Chapter 70 : Zealous Followers of the Screaming Nebula

After carefully reading through the Wiki entry,I stood silently for a moment without saying a word.

“Jiah.”

“…”

“Jiah? Are you alright?”

“No, I’m not alright.”

“Did something happen?”

Should I even call this a problem?

It’s hard to put into words.

Kim Jung-hwan is probably the person who knows the most about my personal circumstances.

I figured it wouldn’t hurt to talk to him about it.

“I’ll start by sharing the content. Just listen.”

Then, I began reciting the Wiki entry to Kim Jung-hwan.

*

[Hoe Forged by a Zealous Follower of the Screaming Nebula]

1. Overview
2. Legend
3. Details
4. Overview
   A hoe forged by [REDACTED], a zealous follower of the [Screaming Nebula].

It appears to be a normal agricultural tool, but was designed not to harvest earthly crops—but something else entirely.

2. Legend
   One of the [Screaming Nebula]’s zealous followers, [REDACTED],decided to forge a hoe in devotion to their master.

The [Screaming Nebula] was a Great Being that endlessly craved the screams of living beings,so this hoe was intended as a tool to harvest such screams.

However, harvesting the screams of living beingswas no easy feat—even for [REDACTED],a devoted follower of the [Screaming Nebula].

[REDACTED] crafted the hoe in three distinct stages.

The first material was an unknown metal extracted from the Abyss of Agony.

[REDACTED] was not a seeker of knowledge like the followers of the [Shining Star],so the metal’s name remains unknown.

However, this mysterious metal clearly contained divine energy,and [REDACTED] deemed it fit for forging the hoe.

Using it, they crafted the blade and back of the hoe.

The second material was an ancient branch to serve as the hoe’s handle.

This branch was distributed and managed from the fifth planet of Tulli-Araksas, known as [Valitus].

(Ready to continue when you are!)

It wasn’t something you could obtain just because you wanted it.

[REDACTED] provided labor on [Valitus] for a total of 6,527 hours and, in return, managed to acquire a minuscule portion of the ancient branch.

Using that material, they crafted the handle of the hoe.

The third material was [REDACTED]’s [REDACTED].

[REDACTED], a zealous follower of the [Screaming Nebula], firmly believed that by using this [REDACTED],they would be able to harvest screams in service of their master.

The result of the time and effort invested was an overwhelming success—a hoe capable of harvesting the screams of living beings was born.

However—Sometimes, a result that is too successful can also cause problems.

Whether it was due to an error in the process of using the third material,the hoe ended up going far beyond its original purpose of merely “harvesting screams,”
and began distorting causality itself.

This—was an act of blasphemy against the Great Being.

Some time later, [REDACTED] was stripped of the title of [Zealous Follower] and was disposed of.

3. Details

Can harvest the screams of living beings.

Can harvest the screams of inanimate objects.

Can harvest the scream of [REDACTED].

*

And so, following [Iron Greatsword Mk-III],yet another item has appeared—one that is clearly linked to me.

After hearing everything from me, Kim Jung-hwan stood in silence.

He seemed to be seriously deliberating something.

Finally, with a somber tone, he opened his mouth.

“…Jiah. Before I say anything else, I need you to make one promise.”

“Why the dramatic tone all of a sudden?”

“Regarding the item you just mentioned—and what I’m about to tell you—you must not speak of this to anyone but me. I need your word.”

I was puzzled.

It’s just an item that happens to be connected to me.

Was that really worth getting this serious over?

Still, I didn’t really have anyone to talk to about it anyway,so it wasn’t a hard promise to make.

“Alright. Ah, I might tell Yui Seul though.”

“Yes, if it’s Miss Yui Seul, that’s fine.She doesn’t interact with anyone anyway…”

Her item, [Iron Greatsword Mk-III], was also a weapon created by a zealous follower.

Yui Seul is clearly connected to all of this too.

“But if it’s that important, shouldn’t I be signing a confidentiality agreement or something?”

“My ability is the confidentiality agreement.”

“…Oh.”

Well then.

How incredibly convenient.

He must’ve just used his ability to confirm that I was telling the truth.

“So, what is it?”

“…Jiah, first of all, what do you think Anomalous Phenomena and Items really are?”

“How would I know that?”

“Yes, that’s right.

It’s not just you, Jiah — none of us know.

And that’s perfectly natural.

Anomalous Phenomena are, as the name suggests, phenomena beyond understanding.

Their very existence defies human knowledge and comprehension, making even partial interpretation impossible.”

Kim Jung-hwan paused for a moment.

Then, looking at me with quiet intensity, he continued.

“…No, they were unknowable.”

He used the past tense.

And I immediately understood what he meant.

It was probably thanks to the foundational knowledge I gained through Yui Seul’s teachings on Anomalous Phenomena.

“Not just you, Jiah, but also Miss Seul’s weapon… and this item as well…”

“It’s all connected in the same universe.”

“…Exactly. Which means, from this moment on, we can no longer call Anomalous Phenomena or Items ‘unknowable.’”

One coincidence can be dismissed as chance.

Two or three — and it becomes inevitability.

Iron Greatsword Mk-III.

The hoe.

And me.

The phrase ‘zealous follower’ has now appeared three times.

And this time, they even blatantly mentioned ‘Zealous Follower of the Shining Star’.

There’s no way this is just a coincidence anymore.

Come to think of it—I’m a creature bound by the obligation to “continuously seek knowledge.”

Knowledge and the unknown.

Two concepts that inherently contradict each other — they can’t coexist.

Under the name of the Shining Star, the unknown is a concept that cannot be tolerated.

Kim Jung-hwan continued,”I have no idea what kind of consequences this information might bring. I’m just a low-ranking member — I can’t even begin to guess.”

“You don’t seem all that low-ranking though.”

“That may be true, but what’s clear is that this is beyond the level of information I’m qualified to handle. In any case, I’ll speak with the Chairman — but until then, Jiah, you…”

“I don’t have any friends. My whole family’s dead too.”

“…”

“Ah, sorry.”

I wasn’t trying to pull a ‘tragic backstory’ moment or anything.

But I ended up killing the mood anyway.

“Anyway, let’s go house hunting.”

“Eh? I thought we were putting that off?”

I had assumed we’d postpone it for now.

But.

“A task is still a task.”

True.

He’s right.

No matter how world-shaking or cosmic the revelation.

There are still things that need to get done.

And right now, my streaming studio is more important.

My species isn’t human — I’m a Zealous Follower of the Shining Star.

Though I may not be particularly well-versed in science,even I can tell that these so-called Zealous Followers are biologically very similar to humans.

Just like humans, we sleep.

We eat.

And, believe it or not, we even menstruate once a month.

And what does that mean?

It means the reproduction system of humans and Zealous Followers isn’t all that different.

On the surface, and even inside, the Zealous Followers are practically indistinguishable from humans.

But there are exactly two differences that set us apart.

First — our bodies are incredibly resilient.

Second — we have the ability to perceive things in the form of a Wiki.

Taking that into account, it’s clear that Zealous Followers, as their name implies,are a species with a distinct “purpose of existence,” unlike humans, who possess complete free will.

So, what is the purpose of the Zealous Followers?

First — we must sincerely serve the god, the “Great One.”

Second — we must relentlessly pursue knowledge.

If a Zealous Follower neglects their purpose, they face consequences that humans do not.

“The Price of Blasphemy” and “The Duty of the Archivist” are two clear examples of such consequences.

Though it’s not 100% certain,the first purpose seems to be a universal truth for all Zealous Followers,while the second one varies depending on which god they serve.

Iron, a Zealous Follower of He Who Holds the Memories of Fallen Stars, forged a sword to honor their god.

The Unnamed One, a Zealous Follower of the Screaming Nebula, forged a hoe to collect screams for theirs.

And finally—I, a Zealous Follower of the Shining Star,am diligently writing Wikis in service of my god.

It makes me wonder:Could I, like the others, also create a tool in the form of an “Item”?

Did the other Zealous Followers also become what they are by encountering that mysterious black smoke like I did?

And did their gender get forcibly changed, like mine was?

I’m not sure.

But I have a feeling that they didn’t all have their gender changed like I did.

I’m not a blacksmith, or a reaper who harvests screams from the dying.

I’m a VTuber.

A VTuber.

And when it comes to VTubing, it’s just a fact that being a woman gives you a serious advantage.

The male VTubers who do survive are all absolute stream monsters.

If the Shining Star and the Omnia Archive had to assign a VTuber to something,then I guess they had no choice but to forcibly change my gender.

Okay, fine.

Let’s say I can accept the forced gender change.

But why—why on earth did the Shining Star choose to make my real-life appearance exactly like the one I used on stream?

Pink bowl cut.

A hefty pile of fat.

The Shining Star definitely has… peculiar tastes.

They could’ve just made me look normal, so why go out of their way to make me this eye-catching?

Right?

Don’t you think so?

Answer.

Answer.

Answer.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

“Gugh…”

“What were you thinking this time to have incurred the Price of Blasphemy again?”

Seeing me suddenly smash my head into the floor, Kim Jung-hwan spoke with an air of exasperation.

He didn’t even bother to worry about me anymore.

After banging my head three times, we finally arrived at the subsidized housing I’d be moving into in a few days.

Right now, the streaming studio takes priority.

I’ll think about the rest later.