The Pantheon's Shadow

"Why are you here?"

After finishing our meal, Min Chae-won and I returned to the Hunter Association to take care of the remaining paperwork.

Account setup, device registration, all the things I didn't understand—I just sat there nodding and saying "yes, yes, yes" until everything was approved.

And that's how a smartphone ended up in my hands.

"Ooooh..."

Finally, I could make calls and search things! The door to the internet world had swung open, and in modern society, not knowing how to use it would be a real shame.

Of course, I didn't have any keywords to search for right away, so I quietly tucked the phone into my pocket.

The settlement support fund was said to provide at least twenty million won, so I'd taken my first step onto the path of being a wealthy NEET.

Truthfully, when my luggage had been disposed of, my bankbook and personal seal had vanished along with it, and I couldn't even remember my old account number. That twenty million won was now my entire fortune.

How should I spend it... I'll give some to Haneul and think about it later.

When I get out, I need to ask Haneul for her account number first.

With that thought, I arrived in the lecture hall for the day's final schedule and attended class.

The lecture itself was interesting. Broadly, I already knew the content, but the details added on top made me pay even closer attention.

There were useful explanations about the importance of food supplies, about curses and blessings, and so on.

For instance, when you go to clear a gate, you just bring food with you—no need to tear monsters apart and eat them on the spot.

Comparing it to the actual dungeon experiences I'd gone through made it stick in my memory much better.

If it were me, I'd teach them which monsters are safe to eat and which aren't.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The world had changed. I could feel that in those kinds of details...

Of course, while I was listening to the lecture so diligently, I felt a shock like a hammer blow to the back of my head at the very end.

"...Why is the Pantheon here too...?"

No, don't be ridiculous.

Why are the Pantheon gods, why are they... operating guilds on Earth in the form of Oracles?

"Haa..."

The lecturer's lecture had ended, but I had no intention of getting up from my seat.

During the era when China and India had been destroyed by the World Wound, and when countless chaos erupted as gates appeared due to the rapid instability of the dimensional barrier—the Pantheon had been a hand of salvation for humanity.

Inside gates where only hostile beings lurked, they were the only light that embraced and protected humans. Simply believing in and following their teachings was enough to receive divine power and weapons bestowed by the gods.

So those who followed the same teachings gathered to form communities.

Religion has the power to bind people together with a single thread. Believing in the same thing, striving for the same purpose—that single reason was enough to forge unity. And so the seeds of guilds were planted, evolving into what they are today...

...That's the story.

I was extremely displeased.

Didn't those bastards promise to let me go once I ascended?

So why are they still entrenched in the world I returned to? That part was really grating, and I glared out the window to simmer down my irritation.

Ding!

"Son of a bitch!"

And at that moment, startled by the message window that suddenly appeared before my eyes, I jerked my body backward.

The message had popped up so sneakily that I fell backward with my chair, crashing down with a thud. I rubbed my numb back of the head and thought:

Is this bastard for real?

He could send messages and only sends one now?

He's doing this on purpose to mess with me.

This was really pissing me off.

As I pushed myself upright, I could feel the gazes of the people around me—those who were just about to leave the lecture hall—and the lecturer's eyes all pinning onto me.

"......"

After glancing around briefly, I bolted out of the room without a word. I was completely exposed.

In the hallway right outside, Min Chae-won stood up as if she'd been waiting and approached me.

"Returnee! You worked hard listening to today's lecture..."

"The altar."

"Huh?"

"Can you take me there? To the altar."

"Ah, that's... um, well..."

Min Chae-won fell silent for a moment with a thoughtful expression, then looked back at me with a troubled look.

"If you're talking about an altar where you can speak with the gods... that's really the guild's domain, so I can take you there, but after that... it'll be difficult..."

"...I see."

Ding!

He's really pissing me off.

I scrunched up my face, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and Min Chae-won in front of me visibly looked scared, so I turned my head away.

It's not your fault I'm like this...

"...Is something wrong?"

Min Chae-won asked cautiously, seeing me sigh.

"......"

Should I tell her? Or not?

With my arms crossed, I leaned against the wall and slowly opened my mouth.

"A bad connection."

A truly creepy bad connection that started in the dungeon.

I'd chosen him because his divine power worked as long as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the conditions were met, even without faith—and he was the only god who had accompanied me all the way to Ascension.

"The details... I'll explain later. When I explain my world. I'll tell you then."

"Ah, yes... Take care!"

Min Chae-won bowed deeply as I walked away.

After that, for better or worse, Mortepheus didn't send me any more messages. Though the fact that I was thoroughly unsettled was already terrible enough.

Home. I desperately needed to get home. So I hurried toward the lobby. I wanted to reunite with Haneul and go back as soon as possible.

But that wish was instantly shattered by Haneul's words.

"Ah, you're done? Well, it's around three o'clock, so... want to stop by a department store nearby for a bit?"

"...Why? A department store...?"

"Don't you remember what I said this morning? Clothes, underwear, toiletries and all that—we need to buy them."

"Ah."

"Since you got the support fund, we start with the things you need to live like a proper person. Come on, come on! Don't try to slip away, over here!"

When I showed signs of stepping backward, Haneul's arm naturally wrapped around mine, restraining me.

Are you kidding me? Is this one mountain after another?

I kept thinking it would be a nuisance to Haneul if I lived so sloppily, so I couldn't escape after all.

And that's how I arrived at the department store.

I looked up at this monstrous building from the inside, completely fed up.

What is this huge, crowded world?

There's not just one floor dedicated to clothes—there are multiple. Are you telling me I have to walk around a place this vast? This is hell.

"What kind of clothes do you like, Sia?"

"...Hoodies, and pants?"

Of course, my answer to Haneul's question came out smoothly.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions... That's a phrase that fits this situation perfectly.

"Wow, that's really dull, you know?"

I know that too, you know.

But I was originally an ordinary NEET. When would I ever have needed to dress up? Just wearing something decent enough to be human was plenty.

...If I'd said that, I'd probably have been dragged to the fitting room again, so I came up with a different reason.

"If I'm going to be a hunter, I'll have to say goodbye to pretty clothes."

I come home covered in blood every time. If those clothes can't just be washed in water and actually need dry cleaning or something, that'd be a problem, right?

"Ah, so you've decided to be a hunter?"

"Other than that, um... I don't have much to do. I don't really know what I want to do."

So I should just do what I'm good at, for now.

As I said that, I pulled out my hunter license and handed it to Haneul.

"Ooh, A-class..."

"If I want to make money... hunters are the best. You get it, right?"

"Yeah, well. I guess there's nothing for it then."

Haneul put down the frilly clothes she'd been holding, looking disappointed. Already, she'd been holding more than one or two pieces of clothing by the time she'd finished speaking.

She wasn't just browsing, was she...?

If I hadn't cut this short, she would've dragged me off saying "Since Sia doesn't know much about clothes, let me recommend some for you~" and dressed me up in her taste.

Reaching that conclusion, I felt a cold sweat running down my back.

Ding!

Go to hell.

Anyway, I settled on buying several sets of sweatpants and hoodies, and that was roughly how I finished things.

At least when it came to outerwear, I managed to push through my functionalist aesthetic. That alone had been a battle that consumed enough mental energy.

But they said one mountain after another. When I found myself standing in front of the underwear store, I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Do I really have to do this...?"

There was no strength in my voice. I'd agreed to her offer to help me, but even so, I couldn't bring myself to accept the dizzying situation of having to wear women's underwear, and I felt shamefully embarrassed.

"Come on, of course you do. What are you wearing inside right now?"

"Bandages...?"

"Yep, that's it. I'm ruling that you need to buy underwear! Hygiene is important~"

Haneul's hand pushed my back.

I tried to steady myself so I wouldn't be pushed away, and desperately opened my mouth.

"B-but... I mean, we still have toiletries, bedding, and all sorts of other things to buy, so do we really need to do this right now...!"

"Toiletries can just be delivered, and bedding is bulky and heavy. If you carry it around from the start, it'll be a hassle and bother, right?"

Oh, shit. I can't argue with that.

I stared at Haneul with a look of having been hit in the weak spot, and a message appeared before my eyes.

Ding!

You're really a piece of work.

"And, if you're worried I'll pick them out... I'll leave it all to the staff. That works, right? Neither of us has to feel embarrassed."

"Ah, no. No, no... um..."

That's not why. It's just embarrassing.

You might think it's ridiculous to have pride over a few pieces of cloth, but ever since I'd become a woman, it felt like something was undermining my dignity—

Ding!

Oh.

Something inside me snapped.

"...Fine! I'll do it! I get it! Just do it!"

Even knowing I'd regret it later, I ultimately let myself go.