Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Encounter with the Unknown, Aftermath - 2
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Yoo Euisul.
The undisputed strongest Awakener.
From the first time I saw her, she was no ordinary person.
She didn't show the slightest fear even when facing an Anomalous Phenomenon right before her eyes.
She was an extreme egoist, to the point it almost felt excessive.
She completely lacked any social graces.
However, for some reason, she had taken a liking to me.
Thanks to that, I'd been chatting with Yoo Euisul about all sorts of things lately.
Contrary to her outward appearance, Yoo Euisul had a surprisingly human side.
Like when she'd patted my head just earlier.
Or her hobby being gaming.
It might just be my own misconception, but... she seems like the type that's tough to get close to at first, yet once she warms up, she quietly looks after you pretty well.
So, even for someone as hopeless with people as me, my impression of Yoo Euisul couldn't help but improve.
And now, such a person...
Was on the verge of receiving retribution for blasphemy.
Yoo Euisul had her eyes squeezed tightly shut.
She didn't look scared, but her ashen complexion made it clear she was tense.
This was the first time I'd ever seen her wear such a strained expression.
I hurriedly offered up a prayer.
Don't strike her down—she's an ally!
God, punish me instead.
If you bring retribution for blasphemy down on her, I...
Will declare a strike.
Whether my prayer got through, or if there was never any intent to deliver retribution in the first place...
Fortunately, Yoo Euisul was unharmed.
I was so genuinely furious that I immediately snapped at her.
"What the hell are you doing all of a sudden! It's dangerous!"
"I had something to check."
"Even so, would you risk your life like that, Euisul unnie?"
"I didn't think I'd die. But you sure picked up on the fact that I was risking my life quick, huh?"
"Of course I did! Those massive eyeballs heard my true name, got hit with retribution for blasphemy, exploded, and died! And it looks like even the main body bit the dust!"
"But I didn't die. The people watching your stream call you a bitch day in and day out and don't drop dead. Why do you think that is?"
"Uh... well... who... knows...?"
Yeah, exactly.
'Anum - Jihad' vanished the instant it heard my 'true name'.
Not sure if it actually died or just got hurt.
Either way, it definitely pulled out from Earth.
But Yoo Euisul knows my true name is Lee Jia (VTuber).
And she straight-up blasphemed Reflecting Myriad Stars, yet she's perfectly fine.
Why?
Thinking it over, I really shouldn't have told Yoo Euisul my true name so casually.
Just in case, her head might've exploded like that eyeball's.
I don't even know why I let it slip to her so thoughtlessly.
Still.
I'd had this conviction that 'Yoo Euisul would be safe'.
Then Yoo Euisul began voicing her own theory.
"That eyeball exploded right after hearing your true name, but why am I fine? Two possibilities. Three at most."
"Already three? Isn't that a lot...?"
"It's pathetically few. Listen up. First possibility: Your god showed me mercy."
"Hmm..."
Not sure about that.
Setting aside the haters, Reflecting Myriad Stars is definitely a benevolent god.
It seems to cut me some slack, at least somewhat.
Pretty flexible, too.
But.
One thing's for sure—no mercy when it comes to blasphemy.
"It's ambiguous, right? I think so too. That's why it's just a possibility, a hypothesis. Still, there's some basis for it."
"...I think I get it."
Saying the reasoning out loud would've made things super awkward with Yoo Euisul, so I just nodded vaguely.
Yoo Euisul is blatantly favorable toward me, so God might've spared her out of mercy.
Not smiting my stream viewers for blasphemy fits the same logic.
Wait, no—but why only smite me?
The more I think about it, the more unfair it feels.
Can't you give me a break, too?
"Second possibility. I'm immune to all mental attacks. Therefore..."
"...Broadly speaking, retribution for blasphemy is a kind of mental attack, so it doesn't work on me either...?"
"Exactly. See? Your head turns pretty sharp sometimes."
"B-but Reflecting Myriad Stars is a god, not human...?"
This felt a little...
Arrogant, maybe.
How dare a mere mortal stand against a god's power?
Ignoring my fluster, Yoo Euisul pressed on.
"So what? God or Anomalous Phenomenon mental attack—doesn't matter. None of it works on me. 'All' means all. If a god's mental attack got through to me, your wiki wouldn't list 'all'."
"B-but..."
"You said it yourself. The wiki never lies."
"..."
Yoo Euisul wasn't wrong. But.
Affirming her meant daring to doubt a god's power.
Denying her meant doubting the wiki—like some kind of dilemma.
Argh.
What am I supposed to do here?
"There's a precise way to check if it's my ability blocking the retribution or not."
"W-what is it?"
"Reveal your true name on your stream."
"..."
Right.
As Yoo Euisul said, it was the perfect test.
If her ability had nothing to do with it, everyone watching my stream would be fine.
Conversely.
If her ability was what's blocking retribution...
All my viewers' eyeballs would...
"Gyaah! You psychopath, subhuman! How can you even say that?!"
"Obviously a joke. ...Even this over-the-top freakout of yours feels unreal right now. Anyone else would've been shaking from the sheer pressure."
"What's there to be pressured about? I just never reveal my true name to viewers for the rest of my life."
"Whatever. Moving on to the third possibility."
The words from Yoo Euisul's mouth after the pause...
"The god you believe in, Reflecting Myriad Stars, is extremely favorable toward humans."
My head nodded on its own.
...This one felt most likely.
Not baseless guesswork, either.
Reflecting Myriad Stars shows huge interest in humans.
Slapping me with the 'VTuber' restriction right off the bat is rock-solid proof it gets human culture.
"Conclusion. Keep your mouth shut from now on. We don't know which of the three is right, so don't blab your true name anywhere but to me."
"...I already know."
I'm a VTuber from the start.
No plans whatsoever to hand out the red pill myself.
Suddenly, those parentheses on my true name felt like a huge blessing.
Who'd ever guess?
How does a person's name even have parentheses?
"..."
Because it's not a person's name.
Either way, thanks to Yoo Euisul's breakdown, I finally got why I can't tell anyone else about what happened today.
World-shaking secrets or whatever.
Simply put.
It's a threat to the listener's life.
"Why hearing your true name counts as blasphemy—I don't know, you don't know. Doesn't matter. Like it or not, you're a dangerous, important figure now."
"Yeah. I get it completely."
"..."
"What?"
Yoo Euisul raised one eyebrow, looking genuinely concerned.
"...Sigh. Pathetic that I can't even sugarcoat it. Hey, you okay?"
"With what?"
"Not burdened? Or scared? You just learned some uncomfortable truths."
"Not at all."
I could say it with certainty.
No matter what happens going forward.
Nothing could be more burdensome or terrifying than...
Encountering that black smoke, swapping bodies, changing races.
Absolutely.
Never.
Fervent Devotee.
Anomalous Phenomenon.
Items.
Of course I'm curious about the truth.
Curious enough to question that eyeball, even.
But curiosity's all it is. Not scary at all.
Feels like I'm inching toward the truth bit by bit as time passes.
But no matter what truth I uncover...
Could it possibly be more burdensome than Reflecting Myriad Stars?
More terrifying than Reflecting Myriad Stars?
Mortals... no, people fearing gods is only natural.
It might mean something negative.
Or positive.
For the record, it's both for me.
Terrified because it forcibly swapped my body and saddled me with duties, no questions asked.
Yet awed because it still helps me out in all sorts of tsundere ways.
So, Anomalous Phenomena have basically become 'whatever' now.
Anomalous this, truth that...
My duties matter more to me.
Skip streaming today, and it's off to the Omnia Archive for a one-on-one with Reflecting Myriad Stars.
Conclusion.
Go home, bath, then bed.
I'm covered head to toe in dirt—been feeling grimy enough to die since earlier.
Ah, right.
"Thanks, Euisul unnie."
Gotta say it.
I bowed deeply to Yoo Euisul, pouring out my sincere gratitude.
Even throwing in 'unnie' every time.
Yoo Euisul looked a little flustered.
"What'd I even do to deserve all this thanks? Did I solve it? You handled it solo. And I dragged you out here first—why..."
"Thanks for always looking out for me."
Just the facts.
Yoo Euisul got even more flustered.
"W-when did I ever look out for you! Don't get the wrong idea on your own—it's not like that at all!"
"Hehe."
Feeling great, a little hum slipped out.
This person's ridiculously weak to praise.
Her reactions are just delicious.
I kept giggling to myself after that.
Eventually, Yoo Euisul got pissed and flicked my forehead.
Thwack!
Felt pretty hard.
Hmm.
"Doesn't it hurt?"
"...Shut up."
A bizarre situation unfolded—the one who'd been hit worrying about the hitter.