Chapter 78

Chapter 78
What did you say? How do you even…?

Anyone could observe that God had just heard something that should never have escaped my lips. She appeared entirely dumbfounded.

I harbored a suspicion, and it turned out my intuition was correct after all. To be honest, I had been questioning the Love Area players’ possession for quite some time. Arriving in the Love Area carrying a shaman attribute had never felt like a mere coincidence. Furthermore, on the very day the public chat originally launched, she had asserted that the other players had already resolved to provide her with something no one could pull off in that brief timeframe. Establishing a full-scale cult required a significant number of possessed players to take part. That was precisely why I began wondering if the players who landed in the Love Area had already known one another prior to the possession.

And above all else, out of all the items available at the convenience store, the object representing the Love Area happened to be a condom. The shaman standing right in front of me was certainly not the sort of person to purchase such an item merely for amusement. Neither were the remaining individuals. Hardcore recluses hooked on some rubbish game would lack the courage to buy that openly inside a convenience store, nor would they have any practical use for it. That is, unless someone had orchestrated the whole thing and pushed them into it.

I have no idea what you are talking about, but I can tell it is a really mean thing to say.

Mean or not, it remained a cold, hard fact. Consequently, I kept revolving around the same suspicion: that these individuals had purposefully selected the Love Area symbol as a collective group.

Taejeong mentioned that the veterans who visited the convenience store had ended up missing. God and the other players would have caught wind of that exact same news. Whether God truly deduced possession from the tale of people disappearing at a convenience store and subsequently coordinated with the others to choose identical items, I could not say with absolute certainty. However, the person who coaxed them into selecting that specific product was almost certainly God. If they trusted her agitation, picked the item, and subsequently found themselves possessed within the virtual world, their blind faith in her afterward would represent the most natural outcome imaginable. And if God truly functioned as a shaman who prophesied the possession, even that endless devotion from the bird-eyed fellow Omeoknun—or Baduknun, whatever his designation happened to be—suddenly clicked into place.

Which explains why the exact words God uttered just moments prior—As long as you don’t know about my possession, you can’t acknowledge the existence of God either. Shame.—had cemented the conclusion for me. These people had not been possessed against their own will. They had opted for it voluntarily.

Did you interrogate the messenger I sent? she asked me, still wearing an expression indicating she could not quite process it.

The fact that she failed to entertain even the possibility that I had simply been fishing told me she was already halfway in my grasp.

I did not lay a single finger on your messenger. Had I not already been aware of your possession, it never would have crossed my mind to attempt learning about it through an interrogation.

Then how on earth did you…?

How do you suppose I knew? I feel as though I have already provided enough explanation.

I replied wearing a smile. God’s fingertips began to quiver.

You are telling me… there genuinely is some entity that desired our possession?

Have you never even suspected it yourself? The possibility that a shaman identical to you arriving in the Love Area alongside a whole train of other individuals might have been arranged by someone?

That is…

God appeared profoundly shaken. She was likely convinced I could never have uncovered their possession without the backing of some absolute power.

So everything up to this point was prearranged? Who could possibly believe something like that? We—no, at least I—chose possession of my own free will!

Whether she genuinely believed she would be possessed or was simply rationalizing after the fact remained unclear to me. Nevertheless, the rising pitch in her tone indicated she was beginning to be swayed. It was time to afford her a bit of room for self-justification.

Why don’t you head back and inform your followers?

Inform them of what?

That the Safe Zone served as practice for halting the apocalypse, and that we were chosen by the god of this universe to put an end to it. That a dopamine addict stated so himself—no one else.

This time, God refrained from snapping back. She lapsed into silence.

…Do you comprehend what you are uttering right now?

Naturally. I am stating that I will cooperate so you can maintain your reign over the remaining players as their cult leader or supreme monarch by claiming I possess the ability to halt the apocalypse.

I certainly intended to relieve her of those earrings. Just not yet. There was no need to rush. Sooner or later, she would surrender them of her own accord. For that scenario to unfold, winning her trust in the present moment took precedence.

Are you… serious?

Did you slip your mind that I sent the bird-eyed fellow back without uttering a single word concerning the system? I never intended to sabotage your cult scheme from the very beginning.

Using it, however, constituted an entirely different matter.

Why… would you assist me?

Because a god of this universe genuinely exists. If you wish to play the part of a cult leader, go right ahead. That sort of occupation makes my skin crawl.

God looked as though she was still deliberating whether to grant me her belief. The assertion that this world’s deity had bestowed upon me the strength to halt the apocalypse provided I gathered nine meteorites proved difficult to swallow; yet, if an authentic deity existed and I was relaying its divine message to her, she had nothing to lose either. The sole genuine reason she gritted her teeth against believing me was straightforward. She simply did not want me utilizing this as a pretext to confiscate her item.

Declaring I won’t take your item, so please trust me right now would amount to amateur hour. Anyone could hear that line and instantly spot an incoming scam. I needed to await the appropriate juncture.

I… cannot simply take your word at face value.

A suspicious disposition is a commendable trait for a player. Therefore… I shall demonstrate it to you.

Demonstrate… what?

Now I am intrigued as well. What exactly are you scheming to display to her? Luna’s voice, brimming with curiosity, brushed against my consciousness. I responded briefly.

God’s proxy.

God’s… proxy?

Something like that even exists? Everything I have communicated to you thus far, I learned from that very entity. Once you witness Them with your own eyes, you will have no alternative but to believe me.

Hey… what precisely are you planning to show her? Luna inquired, sounding anxious. God continued to stare at me with heightened suspicion.

…Fine. I am unaware of what you intend to display, but I will grant an audience to this God’s proxy of yours.

I nodded in response to her acceptance, then leaned toward my ring and whispered.

As circumstances have transpired, would you mind stepping out briefly and lending me your assistance, Lady Luna?

Luna fell silent, as though she had been robbed of speech.

Come forth, Luna.

…So what you wished to present to her was me. I am expected to impersonate God’s proxy.

I implore you, I am begging you, Lady Luna.

Why are you dragging me into this?! Unlike you, I am a well-behaved child!

Merely aid me this once. Your younger brother is requesting your help—are you genuinely going to refuse when you occupy the position of the older sibling?

Hmm?

You never address me as older brother on any other occasion…!

I possessed no pride worth preserving, so I persisted in coaxing her shamelessly.

Hyuuung—please! Big brother!

…Just this once. Never again.

Yes, big brother! Assuredly!

You truly lack the capacity to lie to save your life!

My big-brother assault ultimately broke her resistance. Luna manifested, feigning as though she possessed no alternative.

Wh-what is that?!

Something pale and fluffy suddenly erupted from my ring. God shrieked and scrambled upward onto the chair she had previously occupied. Then, as she beheld what had settled onto the reception room table—a pristine white kitten—her expression morphed into an exquisite blend of relief and sheer absurdity.

A cat, she remarks. …It speaks?

Luna elevated her chin with lofty dignity and padded toward God utilizing tiny, deliberate strides.

How insolent. To compare me to some lowly beast. This vessel serves as the proxy of God.

For someone who had just asserted she could not lie to save her life, her tone emerged with terrifying naturalness. This tiny creature might actually be my mother’s offspring after all.

God scrutinized Luna for an extended duration with an expression of pure disbelief, subsequently pointing a finger toward her and directing a question at me.

…DopamineAddict. The God’s proxy you mentioned… is this?

This, she remarks!!

God tenderly scooped the leaping Luna up within both palms and initiated a patting motion across her.

Wh-what do you imagine you are doing?!

Luna thrashed about, yet she proved incapable of breaking free from a player’s grip.

No gemstone present, therefore she does not appear to be a monster…

Ah. Consequently, she had been feeling around in search of a core. Though she continued stroking her long after that inspection should have concluded.

Nya-nyaaah! Cease touching me!!

Ah, apologies. You happen to be so soft that I could not restrain myself.

God deposited Luna back down cautiously and regarded me with the visage of an individual completely at a loss for how to process any of these developments.

A talking feline emerging from a ring… that certainly never occurred within the game…

Still unconvinced?

God appeared to weigh something over for a brief moment, then turned her gaze toward Luna and posed a query.

Is it accurate that you serve as God’s proxy? Then does DopamineAddict’s All-Zone Cleaner privilege genuinely constitute something capable of halting the apocalypse?

She refused to employ honorifics when addressing me, yet she transitioned to formal speech for Luna without skipping a beat.

Assuredly it is. He was summoned for the explicit purpose of saving this universe.

Luna was proving to possess a genuine aptitude for swindling. God observed her with an impassive expression, as though she remained unable to decide whether to grant credence to her words, and then inquired with a mechanical little smile.

What variety of power could possibly put a stop to the apocalypse?

Huh? Uh, that would happen to be…

Caught off guard by the inquiry, Luna reflexively cast a glance in my direction. Hence, that marked the absolute limit of what I could delegate to her. I stepped forward before God could begin entertaining suspicions.

You desire me to demonstrate it directly. Understood.

Luna, who naturally was already fully aware of what my All-Zone Clearer privilege actually entailed, widened her eyes in alarm. Those eyes practically screamed, What on earth are you planning to display to her?! Her tail struck the tabletop twice in anxious little beats.

There is no necessity to appear so apprehensive. From the very beginning, every single detail concerning this universe requiring a veteran player, regarding God’s proxy—all of it constituted groundwork so this female would witness this specific power.

With the proxy’s authorization, I wish to exhibit the strength I acquired. Do you consent?

If you were capable of displaying it, why omitted you from exhibiting it right from the onset?

Exhibiting this power necessitates permission and consent.

I remain unaware of what you are plotting… but very well. Witnessing it with my own eyes will prove considerably more persuasive than all this discourse concerning God’s proxy.

Then I shall interpret that as your agreement…

I extended my open palm outward in the direction of God.

Hand over the earrings.

……Ha.

God pressed her fingers against her forehead as though a migraine had suddenly struck, subsequently speaking in a sluggish, flat cadence.

So in the final analysis, you were fabricating stories simply to acquire the earrings after all. My apologies, but I am not nearly as dim-witted as the others you have been dealing with—

I explicitly stated lend. You are not even required to surrender both. Merely hand over one. Following that, I shall demonstrate the power capable of halting the apocalypse.

God’s expression turned intricate. I recognized that visage. It was not the expression of an individual who placed trust in me. Rather, it represented the face of someone whose dopamine-fueled compulsion to witness whatever insane stunt this maniac was about to pull finally triumphed over her skepticism.

If I hand over a single one, nothing overly catastrophic can transpire… and should circumstances deteriorate, I can invariably shoot him utilizing the firearm concealed beneath my coat. Something along those lines.

That approximated the calculation inscribed across her features. I curled the fingers of my still-extended hand in a beckoning motion.

The earring. Hand it over. You wish to witness it as well, do you not?

…I honestly possess no clue what you are about to execute.

One corner of God’s lips twisted into a crooked smirk as she unclasped one of her earrings and deposited it directly into my palm.

Do not overlook the fact that I am a player as well. If you are plotting some deception, you had better prepare yourself for the consequences.

I am confident you will be.

I closed my fist around the earring and walked toward the window. I could perceive Luna observing me with an anxious expression. I offered her a reassuring smile, then flung the reception room window wide open.

Saaaah…

The densely plummeting snow swirled inward immediately. The precipitation that had continued descending without interruption since early morning. God had fought her way through that very blizzard to arrive here personally; consequently, she would recognize it was not the variety of snow that ceased easily.

I raised my gaze upward. Through the flurry of flakes, thick black clouds choked the firmament without leaving a single gap. Once I confirmed the massive accumulation of clouds overhead, I gestured for God to draw nearer.

Step over here and observe.

…You are not scheming to shove me outward, are you?

What do you take me for?

God still harbored lingering distrust toward me. She halted at a cautious distance.

Gaze at the firmament.

The firmament?

Utilizing a mere one and a half meteorite fragments, this represents the entirety of the strength I can exhibit. However, should anyone recognize the potential inherent in what I am about to display—

What? What are you even—

God initiated a protest, yet her eyes remained locked onto the black clouds precisely as I had instructed her. Once I verified her point of focus, I elevated the fist clutching the earring toward the sky.

And thereupon, the eyes that had been staring upward began filling with pure shock.

What… is that?

Beyond my raised fist, the expanse of the sky had begun to clear.

It was time to drive the final nail home.

A miracle of God. Do you believe me now?