Chapter 98 - The Falling Meteorite
After neatly completing Jamukha’s request, there was too much time left until the meteorite I saw would fall.
But even if I went back home, I’d just end up working, so I decided to just enjoy traveling in Mongolia.
The minor tasks needed for that were… easily resolved because I had too many strong and capable friends.
When I said I’d stay in Mongolia to enjoy sightseeing during the remaining time, Jamukha also greatly welcomed it and helped in various ways.
As a result, I was able to rest very luxuriously.
I enjoyed the exotic culture to my heart’s content, and could comfortably rest in a highly developed city despite only undead existing there.
‘Ah… if only these lazy days could repeat…’
How did I end up living such a burdensome life by somehow becoming a fortune-teller…
Well, it’s thanks to becoming a fortune-teller that I’m able to do these things, but if there are people who want to gain excessive fame, there are also people like me who don’t want to gain it…
Above all, such things are uncomfortable. It’s also burdensome.
And getting entangled in major events of the superhuman world every time.
‘Living like this, I wonder if I won’t suddenly get stabbed by chance one day and just die?’
Well, since the people around me are so amazing, such a thing probably won’t happen, but sometimes, very rarely, I have such thoughts.
What was it, I saw it in some book, that what takes the life of a commander standing in the back with hands behind his back is a thoughtlessly shot, blind arrow, wasn’t it called a stray arrow? Or maybe not.
‘Whew, if it’s like this for me, I wonder how stars or celebrities who live their whole lives in the spotlight and under people’s attention, evaluation, and gaze live?’
Do you need to know how to enjoy such things to properly live that kind of life? Or do they live enduring and persevering even if they don’t like it? I don’t know. I can’t read other people’s minds when I haven’t even done fortune-telling, can I?
Tsk, anyway, since my fate has become like this, when I lie down without much thought, sometimes all sorts of thoughts come to me like this. Is this thinking too much like someone with good fortune? Or is it selfish?
‘I don’t know~.’
Well, in the end, the conclusion is inconclusive.
Somehow, these kinds of thoughts never seem to reach a clear conclusion.
Ah, enough, let’s think about something else. In a few days, it’ll be time for that monster life form disguised as a meteorite to fall!
‘Hmm, the Great Khan talked about Arin, didn’t he?’
He said it’s already amazing, but it could become even more amazing.
Did he say it’s an amazing precious item that could sufficiently reach the level of himself or Dokma?
The power itself seems to have recovered sufficiently, but it seems it could rise to EX-rank if there’s just some trigger.
I mean, I knew it was amazing beforehand, but hearing such an answer from Jamukha makes it seem even more amazing…?
‘I should do a fortune-telling about Arin later.’
Since it was me who told Dokma the way to rise to EX-rank, I should be able to show Arin the way too, right?
‘He also talked about Ryuhwa.’
He said she has truly amazing potential.
But he also said she has a dangerousness that completely covers that up.
He was surprised that she hasn’t caused any trouble since sticking to my side, right? Saying how could such a being who shouldn’t be able to suppress her nature have done so.
From what I heard, she’s a terribly twisted being who can’t live without taking lives and seeing blood every day. And she’s not satisfied with just one, they say?
He asked how I did it… I don’t know either! The one who followed me saying she likes me is just staying quiet, so I just thought she had more patience than expected.
Hmm, I should do a fortune-telling for Ryuhwa sometime too.
From what I heard, even if she’s staying quiet now, she might explode someday, so isn’t it a bit wrong to just leave her alone? I thought she was like a time bomb, but now she looks like a bomb with not much time left until explosion… I should look for a way to resolve that nature of hers.
I saw her come back to life and continue her slaughter even as a monster when she was S-rank, despite Dokma’s poison. So I should prevent such things from happening.
And lastly…
“My parents.”
After briefly reviving Jamukha’s parents, I suddenly remembered.
It’s not like our relationship is awkward or anything, and I visit them often and have done quite a bit of filial duty with the money I’ve earned, but anyway, I should visit them.
“Ah, should I ask about my amateur fortune-telling too?”
I’ve told them I’ve been making money with fortune-telling, but I haven’t really asked anything else about it.
Well, to think there might be some secret of birth or something, my parents are quite ordinary people.
They’re not superhumans, and they’re just ordinary people who lived ordinary lives working jobs without experiencing anything particularly amazing, and now they’re retired and enjoying life to the fullest.
These days they’re thinking of trying something because they’ve played around so much… Well, I gave them a lot of pocket money, so they’ll probably do well on their own.
Anyway, when I go this time, I should do a fortune-telling about whatever they’re planning to do and ask about what I have.
I don’t particularly have expectations…
They say superhuman powers often come down through heredity, but there are more people who suddenly awaken powers without any connection, just as much as those cases.
Probably, I might be the kind that arose by such chance too.
Well, my amateur fortune-telling is quite an ability at this level. Even though my rank as a superhuman is only F-rank.
Or maybe I’m just extremely lucky?
“Haha, I’ve got more things to do when I get back home.”
I lived abroad for about a month because I didn’t want to do the work I was doing, but now I’m increasing my work… Huh. Am I starting to develop a fortune-teller mindset?
“Ah, I should eat first.”
Anyway, I who had been lying comfortably alone on a soft bed soon got up and went outside.
Should I eat at the hotel buffet, or go eat that Mongolian food I had last time?
“That khorkhog was delicious, I should go eat that!”
Like that, time flowed peacefully and enjoyably as if it was hard to believe a calamity was approaching,
And soon, that time arrived.
Finally, that day came.
The day when a terrifying monster life form disguised as a meteorite appears in the sky…!!
When the time came, I headed to the place I had borrowed in advance.
I said I’d be fine alone, but they said there’s still a bit of danger so they’d stand by at a distance, so I said okay.
“…Wow, quite a crowd has gathered…”
Then the Great Khan brought his troops and some terrifying forces were prepared.
With such dangerous beings completely surrounding me even before the meteorite fell, I felt like I was being besieged.
Haha, this is quite a novel pressure. Even though I know full well it’s not directed at me, as an ordinary person, I couldn’t help but tremble.
‘By the way… the Great Khan’s undead troops, they looked ordinary usually, but now I can see clearly…’
There was a presence. Powerful undead! I could feel the presence that seemed to roar with their whole body. From my memory of staying here, they really just looked like ordinary people… but looking at them now, I can really feel it.
Hmm, according to my memory, it doesn’t seem like there will be a chance for such strong ones to play an active role. It’s a pity for these friends who gathered. No, maybe they’ll be happy because they don’t have to fight?
“Ah, it’s coming.”
Slowly, something started falling from the sky.
That thing falling majestically, wrapped in flames like a real meteorite.
Ooh, even though I know nothing will happen if I’m here, I’m still nervous… Nothing bad will happen, right?!
Whew, yes… I should believe. My amateur fortune-telling has never been wrong until now…!!
Anyway, the meteorite that seemed about to crash straight into the ground strangely stopped just before hitting the ground. At the same time, the flames disappeared as if they had never been there.
[⬛⬛, Congr⬛⬛⬛ pun⬛⬛ ⬛ish ⬛⬛¿ ⬛ done⬛⸘]
A strange voice that seemed to creep up from the toes echoed, and soon a huge mouth opened in the center of the giant meteorite floating in the air, and eyes appeared from inside, revealing its form.
24 tentacles sprouting haphazardly, a strange body that seemed to flow sluggishly, and mouths with sharp and blunt teeth densely grown all over the body, with eyes revealed inside covering the entire body.
The eyes that were constantly moving and looking around soon turned towards the weak human fearlessly standing right in front of it.
[I am… Nakta… I will devour…]
The name of that monster was Nakta, the Civilization Devourer.
A terrible monster that, just by existing, erodes the minds of surrounding life forms to devour their souls and control their bodies, eventually devouring all life forms on a planet before leaving.
A powerful being called the Civilization Devourer because it wanders through dimensions, and when it detects a planet with a suitable civilization, it immediately pounces to devour all life, stopping the planet’s cycle and wiping out civilization, even eliminating possibilities.
[First is… you…?!?!]
At the moment it tried to erode to devour and indulge in the closest being at once by raising its power,
[Ah… Wh-what… Imposs…!?!?]
As soon as its power touched the human closest to it, Dam Han-ul, all the eyes on its body unfocused and opened wide, then its whole body trembled for a while, and soon after,
[Kieek…!! S-save me…!!!]
Puwak!! Pahak!!!
Kuung…!!
Soon all the eyeballs on its body burst, and bleeding profusely, it collapsed to the ground and perished.
It was a truly anticlimactic end compared to its notoriety.
And Dam Han-ul, who had really just stood still and got splattered with the monster’s blood, just blinked blankly.
“??????”
‘No, what is…’
It was a truly empty ending that ended simply as in the prophetic dream.