Chapter 47: Where the Stars Finally Reach
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47: Where the Stars Finally Reach
“…Ugh.”
A faint groan escaped my lips. The mercilessly beating sunlight was so blinding it stung.
I rubbed my eyelids repeatedly with my lightly balled fists. But my eyes simply couldn't adapt to the ruthless, direct light.
Soon, I lowered my arms and stopped. I would adapt eventually anyway. I had acted too hastily out of needless impatience.
I took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. The tension that had built up inside me dissipated slightly. Next, I expanded my senses, excluding my sight.
Silence seeped into my ears. In reality, no matter how quiet it was, there should at least be the sound of insects.
But I heard absolutely nothing. There wasn't even the faint ringing of tinnitus. It was as if someone had forcibly plugged my ears.
Next, I spread my fingers wide and waved them through the air. I couldn't feel even the slightest resistance of a gentle breeze.
It felt like those movie scenes where someone floats aimlessly in the deep sea. A crushing, immense lethargy weighed down on my body. Goosebumps broke out as the very sensation of being alive felt paralyzed.
Even squinting sent a sharp, stinging pain through my eyeballs. I spat out a curse and shut my eyes tight again.
With my eyes closed, I calmly assessed the situation.
'Where am I?'
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't remember how I had arrived in this incomprehensible place (?). It felt alien, yet paradoxically familiar, leaving me with no choice but to tilt my head in confusion.
Only after pondering for a long while did I begin to grasp the situation. Lost senses, an effect without a cause. There was only one logical conclusion.
It's a dream.
The moment I realized it was a dream, my eyes fluttered open slightly, independent of my will. Soon, my blurry vision began to focus.
“Is this... a lucid dream?”
My murmur hovered in my throat before being swallowed back down. Yet, my voice echoed clearly in my ears. I swallowed hard at the bizarre sensation.
Soon, my half-closed eyelids opened fully, and my lips parted soundlessly at the sight before me.
On an immeasurably vast, pitch-black canvas, stars were scattered like grains of sand on a white beach, alongside a fiercely burning sun.
Turning my gaze slightly, I saw the Milky Way gliding across the deep blue expanse. It looked like a single sword slicing through the universe itself.
“Space?”
Yes. In my dream, I was suddenly floating in the vast, open ocean of space. I hurriedly checked my breathing. Fortunately, I could breathe just fine.
It felt so incredibly real that I momentarily forgot it was a dream. I let out a dry, awkward laugh and turned my head to scan my surroundings.
If space had a sunset, it would probably look like this. Faint stigmata emitted five-colored rays of light from the crevices of the ink-black cosmos.
Though surreal, this too was nature. Marveling anew, I surrendered my body to the weightlessness of space. This floating sensation was quite addictive.
Come to think of it, when was the last time I had a dream? It felt like it had been at least six months, maybe a year, since I last dreamed.
To think the first dream I have in ages is such a realistic lucid dream.
Just as I was murmuring to myself...
Whoosh—
“—!”
The stars scattered across the universe began to move in unison, centering around me. I prided myself on my speed, but they were moving so fast it was hard to track them with my eyes.
The chaotic stars soon seemed to find their places, abruptly halting and aligning themselves.
My eyes widened. I stared in disbelief, double-checking what I was seeing.
What appeared on my retinas was a combination of words formed by the stars. Startled, my eyes widened further as I stared straight ahead.
['G.M.' requests a conversation with you. Do you accept? ☞(Y/N)]
An exclamation mark practically popped up over my head at the sentence. It was similar to the status window I usually opened. Having grown so accustomed to the world of 'Miracle Blessing M', it seemed I was now dreaming in this format as well.
I stared blankly at it before nodding. At that, the fixed stars moved once more, rearranging themselves.
(Y/N)
▲
Rustle—
[You have accepted G.M.'s conversation request.]
['G.M.' is interfering with Worldline-Code.◎●○●○●●○○●●○○○●.]
“What on earth is a worldline?”
Baffling vocabulary. What was 'G.M.', and what were the worldline and the symbols (?) following it?
Yet, for a dream, it was chillingly vivid. A shiver ran down my spine.
Rumble—
Along with a fierce, roaring sound, the twinkling stars in my vision shook. I could tell instantly. The universe was vibrating.
My body felt bound by invisible chains, halting my movements. Starting from my toes, I gradually stiffened until even my vocal cords were blocked.
[The opponent's rank is too high.]
[Your rank is too low.]
[You have not yet met the conditions to be 【? ? ?】.]
At the same time, the echoes ringing in my ears made my head spin.
[Do you still wish to proceed? ☞(Y/N)]
The sentence, crafted from clusters of stars, was practically seared into my retinas. I stared at it intently.
In that moment, I realized this was no mere dream. Perhaps this was the reason I had fallen into this world.
At the very least, it had to be a clue regarding the 'Blessing of the Sword God' bestowed upon me.
That was the only possibility that came to mind. Meanwhile, the resonance of the universe grew even more violent. Straining my stiffening neck, I managed to nod.
(Y/N)
▲
Soon after.
[G.M. has confirmed your intent.]
[G.M. uses Counterforce to establish contact.]
[Beginning overall adjustment and conversion of Worldline-Code.◎●○●○●●○○●●○○○●.]
Hummmmm—
Soon, with a sharp crack, fine fractures began to spread across the pitch-black space filling my retinas. Shortly after, shattered fragments of space crumbled and rained down.
Suddenly, bundles of desolate red lines began to draw themselves. They were unmistakably the same lines that appeared when I manifested my Blessing.
Along those lines, countless stigmata, star clusters, and space itself were cleanly sliced away. I witnessed the scene with a blank, dazed stare.
'...What is this?'
Star clusters scattered like dust. The boundary between a horrific disaster and an ecstatic spectacle blurred.
This was no metaphor; the heavens and earth were literally being remade. A sense of déjà vu washed over me. It was similar to when I had manifested the 'Blessing of the Sword God' on the Academy's entrance day.
Soon, a blinding light erupted from the gaps between the chaotically swirling fragments. I locked my gaze onto it.
I have to see what that is, no matter what. An inexplicable conviction filled me. At that moment, the vibration of the universe grew uncontrollably violent, and my consciousness suddenly began to snap back.
“Hey! Wake up!”
A voice immediately struck my ears. Who was it? I didn't know, but it was definitely familiar. I felt the touch of a hand on my shoulder.
[Due to external interference, 'G.M.' postpones the meeting for another day.]
['G.M.' attempts to leave a message for you.]
With that, the scenery before my eyes slowly began to fade to black.
I reached my arm forward. Between my fingers, letters woven from stars began to form.
[Slash and cut.]
But a gravitational pull from behind ruthlessly sucked me back.
[No matter what it is.]
With that final sentence...
The darkness that rushed in instantly swallowed me whole.
Flash—!
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《 May the Blessing of God be with you. 》
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“Hey! Kang Geomma! Wake up!”
When I opened my eyes, Ryozo was grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. She was shaking me so hard I felt motion sickness for the first time in my life. Holding my dizzy head, I slowly sat up. A faint sunset was shimmering across the landscape.
“You're always nagging me for sleeping too much, yet here you are, sleeping like a baby.”
Ryozo grumbled something with a pout. However, I couldn't hear her clearly because of the ringing in my ears.
“If I hadn't woken you up, you would've ended up going to school tomorrow straight from this classroom.”
“...”
“Here.”
Saki said, pulling a few tissues from her pocket and handing them to me. I shook my head to clear my mind, then took them.
“Usually, when people sleep, they drool. Geomma, why are you crying?”
Just as she said, something was streaming down my cheeks. I wiped it away with the tissues. Ryozo stared at me intently before speaking with concern.
“Did you... have a sad dream or something?”
“...Hmm.”
It was embarrassing enough getting caught sleeping by Saki, who did nothing but sleep all day, but I had no idea why I was crying on top of that.
I scratched my chin awkwardly and thought. I was certain I had dreamed of something.
Although dreams usually fade the more you try to recall them, this one vanished exceptionally fast. Like a mirage, even its lingering traces disappeared without a trace.
“I think I had a dream... but I can't remember it. Anyway, thanks for waking me up.”
“Well, yeah. Originally, dreams are when hormones secreted in the brain prevent storage in the hippocampus—”
Ryozo rattled off a string of incomprehensible scientific terms. I coolly let it go in one ear and out the other. Seeing my lack of interest, she pouted and pulled something out of her pocket. It was yanggaeng.
“Hurry up and get up. The professor building closes in thirty minutes.”
“Is it already that late?”
“You slept for twenty minutes after class ended.”
“...”
She slept through entire classes herself, yet she had the nerve to nag me. Dumbfounded, I shook my head.
“Anyway, get up quickly. Let's go.”
“Yeah, alright.”
Without even listening to my response, Ryozo tried to pull me up as if rushing me. As I packed a few introductory textbooks scattered on the desk into my bag and prepared to stand up, a sudden question crossed my mind.
“But Saki, why haven't you gone home yet?”
“...”
Saki's eyes darted around frantically, clearly caught off guard. Soon, she stammered out a reply.
“U-Uh, obviously, I stayed behind until the very end to wake you up.”
This was a stark contrast to her usual cold demeanor. Sensing something off, I put my bag back down and sat back in my chair.
Ryozo's mind seemed to freeze as she nervously parted her lips. Then, glancing at me to gauge my reaction, she began to spill her true intentions.
“Ahem, well, I heard from Rachel that men have... you know, immediate physiological feedback when they wake up? It's nothing weird, I was just purely curious from an academic standpoint. And then, you just happened to be taking a nap right then.”
What kind of academy has girls who are more shameless than the guys... I let out a deep sigh and cut off her rambling excuses.
“Hey.”
“U-Uh? —Hiccup!”
She started hiccuping, perhaps having choked on her yanggaeng. As I stared at her pitifully, her face flushed bright red.
—Hiccup!
The hiccups echoed through the empty classroom. Saki covered her mouth and groaned, trying to stop them.
“Go on ahead.”
Embarrassed, Saki nodded with her face completely red and quickly scurried away. She really was a character with a bizarre concept.
Once I made sure she was completely gone, I slowly looked down at my crotch.
‘...’
Shoving my hands deep into my pockets, I turned my head toward the window frame. The sunset felt exceptionally dazzling today, so I decided to stay and watch it for a little while.