Free Web NovelOf the three, only one can actually affect me right now, so of course it does.
‘So it really can dig through my memories.’
The flow from my mother, to Kwon Taehan, then to Joo Seowon was funny. I tilted my chin at it as I looked.
“Are you going to stay like that? Just stick with Jin Haedo.”
“I thought you liked this one.”
“The way you talk is different. It’s weird.”
I’d never seen Joo Seowon use such a cloying tone, so it felt off. And maybe appearance really did have more impact than I thought, because with the situation overlapping like this, it was starting to piss me off.
It narrowed its eyes and smiled, then sat down on something. Maybe because the distance between us had shrunk, its expression landed clearly all at once.
“So you can rummage through memories?”
“That’s right. It’s usually family or lovers. Or a particularly special colleague....”
Letting its words trail off, it lifted its head to look up at me and, unprompted, kept going.
“Alright. Then I’ll explain the rest properly too. ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) First off, what you said... is right. I’m a god who deals with fate. But from the start, the word ‘god’ itself doesn’t mean truly omnipotent here the way you’re thinking. I’m a kind of lost concept.”
“Explain properly.”
“Simply put, it means there’s no one left who seeks me. Isn’t that right? There are plenty of people who seek gods, but hardly anyone really believes I exist anymore. You could say there are none at all.”
If you’re still believing in something like Greek–Roman mythology in this era, that might actually be more impressive.
‘Well, considering how packed Cheonmyeonggyo is, there might be at least a handful.’
With that simple thought, I nodded.
“And?”
“That’s exactly the problem. In the end, a god can only flaunt omnipotence when there’s faith. Humans are the ones who attach names and definitions anyway. I’ve been forced to cram myself into that frame too, no different.”
“Ah....”
So basically, it needed human faith in order to preserve its abilities.
“You’re saying humans get to name you too?”
“That’s right. That’s why that child hasn’t been given a name yet, either.”
“That child? You mean Jin Haedo?”
“Yes.”
“So existence comes before a name?”
“That’s right.”
Every time I finished a line, it just kept agreeing however it pleased.
“Very existentialist of you.”
“You humans slap names on whatever lives ‘here’ however you like anyway. You know, the names you give to the life-forms that live in dungeons? It’s the same idea. When you come up with a name that suits my form and my abilities, I cram my existence into that frame.”
I organized its words in my head. In short, its essence existed separately, and naming it came after.
‘Hm.’
Once I’d finished thinking, I didn’t hesitate to ask,
“So the reason you created this dungeon in the first place was a kind of ‘faith,’ then?”
“Yes.”
“You’re staying with Jin Haedo, the one who made Cheonmyeonggyo, because you need faith? As long as you exist, Jin Haedo will keep sending whatever bastards are full of faith over here? I get it. You’re basically leeching off a cult.”
“Leeching? It’s mutual interaction.”
Its brow creased. I stared at it for a moment, then cocked my head to the side.
‘That’s fucking irritating.’
Up until just now, the way it talked was different enough that even with the same face, it was obviously a different being. But with it making that expression, it was starting to feel just like Joo Seowon, and that was getting on my nerves.
Staring straight into its eyes, I asked,
“Then what is this maze? If a mental-type ability user can manipulate it, it’s not just a simple place. Same for how it started from that dark space.”
After saying that much, I slowly lifted my head.
“Ah....”
“......”
“This is it, huh?”
The dark space I’d run into before coming in. And the maze that had looked like it was all one continuous piece. The answer was simpler than I’d expected.
“You just went and built this here however you wanted.”
“I created it out of necessity. Using my abilities.”
“......”
“Try not to think of ‘dungeons’ as too evil. In the end, a dungeon is just some... space. A door just happened to open so it connects to where you live.”
With that, it lifted the corners of its mouth neatly. I smiled back and calmly studied its expression.
Meeting my gaze head-on, it continued.
“You’re right that this place was made based on my power. It’s not a physical location so much as a place made by tearing up minds... so it’s naturally not a great match with mental-type ability users. I don’t know if whoever dragged them in knew that.”
“He didn’t know. I just brought him in because I saw him as a cheat.”
That was true. It wasn’t that I’d analyzed the dungeon’s structure and then brought Im Haekyung in; I’d called him from the start with the purpose of smashing this place.
At that, it twisted its mouth into a crooked smile.
“Still, even if that space collapses, I won’t suffer any direct damage. It’ll take some time, but I can just mold it again and wait for the right moment. But... you’re different.”
What kind of bullshit was this now.
It’d said earlier that it barged into my system to save me.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The dungeon I made does fundamentally operate by using the mental domain. But it isn’t just me it’s connected to; it also links to the minds of everyone who’s trespassed there. And the longer it goes on, the more intense that connection becomes.”
“......”
“The longer you stay there, the more inevitably you start to blend with the maze. Anyone who steps inside knows that’s the price.”
“Blend?”
“That’s right.”
I instinctively thought of Gi Cheongmin, whose status window had shifted to look like he was one of the dungeon’s creatures.
“What do you mean by ‘blend’? You mean they change like the dungeon monsters here?”
“That’s the extreme case. That child no longer had any desire to leave this place, so he voluntarily altered his form like that. As long as someone has no will to leave, I can share my power with them all I like.”
“He said he wanted to leave.”
“He did. Maybe he changed his mind. But once that decision is made, it can’t be undone.”
Up until now, it had let its words flow loosely, but that final line, it hammered in firmly.
I let out a short laugh and asked back,
“Doesn’t sound very omnipotent.”
“It’s the only exception. Once a decision is made, it can’t be undone. Not for the things I decide, or for what other beings decide.”
“You’re saying it’s irreversible.”
“That’s right.”
It wasn’t impossible to accept, so I gave a vague nod and went back to the original topic.
“So what exactly do you mean by ‘blend’?”
“Just what it sounds like. They stop wanting to leave the maze. They gradually start seeing it as home, as something comfortable... and even if you put the exit right in front of them, they lose the will to go out.”
“I thought I heard that you’re the one who keeps them from leaving?”
“Me? No. I don’t stop them.”
Once again, it answered firmly. The gentle curve of its eyes and the slight lift of its lips seemed to mirror its mood. Or maybe it was just working the “skin” hard to fake it.
“I simply give them one more choice at the very end. I tell them they have one more chance. Plenty of them refuse. Those ones, I can only let go.”
“So the ones who remain here all have their minds connected to this maze to some degree?”
“That’s right. You too. No, in your case, the connection is a bit more intense.”
As it said that, it reached out and brushed its thumb lightly over my eyebrow. I knocked its arm away and asked again,
“Me?”
“Yes. You haven’t only come in once. The more you come in, the worse it gets.”
What the hell was it babbling about?
“This is my first time.”
“From what you remember, sure.”
“Ah....”
I let out a mirthless laugh and tilted my head. Right in front of me, it was still wearing that déjà vu expression. The way it blinked at me felt familiar, yet not.
‘Annoying.’
There wasn’t a single thing about this that didn’t grate on me.
“What I remember? Are we back to those so-called ‘deleted runs’ again?”
“Yes.”
“You know about the deleted runs... and you call yourself a ‘god,’ huh?”
Up until a moment ago, I’d been having fun, thinking I was working through my questions one by one. Now that it had said this, I suddenly felt pissed all over again.
“Even if I do.”
It answered simply. God, deleted runs....
“It’s my life, so why the hell am I the one who doesn’t know? Kwon Taehan remembers everything. And before that, does this even make sense on a basic level?”
Once the dam was broken, the weird parts just kept pouring out.
“Until not long ago, I lived in a world where dungeons didn’t exist. And now you’re telling me that’s not true, that what actually happened is that all the memories in between just got wiped clean? Why?”
“That much, I can’t tell you. What I can tell you is that I know you... and I trust you understand what that means.”
“Ah... I really fucking hate it when there’s something huge in my life that I don’t know about.”
“I don’t remember every moment either. The difference is, unlike you, I’m aware this has happened before... and I know you’re being affected more deeply.”
Answering in that calm tone, it lifted its hand again and grabbed my shoulder. I lowered my gaze to confirm its hand, then raised my head. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
“What’s the difference?”
“I can’t predict everything either. That’s the difference.”
As I listened, I grabbed its wrist on my shoulder and pulled it down. It had fine-tuned the body so meticulously that even the thickness of the wrist resting in my hand felt familiar.
“In any case, just the fact we came here should give you an idea, shouldn’t it? When your mind is on the verge of collapsing, you come here to carve out a gap.”
“......”
That was news to me.
“You’re not the one who made it?”
“This time, you were dragged here from my side. Thanks to your ‘system’ cutting your mind off quickly.”
“Why?”
“Your mind has already been tampered with far too much. If someone mishandles it, it’ll just crumble entirely. If that happens... obviously, it’ll show up as a physical reaction, and in the worst case, you’ll just die.”
At that, I furrowed my brow. So that meant I couldn’t just let Im Haekyung play around with Mental Domination however he wanted?
“A penalty?”
“I don’t... know all the fine print either.”
“Then connect me to whoever made this ‘system.’”
“That’s beyond my abilities too.”
For fuck’s sake, this bastard was useless.
I narrowed my eyes, discarding all the kindly explanations it had just given me in one go.
“Not helpful.”
“I was never your ally to begin with.”
It blinked blandly and looked up at me. I met its gaze, then, without hesitation, grabbed it by the collar and lifted it slightly off the “floor.” free𝑤ebnovel.com
“Can you feel pain?”
“At the level you can inflict... no.”
Its voice stayed utterly composed. I lost interest in an instant and let go.
But it didn’t stop there. Still staring at me, it let a subtle smile curve its lips.
“But there is one thing I can help with.”
“......”
“I told you, didn’t I. I can see right through your desires.”
Pausing for a moment, it smiled softly and asked,
“There’ll be a bit of pain. Are you alright with that?”
