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

#106Reader Mode

#106

Those words stopped me dead in my tracks.

…Not Fabio?

The thought raced through my mind, sending a jolt of panic through my body. I mean, sure, I wasn’t really Fabio. I was just some random transmigrator who’d possessed his body.

But still, why the sudden change in what you’re calling me, after using ‘Fabio’ all this time?

The deeper you go into the Records’ domain, the more he can expand his reach. Which also meant he could ‘read’ more about me.

…Just how much did he find out?

I wondered, my heart pounding in my chest.

The Saint had also quickly figured out I wasn’t the real ‘Fabio’, but he had no clue about my true identity.

He must’ve read the play log of my alt account and assumed that was my history, I realized, trying to piece it together.

Maybe Records had jumped to the same conclusion, thinking I was ‘Perpetua’ instead of ‘Fabio.’

Breathe, just breathe.

I told myself, inhaling deeply to calm my frayed nerves. With caution, I wrote down a question.

[Why are you calling me ‘You who are not Fabio’?]

[Because you are not Fabio.]

[Then who am I?]

[You who are not Fabio.]

……?

Okay, what the actual hell? This was really starting to get on my nerves.

[Call me by my real name.]

[Name? Fabio? But I cannot call you Fabio. For you are not Fabio.]

[Call me by my real name, not Fabio.]

[Your real name? You speak as though you possess another.]

Nope, never mind, I thought, shaking my head. This had gone from mildly irritating to full-on infuriating.

[Of course I do!]

[Is that so? Enlighten me, and I shall address you by that name.]

Well, that would ruin the whole point.

Whether Records called me ‘Perpetua’, ‘Happy War Evangelist’, or even my actual name from my resident registration card, I could figure out how much they knew based on what name they used for me. No way was I going to waste that opportunity.

[I want you to call me by the name you saw in my record.]

[…You who are not Fabio?]

[It’s something else.]

[Then I don’t know. Perhaps I read it but forgot. It’s difficult to tell which it is. It appears to me that you are nameless, but since you adamantly claim otherwise, I must have read it and forgotten, isn’t that right?]

Is this guy a little… crazy?

[If you forgot, can the ‘you’ on the lower levels give me an answer?]

[Maybe?]

Should I really keep going down, trusting this guy?

The further down I went, the smarter ‘Records’ might be, but it could also mean a bigger chance of running into crazy versions of him because of ‘contamination’ or whatever else was going on.

…Well, I won’t know if it’s a bust until I give it a shot.

I started walking again. The idea of turning back, only to trek all the way down here a second time? Yeah, no thanks.

So, I’ve hit the 20th basement level now, huh…

Just as I was about to write down a question, wondering if Records would know my name at this depth, he beat me to it.

[You who are not Fabio.]

Well, shit.

That one line said it all. No need to even ask.

I let out a quick sigh.

[How many more levels do I have to go down for you to finally use my name?]

[It is a futile endeavor, You who are not Fabio. No matter how far down you go, you shall never be Fabio. For there exists no more fitting description of you than this.]

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

[Records that disappear unread are no different than ones that were never written at all. Names are the same. They must be given voice by another to truly take hold. To all, you are known as Fabio. Yet, you are not he. Therefore, you can only be defined as the one who is not Fabio.]

I couldn’t help but scrunch up my forehead as I read the response.

What kind of cryptic gibberish is this?

This guy’s intelligence might have leveled up, but its communication skills? Not so much.

Honestly, Records made more sense when he only used five words.

[So, you couldn’t see my name after all?]

[That name no longer belongs to you, You who are not Fabio.]

Is he saying that he can’t call me Perpetua because the me now isn’t Perpetua?

Giving up on trying to bait out my name, I decided to just ask directly.

[Then tell me, what exactly did you see in my record?]

[I have read innumerable accounts. But among the records that have faded into nothing, read by me who has become nothing, never have I encountered a being as pitiful as you.]

For a second, my brain short-circuited.

…Is this guy messing with me on purpose?

He used the word “nothing” two times in one sentence.

Is it really okay for the God of Records to write a sentence that sounds so grammatically questionable?

More importantly, he thinks I’m pitiful.

Well, that pretty much proves he hasn’t snooped through my personal info.

I mean, yeah, I do think I’m pretty pathetic and unlucky.

Imagine getting trapped in this crazy medieval world just because you played a game!

It’s so incredibly sad and messed up.

But would other people really see it that way?

To the medieval folks here, I’m basically just some alien who was playing a game that ended up destroying their entire world, and then somehow got turned into human. If they saw an alien whining about how they can’t believe they got stuck on such a primitive, backwards planet? They’d probably just roll their eyes, not feel bad for me.

I guess a really, truly kind-hearted person might be able to scrape up some sympathy, even for an alien in that situation.

But would he really call me the most pitiful being he’s ever heard of, just from reading Perpetua’s log?

Maybe he did only read Perpetua’s logs. But still, I couldn’t help but wonder…

[What makes me so pitiful in your eyes?]

[You are denied the right to end your own existence. The one who holds you captive will not permit it.]

That applies to Perpetua too.

According to the official story, Perpetua died at 17. But the harsh reality is, her own family kept her locked away, a prisoner in her own home.

For Perpetua, the mere thought of suicide would’ve been strictly forbidden, completely off-limits. A ‘divine bloodline’ that could still produce offspring? Way too valuable of an asset to just throw away.

[Even in the embrace of death, peace shall elude you. A dreadful curse under the guise of a blessing, forever chaining you to this cruel fate.]

The more I hear, the more it sounds like Perpetua’s story.

At first, being born with that divine bloodline might have seemed like a blessing, but for Perpetua, it became a nightmarish curse she couldn’t escape from.

Even after she died, her family kept exploiting her corpse as a holy relic. There’d be no way out, even in death.

It’s like dying in a work accident, but then the heartless company collects the insurance money and their profits continue to go up.

How could anyone possibly find peace after an ending as messed up as that?

[You who are not Fabio, I feel such profound pity for you.]

…Ugh, even though I know he’s not actually pitying ‘me’, it’s still kinda irritating.

The guy who is cursed with being a total idiot, is running around yelling “Bless you! Bless you!” at everybody.

Is someone like that really in any position to be pitying other people?

Well, if all he’s seen is Perpetua’s logs, there’s no point in asking anything else. Might as well cut to the chase.

[So what’s this big secret you’ve been keeping from Order? Just how far down do I have to go to learn about what this ‘contamination’ is?]

I originally planned to go all the way down, but you know what? I’ve changed my mind.

If I spend one more minute in this creepy place, I swear I’ll completely lose it.

The second I stop walking, an eerie, deafening silence engulfs the underground basement. Endless rows of musty bookshelves stretch out into the inky darkness, offering no clue as to which level I’m on. There’s no landmarks or anything to track my progress, so it feels like I’m stuck in some surreal, never-ending loop – going down, down, down, but somehow always trapped on the same exact floor. And my only company is this sketchy, probably insane god that calls himself ‘Records’…

Plus, I’ll have to haul myself back up every single dang step I take down. No thank you.

I’m already 20 floors deep into this nonsense. With over 60 steps per floor, even if I rage-quit right now, I’d still have to drag myself up more than 1,200 steps.

This is pure madness, especially without an elevator. Nope, not happening.

If getting to the truth means descending 100 floors into this building? Then I’m throwing in the towel right now.

[You who are not Fabio. I have a question for you.]

[No more games. Just tell me how many floors I need to go down.]

[Give me your answer, and I will give you mine in return.]

Now he won’t even give me a direct response?

Dealing with this guy is like playing one of those mobile games that bombards you with five ads every time you open the app.

[If someone’s sacrifice is the only thing keeping this world from destruction, do you believe they should be allowed to end that sacrifice?]

That’s a random heavy question.

Why is he asking me this now? Is it some kind of test to gauge my morality?

[Is the person sacrificing themselves doing it willingly?]

[Yes.]

[What does this sacrifice entail? Do they have to die?]

[It means enduring ceaseless suffering without the relief of death.]

[And if this person stops sacrificing themselves, what happens?]

[The world will be destroyed.]

What the hell…

Knowing those stakes, how could anyone justify convincing that person to abandon their sacrifice? If they quit, the world would end, and they would die regardless.

Unless you believe it’s more ethical for the entire world to be annihilated than for one person to suffer… But what sane person could make that choice? The weight of that single life against billions…

[Is there really no other way? Can’t anyone else step up and share the burden, or is this seriously the only path to saving the world?]

[No. If the sacrifice comes to an end, the world will be irrevocably destroyed.]

[Then I’ll respect that person’s decision.]

If they reach their breaking point and simply can’t endure any longer, they’ll stop of their own accord. It’s not my place to try to persuade them otherwise.

It would be like a single cell telling the heart, “Hey, you seem exhausted. Why not take a rest?”, ignorant of the fact that if the heart stops, the entire body dies.

[…Allow me to pose the question differently. If you were the one who had to make this sacrifice, what would you do?]

Me?

[I’m a coward, so I’d probably give up right away.]

Why should I subject myself to endless torment just to keep the world spinning?

Sure, I might be able to tough it out at first, driven by a sense of duty or selflessness. But eventually, all the people relying on me to maintain their existence would start to seem like sadists, getting some cruel kick out of watching me suffer.

If the decision were mine, I’d choose for all of us to die together.

[…….]

…Did I give the wrong answer?

Still no response, huh?

Was I supposed to give the cliché hero’s response here? The whole “I’ll bear any burden for the greater good!” shtick?

[Did my answer disappoint you?]

[No, it has only deepened my pity for you.]

What? Why?

[Knowing your dread at the mere thought of a needle’s prick, I can only imagine the excruciating agony you would endure walking barefoot upon a path of thorns. How could I not feel profound pity for one such as you?]

…And why exactly would I be walking on thorns?

[What do you mean?]

[I have no desire to burden a soul as delicate as yours with the dreadful truth. You would lack the strength to bear it. Remain in blissful ignorance, You who are not Fabio. It will be kinder to learn of it only after the world has reached its inevitable end.]

I narrowed my eyes at the book.

Is this supposed to be some kind of ominous warning?

The over-the-top theatrics are really killing the atmosphere…

The manipulative scheme is so glaringly obvious that it’s lost any semblance of genuine threat.

He’s been evading giving me any solid answers about the alleged crisis this entire time.

This is a textbook ploy employed by swindlers pretending to be mystical fortune tellers, using cold reading to dupe their marks. (The art of “divining” someone’s deepest secrets without actually knowing a damn thing about them).

The trick is to keep everything infuriatingly vague and metaphorical.

That way, even when they’re spouting complete nonsense, they can always slither out of it by claiming it’s all subjective.

And they never miss a chance to drop ominous hints about looming catastrophe.

When someone’s quaking in their boots, paralyzed by fear, they stop asking questions, like they’re under some kind of spell.

That’s because when the amygdala, the brain’s fear and anxiety command center, gets triggered, it puts the prefrontal cortex, the rational thought hub, on mute.

It’s why people get scammed into blowing their life savings on magical talismans or ancient voodoo-breaking rituals.

Then again, this is the Dark Realm I’m dealing with, so there might actually be genuine psychics roaming around…

But the foolproof way to separate the authentic from the frauds is simple.

Just ask them to predict something that’s utterly impossible to guess.

You spend all your time obsessing over those strategy guides, so of course you’d get possessed, you Utopia bastard. You’d swallow any line I fed you.

It was obvious that he was gearing up to say some spiel about how I needed to make some grand, world-saving sacrifice to avert a catastrophic destiny or some such nonsense.

Still, the fact that he’s resorting to these bottom-of-the-barrel tactics just proves he’s run out of other tricks up his sleeve.

So pushing forward might not be too risky after all.

Then again, I probably won’t uncover much of value either.

Without getting my hopes up, I tossed out the question,

[If it’s going to happen regardless, then I want to know. So I can at least brace myself mentally. How many floors down do I have to go to hear more about this ‘contamination’?]

[If you are resolute in your desire, then you need only descend four more floors.]

Four floors?

That’s doable.

If he’d said 30 more, I would’ve noped out right then and there.

[Is there anything special about that particular floor?]

[Starlight does not reach that place.]

[Starlight?]

…Is that some kind of term related to the Othergods?

People usually describe the Othergods as beings from beyond the stars.

[You will understand upon your arrival.]

I pressed on, descending deeper.

21st floor, 22nd floor, 23rd floor, and just as I was about to cross the threshold onto the 24th…

[SYSTEM: Warning! The region below lies outside the system’s jurisdiction. Connection to the system will be temporarily suspended.]