Journey to Planar World

The starry sky greeted him as Charlie opened his eyes.

He sat on a large, familiar chair, surrounded by endless darkness. Ten other chairs were arranged in a perfect circle at equal distances.

He had returned to the Void Sanctuary!

’Just me? The other Saviors haven’t returned yet?’

Seeing the other nine chairs empty, Charlie was somewhat curious about how many Saviors had survived their Quests. Although he had been forced by Gaia and Alaya to undertake the most difficult Quest because he was currently the strongest, he speculated that the other Quests were not easy either.

Then, Charlie noticed two incomparably beautiful women standing not far in front of him, gazing at him.

Gaia and Alaya!

”Congratulations on completing your Quest perfectly, Charlie Avalon.”

Gaia’s voice was gentle, carrying a tone of pride.

”...”

Beside her, Alaya didn’t say a word, only staring at him with her usual cold expression, as if all beings in the multiverse owed her something.

”Perfect, huh...”

Instead of feeling happy about Gaia’s praise, Charlie felt unworthy.

In his opinion, the outcome was far from perfect.

The Quest had only tasked him with protecting the protagonist and heroine from the threat of the Abyssal Devourer, who had sent villains to kill them.

Who would have thought that the first villain to appear would cause such severe and irreversible damage to humanity, nearly leading to the end of human civilization if not stopped in time.

80% of the male population was wiped out by the MK Virus—that’s about 3.2 billion people!

Indirectly, Charlie had caused the deaths of 3.2 billion people because he hadn’t anticipated that the Abyssal Devourer would use a method of mass destruction rather than targeting individuals.

”There’s no need to blame yourself. Without your presence, that world would have surely faced apocalypse if you had failed to protect the Nakano quintuplets and Uesugi Fuutarou. You saved the world!”

”...”

However, Gaia’s words didn’t make Charlie feel any better.

Seeing her attempts to comfort Charlie fail, Gaia glanced to the side, toward the only person who might handle this situation differently.

Alaya.

Compared to her, who represented the will of the world spread across the multiverse, Alaya embodied the will of humanity and understood humans better.

Alaya, who had been standing silently, caught Gaia’s gaze. With her usual flat expression, she stepped forward and approached Charlie.

”What makes you feel guilty, Charlie Avalon?”

Her voice was cold, firm, and devoid of emotion.

”The deaths of 3.2 billion people in that world?”

Charlie raised his head, looking at her with conflicted eyes.

”If you had failed the Quest, the Abyssal Devourer would have plundered the World Source, causing that world to slowly face apocalypse. Compared to an apocalypse that would kill all living beings on the planet, that number isn’t even worth mentioning.”

Without waiting for Charlie’s response, Alaya continued.

”In the natural ecosystem, if one species goes extinct, it disrupts the food chain. Take cockroaches, for example.”

”Many humans find them disgusting and think the world would be a better place without them. But what happens if all cockroaches in the world go extinct?”

Alaya stared at him sharply. She didn’t give Charlie time to answer before continuing.

”Many insect species and small animals rely on cockroaches as a food source. If cockroaches go extinct, the food chain would be disrupted, causing the population of their natural predators to decline. Additionally, cockroaches play a crucial role in the ecosystem cycle. They help decompose organic matter, speeding up the recycling of nutrients in the soil. Without them, many ecosystems would degrade, causing adverse effects on the environment.”

”However, humans are different. Even if humanity goes extinct, it won’t harm the planet itself. On the contrary, the Earth would recover from the damage they’ve caused.”

”So, Charlie Avalon. Does that mean cockroaches are more important than humans?”

Responding to Alaya’s question, Charlie didn’t need time to think and answered directly.

”No. It just shows that humans aren’t the center of the universe. Even something they consider insignificant, like cockroaches, plays a crucial role in the ecosystem.”

Though her expression didn’t change, Alaya was satisfied with the answer. If Charlie had said humans were the rulers of Earth, she would have been disappointed in him.

Humans are but insignificant grains of sand in the vast universe.

”If you’re angry about their deaths, kill every Abyssal Devourer you encounter. Never fail a Quest so that the death toll doesn’t increase. In short, whenever innocent people die because of the Abyssal Devourer, instead of blaming yourself, you should repay them many times over.” Alaya spoke with a firm tone.

’Revenge... That’s right, I just need to avenge them. Isn’t this my specialty? It’s no different from my previous life. But this time, I’m not blinded by hatred.’

Charlie took a deep breath. The weight pressing on his chest slowly eased. The dark clouds shrouding his mind began to clear, replaced by a burning resolve.

He raised his head, looking directly into Alaya’s eyes.

”I understand.”

Gaia, who had been silent, smiled slightly at the change in his demeanor.

’As expected of Alaya! Her words are so persuasive. She’s truly a master manipulator!’

”I feel like I’m thinking something bad about myself.”

”Impossible. That’s just your imagination, Alaya.”

After staring at Gaia for a moment, Alaya didn’t pursue the matter.

”Why am I the only one in the Void Sanctuary? Where are the other Saviors?”

Having accepted Alaya’s advice and set aside the guilt that had been gnawing at him, Charlie asked Gaia, who was more approachable than the indifferent Alaya.

’It’s impossible that I’m the only Savior left, right?’ He thought to himself.

He couldn’t ignore the worst-case scenario. In previous cycles, two generations of Saviors, with greater numbers than the third cycle, had still been annihilated by the Abyssal Devourer. If the others were also gone, did that mean he was now the only hope left?

”Relax, Charlie. No Saviors have died so far. They did well, though some were injured.” Gaia was delighted to deliver this news.

Choosing elites in each specialization was indeed the right move; relying solely on ordinary people wouldn’t work. Her and Alaya’s decision to focus on quality over quantity had paid off.

”Thank goodness. I was afraid I’d have to handle Quests alone in the future.”

Hearing this explanation, the tension in Charlie’s shoulders eased slightly. If he were the only Savior left, he wasn’t sure he could handle all the Quests alone. The fact that others had survived made him a bit more optimistic.

”In that case, may I claim my reward now?”