TL/Editor: raei
Status: 5/week mon-fri
Illustrations: posted in discord
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Thepany faced a crossroads.
One path led to a war with a clear future of mutual destruction. The price: a few remaining humans on Earth and an ordinary world.
The other path involved venturing into the second dimension to build an ordinary world and a new civilization.
Concern settled on the directors'' faces. They frowned, stroked their chins, and tapped their fingers on the table as they calcted.
The second option seemed better than expected. It was faithful to the goal of protecting humanity and made sense from a long-term perspective and risk management standpoint.But something bothered them, and one director spoke up:
"It''s not bad. But we can''t give up on Earth."
Earth''s resources. The civilization and technology of 8 billion humans. All of that was also thepany''s foundation. Abandoning everything to start over was too risky.
The chairman smiled skillfully and waved his hand.
"We''re not asking thepany to abandon Earth. We''re saying all groups should join forces to protect Earth. Thepany will use Earth as a base to pioneer the second dimension."
And the Club would procure gold from the second dimension too.
Hiding a bit of greed, the chairman casually picked up a nearby gold bar and offered it to Golden Omnipotence.
"Please send these documents."
Documents outlining only the important points were transmitted to the meeting participants.
"This isn''t pretty."
The Artist Association President stared nkly at the string of text before shaking their head. It was hard to understand. It wasn''t an artwork, and they didn''t want to keep looking at it.
On the other hand, the demon worshipper seemed focused on something else.
While the directors were hurriedly reading through the documents, the worshipper turned their head to find Yeonwoo.
"The ordinary domain. Did you create it?"
"Oh, yes. I made it before canceling the alteration."
Yeonwoo suddenly snapped to attention. The ordinary domain he''d created before the alteration. It was a domain simr to what thepany could create, including ordinary bullets and ordinary rooms, so the dice had used the power of critical failure to raise the low probability.
The problem was that this domain had been created in the demon worshipper''s headquarters, the demon self-governing region.
Yeonwoo''s eyes darted around.
''Is this going to be a problem? It seems like it might be.''
Their headquarters was still gone even after the alteration was canceled, right? And all the demons there would have returned too, right?
''It''ll be tough if the worshipper bes an enemy.''
Hell was truly a counter to his survival instinct. It just turned off the moment he entered. He didn''t die and people didn''t die there. He could face it with the dice, but the worshipper wasn''t someone to be taken lightly.
Yeonwoo''s legs shook, but the worshipper closed their eyes and let out a deep sigh. Mixed emotions crossed their face. Relief, regret, remorse.
The worshipper held up the paper. They hadn''t even looked at it.
"I agree."
"Without even reading it?" the chairman frowned slightly. Wasn''t this too careless for a meeting that would determine their future?
The worshipper, currently in the demon dimension, dipped what looked like a brush made of finger bones into thick blood.
"Why would I refuse a treaty for humans?"
This wasn''t a meeting to exterminate humanity. Rather, it was a meeting to protect humans. Of course, the worshipper would agree to whatever the specific uses were, and...
Most importantly, they had found their salvation.
"Of course, there''s a condition. Transfer the ordinary domain to me. It''s mine anyway since it''s in the demon self-governing region, but I want you to build a city for people to live in there."
Swish swish, the brush moved, engraving blood-red letters. Their only dream.
"Just by existing, I turn my surroundings into hell. If I could escape that curse, I don''t care about anything else."
Within the ordinary domain, the worshipper could live a normal life as just another person. The life they had always longed for but could never achieve.
While an ordinary world was good, a world protected by all anomaly groups working together would be just as safe.
The worshipper was convinced. Yeonwoo let out a sigh of relief, and the chairman nodded willingly.
"That''s not a difficult task. It''ll be easy if thepany helps."
Their gazes swept past the directors. The directors were staring nkly at Yeonwoo. They hadn''t even read the documents, and their voices trembled as they spoke:
"You created an ordinary domain?"
Thepany had only identally created ordinary bullets, and it was by chance that they''d made an ordinary room after investing countless resources and time.
They had barely managed to bring an ordinary world into reality using the World Alteration Device.
And Yeonwoo just made one on his own? Just like that?
"It wasn''t a difficult task," Yeonwoo said, casually reaching out his hand. He showed his palm to everyone. A few threads of probability rippled above it.
"You just have to grasp this kind of probability. Oh, right. This should be in the uses too. Aspensation for the treaty that I''ll provide."
"An ordinary domain?"
The directors stared intently at Yeonwoo, their eyes burning.
An ordinary domain that didn''t require separate investment of resources or technology development? This, this was bound to spark greed.
Yeonwoo quietly nodded. He didn''t add anything more or demand personalpensation. He recalled his role in this treaty.
''I am a tool. I am a low-level civil servant.''
He would only perform his given role. He wouldn''t step out of line with work outside his duties. He would exist solely aspensation and enforcement for the treaty.
Yeonwoo spoke as if reading from a manual:N?v(el)B\\jnn
"I''ll create a domain of limited scope in some areas of Earth. Of course, activities within that domain will be subject to audit by anomaly groups."
"...How much can you create in the second dimension?"
When a director tentatively asked, Yeonwoo immediately answered:
"As much as thepany wants."
At that moment, the directors'' hearts swayed. A second dimension guaranteed to have ordinary domains? Their mouths opened simultaneously. Different questions poured out:
"Is thatpletely ordinary? Something other anomalous entities absolutely can''t interfere with?"
"How long does itst? Are there any resources needed for maintenance?"
"Howrge can you make them?"
The question and answer session continued. Yeonwoo answered some things right away, considered the probabilities before speaking for others, and shook his head at some.
After a while, the directors nodded positively, having confirmed Yeonwoo''s abilities.
"This is an offer we can''t refuse."
They would receive ordinary domains. That alone was enough to give up on war. Each ordinary domain would function as a final shelter.
They could build an ordinary world in the second dimension too.
The directors, whose minds had already been swayed, made a final check of the documents. Treaties created by several people racking their brains.
The Humanity Protection Treaty.
"Thepany and all groups protect humanity. Minor issues are thepany''s responsibility."
If crises like the threat of extinction came, Yeonwoo, along with the chairman, the worshipper, and the Association President would step in. A joint attack by Level 6 entities.
However, those groups didn''t have the ability to cover all the small idents across the globe, so thepany would still take charge of that. Thepany''s information resources were overwhelming, after all.
"The Earth Protection Treaty is aimed at us."
The other was the Earth Protection Treaty. A treaty to keep Earth in its current state, preventing things like alterations or an ordinary world.
Looking at the details, it contained uses to check things like thepany''s World Alteration Device. Of course, it also included apocalypse-level attacks from other groups, such as the Association President''s global terror, the expansion of hell, and Golden Omnipotence''s massive wishes.
"Disclosure of thepany''s confidential information and research, verification of gold liquidity, restrictions on the Association President''s broadcasts, restrictions on the worshipper''s residence..."
There were also various documents on preventing ordinary weapon production, audits, information disclosure, and so on. It put chains on both thepany and anomaly groups, with all of them holding the ends of those chains.
Swish swish, the directors flipping through the documents stopped at one particr document.
There was an unfamiliar term there.
"Survivial Agency? What group is this? They seem to have a lot of audit authority."
"They participated in the Humanity Protection Treaty and Earth Protection Treaty too. When and who created this group we''ve never heard of?"
Yeonwoo, who had been staring nkly into space lost in thought, suddenly came to his senses. He cleared his throat a few times and straightened his back.
"It''s a group I''ll create."
"...You?"
A look of understanding shed in the directors'' eyes. No wonder the group name included "survival".
The directors were about to gloss over it. After all, he was Level 6. Having a Level 6 entity meant it was a top-tier group. They had no intention of asking more about the Survivial Agency.
But Yeonwoo leaned forward slightly, somewhat excited. His face was erged on the video conference screen.
"Survivial Agency is a group with the sole purpose of survival."
"Your own survival?" one director reluctantly responded, but Yeonwoo shook his head.
"The survival of both humanity and anomalies."
Of course, he would protect humanity. He had a survival instinct that touched the realm of humanity, and even he himself wanted everyone to survive if possible. His family and acquaintances were human, after all.
It was better if society remained intact.
Also, since he had be an anomalous entity himself, the survival of anomalies was essential. An ordinary world was absolutely not an option. There were too many possibilities of death.
The director in charge of Yeonwoo raised his head to look at Yeonwoo strangely.
"Isn''t that something that will earn the hostility of both thepany and all groups?"
The treaty was the treaty, and the meeting was the meeting. They couldn''t suddenly join hands and be one whileughing together, and conflicts would still arise knowingly or unknowingly in the future.
In that situation, protecting anomalous entities would invite checks from thepany, while protecting humanity would invite checks from anomaly groups.
They might not fight openly, but things like information warfare or political checks would follow.
Yeonwoo smiled faintly.
"Still, that''s my role. To prevent either side from crossing the line."
A counterweight between thepany and anomaly groups. The enforcement power of the treaty.
Because if one of them crossed the line, war would break out again. He had seen it once, but that really wasn''t an option.
Yeonwoo leaned back and raised both hands. So that both hands were visible in the video conference. He moved his hands up and down alternately.
"If anomaly groups cross the line, I''ll scatter ordinary domains. If thepany crosses the line, I''ll do the opposite."
The one who had to protect both humanity and anomalies spoke. In one hand he held threads of probability, and in the other he concentrated his survival instinct.
The Artist Association President was the first to notice this. Their eyes, which had been bored to death, sparkled as they looked at Yeonwoo.
"Two Level 6?"
"Humanity''s survival instinct and an omnipotent dice. Now you''ll understand why I said I''d protect both."
The Association President reached out their hand. The dice wasn''t honestly pretty. It looked like worms or parasites wriggling in a ball-like shape. But the survival instinct had a strange beauty.
The world moved with that hand trying to grasp it.
Yeonwoo roughly grabbed the threads to refuse, then made a disgusted face.
"This kind of thing is a bit-"
"I''ll agree to the treaty if you show me."
Yeonwoo''s mouth mped shut. He couldn''t understand the Artist Association President''s way of thinking.
The Artist Association President was childishly naive but had an equally clear madness. They kept thinking:
''Who cares if people who aren''t even artworks die or not? I, who am beautiful, don''t particrly want to protect them.''
But that''s why child-level negotiation worked. All they wanted was one artwork. If they could see the great artwork that was humanity''s survival instinct, that was good. It was like a child working hard on errands and studies to get one toy.
Yeonwoo nodded with a tired expression.
"Alright. Then I''llpensate the Artist Association by showing my face."
"Great! I''ll agree!"
"But let''s do it after we sign the treaty, not now."
Watching this scene, one director muttered unconsciously:
"Extinction Defense Device..."
It wasn''t called that because there were two Level 6 anomalies. It was because humanity''s survival instinct existed as an anomaly.
At the same time, the meaning of this treaty was newly understood.
A treaty truly to prevent humanity''s extinction. Didn''t this mean that without this treaty, destruction was approaching? Some directors muttered nkly to themselves:
"Were we about to bring about humanity''s extinction?"
"It''s simr. Before I canceled the alteration, war broke out. That war was..."
"No. You don''t need to say it. We''ve seen the backed-up data, so we know roughly."
The directors started organizing the documents. They skimmed through them and neatly stacked the scattered papers.
"Signing the treaty isn''t something to do right away. We agree for now, but let''s slowly check and revise the details."
"Sounds good!"
The chairman pped his hands once, then smiled contentedly. This had gone well enough. There would be long arguments over each use, but there was no need for a war that would only bring losses, right?
"Since it''s a new world, we all need time to think. Let''s take our time and consider carefully."
With those words, the video conference ended.
A new world and order was approaching. Yeonwoo slowly stood up. This was a much better result than recklessly acting alone.
He slightly bowed his head to the chairman.
"It went well thanks to your help."
"I''ll collect a high price for this favor. Oh, and you need to providepensation for the treaty too."
The chairman rubbed his hands together.
The price for mobilizing his staff. On top of that, Yeonwoo had given ordinary domains to thepany and the worshipper, and viewing rights to the Association President, so the Club should get something too.
Yeonwoo smiled slightly. He had received many gifts from the Club, knowingly or unknowingly. Of course, he would take care of them.
"Of course. I''ll make sure to take special care of it."
Why did those words sound like a threat? Cold sweat beaded on the chairman''s forehead.
''No, wait. If that guy gets involved, no.''
He shouted urgently:
"We don''t need any gi-"
But Yeonwoo had already moved through space. Yeonwoo returned to the Investigation Team''s office at a leisurely pace. He would enjoy his daily life while the treaty was being revised.
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