The Heavenly Demon left.
I turned my gaze to the child, who was still staring at their arm with a dazed expression.
The swollen arm, which couldn’t even bend before, had shrunk to less than half its size. No, it hadn’t just shrunk—it had returned to its original state.
To erase the traces left by the former church leader’s daughter, this was the only method. Since the Heavenly Demon would likely know right away if there were any bugs inside, blinding his eyes by transforming the child into a Harvester was the strategy I had chosen.
The former church leader’s daughter had said it was natural for bugs to be inside a human body. Saying that, she immediately took out a medicine to extract the bugs from the body.
Her having the medicine meant that it was common for people in the Heavenly Demon Church to have bugs inside their bodies.
Normally, this would be something to condemn.
But implanting something in the body to monitor and punish defectors is an incredibly efficient method.
When such things become a cultural norm, like it has in the Heavenly Demon Church, resistance fades. In fact, it becomes possible to force others to do it too.
What’s considered “normal” can sometimes be more deadly than poison.
Just like in the world of the faded man, where the government controls people by assigning serial numbers to every adult and recording their unique traits.
People become so accustomed to having their freedom taken that they forget they’ve lost it.
It’s absurd to think logically that one could trust a government agency, yet allow them to strip away your freedom, isn’t it?
The Heavenly Demon Church is the same.
They casually accept the fact that people will die from bugs if they try to escape. And if the bugs are incompatible with their bodies and they die, well, that’s just how it goes.
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This child too, would have been killed, as they didn’t fit the current system.
This child was born in a village controlled by the Heavenly Demon Church. People born here are traditionally educated by the Church before leaving.
Of course, that "tradition" is really just labor exploitation.
When people come here, they receive basic education and then work as maids. They work for about 15 years, and only those who are considered special stay here; the rest return to the village.
Most of the work is physically demanding: washing clothes, cleaning every corner, and serving higher-ranked individuals.
Then, after about two years, they get bugs implanted in their bodies.
But no one thinks it’s strange because it’s just the way things are.
In fact, it’s taught that to be a proper person of the Heavenly Demon Church, one must have bugs inside. It becomes logic that it’s right to freely use someone younger than you, someone who hasn’t had the bug implanted yet, because they’ve endured the pain for two years.
Humans are inclined to repeat the injustices they’ve suffered onto others.
“I can’t be the only one suffering.”
This is the same everywhere.
But this child was unlucky.
After working for two years and rising in rank, the bugs didn’t fit their body. The body swelled up, itching and causing pain everywhere.
But still, they had to work. Otherwise, they would die.
Because one or two children brought into the Heavenly Demon Church are executed as examples.
And they make the children execute them. They stone them, making sure that the victim cannot be buried with the group. If anyone throws too weak a stone, they’re dragged away too.
It’s a highly effective way of driving people crazy.
But it could also be seen as an adaptation process to survive in the Heavenly Demon Church.
The child who adapted to this environment worked desperately. But it was clear their appearance had become horribly damaged.
Though still young, they knew exactly what their fate would be.
And they knew they couldn’t avoid death no matter what.
Just when they had resigned themselves to their inevitable death, they were suddenly dragged away by a terrifying monster.
That’s what this child has been through.
If the bug that had been inside the body of this person from the Heavenly Demon Church suddenly disappears, who would be the first to suspect?
Even if I had affection for this child, would it be this easy?
You shouldn’t be overconfident in front of someone smart. In fact, it might already be too late.
So, praying that I hadn’t been caught, I sat in front of the child.
Now that I knew the child could speak, it was time to do what I needed to.
“My name is Choseol. Please tell me your name.”
It was a greeting.
Of course, I already knew the child’s name, but there’s meaning in saying it aloud, right?
“I’m Soo.”
The faded man’s memory sparkles, like a smile, bringing up a name from some work.
Playing with someone’s name.
I approached the child and grabbed their worn, torn clothes. Then I changed them into new ones. As soon as I changed the clothes, I could feel a faint crack, but it wasn’t large enough to be visibly noticeable.
Now, I need to use this power properly. There are many conditions, and I can’t change the world at will like someone with reality-bending abilities.
But still, it’s better than nothing.
I stood up, and the child quickly began dressing behind me.
“Are you coming?”
“Yes!”
A good response.
I stood by the entrance and waited. When Soo finished putting on the clothes, we walked together.
To the south of where I’m staying, there’s a building belonging to the Heavenly Demon Church. And the ruins I visited yesterday are to the northwest.
To the east, there’s a long cliff, and in front of it, countless pillar-like mountains rise from the ground.
Or rather, to explain the geography, it should be said like this: the north and west are forests, while the east and south are rocky mountains that rise above the water.
So, distant places are hard to see. That’s why the Heavenly Demon Church’s building is likely located in such a place.
I’m thinking of going down under the rocky mountains.
I’m concerned about the fact that I moved by boat after leaving the place where I was summoned.
But I can’t just go straight down. The cliff is too steep. If I head north from here, the slope will ease and I’ll reach a place that touches the water.
The problem is that I have to pass through a forest.
But what’s the worst that could happen?
I walked with Soo.
Perhaps because my body had changed, I was walking faster. I was even hopping around, and it was pretty funny how Soo’s height matched mine just from running.
Choseol is about 12 years old, but in terms of height, they’re similar to an adult woman.
I’m not sure if this is their final height or if they’ll grow more, but it’s odd that a child who’s only eight can jump up to an adult woman’s eye level.
When a child becomes a Harvester, their physical strength increases dramatically.
If this is really a world like the faded man’s, it’s likely a low-tier world. A place where transcendent beings are unreachable, no matter how fast you run.
But after analyzing the memories of the five Harvesters, this world doesn’t seem like that. The terms may just sound like they’re from a Taoist immortal world.
At worst, it might mean they exist in a world where they can’t even perceive us.
But that works in my favor.
Can they handle me?
Can I pour myself into this world and have it hold up?
Or am I strong enough that they can kill me?
Either way works.
If there’s a real world, I’ll definitely meet it.
With such thoughts, I smiled widely and ran around with Soo into the forest. The vegetation wasn’t particularly unique.
In fact, it’s strangely similar.
The plants I saw in the first world, or the ones in the faded man’s memories, aren’t that different.
The leaves are green, the stems are brown. There are differences, but they’re eerily similar.
A vague memory from the faded man arises.
It’s said that if the temperature of a main star is similar, it’s likely to be green. But I hate incomprehensible statements, so I disregard it.
Knowing the words and understanding them are completely different things.
But I would love to see a world where the plants are purple due to dim light, or one where they’re yellowish because it’s too bright.
All 92 worlds are quite similar.
At least, the area where the Harvesters live has no plants.
By the way, when I came here, there were 117 worlds. But after 25 gave me their warmth and disappeared forever, it’s less now.
Anyway, Soo and I arrived at the water’s edge without much danger.
I hadn’t realized it until now, but our house is at an incredibly high altitude. It’s basically like we came down from a mountain—when do we go back up?
I just think of it as my body getting stronger.
I looked at the house and then squatted by the water to observe it.
It’s transparent.
If you look closely, the bottom is clearly visible. There are plants growing there, and fish swimming underneath.
Looking at the warmth, there’s a gigantic creature nearby.
I thought it would be nice if it came closer, so I dipped my finger in the water and licked it.
It’s not salty.
A freshwater lake?
I wondered if it was like Ha Long Bay, where the sea erodes the land and creates a bay inside.
It’s too remote for it to be inland.
While gathering geographical information, Soo approached from behind.
She peeked around and, like me, tried to dip her hand in the water, but I stopped her and then let it go.
It’s good to try things you can.
When I looked at Soo quietly, she looked at me like I was crazy for tasting it.
“If you drink it carelessly, bugs will come inside.”
When I told her the truth, she jumped back with a disgusted expression. But judging from how she trembled, it seems she’s really scared, doesn’t it?
Ah, right.
She had bugs spitting out of her body with lots of blood.
Looking back at the memory, the bugs were called Samshi. But at the time, she was given a tiny pill. That means they were small when they entered.
If she shakes too much, she’ll break, so I grabbed her.
After a long while, she stopped shaking, but she wobbled.
Carrying a child who can’t walk properly through the cliff and to the Heavenly Demon Church building below would be difficult. It’s a burden.
But what can I do?
I grabbed the child and carried them on my back. But strangely, they stuck to me.
The weather itself is cool, but during the day it’s hot and chilly at night, so it’s probably very hot now at midday.
But since she’s a child, it’s understandable.
I went back up.
I hadn’t noticed it on the way down, but it’s quite a burden on my body.
It’s not a steep hill; it’s more like a gradual descent, so maybe that’s why?
I guess it can help me train my body.
Ah, thinking of training, I remembered. Can I use martial arts?
When I go up, I’ll try it out.
I remember all the methods Eunjae used. And luckily, I have a Harvester next to me to experiment with.
I’m lucky.