#123

‘…That’s a more normal reaction than I expected.’

I thought that any lunatic who decided to keep playing this crazy game would have drawn a sword and held it to my throat the moment they realized Distortion didn’t work on me.

Instead, he looks like he doesn’t know what to do with himself out of sheer embarrassment.

“You could have just told me sooner….”

I didn’t let my guard down.

‘Would he have reacted like this even if the Distortion had worked?’

Even if he looked clumsy and foolish at first glance, I mustn’t forget that the Prophet was a complete bastard who had blindly fired off Distortion first.

What if I didn’t have ‘Heaven Above, Earth Below, I Alone Reign Supreme’?

I’d probably be squirming helplessly like a bug in the darkness by now.

“…By any chance, are you a player of Order?”

The bastard asked hesitantly.

“What the hell is a player of Order?”

“You know, a player chosen by Loclem instead of an Othergod.”

“There’s such a thing?”

While others have to start by spreading some obscure heretical faith, one guy gets to start with a faith that’s already spread across the entire continent?

‘That’s ridiculous.’

If such a person existed, it wouldn’t just be a matter of bad balance; the game wouldn’t even function.

Above all, if such a person existed, there’s no way the Saintess wouldn’t have known about players.

“…You’re not?”

“For starters, I’m not. I’m just a player who surrendered to the Church of Order.”

The boy narrowed his eyes and glared at me.

“What.”

“…Don’t lie to me.”

“Why do you think I’m lying?”

“It’s a trap sent by that crazy bastard, isn’t it? I’m not falling for it.”

“Who is that crazy bastard? No, before that, tell me why you think I’m lying. I’m asking because I genuinely don’t know.”

“You’re still sane. And you know what a player is.”

“…Does surrendering to the Church of Order destroy your mind or something?”

The boy’s expression turned skeptical.

“Do you really not know?”

“I said I don’t know because I don’t. Since I possessed a serf, I’ve spent nearly half a year doing nothing but farming.”

“…Half a year? Didn’t a Helper say anything to you? What about Quests?”

‘What the hell are those?’

Helper? Quest?

While I was plowing fields with a hoe, other people were using Helpers to clear Quests and get rewards?

‘The sense of deprivation is overwhelming.’

“What’s a Helper? Are you talking about the System?”

“No, you know, that guy who’s always talking to you. Telling you to do this, do that, or to entertain them. They’re like an avatar of an Othergod, but not connected to the Main Body….”

From what I gathered, a Helper was a mere speck of an Othergod, with an Affinity lowered to a level worse than a bound spirit.

I frowned.

“I don’t think I have a Helper.”

“What? Then how do you raise your stats?”

“…Helpers raise stats too?”

“Because the Helper is the one who converts points into rewards. They’re the ones who give Quests, too.”

‘Shit, then isn’t it impossible to play without one?’

According to the Prophet’s explanation, the Helper was an essential existence for game progression.

Points cannot be used directly by the player; they are used by the ‘Helper.’

The Helper can simply give them to the player or provide them as Quest rewards.

Usually, they exchange them for predetermined items, stats, or Blessings, but they can also provide points and open a point shop.

“Even if you call it a point shop, the ‘merchandise’ there is also put up by the Helper, so it’s all the same.”

The Prophet expressed frustration, saying his Helper absolutely refused to raise his mental strength stat.

As I organized what I had understood, I felt the blood drain from my face.

‘…This is a complete idle game.’

When a ‘Cult Leader Unit’ that judges and acts autonomously collects points, the player decides where to spend those points.

With points, one can issue Quests to induce the ‘Cult Leader Unit’ to perform specific actions.

However, the ‘Cult Leader Unit’ can refuse Quests depending on their disposition.

When the player is absent, the ‘Helper’—an AI created based on the player’s existing patterns—distributes the points automatically.

‘So the real player here is the Othergod, and we’re essentially playable units.’

The ‘Cult Leader Unit’ is ultimately destined to be cultivated according to the player’s will.

Because there’s no way to refuse the rewards….

‘…Maybe it’s a relief that I don’t have a Helper?’

“Do you really not have a Helper?”

“That’s why I was just farming, right?”

“How did you end up coming to the Capital Church?”

“Because I was anxious.”

“…You crawled into a place where apostles reside because you were anxious?”

“At the time, I thought it would be safer to be where the apostles are. I didn’t want to get caught up and die when The ‘Stars’ opened and the whole world turned into a mess.”

“How did you meet the Saintess?”

“It would be a bit weird if I suddenly quit farming and said I was going to the Capital Church, so I dropped some bait to the bell ringer, saying things like, ‘I keep having ominous dreams, I feel like I need to go to the Capital Church.’ Then he reported me to the Heretic Inquisitor. I was hauled straight to the Capital Church, and I was surprised to find the Saintess waiting for me.”

“…What did the Saintess say when she saw you?”

“She didn’t say much. Whenever I tried to ask something, she just wouldn’t tell me, saying, ‘Ignorance shall protect you.’ Instead, she gave me a Sacred Relic and told me to call her if I needed her. So I just figured that unlike the game, the real-life Church of Order is friendly toward heretics….”

The boy’s eyes narrowed again.

“You’re just making things up as you go, aren’t you?”

“If I wanted to make up a lie, I would have created a more plausible story. I’m telling the truth.”

The Prophet frowned and fell into thought for a moment.

“…May I ask which Othergod chose you?”

‘If I lie here, I’ll be found out immediately.’

I decided to answer honestly.

“Happy God.”

“…That Othergod that’s absolutely impossible to clear with?”

“That’s right.”

“Have you ever cleared it with Happy God?”

“No.”

“Then why did you choose Happy God?”

“Then why did you choose the Distorted One?”

The boy flinched.

“How did you….”

“You asked with your own mouth when I broke the Distortion.”

“Ah.”

‘Is he an idiot?’

Looking at his face, which had turned red up to the ears, I could see why the Distorted One chose this moron.

‘It wasn’t a performance pick; it was a “for the memes” pick.’

He seemed like the kind of guy who would be fun to tease.

“…You don’t really know what kind of Othergod the Distorted One is, do you?”

“I-I know very well!”

“Really? You chose that knowing what happens when you reach the ending with the Distorted One? Seriously?”

“Of course I knew. How could I not know that?”

He tried to act composed, but I could see his pupils shaking.

“You’re lying. You’ve never reached the ending with the Distorted One, have you?”

“I-I have no intention of taking advice from someone who chose something like Happy-Happy.”

“Hey. Why do you think I was clinging to something like Happy God? It’s because I’ve done everything there is to do with the other Othergods. It’s a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but I’m a bit of a veteran.”

“…Even so, you gave up on the game because you weren’t confident.”

‘This little brat?’

No, anyone who tries to clear a game after possessing it like this is the real lunatic.

I’m a normal person, okay?

“Anyway, you’re a newbie, right? How many hours have you played as the Distorted One?”

“I’ve played for over 800 hours….”

“…You played for 800 hours and you don’t know the ending?”

“Reaching the ending wasn’t my goal.”

“Still, didn’t you look at guides or Clips?”

“I didn’t.”

‘Then what the hell did you do for 800 hours?’

Did he just leave it on as a screensaver?

Otherwise, it makes no sense.

The Prophet asked, his eyes darting around anxiously.

“What is the Distorted One’s ending…?”

“What were you doing for 800 hours that you didn’t see the ending? Tell me that first.”

“…I don’t want to say.”

“Then I don’t want to tell you either.”

The boy’s expression immediately crumpled.

I quickly added,

“I was just joking. I’m very grateful for the things you’ve told me. I’ll cooperate as much as possible when you try to get out of this situation, so can I ask a few more things? I’ll tell you the Distorted One’s ending after that.”

The boy looked displeased, but he eventually agreed.

“Only three questions. It’s not like we have infinite time.”

“Hmm. First question. What usually happens when you surrender to the Church of Order? Do you go insane?”

“…A warning pops up when you try to surrender. A warning that it will be a ‘Game Over’ if you reach a state where the game cannot proceed.”

‘Game Over?’

“When you hit Game Over, your ego as a player disappears. Memories of the Othergod, the contract, and the things you’ve done so far remain, but you forget that you were originally a player. You become like a madman who can’t communicate. Even if you try to send a chat, nothing appears.”

‘Game Over, huh….’

I’ve never seen such a warning window.

Even though the Saintess once drew the Holy Sword of Judgment in front of me.

‘Is it because I was in a state where I’d revive even if I died?’

“What exactly is the criteria for Game Over? If you’ve surrendered but there’s still a way to escape, does Game Over not trigger?”

“…It’s counted as Game Over if the way to contract with an Othergod disappears. If a core Sacred Relic is destroyed, if the Cult Leader is judged by an apostle-class unit, or if the Othergod refuses the contract….”

“The Othergod refuses the contract? No, they’re the ones who brought us here, aren’t they?”

“That’s why they say not to offend the gods.”

‘This is bullshit.’

“Then you have to live however a guy like the Distorted One tells you to? Can you handle that?”

“…By the way, haven’t you asked more than three questions already?”

“I’ve only asked one. What I’m asking now are just follow-up curiosities to the first question.”

The boy let out a sigh.

“Whatever, just ask your second question.”

‘What should I ask?’

There were too many things to verify.

Adelaide’s situation, information about other players, the reason for coming to the Capital Church….

But what came out of my mouth was something entirely different.

“Did the Helper tell you anything about a way to return to reality?”

“…….”

“Like, if you clear the game, you can go back….”

The Prophet did not answer.

“…I guess you don’t know.”

“No.”

“And what state we’re in in reality?”

The Prophet slowly shook his head.

‘As expected, they don’t tell us.’

That would make sense.

That way, everyone can hold onto hope by imagining whatever they want.

If someone who desperately wants to return to reality found out that their physical body in reality is already dead and the funeral has already been held?

They would lose all motivation and choose Game Over.

‘If I really died just like that in reality….’

…Well, I’m dead.

Let’s not think too deeply.

‘If 16 people died suddenly on the same day and were all playing the same game, it would make for a great urban legend.’

I wonder what the cause of death would be if they did an autopsy.

“Since you couldn’t answer this question… you can change the second question to something else.”

The boy said this while observing my expression.

‘…What’s with that?’

Chapter 124