At that, Rowan was startled.
This was his greatest secret, and his greatest source of confidence since crossing into the Foundation Universe.
"...You mean my ability to increase the level of my Reality Warping Ability, right?"
Instead, Rowan felt relieved. He relaxed completely. "That is indeed different from other Reality Warpers. When I first awakened my Reality Warping Ability, it was only Level One. All I could do was bend a spoon with Psychic Power or move things from a distance—little tricks like that. I spent a great deal of effort gradually raising it to its current level."
"But I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. The conditions for further growth have practically led me into a dead end. It'll be very difficult to improve much more."
Neos said, "Tell me, why have you reached a dead end?"
"The conditions for leveling up are very simple: killing."
Rowan sighed. "When I kill a sentient being, or when their death has a direct causal connection to me, I devour their soul and use it to increase my own Hume levels."
"You should know that Hume levels are a technical measure of how stable reality is. The higher a Reality Warper's own Hume levels, the lower the Hume levels in the space around them, which strengthens their Reality Warping Ability."
He paused, then continued explaining. "When I went from a Level One Reality Warper to a Level Two, I only needed to kill a few dozen people. I went to a chaotic country and took down a few drug cartels. That did the trick."
"But now I need to go from Level Two to Level Three. The requirements have increased exponentially, and I simply can't meet them."
"Are they an enormous number?"
"Exactly."
Rowan's expression was grave. "At least a hundred thousand souls!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a very strange atmosphere settled between them.
After a long moment, Neos finally spoke:
"...A hundred thousand?"
What was with that "That's all?" attitude?
Rowan's eye twitched. "Is a hundred thousand souls not a lot?"
What a joke. Did he think the Foundation was full of corpses?
If Rowan actually tried to go through with it, the next second the Mobile Task Force "Achilles' Heel"—the unit specifically responsible for containing Reality Warpers—would probably materialize right outside his home!
Then they'd beat him to his knees and drag him off to a containment site to be contained!
"No. I have a proposal."
After hearing him out, Neos said, "Would you be willing to leave this world and go to another universe?"
"You mean you want me to go to another universe, escape the Foundation's oversight, and fulfill the conditions for my growth?"
Having spent several years navigating the anomalous world behind the Veil, the experienced Rowan was naturally familiar with the concept of an Alien Universe.
It certainly sounded like a good proposal, but that didn't mean it was without problems.
"But the problem is, aren't there Foundations in other universes too?"
Exactly. That was the biggest problem.
Organizations like the Foundation, dedicated to protecting humanity from anomalies, existed throughout the multiverse.
Based on Rowan's experience exploring Alien Universes with the help of containment objects and anomalous technology from other anomalous organizations, parallel worlds only ever fell into one of two categories: either they had a Foundation maintaining order, or they were a wasteland, a doomsday world where humanity had been destroyed.
Neither could meet the growth conditions for his Reality Warping Ability.
"No, you've misunderstood. My universe has nothing to do with the Foundation."
Neos shook his head and offered Rowan information he'd never expected.
"You can think of it as an entirely different multiverse. To use an analogy, they're two completely different books, which should have nothing to do with each other. But some kind of miracle beyond even my current understanding brought me here."
"The connection between the two worlds is extremely fragile. Not only can entities that are too powerful not pass through, but the connection might disappear at any moment. Because of these limitations, I can only immediately choose people who can help me, like you."
"Are you willing to leave this universe and come to mine?"
Rowan almost agreed on the spot.
He was sick and tired of this damned place called the Foundation!
The various anomalous containment objects that could kill you in an instant; the several K-Class events—world-ending scenarios—that happened almost every year; the Foundation and Global Occult Coalition chasing him like mad; the many anomalous organizations filled with schemers; all those anomalous technologies that ensured even death brought no peace...
What world could possibly be worse than this one?
But Rowan still managed to hold back. He asked, "Could you describe what your world is like?"
Neos's expression remained perfectly calm and untroubled.
"It's a wonderful universe, a fantastical world where many races coexist: humans, elves, orcs, undead, demons, and more."
"Of course, when multiple races live in one world, they're bound to have the occasional minor conflict. That's unavoidable."
"I am the Master of Mankind. I ask little of you. As the hero I have chosen, all you need to do is help humanity defeat the demons and the evil gods behind them, then lead humanity to greatness once more."
"I'm sure this task won't be difficult for a Reality Warper who can alter reality at will through the power of thought, and nearly make anything he wishes come true."
"Besides, you can strengthen your Reality Warping Ability by killing. You may become a Level Three Reality Warper, or even higher, in no time. The task will be even easier then."
Rowan rubbed his chin and fell into thought.
Of course, with his experience, he could tell Neos had left things unsaid. He was clearly downplaying his own world.
For instance, his description of his universe had been very vague. It could just as easily have applied to the Foundation Universe, as if there were no demons, elves, undead, or orcs there.
In the end, though, Rowan weighed it over and over before finally nodding firmly.
"I agree!"
As he'd said, he was sick and tired of this damned place called the Foundation!
Surely that world couldn't be an even bigger dump than the Foundation?
When he heard Rowan agree, the youth who called himself Neos smiled with a divine, compassionate air. A radiance like the sun burst from his eyes. Blazing light surged skyward and wrapped around his figure, while layer upon layer of white wings unfurled behind him.
Rowan felt a searing pain flare across the back of his hand, and couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath.
Fortunately, the pain passed as quickly as it came. The burning sensation soon became a lingering warmth. He raised his hand and took a closer look.
On the back of Rowan's hand was a mark shining with a brilliance that brought the sun to mind. Its shape was roughly that of a—
Golden Double-headed Eagle?
Rowan's eyes widened.
"Wait, no, hold on..."
The unmistakable symbol stirred the memories of Rowan's previous life. Since things had reached the final step, Neos no longer needed to hide anything. He withdrew the cognitive interference he had placed on Rowan's mind.
With the interference gone, Rowan could piece together, from all the clues so far, the universe he was about to enter and the origins of this "person" who called himself Neos.
Unfortunately, it was already too late to do anything.
The layers of wings had already descended, enveloping him from head to toe. The next moment, before Rowan could say anything, his figure vanished in a brilliant golden light.
All the strange phenomena faded away. Neos slowly descended to the ground, his body swaying. Cracks began spreading across his face until, at last, he dissolved into light and disappeared.
Only a wistful sigh remained in the church:
"In this dark forty-first millennium, war is eternal..."
"...But hope endures."
Before you continue