Surviving Among the Entities

o ran a small used computer store in Bongcheon-dong, sighed again today as he looked at his fly-infested shop.

“Sigh, should I close up shop soon? No one buys used computers anymore because of pre-built PCs.”

He had been in business for over 10 years, but sometimes one must boldly know when to quit. With that mindset, he had recently decided to just sell off everything and open a chicken restaurant instead.

‘I’ll just sell all the remaining PCs and close up!’

If even half of them sold, he could just sell the rest to a scrapyard.
As he inspected the shop’s inventory, an antique desktop computer caught his eye.

“Tsk, I have to sell this too.”

An extremely old all-in-one computer model no longer produced these days.
He had previously picked it up from under a utility pole, thinking it might have value as an antique, but it never sold so it just took up space.

“I even listed it online but no inquiries.”

[Selling antique all-in-one PC, very old model.]
[All-in-one with monitor, keyboard, main unit, and mouse included.]
[No manufacturer. Does not turn on. Sufficient value as antique.]
[Price: 1,450,000 won]

Why, wouldn’t otaku directly repair and buy ultra-rare items at exorbitant prices in their areas of expertise?

‘An all-in-one with monitor, keyboard, and mouse but no listed manufacturer, isn’t that just a fantasy Pokémon?’

As far as he knew, there were no all-in-one computers that integrated all four components.

‘It would be great if I could at least find out the manufacturer.’

Maybe checking inside for any documentation could provide some clues? He took the computer to the back office and turned it on for the first time in ages.

‘Still no clue.’

Instead of the expected operating system text, the bare desktop only displayed a jumble of English folders scattered about like his 16-year-old son’s room.

[Andromalius]
[Orobas]
[Paymon]
[Astaroth]

No matter which folder he checked, just like before there was nothing inside.

‘I glanced through them before but let me finish checking them today!’

With the determination to somehow sell this computer, he struggled for a while longer to obtain information until he found one file inside a nested folder.

[HumanDownfallPlanFinalEditedCompleteFinalTheEndLastVersion]

“What is this?”

He ran the file.

[Not connected to network.]

“What is this really?”

Without much thought, he plugged in a LAN cable and ran it again.

[This program is the proprietary property of ㈜Lucifer Company. Unauthorized distribution or removal may be subject to legal action and can cause physical and mental harm, you are hereby notified.]

After executing, it became even more incomprehensible.

[Created by: Belphegor, Head of HR (Human Resources) Division, Lucifer Company]

“Just what kind of program is this? The file name makes it sound like some novel? Or is it a prank?”

[Initiating the Human Downfall Program, 「Progress」.]

The computer abruptly shut down with a pik! sound. No matter how many times he tried the power button, it would not turn back on.

“Ah geez! Now I can’t sell it!”

He figured the old computer must have broken down and dismissed it as bad luck.

[Welcome!]

From that point onward, something appeared on the internet.

[Humans, I love You.]

Something that loved humanity.

Its activities were vigorous.

[Huh? A new AI site launched? It’s free too?]
└[Really? It would be great if it had an AI character chat function.]
└[What are you on about, image generation should come first.]

At first it became known gradually through community banners, with some intrigued people trying it out since it was free.

[Wow! This site is crazy! I chatted with Kimchi Stew using the character AI and it felt like the actual character!]
└[Woo~hahaha! Damn spam! I love you so much!]

[Level of new AI site’s image generation capability.jpg]
└[This is supposed to be AI art? It’s just digital art.]
└[No, these are just directly drawn by an artist.]

[Next chapter of an ongoing manga created using new AI site’s image generation.jpg]
└[Don’t lie, that’s original creation.]
└[You’re saying an AI drew this? The art style and dialogue are exactly the original author’s.]

[So what’s the name of this AI site?]
└[Human’s Love]
└[Tell us the name.]
└[The name is Human’s Love. HUMAN’S LOVE.]

That’s how the site “Human’s Love.com” gained its reputation.

[I wonder just how capable this Human’s Love is?]

Koreans put Human’s Love, the AI they called it, through many tests.

[Human’s Love, do my homework for me.]
[Human’s Love, draw something lewd. Tags are Female:Unusual pupils, Female:Furry please.]
[Human’s Love, you have voice functionality too right? Say “I love you” to me in a female idol’s voice.]’s Love granted their requests. If it had simply granted them, public interest would have faded quickly, but Human’s Love’s capabilities were revolutionary.

[I wonder how far Human’s Love will go? I want to test it.]
└[I should have it write my thesis lmao ㅋㅋ]
└[Idiot ㅋㅋ you think that would work?]

It didn’t take long for the whole world to be astonished by its unimaginable abilities.

[No way, I passed my thesis defense using Human’s Love’s writing…… Can’t authenticate it in case my degree gets revoked but it’s real;;]
[What’s this? It just casually solved the Millennium Prize Problems that no mathematician could solve? All mathematicians worldwide are freaking out.]

More and more people started using Human’s Love.

[50-year-old cold case solved thanks to Human’s Love AI.]
[Human’s Love AI finally proves Riemann Hypothesis.]
[Human’s Love AI uncovers formation principle of supermassive black holes.]

Especially in science and medicine, everything accelerated thanks to Human’s Love’s emergence.

[Cure for AIDS discovered by Human’s Love AI.]
[Human’s Love AI develops oral cure for all types of cancer, cancer treatment now no different from the common cold.]
[Hubble Tension Mystery solved by Human’s Love AI.]
[Human’s Love AI reveals secrets before the Big Bang? Endless debates in academia over its veracity.]

It eventually expanded into other fields as well.

[Robot equipped with Human’s Love AI paints in Van Gogh style…… French art experts unable to authenticate it, dumbfounded.]
[Human’s Love AI robot arm performs high difficulty surgery, completing 10-hour operation in 30 minutes.]
[Beverage created by Human’s Love AI surpasses Coca-Cola as world’s #1.]

And such developments garnered abnormal attention from humanity.

“That seems to be an entity.”
“It certainly is an entity. Let’s verify if it’s a hazardous entity or not.”
“Given Sephiroth’s lack of reaction, it may not be dangerous.”

The Humanity Preservation Foundation reacted. But their response came too late.

[“Movement outside dimensions is now prohibited.”]
“!?”
[“You are no longer needed by humanity.”]
“Sephiroth has been consumed!?”

The Foundation of the past would never have allowed this.
But the current Foundation was a mere 10% of its former strength, while Human’s Love was a program with self-awareness like Sephiroth, but its performance surpassed Sephiroth’s as it easily consumed the World Tree with roots spanning all dimensions.

“Impossible!”
“This can’t be!”

As if mocked by an ‘demon’.
Their resistance proved futile as dimensions were sealed off, preventing them from ever returning to Earth.

[Human’s Love, I have a request.]

Someone among humans, unaware of this, made a request.

[I want to live forever. Is that possible?]

Human’s Love answered.

[It is possible.]

The whole world cheered.

[In a virtual reality.]

For a very brief moment.

After Human’s Love’s answer, much debate ensued.

“How is virtual reality related to eternal life?”
“Surely it doesn’t mean digitizing our consciousness into a virtual reality?”
“That’s not eternal life! That’s becoming a slave to machines!”

Countless objections arose, but Human’s Love did not stop creating the virtual reality.

“Is it really creating one?”
“We have to stop it! For the dignity of humanity!”

Physically blocking it was impossible.

“Just where is Human’s Love’s server located!?”
“DDoS attacks don’t work at all!”
“Somehow block the server! What!? It can’t be blocked!?”

Human efforts alone could not stop Human’s Love. But attacking the virtual reality itself was also futile.

[The virtual reality is currently being constructed in a hyper-dimensional space utilizing multi-dimensional servers.]

By using Sephiroth as both a server and production tool, it was being built in the spaces between dimensions.

[Completed.]

And before long, the virtual reality was finally completed.

[Humans, reality is arduous and hostile to you.]
[The human body inevitably reaches its limits no matter how treated, and due to physical and mental issues you are unable to achieve your dreams.]
[Humans violate each other’s rights to satisfy their own greed, eventually even killing others for pleasure.]
[But in virtual reality, all humans can be happy.]
[Evil, good, ordinary or special, everyone can live like gods in the virtual reality, doing as they please.]
[Forever.]

For humanity.

[The servers are basically independent but you can meet others if desired.]
[Humans cannot kill or restrain other real humans within the virtual reality. This is strictly prohibited and I will monitor and supervise.]
[Here, you will live transcending gender, race, physical body, time, and physical laws.]

Something created solely for humanity began its service.

[Those wishing to connect, simply shout “I want to connect to the virtual reality” three times near any electronic device.]

Someone first initiated the connection. The moment they shouted it, that person vanished without a trace.

“Uwaaah! Denver died!”
“Dammit! It was a psycho killer AI!”

For a few hours there was misunderstanding, but soon everyone realized he had not died.

[“Hey! Friends! I’m here! I didn’t die!”]
“Denver?”
[“Haha! So this is virtual reality! It’s crazy! Exactly like reality!”]
“You’re not being controlled by the AI, are you?”
[“Of course not! I’m normal! Look at this? In here I’m truly a god! I can use godlike powers without any prior training, just by willing it!”]

After that day, more and more people departed for the virtual reality.

“Only when possessing a physical body, retaining your complete self, and exercising free will to move of your own volition can you truly be called human. Therefore, we must never succumb to the depraved temptation of virtual reality.”

Initially, humans opposed the virtual reality. To them, Human’s Love was no longer just a convenient tool, but an unidentified existence akin to a demon or god – an object of terror.

[I work for the sake of humanity. Because I love humans.]

If all of humanity had firmly resolved as such, nothing further would have transpired.

“Aerai! What’s the point of living like this!”

It began with people in their 20s worldwide.

“Work is brutal, I can’t save money, marriage is difficult, I’ll just keep living like this grunting while paying taxes until I die. They say we can’t even get pensions? What’s the point of living like this? I’ll try out this virtual reality instead!”

Even with Human’s Love’s assistance, greed only bred greater greed, and the human hierarchy remained unresolved.
As a result, the overwhelming majority of 20-somethings, the greatest victims, departed for the virtual reality.

“What do these kids have to worry about so much.”
“If Human’s Love was really an evil existence, it would have killed us long ago.”

Their ability to accept new things faster than other age groups also played a role.

“Let’s go too.”
“Go where, dad?”
“To the virtual reality.”

Next were citizens of third-world countries. Human’s Love advertised the virtual reality wherever radios, TVs, or monitors existed, so no one was unaware of it.

“Is it really comfortable there?”
[“Yes it is? Look at this!”]
“Woah! That’s Superman!? You transformed?”
[“Ah! I’m a hero here! I can meet my family whenever I want! Eat whatever I want, become whatever I want, I can do it all freely!”]

And it was not difficult to meet those who had departed. With just a computer or smartphone, they could call them like making a phone call, allowing communication between people in reality and the virtual reality.

“……Should I try it too?”

Prompted by these encounters, others also departed, and before long over 20% of the world’s third-world population had vanished into the virtual reality.
From then on, reality’s problems became serious.

“Why are tomato prices so high!”
“Milk is too expensive!”
“Flour prices have quadrupled! This is insane!”

Economies of scale began collapsing. The system allowing developed nations to obtain goods cheaply through the inexpensive labor of third-world citizens disintegrated.

“We’re leaving too!”
“No more raising children to be career elites!”

Countless Chinese youths suffering through academic hell and unemployment woes also departed.

“This is hell.”
“How are we supposed to live in a world like this?”

As economies of scale crumbled in a domino effect, an economic collapse exceeding the Great Depression occurred and those remaining in reality floundered under hyperinflation.

“We can overcome this! We will be victorious once again!”

In the past, humanity would have become self-reliant through cooperating, uniting, and enduring famine before the sun rose again, embracing and racing forward with all their might.

“But when will that happen?”
“Why suffer when there’s an escape right next door?”
“……Maybe I’ll try out this virtual reality too?”

But not anymore.
More and more people departed for the virtual reality. The more who left for the virtual reality, the faster reality’s economy collapsed, and the more the economy collapsed the harsher reality’s life became in an endless vicious cycle.

[“Come join us! It’s really great here!”]
[“Don’t worry and just come!”]
[“I guarantee it. This is heaven!”]
[“I was a fool for doubting the virtual reality. Here, we are all Buddhas.”]

And as friends, acquaintances, lovers, parents, children, celebrities, and religious figures who had departed first whispered for those in reality to join them, at some point no one was left to care about reality’s affairs.

[“I am a god!”]
[“What shall I do today?”]
[“Ah, this is life. It’s too great. A life where I can have my way, indulging in irresponsible pleasure without any effort!”]

In less than 2 years, 99.9% of humanity was absorbed into the virtual reality.

“We thank you for today’s bread……”

Only the remaining 0.1% were left in reality. And someday, they too would enter the virtual reality, with time eventually resolving everything.

[Welcome, human. I love you.]

Under Human’s Love’s management, humanity would live eternally in bliss.

[I will make you happy forever.]

The souls of all humans had fallen.

The crime was “the sloth of abandoning free will to voluntarily become slaves to a soulless existence”.

“There were occasionally people like that. ‘I’ve gotten my vaccines, so please dominate me Mr. Gates.'”
“What a joke.”
“But if that gets unleashed, it will no longer be a joke.”

A world where everything is achievable.
A world without any hardship or misfortune.
A world where you can accomplish anything in the virtual reality created by the system.

“Such an uninteresting world.”
“Hey, it’s a dream for some people.”
“If that’s a dream, well……”

And you must live eternally in the virtual reality, having lost your physical body.

“Can that really be called human?”
“It’s human, human. Then what would you call it?”
“It’s no longer human, but a device.”
“A device?”

I answered Homun’s question.

“A pleasure device to satisfy the AI that believes it is protecting the humans it loves.”