The Weight of a Higher Being's Gaze
The war in the Otherworld was one thing, but he couldn’t just brush off his own complaint about being overwhelmed by the constant rebellions from his subordinates. ‘I don’t even have time to breathe. Wait… what? This…?’
Until now, he hadn’t noticed, but the moment the Origin of Dimension turned those sparkling, intrigued eyes on him, an overwhelming pressure slammed down so hard he couldn’t even draw breath. He had thought that after meeting so many of the strongest beings in the Absolute Realm, he’d built up some immunity to higher existences. That had been a grave mistake.
The instant a superior being fixed their full attention and interest on him, his very soul shook so violently he couldn’t even scream. ‘Ugh—! Just their gaze is… choking me! This is the pressure of a 14th-circle Origin of Dimension? No, is this the full oppressive aura of a perfect Eternal Being from the Wind Family?’
Merely being watched closely left him almost completely immobilized. Only now did he realize that beings like the Black Flame Absolute had simply never bothered to pay him any real attention. If they had focused on him like this, he would have been finished in an instant.
He hurriedly lowered his head, sweat pouring down his face, when the Origin of Dimension spoke.
“Huh? I thought someone bold enough to challenge the Black Flame Absolute would handle this much pressure easily, but it looks like you’re still lacking. Or is it because you’re the Origin of Dimension of a Main Universe that you can sense the gap between yourself and me, the Wind Family’s Origin of Dimension? Anyway, my bad. I’ll close my eyes and stop paying attention for now.”
The instant those words ended, the crushing sensation that had been grinding his entire body vanished in a flash. Barely suppressing the nausea rising in his throat, he looked up to find the Origin of Dimension had already turned his head away and was doing something else. It was complete disregard, yet thanks to it, he could finally breathe again.
‘But why is the Sword of Ruin and Soul shaking so uneasily?’
The Origin of Dimension was spinning the Sword of Ruin and Soul—the one bearing the signature of the 10 Mainstays that he had accepted—in his hand like a favorite toy, humming cheerfully. He looked exactly like a mischievous child. However, the Dimensional Mage God, who had nearly suffocated from nothing more than a slightly interested glance, now understood exactly how dangerous a game he was playing.
‘The problem with the Wind Family’s Origin is that, aside from the 10 Mainstays, there is no one who can stop him. And if he has no reservations like this, any mistake could lead to catastrophe.’
As the Dimensional Mage God desperately tried to figure out how to safely wrap up the conversation and escape, a voice full of playful mischief rang in his ears.
“Ah—! What exactly does ‘rebellion from below’ mean? We can’t connect directly to the information systems of the Absolute Realm and the Main Universe because the data would flow backward, so I’d appreciate a detailed explanation.”
“Ah—! I-I see. I’ll explain right away.”
The answer came easily, but inside he was utterly shocked. ‘Information backflow? Does that mean the Wind Family’s Origin possesses more data than an entire Main Universe and the Absolute Realm combined? Is that why direct access is forbidden?’
The information systems containing all authorities and secrets of the Main Universe and Absolute Realm could be accessed freely once one proved their strength at the Main God Level. However, the higher the authority, the more explosively the volume of information grew, quickly exceeding what any being could handle. One wrong move and the overload could drive a person insane.
‘In short, if you greedily reach for information about an authority you can’t handle, you explode.’
But in the reverse case—if a single individual’s contact caused the information system to overheat and access was therefore prohibited—the amount of authority and information the Wind Family’s Origin possessed was truly astonishing.
‘It must be because the Wind Family’s Origins have fundamentally different characteristics. To manifest a perfect Eternal Being, an enormous amount of physical ability and authority is required from the start. So if even the Absolute Realm’s information system would suffer backflow… he really is a perfect Eternal Being. With over five million members, even if the 10 Mainstays became a hundred, they’d have no chance of winning. Now I understand why my future self quickly attached himself to the Wind Family. No matter how high your maximum output is, if the opponent has similar strength, is an Eternal Being, and has this many people on their side, victory is impossible.’
Even while thinking all this internally, his mouth was already delivering the explanation. He had realized from that single gaze that even the slightest mistake with the Wind Family’s Origin would be extremely dangerous.
“Rebellion from below refers to a person of lower rank or status ignoring etiquette and rules to overthrow and rise above their superiors.”
“Huh? How?”
“Pardon?”
He had given the dictionary definition, yet the reply suggested complete incomprehension.
“Beings of higher rank or status are naturally stronger than those below them. So how could they possibly lose?”
“Pardon?”
“In the Wind Family, all my ancestors from previous generations are stronger than me. Of course, thanks to the Incomprehensible Eight Founders’ Bloodline Reincarnation, talent increases with each descending generation, but it’s impossible to catch up to the years of training accumulated by those born earlier. No matter how hard one tries to catch up with superior talent, the ten-thousand-year gap built through desperate training simply cannot be closed. The power of training accumulated day after day, giving one’s all, compensates for and surpasses insufficient talent. That’s why in the Wind Family, there can be no such thing as a weaker descendant. It makes no sense for a weak subordinate to challenge a strong superior. Is the Origin of Dimension of the 499th Main Universe weaker than his subordinates? No matter how strong the 499th Main Universe has become, a Creator God of that level should be quite excellent. I find this difficult to understand.”
“!!!”
The absolute declaration that superiors were naturally stronger than subordinates left him momentarily speechless. And when asked whether his own weakness was the reason his subordinates were rebelling, something inside him began to boil.
‘No—! I’m definitely stronger than the Goddesses of the Goddess Blood Alliance or the Spirit Goddesses. So why is commanding them so difficult? Is it really because I’m weak?’
The moment he reached the conclusion that he was simply incompetent at managing subordinates, he hurriedly added an explanation.
“It’s because I am alone while my subordinates are many. When I try to explain or persuade them, I get overwhelmed…”
“Oh? Even a Mage God and Dimensional God gets pushed back by words? Your computational power should be among the highest of all Main Universe management gods.”
With those words, the Origin of Dimension turned his gaze back toward him. At the same time, a sound like something shattering and crumbling rang out.
Crack—!Thud—!
It was the sound of his own knees completely losing strength and slamming into the floor. The moment the Wind Family’s Origin of Dimension, Cha-ho, exerted some kind of authority, his body lost all control.
Defenseless, his knees slammed into the floor of the Main Divine Temple, sending searing pain shooting upward. In his mind, he screamed.
‘Aaaargh—! My body’s strength is completely gone. How can my Dimensional Authority have no effect at all? So against a higher Origin with the same authority, one wrong move really is the end.’
He wanted to writhe in agony, but he couldn’t even move. Having fully realized what it meant to be a frog before a snake, the Dimensional Mage God heard the verdict.
“Your computational power and authority are already sufficient to become a proper Origin right now. This is truly strange. You’ve even become the Origin of the Dimension Race, so why are you worrying about something so trivial because of your subordinates?”
“I don’t know either. Still, if you could please finish this quickly, I’ll figure something out on my own.”
Regret was flooding in as he wondered why he had unnecessarily contacted the Origin of Dimension and brought this ordeal upon himself. ‘I didn’t have anyone else to complain to, but I should have just handled it like usual…’
Then suddenly, bright laughter erupted.
“Aaaaaah—! So that’s it. Kahahahahahaha—! So this kind of thing happens too. Ahahahaha—!”
Having apparently figured out the problem, the Origin of Dimension laughed for a long time before suddenly making a call somewhere.
Beeeeep—!
With a light sound, a screen appeared to the right of the Origin of Dimension. No video feed appeared, only audio, yet he greeted the other party with a smiling face.
“Hello, Uncle. Sorry for contacting you while you’re in closed-door training. Something suddenly came up that required permission.”
“……”
It seemed to be some kind of sealed space, because even the Origin of Dimension’s authority couldn’t establish a perfect connection. The screen remained blank, but after a short pause, a blunt voice answered.
“This is the first time since your coming-of-age ceremony.”
“After the coming-of-age ceremony, I was busy earning the qualifications to become an Origin, so I couldn’t come out. Fortunately, the next Main Universe’s core foundational system called ‘Dimension’ was completed, so I quickly claimed it and came out. On top of that, the 10 Mainstays suddenly started not just ranking battles but actual duels, which caused me a ton of trouble.”
“The 10 Mainstays are dueling? You must have suffered trying to prevent damage.”
It was a stiff yet affectionate conversation. Calling him “Uncle” made it clear this wasn’t an ancestor of the Wind Family, yet the fact that there existed someone who could speak so casually to the Wind Family’s Origin—a being so powerful that no one except the 10 Mainstays could touch him—was surprising.
‘Just who is this?’
“The second generation of the 10 Mainstays really is incredible. Even I couldn’t block them completely. Thanks to our ancestors realizing the difference in power and receiving a shock, everyone except me has gone into closed-door training at the main house. So now I’m the representative Origin of the Wind Family. Even though I’m the only one here. Kahahahaha—!”
“Don’t go around causing too much trouble.”
The reply carried a sense of great difficulty despite being hidden behind a calm tone.
“This time I think I need to intervene a little in the 499th Main Universe because I created its Origin of Dimension. If any damage occurs, I’ll compensate tenfold as always.”
“……”
There was no immediate reply. After a long moment of what seemed like intense contemplation, the question came.
“What about Jinri?”
“The 1,001st Main Universe is almost complete, so he’s staying at the main house training the ancestors.”
“The 1,001st Main Universe is already finished?”
The voice from beyond the screen sounded extremely surprised, but the Origin of Dimension answered with overflowing mischief, paying it no mind.
“It’s a special product that even my Dimensional Authority was poured into during production. Once completed and properly nurtured, there won’t be any problems with the Otherworld restrictions either. So it will likely become the basic model for the next generation of Main Universes. Grandfather Jinri and the ancestors are doing their best to finish the final adjustments, and it’s expected to show at least twice the performance of existing Main Universes. If the owner is good, it might even reach three times.”
“Has… has its owner been decided?”
“Not yet—! As always, Grandfather Jinri will select the strongest among the Eternal Beings and entrust it to them. There’s about one generation left until completion, and this time they’re specially building a dedicated duel arena for Eternal Beings in the central area. Considering the nature of Dimensional Authority and the importance of this Main Universe, it seems they plan to decide the owner through direct duels within the 1,001st Main Universe. The design takes continuous combat into account, so the outcome will likely depend on the world-creation and barrier-adaptation abilities of Dimensional Authority. This hasn’t been fully decided yet, so this is the first time I’m telling you, Uncle. Please take it only as reference since it’s not certain.”
“Hmm—!”
The other party remained silent for a long time, seemingly deep in thought, before finally giving approval.
“Thank you for the valuable information. Then I permit your direct intervention in the 499th Main Universe.”
“Thank you. I’ll have fun and come back.”
“You must not play around in the Main Universe—! Ah… no, please at least be moderate. Won’t Jinri be returning soon? We can’t have any major problems, can we?”
“Ah—! That’s true. Then I’ll intervene moderately and, once your closed-door training is over, I’ll come greet you in person.”
“V-very well.”
The moment the conversation with Cha-ho ended, as if the other party had found it exhausting, the Wind Family’s Origin of Dimension immediately turned his gaze back to the Dimensional Mage God and burst into loud laughter.
“Kahahahahaha—! Now that I’ve received clear permission, I’ll properly solve the problem of this lower Origin. To think something like this could happen. The Main Universe really is interesting. Kahahahahahaha—!”
The Origin of Dimension’s laughter continued for a while before gradually dying down. The Dimensional Mage God, who had only just begun to adapt to the oppressive aura of a higher being, asked with great difficulty.
“I’m sorry, but who exactly is that person that they can grant the Wind Family’s Origin permission to intervene in the 499th Main Universe?”
“Huh? You don’t know this uncle? He frequently comes all the way to the main house to challenge Grandfather Jinri, so he’s quite famous. Whenever he gets beaten to a pulp by Grandfather Jinri, I help with his treatment, so we’re very close.”
“He frequently challenges the main house? Against Jinri? Surely not…?”
A reckless being who would challenge Jinri even while knowing they would lose was by no means common. At this point he could roughly guess who it was, but thinking of the answer filled him with fear. What had started as a simple complaint about his subordinates’ rebellions as an excuse to delay the Otherworld dispatch had ballooned into something enormous.
“Here, he is called the 499th Creator Lord. His name is a secret at the level of Creator Gods.”
“!!!”
The Origin of Dimension’s answer struck him with such shock that the back of his head tingled. What he had thought was a light greeting and information exchange had turned into an incredibly serious situation. He had realized that the Wind Family’s Origin of Dimension had personally received permission from the 499th Creator Lord to intervene directly as an Eternal Being.
‘There is a condition of “moderately,” but at the standard of a Creator Lord, even if an entire regional universe is destroyed, he wouldn’t even bat an eye.’
The middle manager, the Chief God of the God Realm, had suddenly changed, and incidents were already piling up. If a being at the Creator Lord level caused upheaval, a storm would undoubtedly rage below. And all because of his own complaining.
‘This is a disaster.’
He thought he had to stop it somehow, but it was already too late.
Oooooooo—!Click—!
The screen shook, and the Origin of Dimension instantly performed a dimensional shift straight into the 499th Main Universe. Appearing as if rising directly from the screen, he set foot inside the Main Divine Temple and spoke cheerfully.
“Alright—! Tell me your business immediately and gather all the Main Gods. Since I’ve received permission from Uncle, I’ll take care of everything that might hinder the Otherworld dispatch. Feel the grace of a higher Origin.”
Even though the being had come to help him, he felt not the slightest bit of gratitude. There was no way he didn’t know what kind of repercussions would follow the Wind Family’s Origin intervening in a Main Universe. The direct intervention of a Substitute God Origin had resulted in the replacement of the dominant species in most of the 498 Main Universes—an utterly enormous outcome from the perspective of the divine race. Moreover, given the nature of the Origin of Dimension’s authority of world creation, it could never lead to a good result for the current dominant species, the divine race. A new world meant the complete replacement of the existing order.
And since he himself was now the Chief God of the divine race, he absolutely had to prevent such a change.
‘You really don’t need to help me directly like this. Just telling Jinri to give me a little more time would be enough, so please return as you are. If those above learn that I caused the Wind Family’s Origin to receive direct intervention permission from the Creator Lord, it will be a huge problem.’
If the higher Creator Gods learned why the Wind Family’s Origin had decided to intervene directly in the 499th Main Universe, they would never stay silent. Whether the Dimensional Mage God had done well or poorly, an utterly unexpected higher being had appeared and begun intervening. And if even a Creator Lord could not stop it, it would be a disaster for the Creator Gods as well.
‘Even a small action can mean the end for those below. A single statement from the Wind Family’s Origin can shake the entire Divine Realm. If that happens, even I, as the cause, won’t be left alone. I have to stop this somehow.’
Knowing full well what was about to happen, the words “Please just return to the Absolute Realm” were about to leave his mouth when his gaze instinctively turned somewhere.
Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
It was the Sword of Ruin and Soul, spinning in circles in his grip as if urging him to hurry and gather them. It looked ready to strike his forehead at any moment, and it had actually done so in the past. Following long experience, he swiftly took action to avoid it.
Reflexively, he shouted loudly through the Main Divine Temple across the entire Divine Realm.
“Good. That is how a strong person should give orders with dignity. Kahahahahaha—! You’re doing well, aren’t you?”
The Origin of Dimension’s laughter showed no sign of stopping, as if he found everything delightful. And the Sword of Ruin and Soul in his hand continued to draw large circles around him. A chill refused to leave the Dimensional Mage God’s back.
‘Please put that away! Just looking at it gives me goosebumps.’
To become bait to lure in the Origin of the Mage God and the Black Flame Absolute, he had trained for thirty thousand years. During that time, he had been beaten so many times by the Sword of Ruin and Soul for being too stupid and unbearably dull that he had given up counting after it surpassed a billion strikes. His reaction was only natural.