Chapter 26

The forms of materialized concepts are diverse.

Sometimes they take human form, and other times they appear as animals or plants.

However, the moment the condition of “rank” is applied, their numbers significantly decrease.

Most take human form.

It’s not because humans are superior or more excellent. It’s not that kind of story.

Only humans were invited to the Tower. No other animals received invitations.

Consequently, the various thoughts gathered in the Tower are centered around humans.

People cannot perfectly understand others.

They judge and empathize based on their own experiences, but perfect understanding is impossible.

They only make judgments based on similar experiences. They only infer through expansion, reduction, and transformation.

No lives overlap perfectly, and no lives flow exactly the same way.

If even humans cannot fully understand each other, how could they understand different species?

In human-centered thinking, one cannot understand or represent them.

Through research, one might discover their behavioral patterns, but cannot understand their fundamental thought processes.

That’s why they cannot break their shells and obtain higher rank.

Still, occasionally there are cases where beings that start as animals obtain rank.

But the moment they gain rank, they take on forms similar to humans and begin to think similarly.

After all, the source of granting them rank comes from humans.

Therefore, concepts that take human form often have high rank from the moment of their birth.

Rank is a kind of qualification and authority.

It’s a qualification to prove oneself and an authority to manipulate the world.

Rank is fluid, able to rise or fall.

To maintain rank, one must continuously prove oneself.

Time claimed to have partly removed such rank from herself.

By abandoning the concept of “Observer,” which was one of the core concepts defining herself.

“Why would you do such a thing?”

“Because it’s more fun that way.”

It was an answer I couldn’t understand.

Well, everyone values different things. It’s not a matter of understanding or not.

Rank is attached to the fundamental concepts that constitute oneself.

My foundation is the used bookstore space itself.

I obtained proper rank while operating this used bookstore.

If I hadn’t been able to bring the bookstore as it was, I wouldn’t have even thought about touching the Tower’s systems.

Fortunately, thanks to bringing the bookstore, I could maintain my rank like this.

I began cleaning the bookstore as I always did.

Checking the condition of books and applying preservation skills to prevent decay.

“At least there are no bookworms, thankfully.”

“They’ll appear soon enough.”

Time looked at me with eyes so narrow it was impossible to tell if they were open or closed.

“Opposing concepts always emerge.”

Just as where there is light, there is darkness.

For me, such beings were bookworms.

To me who remembers everything, they were forgetfulness.

To me who lives with nostalgia, they impose indifference.

They mercilessly devour books named “memories.”

Memories become mere recollections, and recollections quickly evaporate and disappear.

The numerous emotions contained within memories fly away, and eventually only ordinary scenes remain. That’s how memories fade into mere recollections.

Reading a book no longer evokes any emotion. It becomes ordinary text that doesn’t inspire any sentiment.

Bookworms and I were natural enemies to each other.

“My opposing concept is destruction. It prevents everything from flowing. It preserves things as they are in that moment.”

If Time is a being that flows, destruction is a being that blocks that flow.

If Time observes everything, records it, and continuously engraves something, destruction erases everything.

Time tries to continue the cycle, and destruction tries to break it.

It’s different from the Abyss. The Abyss seeks to greet a new beginning by bringing things to an end. It doesn’t break the cycle.

In contrast, destruction desires a complete end. A complete end where there can be no new beginning.

In gaming terms, what the Tower wants is to continue the game in progress. What the Abyss wants is to reset the game and restart it.

Time is the administrator managing the overall game. Even if the game restarts, she records all iterations. Time wants the game to continue.

Destruction, on the other hand, wants to turn off the game completely. To stop it in its state so it cannot proceed any further.

“Destruction doesn’t seem to have ever taken form.”

“There’s no need to show itself. Destruction feeds on the emotion of fear. From that perspective, nothing is as effective as the fear of the unknown.”

The reason death is frightening is because we don’t know what comes after.

The reason facing the Abyss is frightening is because we don’t know what’s inside it.

People feel more fear before confronting something than when actually facing it.

This is because they create imaginary enemies in their minds.

Unconsciously, they imagine what they fear most. They imagine the enemy most difficult for them to face.

Destruction, which feeds on this imagination, becomes the most difficult enemy to face without even revealing itself.

“It’s a sneaky one.”

“Sneaky is the right word. It doesn’t show itself because it’s afraid of being beaten.”

“When something has physical form, it becomes a target. People might fall into extreme fear for a while due to destruction’s overwhelming appearance. But all emotions eventually become familiar. They dull.”

Fear is an emotion good for controlling people in the short term. But it cannot continue long-term.

The moment you make a mistake or show a gap, fear loses its power.

The place of lost fear is replaced by anger.

Emotions like sadness, resentment, and indignation that have been suppressed burst forth like flames.

The arrows of emotion that were constantly pointing toward oneself turn around to face the other.

Using the accumulated emotions as fuel, anger burns toward the object of fear.

A target with physical form can be attacked and defeated. Eventually, things with physical form make mistakes, and fear becomes difficult to maintain.

“But destruction doesn’t reveal itself. It’s afraid. It doesn’t materialize because it’s scared of losing.”

“What is that? That’s so unfair!!”

Upon hearing those words, Sleet exclaimed indignantly.

Then, clenching his fists, he punched the air and said:

“If I meet it, I’ll beat it up like this and this.”

“Isn’t that a massage?”

“It would feel refreshing though.”

“Huh?”

Sleet asked stupidly.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

It was refreshing to see a child after a long time, and he just looked adorable.

“Destruction will never lose, no matter what. Because it has no physical form.”

Everything with physical form has weaknesses.

That applies even to gods.

The narratives created while building rank can actually become a hindrance.

Mistakes are preserved forever. They remain as indelible embarrassing history.

The thought alone is dreadful.

“It won’t lose, but it can’t win either.”

Things without physical form tend to dissipate quickly.

Something that exists only as a concept without physical form cannot be established without subjects to form the concept.

“Isn’t it ironic? That’s why destruction has never been able to defeat me until now.”

Time tilted her head back as she spoke.

In her inverted vision, she seemed to be looking at something.

With a smirk on her face, she said:

“Destruction won’t be able to defeat me unless it takes physical form.”

She spoke as if taunting.

“What are you doing?”

“Provoking it.”

“It’s not a child. It won’t fall for such provocation. It hasn’t shown itself so far, so it won’t come out just because of a few words.”

“You’re right. How boring.”

But even as she said this, the corners of Time’s mouth were turned up as if finding something interesting.

What were those murky eyes seeing? It was impossible to gauge what was contained in those eyes that reflected nothing.

Cold. Hungry. Hurts. Painful. Tough.

Save me. Save me. Help me. Please help me. I don’t want to die.

Kill me. Kill me. Please kill me. I don’t want to live.

Countless voices.

Contradictory words begin to pound the empty space like heartbeats.

What someone desperately wants, another desperately doesn’t want.

What someone casually throws away as unnecessary, another desperately desires.

Someone desperately wishes for a value that has faded.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be easier if everything disappeared?

Then everyone would become fair and equal.

What if we erased everything and destroyed everything?

People laugh at and enjoy others’ misfortunes. But they suffer terribly from their own misfortunes and hate everything.

Disgusting. But interesting.

It’s true that others’ misfortunes can be one’s happiness.

But not everyone is like that.

The standard for happiness differs from person to person.

What is happiness that people wander in search of it?

I observe. I keep watching people’s appearances, dissecting them, exposing what’s inside them.

The more I looked, the more I thought they were interesting beings.

Despite living only in the present, they always look far away.

They look at the past, regret, reminisce, and yearn. Thus, they are bound to the past.

They look at the future, arbitrarily expect, hope, and dream. While they get disappointed, they continuously place their hopes in the uncertain future.

It would be better if everything just stopped.

If they could just stay in their happiest moment forever.

Wouldn’t that be the happiness you all desire?

A smile that doesn’t fade, laughter that doesn’t stop; you could all enjoy happiness in that frozen moment.

“Destruction won’t be able to defeat me unless it takes physical form.”

The annoying woman’s words echo through the empty space.

Those murky eyes of unfathomable depth seemed to be directed at me.

I cannot defeat her, and she cannot defeat me.

Me? Self? Who am I? What am I?

It was an old feud.

A match that had always ended in a draw.

But now she has foolishly weakened her own power.

A mistake. The mistake I’ve been waiting for all this time.

It’s time to put a period at the end.

“Dance joyfully and then freeze.”

A joyful singing voice echoed, creating a giant heart in the room.

“Freeze just as you are.”

The singing voice that followed resonated like a heartbeat.