There’s a saying. Once is a coincidence. Twice is fate. Three times is inevitability. Even if everything is attributed to mere coincidences, it would be taken for something more.
The same goes for Xenon’s Biography. The contamination of the World Tree’s roots, signs of devil summoning, and finally, the reapers of Helium.
Not just once or twice, but three times in a row, events similar to Xenon’s Biography have occurred, leaving me speechless. Even the ‘Reaper’ of Helium had similarities to the ‘Demon Hunters’ in Xenon’s Biography.
The special forces barely known by even the high nobility of Helium. They are the strong ones who primarily carry out missions to assassinate their fellow kin turned devils, delving deeper into the dark mana until they are at risk of transforming into devils themselves.
If you were to only look at this, there was hardly any difference from the demon hunters in Xenon’s Biography.
[The Reaper had been waiting for an opportunity to come out into the open. Numerous chances fell through, but this incident solidified their determination.]
[It proves that Xenon’s Biography is not just a simple novel but a prophecy. Traces of the contamination of the World Tree’s roots and devil summoning, and finally, the secret organization of Helium.]
[The first may just be a simple coincidence, but the third one is inevitability. The same goes for Helium’s Reaper.]
[What is their first move? And how powerful are their abilities? Their future is worth paying attention to…]
As seen in the news, it seems that Helium has been vigorously promoting the expansion of Reaper’s influence. Since the recognition of demons has risen sharply, they couldn’t find a reason to hide the existence of the reaper anymore.
Coincidentally, Xenon’s Biography started to be treated as a prophecy, and the Helium’s king decided it was the right time to introduce the Reaper to the public.
Initially, everyone was naturally surprised, but coincidentally, there was a similar secret organization in Xenon’s Biography, so they just moved on with an “as expected” reaction. As a result, there was an increase in people reading Xenon’s Biography.
So what should I do? My mind was becoming increasingly muddled, to the point where I was on the verge of escaping.
I’m not sure how the situation ended up like this, but there’s one thing that is certain.
‘If anything stranger happens, I’m truly fucked.’
I’m already in a bad situation. It’s only a matter of time before I’m labeled as a prophet or a regressor when I face the fourth consecutive defeat, surpassing the third consecutive hit or the third consecutive failure.
Even if I clarify my position through a letter of explanation, no one will believe me, so I’m at a loss in many ways.
How can I calm down this situation? I covered the newspaper carefully, feeling dizzy as if I had hit my head with a hammer. The situation was so overwhelming and suffocating that I couldn’t even muster the strength to say anything.
‘From the very end of Volume 14, the beastman part starts…’
In Volume 14, Alvenheim is occupied by demons, and the World Tree becomes the nourishment for Diablo, ensuring a fierce struggle. In it, there is a scene where the elven hero and the dark elven hero charge into the corrupted World Tree with one heart and one mind.
However, the World Tree has already fallen into Diablo’s hands, creating an irreversible situation, and the resurrection of Diablo, utilizing the World Tree as nourishment, is imminent. In the end, the two heroes choose to self-destruct using the immense mana of the World Tree. For the land chosen directly by the gods, Alvenheim. This scene will briefly reveal the passion of both the elves and the dark elves.
‘To completely annihilate that massive World Tree… It would require an unimaginably large explosion. Ordinary magic wouldn’t be enough.’
Here, the elves and the dark elves truly become one. The elves manipulate the “light” energy conveyed by Luminous, while the dark elves handle the “darkness” energy bestowed by Mora. Perhaps you can grasp the general idea.
If you forcefully combine opposing energies, a great counterforce will be generated. It’s one of the clichés often employed in reincarnation stories.
The two heroes gather their strengths to completely shatter the World Tree that has become the nourishment for the Great Devil, preparing for a massive explosion. The devils attempt to stop them sensing the crisis, but all their attempts are futile.
Finally, the two heroes shout the magnificent line, “For Alvenheim!” and rush towards the World Tree. Afterward, the world tree that has sustained for 3000 years appears engulfed in a massive explosion, concluding the scene.
Thanks to the solemn sacrifice of the two heroes, the resurrection of the Great Devil is narrowly averted, but Alvenheim remains under the occupation of the devils. Xenon and the successors of the heroes manage to escape with the remaining elves without time for mourning.
Subsequently, Xenon and his party barely manage to calm down the confrontations between the elves and dark elves at the dark elf city and begin gathering allies in preparation for future war. Humans, demons, and dwarves willingly lend their support due to their familiarity with Xenon’s reputation, but the problem lies with the beastmen.
The beastmen in Xenon’s Biography will have little difference from reality, such as the sacred duel or the various ethnicities.
Furthermore, the relationship between humans and beastmen in Xenon’s Biography is not just as bad as in reality, it is even worse. The reason why the prince of the beastmen became consumed by “Anger” is deeply connected to humans.
‘No way. There can’t be anyone in Animers with circumstances similar to Satan, right?’
Satan’s situation is not as simple as Lilith’s and was entangled with somewhat complicated circumstances. If he were an ordinary person, he would have long ago committed suicide due to the burden of the circumstances.
To explain who Satan is, he is the chief of a tribe and also the general of the beastmen, having the authority over them. The position of a general is similar to the elven warrior commander.
In reality, in Animers, there are often cases where tribal chiefs also assume the role of generals. If someone is a chief of a tribe, it means they are strong, so naturally, they take charge of the military. However, it doesn’t mean that every chief necessarily holds the rank of a general. This was emphasized by Leona.
Anyway, Satan served as a general for decades, protecting Mad, Xenon’s Biography’s version of Animers. But as a result, his enemies also multiplied. Due to this, those who held grudges against him killed Satan’s wife and children.
Even up to this point, it would bring great pain and sadness to him, but it didn’t end there. Devastated by grief, Satan stepped down from the chief’s position and, following the suggestion of the Great Chief, focused on training the military, but…
Even this ended tragically. While he was briefly absent, his own tribe was attacked by humans and completely annihilated.
The mastermind behind all these events was none other than the Great Chief, who had established connections with humans. The Great Chief was swayed by the treacherous humans and made a decision that should never have been made.
Naturally, Satan, furious to the point of exploding, challenged the Great Chief to a sacred duel, but what he received in return was a devastating defeat. The Great Chief was not wise, but in terms of power, he was one step above Satan.
After being betrayed by his homeland, Satan wandered for several decades before aligning himself with the devil side once again and once more challenging the Great Chief to a sacred duel.
The result?
Satan swiftly and cleanly severed the Great Chief’s neck. With the loss of the Great Chief, Mad fell into great chaos, and Satan, having achieved satisfying revenge, returned to the devil’s base.
Since then, Satan’s younger brother, who can be considered the main protagonist from the beastmen side, leads the story.
‘Surely, it won’t be exactly the same, right?’
Lilith’s was a highly personal matter, but in the case of Satan, it was an event that would turn the entire country upside down. While humans were accustomed to dirty political fights, it would be a staggering event for the beastmen.
Furthermore, I plan to unfold stories for each of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Seven Deadly Sins will vividly showcase the flaws of each race. Especially, Greed has the setting of a dwarf king who was expelled due to his tremendous avarice.
‘Anyway, the beastmen part will continue until Volume 16, so it should be fine…’
I pondered while lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. In the current situation, there was virtually nothing I could do.
Perhaps it would be better to just give up and focus on writing. I’ve said multiple times that I am not a prophet or a regressor, regardless of whether they treat me as one. If they were disappointed instead, it would be an opportunity to turn the situation around.
‘But couldn’t they just ask the gods directly? They would immediately say no.’
Although I am a reincarnator, I am definitely not a prophet or a regressor, so the gods should be able to provide a definite answer. However, there wasn’t a single story about that in the news.
Instead, a strange phenomenon has occurred where there was no response even when asking the gods. It was indeed difficult to converse with the gods, but the clergy isn’t stupid, and they must know how to communicate with them.
Moreover, if I were to lie, I would receive a “divine punishment,” so there is a high probability that the content published in the news is true.
‘Why is there no response?’
Please, spare me. What will I do if something strange comes up again? I let out a deep sigh and slowly got up from the bed. If I’m going to indulge in such whimsical thoughts, it would be much better to read a book instead.
With my current state of mind, it felt burdensome to even write anything. I think I should start writing when the situation calms down a bit.
‘But is there anything else to come out here? It feels like everything has already happened.’
The contamination of the World Tree, signs of a devil summoning, and finally, the Reaper. I think everything that should come out has already come out, but what else could come out from here?
‘…Oh, right.’
There was a steam locomotive. An invention created by a dwarf who inherited the will of their master, with great determination.
‘But that’s prophecy and legends. With current technology, we would never be able to create it.’
The steam locomotive is a machine that was invented during the Industrial Revolution. Although this world appeared to have a medieval lifestyle due to the existence of magic, there were things that even magic couldn’t accomplish, and one of them is machinery.
In the first place, in this world, there was hardly any concept of engineering, let alone machines. So, even if I wasn’t certain about other things, I expected that the invention of the steam locomotive would take at least a few hundred years.
‘If it is invented…’
Not only steam locomotives but also steamships, steam cars, power plants, ships, and countless other inventions will pour out. And if, after the completion of Xenon’s Biography, a sequel about World War II came out? Wouldn’t scientific advancements in this world explode?
As I thought about it, I felt slightly afraid. It feels like I’m abnormally pushing the civilization of this world forward for no reason.
‘…Should I visit the temple later?’
It seems like I should. I focused on reading, trying to calm my uneasy heart.
*****
Masters of craftsmanship and invention, Dwarves are a race that inherently enjoys creating things. As a result, they often establish settlements near mines, and the Dwarven nation, Makina, had a city built near a vast mine as well.
Makina, the Dwarven nation, was the major trading hub for weapon commerce, and many people visited it to purchase Dwarven weapons. While the prices could be high when distributed through other channels, if one were to visit Makina directly, the prices were surprisingly affordable.
The reason behind this was that even roughly crafted Dwarven swords exhibit excellent performance that can be considered top-notch by other races. The Dwarves themselves were well aware of this, so they set high prices for meticulously crafted weapons.
However, this led to a drawback, which was “greed.” Regardless of the cost, commercial transactions related to weapons were enormous. Especially in a world where “monsters” existed, the demand for weapons naturally was always high.
As a result, Dwarven weapons, known for their outstanding performance, have become a top priority, and the number of individuals entering into contracts naturally increased. The pinnacle of this trend was the racial war that took place 300 years ago.
Humans, in their efforts to narrow the gap with Elves, indiscriminately purchased Dwarven weapons, and the Dwarves reaped enormous profits as a result.
Eventually, due to them getting a taste of money, Dwarves began producing only what was commonly referred to as mass-produced weapons, and their creative abilities regressed. Why bother with innovation when they can charge exorbitant prices for any weapon they create for humans?
Even if there were any creativity left, it would only be focused on weapons, neglecting everything else. In the past, they gave birth to inventions like refrigerators and air conditioners, but after the racial war, Dwarves fell victim to their greed.
Those who lived contentedly in reality could be seen as having lost their ability to create something.
Bang!
“Oh! These days, young people! They lack determination, determination! Has it been less than a year and they’re giving up on everything?!”
A man with a typical rugged dwarf beard and stout limbs pounded the table with his fist, letting out a loud roar. In his hand was a beer glass, and his face already showed signs of intoxication, as if he had been drinking excessively.
Another dwarf, watching this unfold, chuckled and spoke up. His face was also flushed from the alcohol.
“Einse, my friend. No matter how hard we try, some things just can’t be achieved. No matter how much that book may be a prophecy or whatever, our current abilities are far from sufficient.”
“Yeah, yeah. If we could have made it, we would have done it a long time ago.”
“Hey…”
When the dwarves didn’t show any support and instead laughed at him, the dwarf known as Einse gnashed his teeth in frustration. However, he soon let out a sigh and mumbled with a disheartened voice.
“Is it really impossible…”
For several months, he had been striving to invent the “steam locomotive” depicted in Xenon’s Biography. But there had been no progress, he was stuck in the same place. He had a rough idea of how the steam locomotive from the story worked, but that was it. He couldn’t engage in any creative endeavors.
Until now, he only knew how to create weapons from ore, including iron, because, after the racial war, creativity had declined. Furthermore, the abundant workforce had all vanished.
In the end, there was only one person left, Einse. Somehow, he found himself in a situation where he had to invent a steam locomotive alone, just like in a book, but he didn’t care.
After the racial war, the long-lost creative desire had resurfaced. It was the driving force that reignited his passion, which had been trapped in greed.
“Stop it and have a beer. Tomorrow, go to the mine and collect marble. You can earn more money than just obsessing over a black piece of rock.”
“No, in the book, they operated steam locomotives with that coal. There must be an answer here.”
“Ha, stubborn as always… Do as you please. We’ll go to the mine tomorrow. We’ll give you all those rocks, so do whatever you want.”
“Why are you so fixated on strange things… Tsk, tsk.”
Amidst the laughter of his friends, Einse felt even more pathetic. Was that eccentric dwarf in the book feeling the same way?
However, only one year had passed. Just one year. Dwarves boasted a lifespan of over 300 years, not as long as elves or demons, but still considerable. So, one year was a short time for a dwarf.
Ignoring their laughter, Einse gulped down the beer without backing down. Progress hadn’t been made yet, but he couldn’t give up.
After emptying all the beer, he opened his mouth.
“Argh… Fine. Going to the mine? Let’s go together. It’ll help clear my head a bit.”
“That’s a good idea. By the way, we’re heading to the Hux District, so make sure to pack your equipment properly.”
“Hux District? Where’s that?”
“What? You didn’t know?”
The dwarf made a perplexed expression in response to Einse’s question. He remembered Einse that he had recently only crafted equipment without going to the mine.
“The Hux District has been one of the active mines since the racial wars up until now. However, due to continuous digging and excavating, it has become incredibly deep. Maybe because of that, high-quality ores and magic stones are frequently found there.”
“Is that so? It’s the first time I’ve heard about it.”
“But if you want to go there, don’t you need to bring those with you? It’s just unnecessarily consuming a lot of magic stones.”
“Ah, darn it. You’re right. I’ll end up wasting valuable magic stones for nothing.”
“What the heck is that?”
In recent decades, Einse hadn’t been to the mines, so he couldn’t follow their stories. He had been too occupied with assisting his father’s work to pay attention to other matters.
In response, the dwarf with a black beard took a sip of his beer and explained in his distinctive, gruff voice.
“That’s the thing. Due to geological factors or whatever, if you keep digging, water keeps flooding in. We dwarves have short arms and legs, so it’s difficult for us to manually remove all the water. That’s why, reluctantly, we created a machine 80 years ago.”
“The problem is that the darn machine consumes several times more magic stones than the amount we mine. It’s filthy and inefficient, but we have no choice but to use it. It’s just heartbreaking to be born as a dwarf in times like these.”
Einse reacted curiously upon hearing the story.
“What principle is used to pump the water? Considering the need for magic stones, it doesn’t seem ordinary.”
“It’s nothing special. So, let me explain…”
The dwarf with a black beard explained each detail as if it were really nothing. Einse was initially uninterested, but as he listened to the explanations, his eyes gradually began to shine.
And when the dwarf’s explanation finally ended…
“Well, show it to me quickly!”
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
“Forget it, just show it quickly! It seems like it’ll work if I just change it lightly over there!”
With a voice full of excitement, Einse shouted as if he had discovered a treasure.
Several days passed from that moment.
[From the Dwarven Kingdom of Makina. Invention of the “Steam Engine” from Xenon’s Biography!]
[It’s not a steam engine, but a machine powered by magic stones, so it should be called a “Mana Engine”…]
[Einse: It should have been invented earlier. I realized that the dwarves lack creative ability. Dwarves should not settle for reality but strive for greater creations…]
[What remains now is the invention of a mana-powered locomotive using the mana engine. With the progress made so far, all that’s left is to make it run. As attention focuses on the invention of the mana engine worldwide, interest in the steam locomotive from Xenon’s Biography also grows…]
“… …”
Fuck.
