculous construct that records the world itself.

And based on the Akasha Record, the Hero Record constructs the world of heroes.

The one who managed both the Akasha and Hero Records was Rian.

It was such a tremendous artifact that even a being akin to a god had chosen to sacrifice himself to maintain it.

'Though he seems to enjoy it quite a bit.'

Compared to the Akasha Record, the current record system before Leo's eyes was certainly smaller in scale.

Unlike the infinitely expanding Akasha Record, this library had a ceiling—a clear boundary.

'But why am I in here? Wasn't it Lysinas who activated the record system?'

Just as Leo turned, puzzled—

"Huh?"

Standing there was Lysinas, dressed in a maid uniform.

Leo stared at her in disbelief for a moment before speaking.

"What the hell are you wearing? At this point, it's not even eccentric—it's just absurd."

Lysinas smiled gently at Leo's words.

That smile caused Leo to instinctively shift into a defensive stance.

Then, Lysinas lightly held up the hem of her skirt and performed a graceful curtsey, bending her knees slightly in a manner worthy of a painting.

"I'm honored to meet you, Master. I am the administrator of the record system, tasked with guiding you."

At those words, Leo slowly lowered his guard.

Narrowing his eyes, he approached the girl who called herself the system administrator.

He reached out and lightly tapped her forehead with his fingers.

A provocative gesture.

Normally, Lysinas would've answered with a punch or knee to the face or gut.

But in response to Leo's action, this administrator merely smiled brightly.

"Please call me Lishi. It feels more friendly that way."

Leo folded his arms.

'Definitely not Lysinas.'

Administrator of the record system.

That would put her in a similar state as Rian.

"Then why do you look like Lysinas, as the system administrator?"

Lishi lowered her head slightly and replied.

"Because the record system is stored within the body of the Wise Queen. My consciousness was built based on the Wise Queen, and thus I appear like her."

"I see. Then where's Lysinas? Somewhere inside this library?"

Leo wasn't sure how he ended up in here, but it was originally Lysinas who had tried to access the system.

Yet only he was here.

As Leo looked around for her, Lishi responded.

"The Wise Queen is not here."

"What?"

"She cannot enter this place."

"Why not?"

"She currently has no access rights to the record system."

"What does that mean? The record system is stored in her mind. She's the one who opened it, isn't she?"

"Yes. But the owner of this system is none other than you, the Hero of the Beginning—Master."

"What?"

"She has transferred ownership of the system to you. And the record system can only be accessed by its rightful owner."

"But… I never received anything like that…"

Leo scowled and stopped speaking mid-sentence.

Then he brushed his hand over the right side of his chest.

"…The Dragon Heart."

"Yes."

Lishi smiled gently.

"For dragons, giving someone their Dragon Heart means giving their all. That's why you are now the rightful owner of the Ancient Record, the legacy passed down by dragons."

He hadn't seen that coming.

'Even Lysinas probably didn't expect this.'

Lishi smiled as she watched Leo's reluctant expression.

"Please don't worry. Since I'm based on the Wise Queen, I retain all her memories. I know why you're here and can assist you."

"Well, that's a relief."

Leo nodded, then frowned again.

"But what's with your outfit?"

Lishi spun around gracefully with a slight smile.

The dress billowed like waves before settling neatly back in place.

"This is a special uniform—only those who serve a master may wear it. It's the most suitable outfit for someone who's meant to serve you."

Still smiling brightly, she bowed her head.

"Now then, Master—your command?"

"I want to know about Erebos."

"Yes."

Clap!

With a snap of her fingers, a door appeared before them.

Lishi opened the door that had formed in the air, stepped aside, and bowed.

As Leo stepped through first, Lishi followed behind.

They arrived at a desk surrounded by countless but mostly empty bookshelves. Leo frowned.

"Why is it so empty here?"

"These are records of the Ancient Gods. Many have been lost—only a few remain in the Ancient Record."

Lishi reached out, and several books flew toward her.

Flip-flip-flip—

As she opened a book, she spoke.

"Erebos, the Original Evil. A monstrous being with the power of the Inextinguishable Flame of Destruction."

"I already know that. But does Erebos have a power related to unmelting ice?"

"There's no such power, but…"

She opened another book and said, "There was an ancient evil god—whose name is now forgotten—who had such a power."

Leo's eyes narrowed.

"So Erebos wasn't the only evil god?"

"That appears to be the case. In the distant past, according to fragments left behind by ancient gods…"

Once she found the information Leo was looking for, she passed it to him.

"In the far past, before the age of gods began, ancient gods and evil gods divided the world among themselves."

Whoosh—

The scene before Leo changed.

"During that time, known as the Age of Chaos, civilizations rose and fell repeatedly."

He saw how ancient civilizations of various races lost their power to ancient demons, only to regain it again, and vice versa.

Even the demons lost influence and regained it in cycles.

It truly was a chaotic era.

Leo looked puzzled.

"How was balance maintained? I mean, it's strange the world never completely collapsed."

That the world had never reached total ruin during such chaos was surprising.

Lishi answered,

"It seems even the evil gods were divided."

"Divided?"

"Yes. Even evil gods had different desires."

Lishi quickly turned pages and found what she was looking for.

"One evil god wanted to turn the world into one ruled by demons—an empire of evil."

"Hmph."

"Another sought eternal war—an endless river of blood."

"Disgusting."

"Yet another wanted a world frozen in time—unchanging forever."

"…That's surprisingly peaceful for an evil god."

"A world without time, where everything is frozen eternally in stillness."

Leo corrected his earlier impression.

"And the last… Erebos, who wanted to burn everything to ash and bring about total destruction."

"That bastard really is consistent."

Leo clicked his tongue.

"They all had different ideals… and that caused conflict, huh?"

"Yes. Erebos consumed the other evil gods during that conflict. He then banished the weakened forces of evil to the far side of the world… and the Age of Gods began, ending the chaos."

Thud—

Lishi closed the book.

Leo folded his arms, digesting the origin of Erebos.

"And from that far side of the world, Erebos digested what he had consumed and grew in power… eventually causing the Age of Calamity… is that it?"

"Yes."

Leo sighed deeply at a story he hadn't known.

"Then… the unmelting ice…"

"One of the shards of Erebos you shattered must've regained its former self."

"So my hunch was right."

Leo exhaled deeply.

In other words, one of Erebos's fragments had revived.

"It hasn't been long since I defeated the Giant King…"

He clicked his tongue, then frowned.

"But why didn't Lysinas look into these records?"

Until Leo received it, the Ancient Record had belonged to Lysinas.

Yet she never mentioned any of this.

To that, Lishi gave a bittersweet smile.

"She was afraid. Of learning just how powerful her enemy really was."

"…"

Though she ultimately succeeded in her expedition and brought peace, Lysinas had to be a beacon of hope for others.

If she had learned the truth about Erebos, she might've lost the strength to carry on.

"Knowledge is power—but sometimes, ignorance gives courage… Wise as always."

Leo chuckled faintly.

Having come to that conclusion, Leo said, "I should be heading back."

"It was an honor to serve you, even briefly."

As Lishi bowed to Leo, he replied, "You don't seem sad to see me go."

Lishi smiled again.

"I may be the administrator of the Ancient Record, but I am also part of the Wise Queen—in other words, I am her. I can still meet you even after you leave."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm just a little more honest."

'What's that supposed to mean?'

While Leo frowned, Lishi opened an exit portal in the air.

"This door will take you back outside."

Leo nodded and reached for the door.

"Master."

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Lishi stepped in close.

Leo's eyes widened as he felt the sensation of lips against his.

When she stepped back, she stuck out her tongue.

"See? More honest."

With a mischievous smile, Lishi gave Leo a shove and pushed him out.

Left alone, she cupped her cheek and sighed deeply.

"If only I had a physical body… I could've clung to him. That would've been fun… Honestly, the original is so frustrating."

At that moment, a twinge of regret passed through her.

'If I feel regret, the original must feel it too, right?'

Lishi covered her mouth and grinned slyly.

"Maybe I should find that perverted dwarf's love potion recipe… for the original's sake."

Humming to herself, she set off to dig through the sealed recipes stored in her memory.