episode_0064

“Noel. Is there really nothing we can do?”

Noeul, who was also reading the comment, sighed at Saeron’s watery voice as she read G-875’s comment in the constellation community… that is, Hangil’s comment.

“well…”

“It’s so hard and sad that I have to watch my brother struggle like this. Ugh…”

In the end, Saeron, overcome with emotion, sobs and wipes away her tears.

“Saeron…”

“Whoa…”

Noeul and Gyeong-gyeong comforted her as she felt uneasy.

As the constellation community is a place where constellations gather, it is free from the influence of time, so it was possible to immediately read 875’s comments written in real time. Just looking at the content and flow of the comments, you can see that Severe Road is desperately trying to somehow escape from the space of nothingness. I was able to imagine it.

Noeul, who was looking at the feast of hundreds or thousands of comments, bit her lip as if she had made up her mind.

“It’s not that there is no way. Maybe I can meet Hangil.”

“What? Really?”

“Noel. How? Is there any way?”

“Now, wait a minute. Move away.”

No-eul sighed as she stopped Saeron and Gyeong-gyeong, who were rushing towards them, with her hands.

“…Actually, I can connect dreams at any time with someone who has once come into contact with the dream.”

“Connecting dreams? Sister, what do you mean?”

“You already experienced it once at the Demon Mansion. Just like that time, you can bring many people together in a dream space. Of course, only the people I have contacted through dreams.”

“Ah… So, after all, I can only see things in dreams?”

“…that’s right.”

‘Dream Connection’ was No-eul’s secret weapon to seduce Han-gil.

If someone of the opposite sex appears in a dream and does something friendly or strange, you will have no choice but to be conscious of it in real life as well.

Moreover, the places where it can be used are not limited to temptation.

Dreams are a kind of mystery, and they are an effective, powerful, and versatile means that can influence consciousness and perception even for people who do not believe in the occult.

Of course, it will only be effective if the other person believes it to be a pure dream.

Who would believe the contents of dreams if they knew that they could connect and control them?

“Huh? I once got scolded by my sister in a dream. So maybe that too?”

“……”

Something like this.

When No-eul, who tried to avoid Sae-ron’s staring gaze, looked at Gyeong-gyeong as if asking for help, he returned the topic with a helpless expression.

“We could meet, but it would still be a dream…No-eul. Still, I think it would be good to meet. I want to be of some help to Han-gil.”

“Ah! Me too! Me too! Sister! Connect my dreams right now!”

“…Hmm, honestly, there is no guarantee that this will succeed. No matter how much I do, I have never tried a ‘dream connection’ with a human in another dimension. Moreover, the other person must be sleeping to connect, which is a ‘space of nothingness’. “It seems like there is no concept of sleep…”

“No! My sister can do it! She’s not just a succubus, she’s the queen of succubi!”

“Saeron is right. Please do me a favor, Noeul.”

“Whoa…”

She sighs softly and then nods her head with a determined expression.

“I understand. I’m not confident, but I’ll try.”

Noeul, leaning comfortably against the back of the sofa, closed her eyes, and Saeron and Gyeonggyeong looked at her quietly with tense faces.

***

Time flows steadily, both slowly and quickly, without stopping.

Seven years have already passed since I entered the space of nothingness.

is not it? About 8 years? Maybe it’s been longer than that.

My sense of time has become dull and I don’t sleep, so it’s hard to count the days.

“……”

Since I had nothing to do, I did a rough calculation and found that 8 years is roughly 50 minutes in real time.

“under…”

It’s a time gap that makes me laugh the more I think about it.

-Hangil. You’re lying down again. Don’t just sit still, you have to do something.

“Uhm…but what should I do if I’m not motivated?”

I was tired of reading books, playing board games, and practicing skills.

Still, in the beginning, I had a passion to achieve something because I had so much time, but in the face of infinitely long time, I was helplessly scattered and broken.

I guess I said all this because staring blankly at a flower pot is the most fun.

“Rael. Rather, wouldn’t killing time like this be beneficial and wise in the long run? At least I’m not tired of doing something yet. If I work too hard and get tired quickly, I think the future will be difficult.”

-Don’t talk nonsense. Now, stand up.

With a sour expression on her face, she put her hands into her armpits and lifted her entire body.

“Okay…”

I sighed and straightened myself.

However, I had no motivation to do anything, so I just stared blankly at the white, endless space.

-Ha…Hangil. Have you already forgotten that you decided to lead a regular life a while ago? According to the schedule I set at that time, now is the time to practice my abilities.

“Oh, that just looked so maid-like.”

-It’s a maid. Don’t change your mind.

“…It’s just skill training, so there’s nothing special about it.”

[Cry of despair, pain, and grief], [Mystic Eyes of Condemnation], [Dog Eyes], ‘Mirror of Resentment’, and Summoning.

Although he had quite a few abilities, most of them were not of the type whose power and efficiency could be increased through active training, so it was difficult to find meaning in his efforts.

-At least hit Manish or Sahain. We need to make enough food for today.

“Hmm… I guess so. How far did we get last time?”

-Probably, I did ‘Science Fiction-style armored cyborg Manish’, ‘Telekinetic psychic Sahagin’, and even ‘Heanna, a walking man-eating plant’.

“Oh, I see. Where…”

I thought of ‘Science Fiction-style armored cyborg Manish’ and immediately pursed my lips.

“Manish.”

At that moment, my soul was torn into pieces.

“Big…!”

It is the price for summoning a powerful being using imagination.

In fact, if it is natural, it is natural.

Wouldn’t it be even more strange if there was no cost to summoning a being that unleashed one’s imagination?

Rather, it would be more surprising and fraudulent that there was no or almost no compensation until the previous stage.

…But isn’t it possible to at least give a warning?

When I first paid the price, I couldn’t get over the shock and fainted without even knowing what was going on.

No matter how quickly it was recovered, the pain of having one’s soul cut away was something one could never get used to.

“Kuuuc!”

Geee! Slam! Yikes! Slam!

The huge Manish, whose entire body is mechanized, aims the plasma cannons on its back and sides in this direction and roars.

“Uhm…”

Damn it! Damn it!

I immediately took out [Mystical Eyes of Condemnation] and [Cries of Despair, Pain, and Grief].

It’s not efficient to apply it all over your body, so just use one around each shoulder.

“Kuweeeek!”

When I look at him with a very widened, yet color-distinguishing field of view, I can clearly distinguish between the waving soul and the karma attached to the soul.

“Kkkk!”

“Kkuiik!?”

As soon as a terrible scream rang out, the ‘science fiction-style armored cyborg Mannish’, who was shining as if he was going to fire the highly condensed plasma, had his soul shattered, his karma scattered like fog, and he disappeared without a trace on the spot.

“…Not funny.”

I felt it again after using it several times, but the skill combo of [Mystic Eyes of Condemnation] and [Cry of Despair, Pain, and Grief] was nothing short of incredible.

Even if you only have one of the two skills, soul or karma, you will get a one-turn kill the moment you are exposed to both skills.

I don’t know if this will actually work on the ‘God’ of the ‘Horrible Conglomerate’ or the Director of the Management Bureau, Romenel, but it is definitely a fatal attack that cannot be resisted or avoided by most beings.

-Hangil. I thought about it.

“huh?”

Rael, who had stayed far away to escape the skill’s influence, quickly approached me, hugged my back and rested his chin on my shoulder.

When I rolled my eyes and looked at her, naturally accepting that kind of skinship, Lael, who met my gaze within touching distance of my lips, grinned and smiled prettily.

-Is it impossible to make summons such as Manish or Sahagin absolutely obey Hangil? If you can handle the same Mannish at will, it seems like you can deal with any enemy that appears.

“Hmm… I tried it a few times, but unlike changing the ‘shape’ or adding ‘functions,’ the mental part isn’t that easy. My intuition tells me that probability is needed.

-Is it probable?

“Yes. I need a reason or cause for Manish and Sahagin to obey me.”

-Hmm…that’s good. Then, let’s start training our skills again with that goal!

“What? You don’t think this will work?”

-Then it’s even better! Anyway, as long as I can hang on for a long time, anything is fine!

“…Is that so? I guess so…Well, okay. Then, let’s try something.”

Having set a vague goal, we talked a lot and began to focus on creating a ‘subject that listens well’.

***

An additional three years have passed, and it has now been 10 years… no, 11 years since I came to this space of nothingness? Anyway, that much time passed.

“sit down.”

“Kwiik!”

“Keeek!”

“Shhh!”

In response to the command calmly given, ‘Manish, the reversal of causality who scatters disaster,’ ‘Plasma Sahagin, who can swim anywhere at supersonic speed,’ and ‘Barut, who has poison that can melt anything,’ bowed their heads as if to express their loyalty. Bow down.

“…This really works.”

-Iknow, right. I never thought that killing countless summoned entities would be a ‘probability’… I achieved my goal faster than I thought.

“Hmm…”

If you think about it in a game, it would be like getting an achievement or title and receiving special option effects.

In fact, the shape of my soul changed slightly as I summoned and killed numerous summons, and the ‘probability’ she mentioned became karma and weighed more heavily on my soul, but I didn’t bother to say it out loud because I would worry.

By the way, if the soul and karma are transformed, does that mean we cease to be human?

I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to have much of an effect yet…

-Hangil. Aren’t you happy?

“Huh? Oh, of course I’m happy.”

-Then be a little happier! Wow! Finally succeeded! It feels great! Like this!

I burst out laughing at the sight of her frantically flying around in circles.

-Come on, come on! Are you saying this is also important? Scream as loud as you can!

“I understand. Hmm… Wow! I’m excited! I finally succeeded!”

-Waaaa!

After shouting and running in all directions for a while, we lay down on the spot without even thinking about who would go first.

Lael, who naturally hugged me, smiled and stroked my cheek.

-Hangil. What should our next goal be?

“Huh? Is there anything else left to do?”

Over the past three years, not everything has been devoted to remodeling the summoned body’s mind.

Along the way, I studied the ‘Mirror of Resentment’ and [Dog Eyes], and trained in the application of [Cry of Despair, Pain, and Grief] and [Mystical Eye of Condemnation].

Thanks to this, I can now control the direction of the scream.

In other words, it is now possible to identify enemies through [cries of despair, pain, and grief].

The versatility has become much wider as I can precisely hit what I want and concentrate the power.

-of course! There is no end to becoming stronger! If you become a Sword Master, you should aim for Grand Sword Master, if you become a Grand Sword Master, you should aim for Transcendent, and if you become a Transcendent, you should aim for Demi God!

“…Are there people like that in your world?”

-Sure! Ah, but I think I heard that there was only one human who ascended to the level of demi-god and ascended to heaven a thousand years ago.

“…Have humans become constellations?”

-Hmm, I don’t know about that.

“Hmm…”

If I continue to get stronger, will I be able to reach that level?

I can’t imagine it…but I don’t necessarily want to be like that.

As you can see just by looking at the constellation community, even if you ascend to the sky and become a constellation, all you want to do is communicate.

“I want to rest for a while…”

-is it so? Then let’s take a break! happily! What should we do first? I don’t think it would be a bad idea to create a game that we can play among ourselves!

Her eyes sparkle and she raises her voice, making me laugh.

“That’s okay. Then, let’s take our time and think about it…”

I looked up blankly at the white empty space that I couldn’t tell whether it was sky or ground, and absentmindedly relied on Rael’s warmth and soft touch.

Even today, time flows regularly but infinitely.

It’s so damn perfect.

***

I think it’s quite common for something that was overlooked to turn into misfortune that snowballs like a snowball.

It is safe to say that when careless thinking, unfounded optimism, and carelessness combine, it is inevitable that terrible events and accidents will occur.

“Cough! Cough…!?”

I was trying to combine Heanna and Mannish to see if it would be possible to fuse the summoned entities.

-Ha, Han-gil!?

As more than a bucket of blood was vomited without any warning, Rael, who was startled, flew up and hugged the body.

-Why, why are you doing that!? yes!? What’s going on all of a sudden!?

“ah…”

Unable to respond to Rael’s voice full of worry and fear, I realized it while looking at the flowing blood.

That it was a direct blow to the soul.

“…damn.”

Yes, if you think about it, it is nonsensical to only get sick for a short time while your soul is being chipped away.

What is a soul?

Isn’t it the source and driving force of life, the essence of spirit?

Even though something like that is cut into pieces, it only ends in pain for a moment and it recovers quickly?

“haha…”

Honestly, I thought it would be okay because it was a ‘space of nothingness’, but it was a ridiculous illusion and complacency.

I never would have thought that what I was consuming during that time was not my soul, but Sahagin’s soul absorbed into the ‘Mirror of Resentment’.

On a fantasy desert island, literally hundreds of souls have been absorbed.

-Hangil!? Hangil! Come to your senses!

“Z-Calm down…Rael.”

-How on earth are you telling me to calm down! What happened!?

Even though she was a ghost, he turned pale and looked at her shaking, and then spat out the remaining blood in his mouth.

“…Rael.”

-yes yes! I’m here!

“I guess I need to get some sleep…”

Before I could finish speaking, my vision turned black.

The first immersion of consciousness upon entering the ‘space of nothingness’ was sweeter than I expected.

***

-Ha, Hangil? Mr. Hangil…!?

Rael looked down at Hangil, who had fallen trembling and trembling in extreme fear.

I hurriedly touched my nose and mouth and luckily I found that my breathing was fine.

“Uuuu us us us us us

-Hangil!? Ah, ugh…!

However, he was literally just alive, and it looked like he was going to lose his life at any moment.

Steam was rising from the boiling heat, his complexion was pale, and his breathing was irregular and very rough.

The cold sweat he had shed for a short period of time had dampened his clothes, and his hands and feet were shaking slightly and he was suffering.

-Oh, no, no…! Hangil! Hangil!

Rael was extremely confused.

A person who was fine just a few minutes ago suddenly vomits blood and becomes in a state of death in an instant… Even though I’m watching it right before my eyes, I can’t figure out the reason, so all kinds of thoughts are swirling around.

-Ho, by any chance, because of me…?

Even in the world she lived in, it was common knowledge that long-term contact between dead ghosts and living humans was not good.

Moreover, she is not an ordinary ghost, but a higher species of monster called a monster.

If you add more, it won’t be impossible.

-I, I, Hangil…?

Lael, unable to think normally due to panic and confusion, trembled with a shocked expression.

“Ugh…!”

-Hangil!?

As he tossed and turned with a pained expression, Rael unconsciously tried to reach out, but stopped, widening the distance between him and chewing his lips.

-You have to ask for help, help, help…!

She rolled her eyes nervously, remembering Eun No-eul, Heo Sae-ron, and Kwon Gyeong-gu in the outside world.

However, there was virtually no way for her to ask for help.

To be ‘summoned’ to the outside world, they had to call one’s name, but now that the ‘telepathic idol’ was no longer available, there was no way to notify them of the emergency situation here.

The only thing you can do is wait.

-ah…!

Feeling extremely helpless and guilty, she looked down at the severe road with a despairing expression and chewed her lips.