'What the hell does that mean?'
I clutched my head for a moment upon hearing the Nameless Entity's words.
I pressed my temples with my fingertips, but my thoughts only grew more tangled.
'The master of the World? Because of me, there are no more black-haired people?'
I simply couldn't make sense of what he was saying.
'Wait, did I even hear that explanation out loud?'
I had no memory of him speaking at such length.
'Could details that vivid and precise even be conveyed through spoken words?'
Still, somewhere deep in my mind, the emotions of that being called "the World" remained sharply etched.
Overwhelming love.
A chilling indifference toward everything else but me.
Those feelings were far too immense to put into words.
At the same time, they were too vast and heavy to endure.
They weren't the kind of emotions one could grasp through language.
I instinctively halted any further rumination.
Given how the outer gods in the game could drive someone insane just by being seen, I ought to be thankful my mind was still intact with one sitting right in front of me.
Exhaling softly, I cautiously studied the tentacle monster who claimed to be the Nameless Entity.
No matter the angle, it looked less like a horrifying outer god and more like an adorable Cthulhu mascot plushie.
'Impersonating it...? Nah, probably not.'
Great beings held unique names.
This tidbit from the earlier memory even appeared as lore in the game.
Besides, the Nameless Entity in the game was unmistakably one of the Great Old Ones.
So if I'd truly entered the game world, this had to be the genuine article.
'Though honestly, it feels more like the game was modeled after this world...'
Such conjecture held little relevance right now anyway.
That was when it happened.
Hmm, it seems you haven't quite grasped it. Am I right?
His voice vibrated softly through my mind.
The tips of his tentacles quivered faintly, and his round eyes tilted slowly toward me.
"Ah, yes."
The words slipped out reflexively, sending a chill creeping up my spine.
'Hold on, don't tell me...'
That recent ordeal where my emotions were forcibly probed, leaving me feeling like my thoughts had been ransacked.
I never wanted to endure that again.
But before I could bite back my words, the Nameless Entity pressed on.
Judging by your reaction, the disparity in our levels is too great for you to process it all. Allow me to try again.
"W-wait-!"
He narrowed his eyes languidly, his body rippling with a bizarre flush.
-Grin!
His surface heaved dramatically, his expression one of utter rapture, like a junkie lost in their high.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The Nameless Entity gazed at Han Saetbit, who stared blankly into the void with lifeless eyes.
He traced every detail—his posture, expression, even his body heat—with lingering relish.
Trembling with excitement at that exquisite form,
Aaah, my beautiful master!
He admired Han Saetbit for a good while.
Just looking at him drew forth involuntary sighs of delight.
How can he exude such allure when he's so far from my usual tastes?
The Nameless Entity could, if pressed, be classified among the cephalopods.
Humans—primates—weren't his type, and as one who favored certainty, even if humans appealed, he wouldn't prefer someone as androgynous as Han Saetbit.
...
After a moment's deliberation, the Nameless Entity pruned a sliver of its core brain matter.
A repulsive, nauseating notion had flitted through its mind.
He's but a single material form bound to this realm—how does he stir such a kaleidoscope of emotions?
Gazing upon Han Saetbit summoned a torrent of feelings: happiness, jealousy, excitement, anxiety, longing, joy, obsession, serenity, relief, thrill, disappointment, respect, powerlessness, awe, admiration, anticipation, envy, guilt...
Were it not for its transcendent patience, or the intellect that pondered distant futures, it would have lost all reason at the sight of Han Saetbit, devolving into a rampaging beast and earning oblivion from the World.
The Nameless Entity recalled its first encounter with the World.
The moment it first confronted the World.
Compared to now, it had been a pitiable thing.
The lowest among transcendents capable of perceiving the World.
That was the Nameless Entity.
Beneath it lay only insignificant vermin.
It had idled alone, tinkering with mere creations.
Then, amid that profound stillness, the "World" appeared for the first time.
In that dazzling instant of contact, it realized.
How infinitesimal it truly was.
Its very existence tore open and expanded.
As recompense for perceiving the World, all its mass was reforged into a new configuration.
It shuddered on the precipice of terror and wonder.
My level... it's rising.
For the first time, it felt the sensation of ascension.
A blessing, yet agony.
Drawing nearer to the wholeness it had unconsciously yearned for, even as that wholeness rent it asunder.
Yet it swallowed its fear.
Before the World's quaking consciousness, it barely mustered a voice.
O World, make me yours.
Its voice was quiet, yet resolute.
It knew the terror of potential annihilation.
But stronger still was its reverence for that existence.
In that moment, the World quivered faintly.
The near-infinite being paused, however briefly.
And responded.
...Fine. I could use you anyway.
It didn't grasp the meaning.
The World mentioned a name: "Han Saetbit."
This entity took human form, and direct conversation proved difficult, it said.
The World didn't know how to approach a being so alien—trapped in such narrow confines of language and emotion.
Thus, it sought a guardian.
The reason for its selection was straightforward.
A sufficient buffer to avoid direct intervention, and a level gap ensuring obedience.
At those words, it bowed its head.
The World had no form.
A chasm where light and darkness churned in unison.
Yet within lay infinite will.
Their exchange transcended mere language.
Among transcendents, communication was sharing, not transmission.
Emotions, concepts, memories, imagery, scents, temperatures—all flooded in at once.
In that instant, it beheld the World's emotions.
Etched within was the name "Han Saetbit."
'A human...?'
It couldn't comprehend.
The World's emotions were clear: worship and obsession.
Yet directed at a mere human, "attractive" at best.
It puzzled briefly.
In the realm of transcendence, what worth had "allure"?
Beyond form, language, gender—such trifles were absurd.
But it held its tongue.
If a being like the World took interest, it could hardly be ordinary.
Discerning, it inquired no further.
The World beckoned.
At the edge of consciousness, space rent asunder.
A new dimension yawned open.
Through that rift, it beheld Han Saetbit for the first time.
Han Saetbit slumbered deeply.
Beneath a blue sky, amid scents of earth and grass.
The World fell silent for a stretch.
That hush weighed heavily.
At last, the World spoke softly.
Protect this beautiful being. He hasn't awakened yet, but he will soon. You are now this human's servant.
With that, the World's presence faded.
Silence remained.
The Nameless Entity lingered alone.
The World's lingering echo still resonated.
Sacred, yet hollow.
For the first time, it truly beheld Han Saetbit.
He was merely human.
Yet his form scrambled all senses.
Each subtle breath set the air humming; each glint of hair in sunlight warped reality's fabric ever so slightly.
An inexplicable pull gripped it.
Emotions surging like unstoppable waves, no matter how suppressed.
Senses long dulled reignited in an instant, like wildfire.
This is dangerous, it thought.
Yet it couldn't look away.
This wasn't mere curiosity.
It was stimulation incarnate.
For one who neither died nor aged, it was the first true taste of being alive.
It marveled that the World would entrust such a being to another.
An audacity beyond its imagining.
Confidence, in other words.
Han Saetbit was drug and cure to transcendents alike.
Considering how the World had so casually handed him over and departed, it shivered anew.
[...]
A quiet reverence mingled with inescapable self-loathing in the Nameless Entity's gaze upon Han Saetbit.
It despised its inability even to dream of claiming him from the World.
Meanwhile, envy stirred toward Han Saetbit for monopolizing that great one's attention.
Contradictory impulses.
Yet even those contradictions faded swiftly before the beauty at hand.
The spatial ripples ceased; the wind stilled.
Left alone, the Nameless Entity watched over Han Saetbit, lulled back to sleep by its own doing.
His chest rose and fell gently, sunlight spilling golden across his crown.
It sensed it.
Soon, he would awaken.
Unable to hide its regret, the Nameless Entity sighed softly.
I wanted to watch a bit longer... such a pity.
-Crunch!
Without a second thought, the Nameless Entity plucked out its two eyes—still fixed on Han Saetbit—and tucked them into its chest cavity.
It was certain: this would be its first irreplaceable Treasure No. 1.
Thus, it would bury them deepest within its heart.
Heehee.
-Pat pat.
It gently patted the eyes nestled in its bosom, a pure smile blooming across its form.