Bululu dropped into a horse stance, one fist held at her waist. Her presence continued to climb as Magic Power flowed steadily toward her fist, eventually emitting a radiance that rivaled the sun itself.
On the other side, although Kurimu was also preparing, she clearly wasn’t making as much of a scene.
“Speaking of which, the Devil Race’s ability allows us to distort laws, but why can’t I break through this big guy’s defense?”
“Because the opponent’s mastery over laws is superior to yours.”
In response to Kurimu’s question, Ai Yue provided the answer.
“Simply put, whether it’s skills or magic, they are essentially achieved by manipulating laws, varying only in degree and nature. The stronger the ability to control laws, the greater the power of the skill. Many factors influence the strength of this control, but I won’t get into those right now. You just need to know that this dungeon instance’s control over laws has reached its peak. There is almost no one capable of layering another distortion over the laws they have already twisted.”
“In other words, because Holy Magic ‘Restoration’ reverts those distortions, it’s particularly effective.”
“That’s about right. You’re quite clever.”
“Hehe…”
Being praised by Ai Yue caused Kurimu to break into a delighted smile.
In the next moment, the energy from Bululu’s direction suddenly surged by another level, generating a significant shockwave.
“Bululu, what happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine…”
Bululu did her best to suppress her resentful tone.
She was trying her hardest to concentrate, yet Kurimu was taking the opportunity to sneak ahead and flirt, making her unable to contain her anger.
Coincidentally, her gaze locked onto the Gear Giant, which ignored everyone else and was single-mindedly broadcasting self-destruct commands.
Anger!
Pure fury!!
She grew irritated just looking at it! If it weren’t for this thing, would anyone have been able to sneak off just now?
It seemed that anger fueled Bululu’s strength, causing her aura to rise continuously, even showing faint signs of surpassing Kurimu.
“Hmm? It looks like I can’t afford to lose either!”
Sensing Bululu’s power, Kurimu’s competitive spirit was ignited.
Though only to a slight degree, this was the first time she was consciously controlling her own ability.
“I have already controlled the Restoration effect of the Holy Magic so it won’t interfere with your skills. Give it your all.”
Ai Yue spoke, and as if in response, Bululu and Kurimu finalized their preparations.
In the next instant, fists and claws swung out.
Because of the excessive speed and massive energy, the fists—which felt like high-density energy blocks—made the space itself feel overburdened as they moved. Space shattered, leaving behind a trail of cracks and sounds like breaking glass. Each fragment of space possessed a cutting ability that almost ignored all defenses.
Meanwhile, the claws used their Distorted Law Ability to create fissures in space in a different manner. Claw strikes, wrapped in concentrated distorted laws like sword qi, passed through the spatial rifts and appeared directly on the Gear Giant’s body, bypassing the physical distance.
The Holy Magic activated the moment the attacks touched the Gear Giant, nullifying all its resistances. The pressure from the fists and the claw strikes sliced it apart and blew it to pieces. Finally, it was shredded and vanished within the spatial turbulence, along with the beams of light that served as its cables.
[Demon Ai M-0 has been defeated.]
[Level 80 Dungeon Instance “Relics of the Lost World Mechanism” has been cleared.]
As the Gear Giant completely dissipated, the dungeon was successfully conquered by Ai Yue and her group.
Along with the clear notification, a Black Tablet abruptly appeared where the Gear Giant had vanished and fell to the ground.
“Hmm? What’s this?”
Ai Yue bent down to pick it up and examine it. Based on a preliminary assessment, the material was the same as the Gear Giant—a type of pitch-black substance that was extremely hard with a glossy finish, somewhat resembling crystal.
For some reason, this black glossy material and shape reminded her of a common item she used occasionally in her previous life.
Suddenly, the tablet emitted a bright light, and a string of text arranged itself on the screen.
‘No way… Is this actually a tablet?’
“Hmm… Let me see…”
Ai Yue suppressed her urge to complain and read the text on the device.
[World Engine M-0 Console]
[Please enter your ID: ______]
‘What is this?’
Ai Yue couldn’t help but feel surprised internally when she saw the text.
If she remembered correctly, she hadn’t designed this dungeon to drop such an item when she originally created it.
What was a World Engine Console? Was it going to allow whoever obtained the item to control the entire dungeon?
As she looked at the next line for the ID entry, Ai Yue felt compelled to write her own name as if guided by fate.
[Ai Yue]
[Identity confirmed. Permission Level: Highest. Identity: Creator.]
[Welcome, Master.]
“Huh!?”
Seeing the words displayed on the tablet, Ai Yue felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had seen a similar scene before.
In a daze, she saw that what she held in her hand was not a tablet, but a black cubic machine integrated with gears, which uttered the same words.
“…Master… Lady Ai Yue!”
“Hmm? Ah… What’s wrong?”
Bululu’s call snapped Ai Yue back to reality.
“I called your name several times, Lady Ai Yue, but there was no response. Are you…”
“It’s nothing. I was just confirming a few things.”
As she spoke, Ai Yue subconsciously glanced at the tablet and saw another piece of text.
[Permissions Unlocked:]
[Panel Information Modification]
‘Eh? What does this mean?’
Did it mean she could now freely edit anyone’s Information Panel? Could she change someone’s level from 100 to Level 1, or set all their stats to infinite?
…Well, of course, it wasn’t going to be that exaggerated. The tablet immediately provided an explanation. In reality, it was just modifying the surface appearance, functioning more like a disguise for information.
However, compared to that, the next piece of information was what truly shocked Ai Yue.
[Additional Information: Due to the confirmation of the Console owner’s identity, from this moment on, World Engine M-0 will merge with the owner’s soul. Full control of World Engine M-0 is granted. Manager AI Demonai is at your service.]
[Dungeon Instance “Relics of the Lost World Mechanism” has been reclaimed. True Name liberated. Name changed to “World Engine M-0.” Owner: Ai Yue.]
The second paragraph wasn’t listed on the tablet but resonated within Ai Yue’s mind, similar to the notification that appeared after clearing a dungeon.
Ai Yue glanced at Bululu and Kurimu. Judging by their unchanging expressions, she concluded that only she could hear those words.
But why?
Setting aside the dungeon’s “True Name,” she had never even created a system for “Dungeon Ownership.”
Could it be that this was also something new added by the development team after her reincarnation?
“Whatever. Thinking too much is useless. Let’s head back for now.” —
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