Ubermensch – Chapter 179

Chapter 179

“If the situation is that urgent, there’s no reason to delay any further.”

Mason wore an anxious expression.

“Please send me. I think I can go.”

“Of course. I called you with that in mind.”

The Guardian Deity, Oztalon, was the strongest and most active god among the Dreamland Pantheon. Excluding those too powerful to move, such as Nodens and the Lord of Time, he was the most powerful god.

Robert handed Mason the timeline of The Origin.

As Mason reached for the timeline, Robert gently pushed his hand away.

“Oztalon. Don’t forget.”

Robert spoke with a heavy expression.

“If you change something that has already happened, you never know what might happen. Regardless of whether it’s positive or negative, there will be enormous repercussions.”

“Why are you saying this?”

“Because I’m afraid you might change the past.”

Robert said in a calm tone.

“Aren’t you also someone who suffered from absurdity? I know it’s a difficult temptation to resist, but remember that changing the past is an atrocity no different from the Destroyer.”

“…Yes.”

Robert handed the timeline to Mason.

“Now, go.”

Mason grasped the timeline.

And took a step forward.

๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑

Mason was sitting in the bridge of the ‘Explorer’ ship.

The Explorer was a masterpiece vessel built with all the scientific technology available in the 28th century, capable of traveling to the edge of the universe.

Unlike the Dyson spheres commonly used as toys, the Explorer’s engine was a state-of-the-art degenerate furnace created from an artificial black hole.

While a Dyson sphere becomes unusable when a star’s lifespan ends, a fully controlled artificial black hole could provide infinite energy perpetually.

A self-replicating nanomachine hull capable of instant regeneration no matter where or how it’s damaged. And even a dedicated AI ‘Guide’ created for Mason was accompanying him.

Having undergone the immortality treatment, Mason was free from the concept of aging, and could regenerate instantly even if he encountered unexpected situations.

Literally, an infinite journey was possible.

His uncle, Robert Park, provided all that future science could offer for Mason’s infinite journey.

To support the grandest dream of humanity held by his most beloved nephew.

“Guide. What’s the distance to Earth?”

<2.8 trillion light-years.>

Only one thing remained. Time.

All that was left was to wait for the Explorer to reach the aliens.

And that was… harder than he thought.

“…Any signs of intelligent life?”

“None…”

Mason looked out at the universe with a bitter expression.

“There’s… no one out there…”

The spaceship could travel infinitely. His body could endure infinitely. But the mind, the human mind, was not infinite.

“Let me know if you find anything…”

Mason headed to his room.

Since he had to embark on a journey with no deadline, Robert had provided him with all the data he could. From ancient law books to modern black humor collections. And even materials on cutting-edge science that only he could handle.

Everything readable or watchable was stored in the data archive.

And Mason had read or watched all of it.

Since when?

Since when did this spaceship feel like a prison?

Mason watched a classic movie while hugging his knees.

However, the movie didn’t catch his eye at all.

It wasn’t because he had already seen it several times.

It was because his heart was empty.

‘Maybe we’re the only ones in this universe?’

There was a hypothesis called the Ancient Astronaut Theory. The hypothesis that our universe is still in its early stages, and other intelligent life may not have emerged yet.

In other words, the hypothesis that Earthlings could be the first and only civilization in the universe.

Mason knew about this hypothesis, but didn’t take it to heart.

He thought that even if the hypothesis was true, if he traveled for an infinite amount of time. That is, if he traveled for eons until the universe aged, he might encounter a civilization that emerged in the meantime.

But… what if Earthlings are the only civilization in the universe?

What if the Drake Equation is correct?

What if my journey was impossible from the beginning and ultimately ends in failure?

Mason felt fear.

Disappointment was as bitter as the sweetness of hope.

Mason turned off the movie, which he wasn’t paying attention to anyway, and headed to the astronomical observatory.

Looking at the universe beyond the ceiling, Mason sighed.

“Guide.”

“Use all available means of communication to transmit this.”

“I am here.”

Mason spoke, desperately trying to suppress his fear.

“Anyone will do. If you can hear or observe my words, anyone will do. Please send a signal in any form. You can shout loudly. You can light a fire. If you can send radio waves or electrical signals, those are also welcome.”

Mason’s voice was becoming increasingly desperate.

“Please, tell me I’m not alone…”

Mason fell silent, exhausted. Then, the Guide asked.

“…Delete it.”

The Guide was silent for a moment before speaking.

“I have sent the message.”

“Okay.”

Mason sat down, leaning against the wall of the astronomical observatory.

It was cold. Beyond a single window, the raw universe was surging.

“No, I’ll stay here.”

“No, it’s fine.”

But Mason looked at the universe. The countless twinkling stars and the subtle chill that reached him.

‘Am I really alone?’

Mason grabbed his head.

‘Am I really alone in this universe?’

Mason sobbed.

Anyone would do.

Primitive people who couldn’t speak his language, space monsters trying to devour him, anything would be fine.

Even natural phenomena or celestial activity that he hadn’t seen would be good.

‘Anything is fine. Anything, just…’

Mason screamed silently.

‘Don’t leave me alone!’

๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑

Oztalon was flying through space.

‘Where is he?’

Nodens. The First Mason was traveling through space-time. The problem was that his exact coordinates couldn’t be found.

Time was a more fragile concept than he thought. High-mass objects like black holes could bend and distort time.

Even with precise coordinates, it wouldn’t be easy to find him, and Nodens was aboard a state-of-the-art spaceship built with 28th-century technology.

Its speed surpassed the speed of light, and it itself was a factor that tangled time.

Searching and tracking were not as easy as he thought.

‘The only fortunate thing is… that it won’t be easy for the Destroyer to find Nodens either.’

The Destroyer could only send out his fragments. He didn’t know how much power was contained in those fragments, but they were at least weaker than Oztalon.

The Destroyer was only able to send his fragment to The Origin after a brief clash with the Lord of Time, while Oztalon was able to enter The Origin at full strength.

Considering that Oztalon was a being capable of dimensional travel at his limit, the Destroyer’s fragment could only be weaker than Oztalon.

‘The real problem is knowledge…’

There was a big difference in experience between Oztalon and the Destroyer. Not only the time they spent accumulating experience as gods, but the Destroyer had absorbed all the knowledge of the 28th century.

Just because Nodens was the strongest and oldest of the three Greater Gods, it didn’t mean that the Destroyer lacked knowledge compared to him.

Especially the Destroyer, who had destroyed multiple dimensions… in other words, he could be considered an expert on how to break dimensions.

‘Maybe he can manipulate Time Trouble to his will?’

Nothing could be predicted about the Destroyer. He had gone mad, burning with hatred. But madness and hatred were only in his purpose. His methods always had efficiency and rationality.

‘Maybe he came with a clear plan?’

That fact terrified Oztalon.

Because he couldn’t even guess what his plan was.

๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑

The universe had an end.

And Mason reached that end.

“…”

If you fly faster than the speed at which the universe expands, you will inevitably reach the edge of the universe someday. Mason had actually proven that unrealistic hypothesis, and arrived at a space where everything brushed past him.

This too was a mystery, a wonder.

It was a task worthy of dreaming, a feat achieved after a long and arduous journey.

But, it wasn’t Mason’s dream.

Reaching the edge of the universe… wasn’t Mason’s dream.

“There’s nothing.”

Mason wore a look of disappointment.

“There’s… no one…”

He hadn’t found even a primitive life form, let alone intelligent life that could be called”alien.”

His universe was vast, but empty.

What Mason had proven wasn’t that the universe had an end.

It was that they were alone in the universe.

Mason collapsed on the spot.

He had started as a boy full of dreams, but now he had become a despairing old man. An old man trapped in eternal, unchanging youth.

“My dream… has abandoned me…”

Mason cried.

The world was broken, so he couldn’t help but cry.

He couldn’t achieve his dream, so he couldn’t help but cry.

“I should have dreamed a dream with an end.”

Mason sobbed.

Like terraforming Mars, like fulfilling someone else’s dream. He should have dreamed a realistic, achievable dream with an end.

“Uncle. Why did you encourage me?”

Mason, abandoned at the edge of the universe, cried out.

“Why did you let me go to the end of the universe?”

Shattered so miserably.

“Why! Why did you make me so miserable?! Huh?! Uncle!”

He shed tears that no one would hear.

Along with the loneliness that he would have to endure forever.