There Is No World For ■■

Everyone who had crossed a dimensional gate before had a different story to tell.

It was magical.

It made me nauseous.

I saw something.

As a child, Yeomyeong used to imagine wild things based on those tales. But when he got older, textbooks and documentaries told a different truth.

“You don’t feel anything inside a dimensional gate.”

Experts claimed the transition was too fast to register any sensation at all. Some research even backed that up—studies done on truck drivers who’d spent years going back and forth through the gates.

Yeomyeong had believed that. Never doubted it for a second.

But the moment the truck entered the gate, he realized just how wrong he’d been.

Everyone riding with him—Neti, who was pouting; the Saint, resting her head on his shoulder; Corvus, Dilla, Sancho, and even Seti—had all frozen in place.

What the hell—?

Yeomyeong instinctively pulled mana into his body, but his senses spiked even faster.

His smell and taste sharpened. The feeling of the air against his skin became crystal-clear.

But most of all—his eyes changed.

With a few blinks, he started seeing things he couldn’t before.

A speck of dust clinging to the truck rail. Threads and knots of mana woven through the air. And most jarring of all—emotions directed at him, clearly visible to the naked eye.

...

That last one shocked him the most.

The first emotion he saw was from the Saint—swelling, overflowing, about to burst from sheer intensity.

Then came Seti’s seething emotions. Then Neti’s—carefully buried but impossible to hide under this strange new sight.

They were all overwhelming. Emotions far greater than he deserved. Emotions he didn’t know how to return.

Yeomyeong looked away in embarrassment, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

He didn’t have to look far for an answer.

His amplified vision found something above them—something he hadn’t been able to see before.

“...A star?”

Yeah. It looked like a star.

A massive, shining star floating above them, watching the truck from above.

He couldn’t explain how he knew, but he acted on instinct. He pulled more mana into his eyes, enhancing his vision even further.

And what he saw beyond the shimmering light stunned him.

A giant with the head of a bird of prey—an eagle, maybe a hawk. Dressed like something out of Egyptian mythology, complete with a rounded crown atop its head.

It was... absurd.

But instead of fear, Yeomyeong felt confused.

Was it because he’d seen a transcendent being before—Mignium?

No. This was different. The giant was smaller than Mignium. Weaker. And yet...

Familiar.

That unexplainable familiarity threw Yeomyeong off balance.

And maybe the giant felt it too, because the two of them locked eyes and just stared—for what felt like forever.

A «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» long silence. And even longer eye contact.

Then, slowly, the giant leaned down, lowering its head to Yeomyeong’s level as if trying to see more clearly.

Its sharp, ancient eyes scanned him—cutting through flesh, soul, even time itself.

Yeomyeong didn’t back down. He stared back.

He couldn’t see much. A flicker of surprise. A trace of curiosity. That was all.

Then the giant seemed to realize something. Its beak parted.

[Ah. So that’s what it was.]

“...?”

What was what? What the hell are you talking about?

As Yeomyeong’s brow furrowed, the giant straightened up again.

Then it reached out a hand.

Yeomyeong sprang to his feet, drawing his sword—but didn’t swing.

There was no malice in the hand that reached for him. Not even a hint of killing intent.

And it wasn’t a trick.

The giant didn’t strike, didn’t crush him—it just... gently patted his head.

“....”

Caught completely off guard by the gesture, Yeomyeong couldn’t even speak.

The giant spoke first.

[Surely yours has been a life full of pain and hardship. To see how you’ve grown... it makes me proud.]

Yeomyeong held in a sigh.

If this had been a street thug or one of the monsters from the psychic world, he’d have swung without hesitation.

But what the hell was he supposed to do with a being like this?

He lowered his sword and asked a question instead.

“...What are you?”

The giant didn’t answer.

Instead, it smiled and spoke on its own terms.

[You’ve had to amputate too much of yourself to survive. Desire. Freedom. Sin... You don’t even have something as simple as an ideal or a dream.]

“....”

[That may have been necessary. But not anymore. You’re someone who’s seized the fate of this era—so you deserve to live as freely as the one whose destiny you stole.]

The fuck is this guy talking about?

Yeomyeong shoved the hand off his head with a scowl.

“I said drop the cryptic bullshit and tell me what the hell you are.”

[Yes. That attitude... exactly that.]

“...?”

The giant chuckled—and then, without warning, began to return to the stars.

Shhhk—

Its entire form unraveled into glittering dust, dissolving into the light of the sky above. It was almost... beautiful.

Not that Yeomyeong had time to appreciate that beauty.

The hell was that thing’s deal? Showing up just to monologue and leave?

As if the necromancer and all the Korea mess weren’t enough—now he had some cosmic fate-preacher dropping riddles on his head?

Mignium was better than this crap—

But the thought never finished.

The moment the giant vanished into starlight, time snapped back into motion.

“Wait—!”

The truck lurched forward, vanishing between the folds of the dimensional rift.

Just like the experts had always said—nothing to feel inside the gate.

And the star was left alone, silently watching the spot where the truck had disappeared.

For a long time.

Until the night sky spoke.

『Well done.』

The star didn’t bother turning. You didn’t need to face a voice that came from every corner of the dark.

[I simply did what needed to be done. Eternal suffering isn’t something I desire either.]

『That has nothing to do with me.』

[No? I suppose you just want to play.]

『And that has nothing to do with you.』

The star said nothing more.

He stared into the sky for a while longer—then went quiet.

Whatever else might come, he was satisfied with the possibility he’d just seen.

『Enjoy it to the fullest... my chosen one.』

Even if she wasn’t so interested in possibilities.

But as she said herself—that wasn’t his concern anymore.

****

Yeomyeong slowly opened his eyes.

The dimensional rift he'd just seen—as vivid and surreal as a dream—was gone, as if it had never existed.

In its place stretched a new, utterly different reality.

A sky heavy with smog. Towering skyscrapers rising toward that filthy air. Rows upon rows of trucks waiting in line, flanked by fortified inspection checkpoints.

Between the trucks, superhumans leapt from rooftop to rooftop. A group of orcs, clearly caught trying to sneak in, were being dragged away in chains.

The soldiers manning the checkpoints looked alert—but not tense.

That quiet confidence radiated from their stance, their weapons, their eyes.

A clear message: No one dares mess with this place.

If he had to describe it in one sentence—it looked like Incheon, back in its prime, but scaled up several times.

If not for the frozen world he’d just come from, or the giant among the stars, or the way his senses were only now returning to normal, Yeomyeong might’ve been just as wide-eyed and awestruck as—

“Earth! We’re finally on Earth!”

Like Neti, whose face lit up with joy as she practically bounced in place, sniffing the air with exaggerated delight.

The city’s foul air stung her nose—but she giggled anyway, like even that was a gift.

Corvus didn’t look much different.

The cranky scowl she wore before had vanished. Now her eyes sparkled as her head turned left and right, soaking in the new world around her.

The only one acting out of character was the Saint.

She was quiet.

Curious, Yeomyeong turned toward her—only to be met with her face full of concern.

She gently reached out and took his hand.

“...Are you okay?”

“...You saw it?”

She nodded.

“Not all of it. But... some. What the hell was that?”

“How would I know? I asked. It didn’t answer.”

“....”

She hesitated—then suddenly began checking his body, scanning him with clinical urgency.

She started with his hands, then the back of his neck, then yanked open the collar of his shirt to glance at his chest and back.

Thankfully, she didn’t go for his pants.

Because what she was looking for was hidden just beneath his hairline.

“...I knew it.”

She frowned at the small circular mark tattooed on his scalp.

To be precise—a small circle inside a larger one. Like a glyph etched into skin.

“What? What is it?”

Yeomyeong couldn’t see the back of his own head, so he asked. The Saint sighed.

“That thing you saw... it was a false god.”

“...A what?”

“A parasite. Barely even worthy of being called a ‘god.’ Nothing like the Five. They’re unidentified mana-based entities. No origin, no divine truth. Just... noise.”

“....”

“Unlike the monsters from the Cult of the End, they don’t cause trouble—unless they find someone useful. Then they mark them, like that.”

She muttered as she chewed at her thumbnail—then suddenly started drawing mana to the surface.

“This is my fault. I left you unbaptized for too long... I’m so sorry.”

Yeomyeong felt something off and tried to step back, but the Saint gripped his shoulders tight.

“Don’t worry. I’ll erase the damn thing right now. First, we need to do a baptism—”

“...What?”

“Which of the Five do you prefer? Ah, wait—wasn’t your old crew boss a follower of Mordak?”

Before he could say a word, she placed her hand on his forehead and began to pray.

“Oh black Mordak, bring down your scythe. Let your shroud fall upon this nonbeliever and grant him eternal—”

The baptism didn’t get any further.

Yeomyeong ducked out of her arms and pulled away.

“...What the hell are you doing?”

“You mean, what the hell are you doing?”

“I said I don’t want a baptism.”

He brushed a hand through his hair. So that’s why the damn thing patted him like a child...

But whatever Yeomyeong was thinking, the Saint wasn’t done.

“Are you serious right now? You can’t just leave something like that untouched!”

Yeomyeong watched her step closer and tried to think of a convincing excuse.

He wasn’t thrilled about being blessed by some unknown deity either—but getting baptized into one of the Five? That was even worse.

Besides... he was curious.

Why had that false god marked him?

And more than that—he wanted to understand the strange familiarity he’d felt when looking at the giant.

And what about Mignium?

Knowing her personality, there was no way she’d ignore another god’s meddling. Which meant, almost certainly, that Mignium had something to do with this.

But there was no time to explain all that, so he chose the fastest way to shut the Saint down:

“This is Earth. We’ve got religious freedom here.”

“...You wanna try saying that again?”

True to her status as a faithful zealot from beyond the gate, she crushed the idea of religious freedom without hesitation.

“I don’t know why that thing licked you, but if something goes wrong, it’ll already be too late. So just—come here.”

Yup, that’s the Saint for you.

Once she made up her mind, there was no stopping her.

Yeomyeong tried to sidestep her, but she used her entire body to pin him in place.

There wasn’t much room to maneuver in the back of the truck, and she easily cornered him against a stack of furniture.

Eyes gleaming with victory, she grinned.

“You’re not getting away. Just sit still. I’ll make it quick.”

“...You know I’m gonna remember you said that, right?”

“Be my guest. Now shut up and take the damn blessing. Oh green Isaginok, let your blossom shine upon this vessel—grant him your breath of life and—”

Just as she placed her hand on Yeomyeong’s forehead and was about to chant again—

Neti’s voice cut in.

“Need me to book you a room?”

“...”

“There’s a motel village for truckers right past the checkpoint. Could you maybe... wait until then?”

Finally, the Saint looked around.

Checkpoint guards. Truckers nearby. Even soldiers in the watchtowers—all of them were watching her.

But the hardest gaze to ignore... came from Seti.

Arms crossed, chin resting in her hand, looking at the two of them like they were dirt beneath her shoe.

“....”

The Saint slowly backed off without another word.

Then she disappeared behind a pile of boxed furniture and pulled the packaging sheet over her head.

“Oh come on, if you’re gonna start something, at least finish it.”

One of the checkpoint staff laughed at Neti’s dry remark.

And just like that, the truck rolled forward—crossing through the gates of quarantine.