The Whole Story

This is how it happened.

The moment he saw Ner's face and understood how serious things had become, Yujun snapped his inventory open and pulled out two pieces of candy.

The Undead Transformation Candy—an event item he had eaten while clearing out demonkin with Manuela. And now, here of all places, he was taking it out again. Without a word, Yujun forced one into Manuela's mouth.

"Wh-what is this! I'm telling you, it looks disgusting— wait, hold ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on, this is from back then...?"

"Yeah. That one. So don't spit it out. Swallow."

Yujun tipped the other candy into his own mouth. This time his body did not become a Lich Lord, as it had before. It became a Death Knight, a knight of death.

His physical stats rose, but the penalties that came with them were many. There was, however, a way to cancel both of those penalties out, and that way was Equanimity. With the Equanimity trait, mental penalties could be treated as almost entirely ignored.

Manuela became a lich. It was a shame she had not risen to Lich Lord, but a lich was hardly bad. Better that than a skeleton mage.

Right after that, Yimil appeared. He burst in with a face full of certainty—and then he faltered.

"Where did they go?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The players. They should have been here."

"You seem to be under quite a misunderstanding. Players cannot come to the God Realm. You of all people should know that."

"They have not been unable to come. They simply never have. A lack of precedent does not let you declare it impossible."

"Even so. Forcing your way into my palace like this is... plainly a grave crime."

"I apologize for that. But there is something I absolutely must confirm, so I ask your understanding."

"You know it is wrong, and you still mean to force the matter?"

"Are you not the one doing something far more wrong?"

Even with Yimil's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠words striking dead center, Ner kept her face blank.

"No. I have nothing to hide. What is there here? Only my two undead summons, and my minions. And yet you, Lord Yimil, are invading my living quarters on nothing but the guess that a player is present. And you still have no intention of leaving."

"Ahem..."

Yimil's expression twitched. If things stayed as they were, he really might face severe punishment—which was exactly why he could not turn back. Come away with something, and he could turn the tables and corner her instead. Above all, he had clearly felt a player's presence. He trusted his own instincts absolutely, and he had no thought of retreating.

Irritation crept over Ner's face as she looked at him. She knew his stubbornness well. He was the sort who hunted for flaws in her at every turn, and he also carried considerable influence in the God Realm—not because his strength was exceptional, but because his ties reached deep among the higher gods. And contrary to that stolid impression, he was a man like a snake. Show him the slightest opening, and he would tear into you like a stray dog.

"Then search the whole place. You are welcome to wander my palace and look. However..."

Ner smiled, cold.

"If no player turns up, be prepared."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No. This is the God Realm, is it not? There are laws, and breaking them means punishment. That is only natural. You know that perfectly well."

"Fine. If I was mistaken, I will accept what I am due. So you had best be prepared yourself."

"The outcome of this contest is already decided. I have nothing to lose."

And so the promise was made. In the God Realm, a promise could not be dismissed as a mere verbal agreement.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Yimil took his leave, off to find the player who had to be somewhere.

Awfully sure of himself, isn't he. Slippery old snake.

Ner let out a heavy sigh. Plenty of gods in the God Realm envied her—the fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-rank gods in particular. The reason was painfully obvious. They simply could not stand to watch someone else succeed.

She had become a seventh-rank god in an instant by winning the contest. From the moment the highest gods looked on her with favor, her rise had been assured. Naturally she drew envy and jealousy, and there were bound to be those who would try to sabotage her no matter what she did. Yimil was one of them.

"Anyway. What happened?"

Ner asked Yujun. He kept his mouth shut and shook his head.

"Master. I will set a barrier."

At his words, Ner looked bewildered. Yujun opened his inventory and used a precious barrier item, so that no one could spy on this place. Once the barrier was in place, he spoke.

"That man might still be watching."

"What? Yimil definitely left. I had the minions keep an eye on him, so I'm sure."

"What if that was a clone, or a fake?"

"It can't be a fake. I confirmed it with my own eyes."

"Then never mind."

Yujun had only wanted to be certain. Ner nodded. What he had done was wise. This was a time to test the stones of the bridge before crossing, and there was nothing wrong with caution.

"But why did you turn undead?"

Ner could not hold her curiosity back.

"You know, don't you?"

"Know what?"

"You made the undead candy. For the event."

"...Ah."

Ner's reaction was lukewarm. Yujun tilted his head. If she was the operator who had made the item, she ought to know. Why a reaction like that?

"You don't know?"

"Ah. I know."

"You don't look like you know."

"...Honestly, this is the first I'm hearing of it."

"What? You don't know it?"

Yujun asked again, as if to say what on earth she was talking about.

"Why don't you know?"

"...Because I didn't make it."

"Weren't you the operator?"

"I do manage the game, and I was involved in a great deal of it. But the basic tools and the framework were provided by the system. I didn't build every last piece of it myself."

"You mean the items, the dungeons, the monsters. Things like that?"

"Yes."

"..."

So he had been wrong all this time. He had thought Ner created everything in War of the Gods.

Then again, she was a one-person developer. No wonder the operation was a complete mess.

He had just heard something a little—no, extremely—shocking. Yujun, who had briefly lost himself, opened his mouth again.

"Then what did you actually do in War of the Gods?"

"All sorts of things."

"You didn't just sit and watch, did you? Honestly, you didn't manage the servers at all."

"If I had, do you think I would have won the contest? Do you have any idea how many formidable competitors there were?"

"..."

That was the question. How on earth had War of the Gods been selected? If Ner was not simply bluffing, then she was saying the world of War of the Gods was complete enough on its own... Honestly, that was hard to accept.

It was a game that showered paying players with far too many privileges. Most of the items could only be bought with real money, and the monetization was so extreme that a great many users left. Yujun had even resented the operator a little. Spending money only tasted right when there were other users around to spend it over. If everyone left, there was no point in standing in overwhelming superiority.

Not that I ever meant to hold back.

He had poured billions of won into a single game. Of course his specs had ended up overwhelmingly high, and more than a few users had felt robbed by that. The game community had been full of vicious comments about him because of it—a selfish bastard who ruined the fun of playing. If he had spent only enough to enjoy it in moderation, maybe the game would have flourished more.

But—

What's the point if you don't win overwhelmingly?

Yujun liked standing at the top. He was absolutely not the sort who could stay beneath someone else for long, so he had no regrets. And in truth, the money he had spent back then had come back to him now as tremendous fortune. Spending billions on a game had not been in vain.

Thanks to that, Ner said she won the contest, too.

Yujun spread his senses. Just as with Ner, it was impossible to feel Yimil's presence. Was it simply a difference in caliber?

Then what were those overwhelming auras I felt when I first came to this island?

Had those not been gods? If so... just how strong were the gods, exactly? To be honest, he could not gauge Ner's level of power at all.

I still have a long way to go. Then again, reaching for that would be crossing the line.

It had not even been a year since he was dragged into the Tower of Infinity. Not a year—not even half a year had passed. Facing a god was out of the question. Simply putting down God's Minions with ease was already remarkable, in truth.

"Shin Yujun. You really have to leave now."

"I will."

Yujun nodded. The God Realm was full of gods far stronger than she was, and he knew there was nothing to gain by staying. High risk, no return. Only his life would be in danger. Nothing would come back to him.

"I'll give you a small gift when you go."

"A gift?"

"You can look forward to it."

Ner smiled, meaningful. Yujun held out his hand.

"If you're going to give it, give it now."

"It isn't an object."

"Then what?"

"Who knows?"

Ner smiled brightly, showed her palm, and waved. That was the last thing Yujun saw in the God Realm. His mind went hazy, and his vision turned inside out.

No-Pay Casual Gamer.

A month had passed since he learned who he was, and a great change had come. Those who had been frozen like dolls woke and began to move, carrying on as if nothing were wrong, as if everything until now had been a lie. But that was only the beginning.

People began to be summoned into the plaza all at once, and before long it was packed shoulder to shoulder. So many that they could not possibly be counted had filled the square in a single moment. No-Pay Casual Gamer was bewildered at first. He had never seen so many people in his life, and having only just recovered his memories, the sheer crowd even made him dizzy.

"H-hey, where is this? Is this a dream, maybe?"

"Who are you?"

"And who are you?"

"Suzumura. You?"

"The name's Oda."

"E-excuse me, everyone! Is this... Japan?"

"I don't think so."

"H-huh. I just dreamed I got hit by a truck... Wait, did I get reincarnated into another world?!"

The newly appeared people spoke an unfamiliar language he was hearing for the first time, and yet, strangely, No-Pay Casual Gamer could understand every word.

They look weak.

Every one of them looked as if they would die screaming if he so much as laid a finger on them.

I may have lost my inventory and every piece of equipment... but even now, I don't think I'd have any trouble dealing with them.

No-Pay Casual Gamer quietly watched.

"I think that one's a player?"

"Oya, oya. Now this is a surprise."

"Me too!"

"Me too, then?"

"So all of us became players?"

"What even is a player, to begin with."

"You've never played a game? Hear it once and you get it!"

They adapted faster than he had expected.

Three days.

In that short a time, the players fully accepted the new world. Those who denied reality were not few, of course, but they could hardly be called the absolute majority. Far more people treated the Tower of Infinity like a game rather than reality, and even when a few of them died while hunting, that perception did not change much.

Then, one day, a few of the players picked a fight with him. They had grown faster than the others over those three days, and their attitude was brash and swaggering.

"You were just glaring at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠us, weren't you? Never liked you anyway. Perfect."

"Hey. You haven't even gotten any gear yet—what have you been doing? Slacking off? I hate losers like you. You parasite."

The reason was absurd: that he had been watching them from a distance with a blank face. And since this was not a residential zone, the players acted without restraint. One of them slapped No-Pay Casual Gamer's shoulder, not a light tap but a blow hard enough to knock an ordinary person out cold. No-Pay Casual Gamer did not so much as flinch. No damage had registered at all.

"Scrubs."

He said it quietly.

"Wh-what? What did you just say?"

"Was that an insult?"

Maybe the system had not translated it properly. The players could not understand him.

"Didn't catch that? You goddamn idiots."

The Japanese players were slightly taken aback. They had never imagined an unequipped player would talk back, and on top of that the pronunciation of the insult was oddly awkward, which only soured their mood further.

"You little..."

The one who had taken a particular dislike to No-Pay Casual Gamer finally drew his sword.

"You wanna die?"

"Hey, let's just kill him. It's not like one less of him matters anyway..."

That was when No-Pay Casual Gamer opened his mouth.

"You crossed it."

"Crossed what, you bastard."

"The line."

Thud. Crack.

A fist like cast iron shot forward in an instant, and the sly-faced player's head was utterly shattered. Two remained. The fate of newbies facing a max-level character was already decided.