The Hero's Nemesis
"What do you mean by that? The world is going to be destroyed?"
"I heard from Raeband that you killed the residents of the old dimension."
"......"
The residents of the old dimension. That must refer to the lives I had sensed within Poseid's body.
"There's no need to feel guilty. They were closer to records than actual lives."
I didn't feel any guilt to begin with...
"Records...?"
"They're called codes, the records of the gods. The residents of the old world are asleep somewhere in a state of suspended animation, and what was engraved in Poseid's body was the record connected to them. Well, even if the record is severed, once you become the winner, you can reconnect it whenever you want if you so desire."
Kaits added that it would be quite difficult, though.
"In the first place, it was self-defense on your part."
"No, it's not that I feel guilty... What does that have to do with the world being destroyed?"
"It does. The gods' goal is to become the absolute being in this Elunar and resurrect the residents who were in their original dimension."
"......I don't really get it. Even if they want to revive the residents of their original dimension, is there really a need to wipe out the lives of Elunar...?"
If they could revive that many lives, wouldn't they be able to create a planet for them to live on just like that? The power of the gods held boundless possibilities. I had felt that very clearly this time.
"There is. They wouldn't want to leave behind any seeds of unrest."
"Seeds of unrest?"
"Those born in Elunar have an extremely high 'Stage' from birth. Currently, no gods are born due to restrictions, but once a winner emerges, new gods will be born as long as the conditions are met. An absolute being could easily defeat a newborn god, but in a place like Elunar, a monster that surpasses even the power of an absolute god might eventually be born..."
What the hell kind of bullshit is that. I couldn't understand it.
"What the hell is this 'Stage' thing anyway? I've heard that word way too many times."
"It's literally a stage, or you could call it a rank. As you know, the current deities were absolute gods in their own dimensions. You know, those unique beings who were said to have dreams that became people's reality, or that everything was the thought of some being."
"Hmm... So?"
"But even those absolute gods lose their omnipotence when they come to this dimension, this so-called 'Runar Dimension,' and are forcibly given names and powers."
"...Huh? Why?"
How could they be omnipotent if they lose their power just by coming to another dimension...?
"You seem to have trouble understanding because it's called a dimension, but it's a place beyond their perception, not the near-infinite dimensions they ruled as absolute gods... A place ruled by other deities or a place without gods. It's an enigmatic location that surpasses the cognition of deities whose awareness couldn't even reach it. There's nothing strange about it."
There was plenty strange about it, and I didn't even know what he was talking about. This bastard's explanation was way too vague.
"Anyway, Elunar has a higher rank, or Stage, than any other place."
"......"
"For example, if Poseid's Stage was 9 and the Runar Dimension's Stage was 18, Poseid would be forcibly downgraded and only able to exercise power outside of 9. Of course, that's just an example, and the reality is much more complicated."
I suddenly remembered Poseid mentioning something about Stages.
"Uh... Then why would they even need to come to the Runar Dimension?"
If it were me, I'd just play god in my own world. Did they come out of greed or boredom and get trapped, unable to return? Then the 999 deities and 999 evil gods who came here are screwed? What idiots, lol.
But Kaits affirmed my question.
"There is a reason."
"There's a reason? Don't tell me it's something like 'One absolute being is enough!' or 'Omnipotence is boring... Heh heh.'"
Thinking of Poseid and Nanar, Kaits closed his eyes and nodded slightly.
"There are probably those who come with such thoughts."
"Seriously..."
"But there's another, bigger reason. If one becomes an absolute god in this Runar Dimension, which has a higher Stage than any other place, they would become strong enough to forcibly dominate even other dimensions that already have owners."
"......"
I see. So they can't just sit around waiting, only to be unable to handle it later.
"While others are moving to seize the highest authority, they can't just stand by."
"Becoming an absolute god here makes you stronger...?"
What kind of principle was that? Coming to a harsh environment and getting weaker made sense—if you thought about what would happen to a person going to the South Pole or a volcanic region. But being able to exist there and actually getting stronger...?
Kaits chose his words carefully before speaking.
"First of all... If your Stage is lower, you can't harm beings of a higher Stage. Just as ordinary humans couldn't even scratch Poseid, who is a deity."
"......"
I roughly understood what Stage meant. And why everyone was so shocked when I cut down Poseid and Nanar. But there were still countless things I didn't understand.
"Let me ask a few things I've narrowed down."
"As many as you like."
"How does one become an absolute god? By killing each other?"
Even as I said it, I thought that couldn't be right. If that were the case, the world wouldn't still be intact like this.
"At first, they tried to decide it that way. But this Runar Dimension also has a will of its own. The principle behind becoming stronger by sitting in the seat of a god in this dimension, which you questioned earlier, is also possible because of this will. It's just a metaphor, but imagine you, who became incredibly strong just by absorbing a bit of divine power, absorbing Nanar or Gaia."
"......"
Kaits waited for my reaction. When I remained silent, he continued after a moment.
"The will of the Runar Dimension acts in many places. For one, until a being becomes affiliated with the Runar Dimension, they cannot eliminate lives that belong to the Runar Dimension..."
"How do you become affiliated with the Runar Dimension?"
"I don't know exactly, but you'd need the permission of the dimension's will."
"Does there really have to be only one god? Was there no thought of everyone dividing up territory nicely and living in harmony...?"
Kaits gave a faint smile. It was a pessimistic smile.
"As I said earlier, the deities were all once absolute gods. I don't know about them, but the will of the dimension believes one god is sufficient."
"Aha..."
One ruler is enough, after all. I already knew that when I asked, but it seemed the gods weren't much different from rulers.
"As you asked earlier, at first they tried to decide through battle. Since they couldn't touch the lives of the Runar Dimension, the deities created an arena and fought among themselves, and as a result, the defeated gods... are the current 'Forgotten Gods.'"
"Oho..."
"But the more they fought, the more futile and exhausting it became. So they established rules."
I thought I knew what those rules were. The race where current deities create proxy users and compete in something.
"Is that the game the users are playing now?"
"Yes. A proxy war negotiated with the will of the dimension. The deity who wins this proxy war will contact the will of the dimension and become the one true god. Then they will be able to exercise all sorts of rights."
When Almiraj had explained it before, there were many points I didn't understand, but now it made some sense. She had complained about having many restrictions, after all.
"Even if you become the one true god who can exercise all sorts of rights, it's been promised that the deities who raced together won't be eliminated. The deities didn't stop fighting for no reason; no matter who wins, the deities will remain. However, their hierarchy will be divided according to rank."
"...I see. So the fake Fire God, Dark God, Poseid... those under Nanar now... have given up on becoming the greatest?"
"Yes. They are those who have given up on becoming the one true god and chosen the path of enjoying rights by relying on the one true god. If they can maintain their own dimension with the permission of the one who became the one true god, it's not a bad deal."
Suddenly, I remembered the talk of deities belonging to certain factions. Like Nanar or Ornist, and... Gaia.
"Wait a second. Weren't there winners emerging consistently from the start? Then what is Elunar now? Is it already destroyed? Or is it being reset over and over because of your regressions?"
I said that while thinking it couldn't be the case again. Kaits had lived for nearly ten thousand years like me, but that was time from regressions, and he was only born about ten to twenty years ago. It didn't seem like the deities had come to this Elunar only then.
"Of course not. It was simply that only territorial disputes occurred without a winner."
"There was no winner...?"
"The condition set by the Runar Dimension is victory in the game. There is already no other way to become the one true god. The Runar Dimension waited until deities with sufficient qualifications gathered, then started the game through consultation."
Waiting, huh. It reeked of conspiracy.
"Isn't that will of the Runar Dimension going to stab us in the back?"
"That won't happen. I used the word 'agreement,' but it's the kind of procedure or interaction where if you burn a tree with fire, it burns... it's hot. The conditions set by the will of Runar are ultimately based on the instincts of the dimension, like energy for a person."
"......"
"And deities are not affected by regressions."
"Uh... Really?"
Had I heard this before...? No, he hadn't told me.
"Their assigned users are affected by regressions... In fact, most deities have half-given up on the race."
What kind of bullshit was this now.
"Why?"
"Because there's no sign of a race winner emerging. The winning condition is fulfilling certain conditions like a main quest. But even participants with the same strength as Makia, Reina, or Poiz... even among Elunarians, are insufficient to complete the main quest."
"......"
"Not only that, but among those excellent individuals, many have long since given up fighting and challenged the seat of a deity of their own will, becoming race quitters."
"Uh, really?"
Becoming a god...?
"The term 'transcendents from another world' originally referred to them. Though it's been distorted... They were winner candidates before I was born. They could be considered on the level of current Makia, Reina, or Poiz. Still, from the past records I've seen, it seems the modern winner candidates are the strongest..."
A question occurred to me.
"Hey. Then not just winner candidates, but even among regular users, there should be those who become gods, right? If everyone does that, the game itself wouldn't hold up. Is there some kind of restriction?"
"There is. In the first place, except for the winner candidates, no one even knows what the winning prize is."
"...What?"
"For example, Ganggeomil, the 4th ranked Stranger Ranker, only knows that if he wins, he can exercise great rights... and those below him even less so. Not only do they not know what the winning prize is, but a considerable number probably don't even know the current situation of the deities."
Makes sense. If you don't know, you can't do anything in the first place...
"Moreover, even among the deities, there are those who think the race is futile and want to live together with the Elunarians. Those are the ones called 'evil gods.'"
"...Isn't that more godlike?"
Almiraj had said that evil gods were those managing the small number of strong Elunarians, so they had that kind of ideology. The reason wasn't fully clear yet, but those who live together seemed much more godlike than those who would wipe out all existing lives upon winning.
"Your image of gods still has a benevolent tint."
"......"
"Well, the gods describe evil gods as giving up on becoming gods and walking the path of their own downfall... It seems there are also those who want to rule a limited number of people rather than everyone, even if living together. However, due to the restrictions of the dimension's will, even if they win, they cannot become absolute gods."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Instead, if they win, they can exercise the right to eliminate the deities' race itself."
"......"
From what I'd heard, it seemed to align with Kaits' ideal of world peace. But still, even if the competition was eliminated, as long as deities remained, the side effects would be enormous. That's why Kaits chose to participate and wanted to exercise absolute rights.
"Poseid also wanted to give up on the path of the one true god this time and become a 'god' like Nanar, who increases his followers and exerts great influence over Elunar. After a long time, even the deities are slowly trying to compromise rather than win."
I could tell he was quite tired here and there... But there were still countless questions left.
"Wait, wait. Don't talk about too many things at once; let's understand first. Even after listening to your story so far, I don't get it. Where exactly is the need to kill the people of Elunar?"
"There is."
Kaits looked at me meaningfully. Then he stared at me silently for about ten seconds. Couldn't this bastard just speak quickly before I punched him?
"Earlier, I said that even if a one true god is born, deities will continue to be born if the conditions are met, right? It means that in this place with an originally high rank, someone close to a god who can lightly surpass even the power of the one true god with just talent might be born."
"......"
I roughly understood. A bear and a frog. No matter how strong a frog becomes, it's still a frog. The difference with a bear is just a matter of opening one's mouth.
"The will of Runar is preventing the birth of gods in Elunar? So far, what, they've been doing nothing until deities from other dimensions appeared, and only then hurriedly making gods?"
"It's simple. Deities crossed over since before there were lives in the Runar Dimension, and even if there were, they wouldn't have known the method to become a god... If they don't know the method, the will of the Runar Dimension is nothing more than energy. That said, it could also be said that deities from other dimensions have preempted the right to become the one true god. That's why it's become very difficult for Elunarians to become gods."
The will of the Runar Dimension was really convenient to use as an excuse.
"In the current Elunar, where the process of making gods is taking place, the limit of 'Stage' is forcibly applied. It was due to the consultation between the deities and the Runar Dimension. The prison that restricts and confines their power... is this Elunar."
"Then... is there a way to surpass the Stage?"
"As far as I know, there is none other than contacting a god and obtaining divine power. Only a very small number have achieved this. Even if they did, they use various restrictions to torment the gods, and they wouldn't be able to cut down a god's body like you."
His eyes were hot again. It was really burdensome.
"That's why you're amazing. You... didn't surpass the Stage, you ignored it."
"Stop putting me on a pedestal. I have a rough idea now, but why are they trying to erase the lives of Elunar?"
Kaits looked up at the ceiling and reached out his hand.
"The moment the one true god is born, the Stage restrictions that bound the lives of Elunar disappear. In fact, even now, despite the will of the Runar Dimension, there are already powerful lives that can become gods if they so desire by surpassing the Stage."
Not powerful people, but lives. Things that immediately came to mind...
"...Surely not."
"Yes. There are quite a few in Elunar who would become powerful gods once the Stage is lifted... but among them, beings like the Eight Calamities or the Five Divine Beasts could immediately become top-tier deities if their Stage is raised to that of a god."
Suddenly, Frostia came to mind. A dragon who was close to a god with just her original body. If she became a god...?
......Ooh. That's something.
Imagining her majestic appearance made my heart pound a little.
"...Why do you look excited?"
"Huh? No, just..."
"You lack tension."
What tension was there to have. Anyway, I roughly understood up to this point, but there were still three big questions left. One of them. The game's clear conditions. What happens if those belonging to the god and evil god factions win the race. Second. From the conversation between Nanar and Kaits, I learned. That fanatic seemed to belong to both the god and evil god factions at the same time. Then what about Kaits, who would have contracted with that guy? And the third was... the rights that users who contracted with gods would obtain. It was said that only those above Poiz would know the prize the gods win. Then what was the user's winning prize? But Kaits said he contracted with Nanar...? Do users also gain absolute power and rights like gods? Then they wouldn't be the one true god. But it's not like Kaits, who wants to save the world, would give up absolute rights either... Anyway, did Nanar raise Kaits, who might become his competitor? What a crazy bastard, he really is crazy. My head was cluttered with all sorts of thoughts. I had to sort them out one by one. Should I ask about the winning method first.
"So, the game's clear conditions...?"
I had heard from Almiraj before, but this guy would probably be more accurate.
"I still don't know the exact conditions, but the conditions set by the Runar Dimension with the primordial gods are roughly three. One of them is the death of the 'True Demon King.'"
...Suddenly the True Demon King. Almiraj had said it was eliminating all demons. The difference was huge? In the first place, that guy was split into 666 branches, so how would they kill him again?
"Um... If that's the winning condition, shouldn't we not kill him like Nanar did in this incident by descending?"
"The Runar Dimension wouldn't accept such cheating, and even if they descended, they would only get beaten instead."
"...Eh?"
What did he just say?
"Didn't I say earlier that you can become a god if the Stage is lifted?"
"You did?"
"The True Demon King can lift the Stage on his own if he so desires, and even if not... he is several times, or even dozens of times stronger than the Nanar of the present world you faced this time. He is the one with the greatest potential in Elunar, this Runar Dimension, alongside the Apocalypse Dragon. Moreover, he was born with a blessing that no restrictions can bind him."
"...For real?"
"......"
Kaits nodded, looking extremely tired.
"Think of him as a monster that transcends gods, stronger than a deity being able to use their power from the divine realm without restrictions."
"Uh... Yeah. Now I kind of get it."
I was wondering why this strong bastard couldn't win, but at that level, it made sense. Yeah. The True Demon King could be called the nemesis of the hero Kaits. With that level of power, the will of the Runar Dimension must have put it in as a condition, thinking 'This one can't do it, lol.'
"And the other quests are difficult to achieve in the first place. The most realistic one is solving the hidden secrets of this world, but the 'transcendents from another world,' users who chose to become gods that I mentioned earlier, thought it was impossible to solve all the secrets and only solved some of them to obtain the right to raise their Stage."
...Huh? The world's secrets?
"I only know the keywords too, but... for example, the place where gods sleep, the dragon's tomb, the Temple of the Three Gods, things like that."
"......"
"After that, most winner candidates could only repeat the already revealed keywords. Nevertheless, they achieved outstanding results among users and are undergoing trials to become gods."
"Uh... Yeah."
My head was complicated. Keywords. I knew about them. Not just three, but ten.
"Are there... countless of those keywords?"
"There are countless numbers of quests, but to find the secrets of this world... something the ancient gods supposedly hid, it is said that a total of ten keywords are needed. Some speculate that the Eight Calamities or the Five Divine Beasts are also included, but that would make the quest absurdly difficult."
"......."
Ten. The keywords I knew were also ten. I knew all ten. ......What is this?
"Other main quests are related to the 10 Great Families, but... including me, no one has obtained their hearts, nor received the recognition of the artifacts."
Then Kaits' eyes lit up.
"But you're different now. You've received their recognition and are also taking the test as a Pryunar."
"...Uh, yeah."
"And the True Demon King... I am certain. Right now you're weak, but..."
"What the hell, you bastard?"
"...You're ordinary, but sometimes you emit power that even overwhelms me, and the more you grow, the more overwhelming it will become."
Kaits held out his hand.
"I formally request. Join me."
"......"
"With you, we can eliminate the True Demon King. Or if we can progress three main quests simultaneously, that would be ideal, but that's impossible, and even progressing just one would be a great step forward. I believe you can progress into areas where no one has set foot before."
I didn't take his hand. Not because I refused, but because my head was cluttered.
Ten keywords. And the 10 Great Families. Excluding the True Demon King stuff... the character encyclopedia, the sex simulation, and the setting book...
Yeah, right now I was holding the most overwhelming information among users. The information closest to completing the main quest. Good heavens. ...They gave that as a tutorial?