Surviving without God

In the sealed chamber of the Sanctuary, Grand Crow’s dull, aged voice echoed through the silence.

— Are you prepared for an audience with the One-Eyed King?

Gunther responded with nothing more than a faint exhale. He lifted his gaze to the upper edge of his vision.

[You have reached new limits and advanced to the 3rd hierarchy!]

[Your image has been clearly imprinted in the consciousness of the gods]

-Divinity Resistance +10

-Stat Efficiency x 1.4

-Level cap expanded to 100

[Special reward granted for completing a high-difficulty task: Unidentified Egg (Legendary)]

[This is the egg of «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» a creature that will hatch when the time comes]

Over the past few weeks, Gunther had done everything he could to raise his affinity with his companions... and had succeeded. Even with Roanna and Nine—those he had been most concerned about—everything had gone surprisingly smoothly.

— ...Yes. I will enter.

It seemed that after the “Albino upheaval,” something had shifted in both of them. Roanna’s affinity had skyrocketed the moment Gunther suggested she join Night Raven. And with Nine, the outcome had been just as unexpected: without much personal interaction, after only a few business exchanges, his affinity had gradually begun to rise, and now he handled the role of liaison between the Society of Forgotten Books and Night Raven flawlessly.

Thus, Gunther reached the 3rd hierarchy and was fully prepared to meet the One-Eyed King.

“Divinity resistance is up by 10 points, and the stacks of ‘Godslayer’ have built up. This time, I’ll be able to stay conscious and endure.”

[Divinity Resistance: 50]

There would be no repeat of last time—no erased memories, no Karma quietly siphoned away. ...At least, that was the plan.

[Remaining Karma: 2500]

Just in case, he had been hoarding it obsessively. The thought of falling into debt again and suffering penalties held no appeal.

[The Drug-Addicted Saint is already preparing a concoction to prevent hair loss]

[The Ruler of the Oceans nervously clutches the edge of her robe]

[The One Who Runs Ahead of the Wind trembles, complaining about how being near you always drags her into trouble with “big shots”]

[The King of Ninety-Nine Defeats asks if you have decided what you wish to ask the One-Eyed King]

[Alphonse of Red Street shows great interest in the “secret” about to be revealed]

“What to ask...”

Gunther tightened his grip on the wooden box in his pocket—the one containing the “Tablet Fragment.” Grand Crow, leaning on his staff, looked at him.

— ...Then we begin.

— Yes.

A brief exchange of glances.

Bang!

The moment the staff struck the floor, Gunther closed his eyes. A strange sensation of weightlessness flooded his body.

.

.

.

[Entering the domain of the One-Eyed King] 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

***

[The One-Eyed King gazes upon you]

[You perceive something incomprehensible]

[Your mind begins to boil]

[The One Who Runs Ahead of the Wind has lost consciousness]

[Four gods protect you]

— The Drug-Addicted Saint, expression frozen, burns incense of the Otherworld.

— Alphonse of Red Street hums the true words.

— The King of Ninety-Nine Defeats steps in front of you.

— The magical field created by the Ruler of the Oceans envelops you.

[...You have successfully resisted the status “Collapse”]

— Hah...

A breath tore free from his chest. Gunther snapped his eyes open. The moment consciousness returned, his body surged with sharp, prickling stimulation.

— ...It worked.

He hadn’t blacked out. His mind was clear. Staggering slightly, he rose and looked around.

“So this is the domain...”

What spread before him was something almost impossible to believe. In the void, countless stairways stretched into infinity, branching like the limbs of an ancient tree. Below, cosmic darkness “swayed.” It felt as though he stood on a tiny boat in the middle of a raging night ocean. ...And every staircase ultimately led in one direction.

There, at the “center,” was an eye.

Motionless. Unblinking.

It simply floated in the void. But Gunther could feel it clearly: it was watching.

Crack!

The moment a sharp pain, like a vise crushing his brain, seized him, a voice echoed directly inside his skull.

「...Abandoned blank, come here...」

“Abandoned blank...” Gunther repeated the words internally and began to move toward the eye. He kept his gaze on the ground. There was no need to look at the destination.

「...I have awaited our meeting...」

If the master of this place desired it, the stairs would lead him there on their own.

Rustle, rustle.

He walked. The gaze followed him. It felt like an instant—or perhaps he had walked for days. Then suddenly, the steps ended. Gunther raised his head.

It was right in front of him. A single eye filling the entire sky. A black sclera that neither reflected nor emitted light. At its center, a crimson pupil rotated slowly.

It watches. No—it “reads.”

For the first time, Gunther truly understood the meaning of the words “cosmic entity.”

— I have come, King.

In response, the eyelid blinked slowly.

「...Ask what you wish to know...」

「...A vortex of doubt churns within you...」

“As I thought before, he’s straightforward. For someone who ‘reads,’ preambles are meaningless.”

Gunther steadied his breath, recalling his plan. In this world, any interaction with a god required payment. Especially with a being of this magnitude—each word could become a blade that reshaped fate.

So he couldn’t just blurt out everything simply because he was allowed. He could go bankrupt on Karma in an instant. He needed maximum gain for minimal cost.

Carefully, Gunther spoke:

— O King, you called me an “Abandoned blank.”

「...Correct. You are a being not inscribed in the Tablets. A blank...」

— Why? Am I absent only from the Tablet you possess, or—

Before he could finish, the eye blinked again.

「...Ellen Beyra erased you from the Tablets...」

With that unexpected answer—

Clink!

A familiar sound rang in his ears—the scattering of coins. The sound of Karma draining away.

“...You bastard?”

「...Your face says you are thinking impious thoughts...」

— Not at all.

Gunther resisted the urge to check his balance. For now... it should still be fine. Probably.

“But still—Ellen Beyra erased me?”

The Tablet was something so significant that even entities outside the system hunted for it. How could she, an ordinary human, have such authority?

“Maybe she’s not human?”

No—Ellen was the one who had given him the “Tablet Fragment.” Then why? If he was a being erased, why give him part of the artifact?

Questions piled up, but Gunther arrived at a single conclusion. The answer lay within. Silently, he reached into his coat and pulled out the wooden box.

Click.

The small box opened on its own. Inside, shining like a prism, was the Tablet Fragment.

「...Ah, the Tablet...」

Gunther addressed the trembling eye:

— If I use the power you granted to read this... what will I learn?

A brief silence. Then, another unexpected answer:

「...The Tablet shows its owner what the Tablet itself wishes to show...」

— What does that mean... You speak as if it’s alive... Ah, that wasn’t a question.

Gunther pieced together everything he had learned. Combined with his own deductions and hypotheses, the result was substantial.

“Alright. Let’s try it.”

The words of the Rhombs still lingered in his mind. But they had said “don’t assemble it,” not “don’t read it.” And honestly, Gunther wasn’t the type to blindly follow others’ advice. In the end, only his own plan mattered.

— I will read it.

The enormous eye trembled slightly.

The One-Eyed King was an external god who existed even in the official storyline of the game. As the patron of Night Raven, he played a major role. Which meant Gunther had prior knowledge about him.

This god was the embodiment of the desire for knowledge. A being whose wish to know everything manifested as the power of “Reading.”

His reaction the moment he saw the Tablet Fragment. His words that he had “awaited” this meeting. Gunther spoke with certainty:

— And I will share with you, King, what I read.

Silence followed. Though he saw only the eye, Gunther felt that it was smiling.

「...Then you offer the knowledge of the Tablet as tribute...」

「...I accept. In that case, I will grant you a corresponding reward...」

There was no reason to delay any longer. Gunther took a deep breath and lowered his gaze to his hands. A tiny fragment, dimly glowing within the endless darkness. An unidentified artifact engraved with the past and the future... and something likely connected to his arrival in this world, his identity, and the source of his power.

[Do you wish to read?]

Gunther nodded.

Whoosh!

The light flowing within the Tablet erupted in a blinding surge, enveloping him.

.

.

.

When I came to, the giant eye, the endless stairs, and the galleries were gone. In their place—a dense forest. And at its center, a small hut. A cool breeze brushed my bangs. I stood there in a daze, trying to understand.

“So this is how the Tablet lets you experience its contents?”

Like putting on a VR headset. Except my body wouldn’t move.

“Huh?”

Soon, I realized my perspective was strangely low. A child’s body. In a puddle on the ground, an unfamiliar face was reflected.

A boy with golden hair and blue eyes. Despite his young age, he was so beautiful his future seemed promising. ...And in that moment, I realized I knew that face all too well.

— Dominic!

A name I knew far too well rang out.

— Hey, Dominic! Someone’s here for you!

I understood whose past this was. The vanished protagonist—Dominic Wolf.

“...No.”

Dominic’s body turned. Walked toward the voice.

In front of him... a white robe swayed, embroidered with the symbol of the “Holy Flame.”

...This was the record of the day he disappeared.

***

Northwest of Border City. The road to the Union of Kingdoms. A cave deep within a canyon where not even a single breath of wind could reach.

People dressed in identical garments stood in silent rows. Sinister robes with red embroidery symbolizing the fire of the Holy Flame. Though dozens filled the cave, not a sound could be heard. They stood like statues, all facing one direction. Only two spoke.

— Commander, has His Holiness still said nothing since that day?

— ...Y-yes.

The one who answered was a gaunt man in a long cloak. Anyone seeing him for the first time would feel a strange unease.

His neck was attached incorrectly, as if the joint had been set in the wrong place. The voice coming from that unnatural angle was thin and high, like a child’s. It might have seemed ridiculous—but no one here dared laugh. Before the man who had severed the head of the brother born in the same body with his own hands... before Verion Heinz, no one even dared change their expression.

— Then we return?

— Return? Re-return?

— My apologies.

Verion habitually rubbed his shoulder beneath the cloak. It was something he did whenever he sank into thought.

— H-His Holiness considers what happened... ah, the failure of the diocesan head Albino, extremely serious.

— ......

— Another “distortion”... impossible. All variables were eliminated. No deformation should have any influence anymore, so w-why then...

He cut himself off. And lowered the hand that had been rubbing the scar.

— ...Nevertheless, we do not retreat.

Verion’s voice suddenly became clear.

His oddly tilted head slowly lifted. At the moment his gaze lost focus, as if directed into an unseen distance—

— We must go. To the Union.