— — — — — —
As soon as he received the card, Ryo immediately began reading its contents.
Across from him, the ever-composed Shiroyasha sipped her tea with elegance, explaining leisurely, "Generally speaking, there are two main ways to bring another world into Little Garden's observation range."
She raised a finger, her eyes narrowing as she continued, "The first is the most common method—what we call the 'Anchoring Method.'"
"The term 'anchor' here is exactly what it sounds like—like a ship's anchor, used to hold it in place."
"So in this context, you drop a bunch of anchors into a world, locking its position down."
"If you're a Star Spirit, you interfere directly with the planet—its nature, its life."
"If you're a pure-blooded Dragon-type Phantasmal Species, you implant subordinate creatures into the world, help them evolve into new races, and turn them into anchor points."
"If you're a deity, you spread your faith among intelligent lifeforms."
"As long as one of those three groups manages to reach a certain scale, you can effectively create enough anchors for Little Garden to lock onto that world's coordinates and start observing it."
After hearing all that, Ryo sighed and gave the card a little wave. "But it says here that the bare minimum requirement to use the Anchoring Method is a 'four-digit' power level."
"Exactly!"
Shiroyasha nodded with a cheerful grin. "To use the Anchoring Method, you've got to be at least four-digit level, and not just anyone—it has to be a Star Spirit, a Phantasmal Species, or a god."
Ryo looked at her with an exasperated expression. "So what you're really telling me… is that I should forget about that and consider the other method, right?"
The four-digit requirement was a hard stop for him. As someone currently sitting at five digits (barely), it was way out of reach in the short term.
And from the way Shiroyasha was talking, there was clearly a second, less mainstream method she actually wanted him to consider.
Shiroyasha gave him a playful look, flicked open her folding fan to partially hide her face, and said vaguely, "Well… you're not wrong."
"The other option is called the Observation Method—also known as the Abyss Method."
The mention of "Abyss Method" made Ryo raise an eyebrow, but he kept quiet and listened intently.
"It involves a higher species descending into the world in human form and causing a significant impact."
She raised a finger again and began listing examples. "It could be a world-renowned artist, a key political figure, a legendary war hero… or even a criminal who committed atrocities on an epic scale. Heck, even becoming the parents of those people might qualify."
"When your influence on the world hits its peak, the Abyss Method can be triggered."
"In that moment, you become a conduit. The moment you observe Little Garden, it observes you... and then the entire world you're in."
Shiroyasha's smile deepened. "In other words, you'd have to become the main character of that world—or its villain. Someone who drives the story forward. A real force of change. That's the only way this method works."
Ryo was stunned.
Become the main character? Was this some kind of joke?
Wait—no. Shiroyasha didn't literally say the protagonist.
"I get it now~ What she meant was someone who's made a huge, undeniable impact. Someone the world has to recognize."
That… might actually be doable?
Take the Demon Slayer world, for instance. If he were to kill Muzan Kibutsuji—the Big Bad who'd lived for over a thousand years and left countless tragedies in his wake—that would definitely make him famous, right?
Or the One Piece world—what if he toppled the World Government? That's definitely world-shaking.
Or in the Campione universe—if he became a God Slayer and one of the Kings of the Earth, that too would qualify as a massive influence.
He can also use the slow way, like in the Naruto world, he could build his own village, poach Ninja clans like the Uchiha, and—bam—the entire shinobi world could end up under his control.
If he chose a world with lower power scaling, his current five-digit strength could probably dominate it easily.
Ryo started thinking through the possibilities.
As he pondered, Shiroyasha kept going. "Still, I recommend sticking with the Anchoring Method. There's a reason it's the mainstream approach—minimal requirements, and you can even handle everything from inside Little Garden."
"You just deploy subordinates to the world, spread faith, set up the anchor points. Honestly, you wouldn't even have to lift a finger. Let your followers do the work—it's all doable."
"Compared to that, the Abyss Method is just… a huge hassle. Becoming a historical figure isn't something you can brute-force. You need luck, courage, strength, and brains—all at once. It's a mess."
That, of course, was why she brought up the Anchoring Method first. It was safer, easier, and yielded great returns. No wonder it was the go-to method for gods in Little Garden trying to earn merit through other worlds.
"…But the time it would take me to reach four-digit level is just too much."
Shiroyasha fell silent at his comment, her eyes narrowing with a knowing look.
Ryo gently shook his head, now fully resolved. "You probably already know how much time and effort a five-digit needs to climb up to four digits. Waiting that long… it's not an option for me."
He hadn't experienced it himself, but Arcadia's archives had data on it.
He remembered one case in particular: the Inferna Dragon, who had suffered through a thousand years in a volcano to become a four-digit celestial dragon.
A whole millennium. And that guy was considered a "genius" among dragons—a top contender for the title of Dragon King.
Asking Ryo to wait a thousand years? He'd be dust by then.
But Shiroyasha wasn't giving up. "Humans don't take that long to reach four digits. Arcadia's former leader, Kasukabe Koumei, went from nobody to four-digit level in just five hundred years."
Ryo gave her a dry look. "And how long did it take him to hit the peak of four digits?"
Shiroyasha hesitated, then sighed. "About 1,100 years."
"Even so, he only spent 1,600 years total to reach the point where he could survive a direct encounter with Zeus. That's incredible. In my eyes, Kasukabe Koumei was probably the most gifted human since the Age of Gods."
But Ryo didn't respond to the praise. Instead, he asked, "Then how long would it take for someone like him to break into the triple-digit omnipotent realm?"
Shiroyasha went quiet. "…Maybe there's a chance. Maybe not. Realistically, though? Probably not."
After a pause, her eyes widened as she stared at him. "Wait. You're not seriously thinking of reaching the omnipotent realm… as a human, are you?"
"What? I'm not allowed to?"
Ryo smiled softly, like he wasn't joking at all.
Shiroyasha didn't even hesitate. "Humans can't reach that level. It's impossible."
"Then I just won't be human."
Ryo said it so casually that Shiroyasha froze.
Right. If humans can't do it, just stop being human. …Why did that actually make sense?
But then Ryo added, "Kidding. I want to see if it's possible to reach triple-digit level as a human—to break that so-called impossibility."
"Until then, I'll remain a human with a divine spirit's authority and see where the road takes me."
Shiroyasha opened her mouth, then closed it again. Finally, she let out a defeated sigh. "You act all easygoing, but your pride's higher than anyone I know."
"I either don't do something… or I do it better than anyone else. That's just how I roll."
Ryo stood up, turned his back, and held up the card in his hand. "Thanks for the intel. As for how hard the Abyss Method really is… let me be the judge of that."
As he turned to leave, Shiroyasha raised her hand. "Wait a sec!"
Ryo paused and glanced back.
Shiroyasha snapped her fingers.
Pop.
The card in Ryo's hand transformed into a small, gold-plated pocket watch—with only a single hour hand.
He gave it a look, then turned to her with a questioning gaze.
"This watch tracks your resonance with the world. When the hand hits '12,' that means you're probably qualified to represent the world and attempt to observe Little Garden."
"Consider it a gift."
She waved her hand, clearly trying to play it off.
Ryo gave her a nod, pocketed the watch, and walked out.
After he left, Shiroyasha chuckled to herself. "That kid… He really went and chose the hardest path. Hope he doesn't end up splattered on the pavement."
Silently, Leticia appeared beside her, staring at the now-empty doorway.
Shiroyasha glanced her way and said, "This may be nosy, but keep that whole conversation to yourself."
"If the old rivals find out he wants to hit triple-digits as a human, It will be annoying."
"I swear upon my divinity," Leticia said quietly.
Then she looked at Shiroyasha, her voice low and thoughtful. "Do you truly believe he has no chance at all?"
Shiroyasha blinked, then burst into laughter. "Ha! I don't believe it—but you do!"
Leticia didn't respond. She simply gazed at her in silence.
Shiroyasha grinned, amused by the tension. "If that kid actually pulls it off and becomes a human who reaches triple digits… He will become a legend that done the impossible!"
Leticia's eyes narrowed slightly.
She understood what that meant. This wasn't a promise from a four-digit god—it was a vow from the Lord of the White Night, one of the most powerful beings in Little Garden—a two-digit Demon Lord.
It meant Ryo had a real shot at earning the total protection of beings at the absolute peak.
"I'll take my leave, Lord of the White Night," Leticia said, bowing respectfully.
"Wow, it's been forever since anyone called me that," Shiroyasha muttered, waving her hand and laughing.
— — —
Elsewhere
After leaving the Thousand Eyes and returning to his own quarters, Ryo headed straight to his room.
He'd made it sound easy, but he knew better. Reaching triple-digit status as a human wasn't something you could laugh off.
Humans can't reach that realm.
That bold line, etched into the gods' collective consciousness, probably existed for a reason.
No one had ever done it before. That alone gave the idea weight.
And that made it worth challenging.
Ryo smiled faintly to himself. "It's not like I'm walking in blind."
He opened the Dimensional Forum and looked toward the question board.
In an endless multiverse, the idea that no human could ever reach triple digits… maybe that wasn't as absolute as it seemed.
Just then, Ryo noticed something strange on the forum interface.
There was a new question posted.
〚If a human were to acquire the powers of Hollow, Shinigami, and Quincy… what kind of future would they have?〛
Ryo's brow furrowed.
That kind of question… definitely wasn't normal.
.
.
.