NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1
1.
I think I’m f**ked.
I mean, not me, but the planet.
Kaaaaaahhhhh!
Uh-uh-uh!
“Heh, heh.”
I smiled bitterly as I looked at the wyvern howling in front of me.
Of course, wyverns, the so-called fake dragons, are not that rare. Rather, it is a common beast.
They’re the beasts that herald the invasion of the Demon Dragon Legion, and I’ve slaughtered hundreds of thousands of them over the past decade.
But the question is.
“Why are wyverns flying over the Mapo Bridge?”
The river glowing in the sunset.
And the huge bridge that spans it.
“Ceeeeeeeeee-.”
“Team Leader, help is on the way! Hang in there!”
“What the fuck do you mean, hang on in the stomachs of wyverns? Tell them to get some reinforcements, you bastard!”
People fighting fiercely against the wyverns, shouting profanities in the Korean that I missed.
And finally, a sign rolling across the lawn, clearly written in Korean: “Yeouido Hangang Park.
All the evidence pointed to the fact that I was standing in Yeouido Hangang Park.
As a bonus, the bizarre steel structure in the distance that had become a wyvern’s nest must be the Mapo Bridge.
As I stared at the ridiculously unnatural scene, an honest comment escaped my throat.
“Heh, fuck.”
Earth after a decade.
I’ll give them credit, they said that even strong water flow changes mountains in 10 years, so I expected it to look different than I remembered.
But isn’t this honestly crossing the line?
In 10 years, even Jangsando will become otherworldly, or something like that?
To be honest, it was so bizarre and unnatural that it could have been a dream.
Too much had changed for it to be the Earth I remembered.
But the cold breeze on my cheeks, the stench of blood on my nostrils, and the smell of blood on my breath proved that this was undeniably real.
The Queen of Demons should be able to create dreams like this, but there was no way these scenes before me could have been her creation.
Not only would the divine power within my body not allow me to be fooled by such a dream, but more importantly, the Queen of Demons would not be able to…….
“You plucked her head with your own hands, didn’t you, my proud Pope, and how sexy it was to watch you do it.”
“……Limen?”
Just like they said, I’d taken off her head with my own hands.
I frowned and turned slowly toward the source of the voice.
There, a woman with silver hair stood looking at me and smiling.
Her name is Limen.
She shines brightly in the midst of this chaotic and bizarre landscape.
She is too beautiful to be human, and that’s a fitting description.
“Shi Woo. You’re back home, and you don’t look too happy. I guess it wasn’t worth it to send you back.”
“Didn’t our contract end when I returned to Earth?”
“I’m sorry, but as the goddess you once worshiped, you should show some respect and affection. I’m the one who allowed you to return to Earth so safely!”
She stalked slowly toward me, grumbling.
I gritted my teeth and replied.
“Wouldn’t it have saved me the trouble if you hadn’t dragged me to that damn world in the first place?”
“Maybe, but you would have died if you stayed on Earth.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“I’m a goddess, as I’m sure our Pope is well aware, so of course I know.”
She waved her hand lightly as she said that.
Woof, woof, woof.
And then everything in front of me stopped.
Even the wyverns that were rampaging for flesh.
The people scrambling to stop them.
Even the river, which was flowing lazily in the sunset, came to a standstill.
[Warning! The Sovereign of another dimension is forcibly interfering with the causality of
[Powerful causality demands that it be obeyed].
[
“Hmph. I suppose five minutes is the limit? This is the dimension where the main event is taking place, so I guess the causal law is strong, and I’m interfering as a dimensional master in my own right…… That’s a shame.”
Limen smiled faintly, but soon looked around and continued.
“I don’t have time to go into details, so I’ll cut to the chase. Would you consider making another contract with me?”
“A contract?”
“Yes. Unlike ten years ago, this time it’s a contract if you want to, and if you don’t, you don’t have to, but I personally want you to agree to the contract…… don’t you like it?”
She looks at me as she says that.
She knows how much she has tormented me with the word ‘contract’ for the past ten years.
Not only had Limen kidnapped an ordinary young man from Earth, but she had exploited his labor for ten years.
A young man who couldn’t even pull a weed grew to the point where he could pull out the Heart of a Demon Dragon and the Heart of the Seven Great Demons like a weed.
It was a hellish decade, even looking back on it.
My original plan was to return to a peaceful planet and happily resume my life, but…….
I’m pretty sure that’s been ruined already.
There’s no way I could take a peaceful stroll on a planet with wyverns running wild, is there?
“Talk to me.”
I sighed heavily and nodded.
Soon after, Limen spoke up, blushing widely.
“Really? I was honestly worried about Shi Yu not being able to accept this situation! I was worried that you’d be so shocked that your hometown has changed like this that you’d go on a rampage.”
“I’ve experienced the otherworld, and there are monsters on Earth, so it’s not that…… unrealistic.”
Unreal?
My very existence is a symbol of unreality.
At my calm answer, Li Men nodded her head in admiration, and then said to me with an innocent face.
“If you make a contract with me, I will allow you to copy the divine power that Shi Yu used in the other world. Of course, there will be some conditions attached, since there are no believers in me on this side, but…….”
“Wait a minute.”
“What?”
“Of course, you’re going to be dimension-shifted, right?”
“Ah, dimensional travel is not that simple, you need to coordinate between dimensions, you also need to pay attention to the causality rate, and…… I’ll lose my power, right? Oops, three minutes left.”
“What if I don’t sign the contract?”
At my question, Limen replied with a grim expression.
“Don’t worry, my divine power will dissipate and you’ll never see me again. Shi Yu will be able to grow back quickly, even without my divine power. Ten years ago, I was in a hurry and had no choice, but this time, I’ll let Shi Yu choose. I’m sorry.”
I have to sign another contract to keep my power?
And this time, you’re giving me a choice?
I’m not kidding, this is it, this is it, there was no second thought.
“This is crazy.”
“I don’t want to sign another contract with you, either…….”
“No, I’m going to lose my mind.”
“……?”
“What the hell are you doing not signing me right now!”
“Are you serious, really, you’re signing me right now?”
I’m already upset about Earth being fucked, and now you want me to start all over again?
Nope.
I don’t want to be the protagonist of that tired cliché.
Even if I’m really, really dead.
2.
“Shi Yu?”
“Uh-huh.”
“The contract is complete, Shi Yu can now use divine power on Earth.”
At the same time, a golden-colored message window appeared in front of my eyes.
[Contract with constellation completed].
[The main constellation
“Uh-huh.”
“The contract is complete, Shi Yu can now use divine power on Earth.”
At the same time, a golden-colored message window appeared in front of my eyes.
[Contract with constellation completed].
[The main constellation
[Since you have contracted with a constellation from another dimension, the causality of
[5……4……3……2……1]
[Investigation results: no issues].
I stared at the message window and turned to Rimen.
“Did the system come over too?”
This message window was the mystery of the special feature that, along with Limen’s patronage, had allowed me to grow so quickly in Eden.
Aka the system.
A feature that quantified and showed my growth and made it easier for me to adapt to Eden.
I’ve asked Limen many times where this feature came from, but she’s never been able to tell me.
Still, it felt good to have the system with me. …….
“Ah! That’s right, it didn’t come with us, it actually went from Earth to Eden, because that feature was prepared for the main event on Earth. It looked good for growth, so I sneakily copied it when I took Shi Yu to Eden!”
“…… it’s originally from Earth?”
“If you ask me, I’m sorry, Shi Yu. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t in Eden due to restrictions.”
So the system I thought was a special feature is actually originally from Earth……?
I have no idea what the hell that means.
But once again, Limen was unable to give me a detailed explanation.
[A minute later, time speeds up again].
“Unfortunately, I can’t stay with you for long because I’m not yet grounded in this world. I’m sure there are a lot of things you want to ask me, but that can wait, there’s something Shi Yu needs to do right now.”
As she said that, Li Men squeezed my hand tightly.
Then, with tears welling in her eyes, she continued.
“The divine power was somehow resolved through the contract, but the underlying problem hasn’t been resolved, and it might disappear someday.”
“We’re running out of time, so let’s start with the solution.”
“The divine power is predicated on someone’s faith, and without faith, it will naturally dissipate. So in order for Shi Yu to maintain his power, I need to get people on Earth to believe in me. Should be easy, since you were the Pope!”
“You want me to be a cult leader?”
“I don’t know what that is, but I want you to make a lot of my followers. That’s it! Okay?”
Whoosh.
Little by little, Limen’s image blurred.
And in that blur of light, she called out to me, eagerly.
“I’ll see you again soon! Don’t cry because I’m gone! Okay? Okay? My pope…….”
And with that plaintive cry.
[Time speeds up].
The time that had been stopped began to flow again, and I grinned sheepishly at the additional message that appeared before me.
[Quest occurs!]
[Cult Founding]
Type: Main
Description: There are not enough worshippers of your god in this world. In order to maintain your power, you must create a sect and call upon them. The means and methods are unlimited, and the system works in conjunction with the Main Event of the Dimensional Plane to automatically count the number of followers.
Completion Requirement: 1/10,000 Believers
*Warning: This quest has a 90-day time limit. If you fail to fulfill the completion requirement within the time limit, everything you have will be reset!
I couldn’t help but laugh as I stared at the message window.
“Haha.”
I think …… Thi is also f**cked.
“Fuck.”
This time it was me.