Etranger

Chapter 119

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, Im going to follow them. If I dont, Ill probably go crazy and die of curiosity. Youre free to make your own decision. Go back alone if you want.

What the hell are you saying? You want me to go crazy alone? They have something we dont know. Do you think Ill miss this opportunity? Dongha quipped.

Did you see something? Gibin asked.

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

I saw a huge battle and an unknown sort of formation and organization, but Im 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 thats the limit of my ability.

Why was that enemys perfect organization broken? Didnt the walls come tumbling down quickly after a few pointed attacks? How did they find their enemys vulnerability? Im so curious I might go crazy.

I wonder if theyre 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?

Im going to follow them of course! Gibin said firmly. This outing was much more fun than he anticipated. 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 ultra-long 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, weve become weird celebrities in a strange world? San said as he laughed aloud. His boomer-like, unfunny joke made Biyeons hardened face relax a little bit.

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

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

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[Im sure thats the case. He got pretty strong. If a disciple of a god is that strong, an apostle will probably be much stronger. Why didnt we kill him off for good? If we burned him into ashes, he wouldnt be resurrected, no?]

[We should still refrain from colliding directly with the gods, especially Kamije.]

[I guess youre right]

[Since our confrontation this time around was a measure of mutual combat power, I dont think Kamije will mind too much.]

[Anyway so hows that fantasy novel going?]

[Are you curious?]

[Of course. It talks about our fate so, Im really curious. Whether its a novel or whatever, Im 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.

[Siluones position is roughly understandable, but I dont understand the Masters actions at all. I dont know what the purpose is of supplying nectar and summoners to dragons and gods, and I dont 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 hadnt 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 gods are working together to organize a coup dtat against the Creator?]

[I do think something similar is happening. Furthermore, Im 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 Creators first creations. Theyre humans whove surpassed 9 Stages of Acceleration. When Siluone analyzed 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 Creators 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 couldnt 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 wouldnt be able to stop the termination clause from executing, but it seems that resurrection from termination is possible.]

[Resurrection?]

[If you look at the gods 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. Wasnt 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, whos 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 its 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 didnt those terrifying guys come out themselves? Didnt you say that they possessed the power to even overcome dragons?]

[Maybe theyre in the same situation as us? Im fairly certain that Siluone would want insurance, so she probably placed a termination clause on the Fallen before resurrecting them. Additionally, theres 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 Masters 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 theres no sign of the Creator descending, it doesnt seem like the Master is a Fallen. Furthermore, we know that angels dont 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 thats true, I would have to assume that the Creator has severe schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder. I dont know. Maybe theres some profound meaning behind his existence.]

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

[Us? Whoever the Master is, well meet again soon. I dont think hell 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 well have to go beyond that. The Master may be stronger than the Fallen.]

[In the end, were 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 weve been working on will be of great help in liberating the sages, dragons, and others from their own termination clause. If successful, theyll all be freed from the Creators 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 gods? Something like Ragnark?]

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

[Whore 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? Its unlikely anyone in this world will bless our existence.]

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

[Yes. I dont think well get any answers or make much progress by trying to find the Creator.]

[Were living lives with artificially limiting life spans. We were used like experimental lab rats, and, by the Creators hands, well also meet our deaths? Our lives are so despicable If Apian doesnt work out, will there be nowhere else for us to go in this world?]

[Thats 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 gods positions? Can they be on our side?]

[I dont think we can trust the gods. Theyll keep thorough neutrality. Its a characteristic of beings who live on others faith. When anxiety and uncertainty arise among the masses, the gods flourish. War and chaos are the best places for them to work.] Biyeon replied coldly.

[Ah, so its 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 whats 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.

[Thats right. Like how weve done so far.]

[So, well put all our faith in ourselves... Fighting against dragons, using the gods, holding back the Creator]

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

[Oh, I guess youre writing a real thriller. Sounds fun]

[Itll 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 assumptions 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 didnt 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.