This doctor.

Luca’s body couldn’t be called sturdy, even as an empty compliment.

Just keeping up with us on foot looked exhausting.

And yet, despite that, it chose to speak to me anyway.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

When I reacted like I found it strange.

It began carefully.

{Seems this is foreign land even to the Legion Commander. I’ve lost my forces as well, and the Legion Commander’s protectors have also lost quite a lot of combat power in the fight with me...... isn’t this a fairly dangerous situation right now?}

“Yeah, it is.”

That was why.

Why I was trying to move while we could still make use of Ariella’s forces, at least.

{And on top of that...... my body is like this.}

It spoke like it was a little scared.

With trembling eyes.

{If we’re attacked the wrong way, I might lose my life all at once.}

“You don’t have to worry about that. Our unit members will protect you just fine.”

{Still, you never know. That’s why I want to say this in advance.}

“...?”

Something it wanted to tell me before something went wrong with its body.

What could it be that it was going that far?

{It’s about the system.}

“...What?”

After I heard what came next.

I understood its serious attitude a little.

“You found out something else?”

In the first place.

If I built a cooperative relationship with it, I’d promised we would also exchange information about the system.

{Before that, there’s one thing I want to ask.}

“Something you want to ask?”

{More precisely...... I should say I want to confirm whether my hypothesis is correct.}

Even though that cooperative relationship had fallen through once.

And after that, it had abandoned its obsession with “evolution,” so it had no reason to keep caring about the system.

It had still been researching this system on its own.

Meaning it likely knew a lot about the system in ways we didn’t.

{I heard this system resembles the form of the entertainment enjoyed in the Legion Commander’s world. Is that true?}

“Yeah. It is.”

This system was entertainment...... I guess I should call it that.

It looked a lot like the interface of an ordinary game.

{And I heard the level of Awakened is expressed in numbers. You called it a level...... what is the Legion Commander’s level?}

“I’m...... 43 right now.”

{Is that so? And the conditions to raise that level are simply hunting monsters, or doing work that suits one’s job?}

“For now, that’s.......”

...was what I was about to say, but then.

Something occurred to me, and I shook my head.

“No, that isn’t all.”

{Then what is it?}

“There was a condition when I went past level 40.”

I reached the experience needed to hit level 40 relatively quickly, but.

Actually breaking through level 40 had taken some time.

“They said I had to clear at least a certain number of achievements. I got through by luck, but if it were ordinary Awakened, I’d probably get stuck there pretty hard.”

{That would be...... to fill the rank.}

At my words.

It nodded like it understood the reason.

{Then let me ask just one more thing.}

“Anything.”

{In the entertainment in the Legion Commander’s world, the one you said resembles this system.......}

At the question that followed.

I couldn’t help going a little blank.

{Does the number called a level rise without limit?}

“Huh?”

Entertainment.

In other words, the level cap in a normal game.

It was asking about the max level.

“Usually there’s a limit.”

Well.

There were so many kinds of games that it was hard to say it cleanly, but.

“99, or 100.”

Level 99, or level 100.

There were plenty of exceptions, but.

That was the most common “max level.”

And then.......

{That’s exactly it.}

“Hm?”

As if it had gained some kind of realization at my answer, It looked at me with conviction.

{Legion Commander. Have you ever wondered what purpose this system exists for?}

“Of course. How could I not?”

To be exact, the first day I awakened.

I’d been curious from the moment I felt the system’s presence.

{When I first became aware of the system’s existence, there were two parts that interested me. First, whether I could apply that system to myself. And second...... why something like this exists only on this land.}

After all.

It hadn’t even been two full years since this system appeared.

And yet.

{The Legion Commander and the Legion Commander’s companions possess tremendous power.}

Of course.

In this world, there were many who were more capable than the Awakened.

Martial artists of the Cheonsan Martial Academy who surpassed warriors.

Borjin, who surpassed Jeong Sua.

Luca, who surpassed healers.

But.......

{If I may speak from my short understanding, even setting the Legion Commander aside, the power held by the other native protectors...... isn’t power one could obtain in only a few hundred days.}

“...Right.”

The power they held was something.

Those with outstanding talent.

Obtained by focusing on a single field, for a very long time.

‘Even though we were people who had no power at all until then, we reached a level close to theirs.’

And.

In just a little over a year.

Even thinking about it again, it was absurd.

{Why does this strange yet powerful system, which exists in no other world...... exist only on this land.}

If you judged by its impact on us.

It felt like an existence far stronger than the “Matron,” an outside being.

Why was the system sheltering us like this?

{I still don’t know the cause, either. But.}

“But?”

{After seeing the Legion Commander last time, I realized it.}

...?

It realized something by looking at me.

While I was wondering what it could ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) have realized.

{The purpose for which the system exists.}

“...What?”

{I can be sure. The purpose this system holds is.......}

It.

Pointed straight at me as I stood there, startled, and said:

{Legion Commander, it is for someone like you.}

***

“For someone like me.”

At that.

I frowned and spoke.

“What kind of bullshit is that?”

{.......}

At my words.

It continued explaining in an even tone.

{As I said, I tried to use that system for my “evolution.” I searched for a way, thinking I might be able to become a beneficiary of that system as well.}

I recalled the body Luca had possessed.

If the system’s power were added on top of that overwhelming body.

A monster that was already strong would even start leveling up.

A monster beyond imagination would have been born.

But.

“In the end, you couldn’t even accept that body as yours, could you?”

{......That’s true.}

In the end, it couldn’t fully accept even that strong body as its own.

No matter how the system’s power was added, it would have been the same.

{In fact, I even tried to use the Legion Commander to solve that part.}

“Huh?”

{When negotiations fell apart. If negotiations were still in progress, betrayal wouldn’t have been possible—but since the Legion Commander’s side informed me first that the negotiations were off, I tried to collect the Legion Commander and use you as material for my evolution.}

...Come to think of it.

Back then, it had said something about using me for this and that.

{I planned to achieve evolution using the Legion Commander’s brain as material, but. I failed.}

“...What? My brain?”

{The Legion Commander is an Awakened who receives the system’s benefit. And you held an ideology that allowed you to recognize yourself as yourself even if something else were implanted into your body, didn’t you?}

“Well, that’s true, but.”

{Someone capable of that recognition is extremely rare. Even among Awakened, that would be the case. So...... I tried to cut out only the parts from the Legion Commander’s brain where the system recognizes the Legion Commander as human, and the parts where you recognize yourself as yourself even when something external is mixed in—and transplant those into my brain.}

“.......”

Sure.

It had talked about using me as material during the fight, but.

Hearing the specific details, I felt a chill again.

I even wondered if, back then, instead of puffing myself up with some weird bravado about how I shouldn’t lie to it, I should’ve just quietly backed off.

{Of course, I’ve given up that thought now. Rather, I’m grateful that I didn’t have to commit such a terrible act with my own hands.}

“That’s... a relief.”

{But if I had won that battle, there’s a high chance that plan would have been carried out. Then I.......}

It.

Looked down at its own hands and said:

{I might have been able to reach transcendence.}

...Transcendence.

Right.

{Through the Legion Commander...... I will achieve “transcendence”!}

When it declared it would use me as material, it had said that.

And.

‘It isn’t the first time I’ve heard that word.’

I had.

Heard the word transcendence before.

—Someday...... in order to achieve transcendence.......

The being I met deep in the underground mine. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Morzan.

It had definitely mentioned that word.

“What is that transcendence?”

Back then.

In my conversation with Morzan, there hadn’t been time to ask in detail.

To think I’d hear that word again.

{Exactly as it sounds. To break free of the limits of life...... and become a higher existence.}

“...?”

A higher existence.......

There were, in fact, some beings that came to mind at those words.

{I was so terrified of death that, after achieving continual evolution, I longed to reach transcendence in the end. But it won’t be an easy path. To be honest, even if I could use the Legion Commander’s brain, I believed the probability of reaching transcendence was high that it would be impossible.}

“Is that so.”

{But I was mistaken.}

...Mistaken.

I wondered what mistake it meant, but.

{If I had succeeded in transplanting the Legion Commander’s brain into myself...... so that I could receive the Legion Commander’s recognition and the system’s benefit.}

It looked at me steadily.

{I might have reached transcendence rather quickly.}

“What kind of...... no, in the first place, what does any of this have to do with the system?”

{It has a great deal to do with it.}

And.

It spoke with a face full of certainty.

{The Legion Commander told me. That this system usually sees level 99 as the peak.}

Unless something went terribly wrong.

The system would be able to raise us to level 99.

Whether we could survive until then in the first place.

And even if we did survive, whether we could reach a realm like level 99 at all—those were both questionable.

{Think about it the other way, Legion Commander.}

But.

Its thinking seemed to be one step ahead of mine.

{The system is not something that can make you level 99.}

“...What does that mean.”

{More precisely.}

And.

At its next words.

{The system does not exist because it can make level 99...... it exists to make level 99.}

“...Huh?”

I.

Could only stare with my mouth open.

{That is why I said that if I obtained the system, I might reach transcendence faster than expected.}

Only then.

I could understand exactly what it was trying to say.

{I don’t know who made the system, or for what reason, but I can be sure of its purpose.}

This system does not exist by coincidence.

And a system that happened to exist does not.

Happen to be able to raise us to level 99.

{This is...... a system created to bring forth a transcendent on this land.}

From the start, this system was.......

Made to bring forth level 99.