[A-Rank Entity Management Report]
No. 120
Entity Name: Restraint
Grade: Alpha (Ⅱ)
Risk Level: 7
Information:
This is a ring once worn by the war god ‘■■■’ from another dimension. Pursuing infinite strength, he eventually transcended mortal life and attained divinity. Even after achieving eternal and undying life, he did not cease his pursuit of power. When he reached his limits, he commissioned his friend, the god of blacksmiths ‘■■■ ■■■■’, to craft a ring that could restrain his own power.
The ring was forged solely with the purpose of further growth. Its materials are unknown, except for the fact that it includes the war god’s own bones and blood.
Abilities – Restraint:
- The entity seals a portion of the wearer’s total power. (The amount sealed is determined by the entity itself.)
- Separately from the sealed power, it extracts and converts the wearer’s life force, storing that energy for itself. The stored power increases over time.
- When the ring is removed, all restraints placed on the wearer vanish, and the accumulated power is returned entirely to the wearer. (However, this stored power is then consumed.)
Special Notes:
Though tool-type, the ring possesses a will of its own. Due to being forged from the bones and blood of the war god, it has a highly aggressive personality. It determines its own master and has been observed to mercilessly reject or even eliminate those it deems unworthy.
※ Precautions
- Administrators below Alpha-grade are strictly forbidden from approaching the entity. Violation will absolve Tree of all responsibility for the administrator’s safety.
- The form and conditions of “restraint” are not fixed. They change based on the will of the entity.
- All actions are determined by the entity’s judgment; choosing to wear it is entirely the administrator’s own responsibility. Tree takes no responsibility for any events thereafter.
- Those who crave power often meet a tragic end. What will your choice be?
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“It’s disgustingly complicated.”
The place where Lee Taeseong opened his eyes again was the isolation chamber where “Voice of the Mind” had been contained. In his view was Oh Haeyoung, sprawled out on the floor snoring with her limbs spread out.
“Ugh. Team leader… this isn’t right. I get how you feel, but we’re coworkers! You have to separate business and personal matters. No, I mean, it’s not that I hate it, but… still…”
Whatever dream she was having, it was starting to annoy him. With a lazy nudge of his foot, he pushed her aside and leaned against the wall, staring at the ring—Restraint—in his hand.
[Put it on.]
Taeseong processed what he’d understood so far:
‘So wearing this ring means I’ll have to live with part of my power sealed. How much is sealed is entirely up to the entity. But the longer I wear it, the more power it’ll accumulate…’
That’s when he finally understood the true nature of the power he had sensed from Lee Han.
The moment Lee Han took off the ring to hand it to him, the sealed power had been released.
‘Then until that moment… he was functioning with a portion of his power sealed?’
That realization shocked Taeseong even more.
‘A transcendent is in a completely different league.’
He had to admit it—there was a clear wall between them.
‘But that wall won’t be there forever.’
Entity Name: Restraint
This entity had very clear strengths and weaknesses.
In everyday life, you had to live with your power suppressed.
But that was just a “restraint”—it didn’t mean you lost that power.
The energy accumulated in the ring wasn’t taken directly from your strength but converted from your life force.
Simply put:
The longer you endured in a weakened state, the greater the explosion of power you could unleash the moment you removed the ring.
Of course, since the stored power was consumed when the ring was removed, you’d have to start over again from scratch.
‘High risk, high return. It bothers me that it uses my life force as energy… and that the entity acts on its own.’
Living weakened wasn’t ideal—but if used well, he could potentially output more than double his usual strength when the time came.
‘So the cost of that explosive moment… is my own lifespan. Still…’
It wasn’t a bad deal.
Taeseong possessed the Power of Devouring. Theoretically, it allowed him to grow infinitely stronger. Depleted life force? Just replenish it. Weakened in daily life? If his total strength grew enough, that wouldn’t even be a problem anymore.
Even so… there was only one thing holding him back.
‘I don’t like it.’
What bothered him was that the entity held the reins.
How much power would be sealed? Would it recognize him as its master? All of it—was up to the entity.
That fact alone irritated Taeseong.
He didn’t care if it was the war god’s ring or not—just the idea of handing over freedom to a mere entity rubbed him the wrong way.
But throwing it away would be a waste of its potential.
He didn’t know if Lee Han had considered all that before handing it to him, but this entity did seem to be a perfect fit for the power he possessed.
[Put it on.]
So it really did have a mind of its own—it had been speaking nonstop for a while.
After some hesitation, Taeseong finally grasped the ring.
[Yes. A wise decision. I shall grant you eternal, immortal strength. I will free you from your pathetic mortality and make you live as an immortal being—]
And then—
[……? W-What are you doing?! Stop! I said stop! I am not something you eat! You bastard! I said STOP—!!]
He brought it into his mouth.
This was the conclusion he had reached after much deliberation.
Since he didn’t like being controlled by the entity, he decided to devour the entity’s power itself.
Of course, since the outcome was uncertain, it was unclear whether things would go as he hoped.
He was simply acting on instinct.
Crunch. Crack.
He continuously chewed on the ring in his mouth.
At first, he bit down with the mindset of testing whether his teeth or the ring was harder, but it turned out to be softer than expected.
Of course, it didn’t taste good.
The crushed pieces of “Restraint” slid down his throat.
Gulp.
“……”
Taeseong silently observed the changes happening within his body.
“Nothing’s happening—”
It was at that moment.
Bending over, Taeseong placed his hand on the wall and began to throw up.
“Ugh.”
An excruciating pain attacked him.
It felt like all his internal organs were set ablaze.
A searing fire boiled within him.
Realizing that the changes occurring in his body were abnormal, Taeseong desperately reached out and grabbed Oh Haeyoung.
Dangling from his hand, a half-asleep Oh Haeyoung made an incoherent sound.
“Nnyeh?”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Team… Leader? Why are we like this? Did we finish the entity management task for ‘Voice of the Mind’? Or… have we not even started yet!?”
“It’s done.”
Taeseong tossed Oh Haeyoung out of the isolation room and slammed the door shut.
Bang!
It was to prevent any unforeseen danger.
“Guhk!”
Taeseong began vomiting remnants of his internal organs.
It felt as if all his insides were twisting.
He recalled the words his mother once told him as a child: don’t pick up and eat random things.
And this wasn’t even normal food—he had eaten an Alpha II-grade entity.
It would have been strange if nothing went wrong.
‘At this rate, I might really die.’
It had been a long time since he felt his life truly threatened.
Lowering his head, Taeseong looked at his own arms.
The flesh of both arms swelled as if about to burst and then began to ripple grotesquely.
And then, they actually exploded.
Pop!
Flesh and blood sprayed everywhere from his arms.
The entire wall of the isolation room was splattered with the remnants from Taeseong’s exploded arms.
“……Grrh.”
Taeseong, who rarely even flinched in most situations, let out a painful groan.
It was a pain on a completely different scale than anything he had ever experienced before.
And it was just the beginning.
His arms regenerated with Orochi’s power, only to explode again.
Next, his abdomen, thighs, and legs swelled and exploded one after another.
“……Fuck.”
Taeseong cursed under his breath as he crawled across the floor.
Even as he moved, his entire body continued to repeat the cycle of explosion and regeneration.
The isolation room was completely covered with blood, flesh, and shredded internal organs.
It looked like the inside of some beast’s intestine.
Lying flat on the floor, as if resigned to his fate, Taeseong muttered in a low voice.
“……If it weren’t for my regeneration ability, I would’ve died a long time ago.”
Even at that moment, his head bulged grotesquely and swelled up like a balloon.
Then, pop! It exploded.
As his pinkish brain matter scattered everywhere, Taeseong realized something.
Ah, I can survive even if my head explodes.
As long as he focused his regenerative ability, he could recover even after his skull was blown apart.
How long that would continue, he didn’t know.
But for now, it worked.
There was no helping it.
After all, it was Taeseong’s first time experiencing having his head explode.
About three hours passed like that.
Outside the isolation room, dozens of administrators stood nervously.
When Oh Haeyoung heard the pained groans and explosions from inside, she had hurriedly called for reinforcements.
Among them were Team 4’s leader Taesan and team member Lee Eunha.
Everyone was tense, exchanging worried words.
“What in the world… is happening inside?”
“It sounds like something keeps exploding…”
“I’ve never seen Team Leader Taeseong in such agony before. Should we… should we report this to the higher-ups?”
At that moment—
“Aaaaaargh!”
A loud scream from Taeseong echoed from within the isolation room, accompanied by a powerful explosion.
Everyone froze at the ferocity of the sound.
“……”
“……”
A heavy silence followed, and no more sounds came from within.
Lee Eunha was the first to speak.
“I’ll go in and check.”
Taesan asked in surprise.
“You’ll go in?”
“Yes. We need to see for ourselves what’s happening inside.”
Oh Haeyoung quickly spoke up.
“I’ll go too.”
After a brief hesitation, Taesan said,
“I’ll take the lead. I’m probably the toughest among us.”
The three exchanged glances, and just as Taesan was about to open the door—
Clack!
The door opened.
A haggard-looking Taeseong stumbled out.
Startled, Taesan quickly asked,
“M-Manager Taeseong! Are you alright?”
“……I’m fine.”
After those words, Taeseong walked slowly past the administrators.
Anyone could tell he was utterly exhausted.
Watching his retreating back, Oh Haeyoung suddenly had a thought.
‘Did Team Leader always have that ring on?’
From behind, murmuring voices filled the air.
“Call the cleanup crew, quick!”
“Ugh!”
“What the hell is that…?”
Turning around, she saw that everyone’s gaze was directed toward the inside of the isolation room.
‘What’s gotten them all so worked up?’
Oh Haeyoung also turned her gaze toward the room.
“……”
The isolation room was stained completely red.
Everywhere was filled with blood and flesh.
A nauseating stench, the likes of which she had never experienced before, stung her nose.
Fragments that looked like internal organs and parts of a brain were scattered around.
If there was a hell made from human organs, it would look like this.
“Team Leader…”
Unknown to Oh Haeyoung, Taeseong was heading towards the isolation room where the Eight-Footed Ghost was sealed.
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