As dawn edged closer, mist rose from the ground like breath, clinging low to the grass and curling around broken stems.
The boundary of Novice Village #2 shimmered faintly, like a soap bubble stretched over an entire settlement. Outside it, the trees were still bent and splintered, scarred by something that had moved through them as if wood were paper.
Inside, however, it was peaceful.
Villagers walked the dirt roads with baskets and sleepy faces, sweeping porches, lighting cooking fires, chatting.
As if the screams outside the boundary had been nothing more than distant thunder.
And inside the largest building in the village, beneath an unfamiliar ceiling of polished wood and hanging charms…
Roxana lay unconscious.
Her breath was shallow.
Her robe had been replaced with a clean one. Her hair was damp, washed, combed, and spread across the pillow like ink. If someone didn't know her, they might've mistaken her for a doll.
A figure sat beside her bed with knees tucked up, chin resting in her palm, posture relaxed.
Her ears, however, twitched irritably.
Her tail swished behind her like a bored metronome.
Her name was Inahime. She was the first daughter of Kitsunarian royal lineage, a princess through and through.
Here, however, she was known by another title: Village Chief.
"Come on~" Inahime muttered, leaning forward. "Wake up already. I'm bored."
She poked Roxana's cheek.
Boop.
Nothing.
Inahime pouted, as if personally betrayed by the unconscious girl. "You're no fun to watch when you're sleeping, you know?"
Her tail flicked in offense. Then, with exaggerated drama, she sighed and leaned back in her chair, staring at the air like it had wronged her.
A panel suddenly blinked in front of her eyes.
[Quest: Receive and help the otherworlders and teach them a way to survive in this world - Incomplete]
Inahime's mouth twitched.
"Yes, yes. I know." She waved a hand as if shooing a fly. "You better make it worth my time."
The panel did not respond.
Her gaze drifted past the window, toward the shimmering boundary and the sleepy, bustling village beyond.
"No need to repeat it," she said lightly to the empty air. "I heard you the first time. Honestly, you're becoming quite naggy, you know~"
Still no response.
Inahime clicked her tongue and looked back at the sleeping girl.
"Come on~" she cooed, poking Roxana's cheek again. "Wake up already. I need to finish my quest."
Nothing again.
Inahime slumped, as if the weight of the world had been placed on her shoulders. It felt like everyone had been ignoring her today.
"A princess babysitting a village," she muttered. "Do you know how humiliating that is for me?"
She leaned back and stared up at the ceiling, as if waiting for the universe to apologize.
It didn't.
So Inahime did what she always did when the world refused to cooperate.
She made a joke.
"Well," she said brightly, poking Roxana's cheek one more time, "at least you're pretty."
She paused, then leaned in closer, eyes narrowing with genuine appraisal.
"Ara~ Now that I look at you closely, you might actually rival even my mother."
Then, as if remembering something, she pouted again.
She was just about to resume sulking when something shifted.
The air tightened.
Like the world had briefly clenched its teeth.
The shimmering boundary around the village trembled. The mist outside the window froze in place. Even the birds fell silent, as if an unseen hand had closed around their throats.
Inahime's ears snapped up.
Her tail went still.
Her playful expression remained…
…but something cold crawled up her spine.
She stood slowly, the chair scraping wood.
Her eyes turned toward the horizon.
And for the first time since she'd arrived for this miserable assignment, Inahime felt like she was looking at something she could not comprehend.
Her throat tightened.
"…What is happening?" she whispered.
The sky beyond the boundary cracked.
Space itself tore open across the horizon like glass splitting under pressure.
Inahime's fingers tightened on the bedframe.
The wood creaked.
Then snapped effortlessly.
Her playful smile finally faded.
And in the quiet of the room, a new panel appeared in front of her eyes.
Inahime stared at it.
Then at the cracked sky.
And for the first time in a very long time…
The Kitsunarian Princess felt fear.
…
Richard stood at the slope of the flower hill, blood dripping down his feathers.
His eyes were closed.
His comb drooped low, heavy with exhaustion.
A translucent panel hovered before him.
[Talent: The Path - Deactivated]
Richard opened his eyes. His chest tightened.
He was… conflicted.
He flapped his wings once in frustration, only to regret it immediately as pain shot through him so sharply his entire body spasmed.
"Hisss-!"
The sound came out like a snake.
Which only made him angrier, because he was a rooster. How could he make the sound of a snake?!
He grit his beak and forced himself to breathe.
But before he could gather his thoughts.
The world flinched.
Literally.
The ground shuddered so hard petals jumped off stems. The air rippled. A low, deep groan rolled through the earth as if the planet itself had been struck.
Richard froze.
His eyes snapped upward.
The sky above the hill cracked.
Space tore across the horizon, massively larger than the tear that had appeared when the otherworlders first descended.
A panel flashed in front of his eyes.
Richard swallowed.
The feathers along his neck rose as he stared at the words.
[The world is collapsing…]
…
Shivaya sat at the pond like she always did.
Insects sang.
Water dripped from a leaf.
Distant birds called across the field.
Life energy curled around her like a spiral of flame, warm and familiar. It poured into her veins.
Shivaya inhaled.
She could feel it.
Something had crossed a threshold.
Her feathers trembled.
Her heartbeat thundered.
And the pond reacted.
Water rose, lifting as if gravity had briefly forgotten what it owed the world. The air brightened.
Shivaya's eyes ignited.
Her beak opened slightly, then closed silently.
A panel flashed before her.
[Congratulations. Talent "The Authority of Imperial Edict" has awakened.]
[Recognition: The Will of the World acknowledges your existence.]
[Assisting Unit initialized. Greetings, Shivaya.]
[Body: F+ → E-]
[Mind: E+ → D+]
[Soul: E+ → D-]
[Tier: Late-Stage Common Creature]
Shivaya stared.
Then grinned.
Not just because her stats had risen, though that was satisfying.
But because of the talent.
The Authority of Imperial Edict.
It was the same one she had held in her previous life.
Her chest swelled with joy. She lifted her beak, smugness blooming like a flower in her throat.
Her mind immediately supplied an image of a certain rooster with that stupid comb and arrogant swagger.
Shivaya's beak tilted.
"It is time for your beating!"
She grinned foolishly, still immersed in her fantasies, and didn't even notice when the world around her paused.
Everything seized, like a breath held too hard.
The sky above the pond cracked.
A tear like a ravine across nothingness, shimmering like glass under moonlight.
And her status panel exploded.
[Error detected.]
The sky above her split wider. The ground under her shook.
Somewhere far away, an ocean began to roar, waves rising too high, too fast. Tsunamis formed as if reality had briefly forgotten how to be stable.
The air screamed.
Mountains trembled.
[Error: Talent not within bearing range of current world tier detected.]
[The world is collapsing…]
[Conditions fulfilled.]
[Attention: The Mother of All Beast is gazing at you.]
[Attention: The Lady of Returning Sand is gazing at you.]
[Unprecedented achievement has been achieved.]
[Soul: D- → A+ (World Limit)]
Shivaya snapped out of her fantasies as her panel erupted, but before she could read any of it, she felt her existence ascending, ripping into a higher level of life.
Euphoria slammed into her.
Her body trembled, not with fear, but with bliss.
Before her mind went white.
[The Lady of Returning Sand expresses that this is not fair ૮(˶╥︿╥)ა]
[She worries that her people won't be able to prove themselves with such an anomaly around]
[The Mother of All Beasts ponders the opinion of The Lady of Returning Sand]
[She disagrees, saying you should know what kind of achievement is required for her to gaze at her children like this and that her child deserves a worthy prize]
[She adds that she does not have authority over existence, and taking it back will cause serious backlash]
[The Lady of Returning Sand is on her knees, begging, saying she will bear the causality instead (つ╥﹏╥)つ]
[The Mother of All Beasts is astonished as to why The Lady of Returning Sand would go this far; she should know how serious the backlash would be]
[The Lady of Returning Sand says it is for her people and remains unshaken]
[...]
[The Mother of All Beasts sighs and agrees but on one condition]
[ ₍₍⚞(˶˃ ꒳ ˂˶)⚟⁾⁾ ]
Shivaya, oblivious to the argument around her, was still drowning in the feeling of her soul being elevated into that of a higher lifeform.
The panel stuttered.
The text glitched as another line reappeared.
[T¤e W¤r¤d ¤s col¤ap¤i¤g.]
[F¤ndin¤ w¤ys t¤ pr¤s¤rve ¤he w¤r¤d…]
[…Title… The E¤¤or ¤f th¤ W¤¤¤¤]
And then…
Silence.
Then, as if with a snap, the "wound" in the world began to stitch itself shut.
[The world has been stabilized.]
A new message appeared.
[The Mother of All Beasts sends an apology to her child.]
[Your Achievement has been erased.]
[Soul: A+ → D-]
[Error detected.]
[Error: Achievement erased.]
[Calculating causality…]
[The Lady of Returning Sand's authority has decreased by 1.]
The pond's suspended water crashed down with a roar. The tear in the sky sealed shut like glass melting back into itself.
Across the planet, cracks closed. Storms weakened. Oceans calmed.
Reality stopped screaming.
One by one, the messages erased themselves from Shivaya's screen.
Shivaya's eyes snapped open as she felt her power collapse inward so violently she gagged.
"Ugh-!" she hissed, wings flaring. "What just happened?!"
She lay there for a moment, panting, mind spinning.
Her soul felt hollow, like she'd been robbed of something.
One moment she had awakened her talent. Then it felt like she had… ascended. Then suddenly something had ripped it away.
It was like someone had handed her a lollipop, let her taste it, then yanked it out of her mouth with a laugh.
Shivaya shakily opened her status panel.
Everything looked normal, which only made her more confused. Was everything she experienced a moment ago just an illusion?
With a sigh, she concluded that this might be how common creatures felt when they awakened their talent.
With that thought, she started reading her status panel line by line.
[Congratulations. Talent "The Authority of Imperial Edict" has awakened.]
[Recognition: The Will of the World acknowledges your existence.]
[Assisting Unit initialized. Greetings, Shivaya.]
[Body: F+ → E-]
[Mind: E+ → D+]
[Soul: E+ → D-]
[Tier: Late-Stage Common Creature]
But then she noticed two lines that were absolutely not normal.
[You have gained a title: The Error of the World.]
[You have gained a gift from The Mother of All Beasts: Primordial Land Ticket.]
Shivaya stared.
Slowly and carefully.
"…Oh?"
She focused on the new title.
[Title: Error of the World]
[Description: You are an existence the current world cannot classify or bear.]
[1. You can survive outside of the world.]
[2. While inside a world, invoking power beyond the world's tolerance triggers correction to protect stability.]
[3. Due to your existence, local reality will show symptoms when your power spikes.]
[Note: To use your powers freely, please leave the planet and find a higher world.]
Shivaya stared blankly.
Her beak twitched irritably as she read each line.
Her temper rose further when she hit the note.
"…Leave?" she whispered, voice rising. "I can't even fly yet!! How could I leave the planet?"
Her wings flapped in indignation so wildly she almost fell into the pond.
Shivaya hissed, righted herself, and glared at the title like it had personally insulted her bloodline.
This title was, after all, nothing but a shackle to restrict her powers.
Still…
This meant one thing.
Her talent was real.
Her old self was real.
Her memories were real.
Not something someone had planted in her.
She wasn't a pawn in someone's game.
With that thought, invisible weights lifted off her shoulders.
She hadn't admitted it, had barely even let herself think it, but she'd been conflicted about her memories. Were they real, or something artificially created by someone else?
Now it was confirmed.
She was real.
And the confirmation eased something deep in her.
Shivaya's smugness returned like it had never left.
Then her gaze dropped to the second line.
[Primordial Land Ticket]
[Description: A one-time-use item that grants access to the Primordial Land for up to six months.]
Shivaya's breath stopped.
The Mother of All Beasts.
She knew that name.
Everyone who had ever climbed high enough in existence knew it.
The oldest mother.
The first authority of beasts.
The one who could look at all the creatures within Gaia and call them "child" without irony.
Shivaya's body trembled.
Not with fear.
But with barely restrained excitement.
After all, The Mother of All Beasts was Gaia herself.
Calming herself, she couldn't help wondering what she'd done to deserve such a gift.
"Why would she?" Shivaya murmured, before softly shaking her head. "No… it doesn't matter."
Whatever the reason, a gift from her wasn't something to be wary of.
Primordial Land was a great opportunity for her. Especially now that she doesn't even have a bloodline and her race is that of an ordinary chicken. Primordial Land is a perfect place to change that.
She wasn't sure how strong Richard had become, but with this, she could easily beat that stupid rooster up!
Her mind wandered, inevitably, back to the stupid rooster. To the smug face she desperately wanted to stomp.
Shivaya's beak tilted.
A slow smile formed as she let out a giggle.
"Hehe…"
…
Far away from the flower hill, high above forests and rivers and sleeping villages, where mountains kissed the clouds…
A "calamity" stirred.
On a ridge of black stone stood a beast that looked like a tiger and a horse fused by a god with poor impulse control.
It was massive, striped, and muscled.
Claws that shredded boulders when it grew bored.
Its breath came out as warm fog, and the air around it changed temperature in the span of a second.
Creatures below shrieked as the land around them steamed.
The beast didn't care. It lazily walked back toward its resting place.
It was mid-step when the world went quiet.
It froze.
Its ears flattened.
A low growl rolled from its chest, so deep the ridge vibrated.
Its eyes narrowed toward the cracked sky expanding toward the far horizon.
A status panel flashed.
And for the first time in a long time…
It looked awake.
…
In a forest so dense sunlight struggled to reach the ground, a man sat on a rocking chair.
It rocked back and forth, making his long white hair sway softly.
Rabbit ears rose from his head like a joke.
A joke no one who knew him would dare laugh at.
He carved something into wood with a knife, calm and casual.
Then the insects stopped.
The birds stopped.
Even the trees seemed to lean inward.
His blade froze mid-cut.
His rabbit ears twitched.
A carrot dropped from his mouth and hit the ground with a soft thump.
He lifted his gaze toward the cracked sky.
"Oh?" he murmured, checking his status panel.
A smile curved slowly over his lips delightedly, with no hint of fear despite the message.
"Is this a sign of a new era?"
He stood.
The air trembled with him, as if the forest itself held its breath.
He stretched lazily.
"Now that sounds fun."
…
In a river network wide enough to swallow villages, something enormous surfaced.
It looked like a hippo.
Except it had six legs.
And spikes like black spears rising from its back, covering its whole body.
The water around it boiled from the heat of its flesh. Fish died instantly and floated up in a neat ring, as if obeying a ritual.
Its eyes opened.
For a heartbeat, the river's flow changed direction, as if confused by the creature's waking.
It inhaled.
Then let out a roar of laughter.
Heavy enough to make the riverbank tremble.
Then it sank back down.
Not to sleep.
To wait.
…
Far north, where snowfields stretched like white deserts and wind cut like knives, a giant white fox lay curled inside a frozen castle.
Nine tails fanned behind it like silk banners.
Its fur was so bright it made moonlight look dull.
For a long time it had been still.
Resting.
Then its eyes opened as the world twitched.
Those eyes were white, deep as snow.
The temperature around it shifted by several degrees.
Its tails unfurled like a crown being assembled.
It stared toward the cracked sky.
Amusement touched its expression.
Mist swirled around its massive form.
And as the mist receded, the beast was gone.
In its place stood a fox-eared woman.
Porcelain beauty.
Curved lips.
Snow-white eyes.
Nine tails curled behind her like a throne.
"Ara~" she murmured softly, voice light enough to vanish into the air. "Is our long wait finally coming to an end?"
Her tails flicked.
The snowfield trembled.
Then her expression softened, gaze drifting as if she'd remembered something.
"Sigh~" She rested her cheeks in her hands. "Hopefully that daughter of mine is going to be fine. The world will get chaotic soon~"
A faint frown formed on her flawless features.
"Was it a mistake to let her go there after all?"
The temperature dropped as if responding to her mood.
Kilometers away, trees froze in a line, frost racing across trunks before stopping and vanishing as if it had never happened.
The woman blinked.
Then smiled again, bright and unconcerned.
"Oh well. She's a big girl now. She'll be fine~"
Her eyes returned to the sky, watching the crack stitch itself closed.
Her expression mirrored the powerful creatures around the world as they quietly began to pay attention to the world once more.