The Reptilian's Calculations
"Help me out here, Makerberg! …………… “First, let me ask you one question,” Makerberg said.
“Aren’t you a being from an external universe?”
“……Pardon?”
For a moment, I couldn’t make sense of what he was saying.
“I’m not sure what you mean…… I’m just an ordinary Korean guy. External universe……?”
“I suppose some prior explanation is in order.” Makerberg opened his mouth to speak.
“My species possesses a causality calculator.”
“Causality……calculator?”
“That’s right. It’s a device that traces the causes and effects of all events and predicts possible futures. It’s not perfect, but it boasts a high degree of accuracy.”
It predicts the future with high probability?
I thought it sounded absurd, but upon reflection, it wasn’t entirely implausible. Modern Earth science already uses big data to forecast weather or stock prices. And in this world’s Earth, they even predict Dimensional Gate outbreaks. The reptilians’ causality calculator was probably based on similar principles—just far more advanced. Like the difference between coal power and nuclear fusion.
“So you analyzed me with that calculator?”
“Precisely.” Makerberg nodded.
“But the causality calculator’s analysis was completely wrong. According to its calculations, you shouldn’t be alive at this point in time.”
“……What do you mean?”
“You were supposed to have been killed by Kang Haneul. Or by Baek Sehee.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“Our calculations indicate that you were inevitably destined for ruin in your relationships with Kang Haneul or Baek Sehee. As a result, the one who killed you would fight the other to the death, and one would die. The survivor would also suffer a fatal wound.”
“That’s……what……”
“Yet here you are, alive. And not just that—you’re entangled with both EX-rank Awakeners, Kang Haneul and Baek Sehee, at the same time.”
Makerberg’s vertically slit pupils bored into me.
“Even stranger is your behavioral pattern.”
“Behavioral pattern……?”
“For instance, you’re working formally as Baek Sehee’s manager. But the calculator predicted a 97% chance that you’d slack off and get lost in games instead.”
My heart sank.
“You also forgave Kang Haneul. The calculator gave an 88% probability that you’d flee without even meeting her eyes.”
“How could you possibly……”
How does he know that? No, it made sense. He’d said the causality calculator traces the past to compute the present and future. It might not know the exact details as if it had watched firsthand, but it could grasp the broad strokes.
And I knew why the calculator’s predictions about me had all been wrong. It was obvious, really.
I wasn’t the original Moon Yujin.
I’d died in the worlds of Choi Seori, Kim Bom, and Catalina, and I’d learned something from those experiences. I’d developed a sort of instinct for what choices led to ruin. No matter how advanced the reptilians’ causality calculator was, it couldn’t predict actions based on memories and experiences from previous worlds.
“All these deviations mean that you, as a variable, have exceeded our predictive range,” Makerberg said.
“It’s clear evidence of intervention from an external universe. And you are at the center of that intervention.”
“Intervention from an……external universe?”
“Yes. A force acting from outside this universe’s causality. It’s influencing you. You are the conduit for that intervention.”
My heart pounded.
No way……
Something flashed in my mind.
The Family Goddess, the Victory Goddess, the Love Goddess. The ones who’d inflicted trials on me, who’d possessed me into Moon Yujin’s body. In Zerk Makerberg’s terms, that was undeniably intervention from an external universe.
I didn’t know where those three goddesses lived, but they were certainly beings from outside this world.
“……….”
I’d been caught. That’s how it felt.
Makerberg knew exactly. That I……wasn’t the original Moon Yujin. That I was under the influence of something that didn’t belong in this world.
“You’re not answering,” Makerberg said. “Silence is a form of answer.”
“If……your reasoning is correct.” I cleared my throat and asked, “Makerberg, what would you do?”
Makerberg fell silent, not responding. His vertical pupils observed me.
“What is your purpose here in this universe?”
“……Purpose?”
“Conquest? Or exploration?”
Conquest, exploration. Ridiculous words.
I’d simply been possessed into the worlds of Choi Seori, Kim Bom, Catalina, Kang Haneul, and Baek Sehee. It hadn’t been my choice, and I certainly hadn’t wanted it.
But Makerberg was serious. I couldn’t read his expression, but probably.
How should I respond?
Zerk Makerberg was a reptilian. An alien reptilian race invading Earth. Telling such a being the full truth didn’t seem wise.
“I……” I took a deep breath.
“I was brought here by the power of transcendent beings.”
Makerberg’s vertical pupils dilated slightly. No emotions were readable, but he was clearly interested.
“I can only return after passing their trials.”
“Trials.” Makerberg repeated the word.
A brief silence followed.
“I understand,” he nodded. “In that case, my species hopes you return to your original universe.”
“……You want me to go back?”
“Intervention from an external universe disrupts causality. It renders our calculations meaningless. As long as you exist here, all our computations will carry an irreparable margin of error.”
Makerberg’s voice remained emotionless. That made it all the creepier.
“What is the method for your return to your original universe?”
This……
My mind raced. This was a trap.
There were only two ways back to the cafe where the three goddesses waited: die, or pass the trials.
What if I said, “I go back if I die”? He might kill me right here. It would be the simplest, most certain method.
He was an alien race invading Earth. The life of one human would mean nothing to him.
I have to mention only passing the trials.
I swallowed hard.
“I can only……return after passing the trials of the transcendent beings.”
“What is the nature of these trials?”
“……Love.”
“Love?”
“I have to love……and reach a normal, happy ending.”
Makerberg tilted his head. It mimicked a human gesture, but it still felt off somehow. Still, it was the first reaction I’d seen from him. Until now, he’d been utterly expressionless and emotionless, but this was a subtle sign of puzzlement.
“What is the definition of ‘normal’?”
“Well……”
It was a tough question to answer.
“The beings who gave you this trial seem to have assigned quite a philosophical task.”
……Tell me about it.
I decided to sum it up as simply as possible.
“For now……I think living happily with Baek Sehee would do it.”
“Baek Sehee.”
“……Or Kang Haneul, maybe.”
Makerberg fell silent for a moment. His expressionless face looked down at me.
Soon, he nodded again.
“Understood. To summarize: you must share a happy love with Baek Sehee or Kang Haneul……likely over a long period……to return to your original universe. Is that correct?”
“……Yes.”
“In that case, I have a proposal.”
Makerberg extended his hand. The hand disguised as an Association staff member’s reached out toward me.
“I will show you the truth. And I will help you return to your original universe.”
……What?
It was an unexpected offer. A reptilian helping me? An alien race invading Earth?
“Take my hand.”
Makerberg’s hand remained extended before me.
Can I……trust this?
Doubt crept in. Reptilians had attacked humanity. Monsters bursting through Dimensional Gates, destroying streets. Would they really help me?
They were enemies of humanity anyway.
Makerberg’s vertical pupils scanned me observantly.
“You’re suspicious.”
“…….”
“A rational response.”
Makerberg continued, “But you have few options.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve avoided ruin so far, contrary to our predictions.”
“Well……”
“But there’s no guarantee it’ll continue. In fact, the probability of ruin is increasing over time.”
His emotionless voice made it even more chilling.
“For example, Kang Haneul, whom you reconciled with today, and Baek Sehee, who strongly suspects it. The chance they won’t clash is currently just 2.69%.”
“2.69%……”
“Yes. They will almost certainly collide.”
I swallowed dryly. My mouth felt parched.
“When those two clash, one will definitely die. The other will suffer a fatal wound and follow soon after.”
“No way……”
“You’re no exception. There’s a high probability you’ll get caught in the crossfire and be killed as well.”
If that happened, it would be my fault.
The thought dominated my mind. Kang Haneul and Baek Sehee had both been affected by my ability. It had eroded their minds, implanting possessiveness and obsession. And the result……them killing each other?
“……Ugh.”
Makerberg’s hand remained open before me.
Could I really trust him? A reptilian.
But……there didn’t seem to be any other choice.
Even if I went back to Baek Sehee, even if I made her happy. The issue between her and Kang Haneul was separate. Their relationship was already poor. And my ability’s obsession and possessiveness had likely made it worse.
Even before the reptilian Dimensional Gate invasion, Baek Sehee had grilled me. Where had I gone, who had I met?
Once the Yeouido reptilian Dimensional Gate incident was resolved, she’d ask the same questions again.
What would I say then? If I told the truth—that I’d met Kang Haneul—how would Baek Sehee react?
Makerberg was right. After hearing my answer, the odds of her clashing with Kang Haneul were extremely high.
……I don’t know.
My head was a mess.
But one thing was clear: I couldn’t resolve this situation on my own.
I reached out.
And took Makerberg’s hand.