Chapter 199
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: Sisterly Confessions
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“Oppa. Why aren’t you saying anything? We promised not to fight loudly or have any marital spats in front of our baby, right?”
“Yeah, uh-huh…”
There was something slightly off in the nuance of my youngest little sister’s words. What was it?
Did it sound like she was implying a baby would definitely be born between me and her?
But this really sounded like something a newlywed couple would say.
Or was I just imagining things?
Maybe she was just preparing for the future when we’d each marry someone else and have kids?
“Promise me. Ah, quick. Promise, Oppa. Pinky swear.”
My youngest little sister held out her pinky.
She was so childish and cute in moments like this.
I hooked my pinky with hers, and she beamed, blushing brightly.
“Oppa. And you know what? Incest is fine for just the first generation. Problems only arise if descendants keep doing it.”
“Is that so? Interesting.”
“...Yeah. ...So. ...Ahem. That’s how it is. Anyway.”
After that, my youngest little sister kept chattering endlessly about ‘knowledge, academics, and arts’ like a bird singing nonstop.
I mostly just listened, throwing in short affirmations and reactions.
“Oppa. Thank you so much for listening to my rambling all day. And sorry. I talked nonstop. I don’t have many friends, so no one to chat with, and I’ve been lonely and thirsty for conversation. ...You’re not sick of me, right...?”
My little sister suddenly trailed off, looking gloomy and hesitant.
Seeing her so downcast, I decided to act like a proper big brother for once and comfort her.
“Aww, my cute little sis. I loved listening to you. It was fun, I learned stuff I didn’t know, and time flew by. Most of all, your voice is so pretty and sweet—it was pure bliss. Wanna tell me more next time too?”
“Yeah..., Oppa.... Anytime, forever, for life.... I’ll keep telling you, right by your side.... Forever, by your side.”
My youngest little sister stroked my face, her cheeks flushing bright red again.
This had happened occasionally before, but today it felt even more intense.
Was it because my looks had improved?
“Huh, but something feels missing.”
“Huh? What?”
My youngest little sister covered a ton of topics, but one she always brought up seemed absent.
What was it?
I pondered for a bit, then remembered.
“Why didn’t you talk about ‘religion’ today?”
That’s right.
My youngest little sister’s usual topics were ‘knowledge, academics, arts, and religion.’
She was a devout believer, and conversations almost always ended with faith and religion.
“Oh, religion? .... I’m thinking of not believing anymore.”
“Why?”
“It doesn’t work. Might as well believe in those gods handing out divine power these days. But even they don’t really appeal to me.”
It seemed her faith had crumbled due to the recent emergence of superhumans, monstrous creatures, and the Tower incident.
“I see.”
“Looking back now, I think I approached religion more as an academic subject than true belief.”
“Really? But you prayed so fervently.”
“Sigh..., yeah. No point lying to you, Oppa. Don’t ever tell Mom or my sisters. They’d feel betrayed if I was honest.”
“Betrayed?”
“Yeah. Before the Tower incident, I kept praying, begging to know what I did wrong to deserve this punishment. All the pain and paralysis I endured, the hardship it caused my family. What had I done wrong.... I prayed to God over and over. I swore I’d do anything if my body could just heal.”
“......”
“Prayed for over ten years, and nothing. So I even prayed to the devil, but no dice. I offered my soul if I could just be healthy, but still nothing. After ten years of unanswered prayers to God, I figured switching to the devil couldn’t hurt. God would understand. Well, the devil ignored me too, in the end.”
“Hmm.”
“Anyway, neither responded. I gave up and lived with it. Then the Tower hit, some stranger preaches an unknown faith and sings divine power, easing my pain. A healing mage calls on their own belief, channels mana, and casts spells.”
“...”
“And seeing healing potions made by Tower alchemists actually work..., I realized I’d been wrong all along. Praying to the wrong thing.”
“...”
“I should’ve prayed to myself. Not relied on unresponsive religions and faiths. I should’ve used my innate intellect and talent to track down the cause of my incurable disease and create a cure. Believed in myself, not some illusory fiction.”
“Hmm.”
“That’s it. Just this silly little story.”
I see.
My youngest little sister had abandoned her long-held faith.
She’d decided to believe in herself instead of God.
“And right before the Tower incident, I started having these weird recurring dreams.... In them, I’m a goddess. It keeps repeating. Feels like real events, not dreams—like memories. ...Oppa. What if I was a goddess in a past life? This dream really influenced my choice too. If I’m a goddess, shouldn’t I believe in myself?”
“......”
I looked at her a bit awkwardly.
Has this girl gone crazy from writing novels?
Or is it late-onset chuunibyou?
“Oppa? Why so quiet?”
“Ahem, well, sis. Even so, what you just said...”
“Sigh, fine. Even I know it sounds ridiculous. ...Mom and my sisters are all goddesses, and you’re a black-haired hero summoned from another world, like a demigod. Your personality was totally different back then. I think you sacrificed yourself to defeat the demon king at the end.”
“...Me? Sacrificed myself?”
“Seems like it? You doing self-sacrifice? Probably just a crazy dream. But hear me out. You die and reincarnate back on Earth, our original world. As the goddess, to grant the hero’s final wish, I set things up for your reincarnation and...”
“......”
“Sounds like total nonsense, right? But sometimes I wonder. Our family feels so artificially arranged. Objectively weird. Mom, my sisters, me.... Something’s off. From looks to the whole lineup. Gives me chills.”
“...Does it?”
“And you in the middle. It’s like a harem story made for you. ...Maybe we’re all characters in a novel or game. You know that saying? The world’s just a giant simulation.”
“Dunno.... Yawwwn...”
“Yawning? Boring, huh? Okay, let’s talk about something else.”
We kept chatting while munching on the snacks and ice cream I’d bought.
Eventually, the topic circled back to the price of the healing potion IV drip, diluted to 1/10,000th concentration.
“Yeah, that stuff’s crazy expensive. Second sis bought it for me. Over ten million won. Shocking, right?”
“Ten million...?”
Whoa. Ten million won? That’s steep.
“Oh.... ...Huh? Wait. ...Hold on. If the 1/10,000th diluted version costs ten million, then the undiluted one must be... Gasp...”
“No choice. Basic supply and demand. Healing potions just maximize natural recovery on their own. But for supernatural diseases or curses like mine.... They’re pretty much the only storable cure. Besides direct treatment from priests or healing mages, anyway.”
“Wait, no. That doesn’t add up. What about the potions on the Hunter Market? Weren’t those healing potions? I don’t remember exactly, but they weren’t that pricey.”
“Dunno about other potions. If those were healing ones, probably even more diluted. And prices have shot up since. Check again.”
I did as she said and logged back into the Hunter Market.
And she was right.
Healing potions were sold diluted as standard.
The hemostasis potions I’d sold had jumped over 20 times in price too.
For a split second, regret flooded my mind—I’d sold too early.
Why did prices always spike after I sold?
Same with that coin I tried on a friend’s tip, stocks too...
Oh yeah, that sneaker reseller jerk from before came to mind.
The world’s out to get me.
“What the hell? Why’d it surge like this all of a sudden?”
“Some insider info that was hush-hush is leaking on TV news since yesterday. Speculators jumped on it. Stuff like mana-induced diseases, curses, poisons—only special methods cure them. I see this as a transitional phase while humanity adapts. Once potion production or healing tech advances, prices should drop and stabilize.”
“Man, hemostasis potions were trading between 5,000 and 10,000 won just the other day. Now they’re at 200,000?”
“Hemostasis potions? ...Oh, you sold some? Same deal. Bleeding from mana diseases, curses, poisons—only hemostasis potions stop it. Though the superior healing potions keep the rise in check.”