Antagonist Protection Service

"...What?"

People are gathering to storm the Tower? Why suddenly? Did something happen?

[Fret not. Enki, the Augury Tower is designed to not allow coordinated groups of tremendous numbers on one Floor at a time, but you will still have to stop them before they grow too powerful individually to resist.]

'That's-- No, it should be fine... John Pierce was supposed to be the strongest, but even he wasn't all that, and since then, I've...`

Feeling like I had abruptly been thrusted into a situation I wasn't prepared for, my mind raced to consider the most important details, at least at a surface level.

"First off, what even happened? And for how long have you been waiting to tell me this...?"

[It is as I explained; the dragon after your life has mobilised a great number of Awakened forces to directly and intentionally defy your warning. It is fortunate you came to speak with me first, or else I would have had to send an emergency alert to the little one.]

'Is that what happens...? No, that's not important. They want to assemble a force to clear the Tower... Is that with the intention to draw me out? Even if that's the case, I need to go back and stop them.'

"...I'm strong enough now to do it, right?"

Posing that most imperative question, there was nowhere else I felt comfortable directing my gaze, so I simply looked at the encased Leinth's face, as if she was sleeping.

"..."

"..."

One second of silence.

Then two.

It couldn't have been more than ten seconds in total, even if it felt magnitudes longer.

[―Certainly, I believe so. With the reward from this time's Black Contract, ensure you prepare well.]

For some reason, even if it wasn't exactly worded like it, hearing those words be spoken by someone else, someone more talented, more experienced, and probably more powerful than myself... It felt a lot different compared to telling myself that I had grown a lot.

[You should go now. There is no time to waste.]

"...I'll do that. Thank you."

Leaving those words behind, I turned my back and rushed out of the Illusory Spirit's Chamber, immediately raising my voice.

"Librarian! We don't have a lot of time, have you found anything?"

"Enki! Certainly, however, is there an emergency...?"

"People are going to storm the Tower, probably trying to get me to show myself so they can kill me."

'Just because I told them not to... Bastards.'

"Oh no! I-in that case, the things I was going to propose probably won't be that useful..."

"What? Why not? Weren't you looking at all the physical increase Items?"

If I couldn't even increase my General Physical Ability above Mediocre before moving out to stop those guys, wouldn't my chances take a big hit?

"Umm... Well, the problem is that they require a certain amount of time to absorb in order to properly enhance the body... And also, some of them require even more time to recover after that... F-Fret not, however! I'm certain I can find suitable alternatives for you, Enki! Certainly!"

"Is that it... No, don't worry about it. There's a lot of other stuff I can get anyway, so it's... Probably fine."

'I've been relying pretty much solely on magical enhancement anyway, so it doesn't make a difference.'

Dismissing it as an option for now, I opened the Assistance Menu. Immediately making my way to the Shop, the full realisation of my 5-star reward hit me in the face.

Currently Available World Stability : 17,300 Units

Instinctively, my eyes bulged.

"How..."

'...It was a Black Contract, meaning the Protagonist had already been in the world for a long time before I arrived, at least long enough to be this close to killing the Antagonist. Thinking about it, that probably boosted the reward by a ton...'

There wasn't even a question that could exist about if that was a good amount or not.

In terms of efficiency, the ratio of time spent to World Stability earned was just outrageous.

With this amount, it should be more than enough to prepare.

"Let's check this first."

Service Charge | 17,300 U

1 | A.Skill - [Tyranny of the Demon Lord] - Demon Lord of Terror

2 | Trait - [He Who Shall Not Be Named] - The Nameless Dark Wizard

3 | P.Skill - [Mastery of the Duel] - Emperor of the Arena

4 | Trait - [Noble Soul] - Archduchess Lucretia de Christina-Rasa

5 | A.Skill - [Event Horizon] - Horizon of the Apocalypse

6 | Trait - [Descendant of Winter] - Princess Lucretia de Christina-Drakon-Rasa

7 | A.Skill - [Fog of Lies] - Anders Heimann

8 | Trait - [Thick Skin of the Void] - Alderach, Scourge From Beyond the Veil

From beyond the Veil, the Black Contract's Antagonist, and what was most likely the game's final boss, had graciously given me a Trait.

There was no wondering what I did next.

Trait - [Thick Skin of the Void]

The Scourge of the Void was an unimaginable terror the likes of which defied all common sense.

Existing beyond the Veil of the world itself, born of the endless Void, one would ordinarily have their flesh be sundered apart merely from its overwhelming pressure, not to mention all the rest of the cosmic blight.

To reside there, the resilience of such a being could only be described as monstrous.

(Gain the resilience of an existence Beyond the Veil)

Price : 5,000 U

"Hm."

'Is it a defensive Skill? It is, right? That sounds really good?'

It was a Trait, too, meaning only a one-time purchase and that was it. If it would help me endure a long time fighting without worrying so much about my own safety, that seemed perfect for the kind of mission I was about to take on.

Putting it on hold for now, I figured the first thing I should do was upgrade what I already have rather than buy a bunch of new stuff.

'Quality over quantity and all that.'

Thus, I opened my Status to view everything I currently had.

Enki Valentine | Director of Operations

General Physical Ability - Mediocre

General Magical Ability - Legendary

Spiritual Synergism - Superior

Protagonists Dispatched : 11

Skills : [Sneak (Level 3)], [Lockpicking (Level 1)], [Mana Corruption (Level 2)], [Illusory Aegis (Level 2)], [Divine Blood (Level 1)]

Traits : [Professionalism], [Charismatic], [Heightened Senses], [Heart of a Witch]

Blessings : [Authority of the Library of Illusory Worlds (Tier Four)], [Grace of the Mother of the Winter Moon]

"...Wait, hold on. I never realised that."

As I scanned through my details, I noticed something quite surprising.

'When the hell did my Magical Ability increase to Legendary...?! And Spiritual Synergism's at Superior too...'

After a short while of staring, amazed at myself, I belatedly recalled the likely reason.

"Heart of a Witch? That has to be it..."

...That reminded me. I was originally going to ask Leinth if I could put her in one of my Vacant Spirit Slots... But, Aradine's a spirit too, right? At least, the one that exists in the realm I visited before.

Couldn't I put her in the Divine Sword, then?