Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: The Sponsored World Was Real
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* * *
Several decades—no, far more—in the past.
On the desolate battlefield where everything had ended, only Jenipia's voice echoed.
"...Hear me, my Shatia kin!!!!"
Jenipia thrust her axe skyward as if to pierce the heavens and shouted.
"We've won! At last, we've driven out all the other races and claimed this land purely for the Shatia!"
"I, Jenipia, solemnly declare that the Millend Mountains and its surroundings belong to us Shatia—not to the Elves, not to the Heimnar, not to the Lysias Tribe!!!"
—Waaaaah!!
The Shatia cheered, raising their weapons in response to their Great Chieftain Jenipia's cry.
How many centuries had passed since they lived as vagabonds, leeching off other races' territories without a domain of their own?
Without a doubt, this moment was the Shatia's hour of glory—the dawn itself.
And not just anywhere, but here in the Millend Mountains, said to be the root of their race.
So they believed they could defend this land for generations, shining with pride as Shatia—
"What's... what's that...?"
"Kyaaaaah!!!!!"
But "it" appeared so abruptly before the eyes of the Shatia.
A body covered in crimson scales, wings of overwhelming size that dwarfed any ordinary bird, flames spewing from its maw— a dragon.
The Shatia had one old legend, more like lore.
One with gods, magic, and diverse other races that no longer existed... a tale close to myth.
Faced with a dragon matching that description and beasts worn by time, the Shatia could only panic.
How hard they'd fought for this land.
How they'd finally claimed their own territory.
Yet the heavens were so indifferent—why did a dragon appear the moment they took it?
The dragon coiled in a massive cave brimming with precious ores.
Highly intelligent, it could communicate simply—but it had no intention of resolving things with the Shatia through talk.
"Didn't I tell you? This was my home five thousand years ago. My fun is over; I want to rest, but you're too noisy for me to sleep. Clear out of the mountains while I'm asking nicely—for your own sakes, you scraps."
From the dragon's view, the Shatia and other races were just squatters claiming its land while it was away.
The Shatia were the longest-lived of the continent's four races. They knew full well that long-lived beings thought differently from short-lived ones—
But even so, how were they supposed to accept it?
That "this has been mine since ancient times, so get out"?
The other races, Elves included, hadn't accepted the Shatia's claims either—that's why they'd spilled blood to reclaim their domain.
Great Chieftain Jenipia rejected the dragon's offer outright—
And the dragon, in turn, periodically invaded Shatia territory.
The most humiliating part, from the Shatia's perspective, was sensing that these "invasions" were the dragon going out of its way to accommodate them.
The dragon could crush the Shatia like insects if it wanted.
But this superior, magnificent being had no interest in such barbarism. Best to back off while it was just scaring them—the intent behind the raids was clear to Jenipia and all Shatia.
And so, ever since their feud with the dragon in their hard-won homeland—
Jenipia, Lily, and every Shatia had no choice but to wonder.
Why?
Why must even gaining a patch of land to call their own be an endless ordeal for the Shatia?
Other races had enjoyed it as a given for centuries—why must they face a transcendent being in battle?
They pondered and pondered and pondered, but mere thinking wouldn't solve it—
* * *
—Now, Jenipia.
Had abandoned thought altogether, simply enduring the cruel trial inflicted on her and her kin.
It was a problem beyond her power to fix.
But then.
This stranger from another continent across the sea—
Claimed that gods existed in this world.
That the Sole God and Creator had made everything—the world, them.
"If you're right, Erin, then our scraping by day to day under the dragon's threat is the will of this Creator Igugwoden. Seems he hates us, and hates us viciously."
"No, please wait. That's not what I—"
Of course, Jenipia knew how religion worked.
Unlike the Elves or Shatia's folk beliefs, the Heimnar and Lysias had their own gods or faiths.
None claimed a Sole God so firmly—but she knew what gods were, so she saw this as mere proselytizing—
"Sorry, Erin. I don't know what brings you from so far away, but if you're not colluding with the Elves to eye our territory, we have no reason to harm you. Staying awhile is fine, but understand we can't allow preaching."
"Jenipia..."
"The Shatia believe in no gods—spirits, gods of all things, or your Sole God. What we believe in—"
—Is ourselves alone.
We trust only ourselves.
Jenipia turned her head, gazing at the massive axe strapped to her back, and said.
"You won't even hear me out...?"
"Well, if your Sole God solves our dragon problem, I might listen."
Jenipia said that—but honestly, it was just a roundabout refusal—
"Excuse me, then. Lily. I know you're tired from the mission, but if you would... keep an eye on our far-flung guests while they stay."
Reading the implication in "keep an eye," Lily bowed—
"As you command, Great Chieftain."
And so, Erin and her group could only watch Jenipia's retreating back as she returned to the fortress.
* * *
'Aah...!!'
Only after reading this comic did I grasp what the "new observation system" truly was.
'So that's how it works!'
Metrics showing continental development.
Fog lifting step by step, maps brightening.
New races appearing, RGB system to talk to specific race characters.
In short—this was an adventure game.
The difference from others? The one, true way to clear it—
Sponsorship!
The player's donations were the only key to progress!
'Whoa...'
I even felt a strange thrill.
Not just from it being pure pay-to-win.
What shocked me—this lent perfect realism to the trolling by "Dtamuk Thinking Army," now just a forgotten extra.
Simply put, imagine I was Dtamuk Thinking Army.
I'd spent money saving Elves, then suddenly another continent unlocks, more spending.
I'd read the comic first, grown attached to the characters—plus bonuses like side comics made it worthwhile.
But from his view, without the comic, just bouncy Elves on a screen?
He might've gone extreme instead of keep paying.
He thought it was all a game, after all.
And realizing that—
—Shiiiiver!
A chill raced down my spine.
I was gripped by a profound question.
Why...?
Why justify a disposable villain's actions this thoroughly?
Why... go this far?
No, what I meant was...
I'd understood Dtamuk Thinking Army's actions so viscerally that I'd thought it myself without realizing.
Which was.
Dtamuk Thinking Army...
Was a real person.
He'd sponsored this world through the game.
And as the author said, this collapsed world after he quit sponsorship seemed merged by mine.
'...No way.'
Snap out of it.
What...? It can't be a real world.
This is just a webgame the author made.
Everything I'd seen through Erin's view was a comic, after all—
[PleaseGiveMoney: Of course, Lady Eirene's first must be claimed directly by Lord Igugwoden.]
[Igugwoden: No lololol wtf bs lololol]
[Igugwoden: How the hell would I claim that? lolol]
[PleaseGiveMoney: I'm serious.]
[PleaseGiveMoney: As an observer, I respect Lady Eirene's feelings and Lord Igugwoden's.]
[PleaseGiveMoney: Thus, inducing that situation seems difficult.]
[Igugwoden: Ffs lol how would I even get in there lololol]
[PleaseGiveMoney: Why do you think that?]
'......'
......Agh!
I lightly slapped my cheeks, then bolted to the fridge and chugged cold water.
Had I finally lost it?
Like No Future said, too much otaku brain rot?
No way Erin, Eirene...
This world could be real, right?
If it was, that'd be huge trouble. Really, really huge.
The scripture rewritten as "A Dish of Facts" nonsense, the mammatong stuff I'd paid for—all real?
'Stop!'
......Yeah.
Stop thinking.
Baning with the overimmersive author had messed up my head too.
Pathetic at my age!
I went to the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face, then returned, fixing my eyes on the screen to clear my mind.
Best to distract with something else.
First, check the dragon.
I'd suspected since the cave mention—its massive presence screamed after the fog lifted.
And—
'As expected.'
Just as I thought: the once-empty cave now had an "!!!" speech bubble.
Might as well hear the dragon's side. Sounded like it had its own reasons for claiming the land.
With that, I clicked the exclamation bubble—
[PleaseGiveMoney: zxfw.wo.to]
[PleaseGiveMoney: Successfully observed the requested section.]
[PleaseGiveMoney: Please check it directly.]
[Igugwoden: okok]
I slipped back into reader mode, head cleared for the comic.
......Forcibly averting my gaze from the odd unease blooming in my heart.