Chapter 186

Nute continued.

“Hunters are truly unnatural creatures, you see. They possess power beyond human limits, can communicate with Constellations, and freely use the World Tree Shop. A Hunter is a being that is human, yet not human.”

“So?”

“Every being must bear the responsibility for their power. A Hunter who returns to being human must pay the price for the power they wielded. It is the law of nature.”

“Are you saying there’s a penalty for a Hunter who becomes human again?”

“Indeed.”

If that was the case, what would happen to my sister? I couldn’t even begin to imagine the severity of the penalty she would have to endure after a decade spent as the number one Hunter.

“What kind of penalty…?”

“At first, their bodies will grow weak. Their limbs will become listless, and they’ll find it difficult to move with agility. Then, the agony of their limbs twisting will begin. By the time they’re spending more than half the day confined to a bed, they’ll start losing their five senses, one by one. Sight, taste, smell, hearing, and touch, in that order. And in that state, they must live out the rest of their natural lives.”

Did that mean she would have to live the rest of her life like a living log?

My… sister? The woman I loved?

“That’s so unfair! She never wanted to become a Hunter! She never wanted to use that power! So why should she have to go through something like that! How can something so unfair exist?”

“Child, you are mistaken. The world has never been fair.”

I couldn’t say anything more. I didn’t know what to do. My brain felt like it had seized up.

I forced my mind to work, like turning a rusty wheel. I could almost hear it creaking somewhere.

“What… do I have to do.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“You appeared because you have something to say to me.”

Nute smiled benevolently.

“You’re a sharp child. That’s right. I can offer that girl a bit of help. It’s not a place under my jurisdiction, so I can’t do much, but it is possible to significantly shorten her time. That is, if you promise to help me with my work. What do you say? Interested?”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Not reduce her pain, just shorten the time?”

“Do you know how long that girl’s lifespan is? She has at least fifty years left. Do you really think reducing that to two or three years is ‘just’ shortening it?”

So they meant they would kill her faster. Then again, a life like that would be nothing but hell… so it really was a form of help.

“Reduce the pain, too. Make it so she doesn’t hurt.”

“You’re a greedy child. Fine, I will promise that much.”

“…What is it I have to do?”

“This might take a while. Shall we sit and talk?”

Nute conjured a chair out of thin air, sat down, and crossed their legs.

“As you know, I am an Administrator who plans events for the Constellations. I write the scenarios, select channels accordingly, and choose the Hunters. Placing monsters and gates and building the system is also my job.”

Nute paused, frowning.

“It’s an incredibly tedious and bothersome job. The Constellations get bored easily, so I have to set things up differently each time. Imagine having to repeat that tens of thousands of times—the broad strokes are the same, but the fine details must be different. A human would have died from it long ago.”

“…”

“But I am a god. Unless the Creator decides to erase me, I can neither go mad nor die.”

Nute pressed their temples for a moment, then let out a hollow laugh. It was the smile of one who had chosen resignation over hope.

“So I thought about it. How could I make things easier? After pondering for about a thousand years, it hit me. What if I made everything repeat infinitely?”

Nute’s eyes gleamed. It was a rather crazed look that made me frown instinctively.

“I’ll create a single scenario and let it play out. Once a designated condition is met, everything resets to the beginning. The Constellations won’t notice. Their memories will reset as well! Do you know what the key is here?”

“…”

“Humans act differently every time! Even with the same scenario, the outcome is always different! Among all beings, this trait is unique to humans! Ah, what magnificent creatures!”

After chattering excitedly, Nute let out a theatrical sigh.

“It’s a wonderful method, but it has one major drawback. It requires a medium to act as the axis of regression. Not just anyone will do. The number of regressions depends on the medium’s mental fortitude.”

“So you want me to do that. Be this regression medium, or whatever.”

“Precisely! I will reincarnate you on my planet. I’d love to make you an ordinary human, but unfortunately, there are no suitable candidates. You’ll be reincarnated as one who is human, yet not human, but you can understand, right? It’s the same for you now.”

Nute pointed at the blood-soaked floor. I said nothing.

“You won’t be a Hunter, but you will possess a Hunter’s power. I’ll even grant you a special ability. The stronger you are, the longer the scenario will last. However, remember this: the more you use your power, the closer you will come to annihilation. Power always comes with a price.”

“…Is that it? I just have to be reincarnated?”

“That’s right. The axis of regression is sufficient just by existing. Well, there is one more role, but that also just requires you to stay alive. You don’t need to pay it much mind.”

“Tell me anyway. What is it?”

“Ruin.”

“…What?”

“In this life, the world could only escape ruin by completely conquering the underground dungeon. In the next life, you will take on the role of the underground dungeon. You will become the final boss of the ruin.”

“What are you talking about? You said others can’t kill me.”

“It means that unless you choose to die, this world will remain eternally in a state of ruin. If you do die, the world will be saved from ruin, but what’s the point? It will just regress to the beginning anyway.”

“…Are you trying to completely strip humanity of all hope?”

“I have no choice. It would be too troublesome if the ruin ends as quickly as it did on this planet… For humans to conquer the dungeon in just ten years. Phew, I never saw that coming.”

“…”

“So, don’t worry about things like ruin. Just hold on for as long as you can, and when it feels like too much, kill yourself.”

Regression didn’t sound so bad. I didn’t know how many times I could die and come back.

“It’s fine to kill a few people, as long as they don’t influence the scenario. You’ll build up stress as you regress, after all.”

They were permitting me to kill people just to relieve stress? A god? I gave Nute a questioning look, and they scowled.

“To be honest, I’ve learned something after trying this a few times. The more the medium regresses, the faster they weaken.”

“In what way? Do they just get feebler?”

“At first, you’ll feel dizzy. Vertigo will set in, and you’ll have trouble seeing. Once your nose starts bleeding, you can assume you don’t have much time left. Even in that state, your body will be perfectly fine, so you won’t be able to get treatment.”

“And after that… what happens?”

“Annihilation, of course. So you must kill yourself before that happens. Of course, if you’ve regressed so many times that you can no longer endure it, you won’t regress again when you die.”

“Complete annihilation?”

“Indeed. An eternal death with no reincarnation.”

The thought of annihilation didn’t scare me. Having strayed from the path of humanity, I never expected a normal reincarnation anyway.

“What’s the most regressions a human has ever endured?”

“Eight.”

Eight times…

That was more than I expected. Even if each regression lasted fifty years, that was four hundred years.

“The speed of annihilation varies from person to person. Those with a stronger obsession to preserve the world tend to last longer. They regress more times, too… That’s why I’m telling you how to relieve your stress. It would be a great loss for me if you were annihilated too quickly.”

Honestly, my plan was to give up on everything once my sister died with Nute’s help.

The sense of loss from her absence wasn’t something that could be solved by murder.

Crucially, I had no will to preserve the world. What did I care what happened to a world without her? With that mindset, I’d probably be finished after two or three regressions.

By then, my sister would have ended her unhappy life and entered the cycle of reincarnation like a normal human.

“Alright. Should I die now?”

“Child.”

Nute, who had been somewhat animated until now, called to me in a benevolent voice.

“You have endured your entire life. As a child, you endured the pain in your body. As you grew, you endured your love. And after being reborn, you endured your instincts.”

Had they been watching me from the beginning? I listened closely to Nute’s voice.

“You may not know this, but the monsterization from consuming cores is not something that can be resisted by human will. It isn’t a matter of preference, but of instinct, so it’s not something you can just endure. Yet you held on just fine. I have never seen a child with as much patience as you. That is why I chose you as the medium for regression.”

“…Why are you telling me this?”

“However, your patience requires a critical condition. You never endured for your own sake. As a child, you endured the pain so she wouldn’t worry. As you grew, you endured your love for fear of being abandoned by her. And after being reborn, you endured your bloodlust for fear of hurting her. I have never seen a child display such lifelong patience for a specific person.”

“And? If you have something to say, spit it out instead of beating around the bush.”

“How long do you think you’ll last in the reincarnated world? Without her there. You probably won’t even last two or three times. I know you’re thinking that yourself. What would happen if a being appeared that could firmly anchor your will to live? For instance, something like a leash.”

There was only one such person for me. My heart pounded with anticipation. As if reading my mind, Nute continued.

“That’s right, there is only one such person for you. I’m thinking of having her possess a suitable individual. Of course, only after she has lived out the rest of her life here. So, I can’t guarantee when, where, or how you will meet after she possesses someone. I’ll try to guide you to a meeting, but as I said, humans are the only beings who do not move according to the will of the gods.”

“So you’re saying my sister… th-that we can meet again? You’ll do that?”

“Wouldn’t that make you try your best to endure for as long as possible?”

“Ah…”

My entire arm was numb from the force with which I had clenched my fist, though I didn’t know when I had done it. I must have been tense without realizing it.

I raised my fist to cover my mouth. Otherwise, I felt like I would either laugh or cry like a madman.

It wasn’t the end. It’s not the end. We can meet again.

My insides felt strange, like they were about to burst from being so full. I didn’t know how long it would take to meet her, but I didn’t care. As long as we could meet. As long as I could see her face again, nothing else mattered.

“However, there are conditions. Do not reveal your identity to her. You are a being completely separate from the world. You must not influence the scenario. Do not reveal your feelings, and do not force anything upon her. Live as someone in her orbit.”

That wasn’t difficult. I had lived like that until now. But…

“Does that mean you’re giving my sister an important role in the scenario?”

“Indeed. It would be a waste to bring her over and just leave her be. I should make good use of her past life’s abilities and memories.”

“What if she chooses me?”

“What problem would there be then? You could live happily ever after. But don’t get your hopes up. The chances of that are extremely low.”

The moment I heard that, I was certain. Nute wasn’t attaching my sister to me as a leash.

They were planning to use her as a Hunter.

Come to think of it, there was no guarantee that the next life would be any better than this one. Now, because of me, she might be forced to live an even bleaker and more dangerous life.

Even so, I said nothing. Even though I had watched from her side and knew how much she had suffered as a Hunter, I couldn’t stop Nute.

I wanted to see her so badly. Just meeting her again would be enough. My monsterized mind was filled with nothing but selfish thoughts.

“Now, die. Just rip out your heart in one go.”

I unsheathed a claw from my hand and plunged it into my chest. It was my first time using my claws, but it wasn’t too difficult.

A cold sweat broke out. My forearm bulged and twitched. The human part of me wanted to die, while the monster part of me struggled to live.

I fought against my survival instincts, grabbed my thrashing heart, and brutally tore it out.

Blood trickled from between my parted lips. The strength drained rapidly from my body.

My arm fell limp, and the heart I held rolled away. Nute crushed it underfoot.

“The contract is sealed.”

Through my fading consciousness, Nute’s chatter continued.

“Oh, by the way, I’m thinking of reincarnating one more person for the scenario’s entertainment. Unlike you, as an ordinary human. Try to find them when you have time. It won’t be easy since I’ll be erasing their memories of this life… but you’ll probably be shocked when you meet them. They’ll be a completely different person. Did you know? Even a heinous serial killer can be born a saint. It all depends on their environment. When you see things like this, humans are truly lovely creatures…”

The sounds faded away.

My body sank into a deep swamp.