Preparing For The Leap (3)

After inspecting all the changed facilities and equipment, I returned to the reception room and sat across from Kyuri.

First, I operated the housing management pad (hereafter referred to as the pad) to transfer 10,000 gold to the Construction Guild.

Kyuri was immensely grateful for my generous gesture, bowing her head repeatedly in thanks.

“That’s that, and this is for your personal good work. Take it.”

Ten Mithril coins.

Kyuri’s wrinkled eyes widened at the amount equivalent to a thousand gold.

Even as the head of the Construction Guild, the bonus from this project, when divided among many, wouldn’t amount to this, so her surprise was understandable.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Yes!! Just leave it to me!”

“Haha. It’s nothing much, just find a trustworthy, loyal butler.”

“A butler, you say?”

“Yeah. As you know, we’re more about physical work or fighting, not managing things meticulously like this.”

Pointing at the house, I joked, and Kyuri seemed to have someone in mind, hesitating with lips parted but unable to speak easily.

I encouraged her to at least mention it if she knew someone.

With a deep sigh, Kyuri cautiously began to speak.

“I heard that the representatives of the gods possess remedies more effective than potions. Is that true?”

“Well, some do, and some don’t, I guess?”

“Whew… Then I’ll tell you. There’s someone skilled not only in abilities but also in property management and alchemy. It’s… my son.”

Oh! I was a little surprised.

Even though Kyuri was the head of the Construction Guild, at best, she was a quasi-noble. The fact that Kyuri’s son, as a commoner, received quite a high level of education in asset management, butler training, and even learned alchemy was impressive.

Kyuri must have spent a lot of money focusing on her son’s education for his future, or the son had a natural talent in that field, one of the two.

And I hoped it was the latter.

“Ah, Kyuri’s son… But? It seems like there’s a condition attached to this.”

“Yes… The thing is, he’s in a state where his death is already determined.”

“…Huh? I had a hunch when you mentioned the remedy earlier, but is it so serious?”

“The temple within Exorsus has also given up, saying there’s no way to help him now…”

“Is it just a matter of treating him?”

“Yes? Ah! Yes!! If you just treat him and solve the problem of livelihood, I, along with our three generations of family, will serve you, Mr. Kim Han, with utmost loyalty for life!”

Listening to the story, something seemed odd. Three generations?

“Three generations? Does that mean the grandson is in the same situation as the son?”

“…Yes.”

The pain experienced from losing a parent or teacher is called ‘the sorrow as if the sky is collapsing,’ known as ‘the pain of heaven collapsing.’

However, the sorrow of parents who lose a son before themselves is described as ‘the darkness of losing sight, a pain so overwhelming that it feels like losing vision,’ known as ‘the pain of losing brightness.’

Kyuri’s situation, facing the loss of not only her son but also her grandson, naturally drew a sigh of pity from everyone.

The representatives don’t care much about who dies, but for the continent dwellers living in this dimension, if I can invest a little time to help, I want to do so.

Even they are beings who, according to the gods’ “slave game,” could have thousands or tens of thousands die in an instant, making them arguably lesser than the representatives.

Moreover, it’s about hiring someone to manage the house where my colleagues and I will stay, and to enrich the environment beyond training and combat, so I can’t help but be concerned.

“Then bring them. I can’t give a definite answer, but if it’s something I can treat after seeing it, I will.”

“R-really?! Th-thank you! Thank you!”

“Enough, just bring them as soon as possible. How much would you regret it if it’s too late to do anything?”

“Yes, yes! Of course! I’ll be right back.”

“Alright.”

After Kyuri left, I contacted Arun and Lee Hyo-ju through the communication crystal.

When they entered the reception room, I guided them to the terrace.

There wasn’t time to prepare tea separately, so I took out one of the items stored in the inventory, poured it into a cup, and sat at the tea table to enjoy the garden.

The garden, with its colorful flowers dancing in the occasional breeze, and perhaps due to the influence of Depratio and Depro, was enveloped in a clean and dense aura that circulated around the terrace and flowed into the training ground and the fourth floor.

Sensing the ‘flow’ of energy moving to each engraved magic circle, I brought the tea to my lips.

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

As they drank the tea, they alternated between looking at me and the tea in their cups with surprised eyes, as if they sensed something or saw a message like I did.

“Why? What? Why?”

“Th-this…?”

“So, what is it?”

“The flow of divine power is accelerating, and the accumulation and recovery rates are increasing… What is this?”

At Arun’s words, Lee Hyo-ju nodded in agreement at the feeling.

In their actions, I realized a fact unknown even in my previous life, or rather, a fact I hadn’t even cared about.

That other representatives also receive some kind of message.

“Just drink it. Why? You don’t want to drink?”

“Pardon? Oh, no. I’ll drink.”

Arun hurriedly grabbed his teacup and gulped it down. Lee Hyo-ju, avoiding eye contact with me to prevent a similar comment, sipped her tea.

But their reactions were something I could just laugh off, enjoying a brief moment of leisure for the first time since my return.

Recognizing the fact of my return, preparing, making mistakes, and driving myself to race ahead of others, I finally set the conditions to lead.

A fragmentary example was the two representatives who died at my hands in the Monster Belt, and the existence of Unos, who became a lump of meat.

‘I thought money was worthless. I was foolish. Things can be so different from the start when you have the right goods.’

Other representatives, especially those of mainstream gods like the Heavenly God or the Demon God, could enjoy such luxury like me.

Even now, in the Dark Empire of the West or the Holy Union, they could enjoy the status of a high-ranking noble.

However, conversely, they couldn’t enjoy such luxury immediately.

Later, perhaps, but for the next four years, the time required to stay in Exorsus was exactly four years.

A period known as the ‘Training Period.’ During this time, the most prioritized ‘setting’ for representatives was ‘protection.’

I didn’t use the ‘Privilege—Exit Permit’ to leave Exorsus for no reason.

So, even if I didn’t know about it four years later, from now on, they couldn’t enjoy the same luxury as I do and quickly hone their skills in the best facilities.

They must stay in Exorsus unconditionally and have something profitable in this city.

If a Heavenly God or Demon God personally descended a revelation in the temples of the Dark Empire or the Holy Nation Alliance to hand some money to the representatives, it would be different, but as mentioned before, gods live solely on pride.

They wouldn’t issue a revelation to give some gold coins to their representatives. Unless it’s through other means.

In fact, if the Demon God’s representative had fully obtained what she was supposed to without my interference, the direct magic circle covering my mansion wouldn’t have been necessary.

If she had used the Earth Dragon’s corpse, she could have created an even more splendid and magnificent training facility than my mansion.

However, she failed, and now she must find another way.

And the easiest and fastest way is through money, jewels, or treasures.

‘Indeed… could a brute like you really have such capability?’

Violentia, who I briefly observed, couldn’t regain her senses for a long time, being ‘drained’ in that spot.

Eventually, she even fainted, crawling slowly during the ‘intestine chaos outburst’ that followed the battle with the Earth Dragon without a break.

The most ridiculous part was that, even while lying down, the ‘draining’ continued.

What tormented her after barely finding a stream to wash herself was the stone still lodged in her stomach. It was the size of a child’s fist, so it wouldn’t easily come out of her intestines.

But who is Violentia? Isn’t she one of the seven strong ones called the Enchantress before the regression?

Violentia, with unyielding determination(?), managed to extract the stone from remedies.
And instead, she spent the entire day afterward half-submerged in water, fainting from indescribable pain.

In any case, Violentia was now awake and trudging towards Exorsus.

During this time, I had been observing Violentia with amusement and delight. Now, I leisurely sipped tea while keeping an eye on the movements of Benialis, the representative of the Heavenly God.

Benialis passed through a dense thicket and annihilated a rare goblin tribe in the Monster Belt.

And he smiled as he placed a large water bottle filled with a black liquid, unfitting for a priest’s occupation, into his magical pouch.

‘What? What’s this guy collecting now…? It doesn’t seem like he’s going to drink it like Violentia…’

I suddenly recalled what Benialis did in the beginning and sprang up from my seat.

“Y-you! Crazy bastard!! Even trash has its limits!”

Two people looked at me strangely as I suddenly started yelling alone by myself.

The two flinched and awkwardly rose from their seats, startled by the murderous intent flowing from my eyes, no, my entire body.

I bit my lip as I watched Arun and Lee Hyo-ju fidgeting nervously.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I had planned to calmly teach them training methods while keeping them close to understand their tendencies, but the plan was messed up from the start.

Because of the dual-personality perverted half-elf, Benialis.

‘Damn! That crazy bastard!!’

“I was planning to take my time and suggest it more leisurely, but it seems that’s not possible. Time is pressing, and there’s too much to prepare. So, I can’t give you more time. I apologize for that. But since we’ve spent some time together, I’ll ask. What will you do going forward?”

“What? What do you mean…?”

“What?”

“You’ve seen your contract, right? I assume you’ve read it thoroughly. It mentions several ways to win in the ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’ Among them, there’s a way to win as a group. Do you remember?”

“Ah… Legion…”

“…?”

Arun, who didn’t understand my question at all, and Lee Hyo-ju, who recalled what I said, looked at each other.

“That’s right, Legion. I’m going to create a Legion too. The goal of the Legion that I, or rather we, will create is simple. To dismantle this damned ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ system. Not to destroy this dimension, but to end this game, which is a plaything of the gods. So, you must decide now whether you’ll join me or part ways.”

“What…?”

“Excuse me?!”

“I wanted to give you time to think it over. Truly. But…”

“I’ll do it, no matter what it is. I don’t know what it is or what significance it holds. But I’ve already received a favor I can’t repay now, and to be honest, you might not like to hear it, but I respect you a lot. So, I want to follow you. And I’ll say this in advance. If you happen to win, I trust you’ll take good care of our tribe. Haha.”

This Arun fellow is quite scatterbrained. He’s also sly and has a tendency to be clumsy. That’s why he’s trustworthy.

The one I’m worried about is Lee Hyo-ju. Before the regression, it was she who drew me in, not the other way around.

“Thank you. Then go to the market right now. Find the Alchemist Guild and buy a flora and fauna encyclopedia. Also, find out who the most skilled herbalist is. Hurry.”

“Yes!”

I sent Arun to the market. Perhaps sensing the tense atmosphere, or maybe feeling acknowledged at last, he quickly left the house, even using Blink magic.

Lee Hyo-ju, awkwardly standing up, watched Arun leave, and when she felt my gaze on her, she was startled and lowered her head.

“I wanted to give you time to think slowly. Also, you’re a representative from the same ‘Earth’ as me. But it seems that’s not going to be possible. Just dealing with the upcoming events will require more than one or two bodies. So, make your choice. Will you join me or not?”

“So… are you asking me to, uh, join you?”

“Yes.”

“…O-okay!”

It was strange to see Lee Hyo-ju blushing and fidgeting in place, but I decided to accept that the woman in front of me was not the same person I knew before.

What mattered now was her mind. It didn’t matter if she betrayed me later. One of my resolutions upon re-entering the ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ was to stand alone.

“I’ll explain the information I’ve received from now on. And you need to think about how to crush that enemy and discuss it with me. The important thing is to discard all notions of ethics, morality, and social conventions. Can you do that?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll say it again. This is very important. This isn’t Earth. The ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ is a place where killing, no, slaughter is a means and justified. Especially killing between representatives is essential here. So don’t even think about saying things like ‘How can a person do that?!’ or ‘How can you commit such heinous acts?!’ What you need to focus on is us and our group. Find a way for ‘our’ group to win.”

“…Yes!!”

“Then let’s begin. So from now on…”

After that, Lee Hyo-ju and I continued our mock war under the guise of a discussion.

Lee Hyo-ju suggested conventional methods, while I countered with unorthodox, brutal, and sometimes inhumane actions.

Each time, she couldn’t bring herself to ask how I could do such things, but her expression and eyes showed her shock.

But each time, I dismissed Lee Hyo-ju’s complaints by mentioning the events in the Monster Belt or stories recorded in history.

Even after Arun returned, the mock battles between Lee Hyo-ju and me continued until she lost about 50 times, gradually changing.

Initially, she lost immediately, making the mock battles barely worth calling such, but as the number of battles increased, her unique wit and brilliant ideas extended the debates.

Of course, I would help as much as possible, but it’s best for Lee Hyo-ju, the representative of time, to devise the strategies.

Moreover, Lee Hyo-ju is already in a wounded state.

She will adapt more quickly, and as she does, those who face us will come to fear her sharp tongue.

A ruthless battlefield slaughterer and witch. Lee Hyo-ju must become such a person.

Later, even Arun, who had been merely observing, joined in, offering magical advice and discussing strategies to counter me with the two of them.

During this time, the chillingly fierce debate, enough to make one’s skin crawl just by listening, continued until late at night, before Kyuri entered the house with her son, grandson, and daughter-in-law.