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

#110Reader Mode

T/N: [Illegal cliffhanger avoided!] Thanks Lewe and Maggie for the coffee! Double upload today 1/2（＾∀＾●）ﾉｼ

#110

My heart pounded fiercely.

If I die, for whatever reason, I’ll wake up in Mother God’s faction… just like that?

How…

No, focus. Keep reading. Understand the full picture before jumping to conclusions.

I needed more information before letting my mind run wild with speculation. I had to read every word in this strange ‘Notebook’, every story my future self deemed important enough to share, regardless of the consequences. Only then could I truly understand the mess I was in.

[14. This concludes the stories of the Three Great Ones.]

…Three? Where are the other two? And why start at 14?

Did I miss something?

[I’ve told you all I can.

Even now, I don’t know if it’s better to know the inevitable, or to remain blissfully unaware.]

Wait a minute, two stories are missing!

If edits were a possibility, why not make three versions, at least?! How am I supposed to fill in the gaps?

Ugh, you absolute idiot!

[Whatever happens, the most important thing is to never lose hope.]

Don’t give me that shit!

[For now, get rid of this book. Keeping it will only lead to trouble.]

[15. How to Get Rid of the Book]

I bit my lip, staring at the next entry. The “book” obviously meant this ‘Notebook.’ Getting rid of it would remove the Blessing of Records. You’d think that would be a relief, but honestly, I was torn.

…Is it really a good idea to get rid of this blessing now?

There’s still so much I don’t know. Destroying the book might mean losing those missing stories for good. What if they were just as important, mind-blowing, and terrifying as learning about Mother God’s trait?

Without that info, I’d be completely screwed later, wouldn’t I?

The question mark trait revelation proves how vital this knowledge is.

Imagine if I’d stayed clueless, failed a SAN check, killed myself… only to wake up trapped in Mother God’s creepy cult Basecamp?

I shuddered.

Too horrific to even think about.

I didn’t have any hard proof to back up my suspicions. It’s not like I could just shout out Mother God’s name or try to commit suicide to test the theory. But deep down, I knew this record was telling the truth.

Skipping over the pointless rambling intro, the only part that actually mattered – the real ‘Main Text’ – was entry number 11.

The mysterious question marks and Motherly Love…

The connection was too eerie to write off as a simple coincidence.

I’ve never told anyone about Mother God’s blessing or the hidden [???] trait in my status window.

Even if someone did somehow find out about my traits, there’s no way they could know they showed up as question marks.

So, by process of elimination, the only person who could’ve written this record was me.

And there weren’t any demands or requests, either.

If some evil, all-knowing entity was behind this, trying to deceive me, they’d include extra instructions or commands. “Go here, do that, obey them…” But the only thing I got from this ominous warning was the realization that… I must never, ever attempt suicide, no matter what happens!

And as if that wasn’t enough, this person even told me to get rid of the blessing.

It was hard not to trust someone who gave a warning without asking for anything in return.

The only problem is…

Numbers 12 and 13 were missing from the record. It wasn’t likely that I’d intentionally leave those entries out just to mess with myself. This gap probably meant those entries had been “edited” out by that ‘Watcher.’

…But how do I get the missing stories back?

Did I need to keep going down?

No, that would defeat the whole point of passing this on to my past self.

The more I mulled it over, the more convinced I became that getting rid of the blessing was the right call. If Athanas was really coming, I couldn’t afford to waste time lost in thought like this.

[15. How to Get Rid of the Book]

I glared at the back of my hand, my brain working overtime to process the situation.

Please don’t tell me I need to go down those stairs and chop off my hand to remove the blessing. That’s just insane.

My hands shook slightly as I tapped the back of my hand.

[How to Get Rid of the Book!

The process is pretty straightforward.

First, locate the book, then cut it out.]

…Cut it out?

Cut what out, exactly?

[An ax might come in handy for this task.]

An axe….?

What kind of messed up metaphor was this?

Maybe it was hinting at something else, given that it couldn’t mention names directly… Suddenly, I remembered something Casimir once said.

“No matter where a blessing is inscribed, if you cut it out and let the area regenerate, you’re good to go. A tongue, for example, would regrow in less than an hour.”

The implications spun through my head, dizzying and disorienting.

…Are you seriously telling me to chop off my left hand?!

Is that really the only way to get rid of this blessing?

Don’t be ridiculous!

[16. You’re enraged: ‘Where’s the damn axe?!’]

The axe isn’t the issue here!

[How on earth are you supposed to cut out the book without one?

Of course, I realize that even with an axe, removing the book wouldn’t be easy.

Especially since you’d somehow need to keep the hand with the book completely still, which is almost impossible.

I know myself well enough to understand I can’t do this on my own.

That’s precisely why I came up with a backup plan.]

Okay, that makes a lot more sense.

I couldn’t imagine actually going through with chopping off my own arm, even if I was desperate.

If I were thinking straight, I would’ve definitely looked for another way.

And hacking off my arm? Wouldn’t I just bleed out and die?

Even if I managed to stop the bleeding somehow, then what? I’d have to go to a healing priest for help. But the priests of Ledeia aren’t idiots. They’d demand to know what happened. What would I say? That I had a little mishap while chopping firewood?

[17. But before we get back to that, let me just say…]

I took a deep breath and tapped my finger on the entry.

[…This is strange, isn’t it?

Why did I bother writing all this as numbered entries?

Sure, some parts were important for explaining the situation, but doesn’t it feel unnecessarily wordy and drawn out?

Especially given the urgency – every second matters, and someone’s approaching as we speak.]

…What?

I frowned, a sense of unease creeping over me.

[18. I needed to stall for some time.]

Why?

[There’s no need to be so concerned.

I wouldn’t do anything to harm myself, would I?]

The more you emphasize that, the more suspicious it sounds!

The next page only heightened my growing dread:

[I have to give my past self a little push. Deep down, you know what has to happen, even if it seems unthinkable right now.

You should appreciate my thoughtfulness.

Back then, I had no one to help me.

I had to do it all on my own.]

I grimaced, a knot forming in my stomach.

So…?

[19. You had to read this from start to finish, one word at a time.]

[But there’s an entity with you. Someone who can absorb entire books in an instant, without flipping a single page.

This last part is for them.

I need a favor. Please bring someone to help me.

Because I know I won’t have the courage to do this alone.]

…Help with what?

The silence was suddenly broken by the soft but unmistakable sound of footsteps. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest as I whirled around, my eyes darting to the stairs.

Who’s there?

Athanas?

But the answer caught me off guard.

“Fabio.”

As soon as the voice reached my ears, my breath hitched in my throat. A dark, hooded figure emerged from the shadows at the top of the stairs, their face hidden beneath the depths of a heavy hood. But that voice… I knew that voice.

“I told you our paths would cross again,” the figure spoke, each word soaked in amusement. “Though I never anticipated it would be here, of all places.”

…Callister?

What was he doing here? How did he find me? But there was no time to think about that now—a glint of metal caught my eye, the unmistakable gleam of an axe blade hidden in the folds of his cloak. Every cell in my body screamed danger.

Shit!

My body reacted before my brain did. I spun around and ran, the towering bookshelves of the ancient library looming like giants ahead of me. I dashed into the aisles, desperate to put as much distance between us as possible.

Shit, shit, shit!

My pulse pounded in my ears, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I careened around corners, using the shelves to keep my balance. The endless rows of books seemed to stretch on forever, each one a carbon copy of the last in the vast, confusing labyrinth. I had no plan, no idea where I was going—just a desperate, driving need to get away.

I don’t want to lose an arm!

Behind me, the relentless thud of Callister’s footsteps was accompanied by the rustle of disturbed pages. I gasped for air, my lungs burning like they were on fire, as I ran for my life. I didn’t dare look back, too scared of what I might see.

And then, disaster struck. My foot collided with a loose pile of books, sending me crashing to the floor. A pain shot through me as I hit the ground hard, a yelp of surprise and pain escaping my lips.

“Ugh!”

Shit!

F*cking books!

The scattered books around me seemed to have a mind of their own, their pages fluttering open as if an invisible hand was rifling through them. I stared in shock as I took in the same chilling message scrawled across every page:

[Fabio, go back.]

[Fabio, go back.]

[Fabio, go back.]

Goosebumps erupted across my skin as a cold dread settled in.

This is Records’ Domain…!

The realization hit me then. Records must have betrayed me, giving Callister my location. I felt a sense of despair. I’d been fighting a battle I couldn’t win from the very beginning.

I should’ve just ran up the stairs…

The regret stung as I scrambled to my feet, frantically trying to come up with a plan.

Maybe I could reason with him?

Callister wasn’t a mindless murderer out to kill me. He just wanted to…well, maim me. But if I could convince him that hacking off my arm wasn’t necessary…

“Faa-biioo…” The eerie, sing-song tone of my name slithered through the air, cutting off my thoughts and my heart sank.

Shit!

I needed to get out of there, and fast. The stairs were my only hope. I didn’t have a clue what I’d do once I reached the top, but escape was all that mattered now.

But, to my horror, the books around me seemed to have developed a life of their own. They tumbled down from the shelves, piling up around me, forming barriers of paper and leather that blocked my path. I gritted my teeth, realizing too late that I’d walked right into a trap.

I can’t let myself get boxed in.

With a grunt, I launched myself at the wall of books, using my shoulder to knock them down in a whirlwind of pages.

Just as I was about to burst through the gap and make a run for it, an avalanche of books came crashing down on me from the shelf above.

“Ugh!” I grunted, curling up and shielding my head with my arms as the weight of the books pressed down on me.

Anger flared up, temporarily overriding the pain and fear.

Records, you damn manipulative bastard… I thought bitterly, about to unleash a string of curses when a book in front of me suddenly flipped open on its own.

[Fabio, this is for your own good. I don’t want to hurt you.]

Spare me the bullshit!

I slammed the book shut with a satisfying thud, my anger and frustration boiling over.

But as I struggled to crawl out from under the pile of books, a pair of unfamiliar shoes appeared in front of me.

“Fabio, running before surgery? Not a wise choice…”

Damn, when did he get so close?

“Increased heart rate means more bleeding. Best to be calm, wouldn’t you agree?”

A cold sweat broke out across my skin as I looked up, and there it was—the axe, its blade glinting with deadly menace. My voice got stuck in my throat, fear strangling my words.

“Normally, I’d wait for your nerves to settle, but time is pressing, and I’m afraid I have no other option.”

“Wait, I need to—”

I tried to speak up, but before I could get a word out, Callister quickly dropped to one knee and shoved a handkerchief into my mouth, muffling my voice. His expression remained steady, his voice soft, almost tender.

“No talking during the procedure, I’m afraid. We wouldn’t want any accidents, like biting off your own tongue, now would we?”

I instinctively tried to spit out the handkerchief, but it seemed to be stuck to the roof of my mouth, refusing to budge. My protests came out as feeble, muffled shouts.

“Mmm! Mmmmph!”

What the hell is this?!

What did you put in my mouth…?!

“Shhh, don’t worry. This won’t take long. You won’t feel a thing,” Callister murmured, patting my cheek as if to offer comfort. The touch sent a shudder through me.

[SYSTEM: Due to the effect of ‘The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self,’ the ‘Blessing of Pain Relief’ has been nullified.]

No… Wait the blessing isn’t working!

Fear froze me in place as Callister raised the axe, its blade catching the light in a final, terrifying gleam.

And that was the last thing I saw before everything went black.