Secret (3)
“Then I’ll be going. Take good care of Grandma while I’m gone.”
“Don’t worry. You just watch yourself.”
That brief exchange was the last of it.
They had already said everything that needed saying during training, so there was no need to drag it out any longer.
Wooooong—
It was about time for dawn to break.
And so Kang Taesan stepped onto the otherworld transfer formation that had appeared beneath his feet and vanished from Earth.
“...Phew. He’s gone, huh.”
Left alone, I stared for a moment at the place where he had been, then let out a small sigh.
My one and only friend’s awakening and transfer to another world.
Having continued to pour my attention into responding to that sudden event, fatigue was beginning to settle in, but I couldn’t rest just yet.
There was still something I had to do.
Massaging the back of my neck, I closed my eyes where I stood and steadied my breathing.
Then I sank deep into myself and focused on the divinity within my mindscape.
It was to observe the dimension Kang Taesan had crossed into through the passage bound by contract and faith.
‘You never know what might happen, so I should prepare for any contingency.’
The divine power granted to him was originally a power derived from my own existence.
Naturally, the ultimate authority over that power also rested with me, and through it, I could set all sorts of conditions.
For instance... actively detecting a crisis that a “believer” who possessed that divine power could not overcome with their own abilities and reporting it directly to me.
‘And if I want, I can use 「Summon Otherworld Transfer Formation」 at those coordinates at any time.’
If I were a true god, I wouldn’t pay attention to every single believer like this, but I was still only an aspirant who had yet to ascend to a proper divine throne.
In that way, I was able to find the link connecting me to Kang Taesan, my first and only believer.
And yet.
In the midst of that, I discovered one unexpected fact...
‘Huh? What’s this?’
As it turned out, there wasn’t only one believer who belonged to me.
Surely, Kang Taesan was the only one with whom I had made an official contract in exchange for divine power.
And yet, a connection just as thick as his... no, no matter how I looked at it, one far thicker than his was firmly linked to me.
‘Wait, this is Diana, isn’t it?’
It wasn’t difficult to figure out who it was.
The moment I became conscious of it, information about the one on the other end of that connection was clearly imprinted in my mind.
And I immediately understood why this phenomenon had occurred.
‘...I knew she trusted me, but.’
An absolute faith bordering on fanaticism, beyond mere blind devotion.
Even before my divinity had sprouted, within Diana’s heart, I had already been no different from an object of worship.
So much so that the moment I satisfied the minimum qualifications, she was immediately incorporated as my believer.
‘That isn’t all. They aren’t on Diana’s level, but there are quite a few candidates who could become official believers at once if given the right trigger, aren’t there?’
Crown Princess Riley of the Empire and Lamyu of the Saba-cheon Dimension, who were linked to me by contract like Kang Taesan, as well as the countless relationships I had formed until now, and even the officers of the immortal army under Hans.
Regardless of nationality, race, disposition, or even dimension, that influence was spread far and wide.
“Ha, would you look at that. I might end up founding an interdimensional religion before I know it.”
A feeling that was both embarrassing and satisfying welled up within me.
All these bonds were assets I had built up while going through all sorts of twists and turns.
And being able to feel them so directly like this inevitably made something stir in my chest.
‘...For now, I should talk to Diana.’
It wasn’t difficult to make time to speak with her, Hubert’s secretary.
With my eyes quietly closed, I traced back the threads of the bonds I had formed one by one.
Recalling the events of the past four-plus years.
***
A strange sense of weightlessness wrapped around his body.
It was an odd sensation caused by crossing dimensions, something an ordinary person could go their whole life without ever experiencing.
But that sense of foreignness did not last long.
‘Is it already over? That was less than I expected.’
After the dimensional transfer that had taken place in an instant, Kang Taesan opened the eyes he had been squeezing shut and looked around.
Thanks to the messages that appeared the moment the transfer ended, he already knew the name of this world.
《Transfer to the Nocturnia Dimension has been completed.》
《You may return to Earth through the “Return” category in the Karma Shop.》
《Current Karma held: 0. You may check it later in the Karma Shop.》
Sparsely scattered yet towering trees, and the blue sky visible between them.
No matter how he looked around, it was nothing more than the scenery of a mountain forest that seemed endlessly peaceful.
“Nocturnia...?”
But he knew.
He knew that the dimension he had crossed into was not as peaceful as it appeared before his eyes.
‘Should I call this unlucky, or lucky?’
He already had a certain degree of understanding about this world—Nocturnia.
After all, this was one of the worlds he had been forced to familiarize himself with in the course of his work.
“...It doesn’t look like there’s any immediate danger.”
After vigilantly scanning his surroundings with sharp eyes, he carefully took off the bag he had been carrying.
Then, after rummaging through it for a moment, he soon took out a booklet and examined its cover.
-No.102 Nocturnia
An official manual published by the World Returnee Association, compiling information gathered through countless returnees.
Among them, this was the latest revised edition, containing not only maps, but also the altered power structure and even the most recent political situation.
“It’s definitely convenient having a large storage space. Other people wouldn’t even dream of bringing something like this.”
Electronic devices could not be taken to another world.
Even if this booklet was relatively thin, considering that there were hundreds of dimensions one might be transferred to, the volume and weight of the complete series were absolutely not something that could be ignored.
And when it was already difficult enough to pack survival supplies and emergency rations, how could anyone afford to spare capacity for anything else?
‘This is all thanks to that guy Seonghyeon.’
Stroking the space-expanded backpack, Kang Taesan once again expressed his gratitude to his friend, then sorted the booklet and put it aside.
If he had his way, he would have sat down on the spot and read it carefully from beginning to end, but first, finding a safe place took priority.
The night in the forest would be far more dangerous than now, while the sun was still up.
‘It would be nice if there were a village nearby. If I can at least learn the name of this place, it’ll be easier to make plans from here on. Or if there’s a landmark, or something unique to the region...’
But at that moment.
Rat-tat-tat—
Bang—
Gunshots that had begun somewhere in the forest rang out one after another.
Immediately afterward, countless flocks of birds began taking flight all at once.
As if a battle involving many people had broken out, the ceaseless noise instantly shattered the silence of the forest.
‘It’s not nearby. But it’s not too far either.’
He could tell just by the sound.
If he set his mind to it, it wouldn’t be too difficult to reach the source of those gunshots.
There were two options he could choose from in the current situation.
Should he approach, even at a certain degree of risk, in order to make contact with the humans of this world and obtain information?
Or should he flee in the opposite direction for safety and look for another opportunity?
‘...For now, I’ll avoid it.’
His choice was the latter.
He still had no idea where he had landed or what kind of situation was unfolding right now.
Since he had come fully prepared and wasn’t in any particularly desperate situation, there was no need to take a risk for no reason.
‘I might even get hit by a stray bullet.’
However, the situation did not unfold as he wished.
Just as he suppressed his presence as much as possible, gathered his things, and took a step forward.
Rustle—
A figure suddenly burst out from beyond the underbrush, and his gaze met Kang Taesan’s head-on.
“Damn it...! I thought I’d shaken them off for sure, but to think there was an ambush here too. Those cockroach-like hunters are disgustingly persistent!”
The man, wearing clothes torn in places as though he had just been through a fierce battle, looked at Kang Taesan and gnashed his teeth.
A blood-colored light gleamed in his eyes, and a thick scent of blood spread in every direction.
As though he would launch an attack at any moment.
There was no leeway to resolve the misunderstanding through conversation.
‘Damn it! What garbage timing!’
Thought and action were simultaneous.
As his body had been drilled to do, Kang Taesan threw himself backward and aimed the Black Star he had drawn from his holster.
Because of some unknown force, his entire body felt stiff, but perhaps thanks to the training he had undergone right up until the transfer, he was able to move without too much difficulty.
Kagang—!
But before he could even pull the trigger.
A blade that flew in from somewhere caused him to lose the pistol he had been holding.
“Ha! So you weren’t ordinary after all. I intended to take your head in one stroke, yet to think you could move even after meeting my Bloodlord Eyes head-on. But this is as far as you go!”
The power of 「Unbending and Unyielding」 circulated through his entire body, resisting the force that was suppressing his flesh.
But that was all.
With physical abilities that had yet to stray far from those of an ordinary person, he still couldn’t properly react to his opponent’s movements.
‘A high-ranking vampire! Of all things, the moment I cross over...!’
He didn’t have time to simply resent the heavens for how unreasonable this was.
In the sudden crisis that had descended upon him, his thoughts accelerated rapidly.
At the same time, the divine power writhing inside his body began rushing toward his mind.
“Blame your own ignorance for daring to face me, Bishop Prube, alone!”
The vampire rushed him from the front.
A pair of eyes flickering with cursed red blood energy, sharp fangs protruding from the edges of his gaping mouth, and countless blood-colored blades flying in from all directions.
As if he had no intention of wasting any more time, a ferocious pressure crushed down on every side.
‘My luck is seriously rotten!’
A “Bishop” was about Level 5 or 6 by Earth’s standards.
A powerhouse only a single step below a Level 7 “Rook,” who could be said to have reached the pinnacle.
It was not an opponent a newly awakened rookie who had just crossed into another world could do anything about.
‘No choice, then.’
At that desperate, life-or-death moment.
Click—
A single switch turned on within Kang Taesan’s mindscape.
***
An awakened one transferred to another world stops growing the moment they return to Earth.
The proficiency of all skills, including their unique skill, no longer increases; the system’s correction disappears, making it impossible to raise their stats; and since no mystery naturally exists on Earth, they cannot build up more energy either.
“But there’s one question here.”
Then what if it was on Earth before they had left for another world in the first place?
What if the necessary energy was replaced by divine power supplied in real time, and a separate environment suitable for growth was constructed for them?
While training Kang Taesan, I was able to confirm the answer to that question myself.
‘The results were quite encouraging. Of course, 『Elixir of Growth』 probably played a rather big part.’
What I paid particular attention to during practical training was continuously stimulating 「Unbending and Unyielding」.
Whether by using a special energy or physical force, I relentlessly pushed him into extreme situations, forcing him to overcome them somehow.
Of course, I didn’t forget to forcibly activate the divine power lodged inside his body.
In that way, for about two days.
Aside from the few hours just before the transfer, I beat him down without even letting him sleep.
All to push him into extreme situations by force if necessary and make his unique skill grow.
“Phew, really, there’s no other friend like me.”
And as a result.
Not only did Kang Taesan grow his unique skill before he was even transferred to another world,
he was also able to awaken one derivative skill born from it and several minor skills.
‘On top of that, if you add the equipment I gave him and the traits of divine power...’
As long as he didn’t have the bad luck to run into an opponent at the pinnacle or above, he should be able to get through it.
Though it was a bit ambiguous to call all of that entirely his own ability.
“Well, so what? Isn’t that what connections are all about in the first place?”
Having a capable friend like me was also a talent, if you wanted to call it that.
I calmly shrugged and sank into my chair.
So far, everything was proceeding smoothly.
Including Kang Taesan, who had crossed into another world.
***
Nocturnia Dimension.
There was one nickname for this place that was used worldwide.
The greatest breeding ground for vampires across all dimensions.
Earth was a hub where vampires from various dimensions gathered in one place, but even among them, those from Nocturnia made up an overwhelming share—roughly thirty percent.
A world where only two intelligent races existed: humans and vampires, and conflict between the two never ceased.
It was not a fight that someone could mediate or somehow stop, as in Saba-cheon.
Because this was a struggle with each other’s survival at stake.
“Gkkkgh… Wh-what is this…? They’re clearly not consecrated bullets, so why won’t I regenerate…?”
In Nocturnia, a Bishop-class vampire was an object of very real terror.
The King and Queen, beings beyond the heavens, were entirely outside consideration, and Rooks, no different from rulers of entire regions, rarely stepped forward in person.
In the end, the most realistic threat humanity faced could only be the Bishops, who served as field commanders.
They were never beings meant to lie sprawled in such a wretched state.
“What is this! What the hell are you! Why am I—!”
The vampire, holes punched all through his body and his limbs blown away, began to shriek as he vomited blood.
As if making a final struggle, he used his bloodline ability, the Blood Curse Eye (血呪眼), to spread curses in every direction, but no matter how much time passed, his opponent did not so much as twitch.
“Hoo.”
Kang Taesan, who had been quietly looking down at him, let out a sigh as he finally managed to calm the divine power that had surged all the way to the top of his head through 「Unbending, Unyielding」.
In truth, his own appearance was not exactly unscathed either.
Not only was he covered head to toe in dust, but his armor was scratched in several places, and he had no few wounds.
‘Well, considering the opponent, I’m lucky it ended at this much. It would’ve been impossible without 「A Hundred Battles Without Peril」.’
An ability that, based on the information he had grasped about both his enemy and himself, forcibly drew out every one of his capabilities to somehow find a path to survival—「A Hundred Battles Without Peril」.
That was the derivative skill that had blossomed after his friend Han Seonghyeon had beaten him senseless for two whole days.
Of course, because it forcibly drew out power beyond his limits, the aftereffects that would come later were no joke either.
‘Damn it… What the hell does that bastard usually live with in his head? Even with 「Unbending, Unyielding」 filtering out most of the impact, it still feels like my skull’s going to burst.’
The changes brought about by using divine power to its utmost limit were not limited to simple physical enhancement.
Combat experience, knowledge, and intuition from who knew where had momentarily granted him fighting power surpassing that of a Bishop.
He knew his friend still had many secrets he had yet to reveal, but this energy felt especially alien even among them.
“Let’s end this now. I overdid it a bit too, so I think I need to rest.”
Kang Taesan glanced at his own wounds, which had been slowly closing before vanishing completely, then raised Black Star.
The vampire, who had been staring blankly at the muzzle pointed at him, widened his eyes as if only then realizing something.
“You… You! That gun…! Don’t tell me!”
Bang—! Bang—!
But his final words could not be completed and scattered futilely.
After all, someone who could not even properly regenerate his lost limbs had no ability to revive after both his heart and head were blown away at the same time.
‘My choices got forced on me against my will.’
Kang Taesan lowered the muzzle and let out another sigh as he turned around.
Originally, he had planned to quietly slip away and grasp the situation first, but…
‘It can’t be helped. Since there’s no need to go back for no reason, maybe this actually worked out.’
Rustle—
From the direction he was looking, a group appeared along with the sound of underbrush being pushed aside.
Five or six men and women, their entire bodies wrapped in protective gear and armed with firearms of all sorts of bizarre shapes that looked nothing but inefficient.
It was the moment Kang Taesan, an Awakened from Earth, came face to face with Nocturnia’s vampire hunters—the Slayers.