“H-Hey... hey, hey, hey!”

I stared at the corpses gathering together before me, quickly forming a monster made of a mountain of flesh. My jaw nearly hit the floor.

Eileen covered her little mouth beside me, her face full of shock. Her slender legs trembled uncontrollably.

[Ding-dong]

[You have learned: Low-Rank Flesh Synthesis]

A series of mechanical voices rang out in my head, but they didn’t help at all.

“Hahahahahaha!! It worked!!”

The arrogant laughter beside me finally snapped me back to my senses.

The Necromancer who’d beaten Eileen earlier stood with his arms spread wide, as if welcoming something. His voice rang with excitement.

“We’ve made it! A powerful undead creature!! At last, we can—”

But before he could finish, the flesh mountain let out a nauseating gurgle. In the blink of an eye, a gigantic hand sprouted from it—and came crashing down on him like a landslide!

“Huh...?”

Splat!

“Eeeeeeeeeek!!”

By the time we came to our senses, the man who’d been standing there had been smashed into a pulp, red and white mixed together. Eileen screamed, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

“Th-This...!”

I stumbled back and hurriedly used Appraisal on the monster before me.

[Ding-dong]

[Unnamed Undead Creation]

[Race: Undead]

[Class: None]

[Level: LV38]

[Combat Power: Unlock the [Combat Power Assessment System] to view]

[Current Status: Confused; Out of Control]

[Note: An error occurred during the ritual, creating a frenzied, terrifying monster—a living creature made of the dead]

“Are you kidding me?!” I shouted almost without thinking.

Level 38?!

No way! There’s no chance I can beat a huge stitched-together monstrosity like this right now!

I have to run!

I scrambled to my feet and ran toward Eileen, but the flesh mountain let out a ferocious roar!

“Roooooar!!”

Eileen had crumpled to the ground in terror. Clutching her black fox staff, she couldn’t even speak. She trembled all over, fear plain on her face. Tears and sweat twisted her once-cute features beyond recognition.

“No... Don’t come any closer!”

“Rooooar!!”

The monster twisted its “head,” seemingly noticing Eileen, then charged at her with a giant fist whooshing through the air.

“Eileen!”

Bone Shield!

BOOM—!

“Mr. Ojer!?”

The sudden impact sent me flying. As I sailed through the air, I saw Eileen’s utterly shocked face—and shards of broken bone.

And the flesh mountain’s disgusting grin.

“Gah!!”

The next second, I slammed hard into the wall. The sound of bones cracking followed.

[Warning!]

[Moderate damage detected: Thigh structure ruptured, left arm broken, spine damaged, left third and fourth ribs broken, right hand shattered]

“Cough... cough!! Eileen, are you okay?!”

I barely lifted my head. The twisted, disgusting mass of flesh was still there, looking awfully pleased with itself.

...I’d overestimated how tough this body was!

I looked at the monster drawing closer and managed a bitter smile, tugging at my jaw.

Well, this is just great...

“Mr. Ojer!”

Eileen’s anguished cry rang out.

I tried to struggle to my feet, but both my legs were broken.

“Eileen!”

I shouted with all my strength.

“Run!”

“Roooooar!!”

The monster glanced at Eileen, then stepped toward me.

“Goddamn it...”

Then, in the next instant, its terrifying giant fist came hurtling toward me!

Damn it...

I cursed this unfair fate.

At the edge of my vision, Eileen was running toward me, sobbing.

...Didn’t I tell you to run?

Well, she really is a lot like Karina... Like the way she ran toward me through a hail of bullets when I got shot...

Sigh... But maybe that’s for the best... I was never supposed to be alive in the first place...

Urgent mechanical voices kept ringing in my head. It sounded like Paper-chan was reporting emergency plans to me.

Sorry, Paper-chan. You’ll have to find another person to carry out the mission.

Let’s just call it a brief dream.

What rotten luck...

Even after dying, someone had to drag me out of my coffin just so I could die all over again.

I lowered my head, ready to accept this irreversible death.

...

...

And yet, fate

always loves to toy with people.

At the very moment the giant fist swung down toward my head,

the girl cried out in a voice filled with utter despair.

“No—!!”

The next instant, boundless golden light burst forth, driving every trace of darkness from the cavern!

“Hey, Big Brother Wutong!”

“What is it, Karina?”

The brown-haired girl giggled and pulled out an old-fashioned photograph. It showed a woman dressed in elegant finery.

“Who’s prettier, me or this girl?”

I took the photo and compared it with the girl, who was watching me expectantly. With a helpless sigh, I answered.

“You, of course. Definitely you.”

“Hehe, that’s Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom!”

I raised an eyebrow.

“A goddess, huh...”

“Hey, Karina. If gods really do exist, what do you think a goddess would be like?”

The girl paused, propping her chin on her hand as she thought.

“Hmm... First, she’d have to be really pretty! Beautiful enough to outshine the whole world! Big boobs, long legs, tall and slender, blah blah blah...”

“Uh... And then?”

“She’d have to be strong! Strong enough to protect her people from war!”

I patted her head and thought about it for a moment.

A goddess, huh...

Well... there aren’t any real gods in this world, anyway.

I’d never get to see a goddess in my lifetime.

That’s what I used to think.

...

...

“Huh...?”

A few seconds passed. I lifted my head and found it still firmly attached to my neck.

“What’s going on...?”

The monster...

had stopped?

I tilted my head. Something felt off.

Everything... seemed to have come to a standstill.

Before my eyes stretched a space-time frozen completely still.

The giant fist, poised to smash into my face at any moment. Dust hanging in the air. Shards of broken bone.

And a girl floating in midair, wreathed in brilliant golden light.

“...Eileen?”

I softly called the girl’s name.

“...”

There was no answer.

“What happened...?”

It had all happened so fast.

Just as the giant fist was about to crush my head, Eileen suddenly screamed.

And from that moment on, space-time had stood still.

I tried to get up.

“Ugh! That hurts!”

My leg was broken.

“Paper-chan! Paper-chan, can you hear me?!”

There was no response.

Silence all around.

“What... is going on...?”

I gave up on trying to stand. Staring at the giant fist in front of me, I felt a surge of disgust and reached out to push it away.

[If I were you, I wouldn’t touch that.]

“?!”

A ethereal voice rang out, cutting through the frozen air and striking straight into my mind.

The words were in a language I couldn’t understand, yet their meaning reached my soul along with the voice.

I quickly turned my head, searching for the source of the voice.

“Eileen?!”

The girl stood at the cavern entrance, her back to me. Her silver hair flowed like silk, veiling her slender figure. Faint light coiled around her. She was compassionate and so tenderly beautiful that I wanted to follow her through life and death, to serve her as my queen for all eternity.

At the sight, only two words came to mind.

A goddess.

I stood there, speechless, gazing at her as if she’d descended from the heavens.

After a long moment, she lifted her head slightly and sighed.

[Eileen... is it?]

The girl spoke in a warm, soft, sweet voice that put me at ease, yet carried a hint of pain that made my heart ache for her.

[It’s been so long since anyone called me by that name...]

Wait a second...

I think I’ve heard that voice somewhere before... It sounds so familiar.

She turned around. Her enchanting little mouth curved into the faintest smile as she gazed at me. Her eyes, once like rubies, were now like red gold—deep, yet utterly captivating.

I shivered and forced myself to stay calm.

“You... you’re not Eileen... are you...?”

The girl smiled.

[Well, at least, I’m not the one you know.]

“Who... who are you? What have you done to Eileen?!”

Seeing how worked up I was, the girl seemed to nod in satisfaction. She walked over, bent down, and touched my cheek.

[I see...]

A moment later, she straightened and wore a sorrowful smile.

[Protect her, Ojer.]

[Or should I call you Wutong? User 001? Or [Firmiana]?]

[Or perhaps... the Life-and-Death Spirit?]

“?!”

The four names she spoke struck the depths of my heart like thousand-pound hammers.

“H-How... how do you know...?”

[Hehehe.]

[You’re quite an unusual existence, aren’t you?]

She moved back a little. As I stared in utter shock, the girl gazed wistfully up at the ceiling.

[Of course I know. I’m a god—the one you and your friend have been searching for.]

“?!”

What kind of joke was this? She even knew about Paper-chan?!

No, wait... She just said...

“You said... you’re...”

[A god.]

The girl looked back and gave a soft laugh. Her tone was haughty, yet tinged with mockery.

[Or rather, I used to be.]

[After all, I’ve already...]

Her final words were so faint they were like a stone sinking into the sea.

With that, she spread her arms. The light around her grew brighter, like a lamp driving away the darkness inside the cavern.

[Consider yourself honored, traveler from another world. Before you stands the former Moon God.]

—[Selene]

I froze, unable to say a word. My mouth hung open, my jaw nearly hitting the floor.

She seemed pleased by my reaction. A flicker of delight passed through her eyes, but soon that sorrowful look returned.

[A thousand years...]

The girl gazed up at the sky. Her clear, limpid eyes seemed to pierce the earth above us and look straight at the countless stars and the two moons.

[She’s been afraid I’d return all this time...]

[She won’t even spare those who inherited my power—my children.]

[This is the second time I’ve come into this world in response to her call. I don’t know how many more times I’ll be able to save her...]

[My power is growing weaker. We don’t have much time left.]

By now, I was completely lost.

What was she talking about? Return where?

Who was afraid of whom? She had children?

And what was going on with Eileen? Had she been possessed?

Lady, if you’re a god, could you maybe deal with the monster next to me first?

Sigh... Should I ask her for an autograph or something?

As if she’d sensed what I was thinking, the girl lowered her eyes to the monster beside me, her delicate brows knitting together.

【What a pitiful creature.】

As soon as she spoke, the darkness on the ground began to writhe. Shadows like tentacles swarmed around the mountain of flesh and dragged it underground.

“?!”

I jolted in fright. The twisted tentacles on the ground seemed alive, and I struggled to escape their reach.

This was way beyond what someone as inexperienced as me could understand.

【Heh. Is this your first time seeing a miracle?】

The girl sounded relaxed, nothing like the tearful, timid Eileen from before.

【Darkness is one of my divine domains. Using this much of its power is the limit of what I can do right now.】

She looked at me and walked over.

My heart leaped into my throat. Like prey under a hungry wolf’s gaze, I struggled to get up.

“Wait...! Uh, miss! No, Goddess!! We can talk this out!! Don’t let your shadows eat meee!”

But she crouched down and took my hand. Mist swirled in her eyes, shrouding a sorrow I’d never seen before.

【Please... protect this child.】

【The fairies... my children... they’re almost gone.】

【So at least... Eileen...】

As I looked at the girl’s earnest plea, I suddenly remembered the note Paper-chan had written for Eileen.

The Moon God’s orphan.

So that’s what it meant?

I calmed down and lowered my head, as if deep in thought.

“...Is this an order from a god?”

The girl paused.

【No... This is a request... from a mother.】

“...Do I have a choice?”

【What do you think?】 she said with a faint smile.

I could only twist my lips into a bitter smile. “...Then I’ll do it.”

Selene nodded, a relieved smile appearing on her face. But to me, that smile looked so sad it hurt.

The girl stood and walked toward the cave entrance.

【Good thing we’re in a cave. Otherwise, if she’d seen...】

I tilted my head.

Her?

“The ‘her’ you mean... is...?”

【Ojer.】

“Yeah, I’m here!”

The girl turned around and studied me with her reddish-golden eyes. I started to feel a little nervous.

【Try developing into a soul-type deity.】

“Huh?”

I blinked.

A soul-type deity?

Was she teaching me how to become a god?

【By the way, remember this: never reveal that you’re a Life-and-Death Spirit. Unless you want the stars to shatter the very next second, as every Abyssal demon and evil cult invades this world at any cost, dragging everything into an eternal, irredeemable abyss.】

【The era itself would end, and the world would plunge into endless war.】

The girl’s tone was firm. I nodded over and over, frightened into obedience.

“Abyssal demons... and me...”

Before I could finish, she pressed a finger to her rosebud lips and winked one eye. She looked so adorable that I froze for a moment.

【Remember. Protect... her...】

When she finished speaking, the light around Eileen faded. Her face went pale, and she crumpled toward the ground.

“!!”

I sprang to my feet without thinking and rushed over, catching her small body in my arms.

“Huh...?”

At some point, my body had recovered, and the world around me seemed to be moving again. But the monster and the mangled corpse of the Necromancer were nowhere to be seen.

“What... actually happened...?”

【Red alert!】

The alarm suddenly blared, making me jump.

【Excessive damage de—】

“...”

【...】

【Scanning unit...】

【Scan complete. No damage detected.】

【User 001, please explain.】

The voice was as cold as ever, but I could hear the relief of someone who’d just survived a close call.

I scratched my cheek and glanced at Eileen, pale and fast asleep in my arms.

“Well... it’s kind of hard to explain...”

“Eileen, you don’t remember anything?”

“Mm...”

On a country lane, the silver-haired girl thought for a moment, then shook her head.

“I only remember that we went into a cave. I don’t remember anything after that.”

“I see...”

Was this a side effect of the Moon God possessing her? Had it taken some of Eileen’s memories along with it?

Still, maybe that was for the best. She didn’t know about her bloodline yet, and telling her would only put more pressure on her.

As I thought this over, I glanced at the two gleaming gold coins in my hand.

I’d found them on the Necromancer leader, the one who’d been smashed into a lump. They were probably the currency used in this country...

Probably?

I sighed and called out to Paper-chan in my mind.

[So, that’s pretty much what happened.]

【The Moon God.】

The mechanical voice remained calm.

[Yeah.]

【The Moon God appeared before you.】

[Right...]

【The Moon God asked you to protect this girl.】

A bead of cold sweat trickled down my face.

[I-is there a problem...?]

The icy voice fell silent for a moment, perhaps creating a new mission log.

【This matter is of great importance. This system must report it to the main system.】

[Oh, okay...]

After that, Paper-chan went quiet.

I scratched my head. My bones rubbed together with a clattering sound.

“Well... I guess it is a big deal. I never expected a god to show up right in front of me so easily...”

But...

There were a few things I couldn’t stop thinking about.

First, why had she descended using Eileen’s body? Or, since she could come down to the world, why not find somewhere to hide and develop her power at her own pace?

Second, what did she mean by the previous Moon God? Had she died, or retired? And was the “her” she kept talking about the current Moon God?

Third, what did she mean when she said, “My children, the fairies, are almost gone”? Were the fairies Selene’s children? Then what did that make Eileen’s mother? A child bride?

“Hmm...”

I propped up my chin and sank into thought.

I considered it carefully.

I racked my brain.

I wracked my brain some more.

Then I remembered I didn’t have a brain to wrack, so I gave up thinking.

“Aaaah! So little information, so many questions!”

“Sigh... whatever...”

So many questions piled up all at once that I was starting to give up. I looked over at Eileen, lying beside me.

The fairies... huh...

I’d sure taken on one hell of a request.

I sighed. Eileen watched me freeze up like a crashed machine one moment, then suddenly go berserk the next. A little frightened, she took a step back behind me.

【What are you doing?】

“Whoa!!”

The cold voice suddenly rang out, making me jump.

[You’re back already?!]

【How long did you expect it to take?】

Emmmmm....

Paper-chan’s getting more and more efficient...

[What did the main system say?]

【It gave you a high evaluation.】

I perked up.

[What kind of high evaluation?]

【Ding-dong.】

I froze.

【Achievement unlocked: Coach! I Want to Become a God!】

“...”

I stared in disbelief.

What the heck was that...?

【Requirement: Receive guidance from a god.】

【Note: This achievement will be permanently recorded in the main system as one of User 001’s milestones in this world.】

【That’s what they meant by a “high evaluation.”】

[.......]

I was starting to think the main system upstairs from Paper-chan was the real artificial idiot...

Whatever.

“Eileen, we’re heading back to that village to ask Uncle Drew for our reward.”

“Ah... I...”

She immediately tensed up in fear, hunching her shoulders as her gaze darted around.

I crouched down and patted her head.

“Don’t be afraid. What happened wasn’t your fault. The Necromancers were to blame. Even if you hadn’t helped them, they would’ve attacked the village.”

“But... but I... I got so many people killed...”

She sniffled, looking as aggrieved as a child who’d done something wrong. She frantically wiped her tears with her little hands, speaking between sobs.

“If I... if I’d told them someone was coming... maybe... maybe it wouldn’t have...”

“Hey, hey, silly girl. Listen to me.” I wiped her tears and spoke gently.

“You can’t control fate. Maybe there’s no such thing as kindness without limits in this world, but there’s certainly cruelty without reason. There are too many things we can’t control—illness, disasters, accidents. Even if you’d told them, do you think anyone would’ve believed you? A half-elf?”

“I... I don’t know...”

She lowered her head and hunched her soft shoulders.

“Then don’t blame yourself too much. I can’t say you had nothing to do with it, but you were forced into it. We caught the main culprits, even if two of them are dead...”

I cleared my throat and took her little hand.

“How about you hide somewhere near the village gate in a bit? I’ll go find Mr. Drew.”

“Mm...”

The girl nodded obediently and looked at me with her big, watery eyes.

“Mr. Ojer.”

“Hm?”

“Are you going to sell me?”

“Of course not! Why would you think that?”

“It’s nothing...”

I sighed at her worried expression.

What a strange girl...

Still, she wasn’t wrong.

Our fates have never been in our own hands. Especially during wartime, soldiers and civilians are just numbers in history books, a string of characters. Even the people from that village wouldn’t matter much to anyone. The nobles in the Royal Capital would just put on an act at a ball, sigh, and say, “What a shame.”

We’re all expendable.

Every one of us

walks with our back turned to our own grave.

The village was small. Though it had been burned down, you could still imagine the laughter and cheer that had once filled it. Dirt-covered men methodically carried bricks and wooden beams, while others cleared the wreckage of burned houses. The surviving craftsmen worked hard, processing all kinds of materials.

Everything was returning to its former peace. From a distance, it even looked like there were more people than before, not fewer.

But a closer look revealed that many of them had come from other villages. They’d heard of their compatriots’ tragedy and come to help, and many of the original villagers who’d survived were thanking them.

That’s how people make it through life: by supporting one another.

The large fenced area that had once been used as a sheep pen had now become a sizable graveyard. Crooked names were carved into a dozen or so stone markers of various sizes, bearing witness to the lives and deaths of those who lay beneath them.

We stood before the lament of the dead.

“Excuse me...”

Dragging two unconscious Necromancers behind me, I greeted a person nearby who stood out from the others. They wore blue armor and were polishing a spear.

“Oh, what is it? Huh? You’re a new face.”

“...”

I stared blankly. I was wearing armor—how could you tell I was a new face...?

He was a tall young man in blue armor, with a handsome face that was sure to make him popular with women. His blue hair looked like it belonged to someone straight out of some over-the-top punk subculture. He had a long spear slung over his shoulder and was answering with a beaming smile.

I mentally called on Paper-chan to scout him.

【Eggsy】

【Race: Human】

【Age: 24】

【Class: Spearman】

【Level: LV23 (Maybe his luck isn't quite E-rank)】

【Combat Power: Unlock the [Combat Power Assessment] system to view】

【Current Status: No buffs detected】

【Notes: A spearman with decent luck, a Black-Iron-ranked adventurer of the kingdom】

“An adventurer?”

I muttered without thinking.

“Uh, sir... What’s going on with these two?”

He pointed in surprise at the two Necromancers I was dragging along. I shrugged.

“I took on a commission from Mr. Drew to capture those Necromancers. I’m here to collect the reward.”

“Necromancers! These guys are the ones?!”

Eggsy suddenly looked furious. He called out to another man nearby, a warrior with a greatsword on his back who was trying to haul a huge beam out of the rubble.

“Astley! We found the Necromancers! Take these two bastards to the guild. I’ll take this guy to Mr. Drew!”

The man Eggsy had called Astley glanced over at us and nodded to me. I handed him one end of the rope.

“We were just about to go after these bastards. Can’t believe you got them first! Nice work, man! What should I call you?”

Eggsy acted like we were old friends as he tapped my breastplate with a grin.

“...Ojer.”

To be honest, I wasn’t fond of people this frivolous.

“Oh! I’m Eggsy, and that quiet guy over there is Astley. Nice to meet you, Ojer. I’ll take you to Mr. Drew.”

“Ah, sure...”

We passed one burned-out house after another. Quite a few villagers wore grief-stricken expressions. I shook my head and pretended not to notice.

I’d seen that look far too many times when I was alive.

“Mr. Drew! Where’s Mr. Drew?”

Before long, we stopped in front of a group of burly villagers, their faces blackened with soot. They were gathered together, discussing how to rebuild the village.

“Oh, I’m here. What is it, Eggsy?”

Eggsy grinned and tapped my breastplate.

“This guy caught the Necromancers! Linda found us someone dependable.”

“What? The Necromancers have been caught?!”

“Burn them alive! Where are they?!”

“Kill them! Make them pay for what they’ve done!”

The moment the people around us heard Eggsy, they erupted in anger, shouting curses. But Mr. Drew frowned and raised a hand, and they all fell silent at once.

“They’re to be handed over to the gendarmes. Let the law punish them. We have no right to kill people. They aren’t monsters or magical beasts.”

I straightened up. I couldn’t help but think more highly of this village chief, with his beer belly and muscles bulging all over.

No wonder he was a natural leader.

“You’re Ojer, right? My daughter was the one who found you.”

“That’s right. But three of the Necromancers were already dead when I found them. It looks like they were performing some kind of cult ritual, but it failed.” I pointed toward the Myriad Bones Wasteland, showing them where they could confirm my story.

“I see...”

Mr. Drew looked at me and sighed. Then he took a letter and two gleaming gold coins from his pocket.

“The village doesn’t have much money left, but these two gold coins are what I promised you. And with this letter, you’ll definitely be able to enter the city. I’ve also recommended someone for you. If you run into any trouble, go see him.”

“Oh, thank you!”

I hurriedly took them and looked at the two coins.

“Huh...?”

These weren’t like the coins I’d found on the Necromancers at all. These gold coins...

The workmanship was awful... They looked gold-plated...

Never mind. It didn’t feel right to bring that up...

“I’ll get going, then. Astley’s already taken the two Necromancers to the guild, and I need to reach the city before sunset. Which way is Saileda?”

“Just follow the road at the village entrance. You’ll see it after about two hours!”

I looked in the direction Eggsy pointed, nodded, and waved goodbye to everyone.

......

...

On a hillside not far from the village entrance.

“It’s done, Eileen.”

“Ah... okay...”

I called to Eileen, who was hiding behind a tree and secretly watching the village, and waved the letter in my hand.

“We can go into the city now. The job’s done.”

“Mm...”

Her eyes remained fixed on a spot in the village as she clutched her chest tightly.

Back in the cemetery.

A small figure knelt before a gravestone, crying her heart out. Beside her, a young man held her and tried to comfort her.

I watched Eileen as she gazed at the two of them, then sighed and looked up at the deep-blue sky.

Is it our memories that make us who we are, or do memories exist because someone is there to make them?

I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to know.

“Let’s go, Eileen.”

“Mm...”

All I knew was that I had a goal now. I was no longer a walking corpse.

I was going to bring Karina back to life.

The sky was clear, and a gentle breeze stirred.

Tears fell like a broken string of pearls, glimmering in the morning sunlight with every little moment between him and her.