The Fraudulent Protagonist's Divine Dream (1)
Same time. Ju Joyeon, the supporting character who was wasting what should have been heavenly hours in sleep, muttered, "What is it this time? Why am I here again?" He had once more been pulled into his own dream. This time, the modern god, the martial god, and the Ability God were all gathered together, and the Ability God was glaring at Ju Joyeon as if she wanted to kill him, just like always. The modern god and the martial god standing beside her wore troubled expressions.
"Sorry, friend. We had no choice this time. That woman twisted the 'story' in a way we never expected... If you wake up now, the 'story' won't even form properly."
"I heard from the modern god that she has a history of this, but I didn't think she'd resort to such extreme measures."
"What are you even talking about? Can't you explain it so I can understand?"
"Sorry, sorry. I can't tell you any more than that. Anyway, just stay here for a bit and then go. We won't do you any harm. It's not much of a compensation, but we'll at least let you talk with us."
"Being able to converse with gods is an enormous privilege. You could obtain information that can't be learned on the surface world."
"Then tell me why you brought me here."
"......."
Seeing Ju Joyeon immediately ask for the reason they most wanted to hide, the modern god and the martial god glanced at the Ability God, sighed, and confessed honestly.
"Artie is in your room right now."
"She snuck in again? Why does she keep doing that? It's not like she doesn't have her own room."
"This time it wasn't voluntary. It was forced. Please understand."
"Forced...? Even so, she's already entered my room several times before. Why call me here like this now?"
"It's because of your mother, that crazy saint!"
The Ability God, who had been quietly listening, couldn't hold back any longer and shouted. Ju Joyeon’s face hardened at her words, and he opened his mouth to confirm what he had just heard.
"...What did you just say—"
"What on earth was that crazy saint thinking?! Using Artie to try and stop you! What did poor Artie ever do wrong?! Do you even know what state she's in, trapped in your room right now?! Wearing clothes that barely qualify as underwear, forced to act all clingy and—"
"Shut up. You're the crazy one."
"...What?"
Unable to tolerate the Ability God insulting his mother, Ju Joyeon radiated killing intent toward her as she threw a hysterical fit with wide eyes.
"Don't speak so carelessly, you trash. A psycho aunt who only knows how to stalk people."
"W-What?! How dare a lowly human like you—! Artie is nothing like you! She is a being chosen by me! Trash like you and that insane saint...!"
"Ability."
Another voice stopped the Ability God, who had been about to act out of anger at Ju Joyeon’s rude words. The space around them instantly distorted. Tring! A notification window appeared. Not the usual translucent blue one, but a red notification window.
Exposed to [Divine Pressure (God-tier)].
Status Ailment: 'Fear of Certain Death' inflicted.
The body has fallen into paralysis from unbearable terror.
Death by cardiac arrest.
Tring!
Title [The Last Successor Who Began Exploring Death] has resisted instant death.
Status Ailment: Unconsciousness inflicted.
This space does not permit unconsciousness.
All stats reduced by 99.9%.
Though it had only been a voice he had been hearing until moments ago, Ju Joyeon broke out in a cold sweat all over his body and collapsed powerlessly to the floor. The owner of the voice was the modern god. He glared at the Ability God beside him with bloodshot eyes.
"I clearly told you not to say anything unnecessary. We're calling him here to sort things out because we know this will become a problem... So what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"T-That...! Hah—"
"Shut up, Ability. I have my limits too. Do you want me to clean up one of the humans you cherished and send you back to manage your own world?"
"Ugh..."
Faced with the modern god’s genuine fury and chilling threat, the Ability God looked wronged and tried to say more, but even she wasn't foolish enough to talk back in this situation. In the end, she said nothing and left on her own.
The modern god watched the Ability God disappear from the dream in silence, then turned to Ju Joyeon, who had collapsed, and the martial god, who was already checking his condition. His expression was a mix of frustration and irritation.
"...Tsk! Martial god, how is Ju Joyeon’s condition?"
"Yeah, fortunately he didn't die. As expected of the 'Dominator's successor,' he resisted instant death. He won't be able to move for a while, though."
"Right... I'll assume you're listening and say this much, Ju Joyeon. You're no different from the Ability God. The martial god and I tend to favor you, so we call you a friend and don't mind if you speak casually, but we are gods. The gap between us and you, a human, is vast. Blasphemy against a god is grounds for complete annihilation. Your actions just now were at a level where total erasure wouldn't have been strange at all."
Completely drained of strength, Ju Joyeon couldn't respond to the modern god’s words. The modern god seemed to know this and didn't wait for a reply. He approached Ju Joyeon and sat by his head.
"You won't be able to move until you wake up, so just stay like that and leave later. In exchange, I'll properly answer the question you asked earlier."
The martial god, who had been checking Ju Joyeon’s condition, also sat down comfortably beside him.
"First of all, even though the Ability God mixed in some unpleasant words, everything she said was true. Artie was forcibly pushed into your room by your mother, Sosia. I honestly don't understand it well, but it seems she thought that if you spent the night with Artie, you'd stay at the hospital."
"She probably thought that if a child was born, the two of you wouldn't be able to raise it alone."
"And when you wake up and see Artie, no matter how much you try not to see her as a woman... you won't be able to refuse."
"Honestly, she's even more than the succubi from the martial world. An existence this captivating without any skills... It's definitely an innate talent."
"That's why we called you here while you were still asleep, to explain what would happen when you open your eyes."
"That said... Modern god, what do we do? Artie still can't leave the room. Even if Ju Joyeon wakes up first, at this rate..."
"What can we do? I was going to have the Ability God add the contents of the 'pact' as justification for protecting Artie, but she stormed off on her own, so even if we take a loss, we'll have to grant him at least a simple title..."
"I'll grant that title."
A middle-aged man's voice Ju Joyeon had never heard before came from behind the modern god and the martial god. Unable to move his body, Ju Joyeon barely managed to roll his eyes to identify the owner of the voice.
"Martial god... How did you get in here?"
"I came in through the hole that opened when the Ability God came out crying. How sad that fellow gods are ostracizing me like this. Weren't we comrades?"
A middle-aged being with a large bamboo hat, messy hair with a lot of white mixed in, wearing shabby warrior's clothes and holding a long sword—anyone could tell he was a swordsman. He was the martial god who managed the martial world. In a low voice, he conveyed to the modern god how very disappointed he was. The modern god looked at him in disbelief and let out a dry laugh.
"Don't lie. You wouldn't get sulky over something like that. Enough with the jokes, what's your real reason?"
"Kukuku! Of course! I figured you three were sneaking off without me to do something fun!"
With a hearty laugh, the martial god approached everyone and observed Ju Joyeon with curious eyes.
"So this is the man. The one who called the Ability God an auntie and the human who's receiving the most attention from you two."
"Martial god, don't run your mouth too much. There are things that shouldn't be known."
"I know. Even so, I've descended to the world I manage and traveled around myself. My lips are famously sealed tight!"
"The fact that your existence itself is well-known is the problem... Anyway, what did you mean earlier? About granting a title."
"Exactly what I said. I'll take on the task of granting him a title."
"But why? You have no connection to the fused world."
"Oh my! How disappointing! I can just make one now. There's a human right in front of me that I quite like."
The martial god looked at Ju Joyeon with playful eyes, and Ju Joyeon trembled while lying down under that dangerous gaze, different from killing intent. Meanwhile, the modern god stepped in front of the martial god to block him.
"No. You have no 'justification.'"
"Why wouldn't I have justification? I have a proper one."
"What are you talking about? You've only been watching until recently, so there's no way you have one."
"No, I definitely do. The rule you all made: 'If a human meets a god, they must be given a corresponding reward.'"
At the martial god’s words, the modern god recalled the rule he had set and looked at the martial god with a complicated expression.
"...Did we make the rules that sloppily?"
"We did make them rather crudely. We never thought other kids would butt in like this."
"It seems you two accept it. Don't be too dissatisfied. I'm not saying I'll do anything major. I'm just wetting my lips a little toward a world and human that's caught my interest after a long time. Kukuku."
"Hmm~ Can't be helped. But that justification of yours is the only one you have. Don't go overboard. No matter how much you like Ju Joyeon, you can't destroy the balance."
"Don't worry. Even I am very strict when it comes to maintaining the balance of power."
The martial god lightly placed his finger on Ju Joyeon’s head.
"I am the martial god, the deity who manages the martial world. It's a bit of a shame you can't say anything, but I'll be satisfied with having formed a small connection with you today. I look forward to our next meeting."
With those words, Ju Joyeon’s consciousness disappeared from the dream.
"Hmm, Ju Joyeon woke up a little earlier than planned."
"There's a limit to forcibly putting him to sleep. Still, we've conveyed everything we needed to, so it should be fine. Martial god, we can trust you, right?"
"Kukukuku... Of course. He will definitely like the title I created for him."
Though the modern god and the martial god couldn't shake off their doubtful thoughts while looking at the confident martial god, what was done was done. They too left Ju Joyeon’s dream and returned to their original space.
