Chaos (2)
I had no idea why my Faith had gone up, but I headed home for now. Even on the way back, Ellie and Kara bickered a bit, but that wrapped up quickly too. They'd agreed to take turns hugging me. I didn't care who I hugged, so I just kept my mouth shut. In situations like this, the best move was to stay silent and not respond. I didn't know why they fought, but that much I knew.
"Good thing nothing's broken. Care for some tea?"
"I'd be grateful if you would."
The house was spotless. I'd summoned Ragnarok and worried about damage, but it was all for nothing. Still, I wouldn't leave it outside. Wild animals might snatch it, and that'd be a headache. What wild animals? Raccoons or squirrels would come right in. Even back in the forest, my food got stolen plenty of times—mostly by those sneaky raccoons.
"Now, I should teach you how to get closer to Chaos. You'll need His blessings too, Brother Sivar, so let me share my know-how."
Lize said this in her saintly mode, not her Kwonseong form. I just blinked at her words.
As I'd heard before, Chaos blessed so-called "clowns." Just now, for whatever reason, it must've amused Him.
"How to receive Chaos's blessings. It's actually very simple. Draw His interest or satisfy Him. That's it."
"That's all? No prayers or offerings?"
Kara asked in a slightly incredulous tone. As a devotee of Gulrak, she offered tributes. They could vary, but the gains were modest. The stronger you got, the higher quality they had to be. Hector and Kara had offered masses during the tribal unification, letting them wield lightning with ease. Porori had given precious acorns, earning a direct blessing from Gulrak.
By contrast, Chaos was purely chaotic, which begged questions.
"Yes. Chaos sits between Gaia and Gulrak. He governs the space between earth and sky. Some say humanity itself; others, the world we live in. The heavens and earth existed from the beginning, but not the world of humans. So He takes the greatest interest in our realm."
"……"
I couldn't make heads or tails of it. It felt like I half-grasped it, but it slipped away. Everyone else looked just as baffled—except Lord, who knew her well.
Lize, anticipating this, flashed a bright smile and summed it up neatly.
"Simply put, He's profoundly human. Not a distant observer like other gods, but one with joys, sorrows, and angers, walking among us. Closer than anyone, yet distant as a god. He loves us more than any, but disciplines us sharply for it."
"……That's pretty chaotic."
Luna replied hesitantly, her face lost for words.
"You don't need to fully understand. Chaos doesn't mind. But after decades serving Him, I realized He pursues something."
"Pursues?"
"Yes. A clear way to earn solid blessings."
This was news to me. Or maybe I'd forgotten. In Soul World, getting chosen by Chaos meant you'd "stepped in shit." Unless you were a concept build, restarting was better—and even those needed heavy cheese. Veterans had given up analyzing His whims. Unpredictable to the core.
As I pondered, Lize sipped her tea and spoke softly.
"Proof."
"Proof……?"
"Yes. Proof. Achieving results from effort. That's what He favors most."
I mulled it over. Did Soul World reflect that? But "proof" was hard to quantify in-game, so my memory was fuzzy. Chaos-chosen were rare and elusive anyway.
"So if you prove yourself, Brother Sivar, Chaos will be pleased. Right now, that means mastering Rampage at will."
"And after? Once I control it, that's it?"
"No. You'll decide what to pursue next. Chaos respects our choices."
Master Rampage first, then see. With Lize's help, it'd be quick. But afterward was the puzzle. Why had He chosen me?
Because I crossed from another world?
High chance. Otherwise, no reason for His interest. My goal was an easy clear, too. Maybe He knew and picked me for it.
But why me, out of all souls? And why drop me in the forest—not a city? Chaos Forest, no less.
Gaia and Gulrak had temples; Chaos didn't. Even Byzantine was pointless.
Basically, Lize speaks for Him.
Grab Chaos's collar? Grab hers instead. But I'd lose my head the second I did.
I sighed inwardly. Now that I knew what He sought, I'd grind clears hard for a while.
Academy collapse arc's still got a ways to go.
Hoping Lord's health improved by then. It was recovering bit by bit. He was digging into the herbalist's trail too—'backer' identity soon. Crush that guy, and the future smoothed out.
"Oh. And one more thing. Situations that pique Chaos's interest."
As we wrapped up, Lize added that. Eyes turned to her.
She smiled softly, glancing at me and those beside me. Ellie and Kara flanked me tightly; Luna sat at the edge by Kara.
Notable: Kara and Ellie pressed against me, shoulders touching—uncomfortably close today.
"Humans are social creatures. Chaos has immense interest in human relationships."
"Human…… relationships?"
"Yes. Comrades, friends, lovers, spouses, rivals, enemies, siblings, parents, vassals, and more. We live entwined in them. Friends become lovers or foes; maybe even parents."
"……What kind of nonsense is that?"
Luna asked dubiously at the friend-to-parent bit.
Lize smiled, offering a perfect counterexample.
"Nothing's impossible in this world, Luna. It's full of absurdities."
Who was it? Memory fuzzy, but reverse case existed: marrying friend's mom, making friend your son. Some president. Fun anecdote; happy couple drew global eyes.
"Anyway, the more complex Brother Sivar's relationships, the more Chaos will delight. Especially if you get a lover—He'd applaud."
"Th-that much……?"
Ellie asked, flustered. Expectation tinged her tone, or so I imagined. Kara side-eyed her warily, expression neutral but guarded.
"Seen that novel? Wild man like you meets civilized woman, falls in love. Beautiful and fun."
"I-I read it too!"
Ellie gushed, rattling off details: protagonist's name, life, expedition encounter, why he fell for her. Total fangirl.
Bad end, though. Pair was fine; expedition discriminated, saw him inferior. Conflict exploded.
"I can't understand. Why's helping someone live humanely a problem?"
"Humans are like that, Ellie. Racist over skin; wild man worse."
"Hits hard."
Kara muttered. She'd faced brutal prejudice coming to the academy. Better now, but still sneered at as barbarian.
I took her hand silently. She'd drawn unwanted eyes because of me, on top of the rest. Crushing Hector? Sorry, a bit. He started it, but blood ties lingered.
"Sivar?"
"It's okay."
Faith boost? Three syllables flowed easy. Kara's eyes widened, then she chuckled, pinching my cheek fondly.
"Yeah. Birds of a feather. Thanks for the comfort."
"Birds of a feather……"
Ellie murmured, irked. I let it slide.
"Mastering Rampage won't fully civilize you, Brother Sivar. With your help, he'll build normal bonds. I ask for your support."
"Obviously. No one else fun to hang with anyway."
"Sis. Hang with me. Why only Sivar?"
"He gets lonely. Gotta play when together."
"I can too."
Arguing again. I leaned back against them. Why so fighty today? Couldn't they just get along?
Meanwhile, Lize ignored the spat, turning to Luna.
"Luna."
"Y-yes?"
Luna startled from her thoughts.
Lize glanced at the bickering pair, smiled brightly, and asked.
"Much appreciated from you too. You and Ellie met him first, right?"
"Ah. Sure."
"You too, Luna?"
"Why you?"
Instant barrage from Ellie and Kara, faces screaming you too? Discomfort thick.
Luna flustered, asked back aggrievedly.
"C-can't I care too……?"
Pure misunderstanding vibes.