Chaos Maker

In the bustling streets of Cot Town, John walked with a curious smile, taking in the sights around him. People of all races filled the street—beautiful Elves (though only the girls registered in John's mind), loud and rowdy Dwarves, short Pallums, small Nomes, wild yet cute Demi-humans, seductive Amazonesses, and, of course, humans.

Guards clad in light armor and carrying magic guns were a common sight, patrolling to maintain order and security.

Suddenly, John stopped, turning abruptly toward a particular building. His instincts flared, screaming that something interesting was hidden there.

It was a restaurant with a strange name: "Good Meal Tigger Snake."

John extended his senses to scan the building, but to his surprise, he failed. Something blocked him. No, it felt as though the building itself was resisting him.

A terrifying smile slowly spread across his face, widening with every second. Suddenly, he began laughing manically, startling the people around him and causing a small commotion.

Realizing the scene he'd caused, John hurriedly left, pretending nothing had happened, and continued exploring the town. He wandered until he grew tired, then decided to find a good inn and rest for the night.

Early the next morning.

John found a nearby ramen stand and sat down.

"One bowl of ramen, please," he said.

"Coming right up!" the ramen owner replied cheerfully.

As John waited, he struck up a conversation with the man-eating beside him.

"What a beautiful and majestic castle. Has it always been like that?"

The man paused mid-bite before laughing heartily. "Yeah, it's always been that way since the city was built."

"By the way, I'm John."

"Crist."

Crist gestured toward the blue pillar of light piercing the sky from the castle's center. His voice was casual as he explained, "See that blue light? It protects the town, shielding us from any threats. It also doubles as the town's ultimate weapon."

"Is that so? What about them?" John asked, pointing at the patrolling guards in light armor, armed with magic rifles.

Crist looked over and replied, "Those are the Town Guards. Each of them can decimate an entire army. The elites? They can destroy entire continents—a rare feat, even for a Level 10, since the Great Change."

John frowned slightly. "The Great Change?"

Crist sighed, clearly disappointed. "Kids these days don't know their history."

John ignored his tone and beckoned for him to continue.

"The Great Change was a grand phenomenon. In the year 330, 900 years after the gods descended, a blinding light enveloped everything, stealing the sight of all living things. When the light finally subsided, the world had transformed beyond recognition.

"The planet/world, stars, galaxies, universe, etc. expanded endlessly. Continents grew to rival the former scale of the entire world. New, terrifying creatures emerged, mysterious infrastructure and castles appeared out of nowhere, unimaginably massive planets hung in the sky, and absolute beings emerged from them," Crist explained, his tone serious.

"What a grand phenomenon," John murmured. "And where did this information come from?"

"Straight from the primordial gods themselves," Crist assured him. "It's all verified truth."

John raised an eyebrow. "Then how did you get access to this information?"

Crist chuckled. "Have you been living under a rock?"

"No, not really. More like the top of a mountain."

Crist smirked. "Isn't that the same as living in a cave?"

"Not at all. A cave is dark and barbaric, while the top of a mountain gives off hermit vibes," John clarified.

"Huh. Fair point."

Crist pulled a sleek, sci-fi-looking smartphone from his pocket. "This is a magic smartphone. It's versatile—used for calculations, geography, notes, searching news, weather broadcasts, communication across infinite distances, and more. Mine's a free model distributed by absolute beings. If you want a more powerful or specialized one, you've got to buy it."

"Can these smartphones be broken?" John asked, his curiosity piqued.

Crist shook his head. "Nope. Not even the gods can scratch them. I dropped mine in boiling water once, and it was perfectly fine."

Hearing this, John grinned subtly, hiding it so as not to scare Crist.

Their conversation paused as the owner interrupted.

"Your ramen is ready!"

"Thanks," John said, accepting the steaming bowl and digging in.

John glanced westward and asked, "What's with that flashy highway over there?"

Before Crist could answer, the ramen owner chimed in while washing bowls. "That's the Golden Highway, created by the Ultimarae."

John frowned in confusion.

The owner clarified, "The Ultimarae is another name for the Absolute Beings, given to them by the gods out of respect."

Crist added, "The Golden Highway connects every city, town, and village in the world. There are massive canals with the same function. Thanks to these paths, the world experienced massive economic growth and helped the people of this world to come out of the crisis brought by The Great Change. No one can attack you on those routes; barriers protect them. If anyone tries anything foolish, countless golems emerge to enforce the rules—or kill the offenders, depending on the severity."

John continued asking questions, and Crist, along with the owner, patiently answered them.

A while later.

"Thanks. Bye!" John waved, paid for his meal, and left.

Crist waved back, still busy eating.

"Come again!" the owner shouted.

John leaped onto a nearby rooftop, sat down, and closed his eyes. He extended his magic senses far and wide, encompassing the entire town.

"The crime rate is zero. Quality of life? Excellent. Their technology rivals and even surpasses any civilization thanks to magic tech. The military strength is terrifying—20,000 active soldiers, and 50,000 reserves, all between Levels 6 and 8. There are 20 elites at Level 10. The six generals leading them are in the True Creator Level, and the Governor of this town is at the Forbidden Level," John murmured to himself, analyzing everything.

"Their weaponry… well, I don't know. I can't find it. It must be hidden in the underground base I'm currently detecting. Unfortunately, I can't see what's inside. That base is already on the uncharted level—'???'—similar to the castle in the town. The underground base appears to be located beneath the castle itself. If I were at my peak, I could see what's inside, but at the moment, it's impossible.

Standing up, John muttered aloud, "That's enough observation. I'll leave tomorrow."

He jumped down to the streets and took a shortcut through an alleyway, completely unaware that this would be the most troublesome decision he would make all day.