When Anon got close to the Wall, he looked like an ant compared to it.
He looked up and said, "What the!.. This is so high!"
His jaw dropped in shock.
Then a machine-like face appeared on the wall and spoke:
> [Traveler! What is your goal?]
Anon was shocked and slipped to the ground.
"What is that?.. Is that some kind of creature? Umm, it's quite pretty, I think."
And again it asked:
> [Traveler! What is your goal?]
But Anon was carried away by his curiosity.
"Wow! It can even speak human language. They must have taught it very well!"
He tilted his head, gazing at the iron face.
Then different words were heard from it:
> [No response! No response!]
After those words, a barrage of huge guns—massive compared to his little body—and robotic hands manifested from the wall, all pointing at Anon.
"Wo..Wow! Is that a hand? Amazing! It even has hands. Maybe I can have it clap with me?"
He didn't even care that his situation was very dangerous.
> [Analyzing!... Threat level: 90/100.
Danger! Commencing evacuation of citizens. Deploying War Lord-level soldiers!]
Then robotic bodies jumped out from the ground. Their forms looked incredibly durable, and with every step, the ground cracked under their feet.
"Ahh, it's so cool. I hope Dad could see this. He would be very happy."
He didn't even notice that the guns had fired giant bullets, and that other robots were approaching to attack him.
The moment a bullet came close enough to touch a hair on his skin, he dodged it with precision.
For him, time in that moment felt so slow that he could even think about what to eat for dinner and breakfast tomorrow.
The bullets hit the ground and exploded.
Anon jumped and floated in the air.
"I know now—all giants in this world don't like me, so they need to disappear."
His tone changed.
Time froze, and Anon's body emitted flowing dark energy.
His face became serious as he crossed his hands over his body and chanted:
"Great Collapse!"
Time resumed, and everything approaching him—bullets, armored robots, sharp-fingered hands—shattered as if crushed by immense force.
All their parts fell to the ground, heavy metals clanging together noisily.
Anon yawned afterward.
"Ahh, that got me tired."
> [A-Analyzing! Threat level: Unknown!]
Anon heard it clearly.
"Hmmm, looks like they have some sort of system. Like Dad said, never trust strangers. Hahaha, I get it now! So they don't trust me because I'm a stranger! My bad! Lemme fix my mess right now."
He closed his eyes, concentrated, and chanted:
"Rewind!"
All the shattered parts of the robots and everything destroyed floated back up and returned to their original forms, as if nothing had happened.
After he did that, the great gate of the wall opened.
Anon finally saw the inside: dazzling lights, empty roads, many flying robots, and shadows of people in every building.
He gripped his shirt tightly, his eyes glowing with excitement.
"Finally! I've now moved to the second chapter of my story!"
But he didn't know what caused the gate to open.
And this is what he heard after it opened:
> [Identifying weaknesses: None
Identifying strength: Unknown
Entity name: 111
Message:
Let him enter and guide him to the Grandeul Ja—]
"Yeah, yehey! I'm now on my way."
Anon strolled around carelessly.
"Why is it so silent? Not even a single person outside… Is this their time for breeding? No, Dad said humans only do that at night. So what could it be?"
He kept walking, not realizing there was a cuff attached under his foot, subtly controlling his steps to guide him somewhere.
His attention was caught by the beautiful skyscrapers, colorful buildings, and their unique shapes.
"I can't believe it. How can they build such wonderful masterpieces? Wait a minute, where am I going again? Never mind."
Until he finally reached a large building with a wide open ground.
He finally saw many people—but they all looked depressed, and some were fighting, arguing, and yelling at each other, as if debating something none of them could solve… or maybe it was something else.
His eyes widened, and he gulped.
"Umm, can someone tell me what is happening here?" he asked in a low voice, shy around new people.
When they all heard him, their scary faces turned toward him, as if they'd heard an insult.
One of them answered,
"Huh? Are you an idiot, kid? Isn't it clear as day that we're trapped inside this ridiculously big prison?"
Then another showed the cuff on his arms.
"Look, kid, this is why you really are an idiot for asking such an obvious question. So shut your mouth and be obedient to your elders."
Their words and harsh way of speaking were new to him. He couldn't handle it and stayed silent after hearing them.
He started to chant something in anger,
"Great Catastrophe, continue to give your destruction and bring dea—"
His words were cut off by a deafening voice that echoed around the whole crowd.
The captives all fell silent when they heard the voice, though their expressions stayed angry as usual.
"All of you are poor souls who only rely on miracles and abnormal ways of life.
So from now on, we offer you a better path to follow—a path that will return your humanity to its original form.
From the beginning, we were all deemed an extinct species—even the Devil of Light could not kill us!
We have survived and evolved from dust!
So now, people of Goret, worshippers of the devil… please, I beg you all to open those big eyes of yours and accept that you've been walking the wrong path.
Accept that knowledge is our power, and that power is the fruit of knowledge.
I know it's hard to let go of the past… but now, a gate is here, wide open for you to enter.
Anyone who accepts shall live—but those who do not… shall perish!"
This speech forced some to accept, but others refused.
The captives were people from the other continent—a place where technology was unknown, but powers no normal human could wield were common.
"What is that old man talking about? Is that some motivational speech or a threat? Hmm, I can't get it at all," Anon thought.
He really didn't understand the situation, though he wanted to know.
But what was obvious to others wasn't obvious to him.
> [Slathering activated.
Detecting blind soul.]
"Huh?"
He scratched his head.