MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 897: The Ramen Singularity Timeline

With a mere thought, the river of multiple colors beneath their feet rippled gently, like the surface of a tranquil lake disturbed by a falling leaf. The next instant, the texture of the River of Time changed. What had once appeared fluid and ethereal began to pull at them as though it had transformed into living quicksand. None of the group reacted in panic. There was no fear, no resistance, only trust as the River of Time drew them in slowly, deliberately, until their forms were swallowed entirely and erased from its surface.

Within seconds, they vanished completely from the River of Time and reappeared within the ramen timeline Aaaninja had brought them to. The transition was seamless, almost unnaturally smooth. Aaaninja immediately withdrew the time particles he had wrapped around their bodies moments earlier, ensuring that none of the foreign temporal residue lingered longer than necessary.

”You may open your eyes,” Aaaninja intoned calmly the moment he was done.

Back on the Celestial Planet, Anthony and Lucian stood side by side, their expressions composed and untroubled. The silence lasted only a second before Anthony spoke.

”Let’s move. They’re already there.”

Lucian shook his head slightly before replying, ”I’ll arrive after you. I’m sure you know how my Reality Anchor ability works.” He didn’t bother asking Anthony how he knew the group had already arrived at the timeline. He didn’t even want to begin imagining the number of broken and absurd abilities this man possessed.

”No need,” Anthony mused aloud, a faint smile tugging at his lips. ”If Aaaninja can take people across timelines, why can’t I?”

Lucian paused for a moment, then chuckled softly. ”I suppose that makes sense. Let’s go, then.”

Anthony placed a hand on Lucian’s shoulder, in that instant, Anthony’s perception of reality inverted completely. Existence unraveled before him, breaking down into countless threads, interwoven lines of cause, position, and conceptual distance. Among them, Anthony traced one particular thread, leading backward toward Vega. With a single thought, he severed the distance bound to that thread.

In less than a blip, Anthony and Lucian vanished.

The moment they appeared, Aaaninja’s voice reached their ears. ”You may open your eyes.”

The rest of the team opened their eyes simultaneously. The first thing they noticed was that Anthony and Lucian were already standing beside them. However, they barely spared the two men a glance. Their attention was instantly stolen.

They were in the sky.

Their eyes widened as the scenery unfolded before them. What lay beneath and around them was nothing short of mind-blowing, beautiful beyond any known scale of measurement. Words felt inadequate to describe it.

Before anyone could speak, a calm voice echoed through the air. ”Welcome to the Ramen Singularity Timeline, The Nodara Planet.” The moment the voice sounded, everyone snapped their attention behind them. They had been so absorbed by the overwhelming beauty of the scenery that they had unconsciously let their guards down. Floating calmly before them was a being with a composed and welcoming presence.

It was humanoid in shape. Its skin was a deep caramel hue, smooth and radiant. Faintly glowing veins ran beneath its surface like simmering liquid, and its heart pulsed slowly and rhythmically, resembling a pot kept just below boiling.

”No need to panic,” Aaaninja explained calmly. ”This is a tour guide provided by the River of Time. He’ll be guiding us throughout our stay here.”

Everyone nodded casually in understanding.

Anthony stared at Aaaninja for a brief moment, his thoughts drifting. ’How did this guy reduce the River of Time into a servant?’ he wondered. ’First, he had used it like a courier service to deliver a Time Shard. Now, he had casually summoned a tour guide through it.’ Anthony shook his head and decided to stop thinking about it before his brain melted.

Aaaninja nodded toward the floating being, signaling him to continue.

Receiving the cue, the being spoke once more. ”My name is Broth-ben, of the Brothkin race of the Nodara Planet. Since you are all newcomers, I will be serving as your tour guide.” He paused briefly, allowing everyone time to fully process his words.

The team was instantly enamored.

They felt as though they had stumbled upon the perfect timeline. Even the name of the race, Brothkin, perfectly embodied the timeline they stood in. Broth-ben’s body itself seemed to resemble broth given form, his existence perfectly attuned to the identity of his race.

”Before I begin the tour,” Broth-ben continued, ”it should be noted that not everyone here can speak your native tongue. As such, I will be providing memory crystals that will allow you to learn and fully comprehend our native language.”

As he spoke, he raised his caramel-colored hand. Eight memory crystals materialized in midair, drifting gently toward the group. Each member received one and placed it against their forehead. Instantly, knowledge flooded their minds, the structure, meanings, and nuances of the Nodara language embedding themselves seamlessly into their memories.

Without hesitation, Broth-ben switched to the native language of the Nodara Planet. ”Since everything is now in order, I will begin the tour in earnest.”

Everyone’s eyes brightened with anticipation. They were eager to see what the Ramen Singularity Timeline had to offer.

”Since we are currently in the sky,” Broth-ben began, ”we shall start here.”

All eyes instinctively turned upward.

”The sky here is not blue, as many of you are accustomed to in your own timelines. Instead, it is a slowly churning gradient of amber, deep umber, pearl-white, and umami-black. It resembles layered broth viewed through an elevated perception.” As he spoke, the sky subtly shifted, as though responding to his explanation. ”Occasionally, steam-clouds drift across the sky. These are not clouds in the traditional sense, but thermal distortions of reality caused by boiling ley-lines beneath the world.”

The group listened intently, absorbing every word.

After finishing his explanation of the sky, Broth-ben gestured upward toward the celestial bodies above. ”Now, the suns.”

”In the Nodara Planet, there are three suns, collectively known as the Trinity of Heat,” he explained. ”The White Sun, Shio, emits clean, pale light. It governs clarity, balance, and purity. The Red Sun, Miso, radiates crimson-orange light. It governs fermentation, complexity, and aggression. Lastly, the Black Sun, Tonkotsu, appears as a dark sphere rimmed with molten gold. It governs depth, richness, marrow, and the soul.”

He paused briefly before adding, ”The three suns never align fully. However, legend states that if they ever do, the Final Broth will boil the entire timeline into transcendence. What that truly means, even I do not know.”

Everyone stared at the suns above them, their minds instinctively linking the concepts of ramen to the cosmic order of this world. Broth-ben allowed them a few moments to admire the view before continuing, this time gesturing toward the moons.

”There are nine moons,” he said. ”Each represents a fundamental component of ramen: noodles, broth, oil, tare, toppings, time, memory, heat, and balance. When certain moons overlap, new ramen styles are spontaneously born across the world. These events are among the most anticipated phenomena on the Nodara Planet.”

The group listened in awe, fully aware that they had stepped into a timeline unlike anything they had ever experienced before.