Volume 3 Chapter 71: Sacred Heavens, Lumelherc

“Forgot to add color.”

“Hm?”

Hm?

“Well, I guess it’s fine as it is. Too much of a hassle now.”

… …

“I just made this for fun anyway. This should be good enough.”

“Wait a second.”

I raised my palm to Tesea and pressed my hand against my forehead. She watched me with a knowing yet puzzled expression, as if saying, Of course this would happen.

Well, yeah, I mean… yeah.

“Does it seriously say that?”

“Yeah…”

Okay, got it.

Apparently, understanding the contents of this diary requires a completely different kind of mental readiness. Letting my guard down even slightly feels like it might mess with my sanity.

From the start, there’s no hint of anything remotely sacred here.

Wait, what? The reason this city is overwhelmingly white isn’t due to some profound meaning or deliberate design—it’s just because they forgot to add color?

Are you kidding me?

I’d already sensed a certain level of carelessness, but this is worse than I imagined. Honestly, it feels almost too human. How do you forget something so basic as adding color?

Taking a deep breath to calm myself and clear my thoughts, I turned back to Tesea.

“…Continue.”

“Alright, I’ll keep reading.”

She smiled wryly and resumed reading the ridiculous diary of this absurd individual.

◇

Lately, the world has become a wonderful place.

Thanks to the Urban Creator Kit, even massive undertakings like constructing a city have become ridiculously easy.

I can really feel how far technology has come.

Though, it doesn’t seem to be all that popular.

I invited some friends over.

They said it was an eyesore and that I had no sense of style.

They told me to, at the very least, stop making everything spherical.

I got annoyed, so I added a bunch of random features.

Among those, I think the defense mechanisms turned out really well.

Not that I’ll ever have the chance to use them, but things like that are every man’s dream.

The pure white color scheme was indeed hard on the eyes and lacked flavor, so I made a few subtle adjustments to introduce a bit of variation.

Even just that made a huge difference.

While I was at it, I tried to come up with some cool patterns, but it was such a hassle that I gave up after decorating just the edges of a single building.

Apparently, there’s a growing trend among young people lately called Labyrinth Time Attack.

It involves creating labyrinths using natural landscapes and structures, then installing a device at the labyrinth’s center that generates a new energy source called Mana, recently developed by some company.

This Mana apparently spawns creatures that fill the labyrinth.

Participants then compete to clear the labyrinth as quickly as possible while defeating those creatures.

It’s an extremely dangerous pastime, but in today’s overly peaceful world, it’s not surprising that something exciting and violent like this would catch on.

They’re saying it might officially become a sport in the near future, but I’m honestly a bit skeptical about this Labyrinth Time Attack.

This is getting long, so I’ll write more about it tomorrow.

◇

“Wait a second…”

I stopped Tesea again. This isn’t just interesting—it’s mind-blowing.

Could this be… about the Excavation Sites?

Does this mean the Excavation Sites are just some kind of attraction facility?

And—Mana, the source of life for all living beings today, was actually created…?

The content is absurd, yet the implications are on an enormous scale.

“Are you alright…?”

“Ah, yeah, sorry. Go on.”

Tesea looked at me with concern, but I quickly reassured her and took another deep breath. No matter how shocking it gets, I won’t stop her again. I need to hear everything before I can process it.

She waited for me to calm down before continuing to read.

◇

Continuing from yesterday, I still think this Labyrinth Time Attack is dangerous.

First of all, did they properly verify the safety of this energy called Mana?

Lately, everyone’s gotten complacent in this era of peace.

It’s unsettling.

Sure, we’re skilled at creating things, but creating living beings seems ethically wrong to me.

Then again, I suppose I’m not one to talk, having created the Soul Orb line of products.

They didn’t sell well, though…

That’s because they were joke items.

For example, the Reincarnation Orb lets you become any creature you want, and the Seal Orb allows you to trap yourself alone with someone you like. It’s also great for pranks.

I thought it was a fun idea, but people called it distasteful.

When I tested it on a friend and their partner by trapping them together, I laughed so hard…

But it turns out returning to your original body isn’t guaranteed, which was flagged as a safety concern.

Honestly, I feel like that’s something people should just be careful about themselves.

Also, being trapped apparently feels extremely uncomfortable.

On the other hand, transferring into another living being doesn’t seem uncomfortable at all, so maybe it’s a matter of capacity—or just a design flaw.

Now that I think about it rationally, there’s no way a series like that would sell…

It seems I really have no sense of taste.

This is getting long again, so I’ll stop here for today.

◇

“……”

I won’t comment.

There’s so much I want to say, but I’ll hold back.

I already decided to hear this to the end.

That said, let me say just one thing.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“…Yeah, I figured you’d say that.”

Crossing my arms and muttering in frustration, I noticed Tesea giving me a single glance filled with sympathy before continuing the reading.

◇

I visited a city my friend created.

…Honestly, I’m blown away by the concept of building a city under the sea. Not only that, but unlike my city, it’s properly colored and beautifully designed.

Is this the difference between talent and… whatever I have?

Even though we both used the same Urban Creator Kit, the disparity is disheartening.

Today, I visited a city created by my friend’s partner.

Their city, which roams the land, has such a distinctive and innovative design. Every detail radiates meticulous care and attention.

It painfully exposed how amateurish my city’s design truly is.

I thought the idea of a floating city was a good one, but… this grand “Let’s Build the Best City” competition seems to have left me in last place.

It’s been a while since I last wrote in this diary.

As I feared, this so-called Labyrinth Time Attack turned out to be dangerous.

The situation has escalated into an irreversible disaster.

It turns out the power created by Mana is toxic to us.

It all began with the outbreak of a mysterious disease.

Gradually, people started losing their creative abilities and began to weaken.

For a long time, the cause remained unknown, but research eventually revealed that the harmful substances dispersed into the atmosphere by Mana were to blame.

However, due to the craze it sparked, the surface of the earth is now completely flooded with these toxic substances.

It’s no longer a habitable environment, and no solution is in sight.

At this rate, humanity has no future.

◇

I never imagined that this city I created on a whim would end up being our salvation.

Apparently, the toxic substances haven’t yet reached the upper atmosphere.

For now, it seems like the best option as a refuge.

Still, it’s a terribly inconvenient place to live.

There’s much to improve.

I worry about my friend and their partner, who took refuge in the underwater city, but right now, I need to focus on my own survival.

◇

The modifications to this city, intended to make it more livable, haven’t gone well.

I must have inhaled too much of the contaminated air before arriving here.

I can no longer use my powers properly.

Those who came here after me are even worse off, barely clinging to life.

At the very least, I managed to create a protective shield and cloth with flight capabilities to navigate this complex city.

As for food and water, while bland, there’s enough for survival—it was something I’d accounted for from the start.

Damn it… if I’d known it would come to this, I’d have put more effort into preparing for these kinds of situations.

◇

I tried to create a device to retrieve items from the surface.

The result was a failure.

It seems I’m losing my abilities entirely.

What I managed to create was a device that retrieves only things related to me.

When the Soul Orb Series appeared, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Not that it matters, as everything on the surface is likely contaminated by now… but at least I would have liked to taste something delicious one last time.

There’s no point in dwelling on regrets. I’ll do what I can.

I’ve decided to install the device in that building where I once tried so hard to carve patterns.

◇

Most of the people who took refuge in this city have lost their lives.

It seems the protective shield isn’t enough to block the toxic substances.

With a heavy heart, I’ve been disposing of the bodies by sending them back to the surface.

It’s absurd. To think we’d be destroyed by something we created ourselves.

No… maybe it’s too soon to give up.

I’ve nearly lost all my strength, but… there’s still a chance…

◇

The white, uniform color of this city is unsettling.

Using the last of my strength, I created a small hidden room.

It’s a calming space.

It’s a small comfort.

◇

A strange creature attacked the city today.

It was like nothing I’d ever seen before.

Enormous in size, it soared through the sky, breathing fire with ferocity.

Fortunately, the city’s defense mechanisms easily repelled it, but… what was that?

It seems that Mana is causing changes in the world’s fauna.

Those creatures that could adapt to Mana have evolved, becoming stronger and more resilient.

What… have we done?

◇

I haven’t heard from anyone in a long time.

◇

I… want to see my friends.

◇

I’ve been observing the surface from the control room. The changes are undeniable.

No, it’s not just the living creatures. The entire world is being reborn through Mana.

◇

We’ve changed this world.

Our foolishness knows no bounds.

As punishment, we’re destined to perish.

There’s nothing more to be done.

The only solace is that other lifeforms have adapted beautifully to the new environment.

It’s a small mercy that humanity alone… will vanish.

◇

Recently, my body… no longer… moves properly.

◇

Come to think of it… I never… named this city.

◇

What name would suit it?

◇

The faces of my friends… come to mind.

◇

I’ll borrow their names.

◇

Lumel… Herc… I wish I could see you all… one last time.

◇

I’m going… to see them.

When Tesea closed the diary, she let out a deep sigh.

“Phew… so this is the truth about this city… and the world.”

“……”

“The creation of Mana and the humans who couldn’t adapt to it… this is the record they left behind.”

Unable to speak, I remained silent. Tesea gave me a sorrowful smile as she continued.

As I suspected, this was something that would shake the very foundations of the world.

There were no gods.

How long ago this all happened, I couldn’t even begin to guess. But it was clear that in an era unimaginably far in the past, people lived with a power different from Mana. Using that power, they created Mana.

Yet, they couldn’t adapt to it and were wiped out.

Afterward, new humans, adapted to Mana, were born—people like us.

The so-called Sacred Relics are merely remnants of their civilization.

Why they still exist in this world is unclear. Until we uncover what their original source of power was, the mystery will remain.

… No, perhaps they could still be considered gods, as they gave rise to our existence.

But after hearing the contents of this diary, I could no longer think of them as gods.

This truth… it must never be made public.

More than anything, the creator of this city surely wouldn’t want their private thoughts revealed.

The story was overwhelming, and I still couldn’t fully process it.

I only wondered if, in the end, they managed to reunite with their friends.

That thought stuck with me.

They must have been a good person.

Their sense of humor might have been terrible, and their style questionable, but they weren’t evil.

And this city wasn’t created with ill intent.

I’m unsure whether to feel gratitude or pity toward them. Either seems disrespectful.

But one thing is certain: this city, this legacy, must never be desecrated like Aizon would.

That much, I know for sure.