{What do you see?}
Mirinae’s voice came from behind me.
At their words as they covered my vision with their hand, I hesitated for a moment before opening my mouth.
“I can see...... the void.”
Their fingers blocked most of it, so I couldn’t see everything.
But what I could see through the gaps between those fingers was—
An endless void, in stark contrast to the pure-white space from just a moment ago.
“No, that’s not it.”
And.
Light embedded here and there throughout that void.
“The universe. I can see the universe.”
Black darkness and sparkling light.
I could see the universe.
But.
“It feels like...... a universe that’s a little different from the concept of the universe I knew.”
{Ho...... you could see that far?}
Those stars weren’t the celestial bodies I’d learned about in science class.
It was a slightly bigger concept than that.
Dasmur, Ariant, Dwe Morzan.
And this world I live in, too.......
“One...... gigantic world.”
{Correct.}
The moment I realized that—
A strange sense of wrongness seized me.
“......How was I able to understand this?”
If you only looked with your eyes, it was no different from stars in the universe.
But instinctively, I sensed that it was a different concept from the universe I knew.
{Because you have formed a grade.}
“Pardon?”
And.
The answer to that question came quickly.
{From the position of being trapped in a small world and seeing nothing...... you have become someone who can see a slightly wider world.}
A grade.
What that concept probably meant was—
[By achieving level 40, you have entered the rank of HERO!]
The status window that had appeared before my eyes the moment I hit level 40.
It must be referring to that.
{This is the true appearance of the universe. Countless worlds drift through that void. How does it feel to see it with your own eyes?}
“How does it feel?”
At those words,
I looked back into ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) that darkness again and answered.
“......It’s beautiful.”
{Heh-heh. Isn’t it?}
The night sky I used to look up at in the unit had been beautiful enough.
But compared to this, it didn’t even measure up—colors so vivid, so overflowing with life.
Those countless worlds, and the intense life force each world was giving off,
Were so beautiful I found myself stealing my gaze without thinking.
{It certainly is beautiful. But...... beauty isn’t everything.}
While I was marveling at the sight,
They gripped my head with their hand, moved me somewhere, and spoke.
{Do you see that over there?}
When I focused my eyes at those words,
I saw something in the middle of that vast universe.
‘......?’
A galaxy formed from countless worlds clustered together.
And standing at the center of those galaxies......
A black shape with limbs, large enough to be compared to other galaxies.
“......Is that a person?”
{Hm. I suppose it could look that way.}
I still couldn’t see all of it because of their fingers,
But it vaguely resembled a human body.
{Next, this way. What do you see?}
“It’s hard to see because it’s covered...... but something like a squirming jelly?”
{I don’t know what jelly is, but you saw the squirming part well.}
After that, too,
They turned my head this way and that, showing me the unknown shapes scattered throughout the universe.
Smaller than the first thing I’d seen—
And yet still all kinds of forms, big enough to be compared to a single star.
As I watched them,
An inexplicable fear took hold of me.
‘......Each one of those stars was a world.’
If that was true,
Then those things, big enough to be compared to those stars—
‘Just how...... big are they?’
Mirinae’s fingers were covering my vision.
Staring at those things through the gaps,
My sense of depth collapsed, making it hard to judge their true size.
‘If I moved this, I could probably see properly.’
I raised my hand and grabbed the fingers covering my face.
A cold hand, like that of a cold-blooded animal.
The moment I tried to push those fingers aside and look at them more closely—
{Be careful.}
“......!”
They folded all their fingers.
Completely blocking my vision.
{You must never try to see them in full.}
In the darkened view,
I asked them, not understanding.
“Why can’t I look?”
{The moment you see them.}
They said, releasing the hand that had been holding my head.
And then—
{They will be able to see you, too.}
FWAAASH!
The universe overhead vanished in an instant,
And I was sitting alone again in the pavilion in that white space.
{When you saw them, what did you think?}
“......I thought they were too big. To a ridiculous extent.”
{Good.}
Not just one star—
A size comparable to a galaxy made of stars.
{If things that large take an interest in you?}
If even by some chance they took an interest in me,
In this world—
Like a human taking an interest in an ant they happened to find.
......Like stepping on it and walking past without any particular malice.
{This weak world, with no proper protector, would collapse all too easily.}
“.......”
Thinking that,
A strange fear took over my body.
{I think you understand. That is why you must never look at them properly. Even if you do see them.}
They spread and folded their fingers as they spoke,
Smiling softly—the woman in the pavilion.
{You must cover your eyes with your hand, and peek through your fingers.}
At their words,
I asked in a trembling voice.
“......What are they?”
{Outside beings.}
“What even are outside beings?”
{The names people call them are far too varied.}
They said they were trying to protect me from them.
{Gods, transcendent beings, great ones...... in my case, I call them like this for now.}
They sat properly,
And the woman spoke with a serious expression.
{Immortals...... that is what I call them.}
“.......”
*****
So great that,
They were not trapped inside a single world, and could turn their gaze even to the outside.
Those who could be seen from other worlds,
And could also see other worlds.......
Gods, transcendent beings, great ones, immortals.
“You said you’re protecting me from them.”
{Yes.}
I asked Mirinae—who had now turned into a pot-bellied middle-aged man.
“If you can protect me from beings like that, does that mean you’re a similar kind of being?”
{Halfway. I’m only at the level of barely getting a foot in, though.}
I tilted my head and asked,
“But you found me before them and brought me here, didn’t you? Among them, you’d have to be in an incredible position for that to—”
{That’s only possible because I’m closer to you than they are. Normally, it would be impossible.}
......Closer?
I found it a bit odd, but
They didn’t seem to have any intention of telling me their identity.
So I threw out my next question.
“Are gods not beings that belong to a single world?”
The first thing that came to mind was what I’d witnessed before.
“The gods I’ve seen so far...... lived inside their own worlds, ruling them.”
[Morzan], or [Dasmur].
They remained in the worlds that bore their names.
{They are [inside beings].}
“[Inside beings]?”
{The essence is the same as immortals. But what matters is the difference between being inside and being outside.}
The pot-bellied middle-aged man spoke as they stared into the inside of the teacup in their hand.
{Those who are inside can be frightening, too, but there is no need to worry too much. It is rare for them to interfere with other worlds.}
“Then—”
{The problem is the ones I showed you just now. The ones in [Outside].}
They flipped the teacup in their hand over.
{Outside beings are like this.}
SPLAAAASH—
The liquid that had been in the cup spread out indiscriminately.
{They do not remain in one world, and instead spread their power in every direction.}
“.......”
{There are many reasons they ended up outside. Some grew so large that they became bigger than their world...... some left of their own accord, disappointed in their world. Or.......}
CRACK.
The middle-aged man smashed the teacup that had been emptied of tea.
{It could be that their world perished, and they were left with nowhere to go.}
“.......”
The world where those [Belsnickel] had stayed.
They said the original owner of that place was a god named Ariant.
When that land was consumed by winter at the hands of [Belsnickel], they had grown disillusioned and left the world.
{But...... Outside is an unbearably cold and lonely space. That is why outside beings want to enter [Inside].}
They said those beings had no world.
But if they wanted to go inside—
“Does that mean they’re targeting other worlds?”
{Usually, it is not easy. Invading a world with a protector is not an easy thing even for the strongest immortal. But rarely, there are exceptions.}
With a small smirk,
The middle-aged man pointed at me.
{Land where no protector exists...... like this world where you were born.}
“......!”
{When the wall broke, the existence of this world became known. And that it has no protector to defend it. Even so, there was an unknown force that sheltered this world...... but that shelter has now vanished from this land.}
“So that means—”
{Outside eyes will gather on this world...... and among it, on this land. And what will likely catch their eyes first is you. Because you are the only one in this land who has formed a grade.}
At those words,
I frowned and said,
“Catching the eye of beings like that can’t be a good thing.”
{Mm? Well.}
But then.
At my words, they scratched their chin and said,
{That depends on perspective.}
“Pardon?”
{If you want to be strict about it, you could say there are pros and cons. In ordinary cases, for the person themselves, it would only be pros.}
......?
What did that mean?
{They want to enter this world, but that is not an easy thing either.}
“That’s—”
{The reason they would take interest in you is because of that. In order to descend into this world...... they need a medium through which to interfere with it. The only ones who can accept the full power of beings like that are those who have formed a grade. And those who have formed a grade are rare. If you cooperate with them...... they will pay the price properly.}
When I gave them a doubtful look,
They spoke with a playful smile.
{If you decide to cooperate with them, they will probably...... give you tremendous power.}
“......!”
{Power so great there would be no one who could oppose you in this small world. If you want it, you would no longer need to fear inevitable death.}
Inevitable death.
......The kind of power that would make even the death I had feared so much no longer frightening.
That power.
{That is what it means...... to take an immortal’s power.}
*****
Those outside beings.
I’d thought of them only as enemies because of the fear their appearance inspired.
‘But maybe not?’
Not beings that attack me or torment me,
But beings closer to those who would pay a price and hire me.
And that price was supposedly quite generous.
‘Power strong enough to stop worrying about death.’
That was,
Also what I’d wanted most.
For that, I had rolled around in this world like a dog, building power.
‘If I could get it all at once.......’
Then.
It wasn’t a bad story for me at all.
Just like they said.
Only pros for me.......
“......Then isn’t there no con?”
They clearly said there were pros and cons.
But if it was only pros for me, then—
“What’s the con, then?”
{Immortals will use you to interfere with this world. And immortals each carry their own divine name.}
“Divine name?”
Something came to mind at those words.
[Lord of the Endless Sea - Dasmur]
[Lord of Great Demonic Arts - Morzan]
The divinities I had witnessed.
Their names had things like that attached.
{A divine name is the name that represents an immortal’s very existence. For them to interfere with this land means that name settles upon this land.}
When they spread their hand,
The garden that had been built inside the white space—
{If you contract with an immortal whose name is death...... like this.}
That garden that had seemed beautiful,
Was stained into desolation.
{Death will spread through the world.}
“......!”
{Conversely, if there is an immortal of vegetation.}
With another sweep of their hand,
The desolate, dried land—
Bursting through that cracked ground—
RRRRRUMBLE.......
Trees so huge they looked like they could pierce the sky,
Filled the surroundings densely.
{The world will be covered in enormous vegetation.}
“.......”
Those towering trees packed the space so tightly that not even a single insect could pass between them.
Compared to death, it might be relatively better,
But even this was not normal.
‘Too extreme.......’
I recalled the scenery of Dasmur I’d seen.
A world covered in an endless sea, with no land at all.
Divinities—
Were existences extremely skewed toward their names.
‘Ah.’
Only then did I understand what they meant.
There are pros and cons.
But there are only pros for me.
“For an immortal to interfere with another world means this.”
Which meant—
“That world is no longer...... the world it used to be.”
All the cons,
Were carried by this world.
*****
“.......”
If, truly, as they said,
Those beings outside gave me that power,
I might rise to a position where I wouldn’t have to worry about dying in this world.
‘But the price?’
The one paying it wouldn’t be me.
It would be this world.
The world I lived in would pay it by becoming a different world.
If I had to put it bluntly,
The moment I contracted with an outside being, this world would undergo an impossibly wide [dungeonification].
Up until now, I had been stopping that kind of dungeonification.
‘But that was because I couldn’t live in that environment.’
If I accepted the power of that divinity,
Even in a changed world, I would be able to live just fine.
‘Is that...... okay?’
Selling off this world,
Doing something no different from guaranteeing my survival.
For my survival,
Was it acceptable to change this world into something else?
{What will you do?}
As I sank into those worries,
A woman who looked slightly younger than me appeared and spoke.
{Right now, I am hiding you here...... but if you want, I can remove this curtain at any time.}
“......?”
{Then the outside beings will immediately find you and approach. You can simply choose the one you want among them and take their power.}
They smiled softly and said,
{With powerful strength, you bear no responsibility. Immortals are generous to their apostles to begin with. And an apostle who will hand over a honey-sweet world like this whole...... any immortal will treat you well. You could enjoy boundless glory under an immortal’s command.}
“......There’s no such thing as power without a price.”
{If you are not the one paying that price, is there any need to care?}
......Sure.
If I wasn’t the one paying, there would be no need to care.
{Say the word whenever you like. As you said, I am favorably disposed toward you...... so if you want a contract with them.}
“I’ve decided.”
{Ho?}
I had a lot to think about, but—
“That contract.”
After hearing what they said,
I’d finally made up my mind.
“I won’t do it.”
“......Hm?”
That kind of contract—
I wasn’t doing it.
*****
{......Why?}
At my answer,
The woman in front of me widened their eyes in surprise.
It was the biggest change in expression I’d seen since meeting them in this space.
{If you take their power, you can survive comfortably without paying any price. Why take this easy path and—}
“Mm. If I were the one paying the price, I might’ve thought harder about it.”
Then it would be a fair trade.
Nothing to feel uneasy about.
But—
“Making someone else pay it is kind of messed up, isn’t it?”
That’s—
Something only a punk would do.
{What a ridiculous thing to say.}
They spoke with an expression that still couldn’t believe it.
{I remember the tension you felt when you met me.}
“.......”
{That tension came from fear of death. You were afraid I might be a being that could harm you...... and that fear leaked out on the surface.}
Ahem.
It wasn’t exactly wrong.
In crude terms, when I first got dragged into this space, I’d been scared shitless.
{You are not the kind of being who can be so detached that you overcome fear of death. Rather...... you are someone more bound to that fear than most.}
“It’s kind of embarrassing to hear, but yeah. That’s true.”
{Then why would you throw away the chance to overcome that fear?}
“......No, I mean, sure. It doesn’t sound bad.”
At their question,
I scratched my cheek and said,
“But with that method, I’m the only one who survives, aren’t I?”
{......?}
I’d been through dungeonification more than once.
In an environment changed into something like a completely different world, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to survive at all.
‘Even if I make that contract, it’ll probably be the same.’
If this world changes into something extreme,
Most of the people living on this land won’t be able to adapt.
“Sure, it’d be nice for me if I could escape death.”
But in the end, that’s only one person escaping.
And I—
I’m absolutely a cowardly bastard who’s terrified of dying,
But—
“If we’re going to live anyway, it’s better to live together, right?”
{.......}
It wasn’t only my death that I feared.
{For such a trivial reason?}
“That’s a weird way to put it. It’s a big deal to me.”
{There is an easier path...... and you mean you will avoid it and take the harder one?}
“When you say ‘easy path,’ it sounds nice.”
Sitting up straight,
I stared at them and said firmly,
“But an easy path isn’t always the right path.”
{.......}
Their expression looked like they couldn’t understand me at all.
Just as they were about to say something more—
“From the start, why are you doing this?”
{......What are you talking about?}
“I don’t know why, but you can stop now.”
They’re clearly favorable toward me.
So maybe they were recommending a path that would benefit me—
A contract with those outside beings.
“But you.......”
Still.
“You want me to refuse, don’t you?”
{.......}
At my words,
They stared blankly for a moment.
{Hah...... hahahaha.......}
Then they smiled and said,
{Indeed—there isn’t a trace of talent I can feel.......}
And then—
CRUNCH!
{But you’re sharp, kid.}
They reached out a hand—
And pierced straight through my body.
