3.
In the beginning, there was 'Rime'.
No one was sure where 'Rime' came from, or where he would go in the future. But Rime had chosen them to be the chief among all the races in the world, and he had given them proof that they were the chosen.
-Although there are many races in this world, you are the only ones who can say the word 'Rime'. So you are the only ones I will allow to say my Holy Name. Ahh! This is your right. Take 'Rime' as evidence that you are the chosen and in everything you do, be it poop, sleep, eat, or dress, recite it to prove my existence.…
"…what the hell is this bullshit?"
The Heretic Questioner smiled at my question.
"It is a holy covenant I made!"
"A holy covenant?"
"Yes! The vocal organs of the Snail Race are unique. Of the seven races, only the Snail Race can say 'Rime'. That's why I chose that pronunciation to be the name of God."
With a soft sound, the Heretic Questioner landed lightly in the underground city. My companions and I followed him. Smiling, the Heretic Questioner began to explain the history of the 'Snail Civilization'.
"Neither the Elves nor the Sprites can say the word 'Rime' properly. This is simply because their vocal organs are different, but I gave it a different meaning."
The snails continued to crawl around, and even passed through our bodies like we weren't there.
"The Snail Race says that the fact that they can say 'Rime' means that they are the ones chosen by God!"
"Why…?"
The Crusader opened her mouth.
"Why did you do this, Heretic Questioner? You should understand the fear of religion better than anyone else. If you were to misuse the name of God, you wouldn't be able to undo-."
"Ah. I'm not misusing it. Instead, I used it with great care and purpose!"
"..."
"My usage is very different from misuse, and even further from abuse."
The Heretic Questioner chuckled.
"Everyone. Religion was bound to happen anyway. People will always try to search for a cause. They will try to find out a reason for their existence, and the existence of the world. God. That word is so magical that it can be used as the ultimate reason for everything!"
The Heretic Questioner pointed towards a pillar. It was a giant pillar. Erected in the center of the underground city. It reached from the ceiling at the very top of the cavern down to the ground. And it was filled with murals similar to the ones from Ancient Egypt.
The 'covenant' that he'd recited earlier was also written on this pillar.
"However..."
"Crusader. I know what you want to say! But there are still many things that the people in this era don't know. They don't know why it rains, they don't know why their hearts beat, and they don't know why they need to drink water to survive"
A smile spread across the Heretic Questioner's lips.
"Think about that fear."
"Fear…?"
"Yes. Fear."
The Heretic Questioner said.
"Their hearts beat in their chests. They can hear the beating. But they don't know why it's beating. If they get hurt, they bleed, and if they lose too much blood, they die. But they don't even know why their blood flows. They don't know why bread is delicious, why eating when they're hungry makes them happy, or why they need salt."
The Heretic Questioner put his hands together as if he was praying.
"For them, the world is filled with unknown monsters! No. There are even monsters in their bodies. They don't know anything, but they can only live the lives they were given. To be totally ignorant and powerless about their own lives… Can you understand their fear?"
Clang!
The sound of stone being mined came from the distance.
On the other side of the cave, miners dug up rock salt.
"God dispels their ignorance and powerlessness. Rain is no longer an unknown monster. It is God's tears. The world sometimes sheds tears."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Snail miners leaked mucus as they mined the rock salt. Then they grabbed the sharp stone shards with their tentacles and threw them behind them.
"Salt is no longer an unknown rock. When the Mother Goddess died, her hair became the forest, her blood became the ocean, and her teeth became salt. Salt comes from the body of God. Therefore, it is sacred and safe to eat. Ah. There are even hygiene certificates for each food item!"
The Heretic Questioner looked reverent with his hands clasped together.
He then continued in a soft voice, like a never-ending stream.
"And God said unto them. You were born because of me. I care about you, and therefore, you should become beings who care about God. Do you understand? It is only because of God that these little ones were able to find any meaning in life."
"..."
"Everyone! Think about it."
The Heretic Questioner smiled brightly.
"Now, they know the beating of their hearts isn't the sound of some unknown monster. God made them in his own image. Therefore, this beat is a melody created by God, and every time they hear it, they are hearing God's music."
The Heretic Questioner let out a soft sigh.
"Isn't it beautiful…?"
The Heretic Questioner turned to look at the underground city again.
The world he created.
Looking at how far the Snail Civilization had come, this [Little God] felt pleased.
"Now, they are free to be what they want to be. They have finally escaped their fate as insignificant beings! Their lives finally have direction."
We did not come to this world for no reason.
We are loved by God.
"They constantly build temples. They build large, majestic structures to show their reverence, and to show that they are loved by God and that they love God. Isn't that amazing? Everyone. The people of this era are truly in love with the world!"
"..."
"All love should be proven. It requires effort. Instead of drowning in their fear, they struggle to gain the love of God! Even if this love might be their own misunderstanding, sometimes, people need misunderstandings in order to live. Bless their souls!"
The Heretic Questioner ended his prayer and spread his arms.
"You should regard religion as a necessary evil. And a necessary evil is born from necessity. They need to have a God! Because with God, they can breathe, live and love."
That was the creed and divine will of the Heretic Questioner.
"People need a reason to love a flower, even if it's only to shed tears on it. God grants them infinite reasons! Believing in Ancient Gods didn't hurt humanity. Instead, it was only through God that people understood themselves and loved the world!"
For a while, there was only silence.
The sound of rock salt being mined rang out in the distance, clang, clang clang.
I slowly turned my head and looked at the underground city.
-Slaves! Hurry up! Rime!
-Your break is over. Rime! Load it up and take it to the pier!
Snails clung to the stone walls and swung their tentacles. Paak! The knees of the slaves carrying their loads buckled slightly. Perhaps they had already become accustomed to flogging, as the slaves simply groaned and continued walking.
-One, two. One, two…
Among them was the race Venomous Snake ruled over. The sprites who had a single horn sticking from their foreheads. The Noble Race was used to carry heavy loads.
-Swik, swik, swiii…!
The Ocean Race, ruled by the Crusader, swam in the river that flowed outside the cavern. The mermaids tied ropes around their upper bodies and pulled boats along behind them.
-Pirrr! Bah! Pir!
The Bloodsucking Race ruled by the Black Dragon Master flew around the cavern nonstop. Every bat had letter scrolls or other items clasped in their hind feet. From west to east, the bats delivered items to the residents living in the city.
"Ah."
Noticing my gaze, the Heretic Questioner smiled.
"This is Rimepolis, the capital of the Snail Civilization. Its special product is rock salt. According to the religious texts, This is where the Mother Goddess laid her head to rest when she died! The Snail Race believe that this cave is the Mother Goddess' [Skull] and that the rock salt is the [Teeth] of the Mother Goddess! Supplying these [Holy Teeth] to the rest of the empire is the main industry for Rimepolis and the control of the salt trade is how the Snail Race maintains its power."
"…That's amazing. That's really amazing, but… has it really been… 200 years?"
The Black Dragon Master frowned slightly.
"It doesn't make sense. How did you survive for 200 years?"
"Hmm? Now that we're doing this quest, aren't we using a type of spirit body? 200 years or so is no problem!"
"No, it's not… It's 200 years."
"Yes! In that time, I kept possessing the white dog. When one dog died, I would simply possess its descendant. "
"I didn't mean…"
With a tired expression on her face, the Black Dragon Master didn't bother to finish her sentence. My other companions also had similar expressions.
The Heretic Questioner smiled and said.
"Because of that, the dogs from the bloodline I possessed are regarded as divine beasts! They stay in the imperial palace and temple. The 34th divine beast died today and I was about to possess the 35th. But coincidentally, you guys came back! So once again, welcome back!"
"..."
My companions shut their mouths.
Behind the Heretic Questioner was the pillar, and behind the pillar was a large sphinx-like statue. There was only one way to describe the statue. A giant Welsh Corgi. It was easy to guess which dog the Heretic Questioner possessed.
Then
-Kerrrk!
I heard an all too familiar cry.
-Kerr, kerk! I dedicate today's glory to our sacred white lion! Ker!
-I offer my blood to the citizens of the great Rimepolis! Gork!
Thud! Thud!
Two goblins, each holding a sword, pounded on their shields. They were standing on a flat mound of mud. Countless snails surrounding the mound cheered loudly.
-Rime! I bet my entire fortune on you, Dirty Mold!
-Kirke! Today is the day! Kill him!
-Oooh! Oooh!!
Hearing the cheers of the crowd, the goblins roared.
-Goooo!
Then, they charged towards each other. Mud splattered. Wielding their short swords, the goblins slashed at each other's shields. Clang! The harsh sound of iron colliding filled the air.
-Oooh! Oooh!
-Barbarians without shells! Swing your forelegs! Rime! Hit him with your forelegs!
-What are you doing?! Move your feet, you dumb bastard! Rime! Rime!
I was speechless.
"…gladiators? They're gladiators?"
"Yes!"
The Heretic Questionner's smile was in full bloom.
"They are sword fighters!"
The goblins howled as they swung their swords. From the parts of their skin not covered by their shields, red geometric tattoos were visible.
"The goblins are known for their courage and cleverness! They are the most favored sword fighters in Rimepolis, no, in the entire Slime Empire."
A goblin screamed as it was cut. but its opponent didn't miss the chance. In an instant, he spun his sword around and stabbed it into the other goblin's neck.
Blood spurted out.
The audience cheered.
-Goooo!
Suddenly.
[You have been given a quest for the 32nd floor.]
Words appeared in front of my eyes.
+
[The Great Snail Empire – Goblin Race]
Difficulty: B+
Objective: Tribal unification is imminent. The main characters of this unification are the snails. With highly developed government systems and religious organizations, they have subjugated one race after another and made them slaves. If left alone, all races will kneel beneath their mucus.
Rescue the Goblin Race from the oppression of the Snail Race!
※However, if you fail, the Snail Race will win and clear the 32nd Floor.
+
A great escape.
That was the mission of this stage.