Chapter 45
Chapter 45 - Dumb Ass of TAD
Adam stared at the notification, vaguely recalling the week-long dream he'd experienced featuring various gods and their special concepts known as divinities.
Apparently none of it had been a dream.
Embryo of Divinity Awakened!
Embryoptic Concepts:
Everything is a Shield - (Protection):
Designate something or someone as a shield. Its defensive capabilities are increased by 100%.
Everything can be Healed - (Mending):
Regardless of whether something is organic or inorganic, it can receive the benefits of your healing spells.
Mei leaned over his shoulder while he remained seated on the ground where he'd awakened.
"Embryo...?" she mumbled. "You're pregnant?"
Adam was too absorbed in reading the notifications to answer. Before he could even process them, another series of messages appeared.
Absorbing Archmagus Seedling to strengthen Embryo of Divinity.
Divine Concepts:
Everything is a Shield - (Protection):
Designate something or someone as a shield. Its defensive capabilities are increased by 333%.
Everything can be Healed - (Mending):
Regardless of whether something is organic or inorganic, it receives double the benefits of your healing spells.
Warning!
Beings possessing divinity are not permitted within the tutorial.
Due to your status as a Player currently undergoing the tutorial, you will now be connected to the Tutorial Administration Department for screening.
Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, a ringing phone icon appeared on the screen. A soft buzz echoed for several seconds before the icon dissolved and was replaced with the face of a smiling man.
He had a disproportionately large head sitting atop an otherwise average-looking body. A permanent smile stretched across his face, giving him the unsettling appearance of someone who had practiced it in a mirror.
He wore a freshly pressed business suit. Behind him, an enormous glass wall overlooked a bustling office packed with thousands upon thousands of monitors, each displaying different Players progressing through tutorial worlds like Adam and Mei's.
"Hello, Adam... and Mei," the man said warmly, as though greeting two old friends he'd finally managed to reconnect with. "It's nice to finally speak with you both face to face."
After waiting several awkward seconds for a response that never came, he cleared his throat.
"I am the Department Head of the Tutorial Administration Department within the Company."
He gestured proudly toward the nameplate resting on his desk.
D. Head of TAD
"Your name is Dick Head?" Mei asked.
"What? No. It's Dumas."
"Dumb ass?"
He must have misheard her because he simply nodded.
"That's right. Anyways, I'm here to provide a solution to Adam's current predicament."
"His pregnancy?"
"No..." Dumas frowned. "I was under the impression male humans couldn't become pregnant."
He shook his head and continued.
"Due to your unique circumstances as a Player within the tutorial, I've been granted special authority to remove your divinities. However, I require your consent before doing so. The alternative is expulsion from the tutorial."
"Hold on," Adam said. "Can I ask a few questions first?"
Dumas considered it for a moment before nodding.
"Sure."
"What exactly is divinity? Am I becoming a god? And how did this happen?"
"You aren't becoming a god in the sense you're familiar with," Dumas explained. "Divinity is a power that every Player eventually has a chance to potentially awaken. You've simply taken a... remarkably swift shortcut."
He folded his hands together.
"Divinity isn't permitted within tutorial worlds because it completely destroys the intended power balance. As a result, we're required to either remove your divinity or remove you from the tutorial."
"As for how it happened, several factors came together at once. The biggest reason is that your latent magical talent has begun reawakening now that mana has been introduced into your body. Your talent had been dormant for a very long time, and now it's greedily consuming every form of magical power it can reach."
He tapped a finger against the desk.
"That includes both the Archmagus Seedling and the divinities you recently encountered. Namely your meeting with Anubis, which resulted in a tiny piece of your soul attaching to him and leaving the tutorial. Where you, fortunately or not, met with several other gods. It would have appeared as a dream.”
He paused before glancing toward Mei.
"Luck also played a major role. Although... not necessarily your luck."
"You two probably don't know this since Earth is so far from the center of the universe, but whenever a Main Character, or Fate Holder as they're more commonly called among the populous, increases their Luck stat, every living being on their homeworld receives a very small increase to their own luck."
Adam blinked.
"So because Mei's Luck is ridiculously high... I've been insanely lucky this whole time?"
"Especially you," Dumas replied with a nod. "As her boyfriend, you receive the lion's share of those benefits."
He sighed dramatically.
"Do you have any idea how jealous I was when I first saw you two enter the tutorial together? Especially when you awakened a talent just for being Mei's boyfriend!"
Adam narrowed his eyes.
"Wait... were those sarcastic system messages from you?"
Dumas immediately looked away and began pretending to search for something on his desk despite it being perfectly organized and spotless.
"I'm running a bit short on time," he said quickly. "Let's resolve your situation first. After that, I have a proposal I'd like the two of you to consider."
He produced a thick stack of documents from a drawer and carefully placed them on the desk as though they contained the fate of the universe.
Every page was blank.
"Adam, you have two options. First, I remove your divinities. Second, I expel you from the tutorial and return you to Earth."
He folded his hands.
"Which do you choose?"
Adam didn't answer immediately.
"Is there any compensation? It doesn't exactly seem like this is my fault. Your tutorial is the one that apparently can't handle divinities."
"Yeah," Mei agreed. "You guys sound wildly unprepared."
She crossed her arms.
"And what's with that random update making all our progress basically meaningless when we go back to Earth?"
That change had been bothering her ever since they left the desert. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
She had chosen the absurdly difficult Impossible Tutorial specifically because she wanted to leave with better stats, stronger equipment, and a huge advantage over everyone else.
"That update is actually entirely your fault," Dumas replied.
"Mine?"
"Like I mentioned earlier, every time your Luck stat increases, everyone on Earth receives a corresponding increase to their own luck."
He leaned forward, becoming more animated as he spoke.
"The two of you have been leveling at an absurd rate! Those luck increases began stacking on top of one another, creating situations where Players were obtaining rewards far beyond what their selected difficulty should ever allow. Their leveling speeds skyrocketed as well."
His face gradually turned red with excitement.
"The balance was in absolute chaos!"
He took a deep breath before calming himself.
"We can't simply confiscate rewards Players have already earned. However, we can reduce the levels and stats they retain once they leave their tutorials."
"Again, that sounds like a you problem. Aren't there other Main Characters besides me? Do they just never level up or something?"
"Yes, of course there are other Main Characters," Dumas replied. "However, none of them have caused us anywhere near as much trouble as you two."
He sighed deeply before rubbing his temples.
"Hell, they haven't even caused as much trouble as those two currently trapped inside a dungeon back on Earth. Though, considering who they're related to, I suppose that was inevitable."
He shook his head, dismissing the thought.
"But that isn't the point. There won't be any physical compensation. However..."
His usual cheerful expression disappeared, replaced by one that was unexpectedly solemn.
"I can offer Adam a piece of advice."
The sudden seriousness caught both of them off guard.
"I know you carry deep-seated trauma from witnessing your mother's murder. That kind of experience leaves a scar on anyone's soul, especially a child as young as you were."
His voice remained calm, almost sympathetic.
"But you can't let that wound fuel your obsession with becoming stronger. Or more perfect."
He paused before glancing toward Mei.
"Take a page out of her book. Live a little more freely. Otherwise, one day you'll push yourself so far that there won't be anything left."
Mei looked at Adam with growing concern.
"You..." Adam said quietly. "How do you know about that?"
"I'm the Tutorial Administrator," Dumas answered matter-of-factly. "I know everything about everyone currently inside the tutorial."
"...That's creepy," Mei muttered, visibly disturbed.
Dumas simply shrugged.
"It comes with the job."
He folded his hands together.
"Now then. I need your answer."
Adam was silent for several seconds before letting out a slow breath.
"Do it."
He looked directly into Dumas' eyes.
"Remove the divinities."
Dumas nodded once before snapping his fingers.
A new notification appeared before Adam.
You have chosen to remove your divinities. Please brace for the pain.
"Pain...?" Adam muttered.
A heartbeat later, his eyes flew wide open.
An icy chill shot through his body as an agony unlike anything he had ever experienced tore into him.
His vision blurred.
His muscles locked.
Then every nerve in his body seemed to ignite at once.
He collapsed face-first into the dirt, clutching desperately at his head as a scream ripped from his throat.
"AAAARGH!!"
"Adam!"
Mei dropped to her knees beside him.
"What's wrong?! What's happening?!"
She whipped around to glare at Dumas.
"What did you do to him?!"
"Oh."
Dumas blinked.
"I forgot to mention that removing divinity is extremely painful."
He spoke as casually as someone discussing the weather.
"A portion of the soul has to be separated from the rest before it can be cleansed. Afterward, it's reattached."
Seeing the murderous look forming on Mei's face, he raised both hands.
"As an apology, I'll give you one more piece of advice."
His gaze shifted toward Adam.
"Watch him carefully during this. The soul is the most delicate part of any living being. Your class also shares an unusually close connection with souls."
Mei ignored him completely.
Instead, she took Adam's trembling hand into both of hers and squeezed tightly while he continued screaming.
His cries echoed across the endless grasslands for so long that eventually his voice gave out entirely, leaving only silent gasps as his body convulsed against the ground.
The pain, however, showed no signs of fading.
If anything, it only became worse.
Then something slowly emerged from the top of Adam's head.
A tiny translucent boy floated upward.
Mei recognized it instantly.
His soul.
It looked exactly like Adam...
...if Adam had somehow been transformed into an adorably round, chubby little child.
Its cheeks were puffed out.
Its limbs were stubby.
It looked less like a human's soul and more like an oversized dumpling wearing Adam's face.
Under any other circumstances she would have burst out laughing.
Instead, she forced a smile.
If she couldn't stop his pain, maybe she could at least distract him from it.
"Your soul is adorable."
Adam didn't respond.
"I bet our kids would be just as cute."
Despite the agony, Adam managed to raise his head enough to stare at her with utter confusion.
"...Kids?"
His voice was barely more than a rasp.
"What kids?"
"The ones you're pregnant with, obviously."
A short snort escaped him before he could stop it.
For a single glorious second he actually laughed.
Then another wave of pain slammed into him.
His body curled into itself as he clutched his head once more.
Above them, the tiny soul continued drifting higher until it suddenly vanished into thin air.
Several more agonizing minutes passed.
Then the video call changed.
Dumas reappeared on-screen, carefully holding Adam's tiny soul in both hands.
"Fortunately," he said, "souls aren't constrained by normal physical laws. They can travel through dimensions with very little difficulty."
He smiled.
"Otherwise, it would have taken several decades for it to arrive."
Very gently, he grasped the soul with both hands.
Then he began pulling.
The tiny soul stretched like warm taffy.
Longer.
Longer.
Longer still.
It thinned until it resembled melted cheese being pulled apart.
Finally...
Pop.
A small piece tore free.
"AAAAAH!!"
Adam's scream echoed across both worlds.
The feedback crossed space itself, causing his body to arch violently off the ground before crashing back into the dirt.
His limbs spasmed uncontrollably as wave after wave of unbearable agony tore through both his body and soul.