After Returning, My Abilities are Infinite
After Returning, My Abilities are Infinite - Chapter 93

Episode 93. The Five Disasters (1)

-Five Disasters will occur in this world.

Everyone laughed at first, calling me ludicrous. There was no credibility to the faceless words recited by a machine-made, mechanical voice.

Not many people in the world cared about a voice recording that username -The Great Sage- posted on an anonymous internet forum.

-First, Explosion. The man-made beast’s chain will be loosened. The child who hates humanity will devour the world of concrete and those consumed by evil.

Yes, even when Sung Hyun-woo appeared, people did not connect the Great Sage’s warning with the situation. Some people thought it strange but considered it a coincidence.

The Disaster Sung Hyun-woo did not harm civilians much, and it was not the first time villains had wreaked havoc.

-Second, Flood. Three Waves will sweep humans away. Swarms of monsters will devour the land and humans.

It was only after the Second Disaster that people began to take notice.

Predicting the number of Waves and the appearance of a child villain; many people began to wonder whether the Great Sage was really warning humankind.

Some thought the Great Sage had Awakened the ability to see the future, and some thought that the Great Sage was the mastermind behind the Disasters.

-Third, Regret. A woman trapped in her past realizes that she cannot go back and attempts to turn the present into the past. Countless people will die, and humankind will perish in the end.

Starting with the Third Disaster, governments around the world began to pay attention. The Great Sage’s words were no longer mere pranks. Numerous Analysts rushed to tear apart every word and worked overnight to figure out any underlying messages.

Soon after, Seol Ah-rin appeared, and only then did people realize that the Great Sage’s words were true.

-Fourth, Hometown…….

And by the Fourth Disaster…….

Brrr.

“…Hmm?”

I was lost in thought when my cell phone rang in my pocket.

[Here is the information you requested. ID: Great Sage. I couldn’t figure out the Great Sage’s identity, but I was able to specify the residence.….]

It contained the address of the Great Sage, which I could not find out in the past no matter how hard I tried. But it was possible now because the Great Sage had not yet received anyone’s attention.

I laughed lightly as I read the address.

“I wish I could at least see your face this time.”

It was interesting just to think about meeting a special individual I knew nothing about.

* * *

“…Is this really the right way?”

The address on the cell phone was a remote corner of the countryside. The road was not paved properly, making it difficult for cars to pass. Which was why I was walking on a bumpy road, staring at my cell phone, for over half an hour.

‘I don’t know the Great Sage’s name or face… This is hopeless.’

I couldn’t help but complain. The only way to find the Great Sage was to access each person’s information to find any clues.

‘Maybe I should have brought Hyun-woo.’

He’s good at finding people. If he had been here, he would have found the Great Sage in no time without having to go through so much trouble.

“No.”

I shook my head at the thought. The person I was looking for had prophesied all Five Disasters. What would happen if I brought along Sung Hyun-woo, who was the First Disaster? There was no telling. And you weren’t supposed to attempt things if you couldn’t expect the results.

“I’ll just go through more trouble. More trouble.”

When is this uphill road going to end? I was walking upwards all day, but there was still more left to climb. Sighing, I kept walking until I saw a few old, bent men.

“Oh, may I ask for directions?”

The elderly men looked at me.

“…I haven’t seen an outsider in a long time.”

“Oh, yes. I have some business in the village nearby. Which way should I go from here?”

“The village?”

The old men had been smiling gently, but their faces changed as soon as I brought up the word village.

“Where did you hear this?”

“Pardon me?”

“Haven’t you come to meet the Sage?”

“……?”

What’s going on here? I looked at their stiff faces and nodded. It was true that I came to see the Great Sage, and if they knew the Great Sage, there was no need to lie.

“Follow me. The Sage said that a visitor would come in a week, but I didn’t expect you to come so soon.”

One of the elderly men rose from his seat.

‘What is this?’

Is the Great Sage already becoming known to people? No. I had never heard the name since I came back in time, nor had I seen any of the Sage’s followers. So who were these old men?

“Wait! I’m coming. “

I said, following the old man who was already walking far ahead. Although he heard me, he did not look back once and continued to walk silently.

I looked at him and blurted out.

“Do you know the Great Sage?”

“Of course I do. Everyone around here knows the Great Sage.”

“…But why is the Sage unknown? As far as I know, it wouldn’t be strange if the entire world knew the Sage, not just this countryside.”

“I don’t know. Others once asked the Sage why he didn’t show off his greatness. And every time, this was how the Sage replied.”

The old man smiled faintly. It was a respectful smile.

“I don’t need fame. My name was originally meant to be known widely, but someone prevented the tragedies that were meant to happen. Thus, my words have become meaningless.”

“…….”

“I’m satisfied with that. I hope for people to live and be happy more than for them to know my name. They can forget me. As long as the Disasters that bring about destruction disappear without achieving their purpose, I am satisfied.”

The old man continued to speak, accompanied by his feeble footsteps. The more I heard him speak, the more questions I had about the Great Sage.

Who was this person? Was the Sage really someone who had Awakened the ability to see the future? Or… had he come back in time like me?

I don’t know. No matter how much I thought about it, I just became confused. It wasn’t my specialty to speculate about an individual when I lacked so much information. I was best at finding the smallest piece of information and starting from there, breaking up and tearing apart my opponent. This was not enough.

“…Up ahead, once you reach the top of the hill, the road will go downhill. Then you will find the village.”

“Oh, yes. Thank you. So which house belongs to the Great Sage…?”

“There’s only one house in the village because he’s the only one who lives there.”

“Oh… okay.”

I didn’t think I’d be getting any more information from this old man.

In situations like this, it was better to gather information myself rather than ask around.

[…I sense bad energy.]

The Traveler murmured in the back.

* * *

As the old man said, once I climbed another hill, the road went downhill.

“Is that it?”

I could see something at the end of the road. But it was a bit different from what I heard. The old man had said there was only one house, but there were at least dozens of shacks.

Smoke was also rising here and there. It was obviously a village where people lived.

“But he said that only one person lives here. That there was only one house. “

It was too late to go back to the old man now and argue with him. I sighed heavily and walked slowly along the road. I suppose I just have to labor some more.

[The old man did not lie.]

But while I was thinking, the Traveler spoke.

[Only one person actually lives here, and there is only one house.]

“…What?”

[Do not dwell on what you see. The person you seek is not someone you can deal with that way.]

“What do you mean?”

Don’t dwell on what you see? I couldn’t tell what the Traveler meant.

My analysis basically begins with seeing. I don’t miss a single tiny clue, and I figure out how every small detail connects with one another to reconstruct information about the target. But what the Traveler was saying was the exact opposite of the analysis I had done so far.

[Up until now, you’ve been relying on your senses when dealing with someone. Of course, it’s an excellent method. But it doesn’t suit the current situation.]

“……”

[The Sage is not a person. Well, to be exact, you may think of the Sage as a species similar to me. The senses humans are born with cannot recognize this entity.]

“The Sage is not a person?”

[Yes. You cannot tell them apart by their looks or smell. Fortunately, you have an ability that is superior to your five senses, don’t you?]

I neared the village. No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t see the village in its true form. I even wondered if the Traveler was playing a joke on me.

[The Akashic Records can see through mortals and gods. It is an assembly of truths that seeks to explore everything. The user of the Records should not be caught up in such a clumsy barrier.]

“……!”

[Don’t look with the eyes of your body made of blood and flesh, but with your inner eyes that hold the essence of the world. That way, no one can escape your gaze.]

I closed my eyes slowly, bewitched by the Traveler’s words. And I slowly imagined the view in front of me. I focused on the essence, erasing the blowing wind, the smell, and the sounds.

I couldn’t see anything at first. There was only a black landscape covered by my eyelids.

[The ‘Akashic Records’ are evolving.]

But something inside me began to paint on the black landscape. The numerous shanty houses disappeared, and a huge mansion appeared.

The sky is sprinkled with blue, and the sun rises. The touch of wind blowing, the smell of grass, and the sound of birds were born again.

The senses that I had erased came back, and what I saw when I opened my eyes again was a completely different sight than before.

[Hahahaha! I knew you could do it in one try. You are better than anyone I’ve ever seen. At this rate……!]

The Traveler laughed loudly and rejoiced. I was looking at the new sight before my eyes rather than pay attention to him. The mansion was not the only thing that had newly appeared.

“You’ve come. I was waiting for you.”

An individual was standing in front of the mansion, looking at me. The individual looked younger than Sung Hyun-woo and looked both like a boy and a girl. There was no need to access information. I could tell instinctively.

“Come in, immature user of the Akashic Records.”

That this was the Great Sage.

“And I’d like the King in the back to join us.”

But the Sage suddenly said something strange. I looked behind me and found no one. King? Who was the Sage talking about? Various thoughts collided in my head.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

That moment, I heard one word that answered my question.

“I suppose you are called the Traveler here?”