Chapter 113 - Episode 16. Metaverse (5)
Chapter 113: Episode 16. Metaverse (5)
──────
[The ‘Attendant’ of 〈Metaverse〉 Floor 1 has summoned you.]
...An Attendant?
The world’s colors inverted, and everything except Jaehwan and Runald froze almost at the same time. Something like an elevator was descending through the split ceiling.
Did it mean for them to come up?
Runald approached Jaehwan with a tense expression. Jaehwan nodded, and the two stepped into the elevator together.
A moment later, the elevator began rising with a heavy lurch.
Time, which had stopped, began to flow again. Color returned to the world, and bewildered passengers were looking up at them from afar. Rene was there too, waving vigorously.
“See you again.”
That seemed to be what she was saying from the shape of her lips, though he could not be sure. There was no telling whether they would meet again.
In an instant, the elevator sank into the tower’s ceiling.
[Entering the ‘Waystation’.]
Between stretches of darkness like a pitch-black universe, scenes resembling rooms appeared here and there. They seemed to be other “first floors” of the tower.
Passengers killing each other to steal Tokens.
「“Kill them! Kill that bastard first!”」
Like Sirwen and Mulack, the Dream Demon that had created this tower must have had an intention. Jaehwan thought he vaguely understood it.
「A first floor where everyone becomes a ‘Goblin’.」
It was not an intention he cared to understand. Whether they hunted Goblins or became Goblins themselves, humans were ultimately nothing more than Sacrifices to be used for this tower’s purpose.
“They said those who longed for their days as Products gathered here.”
Jaehwan threw out the remark as if it meant nothing. Feeling Andersen’s gaze, he spoke again.
“The souls of the Abyss either never climbed the Tower of Nightmares, or they were eliminated from it. Is that right?”
[That’s right.]
“And the gods of the Abyss are those who have forgotten their memories of cultivation.”
Souls that had never seen the tower’s end, and gods that had lost their memories of the tower.
Jaehwan looked up at the darkness of the seemingly endless tower.
“If they had seen the tower’s end even once, they could never say they missed those days.”
The tower Jaehwan had cleared was only one of countless Roots. Even now, innumerable souls would be clearing Towers of Nightmares. Towers where some died, and some survived.
The “end” Jaehwan had seen was only the common ending that awaited those who reached the end of a tower. Even so, Andersen could not say such a thing.
No one in the Abyss knew that “common ending.”
[Yes. You’re right.]
Soon after, the elevator came to a creaking halt. When its doors opened, they revealed a vast space painted in shades of gray. Runald hopped out and pointed at a small sign.
“I think this is a station too.”
[It’s a Waystation. The ‘Attendants’ live here... More importantly, I guess Attendants still exist.]
“Attendants?”
[They’re the ones who manage each floor.]
For a moment, Jaehwan thought of the bus attendants that had existed in his world. Surely that was not what an Attendant meant.
“Hm?”
At some point, a small stone tablet had begun floating beside them. It was an old-fashioned tablet that seemed to have been made long ago. Names, apparently belonging to the highest scorers in the history of 〈Metaverse〉, were engraved across it.
+
<All-Time Floor 1 High Score Ranking>
1. Maiad van Declan
2. Mulack Armelt
3. Yu Seolha
4. Jin Eunsae
...
+
Some names were familiar, while others were not.
As he examined them, a faint swell of emotion passed through him. It was not Jaehwan’s emotion. He quickly realized whose name Andersen was looking at.
+
9. Rachel Young.
+
Memories flickered past in fragments. A woman with short golden hair, laughing and chatting with Andersen.
“Was she your former Vicegerent?”
[...]
Andersen did not answer, but memories conveyed what words did not.
Jaehwan almost asked why they were no longer together, but stopped himself. Andersen had said she had lost everything in this tower.
Runald, who had been looking at the tablet with him, asked, “Is Jaehwan-nim’s name not there?”
“It will be added soon.”
The voice had a soft, downy tone. Jaehwan reflexively turned his head.
A figure stood there with an air of utter incongruity, as if it had been cut out from the pure white space beyond the tablet.
“Nice to meet you. You must be the new record holder of this Floor 1.”
It was strange. Not because of the businesslike way it spoke, but because its very form of existence was strange.
Because...
It was a real sheep.
It looked exactly like a sheep. A sheep about 160 centimeters tall, dressed in a neat gray suit.
[I said it was a sheep, so of course it’s a sheep.]
It was not wrong.
[More importantly, that guy works here now. Time really does fly.]
“Do you know them?”
[If it’s all right, could I borrow your body for a moment? I want to speak to them myself.]
Jaehwan nodded as if he disliked the idea but had no choice. The sheep gave an eerie smile and began to speak.
“My greetings are late. I am...”
[Vertus. Have you been well?]
The Attendant’s eyes widened.
“God-Descent? Which god could possibly know my name...”
The next moment, a brilliant aura flowed from Jaehwan’s entire body. Vertus’s eyes grew even wider.
“That aura, could it be Andersen-nim, the One Who Strips You Naked?”
[It’s ‘Naked.’]
Using Jaehwan’s lips, Andersen grinned.
* * *
The Attendant of Floor 1 already knew Andersen.
Vertus led the group to a small table and served them tea and refreshments.
“I have not prepared much.”
“Wow, is this really tea?”
“It is tea cultivated in the Caspion Forbidden Zone. It should be good for recovering World Force.”
Runald looked up at Jaehwan with shining eyes.
[Drink, Runald.]
“Yes!”
As Runald hurriedly gulped it down, Andersen complained awkwardly.
[This kid hardly has any World Force to recover.]
“I have a little, you know?”
With his lips pushed into a pout, Runald began drinking straight from the teapot, as though trying to consume enough for all the World Force he would gain in the future.
Jaehwan drank his tea as well. A faint scent of wildflowers spread through him. In the quiet silence, the sound of Runald crunching through the snacks echoed loudly.
“I never expected Andersen-nim to return here.”
[You mean you missed me, right?]
Vertus smiled without answering.
[How did you end up becoming an Attendant? You were originally Saville’s Vicegerent.]
“As you know, Saville-nim was annihilated. There are not many paths a Vicegerent who has lost their god can choose.”
[So you willingly became a slave to the tower?]
“Perhaps those born in ruins cannot leave, even after realizing they are ruins.”
[What changes if you dress up a terrible story in romantic words?]
“Because this is not a place where one can survive otherwise.”
Vertus took a sip of tea and silently smiled as they looked down at their cup. When they tapped it lightly, the tea inside swirled.
“Why have you returned?”
[It’s not as if I’m forbidden from returning.]
“You will die if you come here. You made a promise with the Alliance.”
A promise.
Andersen fell silent at the word, then asked, [And did that Alliance keep its promise to me?]
“Andersen-nim.”
[I saw the goods this tower sells on the way up.]
“...”
[Why has this place become such a mess? What are those premium items? Since when did the Metaverse start selling that kind of garbage? Who would dream of a ‘real adventure’ in this world after that?]
A list of premium items was displayed where Andersen pointed. There were all kinds of packages, gacha draw contents, and even Skins for sale.
Frowning, Andersen continued.
[And what is that slogan supposed to be?]
A familiar sort of 〈Metaverse〉 advertisement was playing where Andersen pointed.
―Metaverse, complete freedom for those weary of Followers.
―Create your own Worldview where the boundary between virtuality and reality disappears.
―〈Metaverse Floor 7〉 ‘Doll Paradise’ is now open!
Andersen growled.
[I saw a ‘Skin’ modeled after a Lord on the way here. Don’t tell me my Companions were made into Skins too?]
“...”
[What happened to all my Followers? You promised. You said you would let every one of them out of this damned tower. In exchange, I was sealed away for centuries. Tell me. Where did all my former Followers go? ...What about Ethan? Are my Companions still inside this tower?]
“You will only be hurt.”
[Vertus.]
“Five hundred years have passed, Andersen. Enough time for you, once a high-grade god, to become a low-grade god. This is no longer the 〈Metaverse〉 you knew. I do not know what you intend to do after returning in anger, but there will not be a single thing left here that you want.”
[I know.]
Andersen smiled cruelly. The tea in the cup trembled precariously. The swirling tea soon rose into the air and began to crackle with sparks.
[That’s why I returned. I’ll destroy it all. That damned Alliance, and those bastards who betrayed me...]
With a crackle, the tea fell back down.
[This damned World Force...]
Soon afterward, Andersen’s presence completely vanished from Jaehwan’s body. Having regained control, Jaehwan lightly rubbed his temple.
“It seems like she has fallen asleep for a while.”
“She likely lacked World Force and entered a buffering state. For Andersen-nim to be buffering... It seems many things have happened to her.”
“You seem to know her well.”
Vertus gave a slight nod.
“It has been five hundred years since I last met her Vicegerent.”
“Have you been here for five hundred years?”
Instead of answering, Vertus silently looked up at the ceiling.
On closer inspection, large round picture frames hung there. One contained a picture of Vertus, and another showed a girl who appeared to be Andersen’s former Vicegerent. Both were smiling with their faces covered in dirt.
“For Andersen-nim’s Vicegerent to have come here... you must intend to climb the tower once again. Vicegerent, are you planning to challenge this tower’s final floor again?”
“Who is on this tower’s final floor?”
“The Driver is there.”
Vertus’s expression changed strangely the moment they mentioned the Driver. Jaehwan did not miss the fear and reverence that crossed Vertus’s face in that instant.
“Who is this Driver?”
“There are countless names used to refer to that person. The Driver of the Metaverse. Guide of All Gods. Heir of Heaven. Teacher of Stars. Rememberer of Antiquity. Lord of Sloth. That person is...”
Vertus took a sip of tea before continuing.
“The only one here who knows how to reach the ‘end of the Tree of Illusion.’”
Footnotes:
Chapter discussion