Chapter 29 – Bound Fate

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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To become a god was a truly marvelous experience.

Even if it was just a game made up of mere scraps of data.

Every time I moved my hand, people cheered, and I could change the day and night of the world.

Of course, was not an AAA-class game made by a famous development company.

It was a dark fantasy roguelike divine RPG made by an unknown development company and distributed for free.

Unlike general games, the player’s objective was just one: delaying the destruction of the world as much as possible. presented those methods through several endings.

And true to the concept of dark fantasy, and true to the genre of roguelike, it was designed to aim for multiple playthroughs.

The first ending, ‘Compromise with demons and maintain the world.’

Instead of confronting the Sun God, you negotiate with some demons you can converse with to protect the sunless world.

Lives slowly die out, but they are not exposed to attacks either. The survivors end up handing over their fate after death in exchange for escaping from fear for the rest of their lives.

The second ending, ‘Delay destruction by sealing the demons without killing them.’

The Sun God’s penalty wasn’t released, but you could not kill it either. The sun illuminated the world like before, but that period was far too short.

People considered that the Sun God had finally forgiven the world and began to worship it again… and even the player’s Divine Name ended up hidden beneath the sun’s halo.

In the end, the player who lost too much faith could not defeat the Sun God who had broken its own penalty.

The best you could do was just creating inherited elements for the player of the next playthrough.

The third ending, ‘Reborn as the Sole Existent by making a human sacrifice of all survivors.’

Human sacrifice was a route for people playing with an evil alignment.

Literally eating humans to become stronger, ultimately becoming a god capable of existing without humans or faith. The player, who became the only two Sole Existents, and the Sun God started a duel risking the fate of the world.

However, regardless of which side won, there were already no surviving lives in the world.

And the fourth ending that everyone considered the true ending.

There was the ‘Last Comet’ that could only be seen after achieving the All Slayer achievement.

The true ending forming a cyclic structure corresponding with the game’s title doubled the bitter taste.

The player killed all demons and fought the Sun God with all penalties released to win but… the death of the Sun God was no different from the sun shattering.

The moment the Sun God died, the sun shattered into pieces as soon as it regained its light and was reduced to comets orbiting the world.

Unfortunately, the comets, unable to be as massive as before, had no choice but to burn up and disappear.

In the end, right before the last comet faded away, the player threw themself into the comet along with all the power they possessed to voluntarily become firewood.

Nevertheless, it concluded with failing to become a sun and ultimately remaining as the last comet to the very end.

…A few of the gods with outstanding precognition already knew.

This was the reason Tinting Leaf, who noticed my Divine Name, squeezed out all its power to leave a hint.

This was also the reason the demons and the Black Sun were vigilantly keeping an eye on me and trying to kill me with gritted teeth.

Gods better at fighting than me, of course they existed.

Gods smarter and with better precognition than me, of course they existed.

Gods better at caring for people than me, no way there weren’t any.

However, no matter how outstanding a god was compared to me, I could affirm that a happy ending was impossible.

[The god who makes stars, Star Creation.]

“Not doing it. Get lost.”

It was the reason I brutally rejected the demons’ repeated appeasements.

***

The number of 262 people was quite bustling.

They were forming a group and moving their steps.

Since they were trudging while virtually starving, they couldn’t help but be sluggish.

Even if the Consoling Star consoling their pain twinkled diligently, it had clear limits.

“My vision is spinning in circles.”

“Why is it so dim…”

The number of people blinking their eyes with a half-dazed expression was increasing.

It was comforting that they didn’t get lost thanks to going down along the river.

If an attack came they would snap out of it, but there was no way the demons would do that.

They were watching, but they did not rush in.

Because they knew that attacking now would only decrease their numbers anyway.

Meaning, there was no need to go out of their way to touch them when they were losing their minds one by one due to the poor food situation even if left alone.

While looking down at them pitifully, I chewed over another worry.

Was there any other place that formed a group of this scale?

Even though the Ever-Weeping Star was shedding rain on the world, realistically, how long could they hold out without food?

Of course, the progression speed was much faster than standard play.

It’s a synergy achieved by my experience of having played the game quite a bit and my Divine Name, Star Creation.

The problem was that maintaining it was that much harder.

Among the demons who noticed these feelings, there was a guy who had repeatedly mentioned it.

Blood-Soaked Mud.

As Santiom got closer, the Great Demon handling heterogeneous type demons began to contact me.

Unlike the Holy Mother of Stillborns who was grinding her teeth, Blood-Soaked Mud spoke quite logically.

[I do not deny your strength and abilities. Rather, I acknowledge them.]

I looked at him pouring out praises first.

“You tried to strike me in cooperation with the Holy Mother of Stillborns, and now you say that?”

[If you were not a threat, I would have just stood by and watched. Other demons are underestimating you, but I, who observed your strength, am different.]

“How are you different.”

[Star Creation… That heart cherishing the living is no different from mine. Rather, as one who pursues the branches of boundless evolution, how could I hate a god who cherishes the living.]

The voice turned into letters, the letters dismantled and turned into lines, and then it began drawing a scenery.

I quickly realized what illusion Blood-Soaked Mud was trying to show me.

A sunless world.

Blood-Soaked Mud was showing that even if I killed the Sun God, light would not return to the world.

A truth that no one would know except the gods with strong precognition, the Great Demons who responded to the contract, and the Sun God.

[If your power becomes stronger someday, you will be able to defeat the Sun God. You might even be able to make a sun. However, you cannot drive the living into danger relying on a feeble possibility.]

“Just say what you want to.”

[I will lend you my strength in defeating the Holy Mother of Stillborns. To the one captivated by death who despises life, the very death she so yearned for.]

“The price?”

A deal proposed by a demon was always accompanied by a price.

Sure enough, the guy proposed the easiest way and whispered sweet words.

[The Sun God does not want the previous world. The world has changed. Star Creation, would it not be more correct to attempt to continue lives rather than attempt to change the world.]

“So let’s turn everyone into heterogeneous creatures, is that it.”

[Find a new way of life in a world the sun has turned its back on, without following the providence determined by the sun. The time has come when we must do so. O young god who makes stars, if you truly cherish the living, you need to prepare for your defeat. To save more people, cooperating is the best. I will provide you with a method to live in a sunless world.]

However, I knew the origin of Blood-Soaked Mud.

As the first lifeform in this world, it was a monster that pursued immortality and eternal life and forgot even its original appearance.

A Great Demon creating diverse ecologies by mixing all sorts of organisms in order to trace back and find its own origin.

I had absolutely no intention of complying with a negotiation against such a bastard.

“If it was simply a sunless world, I wouldn’t say anything. But if there’s no light, you guys will run rampant.”

[Do you tolerate the rule of the Sun God habitually practicing tyranny while rejecting our rule?]

“I never tolerated it. That is why I’m trying to make a new sun.”

[What is the reason you go out of your way to choose a dangerous path? Leaving aside a sure path for survival, that is.]

“It’s not a dangerous path, it’s a difficult path. And…”

I have already walked the easy path numerous times.

A bitter atmosphere, destruction quickly repeating, and a considerably low achievement score.

The difficult path is the exact opposite.

True to being a game, Last Comet gave greater rewards the harder the difficulty.

Although the bitter atmosphere remained the same, people could live on, generation after generation, if only for a time beneath the last comet.

Even though I had to keep my mouth shut at the backlash asking if they were just going to be destroyed eventually anyway.

It’s different if I create a new sun.

“…I like shiny things so much that I decided to walk the golden path.”

Since I expressed a strong will to create a sun, the opponent also gave up on negotiating.

It was the moment the illusion showing the dark future of a sunless world dismantled.

Blood-Soaked Mud returned from lines to letters, from letters to voice, and let out a long sigh.

[Blinded by a shining future, you turned away from life. O young god, you will come to regret your choice.]

Even so, feeling regretful, it left some room.

[However, if you wish for it, I will reach out my hand to you at any time, and we shall become two pillars aiming to connect life and prop up the world.]

“Yeah. Have a good trip.”

I felt the gaze of Blood-Soaked Mud move away.

I had no thought of doing something by cajoling or tricking it well from the start.

Because in my experience of clearing Last Comet multiple times, deals with demons have hidden penalties marked with ???.

Probably, even if it poured out words smoothly like flowing water, it had already finished preparations to fight.

…There was a high possibility Blood-Soaked Mud would intervene in this fight.

People probably did not know the fact that I had contacted a new demon yet.

I considered it would be better in many ways to tell them when we entered Santiom rather than letting them know right now.

-At that moment, completely unexpected presences were felt.

While the word ‘No way’ repeated in my head, the drunkard Ad stepping up to the front suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“T, that. That, aren’t those people?”

“What?”

I belatedly flew higher up.

Only then did I realize what the price the Holy Mother of Stillborns and Blood-Soaked Mud mentioned was.

Trudge, rumble….

I saw people walking towards us dragging carts without wheels, leaning their tattered bodies on crutches.

Divided into several branches with dozens of people each, gathering towards one place.

Where they were heading was clear.

Santiom.

Santiom was selected as the gathering point where the Black Sun and its allies would join forces. I didn’t know whose doing it was, but people were flocking to Santiom.

In order to proceed with the raid more easily, that was.

But their wickedness did not end here.

While quickly checking the people’s condition, the anger was enough to soar.

Among the people struggling to steady their bodies, there were women mixed in who received the worries of others exceptionally.

The senses as a god, which could hear no matter how far the distance was, brought terrible news.

“Oh my, mother shouldn’t walk around like that.”

“I, I’m okay. To cause any more trouble to the one pulling the cart.”

“It’s fine! It hasn’t even been long since you conceived the child, you’re light as a feather so load yourself in!”

Conceiving a child in a world where life cannot be conceived.

At a glance, it seemed like good news, but it was the exact opposite.

I noticed that no spirituality whatsoever resided within the belly of the pregnant woman bowing her head repeatedly.

It was the final phase the Holy Mother of Stillborns showed when she felt the player was the utmost threat.

[You shall pay the price.]

Those who forced rules upon the world tried to achieve their will by slyly bypassing them in some way or another.

The same went for the Holy Mother of Stillborns.

…Sacrificial Ritual, Conception.

Life could not be conceived, but it was different if spirituality was stolen right before conception and it became a stillborn.

The Holy Mother of Stillborns subtly twisted the rule she enforced to help a new soul be born.

And the moment the spirituality gathered, before it formed life, she snatched that soul.

Above all, because they were pure human souls, they were evaluated as the most precious among demons when conducting sacrificial rituals.

It was because of this terrible sacrificial ritual that the vicious demon was called the Holy Mother of Stillborns.

Moreover, it wasn’t just one person.

I saw a pregnant woman stroking her slightly swollen belly, and from far away, I saw a heavily pregnant woman as well.

I could guess what the sacrifice was for.

The Black Sun would shatter the penalty once again and try to stay.

Before that… before they were offered as sacrifices, I had to strike down the Holy Mother of Stillborns and reclaim the stolen souls.

“Hey! Misters! Look here, there are people here!”

“The Godfather of Stars is with us! Look over here, it’s a real god!”

The voices of the people waving to the other group seemed to ring out exceptionally.

Looking at the refugees flocking to Santiom, I agonized over what to do.