The Outer God Needs Warmth

The Cheonma has returned.

I shifted my gaze to the child who was still staring blankly at his own arms.

His swollen arms, which couldn’t even bend, had shrunk to less than half. No, they hadn’t shrunk; they had returned to normal.

To erase the traces left by the daughter of the former church leader, there was no other way. If it’s the Cheonma, there’s a good chance he’d quickly know whether there were bugs or not, so he was blinded by the harvesting process.

The daughter of the former church leader said it was natural for bugs to be inside a human body. While saying that, she immediately took out a potion to extract the bugs from her body.

The fact that she had such a potion indicates that it was normal for those within the Cheonma Church to have bugs inside them.

Typically, it’s something to be condemned.

However, the method of planting something in the body to monitor and punish defectors is exceptionally efficient.

When it becomes an ingrained culture, like in the Cheonma Church currently, the resistance decreases. Instead, it can even force those who haven’t been subjected to it to undergo it.

What’s considered normal can sometimes be more deadly than poison.

In the world of the Faded Man, the government assigns serial numbers to all adults to control people and records their unique characteristics, similar to that.

They become so accustomed to having their freedom infringed upon that they forget they’ve lost it.

Logically, it’s absurd to trust government agencies, yet allowing them to take away your freedom is laughable, isn’t it?

The same goes for the Cheonma Church.

They nonchalantly accept that if you run away after having a bug put in your body, you’ll die because of it. And if that bug doesn’t suit your body and kills you, well, that’s just unfortunate.

This child was also set to be killed because he didn’t fit the current system.

He was born in a village ruled by the Cheonma Church.

They say it’s tradition for those born around here to receive education from the Cheonma Church.

Of course, “tradition” is just a fancy term for labor exploitation.

When you come here, you quickly receive basic literacy education and then immediately start working as a maid. After working for about 15 years, special individuals remain here, while others return to the village.

The work primarily involves labor-intensive tasks: washing clothes, cleaning every nook and cranny, and serving the upper rank.

Then, after about two years, a bug is inserted into their bodies.

But since it’s normal, no one finds it odd.

Instead, they teach that only by having a bug inserted can one truly be a proper member of the Cheonma Church. Furthermore, it morphs into the logic that it’s okay to use those younger than themselves, who haven’t been subjected for two years, as they’ve suffered for that very reason.

Humans indeed tend to do to others what they’ve suffered through themselves.

“Why should only I suffer?”

This is the same everywhere.

But this child was unfortunate.

After two years of labor, his rank had risen, but the bug didn’t fit his body. His body was swollen and itchy and hurt all over.

Yet, he still had to work. Or else he would die.

Because one or two of the children brought to the Cheonma Church are executed as an example.

And it’s done by having the children directly cause the death. They throw stones at this person, branding them useless to the Cheonma Church.

Moreover, they make sure each person comes out separately to throw stones so that it cannot be buried in the group. If anyone throws weakly, they are dragged along too.

It’s designed to effectively drive people insane.

However, one could also view this as a process of adaptation to survive in the environment of the Cheonma Church.

The child who adapted there worked desperately. But it’s obvious that their appearance had become horrifically ruined, right?

Still just a child, yet he knew exactly what his fate would be.

He also realized that there was no escaping death.

When he had given up, resigned to the fact that he couldn’t escape dying, he was suddenly dragged off by a horrible monster.

That’s what this child has experienced up until now.

If the bug inside the body of someone from the Cheonma Church suddenly vanished, who would they suspect first?

Even if I grew fond of this child, would it be that easy?

You shouldn’t be arrogant in front of intelligent people. It might be too late already.

So, hoping I hadn’t been caught, I sat down in front of the child.

Since I knew the child could speak, it was time to say what needed to be said.

“My name is Choseol. Please tell me your name.”

A greeting.

Of course, I knew the child’s name, but isn’t there significance in us both saying it?

“I’m Soo-oh.”

The memory of the Faded Man sparkled brightly. It felt almost like he was laughing, dragging forth a name from some work.

What a cheek to play with someone else’s name.

I approached the child and grabbed his worn-out, tattered clothes. Then I changed them into new ones. Though there was a faint crack, it wasn’t large enough to be noticeable.

Now I can use this power wisely. While there are many conditions and I can’t rewrite the world like a reality-changer, it’s still better than having nothing.

I then stood up. From behind, the child hurriedly got dressed.

“Are you going to follow me?”

“Yes!”

What a good response.

I stood at the entrance, waiting. When Soo-oh ran over, we began to walk together.

To the south of the house I was in is the building of the Cheonma Church. And the ruins I visited yesterday are to the northwest.

To the east, there’s a long cliff, and in front of it, there are countless rocky mountains rising like pillars.

No, to describe the terrain, I should say it this way: to the north and west, there are forests, while to the east and south, rocky mountains resembling pillars spring out of the surface.

So, it’s hard to see far away. Which is why the building of the Cheonma Church is likely in such a location.

I thought about going down to the base of the rocky mountains.

I was curious about the ship I took after arriving at this summoned location.

However, I can’t just go straight down. The slope of the cliff is too steep. If I go north for a while, the slope gradually lessens and leads to where it meets the water.

The only problem is that I need to pass through the forest.

What could possibly go wrong?

I walked on with Soo-oh.

Maybe because my body has changed, I’m walking faster. I’m even bouncing around. It’s downright hilarious how just Soo-oh’s jumping makes our eye levels match.

Though Choseol is around 12 years old, her height is similar to that of an adult woman.

Whether this is fully grown or whether she will grow more, who knows? But it’s odd for a child only 8 years old to bounce up to the eye level of an adult.

That’s how much stronger the body becomes during the harvesting period.

If, according to the memories of the Faded Man, this place were akin to a sect, then this place is likely very low in rank. A world dominated by transcendent beings that even the strongest can’t touch, no matter how much they jump.

However, analyzing the memories of the harvesting period doesn’t seem to indicate such a world. Perhaps the terminology is just similar to that of a sect.

If it’s the worst-case scenario, it suggests they are in a world where they can’t even comprehend it.

But that would work for me.

Could they handle me?

If I poured myself out, could they hold up against the world?

Or would I be so strong that I can’t help but be killed?

Either way, I’m fine.

If there is substance, I will definitely meet it.

With such thoughts, I happily jumped around with Soo-oh, entering the forest. The vegetation wasn’t particularly unique.

In fact, it’s strangely similar to what I saw in the first world and the plants I know from the memories of the Faded Man.

The leaves are green, and the stems are brown. Of course, there are differences, but it’s eerily similar.

The memories of the Faded Man faintly resurface.

It’s said that if the primary temperature is similar, the probability of having green color increases, but I hate incomprehensible words, so I ignore it.

Knowing the words and being able to understand them are completely separate things.

But I would love to see a world where plants unfold in purple due to dark lighting, or conversely, a world where they bloom in a color close to yellow from excessive brightness.

All 92 worlds are all similar.

At least the area where the harvesting period lives has some places without any plants at all.

For reference, I had 117 when I first came here. But 25 people gave me warmth and then disappeared from that world.

Anyway, without any major danger, Soo-oh and I arrived at the water’s edge.

No, I hadn’t thought about this until now, but it’s our home.

It’s at a surprisingly high altitude. This means we’ve descended from the mountain, but when did that happen?

Let’s just think of it as my body getting healthier.

I looked at the house once and then squatted down by the water’s edge to observe the water.

It’s clear.

If you look closely, you can see right through to the bottom. Below, there are plenty of plants growing, and fish swimming beneath them move into view.

Upon examining the warmth, I noticed that there’s a considerably large creature around here.

Wishing it would come closer, I dipped my finger into the water and licked it.

Not salty.

Freshwater?

I wondered if it was a bay formed by the sea eroding inland, like Halong Bay.

It would be too remote if it were inland.

While I’m gathering geographical information, Soo-oh approached from behind.

She was curiously looking around and tried to taste the water like I did, but I attempted to stop her, then gave up.

It’s best to let her try what she can do.

As I quietly observed Soo-oh, she looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if to ask why I was tasting it.

“If you drink it carelessly, bugs will come inside.”

When I told her the truth, she jumped back with a horrified expression. But judging by her shaking, it seems she’s really scared!

Ah, right.

She had bugs burst out from her body with a large amount of blood.

Looking back to that moment, the bug was called Samsi. But at the time, I had given her a small pill. It must have been tiny when it entered.

I was worried she might break if she trembled too much, so I held her tight.

After staring for a while, she finally stopped shaking. But she stumbled.

It would be difficult to take a child who can’t walk properly through the area below the cliff and to the building of the Cheonma Church. What a burden.

But what can I do?

I picked the child up and carried her on my back. But strangely, she clung on tight.

The weather itself is cool, but it’s hot during the day and chilly at night, so it’s pretty warm right now.

But she’s just a child, so that makes sense.

I headed back up.

I didn’t notice it when going down, but my body is feeling quite burdened.

It’s not a steep slope but a gently descending path like flat ground. Is that why?

Maybe I can train my body.

Oh, speaking of training, I wonder if I can use martial arts?

I should try it out once I go up; I remember all the techniques Eunja used. And as luck would have it, there’s a harvesting period right next to me.

I’m quite fortunate.

---