This world is unfair.
Some are born with nearly everything from the moment they enter it, while others must survive with nothing but the bare bodies they were given.
And that was not a story limited to living beings, humans included.
The same held true for “worlds.”
There were dimensions rich in energy and teeming with diverse mysteries; dimensions that held comparatively monotonous mysteries; and dimensions overflowing with nothing but excessive energy.
But even they had one thing in common.
The fact that there existed a “god” in charge of and managing that world.
…Except for Earth, which held no mystery whatsoever.
The birth of Awakened Ones and their transmission to other worlds through the intervention of the Akasha System was no simple blessing.
It was…
“Mm.”
…His mind surged up through the haze of thought.
As though he had passed through a long tunnel and emerged outside, the suddenly vivid senses made him draw in a deep breath without realizing it as he looked around.
A space of nothingness, entirely pure white… no, a space of void where even color could not be properly distinguished.
By now, it was a place as familiar to him as home.
“…Tch, Earth, is it?”
A voice whose age and even characteristics were impossible to pin down scattered into the air.
Strictly speaking, it was his own unique domain, separately constructed to evade Earth’s law of causality, but that was not the important part.
“Hahoe Mask.”
All at once, he recalled that final sight of the man thrusting his hand into his heart and bursting into an eerie laugh.
He had never imagined he would encounter him in another world.
Because of him, in the process of escaping through abnormal means, even the hard-earned connection to Outerica had been completely severed.
“To think such a variable would suddenly appear. As expected, it won’t be easy.”
The leader of the Beoncheon Society quietly closed his eyes and slowly clenched both hands.
Unlike before, he could feel an unprecedented immense power settling into his grip, freed of all restraints.
Woooo—
However… in contrast to that, he could not help but feel the sense of loss transmitted from one corner of his chest grow even more distinct.
No matter how much he had prepared himself in advance, a portion of the effort he had painstakingly built up until now had vanished in vain. How could he be unaffected?
“…Still, it’s fortunate that I learned about him before it was too late.”
Information was, by its nature, the most prioritized element in any undertaking.
In that sense, learning important information about the adversary called Hahoe Mask, who had obstructed him at every turn, could be considered a positive factor in carrying out his great work.
If he considered it as having discovered in advance something that could have caused even greater losses later, it was not something he could not endure.
…Even if that was not the case, he decided to think that way for now.
If he pointlessly dug any deeper into it, he might end up venting his anger in the wrong place.
As if shaking off his complicated thoughts, he shook his head from side to side and took a large step forward.
Riiiip—
At the same time, the space directly in front of him split open.
The next moment, he was already standing in an entirely different place.
A residential area in a spacious room filled with the finest furniture, home appliances, and lavish decorations.
He naturally moved his feet and entered the study prepared on one side.
Since he had returned to Earth for the time being, he intended to inform his subordinates of that fact and receive reports on what had happened during his absence.
This time, unintentionally, he had not been away for very long, so he thought there would be no particular changes to speak of…
“Wait, Oracle. Say that again.”
—…Understood, Society Leader.
In that brief span of time, the Beoncheon Society that remained on Earth had faced a severe upheaval.
—Not long after you vacated your position, Hahoe Mask attacked the Shanghai branch. As a result, the East Asia branch manager, Yulryeongja, died, and…
Oracle’s report continued calmly.
The ensuing chaos in the Chinese region and the additional loss of several Transcendents were not even particularly major issues compared to what happened afterward.
“The European branch was attacked by a Korean vampire and even fell victim to his schemes? And Doctor as well?”
—That is correct, Society Leader.
At Oracle’s answer from beyond the communication, the corner of the Beoncheon Society leader’s mouth twitched.
He had already been in poor spirits after suffering losses, so with ill news arriving one after another as soon as he returned, there was no helping the irritation that surged up inside him.
“So, Doctor?”
—He was laid up for a while from the aftereffects of resurrection, then entered hibernation, saying he would modify his body. I heard the estimated time was roughly one month, but…
“We’ll need to assume two or three times that.”
—I suspect the same.
The Beoncheon Society leader closed his eyes and tapped the table with his fingers.
“Not only Hahoe Mask, but now someone called Phantom as well?”
The fact that Doctor had set a trap to capture the vampire called Phantom alive, only to be defeated in return, was not particularly important.
The scale of these incidents was on a completely different level from their branch withdrawing from Korea or being thoroughly beaten by Hahoe Mask in Japan.
This was not something that had happened in a small, remote land they could ignore without much consequence, but a substantive threat extending into the world stage that was their main field of operations.
—And one more thing…
“…There’s something else?”
What he had heard so far was already quite troublesome.
And yet there was still something more?
—I think it would be best for you to see this for yourself.
As soon as she finished speaking, several video files appeared on the monitor.
Strictly speaking, in chronological order, this had occurred before the events she had reported earlier, but because the deaths of the branch managers and Doctor had been so significant, the matter had been pushed back.
“Ho, divine power like that on Earth?”
The beginning of the video showed the full story of the hospital terror attack that had occurred in Korea and the storm of divine power filmed from afar.
Interest appeared on the Beoncheon Society leader’s face as he watched it.
Of course, compared to him, who possessed the power of an angel, it was nothing remarkable, but for someone in a human body to use that much divine power was certainly surprising.
On top of that, was this not Earth, where the power of divine power was greatly restricted?
“At that level… Yes, taking into account that this is Earth, he would be about on par with the champion of Outerica I met this time.”
He could understand why Oracle had taken an interest.
If a cleric like that had suddenly appeared, there was certainly a need to observe him closely…
“Wait.”
But such impressions lasted only a moment. As the video moved on and detailed information about the White Knight began to unfold…
Before he knew it, the Beoncheon Society leader’s expression had hardened.
In the silent study, only the sound of the video echoed softly.
—“Yes, I came from the place you call the Outerica dimension. To be more precise, you could say I am not an Earthling, but a person from another world.”
It had been only a few hours ago.
How could he forget the one who had driven a sword into his chest?
Of course, at that time, the opponent had been wearing his helmet low, so he had not been able to directly confirm his face, but…
—“By the will of the Supreme God, to uproot the evil that has cast its shadow over all dimensions, including our Outerica.”
Such trivial matters were no problem at all.
He quietly stared at the handsome young man in the interview footage, then looked at the familiar armor he was wearing and let out an incredulous laugh.
“…Ha, hahahaha! Well now, this is absurd.”
It was so ridiculous that laughter was all that came out.
He had thought he was merely at the level of Outerica’s champion, only for him to actually be that very person.
A person from another world who had crossed over to Earth?
Considering himself, and the case of Hahoe Mask as well, perhaps it was possible.
To be honest, he was personally extremely skeptical, but it was not as though he had seen through all the laws of the universe, so the possibility did exist.
“But for him to be from Outerica of all places… is it a coincidence?”
There was no way.
No, if it were only that, it might be a coincidence, but if the existence called Hahoe Mask was added on top of it, he could not simply dismiss it and move on.
When coincidence repeated itself several times, it was already inevitability.
And after he finished receiving all the reports and the communication ended, that thought became certainty when he reviewed the information on “Phantom” that Oracle had sent as reference material.
Though he wore a mask, like the White Knight, he possessed an atmosphere that somehow felt familiar.
There was no need to say what his identity was.
“Where did it go wrong? There must be a reason things have gone this far off course.”
The Beoncheon Society leader remained seated, sinking into thought.
He had been leading the changes in the world and proceeding with his work from the beginning, but he had not expected an event worthy of being called a turning point in history to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
For an event of this magnitude to occur, many exceedingly complex conditions must have intertwined.
Was that not precisely why Oracle checked the situation of each branch every time, in order to prevent such things as much as possible?
“…No, there were signs. The very appearance of Hahoe Mask was extraordinary.”
A mysterious black mage, born in Korea, a blind spot of observation, who showed hostility toward them as though they were his sworn enemies.
His appearance had been the beginning of all variables.
And perhaps he truly did have a grudge against them.
After all, the things he and the Beoncheon Society had done until now were exactly that kind of thing.
“These incidents all started in Korea as well.”
Perhaps it had been a mistake to plan indirect control through China and Japan in order to efficiently respond to Korea’s uncertainty.
Even if it had caused his plans to be greatly delayed, he should have uprooted it at the beginning.
“Tch, what’s already passed can’t be helped.”
Judging by the situation, it seemed highly likely that the Akasha System had drawn its blade in order to respond more actively.
It must have judged that restraining him solely through the law of causality, as it had done until now, was insufficient.
“In that case, no matter how thoroughly I blocked the cause in advance, some kind of problem would have broken out eventually.”
They could be called destined adversaries arranged to stop him.
Hahoe Mask, Phantom, and Heinrich.
He did not know which among them was the real one, or whether all of them were…
Tzzzzk—
When the Beoncheon Society leader rose from his seat and took another step forward, his body was sucked into the space of void through a fissure that formed in midair.
He intended to avoid causality by conserving even the time he spent on Earth as much as possible for the truly necessary moments.
“But that does not mean I intend to simply take it.”
Variables were occurring ceaselessly and disrupting his plans, but what he had to do had not changed.
He would continue expanding his forces on Earth and broadening his influence, devour the possibilities of other dimensions, and build up his divinity.
If they were the saviors arranged by the world,
then he was the rebel who defied the fate of the world.
For he was the enemy of the world.
***
The feeling I had right now could be summed up in a single word.
“Full.”
It did not mean physical satiety.
It was more like a feeling closer to mental satisfaction.
And no wonder…
『Karma Possessed - 5,520,398』
My wallet, which had been thin until just a short while ago, had become this plump when I looked back. How could I not feel that way?
“Before the fight with the Beoncheon Society leader, I scraped together every remaining point and poured them in.”
Naturally, with a fight against an opponent of that level ahead of me, there was no way I could afford to save points.
It went without saying that in order to raise my chances of victory even by the tiniest amount, I had spent most of my karma, using everything I could, from stat enhancement to strengthening other skills.
“I left just enough to use 『Skill Cooldown Reset』 on 「Entity Convergence」.”
But after everything ended and I looked back, in that brief period, a massive amount of points exceeding five million had accumulated!
Naturally, just looking at it made me feel full.
After grinning from ear to ear for a while, I soon sat down properly and began to seriously consider how to use these abundant points.
“Strengthening my Unique Skill… still isn’t possible, huh. Well, it was only a little while ago that I obtained 「Entity Convergence」.”
The karma currently required to strengthen a Unique Skill was two million.
I had enough points, but it seemed I still needed time before I could strengthen it further.
“Then…”
To be honest, what drew my attention right now was 『Dimensional Barrier Easing (6,000,000)』.
Based on what I had experienced when I first chose the five-million option, this could be called an option that reduced the disparity between each dimension.
The easing of restrictions on divine power, abyssal mana, and summoned beasts were merely the most basic effects.
“If not for that, I wouldn’t have been able to go to the Kanghwan Realm.”
Of course, that had not been possible solely because of “Dimensional Barrier Easing,” but because various other conditions had been added as well. Still, if that item had not existed from the start, I would not have even been able to begin.
“But if I strengthen it one more time from there…”
First, it was certain that restrictions on divine power and the like would loosen further.
The process of crossing over to the corresponding world through memories might also become a little easier.
But as for what additional effects I could expect from it…
“As expected, using it myself will be the surest way to know.”
That wait probably would not be very long.
Even at this very moment, my karma was rapidly increasing, so I should be able to confirm it for myself before long.
But then.
Another item suddenly entered my field of vision.
『Random Miscellaneous Skill Acquisition (500,000)』
A random skill no different from gambling.
Gulp—
I swallowed without realizing it.
The skills I had drawn until now were two: 「Xenoglossy」 and 「Robustness」.
「Xenoglossy」 was a power that could definitely be called a win, while 「Robustness」 was a bit disappointing… frankly speaking, close to a dud.
“So, in other words, it’s plus-minus zero.”
Yes, zero.
In other words—if you think about it, from now on was when the real game began!
“Just one more time.”
One final round, for real.
…Shouldn’t I at least break even?