Multiverse: Why does the world show a health bar? !

The apartment, tucked away in a quiet corner, had a decent layout—unlike some of the more bizarre designs where you're greeted by a maze of doors as soon as you step inside. The windows were perfectly positioned in the living room, allowing sunlight to pour in and stop just short of the maid's feet.

Magic? Spiritual energy? Whatever it was, the energy gathering in her mouth gave off a dangerous aura.

Thor, the dragon, was also the exclusive maid of Kobayashi.

As usual, she had gone out alone to the shopping district to buy groceries. Today, Kanna had left early to play at a classmate's house.

Life was different now. The past few Sundays had been spent like this.

But...

But!

Why, when I came back humming a tune, thinking about what to make for dinner, did I find a monster standing in front of Kobayashi?! Was it trying to take Kobayashi away from me?!

"Thor, he's not an enemy! He's a friend, introduced by Pecorine!"

"Huh? Really?"

In an instant, the dragon's breath that had been ready to unleash was swallowed back, and after a small burp, Thor asked.

Kobayashi nodded.

Then she began to introduce Li Mo, explaining the whole situation.

Once she understood, Thor scratched the back of her head sheepishly and said, "Ah, sorry about that. I accidentally thought you were a bad guy."

"No problem. Do I really give off such a monstrous vibe?"

Li Mo didn't mind the misunderstanding. The conflict hadn't escalated into a fight.

If it had come to blows, he could only guarantee his survival. As for winning or losing... he wasn't so sure.

He hadn't fought any large enemies before.

"Yeah, at first, you seemed like one. But now that I take a closer sniff, your aura is really strange! There's a bit of a monster's scent, some human, and even a hint of something spiritual."

She hadn't noticed it before, but once she calmed down, she could sense the oddity.

Thor had never met anyone like this. Why would a person's aura be so complicated? Could it be that her sense of smell was off?

Li Mo stroked his chin and said, "I see. Thor's sense of smell is quite sharp. For various reasons, I can't really explain it."

"So my sense of smell isn't broken. Then what did you come to me for?"

Kobayashi had only mentioned that Li Mo had come to see Thor but hadn't specified the reason.

Li Mo repeated his question once more.

Neither the demons from the demon world nor the angels from heaven could answer his question. So what about a dragon from another world?

Thor pinched her chin and said, "Cognition, huh... I haven't paid much attention to it. But I have noticed something strange."

"I haven't heard Thor mention this before."

"Does Kobayashi care about this?"

Kobayashi-senpai said, "I'm curious."

As she boiled water and prepared tea, Thor began to explain, "How should I put it? I've told Kobayashi before that Kanna and I can use spells to distort cognition and blend into human society, right?

That was in our world. When I came here, I instinctively used the same spell, but I found it wasn't necessary. The humans in this world just naturally accepted our existence."

While explaining, Thor placed the prepared tea in front of Kobayashi and their guest.

She continued, "At first, I thought it was just a quirk of your world. But later, I realized something was off. Though, I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. It wasn't until I talked to Lucoa recently that I learned humans in this world have some kind of cognitive protection."

"Cognitive... protection?"

Kobayashi was unfamiliar with the term. The katakana was recognizable, but when combined, it left her confused.

"Yeah, for various reasons, Earth is connected to many other worlds. For example, coming from our world to here is as simple as opening a door. And according to Lucoa, every year, quite a few people from Japan end up crossing over to other worlds. It seems to be part of the world's underlying logic.

But Lucoa said that when she was still working, this was just a proposal. It hadn't been officially implemented before she was kicked out of her position as an administrator."

Kobayashi nodded, "I remember Lucoa saying she was kicked out because she got drunk."

"Anyway, Lucoa is now just a lazy big sister who bullies kids. Getting off track, back to the topic. This cognitive defense works kind of like a firewall. Let me give an example using myself."

Thor began, "Let's say the protagonist is an ordinary person who believes dragons don't exist in the world. But then they see me, and the defense mechanism kicks in. This person would think, 'Oh, a dragon!' and then go about their day.

The interesting part of this mechanism is that when the defense is activated, the person's thoughts aren't distorted. If they think it's a cosplay, then it's a cosplay. If they think it's a real tail, then it's a real tail. They just won't be surprised by the supernatural.

For example, when I fly Kobayashi to work in my true form, people who see us might think, 'Oh, a dragon just flew by.' The thought is accurate, but the emotional reaction is the same as seeing an airplane take off."

Thor's lengthy explanation helped Li Mo gradually understand what this human defense mechanism was.

In short, it made humans unbothered by supernatural phenomena. It was as if they were seeing something completely ordinary...

"This defense has its limits, right?"

"Probably? The main purpose of this mechanism is to make life easier for us." Thor added, "Anyway, Kanna and I benefit from it. Oh, speaking of which, Kobayashi, next time we visit Pecorine, we should help her get an ID. Lucoa said she's found a way."

During the conversation, Kobayashi and Thor solved Pecorine's biggest problem: her lack of legal identity, which limited her to odd jobs. Of course, Japan's household registration system isn't very strict, but Pecorine couldn't lie.

Later, Li Mo asked, "Then, Thor, do you know how this mechanism exists? It can't be that every time a new person is born, someone casts a spell, right?"

"No... Well, Lucoa knows a little about how it works. It seems to operate based on something called the 'Alaya.'"

「Alaya」

Li Mo was very familiar with this term.

Originally a Buddhist concept, it had taken on new meaning in modern times, referring to the collective unconscious of humanity.

If this system was based on the 「Alaya」, then it made sense... or not!

Li Mo suddenly felt that the waters of this world were much deeper than he had imagined.