Chapter 74

Chapter 74: The Day the Sky Opened

There is a prophecy that has been passed down since ancient times.

We tell it to children as though it were merely a legend, as though the events that gave birth to the prophecy could never truly happen.

The legend begins in an age when the sea was still the source of chaos.

The sea was the mother of life, the cradle of all creation, and the source of every power. But at some point, something evil was born from its overflowing energy. In an instant, the sea became a place capable of shaking the entire world.

Countless creatures were born from that turbulent sea. They crawled out of it, or were driven away from it.

It was said that the beings commonly known as monsters, creatures whose origins and destinations remained unknown, were born from the foam that fell upon the continent when two violent waves collided and surged high into the air.

Humans were said to be imperfect beings who drank from pools created when pillars of seawater rose toward the sky, failed to reach it, and crashed back onto the continent.

Whether this meant humans had lived on the continent from the beginning, or whether they were born within the chaos created by the sea, no one knew.

The fairies could no longer survive within the sea after it went mad. They took pieces of the sea itself and carried them to different places across the world, where they continued their lives.

The places they carried away became the lakes of today, while what remained became sacred places known as the Springs of Spirits.

And since there had been more than one, they eventually became the rivers and streams of the present world.

The beasts that drank from those rivers became beastfolk, gaining greater intelligence and stronger bodies.

The water that rose into the sky and fell as rain collected in different places. As it accumulated and changed, it became spirits.

There were many theories about elves.

One claimed that imperfect beings became elves after drinking from the Springs of Spirits. Another said that elves were born directly from Springs of Spirits that had received enough moonlight.

It was also said that creatures drinking the water that seeped underground became the many races now living in the underground world.

The most well-known among them were the earth fairies commonly called dwarves, who had never lived in the sea, even at the beginning of time.

“This is so boooring!”

Inside a small church belonging to our Church of the Sea God, which worshipped the Sea of Life as a deity and prayed to return to it upon death, a mischievous-looking child yawned as he listened to the story of creation he had already heard countless times.

“I’m sorry. I meant to tell you about the prophecy, but somehow I ended up talking about something else.”

“Exactly! You’re great in every other way, Father, but your introductions are always too long!”

Where had this child learned such a difficult word as introduction?

Perhaps he had heard it from one of the other believers who regularly visited the church.

“Anyway, everyone in the Church of the Sea God is like that! I suppose I shouldn’t expect anything else from those idiots who call themselves Seekers of Knowledge. Ask them one question, and they go on and on forever! Ugh! I hate it!”

“Those who believe they possess great knowledge often foolishly assume that what they know is everything, and they enjoy showing it off. You are wise, so please forgive us. Both me and them.”

“Hmph! Then hurry up and tell me about the prophecy! You stopped halfway through last time!”

“All right. Let me see... Where did I leave off?”

To summarize the long and complicated prophecy, it spoke of this world’s destruction and its new birth. Like most prophecies, its contents were vague and difficult to understand.

This world was created for destruction.

When the Destroyer who would bring both ruin and a new beginning arrived, we would have to use our own complete power and choices to obtain destruction and a new beginning from him.

Countless heroes would be created, but among them, only the One Made to Be So would be chosen by the Destroyer.

Both destruction and the new beginning would be decided entirely by the One Made to Be So and the Destroyer who chose them.

All we could do was live each day while trying to exert even the slightest influence upon the Destroyer’s choice.

However, an arrogant one who desired a new beginning would attempt to deceive the Destroyer and use the One Made to Be So.

Those who wished for the world to continue must stop the arrogant one’s hand at all costs.

“There are several theories about the arrogant one. Some believe it refers to ‘Pride,’ one of the Seven Deadly Sins possessing the mental power of arrogance, who was sealed away long ago. Others say it refers to the Great Witch of Madness, who is believed to have created the Forest of Mazes.”

“The Great Witch of Madness? She was the one who created the Forest of Mazes? I guess she really was mad.”

“There are several theories about the Great Witch of Madness as well. One claims that she had nothing to do with madness, but was given that title because the Forest of Mazes she created affected the entire continent.”

The priest continued.

“Another theory says that while sealing the Seven Deadly Sins deep underground, she became tainted by the madness she encountered there. She tore apart her own body and used it as a seal. Those remains eventually became the Forest of Mazes, and people began calling her the Great Witch of Madness. After all, she was not called a survivor of the Erased Four Hundred Years for nothing.”

“Why are there so many theories? Haven’t you discovered anything for certain?”

“Haha. The history of life on this continent is incredibly long, yet we possess only three or four hundred years of written records. Considering that, you should think of this as having discovered quite a lot.”

And so, when the One Made to Be So finally opened the heavens and soared into the sky, the prophecy would become reality.

Even now, no one knew what the One Made to Be So actually was.

Not even the followers of the Church of the Sea God, who clung to this prophecy more desperately than anyone else, had the slightest idea.

Recently, a theory had gained support that Erol, the Alliance’s Great Hero of Salvation, was the One Made to Be So.

Personally, I did not find it particularly convincing.

Of course, the Great Hero of Salvation had created an unparalleled legend through his astonishing genius. It certainly gave the impression that he had been shaped by a god for a special purpose.

But if he truly was the person mentioned in the prophecy, wasn’t he far too obvious?

Furthermore, why would the One Made to Be So in a world created for destruction be known as the Great Hero of Salvation?

I believed it was merely an interpretation mixed with the believers’ hopes.

“Then what do you think, Father? Who do you think is the One Made to Be So?”

“I haven’t heard of such a person appearing yet, but I believe it will be someone whose very existence is silently regarded by everyone as a disaster. Someone who possesses the power of madness.”

Creeeak.

The church’s old door opened with a long creak. Because of the building’s structure, even the slightest sound echoed loudly inside.

A man who looked like one of the warriors of the Poweor Tribe stepped through the doorway.

He appeared to be a stranger.

He was dressed in an extremely wild fashion, yet he carried a slime in his arms. His appearance and behavior did not seem to match at all.

“What brings you here?”

“I was told I should come this way if I wanted to go out to sea.”

His voice and manner of speaking were surprisingly kind and polite, completely different from his rough appearance.

I couldn’t help feeling a little surprised.

Aside from the man and the young female knight standing beside him, most members of the group had gentle and friendly expressions. It was difficult to view them as bad people.

“If you wish to go out to sea, wouldn’t it be better to use one of Haiyang Gui’s ships?”

The sea was more dangerous than any dungeon.

Even powerful nations capable of suppressing the threats of the sea, such as the Alliance that Haiyang Gui belonged to or the Empire, struggled against the countless powerful monsters living there.

Why had someone wishing to enter such a place come here?

Judging from the way he spoke, someone must have told him about this church.

If that was the case, perhaps what this man wanted was...

“Are you talking about the underwater dungeon?”

“Yes. I heard that something I’m looking for is there.”

“May I ask what you are searching for?”

“It seems a friend of mine traveled to various places while carrying something I left behind. During that journey, they apparently scattered pieces of it here and there.”

In the end, he never explained what the object actually was.

It did not feel as though he was deliberately trying to hide it. Rather, it seemed he simply saw no reason to explain when I had not questioned him more deeply.

Even while we spoke, he rarely looked directly at me. His gaze continued wandering toward other parts of the church.

Perhaps he naturally had a relaxed personality, or maybe he was simply shy around strangers.

It truly did not suit his appearance.

“If you wish, I can guide you there. However, the underwater dungeon is an extremely dangerous place. Will you be all right?”

Something about the situation bothered me, but there was no particular reason to refuse.

We had already guided many strangers to the underwater dungeon, and none had caused any trouble. It probably wouldn’t become a serious problem.

“In that case, travel north from this village. There, you will find something called Breathing Bamboo. It is essential if you wish to breathe inside the underwater dungeon.”

I continued explaining.

“We do have some stored here, but they are reserved for members of our church. Unfortunately, we cannot give them to outsiders, so you will have to obtain some yourselves.”

“Oh! This is just like a video game.”

Why did every stranger who visited this place say the same thing?

Did my words somehow sound different from their perspective?

“Ah, armored pandas live inside the bamboo forest. Bamboo is their main source of food, so if you attempt to cut any down and take it away, you will have to fight them.”

“Wow! Now it’s even more like a game!”

...Could these strangers possibly be connected to a single consciousness, causing all of them to share the same thoughts?

The man said they would return soon before leaving the church with his companions.

The child, who had quickly hidden somewhere the moment the man entered, came running back out. His eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Should I catch a slime and raise it too?”

“Haha, you should give up on that idea. He can do it because he is a stranger. If ordinary people like us tried, the slime would probably attempt to dissolve and eat us.”

“But that mister was carrying one without any trouble!”

“I heard that strangers possess special powers. It must be thanks to those powers.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Haha. They are innocent people, so don’t dislike them too much.”

That innocence did not distinguish between good and evil. Strangers acted only for their own benefit and amusement, and that was what made them dangerous.

However, the child would eventually learn that through experience.

I did not wish to reveal such a truth to him too soon.

“...About the prophecy. Could one of the strangers be the One Made to Be So? They’re strange, aren’t they? Those people!”

“Hmm. Your idea certainly has some merit. They suddenly appeared twenty years ago, vanished without a trace for another twenty years, and have now appeared again. It does feel as though there must be some meaning behind it.”

However, the only stranger I had seen by chance during my childhood had spent the entire day sitting on a beach, fishing with lifeless eyes and endlessly eating the fish he caught.

For that reason alone, I sincerely hoped the child was wrong.

According to stories I had heard from the other believers, the strangers of twenty years ago had all been completely insane.

Some spent entire days rubbing their bodies against walls. Others hopped everywhere instead of walking, exploring every tiny corner they could find.

That only made me hope even more that the prophecy was not referring to them.

“I see. If what happened twenty years ago was the first experiment and this is the next one, that would explain why the strangers of today appear somewhat more normal than the ones from back then.”

There was still a stranger in this village who did nothing but fish with empty eyes.

However, he could communicate properly and did other things besides fishing, so the theory did seem surprisingly believable.

In that case, was the transcendent being who had sent the strangers into this world steadily releasing them as part of an ongoing experiment?

For a transcendent being, that seemed like a rather unimpressive way to handle things.

“You should return home now. It’s getting late.”

“Okay! I’ll come back tomorrow!”

“Haha. Of course.”

Evening approached, and dark clouds began gathering in the sky as though rain were about to fall.

The group that had gone to obtain the bamboo seemed to be taking far too long.

I briefly stepped out into the village, but the man was nowhere to be seen.

In the distance, I noticed a stranger named Kang Taegong, who had settled in this village and spent every day fishing.

Thinking he might have seen them, I approached him.

“Kang Taegong! Have you happened to see a group led by a male stranger?”

“A stranger? I’m not sure. The bamboo forest has been pretty noisy, but I don’t know anything beyond that.”

“That’s strange. It shouldn’t take this long just to cut down a few pieces of bamboo...”

KABOOOM!

Before I could finish speaking, an ear-splitting explosion erupted from the direction of the bamboo forest.

The ground shook so violently that it was impossible to remain standing.

As if that were not enough, an incredibly fierce and scorching wind swept over us. It was powerful enough to partially collapse several nearby houses.

I was helplessly blown away with the wind.

If Kang Taegong had not caught me, I would have been thrown all the way out of the village.

The shock wave struck my body so forcefully that I couldn’t open my eyes.

Then, startled by the intense heat carried on the wind, I barely forced them open.

There was a hole in the sky.

The dark clouds had been pushed aside, and orange light from the setting sun poured through the opening like a waterfall.

At its center, an enormous gray cloud towered high into the heavens.

The bamboo forest stood on elevated ground, so the explosion must have reached the clouds.

If an explosion of that scale had happened inside this small village, no one would have been able to find even a fragment of my bones.

“W-What in the world is that...?”

“What the hell? Did someone drop a nuke?”

The sight was already astonishing enough, yet the world seemed determined to go one step further.

A pure white flame appeared, racing into the sky along the towering cloud.

What in the world was happening in this peaceful village?

The white flame charged up the pillar of clouds, then suddenly changed direction and plunged toward our village at a breathtaking speed.

“...?”

Startled by the explosion, the villagers rushed into the village square.

They all stared blankly at the approaching flame as it grew larger and larger.

It was a wolf made of fire.

Thud! Crash!

The wolf landed in the middle of the village.

Immediately afterward, there came a sound as though it had collided with something.

It released a scorching breath of pain, collapsed, and destroyed half the village in the process.

Fortunately, the explosion had startled everyone into leaving their homes, so there were probably no casualties.

Even so, the damage was enormous.

“Cough! Cough!”

A violent coughing sound came from within the fallen flame wolf’s embrace.

Forgetting our fear, we approached the wolf.

We pushed through its chest and discovered a man covered in black ash, as though he had been burned all over.

It was the wild-looking man who had visited the church that morning.

The man continued coughing for some time.

Only then did he finally notice us.

He silently looked around at everyone, scratched the back of his head, and spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

“...Excuse me?”

On the day the sky was torn open, I could only stare in speechless disbelief at the man who had made a bomb out of Breathing Bamboo and burned the entire bamboo forest to the ground.