Compensation
Compensation
After our unexpected victory, we climbed the spire and headed to Gladiator's residence.
While we were at it, we grabbed Park Soo-jin, who'd been waiting in the camper.
We left her daughter Kim So-jin behind as a hostage and brought only her along.
She probably had no real value as a hostage... but you never know what might happen.
Anyway, the interior was more modern than I'd expected.
The white marble floors and black walls contrasted in a way that worked surprisingly well.
Most of the furniture was modern in design, too.
Once we arrived, none of us could hide how dazed we were.
Everyone wore bewildered expressions.
Everyone except the old man, that is.
"You've come."
A single word, spoken low.
It was Gladiator's voice.
She was drinking alone, the dazzling nightscape of Gwanak-gu framed behind her.
Red wine sloshed in her glass.
She gestured with her chin for us to sit wherever.
"First, congratulations. Though this tournament was rife with petty trickery, a win is a win. I shall dismiss it as mere yearning toward one's desire and move on."
I'd been worried she might pick a fight over the secret deal we'd struck with the three brothers, but fortunately, she was more generous than I'd expected.
Gladiator set down her wine glass, rested her chin on her hand, and crossed her legs with an air of cool composure.
"So then, what is it you wish for? Anything will do. Speak. I shall grant whatever it is."
Anything, huh...
Did that mean we could find out what happened to Hui-ryeong's mother?
I already had a means to search for her, so there was no real need to waste a wish on it. But as cross-verification, it might hold some value.
After all, isn't the word of two more trustworthy than the word of one?
'But that's something someone else can wish for. Not me.'
I had my own wish in mind.
Since we'd won anyway, I figured I'd go ahead and bring Park Soo-jin's husband back to life.
A promise is a promise.
If the situation had been unfavorable, I wouldn't have cared about breaking it. But now that we had leeway, there was no harm in honoring it.
"First off, that. Bringing this lady's husband back. Is that possible?"
I gently nudged Park Soo-jin forward from where she stood beside me.
Park Soo-jin must have been thoroughly shocked, because she let out a startled "Hyeek!" and jumped on the spot.
She'd been in a daze since before we even got here—she never actually believed we'd win.
It still hadn't sunk in.
"A wish on behalf of another, and not for yourself?"
"Yes. Well, there isn't really anything else I want here."
Like I'd said before, any gaps in my intellect or strength could be filled by the women I'd gathered into my fuckhouse.
There was no need for me to become the strongest.
Over time, I'd naturally grow stronger through the vending machine anyway. So why bother chasing endgame content this early?
Sure, there were times when I faced genuinely hair-raising crises... but I considered those a form of amusement in their own right.
Life needs a little excitement.
If everything went smoothly and predictably every time, it'd get boring.
So I figured a certain amount of difficulty was necessary.
Besides, I was enjoying the fun of growing stronger step by step, just like now.
I had no desire to transform into some colossal existence like the Cult Leader or the Gladiator standing before me.
'And there's something off about the system, too.'
I had a gut feeling that if I grew as strong as them, the system would impose some kind of restraint.
This world had turned into a kind of game.
And because of that, the reality was that anyone who crossed the line and became too powerful got hit with penalties—restricted from leaving certain zones, unable to procure resources through normal means, things like that.
That wasn't what I wanted.
"I see. Unusual, but not something I can't grant. I am generous toward victors."
"I-it's really possible?"
Park Soo-jin looked overwhelmed with emotion, but at the same time, there was a trace of skepticism in her eyes.
And this was the person directly involved, reacting like that.
Still, I could understand.
The act of bringing the dead back to life was simply too absurd.
"It is possible. I can summon them even without remains. All things in creation are recorded upon a single page. For convenience, I call it the 'Akashic Record.'"
"Recorded? Then... is our information in there, too?"
"Of course. There are no exceptions. Even I am catalogued within it. All are equal there—by Serial Number."
Gladiator nodded lightly in answer to Kim Ha-yoon's question.
Ah... I sort of understood, sort of didn't.
Hearing the keyword "Serial Number," I could vaguely guess at how she used her ability.
'Well, it's only conjecture.'
Maybe she created or erased things by entering commands, like a game's script mode?
Something along those lines.
In most games, serial numbers are assigned to NPCs and items so the system can tell them apart, and players can use those IDs to make their lives easier.
For example, starting the game already holding a weapon that's supposed to be obtainable only by defeating the final boss.
Or setting a ridiculously tough boss's HP to 1 and clearing it instantly.
It's a feature meant for convenience, but it's also what people call cheating.
Wasn't Gladiator's ability something along the same lines?
"However, searching takes quite a bit of time. Unless the name is distinctive, it will require considerable effort. If you had remains, the story would be somewhat different."
"I have them. I brought them, just in case."
Park Soo-jin carefully pulled a small urn from inside her clothes.
Were his cremated remains inside that...?
It was awfully small for that.
Then again, maybe she hadn't been able to recover all of them.
"Hm. Good. In that case, there's no reason we can't proceed right now."
With those words, Gladiator rose from her chair and approached Park Soo-jin.
In that moment, a pair of voluptuous tits swayed heavily.
Whoa... that size was something even our Lady Ha couldn't hope to rival.
As I was marveling on several levels, Gladiator stared intently at the urn she'd received, then abruptly snapped her fingers.
—Fwooosh.
And then, there was light.
A bright light flickered for an instant, and then, astonishingly, someone burst forth from its center.
A man of ordinary appearance—on the younger side, but with no particularly distinguishing features.
In a relaxed, reclining posture, he slowly descended through the empty air and settled gently onto the floor.
"Ahh...! Ahhh...!"
Park Soo-jin approached the man, her eyes brimming with tears.
Perhaps she had no other way to express her overwhelming emotion; she simply held him close, silently weeping.
"Huh, she actually did it."
Angelica still looked like she couldn't believe it.
That was understandable.
Truth be told, even I was having trouble accepting the scene before my eyes as reality.
"He will likely open his eyes by tomorrow. I have perfectly recalled his physical record, but it is necessary to wait for the memories to fully settle into place."
"Thank you...! Truly... truly, thank you...!"
"Think nothing of it. Give your thanks to this man here, who spent a precious opportunity for your sake."
Gladiator's gaze lingered on me for a moment before drifting away.
...I felt it once again.
That the woman before my eyes could erase us in an instant, if she so chose.
Well, it made sense. Hadn't everyone called her that?
'The Mother of Birth and Extinction.'
"However, keep one thing in mind. This is a somewhat philosophical perspective, but even someone brought back may not be considered the exact same person as before."
But Gladiator's words didn't reach Park Soo-jin.
Nor were they meant for her, really.
She was speaking to the rest of us.
"The Ship of Theseus... something like that?"
"Similar. Even if revived with the same body and memories, the person has already experienced death. You are forcibly dragging out a story that ended at that point, so it would not be strange for some dissonance to exist."
That was a fair point.
I'd had that same thought at the beginning, after all.
Well, from my perspective, I wasn't close to the guy, so I didn't care how things played out later.
"Now then, who will step forward next?"
"M-me. Me!"
The one who answered was Mirkella.
Seizing the moment, she raised her hand high.
"Well... as you can see, I'm from the Order in Seocho-gu..."
"Ah, those Malko folk. I'd gathered as much from your attire. So?"
"M-Malko!?"
She looked utterly incensed, but I could see her barely restraining her anger.
Mirkella took a deep breath and continued in a calmer tone than before.
"Hah... What I request is simple. I would like it if you no longer caused trouble in Seocho-gu."
"Trouble? Trouble, you say. I don't recall us ever doing such a thing."
"Don't—! Just a few days ago, your fighters were rampaging madly through Seocho-gu, and you say that's not trouble!?"
"That. Is their freedom. I have no particular intention of suppressing them. However..."
Gladiator stroked her chin.
"I see. If that is your wish, there's no reason I can't give word. For the time being, I shall designate Seocho-gu as an inviolable zone."
"Not for the time being—permanently! Yes!? Do you understand!?"
"Sigh... Fine. So be it. I shall grant it. Though, I think I remember seeing you once, long ago. That uniquely impertinent way of speaking... Ah, now I recall. Aren't you the self-styled Saintess, the little tomboy?"
"Wha... what!? A t-tomboy!? I was incredibly polite back then...! You're the one whose insufferably arrogant side hasn't changed one bit!"
So she doesn't argue with the "self-styled" part.
Well, she wasn't a real saintess anymore, so denying it was a bit awkward for her too, I suppose.
"How noisy. Still lacking in respect for your elders, I see. But, as you are a victor, I shall generously let it slide just this once."
"Grrrrgh...! Who decided you were my elder...!"
I hurriedly clamped a hand over Mirkella's mouth as she began spouting pointless nonsense.
Immediately after, she naturally started thrashing as if to say, what the hell do you think you're doing—but the moment I subtly moved my hand toward her crotch, she fell silent in an instant.
"Huff, hah... W-well... It's fine. Yes, I've gotten what I wanted, so I'll end my remarks here."
Her face turned beet red in a flash, and she sat back down with a demure posture, as if she'd never been upset at all.
Next, Kim Ha-yoon stepped forward.
"Um... I'd like to get a bit taller, if that's possible?"
"Taller? Ah, of course it's possible. However, it will look somewhat unnatural. Would that be acceptable?"
"Unnatural, you say?"
"Yes. If you suddenly increase your height significantly, other parts of your body will naturally look awkward, won't they? Think it over again. If you truly wish it, I will grant it, but regret is all but certain."
At those words, Kim Ha-yoon narrowed her eyes into thin slits.
Now that actually increasing her height was on the table, hearing there'd be side effects seemed to be giving her serious pause.
While she was thinking it over, Angelica threw out a comment.
"Ha-yoon, from what I can see, what you want isn't height—it's growth, isn't it?"
"That young lady speaks correctly. Simply increasing stature alone would ruin the body's balance. Therefore, asking to be 'grown' would be the more accurate expression."
However, I found this deeply disagreeable.
Our Ha-yoon was at her absolute most perfect just the way she was right now. Why on earth should she grow any more here?
Yeah! Lolis have their own unique charm, damn it!