Chapter 120 - Episode 18. God Without a Vicegerent (2)
Chapter 120: Episode 18. God Without a Vicegerent (2)
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Ethan’s eyes, or rather, the eyes of Rachel Young, whom Ethan had possessed, shook violently.
The Dolls clinging to Jaehwan were not real. They were all illusions created by Ethan’s Sanctuary.
Still, even if they were illusions, destroying something created by a Sanctuary was not easy.
What in the world was this Sanctuary?
Could a world like this even be called a Sanctuary?
“This is not Andersen’s Sanctuary. How did you achieve Sanctuary Manifestation?”
A Sanctuary was power only a god could use.
Yet the human standing before Ethan was not Andersen’s Vicegerent. Nor did Jaehwan seem to be another god’s Vicegerent.
“Does that matter?”
Ethan’s gaze changed at Jaehwan’s indifferent reply.
“It does. If you are the world Andersen chose.”
A Sanctuary was the current world as seen by a god.
In other words, every Sanctuary was influenced by the history and imagination of the god who had lived within it.
With every step Jaehwan took, the world around his footprints changed. Blood-soaked pools multiplied, and graveyards of lion bones rose from within them. The thick fog drifting from the pools obscured the distant view of the Worldview, but if this was what its entrance looked like, there was no need to see any further.
“What a childish imagination, Andersen. Is this all you chose…”
The next moment, Ethan saw a strange sight.
Beyond the fog of Jaehwan’s Unique World, there was something bizarre.
Just as Ethan was about to speak of it, Jaehwan said, “Your Worldview does not look particularly special either.”
Dokbul tore through Ethan’s World Force and surged forward in an instant.
Rachel Young’s fragile neck, inhabited by Ethan, was about to be severed.
“I surrender.”
“…What?”
“I surrender.”
Ethan suddenly raised both hands.
* * *
Jaehwan tied Ethan up with Runald.
“Jaehwan-nim, will this be enough to restrain them?”
Naturally, simply tying up a god like Ethan would not hold them, so they used the help of special Parts.
Ethan had personally told them which Parts to use.
“If you want to restrain me, purchase this.”
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[World Force Restraints] - 500 trust
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They looked similar to the restraints worn by prisoners in the Caspion detention center.
“It is a Part that can restrain the target’s World Force with their consent. Of course, that alone will not be enough, so purchase this as well.”
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[Transport Restraint Chair] - 500 trust
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After thinking for a moment, Jaehwan called Andersen.
[Judging from the descriptions, there is nothing suspicious about either of them. Let us buy them and restrain Ethan.]
There was no other option, so Jaehwan paid the trust with a frown. Then he seated Ethan in the restraint chair and fastened the restraints.
Ethan twisted about a little, testing the restraints and chair’s durability. Soon, a satisfied smile appeared on their face.
“Excellent. As expected of the Parts I made.”
Could Jaehwan not just kill this bastard?
[Endure it. They said they will listen to us, after all. No matter how they look, Ethan is one of the Metaverse Six Gods. Do not underestimate them.]
Ethan’s intentions were impossible to read. What was with the sudden surrender? And why did Ethan ask to be restrained, only to sell them their own Parts? No god in their right mind would come up with something like that.
[They have always been impossible to understand. They were the same five hundred years ago.]
Even so, Andersen’s voice held a subtle warmth.
“Excuse me, Jaehwan-ssi.”
“Are you planning to kill Ethan-nim?”
The villagers had approached Jaehwan without him noticing. Their eyes were too pure to be fake. It was strange. They were Andersen’s former Followers, so why were they defending Ethan?
“Ethan turned you into Dolls. Why are you worried about them?”
“Because Ethan-nim turned us into Dolls.”
It was a strange answer.
“We asked Ethan-nim to do it.”
Hans added quietly, a sorrowful smile on his face.
“We asked Ethan-nim to turn us into Dolls.”
* * *
[They probably did it to keep me alive.]
Five hundred years ago, Andersen had been driven out and forcibly sealed.
[As you know, a god who remains forgotten for too long in the 《Abyss》 disappears.]
The foundation of a god was a concept.
Naturally, concepts forgotten by many people disappeared.
No one knew whether the Dolls’ prayers had worked. Still, Andersen had not disappeared even after the seal was lifted.
Then she finally returned to this Tower.
[The Followers were all afraid of becoming that bastard’s Dolls, but Ethan has never ignored someone’s will and forced Dollification on them.]
Maybe Ethan was not as bad as Jaehwan had thought.
[I said Ethan was crazy. I never said they were bad. To begin with, Ethan only asks Followers on the verge of death whether they want to become Dolls.]
It still made no sense. If that was the case, why had Ethan not explained it from the beginning?
You seemed to be charging in to kill Ethan earlier too.
[They crossed a line when they touched my former Vicegerent.]
What Jaehwan did not understand was why Ethan had not explained that from the beginning.
“Are you giving us a chance to ask now?”
When Jaehwan turned around, Ethan was looking at him with a shrug.
“Well, I am completely restrained now. Ask whatever you want.”
With Ethan acting like that, Jaehwan could not even remember what he had wanted to ask.
When Jaehwan remained silent, Ethan began rambling first.
“You asked about the Dolls earlier. First of all, the Dolls I made…”
“My friend was captured here. I heard they were taken away to become a Doll.”
Ethan abruptly fell silent, then answered with a sharp glare.
“That is common enough. So?”
“I want to find my friend.”
Ethan’s expression grew complicated.
“It is a touching story, but I do not think I have any reason to help you. I do not purchase souls to make Dolls.”
“I heard you are the first Creator of Dolls. You must have connections with the other Creators in the Tower.”
“Well, it is not as if there is no way to look into it. But.”
Ethan studied Jaehwan in silence before speaking.
“Why should I help you?”
“Because you will die if you do not.”
Jaehwan gripped Dokbul’s hilt ominously. Yet Ethan did not seem disturbed in the slightest.
“If you kill me, this Doll will die too. Would your ‘Companion,’ Andersen, truly want that?”
[That fucking bastard, again.]
Just as the enraged Andersen was about to snap back, a Follower screamed.
“Fire!”
Smoke rose from where the Follower pointed.
A moment later, horrified cries came from the villagers.
“Oh my god.”
The fire had broken out in the village warehouse. The villagers rushed over and extinguished it, revealing the desolate interior.
Something was wrong.
“It is gone!”
The Follower of the low-grade god, who had been locked in the warehouse just yesterday, had vanished.
More precisely, they seemed to be dead.
Their soul form had been burned black. It was divine punishment.
Andersen muttered.
[Goddammit, this is…]
Among the traces of the burned soul form was a red brand.
Andersen immediately recognized it.
The Alliance’s Brand.
It was a brand she had seen five hundred years ago as well.
Every village that received that brand had disappeared without a trace.
The Alliance had made its declaration. It would hold this village responsible for the death.
Ethan, who had wheeled themself over in the restraint chair, muttered, “What the hell did you people do in my village?”
* * *
Metaverse Floor 7.
At the center of a room filled with luxurious goods, beneath glittering chandeliers and ornate wallpaper, a magpie-haired Vicegerent lounged on a sofa.
“Damn it, why will a Legendary Skin not drop? Did they secretly patch the rates again?”
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[Outputting draw results.]
[Bicycle Thief Han Myeongoh Skin (Common)] X 15
[Inciter Inho Cheon Skin (Common)] X 10
[Land Tycoon Pildu Gong Skin (Common)] X 4
[Squid Kim Dokja Skin (Experience)] X 1
+
“What is this? Nothing but Common or growth Sacrifices. Han Myeongoh? Inho Cheon? If I ever get my hands on those bastards, I will kill them.”
He frowned as he flipped through the Skin cards floating in the air. Every failed draw turned a massive amount of trust into dust.
[The God of Shame, ‘Ned,’ says that you seem a little lacking in momentum today.]
[The God of Gambling, ‘Baccarat,’ demands that you top up more trust.]
“Gods, go easy on me. I need to make a living too. I have already blown 50,000 trust today.”
The magpie-haired man was fairly well known on Metaverse Floor 7.
It was not only because of his World Force. He was actually famous for something else.
[The God of Flash, ‘Rayray,’ has wagered 1,000 trust that you will not draw a Legendary Skin today.]
It was gacha draws.
“Just wait. I will draw a Legendary Skin within a week. You know, that new one. Supreme King, Demon King, whatever it was.”
The man’s name was Beris.
The gods of the Abyss called him the God of Gacha.
[Some gods scold you for not even knowing the name of the Skin you are drawing.]
[The God of Flash, ‘Rayray,’ points out that you are half-assing the broadcast again.]
[The God of Madness, ‘Mangya,’ believes you have lost your first resolve.]
[A considerable number of gods demand to know whether you are not drawing with promotional funds anyway.]
“Gods, what is wrong with taking a few promotions? How is anyone supposed to draw a Legendary Skin while sober? I only draw them because the Alliance supports me. Other gods watch my broadcasts for vicarious satisfaction, so it benefits everyone.”
[Some gods are annoyed that you are saying that again.]
[The God of Flash, ‘Rayray,’ says there is someone rising through the ranks just fine as a free-to-play player.]
“Free-to-play? What did you eat? How does anyone climb the Metaverse as free-to-play?”
[The God of Flash, ‘Rayray,’ says that you do not even know ‘Naked Stab.’]
“Naked what? What kind of nonsense is that? Fine, let us say there is a god who climbed up as free-to-play. Do you think they can beat me?”
The man revealed his collection in the air. It was a list of Skins he had collected since the lower floors by pouring in enormous amounts of trust.
[You have currently achieved 75% of the new Skin Collection!]
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[Office Worker ‘Kim Dokja’ Skin (Magic)]
[Pro Gamer ‘Yu Junghyeok’ Skin (Rare)]
[Spanish Expert ‘Yu Sangah’ Skin (Magic)]
[Novelist ‘Han Suyeong’ Skin (Magic)]
[Armament Lord ‘Pildu Gong’ Skin (Rare)]
[Delusional Demon ‘Kim Namwoon’ Skin (Legendary)]
……
-Skin Collection Completion Effects
Additional Attack Power 285% / Movement Speed 285% / Attack Speed 170% / World Force Recovery Speed increased by 150%……
+
It was an utterly fraudulent collection.
“Come on, there is no god of my rank with higher collection effects than me, right? The Metaverse is a collection battle in the end. The person with the higher collection will have the higher ranking points too.”
[Some gods say that someone has higher ranking points than you without a collection.]
[Some gods say that someone collected more than 100 Goblin Tokens during the first-floor mission.]
[The God of Flash, ‘Rayray,’ says that is the free-to-play player I mentioned.]
“What nonsense is Rayray talking about now?”
Beris quietly gave the God of Flash Rayray a one-day block.
[The God of Flames, ‘Ignis,’ says it is true.]
“Why are you doing this too, Ignis-nim? Say something that makes sense. One hundred Tokens on the first floor would be a new record. How can that be real?”
Then, shortly afterward.
“What? Really? They took out Belkain’s squadron? Who is this?”
[The God of Flames, ‘Ignis,’ has donated 500 trust with a message.]
[‘Please search for Naked Stab.’]
“Thank you for the trust. What the hell is this Naked thing anyway?”
Soon, the mysterious Naked Whatever appeared before Beris.
Beris stared intently at the screen.
“What is this? Is there a Naked Skin?”
Every time the man on the screen used Stab, Vicegerents were sent flying.
What was that? It was clearly Stab. Why were they dying to something like that? Was it a bug? Or…
“Look, gods. There is no way this guy is free-to-play. Every enemy Vicegerent is loaded with Parts, and he sends them away in one hit? Then this guy is at least…”
The more Beris watched, the less he understood.
A human who held only a sword while naked and sent every Vicegerent flying with Stab. No matter how hard Beris thought, he had never heard of a god like that.
“What the hell is this? Why is he naked? Why is he naked?”
Upon closer inspection, Naked Stab’s popularity was currently flooding every Little Brother Hot Clip. It was strange that Beris had not known someone this famous.
A channel called ReneTV was even running a special on Naked Stab.
Beris nervously began biting his fingertip.
Videos of this bastard are getting more views than mine?
That was when his call bell rang.
Beris answered absentmindedly.
“Yes. This is Beris.”
[The God of Flames, ‘Ignis,’ asks how you dare take a call during a broadcast.]
A moment later, Beris’s eyes widened. He casually rotated the call screen to show the caller to the gods watching.
Galateon, leader of Alliance ‘Mogi’.
One of the current Metaverse Six Gods.
The Shining Spear, Galateon.
Messages from the gods poured in.
[The God of Madness, ‘Mangya,’ asks whether Galateon is not one of the Alliance leaders.]
[A considerable number of gods are curious about what is happening.]
“What? The low-grade god Flaymus got taken out? So what? They are just a nobody.”
Beris’s expression changed by the second.
When he finally ended the call, his face was strangely flushed.
“Everyone, now is not the time to talk about that Naked Whatever. I just got my hands on some incredible content.”
[The God of Gambling, ‘Baccarat,’ asks whether it is a new gacha draw.]
[The God of Madness, ‘Mangya,’ wonders what crazy thing you are getting up to this time.]
After reading the messages, Beris grinned as if he found them amusing.
“It looks like the list of the Metaverse Six Gods is about to change.”
* * *
“There are two things you need to know.”
Ethan had been searching for something in the air for quite a while. About an hour later, they finally spoke.
“The Alliance will come down within a week at most. When that happens, this village is finished.”
“I heard you are among the stronger figures in this Tower.”
“I am.”
“Then you can fight and win.”
Ethan frowned at Jaehwan’s shameless words.
“If that were possible, I would have already taken a position in the Alliance. Anyway, leave this village before they come. Unless you all want to die. And there is one more thing.”
Ethan compared several floating screens for a moment, then spoke as if it were nothing.
“You said your friend’s name was Kim Yoonhwan?”
“That is right.”
Ethan grinned.
“I found your friend’s record.”
Footnotes:
Chapter discussion