The Goddess's Gift
“A gift?”
“That’s right, Returnee. Don’t like gifts?” The golden-eyed woman smiled at me. That same feeling again. A strange sensation, as if I might lose myself to her, crept up my spine.
‘Is it a skill…?’
I steadied myself and answered. “Enough with the jokes.”
“Huh? I really was going to give you a present.” She pulled a bundle of papers from her robes. Just as she was about to explain what it was, her expression shifted. She squinted as though reading something in the air.
“How disappointing…”
“What do you mean…?”
“Ah, they’ve been raising a fuss, saying I’ve been slacking and that I should go back. I don’t know which female you’ve fallen for so hard that you made a contract, but I’m a little jealous.”
Now that she mentioned it, the “expert” had probably been sent by Success Myth to guide me into a contract. Her talk of slacking likely referred to her staying here instead of seeking me out. Since Park Seona had finished the job, it seemed they were demanding her return.
Still, I felt wronged. It wasn’t as if I’d contracted with Park Seona because I was smitten with her.
“No, I didn’t—”
“Whatever.” The expert approached with a light, swaying step and pressed the bundle of papers firmly against my chest with her index finger. “Well then, see you again, Returnee.”
With that, she faded away. It wasn’t stealth. Like Mingming before her, the expert had simply returned to her original world.
‘Slacking, huh…’
I caught the falling papers. By Success Myth standards, she had indeed been slacking. But why had she remained here instead of carrying out her assigned task? If I knew her at all, she must have been searching for something that piqued her curiosity. And this bundle of papers was the result.
That meant she had endured here all this time just to hand these documents to me.
‘Repayment for the chatty ingredient info?’
I had sent her a message back in Stage 3 about the identity of the Chatty Ingredient and how to converse with it. She must have compiled this as her way of providing event-related information in return.
‘Clean. Beyond appearances, she’s decent as a person too.’
When I unfolded the papers, they detailed the Destination—troop composition, deployments, the ecology and behavior of key entities. It was laid out like a military record. Useful on its own, but if I mixed in what I already knew, I could draw different conclusions. The Destination the expert had analyzed had a specific purpose.
“So it really was a gift…?”
Santa had once lived in the Destination.
I left the warship and moved quickly toward my objective. I needed to reach the heart of the Destination. If my guess was right, the entity there would be like Pink Dolphin of the Equator—a servant devoted to the true master of this phenomenon. If I could persuade it, I might obtain enormous resources.
Before long, I arrived at a structure where a massive dome floated in the air. A type of floating object I had never seen before, spinning slowly like a UFO. As I approached, the front gate opened automatically.
Whirring—
Inside stood a tall dark elf. Whether male or female, the being smiled gently and asked, “May I ask where you hail from?”
Because it wore an elf’s form, I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should attack. The expert’s documents had mentioned other entities here. But since it showed no hostility, I decided to talk.
“I came from Earth.”
“Earth…? An unregistered place name.”
The dark elf fell silent for a while. After deep thought, it spoke again. “If it’s not too rude, may I ask your race? Analysis shows a young lady of the Rosta race on your left arm, but they are parasitic organisms, and the host’s information is not accessible.”
‘Rosta’s young lady?’
“I’m… human.”
At my answer, its expression darkened. Its voice now trembling, it swallowed once and asked, “Human… Last question. Do you, by any chance, know where this place is?”
I couldn’t read the intent behind the question. I had expected combat once I found the core entity, yet this elf seemed almost afraid. I answered honestly. Either way, if I infected it like the dolphin, persuasion would follow.
“It’s a Stage 5 event. The Destination.”
With my final answer, thick tears streamed from its eyes.
“Ah, I see… So we were ultimately defeated.”
It was a strange sight. The elf accepted the situation calmly and began to pray with both hands clasped. After waiting a moment, I asked, “Weren’t you already aware of the defeat? I thought you knew this was Stage 5 because you kept sending supplies.”
It shook its head. “I did not know. You may not understand how I appear to you, but I am closer to an operating system. Unless the Goddess informs me, I merely execute; I cannot observe.”
My doubts multiplied. I had assumed this being was something like a malicious Santa who was aware of the replicated world and sent supplies to help humans. Yet it seemed to harbor no ill will toward users.
“I’d like to know more about your goddess.”
The dark elf chose its words carefully. “The Goddess was one of the greatest beings in this world. Foreseeing defeat, she split her power into fragments, created places like this across the world, and ultimately vanished.”
“Hold on. Isn’t it normal for a sponsor to become a patron and support the next generation after defeat?”
“The fact that you know even that much makes it hard to believe this is only Stage 5… You are correct. That is the usual way. But the Goddess hoped for this world’s victory, not an individual’s. Becoming a sponsor means breaking free of the mold and becoming a complete, singular existence.”
After checking my expression, it continued. “This place is an arrangement for you all. It is both a desire to aid new pioneers when they arrive and to share in your victory—a gift.”
I roughly understood. Even if one became a sponsor and won, it would only be an individual victory; this world would remain eternally defeated. But by nurturing new generations through this world, the world itself could ride on their success.
‘But to go that far…?’
If an existence loved this world more than itself, perhaps such a choice was possible. Still, it was difficult to comprehend. It transcended the very concept of altruism.
‘Sacrifice…’
I set the thought aside for now. If everything the elf said was true, I was simply inheriting the legacy of the previous generation. There was nothing to regret.
“Then is the army here entirely the Goddess’s power? It looks just like Earth’s technology.”
“It is your technology. Since we could not turn you into us, the Goddess arranged for us to become you. It is the Goddess’s power.”
It was an obsession bordering on the pathological. Beyond physical parasitism, it extended to culture and spirit. The Goddess’s longing for victory felt chillingly intense.
Yet a question remained. The Goddess deeply desired humanity’s success.
“If all of this is the Goddess’s arrangement, why send bombs to kill us?”
The elf looked puzzled, then answered after reaching a conclusion. “If that happened, it was likely because some malice fused with this place once it became an event. Still, even an event should not have been able to defy the Goddess’s power… Perhaps it was only a minor occurrence?”
‘One in ten exploding counts as minor?’
Then something clicked. “Wait. If this was made by imitating our culture, why are there seaweed embedded in the golems? There’s no such thing as seaweed golems in our world.”
The dark elf clapped its hands. “Then they must be the true essence of the event.”
It operated nearby devices and scanned the entire Steel Archipelago. Suddenly, it slammed a fist on the table beside it, its voice filled with deep anger. “Your words were correct. A significant number of corrupted entities have been found among the outer branches. I will issue an immediate purge order and excise the unbelievers.”
‘Huh? Does this mean the event will auto-hunt now?’
While I stared blankly at the screen, the elf retrieved a box from the wall and brought it over. Inside lay a branch radiating powerful energy.
“This is a branch of the World Tree. The Goddess arranged for it to be given as a gift to pioneers when they arrived. You may take it.”
No user would refuse something that looked this valuable offered for free. I quickly pocketed it.
“How do I use it?”
“Ingest it. However, I recommend eliminating nearby threats first. Depending on the individual, it may induce sleep for three to ten days.”
I stored the box. Having secured what I came for, it was time to achieve my original purpose. I hadn’t come here to hunt seaweed in the first place.
“What will you do now? Stay here?”
“It seems we will. As you know, we cannot advance to the next stage. But the Goddess will always be with you.”
“Hmm… In that case.”
I briefly revealed the authority over the Equator I had received from the Navigator of the Sea. The dark elf’s eyes widened in shock.
“That is… the Navigator’s…?”
“Right. I received sponsorship of the Equator’s authority from him. So in a way, I’m someone chosen by two great gods of this world?”
“Ooh…! Ooh, sacred one!”
“But you know, there seem to be some guys who don’t like me very much. And they’re in this ocean.”
The dark elf’s face twisted violently. The gentle demeanor from before vanished, replaced by intense fury. Its eyes were cold enough to chill the surrounding air.
“What wretch dares…!”
“The Three Kings of the Sea? Something like that, I think.”
Its gaze grew even colder. “Ah, I have heard of them. Cowards who hid in the deep sea, thinking only of their own safety while the great gods were busy warring against their enemies.”
After that, I didn’t need to persuade it. The elf furiously operated the screen and began mass-producing golems from the factories spread throughout the Destination. It quietly recited a prayer to the Goddess.
“Divine punishment upon the unbelievers…!”
I had come to gather materials to decorate the Equator, and instead obtained a legion of fanatics.