"First of all, you don’t know me. I don’t know you either, and the fact that we met here must never be discovered by anyone.”

"I get that much."

If Great Void somehow found out about this cooperation of convenience, he would act immediately.

So that rule made sense.

However, I couldn’t quite understand why Heavenly Balance was extending her empty hand instead of the one holding the dagger.

"I need funds.”

"...Money?"

What was this? A robbery?

No, more importantly, she definitely was an Upper Tier member of Scarlet Abyss. Shouldn’t she be overflowing with money?

"What kind of nonsense is that? I’m just a powerless shrine maiden. Whether I want to or not, all I can do is glimpse the future. Beyond that, I’m incompetent.”

"Then what was that thing just now that almost killed me?”

"If I hadn’t wounded the Rootless One beyond what Great Void permits, perhaps it would’ve been possible. But now that even the Lower Tiers of Scarlet Abyss have all been absorbed by Great Void, I have no forces left to mobilize. I’ll have to use money to employ ordinary people instead.”

That made some sense at least. Money wasn’t something lacking on my end, so I opened my workshop and handed her a pouch filled to the brim. Heavenly Balance took only a small portion of it into her sleeve and nodded.

"Good. Now return to the Empire and bring back everything I'm about to tell you. Not a single item must be missing. Actually, let me write it down.”

"Hmm..."

I frowned as I read the parchment she handed me.

"...This is what you’re going to use to make me descend deeper?”

"More precisely, it’s needed for a ritual. And I’ll say it again. Everything on this list is required. Not a single thing can be missing.”

"Alright. It’s not that difficult anyway.”

"Return within three days. I’ll prepare things on my end as well.”

With that, Heavenly Balance disappeared somewhere into the mountains. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

I watched her leave for a moment, then turned and kicked Sunken Mire, who was still fast asleep.

"Get up. We’re heading back.”

"...Hmm…Huh? Wh-what time is it?”

"Can’t you tell by looking at the sky? The sun’s about to set.”

"Oh yeah…Ah, did you meet Lady Heavenly Balance?”

"No. I didn’t see her."

"I-I wasn’t lying, okay?! This really is the place…”

Worried I might think she lied, she hurriedly tried to defend herself. I simply tossed her back into the workshop and rode back to the Empire.

As soon as I arrived, I went to find Dercia.

"...Jern. Where have you been?”

“Just went out for a walk. Wait, what happened to you?”

Dercia looked utterly exhausted.

She always looked somewhat tired, but this was far worse. Like someone who hadn’t eaten or slept for a month.

Frowning, I stepped closer and waved my hand in front of her face.

"Can you even see me right now? What happened to you?”

"I was conducting a small experiment on what would happen if someone actually reached the Heavenly Realm. My condition is fine, so there’s no need to worry.”

The fact that her gaze wasn’t even following my fingers made that sound far from convincing.

She’d probably manage somehow, but seeing her immediately bury her face into the desk and start writing something frantically made it clear that if I didn’t act quickly, something bad would happen.

I guess I should go back sooner than three days. Taking advantage of Dercia being out of it, I went into her lab and moved the World-Sealing Elixirs she had been researching into my workshop.

"I’ll borrow these for a bit. Get some rest while you’re at it.”

"Yeah..."

As if. She definitely wouldn’t.

Aside from the World-Sealing Elixirs, the other materials were all mundane things you could find anywhere. Salt, live fish, and clean bandages. It looked more like ingredients for cooking than anything else.

Even if I trusted Heavenly Balance’s words, I couldn’t help but feel suspicious while gathering them.

'What is this? Preparations for some kind of barbecue party…?'

What could she possibly do with this?

Still, I had no better options, so I gathered everything and immediately set off for the mountain where Heavenly Balance had been. This time alone, without Sunken Mire.

There was no need to be cautious anymore, so I moved much faster and reached the mountain in just two days.

Just as I was about to set up a tent to camp for the night, I noticed smoke rising from midway up the mountain.

A sign of people. There hadn’t been anyone here before.

Using my Tide Sense to check, I discovered a strange lake that hadn’t existed previously and hurried toward it.

"...What is this?”

"You’re early."

A crystal-clear lake, so transparent you could see straight through it.

It wasn’t very deep. Just about 3 meters.

Heavenly Balance stood beside it, looking down at the water with a sigh.

"I had people fill an existing pit with water. Paying four times the usual rate works wonders, you know? They managed to fill that massive pit this quickly.”

"If it’s just filling it with water, I could’ve done that with magic.”

"That won’t do. It has to be naturally formed water.”

With that, Heavenly Balance turned toward me and held out her hand.

"Bring out what you prepared. I’ll set up the conditions."

"I brought everything, but…what is this all for?”

Without hesitation, Heavenly Balance dumped a sack of salt straight into the lake and replied casually.

"Haven’t you seen it before? The things we did to produce the Grand Sea.”

"...Ah.”

Come to think of it, these people used to down mages in saltwater.

But ever since I appeared, that method had become redundant.

Heavenly Balance released the salt and fish into the water as she explained.

"Fallen break only when the stimulation intensifies. Just like how, when you suffer extreme pressure in the Abyssal Sea, you descend to deeper depths.”

"Then wouldn’t it be enough if I just increased the pressure on myself…?”

"That won’t do, since you have a way out.”

"...”

"As long as you can escape back to this world at any time, it’s meaningless. To drag your fully formed system deeper, both inside and outside must become the same environment.”

Only then did I understand what Heavenly Balance was trying to do.

She was—trying to drown me.

"Erm…Just to be clear, I don’t actually need to breathe.”

"I know. That’s why we need to use several other factors.”

Heavenly Balance pulled out a dagger and placed the blade against my wrist.

"Will you cut it yourself, or should I do it?”

"...What is this for?”

"That lake—this artificially created Abyssal Sea of the real world—must also have enough burdens to kill you. Blood loss will serve as a sufficient burden.”

"..."

It was a rational choice. So I gritted my teeth and lightly cut my wrist.

I didn’t slash it deeply enough for blood to gush out wildly. Just enough that, if I entered warm water like this, I’d bleed out within 30 minutes.

"What’s my objective?”

"Good, you’re not panicking.”

Even as blood dripped down steadily, I asked about the goal.

"There is none."

"...What?"

"You must enter the Abyssal Sea with every possible means of escape removed. That is the objective.”

What she meant was that I wasn’t allowed to bring anything from this world as a safety net to escape the Abyssal Sea.

I frowned immediately and refused.

"I don’t understand at all. Then I’ll just die.”

"Which means your goal is to come back alive.”

"How am I supposed to return if there’s no way out?”

"That’s for you to figure out.”

"No, what I’m saying is…”

Suddenly, Heavenly Balance cut me off, grabbed my shoulders, and spoke firmly.

"Go as deep as you possibly can.”

"And what does that change?”

"You’ll either reach the bottom and return or fail to reach it and die.”

In other words…

she was telling me to fall into the Abyssal Sea right now and become an Outer God.

"This is way too sudden. Don’t I need time to prepare or something?”

"In a situation where everything is already over, do you really think you have the luxury of time?”

"..."

"If you want, you can go back.”

Heavenly Balance handed me a bandage.

"There can be no tricks, no assistance in this method. Even if 10 years pass, you’d have to attempt it the exact same way under the same conditions. I merely presented it to you a bit earlier. If you don’t like it, then so be it.”

I thought for a few minutes. Then, frowning, I threw the bandages aside.

"If it works, it works. If I reach the bottom, I can come back, right?”

"Probably."

"?"

"I mean, I’m not sure.”

Right until the very end, she refused to say anything reassuring.

Letting out a sigh, I stepped into the lake she had turned into an imitation Abyssal Sea while still bleeding.

Behind me, Heavenly Balance crossed her arms and watched, then spoke.

"Still, I’ll tell you one thing that might give you some strength.”

"What?"

"Even if you die down there, if you last long enough, it won’t be just your end.”

"...Why?"

"Because the Outer Gods will use you as a medium to break into the real world and kill everyone, including me.”

"I genuinely don’t understand how that’s supposed to be encouraging.”

"It means you won’t be the only one dying. And it might delay Great Void’s plan as well.”

"..."

If her intention was to make sure I didn’t die easily, then it worked.

I let out a deep sigh and threw myself into the lake.

*t*t*

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the Abyssal Sea.

"..."

It was a familiar sight, but something was different.

I raised my right hand.

The air bubble that would’ve been there was gone.

As if to tell me there was no way out anymore.

'If this is a trap, then I really won’t be able to go back...'

Letting out a sigh, I summoned a current.

It was something I always did upon entering the Abyssal Sea. A human instinct to move and assess my surroundings.

But the current didn’t respond.

"?"

No, to be precise—it did move but slowly.

It felt heavy and sluggish. As if I were moving oil instead of water.

As I began swimming at an unbearably slow pace, I tilted my head at the strange phenomenon, then realized something and spread my Tide Sense.

"??"

At most 3 meters.

I could only see about the same distance as the lake I had fallen into.

Swallowing a curse, I tested my pressure, currents, and Tide Sense several times and arrived at a grim conclusion.

"I’m screwed.”

All the abilities that had kept me alive in the Abyssal Sea…

...had been reduced to about 1% of their original strength.