Chapter 51

[Kid. We’ve been through times when just surviving was a blessing. Your life is a blessing. Be grateful for your life.]

What kind of crazy talk is that?

Stars grow by absorbing other stars?

That’s already ridiculous, but the real kicker is the method.

“How is that even possible?”

“From what I heard, some region in this world acts as a ‘mouth’ that devours other worlds, and in that region, something like a tongue or a palate acts like a straw… Yeah, that’s right. It sucks in other worlds like a straw…”

Wow, that’s something.

I started to get a rough mental image.

This world, perhaps because no great cataclysm has occurred, hasn’t split into many dimensions and remains compressed as a single world.

It’s ridiculously huge.

Even if I were to dedicate myself to exploration, I’d never be able to see it all.

Without the Watcher’s power, no matter how fast you are, it doesn’t matter.

It’s impossible to even make a full circle.

Even if a region on that star started devouring tiny stars from other dimensions, how would I ever know?

No, actually, I did notice something strange.

That guy who used to cause incidents almost daily has been unusually quiet lately.

That’s more suspicious.

I kicked the ground and said,

“Hey, you. If you were up to something like that, you should’ve said something.”

From what I just heard, it means you’ve been jumping dimensions and absorbing stars.

Then you should’ve told me.

You know how much I struggled to figure out that method, yet you kept your mouth shut and just gobbled it all up yourself. That’s really annoying.

No wonder all these weirdos have been popping up lately.

*Thud*

At that moment, a dark red spike suddenly shot up from the ground, aiming for my head.

I turned my head to dodge it, and the spike kept growing longer before plunging back into the ground, piercing a fallen Watcher and dragging it underground.

Huh. Well, that’s something…

Anyway, with corpses lying around like this, there’s no way to stop the absorption.

I ignored it and surveyed the battlefield.

Not just Watchers, but a lot of others are dead too.

Every step I take, there’s a corpse.

Not just gods from Olympus, but gods from other mythologies seem to have gathered here, lying in all sorts of forms.

Then, I noticed a god with deep blue skin approaching me, extending one of his four arms for a handshake.

“God among gods, I have long awaited the chance to meet you.”

What’s this, all of a sudden?

“Uh, yeah…”

He was even smiling.

This is quite awkward.

I shook his hand, but it’s too much for a first meeting.

Seems like he has some internal familiarity with me.

Behind him, a mandala floated, and a blood-dripping chakram was in his hand as he introduced himself.

“I am Vishnu, tasked with the humble duty of managing the eternal flow of rivers. I live along the riverbanks, so if you have time, please visit.”

With that, he turned and disappeared, each step leaving a trail of divine lotus flowers blooming and fading.

I was a bit stunned.

I didn’t even know who he was, but from what I could tell, he was among the strongest gods I’ve ever met.

Not just strong, but three different personalities were housed in one body.

Looks like they’ll split soon.

Anyway, someone being that friendly is really uncomfortable.

I stood there in a daze, then wandered around the battlefield, collecting the sacred artifacts the Watchers had.

A sword with inscriptions. A golden scale. A golden horn.

If this were Earth, I could’ve sold them for a fortune. I chuckled at the thought.

I handed them over, and Belva took them with a tense expression.

“What exactly do they do?”

She made a big deal about the sacred artifacts, but even with three of them, she couldn’t beat me.

All I know is the sword has a regeneration-blocking effect.

Beyond that, I have no idea.

It’s unclear if the barrier disappearing and the finger-like thing pressing down on me was even the artifact’s effect.

Belva explained, holding up the scale.

This artifact manifests a part of the Seraphim through a designated target.

The stronger the target, the stronger the attack.

…Seraphim?

“That, the first-class angel?”

“Correct.”

Huh.

So, that attack that sealed my divine power and did all sorts of crazy things was just one finger of a Seraphim?

Wait, does that mean I’m only worth one finger right now?

“Even seeing the faint shape of a finger is unbelievable.”

Belva nodded as if it were obvious.

“As you’ve heard before, angels above the product class are more like concepts than living beings. Especially Seraphim, who have spent immeasurable time guarding and destroying dimensions according to God’s will. The fact that you saw through their light and confirmed their true form is actually more amazing to me.”

“That much?”

“Yes, that much.”

For some reason, I looked up at the sky.

That black void was deep and far.

Would a group with that much power really give up and abandon this place after just one failure?

Maybe. If I’m really lucky.

Alright then.

If something so busy happens that I don’t even care about a dimension that hasn’t been around for long, I might even forget about it.

But, as Noah said, if this dimension is attacking other dimensions…

I feel like I’d clean up that dimension quickly if it were me.

It’s a moment where thoughts start piling up.

I asked Belva again.

I asked if there were any restrictions on those so-called “Product Angels” coming to this dimension.

“There are.”

Phew. I’m saved.

“Originally, since they’ve fallen out with the Sanctuary, there shouldn’t be any restrictions… but here, there’s me, Noah, and Yeona, who also has divine power, right? Even if it’s corrupted, the barrier is fundamentally made of divine power. They can’t just waltz in.”

Though, like a guild, they could come through a portal or something.

But for a Product Angel to use a portal, they’d have to lower their rank by four levels and create a physical body to come here.

They wouldn’t go through such a hassle, so theoretically, this dimension is safe.

…Now I’m worried. Damn it.

I have a feeling something like that might happen soon.

Let’s stop worrying for now.

There’s a lot to do.

Leaving the gods roaring in the middle of the battlefield, celebrating their victory, I moved to that place first.

To the area called the “entrance” of this dimension.

*

“Even now, if we turn back…”

“Why?”

“What if we get eaten…?”

The whole world is purple.

There are thousands, tens of thousands, or even more sinkhole-like holes, and the bottom is so deep you can’t even guess how far down it goes.

The creepy sound of something growling and scraping from below is quite impressive.

What is this, a theme park?

This is ridiculous.

Noah, even if I told her to come down, stubbornly refuses and is flying just 5 centimeters above the ground.

Looking at the chaotic purple zone, Belva frowned.

“This feels bad. There’s too much divine power clumped together, it’s all mixed up. It seems like Dimension Power from other dimensions is mixed in too. There’s no order, it’s so chaotic, it looks like a garbage dump.”

A sharp evaluation muttered in a low voice.

I agree.

Coming here, I also feel really uncomfortable.

The reason I feel bad is partly because of the nature of this zone, but also because I have no choice but to go down into the hole.

After all, I need to figure something out.

“…You’re lying, right? This is a joke, right?”

Hearing my words, Noah denied reality and laughed nervously.

My hand was already gripping the back of her neck.

Her face turned pale in an instant.

“Really, down there…”

“We have to go.”

“W-Wait, just a second! This is suspicious! It’s obvious we shouldn’t go in, it’s practically screaming at us!”

As she said that, Noah looked at Belva with teary eyes.

But Belva already had a resigned expression, ready to go in.

“Noah.”

She even had a faint smile.

“Sometimes, I miss the old days too…”

“……”

“Everyone ready?”

I tightly grabbed Noah and Belva under my arms.

Faced with the impending terror, Noah instinctively struggled and twisted her body.

“Senpai! This isn’t right! This really isn’t right!”

Ignoring her, I took another step forward.

“Hey… I, I want to go back. I’ll return the money, the jewels, everything. I’ll give it all back…”

Noah, being smaller than Belva, fits snugly.

No matter how much she struggles, it doesn’t matter.

“Save me, please…”

“You won’t die.”

“Eeeek!”

To quiet her down, I tossed Noah forward and then caught her again.

Works like a charm. She immediately shut her mouth.

Anyway, we’re right in front now.

A dark hole where a low, massive wailing sound is echoing loudly.

Even if I spread my senses inside, they’re quickly swallowed and disappear in the tangled mess of energies.

We have no choice but to go in.

“Close your eyes, cover your ears. Just in case.”

Even though we’re protected by divine power, this is a place where anything could happen.

The hole is waiting for me arrogantly, as if daring me to enter.

Oh, look at this.

You think you’re tough, huh?

“…Let’s go in.”

With a grin, I threw myself down.

[Come.]

A thick, fog-like whisper echoed in my ears.

[Come in, you crazy human.]