Chapter 334: Karma (LII)

『Obviously…』

Her lips curved into a soft, knowing smile, that kind that looked gentle but felt strangely… pressuring, like she’d just told a truth that could shatter worlds.

『…for entertainment.』

For a moment, silence fell.

The stars stopped spinning, or so I thought, but my thoughts froze in place.

“…What?” I muttered flatly, not from disbelief, but because I didn’t even know how to respond.

At my stunned reaction, she laughed… as if she was mocking me or something. She tilted her head slightly, eyes half-lidded, and continued.

『Do you know what it’s like to exist before everything? To be the first spark, the only sound, the only thought in the void? It’s beautiful at first. Then… it becomes unbearably dull.』

Her voice turned soft, almost human, as if she were remembering something painful.

『Eras passed. Stars were born and died. I created gods, worlds, realms… and yet, I was still alone. None of them could even look at me without dissolving into dust. None could understand what I felt. None could ever… reach me.』

She leaned forward again, resting her chin lightly on my shoulder, her voice a whisper against my ear.

『So I made the System — not as a tool, but as a seed. Something that could grow. Something that could defy me. Because only then could I meet something that was truly alive. Someone… who could stand beside me.』

I didn’t answer as my throat felt incredibly dry. Every word she said sounded too heavy to process, yet her tone was extremely calm, even playful.

『And why a man, you ask?』

Her red eye glowed faintly, the blue one softening.

『Because I wanted to understand that strange mortal emotion you call submission. To know what it feels like to be dominated by something I made with my own hands. To see if there could exist something… someone… strong enough to make me yield.』

My hands clenched tightly.

Blood dripped out of my hands, and for a moment, I didn’t even realize I was grinding my teeth.

“…So you created me. You played with my life, with countless souls, because you were bored? Because you wanted to feel something?”

『Mmm… precisely.』

She smiled, completely unbothered, as if she were talking about a painting she made for fun.

But what did I expect from the first being in the entire universe…?

Was it because she had the appearance of my ideal girl that I thought she would have the same personality too?

How fucking stupid am I?

Yeah…

I was completely enraged and wanted to grab that fucking playful face of hers and smack it on the ground.

Of course, I’m not like Lucas, who wants to save the world and things like that. For me, as long as my important friends and I are alive, that’s all that matters.

However… seeing someone completely not giving a fuck about humans… that fucking irritates me.

But well… as long as she doesn’t target me or my friends, I’m alright.

And no, I’m not stupid enough to attack her because I knew if I even tried, I would probably vanish from existence.

And she knew it too.

Her gaze softened again, as if reading my thoughts.

I mean… she was probably reading them, but whatever.

『You’re angry. Good. That’s what makes you different from the rest. But you also understand restraint, and that’s what makes you worthy.』

She placed a finger under my chin, forcing me to meet her eyes.

『You hate me right now, don’t you? Yet you won’t act recklessly. That’s why I like you, Aestrea. You know how to bear the unbearable and still look straight ahead.』

Her smile widened faintly, her tone turning almost affectionate.

『I guess that’s why my instincts chose you — not out of pity, not out of destiny, but because I wanted to see if someone like you could reach me… could match me.』

Her fingers trailed lightly down my cheek, and even though her touch was gentle, it sent shivers down my spine.

『I didn’t make you to be my puppet. I made you to be my equal.』

I stared at her, completely silent, not knowing whether to laugh, scream, or curse.

Equal… huh?

Somehow, those words made me feel even more powerless.

“Alright,” I said finally, exhaling through my nose. “But surely you didn’t call me just to have a philosophical talk, right?”

Her lips curved into that same calm, teasing smile again.

『You really do understand me well.』

She gave a slow nod, her hair floating in the starry void like ribbons of night.

『I’m going to give you a little help to deal with the other gods, because honestly… Chronos is impossible to beat, even if you were a Ninth-Star True God with your bloodline awakened and had all the strongest gods with you. I made it that way.』

My eyes went wide.

“Wait… you what?”

『I made it that way.』

She said it so casually, like she was talking about setting the difficulty level of a game.

And then it clicked.

That’s why I could never kill him. Not once, not even after ninety-nine reincarnations. I thought that since he was the God of Time, he was always ahead of me… but now, it doesn’t seem like that’s all…

『So…』

She raised her hand slowly, and threads of light spun out from her fingertips like living code.

『I’ll upgrade your system a little. Consider it… a small patch update from the creator.』

The air around us shimmered, and several glowing runes started forming above me.

『First feature — “Choice.”』

As she spoke, three luminous panels materialized before my eyes, faintly flickering with shifting text.

『Whenever you face certain key moments, the system will offer you three choices. Depending on which path you take, your reward will change. It could be divine power, knowledge, an item, or something far less tangible. But beware, every choice shapes the world around you.』

The panels blinked once and vanished.

『Next — a new perception tool. You’ll now be able to see the loyalty of everyone around you. Their trust, hatred, and deceit will be displayed as numbers and colors. Simple, right?』

She grinned slightly, and the stars behind her pulsed in rhythm with her words.

『And since I’m feeling generous, I’ll enhance your Scan function. From now on, you can activate it freely, without cost or cooldown. No more system permission requests. You’ve earned that freedom.』

The data-light around me grew thicker, like a digital storm of divine code rewriting my very soul.

『Oh, and one last extra thing. I’ve added something called Soul Trace. If someone tries to possess you, manipulate your memory, change your fate directly, or anything like that, the system will record it and notify you instantly. Think of it as a divine firewall.』

I blinked, still trying to take it all in.

“You’re… basically giving me developer privileges?”

『Something like that.』

She giggled softly, the sound echoing across the void.

『Don’t get cocky. It’s still my system. You’re just my favorite variable inside it.』

Her hand dropped to her lap as the cosmic energy slowly faded. The void quieted again.

『That’s it. My little upgrade is complete.』

Her tone softened — that strange, almost motherly calm again.

『Now, I suppose it’s time for us to part ways.』

I felt a strange heaviness in my chest, as if gravity had suddenly returned to the space between us.

『Before I send you back, though…』 she said, her eyes dimming slightly, the red and blue fading to a pale white glow.

『There’s something you should remember.』

I looked up at her silently, waiting.

『Be careful of Chronos’s children.』

“…His children?”

She nodded once.

『Yes. They are the main reason you’ve died in almost all your reincarnations. They’re scattered through the realms, wearing different names, different faces — but always the same hunger. They remember you, even if you forget them. And they’ll come again.』

Her expression turned faintly sad.

『Next time, you might not be given another chance. So use what I’ve given you… wisely.』

The stars around her began to fade, her figure dissolving like starlight in water.

『Good luck, Aestrea. Let’s see how far you can rewrite the world this time.』

And before I could say a single word, the entire domain shattered into white light, sending me back down into the divine stairway once more.

“Hagh…”

I took a deep breath.

“Now that was something else…”

But yeah, from the notification she gave me, it seems that dealing with Chronos will be something much difficult than I ever thought.

And that means that I’ll probably need to abuse… my own power.

“….”

I took out the [Midnight] sword and took a deep look a it. It really was a god-level weapon, but the question is…

“Is it enough of a sacrifice?”

I looked at the sword for a few moments, and then closed my eyes before putting the sword in my waist again.

Then, with nothing more to do here, I jumped out of the Divine Stairway.

Swish!

The second I did, I was teleported way to the ground, just to see Vanya excitedly waving her hand at me.

“Congratulations on reaching the eighth Heaven’s Stop and beating the record!”

Eighth…?

I clearly reached the Eleventh, but I guess… that’s one way of not attracting TOO much attention, as though reaching the eighth already gives me a lot

“How did you do it?!”

She looked at me with unusually bright eyes, staring deeply into mine.

“…I just climbed it as others did,” I walked past her.

“That’s all.”

At my words, she pouted.

“Mhmm! Stop being so stingy and tell me already!”

She followed right after me.

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