I Have a Dream
Ten million gold.
It was a staggering sum, equivalent to a tenth of the Empire's annual budget. To put it in perspective, even the Adventurer Guild's entire yearly budget did not reach six million gold.
The fact that someone was willing to pay ten million gold just to eliminate a single person—me—sent a heavy shock through my system. It made me realize that something deeply sinister was brewing.
Considering the down payment alone is astronomical, this is definitely no joke. But who on earth... and why?
To begin with, there was almost no one within the Empire who could afford to throw around that kind of money.
The only plausible candidate was the Emperor, but even for him, ten million gold was a sum heavy enough to shake the very foundations of the nation. I couldn't be certain.
Besides, if the Emperor had wanted me dead, he would have used the moment he stripped me of my position as Guild Master to take my head. There was absolutely no reason for him to go through such a convoluted and expensive process.
But... at the very least, it's clear someone is out there. Someone who wants to make absolutely sure I am eliminated, even if it means spending a fortune.
A mysterious entity trying to kill me, a man who had already lost everything, by spending an absurd amount of wealth.
Connecting the dots, a thought naturally occurred to me: perhaps this person had anticipated that I would come here and break the seal on the Dummy Data.
It's not certain, but right now, it's highly probable. Given that Apollona's strength—which easily subdued Annas—is far from ordinary, they might have tried to kill me to prevent this exact situation from happening.
Realizing that some unknown, powerful entity was targeting me, a sudden wave of anxiety washed over me, and I stood up from my seat.
"Adjuster?"
"...Sorry. Could you guide me to somewhere I can rest for a moment?"
"Yes, of course, Adjuster."
After treating Annas just enough to keep her from dying, the two of us left the room.
Following Apollona's guidance, I soon arrived at another small room nearby.
Aside from a simple table and a few chairs, the space felt rather empty, but it offered a decent sense of tranquility. Sitting across from Apollona, I took some time to compose myself and began to seriously contemplate my next steps.
Even if I don't know the details, it's clear that something unusual is happening. Maybe there was another reason why the Hero party and the executives betrayed me like that...
Thinking that there might be a mastermind behind the ruin of my life, I bit my lip hard.
If that's true... whoever it is, I will never forgive them. Playing with someone else's life like this.
Anger flared within me against the filthy coward pulling strings from the shadows.
Yet, separate from this anger, I knew I couldn't just recklessly go searching for them. Heading straight back to the Empire for revenge without even knowing the enemy's identity would be blatant suicide.
I did have Apollona, an unknown variable of immense power—someone capable of subduing Annas without taking a single scratch, who could even use recovery magic to neutralize deadly poison. However, she was still just one person.
She might be able to handle a village, or a city if she was lucky.
But against a nation, or an entity with power exceeding that, her strength alone was far from enough.
Furthermore, although she served me and called me the Adjuster, I couldn't bring myself to trust her completely just yet.
I might have freed her from her seal, but... I can't guarantee how long this relationship will last on gratitude alone.
I was a man who had raised beggars into heroes, only to be spectacularly stabbed in the back. In the process, I had even been betrayed by the fiancée I had loved and supported.
Having learned how futile trust based on gratitude could be, I decided it was dangerous to blindly trust the woman before me, no matter how loyal and beautiful she appeared, without more concrete proof.
For that reason, I needed to know more about this 'power'—the only key that could resolve the terrible situation I was in, but also a potentially dangerous one.
I needed to hear the detailed story behind Apollona and the Dummy Data.
"Apollona. I'd like to ask you a few questions. Is that alright?"
"Yes, ask me anything, Adjuster."
Apollona replied politely.
Though I worried this topic might touch a raw nerve, I steeled myself, knowing I had to address it. I spoke carefully.
"Apollona, what exactly... are you? No, what is the Dummy Data? What happened that left you sealed in a place like this for so long?"
"!..."
For a brief moment, a look of deep pain crossed Apollona's face.
However, she quickly masked her expression and spoke to me once more in a respectful tone.
"It is... a rather long story. Would that be alright?"
"Yes. Please tell me."
After a brief silence to gather her thoughts, Apollona looked at me and spoke in a calm, heavy voice.
"First, before I explain, according to the knowledge I possess, that word... 'Dummy Data' itself is a term from the language of the GM Gods who created this world. I understand it to mean the following."
It was the biggest mystery that had plagued me since I arrived here.
Apollona spoke, her voice carrying a deep, unavoidable sorrow.
"The abandoned ones."
"!..."
"I believe the literal meaning is slightly different, but that is how we interpret it. Dummy Data. It refers to the entities who were denied the right to be born by the gods who created this world... the ones who were cast aside."
"..."
The meaning of Dummy Data carried an unexpected weight.
Realizing that the woman before me was one of those discarded entities, I felt a deep sense of pity, along with a strange kinship.
Though the scale and nature of our situations were different, I, too, was someone who had been abandoned. In that sense, we shared a similar fate.
Sensing my empathy, Apollona began her story in earnest—her story as one of the Dummy Data.
This vast world we live in—where humans, elves, beastmen, monsters, and demons fiercely compete for survival—was originally created according to rules established by beings from another dimension.
Beings known as the GM Gods.
From the basic appearance of each race to their personalities, the powers they wield, the fundamental energy of the world called mana, and the magic derived from it—every single rule was set by the GM Gods, and the primordial world was created and operated under those laws.
However, while there were those who were allowed to exist and live their lives as a result of the gods' creation, there were also those who were clearly designed in the gods' plans but, for some unknown reason, were never permitted to be born.
Entities whose consciousnesses merely drifted in the primordial chaos, surrounded by endless strings of zeros and ones.
The Dummy Data.
Despite having names, appearances, abilities, personalities, and assigned roles, they could never be born into the world. They were doomed to a miserable fate—slowly wearing away over eternity in a state devoid of dreams or hope, eventually fading back into absolute nothingness.
And among the masses of Dummy Data who had already vanished or were destined to fade, there was one final group left behind by the GM Gods.
According to forgotten, chaotic lore, they were originally tasked with shattering the framework of this unbalanced world and starting everything anew. However, the overload generated during their creation supposedly destroyed the GM Gods themselves.
They possessed the most unique history among all the Dummy Data.
The Dummy Data: Catastrim.
The final creations of the GM Gods, the ones who had indirectly killed their creators, and the unborn 'Mashins' who had ended up as discarded entities.
Yet, as a member of Catastrim, and the one who should have been born first among them—one of the twelve strongest Mashins of Catastrim—Apollona had never let go of a single thread of hope, even in that despairing place.
It was a promise from the GM Gods, engraved under the name of Catastrim from the moment of her creation.
'The moment the blood of the Adjuster is offered upon the altar, they shall descend upon this world.'
Clinging to those words—a promise of creation never granted to any other Dummy Data—Apollona had silently maintained her sense of self within the vortex of chaos, waiting.
Even though the gods who made the promise were gone, and countless other Dummy Data before her had faded into nothingness, she had endured the eternal passage of time, never losing faith until the very end.
And that seemingly endless endurance finally bore fruit.
The dream-like covenant was fulfilled when the promised blood of the Adjuster was spilled upon the altar.
The descent of the Mashin, awaited for an eternity.
Along with the beginning of Catastrim—the Cataclysm.
"And that... is how it happened."
"..."
Apollona's story was far grander and more serious than I had ever imagined.
By the time she finished, tears were pooling in her eyes. I could tell they were tears of sorrow, a lingering shadow of the long, painful years she had endured, but also tears of relief that the dreadful wait was finally over.
Knowing that such a beautiful woman had suffered an unimaginable torment, I felt a genuine ache in my heart and bowed my head slightly to her.
"I'm sorry... If I had known the details sooner, I would have come to break the seal much earlier..."
"...N-No! Please do not say such things."
Apollona looked flustered by my apology.
She reached out, grasping my hand tightly, and spoke with absolute sincerity.
"It is true that a very long time has passed, but did you not ultimately remember us and come to free us, Adjuster? Just the fact that you remembered us in some form and kept the promise is enough to fill me with gratitude."
A warm smile spread across Apollona's face, radiating happiness.
Though the journey had been agonizingly difficult, she was filled with relief and joy just to finally be alive in this world.
Seeing this, I decided it would be better to talk about a brighter future rather than dwelling on a painful past.
"So, what do you plan to do now, Apollona? Do you have a goal, or is there something in particular you want to do?"
While I hoped she would help me with my revenge, I also sincerely wished for her to find happiness now that she was finally free.
It might sound ironic coming from someone whose life had hit rock bottom, but this world still had plenty of joy and pleasure to offer.
To my question, Apollona replied with a smile.
"Yes. First and foremost, I wish to resurrect my comrades who still slumber in the chaos... the other Mashins of Catastrim. Since I have successfully been born into this world and the altar of promise has been activated, the process itself should not be difficult."
"I see. In short, you want to bring your family here. Alright. I don't know how it's done, but I'll cooperate as much as I can."
"T-Thank you, Adjuster!"
Apollona wanted to bring the other Dummy Data—the Mashins of Catastrim—into this world. Since it meant freeing those who had been trapped alongside her for eternity, I viewed it positively. Hearing my response, Apollona thanked me, her face filled with deep emotion.
"What else? If there's anything you want to experience, places you want to visit, or any other goals, feel free to tell me."
I asked out of pure goodwill, but also to understand her goals and prevent any potential betrayal beforehand.
At this, she blushed slightly and answered.
"A goal... Indeed... I do have one dream."
"What kind of dream? Tell me."
"Yes. My dream is... alongside the comrades I will meet, and more than anyone else, with you, Adjuster, to fulfill the mission bestowed upon us, Catastrim."
Apollona spoke with the hope and anticipation of a young child sharing their dream for the future.
Despite the somewhat serious tone of her words, seeing her express a desire to do something together with me felt genuinely endearing. I smiled warmly and asked.
"A mission... What kind of mission is it?"
Given the atmosphere, I imagined something innocent, like covering the entire world in flowers.
To my question, Apollona smiled as bright as the sun and spoke.
"Our mission is to erase this world filled with imbalance and start everything anew."
"...Huh?"
Apollona had just said something incredibly alarming in a cheerful voice.
A sudden wave of doubt and confusion washed over me.
Looking at my bewildered face, Apollona spoke, her voice brimming with pure happiness and anticipation.
"The ultimate goal of us Mashins is to destroy the existing falsehoods! And since we must also punish those who dared to betray you, Adjuster, I want to make absolutely sure we destroy this world!"
"!?!?"