Rise of the OtherGod Apostle: Not a Cult Leader, but a Serf?!
#131
#131
I always figured the Player of the God of War was just winging it—throwing out wild guesses, improvising left and right.
But was Insanity actually encouraging that kind of misunderstanding?
Why would he do something like that?
What would he get out of pretending to be me?
Or maybe his original username is just as embarrassing as something like “Athanasuki.”
Whatever the case, keeping your username hidden is always smart. Once it’s out there, it’s like announcing which Othergod you main and revealing your entire playstyle.
By comparison, my “qwerasdf” account was the definition of unpredictable. Nobody could nail down my strategy.
My concept was to never repeat a single play.
And I’m guessing Insanity probably avoided saying “qwerasdf” out loud on purpose.
For some reason, the thought of someone intentionally impersonating me felt extremely unpleasant.
Wonder what Insanity’s gameplay was like, anyway.
Judging by how he’s always dishing out advice, he must be a Conclude veteran…
A veteran who knows me well.
“…Ever seen Insanity in person?” I asked.
“Nope, not once.”
So there’s a chance he’s not even real. Maybe Napoléon’s just faking it.
Sometimes that guy would leave comments on the wiki pages I wrote. Things like, “qwerasdf, you’re the living embodiment of madness. Next to you, I’m nothing. I’ll strive to improve.”
Every time, I’d delete the comment and remind him to stay on topic.
Now, though, I have one more reason to stay alive.
If Napoléon and Insanity are the same person, then that guy’s truly unhinged and terrifying.
I don’t even want to imagine what would happen in the Mothergod faction if someone like that took over…
Nope, not even gonna think about it.
Quickly, I changed the subject.
“…Anyway, since you’ve met all the conditions, you’ll be able to make the contract by Christmas if everything goes smoothly, right?”
“Yeah!”
What happens to everyone else if this kid gets a contract first?
“So, if there are multiple altars, does that mean more than one player can form a contract?”
“That’s what I heard.”
I’d had a hunch when he mentioned each player’s altar was in a different spot, but hearing it confirmed made my heart sink a little.
Guess surviving until Christmas isn’t the safe finish line I thought it was…
It’s just the end of the tutorial.
I sighed, not even trying to hide it.
“What happens if you don’t make a contract once the starry sky opens? Do you get forced into a Game Over?”
“Not exactly. If you avoid making a contract altogether, the Othergod might get fed up and force a Game Over, but just missing the initial opportunity doesn’t end the game. Once the starry sky’s open, you can still meet the conditions and form a contract later. But surviving without one, especially after losing the tutorial benefits, is going to be insanely tough.”
“What kind of benefits does the tutorial give?”
“The biggest one is that the Apostles won’t make the first move. Plus, if you’re close to a game-over scenario, the system gives a warning. And if you beg for help, the emergency rescue device activates, like it did earlier.”
“What else can that rescue device do besides changing the time scale?”
“It depends. The system basically picks whatever survival tactic fits best in the moment. Like, if I were riding a horse over a mountain and saw an Apostle coming from the other side, the rescue device might trigger a landslide to block them and save me. The God of War’s player actually survived something like that once.”
If that’s true…
What did the system think was the best option back then?
Would stretching time from 6 minutes to 2 hours have really changed anything?
…No, that wasn’t the only thing it offered.
Reyes had also mentioned that the device let him “erase any traces of an Othergod” from a corpse after a suicide.
Piecing it all together, it wasn’t hard to see what the system thought the “optimal solution” was.
Having Andrea commit suicide, then Reyes following suit.
A chill ran through me.
The system could’ve picked something simpler, like a one-time teleport. But no…
Maybe it’s purposely nudging players toward the hardest choices, forcing them to toughen up if they want to survive.
It hit me, again, how ruthless Conclude is. To win, you’d have to throw out every last shred of humanity.
[You’re smitten by Reyes’ cuteness and can’t get enough!
Something about Reyes makes you want to pat his head and hug him close.
It’s hard to do anything but agree with everything he says, as if he’s always right.]
[SYSTEM: Due to the effect of ‘The Whole World Is Beneath Oneself,’ the ‘Distortion’ is provided as text.]
“…What exactly are you doing?”
“Hehe.”
Reyes glanced up at me with an almost bashful expression, though I knew better than to fall for it.
“What’s so ‘hehe’ about that?”
“Oh, nothing! Just curious! I figured if you let your guard down, I might get it to work… but I didn’t actually do anything! Honest!”
Tampering with someone’s mind is hardly “nothing.” Good thing distortion doesn’t work on me.
I wanted to snap, to tell him not to try that again, but held back. Better to squeeze a bit more info out of him than waste my energy on his games.
“…Actually, I just thought of something.”
“Go on, ask away.”
“Are you still able to use Floren’s powers? You mentioned making flowers bloom.”
“Yep, still can! But once I make a contract with the Distorted One, that’ll be gone.”
When a Cult Leader forms a contract with an Othergod, they become that deity’s Apostle. Naturally, they can’t wield two divine powers, so the original “bloodline” ability gets erased.
“Then how are you using Distortion now? Isn’t the holy relic still stored at the altar?”
“Oh, one of my eyes is actually a replicated holy relic.”
“…Did you implant it directly?”
“Nope! I’ve had it since I first opened my eyes in the Dark Realm. Apparently, it was part of the ‘arrangements.’”
At least he didn’t go as far as Commander Casimir.
A weak-willed modern person would never survive something extreme like that fully conscious.
Wait… does this mean relics can be replicated with enough clear points?
The more we talked, the more I realized just how meticulously the Distorted One had planned everything.
Probably the only reason this idiot hasn’t hit Game Over yet, despite being Its contractor.
“Where’s Fabio’s holy relic? Can I take a look?”
“I don’t have anything like that.”
“What? No holy relic? Then how are you supposed to form a contract?”
“Beats me.”
Honestly, I probably can’t.
No Helper, no clue where my altar is, and no relic.
A hopeless trinity.
“It’s an Othergod without any previous clears, so Happy God probably doesn’t even have enough points to create a relic.”
“But haven’t you earned a good amount of faith points by now? What about those?”
“Who knows. Am I even accumulating any? If I am, it’s probably next to nothing. I haven’t done anything noteworthy.”
“That can’t be true! Fabio’s cuteness alone must have made tons of people happyhappy just by existing!”
…Seriously, when is this kid’s favorability going to drop?
My mental battery was draining fast.
But at least he’s giving real answers.
I refocused, sorting through what I needed to know. With the basics covered, my next questions were…
…There’s so much to ask.
If I tried to satisfy every curiosity, we’d be here all night.
Who are the other players? How many have been eliminated, and how many are still in the game?
What happens at the end if no one wins or dies?
What exactly are the win conditions? And if someone does win… what do they gain?
And was it really the players who called for the Council?
I organized my thoughts, narrowing down the most pressing question.
“…Do you remember Quick Save?”
“You mean Retrograde?”
“Yeah. Do you know which player ended up with it?”
“Someone actually got Retrograde?”
“Well, maybe. All I found was a note where Retrograde should’ve been.”
The note that said: Merry X-Mas!
“Oh, and there was a trap. Almost invisible wires would slice your hand if you reached in.”
Only a player of the Distorted One would pull a stunt like that. But Reyes didn’t seem the type, so it had to be someone else.
“…There was nothing there when I went.”
“So maybe the person who took it and the one who set the trap aren’t the same?”
“No, I mean, there was no hidden basement at all.”
“What?”
“When I went, the floor was already broken, but underneath was just solid rock,” Reyes explained.
“But the hidden basement was definitely there and already open when I checked it recently.”
“Really? Could there have been an update in the meantime?”
An update…
If the system could make adjustments, it could add new spaces later where none existed before.
But why? And for whose benefit?
“…Could it be that only certain people can access that place?” Reyes offered.
“Who else would qualify besides a player?”
“The 17th player! There must be a Player of Order!”
“…An Order player who sets booby traps?”
If that’s true, this world is doomed.
“More likely, some psycho like Insanity set it up just for laughs.”
“But the players in the group chat already know there’s nothing there. Why bother?”
“…Maybe just to mess with someone like me who’d check it later?”
Reyes shook his head. “If I did something like that, I’d get points for it. But Insanity wouldn’t gain anything.”
Good point.
Could there really be a Player of Order?
I was about to ask how the whole “Player of Order” theory even got started when—
Knock, knock.
A sharp knock echoed from the door.
Who could that be?
Had Nasir noticed something unusual and come back?
I placed my hand on the doorknob, speaking through the door, since the soundproofing blessing was in effect.
“…Who is it?”
[Fabio, it’s me.]
Elamin?
The tension eased a bit. If the Order suspected anything, they wouldn’t have sent Elamin. He was just a reader here.
[Can you step out for a moment?]
“Is something the matter?”
[There’s something I need to give you.]
Something to give me?
…Now that I think of it, Casimir did mention giving me a relic.
I’d completely forgotten.
I was about to open the door without a second thought, but then I hesitated.
…Is it safe to open the door with Reyes here?
Even if I trusted Reyes, I couldn’t trust the influence of the Distorted One. The moment Elamin appeared, Reyes might have his perception distorted, misinterpret the situation, and spiral out of control. Worse, it could even distort Elamin’s perception, driving him to attack me…
“…Would it be alright if I received it tomorrow? I’m in the middle of something,” I said, trying to stall.
[Is it really that difficult to step out just for a moment?]
It did sound odd to say I couldn’t step out briefly, especially when I was right by the door. I scrambled for an excuse—something plausible enough that someone like Elamin, ever the romantic, might accept.
“W-well, I’m… with someone else right now. Opening the door would be… awkward.”
[Who are you with?]
Why is he asking that?
When I didn’t answer right away, Elamin pressed further.
[Are you with… a lover, perhaps?]
“Y-yes. So….”
I was about to tell him to leave when another voice cut in.
[Fabio.]
Shit.
[It’s me.]
F*ck, why did it have to be….
[If you don’t open this door, I’ll break it down and come in.]
Cold sweat dampened my back as my mind raced, grasping for any solution.
How do I keep it from getting obvious that it’s Athanas outside?
“…Athanas?”
Reyes’s voice sounded behind me, calm but unmistakably curious.
“Isn’t that Athanas’s voice?”
I’m screwed.