C551
"The Hope Flower is a miraculous flower that, simply by being planted, strengthens the vital veins and explosively increases the forest's life energy."
With a dry voice that Lucas still wasn't accustomed to, Min Harin continued speaking.
"Even in dead lands where plants can no longer grow, it works the same way. That flower can take root and grow properly even on planets with sub-zero temperatures. With the right climate, good soil, and proper care, it could even form a great forest in a short time."
That was the answer Min Harin gave him when he asked her the purpose of seeking the Hope Flower after returning to the cave.
Lucas looked at her expressionlessly. Looking at her serious face that felt more like emotionless crystal than cold, he asked:
"Why do you need it?"
"[The Great Fusion] took away our home... Ah. The Great Fusion is..."
"I know. You don't need to explain it."
"...Because of the Great Fusion, there's a forest clan that has lost their home. Since they can only get nutrients from intact nature, they are in a very dangerous state now that the forest has disappeared. They are on the brink of extinction, so it wouldn't be surprising if they did something drastic."
Lucas knew of several races called the Forest Clan, but the ones Min Harin spoke of were the most extreme.
For them, sharing life with the forest was the same as sharing life with themselves, so damage to the forest meant a direct danger to their lives. Most of them probably had a very gentle temperament in normal times, but if forced into a situation like this...
"They might attack those from other territories. That would lead to war."
"Yes."
Min Harin nodded.
"That's why I told them. That I would find a way to revive the forest."
"...How did you get information about the Hope Flower? And how did you come to this universe?"
"I heard it from Arid. Even after you disappeared, Arid continued training his abilities, and he can now find the coordinates of every universe and even the objects I need."
He had become incredibly strong compared to the last Lucas remembered.
"So... honestly, I can't believe you're alive. Not even Arid could find you."
"..."
The Void World is a concept that is outside of the space Arid can perceive.
"You said Arid's abilities have improved. Don't tell me Arid has also been to the 'Lower Universe'?"
"No. Only I have been there."
Min Harin denied the possibility with an indifferent voice and continued speaking.
"Traveling between universes has become easy after the Great Fusion. Regardless of whether you have a physical body or not."
"..."
"But more than that, what's happening in this universe doesn't seem to be a side effect of the 'Great Fusion'. From my limited observation ability, it seems like destruction or collapse is happening..."
Her eyes, which asked for an explanation more than teaching, turned to him.
Lucas remained silent for a moment.
Of course, Min Harin knew nothing about the "Destruction". That was to be expected. Only a few, even Lucas, knew this terrible truth.
Was it right to tell her about the Destruction now?
Of course, if the past Min Harin were here, Lucas wouldn't have hesitated and would have hidden this truth.
However...
"It's a great coincidence that we've met."
Coincidence.
No, maybe it's something close to destiny, but even thinking that is ridiculous.
Lucas repeated five lives in the Void World, and only in the last one did he meet Min Harin. In other words, they missed each other four times.
"...There's a world that exists with laws completely different from this one. Even with Arid's enhanced ability, it's a place most ignore and shouldn't even know exists. In a terrain of that place is a location connected to 77 worlds. I had to travel through all those worlds for personal reasons, and it was in the twenty-third world where I happened to meet you."
"I understand."
Min Harin nodded calmly. It wasn't just that she pretended to agree, or that she concealed the fact that she didn't understand, but she genuinely seemed to grasp Lucas's overall situation.
The lack of emotions can be so convenient. If the sole goal is to share information, without the need for empathy, that goal can easily be achieved... From certain perspectives, I can understand why that's dismissed as unnecessary. I already get it.
"[Get to the point already. I hate listening to your ramblings.]"
At Residue's words, Lucas focused and pointed to the sky.
"That's falling from above."
"Yes. It seems to be falling from the sky."
"That's not true. It's an 'above' of a completely different concept."
"...?"
For the first time, Min Harin tilted her head, not understanding. Perhaps this reaction was the only habit left as a human.
"The place where I was had the shape of a tower."
Waving his hand, Lucas moved a snowball. The snow from the ground rose and formed a tower.
"The universe's coordinates are very complex and, above all, fluid. Because each one has a different time."
One second in one world can be thousands of years in another. Min Harin should already understand this concept.
"But the tower I was climbing perfectly connected the '77 worlds'. Although with some limitations, they are so closely related that even communication between different universes is possible. It's not that the universe itself has merged. It's a sewn and patched form, very unstable, but even considering that, it's not something that should be possible. How was it achieved?"
"..."
"...Is there a being that sewed those universes together, with a profound knowledge of space and unimaginable power?"
"That's one of the reasons. But it's not the key. The answer is the 'flow of time'."
Min Harin blinked, and Lucas completed the explanation.
"The 77 universes belonging to this place had the 'same flow of time'."
That was the fundamental reason why the Magic Tower and the Beginning Wizard could partially connect 77 universes.
The Beginning Wizard probably spent a great deal of time observing the universes and selecting those with a flow of time exactly the same, without the slightest error.
That work must have been tedious, exhausting, and above all, boring, but the Beginning Wizard finally achieved his goal.
'Of course, after the Great Fusion, the timelines of all universes merged.'
Except for some special places like Corpse Ghost's 'Dump Site'.
Maybe that's why Arid could identify the universe's coordinates. Lucas thought up to that point and paused for a moment. So far, these were the facts he had discovered upon reaching floor 10, but he still didn't know the most important thing.
Why did the Beginning Wizard build the Magic Tower? To raise wizards of a certain level? No. The existence of the tower was too troublesome to be dismissed for such a simple reason.
There was another reason...
"..."
Lucas noticed Min Harin's gaze on him, and he opened his mouth again.
"...After connecting them, he relocated the position of the universes and also managed to unite space as a material concept."
The concepts of up and down, left and right, forward and backward do not exist between universes. As I mentioned before, they move based on complex coordinate values that even a normal person couldn't understand after a hundred days of explanation.
In simple terms, imagine a constantly moving sea, and each drop of water in that sea is a universe.
But the Magic Tower is different. It's as if 77 universes were stacked like a tower and then forcefully merged. In other words, he managed to fix the universes in a linear form. This is a feat that even the current Lucas cannot achieve, and it's impossible to even imagine how much effort and trial and error the Beginning Wizard had to go through to accomplish it.
By now, Min Harin should have understood what Lucas meant by "up."
"...So, that ominous cascade is flowing from the 'space above,' right?"
"Yes."
Lucas nodded and continued.
"The true nature of the cascade... is Destruction."
"Destruction?"
"It's the end of everything that could soon cover the entire Universe."
"I understand."
Min Harin nodded.
"So, Master, you were fighting against that Destruction."
"......"
Lucas closed his slightly open mouth for a moment. Many things had happened since he parted ways with Min Harin, and Lucas's purpose had constantly changed. But at this moment, it's true that he's fighting to prevent Destruction.
That's all Lucas can say.
The reason he climbed the Tower, the relationship with the Beginning Wizard, even the remnants of the Lightning God that remain in his body... There's no need or reason to reveal the key parts.
He looked at his disciple. The current Min Harin, now that she has become a completely rational being, might hear this story and resign from her duty.
That's enough.
'I'll find Harin's emotions somehow.'
Even if I have to turn the Lower Universe upside down or whatever. Until then, I just hope she stays in a safe place and doesn't cause any trouble.
"...Indeed."
Min Harin murmured after a while.
"In that case, there's nothing I can do about it."
That was the response he expected. However, Lucas felt that Min Harin, who had no expression or tone of voice, somehow felt dejected.
...It must be my imagination.
"I will help you find the Hope Flower. I will also assist you with anything else you need. But after that, return to Earth and stay still for a while."
"..."
Lucas looked at Min Harin without response and suddenly wanted to sigh.
Hope Flower.
It's a terribly ironic name for someone who no longer knows what hope is.
---------------------
After a brief silence, Min Harin spoke.
"After that, will you ascend, Master? Towards the source of Destruction."
"Yes."
"It's a pity."
Lucas stopped.
"Everyone will be glad to see your face, Master."
"..."
"There's one more thing I'd like to ask."
"What is it?"
"How did you become so strong?"
Min Harin's eyes gleamed with a strange warmth.
"Even in the past, Master, you were undoubtedly strong. To me back then, you were like a mountain whose peak couldn't be seen, an existence like the clouds surrounding it."
"..."
"Though it may sound arrogant, since then I have managed to reach the summit of the mountain. Only now can I truly measure how strong the 'Master of that time' was. However..."
Her voice became puzzled.
"The Master now is incomparably stronger than back then. It seems you have reached a level far beyond the end of the magic I glimpsed... I can't even imagine where you stand, Master."
To say you've seen the end is the same as saying you've seen the limit. Lucas didn't take Min Harin's words as arrogance, but he thought they were mistaken.
Because recently he had been thinking about something.
Is there really an end to a discipline?
To see one's end, don't you need to see the end of everything?
And the landscape you see like that, can it really be considered the end?
Do perfection, completeness, and omnipotence really exist?
Lucas shook his head. In front of Min Harin, Lucas still wanted to be a master. That's why, before uttering a word, he would deeply contemplate.
"If I tell you, will you follow my way of life?"
"Only if necessary."
She replied weightlessly, but those words were infinitely sincere. Min Harin didn't care how brutal and rough Lucas's life had been. The only thing she cared about was the 'reward of strength' that would come after.
"...It's a life you can't follow. There's no guarantee you'll become stronger if you go through the same."
"Then you don't want to talk about it."
"Yes."
Min Harin, who had been silent for a moment, spoke.
"But still, I need to know."
She was as stubborn as a tick, yet her attitude was as straightforward as ever.
"The reason why the Master could become even stronger, if I knew it, I could save more people. There's one thing I would like to ask, are there any conditions to ascend to this 'above'?"
"Those kinds of things... shouldn't exist. But you, don't tell me..."
"Yes."
Min Harin nodded as if she had already decided.
"I would like to accompany you for a while, Master."
Tags:
TGMRA (Novel)