Birth of the Hero
How the hell did I end up playing this game?
A vicarious thrill from indirectly experiencing a god's perspective, even if just for a moment? Or the crisp action and my affection for my own cult?
It's a bit more complicated than that.
I needed to dig deeper, to something more fundamental and primal: stimulation.
The game I played, Ragnarok, was actually pretty easy in terms of difficulty. If things went south, you could just reset without a second thought. The management was as simple as a click.
So why this game out of all the ones out there?
Pathetic.
Back when I was playing, from my position as a player, I looked down on the world called Dianon.
Vast lands divided among humans and other races by their factions. And within those, further splintered into headache-inducing sects based on the constellations they served.
In the field, people in the data died left and right due to the constellations' whims and games. Oblivious that their turn was next, they just lived on in ignorance.
All I did was tap a finger and spare a moment's attention.
That alone restored peace to villages—or even entire nations—in the world. They were successfully protected from the forces of constellations that threatened their existence.
The dopamine hit from that cost-performance ratio was chef's kiss.
Just like right now.
-Kiiiek! Kiiieeeek!!
-Grrooooar...
Looking at the undead horde marching toward the kingdom's forces, even though everything had become real, the emotion stirring inside me wasn't some human instinctual fear.
It was the fresh thrill of the picture I was about to paint.
"Something's definitely changed."
No matter how obsessively I'd played the game, I could still distinguish it from reality.
But now? I was calmly observing the situation like I was actually a constellation in the game.
The world still needs your attention, Father God.
I didn't know what the system's ulterior motive was, but for now, I was happy to play along.
It's fun.
My brain, already pickled in dopamine, was primed to turn every moment into new entertainment.
Screw the tedious power struggles between humans—this primal stuff was way more fun.
"Hmm, first things first."
From the stark white room overlooking the world, I scanned the map to find the star of the show.
The undead invasion was inbound, and all the pieces to stop it were in place: undead, holy sword, holy war, experience event.
And at the center, the most crucial keyword and key: Baby Hero.
The hero unit I'd elevated to a higher concept by sacrificing an Elite Summon Scroll.
"There you are."
Dragged off by the guards, she was being temporarily sheltered inside one of their buildings.
She'd appeared out of nowhere with no guardian, so the guards, stumped on what to do, had just shoved her into an empty room.
"She doesn't look so hot."
Zooming in closer, the girl was groaning like she had the flu.
"What kind of annoying detail is that?"
Ah, so that's it. They'd slapped physical restrictions on her to keep her from flaking out?
"Shady bastard."
As I cursed it out, no more chats popped up. Guess even it knew it had no defense.
I ignored the Black Sun jumping in opportunistically and activated Possession toward the girl's location again.
-Whoosh!!
The white room sharpened into focus, morphing into a dingy medieval office.
In the increasingly real environment, the blue-haired girl slumped over a desk, groaning, lifted her gaze toward me.
"...?"
"Hey there."
I smiled and greeted her. She blinked in confusion, then her hazy eyes lit up with energy.
"Ahaha, a handsome... big brooo..."
Already delirious from fever, the baby hero welcomed me with a dreamy slur.
Is this right?
No matter how I looked at it, I didn't like the Lost Star brat's handling of this.
What crime had this kid committed?
"Feeling pretty sick, huh?"
"I... hurt... hehe. My head's spinning~"
"I see."
"Yeah, and I'm cold. Hey, big bro. Can you hug me?"
Her only defense against the chill was the thin clothes she'd spawned in. No blankets, no heater, just abandoned alone in the room.
No one to care for her, so her condition could've only gotten worse.
Fucking Lost Star bastard. Is this really how it's supposed to be?
Irritated, I opened my skill tab anyway.
"C'mere."
Pulling her trembling little body into a hug was a given.
I couldn't do it for non-devotees, but she was part of my cult now, so no problem.
The hero kid burrowed even deeper, still shivering, wriggling closer.
I opened the skill tab and cast a simple blessing to bring down the fever.
Advanced Blessing cast on devotee 'Hero'.
Hero this, hero that. The more I interacted, the more pitiful she seemed.
"Whoa, that's weird..."
"What is?"
"Handsome big bro hugging me tight makes my body feel so much better..."
"Good to hear."
"Hehe."
I checked her status again while she giggled like it was the best thing ever.
The fever was down, and her health bar, depleted by the delirium, was recovering nicely.
"What's your name?"
Time for introductions.
Would you like to change the name of devotee 'Hero'?
"Elion... My friends call me Eli..."
"Uh-huh, got it."
Devotee 'Hero''s name has been changed to 'Elion'!
Fixed her name properly—
"Eli."
"Hm...?"
"Feeling better now?"
Eli nodded vigorously at my question.
"Yeah...! I'm totally healthy now! Thanks, big bro...!"
"Glad to hear it. Alright then."
Time to get to work.
A quick glance at the map showed the undead horde nearly at the kingdom walls. They'd prep for siege soon enough, but I wanted that split-second timing right before the two forces fully clashed.
"Eli."
"Hm...?"
I locked eyes with Eli still nestled in my arms.
"Wanna play a game with me?"
"A game...? Yay!"
That's right. Kids love games.
And I had a great one in mind.
"There are people in a lot of trouble right now. Think you could help them out, Eli?"
"Me...?"
Hard for a kid's mindset to grasp, but life isn't just about self-interest.
"Exactly. You've got the power to save the world, Eli."
"R-Really...?"
The map showed she wasn't far from my temple.
This'll do.
Holding Eli, I triggered teleport.
I felt her jolt in surprise in my arms, but it quickly turned to excited curiosity.
Good reaction. Being overly sensitive to every little thing would make things tough going forward.
What appeared before us in an instant was a freshly fallen meteor, wisps of unidentified holy power rising from it.
Conditions met. Holy Sword can now be activated.
Not the one tucked away in my warehouse, but this little hero's holy sword.
"Hm...?"
Facing the meteor, Eli looked puzzled by the inexplicable pull.
"Feels... weird..."
"It's okay, it's okay."
I patted her reassuringly and drew closer to the meteor.
-Hummm.
It reacted stronger to its master's approach. More precisely, the sacred sword inside sensed her.
-Click.
On the surface—barely noticeable unless you looked closely or focused—a tiny crack began to spread, the change propagating outward.
"Wha...?"
Eli's startled reaction to the sight had me looking forward to what came next.
-Krunch!
Holy Sword successfully activated!
Bursting through the thick shell like an egg, the miraculous holy relic sealed within revealed itself.
"Wooow..."
Rather than fear the unfolding spectacle, the next hero in line was purely awestruck by the holy sword's overwhelming presence.
"Wanna try picking up that sword?"
"...?"
It looked too big for her small frame, but with a holy sword, that was no issue.
Advanced system: adjusts weight to the wielder on grab, even eases the burden.
Just come to mama.
All Eli needed now was a tiny spark of courage to officially become the hero.
"Kinda scary, but with big bro... okay."
"Let's go together then."
This okay? Whatever, I'm a constellation—who's gonna stop me?
With timidly nodding Eli, we approached the gleaming holy sword embedded fresh in the meteor.
The closer we got, the fiercer the pull of its holy power.
And so—
Bestow Holy Sword upon devotee 'Eli'?
"Ah...!"
The holy sword in Eli's grasp sang joyfully at its master's touch.
-Whoosh!
Holy power proclaiming the hero's birth spread far and wide.
Shame the barren surroundings couldn't do it justice. Normally, petals would scatter, cheers would rain down.
Only two constellations witnessed the hero's birth.
With the clash between the undead horde and human forces imminent, Eldritch simply relished the approaching moment.
"Today, we shall offer their corpses as tribute and evolve into an even higher force..."
Seize the opportunity that rolls in. That was the core of this operation.
The constellation and its eldritch minion watched the situation with satisfaction.
-Whoooosh!!
Then—dense holy power and the holy sword's presence plunged from the sky.
"...?"
Eldritch's jawbone dropped.