Ch.141Dizzy

I didn’t seem to be expecting an answer as she spoke, so I just watched quietly as Ui continued.

“If it were simply about filling their stomachs, they wouldn’t necessarily need to eat humans. Even ordinary monsters, not experiments, sometimes devour other monsters or wild animals to satisfy their hunger.”

The reason monsters eat humans is to grow stronger quickly.

Following their instinct to become more powerful, they’re enticed by the scent humans give off, and the moment they chew and swallow, they realize:

For monsters, there is no food more delicious or beneficial than this.

“Why does eating humans make them stronger? Of course, eating monsters makes them stronger too, but why are humans more effective?”

A monster’s digestive system, which breaks down and absorbs the memories and thoughts of living beings, clearly feels the difference between humans and monsters.

If humans are like a concentrated fresh juice cocktail made with 120% fruit juice and nutrients in mind, monsters are like dumplings made of cardboard mixed with pork.

Just eating one human allows them to grow significantly, like a seed that had been curled up in nutrient-poor soil suddenly sprouting.

“Monsters can digest the intangible power of a living being’s thoughts. Human thoughts are more complex and sophisticated than those of other creatures. But… what exactly are memories and thoughts, that they provide such power to monsters?”

Ui turned upside down the bottle with a few drops of water I had left after drinking.

“Unus, thought is the power of existence itself.”

She lightly shook the bottle, and the remaining water droplets fell toward the cement floor.

“Monsters don’t originally belong in this world. Monster spores from somewhere else changed this world and established themselves here.”

The water droplets either got absorbed into the cement and disappeared, or landed on dust and maintained their droplet form by clumping together.

“For something unreal and unstable to exist in this world, it needs existential power compatible with this world. Existential power forms a monster’s physical body in this world and gives credibility to the abnormal power of abilities that monsters possess.”

“This explanation is too complicated.”

“Monsters are unstable, and their desire to become stronger is closer to a survival instinct than simply wanting power. Like wanting to stand on stable ground when floating on a rocking boat, a monster’s instinct knows its own instability and is drawn to the existential power humans possess. Do you understand?”

“Explain it more simply.”

“I can’t think of an easier way to explain it, but…”

“Let me have you try one more time.”

I sighed and tapped my forehead again.

“What I want to know is how to use this thing and what it is. Not what monsters are.”

“This explanation is necessary to tell you that. Let me explain just a few more things.”

“Keep it simple.”

“Do you know the principle behind ability activation?”

“Thought and image, output and calculation from the core. Isn’t that it?”

“That’s correct, but that’s more the manifestation process of abilities rather than the principle.”

When I answered by reading Yeo Un-jae’s memories, Ui continued with her annoyingly complex explanation.

“Hmm… if we compare a living being’s existence to water droplets, then this world is like a glass filled with those droplets. Abilities are like coffee powder in water. The power compressed in a monster core spreads like it’s dissolving through waves, coloring its surroundings. Since water in this glass is constantly circulating, the color that stains the surroundings becomes fainter and disappears the further it gets from the powder.”

“Are you trying to say abilities weaken the further they get from the core?”

“The reason why abilities, which are already unrealistic powers, weaken with distance is because abilities themselves are unstable like monsters. There’s a limit to their influence within the surface tension of reality, which is a collection of existences.”

“Fine, I get it.”

I stood up and stretched my shoulders.

“If you’re not going to tell me about this thing directly, this is a waste of time. Simplify your explanation and come back.”

“…That thing in your head is a crystallization of existential power accumulated by eating humans. The laboratory called it a crystal.”

Just as I was about to leave to finish my work because the explanation kept getting weird, Ui finally brought up what was in my head.

“Based on what I’ve been explaining, you should understand. Monsters are unstable beings not of this world, and they eat humans to extract the power of existence from thoughts and memories to become stable. Well? Hasn’t it become easier to resist the appetite for humans since becoming Annihilation-rank?”

Hearing that, I recalled when I met Yu Hye-na after becoming Annihilation-rank.

Yu Hye-na, who always emitted a subtly delicious scent like soft bread filled with sweet chocolate fondue, didn’t look as appetizing as before.

But the difference wasn’t that significant.

“So this just slightly reduces appetite and that’s it?”

“Slightly…? Hasn’t it decreased quite a bit?”

“Just slightly.”

“Hmm…”

Puzzled by my answer, Ui offered her own thoughts.

“You might not feel much difference because you’re already suppressing your monster instincts…”

“Are other monsters different?”

“Yes, when ordinary monsters become Annihilation-rank and develop this crystal, they can use the intelligence of all the humans they’ve devoured. What was merely a beast despite handling abnormal power through its core becomes a completely superior being. They still grow stronger by eating humans, but they no longer lose their reason and rush at humans like they did when unstable. However… for this crystal to be maintained, it needs sufficient nutrition.”

“So in the end, eating humans remains necessary?”

“For monsters, yes. For experimental subjects, it’s not necessary. The intelligence and reason of experimental subjects are what they possessed before becoming experiments, not something gained when monsters reach Annihilation-rank.”

So this thing in my head enhances a monster’s intelligence.

Monsters that were just beasts despite their cleverness evolve into highly intelligent hunters the moment they reach Annihilation-rank.

So in the end, is this nothing special for me as an experimental subject?

“Now, about how to use the crystal…”

At that moment, my ears perked up at what Ui said.

“Since experimental subjects have intelligence separate from the crystal, they don’t instinctively know what the crystal knows. Therefore, you need to understand what power the crystal possesses to properly utilize it.”

“What can I do with this?”

“May I explain?”

“Go ahead.”

Using her ability, Ui gathered the water droplets on the floor and moisture from the surroundings into her hand, creating about a cup of water.

I didn’t know she had a water-creating ability.

“First, I explained that existential power is like surface tension that keeps this water clumped together. And the power of monsters and abilities is like foreign matter spreading in the water—I’ll use this dust to demonstrate.”

Ui dipped her hand covered in cement dust into the large water droplet and pulled it out, making the clear water slightly dirtier.

“This water, this world, has a force that tries to maintain its original form by clumping together, pushing away abnormal things. That’s why abilities weaken with distance and such.”

Inside the water, small stone fragments like dust fell first according to their weight, escaping from the water.

“In this way, even though abilities are powers that ignore reality, they disappear or weaken according to the laws of reality. This is because abilities are too alien and weak compared to reality… but the crystal can fill that lacking existential power.”

Looking around, Ui picked up a piece of cement from the floor.

“This was formed by the dust from earlier clumping together, right? Like this, the crystal can clump together abilities and abnormalities that weren’t properly cohesive before.”

“What can I do with that?”

“You can completely ignore the laws of reality. To put it simply, you could say it enhances abilities. Fire abilities can burn water, electrical abilities can electrocute the ground…”

“Doesn’t that happen automatically with high enough output?”

“It’s a bit different. Hmm… I guess my example wasn’t very good.”

Seeing my disappointment at her vague explanation, Ui stuck the cement piece directly into the water.

“The key is that the crystal can handle existential power itself. Abnormal power that would normally be swept away by reality can, with the crystal’s assistance, form its own domain within reality like this.”

“Domain?”

“When you use the crystal, within this domain, Unus’s abilities activate ignoring the laws and manifest at maximum output anywhere within the domain. It’s like declaring a land where Unus’s laws take precedence over the laws of reality in this world.”

Ui’s eyes widened as she couldn’t hide her slight excitement, her voice trembling softly.

“With the appropriate ability, you could burn an entire domain with fire, make this land a place where lightning always strikes, or turn it into a land of perpetual night where the sun never rises.”

“So I apply my ability to the entire land where my presence reaches?”

“It’s the power to create a space completely dominated by Unus.”

I rubbed my forehead with my hand, impressed by this power beyond my imagination.

To think I could create a nest that monsters typically take a long time to build, anytime and even stronger.

“However, there are a few absolute laws that even domains cannot ignore.”

Then, Ui explained the absolute laws that even domains couldn’t ignore.

“First, domains become stronger the longer they’re maintained. Also, spaces contaminated by a domain become tainted more quickly when a domain is declared again.”

“Sounds no different from a nest.”

“Yes, and second, to expand a domain, you must eat humans or powerful monsters.”

I nodded, thinking that not much changes even after becoming Annihilation-rank.

Looking at me, Ui’s eyes gleamed with a strange expectation.

“Finally, the third point. This is important… the crystal formed when becoming Annihilation-rank is shaped according to the monster’s fundamental ability.”

“Hmm?”

“If the crystal is aligned with fire abilities, it can create an endlessly burning land; if aligned with wind abilities, it can create a prairie where the wind never stops. Other domains are possible, but spaces created that way aren’t really worthy of being called domains. There are also significant rejection reactions.”

I was a bit disappointed, having thought I could deploy many domains with numerous abilities, and flattened my ears that had been standing up sharply.

“The experience and time accumulated in the process of stabilizing as a monster probably creates a crystal suited to the most familiar ability. The crystal is optimized for the ability used most often and for the longest time until reaching Annihilation-rank.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing that, I thought about which ability I had used most since becoming a monster.

Lightning, fire, flight, telekinesis… I’ve used many abilities, but in the end, I’ve really only used one.

“…A domain that devours all abilities.”

When I muttered my conclusion, Ui smiled broadly.

“Isn’t it amazing? Unus, you possess the power to end this era of monsters and abilities!”

Uncontrolled excitement flowed out, and I had many thoughts seeing Ui immersed in expectation.

Is the reason Ui has a favorable impression of me because she thinks I might be able to eliminate all monsters and abilities from this world?

Perhaps, that was also the purpose of the laboratory that created so many experimental subjects…

I don’t like the laboratory, but if that was their purpose, does that mean what they did wasn’t wrong?

“If you use the domain, you can extract human abilities without eating humans. Unus, there’s no need to worry.”

At that moment, misunderstanding why I was quiet, Ui encouraged me by saying that using the domain wouldn’t kill humans.

“Would you like to try it? Since it’s your first time, it will be difficult to spread it widely.”

“Sigh…”

I sighed and calmed my complicated feelings.

Anyway, if this domain thing is real, it’s an incredibly powerful ability.

Since I’ve already become Annihilation-rank, it would be good to learn how to use it properly.

The moment I understood what a domain is and what a crystal is, I realized how to move it.

It’s a different feeling from moving the core—if the core is like shouting loudly “become like this,” this is like spreading my body wide to dominate the space itself.

The first domain I spread was about half the size of this concrete building.

Seeing Ui pressed against the wall inside it, I moved my core as well.

Manifesting the ability throughout the domain, a domain that devours abilities.

After trying it very briefly, I immediately turned off the domain.

Then, Ui, who had been in the corner, approached me clapping her hands.

“Well done, Unus. You were excellent at spreading the domain.”

“…Hmm.”

“Since you’re not in monster form and were trying to move both the crystal and core simultaneously, you had too much to focus on and failed to apply the ability. Spreading the domain now would be quite tiring, and awakened individuals might sense something off, so it’s not good to do it for too long. Next time when you’re in monster form, I’ll teach you the knack for it…?”

“I’m going to work.”

I left Ui, who kept talking, and exited the building where the construction work had finished.

Heading toward the next building for construction, I signaled a nearby drone to come closer, took out a water bottle hanging from it, and gulped it down.

I feel a bit better now.