Stepping Out After a Thousand Years
Stepping out for the first time in a thousand years. Are they still lying in wait out there, waiting to kill me?
It was a thought that had suddenly crossed his mind out of nowhere.
There wasn't any particular trigger for it.
He had simply finished doing everything he could possibly do inside this space, and naturally, he had grown curious about the state of the outside world.
Surely they aren't still lying in wait.
The nagging thought that Karius, that bastard, might still be waiting out there just to kill him.
Of course, he couldn't completely rule out the possibility. Juhan knew Karius's personality all too well.
Once that man made a decision or set his mind to something, he pushed it to the bitter end. A stubborn bastard who would get things done no matter what, for better or worse. That was the Karius Juhan knew.
Yet, there was a specific reason Juhan had begun to think, Maybe it's safe now.
I haven't even stuck a single finger outside this place.
Indeed, Juhan had never shown his face outside this pocket dimension even once.
It was the absolute truth. Ever since he had retreated into this space, Juhan had never once revealed his presence to the outside world.
Even the very cultists who had summoned Juhan in the first place had doubted whether the ritual had actually succeeded. If his own summoners were clueless, others would have had no hope of knowing.
I've been here for at least a year... surely they aren't still waiting for me?
Lying in wait for over a year for someone whose very existence was uncertain?
No matter how he looked at it, it was hard to imagine. It would have been different if Juhan had actively revealed himself, but he had done no such thing.
But how did he know that about a year had passed? Especially when there were no clocks, no sun, and absolutely nothing to measure the passage of time?
Still, it must have been at least a year.
Naturally, there was no concrete basis for this. It was purely a gut feeling.
In fact, one year was a highly conservative estimate. Inwardly, Juhan suspected it might have been closer to three years.
On top of that, those guys weren't just ordinary characters.
They were the pillars of the novel—the literal protagonists of this world.
They're incredibly busy people. They must have left a long time ago.
They had far more important things to do than camp out indefinitely, waiting for Juhan, who might never even show his face.
Things like victory banquets, or flirting with each other while writing their happy epilogue... that sort of thing.
Or perhaps they had returned to their respective hometowns to live comfortably under the treatment of heroes.
Besides, they were far more likely to assume the summoning had simply failed, rather than suspecting Juhan was hiding.
But still...
Of course, that didn't mean his anxiety had completely evaporated.
Just in case. Because of that one-in-a-million chance.
Juhan decided to check one more thing for the absolute last time. He had checked it countless times before, but now, the urge to finally step outside was too strong to ignore.
No. 4.
"Yes! Did you call me?!"
What Juhan wanted to verify was the perfection of his Presence Hiding skill.
Simply put, it was the ability to naturally suppress his overwhelming presence to blend in.
Even if I manage to sneak out, the moment my identity is exposed, it's game over.
If that happened, Karius and his companions would hunt him down with bloodshot eyes. Literally the entire world would join the manhunt for Juhan.
That was why Juhan had chosen a human body.
He had spent his time in this pocket dimension practicing his various boss abilities and had even transformed back into his original form a few times, but...
He just couldn't get used to it.
After all, a human body was the most comfortable for doing everyday things. At least, it was for Juhan.
Let's test it one more time, okay?
Perhaps that was why Juhan's current form was human, looking no different from an ordinary passerby on the street.
He wasn't strikingly handsome, nor was he ugly.
It was a perfectly average, pleasant face that wouldn't draw a second glance. Because Juhan had put so much effort into crafting this specific disguise, he felt more attached to it than to any of his other dolls.
"Yes! Right away!"
And so, the final check began.
Naturally, erasing his presence entirely would be counterproductive. He figured that acting like a complete ghost would only arouse unnecessary suspicion.
Just enough. Just like an ordinary human.
That was the exact level Juhan was aiming for. If he had to describe it in one word, "natural" would be perfect.
Now, tell me honestly how much of my presence you can sense. Don't hold back.
"Hmm..."
At Juhan's command, No. 4 stared at him with an incredibly solemn expression.
Even though Juhan was the one who had created her, he had to admit she was breathtakingly beautiful.
With long, flowing black hair that reached her waist and striking red eyes that possessed a strange, hypnotic pull, she exuded an air of solemn dignity just by standing still.
Perhaps that was why Juhan had been so satisfied when he first created her. He had fully expected her personality to be quiet, calm, and analytical.
Of course, reality had other plans.
"It is absolutely perfect! Wow! You feel just like Pingping over there!"
"..."
"How can you be so flawless?! Ah, as expected of our glorious Cre—"
Clap, clap, clap!
No. 4 clapped her hands with exaggerated enthusiasm, showering Juhan with dramatic, unsparing praise.
Naturally, Juhan merely watched her in silence, offering no response whatsoever.
No. 5, come over here for a second.
He simply summoned another doll—No. 5, whom he had created right after No. 4.
"Oh, wait..."
As Juhan completely ignored her, No. 4 wore a devastated expression as if her entire world had just collapsed, but...
Juhan paid her no mind. For the task he was about to assign, No. 5 was the perfect fit.
"You are planning to step outside, Master."
Well... yes, that's the plan.
Perhaps because his creations could fundamentally read his intentions, No. 5 had already anticipated his role before Juhan could even utter a word.
"I shall scout the outside world first to assess the situation and report back."
Go ahead.
As expected of No. 5. He was the undisputed ace among the seven dolls Juhan had created. He was highly competent, capable of analyzing situations and taking initiative without needing to be micromanaged.
With that, all preparations were complete. His long, grueling era of seclusion was finally coming to an end today.
Now, then...
The only thing left for Juhan to do was to open a rift to the outside world.
He had never actually done it before, but he had an instinctive grasp of how it worked.
He had learned quite a few tricks during his time in this void, and this was one of them.
He had always felt capable of doing it, but he had deliberately avoided trying. If he opened a rift for no good reason and Karius happened to be waiting right on the other side, it would have been a disaster.
But these guys don't know a single thing about the outside world. Are they really not scared at all?
Had Juhan's constant lectures on his "Anti-Karius Strategy"—which he had drilled into them like military mental education—failed to sink in?
He couldn't detect even a shred of tension from Kkamangi and the other dolls.
Of course, Juhan's idle thoughts were quickly cut short.
Sssss...
...It's opening.
A tiny rift was slowly beginning to tear open right in front of him.
It was barely the size of a bottle cap.
Its presence was incredibly faint as well. Unless someone was actively looking for it, it would be virtually impossible to detect.
Staring at the tiny tear in space, No. 5 bowed slightly.
"I shall return shortly."
With those brief words, he was seemingly sucked into the tiny aperture, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
...
"...*Yawn.* Did he die?"
How long had he been waiting now?
At first, Juhan had kept his eyes glued to the rift, tense and alert. But as the seconds ticked by, his expression grew increasingly strained.
Why is he taking so long?
To be honest, Juhan had expected him to return almost immediately.
He figured No. 5 would just take a quick peek, check if Karius was camping outside, and pop right back in.
Yet, the wait was stretching on far longer than anticipated.
It felt like at least a full minute had passed. What on earth was taking him so long?
As Juhan continued to wait for No. 5, a sudden thought struck him.
Wait... no way.
A terrible scenario flashed through his mind: what if No. 5 had been captured by Karius?
Karius, waiting like a absolute psychopath for Juhan to emerge, catching No. 5 and beating him to a pulp... In Juhan's overactive imagination, No. 5 was currently being dismantled limb by limb.
But just as Juhan was mentally mourning the dismembered No. 5, the doll popped back through the rift.
Pop.
Whoa, startled me.
No. 5 had materialized back inside the pocket dimension without a single word of warning.
And he hadn't returned empty-handed.
Is that... a pigeon?
Clutched in his hand was a completely unexpected creature—a common pigeon.
"Just to be safe, I captured the least threatening living creature I could find."
As Juhan stared blankly at the bird, No. 5 offered his calm explanation. In response, Juhan simply extended his hand.
Reach.
He gestured for the bird. There was something he needed to test immediately.
"Yes, Master. Here it is."
No. 5 knelt reverently, presenting the pigeon to Juhan as if offering a sacred sacrifice to a deity. Juhan, long accustomed to this bizarrely dramatic behavior, paid it no mind.
Coo?
"..."
The pigeon now sat in Juhan's palm. It didn't struggle, flap its wings, or even try to peck at him.
It simply stared up at him with a blank, dopey expression. There wasn't a single trace of fear in its tiny eyes.
It's a success. It's not afraid of me at all.
Relieved by the bird's reaction, Juhan turned his attention back to his scout.
How was the outside world?
No. 5's response to Juhan's query was entirely unexpected.
"There was a forest, much like the one you projected to us through your thoughts."
A forest?
"Yes. I had assumed we would emerge in The Cavern you described, but..."
The Cavern.
It was the last place Juhan had seen before sealing himself away. The blood-stained underground cave where the final boss's resurrection ritual had been performed at the climax of the novel.
Naturally, Juhan had assumed that if he ever stepped outside, he would find himself right back in that dark, ominous cave.
"But it was unmistakably a forest."
Yet, No. 5 insisted that he had emerged in a lush forest. He claimed the very first place he set foot was a dense woodland.
What about the surroundings?
"There was nothing particularly unusual. I moved with the utmost caution to avoid detection, so I couldn't conduct a thorough sweep, but..."
And?
"At the very least, I detected no signs of an ambush, nor did I feel any presence monitoring the area."
It seemed No. 5 had done a thorough job of scouting despite his brief trip.
Hearing this, Juhan finally made up his mind. Yes, it really should be safe to go out now.
Having made his decision, the first thing Juhan did was turn to the dolls standing behind him to give them a strict warning.
Until I open a portal for you later, do not try to follow me out, do not cause any trouble, and behave yourselves.
It was only logical. After all, Juhan was the one who knew the lore of this world best. There was absolutely no reason for them to move in a group and draw attention, unless they were facing an emergency.
Reach.
Juhan cautiously slipped his right hand into the tiny rift.
Whoosh...
What the—?
As if it had been waiting for this exact moment, the rift greedily began to pull Juhan's entire body through.
Flash!
It happened in the blink of an eye.
It felt like barely a second.
The moment his hand crossed the threshold, his entire body was ejected into the outside world.
"Ah..."
And the first thing that greeted Juhan's eyes as he stumbled out was...
Chirp—
A vibrant wave of emerald green. It was a lush, dense forest—a sight he hadn't laid eyes on in what felt like an eternity.
He stood there, utterly transfixed, staring blankly at the scenery.
The gentle rustle of leaves swaying in the breeze. The rich, earthy scent of damp soil. The ambient hum of insects echoing from all directions.
"..."
Chirp. Chirp, chirp.
Before he even realized it, several small forest birds had fluttered down, casually perching on his head and shoulders.
Coo.
Even the pigeon he had just released had somehow found its way back, nonchalantly claiming a spot right on top of his head.