Meeting Those Problematic Women (4)

Negative stats. Is that even possible?

The talent ‘Insight’ activated, and my sharpened thinking quickly drew conclusions.

Physical stats can’t drop below zero. Reaching 0 means death.

But mind and luck are different. Even if they go negative, they wouldn’t kill you—just make normal life impossible.

“Negative luck, huh. I’ve never seen it. I just learned that’s even possible.”

“I thought so.”

Genesis nodded, wore a look of understanding while gathering her thoughts, hesitated to speak, then sighed softly and began in earnest.

“Mae Young-ryeong can be described as someone whose luck is negative. It’s true she belonged to the Sacred Medicine Sect. It’s true she was the sect’s nominal head. The problem was the misfortune etched into her soul. From childhood, everything she touched attracted misfortune. But her misfortune was very peculiar.”

“Peculiar? Misfortune?”

“Yes. Strictly speaking, Mae Young-ryeong herself wasn’t unlucky. Her misfortune made those around her unlucky—beyond imagination. For instance, when she, with her small hands, tried to help the Sacred Medicine Sect’s patients, somehow unexpected poisons would get into the decoctions, or a tonic intended for one patient ended up being deadly for another, and a patient receiving treatment would suddenly die.”

“Hmm… Then wouldn’t it be enough to keep Mae Young-ryeong locked in a room so she couldn’t go out, even if it’s harsh on her personally?”

Putting everything else aside, in a place that treats illnesses, a child who causes such accidents should be kept far away.

“Of course they tried that. But then the person who blocked her from leaving would trip on a stone and break their neck and die, or choke on a bone while eating and die, or a martial artist who had mastered techniques would suddenly fall into demonic possession and die.”

“Ugh….”

From the perspective of a god, this is indeed strange. From what I’ve heard so far, Mae Young-ryeong seemed like… like, yes.

“She steals other people’s fortune…?”

“You’re sharper than I expected. Yes, simply by existing she siphoned luck from those around her and made them unlucky. The unluckier her surroundings became, the better she got—little by little. The problem was her father, the head of the Sacred Medicine Sect, couldn’t tolerate taking all that.”

“….”

“You look surprised I’m bringing up the head of the Sacred Medicine Sect. Mae Young-ryeong’s parents thought her misfortune was possession or a curse. So they sent her to famous temples or sought priests and sages. What did I tell you earlier?”

“That as people around her became more unfortunate, Mae Young-ryeong improved?”

“Yes! Exactly. But her parents didn’t think that. They began to believe learning from famous temples, priests, or sages would help her. Or rather, they wanted to believe that. So from when she came of age, Mae Young-ryeong didn’t stay at the Sacred Medicine Sect—she wandered outside.”

“…Only outside?”

“Yes. Mae Yeom-gak, her father and head of the Sacred Medicine Sect, made that decision for the sect’s sake. In the medical halls—so to speak, the famous infirmaries in the Battlefield of the Gods—what would happen if patients suddenly started dying?”

“They’d have to close up shop.”

“It’s more than that. His whole life devoted to Medical Arts would be doubted. He’d face misunderstanding about patients he’d failed to save and the pride of a lifetime spent saving lives would be smeared. For Mae Yeom-gak, that was an unbearable disgrace. So he began to push his daughter—rumored to bring misfortune—outward. He sent the woman, who hadn’t even learned basic self-defense, away with only the family’s medical texts as a legacy.”

“Did nothing happen to Mae Young-ryeong? Even while wandering like that?”

Maybe my question surprised her. She looked at me a bit startled, then gave a wry smile that turned slightly sad.

“Of course things happened. Whenever someone with even a little skill or a bit of renown appeared, she would be thrown at them. That sometimes exposed charlatans, and occasionally she met trash who couldn’t even be called teachers.”

“Trash?”

“Old, squalid hunks of filthy desire. Those who, restrained by public eyes, long for affairs. Those who pretend to be saints but harbor ugly desires. Rotten bastards reeking of filth who do all kinds of dirty deeds behind the scenes…! Hah. Into the arms of such men came a young, beautiful pupil. And what if she was practically abandoned with a plea from her family to keep her for a while?”

“…That’s fucked up.”

“Exactly. It was like entrusting fish to a cat. From then on, Mae Young-ryeong’s misfortune began to swallow her whole. The rest is delicate to discuss. In any case, I tweaked that girl’s memories a bit and made a contract to raise her luck in return.”

How is it that everyone around me—myself included—has a representative who’s been through hell.

Lee Hyo-ju who suffered violence, Hazel and Naruan who were cast out by their tribe, and Mae Young-ryeong with her misfortune.

“I get that. So?”

“…Uh?”

“Now that we know Mae Young-ryeong is that kind of being, there must be countermeasures. I mean measures for if she suddenly regains her mind or if her misfortune manifests.”

“That won’t… happen.”

I’m feeling uneasy. There’s something even Genesis hesitated about.

“If that happens… what would occur?”

“…”

“Genesis!”

“…If such a thing happens, phew… I don’t know either. If her misfortune reappears, ordinary luck won’t be able to stop it.”

“…Aaargh! This is infuriating!”

That shameless bitch. Basically she’s saying if it happens, there’s nothing to be done!

I don’t understand why she insists on staying in our legion until the end.

The other gods’ expressions matched mine. Aetas and Ludicer looked especially icy.

“Kick Mae Young-ryeong out immediately. You’re meeting her now, right? Get out. I keep swallowing curses and they treat me like a sucker? Forget morals—do you really think that makes sense? Really?”

“…That’s…”

“I agree with Kim Han as well.”

Ludicer’s cold voice cut Genesis off—cold and rational. Perhaps more like an angry tone.

“Ludicer?”

“…What?”

“Genesis, you’re mistaken. We’re not holding a sports day—we’re conducting the Battlefield of the Gods. Representatives have risked their lives and we’ve staked our honor. There’s no reason to carry uncertainty into that. If even the responsible god can’t control that uncertainty, I’m even more opposed.”

She’s right. In the Battlefield of the Gods, that’s an indisputable point.

Honestly, even sly Genesis would probably react like us if she were in our position.

“Ludicer’s right. What are you going to do?”

“…I’ll definitely check regularly, yearly. I’ll also take pains, even by granting power, to prevent sudden incidents.”

She’s insane. Really insane. How did someone with this mindset become a god of birth and life?

I turn my glare toward Aetas.

She can’t hide her astonishment either; she meets my gaze once she notices it.

‘What are we gonna do about that idiot?!’

‘Sorry.’

The Garden quiets as Aetas and I exchange looks—until Aetas’s nervous voice breaks the silence.

“Genesis, don’t play games. At this rate, it’s not just the representatives who suffer—it’s bad for the Creator too.”

“I’ll handle it, so watch. I’m not just asking you to watch. I’ll prepare luck-related spirit artifacts and equipment for contingencies. Aside from that, Mae Young-ryeong is an incredibly talented representative—when it comes to treatment, Healing, and recovery, she’s better than any representative in history.”

Genesis may be partially right. Mae Young-ryeong might indeed be an outstanding representative, and nothing might happen to her.

But wrong is wrong. If you can dispose of a bomb, there’s no reason to wrap it in padding and carry it with you.

Above all, this is the Battlefield of the Gods—where anything can happen. Mental magic traps frequently appear in ruins and dungeons.

“Besides, Genesis, what the hell are you? Why are you so desperate to shove Mae Young-ryeong into our legion?”

“…”

“It’s strange. Why go through such humiliation to force this bomb called Mae Young-ryeong onto us? Isn’t it odd? It’s like she’s acting as if Mae Young-ryeong must be by our side, like a god.”

Other gods’ gazes turn to Genesis, but she hangs her head and says nothing.

The gods’ faces grow colder, their expressions blanking out. Ludicer is even mustering force.

“This won’t do. Genesis, unfortunately we have to expel Mae Young-ryeong…! You?”

Genesis, who had lowered her head, looked up with tears streaming from her eyes. A god crying? A god?!

Of course gods can cry. But this doesn’t fit the situation. I wondered if it was an act, but the other gods were all shocked too—especially Aetas.

“Genesis? You… you!! What is this?!”

Even Aetas stammers, as if seeing her for the first time.

“Mae Young-ryeong was with me when I ascended to godhood and was my lover who gave everything for me until the end. More precisely, she is the reincarnation of that lover.”

“What? Genesis! You!”

“Genesis! Are you insane?!”

“You dared to interfere with reincarnation?!”

“…You’re mad.”

The goddesses erupt in chaos. Mors, god of death, is cursing up a storm—almost as if taking out earlier frustrations on me.

Mors was the most vehement, but the others reacted similarly—noisy and visibly shaken.

But at this moment, one person was left out—me.

Today the Garden of Gods uttered only words I could hardly understand—like being the only one who can’t speak English at a group of girlfriends chatting in English.

Genesis, without further response, simply stared at me with mournful eyes and cried.

“Wait. Can someone explain what that means?”

“…Oh! Damn! There was a representative. We’re screwed, screwed.”

Mors stamped her feet, pointed at Genesis and swore, then shot me a displeased look before returning to berate Genesis—over and over.

The other gods seemed unable to speak carelessly, as if I’d learned something I shouldn’t know.

Even Ludicer faltered to speak as Genesis let out a heavy sigh.

She looked at me with tender eyes like a prisoner who had given up everything and began to speak.

“…This involves you too, Kim Han. Strictly speaking, your sister Kim Mina isn’t entirely unrelated to Mae Young-ryeong.”

“…?”

“Kim Han, your sister Kim Mina’s illness and Mae Young-ryeong acquiring negative luck are the same problem.”

“…What did you say?”

“Genesis!”

“Genesis! You bitch!”

“Genesis! Are you mad?”

“…You?!”

“This is not something we can let slide.”

The goddesses are loud, but her eyes stayed fixed on me regardless.

Genesis no longer put on airs or hid anything. Her gaze was intense and her lips pressed tight, like a penitent before confession.

Only those eyes and lips drooped in exhaustion, conveying her feelings.

“Quiet, all of you!!”

She used divine power as well to silence the noisy scene.

Insight is furiously running through my head, but all conclusions end in question marks.

“So… Mae Young-ryeong’s misfortune and my sister Mina being ill are connected?”

“Yes. To be exact, it’s that every Kim Mina falls ill.”

I hold back the gods about to erupt again. A silly thought that taming them earlier paid off crosses my mind, calming my racing heart a bit.

“Explain. Depending on the situation, I’ll risk my life to protect Mae Young-ryeong.”

“Good. Mae Young-ryeong was, in a past life, my lover and teacher, and sometimes a father or an older brother—she is the reincarnation of Beatum. You asked earlier if Mors had been killed—if Mors had died he couldn’t have become a god. Before becoming gods, no matter how powerful, death ends us. It’s the same for gods; only for gods death means permanent annihilation. Mae Young-ryeong, the reincarnation of Beatum, was a representative in the previous iteration of the Battlefield of the Gods. He…”

“Wait, Genesis. She was a representative in the previous iteration of the Battlefield of the Gods?”

The one who suddenly interjected was Spatium, who’d said nothing until now—the goddess in charge of Hazel and the deity of space.

“Yes, Spatium.”

“You don’t mean she was one of the final four in the previous Battlefield of the Gods?”

“Yes.”

“…Damn!”

Not only Spatium, but all the gods except Ludicer twisted their expressions.

Spatium moved her lips as if wanting to say something but checked my reaction and couldn’t bring herself to speak.

“Continue.”

“Others are misunderstanding. I never interfered with reincarnation or manipulated anything.”

“Liar! Otherwise how would you know Mae Young-ryeong is Beatum’s reincarnation!”

Mors violently objected, perhaps because she’s the god of death, though Genesis resumed speaking more calmly.

“Have you forgotten who I am? Do you know why I chose the power over life and birth? Do you remember how I ascended to godhood? Have you forgotten that I served the Creator?”

Her words, full of newfound dignity, settled heavily over the garden, enough to startle Aetas, Mors, and Spatium.

“Have you forgotten that the Creator gave me the first chance? I was offered death, space, time—anything—and I took birth and life, which others shied away from. To wait for him. To wait until the reincarnated he—or she—appeared, I waited and waited.”

“…What, what. How could you possibly know when they’d appear…?”

“Yes. It was a hard, long ordeal, but the moment he or she was reborn, the reward for that long suffering was worth it.”

Genesis’s words brimmed with happiness, as if she were imagining that moment.

She gazed into the void—perhaps seeing another version of herself meeting Mae Young-ryeong now.

“Watching the Beatum born that way was my only joy. In the years the Battlefield of the Gods opened, I made him my representative. I hid him in the Battlefield where he could live longer than usual, and I could care for him until surrender. I kept him from leaving Exorsus, and I thought that alone was enough. He wasn’t unhappy. But the previous Battlefield of the Gods was the problem. Damn that Caelum brat! I’d like to tear him limb from limb!!”

Is this a split personality? No, multiple personalities?

The Genesis who had been speaking dreamily suddenly radiated a deep, predatory malice unbecoming of a god of birth.

She mentioned Caelum, the god in charge of Unos.