Chapter 202

Shadow Library.

A kind of dimensional plane created mainly by special egos of continental level or higher after the fall of the gods.

Having harbored the powerful weapons left behind by the brilliant ancient civilization, it had been restraining the Outer God’s minions for the past several hundred thousand years.

The knights wielded its power.

Knight-tier knights who borrowed weapons from the Shadow Library through the Coin of Counterattack were so formidable they could match even 7th Circle grand wizards.

But the value of the Shadow Library didn’t end with such martial power. True to its name as a ‘library,’ the knowledge of the destroyed ancient world was useful in itself.

-Actually, it’s not the Coin of Rebellion but the ‘Coin of Counterattack.’ It seems there was an error in the oral tradition over the long years.

The Coin of Rebellion and the Coin of Counterattack.

Similar pronunciations but completely different meanings.

The coin originally created to launch a counterattack against the Outer God became a means of ‘rebellion’ for later knight orders to kill mages who ruled like gods.

‘The passage of long years truly twists the original meaning in absurd ways.’

Perhaps the World Tree and druids were the same.

“The previous Saint… that is, from what I remember from my past life, the World Tree’s followers weren’t like this back then. Even the early druids who had just separated independently from the Academy a thousand years ago weren’t this extreme!”

Beatrice’s voice was agitated.

“The balance that the World Tree protects is a balance for the coexistence of all things. But putting the Outer God, which seeks to annihilate all things, on the scales to measure balance? Interpreting ‘balance’ however they please? Those bastards! They just don’t want to give up the comfortable life the World Tree provides!”

The Shadow Library also sympathized with Beatrice’s anger.

-I remember it being so as well. The ‘World Tree’ is the final decisive weapon against the Outer God that the last surviving Administrator-Artisan poured his heart and soul into creating until the very end. Although we never heard news of its completion before the Artisan passed away… How can those who claim to protect the World Tree avoid fighting the Outer God…!

The Shadow Library had spoken only one sentence, but countless voices were mixed chaotically within it. The numerous egos that composed the Shadow Library were all furious in unison.

But I paid more attention to one particular name than to their anger.

“Administrator Artisan…? What kind of being was he?”

-That… uh… error. Error. The title cannot be read for unknown reasons.

That damned error message. It’s been a while since I heard it.

After struggling for a long while, the shadow ego finally sorted out its error and spoke to me.

-I cannot remember the title of the greatest administrators. Though it’s clearly a memory I copied and stored, I don’t know why I cannot retrieve it… In any case, the Artisan was the greatest administrator’s representative and executor.

“Representative? Executor? Of that greatest administrator?”

-That’s right. The being who substituted for and realized the things he planned was precisely the Artisan.

Interesting.

No matter how I think about it, the ‘greatest administrator’ seems to refer to the god’s fragment I carried. Gaia also said he was a special being, and above all, after stopping the destruction of water, he didn’t even leave his name behind before disappearing. So it makes sense that the Shadow Library cannot remember his name.

Anyway…

With this, the gods I’ve learned about total four.

The god whose name cannot be known.

Terra Madre GAIA.

Watcher Grim Reaper.

And the new god called ‘Artisan.’

My heart pounds with excitement.

“This… I’m going to strike it big, bigger than I thought?”

The representative and executor of the greatest god can’t possibly be insignificant, right? He might not reach Gaia’s level, but wouldn’t his rank be much higher than Grim Reaper?

I examine the World Tree closely.

“So this guy is the legacy left behind by such an amazing god?”

-That’s correct.

“As I thought… I need to take this.”

-Do you have a method? That legacy can only be handled by the Artisan. In his later years, the Artisan was aware of the Outer God’s existence, so he put a lot of effort into security systems. Not even the Outer God, let alone other administrators with higher ranks, could have touched that.

The Shadow Library cautiously warned me.

Right. That’s probably true. Except for the Artisan, no one could have touched it. That’s why even the Shadow Library, which held all legacies, couldn’t touch the World Tree.

But I can take it.

I’m not worried at all.

The hint has already been revealed.

“But Forest’s Balance is already using some of the World Tree’s functions, isn’t she?”

-Ah.

“Ah!”

The Shadow Library and Beatrice exclaimed simultaneously.

“That’s right! But… how will you do it? Kidnapping? No… surely not?”

As expected, Yuria. She caught on to what I was aiming for in an instant again.

I answer with a smile while taking the spirit-inhabited necklace from my handbag and bringing it close.

<Samantha> springs up and wraps around my body.

[Whoooong!]

With the greatly crying Circle, the mighty and tenacious power of Ki-blood filling my entire body without gaps, and the magical power neural network that ‘feels’ the whole world as my foundation, I manifest my unique gift.

[Simulation]

The whole world was dyed black. Yuria disappeared, Tris disappeared,

In the pitch-black darkness, only the World Tree and Forest’s Balance Renoa floated up.

Simulation Capacity: 650 million simuls

Condition Burden: 300 million Jun-woo (World Tree 200 million Jun-woo, Forest’s Balance Renoa 100 million Jun-woo)

The scale of the units has become truly absurd now.

When I had matured at the 7th Step, my capacity was about 85 million simuls? Now that I’ve become 9th Step, my simulation capacity has increased nearly eightfold.

650 million simuls.

The condition burden of mana beginners who haven’t even become mana users is about 0.03 Jun-woo per person.

So… the condition burden of all 6.5 billion people on Earth is 195 million Jun-woo.

In other words, my current self can accurately simulate every person on Earth for exactly 3 minutes and 20 seconds.

Ah,

No, that’s not right.

For that, I’d have to include terrain and surrounding environment in the simulation too… so actually about 1 minute and 40 seconds? Still, that’s something.

“Come to think of it… that’s amazing.”

If the target is South Korea’s 40 million population, I could run the simulation for 4 hours and 30 minutes straight.

“This is why the 9th Step realm is said to rival the first demigods.”

A being capable of accurately simulating 6.5 billion people for 1 minute and 40 seconds. A being capable of simulating South Korea for 4 hours and 30 minutes straight.

Such a being… might be far from an omniscient and omnipotent god, but… when faced with calling them not a god, it feels quite awkward, doesn’t it?

But…

What truly excites me now wasn’t the achievement I had reached.

“The World Tree’s condition burden exceeds 200 million Jun-woo?”

A condition burden that actually surpasses all of Earth’s population combined.

“Even Forest’s Balance Renoa exceeds 100 million Jun-woo?”

A condition burden approaching half of Earth’s population!

Interesting.

Entertaining.

Even though the World Tree is one thing, Forest’s Balance having such a high condition burden?

“This level means twenty times that of the Magic Emperor…”

It was an unexpected figure, but my certainty only grew stronger.

I narrowed my eyes. I carefully observed Renoa and the World Tree floating in the darkness. I quickly ran several experiments in the [Simulation]. When I ran out of mana midway, I used [Time Reversal] to continue the experiments. When I deployed my third [Simulation], I could finally smile.

“Found it.”

* * *

The residential area that continues along the World Tree’s trunk.

Among them, at the highest place, there was a massive house made of several branches intertwined. Since even the thinnest branch was tremendously thick, it actually looked more like a castle built of wood than a house.

At the very center was an empty space where the World Tree’s leaves had dramatically parted. The only space within the World Tree’s trunk where you could see the sky. The black sky revealed between the lush leaves and green clouds was as mystical as a pond floating in the heavens.

Forest’s Balance Renoa liked to rest under that night sky, soaking her feet in the clear spring water that bubbled up between the branches. Time to release the day’s fatigue and regain perfect harmony and balance. No matter what troublesome affairs arose, she could regain tranquility within ten minutes of coming here.

But today, unlike usual, Renoa couldn’t smooth the furrow in her brow even after twenty minutes had passed.

“Foolish ones. Demanding I hand over the World Tree…”

Grego-Ramdal wasn’t much of a problem. As long as he couldn’t handle the tablet, Renoa could kill him as easily as squashing a bug. But Baek Jun-woo’s group was troublesome. If they attacked first, she could activate the World Tree’s defense system to defeat them, but otherwise, it was difficult to drive them away at will. The realm that Baek Jun-woo and his companions had achieved was that remarkable.

“…Magical exoskeleton, was it?”

A divine artifact that allows humans to glimpse the realm of gods. Thinking about it, even Renoa couldn’t help but admire it. The remarkable Baek Jun-woo and Pathfinder’s genius mages who created such a thing were even worthy of respect.

But that was that.

Renoa thought the World Tree was an entirely different matter.

“In the end, the only thing that will preserve our world until the very last moment is the World Tree. Even if the Outer God takes over the world, as long as the World Tree exists, our world will continue. The World Tree could obtain autonomous rights even under the Outer God’s rule.”

That was the balance Renoa envisioned. An unchanging center point regardless of how the external environment changes. The center point Renoa envisioned was precisely the World Tree. But to use such a World Tree as stakes in their war? The world’s final hope? How could there be such an irresponsible thought?

Renoa furrowed her brow and looked up at the sky. A fragment of sky falling between the leaves.

The sky here was always a magnificent view.

Renoa’s furrowed brow also gradually began to smooth.

Finally, the tension was released.

Balance and harmony arrived.

‘I wish this moment could stop forever.’

Renoa became immersed in momentary happiness.

The realm she called ‘momentary perfection.’ The ecstasy that comes at the peak of balance.

But that perfect moment didn’t last long.

“Really? You wish it could stop? I thought you might, so I stopped time.”

A white-haired young man intruded into the time and space permitted only to Renoa.

Renoa bolted upright. Instead of the calm smile on her face, there was now a fierce anger like an evil spirit.

“Divine Wizard? How dare you come here where…”

But she couldn’t step forward first.

‘That… is that the magical exoskeleton?’

The white magical power surrounding Baek Jun-woo.

The moment she was exposed to that brilliance, cold sweat flowed down the back of her neck and her hands trembled.

The pressure Baek Jun-woo emitted made it impossible to breathe. The primal instinct of a created being that she should immediately kneel and worship shook Renoa.

Her lips turned blue. As she slowly backed away, her back touched the World Tree’s bark. At that moment, Renoa felt as if she was coming to her senses.

‘Ah…! Get a grip! It’s okay. There’s nothing to fear. I just need to provoke his attack. Then I can use the World Tree’s power to crush him!’

Only then could Renoa stand her ground and glare at Baek Jun-woo.

Watching this, Baek Jun-woo chuckled softly.

“Do you think I’ll attack you?”

‘What?’

Renoa was startled. Hadn’t he been reading her mind from the start?

“I do read it. That much is visible. What do you think the 9th Step realm is?”

Baek Jun-woo approached Renoa step by step. Even as he declared he could read minds, Renoa clenched her fists and endured.

‘There’s nothing to fear. If he can read my thoughts, he won’t be able to attack me. Even if he does attack… that moment will be my victory!’

Like a lizard puffing itself up before a natural enemy, Renoa inflated her Circle to its maximum and glared at Baek Jun-woo.

“I said I wouldn’t attack, didn’t I? I didn’t come to fight you.”

Baek Jun-woo slowly extended his hand.

And he spoke.

[I came to take it.]

‘Ah…’

In that instant,

Renoa’s consciousness fell into a distant abyss.

To where the god’s fragments resided,

To the world’s boundary,

To the dimensional fault.

It was an endless fall.

When Renoa barely regained consciousness, she saw a white lump of light floating before her eyes. And,

“So you were here after all?”

She saw Baek Jun-woo’s face standing before it with a broad grin.