Chapter 64
Edel, who had arrived on Earth through an open path between dimensions, already knew there were numerous gods and equally diverse worlds.
However, when she first laid eyes on Earth, she couldn’t help but be amazed.
This world was utterly different from Silia, the world she had created.
It wasn’t that she felt any inferiority.
She was just astonished by how vastly different two worlds could be.
Receiving help from Earth’s god, Edel quickly adapted to Earth’s ways.
What would take humans hundreds or thousands of years to master, didn’t require much time for her.
Once she felt she had learned enough, Edel had a thought.
“This… might be tough.”
Earth’s weapons were powerful, no doubt.
But she had her doubts about whether they would be effective against Dimensional Creatures.
Even if there were bombs capable of turning an entire region into a sea of fire, dropping them in cities filled with people wasn’t an option.
Even if, at most, such actions were permissible once or twice, repeatedly doing so every time a Dimensional Creature appeared would result in humanity’s extinction long before the creatures were eradicated.
What could be more foolish than using methods to protect the world that would ultimately destroy it?
Even if that wasn’t the case, Earth’s weapons weren’t enough to fundamentally stop the invasion of Dimensional Creatures.
What could she do?
As she pondered, something caught Edel’s eye.
Games.
Specifically, virtual reality games where people enjoyed exploring and fighting in fictional worlds.
At that moment, it felt like a lightning bolt struck her mind.
“By lowering the dimension and turning it into a game, I could have Earth’s humans kill the Dimensional Creatures.”
She planned to weaken the Dimensional Creatures by having the players kill them.
Of course, the ones the players would be able to kill would be weak, like minnows or small fish in the grand scheme of things. But it might at least buy some time.
With the approval of Earth’s god, Edel immediately set to work.
First, she exploited the power of the Dimensional Creatures to create isolated, virtual dimensions cut off from the world of Silia. She called these “virtual dimensions.”
Whatever happened in these virtual dimensions had no impact on the original dimension.
No matter how powerful a monster was slain, or how many people from Silia’s world died,
Once the virtual dimension disappeared, it was as though none of it had ever happened.
The creatures, although they appeared to move as if they were living beings, were merely shadowless echoes mimicking the behavior of their originals.
This system became known as the “Instance Dungeon.”
The virtual dimension was, as the name suggested, a false one.
However, if absolutely nothing remained after, the players wouldn’t find it enjoyable, so she ensured they could retain the items and experience gained inside.
Channels, too, were another system she devised using dimensional isolation, much like the Instance Dungeons.
Edel had two main reasons for creating these channels.
One was to prevent overcrowding from ruining the players’ enjoyment.
The other was to deal a greater blow to the Dimensional Creatures.
Normally, what occurred in virtual dimensions had no effect on the original dimension.
However, Dimensional Creatures, being creatures attuned to dimensions, were harmed even in their true forms when something happened to them in the virtual dimensions.
Instance Dungeons, channels, growth systems, job classes…
After creating all the systems necessary for the game, Edel reviewed everything she had made and sighed.
“…Indeed.”
She didn’t believe that this alone would be enough to defeat the Dimensional Creatures.
She only hoped it would buy enough time.
Until the sword she had her eyes on was sharpened to its finest edge.
“…And that’s how it happened.”
Edel’s words signaled the end of the long story.
To think she spoke for that long without even drinking a sip of water.
As expected, a god is a god.
“…I appreciate you acknowledging it, but don’t you think the point is a bit off?”
Edel, who had been staring at me in disbelief, now spoke in a quieter tone than before.
“It’s not that I don’t care about the lives of my children. They’re my creations, so of course, I cherish them. That’s why I set up multiple safeguards… but it wasn’t enough to stop everything.”
“At the end of the day, it’s just a game to them.”
“But if I hadn’t done it this way, even more lives would’ve been lost.”
Far more lives than those claimed by the incidents caused by Earthlings.
“Was there no other way? Like giving them temporary bodies like the Apostles, or restricting the players to a sub-dimension instead of the primary one?”
“Do you think I didn’t consider that?”
Edel defended herself, explaining that given how much had already been eroded, this was the best solution she could come up with.
“Anyway… even though I created that sub-dimension, there is one soul I couldn’t copy into it. Because this soul endured crossing the dimensional walls and withstood the vortex, it developed a resistance to most dimensional pressures, making it impossible to duplicate.”
You don’t need me to say who that soul is, right?
I nodded at her question that wasn’t really a question.
I wasn’t foolish enough to not understand.
“So, what you’re saying is, this dimension we’re in is the primary dimension.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“…Got it. Then is the reason I find the Apostles strange compared to others also because of my soul?”
“You could say that. Of course, the level you’ve attained also plays a role, but you wouldn’t have reached that level without the uniqueness of your soul. Still, I never imagined it would be strong enough to bypass the filtering, so it really surprised me.”
“Filtering, huh…”
So that’s how it was.
I had always found it odd that no one reacted to Da-eun’s monologues.
It wasn’t that they weren’t reacting — they couldn’t react.
They couldn’t hear her, and they couldn’t even perceive that she was speaking. Of course, they couldn’t respond.
“Can I eliminate the filtering if I raise my level even higher?”
“You can’t completely eliminate it, but you can reduce its impact. Actually, those at a level similar to yours should already be sensing something off.”
A level similar to mine…
Several faces flashed through my mind at those words.
Among the faces that appeared and disappeared in rapid succession, there was one that lingered longer than the rest.
‘….’
My face twisted into a scowl.
Suddenly feeling unpleasant, I quickly shifted the topic to erase the face from my mind.
“So, if we don’t stop the Dimensional Creatures, even Earth will be in danger, right?”
“Why? Now that the people you care about are at risk, are you feeling more motivated?”
“…That’s not it.”
I muttered defensively, just like Edel had earlier.
It’s not like I had a choice. If we don’t stop them, we’ll all die.
That’s all there is to it.
“When was it that you acted like you didn’t care if you died?”
“…Shut up.”
Edel chuckled softly as I frowned and, in a teasing voice, she said:
“‘I promised I wouldn’t leave’–”
“…?!”
Whoosh!
I lunged at Edel and covered her mouth. Through my small hand, which couldn’t completely hide her lips, I could still see the corners of her mouth curl up in a smug grin.
“H-How, how do you know that…?”
“What do you mean, ‘how’?”
“How do you know about that…?!”
“Oh, that?”
Edel shrugged, completely at ease, unlike my frazzled state.
“My power is weaker now, so I can’t see everything, but I can still observe things happening within the Holy Nation. This is my home turf, after all; I should at least be able to do that, right?”
“…”
“Oh, are you embarrassed? Haha…! Don’t worry. It was such a touching scene that even I got a bit teary-eyed!”
“…Forget it.”
“Hm? What was that?”
“I said forget it!!”
…Why is she watching something like that?!
I grabbed Edel by the shoulders and shook her vigorously. But even as I did, she didn’t resist the rough shaking and simply let her body sway with the motion, laughing lazily.
***
The soft moonlight and a young girl.
Normally, Da-eun would have been entranced by such a dreamy sight, staring in awe. But right now, she couldn’t afford that luxury.
She could feel that this moment was crucial in determining her connection with Kana.
Da-eun looked straight at Kana.
Kana looked straight back at Da-eun.
In what felt like an eternity, the girl’s lips slowly parted.
“…My dad was my whole world.”
A younger body, a different gender, an unfamiliar world. For Kana, everything had changed in an instant.
But Kana wasn’t given the luxury of time to adjust.
Her parents saw her not as a person, but as a tool to make money, so of course, she never received the love or care that children are supposed to have.
And even after her parents died, nothing improved for Kana.
Sure, no one was there to exploit her anymore, but survival was still a daily struggle.
If she showed her discomfort after being hit by punches and kicks, even more violence would follow.
If she showed joy when something good happened, wolves would descend upon her.
Under such circumstances, it was only natural that Kana’s personality hardened.
She learned to bury her emotions deep within, to kill them, in order to survive.
The confusion brought by her younger body, her altered gender, and the new world she found herself in was something she shoved into the farthest corners of her heart.
But then, someone reached out a hand to her for the first time.
Warm words she had never heard before, warmth she had never felt before.
There was no need to explain how much comfort they gave to the small girl.
“I knew that Dad wasn’t in good health.”
She had known, yet she still hoped.
She had hoped that, like a miracle, he would recover and live a long life with her.
But Kana’s hopes were cruelly shattered.
As Garid’s health deteriorated day by day, he eventually left Kana behind.
The little bird was left all alone, without her nest.
“…I have nothing left.”
After all, she was nothing but an impurity.
Every time she looked around and saw no one like her, Kana painfully realized that she didn’t truly belong to this world.
If that was the case, then she would rather leave no regrets.
She had no intention of getting involved with anyone and planned to remain by Garid’s side until her end.
“…That’s what I thought.”
Why do you keep coming closer?
A single tear fell from the girl’s eyes.
Her face was expressionless, completely still, but that made her look even more pitiful.
Da-eun, who had been silently listening to Kana’s words, reached into her coat.
When her hand emerged, it held a single flower.
“…?”
Da-eun approached Kana and carefully tucked the flower into her hair.
She then smiled softly at Kana, who was staring up at her with teary, confused eyes.
“Yep. It suits you well.”
To think that such a pretty girl didn’t dress up—it was practically a global loss.
Satisfied, Da-eun nodded approvingly.
“You asked why I keep approaching you, didn’t you?”
The answer was simple.
Because Da-eun liked her and wanted to be friends.
She wanted to look after her like a little sister.
But even before that—
“Because that’s what you wanted, Kana.”
“…I wanted that?”
“Yeah.”
In front of Da-eun now was not an enemy of the Empire, not the swordswoman who could cut down dozens of knights with a single strike, not even the fearsome raid boss.
Just a poor child who didn’t even understand her own emotions.
—
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