The Nebula’s Civilization

Wisdom interlocked his hands and said, "We'll have to see if everything is ready."

"Of course," Sung-Woon nodded.

Sung-Woon was the master of the Pantheon, the highest decision-maker, and could achieve anything he wished according to his authority setting, but the Pantheon was also something Sung-Woon had to control. It would be problematic if things didn't go as he wanted.

There were various methods of control. Deception was one such method, but always came with risks. Sung-Woon preferred not to resort to it unless necessary, as the better method was always persuasion.

"The first question is this, Nebula… If we Fall, we lose our divinity. Does that mean we become mortals?"

Sung-Woon answered without hesitation, "Yes."

The gods of the Pantheon stirred. Those who already knew the meaning of the Fall remained indifferent, but some players only fully understood after hearing Wisdom's blunt words.

"Th…then, what happens to us if we die?" Ovenwave asked.

The fact that she was a middle school girl in a sailor uniform would make one want to keep a distance from her, but after seeing that she had an oven as her head, one would want to keep a distance from her for a different reason. Moreover, she had the electrical plug trailing behind her like a ribbon, adding a quirky touch.

Of course, players didn't particularly comment on other players' appearances. None of them were in a position to do so.

Sung-Woon answered, "We will face the death we have long forgotten. There will be no Afterlife as the Pantheon would disassemble, and there will be no vassals as we will no longer be gods. Theoretically, upon death, we will either vanish or go to a world where observation is impossible, and all of these events will be irreversible."

Silence flowed among the players. However, it didn’t last long.

Crampus scratched his nose. "We've lived long enough, right? Doesn't seem like there's much to be afraid of."

HumanTracker, a shadow in a faint black coat, said while sitting on a desk with their legs crossed, "You can say that so naively because we are still gods."

"What?"

"Our current abilities differ from when we were mortals on Earth. Both physically and mentally, we have become exalted beings aided by the system. That's why we can think that way."

"Ah."

HumanTracker crossed their legs the other way. "If mortality is imposed on us now, we could experience significant psychological anxiety. It's natural to feel fear and terror. We don't fear death now not just because in our defeat, we meet a false death as vassals, but because we are in a state of great power. Mortality will be problematic both physically and mentally."

Sung-Woon took the opinion with interest. "I hadn't thought of that. Do you think there are players among us who could have serious issues?"

"Well, since there are already those who are scared here, maybe some need special attention."

HumanTracker pointed at Ovenwave, who was sitting behind them, with a thumb.

Ovenwave flinched in surprise.

HumanTracker put their hand in their coat pocket and said, "Of course, those who believe they're okay right now might not really be okay. Including me, and you too."

Sung-Woon wrote 'Mental Issues' on the conference room’s blackboard.

"We still have time, so let's go over other issues. What else is there?"

A rubber duck toy the size of a person, RD, leapt onto the desk. "I have a question!"

"Go ahead."

"If we undergo that transformation, thus Falling, what happens to us? It doesn't seem like we'll just disappear."

Sung-Woon replied, "As the Pantheon disappears, there will be no place for us here. If not in the Pantheon, naturally we'll have to descend to the mortal world, to Avartin."

"But we transform into mortal bodies, right?" RD spread the tip of their wings. "Do we take these bodies with us?"

Sung-Woon replied, "Probably."

"Probably?"

"The specifics of what happens in that process aren't certain. It's not about the old gods or us, but causality. If we Fall, causality will likely bounce us into Avartin, maintaining our current forms as much as possible. We chose these forms in this world, so the player's choice of physical appearance itself won't change."

RD puffed out their chest.

There was silence for a moment.

Eldar then said from behind, "Cute!"

RD glared at Eldar.

"Oh, wasn't that it?" Eldar asked.

RD patted their chest with their short arms, making balloon-like sounds. "But this body is made of rubber."

"That's right."

"No creature exists with a body made of rubber."

"That's right."

Sung-Woon understood RD's question and added an explanation, "However, since it's a mortal form, somehow it will need to gain energy to maintain its physicality. I don't know about external changes, but internal changes will occur. Since we all look different, it's hard to say how it will turn out. It's relatively easy to see how players who are humanoid like me or others will transform, but for you or Wisdom there, it's biologically difficult to understand your forms. How the internal structure will change is unknown."

The robot with a monocular eye, Vladimir, said, "Then how about changing our current appearance to have a more advantageous physical structure?"

"That doesn't seem very effective."

"Why not?"

"For instance, we can choose textures in our appearance selection, but not materials. Even if we change to a being with a body of steel filled with muscles, it's not certain that we will become more powerful because that would be too strong for causality to allow. Besides, it's doubtful whether such a being would be more advantageous as a mortal."

"Hmm. Right, without the system, the cost-effectiveness of the body will be poor when the output is high. Understood."

RD tapped their chest again. "I like this body."

"Sure."

"Even if my inside turns into chunks of meat."

"I don't necessarily think that will happen."

"But others might want to change..."

Sung-Woon nodded and then wrote 'Issues of Physical Composition' on the blackboard.

Then he said, "Before we continue discussing, we should talk about being bounced out to Avartin with our bodies."

Wisdom said, "It's the most concerning issue. Many problems could arise when we descend to Avartin."

"I'm curious about your opinion."

"First, there will be fanatical followers. The gods of the Pantheon are popular."

"That's indeed a problem."

Lunda interjected, "Is it a problem that people like us?"

"We can't assume that everyone willing to sacrifice their lives for us is sane. It’s not rational to sacrifice anything for a god, and irrational people may take unexpected actions. The outcome will be even more unpredictable with a crowd. Not everyone may be like that, but...just imagine. Bountiful Harvest appears in Orazen. People will line up to the place where Bountiful Harvest is, and you won't be able to resolve that chaos at all."

Lunda imagined the scenario and sighed, "But I still don't think it's all bad."

"Right. It's good that there are people who will welcome us, but there are still many problems."

Wisdom said, "We now have to face the old gods as enemies."

Sung-Woon nodded.

Wisdom asked again, "From where and how will the old gods come to us? Can we predict it?"

"They will likely originate from the Rasdasil Ruins, but theoretically, they can appear anywhere. The system is their creation, so if they make us Fall and regain their power, they will do anything."

"How strong would they be?"

Sung-Woon said honestly, "That part is unknown. They have lived long, so their Divinity level is probably high, but considering the XP structure of the system, it won't be dramatic. Moreover, they have gone through a second war, and more importantly, they have lost their faithful followers.

They also waited for both us and the evil gods to weaken through war. This means...they won't be as strong as we fear. They appear only after the enemies are weakened. From their perspective, just regaining control of the system won't be enough… Of course, even that alone creates an overwhelming gap between them and us."

"Right. As mortals, we will have to face immortals."

Sung-Woon readily agreed and nodded. "So, we must hide."

"Hide?"

Sung-Woon nodded, "Throughout Avartin, there are sanctuaries deeply connected to the pantheon, where we can smoothly enter."

"Do we gather in one place?"

"No. We scatter."

Redmars, who was listening, commented, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

Sung-Woon agreed, "Yes, that's it. If the targets are scattered, they will have to think of multiple ways to attack. Even if we suffer damage, there won't be complete annihilation."

Wisdom's head, which had been slowly turning, stopped, "You're assuming that someone might die."

"I said we could win and we should prepare for it. I didn't say everyone would survive."

The players of the Pantheon remained still for a moment. Some made eye contact with others, while some seemed lost in thought. Some closed their eyes, and others looked blankly into space.

Wisdom said, "We’ll have to decide on the sanctuaries to go to."

Sung-Woon agreed, "Let's decide specifically where each of us will move to in a bit. We won't have time after the moon-facing plan."

"Understood."

Sung-Woon wrote 'Sanctuary Selection' on the blackboard.

He asked, "Now, what else shall we discuss?"

Eldar cleared their throat and raised their hand.

"Go ahead."

"What happens to the apostles?"

"The apostles? An important issue."

Sung-Woon slightly turned his head. His gaze reached beyond the conference room’s door. Somewhere in the pantheon, apostles unaware of this meeting were busy carrying out the gods' commands for the moon-facing plan. As if they had been serving the gods for a long time.

"This is the most important issue in this plan."

Sung-Woon remembered the heroes of the Pantheon and the Empire's memories, then looked back at the gods of the Pantheon. There was still much to explain.

"As soon as Operation: Second Moon is established, the Pantheon will give up all apostles."

***

The Central Continental Division Sanctuary was located at the fringe of the central continent, where Hegemonia once stood, and where a Gnoll Prince had once declared his intention to cross the great ocean. Historically, it wasn't particularly significant. It was just a tall cliff overlooking the sea, with a sanctuary built on top; the view from the sanctuary could be considered quite scenic, especially since the beautiful western sea could be seen from the inside.

"Are you alright?...Wisdom?"

Wisdom quietly looked down at the large, furry creature in front of him. It was questionable whether it could be said that he 'saw' it. Wisdom just felt the creature's presence and could visualize its shape in his mind. Only there was no color, but he didn't find it strange or uncomfortable.

'Interesting. How do I detect vibrations? How does he communicate?'

Wisdom pondered for a moment but managed to speak without difficulty, "I'm fine, Noah. How about you?"

The Guinea Pig-like player, Noah, nodded.

Noah was a player who started in the first continent and fought valiantly until the mid-game, but was defeated after falling into the trap set up by the Ronante-Oroban Alliance.

Adjusting his monocle, Noah, draped in a white lab coat, fluttered and said, "Hmm, I'm fine. No need to worry. Still soft and fluffy."

"That's good."

"I’m more concerned about you though."

"Is that so?"

Noah looked at Wisdom. "May I conduct an experiment?"

"Go ahead."

Noah extended his short front paws toward Wisdom. Wisdom stood still without any objection.

After flailing his front paws, Noah said, "Wow, just as I thought."

Without turning his head or making any movement, Wisdom realized what Noah was doing. Noah put his hand into the empty space below Wisdom's floating star-shaped head.

"Your head is detached!"

"It seems some force is at work. Even being such an entity, am I still mortal?"

"Should I try pulling your head?"

"It's intriguing. My head and body are already separated, but I'm curious about how far apart they can be while I still survive."

Noah chuckled, "That's a joke. It would be troublesome if you died."

"Troublesome would be an understatement in my case."

Noah laughed again.

Noah, who had revealed he was a biologist on Earth, showed scholarly interest in the transformations brought about by the Fall. While not completely dispassionate about the game, he seemed less engaged, apparently indifferent to matters as serious as life and death.

Noah said, "I should also meet RD. A creature with a rubber exterior! How does it regulate temperature?"

"I'm not sure if there will be time for that."

"But you are more intriguing. The emptiness in your neck, it’s probably related to electromagnetic waves, right?"

"Sure, I'm glad you find it enjoyable."

Wisdom slowly walked out of the sanctuary. Due to Noah's interest, they had come to the same sanctuary. Although Sung-Woon had generally recommended one person per sanctuary, he thought pairing up could have its benefits too. As HumanTracker pointed out, pairing up could offer psychological stability, considering potential mental issues.

That was why Wisdom had accepted Noah's request. Wisdom felt that Noah was a slightly unstable player and needed protection.

Following Wisdom out of the sanctuary, Noah commented, "This place is really beautiful."

The sun was high in the sky. The reflection from the sunlight gently stimulated whatever system for detecting vibrations existing somewhere in Wisdom's head. A different kind of beauty was felt, distinct from simply receiving visual input.

"That's true."

Noah looked up at Wisdom and asked, "So, do we just...stay put?"

"We've done all we need to, now we wait."

The players were currently powerless. Perhaps equivalent to average mortals, and some could even be less capable. It was up to the Empire now, and the apostles.

'Everyone was shocked when Nebula said he would give up the apostles.'

But it was a rational decision. A player could dismiss an apostle they disliked from their religion. In other words, they could be cast out to Avartin.

This play was usually used either to kill an apostle who didn't follow the player's will or when maintaining an apostle was hindering their play. Systematically supported, but rarely used, known to the players as 'throwing out after use'. Apostles discarded in this manner fall to Avartin, where they were treated as neutral beings similar to Fiends or divine beasts.

In the first place, if a player reached the point where they had to discard their apostles due to scarce resources, it would be more appropriate to simply press the surrender button and exit the game. However, the current situation was different.

'If the apostles are discarded, before the old gods can strip away the power of the Pantheon, the apostles can maintain some of their power in Avartin.'

Beings separated from their apostle status didn't keep the same level of power they had in the Pantheon. Once connection with the Pantheon was severed, naturally, the related skills also became ineffective. They became overall weaker, which was not ideal for the requirement for them to be fully prepared.

'But the apostles of the Pantheon were generally at a high level. Moreover, they didn’t handle everything through strength alone.'

A massive operation to oppose the old gods was unfolding within the Empire. That was, if the apostles chose to do so.

'Now that they are free, would they necessarily act for our players' benefit?'

The apostles had become neutral parties, which was the most worrying aspect when they talked about discarding the apostles. Being neutral meant that the old gods could potentially take over them.

'...But for some reason...'

Wisdom remembered HumanTracker's words. As HumanTracker had said, Wisdom no longer possessed the accelerated thought capability he had as a god. His thoughts flowed only as fast as the drifting light clouds, yet he felt no anxiety.

'I'm not worried.'

Wisdom thought of his Troll knight. He once believed that everything had been ruined. However, mistakes could be reversed.

'Interesting.'

Wisdom found the situation paradoxical. The god had become mortal, and now they had to trust those who once sought faith from them.

'Really interesting.'