Alpha

Kang In-ho sent his tears down the stream, adding his scream-like sobs to the clear sound of the flowing water.

He groped his face, wiping the tear-blurred vision with the back of his hand.

It’s not an illusion, not a fantasy.

He kept muttering.

For a moment, he even thought it was an illusion created by Chunhyang.

But he felt it instinctively. There was no way to explain it, no clear evidence, but it wasn’t an illusion.

He couldn’t know the principle or reason why he had regained his appearance.

But such things were trivial to him, not particularly important.

“It’s, it’s my face… It’s my original face.”

Even while living life in various forms, there was only one appearance deep in his heart.

It was a face he hadn’t forgotten despite numerous Dimensional Shifts.

He groped his body.

Not a body of solid muscles.

Not a tall figure with a high field of vision.

Not soft skin that sinks in when pressed.

It was his face, his body.

Kang In-ho grabbed a handful of blue grass. The grass became macerated and dyed his hand.

The remaining grass water dripped through the gaps in his clenched fist.

It was only after he barely calmed down his intense emotions that he noticed someone approaching nearby.

A dark shadow covered him, almost like a rain cloud.

Kang In-ho raised his head.

An androgynous face.

A tall figure that could be called a giant if it grew any more.

The shape of the body, with its beautiful curves, contrasted with the solid muscles.

The first life form he met after the Dimensional Shift.

Kang In-ho exchanged glances with the imposing being.

“I am Alpha.”

After a brief exchange of glances, the tall being introduced itself.

Kang In-ho opened his mouth at the smooth start to the conversation, which didn’t feel hostile.

“I am…”

As Kang In-ho opened his mouth, the being who identified himself as Alpha raised a hand.

“There’s no need to say. Kang In-ho, possessor of a noble soul.”

“You know me?”

“I can know anything. From the moment you entered this dimension, I can know everything about you.”

“Are you… a Dimension Management God?”

Kang In-ho hesitated and stood up. After the outpouring of intense emotions, he had no strength in his body.

“Dimension Management God?”

Alpha scoffed. The face and voice, which were impossible to tell whether they belonged to a man or a woman, confused Kang In-ho even more.

“Are you talking about the servants of God who manage the imperfect dimensions?”

Alpha sneered. Kang In-ho closed his mouth at Alpha’s vague words.

“Even after traveling through so many dimensions, you still don’t know about dimensions. Well, it’s not unreasonable. Only the chosen ones can understand dimensions.”

“What do you want to say?”

Kang In-ho retorted sharply at Alpha’s mocking attitude.

Alpha only wore a twisted smile at the sharp words.

“You probably know about causality, right? Because that’s why you were sacrificed.”

Kang In-ho nodded at Alpha’s words.

“What does it mean for causality to be misaligned? Have you ever thought about that?”

“Do you think I had time to think?”

He was struggling just to adapt to the new world.

“Hmm, I wonder if there’s a suitable analogy that even your dull brain can understand…”

Alpha muttered, stroking its chin. Alpha, who had been seriously contemplating, soon sat down on the ground as if it had come up with something suitable.

Even when seated, Alpha was at the same eye level as Kang In-ho.

“You can think of it as a program.”

“A program?”

“Yes, there are dimensions, that is, worlds, that operate according to their own rules. These generally work as designed. Birth and death, creation and destruction are repeated.”

Alpha explained, drawing a picture on the grass with its long fingers.

Kang In-ho’s eyes turned to the finger.

“But programs are bound to have flaws. As time passes, whether it’s a short hundred years or a long ten thousand years, the flaws in the world gradually accumulate. And the more the stupid Dimension Management God interferes with the world, the more flaws occur in the world.”

“…The flaws in the world being.”

“Imperfections that an imperfect world has accumulated over a long period of time. That’s causality.”

“Then the role of the Dimension Management God is to eliminate those flaws.”

“You understand faster than I thought. And adjusting that causality requires the soul of a noble person.”

Causality and sacrifice, Kang In-ho recalled his old conversation with Ranael.

“So, every time causality is misaligned, the soul of a noble person is needed?”

Alpha shook its head at Kang In-ho’s question.

“If it’s a very small misalignment of causality, the soul of the Dimension Management God is enough to adjust it. This is because the time it takes for the manager’s level to increase is faster than the cycle in which causality is misaligned. However, there is an exception. That exception brought you to this place.”

“A case where causality is greatly misaligned.”

“Yes. There are times when the misalignment of causality suddenly increases. It’s a misalignment that can’t be resolved even if you pour in all the levels of the Dimension Management God. It’s a big loss to correct causality by consuming all the levels of the Dimension Management God that you’ve worked so hard to cultivate. So who should we use?”

“Guys like me, I guess.”

“You’re not a complete idiot.”

Alpha grinned, revealing its gums in a bizarre way.

A breeze blew. The wind gently caressed everything on the meadow.

Even the sweat that might have formed disappeared without falling to the ground.

“So? What do you want to talk about? I asked you about your identity.”

“You’re impatient. Let me introduce myself again. I am a complete mortal, Alpha.”

Kang In-ho frowned.

“A complete mortal is… like a hot iced Americano.”

“That’s how a commoner like you would think. But I, who belong to the Unique Dimension, can be said to be complete.”

Alpha spread its arms wide.

“Unique Dimension? Is it different from other dimensions?”

Alpha frowned at Kang In-ho’s question.

It didn’t like the way Kang In-ho dared to compare it to other dimensions.

“There is no misalignment of causality in the Unique Dimension. It can be said to be a perfect dimension.”

“You just explained that there are flaws in all dimensions, but now you’re saying the word ‘perfect’.”

“Of course. This is a dimension created by the omnipotent ‘God’.”

“God…”

Kang In-ho’s face crumpled even more.

Regardless, Alpha got up. The huge shadow covered Kang In-ho once again.

“How could I, a mere mortal, know about you? Because this is the Unique Dimension. Why did you, whose appearance changed every time you shifted dimensions, regain your original appearance? Because this is the Unique Dimension. Because it’s a place that reveals the shape of the soul as it is.”

“The Unique Dimension is a place created under the plan of God. That’s why the Unique Dimension is great. Therefore, the Unique Dimension is special.”

Alpha explained about the Unique Dimension with a deep smile, as if it was excited about something. It was as if it was showing off something it cherished to someone else.

“You could have created a world without misalignment of causality from the beginning. If everyone was in the Unique Dimension, there would be no tiring work. What is ‘God’ thinking?”

But unfortunately, Kang In-ho didn’t understand Alpha’s pride.

“Are you daring to question ‘God’?”

Alpha’s face hardened for the first time at Kang In-ho’s dissatisfied words.

“No, it’s strange. If the Unique Dimension is a world without flaws, then there’s no reason to create other flawed dimensions, right? Haven’t you ever wondered about that?”

“…Blasphemous.”

Kang In-ho felt that Alpha’s body had grown even larger.

“Then, conversely. Why is the Unique Dimension needed? Is it a place created to observe a self-proclaimed ‘perfect mortal’ in this wide meadow?”

“Shut your mouth!”

Alpha slapped Kang In-ho’s cheek.

The huge wind pressure created by the right arm crushed Kang In-ho’s body as it was.

Kang In-ho let out a short scream and flew across the meadow.

After flying for a while, he fell to the ground on his back and vomited blood.

At the same time as he fell to the ground, Alpha, who had leaped, landed around Kang In-ho.

Its flushed face looked quite heated.

What is a perfect mortal? Not even able to control its temper.

Kang In-ho muttered even while groaning in pain.

“Ah, and… for a perfect dimension. How does it make sense that it’s pierced by a spell created by a Dimension Management God? Isn’t it just a poorly designed dimension?”

Kang In-ho taunted Alpha, and

“You’re right. You are an impurity that should not exist in this perfect world. That’s why I’m going to annihilate you now. You will face eternal death, not a new life.”

Alpha, who had fallen for the provocation, screamed and punched him in the face.

Annihilation.

That’s a welcome sound to hear.

Kang In-ho closed his eyes, watching Alpha’s approaching attack.

“……..”

But the death he had been hoping for did not come.

The surroundings were terribly quiet. Kang In-ho cautiously opened his eyes.

“What is this again? Why is there the blessing of the Dimension Management God?”

Alpha’s fist, which had been heading towards Kang In-ho’s head, was blocked by a barrier that had spread out as if to envelop Kang In-ho’s body.

White light emanated from the barrier.

Kang In-ho looked at the barrier with a bewildered expression. On the surface of the barrier, he saw a religious symbol that he had seen somewhere.

[I have bestowed a blessing upon your soul. It’s a 4th grade Divine Doctor’s blessing… but wouldn’t it be better than nothing?]

He remembered the time when he had joined forces with the Dimension Management God.

“Solari…!”

Kang In-ho muttered, recalling the name of the Dimension Management God that he had forgotten.

The barrier that had blocked Alpha’s fist began to vibrate.

The white light began to brighten even more, and soon it emitted a brightness that was so bright that it was difficult to open one’s eyes.

The barrier disappeared as it was after a few minutes of glowing.

“Is there… nothing more to show?”

Solari’s blessing, which had blocked Alpha’s attack once, still had more use left.

Clang!

Something appeared in the air with the sound of glass breaking.

Cracks began to appear in the empty air.

The cracks gradually began to run across the sky, gradually revealing their presence.

Crack!

And something began to forcibly open the gap.

The tightly closed gap in the air gradually began to open.

Literally, the sky began to split.

“How can it be in the Unique Dimension…!”

Alpha’s face was stained with embarrassment.

Something appeared through the passage created by the split sky.

Black bobbed hair, black eyes, something wearing a women’s suit fell straight to the ground.

It landed, creating a crater in the meadow, and shone its black eyes at Alpha.

“…Inho, we’re not done with our story yet.”

The words it spat out were quite chilling.