Chapter 21
[ Although each transcender has different tastes and ways of liking... We transcenders really like humans. ]
For transcenders, the position of the human species was just that. Beings with intelligence but infinitely weaker than transcenders, yet so cute in appearance and actions that it was enjoyable just to watch them quietly.
From a human perspective, it was like looking at cute animals.
That was why they contacted humans and found them adorable.
Some transcenders approached young geniuses and changed them to their liking.
Some transcenders approached humans they liked and sprinkled food in the name of sponsorship.
Some transcenders enjoyed talking and communicating with those who matched their tastes.
Some humans argued that this was transcenders taming them, that the human species was becoming no different from pets of transcenders, and that people should be wary of transcendent beings, but...
What did it matter?
Transcenders found humans cute, and humans were happy receiving help from transcenders.
And this relationship didn't change even when the first transcender of human origin appeared. No, it might have even intensified.
One day, while transcenders were happily adoring humans…
The first transcender appeared among humans.
The hero who called himself Gilgamesh (𒄑𒉈𒂵𒈩) gradually grew through all sorts of hardships and adversities, finally transcending his species and rising to the position of a transcender, and with his ascension, reached the higher dimension where transcenders resided.
And when the transcenders saw Gilgamesh…
They cheered.
There were various reasons for their frenzy. They would have been happy that the first transcender came from the species they adored, and since transcenders didn't easily come into being, they would have cheered for that as well...
But the biggest reason was appearance.
[ Humans are cute before transcendence, and cute after transcendence. How could we not like humans when they’re like this? ]
Transcendence was something that transformed existence.
A being residing in the 3rd dimension being promoted to the 4th dimension, 5th dimension.
Naturally, everything changed accordingly.
Just as monkeys transformed into humans, it was becoming complete as an individual by surpassing the species.
The human species also became complete as an individual with transcendence, surpassing the limits of the species.
Therefore, transcenders didn't have high expectations, thinking that even if the first transcender of human origin appeared, they would look similar to themselves.
But surprisingly.
Happily, those expectations were betrayed.
Whether due to the uniqueness of the human species, or because of the trigger for transcendence, they transcended while maintaining most of their original form.
After that, humans who transcended through enlightenment, humans who transcended through the soul, and so on appeared from time to time, and they too received plenty of love and affection from other transcenders for maintaining at least a minimum of their original form from when they were human.
This was why transcenders were friendly towards humans.
If humans had looked disgustingly ugly like cockroaches in the eyes of transcenders, there would never have been "contractors" like now.
Humans should be grateful for their cuteness.
"Always saying cute, cute... was... really?"
Lee Serin made a subtle expression after hearing a truth she didn't want to know.
Whether to be happy or disappointed…
She could only look at the demon with an ambiguous face, not knowing what expression to make.
And finally, she chose to change the subject in order to turn her eyes away from the uncomfortable truth.
"So, what do you mean by saying oppa is strange...?"
The demon was contently admiring Lee Serin's cute appearance, but when Jinseong was mentioned, disgust appeared on its face again. The demon hesitated as if pondering how to say this.
[ We transcenders can see karma. ]
"Uh, yeah. I learned at school... It's divided into karma and dharma..."
[ Then do you know exactly what it is? ]
"No... That... They said we could learn it in graduate school... They asked if I was thinking about it..."
[ Graduate school for someone who hasn't even gone to university yet. How dreadful. It would be better not to get close to that demon-like being. ]
The demon advised Lee Serin thus and continued.
[ The way of seeing this karma differs for each transcender. This is like how the senses of each living being are different. Even if looking at the same object, an insect's eye and a human's eye can't be the same, and even if hearing the same thing, a rabbit's ear and a bat's ear can't be the same. ]
"Yeah... I guess so?"
[ Likewise, transcenders see karma in the same way. So even if we see the same thing, the way we understand it is different, and what is witnessed is different, but the essence can be clearly grasped. However, as this is about senses, it's difficult to pass on to others verbally, hence the existence of karma has become unknown to humans. ]
Expressing sensations as they were was truly difficult.
No matter how much you described a bat's ultrasound, you couldn't clearly understand it, and no matter how you explained the view and colors seen by a flying hawk, you couldn't vividly imagine it.
Seeing and feeling karma was also difficult to express and explain, and even if explained, it was often not understood.
That was why the demon enjoyed using analogies to explain to its contractor.
It was the easiest to understand and didn't have difficulties in speaking.
The only drawback was that it could be misdelivered because it was an analogy.
[ To use an analogy, karma is your external form and internal form. Soul and body are the womb that forms you, your beginning and framework. The mind is the pillar and nail that fixes it. And karma can be said to be everything else that forms the external and internal form. ]
"It's difficult..."
[ It would be. Understanding something lacking is difficult even for geniuses. ]
The demon spoke as if it hadn't expected Lee Serin to understand from the beginning. Lee Serin was about to get slightly angry when it looked at her like a slow child, but she could only look at the demon with a strange face again at what the demon said next.
[ To use the kitten analogy I mentioned earlier... Yes. My contractor, lacking a bit in comprehension but good in imagination. Imagine. Close your eyes and picture it. You could be said to be a black cat with curious, bright eyes. My crest is engraved on your chest, and your back is full of surgical tools. On top of that, you're wearing jeweled accessories all over your body, making you sparkle. ]
"That sounds cute...?"
[ Indeed. ]
Lee Serin imagined the appearance as the demon said and ended up understanding the demon's explanation so far.
If a kitten like that was right in front of her, she was confident she would adore it with all her might.
[ Here, the species and genes of the cat are the body and soul, and its personality is the mind. And everything else. The flesh, fat, organs, muscles, brain, eyes, fur that make up the cat. The crest engraved on the chest, the accessories and tools worn on the body are karma. However, this is not an accurate explanation, so you should just understand it roughly like this. ]
To fully understand this, one must look from a transcender's perspective.
The demon said so and looked at Lee Serin.
[ And this is why transcenders don't like sorcerers. ]
"Ah, come to think of it... They said only three sorcerers in history have become contractors...?"
[ Even that was due to transcenders with peculiar tastes. ]
"At school, that was all they said..."
[ They would. ]
The demon tapped the floor with its silver hoof and said.
[ No matter what ability humans acquire, there isn't much difference in their essence. As I said earlier, if it's a martial artist, it's just a cat holding a sword, if it's a mage, it's just a cat using magic. Even summoners who interact with summoned creatures only change the cat's smell and habits, so their cuteness is maintained. ]
"Cats..."
[ But sorcery is so strange that... Some of them affect things other than karma. ]
Karma was a trajectory and a trace.
But just as a trajectory couldn’t stop moving and be destroyed, and a trace couldn’t affect its owner, the essence didn't change no matter how much karma accumulated and changed its appearance.
However, some sorceries even changed the essence.
This often appeared ugly or bizarre to transcenders.
[ I used the kitten analogy earlier, so I'll use the kitten analogy for this too. ]
A kitten with wings.
A kitten with horns on its head.
A kitten carrying a turtle shell on its back.
A kitten with no legs, crawling like a snake.
[ It's fortunate if it still looks like a kitten. In severe cases, there are examples of turning into tigers, lions, leopards, or even becoming golem cats. How could we like sorcerers when they’re like this? ]
"But I haven't heard stories of contractors and transcendent beings... ostracizing sorcerers..."
[ Of course. They're different, not wrong. Even if their appearance has changed, they have their own cuteness. Even if it doesn't match one's taste, there's no reason to ostracize them. ]
The demon paused briefly and continued.
[ But... Your brother is not just different... He's close to being wrong. ]
Wrong?
Not different, but wrong?
Serin felt a bit uneasy at the demon's words.
According to what the demon explained earlier, didn't it say that sorcerers changed the essence of their appearance?
But if it was looking at the form of the essence and describing it as 'wrong', maybe there was a serious problem with Jinseong's body.
[ I'll tell you a story. ]
"Uh, okay..."
[ Let's assume you're an ordinary person. You were walking down the street and saw an ordinary man passing by you. The man's attire was ordinary, and his face was also a plain face that could be seen anywhere. His height and build was nothing special, neither small nor large. Even if you look closely, everything is ordinary. Then, my contractor, would you feel anything strange about that man? ]
"Ah, no. There's no way..."
[ After that, you saw that man again on the other side of a long crosswalk in the middle of the night. The man, looking exactly the same as when you first saw him, still looks ordinary even upon closer inspection. His height is the same as before, his build is the same as before. Nothing has changed from the first time. Now, did you feel anything strange? ]
"No."
[ After that, you saw that man once again. The man standing at the edge of the horizon far away is exactly as you saw him. He's standing there with the ordinary appearance you might have encountered two or three times on the street. Even if you look carefully, there's nothing strange. ]
"It doesn't seem like there's anything strange...?"
The demon smiled.
[ Then I ask you. Contractor, my contractor. ]
Someone whose appearance never changed no matter when you saw them.
Someone whose appearance could be clearly seen regardless of distance.
Someone whose appearance could ignore darkness and be recognized as if in broad daylight.
Could ignore perspective.
Someone who could stand on the horizon without any problem.
[ Can you call that human? ]