Peering into the Rift: Yujin's Prodigious Rise
After the watching constellation Nyarlathotep departed, a few other outer gods showed some interest in me and approached. But none seemed as intrigued as her—they just glanced my way and moved on without much chatter. Were they generally disinterested in each other? Or maybe my power was more overwhelming than I'd thought, keeping them at bay.
The ones who came close were all upper-level at best. Compared to me or Nyarlathotep, they were weaklings. Even so, being upper-level meant they'd gained knowledge of the multiverse, yet it wasn't extensive. Just scraps—like tales from cosmic history where Nyarlathotep or Shub-Niggurath popped up now and then. And I'd only spotted two or three, so it was hard to say for sure.
Anyway, this rift was outside the multiverse itself, so vast that there weren't many outer gods nearby. They all drifted far off in the endless expanse. Still, they must have sensed me to some degree... especially the supreme-level ones. Maybe new outer gods didn't pique much interest. Nyarlathotep must be the odd one out.
...Though I'd been calling her Nyarlathotep in my head. That was just her code name. In other worlds, she went by tons of aliases: Nyarlathotep, Nyalarthotep, Nyarlathotep... all variations with similar sounds and meanings. Crawling Chaos, Creeping Chaos, Chaos That Climbs... yeah, total embodiment of chaos, apparently.
Supreme-level outer gods didn't reveal their true names, though. Hell, they might not even have names. The lesser ones they spawned got names from their creators or from worshippers and lowly beings—but the top tiers? They didn't care. Their existence was absolute, unique. Not created by anyone; they'd been there since the dawn of time. Maybe that's why no names stuck.
...Come to think of it, I didn't have a name either. No real need for one. No one to call it out, and the outer gods either ignored me or could tell us apart without labels. Names were probably just for lesser beings to grasp identity anyway—irrelevant to us.
...Still, if they gave me a cool code name, it'd feel kinda nice?
[ ...... ]
...Nah, whatever. I don't need one! Fine by me. Anyway, being alone suits me better. I'm an introvert at heart—this solitude is comfy. Plus, I've got no time to get bored sorting through all this knowledge in my head.
Oh, neat—there's a universe just like the one I came from. Feels almost identical to that recent sci-fi world. Only difference is the Galactic Union, I guess. Can't say it's my original universe, though. Even counting just the similar ones I can sense, there are hundreds of billions.
...Earthlings said the observable universe spans 93 billion light-years, right? Humans still have a long way to go to grasp the cosmos. Factor in the multiverse, and it's like they've barely examined one atom in a whole body.
...Huh! Speaking of Earth, that reminds me—what's my avatar Yujin up to? No time flows in the rift, so no clue how long it's been there.
Among the knowledge in my mind, there's info on the rift too. Can't directly connect to a universe's denizens from here, but I can focus and observe. Feels just like a constellation in the divine realm watching an awakener.
Well... difference is, constellations are outer gods, not true gods, and it's not some awakener—it's my own created avatar. Anyway, let's see what he's doing.
With that thought, an image of Yujin popped into my head, like flipping on a TV.
...??? What the...? Something's off. Wrong channel? This ain't the drama I remember. Ah! Got the timeline wrong. Went too far into that universe's future. Point when I lost connection... about 10 years ago, huh.
But... what's going on there? Looks like Yujin's attacking a Rubaran elder. Is he launching a rebellion against the Galactic Union 10 years from now...? No info on that future in my head yet—or maybe it's not there. The usual future branches are documented, but...
Ah, got it! When I created Yujin, it split the timeline toward one with him in it. Events caused by my avatar aren't in my prior knowledge. Outer gods can't foresee variables they create themselves? That's intriguing!
Watching Yujin carve his own path and reshape the future sounds way more fun than puppeteering him directly. Like a real sci-fi drama. And if I hate the script, I can tweak it. Gods make spawn to seed worlds for this reason? Wild. Watching live cosmic drama like TV? This'll be fun.
Ugh! Now this sequel has me hooked! What's underground?! Argh... but the backstory's killing me too! What led Yujin here? Alright, rewind to 10 years ago and watch from the start. Just 10 years—piece of cake. I've got eternity!
...Well, no time or aging here anyway. Whatever! Set to 10 years back... okay. Play!
Right after our link snapped, then. Damn! Should've wiped memories of my main body from Yujin, Rowi, and Yupiter. Starting as a reincarnated genius Terra sounds more fun than knowing he's an outer god's avatar.
Eh, too much hassle to go back and fix. This could be entertaining too—let's watch.
# Afterward, Yujin spent his days learning magic from Yupiter alongside Rowi. Stationed at Union Base B-45, Yujin devoured magic with the insane mana and innate talent his main body had bestowed. In no time, he surpassed Rowi.
"...Impressive."
"Nah, what? I got powers from an outer god—if I can't handle this much, I'd be a joke."
True enough. All Yujin's strength came from his main body. This was baseline.
So Rowi Hendrick felt no real inferiority. Yujin started worlds ahead.
"Truly remarkable. Unprecedented growth. No Meias mage progressed this fast."
Even Yupiter said it sincerely. Basics mastered in two days; mid-level practice in a week. Geniuses took a month for basics, a year to mid-level. No room for envy—just awe at the dominance.
"At this rate, mid-level's done soon. Upper-level's tricky for me alone..."
Yupiter pondered, then:
"...Yujin. If you're willing, how about visiting the Meias homeworld?"
"Huh? The homeworld?"
Yujin tilted his head at Yupiter's question.
"Yes. Upper-level needs elder instructors. Even I haven't mastered every upper spell perfectly. Others from the council or top mages can teach the rest."
Rowi chimed in with details. Yupiter couldn't solo upper magic, so head to Meias planets for more teachers.
"Hell yeah, sounds great. But can an outsider just waltz in...?"
"I'm an elder—what's to worry?"
"Right, yeah. You forged my ID anyway."
And so, Yujin set off for the Meias Planetary Group—the ten worlds linking the Meias tribe's domain.