Episode 88

Ire Hazlen was her name.

In a certain Middle Eastern Arabic dialect, the name ‘Ire’ translates to ‘the prepared one’. In a spiritual context, this implies being chosen by a divine entity. But of all possible deities, why an Outer God? Or rather, fifteen of them? Housing that many within a single person seemed excessive, almost to the point of being lethal. Indeed, with a Pron capacity of 300,000, one had to wonder if Ire was still entirely human.

Despite harboring an astonishing 290,000 out of a possible 300,000 Pron, Ire somehow maintained her sanity. This feat deserved nothing less than a silent standing ovation. As a protagonist, she endured more than any character in the novel, and I regretted not recognizing it sooner.

At first glance, Ire seemed unremarkably ordinary—almost a necessity for a protagonist to stand out. Initially, I mistook her for a mere background character, and it appeared she viewed herself in much the same way.

The trait of amber eyes was often associated with the Reinhardt lineage, yet it was hardly exclusive to them. After all, in a universe as vast as ours, unique traits are less unique than one might think.

“Ugh…” The girl groaned, clutching her head as if even the breeze brushing against a leaf was too much for her.

“She’s mad. Catch her!” The guards shouted, swinging their batons in a futile attempt to subdue her. Yet, their efforts were in vain; the girl dodged each attack with a grace that brought her right beside me. Without warning, she seized me by the collar.

“Why, why are you here…!” Her eyes, now turned red, bore into mine. “I’ve tried so hard! I’ve wandered far and wide to change this twisted world! Why do you only show me these bleak futures? I’m exhausted! Damn it…! At this point, you might as well throw me into a garbage dump! But, why… why do you torment me like this?”

Her words baffled me. What was she talking about? These were her stories, unknown to me.

Perhaps she was mentally fragile, like a friend possessed by an Outer God—worthy of some sympathy, but only to a point. However, her audacity to grab my collar was unforgivable!

I reached for her hand, attempting to pry it from my collar with force, but my effort faltered. In that instant, I realized the peril I was in. Physically, she was as strong as, if not stronger than, Rustila. Her delicate appearance belied the surprising strength in her hands. This was madness.

Suddenly, my world turned upside down. The girl, driven by her rage, hurled me over her shoulder. The world spun around me. I had never mastered the art of falling gracefully, and now, as I hurtled toward the urethane floor, I feared for my spine—which, come to think of it, might have already been compromised.

“Young master!” Sonia caught me off guard. “What are you doing?”

“Guard!” Sonia’s shout, fueled by anger, overlapped with the warden’s provocation. The situation quickly escalated as the guards, sensing the tension, drew tasers from their belts. Remarkably, the protagonist dodged each attempt with almost superhuman agility.

“Is she even human…?”

“Prisoner 888888 is escaping. Everyone, chase her!” The guards’ voices echoed down the corridor.

A wave of déjà vu washed over me. The prisoner number on the girl’s uniform ended in an 8—a number that had once been assigned to me upon my own admission. It was evident that the Maxwell Legion’s Outer God agency had manipulated the timelines.

“This round is over,” the girl declared, darting towards the exit. An instinctual fear gripped me, warning that something catastrophic might unfold if she were to escape.

“Tsk.” I clicked my tongue in frustration and pulled out my calipers. “Where do you think you’re going!” I yelled, throwing the Grade A calipers with all my strength. The tool, designed to hit its target flawlessly, arced through the air in a bizarre trajectory and struck the girl on the head.

Clang! The sound resonated sharply through the hallway, signaling the impact.

Ire Hazlen was chosen by the stars as a child. Endowed by the constellation of Altair, the God of patience and integrity, she was granted the mental fortitude to withstand any adversity, a power intended to oppose the Outer Gods. Yet, young Ire was unaware that great power comes with great responsibility.

The nightmare unfolded from that very moment.

• That kid, she doesn’t die easily.

• We can extract the star’s energy to the maximum.

• Please help me.

Despite opening a store in a deserted alley, the quality of a good restaurant shines through, and so does the identity of the girl named Ire Hazlen. Once exposed to the Outer Gods, her trials commenced.

The Outer Gods, entities typically preying on others, invaded her mind with various intentions. Some extorted the coins created by Constellations or the star’s energy, while others derived pleasure from watching her struggle.

Amidst this turmoil, Ire remained unbroken. She was bolstered by a skill named <Indomitable>. No matter how high the Pron value rose, it only approached the total Pron value she could manage but never matched it. Additionally, she could suppress her madness for a limited time each day, dividing her time between normalcy during the day and madness at night.

This dual existence attracted another Outer God.

“It looks interesting. Perfect for harnessing the energy of the stars. Yes… If I use you, it will greatly aid in achieving my goal.”

From the Maxwell Legion of Outer Gods, a high-ranking entity named Safaul had arrived. Ire, in her initial encounter, knew nothing of his significance. To her, he was merely another entity viewing her as a mere plaything. However, Safaul was different.

‘Flowing Steel like Earth,’ or Safaul, methodically subdued the Outer Gods that had infiltrated Ire’s mind. He established a hierarchy, assigning roles to each.

“Listen carefully, everyone. This world is about the survival of the fittest. Regardless of which Legion you belong to, the strong have the right to dominate the weak. If you disagree with my rule, challenge me.”

No one dared oppose Safaul. Chaos transformed into order under his command, and he ascended to the pinnacle of this new hierarchy, becoming the de facto ruler of Ire’s mind. He exploited the star energy, asserting his dominance over the other Outer Gods.

The strain was so intense that Ire’s periods of sanity dwindled drastically. The burden grew so heavy that she began to harbor thoughts of ending her life.

• You must endure, Ire, an inner voice faintly shouted as her sponsor desperately tried to hand the coin to Ire. But that action was the star’s doom. Altair, who had been lurking in the shadows of unconsciousness, was eventually captured by Safaul.

A celestial deity ensnared by an Outer God, the consequences were dire. Altair was transformed into a relentless coin-mining machine ruthlessly exploited by the Outer Gods. The Constellation suffered violations and endured horrific experiments that marred its divine essence. Consequently, Altair became the darkest star in the Summer Triangle.

Endurance became a struggle for Ire as well. Her days were filled with eerie giggling and bizarre, twisted quests:

In such dire circumstances, death seemed inevitable. If the world was this cruel, might it be better to end her life?

Thus, she once attempted suicide.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Safaul intervened. He was the first of the Maxwell Legion, an Outer God, to infiltrate Ire’s mind. Each time she attempted to end her life, time would rewind, presenting her with another gruesome quest. Failure to complete it meant time would reset once again.

“Look, this way, we can continuously extract the energy of the star created by the girl. The energy output exceeds the input. This is true creation!”

“Please, stop.” How many times had she repeated this? Perhaps 100,000?

Eventually, Ire clenched her teeth in defiance. This cycle couldn’t continue. She had to shatter this eternal chain.

She dedicated herself to the times when she was normal, training relentlessly to become stronger. She meticulously recorded the locations of significant events and relics, compiling them into a notebook. This notebook, stored in a sanctuary shielded by a star’s protection, was beyond the reach of the Outer Gods.

Over 700,000 regressions, she created 80 volumes of these notes, collectively titled:

<Surviving the Outer Gods>

In each cycle, there was a limit to how much one could strengthen. When the quest time concluded, a forced death ensued. Yet, some memory and strength were retained. Eventually, Ire discovered that dying near the Ether Belt enabled this effect.

In what she anticipated to be her 888,887th and final cycle, Ire ventured into Alcatraz Prison. This planet, influenced by the Ether Belt, weakened the power of the Outer Gods. The quest was absent, and the only change was the slow absorption of the star’s energy.

‘Now I have done everything possible. The rest is to watch the world unfold on its own.’ She relocated all essential relics and delegated opportunities to those she deemed ‘key figures.’ Her only option now was to depend on them.

However, her expectations were wildly misguided from the outset.

Aidel von Reinhardt, the universe’s most contemptible scoundrel who should have perished early, was still alive.

The girl’s emotions, accessed through the calipers’ unique function, concluded there. It felt akin to ‘I’m struggling, pity me.’ Essentially, it was a form of emotional exploitation. Such melodrama was common, and the Outer Gods rejoiced on the misfortunes of others.

“Hmm,” I murmured, stroking my chin thoughtfully. Several questions arose.

First, despite all the regressions, why didn’t she recognize my face? Secondly, if she wasn’t responsible for bringing me into this world, who was?

“Thank you very much, student Aidel. I owe you more than I anticipated.”

For now, the details were inconsequential. I interrupted the guards as they attempted to drag away the fallen girl. “Wait a minute.”

“Why?”

“Can I take her with me?”

“There you go again with your nonsense.”

But I genuinely needed her. I toyed with the ‘Tidy-up’ potion I had received as a reward for resolving the Celestine incident, contemplating her importance. Her mental power was 30,000—a talent absolutely necessary for our laboratory.