The Seed Who Knows the Inevitable Force

I clearly said it.

……"That One."

Proof that the Inevitable Force I destroyed along with Earth was unequivocally "above" the God of Storms, Heimdall.

And that wasn't the only fact I'd learned.

"Originally, it was a name no one could know."

I only realized it at the very end.

After seeing the words in the system message.

The Absolute God and the Inevitable Force.

I'd vaguely thought of it as nothing more than the "final despair and disaster."

The one who watches as the world perishes.

Naturally, no one should know its name.

Unless they were someone insane enough to actually carry out what I'd done.

And judging by the reaction...

"......Is it really still alive?"

If it was, then this return to the past was real.

The way it was treated didn't feel like how you'd address a god that had been destroyed.

The vanished leisure.

The subdued voice.

Instead of roaring about insolence, it was watching its step.

The attitude you take with a living authority figure.

First, I needed to assess the current situation.

So.

"Is that a name I'm not supposed to know?"

I probed even more leisurely.

Heimdall's eyes turned to me.

I responded with a smile.

Then.

"......What an intriguing fellow you are. A 'seed' that knows That One's name. If you learned it instinctively, your talent might be even greater than I thought."

Heimdall's demeanor softened.

Instead, desire flickered in the god's eyes.

Just like a human.

Familiar.

That was unmistakably the gaze of one who covets.

"You there, what's your name?"

My name?

I couldn't very well say Kim Jeong-seok.

After a moment's thought, I answered.

"Rag."

......What the hell is this?

It really feels like a game.

Anyway, completing the tutorial seems to enable logout.

In that case.

"I need to finish this tutorial as fast as possible."

I'd have to use every means at my disposal to reach that God's Tower.

"Rag. I'll remember that. Come find me once you've climbed the tower."

Heimdall's gaze upon me.

Looked like I'd have to exploit that desire.

"If you take me there yourself, I'll consider it."

"Where to?"

"God's Tower."

But I didn't know where God's Tower was.

I could search for it, but it'd take ages.

I didn't have time to waste.

Plus, who knew what might happen on the way there.

Another god might show up and try to kill me.

Heimdall's expression hardened.

"......You want me, Heimdall, to escort you personally?"

Seemed to bruise his pride quite a bit.

I shrugged.

"Get me to the tower right now."

I raised my index finger.

"And I'll seek out the great Ruler of All Phenomena, Heimdall, first thing after climbing it."

"Hah."

Heimdall let out a hollow laugh.

An incredulous look.

But at the same time, he seemed pleased with the cheeky proposal.

"......Fine. I accept that deal."

Whew. Good.

Easier acceptance than expected.

But.

"On ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one condition."

"Condition?"

"Climb the tower as the overwhelming 'number one' among the god candidates."

Heimdall's eyes flashed.

"Climb with mediocre results, and the moment you appear before me, you'll be erased. Wasting my time demands nothing less than ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠oblivion."

Unless it's a clear number one, it has no value, huh.

Godly arrogance.

Apparently, heading to God's Tower meant competing with the other "children of gods."

I nodded.

"Got it."

"......What?"

"I'll climb as the overwhelming number one."

It was all or nothing anyway.

Finishing the tutorial and logging out came first.

Then.

"Kahahahaha! I like it— I really like it!"

Heimdall finally burst into laughter.

At the same time.

Whiiiiiing!

A massive wind enveloped my body.

My vision flipped.

Space folded, the world warped.

"Go, you arrogant 'seed'."

Those words echoed in my ears.

Then.

Thud!

A hard sensation hit my soles.

I opened my eyes to see a colossal tower piercing the clouds, exuding majesty.

"Rocket delivery's one thing, but typhoon express?"

The speed was mind-boggling.

The tower's topmost floor.

An endless garden of gods stretching out beneath feet trampling clouds.

Numerous gods had already gathered there.

Heimdall appeared, slicing through the wind.

Immediately, someone spoke up as if they'd been waiting.

"Heimdall. Why did you personally escort that 'seed'?"

A chilling voice.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Finding the tower on their own is part of the trial. Why grant such favor to a mere seed?"

A tone of accusation.

The gazes of the gods in the garden fixed on Heimdall in unison.

Unfriendly stares.

And rightly so.

The recovery rate of seeds scattered across all of Asgard was a mere 1.8%.

In other words, 98 out of 100 died without even reaching God's Tower.

The surviving 1.8% engaged in brutal competition, killing each other.

And the number who became "gods" was far fewer still.

Heimdall had personally buttoned up the first step of that vicious survival game.

Heimdall replied indifferently.

"Because he had the qualifications."

A bold attitude.

In response, another god's voice rang out like a warning.

"Still so arrogant. If that seed you brought proves unworthy, you won't escape unscathed either."

"Do as you please."

Heimdall merely shrugged.

The gods' anger meant nothing to him.

Instead, it only stirred a strange anticipation in his chest.

It was the first time.

Heimdall, the God of Storms, Ruler of All Phenomena.

Before his overwhelming divinity, the guy hadn't wavered an inch.

And he was just a seed.

When he should have been crawling in terror.

Yet he'd stared straight at him and brazenly proposed a deal.

He could still see it.

That arrogant gaze.

In eons of time, he'd never seen such a mad bastard.

That's why he'd agreed without thinking.

No, honestly speaking.

"......A seed that knows the Absolute God's name."

Impossible.

Only the top supreme gods like himself knew That One's name.

No seed should utter it.

Sometimes seeds awakened knowing a specific god's name.

But that was only possible if they deeply possessed that god's talent.

What if Rag had the talent of the Inevitable Force?

The Inevitable Force was the absolute throne even they had never seen.

The sole being who ruled this Asgard and God's Tower.

Yet that immutable value could be shaken.

"Asgard is too stagnant. A dull, boring place."

Heimdall was the God of Storms.

He wanted fierce typhoons here too.

He wanted those stale absolute beings rattled.

The reason was simple.

"I permit no one above me."

A desire to ascend.

Greed to reach higher layers.

But the "layer" set ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠upon becoming a god rarely changed.

To alter this structure, he had to shake it from the bottom.

If Rag could play that role, this much risk was worth it.

It was then, as Heimdall smirked inwardly.

"How fares the 'game' on 'Earth'?"

"Didn't we decide each would create characters and proceed?"

"It's still the protection period. No major disasters yet."

"What about the human awakening target?"

"Let's start with...... 30%."

"The remaining 70%?"

"You're asking the obvious. Total annihilation."

A familiar ceiling.

Moldy, dark wallpaper.

A cramped studio apartment reeking of mildew.

I sat up in bed and looked around.

"......Ha."

A hollow laugh escaped me.

I remembered.

"Did time really rewind?"

......This was the semi-basement room I lived in 20 years ago.

I checked the calendar.

March 14, 2026.

A date I could never forget.

The day peaceful daily life shattered, and hell began to unfold.

That's when it happened.

Rumble rumble rumble!

The entire building shook violently.

Dust rained from the ceiling, textbooks tumbling from the bookshelf to the floor.

Weee-oong! Weee-oong!

My smartphone screamed beside me.

At the same time, the TV screen flared red with an emergency broadcast.

The announcer's urgent voice.

I steadied my staggering body and approached the window.

Beyond the semi-basement window, the street was a scene of pandemonium.

Crack!

Asphalt split like cookie crumbs.

A massive sinkhole yawned open, swallowing cars and people nearby.

"Kyaaah!"

"H-Help!"

"The ground's collapsing!"

People's screams.

Horn blasts.

And.

Kieeeek!

From the fissures in the earth, from pitch-black darkness, grotesque creatures crawled out.

Giant rats with glowing red eyes and razor-sharp incisors.

Demonic Beasts.

The moment they first appeared in the world.

The past me would have cowered under the covers in terror.

But now was different.

Compared to the day Earth fell, this was barely a circus act.

More importantly, there was something to check first.

"Status window."

My jaw dropped.

"......Insane."

Just one level up, and all stats ballooned from 50 to 100.

But there was a problem.

Only 20% usable power.

That's why the -80 on all stats.

"No such thing as a free lunch, huh."

I immediately reached into the air.

"Inventory."

Shwick.

The air split, revealing a translucent space.

Inside were the tutorial rewards.

Using a Golden Rule fragment allows Rag's power to descend upon me.

In other words, full power for a total of 5 hours.

"Plenty."

More than enough to clean up those rat bastards and sort things out.

Kieeeek!

Before I knew it, a giant rat had thrust its head through the window gap.

Foul saliva dripped between yellowed teeth.

Our eyes met.

I pulled a fragment from the inventory and gripped it.

"Descent."

Kwaaaaa!

The studio flooded with golden light.

My body twisted and swelled.

Height easily over 2 meters.

Solid muscles.

Even my hair turned shining gold.

I had become Rag.