Chapter 155: I Am the Herrscher of Wind—What Business Do You Have with Me?

When Takumi handed over the Herrscher core, Miori Shiba immediately understood what it was.

And now he was just... giving it to her?

This was an instant power leap!

"Isn't this too valuable?"

She was tempted, but hesitant.

"It's nothing much," Takumi said casually. "You're mine. This is just a copy I made."

"So why not let you use it~?"

And with that, he embedded the core into her body, granting her the power of the Herrscher of Wind.

In addition, Takumi transferred over his knowledge of ideal fluid dynamics to her.

The group task system had now been activated. No one knew what kind of missions might appear next.

It was wise to arm Miori now. She could start earning points as well.

As she received the knowledge and power, Miori's strength soared to become one of the strongest in the entire chat group.

She was already impressive before—her esper power was honed to Level 4.

But now, with the Herrscher core fused and all of Takumi's knowledge absorbed, she skyrocketed to Level 7.

Continent-level.

That was the rank Takumi once mentioned in the group.

Feeling the immense power inside her, Miori was thrilled.

So this is what it felt like to break through? Was this how Takumi felt when he acquired the Cocoon of the End?

She also noticed something new.

As Takumi's Herrscher, she was now bound to civilization.

The stronger the world became, the stronger her power would grow.

"So I'm bound to civilization…"

"The stronger our world gets, the more powerful we'll become."

"So this is how you experience it?"

"Incredible."

She raised her hand gently, altering the weather across several nearby cities.

The entire area cooled down at once.

Climate itself was under her command.

"Such tremendous power!" she exclaimed in awe.

Takumi added, "This is only the beginning. Weather control is the most basic tier."

"With proper development, you could do so much more."

Fluid dynamics had endless potential. Its applications were vast.

Electric currents, extreme heat—she could master all that with enough development.

It was up to her how far she would go.

Miori nodded. "I understand!"

"I'll study fluid dynamics thoroughly."

"Once I grasp all this knowledge in my head, my power will soar to new heights."

Takumi may have dumped the information into her, but understanding it was up to her.

Otherwise, it was just a floating castle in the sky.

Takumi nodded and said no more.

That night, Miori was so excited she didn't sleep.

She couldn't help but boast in the chat group.

Miori Shiba: [I am the Herrscher of Wind. State your business.]

Her arrogant flair made Takumi increase the intensity of her 'training' until she begged for mercy.

So you're the Herrscher of Wind? Do you hear me bragging that I'm the embodiment of Honkai itself?

Thanks to this, everyone in the group learned Miori had become a Herrscher.

Fujiwara Chika was burning with envy.

This was a huge leap forward.

If Takumi felt like it, he could mass-produce Herrschers.

It was absurd—outrageously absurd.

Everyone had started on the same playing field.

Then this guy logs in one day and rockets ahead so far they couldn't even see his shadow.

Everyone was stunned with jealousy.

...

The next day, Takumi woke up and continued working on Aincrad.

He spent several days finishing the designs and construction.

Once everything was in place, he asked Prometheus to announce the opening.

He'd also set up teleportation arrays.

Access required a ticket. It wasn't free.

The moment the announcement was made, Akihiko Kayaba rushed to the nearest teleport point.

When he stepped onto the real Aincrad for the first time—he was overwhelmed.

"This is real!!"

He didn't build this Aincrad—but he designed it.

"Of course you'd be the first here," Takumi chuckled, appearing beside him.

"Been waiting a while, huh?"

Kayaba nodded enthusiastically. "Naturally!"

"This place came from my design. I had to see it with my own eyes."

"It's utterly breathtaking."

He stood in the Town of Beginnings.

Everyone would arrive here first.

It was far larger than the in-game version.

Many figures moved about—robot NPCs controlled by AI.

"Since you're here, try the features," Takumi said.

"Same controls as the game."

"You can pull up your interface manually."

"Everyone gets a system panel based on their innate talent."

"All your abilities will develop from that talent."

"But you're free to study anything else too."

"The learning difficulty depends on your comprehension."

He demonstrated by swiping the air.

A panel appeared—'Game Administrator' in big letters.

Kayaba's eyes sparkled.

He quickly tried it out.

"My talent… is this my superpower?"

"It's based on that?"

He noticed immediately: his ability was defensive.

He'd acquired it after taking a superpower serum.

It was called "Flesh Defense."

"Exactly," Takumi confirmed.

"This is a training ground for practical combat."

"So everyone's development focuses on their superpower."

"Explore it at your pace."

"Too much to explain all at once."

"If you don't have a combat-type power, just find something your talent fits."

"Or learn magic or swordsmanship."

"No restrictions. Just depends on your aptitude."

Takumi gave Kayaba a quick orientation of the area.