Multiverse

Until now, I thought I had experienced a lot through the passage to other worlds. I found errors in the novel’s settings, and I was able to learn about the past stories created by plausibility.

But in no case had I ever met a Ross from another world. I couldn’t even imagine meeting ‘Jin Sian’ who wasn’t even possessed by Ross.

,Are you… me?

Jin Sian, who had raised himself halfway, shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the empty seat next to him.

,You’re hitting the core from the beginning. It seems like it’s going to be a long story, so take a seat comfortably first.

I felt a subtle sense of ease in his attitude towards me. He didn’t show any particularly aggressive behavior, but since he had my face, he was an opponent I couldn’t trust at all.

,You seem to be suspicious of me. Why? Are you afraid that a monster will wear Jin Sian’s skin and attack Ross with the red runic letters? Unfortunately, my hands aren’t covered in fur, are they?

Jin Sian chuckled. As he flicked his fingers in the air, suddenly both of my hands felt heavy. It was caramel popcorn and a cola with cool ice, like I’d seen in the movie theater. Jin Sian said to me, who was frowning.

,I swear. I have no intention of harming you at all.

I scoffed at Jin Sian’s words.

,I’m sorry, but I know better than anyone that I’m a liar.

,Then are we going to suspect each other for the rest of our lives? Hehe, really. For the first time, I have a real conversation partner who isn’t a delusion, so why would I do such a thing? I feel like making you small and carrying you around in my pocket. I’ll spank your butt whenever I’m bored.

I put the popcorn and cola on the floor and asked, looking at Jin Sian leaning back on the sofa.

,Judging by the appearance of Jin Sian… it doesn’t seem like you’re possessed by Ross. Could it be that you’re the mastermind, the author, controlling everything from here?

I felt uneasy. In fact, I was thinking that I might not be Jin Sian, but just one of the characters this guy created. Just another ‘character’ who thinks he’s possessed.

As if noticing my anxiety, Jin Sian laughed loudly and spilled popcorn on the floor.

,Haa, this is it. I’m so happy to be talking to such a stupid person after a long time. Delusions always answer with thoughts that come to my mind, so I’ve never looked forward to a conversation.

I glared sharply at Jin Sian, who was trying to get off the subject.

,…Just answer the question.

,Huh? I already answered, didn’t I? You’re the last Ross, and another me. We’re not characters or anything. We’re the authors who created this novel, the creators.

It was a difficult answer for me to understand, as I didn’t know the situation yet. It seems that Jin Sian has no intention of leaking information easily. As I sighed, Jin Sian drank the cola and gave a playful smile.

,In the first place, I’m the savior who saved you from Roel. I’d be sad if you looked at me with such suspicious eyes before even introducing myself.

,Are you the one who brought me here?

,Yeah, the world you were in last was already a world where everything was over, so it was free from causality. Thanks to that, I was able to intervene, save you, and bring you here.

I let out a short groan and carefully thought about what to say next. Even if he wasn’t an enemy, I had to get as much as possible from the Jin Sian in front of me.

,How is that possible? Can you also manipulate the passage to other worlds?

,No, I can’t. That’s Ross’s unique ability. You yourself created the passage to the other side of the outer universe where I am. I just gave you ‘will’.

,…Will? Did you control me?

As I looked at him with wary eyes, Jin Sian pouted his lips as if it was nothing.

,Well, it’s like a remote hypnosis app? There’s no coercion. Your survival instinct just reacted to my will and worked. Haa, if you were a female Ross, our atmosphere would be a little more erotic, which is a bit of a shame.

As I frowned at Jin Sian’s nonsense, Jin Sian shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

,It’s because you’ve never seen a TS’d Ross. She’s a female with tremendous gloomy charm. An academy outcast younger sister who feels a terrible inferiority complex towards her older brother and has the ultimate female body that seems like breast milk will flow out if you press it lightly! Watching Roel try to put her in his harem was honestly a lot of fun. Well, most of them completely fell for Roel, so I couldn’t change the ending, so the female Ross disappeared after that.

,Wait, wait… there’s a TS’d Ross?

,Yeah, just like you met Dantalian Ross, who deliberately approached the Demon King and tried to change the flow from the Demon World, there are all kinds of Ross in countless multiverses. Ross who became a Sword Master, Ross who became the best chef in the capital, Ross who became a huge tycoon, and even Ross who became a Transcendence professor. There’s even a Ross who built a harem! Wouldn’t there naturally be a Ross somewhere in the universe who gave birth to Roel’s child in the third grade? There was even one case where Roel was a woman, just once. She was an amazing bo-bim-ma.

My head couldn’t keep up with Jin Sian’s words. But I didn’t miss the one important thing in Jin Sian’s words. Multiverse. Then, were all the worlds I’ve been to through the passage one of the multiverses? I asked, feeling my palms getting sweaty.

,Does the multiverse… really exist? Was the world I went to not everything?

,The place you went to is just a small part. But all the other countless worlds are over. END. End, finale! As I said before, you’re the last Ross in the last world.

,What do you mean the other worlds are over?

At my question, Jin Sian put down the popcorn he was holding and raised his finger in the air. Then a ring appeared in the air. Jin Sian flicked the ring with his fingertip and explained in a cheerful voice.

,All the other multiverses have reached their own endings. It means that they are trapped in a cycle and endlessly repeating regeneration and destruction. Should I call it a round song? The ending doesn’t change anymore. Only you can create a branch in the universe, and you have a chance to change the predetermined ending. It means that you are the last hope of all multiverses.

,What does that mean….

Jin Sian met my gaze. The playful appearance he had until now disappeared, and he looked at me with a serious face. He scratched his lightly grown beard, then smiled and said in a soft voice.

,For your information, you’re the worst Ross among us.

,What…?

,Your innate magic power is also crap, you’re endlessly dragged around by Ellie, and your physical abilities are the worst. The most important thing, your inferiority complex towards Roel, hasn’t been resolved yet, and you’re not even thinking about resolving it. You don’t even know what Roel is planning.

I felt a surge of emotion at Jin Sian’s sarcastic words.

,That’s because I was possessed by an inferiority complex Ross. I’ve been trying to change every day. Thanks to my hard work, I became the top of the combat department and the second-year student, and I’m the head of the Messiah club. You, who aren’t possessed by Ross, wouldn’t know this pain.

At my rebuttal, Jin Sian chuckled and held back his laughter. As I frowned at the sight, Jin Sian couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

,You’re the most outstanding in some ways than any other Ross, but on the other hand, you’re the most stupid. I told you, ‘among us’.

Jin Sian leaned his upper body towards me, shining a sinister light in his eyes, and added.

,Why do you think I’m not possessed by Ross?

At the black eyes looking at me, I suddenly felt goosebumps on my back. I asked in a trembling voice.

,But you… have Jin Sian’s appearance? If you were possessed by Ross, that appearance wouldn’t make sense.

As I questioned the contradiction in the conversation, Jin Sian stuck out his tongue slightly and shrugged his shoulders.

,There are still many conversations we need to have to explain that.

I was about to answer urgently, but I closed my mouth. Right now, I’m in a position where I need to get information from Jin Sian. I’m in a situation where I have nothing to give, and Jin Sian has the information. I had to proceed with the story in a direction that sought cooperation as much as possible.

But it’s true that I’m suspicious of Jin Sian. He may have approached me with pure goodwill, but he may be trying to use me as he pleases. I bit my lip and thought for a while, then I made up my mind and said honestly.

,I don’t know anything right now. What the multiverse is, what it means that I’m the last Ross. I just happened to cross over to another world. Right now, I’m in a position where I have to get help from you from A to Z. But I can’t fully trust you. There’s no guarantee that you won’t use me.

At my honest words, Jin Sian raised his eyebrows in slight surprise.

,You’re the most honest guy among us. Keukeu, in fact, no matter what I say, the suspicion won’t go away. That’s because it’s our ‘instinctive suspicion’ born from lies. You just have to accept that I won’t do that. Honestly, if I wanted to, it would be easy to overwrite my will on you. But I won’t do that. You have no choice but to believe it. Originally, the one who is desperate loses.

Jin Sian’s words were correct. Right now, I’m in a thoroughly subordinate position. I had no choice but to believe that Jin Sian wouldn’t harm me. I didn’t like that, so I grumbled for no reason.

,…Still, isn’t there any way to reduce my suspicion of you even a little?

At my words, Jin Sian shook his head and sighed. As I lowered my gaze at the sight, Jin Sian scratched his head and said.

,As I said before, only you can create a branch in the universe, and you have a chance to change the predetermined ending. I’m just an observer, not an existence that intervenes in the world. I’m finally able to watch the new ending of the countless repeated old stories, so what kind of idiot would ruin it himself? Just believe it like a pushover, you bastard. You’re so good at being a pushover to other people, so why are you so picky with another you?

At Jin Sian’s annoyed question, I scratched my nose and answered nonchalantly.

,Would you trust another you if you were you? Me, born from lies?

,…You’re sharp in strange places.

Jin Sian, who sighed, scratched his eyebrows and clapped his hands as if trying to change the atmosphere.

,Okay, let’s just decide to trust each other roughly! Shall we go back to the beginning and introduce ourselves again?

Saying that, Jin Sian crossed his hands in an X in front of his chest, and the clothes he was wearing twisted and turned into different clothes. Jin Sian, wearing clothes with a long robe like a great magician, stood up from his seat, created a huge eye pattern behind his back, and said to me.

,I am the Great Magician, the Sword Master, the owner of the Emerald Tablet, the observer who watches everything from the outskirts of the outer universe, escaping from the Akashic Records, and the guardian of chaos.

Jin Sian’s presence becomes huge in an instant. It was a tremendous density of presence that I had never experienced before. It was a density that even surpassed Roel, who had set foot in the realm of transcendence.

Jin Sian said with a smile to me, who swallowed my saliva.

,I am Ross of Aspiration.