"You're a child I've never seen before."
The girl had her eyes closed, but she looked up at me as if she could see right in front of her.
"Amazing. How did you manage to evade my gaze?"
"Who are you?"
"I am the one who watches over everything."
There was no information in the game or the wiki about the girl ever opening her mouth to speak.
"The one who watches, observes, and quietly spectates."
"What do you watch, observe, and spectate?"
"The entire world."
It wasn't nonsense. The entity's name was "The Girl with Closed Eyes," not "The Girl with Sealed Lips."
"Not just this place, but all other worlds as well."
"Parallel worlds?"
"What a pathetic concept."
The girl laughed.
"Parallel worlds, multiverses, outer universes, higher dimensions."
Concepts I knew.
"The final land of time and space beyond singularities, stars beyond the outer universes, all the worlds in dreams."
Concepts I didn't know.
"Under the darkness beyond death, miracles born in an instant from vanishing particles, things breathing in the flower buds sprouting between dimensions."
Concepts that were hard to understand.
"■■■■, ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■, ■■■■■, ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■."
She was clearly speaking, but I couldn't hear it, and I couldn't remember what she said—concepts beyond grasp.
"And everyone's imaginations."
"Imaginations?"
"All the worlds in the thoughts of you living beings. Even worlds that bloom in a fleeting moment—I watch them all. For example, there's games. Things like the game where another version of you from another world sees me."
A creation had become aware of its own creations.
"What is creation, and what is reality? Is the world you live in truly real? Reality and unreality hold no meaning."
"I think, therefore I am."
The girl reached out and pointed at me.
"But in no world did you exist."
"Didn't you just mention another world's version of me?"
"Yes, Lee Seung-hoon, such a being does exist. In numbers too vast to count by human measure."
The girl's finger pointed at my right eye.
"But nowhere was there a guy with eyes like that."
"You know about my eye?"
"Yeah. That bastard gave it to you. I hate that guy."
"Looks like you two don't get along."
At my words, the girl puffed out her cheeks and grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"If you don't like a play, do you climb on stage and change the script?"
"No."
"If you don't like a movie, do you threaten the director to reshoot it?"
"Of course not."
"If you don't like a comic's story, do you grab the pen instead of the author?"
"That would be utterly boorish."
The girl smiled for the first time.
"Me too. But he goes ahead and does it anyway. Your eye is proof."
"But the you in the game always influenced things."
"That's just the me made of 0s and 1s—not the real me."
Her eyes remained closed.
"The true me exists only as this one, the one right in front of you now—the only unique me."
"I see."
This was a problem. I couldn't do the physical enhancement now. From our conversation, the girl hated influencing anyone.
"But I'll make an exception for you."
"...Did you read my mind?"
"Thoughts are a dimension too."
"Thoughts as a dimension? I've learned something new."
"Between the 8th and 9th dimensions. Anyway, want to make a deal with me? Let me keep watching you from now on."
"A deal is a contract for mutual benefit. What do you plan to give me?"
"I'll let you see my eyes."
"What happens if I look into your eyes?"
The girl said,
"You'll come to know all phenomena of the universe."
I said,
"I refuse."
"Why? The infinite versions of you in the nearby universe all craved knowledge."
"That's exactly why I refuse."
To know all phenomena? That was horrifying.
"Humans lose all potential for growth the moment they gain that—and merely wither away."
"But are you sure? You won't achieve the reason you came to find me? If you refuse the deal, I won't grant what you want either."
"Is that part the same as in the game?"
"Yeah, exactly the same."
"What's the principle behind it?"
The girl was kind. She could do something weird to me anytime or ignore me, but just answering my questions was saintly courtesy for an entity.
"A 2D being can't perceive a 3D one. I reign over the highest dimensions, yet here you are, talking to me."
Something originally impossible.
"You're right. The reason this is possible is because I've lowered my level to be here. Simply put, it's like puppeteering a person drawn on paper. That's how I'm conversing with you."
It started to make sense.
"It's easier to think of it as a lower-dimensional being indirectly contacting a higher-dimensional one and taking in higher power into their body. That's how it manifests as physical force in the 3D world."
And then I realized.
"Figured it out now?"
From the moment I started talking to her, I'd been influenced far beyond mere contact.
"Prepayment before contract— you have that concept, right? That's us too."
I tried to speak to the girl, but fog enveloped me faster.
⚙ System Notification ⚙
『I'll keep watching you steadily from now on. Don't worry too much—watching alone won't affect you. And you and I won't meet again. Unless you come find me first.』
When I came to, I'd already descended the mountain.
⚙ System Notification ⚙
『So I'll always be here.』
It felt like I'd been possessed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After descending, the first thing I did was visit a hardware store.
"What do you plan to use this for?"
"I'm thinking of making a sign."
I bought a hammer, nails, glue, planks, a brush, and paint, made a sign, and climbed back up the mountain.
'This should do it here.'
Then, back at the fork in the mountainside trail, I installed the sign on the path leading to the girl.
WARNING
[This direction is an extremely dangerous section with nonstop safety accidents every year. Hiking at the risk of your life brings misfortune to your family. Please use the official trail.]
I didn't know if this would stop everyone, but it was the best I could do.
"I hope only people who heed warnings climb up."
Of course, entering this path didn't guarantee death. The Girl with Closed Eyes wasn't aggressive, and contacting her could grant a kind of talent.
'But true safety is...'
Never contacting the entity at all.
And never even knowing it exists.
"I'm already too late for that."
Then I descended, stayed the night, and returned home.
'The girl said she'd watch me.'
She introduced herself as a being who sees everything. So she could watch me without permission and probably already had been—why bother asking to watch specifically?
"Maybe she's saying she'll pay extra close attention from now on."
Knowing she was watching my words, actions, and thoughts right now felt strange.
'More importantly, I need to check my physical abilities.'
Since I'd been influenced by her, there had to be changes.
I changed into light clothes and headed to the sports complex. The mild early autumn weather drew crowds.
'From there to over there—100 meters.'
After light warm-ups, I stood on the track and started my phone stopwatch the moment I took off.
"Hoo."
Even sprinting full-out the 100-meter track left me breathless. Checking the stopwatch revealed an astonishing time.
Sprint Result
[4.79]
Five seconds faster than the world record. People nearby whispered as they watched me run.
-Is that guy a track athlete?
-How can he run that fast in training clothes, not even running shoes?
-Wow, insane. National team maybe?
-Nah, what's so fast? Looked like 11 seconds? Any guy can do that.
Voices from at least 50 meters away came through crystal clear.
'Not just strength—my hearing's improved too?'
I glared at a woman on the distant stands reading a book. Hundreds of meters away, I could read not just the cover title but every tiny letter.
"The Unbearable Lightness of Being."
Next, I ran laps around the track without thinking, at about 50% effort—not full sprint like before.
"Ugh, I'm dying."
"Wow, that guy's super fast."
Even at that pace, I overtook everyone. I kept going until I was gasping, then checked the stopwatch without realizing.
Endurance Result
[2:35:17.05]
Stamina at this level was superhuman.
'Not quite a true superhuman, though.'
A real superhuman—those born human who become entities—would see my abilities as child's play.
'Still, I've boosted my survival odds a bit.'
The next day, I visited the archery range.
'Archery, huh.'
My archery experience was minimal—just enough to hit the target.
'But now it's too easy.'
Every shot hit dead center. Later, I closed my eyes and shot by feel alone—still perfect bullseyes.
"Wow, are you on the national archery team?"
"No, just a hobby."
My dexterity had improved too. At this point, I could easily guess the influence I'd received.
'The three choices from the game were all applied.'
Even a bit stronger than in the game.
But if so, one more thing to confirm.
'The rewards were dexterity, physical ability, and inspiration.'
I hadn't seen a single ghost on the way here.
'Time to go straight to a ghost-heavy spot.'
That had to be a cemetery. I went, but saw no ghosts.
'Maybe since it's maintained, it means offerings and family care— so they passed on without regrets.'
Ghost lore varied too much by religion and region to judge rashly.
'Guess I need to roam as much as possible.'
For the first time in ages, I wandered the city aimlessly. I went to unfamiliar spots, creepy places, and kept going late into the night.
『Sob... sob...』
Finally, I found one. At a building entrance, a translucent figure crouched and crying.
'Ghost.'
Its body was see-through; the sign "[Daepak Horse Ranch]" behind it shone through. A grown adult weeping, yet passersby ignored it completely, walking right through the man as they came and went.
'They say you shouldn't talk to ghosts casually.'
But I was curious. What happens if I do? Deep grudge keeping it here—would I get cursed? Would it lunge to kill me? Or beg to resolve its grudge?
Normally I'd leave it alone, but trusting my enhanced inspiration, I stepped forward.
"Hello?"
The ghost looked up.
"Can you hear my voice?"