“Should we keep following?” Dongyoung asked.

“It's a situation where we need to choose between pride and curiosity,” Dongha responded as she sighed.

The Dong-Myung clan stated that their mission was to stay in the Essen estate and closely monitor the situation of the various developments that were unfolding.

“I give up!” Dongyoung said as he got up and shook his pants.

Dongha grabbed his arm.

“What?”

“Even if the clan criticizes me, I'm going to follow them. If I don't, I'll probably go crazy and die of curiosity. You're free to make your own decision. Go back alone if you want.”

“What the h.e.l.l are you saying? You want me to go crazy alone? They have something we don't know. Do you think I'll miss this opportunity?” Dongha quipped.

“Did you see something?” Gibin asked.

Giyoung blinked. There was a slight trembling in her fellow clansman's voice. It usually meant he was really excited.

“I saw a huge battle and an unknown sort of formation and organization, but I'm not sure what it was. I was shocked to see someone able to fight in such a novel way.”

“How many centers did you see?”

“Two… I think… that's the limit of my ability.”

“Why was that enemy's perfect organization broken? Didn't the walls come tumbling down quickly after a few pointed attacks? How did they find their enemy's vulnerability? I'm so curious I might go crazy.”

“I wonder if they're using specialized 'communication skills' to convey their thoughts and coordinate their actions. Honestly, I have no idea. What are you going to do now, Gibin?”

“I'm going to follow them of course!” Gibin said firmly. This outing was much more fun than he antic.i.p.ated. His sensitive instinct was telling him that something interesting was brewing. Something new. Something exciting. Something dangerous was emerging in this world.

He knew that he had to see what would happen next. 

***

“How many people do you think have been summoned to this world?” Biyeon asked. 

“Well… hundreds… or thousands?” San murmured, unconfident with his prediction.

“Under the current knowledge base we possess, and under the context of how summoners are probably used in their respective roles, this summoning project seems to have an ultrlong history. It seems to have been running for at least a few hundred or even thousands of years.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Beckham mentioned that all the summoners knew about us. That means current information is being shared with everyone. Except for us...”

“So, we've become weird celebrities in a strange world?” San said as he laughed aloud. His boomer-like, unfunny joke made Biyeon's hardened face relax a little bit.

They switched channels right away. Whether they spoke aloud in the day or the night, the G.o.ds were always listening.

[The other summoners will be similar to Beckham, right?] Biyeon stated in their private channel.

[I'm sure that's the case. He got pretty strong. If a disciple of a G.o.d is that strong, an apostle will probably be much stronger. Why didn't we kill him off for good? If we burned him into ashes, he wouldn't be resurrected, no?]

[We should still refrain from colliding directly with the G.o.ds, especially Kamije.]

[I guess you're right…]

[Since our confrontation this time around was a measure of mutual combat power, I don't think Kamije will mind too much.]

[Anyway… so how's that fantasy novel going?]

[Are you curious?]

[Of course. It talks about our fate… so, I'm really curious. Whether it's a novel or whatever, I'm still in awe that you can come up with such a fantastical story…]

After organizing her thoughts for a moment, Biyeon laughed awkwardly. Though they were using their private channel and communicating largely through intentions, she still was not confident enough to speak her thoughts and opinions openly without hesitation.

[Siluone's position is roughly understandable, but I don't understand the Master's actions at all. I don't know what the purpose is of supplying nectar and summoners to dragons and G.o.ds, and I don't understand their intentions.]

[Well… if we knew that, would we be doing this?] San replied as he stroked his chin. They had gathered quite a bit of information, but they still hadn't gotten to the core of the issue.

[By the way, Magic Dragon Siluone had a clear hostility toward the Creator. We, as humans, became experimental lab rats for having a similar 'scent' as the Creator. The Master is clearly helping Siluone progress with her work. This means that the Master is not the Creator.]

[Then…? Are you saying that the Master, the dragons, and the G.o.ds are working together to organize a coup d'état against the Creator?]

[I do think something similar is happening. Furthermore, I'm worried about the unknown existence of the Fallen.]

[The Fallen?]

[Do you recall the Original Beings that Dite referred to? Among the Original Beings were Satan, Pasoon, Loki, and Set, or 'The Fallen'. Siluone mentioned that they possessed human bodies and were the Creator's first creations. They're humans who've surpa.s.sed 9 Stages of Acceleration. When Siluone a.n.a.lyzed us, she wanted to discover the origin and secrets of their power. I thought the Master was one of these Fallen. Since each of the Fallen possess some components of the Creator's original power.]

[Hmm… that makes sense.] San said as he fell into thought. He then asked, [Then, are the Fallen the final boss of this lab project?]

[Even if they are, the main problem still remains. The first thing we need to understand is why they betrayed the Creator. The second is why he couldn't control them. He already possessed the means of 'terminating' them if he wanted.]

[So, what do you think?]

[From this point on, everything I say is complete conjecture. Satan and the other Fallen must have been terminated. However, they were somehow resurrected. They wouldn't be able to stop the termination clause from executing, but it seems that resurrection from termination is possible.]

[Resurrection?]

[If you look at the G.o.ds and saints who have appeared on our Earth, they disappeared after being active for a very short period of time. However, in any myth, there was always a story about resurrection. Wasn't the most awkward, speechless moment that we faced after arriving in this world was when we found out that people could be resurrected?]

[Yeah… it seems even dogs and cows are resurrected here. By the way, who's doing the resurrections? Not the Creator, right?]

[I initially thought it was the dragons.]

[Dragons? Why the dragons?]

[Siluone wanted to be independent of the Creator. Maybe it's because she committed something unforgivable against the Creator?]

[Do the dragons have the ability to resurrect others?]

[Maybe they obtained the power from somewhere else. After playing with genes for tens of millions of years, Siluone may have discovered it by accident.]

[You think so? But if the Fallen were resurrected, why didn't those terrifying guys come out themselves? Didn't you say that they possessed the power to even overcome dragons?]

[Maybe they're in the same situation as us? I'm fairly certain that Siluone would want insurance, so she probably placed a 'termination' clause on the Fallen before resurrecting them. Additionally, there's a high probability that the Fallen depend on Siluone. Or, they may not have completely recovered their powers…]

[Who do you think the Master is?]

[That… I have no idea. A contradiction arises if we place the Master as a Fallen. Based on the Master's activity, if he were a Fallen, that means the Fallen are alive and active. Linuel and Gapael previously mentioned that the Creator would descend if the Fallen were to reenact their sins. Since there's no sign of the Creator descending, it doesn't seem like the Master is a Fallen. Furthermore, we know that angels don't lie.]

[Is there any possibility that the Master is a dragon?]

[Siluone said she had no power to summon beings from another world.]

[An unknown being whose origin is shrouded in darkness… Would the Master be the final boss? Or possibly the Creator himself?]

[If that's true, I would have to a.s.sume that the Creator has severe schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder. I don't know. Maybe there's some profound meaning behind his existence.]

[What happens to the main characters in your novel?]

[Us? Whoever the Master is, we'll meet again soon. I don't think he'll leave us alone for too much longer. We have to prepare. We need more weapons against him!]

[Will it be enough if we reach the 9th Stage?]

[I think we'll have to go beyond that. The Master may be stronger than the Fallen.]

[In the end, we're going to have to do what Siluone wants, right?]

[Actually, a lot more than what she wants. First, we'll have to dismantle the 'termination' clause that Siluone put on me. If my conjecture is right…]

Biyeon narrowed her eyes. A loud gulp rang out as she swallowed. She set the strength of her non-verbal communication to the lowest setting, just in case others could overhear. Biyeon often took these precautions when she had something secret to convey.

[The 'termination' dismantling work we've been working on will be of great help in liberating the sages, dragons, and others from their own 'termination' clause. If successful, they'll all be freed from the Creator's shackles.]

[In the end, do you think the magic dragon, Siluone, will protect us once we succeed in finding out the process for dismantling the 'termination' clause?]

[Maybe… the Creator will appear and take care of the situation himself? A sudden, shockingly large amount of power will be unleashed on the world…]

San opened his eyes wide, as if he had an epiphany, [Hey! This is really… a fantasy novel. Will there be a war among the G.o.ds? Something like Ragnarök?]

[Since the Creator will appear, I was thinking more along the lines of Armageddon, the Last War.]

[Who're the good guys?]

[Whoever wins and comes out on top. Based on who wins, it may be interpreted as a fight between a dictator and revolutionist… or the just versus terrorists.]

[What happens to us?]

[Nothing. A rare specimen at best? It's unlikely anyone in this world will bless our existence.]

[Perhaps… I think the Creator will hate us the most. We'll need to quickly run away.] San said as he laughed outwardly.

[Yes. I don't think we'll get any answers or make much progress by trying to find the Creator.]

[We're living lives with artificially limiting life spans. We were used like experimental lab rats, and, by the Creator's hands, we'll also meet our deaths? Our lives are so despicable… If Apian doesn't work out, will there be nowhere else for us to go in this world?]

[That's what it looks like.] Biyeon replied.

The two stopped talking. The supporting evidence that their summoning may be irreversible was mounting.

A life with a predetermined fate. They were thorough strangers in this world. From a distance, they could hear the crew pleasantly laughing.

San asked, [Then, what are the G.o.ds' positions? Can they be on our side?]

[I don't think we can trust the G.o.ds. They'll keep thorough neutrality. It's a characteristic of beings who live on others' faith. When anxiety and uncertainty arise among the ma.s.ses, the G.o.ds flourish. War and chaos are the best places for them to work.] Biyeon replied coldly.

[Ah, so it's like that. Not a very good alliance partner then.]

Their expressions became cool. There were traces of pain, but no sorrow. They were not sad. Their paths always led to dead ends, and their other paths of retreat were constantly cut off. Was there anything different now?

[So… what do you think we should do?] San asked.

[We have three choices.]

[The first one?]

[Attached ourselves to Siluone.]

[What are the advantages?]

[Like Beckham, we can live virtually forever, enjoying an immortal body and extreme pleasures.]

[What are the disadvantages?]

[We will hate ourselves.]

[Right. The second choice?]

[Negotiating with the Creator and asking him to send us back to Earth.]

[What are the advantages?]

[The possibility of returning to our world is high.] 

[What are the disadvantages?]

[Everything is uncertain. Even negotiations will be difficult unless we fulfill the original purpose for why we were brought into this world.]

[And what's your choice?] 

[The third one.]

The two met eyes. Biyeon smiled. San thought her smile was fresher and truly happier than ever.

[A brute-force frontal attack? As humans…] San guessed.

[That's right. Like how we've done so far.]

[So, we'll put all our faith in ourselves... Fighting against dragons, using the G.o.ds, holding back the Creator…]

[We'll be building a true 'human' realm on this earth. No matter how weak, no matter how small, we will fight as human beings. We'll also combine the human awakeners together… Hoho] Biyeon laughed out loud.

[Oh, I guess you're writing a real thriller. Sounds fun…]

[It'll be an interesting game. Warcraft will have no chance against this novel.] Biyeon said as she clenched her little fists. San yawned. He wiped a little moisture coming out from his eyes with the back of his hand. San started walking toward their crew and muttered, “Thank you.”

“About…?”

They had decided and reaffirmed their path. They knew that their a.s.sumptions and conjectures may not be correct. Any conclusions formed from incorrect premises would drastically alter their plans. However, they never stopped imagining and planning.

They were approaching the truth. However, there was no basis or guarantee that even that truth was true. The ability to precisely measure exactly one meter didn't exist in this world. It may be possible to set a 'true value' in this world, but it was impossible to measure that true value.

Biyeon stretched her arms above her head. It was time to eat.