What a Livable Dessert Desert 4
The Kogogi have entered Nyaltartep's command and are currently fighting a defensive battle in the Sky Garden. If they somehow manage to achieve the feat of protecting their territory, that commander will almost certainly be promoted to a legendary entity.
The hermit crab legion, working alongside Shuc-rimmurath, unintentionally gave the Dessert Legion a massive boost in power while building up an industrial base.
The Mitomok ascetics have decided to worship Wafflach-Nacha and join the Dessert Legion.
The rest of the ascetics have been wandering the Dessert Desert in search of training. It seems they ran into Chaltteoggua, fought him once, and then became his disciples. These guys only care about getting the shit beaten out of them, wringing every last drop of training they can from the experience, and then heading back home.
In the middle of all this, I eventually had no choice but to report the situation to the other cartel bosses.
Sesaisa didn't seem particularly bothered that quite a few of the soldiers he'd sent had died. Instead, he responded by offering a small reinforcement of troops and supplies, basically saying that as long as strong ones kept showing up, he didn't care. In this exchange, I was the one receiving points.
Wahando seemed dissatisfied that I'd been given far more contribution than necessary, but he looked pleased at the prospect of obtaining the Dessert Desert's raw materials at a cheap rate.
This was fortunate for me as well. If Wahando had demanded points instead of resources, the contribution I'd built up was so high that I would've been squeezed dry.
The problem was Mihun.
"That's how it turned out. Damn it."
From Mihun's perspective, the minimum requirement for an ascetic was to be an Ascendant. Naturally, they were all heroic entities. Moreover, the ones dispatched to another world... at least Level 6 or higher. This time the Mitomok group consisted of thirty Level 6s, fifteen Level 7s, four Level 8s, and one Level 9. An absurdly powerful group of heroic Ascendants.
When even a single level difference carried enormous weight, the military force I'd received from Mihun was simply too much. Yet neither I—who recognized the freedom of my creations—nor Mihun could just drive them out of the place where they used to live.
"Victory Points are fine. However, I must receive proper compensation for taking away such a large number of powerful combatants."
Was he planning to take the life forms of my ecosystem and turn them into people, just like he'd turned the Bisyakheet into the Bisa race? Well, if it came to that, it would actually be a cheap price to pay.
The Dessert Desert had so many bizarre creatures that I couldn't even guess what he might want. I had no idea what method of conversion into humanity he had in mind, either...
Mihun swept his gaze across my world once, then pointed to a specific spot.
"???"
What he had pointed at was none other than the ascetics who had become the dependents of Wafflach-Nacha. I stared at him, wondering what the hell he was doing, but Mihun was completely serious.
He wasn't saying he would take them in their current state, however.
"?!"
Hmm... This was an extremely difficult task.
But because it was such a challenging one, it was worth attempting.
Could I transform those ape ascetics in a direction completely different from the Sugar Lumps?
The Mitomok seemed to have made up their minds to live in the city in obedience to Wafflach-Nacha's command. Did they really have no thoughts other than returning to their hometown?
Wafflach-Nacha didn't speak much, but he didn't seem displeased at gaining dependents.
He issued instructions through pure will. The ascetics learned that the creatures of this city were Jumito and the legacy left by their original god, and they trained in hunting alongside them.
Even so, that couldn't last forever. Knowing they were somewhat satisfied with settling down, I revealed myself before them after a few days had passed.
"Hey."
"?!"
The Mitomok ascetics had been performing a ritual on the altar with Wafflach-Nacha, learning mysteries of the Space-Time, Blessing, and Soul categories. My sudden appearance shocked them tremendously.
Wafflach-Nacha simply stared at me blankly. I have no idea why this guy is so quiet. I didn't intentionally design him with this personality.
"Are you an entity from the upper realm?"
"Upper realm? Well, yes. To put it bluntly, I am the god of this ecosystem. The one who defeated and annihilated your god, Mitomok. At the same time, I am the one who watched over Jumito's final moments and allowed him to be reborn as that Wafflach-Nacha over there. Since I've come all this way, let me tell you about Jumito's end."
I calmly recounted his final moments while infusing the words with authentication of truth. The Mitomok ascetics seemed deeply moved.
They had honestly wondered if he'd been captured by an evil god and lost himself, but they learned instead that he had found himself, performed funerals for all his kin, and departed after leaving behind his own core.
"Right. The old stories are over. So if you wish to live within my ecosystem, you must not build a civilization, at the very least."
"We swear it."
"No, I can't trust that. I gave Jumito three choices: do nothing, be sold to another world, or become part of my ecosystem. But you are too intelligent and too strong to choose 'do nothing.' It would be extremely troublesome if the Mitomok built a kingdom in this Dessert Desert."
The Mitomok ascetics let out low groans.
"Then return to the world of the original ascetics."
"Or receive the blessing of evolution."
After a long discussion and deliberation, they nodded.
"Understood. We will lower our intelligence like those called Sugar Lumps."
"No."
"What?!"
"What would be the point if you became a completely identical species in ecological status? No. You were apes who used slingshots, and now you're slingshot-wielding monkeys. The Sugar Lumps have already completed their speciation. You must be reborn in a different way from the Sugar Lumps."
"Like our ancestor Jumito?"
"The exact same method is fine. That would make your status as Wafflach-Nacha's dependents clearer. But any other method is acceptable too. As long as it's different from the Sugar Lumps, anything goes."
I sensed reluctance from them. I left them alone so they could discuss freely.
"Lowering our intelligence was already an enormous resolution..."
"Can we even follow Jumito's method? He genuinely loved architecture and recording, which is why he became that, but we're different from him. I honestly feel no interest in architecture or recording."
"That's right. We only want to live in our own form in our own homeland. We're fine with lowering our intelligence. They say the Sugar Lumps were originally human too, and they clearly continue to live. But what does it mean to change even our bodies? Does that even make sense?"
"We decided to live while worshiping Wafflach-Nacha, who carries Jumito's important will, but when we think about doing that..."
Silence.
It seemed they had reached the conclusion that they could not remain in their homeland.
If it were just lowering their intelligence and living on, that might be one thing. But lowering both intelligence and changing their bodies would mean they would no longer be themselves.
In truth, if they went to Mihun's world as they were, it would be good for me. I could simply finish the settlement without any unnecessary effort.
But was that the right answer? Could I simply discard the lingering attachment of those who wanted to remain in their homeland but ultimately could not?
While I was pondering this, Mihun asked if he could cross into my world to help. Since there was no reason to refuse, I permitted it.
Boom!
The moment he arrived in my world, he landed like a falling meteor, then roared loudly and overwhelmed the Mitomok.
The Mitomok ascetics prostrated themselves without even understanding what was happening.
"W-who are you?!"
"Who else could I be? This immortal is the Supreme Immortal who ruled the world you once inhabited. Since Yeondan-u is my apostle, it is only proper that you become my dependents."
Seeing their similar appearances, everyone understood. I was worried about what else Mihun might try to wring out of my ecosystem, but at the same time I was curious.
What would the method of the True Immortal Mihun be?
"The reason I have revealed myself is because you are confusing your roots with your true nature."
"Please grant us enlightenment."
"I ask you this: why did you wish to return to your homeland?"
"It is the place where our ancestors lived. We did not wish to forget our roots."
"Correct! Roots are important. However, for a great tree, where its branches stretch and what fruit they bear is just as important as where its roots are planted. Did you come merely to find your roots? Or did you come to find your roots and sprout anew from the severed stump?"
In other words, he was asking whether they simply wanted to visit their homeland or actually wanted to live there.
"We wished to sprout anew."
"I see. But to bloom again from a severed stump requires tremendous effort. Is the newly sprouted shoot the original tree? If you cut down another tree of the same species and graft it on, does that make it the original tree growing?"
"That is..."
"The first tree was cut down, but its fruit ripened, the seeds burst forth, and now you exist. Does not the power you have accumulated serve as proof of that?"
In other words, it was fine for them to prosper in a world other than their homeland, and the fact that they had grown stronger as ascetics was exactly that proof.
The Mitomok could miss their homeland, but they no longer needed to depend on it.
"Your true nature lies not in your homeland but in yourselves. Cultivation is not only realizing one's own fate and advancing, but also leaving behind something that sprouts new shoots. Look at this city. It is Jumito's lingering attachment. He discarded his attachment here and was reborn anew. If there is something you too must leave behind in this world, let it be your attachment. Do not seek your roots—seek your true nature."
Then Mihun laughed magnificently. At the same time, he emitted powerful divine energy.
The Mitomok ascetics resonated with it. They first bowed to Mihun, then to me, then to Wafflach-Nacha.
Finally, they bowed toward Jumito's remains that had been placed on the altar in the central plaza.
Mihun condensed divinity into their bodies and gathered the attachments and training they were now casting off. Something was also emerging from Mihun's own body—apparently the lingering attachments of the Mitomok who had been in his world.
Once they cast these off, all that remained within the Mitomok ascetics was pure joy in cultivation and the will to move forward.
The intense divinity flowing from Mihun and me elevated their rank by one stage. Although their training had been taken away and their ability scores had decreased, they rose from heroic Ascendant to the higher realm of epic Ascendant.
"Receive it. This is the task you must complete."
Mihun casually tossed the condensed mass to me. I accepted it and understood that it was the Mitomok's lingering attachment—their desire to return home and live there, their resentment, and the training they had accumulated.
Despite being separated by vast divinity, the intense attachment to returning to their original selves continued to drain my own divinity at a frightening rate.
I converted it back into my own divinity, gathered the countless beasts within the city, condensed them, and threw the result to Wafflach-Nacha.
He understood his duty. He gathered the condensed mass of lingering attachments and training, the defeated god Mitomok, Jumito the descendant, and that descendant's attachment. Using the authority of the Weaver of All Things, he shaped them.
The final task left to me was to create a mold for the dough he had shaped, bake it with immense divine power, and stamp it out.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With each stamp, several small spiders resembling Wafflach-Nacha (each over three meters in size) were born.
They were waffles. A new lineage of mystical life forms created from all the lingering attachments the Mitomok had possessed and the training accumulated within those attachments.
Their spirit, their affection for their homeland, and their attachments were preserved, but their forms had been twisted so they could live as such beings.
In exchange, their future now belonged to the ascetics who remained. Although they had lost a considerable amount of their training and their bodies had grown weaker, their minds and distinctive spirit had become stronger than ever.
They took one last look at their homeland, poured out all the emotions that had welled up inside them, and laughed refreshingly.
"Then, O Supreme Immortal who has watched over us, and Demon King Biin. Having cast off all our attachments, we shall return to our true homeland."
I nodded as if it were obvious—
"What nonsense are you saying? There is still a long time before the disaster arrives, so you must remain here and continue your training."
Huh?
"Yes?"
"How can you think of returning when your training has dropped so low? You will not be allowed to return until you regain your original level of training."
Vertical earthquakes erupted in the pupils of the Mitomok ascetics, whose levels had all dropped by three.
"So..."
"Ahem."
"That means..."
"Hmm."
"We have to live here..."
"Until you regain your original training...?"
"Correct. Heh heh..."
Drool...
Fuck!!!!
At the thunderous roar, Mihun's form vanished without a trace. The Mitomok ascetics hurriedly looked around, but all they saw were the cries of insane gum-ri beetles, venomous insects, rice cakes adapted to jungle life, and Wafflach-Nacha leading the waffles upward as if to say this was no longer his concern.
I approached them as they wore expressions that said they had nothing left to say and quietly told them:
"It's a better place to live than you think. Don't take it so hard."
The Mitomok ascetics looked at me with eyes as if I were the enemy of their ancestral god and forebears.
"Just so you know, it was the fourth legion commander of the Dessert Legion, Chaltteoggua, who called you here."
Since I had nothing more to say to them, I withdrew the clone. Looking down from the divine perspective, they were screaming louder than ever.
Today, too, the Dessert Desert was a good place to live.