Chapter 70
Chapter 70
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Fervent Devotees of the Great Beings
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After thoroughly reading the detailed contents of the wiki, I stood there silently for a moment.
"Jia-nim."
"…"
"Jia-nim? Are you alright?"
"No, I'm not alright."
"Did something happen?"
"…"
Should I even call this a problem?
It's ambiguous how to put it into words.
Kim Junghwan knew my personal circumstances better than anyone.
I felt like it might be okay to consult with him.
"First, I'll share the content with you, so listen."
With that, I began reciting the wiki's contents to Kim Junghwan word for word.
Omnia Wiki [Hoe Forged by a Fervent Devotee of the Screaming Nebula] 1. Overview 2. Legend 3. Details 1. Overview
A hoe forged by [Redacted], a Fervent Devotee of the Screaming Nebula. It takes the form of a common farming tool, but was designed to harvest something other than earthly crops. 2. Legend
[Redacted], one of the Fervent Devotees of the Screaming Nebula, resolved to forge a hoe to honor their master. The Screaming Nebula was a Great Being who infinitely craved the screams of living creatures, so this hoe was a tool for harvesting the screams of lifeforms. However, harvesting the screams of living creatures was no easy task, even for [Redacted], a member of the Fervent Devotees of the Screaming Nebula. [Redacted] forged the hoe over three stages. The first material was an unknown metal extracted from the Abyss of Pain. [Redacted] was not a seeker of knowledge like a Fervent Devotee of Reflecting Myriad Stars, so they had no way of knowing the metal's name. However, this unknown metal clearly contained divine power, and deeming it suitable for forging the hoe, they used it to craft the hoe's head and tang. The second material was an ancient tree branch to serve as the hoe's handle. This branch was a material overseen and distributed on Tullir-Arxus's fifth planet, Valitus, so it could not be obtained simply by wanting it. [Redacted] provided labor to Valitus for a total of 6,527 hours and obtained a minuscule portion of the ancient tree branch as compensation. They used this material to craft the hoe's handle. The third material was [Redacted]'s [Redacted]. [Redacted] The Fervent Devotee of the Screaming Nebula, [Redacted], firmly believed that using this [Redacted] to create the hoe would allow them to harvest screams for their master. The result of investing so much time and effort was tremendously successful. A hoe capable of harvesting the screams of living creatures was born. However. Sometimes, a result that is too perfect can cause problems. Whether due to some mistake in using the third material, the hoe transcended its original purpose of 'harvesting screams' and produced the effect of twisting causality itself. This was. A blasphemy against the Great Being. Not long after, [Redacted] was reportedly stripped of their status as a Fervent Devotee and disposed of. 3. Details
Can harvest the screams of living creatures. Can harvest the screams of inanimate objects. Can harvest the screams of [Redacted]. Following the Iron Sword No. 3, another item with a clear connection to me had appeared.
Kim Junghwan, having received the details from me, stood silently for a moment.
He seemed to be deep in serious thought.
Eventually, Kim Junghwan composed himself gravely and spoke.
"…Jia-nim. Before I say anything, I must ask this first."
"Why are you making it sound so heavy?"
"Regarding the item you just described, and everything I'll say from now on—no one but me must hear of it. You have to swear it."
I was puzzled.
It was just an item somewhat connected to me—did it really warrant such gravity?
Still, it wasn't a hard request, and I had no one to tell anyway.
"Got it. Ah, I can tell Euisul, right?"
"Yes, Euisul-nim is fine. She doesn't meet people at all…"
Yoo Euisul's item, Iron Sword No. 3, was also a weapon created by a Fervent Devotee.
Yoo Euisul was connected to this story too.
"But if it's that important, shouldn't we at least write up an NDA or something?"
"My ability is the NDA."
"…Ah."
Well, damn.
What a convenient power.
He must have just verified if my response was true or false.
"So, what is it?"
"…Jia-nim. First, what do you think the true nature of Anomalous Phenomena and items is?"
"How would I know?"
"Yes, of course. Not just you, but none of us know. It's only natural. Anomalous Phenomena are just that—anomalous. Unknown existences that defy even fragmentary interpretation by human knowledge and understanding."
Kim Junghwan paused briefly.
He then gazed at me intently and continued.
"…No, they were unknown existences."
Past tense.
I instantly realized what Kim Junghwan wanted to say.
It was probably because my foundational knowledge of Anomalous Phenomena had grown after receiving lessons from Yoo Euisul.
"Both you, Euisul-nim's weapon, and this item…"
"They share a connected worldview."
"…Exactly. In other words, from this moment on, Anomalous Phenomena and items can no longer be called unknowns."
One coincidence is still a coincidence.
Two or three, and it becomes inevitability.
Iron Sword No. 3.
The hoe.
And me.
The term 'Fervent Devotee' had appeared a total of three times.
This time, it even blatantly mentioned 'Fervent Devotee of Reflecting Myriad Stars'…
It couldn't possibly be coincidence.
Come to think of it.
I was a being burdened with the duty to 'constantly pursue knowledge'.
Knowledge and the unknown.
Aren't they opposing concepts that can't coexist?
Under the name of Reflecting Myriad Stars, the unknown is an absolutely unforgivable notion.
Kim Junghwan continued.
"I, as a mere underling, can't even presume what results this information will bring."
"You don't seem like a mere underling."
"That's true, but at the very least, this is information beyond my level to handle. Anyway, I'll discuss it with the Chairman, so until then, you too…"
"I have no friends. My family's all dead."
"…"
"Ah, sorry."
I hadn't meant to go full Thallula on him.
But I'd sombered the mood unintentionally.
"Ah, anyway, let's go look at the house now."
"Eh, aren't we putting it off?"
I'd assumed house-hunting would be postponed, naturally.
"We still have to do what needs doing."
…Right.
He's correct.
No matter how world-shaking the information is.
What needs doing must be done.
My streaming studio matters more to me.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ My race isn't human—it's Fervent Devotee of Reflecting Myriad Stars.
The Fervent Devotee race, even to someone like me with no expertise in science, is biologically unmistakably very similar to humans.
We sleep like humans.
We eat like humans.
We even menstruate once a month.
What does menstruation imply?
Proof that human reproduction and Fervent Devotee reproduction aren't so different.
The Fervent Devotee race looks human inside and out, with no major differences.
But there are exactly two differences from humans.
First, our bodies are tougher than imaginable.
Second, we can appraise objects in wiki form.
From this, the Fervent Devotee race—as the name suggests—unlike humans with complete free will, possesses a clear 'raison d'être'.
So, what is the raison d'être of the Fervent Devotee race?
First, we must sincerely serve our god, the 'Great Being'.
Second, we must constantly pursue knowledge.
If a 'Fervent Devotee' fails to uphold their raison d'être, unlike humans, they face restrictions.
'Price of Blasphemy' and 'Archivist's Duty' are prime examples of those restrictions.
It's not certain, but.
The first raison d'être seems to be common to all 'Fervent Devotees' in the world.
The second varies depending on which god they serve.
Nameless, a Fervent Devotee of the [Keeper of the Memories of Fallen Stars], forged a sword to honor their master.
This unidentified person, a Fervent Devotee of the [Screaming Nebula], also forged a hoe for their master.
Finally.
I, a Fervent Devotee of [Reflecting Myriad Stars], am diligently compiling wikis for my master.
It makes me wonder anew.
Can I, like the other Fervent Devotees, create a tool in the form of an 'item'?
Did the other Fervent Devotees also encounter that mysterious black mist like I did and become Fervent Devotees by force?
And did their genders change forcibly like mine?
…I don't know for sure, but I doubt the other Fervent Devotees had their genders changed like me.
I'm not a blacksmith, nor a scream-harvesting grim reaper.
I'm a VTuber, a VTuber.
Given the nature of VTubing, it's only natural that women have an advantage over men.
The surviving male VTubers are all broadcasting monsters.
If, from the perspective of Reflecting Myriad Stars and the Omnia Archive, a VTuber was absolutely necessary.
They had no choice but to forcibly change my gender.
Fine, let's say the gender change makes sense.
But why did Reflecting Myriad Stars make my real-life appearance exactly like my avatar?
Pink bob cut.
A hefty blob of fat.
Reflecting Myriad Stars definitely has unique tastes.
They could have made me ordinary, but there must be a reason they made me so eye-catching.
Right?
Answer.
Answer.
Answer.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
"Oink…"
"What were you thinking this time to incur the Price of Blasphemy?"
Kim Junghwan spoke pityingly, seeing me suddenly slam my head into the ground.
He no longer even worried about me.
After three headbutts to the floor, Kim Junghwan and I soon arrived at the subsidized housing where I'd be moving in a few days.
The streaming studio comes first right now.
I'll think about it later.