Upon being asked for "that" request by Dungeon Master 07, I have to admit I really had to take my time to deliberate. While I did ask to deliberate, it was not because his suggestion was either good or bad with many downsides; no, it wasn't that. The only reason I had to deliberate over the matter was what I observed on Dungeon Master 07. There was something about him that bugged me, something that happened in the span of the three incarnations he went through. As much as I wanted to name what it was that bugged me, I couldn't.
After prompt deliberation, which I admit might have been nothing but a waste of our precious time, I and the council of Dungeon Masters agreed to his request to have the other Dungeon Masters use the Greed and Resurgence authority.
Naturally, in a typical Dungeon Master’s fashion, a debate broke out as to who should be the one to use the authority next, but ultimately, the first one to go was Dungeon Master 08—the once-youngest of us all, younger even than Dungeon Master 07, his predecessor. After he came to be with the sole task of fulfilling the mission of making the journey to the other side, he was followed by an even younger Dungeon Master 09, who was himself followed by an even younger, younger Dungeon Master 10.
Under the suggestion of Dungeon Master 07, three of the Dungeon Masters were initially unleashed into the world. These three Dungeon Masters would be allowed a window of time to grow up and rejoin Dungeon Master 07 once they reached the appropriate age to be of any assistance, after all they all had to start out as a baby. But speaking of assistance, Dungeon Master 07 made it a great deal to have them spawn on the right continent. To ensure that, he demanded something of the Dungeon Masters should they spawn in the wrong place, because they sure were going to spawn randomly into this world as their aspect of the authority’s power was not something they, or even less I, could control, they would just spawn randomly as an infant—either a verdenkind or a highbreed. As for the factors that influenced the qualification to be a vessel for us to incarnate in, it remained a mystery, so “random” was the only way one could put it.
Dungeon Master 07 suggested to the Dungeon Masters that, as soon as they could determine which side of the continent they were on, if they happened to reincarnate on the wrong side of the world—meaning the continent where our dungeon was located—he demanded that they "try" again and again until they managed to spawn on the correct side of the world, in other words, the land of men that once belonged to the angel race. Dungeon Master 07 knew for a fact that our treacherous fellow reincarnate had established himself in this place. A cross-continent journey was not something neither Dungeon Master 07 or the other could afford, as it required both time and strength, which couldn't be easily acquired altogether in the strange circumstance they would find themselves into. Dungeon Master 07's suggestion was logical but, without the shadow of a doubt, also ruthless.
Perhaps an attempt to display his good faith or maybe because he wanted to avoid the long and exhausting journey back to civilization or perhaps, but immediately after making that suggestion, Dungeon Master 07 requested that Dungeon Master 06 have his guardian do with him what he initially intended to do with him as an invader.
Returning back to us as another proper Dungeon Master, Dungeon Master 07 used the authority and sent himself out there, biding us all an epic farewell. It seemed he really had gotten used to using the authority.
In the face of this display of unwavering resolve by our once-youngest, our now youngests Dungeon Master 08, Dungeon Master 09, and Dungeon Master 10 also bid their farewell and used the authority.
Luckily enough, there were only three failures from the Dungeon Masters to pop on the right side of the continent—one from Dungeon Master 07 himself, ironic huh?—and the two others failed attempts from Dungeon Master 10. This prompted the two of them to resort to Dungeon Master 07’s solution, sending them back straight to me, only for them, once again using the authority, to be sent out there.
Being one to witness the whole thing being carried out by Dungeon Master 07 and Dungeon Master 10, I couldn't help but think of one thing our once fellow reincarnate said. He mentioned that I might be the one to wield this authority better than he did. Could it be that I made his words true? It was done in a really messed up way, but that had to be it. I did it.
Paired with my Ethereal Echo authority, Greed and Resurgence was an absolute game-changing authority. Heck, even alone, the authority was a true gem. With it, as long as newborn or even unborn babies to use as vessels don't run out, which I doubt they ever will, the wielder is sure to be given a chance to make a comeback, a chance to regain what has been lost in the previous incarnation.
If I were to name an issue about the authority, I wouldn't be able to— at least, I wouldn't be able to voice one default that is proper to the authority itself, except perhaps the fact that I can't really choose whose baby the wielder will reincarnate into. But that's a complaint about not having a choice when one is already blessed enough. So yes, for a man who knew what not being an ingrate is like,there was nothing to complain about regarding the authority directly.
Indirectly, however, there was something that could be considered somewhat problematic. Once again, it wasn't really the authority but more like a consequence of using it. We've seen that consequence on someone—the old man. Back when he warned or perhaps cursed me to suffer from the use of Greed and Resurgence, I didn't really think much of what he said.
After all, I genuinely felt like I would never be like him.
Having become a Dungeon core, I have lost much of what once made me human. That included things like empathy. I wasn't sure if that really made a human human, but I was pretty sure I have lost that aspect for anything—humans, monsters, just anything, except perhaps myself. But even that I would have doubts about it.
One other thing that I was pretty sure I lost upon becoming a Dungeon Core was my perception of time. And that's the latter that worried me more or less. Having been reincarnated by the authority, Dungeon Master 07 went through what, in his eyes, was a complete lifetime. Upon being made human again, he no longer felt time like we Dungeon Masters do. That on its own wasn't really a problem. After all, even after so many lifetimes he was still himself, there was little to no difference that I could find between him and any of us. So no, it wasn't that troubled me. What worried me was instead that one other thing we Dungeon Masters have lost, other than a human sense of time. It was that very thing that led Kevin Karstark and Jason down the wrong path—emotions, which ultimately bring about attachments.
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As I came to that realization, I finally understood what made me hesitate to simply accept Dungeon Master 07. I was worried, not exactly about him but rather about the effect of being once again human would have on him and notably the other he requested to be sent out there.
***
In spite of finally realizing what was bothering me, I couldn't just approach Dungeon Master 07 and the others and tell them, "Hey, be careful, I have this feeling you guys might end up like that one guy we look down upon." Well, technically, I could, but I was well aware of the reaction such a comment would provoke, so I refrained from doing so. Instead, at Dungeon Master 07's request, I continued sending more of the other Dungeon Masters—first Dungeon 11, then Dungeon Master 12, Dungeon Master 13, and soon Dungeon 14. At this point, one might come to the realization that we might as well send a huge batch of Dungeon Masters out there to raise an army or something. But as I suggested to Dungeon Master 07, who was more or less in charge of our "Dungeon Master distribution system," he made it clear that while unleashing an army of us out there is quite the idea, he didn't believe himself to be able to accurately manage such an army. His goals and that of the Dungeon Masters was to learn about the other Reincarnates' whereabouts, to understand their stance, and, if we have to and have the ability to, to strip them of their entrusted authority. Dungeon Master 07 believed this had to be done with surgical precision, which is why he thought the optimal way to use the authority was to have the Dungeon Masters spawn in carefully chosen spots or acquire a carefully chosen position. He believed that this way, the Dungeon Masters could assist each other.
Initially, we were mostly sending our youngest, starting with Dungeon Master 06, then Dungeon Master 07, followed by the others. That was usually how we proceeded, but then everything changed. At first, I thought it was the doing of one of the Dungeon Masters. However, as Dungeon Master 07 returned back to me, I realized he was completely clueless about the changes I had felt through "Authority gathering." I couldn't exactly tell where it happened, but I was sure that one of the authorities had changed wielder, and it wasn't our doing; it had to be them.
This brought about a significant change in our ways of doing things. Having found a position he wanted a Dungeon Master to be in, Dungeon Master 07 requested that one of them be spawned. That day, instead of spawning another of our youngest, the one sent was Dungeon Master 02, who, admitting that he was curious about what was happening out there, requested to be sent. Taking over his domain, I acceded to his request. Soon, I also acceded to the other's requests as well—Dungeon Master 01, Dungeon Master 03, Dungeon Master 05, and even Dungeon Master 06, who entrusted upon me the care of his beloved cattle. The last one that asked to be sent was Dungeon Master 04.
All the original seven Dungeon Masters, with the exception of me, were gone. In the end, I was left alone with just our very freshly spawned Dungeon Masters.
While I have to admit I wanted to, I couldn't even blame the original seven for leaving; it wasn't like they were betraying me. In fact, they understood they would be more useful out there than staying here, waiting for a human invasion that rarely happened.
The truth was, if I could do it, I would have joined them, but really, I think my duty was here and nowhere else. It was here that I could truly be of help.
Soon after the Dungeon Master, it was the authorities that followed.
***
Yes, the same way the old man managed to separate himself from his bestowed authority, we soon realized that I was able to hand over my authorities to the other Dungeon Masters. This applied even to the reincarnated ones, with the only condition for the said transfer being a connection, in other words, for them to be in my domain. It might have just been my instinct as a Dungeon Core speaking at the time, but one can easily imagine how hard it had been for me to separate myself from the authorities requested by the other Dungeon Masters. After all, I was neither Shun Nagumo nor Valerian to simply hand over my bestowed authority like that; I wanted to keep them with me, even if the one requesting it were literally copies of me. However, in the end, I gave in, and the reason I did so was rather simple: reason.
The authorities requested from me were Otherworldly Synergy and Authority Gathering—two authorities we've established to have better applications out there than on me in here. Sure, I would be losing the ability to read and understand certain aspects of the interface that aren't conventionally shown by the system, such as the established enhancements that usually stick with weapons or subtleties of titles wielded by my invaders. I would also lose my ability to sense the overall direction where the authorities were—two useful powers that I had to admit I could live without. Clearly, they would have a better usage with them, who could finally wield it to find the whereabouts of all our many other fellow reincarnates. Even if I wanted to rebut it, I had no rebuttal against it.
Another reasonable reason for which I accepted to hand over the authority despite my nature telling me not to was the result shown by the Dungeon Masters. Having managed to discover the whereabouts of many of our fellow reincarnates without even the help of authority and having infiltrated most of the factions they belonged to, they learned what most of my fellow reincarnates had been up to. For me, who just sat there waiting for an invader to show up once in a while, the Dungeon Masters' usual updates, which, in spite of coming at a rate of roughly once each 100 years, felt like a series of updates coming at a rate as if it were barely a week in interval. When I wasn't being brought invaders by Dungeon Master 05—yes, that was an activity Dungeon Master 05 seemed to have found purpose in, baiting fellow adventurers for me to do my Dungeon“thing.” When Dungeon Master 07 isn't able to report to me, Dungeon Master 05 also at times takes over the job of reporting changes that occurred in the outside world—reports that usually makes me really feel like I was lagging behind in comparison.
But I think what ultimately made me give in on handing over the authorities they needed was Dungeon Master 07. I believed myself to be many things, but an idiot was something I was confident not to be. In spite of my nature as a Dungeon Core, or perhaps because of my nature of reincarnate, which demanded that I kept the authority, I knew very well that handing over the requested authorities was the logical course of action. Under normal circumstances, I would very easily abide by that course of action, if not even suggesting it myself. The main reason I didn't was the same gripe I held toward sending the other Dungeon Masters out there. My unease toward the long-term effect of the whole "reincarnation" process of the Greed and Resurgence authority never left. It has always been there in me, suppressed by none other than Dungeon Master 07.