3.

Having suddenly become a 2D stick figure, I had no choice but to be flustered, but being flustered didn’t change the situation.

The world was still as flat as it could possibly be, and I was as much of a stick figure as one could possibly be.

Idiot 「Oh, how fascinating.」

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, I wasn’t the only one who had turned into a stick figure. Bae Hu-ryeong had also become a stick figure ghost.

If I was a solid line, then perhaps the difference was that Bae Hu-ryeong was represented as a dashed line?

For reference, Bae Hu-ryeong was,

ヘ(一▽一ヘ)

making such an emoticon expression.

Just looking at it was infuriating, which was very Bae Hu-ryeong-like.

A speech bubble wafted above Bae Hu-ryeong’s head.

Idiot 「To my eyes, this damn world looks like a drawing on a piece of paper. Zombie. Do you see it that way too?」

“Ah, yes…….”

While nodding, I felt ambiguous.

“It looks the same to me too. But why are you talking with speech bubbles? Why not speak with your voice?”

Idiot 「Huh? To me, it seems like you’re talking with speech bubbles as well?」

Huh.

Bae Hu-ryeong asked back as if he really couldn’t understand.

He didn’t seem to be lying.

“Really?”

Idiot 「Yeah. Every time you speak, a speech bubble appears above your head. I can’t hear your voice.」

“Ah… I see. Perhaps in this world, one can only hear their own voice.”

I grasped the situation.

So, this stage had no sound. Everything people said was displayed in text instead of being heard as sound. Just like in comics.

It was possible to hear one’s own voice but not the voices of others. I wasn’t sure what the difference between the two was, but anyway, that was the law of this world.

Fox 「Peep.」

Thread Snake 「Hiss.」

The Constellations were the same. Their cries were converted into speech bubbles. And next to the speech bubble, the person’s name was written.

Instead of [A Music Box Only for You], it was called Fox, and [The Eye Living in the Labyrinth] was called Thread Snake, so it seems it wasn’t written as ‘objective names’. They were displayed with names I found comfortable.

‘Wait a minute. Then does that mean Bae Hu-ryeong’s name is displayed as idiot…?’

I looked back at Bae Hu-ryeong.

Bae Hu-ryeong tilted his head in confusion.

Idiot 「Hm? What are you staring at?」

“…No, it’s nothing. I was just thinking that you match well with speech bubbles.”

I quickly changed the topic. There are truths in the world that don’t need to be shared. It’s like scratching an itch.

Idiot 「Is that so? Well, I am a bit of a cool guy, no matter what I do.」

“So, what should we do here?”

Leaving Bae Hu-ryeong aside, I looked around. I didn’t scan in all four directions but rather in three. Unlike the real world, here you could only move in two directions: left and right.

If I were to simply depict the scene that met my eyes in a drawing, it would be like this:

.,,.. ⊂;^;^;,つ ...''...'.... ,,'.'.........,, ....''....... ...''... ,,..... ........... ...,,, ___________________________

On the left was a mountain. The fluffy things floating in the distance were clouds. Below the mountains and clouds, the baseline stretched far and wide on both sides was the horizon. Essentially, the ground.

Well, what can I say. It’s a very simple world.

Idiot 「Whether left or right, we have no choice but to move forward, right?」

Said the idiot who knew nothing but martial arts.

Idiot 「This place is also the afterlife, right? Then somewhere, there must be souls gathered and living. Right? What kind of life one must lead to consider such a place heaven, I really can’t understand.」

“Okay. Let’s move on then.”

I walked forward. No, I walked in the right direction, step by step.

Of course, there was no sound of footsteps. When I stepped forward with my right foot, the word 「Step」 appeared, just like sound effects are shown in comics.

“Wow. Even things like footsteps appear in this way…”

I tried stomping my foot heavily as a test. Then, a large 「Stomp!!」 appeared in big, bold, and fierce font.

On the other hand, when I tiptoed, 「Tiptoe… Tiptoe…」 appeared in small letters. The font was also gentle.

“Amazing.”

Literally, a heaven where everything is expressed on a flat surface.

Resident A 「Oh. You’re a face I haven’t seen in our village before. Are you a traveler?」

After walking for a while, I encountered a person.

It was the first time I had met a local of this world.

The resident was expressed as a stick figure, just like me, and was pressing something onto the ground.

The tool in the resident’s hand was…… a sword? A trident? No. Considering they were digging the ground, it’s highly likely to be a hoe. This person was hoeing the field with a hoe.

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

I nodded my head in greeting.

“But can you distinguish my face?”

Resident A 「Hm? Face?」

“Yes. You mentioned it was our first meeting as soon as you saw me. I was wondering if it’s easy for you to distinguish me from others.”

Resident A 「Huh? Of course, it’s easy to distinguish you from others. You’re asking a strange question.」

The farmer replied as if it were obvious.

(一□一)?

And looked at me as if I was strange.

But the one truly engulfed in a peculiar feeling was me. No matter how much I concentrated, I found it difficult to distinguish the farmer’s face from my stick figure face. My goodness, can people here distinguish anything just by looking at stick figures?

Resident A 「More importantly, if you wish to enter our village, there are a few procedures to go through.」

“Procedures, you say?”

Resident A 「Nothing difficult. You just need to answer the questions I ask. Have you come to our village intending to harm someone?」

I immediately shook my head. A 「No, No」 sound effect appeared.

“No. That’s not it.”

Resident A 「Good.」

The farmer said cheerfully. As if my answer had cleared all suspicions, as if there was no need to probe further.

Resident A 「I’ll continue with the questions. Do you plan to cause a disturbance in our village? Will you create discord among the other residents?」

“Eek. No. I have no such intentions. Unless someone attacks me first…”

Resident A 「Good. Can you swear that, in case of any unwanted incidents, you will faithfully follow our village’s customs and legal proceedings for investigation and trial?」

“Of course.”

Resident A 「Oh. A splendid traveler!」

The farmer laughed. He seemed very satisfied for some reason. He then patted my shoulder, thump, thump.

Resident A 「Even if you’re an outsider, if you’re someone like you, I can trust you. Welcome! Our village welcomes you!」

“Uh….”

I was somewhat flustered.

It was nice to be welcomed, but I didn’t understand.

How could they trust me like that?

We had exchanged only a few questions and answers at most. There was no further interrogation.

Such simple Q&A couldn’t possibly reveal what kind of person I am. Whether my answers were sincere or not was also unknown. Why then.

Thread Snake 「Hiss.」

That was when it happened. As if sensing my puzzled heart, Thread Snake reacted. It seemed to know what I was curious about and also appeared to have the answers.

[‘The Eye Living in the Labyrinth’ manifests its power.]

[Reveal.]

[Information about this stage is revealed to you.]

[Hidden information is unveiled!]

A window popped up on one side of the screen. It was an explanation window. Neatly squared, the window began to be filled with text flowing down.

+

[True Heaven World]

Floor: 75th

Constellation: ‘The Faceless Conductor’

Difficulty: B~A

Explanation (Lv.1): A flat world made up of pictures and text.

Explanation (Lv.2): This place is one of the afterworlds prepared in the tower.

Explanation (Lv.3): True Heaven. A name referring to the afterlife where souls tired of lies and hypocrisy arrive. Those weary of seeking truth in others’ words, those drained from distinguishing truth and falsehood with every human encounter, those who have grown to detest the complex human world, settle here after death.

In the True Heaven World, one can never tell a ‘lie’!

+

Ah.

So that was it.

My question was instantly resolved, but the explanation window was not finished. I continued to read the information revealed by Hishmith Kritz.

+

Once you set foot in this heaven, you need not worry about what others might be hiding. You need not doubt the intentions of others.

Just ask.

An honest answer will be returned.

No one can distort their true intentions with subtle expressions or sophisticated speech here. Because any expression and tone of voice are displayed ‘blatantly’.

Even your appearance and that of others are not distinctly distinguishable here.

Rest assured. You do not have to strain yourself to act out expressions cleverly. Clever speech and flattering expressions simply cannot exist in this land.

This heaven was created for those who are tired of being human, tired of becoming human, and yet, despite everything, wish to be with humans.

May you find peace here.

+

Resident A 「If you ever have any trouble, come find me anytime!」

The farmer, carrying a hoe, walked away. Step by step. Before long, the farmer had moved off-screen and was no longer in my view.

“…I see.”

I completely understood the farmer’s odd behavior. After sharing the information I just learned with Bae Hu-ryeong, I said,

“Just exchanging questions and answers with me is enough in this world. After all, everything I say here is the truth. Just getting an answer that I have no intention of causing trouble is enough reason not to be wary of me, even if I’m an outsider.”

Idiot 「Indeed. A world where lying is impossible…」

The martial arts idiot crossed his arms and nodded seriously.

Idiot 「Considering most hunters are deceitful, there must be many who find the condition of being absolutely unable to lie excruciating. Of course, for someone like me, whose heart is clearer than a stream and who speaks nothing but sincerity no matter where or when, this stage isn’t difficult at all…」

“What?”

Idiot 「Hm?」

As we conversed, we walked into the village.

Idiot 「Zombie, try saying what I tell you to.」

“What strange thing are you going to ask me to say now?”

Idiot 「Say, “Sword Emperor is so cool that I can’t help but respect him in my heart.”」

Has this guy lost his mind?

Idiot 「Ah, please! Come on! Hurry. Right now. Right now!」

Bae Hu-ryeong urged me. It was an urging filled with sincerity. I sighed.

“Sword Emperor…….”

And the moment I opened my mouth, whoosh! A massive shock ran through my entire body.

[Prohibited!]

[You cannot break the rules of this world.]

[You cannot utter a lie!]

“…….”

My mouth was immediately shut. Not because I chose to close it; even when I tried again, my mouth merely moved silently, without producing sound. The sentence Bae Hu-ryeong desperately asked me to say just couldn’t come out.

Idiot 「Hey. Kim Zombie.」

Bae Hu-ryeong looked at me with eyes that had gone cold.

Idiot 「You… don’t tell me. It’s not that you stumbled over saying Sword Emperor is ‘too cool’, nor at saying you ‘respect him in your heart’… but you got stuck just at Sword Emperor ‘nim’!?」

Damn.

Idiot 「You can’t even attach ‘nim’ to me?! Is calling me Sword Emperor ‘nim’ itself a lie to you? Huh!?」

“Ah, of course. How could I logically call you nim? Huh? My conscience has fled, crossed the East Sea, swam across the Pacific, and made it all the way to Hawaii?”

Idiot 「Good heavens. Are you even human? After all I’ve taught and given to you, how much are you looking down on me in your heart!」

“No… Wait. Hold on. But you just called me ‘Kim Zombie’! That means you genuinely, without a single lie, consider me a zombie in your heart! How can you do that to me!?”

Idiot 「I can do that, but you can’t!」

“Get lost!”

By the way, we were passing through the village. What I mean is, the villagers got to watch our quarrel for free. They looked at us with various expressions.

(‘ ロ ‘ ? ) ‘ㅅ’ )/”); ,(๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵), ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I don’t know about the others, but the last villager seemed somehow really annoying….

Even the speech bubble was marked with a 「hihi」. What’s this? Is he picking a fight with me?

Resident F 「Hey, you there!」

We were about to leave the village. One of the villagers, who had been standing at a distance, yelled, or rather, blew up big speech bubbles, and ran towards us in a hurry.

“Yes?”

Resident F 「Don’t go any further!」

The villager, sweating profusely (;), stopped me. Then he raised his hand to point towards the right side of the screen, the direction on the far right.

Resident F 「There’s a madman living there!」

*****