C156
Two days had passed since I received the analysis about Nord.
"Is he really leaving?" Yurnet lowered her gaze with a melancholic expression.
I was boarding the aircraft headed to Taonier.
"Should I stay?"
"Of course, you should..."
"No. I must go."
"That's too much."
Yurnet glanced at me sideways.
I smiled faintly and continued up the stairs.
I can't stay in Niflheim. If I stay here, I'll grow soft in comfort. I'll never be able to move forward.
I had responsibilities in Taonier as well.
My second visit to Niflheim.
Though not long, I managed to achieve some results.
Firstly, during the mourning process with Lidygion, I was able to increase my Intermediate Sword Handling skill to level 5.
Secondly...
"It's incredible."
I was able to grasp the outlines of the method to ascend to the 7 stars.
The fusion of master and hero. I can't be 100% sure. However, the complete hypothesis matches the information I have. More than 90% sure it's the correct answer.
"I can't trust anyone."
I smiled bitterly.
Yurnet, Lidygion, and Nihaku came to bid me farewell at the terminal.
I can't rely solely on them. If I don't strengthen myself, everything is in vain.
"We'll wait for you." Lidygion nodded.
Nihaku waved her hand.
"Come back soon!"
"I don't know when that will be."
"Once a week would be appropriate, don't you think?"
"I can't come that often."
"Ah."
The staircase leading me rose to the deck.
"Master, this time, please don't forget to contact us."
I ignored Yurnet's warning as I entered the aircraft.
And the airship began to move. Once again, Ridell was the guide.
One day until arrival.
"Taonier needs to change its way of operating."
Late into the night, I unfolded a paper on my cabin's desk.
The current structural diagram of Taonier was drawn on it.
"It's a 3-story building."
When heroes are first summoned, they are assigned to the first floor.
There, they live like beggars, sustaining only on potatoes and water for a while.
Only when they gain their role, they are promoted to the second floor.
Compared to the early days of the Lobby, when everyone lived on a single floor and controlled heroes through synthesis, this was a great advancement, but...
"It's still insufficient."
It's somewhat primitive.
The population of heroes has grown so much that it's close to reaching 200.
It has almost become a large village.
"We must increase it to a minimum of 300."
The consumption of heroes in missions is too intense.
The reason is simple. An unexpectedly troublesome difficulty level.
If this trend continues, many will die on each mission.
To quickly replenish forces, we need to increase the hero group.
For that...
"Anything will have to do a good job."
My strategy guide sent to him, named by Iselle as 'The Book of Heaven,' also contains such intermediate operations.
The principle remains unchanged.
Those who do well ascend, and those who don't, descend.
Just maintaining the base while adding a little 'spice.'
"There are two useful operational models."
The model I used in Niflheim and the model used by the formerly legendary rank 1.
Their active era was long before I became a ranker.
He was a true genius. If my theory is correct, he would be dead by now.
"..."
As I pondered, time passed quickly.
"We have arrived!"
I woke up to Ridell's announcement.
A message indicating the location appeared to my right.
[Dimension 1935 - Taonier]
Taonier.
Stepping out onto the deck, the airship was entering the dimensional whirlpool.
Seeing me, Ridell saluted me formally.
"It has been an honor serving you!"
"Honor a hoot. Don't overdo it."
"Ah, when will you return to Niflheim...?"
Ridell looked at me with barely veiled hope.
Was it a trick by Yurnet, or simply her pure heart?
"Who knows."
I left the answer hanging in the air.
And then.
[Deployment completed!]
[Han (★★★) has successfully returned from Niflheim.]
[Han (★★★) is operational again.]
[※The effect of deployment has changed the hero's status. For more details, see the Hero tab.]
Landgrid07 halted at the Dimensional Breach.
I bid farewell to Ridell as I returned to the Lobby.
"See you later!"
Buuung.
Shortly after, the airship disappeared from view.
"Hmm."
I looked up.
The sky was tinted with a dark somber color.
Anything was disconnected. From the color of the sky, it seemed late.
Tap, tap.
The sound of my footsteps echoed on the metallic floor.
I breathed in the fresh air deeply.
Having exited the Dimensional Breach, I headed straight to the plaza on the second floor and then climbed the stairs to the third floor.
"..."
It was dark.
The lights in the plaza weren't on.
I didn't cross paths with anyone on the way.
Although it was late, it was an unusual event.
As I pondered this, I headed to my accommodation.
Then, the stairs to the fourth floor caught my attention.
"They built a fourth floor."
It seems the Lobby changed during my absence.
I changed direction and climbed the stairs to the fourth floor.
Shortly after, the view of the fourth-floor plaza unfolded before me.
Essentially, it was similar to the other plazas.
But if there was a difference, it was that it had expanded to the size of a large playground, and instead of corridors to the dormitories or training grounds, there was an unfamiliar construction.
I smiled bitterly.
A luxurious mansion that would seem to come out of a picture was there.
It was a three-story building, surrounded by a fence.
I finally understood Anything's intention.
He had created exclusive accommodation for me.
"...Wow."
I entered through the main door of the mansion.
In the spacious lobby, fanfares sounded and then.
[Congratulations, Loki!]
Iselle, wearing a cone hat, flew towards me.
Then, the interior of the lobby was revealed. The walls adorned with balloons and paper, and to the left, a flashy sign that said 'Congratulations on your appointment!'
"What is this?"
[Pop! Pop!]
Iselle blew a paper horn that released streamers.
"I'm going to sleep."
[Wait! I prepared this with so much effort!]
Iselle rushed towards me.
"What's going on?"
[It's a celebration party for Loki's appointment!]
"Appointment?"
With a wave of her hand, Iselle brought up system logs from the past.
A holographic window adorned in white showed an icon of a blue potion bottle.
It was the research tab.
[Ding!]
[Hero Reaction has reached level 10.]
Then, a guidance message appeared.
[Now you can appoint a Vice Master!]
[The Vice Master is the Master's representative. They will oversee the Lobby's operations and battles, aiding in the tower's conquest.]
[Tips/The Vice Master receives broader authority. Depending on the situation, they may even perform autonomous tower conquests. Experience the limits of a human-like artificial intelligence!]
I ignored the record behind it.
I dismissed the holographic window.
"So."
[Yes, from now on, Loki will be Taonier's Vice Master.]
"I don't know why you're bothering with this."
Belkist, with a lazy expression, yawned as he approached.
Beside him appeared Jenna and Nerissa. Edith was there too.
"What are you doing here?"
I asked, incredulous.
[Everyone came to celebrate... Oh!]
Iselle's cheeks stretched mercilessly.
"Is this your doing?"
[No, no, I was just worried that Han would leave Taonier...]
"Don't worry too much. That fairy did it thinking of you."
Edith approached, smiling.
"Congratulations, Han. You've earned recognition."
[Ahem, don't act arrogantly from now on. Our status is different from yours!]
"Should I address you with respect now? Mr. Han."
"If you start with that, I'll die of embarrassment, so drop it."
"Well, if you insist."
Edith withdrew, smiling.
I looked at Iselle.
She was restless, intertwining her hands.
[Now that you're Vice Master... don't go to strange places.]
"Did something happen?"
[Well, I heard that a new lucky person entered Niflheim... ... .]
Iselle whispered so only I could hear.
I smiled. She was worrying unnecessarily.
"Probably, it was her who recommended me as Vice Master."
That's much more than just offering advice. She must have put in quite an effort.
"Anyway, it's an occasion to celebrate, isn't it?"
Jenna spoke up.
"The Vice Master is the most important person here, right?"
[Yes, except for the Master.]
"See, I made a good choice following you."
Jenna winked at me.
I said, exasperated:
"So, did everyone gather just to welcome me back?"
"You've been down lately. Since that incident."
"If you mean..."
Yvolka, I suppose.
"The Sister won't hold a grudge against you. I'd feel the same if I were her. You don't have to blame yourself."
"I don't."
"Then it's fine."
Jenna chuckled and walked away.
"I'm tired. Can I go to sleep?"
"Stay put."
Nerissa stomped on Belkist's foot.
"But does being Vice Master bring anything special?"
"Not much. It's not something to celebrate."
"I'm tired."
I scratched my head.
Now that Anything has appointed me Vice Master, he'll surely pass on all the annoying tasks to me.
Well, it's necessary.
I looked around the room.
The gathered members were from the first group: Jenna, Belkist, Nerissa. From the second group: Edith.
And, as an extra, Iselle. They were the pillars of Taonier.
"It's a pity Kishasha isn't here."
It seems she still needs time.
After removing bits of paper from my hair, I sat down on the chair.
"Sit down."
"A party?"
"Of course not."
I smiled.
"It would be annoying to gather again later. I just want to tell you in advance."
The members sat down one by one around the rectangular table.
I took out a paper from my pocket and unfolded it on the table. The paper showed the current structural diagram of the Lobby. Though it was now a 4-story building, it would suffice to explain the situation.
"What's this?"
"It's the structural diagram of our current Lobby. As you know, things have changed since before. It has become a very busy place."
I pointed to the Lobby's first floor.
"Almost 150 heroes live on the first floor, right?"
[Yes! It hasn't changed much.]
"We need new fighters. We lost many on the 35th floor. And it will continue like that in the future."
I pointed to the Lobby's third floor.
Now it could be considered the fourth floor.
"For a smooth replenishment of forces and the conquest of future missions, we need to change the way we operate."
"Isn't that the Master's job?"
"Of course, that guy will handle the main tasks. But the number of people has increased enormously. It's already difficult for him to handle it alone."
The fact that Anything appointed me Vice Master was also due to that need.
When the population was small, one could handle each person individually and decide how to use them, but now the situation is different.
Indeed, even when the population was small, Anything didn't make efficient decisions.
He wasn't watching over the heroes 24/7.
"In the end, it was necessary."
Even if late.
I opened my mouth.
"What does a ruler need to efficiently handle many people?"
The members' faces hardened.
Belkist, with his arms crossed, spoke up.
"What you mean is..."
"..."
"Will we accept the Master as our ruler?"
Wow.
He didn't hesitate to attack.
"Yes."
I nodded.
Belkist frowned, clearly displeased.
"I've heard that the Master sees us as mere pieces on a board. We are just toys for him, regardless of whether we live or die. Besides, aren't we being pushed into miserable missions by that guy?"
"That's not a lie."
"And are we going to help him? I can't agree."
Belkist looked up at the ceiling with a cold smile.
The sky was in that direction.
"So far, what has kept me alive is my own desire to improve. If there's anything else, it would be your help."
"..."
"Has that Master ever helped me? He just watches me from above, unpleasantly, and throws me into the battlefield. If you were the Master, I might have agreed. But not him. In my opinion, he's incompetent. Unlike you." Belkist sneered.
Then, Edith raised her hand.
"As far as I know, we were dragged here by the Master. Kidnapped."
Kidnapping.
That's true too.
"We've been following because we don't want to die, to survive, but if we follow your suggestion, the meaning changes. It would mean we cooperate voluntarily."
"Let's speak plainly. Forget about the Vice Master or whatever. We're not slaves to boast of our chains."
"I have a different opinion."
"What?" Belkist furrowed his brow.
A look of disappointment was directed towards Nerissa.
"I think we should help the Master."
"This is disappointing. I didn't expect this from you."
"Don't judge emotionally. It makes you look foolish."
"Is there any guarantee that we'll be rewarded? Helping the guy who can kill us for having just a different mood?"
"This is what we need to survive."
"This is ridiculous."
Arguments began to arise among them.
[Oh, wait! Why is everyone like this? We gathered here to celebrate Han's return.]
Iselle fluttered and flapped frantically.
I laughed.
Well, as expected.
