Exiled from the God Realm!

A Mythic title.

Was this the gift Ner had mentioned? As a present exchanged after they had met only twice, it felt rather excessive.

Yujun scratched his head. There was no limit on how many titles one could hold, and the higher the grade, the greater the effect. Titles were difficult to obtain—that was the catch—and yet he already possessed more than twenty. Most of them were Legendary or higher.

I nearly went home with nothing and got a little depressed over it... I should be grateful for this. So this is what it means to have a god at your back.

Not having to worry about the aftermath was a genuine relief. He trusted Ner to handle Yimil's suspicions and interrogation on her own. This was no time to be fretting over anyone else.

First, he checked the effect of the Mythic title he had just obtained.

Oh... attack and defense?

A title with the effect most efficient for him had come up. He especially liked that it tripled when he faced a god.

There may come a day when I have to fight a god.

When that day arrived, Exile of the God Realm would become an enormous source of strength. He pulled up his other Mythic title, Nothing Is Impossible.

The bonus to all his stats had already reached 36 percent. It was proof of how diligently he had been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gathering titles of Legendary grade and above.

The place he was sent after his exile from the God Realm was the deserted island that served as the site of the third event—the very spot where he had first warped in.

"You all right?"

Manuela, thrown out alongside him, asked with worry written plainly across her face.

"About what?"

"You're not tired? Like your body's about to give out?"

"Not at all?"

"Huh...? That's strange."

"Strange? Why?"

"You were talking to a being of a far higher order than you. A god."

"And? You look pretty worn out."

"I... just facing a god drained me completely."

"Is that how it usually is?"

"Yeah. You're the weird one, being perfectly fine."

"Hmm."

It didn't seem to be Equanimity alone. The trait was absurdly powerful, but it was still only S-rank, and it clearly had its limits.

Either my stats are just that high... or it's the Primordial Player?

He couldn't pin it down for certain. Well, good was good.

"Oh, Manuela."

"Yeah?"

"Did you get a title too?"

"Yeah... Exile of the God Realm."

"Is that so?"

So Ner had given it to both of them. No—that wasn't right. From the way she spoke, she didn't seem to stand above the System. More likely she had only carried out the exile, and the title was something granted to anyone forcibly banished.

Either way, he was glad Manuela had received a Mythic title as well. Had it been anyone else, envy might already have started twisting in his gut, but she had helped him a great deal. Her foresight, too, would have plenty of uses ahead.

If Manuela gets stronger, I benefit too.

It wasn't as if the title's effect were being split between them. Yujun smiled, satisfied.

That was when it happened. A familiar hologram window formed before his eyes.

The event was ending. For once, the System was being kind.

The players probably never got to use the General Store.

More than anything, the event was ending early. Half a day had not even passed. The players must have been more than a little thrown, and plenty of them surely had never set foot in the General Store at all. Everything they had worked for in the first event and the second could turn to nothing.

The General Store must be a madhouse right now.

They already had to fight tooth and nail for a place in line, and now a time limit had been dropped on top of it. To spend the points they held, they would clash with anyone, without a care for who got burned. Dying here did not mean dying for real, after all.

Not my problem anymore.

He had already used the General Store twice and swept up every worthwhile item. Nothing left particularly caught his interest.

...Just in case, I should check whether there are more of God's Minions.

If he was not permitted to enter the God Realm, wouldn't they have stationed God's Minions again? He closed his eyes and flung his senses wide.

Sure enough, four more of God's Minions had appeared.

Knew it!

The corner of Yujun's mouth curved. More of God's Minions meant his next task was already decided. He kicked off the ground and shot high into the air, then cast Fly. His cloak snapping behind him, he took to the sky.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Something came up. You rest."

He didn't even have time to keep talking. Yujun poured out mana without sparing a drop and flew at full speed, and the scenery around him blurred past.

This won't work.

Hunting the minions while circling the whole island, and still making it to the General Store afterward, was going to be tight.

"Paranet!"

He had a workaround. Yujun dismissed Paranet, then summoned him again. Paranet, who had been far away, appeared at his side.

"You called, Master!"

"Why are you grinning?"

"Heh heh. That task you entrusted to me, Master—it is entirely too amusing. Amusing enough that I should like to keep at it."

"...You mean keeping the players from leaving the island?"

"Yes! I have been faithfully carrying out your command."

"So it seems. Well done."

"Think nothing of it!"

Paranet grinned like a fool.

"Paranet. I need a teleport."

"Where shall I take you?"

"To where God's Minions are."

Yujun called out the coordinates. Paranet nodded and drew up his mana.

Fwaaash—!

The time it took to kill four ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of God's Minions did not even reach ten minutes.

Paranet's spatial movement. Yujun's exceptional senses, sharp enough to pinpoint a minion from a distance. And Yujun's own martial power, which needed no lengthy explanation to back it up. Only with all three behind him was such speed possible. He didn't even call Tapagol. Shoving them into the sea and killing them was enough. It had been difficult before, but for him now—his specs pushed as high as they would go through the General Store and the VIP shop—it was no great hardship.

After the four of God's Minions fell, Yujun's score stood at forty million points. He headed straight for the General Store.

"Aaaagh!"

"Please, just let me in!"

"Quit blocking the way!"

Boom! Crash!

A spectacle of large-scale magic. A few tried to slip into the General Store on high Agility, but the place was already monopolized by a single person. Players died the moment they went in. Even so, they refused to give up on entering. There was no time. Some held back in order to secure the reward for surviving, but they were few. In the chaos, no one noticed that Yujun had arrived at the General Store.

In the way.

At least, no one he knew was here. Come to think of it, he didn't see Jo Su-a either.

Dead? I don't think I've seen her once during the third event.

Yujun prepared Meteor. He poured in far more mana than before.

Vmmm— vuuuum—!

He had not even used the Magic Amplification Elixir, which tripled a spell's power, and still the meteor he summoned was larger than the one he had called down in the first event. Proof of how much stronger he had become.

I really have gotten a lot stronger.

His level had not changed at all, so he hadn't truly felt it. Using magic like this made the difference unmistakable. The land itself began to heave. Searing heat blanketed the area around the General Store, and against the reddening sky a meteor faintly took shape. The players who spotted it went pale.

"...Now what?"

"Meteor?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake... It's Shin Yujun again."

"This is the third time, isn't it? If you want to buy something, buy it all at once! Looked like you had points to spare!"

"He's doing it on purpose, that son of a bitch."

The players had started cursing outright.

"Should we run?"

"And if we don't? We'll just die like dogs. Dying leaves a foul taste, so we might as well save our necks."

No small number of players cleared out. Yujun did not wait for the meteor to fall. He entered the General Store at once. He had summoned the meteor in the first place so he could walk in at his ease.

"Wow, what a prick."

"Look at him slipping in all by himself."

Once inside, Yujun spoke.

"Kan-ha."

"Kan... ha? What's that supposed to be?"

Kantra tilted her head.

"Hello."

"This is your third time, isn't it? What are you doing back?"

"You don't look happy to see me. Never mind that—the items. Show me."

"You're buying again?"

"No time for this. Hurry."

The end of the event was close.

"Show me Mythic grade."

"There's another customer right now..."

At Kantra's words, Yujun's head whipped around.

"I'm leaving!"

The elf who had been watching the situation while biting her nails shouted it and fled the General Store faster than anyone.

"You heard her. Show me."

"R-right."

Kantra nodded, looking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dazed. Yujun bought every Mythic-grade item the moment it appeared. The Mythic items sold out in a flash.

That was when it happened.

KWA-KWANG—! KWA-KWANG!

A tremendous shock and roar slammed through the surrounding area. The meteor Yujun had summoned had landed. The terrain and everything around it was laid to waste, and only the shabby General Store remained intact. Not even a scream could be heard. Those who had evacuated in time were gone; those who moved a step too late had surely lost their lives.

Yujun opened his mouth as if nothing were amiss.

"Legendary."

"...R-right."

Once he had purchased the Legendary and Unique items as well, his points ran dry.

I thought forty million would be enough to buy everything down through the lower grades.

There were more items in the General Store than he had expected.

"You... where did the points come from this time? You're not exploiting some System error, are you?"

"Please. As if."

He had only made the most of the situation he had been given. Honestly, God's Minions awarding ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ten million points apiece might have been a mistake on the System's part, but calling it exploitation on his was a stretch.

"I'm off."

"...Yeah. Sure."

About four more minutes passed after he left the General Store.

These messages really do feel like game messages.

For a moment he couldn't tell whether this space—where he drew breath and moved—was reality or not.

The warp began. Yujun seized his sword first. He remembered clearly how things had stood before the event started. He had been in a true fight with the Demon God Worshippers. Regrettably, time had run short, and he had not managed to kill them all. It was time to finish the remaining work.

Looking around, he saw Manuela and Jo Su-a. Paranet and Tapagol seemed to have been dismissed automatically. The Demon God Worshippers were there as well, of course.

"Hk—hah!"

"R-right!"

"Run!"

Over the course of this event, they had learned in their own flesh just how strong Yujun was. They no longer needed to clash with him to know. Shin Yujun was a monster one must never stand against.

But Yujun was not about to let the Demon God Worshippers escape. He cast Space Domination and bound every one of their bodies.

"You have a base somewhere else?"

"...Ghk! Kuh!"

"Not going to answer?"

"...L-let me breathe first!"

"You can talk just fine, but you can't breathe? Putting on an act, are you?"

Getting information out of the Demon God Worshippers, however, was no simple matter. Every one of them was under a geas.

Why stay loyal to a place that puts a geas on your own head? I genuinely don't understand it.

"Manuela. Think you can interrogate them? Brainwashing, anything."

"No... Their geas is even stronger than Iere's."

"Then that settles it."

Yujun increased the pressure of Space Domination.

"Aaaagh!"

"Graaah!"

A sickening crunch. A crack. The wide laboratory rang with the Demon God Worshippers' wretched screams—but only for a moment. A hologram announcing that his level had risen appeared, and with it came a suffocating silence. Every one of the Demon God Worshippers was dead.

Manuela looked a little worried.

"Is it all right to kill them all?"

"Yeah. Undoing every geas one by one would just be a hassle."

Forcibly erasing a geas was extremely difficult. If theirs was stronger than the one that had bound Iere, he had no particular desire to try. Last time he had had something to count on, but if anything went wrong this time, the loss would be infuriating. And more than anything else, something more important remained than interrogating Demon God Worshippers or digging through the laboratory.

Receiving the final reward for all three events.