Extra: Jini and the Constellation
The setting of this novel is Earth in a parallel dimension.
[Jini's Perspective]
This is bad.
Even if Kim Ian grew stronger on his own, he could never decide the fate of all humanity. But the more precisely we understood our enemies, the higher the odds that Ian and everyone around him would survive.
The planned Awakening System alone won't be enough.
Soon the Dimension Union's planetary defense protocol would activate on Earth. Of course, with no gods present and the world ranked only as a 9th-class realm, it would be the lowest-grade system imaginable—bottom-tier even among Awakening Systems.
If the monsters pouring out came only from the 8th-class Miren Planet, there was an eighty-percent chance humanity would still exist a century from now. But if a second-wave invasion arrived on top of that, compounded by the assault of a parasitic race, would even one percent of humanity remain on Earth after a hundred years? Kim Ian's own survival would become uncertain.
"Jini, as you know, the moment a connection forms with another universe, dimensional law takes absolute priority. You understand that, right?"
"Yes."
A loophole. Some idiot of a god had played a prank, and yet it had bought them time—because regression had triggered. Of course, if the Constellation had never intervened and the regression had simply run its course, ogres would have appeared out of nowhere on Earth this very moment, and freshly awakened Awakeners would have been swept away helplessly.
The Constellation, dressed in the black uniform of a dimensional mercenary, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing down at the floor of the temple. Beside him, Lady Felton stood as well, looking down in the same direction.
"Fortunately, you caught it here in the temple, so we were able to file a correction request with the Dimension Union. Well done."
The Dimension Union and the Dimension Mercenary Union. The two organizations existed in a symbiotic relationship and operated independently, yet the Dimension Union was the more systematic and massive body—a vast coalition that included thirty percent of the outer universes of 5th-class and higher. The original KLMA 00001 universe and Earth itself were members of that Dimension Union.
"What? Then…"
A soft chuckle. The Constellation turned back toward her and smiled, then plucked a scroll from midair and tossed it to her.
Slap.
A pure white scroll, stamped with the official seal of the Dimension Union.
"A defense system several grades higher will be installed."
"Ah…"
She hugged the scroll carefully to her chest and felt a wave of relief. Still, she kept staring at his face, uncertain whether even that upgrade would be enough to weather the coming crisis.
"Yes. As you suspected, that alone won't come close."
The Constellation said it casually and turned his head away again.
Thud, thud.
Lady Felton walked over to him, and her voice soon reached Jini's ears.
"So Yi-i negotiated. What they wanted wasn't anything particularly large, so…"
"What? What kind of deal?"
He had given something up for the sake of his toy? In truth, even though he called it a hobby, a being like Kim Ian was nothing more than a plaything to him. It was strange that he would descend twice to a place that wasn't even his own homeland for something so trivial.
"Tsk… calling him a toy…"
The Constellation's tongue-clicking reached her. She hurriedly tried to bow, but an invisible force caught her upper body and held her upright.
"Hohoho. You say that because you don't understand Yi-i's obsession. Once he's found something, he won't rest until it lives out its full natural lifespan in peace. Less a toy and more… the feeling of looking after a pet, perhaps?"
"Felton… it's not a pet."
Tap.
Lady Felton rested her hand on the Constellation's shoulder again and smiled mischievously.
"At that level it is a pet. You look down on it and enjoy watching it perform cute tricks, don't you?"
"Ugh…"
Toy or pet, it was all the same to her, but at least the Constellation's attachment to Kim Ian seemed stronger than she had assumed, and that brought her a measure of relief. Still, as a mercenary of the Dimension Mercenary Union he was obligated to obey dimensional law. How much further could he really help?
"Anyway, it wasn't anything major. Just helping with one favor for a Union executive—and it was an extremely easy favor."
Don't tell me it was a special-grade commission?
His words continued in that same casual tone, yet they were anything but light. It sounded like a mission that would require a special-grade mercenary.
"Don't misunderstand. The Dimension Union has its own standards. They don't put a special-grade commission on the same level as exerting a little influence on a mere 9th-class universe."
"It was actually a good thing for Yi-i, so don't worry about it. All he had to do was take a few of the executive's daughters as concubines."
Lady Felton's words brought another wave of relief. Then the Constellation hurriedly leaned in and whispered something into her ear; she only laughed and patted his shoulder a few times.
The Union granted the Constellation's request that easily?
"Tsk… you're still under a misconception. I am serious about my hobbies, but from the Union's perspective a 9th-class universe without even a proper administrator is nothing special."
Even so, it would still violate dimensional law…
Dimensional law had been negotiated by five great organizations. It was hard to believe its influence truly extended all the way down to a 9th-class realm. The Constellation simply tried to observe it as much as possible so that no one could pick at him and interfere with his hobbies.
If it had been only the Miren Planet invasion, the monsters' origin itself belonged to a Dimension Union member, so the Union could have crushed it. But once the Aesis Tribe's invasion began, they also had to consider the Parasite Union's feelings. She could not simply accept his words at face value.
"Hohohoho. When you set this child's parameters, didn't you put dimensional law a little too high on the priority list?"
"Ugh."
"Listen. You don't need to worry about the Parasite Union. Negotiations with them are already finished. They have no real cohesion to begin with, and the Aesis Tribe is treated like an outcast even inside their own alliance. We notified the Union and received a reply, so as long as we don't go out and wipe them out ourselves, there will be no interference."
"Tsk. Like Felton said, you don't need to fret over that. Temporary board approval came through from the Dimension Union, and the Parasite Union has given its permission as well."
Relief. That was the first emotion that rose after hearing Lady Felton's words. She still did not know how far the Constellation would go to help, but the situation would clearly be far better than it was now.
"Though whether this will be good or bad for the humans of this Earth… I don't know. Of all places, it had to be a world once ruled by those perverts from Olympus… Tsk. If it had branched off from a realm under Hwanin's rule, I wouldn't have to worry about this."
"Pardon?"
The Constellation did not elaborate further. Lady Felton turned to Jini again with a playful expression.
"Even if it is only a 9th-class world, there are still rules that must be kept. Excessive intervention can cause trouble later."
She turned and stretched one hand toward the floor. Both of them, clad in the solid black uniforms of dimensional mercenaries, extended an arm. Black dimensional force began to gather in their palms.
A vast wave of power. The energy that flowed through the cosmos—what the humans of Earth called dark matter. Only a tiny fraction of that dark matter, yet its very foundation, dimensional force, poured endlessly in from the outer universes.
Dimensional mercenaries were powerful precisely because they freely wielded dimensional force that most gods could not even touch. The immense power swelled, and soon a model of Earth rose inside the temple.
A globe roughly ten meters across. Earth stood upright, its axis of rotation un-tilted. Above it, the outline of the Divine Realm where they currently stood began to appear. It was not shown in detail; white mist simply coalesced into a sphere about a quarter the size of the planet.
Jini stared blankly at the work, then remembered the scroll in her hands and hurriedly unrolled it.
Upgraded from Penta-class to Erma-class.
— Dimension Union Authorized Items —
1. Restoration of the outer realms surrounding the planet—excluding the Divine Realm and Hell—is hereby permitted. However, the degree of restoration must not exceed 8th-class standards.
2. Establishment of a dimensional passage to the reverse-side planet located in the planet's shadow is hereby permitted.
A few simple sentences. The second item she did not understand. But the first was enough to leave her stunned.
On any planet that harbored life, six outer realms wrapped around it from other dimensions.
Divine Realm, Hell, Immortal Realm, Demon Realm, Spirit Realm, Magical Beast Realm.
In the process of parallel universes branching hundreds or thousands of times, the Spirit Realm, Magical Beast Realm, Demon Realm, and Immortal Realm had rapidly shriveled. And now they were to be restored?
On the planet where Kim Ian currently existed, nothing above the lowest-grade spirits remained in the Spirit Realm or Magical Beast Realm. Even the magical beasts themselves topped out at the lowest grade. The Demon Realm would only become another threat, so the Constellation would exclude it; the Immortal Realm would likewise be excluded to maintain balance with the Demon Realm.
Soon the white and black clouds at the top and bottom of the Earth model vanished, and four kinds of clouds began to form, soft and billowing, above the planet's equator.
Immortal Realm and Demon Realm. Spirit Realm and Magical Beast Realm.
Moments later the Immortal Realm and Demon Realm disappeared, leaving only a brilliantly multicolored cloud and a gray cloud facing each other, each flaunting its presence.
The Constellation drew two orbs from subspace. The energy radiating from them made her stare blankly.
"I copied these from an Earth that is close to 7th-class even among 8th-class worlds."
Sensing her curiosity, he spoke and tossed each orb into one of the writhing clouds. An enormous wave of power followed, and the Magical Beast Realm and Spirit Realm that actually surrounded Earth—not merely the model—began to tremble, the shock reaching all the way into the Divine Realm.
Rumble…
Ah…
Even on Earth at that very moment, spirits were stirring and rising in rank. Seeds of spirits that had merely gathered in mountains, lakes, rivers, and seas were germinating, becoming lowest-grade spirits. At the same time, the seeds of magical beasts across the planet were being pulled en masse into the Magical Beast Realm by some force, where they too began to sprout.
She was still staring blankly at the Spirit Realm and Magical Beast Realm when the surging dimensional force vanished all at once, and the model of Earth that had floated before her eyes was gone as well.
"Um… what exactly is the second item, Constellation?"
"I can't tell you that. You'll be descending to the surface soon enough."
With those words the Constellation once more poured dimensional force toward the floor. Lady Felton stepped close and took Jini's hand—and in that instant, her consciousness faded.