A Horror Novel’s Supporting Character Wants to Live as a Human

Chapter 210

The principles carved into each star were so mighty in themselves that

no one could oppose or avoid them.

The moment he finally came to realize this fact was about 170 million years after 'he' was born.

The rampaging black mud that had been seeking a power source settled down, and the mountain that had curved gloomily above it like a hook collapsed, covering the traces.

While running away from the snake-people who had treated him as if they would kill him, and buying time by continuing to flee, giant land animals appeared and he finally escaped the snake-people's attention.

The war between the land animals and snake-people was devastating.

Despite their highly advanced magic and civilization, the snake-people, pushed to the defensive, had their proud and glorious city Valusia destroyed and scattered in all directions.

This was the same for the Elder Things.

The new alien species that had migrated from the distant cold star called themselves 'Mi-Go.'

Though they certainly had the characteristics of curious researchers,unlike the Elder Things who had communicated with intelligent beings through gentle methods, the Mi-Go species had no hesitation in using cruel and direct methods.

Due to these differences in temperament, the Elder Things and Mi-Go could not coexist.

War broke out.

The Mi-Go violently occupied the planet based on their species' weapons and research knowledge.

However, the Elder Things had been immersed in long-lasting peace, so their combat weapons were old and rusted, and they didn't have much knowledge about war either.

Eventually, the Elder Things were evicted from the surface cities they had built and hid beneath the sea.

Ironically, the sea that served as their refuge suited them well, and the hypnosis techniques that had been continuously problematic until now became much stronger, making it easy to subjugate the Shoggoths.

The Elder Things who found the deep sea reached their golden age. Though they missed the land, they couldn't think of leaving the sea.

As the two species disappeared underground and beneath the sea, 'he' became completely free.

He traveled around the planet. Carrying a red-covered book in his hand, with a black snake as his traveling companion, he went wherever his feet took him.

He witnessed with his own eyes the fall of the snake-people and the Elder Things' retreat.

He also witnessed the Mi-Go species settling in the empty surface cities, and their extraction and preservation of organs called 'brains' from the surface life forms that had already been created.

He could see scenes of land that had seemed eternal splitting apart.

He saw the heavens shake as tall mountains continuously spewed acrid smoke.

He saw the strata crack and split, with red water hotter than the sun flowing between them.

He saw the sky no longer blue but covered in gray, and because of this, the trees and grass on the surface could no longer grow and died.

He remembered everything.

The moment when the sky could no longer clear and the warm air turned bitterly cold.

The scene when cold, light things fluttered down from the sky and landed on his palm.

How the giant land animals that had brought down the snake-people, having nothing to eat, hunted each other and eventually collapsed and died.

Even the feelings of how only he and the snake had to enter deep into caves and continue a life harder than death.

When he couldn't die even though he wanted to, and couldn't see a way to live even though he wanted to live.

He returned again and again, continuously to the place where the black mud was buried.

No, he tried to return. But even if he went back, he couldn't achieve what he wanted.

He tried to find the reason but failed.

The reason he couldn't fulfill his long-cherished wish wasn't because of the snake-people, Elder Things, or Shoggoths.

Neither the Mi-Go species that had flown from outer space nor the suddenly arrived harsh cold environment could be the reason.

The cause was himself.

He was weak, foolish, and couldn't do anything. Moreover, he was even cowardly.

The luck he had survived on until now, and being able to continue his life safely to this point, was all thanks to someone else's sacrifice.

If ■■ hadn't existed, he would have been nothing but worthless dregs.

Now that he had lost ■■, what should he become?

For the first time in his life, he looked into himself. A swamp filled with all kinds of ugly and unsightly things.

From within it, he retrieved an emotion that had once shone.

So that he could continue to cherish it, so that it could become the one indicator that only he could possess in all the futures to come.

At the end of the harsh ice age that had frozen all living things,

The man who no longer showed traces of being a young beast after tens of millions of years had passed,

Made his way to the Mi-Go city where the Elder Things had once nested.

*

"Shan!"

A young man with dirty blonde hair and dark skin tanned by the sun looked up.

"Tika. Why are you running over like that?"

"Listen, listen! Do you know what I heard? Do you know what I heard!"

"How would I know if you say it like that? You just came running excitedly from over there, and I've been working here the whole time."

Shan patted his stiff shoulders and back from digging the ground with his head down the entire time.

The girl called Tika looked like she had just passed her early teens.

She had blonde hair similar to Shan's but much lighter skin, and unlike Shan who was roughly wearing just cloth around his waist, she covered her body with more complexly and beautifully twisted cloth.

The girl couldn't hide her excitement and jumped around Shan while shouting.

"'Anutara' is going outside Shambhala! He's taking the 'Arahan' with him when he goes. He must be going to find something wonderful outside Shambhala, right? They say other people besides the Arahan can go too!"

"Anutara is?"

Shan wiped his flowing sweat and turned his head toward the village.

The only city built on vast land that was half desert and half dry earth, Shambhala.

In this place where no matter how long you walked there was nothing but scorching sun and rough sand, the only person who could go out was Anutara.

'Anutara.'

The origin and beginning of Shambhala, and the one who had watched over all the births and deaths of Shambhala's residents.

According to stories handed down from his grandmother and grandfather, long ago in some distant place, there lived terrible monsters and demonic beasts.

The ancestors of Shambhala born there were often devoured by these fearsome beings.

However, the current Anutara could no longer stand watching the terrible situation the Shambhala ancestors faced,

And confronted the leader of the demonic beasts, taking the ancestors and escaping from the land of terrifying monsters.

However, even after escaping from that land, they were still nothing but weak life forms.

Besides the demonic beasts and monsters, there were many other frightening things constantly targeting them,

And each time, Anutara risked his life to protect them.

Having barely crossed lands and waters to reach the land of sand and wind, Anutara declared:

-You shall prosper in this land.

Only then did the ancestors of Shambhala shed tears of joy.

Thanks to the clear spring Anutara had found for them, they could build a village and bear children.

The Shambhala people loved the hot sand and wind that safely protected them from outside monsters.

They called this land a desert, named the village Shambhala, and finally became the proud people of the desert.

Anutara became the being who protected the village.

To be precise, while receiving all the respect of the Shambhala people, he tried not to greatly influence Shambhala village.

Since Anutara always wore old, dirty white robes, no one had ever seen his face.

Shan was equally curious about Anutara's appearance, but all he had seen in his life were a few strands of Anutara's pale and pure hair.

What the mysterious Anutara did was watch over Shambhala, suddenly leave beyond the desert, and return again.

Thus Anutara became an even more mysterious being.

"Shan, are you listening? Shan!"

"I was just thinking about something else for a moment!"

"Anyway, this time I'm going to ask Anutara. If others besides Arahan can go, I'll say I want to go too."

"You... Can you even talk to Anutara? Even if you're lucky enough to get in front of him, you just circle around the area and come back."

"I'm different now from then! Aren't you curious, Shan? What's beyond the desert. Whether there are only scary monsters like mom and dad told us, or if there's something else!"

"Your dad, I mean our grandfather, thought there would be scary things there."

"Shan's grandfather is too old-fashioned."

"So don't badmouth your dad like that."

Watching Tika grumble that his grandfather, who was also her dad, was old-fashioned, Shan fell into thought again.

Shan wasn't interested in adventure like Tika. His dream was to dig swamps like now, grow crops, meet a good person, and have fourteen children.

But he too was interested in Anutara.

Anutara didn't have children, didn't interact with people, crossed the desert alone, and the 'snake' he raised was very large and frightening.

A being floating alone among ordinary people.

Why would such an Anutara suddenly take the Arahan and cross the desert?

"If he's taking even the Arahan with him, it might mean the outside is extremely dangerous."

"Right? Shan thinks so too, right?"

"Conversely, if he's taking Shambhala people with him, it might not be that dangerous."

"What? Which one is it?"

"Well, I'm getting curious too. The Arahan are essential to the village, right? They calm the winds, chase away poisonous scorpions. If Anutara hadn't raised the Arahan in the first place, there wouldn't be the current Shambhala either. But taking both the Arahan and Shambhala people means."

Listening to Shan's slow words, Tika suddenly screamed.

"Could it be he's doing this to make another village besides Shambhala?"

"Huh?"

"No, Shan. Think about it. Doesn't this sound just like the stories our ancestors told us? Except there are no terrifying monsters, but taking people and migrating to a somewhat distant place to make a village is the same!"

"Oh. That's right."

"But crossing the desert, that place wouldn't be a desert, would it? Could the reason Anutara has been crossing the desert alone all this time be that he was looking for a good environment to make another Shambhala?"

It was quite persuasive.

If Tika was right, it would explain why Anutara traveled alone.

And taking both the Arahan and Shambhala people together this time could be understood as laying the foundation for a new village.

Was he really going to make a new village?

Beyond the desert, in a new place?

Would Anutara still be Anutara there too? Would he protect the new village?

"Shan, hm? Let's go together. Let's go together! There might be lots of springs beyond the desert. Then you wouldn't have to dig swamps to grow crops either!"

"That does sound good."

"Right? We'll settle there and quickly build a house, and live with three or four pretty wives."

"That's... also good."

"If I go, I'll live with five husbands. And I'll follow Anutara to find a third village! How wonderful would that be?"

A new village. More fertile land. More water.

Noticing that Shan's heart was leaning toward it, Tika grabbed Shan's wrist and dragged him along.

"Hey, hey, where are we going?"

"On the way here, I saw Anutara talking with the Arahan. So we have to go and say we want to go too! We have to say it in advance so others don't beat us to it!"

Shan was dragged along without being able to properly resist the girl who was half his size.

After passing several houses and entering the village, he could see a large spring in the center and several trees with broad leaves.

A black snake was lying beneath the trees, and next to it was Anutara wearing old white robes.

Anutara had his hand on the head of a snake large enough to easily coil around any decent-sized tree,

And was looking down at the 'book' he always carried with him, which was spread open.

"Ah, Anutara!"

When Tika courageously called out to him,

Anutara's gaze briefly turned toward them.

At the same time, Shan's steps hesitated.

'Ah.'

He felt like he had made eye contact with Anutara.

Eyes that were very red, different from his and Tika's blue eyes.