Divine (3)
A secret research laboratory built deep underground.
A tangled mess of electrical wires, dizzyingly flickering lights, and monitors with all sorts of numbers fluctuating.
Far from being a clean laboratory, the space was filled with large, unidentifiable mechanical devices.
Jiiing—!
At that moment, a heavy mechanical sound echoed from its center.
A wave that spreads out in all directions with a strange magical power that shakes the atmosphere.
Dismissal— Dismissal—
Kwakwakwang! Pwaaa—!
The affected mechanical devices all began to react abnormally and emit black smoke.
“Wow! It’s finally finished! My masterpiece, soaked in my blood, sweat, and tears!”
But the owner of the lab, the doctor, didn’t care even though everything around him was in chaos.
Even when sparks fly or flames spread right next to him, he doesn’t even blink an eye and just looks at his work in front of him and laughs.
To him, the expensive equipment in this lab was merely a consumable that slightly reduced the effort required for experiments.
After all, all the necessary data was in his head, and he could easily shorten complex processes if necessary.
“The ultimate work of art that brings together the essence of magic engineering, machinery, life, chemistry, and everything else!”
With that shout, a red flash of light emitted from the eyes of the being standing at the front.
A demonic entity that appears to be half machine and half living thing, with a body size of nearly 4 meters.
“The name is… ‘Mecha Devil Executioner’—!”
Amidst the loud mechanical noises of the metal devices embedded throughout the fuselage, the Doctor’s face, grinning maniacally, was reflected through the red lens that occupied one of the Mecha Devil Executioner’s eyes.
An artificial life form created by weaving together homunculi made from bodies taken from executioners, magical tools processed into mechanical devices, and even some of the Doctor’s own accomplishments and karma.
The Doctor, who was looking at the monster that was beyond transcendence and was no different from his own alter ego, tilted his head slightly.
“···Hmm, but now that I think about it, my pronunciation doesn’t seem that great. Maybe Mecha Demon Destroyer would be better.”
Then he started to frown and groan, as if he didn’t like the name he had thought about for three days and nights.
“Or rather, Gigantic… Machine… Astaroth… Hmm.”
For researchers, the name given to their creations was an element that could never be compromised.
A classy name sometimes even increases the value of one’s existence.
He was willing to invest several more days for a great name.
“···Your lab always seems like a mess whenever I come here, Doctor.”
But at that moment.
An uninvited voice was heard in the doctor’s private space.
A languid woman’s voice flowing in with the cool breeze.
Hoooow—
The flames that had been engulfing the surroundings died down in an instant.
The thick smoke was replaced by a colorful mist, and instead of the acrid smell of burnt coal, a sweet fruity scent began to linger nearby.
As if a dreamy fantasy were covering up the cold reality.
“How about you start tidying up a bit from now on? You’ll be more efficient if you work in a clean environment.”
A brown-skinned woman wearing a sari, a traditional Indian dress, and holding a bear in one hand appeared, covered in mist.
“Oracle?”
The doctor, who had been blankly staring at her at her sudden appearance, frowned.
Because their personalities are so polar opposites, their bad relationship has been going on for a long time.
Because it was obvious that we would fight for no reason, we didn’t really talk unless it was absolutely necessary, and of course, we weren’t close enough to suddenly barge into each other’s territory like this.
“Hahahaha! It’s easier for me to do it this way! After all, I already remember where everything is!”
But the doctor soon smiled and greeted her casually.
Right now, I have just finished the masterpiece I have been working on for a long time.
Because I was in such a good mood, I was able to be generous and let whatever happened today go by.
“Hmm, if that’s true, then I have nothing more to say.”
“But what brings you here, Oracle? You who always stay in India?”
Another reason for such a reaction was that the Oracle’s procession itself was unusual.
Just as he spent most of his time locked up in his lab, she was equally reluctant to leave the altar she had built.
“The enemy has contacted the world line.”
And that prediction was spot-on.
The doctor’s eyebrows twitched as he chuckled at her indifferent words, which she spat out while putting the bear he was holding in his mouth.
“···Hmm. Already? That’s faster than I expected.”
He scratched his rough beard and licked his lips.
The Oracle, who had been inhaling deeply from his cigarette, also shook his head excitedly, exhaling thick smoke.
“The second hand has already started to move. They say that if you look into an abyss for a long time, the abyss will also look back at you. Based on this observation, the time when foreign news will arrive on Earth will also be greatly advanced.”
This was also the reason why the leader of the group only shared the truth with a very small number of his closest associates.
As the number of people I knew increased, the time I had to prepare became shorter.
But the fact that an adversary who was not just a strong man, but had such great influence that he could receive protection from the world, found out about this…
“That means there’s no time to worry about naming toys like that anymore.”
“Hey~! A toy! Are you being too harsh? This is nothing more than the last relic our executioner left behind! Where did you sell the courtesy to the dead, man!”
“···Isn’t this not a relic but a lost item? No, I should say it’s stolen property. Besides, you should treat the deceased better···.”
“Oh! Stop nitpicking and go now that you’ve said everything you wanted to say. I’m busy oiling up our little cutie.”
She closed her eyes tightly at his childish tantrum.
Although we spent a lot of time together, we were not compatible.
“···Well, then I’ll take my leave now. I hope you’ll also be careful not to have any problems with your schedule. If you’re not careful, everything could really go to waste.”
“Uh-huh-huh! You can stop worrying! How long have I waited for that last experiment and now you’re ruining it?”
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In the end, Oracle had no choice but to step down after being reassured once again.
At first glance, he may seem like a die-hard researcher, but he was once an absolute being who held the entire world in his hands and controlled it.
Even though it may look so shabby, it will somehow prove its worth when an important situation arises.
“Hey, wait…! Simple is best. Just calling it ‘Mecha Demon’…? Whoa! Isn’t that okay!”
···Honestly, I don’t really believe it.
‘But it’s true that he has put in a lot of effort for this moment.’
That research-mad man would never let this plan go to waste.
The task of sprouting mystery on Earth was only the beginning, for him this was a once-in-a-lifetime mega-project that would never come again if he missed the opportunity.
He probably won’t hesitate to use any means necessary to get the job done.
Just like it has always been.
‘Complete freedom for mankind.’
There is no external force or system that can swing them around.
For a new world led solely by Earthlings, without any outside intervention.
***
There are no mysteries on Earth.
···To be more precise, it did not exist until the year 2000 AD, about twenty years ago.
Until the system appeared and other world transmission began.
‘A dimension like Earth wouldn’t be that common.’
From what I’ve experienced so far, it’s no exaggeration to say that it’s not just uncommon, it’s almost unique.
The Akasha system’s choice of Earth may have also had a major impact on this.
Because a blank space where nothing exists is most advantageous for allowing the Awakened to break free from the laws of multiple dimensions and maintain their own rules.
That must be the cause of the error that occurred during Ramyu’s awakening process.
“Phew.”
I opened my closed eyes and let out a deep sigh.
I felt extremely uncomfortable because of the cold sweat running down my entire body and the blood soaking through the front of my clothes, but I didn’t have the strength to even move right away to get up and wash up.
‘Still, the harvest isn’t bad.’
I opened my eyes halfway and focused inside myself.
Something stirring deep inside.
The seed of divinity that had been solidly solid until then cracked and a small sprout grew through it.
‘I was lucky. I expected it to some extent, but I didn’t think it would really work out right away.’
Now that you’ve made a good start, you’ll be able to grow and bloom beautifully whenever there’s an opportunity.
The same was true for the divinity of the avatars that were affected by the main body.
It was definitely a good thing up until that point, but…
“This is suddenly getting bigger in scale.”
Aside from that, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
The secrets of the world that could be confirmed thanks to reaching a higher level of consciousness the moment you obtain “Frail Divinity.”
Most of the enlightenment I felt in the flow of truth had already scattered like dust, but thanks to “Records of Myth,” I was able to preserve some of the information that I thought was absolutely necessary without losing it.
‘Those eyes. It was definitely a god. And not just any ordinary lower god, but a god who corresponds to the Creator of a certain dimension.’
Even if our eyes met only the remnants of the records, my thoughts stopped for a moment.
Even though at that moment I was no different from a god.
‘That’s what happens when something like that comes down to Earth?’
I sighed again, pressing my twitching eyes without realizing it.
God cannot appear directly in the summer.
Even if that could be done, it shouldn’t be done that way.
That alone could have shattered the world.
Wasn’t it true that in the countless levels we’ve been through, such as Outerica and Ganghwan-gye, the people who gave us their support were just carrying the burden?
“This is giving me a headache.”
If the purpose of the Heavenly King’s Council was to protect the Earth from the foreign gods, then their actions up to now were completely understandable.
With the certain end approaching, you couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
‘But that doesn’t mean···.’
As someone who suffered direct damage, I couldn’t just defend that behavior.
In addition, the method that the leader of the Buncheonhoe presented as a solution was something that he could not just accept and move on from.
Even the process of sacrificing most of the Earth’s humanity to sprout the mystery is nothing more than a stepping stone.
In some ways, his plan wasn’t all that different from destroying the Earth.
“There’s a lot to do. In addition to stopping the rampage of the Bancheonhoe, there’s also countermeasures against foreign media. How did it end up like this?”
Obviously, my initial goal was simply to take revenge on those who ruined my ordinary daily life and live a quiet but affluent life.
If this continues, I will really end up taking responsibility for the entire Earth.
‘···Let’s wash up first. If we rush things too much, things won’t work out.’
I barely managed to get up with the little strength I had regained and headed to the shower room.
As I sat there dazed, soaking my whole body in warm water, I felt like my complicated feelings were slowly being resolved.
‘Oh my, the Earth is on the brink of destruction, and what is this…?’
The moment I came out of the shower room, drying my wet hair with a towel.
Tiring ringing—♪
The smartphone that was on the table rang.
-Kang Tae-san
He was my only friend.
Other than that, there wasn’t really anyone else who would call, so I was expecting it.
He was the only ‘normal life’ I had left, so we often met up and had drinks together, and we maintained a comfortable relationship as friends.
Recently, I was so excited that I was having a good time with a female employee from another department.
‘But what’s happening at this hour?’
The time now is approximately 10:00 AM.
For office workers, it was a time when they had to be busy with work not long after arriving at work.
You’re calling me at this ambiguous time, neither during my usual evening commute nor during my leisurely lunch hour.
I frowned slightly at the inexplicable ominous feeling and answered the phone.
-Hey, do you have time today?
A voice that feels calm, contrary to worries.
But I could tell because we’ve been together for over ten years.
That something serious happened to this guy.
“I have so much time. What’s going on all of a sudden? You’re not bragging about having a girlfriend again, are you?”
-Ahahaha! It’s not like that this time.
I tried to speak in a bright voice, but the response I got was quite dull.
‘It probably has nothing to do with my grandmother.’
Thanks to the secret but periodic divine power treatment, Kang Tae-san’s grandmother became healthy as if she had never been sick.
Even if you can’t control your lifespan with divine power, you will be able to live out your life without suffering from any illness until the given time runs out.
Eventually, I left home that afternoon to meet Kang Tae-san earlier than usual.
***
“I woke up.”
“Phew—!”
And at that moment, I heard something that made me spit out the water in my mouth.
“······.”
“······.”
Two pairs of eyes meeting in quiet silence.
I closed my eyes tightly at the sincerity in her gaze and muttered to myself to no one.
‘I already have a headache, isn’t it a bit too much to make things worse here?’
···Of course.
There was no answer in return.
