WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 198: 18th-Floor Hidden (3)
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There was no point in telling them about the Tower, so I couldn't tell them the whole truth.
Still, I explained things in a way the two of them could understand.
I was someone from another world. I had happened to land in that place called a plant, and when I tried to rescue the people trapped inside, I had run into the revolutionary army.
“You're saying you're from another world... In other words, a world completely separate from this planet?”
“Yes. That's why I don't know anything about this world.”
I spoke seriously, as though every word were true.
Kagan and Patriot seemed unsure whether to believe me, but they didn't dismiss it as complete nonsense either.
“If that's true, how did you come to this world?”
“...I used magic. Does magic exist in this world, by any chance?”
“We know the concept, but it exists only in fiction.”
Kagan asked another question.
“Would you be able to show us this magic?”
“That's easy enough.”
I cast Mirror Barrier in the air.
As Kagan looked at it, lights flickered in his retinas again.
Then he spoke in surprise.
“This is... completely different in nature from astral energy. It certainly is an energy source that doesn't exist in our world.”
Seeing magic in person seemed to be convincing evidence. Kagan looked somewhat more willing to believe me.
I finally got to the point.
“So I followed you here because I thought you could tell me about this world. Seeing you rescue people, I didn't think you were an evil organization.”
Patriot spoke.
“Of course. Like I said, we're the revolutionary army. We're people risking our lives to fight against the mad Emperor and their empire.”
Kagan nodded as well.
“In that case, let me explain this world to you.”
Kagan began his explanation.
First, this world, or rather this planet, was called Runexis.
Its civilization was far more advanced than Earth's. It was a cyberpunk sort of world where the line between humans and machines had grown blurry.
One absolute power ruled all of Runexis: the Ur Empire.
“The current Emperor of the Ur Empire, Rodin XXXIX, was praised as a wise ruler until only about twenty years ago.”
Rodin XXXIX.
Apparently, the current Emperor had ruled the empire for over three hundred years.
They were said to have advanced its civilization by several centuries, a genius unlike any other in the empire's history.
They had also freely shared the fruits of that progress with neighboring countries, benefiting the entire world.
People had even praised them as a messenger of a god, and the world had enjoyed an age of peace and prosperity under their rule. But...
“Twenty years ago, the Emperor suddenly went mad.”
The once-wise ruler had turned into a tyrant overnight.
After maintaining peace for hundreds of years, the empire had suddenly begun waging wars of conquest like mad.
Faced with its overwhelming power, every nation on Runexis had fallen under its control in less than ten years.
Once the imperial family ruled all of Runexis, it began building facilities called plants around the world.
Just as people in fantasy worlds were born with a talent for magic, the people of Runexis were each born with an affinity for astral energy.
Plants were facilities where people with high affinity were brought after being captured and used as materials for something. Just as I had seen.
Apparently, no one knew why the once-wise Emperor had suddenly gone mad, or why they were building plants and sacrificing so many people.
The revolutionary army was simply an organization fighting to resist them and their empire.
‘A mad Emperor, huh...’
Having heard a rough explanation of the world, I thought it over.
An Emperor whom people had praised as a messenger of a god.
For a moment, I wondered whether they might actually be a god with divinity...
‘No, that can't be.’
If the Emperor really were a god, there was no way I would have failed to sense their influence spreading through this world.
This world had no living gods.
That meant I needed to pin my hopes on finding a divine artifact containing divinity. The Emperor wasn't my concern.
I asked Kagan a question.
“Are there any legends or myths about gods in this world? Anything like that?”
Perhaps the question sounded strange, because Kagan tilted his head.
“Well, gods...”
“Anything at all will do.”
After thinking for a moment, he answered.
“There is a creation legend about us Runexians, passed down by word of mouth.”
“What is it?”
“It says that all of us Runexians came from flesh and blood that fell from the body of an ancient god called Ram.”
I asked another question.
“Then are there any relics or objects connected to this ancient god, Ram?”
“Most would be fakes or part of a scam, but some should exist.”
Good. Then I could look for those.
“May I ask why you're interested in gods?”
“It has to do with why I came to this world. There's something I need to find.”
“I see...”
Kagan nodded, then continued.
“In that case, I'll search our database for information on relics of the ancient god Ram.”
“Really?”
“You saved our members' lives. Consider it our thanks.”
Well, I certainly appreciated that.
But something in his eyes suggested that simple gratitude wasn't his only motive.
“It will take a few days. Why don't you stay here in the meantime?”
Hmm. I thought I understood what he wanted.
Apparently, he hoped to win me over to the revolutionary army's side.
“All right.”
I accepted for now.
I was sorry, but I had no intention of helping their cause. There was no point.
I could stay for a few days, but once I found out whether they had any information, I would leave right away.
* * *
After accepting the offer, I was shown to the room where I would be staying for a while. It was fairly spacious.
“The dining hall's this way. Let's go eat.”
Patriot took me to the dining hall.
Ever since I became a god, my body hadn't needed food or sleep, but I had no particular reason to refuse, so I followed her.
The meal consisted of a mysterious soup made from unknown ingredients, bread, and canned meat.
‘Hmm.’
I tried a spoonful of the soup. It was slightly sour, and I couldn't quite work out what I was tasting.
Patriot, who was eating without hesitation across from me, saw my expression and asked, “What, don't you like it?”
“It tastes a little strange. What's in it?”
“It's soup made from ground depo and potatoes.”
“What's depo?”
“A bug.”
I put down my spoon.
Patriot chuckled.
“Ever since that mad Emperor started their wars, the whole food supply system has been a wreck. This is a feast by our world's standards. Life must be a lot better in your world.”
“Well...”
The Tower had fucked things up, but at least we didn't eat bugs.
“Tch. If you're not eating it, give it to me.”
Patriot took my bowl of soup and started eating it herself.
I stuck to the canned meat and bread. Those were decent enough.
Patriot glanced at me and asked, “Why come all the way to another world to look for relics connected to gods? What do you need them for?”
I answered without bothering to hide it.
“I need to save my world.”
“...? Is your world in some kind of danger?”
“There's an enemy as powerful as a god. If I can't defeat it, my world will be destroyed. That's why I'm searching for the same kind of divine power.”
Patriot fell silent for a moment.
“...So you're struggling to save your world too.”
“You could say that.”
“Sorry. Forget what I said about life being better there.”
“It's all right.”
I knew.
The mad Emperor, the empire, none of it changed the fact that the Tower would eventually appear in this world's future and destroy it too.
They had no way of knowing that, though...
“E-excuse me.”
As we were nearly finished eating, a child approached us.
I recognized the face. This was one of the people I had rescued from the plant.
“Thank you so much for saving me and my dad.”
The child bowed politely.
I smiled and patted the child's head.
“Where's your dad?”
“He hurt his leg, so he's getting treatment.”
“I see. He'll get better soon, so don't worry too much.”
The child smiled too.
Patriot looked at me in surprise.
“So you're nice to kids. You sounded really cold until just now.”
“I did?”
“Yeah.”
...Had I?
Only then did I realize it.
Since all these people would disappear once I left anyway, perhaps I had unconsciously put up a wall.
Soon, other people began approaching us one by one.
“Thank you so much. Thanks to you...”
“I heard what happened. Thank you for saving our comrades!”
It wasn't just the people rescued from the plant. Members of the revolutionary army came over too.
More and more gathered, all smiling as they thanked me.
...I accepted their thanks, though I wasn't entirely comfortable with it.
Patriot waved her hands, shooing the members away.
“Hey, hey! That's enough, everyone! You're bothering him while he's eating!”
“It's all right. I'm finished.”
After the meal, Patriot offered to show me around the base.
“By the way, Kim Seo-hyeon, how old are you?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“What? We're the same age? I'm twenty-seven too.”
Patriot pointed at me, then at herself.
“But I've been the only one talking casually this whole time. You can drop the formal tone with me too.”
Instead of asking whether she could simply speak more politely herself, I just nodded.
Then I asked something I had been wondering about.
“You said the Emperor's ruled the empire for over three hundred years.”
“That's right.”
“How long do people live in this world?”
Could they easily live for hundreds of years with the help of machines?
Patriot answered.
“I've heard that if you have extremely high astral affinity and fit your whole body with the best parts, you can live for over a thousand years. So we've still got a long wait if we're hoping that damned Emperor will die of old age.”
I see.
“Well, that's just the Emperor and those pigs at the top. Ordinary people don't even make it to a hundred. And if you push your body too far with parts, your lifespan gets much shorter.”
I glanced at Patriot.
There were circuit-like patterns across various parts of her body, and one arm was entirely metal.
Noticing my gaze, she brushed her short hair back with a hand and smiled.
“More than half my body is mechanical too. I haven't touched my head or brain yet, though. Except for my eyes.”
“Hmm.”
“How much longer do you think I've got?”
“I don't know. Eighty years?”
At my casual guess, Patriot held up three fingers.
“...Thirty years?”
“Three. I've suffered life-threatening injuries a few times, so I had to replace parts beyond what my body could handle. My older brother probably has even less time than I do.”
“By your older brother, do you mean the deputy commander?”
“That's right. Good eye. We do look a little alike, don't we?”
She spoke as though it were nothing, then stared into the air and murmured, “If I could just kill that demon of an Emperor before all my functions stop for good, I'd have no regrets.”
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