Encounter with the Unknown
It was too far to fly the spaceship there, so I used my main body's powers to teleport it right up near the tourist ship. To avoid startling them by appearing out of nowhere, I sent it to the edge of their detection range, then flew over in the ship myself.
"...Ahh! Nice. At least with this clone body, I can talk normally."
The clone looked exactly like my old self—no one could complain about that—so there was no awkwardness in moving or speaking. And it didn't seem like I'd shatter anyone's mind just by bumping into them or chatting. Living like this as a bit of a playful diversion might not be so bad? I could tuck my main body away safely in the depths of space to avoid any accidental victims, then send out clones like this to observe and experience their lives firsthand. Not a bad idea.
Hmm, but I'd probably need some kind of identity for that, right? I could fabricate one, but I'd have to register the clone's info in the Terra race database...
Maybe it'd be faster to alter universal perception across the cosmos.
...But that's way too omnipotent and ridiculous. I don't really want to use it. Games are like that, aren't they? Cheats make the early game fly by with fast progress and growth, but you get bored in no time. Now that I'm an eternal being who'll outlast the universe itself from some outer dimension, I can't afford to burn through the fun that quickly. Gotta take it slow and savor it.
"Oh, we're here."
Lost in those thoughts, I'd already closed in to where I could practically touch the tourist ship's nose.
...But how do I get in there? Will they let an outsider board? What if they think I'm hostile and attack?
Shit... I didn't think of any countermeasures since nothing could really threaten me anyway. Being overwhelmingly strong is inconvenient sometimes. Worst case, the clone just vanishes if they hit me...
But this was a chance encounter—I'd be a fool not to make use of it.
"Hm?"
Something felt off, though. The tourist ship inside seemed in total chaos. Even as a clone crafted by a god-tier existence, getting this close let me sense the interior as clearly as if I were watching it with my own eyes.
People writhing in agony. Oh, aliens. Some with seriously potent energy signatures. No, no—why was I just sightseeing? The passengers were in utter pandemonium, suffering terribly.
Perfect. I'll slip in now and play the hero. Save the folks in peril by sheer coincidence, kick off the classic isekai life. Total cliché, right?
With that, I teleported the clone inside the tourist ship. Even from this distance, instant teleportation worked flawlessly. As expected of an Outer God... Anything's possible if I set my mind to it.
"...What the hell? What happened here?"
The interior was even worse up close than I'd sensed. People passed out, vomiting, some bleeding from their eyes, noses, and mouths.
"Urgh...!"
Even the sturdiest races were clutching their heads, staggering around. This was... mental contamination. Something interfering directly with their minds, messing with their brains.
What could it be? I didn't sense any mental attack source nearby.
That Meias youth over there gathering energy to do something, or the old man beside him—they might pull off an attack like this. They looked Terra-like, human, but the energy inside them was distinct enough to tell them apart.
Ah, they call it 'mana,' right? Anyway, since even the Meias were suffering, they weren't the source of this contamination...
"Ah."
It hit me in a flash. 'The moment you perceive an Outer God through sight, sound, or any means without mental defenses in place, your mind collapses—you die or turn into a vegetable.'
You, huh? The culprit.
It must've been that involuntary "oh" I let slip earlier. No way, that's insane. Twenty billion kilometers away, and just one word from me turns people into this?
This wasn't some hero-saving-the-day cliché anymore—I'd be the villain who plunged them into crisis!
"......"
No time to dwell. Mental purification. Swoosh— I cleared the contamination from their minds.
I could shatter psyches just by being perceived, but surprisingly, I also had the power to purify and refresh minds. Problem was, using it on someone who'd already collapsed from directly seeing or hearing me would just loop breakdown and recovery, turning them into total idiots. Pretty useless in those cases.
But this was different. They'd only caught a fleeting echo of my distant voice, not fully cognized me. A purge now, and they wouldn't spiral again.
"Ugh, uugh... What was that?"
"My head felt like it was splitting open all of a sudden..."
"H-Hey?! Raymond! Snap out of it!"
"Urgh... Hoo, f-folks, please stay calm and seated. We'll assess the situation right away."
Luckily, everyone regained their senses, and the chaos subsided quickly. Phew... Nearly massacred hundreds of sapient minds less than thirty minutes into my reincarnation. A feat worthy of the despair-bringing Outer God name—haha.
Then the Meias youth approached me.
"...You. What did you do?"
"Pardon?"
Whoa! What? Did he figure it out? That I smashed their minds...? That I'm an Outer God?!
"Right when you showed up, everyone's minds recovered. You didn't even seem to channel any energy... How'd you do it?"
Oh, that. Heh, why would a clone need to expend energy? I just borrowed the main body's power. Transcendent Outer Gods don't "use" energy. They simply cause phenomena, like natural laws. No energy interference there.
But I couldn't say that straight, so...
"Ha, haha. I'm an adventurer who roams the cosmos, and I've run into mental attackers plenty of times. This is something I developed myself. It sends electromagnetic waves into the brain to readjust the mind—probably why you didn't see any energy flow."
I pulled a rod-like gadget made of mechanical parts from my pocket. Total bullshit, of course. I'd just materialized it on the spot as a fake invention. Half-true, though—I'd imbued it with the exact ability I described during creation. One button press, and it broadcasts waves purging mental contamination within a 1km radius. It couldn't touch anything I caused, but it'd handle most standard attacks fine.
God-tier creation powers... Think it, and it exists.
"...I see. Impressive. Inventing something like that... You'd make a fortune patenting it with the Galactic Union."
"Hahaha. Yeah, I'm thinking about it."
Galactic Union. Led by the Rubaran tribe who first proposed and built cosmic society, it's where reps from countless sapient species gather. The universe's top authority, per my implanted knowledge. Think world leaders' summit or UN. Most active sapients in the cosmos fall under their oversight. They quarantine and manage wild planets like those in the Skull Nebula ahead—join if civilized, exterminate if hostile. A powerhouse across the stars.
Man, starting with all this info is handy. No need to wonder or research—just dig into my head.
...But why's this Meias dude talking so casually to a stranger? Annoying.
Should've skipped purifying his mind.
"...Crap! This isn't the time. Master... Master said we'd soon encounter a being we mustn't face...!"
Suddenly, the rude Meias guy bolted back to his seat in a panic, yapping at an elderly kin.
"Master, we should get out of here at least. These dumb Terra won't listen even if we tell 'em to evacuate!"
"...It's fine, Rowi."
The old man calmed him, then fixed me with a piercing stare.
"...?"
Eyes like he saw right through me. Ah, this geezer... suspects something?
"Looks like it's not your time to die yet. You've met a benevolent, finite god."
"Huh? What does that—"
Yup, the old man had sniffed out my true nature. But was that okay? Starting to perceive me could collapse his mind... Oh, maybe since he didn't see or hear me directly? And this is a Terra clone form anyway.
Still, better chat privately later. Check his mental state, warn him not to blab about my identity. Getting exposed right off the bat would kill the fun.
...Or just wipe his memory? Nah, save main body powers for real trouble. Like that purifier gadget earlier. Cheats ruin games fast, as I said.