The altar of Kimaris had appeared.
It wasn't that a demon had descended. It was merely that a single altar had suddenly emerged in a remote village.
Interestingly enough, this incident had nothing to do with the Lemegeton.
“What is it?”
The Fifth Tribe Leader, Sephira, frowned upon hearing the news.
At first, she suspected that one of the other tribe leaders had secretly used Andromalius’s arm.
The reason she thought it was a secret was that there was now only one use left of the arm. Every time Andromalius’s arm was used, it rotted a little more, and it was now almost on the verge of disappearing.
It was clear that the remaining uses were few, no matter how much one might not want to admit it.
Due to that, she had to be careful, so the Grand Assembly Leader had temporarily halted its use.
“Who on earth could it be...? Could it be Libya again?”
“No, it’s not. This time, it appeared naturally!”
“Eh...?”
Of course, when she heard the truth, she couldn't help but be surprised. It felt tangible that the day the Grand Assembly Leader had spoken about was gradually approaching.
But that surprise was fleeting; her always cool-headed self quickly came to a conclusion.
“This is an opportunity. Let’s gather our forces and seize the altar right away. One of the tribe leaders should also step forward. Who has the time...?”
“By chance, the Fourth Tribe Leader has said they will step in.”
With that, Lemegeton quickly began to gather followers to participate.
The reason was obviously to seize the altar swiftly.
And it wasn't just Lemegeton.
Since the altar had publicly appeared, the news quickly reached knights from other nations as well.
“Damn those Lemegeton bastards.”
The knights also viewed it as an opportunity.
They had recently been getting berated from above because of those guys, and now a chance had come to make up for it.
And if they failed, it was obvious that hell would open up for their future.
The moment a demon was resurrected, casualties and property damage would occur in large numbers, and they would be so busy organizing a suppression team that they wouldn’t be able to think straight.
For them, this incident was something that absolutely had to be stopped.
“Immediately recruit as many forces as possible! Request the Adventurers Guild to gather adventurers! We need to seize and destroy the altar before those bastards can!”
Just because it was a demon's altar didn’t mean a demon would necessarily descend.
If they destroyed the altar where those bastards would appear, they would lose their exit and be trapped in the demon realm. For that reason, this situation was undeniably critical.
With that, the knights quickly mobilized their forces.
But that wasn’t all.
This news was also interesting to the otherworlders, i.e., the users.
While demons were becoming somewhat tedious, this was the first time an altar had appeared.
And the signs of something unusual were brewing in the game world. Users were gathering forces that could be felt through their skin.
It was even said that several clans or guilds formed by users had directly received scouting offers. Whether from Lemegeton or the knights, it didn’t matter.
Upon hearing such news, the users cautiously made the following speculation:
[Isn’t this war content...?]
War content, and one with the nature of a siege.
Hundreds of people would gather to clash their forces against each other. The concentrated powers in one place would collide and extinguish.
Of course, it would be serious for the Gaia inhabitants, but for users always seeking something fun, it was just a great topic of conversation.
In that way, high-level user clans and famous streamers began to gather toward the altar for views and rewards.
But as always... it had nothing to do with Yor.
“Is the world really coming to an end?”
After hearing the news that the altar of Kimaris had appeared, that was the first thing I said.
No matter how I thought about it, demons were popping up way too often these days. It had barely been a year since the otherworlders appeared, and already more than three demons had emerged.
If we include this altar, that would mean four demons had appeared.
Even though the fundamentally baseless group Lemegeton was involved, the frequency of appearances was just too much.
I asked the person who had brought the information.
“So, everyone is gathering there now?”
“Yeah, they’re already setting up tents near the altar and causing a ruckus.”
The person who had come today was Haneul. I felt a moment of doubt. Usually, it was Chae-rin who handled such information deliveries.
“Why are you the one telling me today?”
“She’s currently recovering... I think her body is having trouble from forcibly using mana last time.”
“Aha...”
Well, considering she had used someone else's mana to move beyond her physical capabilities, it made sense that she would suffer some strain.
Anyway, after hearing the story, I nodded. To be honest, I was a bit surprised, but that didn't mean I planned to participate.
Honestly, I had been wandering around too much lately.
I had to be more cautious, both during the Amducias incident and the Seere one.
And weren’t knights and cultists currently in a frenzy over there?
If I, as a Manifestation Bearer, went there...
‘Ugh...’
I would definitely be in for a bad time as soon as I arrived.
And there was no reason for me to go there anyway.
After all, the Holy Water restrictions had been slightly eased!
Even though the demand was still high, it was in a somewhat lower state. This time, it was merely an altar that had appeared, not a demon. There was no need to gather Holy Water.
Thanks to that, I had managed to get my hands on some Holy Water.
“Here you go.”
... It was only one bottle, though.
‘But still, something is better than nothing.’
I decided to think positively. At least it meant that the supply was gradually being released.
If I kept an eye on the market consistently, I would soon be able to gather enough to withstand 1 Rampage.
With that, I expressed my gratitude to Haneul.
“Thanks for the info. It must be tough for you, taking care of her.”
“No, it's fine. More than that...”
And then it happened. She blushed slightly and swallowed her words.
Seeing her hesitate like that, I tilted my head in confusion.
After a moment's hesitation, she cautiously made a request to me.
“Well, I’m actually a bit curious about how to manipulate mana...”
“...”
Seeing that blatant ulterior motive, I couldn't help but smile a little.
To be fair, Chae-rin's moan from that time was quite something.
And to transfer mana, physical contact was ultimately necessary, so from a third-party perspective, it might have looked quite peculiar.
But even so, to ask that after seeing her waterer suffering...
“Sorry, but that’s too dangerous, so I’ll have to pass.”
“Ah... I understand.”
With those obvious words, I refused her request.
Haneul nodded with a dejected expression.
Every time this happened, I could perceive their feelings. At the very least, I could tell that she had some affection for me.
If I were to tempt her even a little, I might end up getting her all worked up.
Honestly, I somewhat desired that situation myself.
Unlike this forest, which had no visual appeal, my libido was quite robust.
But... I still felt hesitant.
This content is taken from freёwebnovel.com.
They knew that I was a Manifestation Bearer, but ultimately, they were otherworlders.
This world was, in the end, a game for them.
Because of that, I feared the change in our relationship if we were to spend a night together.
“...”
I knew. I was acting like a coward.
As a man, I couldn't even handle what was down there properly.
If someone from when I burst into Rampage B saw me, they might call me gay.
But what could I do? After living alone for over ten years, I had finally built some human connections.
Because of that, I wanted to preserve them as much as possible.
Alright, I’ve gotten all my complaints out.
After clearing my thoughts, I added some words for her, who still seemed gloomy.
“And today, I have things to do. I think I’ll be busy.”
“Oh, speaking of which, I’ve been curious about what you’re doing now?”
She asked, looking at the various tools laid out in front of me.
I casually replied.
“Weapon maintenance.”
I needed some preparation.
What I was going to do today was dangerous for me as well.
I was planning to explore the depths today.
Now that I had acquired quite a useful ability in hearing, I felt it was about time to challenge my limits again.
I wanted to check out the changed ecosystem there and perhaps gather some quality herbs if I could find them.
As I explained this to Haneul, she showed a worried expression.
“Isn’t it dangerous...?”
“It’s fine. I don’t plan to go too deep.”
I was aware of the value of my life.
So I intended to proceed as carefully as possible. After all, the ones at the beginning of the depths were somewhat manageable.
So today, I wouldn’t have time to talk with her.
At least, I had to be out of the depths before nightfall.
After I explained that, she looked at me with a meaningful gaze for a moment.
Then, she made a request to me.
“Can I come along...?”
“...Hmm?”
I pondered for a moment.
It was a bit, no, very dangerous, but she was an otherworlder anyway.
Having someone to talk to on the way would be nice. Plus, she was a mage who primarily learned supportive magic.
“Alright.”
With that, the decision was quickly made.
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TL note:
I hope you enjoyed the translation! What are your thoughts? Are you excited for the next chapters? Your input would be greatly appreciated!