"Ugh..."
I let out a pained groan.
My entire body felt damp, and the cold touch of the ground pressed against me.
Soft blades of grass tickled my face.
When I opened my eyes, an endless expanse of green fields stretched out before me.
The sky was an unnaturally vivid blue, and the wind whispered gently.
But something was off.
Why was I here?
And... why couldn't I remember anything?
I clutched my head, and in that instant, a tearing pain ripped through my skull.
"Kuh... What the hell is this..."
Like shards of fragmented memory, fleeting images flashed by.
Possession inside a game, my reflection in a lake, a colossal shadow, an entity that engulfed the entire world.
As those scenes flickered like lightning, my hazy senses sharpened one by one.
A thin, whistling sound like wind slipping into my ears echoed from somewhere deep inside.
The scent of the fields filled my nose—damp earth and the fresh juice of grass not yet dried.
In the distance, purple asters swayed in the breeze.
The sunlight hung low, and thin clouds drifting by alternated light and shadow over my eyelids.
The back of my neck felt sticky.
A dampness—sweat or dew, I couldn't tell—slowly cooled.
Instinctively, I reached back to feel for a wound, and a needle-like stab of pain flashed once more.
"Agh...!"
I drew in a long breath.
Grains of dirt clung to my skin, prickling it, and crushed grass leaves left faint lines on my flesh.
I propped myself up on my elbows.
A dry leaf rustled and slid down from my waist.
That was when it happened.
[Have you awakened?]
The voice was close.
Before I could even be startled, I whipped my head around reflexively.
'What the...? That's...'
At first, I thought it was a toy rock with eyes drawn on it as a prank.
Its surface glimmered subtly in the sunlight, and its edges quivered faintly with every gust of wind.
It was definitely alive.
Its body was an oval, soft-looking like freshly made rice cake.
The surface was smooth without a trace of moisture, gleaming with a thin, oily sheen under the light.
Two eyes were stuck on top, round and oversized like in an exaggerated cartoon.
The pupils were deep jet-black, ringed by the thinnest gray band that naturally drew in my gaze.
Its eyelids blinked slowly, politely observing my expression.
Beneath the body, tentacles spread out like fan blades.
The tips weren't pointed but curled cutely into rounds, and as they moved, they made no tapping sounds—just the soft rustle of stroking grass leaves.
There was none of the disgusting slime one might associate with tentacles.
Instead, it evoked the smooth texture of a child's rubber toy.
One tentacle lifted slightly toward me, mimicking a greeting by awkwardly dipping its rounded end with a soft tap.
"Uh..."
I stared blankly at the unidentified being in bewilderment.
It seemed just as taken aback, its reaction mirroring mine.
A brief silence fell, an awkward air drifting between us.
Even the rustle of grass blades and the distant hum of insect wings felt like they had paused to watch.
It was the thing that broke the stillness first.
[Ahem, allow me to introduce myself first.]
A strange resonance echoed from it.
It was clearly a human voice, speaking words I could understand, yet it felt somehow off to me.
Puzzled, I examined it closely, but its body hadn't moved at all.
There was no mouth or Adam's apple—nothing resembling a vocal organ.
Yet the voice came distinctly from its direction.
Even as it rode the air, it felt displaced, like a third party reading the lines from somewhere nearby on its behalf.
It gauged my reaction, then slowly bent forward in a bow.
One smooth tentacle slid out ahead.
Its tip brushed the grass, tracing a gentle curve.
It wound up around the underside of its body, looping once around the belly.
Finally, the tentacle tip pointed straight to the sky.
It was like the gesture of a servant bowing to their master in an animation or comic.
No words were spoken, but its whole body seemed to shout, 'I respect you! I've even learned human etiquette!'
[My name is 'Nameless Entity.']
I flinched slightly at the familiar name but managed not to show it.
[By the command of the Master of the World, I am a lowly servant here to attend you. Please accept this body of mine.]
"...Master of the World?"
The words slipped out reflexively.
But its reaction was the same.
[...Pardon?]
Its tentacles trembled lightly.
Its round eyes widened even further in an instant.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The World agonized over what it must do to reclaim Han Saetbit's rightful claim.
Imagining him(?) bouncing with joy upon regaining what was due, The World felt a swell of contentment.
The first thing it did was seal the name 'Han Saetbit' as the one and only.
Setting aside The World's otherworldly perspective, this was, in a way, only natural.
Han Saetbit was an existence incomparable to any other, at least in the realm of 'Charm.'
If even base urges like hunger or lust, or the ugly acts of producing and excreting filth, could gain divine status and uniqueness symbolized as 'number one,' then...
For Han Saetbit—who had captivated The World itself and drawn forth its self-awareness—not to have that?
There had to be some mistake.
Of course, that didn't mean banning every single syllable had precedent.
Besides, extending that ban across all worlds and timelines would consume an unimaginable amount of resources.
No being, no matter how grand or arrogant, would attempt or even consider such wasteful excess.
Unless it was The World.
The World pondered.
Should it ban similar appearances? ...No.
In The World's eyes, no other being could resemble him.
Then, should it elevate the stature of the human species?
Humans were too pathetic to be called 'Han Saetbit's race.'
...That wouldn't do either.
Altering humans was risky.
If there was even the slightest chance of harming Han Saetbit in the process...
If that happened, The World might grow so sorrowful it would want to evacuate him and restart the entire world from scratch.
The World wanted to avoid anything that might affect him, even indirectly (??).
If change was needed, it shouldn't be Han Saetbit who changed—it should be The World.
He wouldn't adapt to the world; the world would adapt to him.
At least, that's what The World thought.
For now, The World compromised by changing hair colors (body hair).
Hair color was one of the parts of Han Saetbit that The World adored most.
For reference, the parts of Han Saetbit that The World adored most included:
the crown, bangs, back hair, side hair, stray hairs, nape, part line, hair roots, hair tips, hair thickness, luster, pores, sebaceous glands, hair follicles, scalp texture, forehead, glabella, hairline, wrinkles, expression muscles, eyebrows, eyebrow arch, eyebrow tail, eyebrow direction, eyebrow roots, upper eyelid, lower eyelid, double eyelid crease, eyelashes, upper eyelashes, lower eyelashes, eyelash length, eyelash density, eyelash thickness, irises, pupils, sclera, limbus, reflections, eye corners, under-eye wrinkles, dark circles, eye-area moles, eye shape, nose bridge, nose ridge, nostrils, nose tip, nose wing, nostril shadows, nose side lines, nose tip outline, cheekbones, cheeks, cheek hollows, blush, fine lines, moles, freckles, cheek lines, lips, upper lip, lower lip, lip line, lip corners, philtrum, teeth, gums, tongue, oral mucosa, lip texture, lip wrinkles, chin tip, jawline, lower jaw, cheekbone underside, jawline shadows, mandible, chin wrinkles, ears, auricles, earlobes, helix, antihelix, triangular fossa, ear canals, ear interiors, auricle edge texture, ear back lines, neck, neckline, nape, uvula, pharynx, vocal cords, skin wrinkles, collarbones, shoulder lines, shoulder blades, scapulae, trapezius, shoulder curves, upper arms, forearms, elbows, elbow wrinkles, arm skin texture, backs of hands, palms, fingers, fingernails, nail cuticles, lunulae, nail lines, finger joints, knuckles, finger lengths, palm lines, hand vein patterns, palm calluses, fingertips, nail gloss, armpits, armpit hair, armpit wrinkles, lymph node areas, chest lines, pectorals, nipples, areolae, sternum, ribcage, chest texture, rib outlines, abdomen, abs, navel, sides, waistline, waist folds, abdominal fat layer, side outlines, hip lines, glutes, hip shape, coccyx dimples, hip bulges, groin, inner thighs, outer thighs, quadriceps, thigh wrinkles, skin texture, knees, patellae, knee fronts, knee backs, knee wrinkles, calves, gastrocnemius, tibia lines, shins, leg muscle texture, ankles, malleoli, Achilles tendons, vein lines, insteps, soles, toes, toenails, toenail cuticles, toenail lines, sole patterns, calluses, heels, toe joints, toe lengths, toe gaps, toe skin texture, hand wrinkles, inner arm veins, leg veins, arm hair, leg hair, body hair, fine hairs, peach fuzz, skin texture, stratum corneum, sebum reflections, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, skin tone sensitivity, moles, pigmentation, fine wrinkles, complexion, vein lines, pore size, pore density, hair direction, skin luster, lip line, expression wrinkles, neck wrinkles, finger wrinkles, eye wrinkles, facial veins, hand veins, leg veins, cheek shadows, nose bridge shadows, chin underside reflections, jawline, collarbone exposure, waist curves, spine line, shoulder proportions, arm lengths, leg lengths, leg proportions, body silhouette, eyebrow angles, lip corner direction, cheek tension, hair texture, curl degree, skin luster, flaking, oiliness, sweat, stretch marks, tooth alignment, hand roughness, callus positions, foot shape, toe spacing, nail lengths, facial expression habits, frowning, smile lines, hairstyles, beard, goatee, sideburns, stubble, neck hair, arm muscle outlines, fingertip color, nail lunulae, pupil reflections, cheekbone reflections, lip gloss, cheek sheen, forehead reflections
and so on.
In short, it all pleased it immensely.
In any case, The World decided to change everyone's hair color.
There was also the reason that seeing other humans with black hair would feel like mockery of Han Saetbit, which would be unpleasant.
About eighty percent?
The remaining rabble?
To The World, humanity was merely a launchpad to birth Han Saetbit.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Like a rocket launchpad discarded after use, the only reason The World hadn't disposed of it yet was one.
Lest it affect Han Saetbit in the process.
With its mind made up, The World flicked something like a finger with its will.
In an instant, the hair color of most humans across South Korea, Asia, Latin America, and the African continent changed uniformly.
Black hair vanished, replaced by vibrant waves of red, blue, green, gold, purple, gray, and more rippling atop people's heads.
Now, black hair belonged solely to Han Saetbit.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇[That's how it happened.]
"?"
'...So, black hair went extinct because of me?'
I wondered if it was seriously telling me to believe that.
And what was this 'that's how it happened' even referring to?