314 - God of What #1

The summit of Delphi, swept by a dazzling storm, was silent.

The people lying prostrate seemed to have forgotten even to breathe, not making the slightest sound.

How much time had passed like that?

With a rustling sound, the first to rise from her spot was the Great Prophet, Oracle Pythia.

"It's been over 100 years since I received the role of High Priestess of Delphi from the God of Light and guarded this place... but I've truly never experienced anything like this before."

Starting with her words, people one by one raised their shoulders and heads to survey their surroundings.

"Thirteen of Highforce, thirteen of Highforce came to this place-imnidat...! Indeed, indeed it is Hassan-nim...!!"

Thanks to Paranoy, who opened his mouth and shouted loudly, the frozen atmosphere seemed to break a little.

"The shallow gods of Highforce themselves have officially recognized that Hassan-nim is the rightful Ruler of the Underworld and the Father of all wealth in the world, Pluto-nim's Son-imnidat...!!"

Paranoy, who had been chattering so loudly that foam gathered at his mouth, then pointed to the ground. There, letters were vividly carved into the rock, as if scorched by lightning.

『Hassan, Son of Pluto. Now, break free from shallow chaos and claim your rightful authority-.』

It was the truth, literally revealed.

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Many of the worries I had harbored until now were easily resolved by those carved words on the rock, that single short sentence.

Dalgak-.

The awkwardly empty puzzle piece clicked into place, and my world began to function again, as if a machine that had gone awry due to a missing small screw had found its proper position.

Hassan, Son of Pluto.

Pluto.

There is only one symbol of fear in this world whose name is even shunned. And that is my family; my father was a god who abandoned his throne and fled.

It's so fucking unbelievable that I can't comprehend it, but it's the fucking truth.

To think I was a divine spoon, beyond a golden spoon!

But why was I living like this?

Why a health food store...?

It's so fucking incomprehensible my hair feels like it's all going to fall out!

The revealed truth only brought more questions swirling in my mind. It was like a Hydra's head. A fucking magic lamp of questions, where if you cut one, two more appeared.

Is this really true?

As I was pondering with that feeling, Paranoy climbed onto a high pillar and shouted.

"Now, you no longer need to act like a foolish and idiotic Samarian-imnidat...!! The time for world domination, Hassan-nim's long-cherished aspiration, has arrived-imnidat...!!"

I had just been caught up in all sorts of thoughts, but seeing Paranoy shouting loudly, a cool composure once again soothed my mind.

My aspiration is world domination? A dream of mine that even I don't know. Had I ever said such a thing to Paranoy?

"For a long time-!"

Paranoy shouted even louder.

"For a long time, for a long time, the Cult of Pluto, which endured oppression, will once again raise its great achievements, and the time has come for the Cult's prophets and holy warriors to spread Hassan-nim's name to the ends of the earth-imnidat...!!!"

"Don't talk nonsense, you bastard!"

"And we will exact due retribution upon all those who ignored us, especially me, the Guardian of Truth, the Keeper of Secrets, the Great Nymph Paranoy, calling us Cultists, and we will surely destroy Highforce, which oppressed the Cult of Pluto-imnidat...!!"

The Cultist Nymph Paranoy was truly filled with rage.

It was to the point where I wondered how such a blazing fire could fit into that small body and head.

"And I will become the Great Marquis of Hell, Imp of Hellfire Paranoy-imnidat...! I will erect my statue made of hardened honey and sugarcane in my territory-imnidat...!! Anyone who licks it without my permission will be executed-imnidat...!!"

But that last part seemed to be his true intention. So, just as I was feeling a slight sense of relief, thinking Paranoy was indeed Paranoy, I heard the *Sreung-* sound of someone drawing a sword.

It was Hippolyte.

Hippolyte, whose already reddish skin was further reddened by the scorching, pointed her sword at me and Paranoy and said.

"Son of Pluto. So you were the being the Cultists cried out for and awaited in their prophecies, Hassan."

The Cultists' prophecies?

I wondered what that was, but several things suddenly came to mind.

From Cultist Coma, whom I met in the Swamp of Kalan, to Schizo, Pluto's Holy Warrior, whom I defeated when I was in mortal danger.

Those bastards had been spreading chaos in the world, babbling about Pluto's only son arriving on this land.

I thought it was just the usual nonsense from those Cultist bastards, but thinking about it now, it was the fucking truth. More than that, weren't those bastards and I on the same side?

"No, that's. Fucking, it's true, but. There are circumstances."

"The continuous Cultist attacks on Sodomora, the untimely appearance of Monsters-was all of this planned and orchestrated by you?"

Gooooh-.

A quiet yet intense fighting spirit emanated from Hippolyte. All the pores on my skin tingled as if screaming, to the point where it felt like I was bathing in carbonated water.

Had I ever seen Hippolyte this angry before? No, I hadn't.

I could vividly empathize with what the Monsters, Cultists, and bandit groups she had faced must have felt in their final moments.

"Tell me, Hassan. Are you my enemy?"

Considering how Pluto's Followers were treated in this kingdom, Hippolyte, who was called a hero, was reacting naturally. Could I explain myself well?

Just then, Paranoy shouted.

"That's right-imnidat...! Everything, everything was according to Hassan-nim's plan-imnidat...! Foolish Mars's Guild! Foolish Sodomora! Foolish Delphi! All of them were played and used under Hassan-nim's plan-imnidat...!"

"What is that plan? Answer me, Paranoy!"

"Th-that... that is a profound plan in Hassan-nim's cosmic D-Drive, so it cannot be revealed-imnidat...!"

What the fucking hell is a profound plan in a D-Drive?

Paranoy seemed to be spouting whatever nonsense he vaguely heard from the Oracle.

The problem was that it worked quite well on Hippolyte.

"Was breaking Mars's Guild and trying to win me over, its core strength, also part of your plan? You wormed your way into my weakness when I was at my most vulnerable!"

Hippolyte already seemed to be drawing some kind of scenario in her head.

"Tell me the truth, Hassan! Were you deceiving us? Depending on your answer, from this moment on, you are a Platinum Tier person of interest for extermination!"

Platinum Tier person of interest for extermination?

Isn't a Platinum Tier adventurer quest something you only see in city or national-level subjugation campaigns? Like the all-out war against the Cultists on the plains, for example.

I'm on par with that?

That's ridiculous. I'm everyone's friendly neighborhood Hassan.

But Hippolyte looked very serious. A little excessively so.

Her brown eyes were already bloodshot, and unusually, veins were bulging on her forehead, making her look like a bulldog on steroids.

She was snorting as if she would break her leash and rush at me to bite my neck at any moment. She was clearly not in her right mind.

But I knew well how to calm such a Hippolyte.

This was the unorthodox path.

I had intended to seal it deep within my D-Drive, but the situation was so urgent that a fight could break out at any moment, so I had no choice.

Seueuk.

I extended a finger towards Hippolyte.

And, as if hypnotizing her, I spun it in the air.

This was like my ultimate technique that only worked on Hippolyte. She, who had experienced the power of my finger on her body, would know its might well.

"Calm down, Hippolyte-nim."

"Th-that, Haaah-!"

Indeed, Hippolyte clutched her breastplate and slumped down, cowering as if struggling to breathe. At that sight, Paranoy shouted.

"Th-that is Hassan-nim's Hell's Deathblow, the thirty-fifth one! The Finger of Silence...!! No matter how much they boast of being a Gold Tier hero, they cannot escape this vicious technique-imnidat...!!"

"You cowardly bastard...! Haaah-!"

"Wow!"

Just then, Luna, who had been quiet, raised both hands high into the sky.

"Hassan, Hassan was the Son of a God! Pluto was one of the three Chief Deities before he fell into depravity! The King of the Underworld who divided the world into three!"

"Hmm...."

"The prophecy that I would become a queen must have meant becoming the Queen of the Underworld! Luna Noxdoti, Queen of Hell!"

Luna looked very happy. The image of her throwing a tantrum at the Oracle, saying she didn't want to marry a king, was nowhere to be seen.

"No wonder I didn't think Hassan was an ordinary person! I had a strong feeling right when I met him! Hassan, let's recreate the formless land, where great souls surge, on this earth together!"

Luna also seemed overly excited. Recreating the formless land? Didn't they say the Underworld was called the formless land?

Then aren't Luna's current words no different from a Cultist's?

For a moment, a past memory flashed through my mind.

Somnia, the Cultist voodoo practitioner from Ideope, who tried to win over Luna, also from Ideope.

And Antiope, who saw Luna, also from Ideope, as a potential Cultist and tried to eliminate her.

All of them said that Luna, being from Ideope, used something similar to Hell magic, and thus had the potential to fall into depravity as a Cultist at any time.

At the time, I thought it was a ridiculous notion, but looking at Luna now, I wonder if they weren't right after all.

I imagined Luna leading zombies to raid cities and towns. It was utterly gruesome, so I had no choice but to shake off the thought and move on.

"Th-this, quickly untie me-! Me, me tied up, what are you trying to do? You guys, you're going to use me as a sacrifice for a secret and obscene Cult ritual, aren't you! I know everything! Because I'm a great Gold Tier adventurer!"

Hippolyte, who seemed to have regained her senses, thrashed and struggled.

However, no one had tied her up, so I don't know why she was struggling like that. What on earth was she asking to be untied from?

"We're sacrificing her-imnidat...! Sacrificing her to bring Hell to this earth-imnidat...!"

"Sacrifice Hippolyte as the first offering!"

And Luna and Paranoy were circling around her, performing strange songs and dances.

It was a chaotic and distracting scene, completely lacking any sense of reality. How should I describe this?

Perhaps this is Hell.

Seeing so many things being ruined because of me, it seemed Hell had already arrived. My head was throbbing, and just as I wondered what to do-.

"Haa-."

Someone let out a big sigh.

I turned my head to see Friede, who seemed to be the only one maintaining her composure in this situation, frowning with her arms crossed.

"Everyone is so distracted. I know you're all disoriented from the gas, but this is too much."

And then she even pointed at the swirling smoke around us with her finger.

I asked.

"Gas...?"

Only then could I recognize the pale smoke filling our surroundings. As Friede said, gas was covering us.

"This special sulfur seems to have hallucinogenic and disorienting properties. It's natural to talk nonsense and see things if exposed for too long. I know this well because there was a lot of it in Alfheim."

Indeed, Friede's words seemed to have some merit.

Looking closely now, Luna, Hippolyte, and even Paranoy all seemed to have dilated pupils and were expressing meaningless laughter and anger.

Come to think of it, Luna had said this sulfur gas contained harmful ingredients. So, everyone is in a state of drug-induced ecstasy, then?

Just then, Friede added a few more words.

"Right now, we are all in a state of mental disorientation. A god appearing directly before us? And you, Hassan, being the son of a god? That's impossible unless it's a hallucination."

That's a plausible deduction.

"If you were truly the son of a god, you wouldn't have been captured as a slave in an illegal arena, and you wouldn't have been whipped by me, would you?"

That makes a lot of sense. Amidst everyone's confusion, only Friede was making a cool judgment.

Because of that, I also felt my head clear a little.

"But Friede, you look fine? Are you unaffected even if you inhale this gas?"

I was thinking scientifically, wondering if she had a natural resistance to smoke or gas because she wielded fire.

"Gas or anything like that can't stop me. I, Friede, am a dragon that gnaws at roots."

"What? Who?"

"I am actually a dragon. The arch-enemy of eagles, and the friend of Ratatoskr the squirrel. An avatar of ruin conceived by the flames of destruction. That is me."

What the fuck is she talking about?

It felt like she was talking more nonsense than Luna, Hippolyte, or even Paranoy.

Seueuk-.

Friede, like that, spread five fingers towards me, revealing her claws like a monster.

"Do you see these magnificent dragon claws? My claws can tear iron and wound the World Tree. And the wings on my back can break through the sky in an instant!"

Wings?

Did Friede have wings?

As I was thinking that, Friede launched herself towards the swirling smoke. And then she thrashed and struggled, flailing her arms and legs in the smoke.

"Look! I'm flying above the clouds!"

Friede seemed to have mistaken the sulfur smoke rising from the ground for clouds.

"Quickly shout, 'Long live the most beautiful and strong Dragon Friede-nim!'"

I realized that Friede was also suffering from hallucinations, intoxicated by this sulfur gas. To think I was listening to the nonsense of an incompetent person!

This must be exactly how the only sane person feels among drug addicts.

No, can I even call myself sane? Am I also caught in a hallucination?

Just then, a strange, *holhol-* laughter was heard.

"Hassan. You have interesting companions."

It was the Great Prophet Pythia.

"But they will be truly good companions, Hassan. For the path you must take will be an even more arduous and difficult journey."

"The path I must take, you say?"

"Son of the Fugitive, build your own Temple. Do not inherit your father's position, but ascend to the position of a god yourself."

Seureureuk-.

Pythia's small body, which had been cowering on the ground, soon began to swell enormously. Her form, revealed from beneath the black veil, was a long, large python with red scales, like a dragon.

Pythia's true identity was a python as large as a dragon.

She opened her long, tearing mouth and said.

"Well then, see you later."

"Excuse me, aren't you going to listen to Friede's question?"

I looked at Friede, who was flapping around in the mist.

Only Friede had not yet heard the prophecy. Hadn't she come all the way to Delphi with us precisely to meet the Great Prophet Oracle?

To that, the auspicious python Pythia said.

"In my opinion, that young lady from across the sea doesn't believe in fate or prophecies. Therefore, I have nothing to say to her. And, that young lady... no, that's beyond my jurisdiction."

Seureureu-.

Watching the python vanish suddenly from the summit of Delphi, I decided to stop thinking for a moment.

━Hwiu-u-u-.

A strong wind blew, stroking my forehead.

Amidst everyone immersed in illusion.

I alone awoke from the dream.