Rise of the OtherGod Apostle: Not a Cult Leader, but a Serf?!

#096Reader Mode

#096

We finally made it to the math room, which was about as big as a lecture hall that could fit around 150 people. One wall was covered in black spotted slate, being used as a giant blackboard. People were scurrying up and down ladders, scribbling or erasing stuff on that slate. And there, in a prominent spot, was the exact solution I’d seen on the wax tablet earlier.

“Pardon me,” I said, flagging down a bearded, weathered priest, “But do you know who first came up with that solution?”

The priest shot me a skeptical look, a deep furrow forming between his brows. “And which esteemed institution of higher learning do you represent, young scholar?”

I blinked. “Come again?”

He repeated himself, slower this time, with a generous helping of condescension. “I inquired as to the university that bestowed upon you the great honor of your degree.”

…Do you seriously need a degree just to ask questions around here?

It’s not like I was claiming to have solved one of the three great unsolved problems like the Riemann Hypothesis and wanted him to give my work a quick once-over…

“Do I really need qualifications just to simply ask who came up with an answer?”

“Listening to questions from the unqualified is a fruitless endeavor. I don’t converse with those who lack degrees, so please, just leave.”

The priest nodded curtly and turned away, basically telling me to buzz off. I was completely taken aback by his unexpectedly blunt response.

Wow, did I seriously just get snubbed based on my educational background by someone from the Middle Ages?

The reactions from others were pretty much the same. They’d inquire about my education, and the moment I admitted to being degree-less, they’d pull a complete 180.

“No degree? I won’t bother explaining anything to you, it’d be a waste of time.”

What the hell?

“If you want to ask questions without a degree, at least bring a letter of recommendation. Go, talk to your academic advisor. Wait, you never even attended university? I can’t help you, then.”

…So, without a college education, I’m basically subhuman?

“Everyone is turning you away, huh? How terrible! Let me do you a kindness and explain. But, if you want to join our school, just sign this contract first…”

Ugh, get lost!

Luckily, there was at least one kind soul willing to explain without any strings attached. It was a guy with skin so pale, it looked like it hadn’t seen the sun in ages.

“My, my, coming to the 4th floor of the main library without even a degree. Lucky for you, I enjoy wasting time, so I’ll indulge your curiosity.”

…Is this guy just a weirdo?

He brushed his unruly black curls from his face and began.

“This library has books that are typically forbidden elsewhere, just sitting out in the open. Anyone can take them and read them without issue. But if you’re not authorized, you’ll never know what’s inside those banned books. Want to know how that’s possible?”

I glanced at Athanas, but he shook his head, just as clueless as me.

Do people with the Blessing of Order just naturally avoid banned books?

“It’s quite simple, actually. As soon as you leave this library, any unauthorized knowledge you gained here is wiped from your memory.”

My jaw dropped at the unexpected revelation.

This… This is something the Dark Realm would do?

They censor books and label them banned, but why stop there? They might as well censor people’s minds directly.

I have to admit, though, this was some seriously impressive information security technology.

“You see, people with authorized statuses, like researchers with degrees, will have their forgotten memories returned to them when they come back here. But for someone like you, those memories are gone for good. That’s why no one wanted to bother explaining things to you.”

Hearing this, I finally understood why the others had reacted the way they did earlier. Since I’d forget everything anyway, they wanted to leave me with a memory of being turned away at the door. That way, I wouldn’t bother coming back.

…But here’s the thing: ‘Oblivion’ doesn’t work on me.

What would happen if I accidentally read something like a banned book? Would an anti-theft alarm go off when I tried to leave?

“Well, you’ll forget this too when you leave,” the researcher said. “So, why were you so determined to find out where that solution came from?”

“I just wanted to express my gratitude…”

“Then why not tell them directly?”

“Really? Is that…okay?”

“Even if your memory is erased, the feeling of gratitude might linger. I doubt you’ll make the pointless trip back here again.”

“…The feeling remains, even if I forget?”

“Who knows? It’s just a hypothesis. If you return because of this, it’ll prove me wrong.”

Wait, so you’re using me as a test subject for your experiment?

Sorry, buddy, you picked the wrong person. I’m a goblin bastard immune to forgetting.

“I do have one more question,” I said. “I saw this answer outside the main library first. Now, the solution itself might not be restricted, but could information about the person who came up with it be restricted?”

“Did it say anywhere that the answer came from a person?”

“But, then…”

“Ah, we’ve arrived.”

As the researcher guided us into the modestly sized room, my eyes widened at the sight before me. The space buzzed with activity, each person intently focused on their task, their soft mumbles filling the air.

One object on a table immediately caught my attention.

…Isn’t that a Ouija board?¹T/N: An ‘Ouija board’ is a flat board marked with letters, numbers, and other symbols. It’s used in attempts to communicate with spirits or the dead. Users place their fingers on a small heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic called a planchette. They then ask questions, and the planchette is said to move to spell out answers, supposedly guided by spirits.

I watched as one person’s finger glided over the moving metal pointer, while another scribbled down the indicated letters, their faces serious and focused.

There was no mistaking it – they were using the very thing known as an Ouija board in English, Kokkuri-san in Japan, and Bunshinsaba in Korea.

They’re seriously using an Ouija board in a Cathedral?

Athanas, witnessing this peculiar sight for the first time, turned to the researcher with a frown. “What exactly are they doing?”

“They are establishing a connection with the vast ‘collective unconscious’.”

Collective unconscious, huh….

I furrowed my brow, thinking.

This had to be linked to that bastard player, no doubt about it.

Are they trying to earn points with this little performance?

It made sense – you didn’t need to go around actively spreading faith to earn those precious faith points. Simply extending your influence in related domains could do the trick.

The Plague God just needs to spread plagues, and the Lord of Nightmares merely has to give people terrifying nightmares.

And the Othergod who can score big by simply answering questions about ‘knowledge’…

…that’s probably the Rider of Civilization.

Of course, there’s always a chance it could be another player who’s into this kind of thing, points or no points. But without any more clues, it’s best to assume for now that it’s all tied to the Rider of Civilization player.

Athanas asked a question.

“Is there a god associated with the collective unconscious?”

The researcher shook his head, a faint smile on his lips. “No, this isn’t a religious act tied to any specific god. It’s not even a ritualistic worship practice. The principle behind it is a bit complicated to explain… but if you ever earn a degree and come back, I’ll be happy to walk you through it.”

Don’t give me that bullshit….

This was obviously related to not just an evil god, but an Othergod. It was no different than running a private gambling den on the top floor of the National Central Library… ²T/N: The National Central Library in Korean is called “국립중앙도서관”. It’s South Korea’s largest library and serves as the country’s main national library. Located in Seoul, the library was established in 1945 and has since grown to house millions of books, periodicals, and other materials, including many rare and historical documents.

And the Cathedral doesn’t crack down on this?

I wondered, my gaze sweeping the room. To my surprise, not a single person wore a mask, and only one or two had their hoods pulled down. These people seemed completely oblivious to the fact that they were engaging in some seriously heretical stuff.

…Could it be that they have permission to operate this?

The thought crept into my mind, considering how brazen everyone was being about it. I mean, no matter how much the Apostles might neglect their duties, there’s just no way they could be unaware of this.

Maybe this service was created by a player contributing their abilities to the Order?

The researcher gestured to an open spot. “Looks like someone just finished. Would you like to give it a try and ask a question?”

I hesitated for a moment, wondering I should believe in ‘The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self’ trait and do a little experiment. If this has something to do with an Othergod, the information would definitely pop up in a system notification window…

But before I could make up my mind, Athanas plopped down in the newly vacated seat.

“So, how does this work?”

“Just put your hand on the pointer and ask away. Not like you’ll remember anyway,” the researcher explained with a wave of his hand.

Athanas picked up the metal pointer, turning it over in his hands. “…I don’t sense any divine power here.”

“Of course not. That pointer is just for convenience. You could use a coin if you prefer. The tool doesn’t matter.”

At that, Athanas pulled out a silver coin from his pocket, and I leaned in to get a closer look at the Ouija board. Beneath the Holy Text, I spotted some faint writing.

Could that be the secret? If the pointer was just a prop, maybe the real power was in the parchment.

But to me, someone who can’t see divine power, it just looked like any old piece of recycled paper.

Doing this makes me feel like an annoying audience member trying to figure out how the magician did his tricks.

“Let’s begin with something straightforward. Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself, have I? Hmm…go ahead and tell me, what is my name?”

At that moment, the silver coin beneath Athanas’ hand began to move, spelling out a name with a life of its own.

C-A-L-L-I-S-T-E-R.

Athanas’ brow furrowed in confusion, a slight crease forming on his forehead.

…Did Athanas’ hand really just move on its own?

A quick, faint smile darted across the researcher’s face as he lazily pushed a wayward lock out of his eyes.

“Precisely. My name is Callister. Interesting, isn’t it? Your hand moved on its own, despite your lack of knowledge. That, my friend, is the power of the ‘collective unconscious’ at work. Now, allow me to ask something in return, a question that has piqued my curiosity.”

Callister extended his hand, placing it gently on the cool surface of the silver coin.

“Kindly tell me, what is the name of the man seated across from me?”

The coin responded without hesitation.

A-T-H-A-N-A-S.

“And what of the person currently standing by the table?”

Once again, the coin spelled out a name with swift certainty.

F-A-B-I-O.

Callister’s hand, resting on the coin, move quickly across the parchment, spelling out the name. I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes.

…Wouldn’t it be way more mind-blowing if he were to guess something I’ve never shared with anyone? Like my middle name?

I mean, it’s not like we were using code names or anything. He could’ve easily overheard us chatting in the main library. If I wanted to be sure this wasn’t just some parlor trick, I needed more concrete proof.

“Mind if I ask a question of my own?” I asked.

“You may. However, I will only allow one question.”

“…Only one?”

“Yes,” he affirmed, “You usually wouldn’t have this opportunity at all, so consider it a privilege.”

Tch. Stingy bastard.

I reached out, my fingertips grazing the cool silver of the coin as my mind raced. Just one question. That’s all I got. So… what should I ask?

How to trisect an arbitrary angle using only a compass and an unmarked ruler?

Yeah right, as if someone like ignorant Fabio would ever ask something that brainy. No, it had to be a question that sounded natural, but could only be answered by an actual player…

“…What did I eat for breakfast this morning?” Athanas unexpectedly blurted out.

Wait seriously, Athanas you bastard?!

I was literally just about to ask something important…!

Did you forget we only get one shot at this?

And he goes and asks such a stupid question that would only be acceptable in a cheesy 4-panel comic strip?

As I opened my mouth to speak, Athanas grabbed my hand and forcefully moved the silver coin.

P-O-T-A-T-O-S-O-U-P.

“Impressive. I never mentioned to Fabio what I ate this morning…” Athanas commented.

You literally just moved it yourself!

I wanted to yell. And could his fake look of shock be any more obvious? Is he pretending to be bad at acting?

“Why would you-“ I started.

“Ask a question myself?” he interjected. “I was merely helping. You were taking too long to decide on a question, so I took the liberty of asking one myself.”

What the hell are you on about?

“Fabio, why are you agonizing over a question you’ll soon forget anyway?”

“But still…”

“Isn’t it a shame that we’re wasting our precious time together on such trivial thoughts?” As Athanas said this, he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

I tensed at the unexpected closeness.

Are you actually crazy?

Why is he pulling this move out of nowhere?

A shiver ran down my spine.

Thankfully, the last shred of sanity I had left reminded me that I needed to play along with this whole ‘lovers’ act for now.

“W-We’re already here together,” I stammered, a hint of protest in my voice. “No need for that…”

Athanas continued, sadness lacing his voice, “…But once we step out of here, our memories of this place will be erased. That’s why every second we have is precious.”

Oh.

It suddenly made sense.

…Right now, we’re royally screwed, so let’s just casually walk away, huh?

T/N ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა Math lore for the nerds:

The three most famous unsolved problems in mathematics, often referred to as the “Three Great Unsolved Problems,” are:

1. The Riemann Hypothesis: This problem, proposed by Bernhard Riemann in 1859, deals with the behavior of the Riemann zeta function. It states that all non-trivial zeros of the zeta function have a real part equal to 1/2. Despite extensive research, this remains unproven.

2. The Poincaré Conjecture: This problem, posed by Henri Poincaré in 1904, deals with the characterization of the three-dimensional sphere. It states that every simply connected, closed 3-manifold is homeomorphic to the 3-sphere. This problem was famously solved by Grigori Perelman in 2003.

3. The P vs NP Problem: This problem, formalized in 1971 by Stephen Cook and Leonid Levin, asks whether every problem whose solution can be quickly verified by a computer can also be quickly solved by a computer. It is a central question in computer science and has significant implications for cryptography, optimization, and artificial intelligence.