Chapter 491
Chapter 491
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 491
Chapter Title: Divinity (3)
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A secret laboratory constructed deep underground.
Tangled electrical wiring everywhere, lamps flickering madly, and monitors with numbers constantly fluctuating up and down.
The space was filled with massive machines of unknown purpose, far removed from the image of a tidy laboratory.
Ziiing—!
Suddenly, a heavy mechanical hum echoed from the center.
A bizarre surge of mana shook the air, sending waves radiating outward.
Pzzt— Pzzzt—
Kaboom! Boom—!
The machines, affected by it, began malfunctioning all at once, spewing black smoke.
“Uwahaha! Finally, it's complete! My masterpiece, forged from my blood and sweat!”
But the lab's owner, the Doctor, paid no mind to the chaos around him.
Not even blinking as sparks ignited flames right beside him, he simply stared at his creation before him and burst into laughter.
To him, the lab's expensive equipment was nothing more than consumables that slightly eased the toil of his experiments.
All the necessary data was already stored in his head anyway, and he could shorten even the most complex processes whenever needed.
“A pinnacle of art that fuses not just magitech engineering, but mechanics, biology, chemistry... everything!”
With his shout, red light gleamed from the eyes of the figure standing before him.
A devil-like entity nearly four meters tall, seemingly half machine and half living being.
“I name it... ‘Mecha Devil Executor’—!”
Amid the clamor of mechanical noises from the metal devices embedded throughout its body, the Doctor's gleeful face reflected on the red lens occupying one of the Mecha Devil Executor's eyes.
A homunculus crafted from the Executioner's harvested remains, magitech devices processed into mechanical forms, and even fragments of the Doctor's own achievements woven together into an artificial lifeform.
The Doctor, gazing contentedly at this monster that transcended even his avatars, tilted his head slightly.
“...Hmm. On second thought, the pronunciation's a bit off. Maybe Mecha Demon Destroyer would be better.”
He then scrunched up his face, grumbling over the name he'd agonized over for three straight days and nights.
“Or perhaps Gigantic... Machine... Astaroth... Hmm.”
To a researcher, naming their creation was an element they could never compromise on.
A dignified name could elevate the very value of the being itself.
He was more than willing to invest days or even weeks more for the perfect moniker.
“...How is it that your lab always looks like a disaster zone every time I visit, Doctor?”
But at that moment.
An intruder's voice echoed in what had been the Doctor's private space.
A drowsy feminine tone drifted in on a cool breeze.
Whooosh—
With it, the flames devouring the surroundings died down in an instant.
Colorful mists replaced the thick smoke, and a sweet fruity aroma circled the air in place of the acrid burnt smell.
Like a dreamlike illusion overlaying harsh reality.
“Maybe try keeping things tidy from now on? Working in a clean environment would surely boost your efficiency.”
A brown-skinned woman in traditional Indian garb—a sari—with a hookah in one hand emerged amid the mists.
“Oracle?”
The Doctor, who had been staring blankly at her sudden appearance, furrowed his brow.
Their natures were polar opposites, so their poor relationship wasn't a recent development.
They avoided pointless arguments by rarely speaking unless absolutely necessary, and certainly weren't close enough for unannounced visits to each other's domains.
“Pyahaha! This suits me just fine! I remember where everything is anyway!”
But the Doctor soon grinned and brushed it off nonchalantly.
He had just completed his long-labored masterpiece.
In his excellent mood, he could overlook just about anything today.
“Hmm, if you're content with it, I suppose I have nothing more to say.”
“But what brings you all the way here, Oracle? You've always been holed up in India.”
Her visit itself was unusual enough to pique his interest.
Just as he spent most of his time confined to his lab, she rarely ventured beyond her own altar.
“The Archenemy has made contact with the worldline.”
And his suspicions were spot on.
As she took a drag from her hookah and exhaled calmly, the Doctor's smirking expression twitched.
“...Hmm. Already? Faster than expected.”
He scratched at his unkempt beard and smacked his lips.
The Oracle shook her head with a sigh, exhaling thick smoke.
“The second hand has already started moving. 'Stare into the abyss, and the abyss stares back.' This observation will have advanced the Outer Gods' arrival on Earth considerably.”
It was also why the Reverse Heaven Society Leader had shared the truth only with a tiny circle of trusted aides.
The more who knew, the less time there was to prepare.
And for an Archenemy with influence great enough to draw the world's protection to learn of it...
“No time left to fuss over naming toys like this.”
“Eyy~! Toy? That's too harsh! This is practically the last memento our Executioner left behind! Have you sold off all respect for the dead?”
“...Memento? More like lost property. No, stolen goods. And as for respect for the dead, you're the one who's...”
“Hey! Quit nitpicking and say what you came to say, then get lost. I've got oiling to do for my little darling here.”
She closed her eyes wearily at his childish whining.
Despite spending considerable time together, their compatibility was still abysmal.
“...Sigh. Very well, I'll take my leave. Just make sure you don't fall behind schedule. One slip, and everything could go to waste.”
“Uwaha! Worry not! How long have I waited for that final experiment? You think I'd ruin it now?”
In the end, she had no choice but to withdraw after extracting yet another promise.
He might seem like a stubborn research obsessive at a glance, but that man had once been an absolute ruler who toyed with the entire world in his grasp.
Even looking that sloppy, he'd prove his worth when the critical moment arrived.
“Wait... Simple is best. How about just ‘Mecha Demon’? Whoa! That's not bad at all!”
...Though she didn't quite trust him fully.
'Still, it's true he's put in immense effort for this moment.'
That research-mad man would never let this plan fail.
Sparking mystery on Earth was just the beginning; to him, it was a once-in-a-lifetime megaproject that would never come again if missed.
He'd spare no means or methods to see it through.
Just as he always had.
'True freedom for humanity.'
A new world led solely by Earthlings, free from Outer Gods or the System.
Untouched by any external interference.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ There is no mystery on Earth.
...Or more precisely, there hadn't been any up until about twenty years ago, in the year 2000 AD.
Not until the System appeared and otherworld transfers began.
'Dimensions like Earth aren't exactly common.'
From his experiences so far, they were more than uncommon—they were virtually unique.
That was likely a major reason the Akasha System had chosen Earth.
A blank slate with nothing was ideal for Awakeners to escape dimensional laws and maintain independent rules.
The error in Ramus's awakening process was probably due to that as well.
“Hoo.”
I opened my closed eyes and let out a deep sigh.
My body felt grimy from cold sweat and the blood soaking the front of my clothes, but I lacked even the strength to get up and wash immediately.
'Still, the gains aren't bad.'
I half-lidded my eyes and focused inward.
Something wriggling deep within.
A crack had formed in the firmly rooted seed of divinity, and a tiny sprout was pushing through.
'Lucky. I hoped for it, but to succeed on the first try...'
With a solid start, it would grow rapidly with each future trigger, blooming spectacularly.
The same went for the divinity in my Avatars, influenced by the main body.
That was undoubtedly good.
But...
“This suddenly escalated.”
Separate from that, unease gnawed at me.
The moment I acquired Faint Divinity, my consciousness reached a higher plane, revealing the world's secrets.
Most insights from that flow of truth had scattered like dust, but thanks to Record of Myths, I'd retained the essential information I deemed necessary.
'Those eyes. Definitely a deity. Not just any lesser god, but a chief god equivalent to a dimension's creator.'
Even just clashing gazes with the remnant record had frozen my thoughts momentarily.
Despite being in a god-like state myself at that instant.
'And something like that is descending on Earth?'
I pressed my twitching eyelid and sighed again.
Chief gods cannot manifest directly in the mortal realm.
Even if they could, they must not.
Doing so could shatter the world.
It wasn't for nothing that chief gods in dimensions like Outerica or Kanghwan had stayed hands-off.
“What a headache.”
If the Reverse Heaven Society Leader's goal was protecting Earth from those Outer Gods, her actions made sense.
She couldn't just sit idle with confirmed doom approaching.
'But even so...'
Having suffered direct harm, I couldn't fully condone her methods.
Nor could I accept the "solution" she proposed.
Sacrificing most of humanity to sprout mystery was merely a stepping stone.
In a way, her plan wasn't so different from Earth's destruction.
“So much to do. Stopping the Reverse Heaven Society's rampage, plus countermeasures against the Outer Gods. How did it come to this?”
My initial goal had simply been revenge on those who ruined my normal life, then living quietly and abundantly.
Now, I might end up shouldering the entire planet.
'...First things first, a shower. Rushing leads to mistakes.'
Gathering what strength I'd recovered, I dragged myself to the bathroom.
Standing under the warm water, lost in thought, eased my tangled mind bit by bit.
'Sheesh, Earth's on the brink of doom, and here I am fretting over this...'
As I stepped out, drying my wet hair with a towel.
Ding-ding-ding—♪
My smartphone on the table rang.
-Kang Taesan
My one and only friend.
No one else called, so I'd half-expected it.
He represented my last tether to 'normal daily life,' so we met occasionally for drinks, keeping our easy friendship alive.
He'd been excitedly bragging lately about hitting it off with a woman from another department.
'But what's up at this hour?'
It was around 10 a.m.
For a salaryman, prime work hours, shortly after arriving at the office.
Not his usual after-work call or relaxed lunchtime.
A vague foreboding made me frown as I answered.
-Hey, you free today?
His voice sounded calm, contrary to my worries.
But after over a decade together, I knew better.
Something serious had happened to him.
“Plenty of time on my end. What's up so suddenly? Don't tell me you're bragging about another girlfriend.”
-Haha! Not this time.
I tried lightening the mood, but his response was flat.
'Not about his grandmother, I hope.'
Her condition had improved remarkably through discreet, periodic holy power treatments—fit as if she'd never been ill.
Holy power couldn't extend lifespan itself, but she could live out her remaining time free of ailments.
In the end, that afternoon, I left home earlier than usual to meet Kang Taesan.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “I've awakened.”
“Pfft—!”
I spat out the water in my mouth at his words.
“......”
“......”
Silence fell as our eyes met.
His earnest gaze made me squeeze my eyes shut, muttering inwardly to no one in particular.
'I've got enough headaches, and now you're piling on? Isn't this overkill?'
...Naturally.
No reply came.