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“…Have you ever thought that I might be the master?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Whoosh!!

The energy of Hwanggwak envelops the Resurrection Waiting Place.

It’s a kind of clone concept, but it possessed enough strength to defeat even high-ranking angels or demons.

Despite likely being a considerable consumption, the powerful wave of energy was notable.

Of course, at my current level, I couldn’t possibly win, but…

Smirk.

“I’ve seen your past appearance, Hwanggwak.”

“…Where?”

“It was at the Altar of Growth. Did you not know?”

I assumed he must have known.

Isn’t the Administrator always watching?

I thought that he would know for certain, and that’s why I asked. But looking at it from another perspective, Hwanggwak is part of the upper echelon of the Management Bureau.

Most events wouldn’t reach the higher-ups and would instead be handled independently, so it’s possible he was unaware.

“But… you mean to say a dungeon with Hwanggwak himself reporting hasn’t been registered?”

That’s a bit hard to believe, isn’t it?

Feeling puzzled, I relayed my experience at the Altar of Growth to Hwanggwak, who frowned and muttered.

“…Cheongsu, huh? What clever little tricks is he up to this time?”

“You mentioned Cheongsu back then too. What kind of relationship do you two have?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. He’s a betrayer of his own kind, but for now, he’s just a colleague.”

“I see?”

“Yeah.”

But his face looked like he could kill.

Though it wasn’t certain due to the raccoon face, Hwanggwak seemed quite displeased.

Of course, compared to that time, the feeling of ‘anger’ seemed to have faded significantly.

A very long time had passed since that day.

“Anyway, to answer your previous question, back then I received a命命 from the ‘Agent’ and gained power through training. If you were to express it in your terms… yeah, it was like a ‘Quest’.”

“Quest…”

“Back then, I would say I was a messenger conveying the name of a great being. Am I right?”

“That’s correct.”

“The Agent can be seen as somewhat analogous to us now. While the weight of the names ‘命’ and ‘Quest’ may differ, the structure is similar.”

“…!”

That’s right.

In the end, whether it’s a name or a quest, the pattern is ‘performing something and receiving an appropriate reward.’

Though it might sound grand when talking about the Agent or the being providing the命命, it’s no different from the raccoons handing out quests.

“Naturally, there is someone above me. But I doubt I can say anything about it.”

“Do you currently know who it is?”

“……”

“I understand. Then let’s move on to another question.”

Back then, Hwanggwak didn’t even know who they were, but now he stood at the forefront, managing numerous administrators.

At this level, he should at least know who gives him命命.

If I pressed further, the truth could come out, but I had a pretty good guess, so mentioning it didn’t seem necessary.

“After all, it was just a random question anyway…”

Then to the next question…

“The reason for the existence and purpose of the Management Bureau.”

“……”

“Most of the administrators I met before didn’t know, and until just now, I was unsure.”

Why does the Management Bureau exist?

Why does Deoen exist in game form and ‘kindly’ nurture users?

This, along with the head of the Management Bureau, was one of the greatest mysteries, but Hwanggwak’s recent statements gave a somewhat plausible hypothesis.

“Is it to make users into another kind of administrator? To manage this place or perhaps other worlds?”

“……”

“Please tell me. While you may not be able to say as the head, I think you can share this.”

“…You could say that about half of it is correct.”

“Half, huh?”

“It is true that we aim to give users ‘power.’ That’s something I can definitely assert.”

Creak…

Hwanggwak leaned back in his chair, shrugging off the weight of previous events.

In contrast to the situation earlier, he now seemed quite fatigued.

And…

Jealousy?

An inexplicable jealousy flickered across his face and then vanished.

Whether it was indeed jealousy or merely simple envy was indeterminate.

“However, saying it as a manager… that’s something I’m not too sure about.”

“?”

“Don’t you think it sounds too easy? The命命 of the users?”

“……”

That’s true…

“That’s the case.”

I nodded.

When Hwanggwak was undertaking the命命, he seemed to put everything on the line to push through.

Enduring the separation of flesh and bone, the pain of having his soul beaten down thousands of times, repeated patience to reach this position.

Hwanggwak’s power is immense, but that power was never an easy gift.

Certainly, the other administrators also must have faced considerable trials, if not as tough as Hwanggwak.

“The System protects the bodies of users for their safety and safeguards their souls. It tends to their psyches, ensuring that they don’t go mad upon witnessing formidable beings, caring for them like children.”

“That’s a harsh expression.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

“If the users hear this, there will be an uproar. An administrator, especially the head, speaking this way…”

“You are not a typical user, are you?”

“Um.”

Is that so?

“If it were to cultivate a new administrator or a management force, it wouldn’t foster growth like this. They would have been trained even harsher than us.”

“You mean there’s another purpose?”

“Yes. It’s meant for some use, and while it gives them power for that, it won’t fulfill the role of management.”

“And what is that ‘somewhere’?”

“I cannot tell you.”

“Well then, you can’t tell me anything at all.”

Is there any harm in revealing a bit more?

I laughed and asked Hwanggwak, but his lips were firmly sealed.

Though my curiosity was somewhat satisfied, I guess that’s good enough.

“It seems the revival team has almost completed their restoration, so hurry and ask. Oh, and just to note, the rewards will be issued all at once after the situation is sorted out. The rewards for defeating the angel and the overall clear bonus will be granted together.”

“Has the God of Balance been captured then?”

“Didn’t you see it with your own eyes? The hunt was carried out by your hands.”

“Honestly, it felt more like I was hunted myself.”

Suddenly, the God of Balance, who obtained the power of the System, committed suicide, creating a catastrophic event of ‘Left’ rising.

From the users’ perspective, it was as if a boss NPC suddenly gained System authority, wiped out all users, and then attempted to shut down the entire server.

It was truly an unbelievable incident.

Hwanggwak pressed his temples as if he were getting increasingly weary.

“…That’s something we will apologize for. We’re also considering additional compensation for that.”

“You plan to acknowledge the bug?”

“Whether we acknowledge it or not, it has already happened. Someone has to take responsibility.”

“I wish I had known their purpose from the beginning.”

The God of Balance’s true objective was neither to bring about the destruction of the world nor to align all ‘balances’ in this realm.

That was a secondary goal; the real aim was to break free from the position of an ‘NPC.’

Had I been aware and reacted accordingly, the hunt could have progressed far more smoothly, which is a true regret.

Hwanggwak sighed.

“I will sort things out adequately to avoid future problems. It seems I’ve been a bit too lenient…”

“Are you sure about that?”

“I’ll dig a bit with the assistance team, and something should turn up. If necessary, I may move personally.”

“You personally? The raccoons might freak out.”

Having the head, the singular director of the Management Bureau, on a patrol is quite a terrifying prospect.

Of course, the situation was serious enough to warrant it anyway.

“Sometimes, answers can only be found when moving directly.”

Creak…!

The Resurrection Waiting Place brightens.

The previously dim statues regain their original forms and begin to emit a mystical golden light.

As said, the revival team’s restoration seems almost complete.

“Ask your final question. I’m getting tired and should probably head back…”

“You have to answer this. You’ve been pretty vague with everything else.”

“If I can.”

“The Agent resembling me, Rika.”

Most of the raccoons knew her name and face, being the Agent who gave命命 to Hwanggwak long ago.

And she resembled me quite closely.

“Who is she?”

“……”

“You mentioned some arrangement when you saw me back then.”

“Rather, that’s what I want to ask.”

Clatter.

Hwanggwak stood up and looked at me.

Of course, seeing a raccoon standing up only barely reached my knees, but his gaze met mine squarely.

His golden eyes scrutinized me fiercely.

“When I first found you, I thought you were a piece of Rika. But now, I see that’s not the case.”

“…?”

“You are certainly different from Rika. The resemblance is merely physical. The power, abilities, and soul are all distinct.”

“Then who am I?”

“There are two hypotheses. The first is that you are a being fashioned in imitation of a great being or of your ‘past self.’ You are a unique existence; replication is difficult. So they merely imitated your body.”

“……”

“And the second is…”

Perhaps the most plausible hypothesis.

“You are ‘blood relatives’ sharing the same blood as her.”

 

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