Chapter 63
Chapter 63: The Protagonist (1)
Those who were reincarnated as "Possessors" and had lived comfortable lives on Earth found it extremely difficult to adapt to this savage otherworld.
Moreover, it was a hardcore difficulty that far surpassed medieval Earth standards.
'D-Did that really just happen... a monster?'
Nishida Ryo, a Japanese national living as an unemployed gamer, was flustered upon encountering a monster for the first time.
It was absurd for someone who hadn't even served in the military to be fighting monsters.
'A-A status window?'
However, Nishida Ryo came to believe that he was the chosen protagonist.
'I will save this savage otherworld!'
He did his best to adapt to the barbaric world. Since the world was based on a game he had enjoyed playing, he became even more confident.
[Don't even dream of entering the Labyrinth.]
[These days, the trend among new adventurers is feeding holy water to rookie party members]
[Whatever you do, don't try to work with named NPCs. You'll just get dragged to the guillotine.]
However, putting his gaming knowledge to practical use was nearly impossible. By the time he was reincarnated, the existence of Possessors was already officially known.
The Labyrinth was considered the #1 place to avoid among Possessors.
'Goblins are over 2 meters tall in the Labyrinth? How am I supposed to trust what people I've never even seen say?'
He didn't trust the community's advice, but the Labyrinth still terrified him.
Nishida Ryo decided instead to gain levels by wandering across the continent, avoiding the Labyrinth.
Thud!
"Krraaaagh!!!"
Unlike monsters appearing in the Labyrinth or demon realm, those roaming the surface were similar in size to the game. It was something his body could realistically handle.
'This really hurts.'
However, his reincarnated body wouldn't move as he wished, and at level 1, he was stabbed by a goblin's dagger in his first fight.
Still, Nishida Ryo managed to kill a goblin that was roughly 1 meter tall through sheer effort.
"Maybe I have some talent for this?"
Nishida Ryo gained confidence. After raising his [Pain Resistance] stat to 5 or above, even minor wounds only tickled.
It was a bit gruesome when flesh fell off and blood dripped continuously. However, by developing the habit of checking his HP bar displayed on the status window, he naturally overcame this as well.
Like other Possessors, Nishida Ryo's fighting style developed in a direction of not sparing his body.
"Goblin Slayer!"
After reaching level 20 by hunting only goblins, Nishida Ryo earned a moniker. Goblins had incredible reproductive abilities, instantly forming swarms like pests. They were easy prey he could hunt anytime.
'Goblin Slayer...'
The villagers had meant it mockingly when they called Nishida Ryo—who hunted only goblins—by that name, but he interpreted it completely differently.
It was the same nickname as the protagonist of a famous manga from Japan.
'At this level, I should be able to get around.'
Upon reaching level 20, he had also gathered much information about the Empire and even gained a cool moniker.
Nishida Ryo wanted to leave the remote village where his reincarnated body had lived and head to the city.
'This world is something only I know about.'
Despite the existence of countless Possessors in the community, Nishida Ryo held such arrogance. And for good reason.
"Rather than being born a farmer and dying as one, wouldn't you like to go on an adventure together with me?"
It was because he had coincidentally discovered a beautiful NPC with whom favorability work was possible.
Moreover, her reaction was exactly like in the game.
"Really? I'm so excited!"
Wasn't this the complete opposite of what the community information had said?
'The community really was all lies after all.'
She smiled brightly and led Nishida Ryo to her dwelling.
'I can control even such a beauty as I wish?'
Perhaps those in the community were mischievous constellations hiding their identities, and he himself was the protagonist of this world?
However, Nishida Ryo's delusions ended there. The dilapidated cottage they arrived at was actually a safe house of the Empire's intelligence agency.
'Black clothes? They look like the imperial intelligence agency that was mentioned in the community.'
Inside, men in pitch-black uniforms were holding bladed weapons and glaring at Nishida.
"Heh. So there really are people who fall for this."
The beautiful NPC female twisted her lips and mocked Nishida.
Afterward, he underwent countless tortures and interrogations, reciting information about Possessors and the game.
"This guy knows unusually detailed information. Send him to the capital detention camp."
Ultimately, he was confined to an iron cell no larger than 2 square meters.
Fortunately, he met other Possessors in the same predicament there.
'I wasn't the protagonist after all...'
Thanks to them, Nishida Ryo came to understand reality. The community's advice had been entirely true.
"I've never seen anyone imprisoned for doing favorability work before..."
It was nothing like he had imagined—scheming by constellations or anything like that.
"They post on the community regularly not to do it."
However, thanks to his comrades under the same iron bars, he felt a certain sense of camaraderie.
"From now on, you must conquer the Labyrinth."
He was dragged before a massive Paladin and found himself entering the Labyrinth every week. He was starting to adapt thanks to Park Chang-ho's carry, but then.
The Great Cataclysm occurred, forcing him to endure terrible hardships.
Moreover, the worst catastrophe happened—he lost his [Pain Resistance] stat.
'This world is...'
Just recently, Nishida Ryo had experienced the agony of being eaten by a Gnoll King.
Certainly, he was the one sharing gossip about Erik with other Possessors.
'Perhaps...'
However, after seeing Erik enter the temple, an intense premonition shook his mind.
'...All Possessors are supporting characters.'
Erik, emanating brilliant divinity in the center of the grand temple.
'That absurd appearance, overwhelming physique, and power of unknowable limits.'
He suddenly realized that a protagonist existed in this world. No, not only that he existed, but that it was already decided. A massive man with undeniably heterodox power.
'...If I can't be the protagonist, I'll aim to be a major supporting character at least.'
Nishida Ryo. For the first time in his 40 years of life, he had found a goal.
***
'Did this become a bit clearer?'
Erik examined the changes occurring in his temple. The massive temple still appeared blurry overall, but a giant stone statue had appeared at the far end of the temple's center.
Since only a rough silhouette existed, he couldn't determine the exact form of the statue.
'It feels familiar somehow...'
The silhouette belonged to something distinctly sensual and voluptuously curved—something that exuded a somewhat inappropriate allure for a goddess statue.
A strangely indescribable sense of intimacy washed over him. Was that why?
'Well, it wouldn't hurt to take a look.'
Even though he had heard the Possessors speaking ill of him, Erik decided to show magnanimity. It wasn't just that he was in a good mood; Erik also knew that they had done their best.
'Their bodies were halfway dead.'
As if to prove that Gnoll King was a canine-type monster, the three Possessors' limbs hung in tatters like chewed dog toys.
'Their faces had swollen so much they were about to burst.'
Their facial features had been so severely swollen that they were barely recognizable. He wondered how you could get so puffy from a dog bite.
"Nishida Ryo, I didn't expect you to also undergo Skill Initialization."
Anyway, thinking of their suffering, Erik offered a word of commendation.
"...T-Thank you so much!"
Nishida Ryo's eyes sparkled as he bowed his head deeply.
'Is he reacting like that?'
Erik tilted his head. Wasn't this reaction from Nishida unlike what he usually showed?
"I-I'll work even harder!"
And while lying prostrate, he was even shouting.
Erik nodded with a noncommittal expression.
'What's this about...'
Park Chang-ho, watching Erik and Nishida Ryo, felt an indescribable sense of dread. They say that when a person does something they don't usually do, it's time to die.
'Could Nishida Ryo's strange behavior be because Death Sense activated?'
The Possessors had already seen Erik's temple once before. There, they had realized that their Earth selves were dead. Seeing Nishida Ryo's bizarre behavior, Park Chang-ho's mind was filled with complex thoughts.
'...What happens if I die here?'
That emotion was the terror of being able to die even in a temple where one exists as a soul.
"Park Chang-ho, why do you look so frightened?"
Since Park Chang-ho was trembling, Erik's gaze turned toward him. With both Nishida Ryo and Park Chang-ho showing strange behavior, Erik felt that there was something he was missing.
'Come to think of it, they spoke as if they knew this place.'
Running his sharp mind, Erik realized that the Possessors were hiding something.
"I'll give one of you three a chance."
Before long, Erik had also developed a way of handling Possessors. No need to negotiate. If he just threw out a line like this, they would intimidate each other and cause a commotion.
"I'll tell you!"
"I-I should!"
"Me!"
Just as expected, all three raised their hands simultaneously. Erik gave them turns, and the Possessors each confessed as if undergoing a true interrogation, reciting what they had witnessed in the temple.
Erik's face then became severely distorted.
"Ugh!"
The reason was.
"Nishida Ryo, you convinced them to keep this a secret?"
Nishida Ryo had been the one to deliberately hide it. The intention was to create one playable card among the Possessors, but it was something that had to be done while reading people.
"You lost your Pain Resistance stat, didn't you?"
Erik stepped toward Nishida Ryo.
Nishida kept being pushed backward, but he couldn't flee further for fear of touching the golden clouds enveloping the temple.
In fact, this space was like a giant prison to the Possessors.
'The surroundings are filled with Divine Power...'
There's nowhere to run. The surroundings are clouds made of Divine Power, and a temple floating in the yellow sky.
The ground? Not visible. A fall would be a 100% fatal drop.
Whoosh!
As Erik moved his hand, the clouds shifted and gently touched Nishida Ryo's back.
Sizzle!
"Ahhhhh!"
With a shriek, Nishida Ryo tumbled forward until he came right to Erik's feet. Tap!
Erik looked at the belly fat of Nishida Ryo touching his instep and pondered deeply.
'Why did they come to my temple?'
Erik had now gained the ability to heal Possessors. 4th Tier Divine Power was surely an ability related to this.
However, he had no idea of "how" to do it.
'It's not the type of power I can use.'
Wielding Divine Power or. Bestowing Divine Blessing or. If he intentionally controlled Divine Power like Janson's case, healing would be possible.
But erasing pain was nearly impossible.
"Boss, just removing a single scar felt like burning my soul in flames—the pain was unbearable."
Janson had refused further treatment to that degree, so it must have been unspeakably terrible pain.
'Perhaps...'
Then the image of a throne placed in the center of the temple came to Erik's mind.
Erik walked up and sat on the throne.
[Faith] A clear golden screen appeared above the ragged status window. A completely intact golden system window, entirely different from the status window.
'Hmm, is this like a faith management window?'
Whoosh!
[Faith Management] As Erik finished his thought, the screen's title changed to [Faith Management].
[Temple of the Nameless God – Lv.1]
[Believers That Can Be Appointed – 0/3]
[Build your faith and secure more believers!]
Build faith and appoint believers? After manipulating the displayed window and examining it, Erik let out a dumbfounded laugh.
'As expected, I'm suited for this kind of...'
True to Erik's nature of buying the realm of Divine Power with money, clicking on the text about believers revealed a message to spend money. [Park Chang-ho – 15,000,000]
[Kang Pung-ho – 10,000,000]
[Nishida Ryo – 200,000,000]
"Huh..."
However, upon seeing this, Erik couldn't hide his shock.
'No way...'
He understood the structure of the system allowing him to appoint Possessors who entered the temple as believers. And he clearly understood that the amount was set differently depending on the believer's value. But. 'Nishida Ryo for 200 million?'
He simply couldn't believe the shocking fact that Nishida Ryo was worth 200 million gold. With that, Erik looked at Nishida Ryo.
"...I-It was really Park Chang-ho who made me do it!"
He was still making excuses for hiding the temple.
Erik recalled the reason why Nishida had been captured by the Possessor Detention Camp.
'I understand that he finds hidden pieces well, but...'
"No, it was Kang Pung-ho! He kept instigating us from the side!"
Watching Nishida Ryo still making excuses, Erik felt 200 million gold was somewhat wasteful.
'It's unlike me, but...'
Erik was a big spender. It wasn't excessive waste, but rather that he spent money well on people. When he bought an entire church site for Ruelle. When he transferred ownership of Du-sik's Magical Tool Shop to him.
When he handed over the Empire Daily News or food stalls to the first generation who had left the orphanage. Even when he donated part of the tithe to the Astia Religious Order, Erik had never felt that it was a waste.
Money must be spent to be money. It was one of Erik's iron rules carried over from his Park Ji-hun days.
'So this is what it feels like to regret spending money.'
Though unwilling to admit it, it was truly wasteful.
***
"Swear three things only."
Erik calmly looked at each of the three Possessors in turn.
'W-What on earth is...?'
After sitting in the golden chair and contemplating thoroughly, Erik suddenly spoke of swearing.
The Possessors had a premonition that something frightening was about to happen, though they didn't know what.
Especially Park Chang-ho felt it more intensely.
'Has my trait broken?'
Park Chang-ho's [Sixth Sense] was reacting like crazy, his entire body tingling as if struck by electricity.
However, this tingling sensation meant very good news.
'My body is practically dying. What good fortune could possibly come now?'
Confused about the situation, Park Chang-ho suddenly.
"First, you are inhabitants of this world, living on this continent."
A heavy, low voice began.
"Second, you do your best to rescue the world from crisis."
The swearing didn't seem like much. Weren't these things Erik had always emphasized?
"Third, you do not kill people without just cause."
After reciting the three oaths, Erik turned his head toward Park Chang-ho. From the shining throne, Erik asked.
"Park Chang-ho, can you keep this oath?"
Park Chang-ho answered without hesitation.
"Yes! I swear to it!"
A massive temple floating above clouds. The figure of Erik extending his hand from an ornate throne sparked blind faith.
With [Sixth Sense] activating, Park Chang-ho immediately shouted based on this. As Erik swung his hand toward Park Chang-ho, a golden status window he had never seen before appeared before his eyes.
[You have become a Believer of the Nameless God.]