Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: The Sponsored World Was Real
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* * *
―Life had returned to the forest.
The changes in the race names registering in our minds were followed by tangible shifts for our new god.
Living creatures, excluding ourselves, now roamed the woods freely. At the same time, the vanished plants began to sprout one by one.
The wild Epsilon trees, which had dwindled to a mere handful, spread with unbelievable reproductive speed—dyeing the homeland forest blue in patches everywhere.
And—
"Should we check out the cave?"
"Yes!"
From what Erin had said, there seemed to be quite a significant change at the place where we had once hidden.
Now that we were back in our homeland, I had no desire to approach that cave area lightly... but since it was Erin saying this, there had to be a good reason.
Thus, the sight that greeted Pibiola and the few Elves who headed to the cave was—
"Wow...!!!"
―A vast flower field adorning the meadow near the cave.
It was a field blooming with flowers of every color, beautiful beyond words.
At the center of the flower field stood a single Epsilon tree that Erin had planted long ago using Miracle Fertilizer.
Blue Epsilon petals fluttered down atop the multicolored flower petals, carried by the breeze...
――The world of the spirits.
To the Elves, who trusted and relied on each spirit, this place was no different from the spirits' realm manifested on earth.
Surely, the afterlife attainable only by Elves who devoted their lives to serving the spirits must look just like this.
The area around the original cave had been utterly barren. Not even a single common tree fruit could grow there.
So this flower field... it had to be a gift from Lord Igugwoden.
That's precisely why Erin had sent her here.
'Lord Igugwoden...'
Pibiola knelt before the vast flower field.
Having shed the name ■■ bestowed by the false god Dtamuk Thinking Army—a name she no longer even wanted to think about—and reborn as an Elf filled with Lord Igugwoden's Plain Facts—
Over eighty percent of the surviving Elves had long since accepted Lord Igugwoden as their new god deep in their hearts.
To Pibiola, at least, the fact that Elves believed in a god again was nothing short of a miracle.
Once properly betrayed by a god, getting people to believe again was far beyond what the word "believe" could describe—it was that difficult.
Dtamuk Thinking Army hadn't tormented us from the start. Its demands were bizarre, but it had granted miracles nonetheless, enriching the lives of us Elves.
What makes Igugwoden any different?—even if miracles kept happening right before our eyes, after witnessing countless kin die, it was an inescapable thought buried deep in the heart.
However.
Now... now, she could accept it.
Was it because of the Cola? Or the Chocolate?
Every day, basking in the morning sunlight amid the returned homeland, what she felt was the love of the god—the Plain Facts of the god.
The human priests were all kind to the Elves, teaching us while respecting our ways.
There must have been some customs that humans simply couldn't comprehend.
And just as we felt that way about them, they must have felt the same about us.
Yet they never pointed it out. They acknowledged our way of life. They even affirmed that we might not believe in their religion.
Animals had returned, and flowers bloomed anew across the land.
The shaman Pibiola offered her prayer.
Though this god hadn't chosen her—
Even so, toward this new god who shared love even for the unchosen.
'I thought dying out like this was the only answer.'
She had been content just to survive, just because Dtamuk Thinking Army had vanished.
Even if it meant barely eating properly, living without hope for the future, simply letting her remaining lifespan flicker away—that was fine.
She carried the belief that her kin, slaughtered by the god for no reason they could fathom, would have envied even this, along with the guilt of surviving.
At least being alive didn't just mean breathing.
To desire something. To harbor hope. To make sacrifices for the future—that was truly living.
Just shoving in the bare minimum food to stave off hunger.
Hiding in a sunless cave, day after day... how could that be called living?!
And now, Pibiola—
The Elves were curious about the approaching future, about tomorrow.
They wondered about the world beyond the rocks. About places their feet hadn't yet reached. They wanted to verify the legends left by the spirits.
'Everything was granted to us by Lord Igugwoden.'
Pibiola slowly raised her head.
Now... she would believe in a god again.
Just as Erin and the humans had said, Dtamuk Thinking Army was a false god masquerading as one.
She would accept the absolute fact that the Sole God of this world was Lord Igugwoden.
The moment she looked up—
<<[100 Balloons, Sponsorship.]>>
'!!!!!'
The voice echoing in her mind turned Pibiola's eyes into saucers.
What did it just say...
Ball... oons?
After that.
What tickled Pibiola's ears was a vile chuckling.
A voice she'd heard before. As a shaman, she felt it more vividly than anyone.
A chilling sensation racing up her spine, suffocating her... she staggered once—
[Hey, what are you doing? ■■ bitch?]
[Fuck, what's this? Why is ■■ censored? Did the race name change too?]
Completely incomprehensible words poured into her ears—
[Anyway, since some bullshit happened to God and he's in a bad mood right now.]
[I came to have some fun after a long time, since the alert went off.]
[That's fine, right? Filial impiety ■■ Pibiola-chan who sold out her mom?]
――In that instant.
Pibiola's world froze solid.
* * *
"What the hell is this?!"
The Observer shouted in panic at it—
But it merely spoke in an utterly calm tone.
―It seems an observation occurred beyond our will, coinciding with the world's revival... that's the conjecture.
"But we didn't receive any sponsorship? How can it intervene then?"
For a god to intervene in the world, it had to go through an Observer using 'Divine Power.'
―It's probably because the remnants of the vanished kin melted into the world.
"Remnants?"
―I told you. They harbored grudges as they faded. We did everything they asked, so why abandon us? That lingering strong grudge... triggered by the world's return, likely induced sponsorship to the god it was connected to. Highest probability.
"...You've been hemming and hawing without saying it outright."
―It's unprecedented. From you gaining a body to contacting other worlds—everything that's happened.
"......"
The Observer cautiously peered down at the world and asked.
"What do we do?"
―Leave it to Lord Igugwoden's will.
"What if it displeases him? It's like allowing a mongrel to invade the Sole God's sanctuary."
―Having a body is such a hassle. Just believe in the god steadfastly.
"You're not bothered at all?"
―Because I believe in Lord Igugwoden.
Belief...
The Observer tentatively spread her hand.
Wiggling her five fingers... then clenching it into a tight fist.
"...You're right. We must believe in Lord Igugwoden now."
Because in every critical moment, Lord Igugwoden had wrought miracles beyond imagination—
The Observer cautiously shared the observation results and entered dialogue with the Sole God.
* * *
"Haha!"
After seeing the latest chapter, I couldn't help but laugh.
I knew it would show up eventually. The villain Dtamuk Thinking Army.
Honestly, if it had just flashed back once in the past and vanished, it wouldn't have gotten so many chapters.
[ 돈좀주세요 : Let me say it once more ]
[ 돈좀주세요 : This situation itself is unprecedented... so I'm truly sorry for requesting sponsorship like this ]
The author had been apologizing nonstop.
The mere appearance of another god in the Sole God's world was a problem, and failing to prevent it early was apparently the reason.
Makes sense. To stage this, he'd have to dismantle his own worldbuilding—and authors are sticklers for their worldviews, so he couldn't tolerate it.
[ 이궈궈던 : lol no ]
[ 이궈궈던 : You've gotta eat too, author-chan. You've been super generous so far ]
―And I was itching for it anyway.
Leading the world peacefully isn't bad... but I wanted some thrilling fun now.
I cautiously checked how much I'd spent on this comic.
...Honestly, if I'd played games for the same period, I'd have blown way more.
Of course, the dopamine from games would be less. Unlike comics, where spending guarantees fun, my games often ended with money tossed into the river depending on results.
I worried my spending sense was ruined thinking like this—
But one fact was clear: between me and the author, he was taking the bigger financial hit.
'Anyway, this blatant sponsorship event means the author needs cash...'
I'd forgotten since it had been a while, but this comic.
At first, it pushed sponsorship even harder.
I still vividly remember the backlash from spamming nonsense like "I died because you didn't donate."
'Jackpot! What a bargain dopamine suck!'—wise in a way, but—
돈좀주세요 was more than a comic author now; he was my friend.
So I wanted to pay an amount befitting the value of the world he'd crafted.
I wanted to keep reading this comic.
Saintess Erin's chaotic religion-spreading tale, Eirene's nation shaping the continent's future.
At least until the finale, until he moved to a new work—I wanted to stick with it.
So this was.
[ 이궈궈던 : So, how much do you need? ]
[ 이궈궈던 : Divine Power, I mean ]
Money spent for my own sake too.
Gratitude to the author making me happy with his comic.
[ 돈좀주세요 : They used 100 Balloons... 100,000 won worth of Divine Power first ]
[ 돈좀주세요 : But leveraging the Plain Facts spread across the New Continent via Chocolate, Cola—'God's domain' items—and subscription sponsorship's embodiment, Karen... ]
[ 돈좀주세요 : In conclusion, another 20,000 won in power should stop unnecessary actions ]
[ 돈좀주세요 : With a bit more, 50,000 won, we could contain it for a while... but since I have to handle that part, I can't guarantee ]
[ 돈좀주세요 : Truly sorry I can't say more ]
'Hmm...'
He's set it at 100,000 won spent, but not asking for big bucks upfront.
Come to think of it, I have a subscription. He nudges sponsorship but not too aggressively—his intent shows.
Anyway, 20,000 won base, 50,000 if willing.
With the 100,000 setup, he won't back off easy with one donation.
He's prepared some staging too.
[ 이궈궈던 : I can spend whatever I want, right? ]
[ 돈좀주세요 : Yes ]
[ 돈좀주세요 : Of course... you don't have to use Divine Power ]
[ 돈좀주세요 : That entity can only affect its continent and creations; it can't touch a hair on Erin, Eirene, or Lord Igugwoden's humans ]
'Hmm...'
I imagined a worldline clashing with Dtamuk Thinking Army.
Some back-and-forth, spend a bit... based on pacing, after ~500,000 total, induce cheers with a god-slaying moment.
Maybe sustain catharsis and dopamine along the way.
But.
I, the 'over-immersed Igugwoden'... had no interest in bantering with trash like Dtamuk Thinking Army.
Why should I...
The Sole God...
Why should I deal with a false god?
Why be its rival, beating a lame villain while yelling 'Whoa, kyaa, pow, Igugwoden'?
Beating's fun only with satisfying foes; what's fun about punk thugs?
And bantering acknowledges it?
That Dtamuk Thinking Army is a god too, able to sponsor like me.
No way, nope!
Only I am the god.
[ 이궈궈던 : Author ]
[ 이궈궈던 : I don't wanna see Dtamuk Thinking Army for long ]
[ 돈좀주세요 : Truly sorry ]
[ 돈좀주세요 : If sponsorship's hard, I'll find a way at my end so you don't feel unpleasant ]
[ 이궈궈던 : Nah nah nah ]
[ 이궈궈던 : Sorry, no WWE mood right now ]
[ 돈좀주세요 : ...Pardon? ]
Right now.
It's UFC time.
I slowly placed my hand on the numpad.
100,000.
100,000 won. Same as Dtamuk Thinking Army's amount.
This alone would cause a fuss.
Fun scenes for sure. If it thrashes in final spasm, matching my 150,000, then I top with 200,000 for crush—could be fun.
But then—
I'd waste too much time on a false god as the Sole God?
I hate dragging.
Want it over in one chapter.
Like wrapping a webnovel arc in 3,000 characters.
So—
I steel myself and add a zero.
1,000,000!
One million won!
Exactly 10x what that punk spent!
A three-digit sponsorship I'd never done!
An overwhelming amount surging dopamine just from donating!!!
Probably beyond the author's expectation. A million to clear an annoying foe!
And—
[
이궈궈던 (Sponsorship / 2,000,000 won / 20만따리 컷 )
]
――The over-immersed Igugwoden,
because
his
footwork
must differ.
――Dtamuk Thinking Army.
You—were just a 200,000-won punk?
A 10x sponsorship to crush the Dtamuk Thinking Army that trampled Elves with 200,000 won in the past.
For the majesty of the unchallenged Sole God―
After finally surpassing even my own sponsorship record—I slowly placed my fingers on the keyboard.
[ 이궈궈던 : Handle that one and any other pests before they reach my eyes with this ]
[ 이궈궈던 : Tell that one ]
[ 이궈궈던 : If it's gonna face me ]
[ 이궈궈던 : At least prepare to splurge a month's grocery bill ]
Paid up now?
Make that punk disappear.