Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Chapter 14: Server Connection (1)
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At first, everything in sight was black.
Even with my eyes open, it felt just like closing them in the dead of night.
How many seconds passed like that? A change finally came to my pitch-black vision.
A crack split open on one side with a sharp *creeeak*.
A distant *thud* echoed, and the fissure grew larger.
*Thud, thud-thud*. After the reverberations repeated several times, the crack finally shattered wide open.
What emerged from the hole beyond was a red eye, its whites and pupil indistinguishable.
I knew that eye.
*Monsters.*
The holes grew larger and multiplied.
Then, monsters began appearing in forests, lakes, fields, and deserts.
Villages burned, cities crumbled, and scenes of screaming people being devoured by monsters filled my vision one after another.
This was a summary video of what had happened in this world.
It felt like watching a B-movie with all the clichés.
*The main scenario, literally.*
More like an opening cinematic, explaining the world's lore before the actual gameplay.
Next came an explanation of the gameplay itself.
The seven doors I'd seen before entering the prayer room in the darkness floated into my mind.
*The Seven Precepts and the Gods.*
As I watched the continuing footage, I grasped the game's basic rules.
*Players choose which of the seven denominations to align with.*
Players in Bihar belonged to different gods.
*This condition doesn't look so clean either...*
Just a gut feeling, but choosing a faction felt like it had political undertones I couldn't shake.
*Players grow.*
Someday, beings with terrifying mana like Rashaar would emerge.
And their achievements or records?
*They'd all boost the prestige of their affiliated denomination.*
I could vividly see the selfish motives behind faction choice.
Of course, it wasn't purely exploiting players.
Choosing a faction came with various benefits.
*Different initial buffs per faction, and access to divine blessings like paladins or priests.*
Using a god's power probably came with strings attached.
But being able to wield one of the seven authorities was a pretty big perk.
I intently watched the video to grasp the details when—
*Hold on.*
A sudden doubt made me anxious.
*Does that mean I have to pick a faction and can only use one of them?*
If I messed up, the authority I'd earned through hell in the hidden mission could vanish.
I'd already used the Phinelpania one, so was my faction set to theirs?
What about the remaining Kallos authority? The one Rashaar had openly called precious?
*But I used them before the main scenario opened.*
So it should be fine for now, I told myself, desperately calming my unease.
Then the ongoing video made me let out a hollow chuckle.
The system's pretense of this being a real game suddenly felt infuriating.
What good was laying out a plausible worldview and gameplay directions?
Even if it fooled people into thinking it was a game, the fact remained that this was a war rooted in reality.
In the end, my guess from the oracle mentioning "hope" had hit the mark.
*You bastard.*
The system was trying to drag players into this war.
Forcibly, without even asking for consent beforehand.
By the time all the videos ended, my eyes had gone ice cold.
*No mention of the Holes.*
Without confirming this, I couldn't make a choice.
Would I have to ask directly after claiming the hidden mission reward?
As I pondered my options, my darkened vision slowly brightened.
Soon, the full view of the prayer room I'd entered came into sharp focus.
"Huh!"
Suddenly, an enormous presence crashed down on me.
[You're late.]
Voices began to resonate.
*What the hell?*
Not voices, but words—felt directly as conveyed intent.
[You broke the promise.]
[We must hold you accountable.]
With each word, the presence intensified. Not one, but many.
The massive presences wormed into me, churning up everything inside.
I tried to endure, but my body crumbled.
As I pathetically sprawled on the floor, my survival instincts screamed danger.
*I'm gonna burst.*
This was beyond what my existence could withstand.
A few more seconds, and I'd have been done for.
I'd have regretted coming this far, worried about my siblings left behind, and died helplessly.
But fortunately, my end was postponed.
「The system absorbs the fragment of divinity.」
The moment I sensed the crisis, a message appeared, and the presences ravaging me began to fade.
"Hahk, haaahk!"
It felt like air escaping a balloon swollen to the bursting point.
After barely catching my breath, I braced my hand on the floor and shakily stood.
I glared at the empty prayer room. The flow of those voices from moments ago had been off.
*Late? Promise? Accountability?*
What the hell were they talking about?
Then, a system window popped up.
《System Message》
If you hadn't let it slip away in the first place, things wouldn't have gotten this tangled.
It was a bizarre system window, different from the usual ones I'd seen.
*System Message...?*
Staring at the unfamiliar format, a hunch struck me. Maybe...
Hypothetical words cluttered my mind.
Then, the intrusive presence surged into me again.
[You've come in person? A prior greeting would have been nice.]
Thankfully, it didn't churn me up like before.
The unfamiliar presence simply passed through me and out.
《System Message》
It sounds like you're saying your attitude would have been different without me.
I held my breath, trying to piece together the situation.
[Of course not.]
[Divinity from another world, we're merely troubled by your lack of decorum.]
[Speak plainly. We didn't let it go. We lost it.]
[You seem overly excited right now. Calm down first.]
Multiple voices overlapped in a chaotic jumble.
These massive presences were surely this world's seven gods.
The presences passing through me were probably divinities.
*The system said it absorbed the divinity, clearly.*
Earth's system and this world's gods had clearly gathered here through me.
*Why now?*
Until now, the system had only sporadically revealed itself through capitalist traits.
This was the first time it openly expressed intent right in front of me.
*It wasn't that it hadn't stepped forward before—it couldn't.*
Maybe there were restrictions, like an update.
*The divinity is some special energy that fulfilled those restrictions.*
I kept theorizing in various directions.
All the while, I watched the successive system windows.
《System Message》
I'm perfectly rational. You must be flustered since you won't even apologize.
《System Message》
I warn you clearly. All the foreigners you'll meet from now on are akin to my apostles.
《System Message》
If you treat them roughly or dare to exploit them, I won't hold back anymore.
《System Message》
If push comes to shove, I'll release the one I'm holding onto right now. Don't forget we have countermeasures and time even without you.
[It happened in a flash; we couldn't stop it.]
[We're just hoping you'll believe it wasn't intentional.]
[Please have mercy on us powerless gods.]
[We're weary from the long war too. It was just a mistake, yet you're cornering us—how can we pursue greater goals together like this?]
From their exchange, I grasped the rough atmosphere.
*They lost something encoded strangely.*
The system caught it, and the gods benefited somehow.
*Releasing it would put the seven gods in dire straits.*
Pondering what it was could wait.
First, I needed to dig into the unease from the conversation's flow.
They called losing it a mistake, but could I take that at face value?
*They definitely mentioned accountability at first.*
The seven gods had started aggressive.
Like they were trying to pin something on me.
But the moment the system appeared, they switched tactics.
I wasn't dumb enough not to know what that meant.
Without the system's oversight, I was fair game to them.
"You... "
Curses rose involuntarily.
《System Message》
Don't forget this is your last chance.
Then the system message appeared, and voices poured out in a rush.
Their intent to hastily wrap this up was blatant.
Called out on their mistake, yet dodging real accountability, brushing it under the rug.
Watching that made my blood boil.
At the same time, complex thoughts raced through my mind.
*No guarantee the system will keep blocking them forever.*
Letting potential backstabbers roam free made no sense.
"Wait."
My sudden interjection silenced both the system and the seven gods.
They seemed at a loss for how to react.
Seizing the gap, I drew a deep breath.
I wasn't sure if stepping in now was right.
Maybe staying silent was better.
Halfway there if you keep quiet, as the saying goes.
Barely grasping the situation, jumping in raised the risk of screwing up.
But knowing that, I still couldn't stay put.
*Can't just let this slide here.*
Just a few minutes. That's all the time I'd spent with this world's gods.
In those minutes, I'd glimpsed their motives and true nature.
They didn't even bother hiding their petty thoughts.
*How laughably weak must they have seen me?*
From switching stances the instant the system appeared, to spouting excuses after being called out.
*How can not a single one apologize?*
They all made excuses, played the victim, shifted blame.
In this situation, it was impossible not to realize.
To those bastards, players like me were just easy marks to exploit.
That's why I was stepping up, even if it felt like a gamble.
I couldn't let today's negligence boomerang into massive damage later.
"Hey, system."
My voice stood out sharply in the silent prayer room.
I knew more unknowns than knowns, but from now on, I had to act like I knew it all.
*War, Holes, secret talks between system and gods, game, players, deployment.*
Bluffing with every inference I'd pieced together so far, pooling my baseless bravado to sound as convincing as possible!
"Is this really the best you can do?"
I spat the words, laced with irritation.
"Look at these assholes right now."
*Thud-thud*, slapping my knees, I planted my feet and continued.
"They'll just keep tripping us up at every turn—why not cut them out and do this ourselves?"
Neither the system nor the seven gods spoke.
It wasn't that they found my low-rank intrusion ridiculous...
*It said to treat me like an apostle.*
In this world, a god's apostle held considerable status, I presumed.
I had the right to speak up like this.
Their silence stemmed from the timing of my intervention and the shock of my words.
So, no stopping now—double down.
"Fuck, they think we're pushovers because we've been playing nice, weighing every damn alliance detail."
No reply came from the empty air, but I snarled even fiercer.
Damn System