The Doll-Sized Goddess

“Contractor! What is the matter?!”

Nyx’s voice rang out, sharp with urgency.

“It’s nothing. I was just… startled, that’s all.”

“We are relieved. Your voice trembled so violently that We feared the worst.”

She had every right to worry. The moment I devoured Ness’s essence, the shock had hit me like a hammer.

A legendary-grade essence. High-grade essences like this were incredibly rare on the lower floors of the Tower.

The dragon soldiers I’d faced in the Forgotten Temple had only yielded the Dragon’s Heart because I’d exploited a loophole in the tutorial. This was different.

‘No, the grade is one thing, but…’

I rubbed my chin, still dazed.

Yeouiju. The name was intimately familiar. I had obtained this exact essence in my previous life as well, but that had happened much later.

The monster lived beyond the fiftieth floor. Only after I defeated the imugi and extracted its essence had I gained Yeouiju.

‘So even a serpent living in a lake counts as an imugi?’

I had assumed Ness was simply a giant snake, but it seemed the creature carried its own hidden lore.

“What essence did that serpent grant you to leave you so astonished?” Nyx asked.

“Something incredible.”

I answered with a wide grin. It really was amazing, but explaining it in words felt impossible.

Good grief. Constellations that watched the tutorial this closely were rare. They must all be bored out of their minds.

“Contractor, pay no heed to the babbling of those beings.”

Aigoo. Why was our goddess so restless?

“I have no intention of contracting with any of them yet, so don’t worry.”

“Does the word ‘yet’ not make Our heart even more anxious?”

These guys were noisy as hell. I shoved their messages aside and focused on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠recovering from my wounds.

Thanks to devouring Ness’s corpse, I had already restored a good portion of my spent stamina. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠On top of that, using the Regeneration skill quickly closed the puncture wounds left by the serpent’s fangs.

“Shall we get going?”

“Indeed, let us.”

I headed toward the bottom of the lake.

The cave at the bottom of the lake was filled with darkness, yet not a trace of moisture could be felt. In my previous life, I had only heard rumors of this place.

Knowing the future really was…

“Contractor, what are you thinking about?”

“N-nothing at all.”

“If you say that while wearing such a sinister expression, it lacks all persuasiveness.”

“Why are you judging me by my face?”

“Hmmm. If only We had a mirror, We would show you the sight yourself.”

Wait, what exactly did my expression look like?!

Though I felt wronged, I couldn’t speak about my regression, so I kept my mouth firmly shut.

Step. Step.

The Night Temple was roughly fifty meters wide. I walked to the center of the cavern.

Just as I remembered from my previous life.

‘A choice-based reward.’

Upon entering the Night Temple, you would receive a Unique-grade artifact infused with the Blessing of the Night. The crucial part was that you could choose the desired equipment slot.

“Why is choosing equipment so important?” Nyx asked.

“If someone like me who doesn’t need a weapon received one, it would be pretty unfair.”

“That would indeed be quite the tragedy.”

“I could sell it outside, but that’s a hassle.”

“You do not appear to require armor, either.”

“Then I’ll just ask for an accessory.”

I tapped my right ear lightly.

“I want an earring.”

“Oh, this is nice.”

I let out an admiring whistle.

“From what We see, it does not suit your temperament…”

“Why not?”

“Do you not prefer charging forward rather than skulking about in hiding?”

“Come on, sometimes hiding is necessary.”

This goddess really only knew one side of me.

If she had seen how I obtained the myth-grade essences related to Time in my previous life, she wouldn’t have said that. I had infiltrated dangerous zones throughout the Tower, holding my breath for days on end before stealing holy relics. When power was the answer, I struck without hesitation. When patience was required, I would even relieve myself on the spot while waiting for the perfect moment.

Just remembering those times brought tears to my eyes.

I attached Night’s Veil to one ear.

“Goddess, how does it look?”

“To speak honestly, it is not a pleasing sight. Like pearls on a pig’s neck…”

“Never mind whether it suits me or not.”

“Then what exactly did you ask?”

“I’m asking if you can sense your own power inside this cave.”

“Ah! So that was it. Wait just a moment.”

Black smoke began to writhe and spread. Dark particles scattered in every direction.

Whoosh—!

The Night Temple reacted to the black particles Nyx had released.

“It is as We thought! Our power is sealed within this place!”

Just as expected. The cavern’s very name was the Night Temple, after all. It would have been strange not to notice such an obvious hint.

I was glad I didn’t have to wander the lakebed blindly.

“By the way, you really think the earring doesn’t suit me?”

Nyx fell silent.

“Ahem. We shall now absorb the energy present in this place. Do not speak to Us, for We must concentrate.”

A short while later, she answered in a slightly trembling voice.

Oh ho. I’m definitely not going to forget that comment.

Oooooong!

As if her words had not been empty, the cavern’s energy began flowing into the black mist. The darkness coalesced into a single point, then writhed and took human shape.

A beautiful woman with jet-black hair that fell to her waist. Her crimson eyes scanned left and right before fixing directly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on me.

Wait a second.

Are you really the same Nyx who was speaking so casually just moments ago?

A chill ran down my spine. My Sixth Sense screamed in continuous warning.

The black-haired woman—no, the goddess—gazed at me with captivating eyes.

I swallowed hard.

The moment our eyes met, an overwhelming sense of reverence washed over me, as if I should bow my head at once.

……

The goddess’s presence pressed down on my soul so heavily that Cold Blood had to activate repeatedly just to keep me sane.

Facing the true form of the Goddess of Night, maintaining composure was nearly impossible.

The black-haired goddess looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“No. It’s because you’re too beautiful, Goddess.”

It wasn’t flattery. Her manifested appearance was as breathtaking as the overwhelming presence she radiated.

“I mean it.”

Nyx blinked.

A moment later—

Nyx turned her head slightly and smiled with confidence.

But why won’t you look at me when you say that?

“Seeing you like this really makes me feel that you’re a goddess.”

“Why would I say something I don’t mean?”

It was the truth. Without the help of Cold Blood, I might have already pressed my forehead to the ground in worship.

Even when Baal had possessed the swamp creature, the pressure hadn’t been this intense.

As expected, a conceptual god one generation above Gaia was on an entirely different level.

‘This isn’t something to simply celebrate.’

Nyx’s presence was so powerful it was hard to believe she had been sealed. Had she already regained all her strength just by reaching the Night Temple?

This development was different from what I had anticipated.

Our contract had been to help her regain the power of the Goddess of Night.

If the contract was completed already, it would be troublesome.

‘Receiving compensation for completing the contract is only the secondary goal.’

Nyx, the Goddess of Night. Traveling with her as a partner would bring far greater benefits.

I suppressed my trembling heart and spoke.

“Goddess, how do you feel? Are you all right?”

“You look perfectly fine to me.”

Nyx waved her hands from side to side. The black smoke followed her gestures.

She muttered in a discontented voice. It seemed the space known as the Night Temple had been used to seal the very concept of “night” that Nyx embodied.

“Can the seal not be undone?”

Whew. So our alliance was destined to continue a little longer.

Shuuuuuk!

Black mist swirled around Nyx’s entire body. When the darkness cleared—

“Goddess…?”

Standing before me was what looked like a three-headed-proportion chibi doll version of the black-haired goddess.

“Hehe. Indeed, it is none other than We.”

“Why did you suddenly become so small?”

“We cannot maintain Our manifested form outside this place.”

“So you reduced your size?”

“Hehe. Having recovered a measure of Our status in this space, We can maintain this smaller form.”

Nyx placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. Because of her tiny size, the pose looked more adorable than seductive.

“It’s better than that smoke form from before.”

“We can use a small amount of power as well.”

“Like what?”

“It is a secret.”

Oh. A new ability from Nyx. The unexpected good news brought a smile to my face.

“Ah, now that We think of it, We must fulfill Our contract with you.”

“What contract?”

“Did We not promise to make you stronger?”

Oh, right. The contract had originally been made with the expectation of receiving a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠god’s ‘blessing,’ but Nyx’s overwhelming presence earlier had made me completely forget.

“Extend your hand.”

“Here.”

Nyx grasped my hand with her small, doll-like fingers.

At that moment—

“Whoa?”

An enormous power flowed into the back of my hand, just like when Baal had bestowed his blessing.