Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Episode 3.
...Death Return?
Günter couldn't help but be flustered.
That makes sense, as 'death return' was a word he had never seen even once while playing games.
"It's a game where you die and immediately get a game over from the start..."<Forgotten God> is known for its brutal difficulty, and as such, it had no concept of 'retry'.
No matter how hard you raised your save, if you mess up even once and die, it gets deleted.
So it's death regression.
There could be no word that was less suited to the forgotten god.
Gunter read the following notification with skepticism.
Ding-!
[Counting Death Records]
[1/99]
[#1 The Life of a Commoner]
[Günter Shirhe, your life was insignificant.]
The new notification began with unabashed mockery.
[It seems I have become a corpse on the battlefield, unable to influence the pitiful fate of this world and its inhabitants at all.]
[Wouldn't it have been better to just stay hidden in my hometown?] If that were the case, I could have lived a few more years...
...a cynical tone.
It was clear that they were being sarcastic, but there was nothing he could say.
It wasn't wrong.
At least, if we evaluate the 'past life'.
First, the content of the notification was not everything.
I hope you do well in the next opportunity.
Staring at the fading status window, Gunther blankly mulled over those words.
It was an unfamiliar word.
A concept that had never existed in his life until now.
‘...Is there a next opportunity?Between the desire to believe and the unbelievable reality, he stood still.
However, the messages continued to pour in regardless of him.
[The 'Karma System' has been opened]
[You will settle your karma at the end of your life]
[Karma is accumulated through all your actions and choices.]
Good and evil, right and wrong do not matter.
Your footprints are recorded, and their weight forms your karma.
Beep-
A dry notification sound rang out.
[First Life's Karma: 100]
Günter came to his senses around that time.
I can't just stay blank.
Wherever this place is, whatever has happened, to survive, you must first assess the situation.
He immediately began to organize the newly acquired information.
Karma.It was a setting that even Grocer, a veteran of Forgotten God, was encountering for the first time.
The only thing that comes to mind is the direct translation of karma.
In context, it seemed to be a kind of currency that is settled at the moment of death...
'If it's a commodity, where is it used?As if reading his true feelings, the status window displayed the next message.
Karma is the offering most preferred by divine beings.
By offering karma, one can gain their favor and receive rewards.
'Offering? Price?The question remained unanswered even after reading the message.
Offering sacrifices and receiving rewards clearly belonged to the realm of 'contracts' with the gods.
However, he is a cripple who cannot make a contract with the gods in the first place.
However, the status window did not provide any further answers.
Instead, I threw out one last sentence.
If karma accumulates enough, destiny will change.
That phrase was short, but it left a significant ripple in Gunther's mind.
Is fate changing?
Does it mean that beyond simply coming back to life, it can change all the conditions that have defined his limits until now?
Chupa-at!
Soon, a strong pillar of light rose up from afar.
[Returning to Save Point #1]
[10, 9, 8, 7…]
The space that was pitch black becomes dazzlingly bright.
The wave of light approaching while gradually increasing speed.
A pure white light was rushing in with the force as if to swallow everything.
That moment.
Gunter forgot everything.
‘Ah.Something began to boil up from deep within my chest.
At first, it was a weak spark, but gradually it transformed into a heat so intense that it burned his entire body.
"Really... I can come back to life."A life filled with nothing but pain.
It might fail again.
I might die in vain again soon.
But right now, such worries didn't matter.
Next opportunity.If that were given, I was ready to do anything.
Tap-
Gunter threw himself into the light without hesitation.
The bright morning sunlight was painting the fields in golden hues.
"Gunter!" Did you sleep well?The voice coming from right next to me.
She was the daughter of the upper class.
Gunter looked at her silently.
"Um... Is it that obvious to ask if you slept well?""I averted my gaze."
"Hmm, it's not that I didn't like it."...there was no time to respond.
Günter blinked again.
I slowly clenched and opened my fist.
The wind brushing through the fields.
The solid earth beneath my feet.
Clear air filling the lungs.
Took a deep breath.
"Ha...."The intense awareness of being alive spreads deep throughout my entire body.
"Really, you have come back to life."It's not a misunderstanding.
It was still vivid.
The sensation of the blade pressing against the neck.
The silence that came in an instant.
But in the end, he returned to life.
Holding absolute power that everyone in this world desires.
"It's not even a one-time thing."Günter clearly remembered the number 1/99 that he had witnessed in that dark space.
That surely means the remaining 'number of opportunities'.
A total of 98 opportunities were given.
'Why do I have this ability...I could not know the clear reason.
No answer will come even after repeated contemplation.
This was an exceptional situation both in the real world and in the game.
But what was important now was not the reason.
'A possibility has arisen.A very faint spark of hope has ignited in the Earth return plan, which had lost its answer due to the protagonist's no-show.
The knowledge of regression and stagnant water.
The possibility certainly existed.
It's about trying.
Günter.
I see the end of the main scenario with this broken character.
'Okay, then first....Let's avoid this from now on.
Hearing the approaching presence, Gunther turned his body to the side.
Whiz-
"...Huh?"Eddie, who was forcefully pushing himself towards Gunther, loses his balance and flails around.
Stumbling, Eddie passed right by Gunther and collided with the innocent Ryan...
"Huh?""Huh?"I slipped into the embrace of Ryan, who is a giant over 190cm.
Ryan was briefly taken aback, but soon he chuckled slyly.
"Ah Eddie... Your taste in men is excellent.""Oh, damn!"Eddie's face turned as red as a ripe tomato after pushing Ryan.
It must be due to the open window of the carriage.
However, the mastermind of the incident, Gunther, was already gone.
Tap-
Gunter was slipping out behind the formation.
His eyes busily scanned the surroundings.
The terrain is familiar.
The attack will soon begin.
'So, how do I survive from now on?Death return is definitely a miraculous power.
But it was not万能.
Only the state of the previous life is inherited as it is.
It wasn't about granting direct power or bonuses at all.
"Just because one is resurrected does not mean they become particularly strong."If we confront the Holy Army without any measures in our current state, we will only repeat the futile deaths like last time.
"I need a variable."A variable that can turn unfavorable situations around.
Gunter's mind was racing.
Then one thing came to mind.
'Now that I think about it...What was given to him was not just death regression.
‘...karma.It was the moment I recalled the treasure that was said to be able to change one's destiny.
Ding-!
A message floated in the air.
[The three gods are looking at you simultaneously]
After the regression.
The three gods, who had been strangely quiet, revealed themselves at a very exquisite timing.
Was that why?
[The representative is the Knight King of the Ninety-Nine]
Gunter instinctively felt he knew what he was going to say.
He hopes that you will offer karma and survive on this battlefield.
Gunter's gaze was fixed on the message.
'...as expected.The phrase just now contained more information than it appeared.
He took a deep breath slowly and then asked.
'You all know my situation.'The gods remembered Gunther's past life.
Really.
I had a mountain of questions to ask.
How did you recognize the regression?
What principle causes this to happen?
If you knew, then why didn't you say anything, etc.
The moment I raised a question, new questions sprang up.
Unfortunately, there was no time.
Dududududud-!
'Already?Gunter instinctively turned his head at the sound of hooves pounding the ground.
A yellow-brown dust cloud rose high above adult height and came into view.
...The Holy Knight and the Holy Soldier are coming.
The surroundings became suddenly busy.
"It's an attack!""Defense posture!" Move the carriages back!"Protect the Lord of the Upper Realm!""Colleagues moving busily."
The knight of the ninety-nine cards urges the offering of karma, saying there is no time.
The mysterious currency given to him at the same time as his death return awakening.
Günter quickly reviewed the explanation.
Karma is the offering most favored by divine beings.
By dedicating karma, one can gain their favor and receive rewards.
Yes, I understand the purpose.
But the question remained.
"I can't make a contract."The law of <Forgotten God>.
No matter how much of a god one may be, they cannot grant direct power to humans without a contract.
This was an unchanging rule.
The formal contract had to be solemnized.
A altar is erected before the deity, and it is clarified what offerings will be made in exchange. After carefully adjusting what powers will be granted in accordance with those offerings, the contract is finally established.
It was also essential to match the preferences of the gods.
To the god who enjoys war, one must offer blood and spoils, To the god who seeks wisdom, one must dedicate ancient books and secrets.
If goodwill is not obtained, the contract is void, or it will only return with the wrath of the gods.
In other words, it is a treaty that must be thoroughly prepared.
'The gods must know this, but why...’
Dududududud-!
I didn't understand.
But those questions were crushed by the approaching sound of hooves.
Approximately 30 seconds until the lead clash.
Günter made a decision.
'Alright, let's see it.No matter how lowly a god he may be, he was once a hero of this world who achieved extraordinary feats and ascended.
It may provide a clever solution to navigate through this urgent situation.
Moreover, the knight king has never harmed him even once; isn't he a 'good god'?
[Please determine the amount of karma to be offered]
Günter pondered for a moment.
‘5? 10? How about that?I earned 100 over the course of 3 years.
5 to 10 degrees is not a small amount.
[……]
‘20?What could this quiet rebuke be?
A vein bulged on Gunther's forehead.
Originally, money and resources should be used sparingly...
"Okay, I got it.""I offer '100' karma to the king of knights of the ninety-nine cards." Gunter spent all of his karma.
The sound of coins brushes past my ears like an auditory hallucination.
And....
And....
‘……?There was no change at all.
The startled Gunther blinked.
'What is this?"The gods seemed to have closed their mouths as if they had made a promise.
Gunter's pupils shook violently.
Could it be that after the no-show, there's also a dine-and-dash?
"Gunter!" What are you doing?! Look ahead!”
“……."It's dangerous!""It was at the same time that Ryan roughly pushed him back."
Sizzle-!
Suddenly, a pain like being burned shot across Gunther's wrist.
Gunter suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly threw off his gloves.
"What the..."Inner wrist.
The pattern of the sword, blending silver and blue hues, was shining brightly.
The curve of a sharp blade.
A symbol in the center reminiscent of a shield.
It was not just a simple pattern.
It was pulsating vividly as if it were exhaling a breath.
And at the same time...
Crackle-
A short yet intense video flashed through his mind.
It is.
A man born as the talentless youngest son of a prestigious knight family.
It was a life forged through countless defeats, ultimately earning the respect of all knights.
'No, this is....That's ridiculous.
Gunter's heart raced wildly.
He was aware of this phenomenon.
This was absolutely something that could not happen.
A miracle that cannot be reached by someone like oneself through any means.
But that miracle was happening now.
The mark of the knight of the ninety-nine cards dwells within you.
Mark.
The power of the gods was paid as the price for the offering of karma.
...without a contract.