Chapter 42

Goooooo-

The pupils didn’t come any closer than that.

The countless stars embroidering the sky formed a circular shape, just lingering there.

But I felt something eerie.

A shiver ran down my spine.

From the movement of those celestial bodies, each radiating a brilliant light, I could only feel the immense pressure that they could destroy this world at any moment.

[Ga Yeo Un-]

I could recognize a semi-transparent barrier blocking the approach of the Milky Way.

“So there were two from the beginning.”

“…Yes. One is to conceal its form, and the other is to block direct interference. But I didn’t expect the second barrier to be revealed already.”

“Then, is that thing unbreakable?”

“Probably. But, as you know, there are many ways to indirectly affect this dimension.”

Even for a god of that level from another dimension, just being nearby is enough…

Belva trailed off.

Amazing.

I marveled at the aftermath of that power and gazed into those eyes.

The eyes were staring back at me.

Among everything in this world, they were clearly making eye contact with me.

Suddenly, I asked Belva why this had happened.

I needed to know why those absurd monsters had suddenly appeared.

Belva responded to my question.

The removal of the barrier protecting the Primitive Dimension was half an error and half a disaster created by coincidence.

“Originally, before a cataclysm, civilizations wouldn’t form. Civilizations are never easily created.”

Dimensions before the cataclysm are safe.

Dinosaurs aren’t smart enough to form civilizations.

If we’re talking about life forms in the Primitive Dimension, it’s natural that they’d be at the level of amoebas or worms, having learned nothing.

But then, I appeared.

With the knowledge and intellect of a modern human.

I even learned to wield Dimension Power to teach the dimension.

The possibility of civilization forming skyrocketed.

Still, there weren’t many intelligent beings, but suddenly, one realized divinity and started creating intelligent beings on its own.

And not just ordinary intelligent beings.

Intelligent beings imbued with divinity.

So now, this land has formed a bizarre environment where neither dinosaurs nor humans, but gods, have gathered to create a civilization.

“Wait, so it’s my fault?”

“Yes.”

“…What about after the cataclysm? Won’t civilizations form then too?”

“But that’s after most of the Dimension Power that those otherworldly gods covet has been depleted.”

“Ah.”

I understood clearly.

“So what now? Do we just fight?”

Honestly, I’m not confident.

No matter how well I fight, the chance of winning doesn’t exceed 10%.

Lately, my growth has stalled, and while I’m not against the idea of just charging in and fighting…

The thought of a pointless death hasn’t left me.

“What did you hear me say! They won’t come over directly! They’ll probably mutate life forms to attack or send their avatars to fight.”

“Ah, really?”

Well, whatever.

I felt all the emotions that had been rising within me subside, leaving me feeling deflated.

“You shouldn’t react so indifferently…”

A yawn escaped me.

There’s nothing more to do now.

If they’re not going to move directly, what’s the difference between them and decorations?

I don’t know.

I stared quietly at the dazzling Milky Way hanging above, then looked down.

*

“Huh?”

After walking for a while, I arrived at the mountain range where the Nine-Tailed Fox was.

As soon as I reached the place with red talismans attached, a strange sensation enveloped and shook my entire body.

I stepped outside again.

And then back in.

It’s different. The feeling is different. I can’t exactly explain what’s different, but…

I stood at the boundary where things change.

Focus.

Closing my eyes and observing the internal flow, I soon realized the difference between inside and outside.

“…The flow of time is different?”

I let out a hollow laugh.

What is this.

At the boundary of time, manipulating magic power felt like my legs were of different lengths, making it hard to move properly.

Dimension Power was the same.

Only Divine Power moved unaffected.

“Impressive. To have already created a civilization of this level.”

Belva also looked around the boundary of time and expressed admiration.

But the content was a bit strange.

What does civilization have to do with this?

“The flow of time in a world changes depending on the level of civilization’s development, scale, and time of birth. Here, the difference between inside and outside is about twice as much? Impressive. Normally, it would take over ten thousand years after a cataclysm for this level of density to form…”

“There’s such a thing?”

Interesting.

Even a cursory glance showed that a civilization beyond primitive tribes had formed.

Probably, while I was gone, that Ogre guy had been actively trading. Maybe I should go take a look.

Thud.

The soil under my bare feet felt slightly elastic.

Steles embedded here and there seemed to weakly protect the entire mountain range.

A strange magic technique.

Not as a metaphor, but literally, it felt like they had learned some kind of magic technique.

Anyway, the mountain range was high and wide.

Giving up on walking, I flew up into the sky and went.

It charged straight towards the highest peak.

There were still higher peaks above what I thought was the highest peak.

What kind of terrain is this?

Anyway, I stopped walking.

Belva was panting like she was about to die.

See, you should exercise more.

She seemed to struggle even moving her wings, stumbling around before finally collapsing on the ground, gasping for breath.

I sat cross-legged on the peak.

It felt like I had become some kind of immortal.

There was a lake nearby.

Feeling the ominous energy emanating from it, I chuckled and dipped my hand in.

“Kyaaah!”

There were many strange creatures I hadn’t seen before.

A fish with a human face.

The human-faced fish flapped wildly in my hand.

When I calmly made eye contact, it looked so defeated and cute that I let it go back into the lake.

What a fascinating place.

This mountain range was filled with creatures you could call monsters.

I swirled the clouds gathering around me and scattered them before climbing higher.

The ground was far below.

“Nine-Tailed Fox, your… dwelling…”

“No one… can enter…!”

After climbing a few more peaks, two dogs suddenly blocked my path halfway up a massive peak.

They strongly smelled of Miho.

I wondered if they were her children, but since they weren’t foxes, they must just be her cherished pets.

This is a bit troublesome.

“Move aside.”

If I kill them, meeting Miho will be awkward.

I quietly reasoned with them, but the dogs just growled and glared at me like they wanted to kill me.

“Since when were lion-sized beasts called dogs?”

“They’re not fully grown yet, so they’re still puppies.”

“……”

I chuckled and rolled my foot.

*Thud*

From where I stepped, a dark divine energy seemed to stretch out, then burst through the ground, spewing a black, slimy substance that surged like a tidal wave towards the dogs, opening its maw.

I’ve worked hard over the past decade.

To control this power that tries to erode my mind and corrupt me, I’ve tried everything.

I’ve secluded myself for training.

I’ve meditated for long periods.

I even tried self-reflection, wondering what kind of enlightenment I needed.

Surprisingly, it worked.

At least now, I can guess the effectiveness of my training by the fact that I’m not tearing these damn mutts apart.

As soon as I bared my fangs, they peed themselves and ran away.

I let them go.

Maybe I’ve gained some composure.

Maybe I’ve lost a lot of my venom.

I’m not sure yet.

I’m worried I might have become too lax.

Finally, I reached the highest peak.

Entering a serene shrine-like place, it was spacious and deep inside.

Runic letters, distorted at will, were scribbled everywhere, somewhat resembling Chinese characters.

Pushing aside the red threads hanging mournfully, I found Miho there.

Inside the cavern, lit by green lanterns.

On a chair carved from stone.

Miho, dressed in robes fit for an emperor, glanced at me with a lazy expression before looking away again.

Then she gave me another sidelong glance.

Like a steel ball drawn to a magnet.

“Pfft.”

I burst out laughing.

She’s sulking.

I could feel resentment, anger, and intense disappointment from Miho.

I guess I’ll have to soothe her later.

By the way, there was someone else there.

A woman, unlike Miho, was looking at me with wary eyes.

Her shining hair, like it was spun from gold and silver, was striking.

With her exceptionally beautiful appearance, I knew who she was at once.

Has she grown so much already?

I waved my hand with a warm heart.

“Long time no see, Sparkle.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the woman jumped up and pointed her finger at me.

“How dare you.”

The words overlapped.

Miho was already glaring at the woman who had pointed at me.

Her vertically slit pupils radiated deep fury.

The woman, looking flustered, turned to Miho.

“…Huh?”

The next moment.

*Crash!*

The woman’s head, grabbed by Miho, smashed through the stone table and slammed into the floor below.