"I've come to make a deal."
Sudden silence fell upon the noisy prayer room.
Just for a moment.
[Σ(ﾟДﾟ;) A deal!!]
[＼(>o<)／ What do you mean, a deal?!]
The machine started ringing noisily again, but its sharp sound felt oddly familiar.
'It's definitely the first time we've met. What a joke.'
It was indeed our first meeting, but the memories in my head were urging me to accept this noisy being as a long-time acquaintance.
I extended my index finger and brought it to my lips, signaling for quiet.
Fortunately, the being understood, and the prayer room fell silent.
"Before we begin, I have one question."
It was an important issue that needed confirmation.
[ (・ε・｀) What is it?]
"Do you remember me?"
As my soul collapsed, the traces of my existence were naturally erased from the world.
If things had proceeded as they should have, I would have been as if I had never been born, naturally fading from the world. But I twisted that fate.
A new soul took residence in my body, and my physical condition gradually improved. So, did the traces of my existence also revive? This was also a confirmation of that.
After all, the beings above had been watching as I went to meet Emptiness.
The smartphone remained silent for a while.
I didn't rush and calmly waited.
Exactly one minute after I asked the question, the dark screen of the smartphone lit up, this time without the annoying noise.
[(´∇｀) I remember.]
"Is that so."
Remembering meant that some stimulus had triggered the recollection of my existence.
'It was definitely stimulating.'
To be precise, it was Emptiness's will, but there was no difference between Emptiness and me.
Anyway, I confirmed that I wouldn't have to deal with other troublesome beings for the time being.
The smartphone beeped softly.
[ (｀▽´) Because I was interested in you in the first place!!!]
He blurted out, as if it were a compliment.
'Yeah.'
He's interested in me.
This is something that has never appeared in the game. But it wasn't hard to deduce why he was interested in me.
It was also the bait I needed to set him up for the deal I was about to make.
'Here's the deal. I want you to find me a person.'
[ ∑(O_O;) Find a person!!!]
[ ᕙ(⇀‸↼‵‵)ᕗ That's what I'm good at!!!]
I know. That's why I came.
'If you can find it, I'll erase the one story you don't want me to.'
A tale.
Myths, legends, and folklore.
The time that the things that play in the sky have lived, and the written record of that time. I offered to erase anything they wanted from there.
In other words, what is called black history can be made to never have happened. It would make the story more complete and change its character.
An offer a god could never refuse.
And.
[ (´.＿ .｀) eeng]
[ (´Д｀.] I don't want something boring like that. My rank is already high enough.]
Yeah. The being had already climbed to a height that no one could match.
I made another proposal, asking the being to make a request of me.
"Then, I'll grant one wish of yours."
[ （๑✧∀✧๑)Really? Really?]
A completely different reaction from before.
"If it balances out."
[ ۹(ÒہÓ)۶ Let me create your character in the game I made!! It's not difficult!!]
Bwiar was the God of Amusement.
He had created a game fitting for this era, one that anyone could easily enjoy.
'The Guild'
A game where anyone with a mobile device could create their own guild through an app.
Up to this point, it didn't seem particularly special. But Bwiar had implemented something that no one else could—the actual appearances, personalities, abilities, and growth potential of Awakened individuals.
So, in the early days, recruiters from guilds or nations eagerly jumped at the chance.
They could identify promising Awakened individuals in the game and verify their potential without investing time, resources, or risk in the real world.
However, within a day, they withdrew.
The locations where Awakened individuals spawned were completely random.
Additionally, unlike in reality, where money was required to make a contract, a significant amount of time had to be invested to build trust first. Lastly, there was a restriction that prevented them from revealing information about contracted Awakened individuals in the real world.
As a result, even the Awakened individuals didn't have many complaints. After all, even if they did, what could they do to a god?
The reason Bwiar was making this proposal to me was because I wasn't an Awakened individual. I was a being who could threaten and counter the gods—Emptiness and I.
"I'll accept if you keep all the information confidential."
[Σ(°ロ°) What if we just hide your name?]
"Hmm…"
I deliberately paused, stroking my chin.
[ (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ I'll throw in a service!!]
"Service."
[ (⇀‸↼‶) Service!!]
I lowered my hand from my chin and shot a look that said, "Go on."
[ (｀ε´) First, tell me the characteristics of the human child you're looking for!]
"Characteristics…"
The girl, at the age of 12.
[Mysterious silver hair, like moonlight.]
"She has silver hair."
[Untamed eyes like a wild beast.]
"Dirty eyes."
[Within them, a shining blue light.]
"A 12-year-old girl with blue eyes. I don't know her name. In fact, she probably doesn't have one. She's likely in a Korean orphanage or a training facility run by a small guild—"
[ ( ´∀｀)b Found her~]
I stared at the glowing screen for a moment.
"Are you sure?"
[ (¬◡¬)✧ There are a few kids with similar characteristics, but only one is in Korea and in an orphanage. I'm sure.]
"I see."
[ (≧∀≦)v Here's a service!!]
[ (｡•́︿•̀｡) Coincidentally, that child is going to be put up for auction tomorrow.]
"Is that so."
The underground auction.
'The Wolf' girl, for sure.
[ (｡ŏ_ŏ) I'll send our people to bring her right now. How about that?]
I shook my head at the message displayed on the screen.
"I'll confirm it myself."
I know about the girl, and at the same time, I know nothing about her.
I died 999 times, but she's alive.
I need to learn about the girl who is alive and breathing in this world, not the one on the thin monitor.
"You said tomorrow, right?"
[ ( ´･ω･) But…]
"Prepare a guide. That's enough service."
[ (´･_･`) Is that really enough?]
"Yes. That's enough."
I had no intention of yielding the role of breaking the girl's chains to anyone else.
**
Claire Bean Assen.
The strongest warrior among the clergy who served the God of Amusement, and the only one granted the right to make instant judgments in the name of Bwiar.
She had been dispatched to the Arena Academy branch exactly two days ago.
Next month, the Academy will hold a special event before the entrance ceremony for new students.
It's called the Ring Snatching War.
There are three levels of ring colors, excluding the chairman.
For two days, professors compete to snatch higher-ranked rings or defend their current ones.
It's a primitive yet intuitive event where anything goes as long as you don't kill your opponent within 48 hours.
Clergy members who serve the God of Amusement are invited as mediators, guarantors, or judges for such events where physical force is involved.
Of course, it's not free.
Arena Academy allocates 10% of its annual budget to cover Claire's expenses, making her a very expensive resource.
This high-end talent, Claire, is now sitting near the entrance of the temple, her eyes closed as if in prayer.
'A black ring.'
But her mind was filled with thoughts of the man who had visited the temple a few minutes ago, rather than a prayer.
'A black rating doesn't exist.'
Unless it was newly created yesterday or today.
'He looked young, but he's stronger than me.'
I couldn't sense his presence even when we stood face to face. The only indication of his existence was the sound of his footsteps.
'And even that seemed intentional…'
As I walked down the second-floor hallway, there were moments when the sound of footsteps would briefly stop. But the man always maintained a constant distance behind me.
The more I thought about it, the more mysterious the man became.
She had memorized the faces of the top-ranked Awakened individuals, so it wasn't a case of him disguising his appearance or using an artifact.
Tap. Tap—
Hearing the sound of footsteps descending the second-floor stairs, Claire opened her eyes and stood up.
The sound was audible, but no presence could be felt. Knowing that the man was descending the stairs, she opened her eyes and stood up.
Soon, the man came down.
Claire bowed her head slightly, once again confirming the black ring on his index finger, and said, "Did you receive an answer?"
"Yes."
"It seems like an interesting dilemma."
The man didn't respond. He simply walked past her and left the temple.
Claire watched his back until he completely disappeared, then turned away.
She headed to the second floor, where the man had used the prayer room.
Now, she wasn't a high-priced executor but a priestess managing the temple.
The only prayer room with an open door caught her attention.
'…Gold?'
The first thing that caught her eye was the fine line that had appeared on the statue.
—Clack.
As she took a step into the prayer room, the door, which should have been open, closed on its own.
"…"
Claire hesitated for a moment, then knelt before the statue and closed her eyes, summoning her divine power.
A warm light filled the prayer room, emanating from her body.
[Hello.]
A clear, childlike voice echoed in Claire's mind.
It was Bwiar's voice, one she had heard many times.
Bwiar, the God of Amusement, enjoyed communicating through electronic devices created by humans, but for important matters, he would directly transmit his voice like this.
'What should I do?'
[Claire doesn't beat around the bush, which I like. The other kids keep asking questions. Ugh.]
'You have to endure it since they're all children you chose.'
[Claire will start humming strange songs at night, and I'll spread rumors about it.]
'If you want to spread rumors, go ahead. But I'll hang myself to death in the morning.'
[You really won't do it because it's not fun.]
'Let's get to the point.'
The only follower who wasn't swayed.
That's why Bwiar found it uninteresting but cherished Claire.
[Tomorrow, help a man with some cleanup.]
'The man you're talking about…'
[Claire saw him too. The man with the weird glasses.]
Weird glasses.
The man wearing the black ring.