Chapter 279 : The Question of Another World
Chapter 279: The Question of Another World
In the Original Story, Cyber Module Necromancer, multiple incidents erupted simultaneously during the final battle that led directly to the ending.
The beginning was the full-scale corporate war between Stingray and Militech, which caused not only the Academy but all of New Valhalla City to begin teetering on the brink.
The corporations on each side secretly dispatched Security Department Adaptees to sabotage production colonies outside the city, hired mercenaries and mafia groups to attack corporate employees, and even used politicians, police officers, and judges to damage their rivals' public image.
Although they never engaged in direct military confrontation, the situation was essentially one step away from open war.
'That was where it all began.'
The production colonies scattered throughout the outskirts of the city were factories that manufactured goods for New Valhalla City.
At the same time, they also served as the first defensive line against the [Mystics].
The monsters that would normally have targeted the colonies suddenly lost their prey.
As a result, they turned their attention toward New Valhalla City itself.
Then, just as Stingray and Militech were about to clash head-on in Sector A with all of their advanced weaponry and Adaptees—
'That's when everything went wrong.'
At the absolute worst possible moment for the city, a massive Monster Wave was detected.
It wasn't something comparable to a handful of Titans invading.
It was a full-scale offensive of an entirely different magnitude.
The corporations had sought supremacy over the city...
Only to plunge the very survival of humanity into crisis.
Yet even with extinction right before their eyes, the corporate leaders and politicians still refused to come to their senses, remaining obsessed with protecting their own interests.
That was when the protagonist's party stepped forward.
Shade Wells, the Student Council President, traveled alongside the Witch, Evangeline, to meet the leaders of the intelligent races outside the city, such as the Dwarves and Elves.
They persuaded them to cooperate.
Thanks to their assistance, the danger posed by the Monster Wave was drastically reduced.
That wasn't all.
Airi, Hobeop, Silence, and the rest of the protagonist's companions led the Academy students alongside the City Defense Force and successfully repelled the monsters' invasion.
(Incidentally, Ciel contributed almost nothing back then because she was still a comic relief character.)
After returning to the city, the protagonist finally stopped the corporate war—which still hadn't ended—by becoming a one-man army through his signature technique, Necromancing, which he had spent the entire story refining.
Just when everyone believed humanity had barely survived extinction...
The Stingray Group went berserk once again.
As though unveiling its final trump card, the Stingray Chairman deployed an Adaptee ninja corps, countless cutting-edge weapons, and Great Sage-Class Wizards, effectively choosing mutual destruction.
To stop him, the protagonist accepted Militech's support.
In the end, he succeeded in assassinating the Stingray Chairman, bringing the conflict to a close.
'I remember reading those chapters completely absorbed.'
As the novel approached its conclusion, the author's writing quality suddenly exploded.
Even though I followed it one chapter per day, it never once felt slow or boring.
I was completely captivated.
The ending itself had been wrapped up beautifully as well.
'Of course, by then almost all the readers had already dropped the series...'
Anyway.
Regardless of how much I'd enjoyed reading it...
There were clear discrepancies between what I knew from reading the novel and what I'd learned after actually coming into this world.
For example, in the Original Story, the Monster Wave occurred purely by chance because of the corporate war.
But now that I knew about the Sky Dragon's contract with Stingray...
The meaning behind it had changed completely.
'Those monsters weren't heading toward just anywhere.
They were swarming straight toward a Dragon's nest.'
Whether the Sky Dragon regarded humans as livestock, slaves, or equals...
The important point was that, in the end, it was still protecting humanity.
'That was why the Chairman submitted to the Sky Dragon when the city was founded in the first place.'
But what if...
Instead of merely allowing minor attacks along the city's outskirts...
The Sky Dragon had simply watched in silence while an offensive large enough to shake the entire city—like the one during the Original Story's finale—approached?
'Then there has to be a reason.'
In the Original Story, the sequence had been:
Aaron Stingray's death → worsening relations between the two megacorporations → Vladimir becoming Militech's Chairman → corporate war → deterioration of public security → Monster Wave.
But now...
Those same events carried an entirely different meaning.
Likewise, the Stingray Chairman's rampage during the final battle might not have been nothing more than the pitiful last struggle of a mad old emperor.
Perhaps...
Something had changed in his relationship with the Sky Dragon.
Which brought me back to the Monster Wave.
'I should properly investigate the Monster Wave phenomenon.'
If I could determine the exact conditions required for one to occur...
I might uncover truths the Original Story had never revealed.
At the same time...
I might also discover the true objectives of both the Sky Dragon and the Stingray Chairman and prepare in advance.
That was my reasoning.
However...
“Impossible.”
When I asked whether a human could deliberately trigger a Monster Wave, Evangeline answered immediately.
“At least to this body's knowledge, it is impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because the ecology is different.”
As she stirred the dessert ice cream with a tiny spoon, Evangeline continued.
“A Monster Wave only occurs when numerous conditions overlap.
With extraordinarily low probability.
To intentionally recreate such an event is, for all practical purposes, impossible.”
“But we experienced one ourselves not long ago.”
“At the Dwarf village, that extraordinary river created by the ‘Anti-Rain’ was likely the deciding variable.
This body does not know the precise reason.
But it must have influenced the ecology of the monsters somehow.”
Well...
In reality, that event had essentially been forced into existence by the Author's transcendent power.
Naturally, there couldn't be a proper explanation.
Still...
If this world was gradually becoming more 'real'...
Wouldn't it have developed a plausible chain of cause and effect?
And if I could discover that chain...
Perhaps it could even be reproduced deliberately.
However, when I asked again, Evangeline shook her head once more.
“Thaaat is precisely why it is practically impossible.”
“Why?”
“Aaron.
Have you not lived in this city for a long time?”
“I have.”
“That is precisely why you think this way.
After attending that elementary school for a short while, this body has begun to understand how the people of this city think.”
“What do you mean?”
“They have a tendency to interpret everything from a human-centered perspective.
They do not believe in coincidence.
Instead, they insist on attaching causes and explanations to everything until it becomes a story they can understand.
Hmm...
No.
That wording is somewhat strange.”
Evangeline crossed her arms before continuing.
“Do you know what a locust plague is?”
“A swarm of locusts.”
“Correct.
The disaster caused by locust swarms.
Do you know why such things happen?”
“Hm.”
Since I didn't know the exact answer, I immediately searched the internet and read aloud what appeared.
“It says that various factors alter the locusts' hormones, causing their wings to grow longer, their hind legs to shorten, and their appetite to increase.”
“And what are those ‘factors’?”
“It seems drought is usually the cause.”
Eggs that had remained dormant throughout prolonged droughts all hatched simultaneously once rain finally fell.
That caused the population to explode.
As competition for survival increased...
The locusts needed to travel greater distances.
Apparently that was why they underwent those biological changes.
It sounded fairly convincing.
Yet Evangeline wasn't finished.
“Then why does it only happen to locusts?”
“Hmm...?”
“And why do repeated droughts sometimes produce locust plagues while other times they do not?
Why do locusts possess such traits in the first place?”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“There is no end to causes.”
Evangeline sighed.
“A Monster Wave occurs because an extremely powerful high-ranking Mystics changes its territory.
That is indeed the cause.
Yet there remain countless aspects that cannot be explained through that alone.
If humanity cannot fully understand something as insignificant as locusts...
How could they possibly understand the [Mystics]?”
“......”
For some reason...
There was something unusual about Evangeline's tone.
What was it?
“……Humans extract the Essence of the [Mystics], place that power inside machines, and use it as weapons.
Aaron.
You are as strong as you are because the powers of powerful [Mystics] reside within you.
Perhaps because of that...
The people of this city believe they can eventually understand every phenomenon in existence through their own strength.”
“......”
A sense of incongruity.
That was what it was.
Evangeline normally didn't speak like this.
She took great pride in her vast magical knowledge.
She was someone driven by endless curiosity and scholarly passion.
If she were simply trying to hide ignorance out of embarrassment...
Something still didn't feel right.
“Evangeline?”
“Aaron.
This time, this body shall ask you something else.”
“……?”
“Why do Witches like this body resemble humans so perfectly?”
For a moment...
I couldn't answer.
Because...
“That is not all.
The ecology of every single [Mystics] revolves around humans.
Werewolves.
Vampires.
Elves.
Dragons.
Even creatures that have yet to receive names.
Their appearances and behavior all stimulate human emotions and memories.”
Of course they did.
This world had originally been a novel.
Every monster within it had been borrowed from legends, myths, or various works of fiction.
“Humans believe the world revolves around them.
They claim every [Mystics] originated from human imagination.
Many Witches call such arrogance insufferable.
Yet if they continue their research long enough...
Even they will eventually be forced to acknowledge the truth.
Even Witches themselves.”
“What truth?”
“The possibility that all of us truly originated from humans.”
Evangeline calmly continued.
“That is why this body never hated humans.
Rather...
This body liked them.
This body believed that perhaps, after such a long war, dialogue might finally become possible.
This body even spent a great deal of time preparing for that day.”
It wasn't difficult to guess that those preparations had likely shone during the climax of the Original Story.
She continued.
“But something gradually began to feel strange.
Especially after this body fell into the River of Source, and later came into contact with your soul in order to revive.
From that moment onward...
This body became increasingly certain.”
“Certain of what?”
“......”
Evangeline fell silent for a moment.
Then she slowly resumed.
“Most Witches believe in the Multiverse Theory.
Originally, every [Mystics] existed within its own separate dimension.
Then, because of Source Power, something went wrong.
Every one of them was pulled into this dimension.
As a result...
Humans and the [Mystics] entered an endless war for survival.”
“Doesn't that sound roughly correct?”
“Then why do beings born in entirely different dimensions all possess appearances that originated from human imagination?
It contradicts itself.”
“......”
I remained silent.
I still couldn't fully grasp what Evangeline was trying to say.
Yet...
Little by little...
The conclusion she was approaching began to take shape.
I didn't want to imagine it.
But perhaps...
“This body reached another conclusion.
The human world is the 'root' at the bottom of a tree.
The other [Mystics] are beings born upon its 'branches.'
Then, because of some unknown event...
Everything living upon those branches fell back down to the root.”
“……The Dragon said something similar.”
“Then perhaps this body's theory is largely correct.
However...
That is not the end.
What comes next is the truly important part.”
Then Evangeline said—
“Perhaps...
There are other trees besides the one we inhabit.”
She was correct.
Even though I'd deliberately avoided mentioning that the Dragon I'd fought had been another transmigrator...
Evangeline had already arrived at the correct answer.
And more troubling than that...
“Aaron.
Do you remember when we first met?
This body read your fate.
This body also told you that your destiny had changed.
Do you remember?”
“I do.”
“This body had never witnessed such a fortune before.
This body could scarcely believe it.
But now...
This body finally believes it understands the answer.”
Damn it.
I'd only asked about Monster Waves.
How had the conversation ended up here?
“Evangeline.”
“So this body shall ask you.”
The moment I sensed danger, I desperately began searching for an excuse.
But Evangeline was faster.
“—Are you a soul from another world?”