Joe Walker was being pushed to enter an iron door that suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Hey, where did this door come from? Who are you... How did you do it? For what?"
"Come on, just go in first, Mr. Joe. You were the one who proudly said you would do it. And also, have you forgotten who I am?"
"Wait a minute!"
"It's okay, it's not something painful. Besides, you won't experience eternal death."
"Huh, talking like that makes me suspicious! What are you planning? What are you planning!? Hey!"
"Enough, go in there!" In the end, Sebastian kicked Joe Walker's back until he entered the door.
"Noooo!" Joe Walker screamed, closing his eyes as he was thrown into the door.
"Ohhhh!" The screams of many people echoed in Joe Walker's ears at that moment.
Hey, why are there so many voices of people?
Joe Walker slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying on the floor in front of the iron door. Around him, many people were looking in his direction.
"Um, first of all, can someone help me?"
Sebastian also came to the place and helped Joe Walker stand up, saying, "you are now an 'outer god,' pay more attention to your current position."
"Whose fault is it that I ended up like that earlier, huh?"
"Mine."
"If you knew, why blame me then?"
"It's because of your constant refusal. I had no other choice, that's why..."
"Damn you!"
"Enough, let's end this. First, we will listen to their explanation."
"Their?"
Joe Walker started looking towards the many people who were currently staring at him. They seemed to be whispering to each other.
"Hey, is he really an 'outer god'? Can he really help us?"
"I don't know, and besides, we don't have any permission to interfere, do we?"
"This boy is an 'outer god'? Why does the one being called 'outer god' look like this? Did 'the outside' make a mistake? Why did they grant 'outer god' authority to such a kid?"
"Hey, don't say that, he might be billions of years old."
"Is his attitude what looks like billions of years old? Uncontrolled emotions, childishness, even stupidity."
"Hey, lower your voice! What if he hears?"
Joe Walker, who had been listening quietly, could only remain silent.
Hey, you two over there, I can hear you from here you fu*king idi*t.
Just kidding... Besides, I don't have the courage to confront them.
By the way, where is this?
The room there is all white. A white square room with a small white door in one corner. The room looks like an isolation chamber. However, behind the door Joe Walker entered, there were strange machines unknown to him.
What are those machines? They look very complex to operate. There are many strange buttons there.
On second thought, why am I here just by passing through a door?
Teleportation?... That's the only thing I can think of. So, is the door a kind of gateway connecting two different places? Quite interesting...
Suddenly, Sebastian shouted, "I have received your requests. I have read them, but both I and the 'outer god' next to me right now don't know the details briefly. Can someone explain it to us?"
Joe Walker was impressed by Sebastian's authoritative and professional way of speaking.
Oh, cool... But before that, you should have apologized to me first! Oh well, he's also showing something interesting like this.
"Let me explain," said someone raising their hand.
"Oh, are you the leader of this place?" Sebastian asked.
"Yes," the person answered with a serious look without hesitation.
Joe Walker was impressed by it. But he also found it somewhat funny.
Oh... His gaze is full of confidence. It seems like he's about to talk about something very serious. I should prepare myself too.
But... Ahahahaha, damn... Seeing his serious face almost made me laugh. Hold it in, hold it in... We're getting into a serious discussion now! Even though I don't really want to.
Several minutes passed since then, and now Joe Walker, Sebastian, and the leader of the place were in a large room. An odd room with only a sofa in the middle, spacious enough to play two soccer fields.
"First, let me explain the situation we are currently facing," said the leader of the place.
"Alright," replied Sebastian.
"...," Joe Walker sat silently between them, looking at the person speaking.
The leader of the place clapped his hands, and a blank wall in front of them displayed the Earth.
Joe Walker was impressed by that. He smiled because he found it interesting.
Show me more, that way my boredom will decrease.
"First of all, as the leader of the universe monitoring unit, I want to thank Mr. Sebastian and Mr. Joe Walker for being here."
"Enough, just get to the point!" Joe Walker impatiently exclaimed.
"You!!!" Sebastian immediately hit Joe Walker's head hard.
"Ouch! What are you doing!" Joe Walker protested.
"There's something called formality, first, you must remember that. It's the basis of courtesy."
"Ehhh!? But if we take too long, the problem will get more complicated, you know!?"
"Have you forgotten? We are beings not bound by time and space."
"So, is this place also?"
"Yeah, this is outside the concept of space and time. From the beginning, we only went to the final layer of a universe. We call it 'cosmic space,' although sometimes we also refer to it as 'void.'"
"So, what should I do in this place?"
"That's what we're discussing right now! You, who should be the most important person, are disrupting the conversation!"
"Ehehe, sorry!?"
"Grrrrrrr...," Sebastian gave Joe Walker an angry look.
The leader of the place, seeing this, laughed, "ahahahaha, Mr. Joe..., you seem quite different. Luckily, you are like that, it seems my request will be fulfilled as I hoped."
Joe Walker, hearing the praise, didn't feel that way.
What do you mean by saying I'm different? Am I weird? Well, he's not wrong, I'm even confused why I'm like this. I don't really care about that, ahaha...
"Can you explain the details now?" Sebastian asked the leader of the place.
"Alright, then I will explain from the beginning why I asked for help from the 'outer god'," replied the leader of the place with a smile on his face.
***** ***** ***** *****
On a planet called Uterus, there existed a civilization that was truly remarkable. It was a civilization where robots worked tirelessly for humans and knew no fatigue.
However, behind this facade, a devastating war raged on in the world. The war involved the entire planet and all of humanity. Yet, this war was not fought against aliens or other powerful races, instead, it was a war between humans themselves.
The conflict in this civilization was so brutal that it nearly brought the civilization to the brink of destruction due to the advanced technology they had created.
It was a truly ironic tale, as on this planet, humans were on the verge of their own demise because of their own creations. It was not because the robots had betrayed them, in fact, the robots there were extremely loyal to their owners. It was simply the wide-reaching hands of humanity that unintentionally choked themselves.
The war continued until humanity was on the brink of extinction. Now, on that planet, less than 1% of humanity remained. They no longer thought about warfare, they were completely indifferent. They prioritized their own survival and existence in their own ways.
Animals had become incredibly rare, trees were almost non-existent, only machines and strange buildings remained on the planet.
The planet was filled with irony and loneliness. Humans only thought of themselves and rarely encountered other humans. When they did meet, it only led to inevitable farewells. Ultimately, they would walk their journeys alone and die in solitude.
Let's take an example of that a foolish man.
A foolish man was seen walking, following the directional arrows to reach a certain place.
Suddenly, he said, "Hey, what's the point of me doing this? Oh, for food, but I'm bored of this. Maybe if I don't follow these arrows, I'll find something interesting? Alright, I'll close my eyes and start running!"
Yes, that foolish man actually did it. And at this moment, the foolish man's actions were being observed by Sebastian and Joe Walker who were in the cosmic realm.
This was the story that the leader of that place wanted to tell Joe and Sebastian. An ironic tale where humans were on the brink of extinction due to their own intelligence.
They were too intelligent to handle weapons, leading to the killing of other humans. They diminished the human race itself for their own reasons.
They were too intelligent in creating technology, which further evolved their civilization. However, this evolved civilization only made them smarter, enabling them to create technology that could destroy a city with just the press of a one button.
They were too intelligent to live, as only through living could they take the lives of others.
They were too intelligent to build cities, as their selfishness leveled any place they wanted to turn into a city, reducing the oxygen reproduction that was vital for living beings.
In essence, humans were creatures too intelligent to avoid damaging the planet they inhabited. Yet, no one could be blamed, no one should be blamed, because the fault lay not with one individual but with all of humanity on that planet.
Far away from that planet, there were two individuals sitting on a sofa, observing the depiction of the lost civilization before them on a large wall, while someone narrated the story of that civilization exactly as it had been described.
"So, what should I do?" Joe Walker asked.
"It's simple, you just have to descend to that planet and teach the people there the meaning of life," explained the leader of that place.
"Ehhh!? Why should I do that? Didn't they perish due to their own mistakes? Isn't that the consequence of their actions all along?"
"That... is true... But, it's the human race that's at fault, not just one individual. Not all humans are at fault in this matter."
"But... Teach them the meaning of life? I myself have forgotten how to live before, how can I teach them?"
"Just make them understand what happiness means. Please!! Just a few individuals are enough."
"Happiness? Why?"
"Because happiness is a part of life."
"So, it's happiness."
"Are you want to help me?"
"Wait a minute!" Joe Walker said, taking Sebastian to a corner of the room.
"Hey, what are you doing!?" Sebastian asked.
"Hey, what about this? Should I accept it? A vague mission like this without a clear goal and strange explanations. What do you think!?"
"I don't know, besides, this was your decision from the beginning. Whether you accept it or not is up to you."
"What happens if I refuse?"
"I don't know, maybe another 'outer god' will do it?"
"Ehhh... So, there are other 'outer gods' besides me. How many 'outer gods' are there besides me?"
"There are 2, plus you make it 3."
"Wow... Hmmm..."
"More importantly, let's return to our seats. That person is getting worried."
"Alright."
They returned to their sofa, and Sebastian began conversing with the leader of that place.
Meanwhile, Joe Walker was focused on the screens before him.
He stood up and approached the screens, trying to access other screens to view the memories of the humans on the planet they were discussing.
There was a memory of a baby born during the war. The baby appeared to have siblings, a boy and a girl.
They grew up in a harsh environment where the smell of gunpowder was commonplace.
One day, the two children were rescued by their grandfather and given a small car to escape from the city that was on the verge of destruction.
The last memory the two girls had of their grandfather was his gentle wave to them.
Joe Walker's lazy eyes, which were initially indifferent, became more serious. He began to see other memories of the two girls.
He witnessed the dangerous journey of the two little girls in a world filled with loneliness. Through several meetings and partings, their minds grew stronger and more resilient. Tears that once flowed easily from their eyes gradually became rare.
Joe Walker, observing this, unintentionally muttered, "Amazing."
Sebastian approached Joe Walker, who was deeply engrossed at that moment, and said, "Um, Mr. Joe... you don't need to do this anymore. I've asked another 'outer god' to handle this problem. Let's go back to the enigma room...," Sebastian paused as he realized that Joe Walker was deeply focused on something.
The leader of the place also began to approach Joe Walker and said, "That's right, Mr. Joe, you don't have to force yourself to do it. I also apologize if you feel pressured. I will try to do something on my own first. If I can't, maybe I will try to ask for help from another 'outer god'."
Joe Walker did not respond at all. Instead, he continued to focus on the thousands of screens in front of him, asking, "Hey, you, is that the only reason?"
"Eh? What do you mean, Mr. Joe?"
"Your reason for asking for our help. Is it just because you want me to teach them happiness?"
"Yes, that's right. Why, is there a problem?"
"Hmm...," Joe Walker glanced suspiciously at the leader of the place.
"W-w-what's wrong, Mr. Joe?"
"Nothing, nothing at all. More importantly, can I know how I can get to that planet?"
The leader of the place looked pleased but slowly lost his smile as he asked, "Are you accepting it? You are accepting it, right? But why all of a sudden?"
"Enough, just answer me, how can I get there? By what means?"
"Hmm, the easiest way is to possess the body of someone who has died."
"In that case, just use that method, let's do it quickly," Joe Walker said as he turned towards Sebastian and the leader of the place.
Sebastian smiled at Joe Walker and said, "It seems like you have made up your mind."
Joe Walker also returned the smile and replied, "Yes, it seems so."
The leader of the place asked Joe Walker, "Why are you accepting it? You refused it before, right?"
"Hmm, why indeed?"
"Ehh?"
"I also don't know why I am accepting this. But, more importantly, can I choose the place where I arrive on that planet?"
"Yes, of course!"
"Thank goodness."
"Have you decided where you will arrive?"
With a smile on his face, Joe Walker answered without a hint of doubt in his heart, "Not yet, but I have determined the proximity of where I will arrive."