Surviving without God

The vacant lot before the warehouse. Figures in robes and masks silently took their positions. Ryan, shuddering at the peculiar aura of this unfamiliar group, hurriedly hid behind Gunther’s back.

— Who the hell are they? Your new friends?

Without taking his eyes off the newcomers, Gunther answered shortly:

— Well... you could say that.

He hesitated, not out of deceit. Night Raven had not officially laid all its cards on the table before him yet. But the fact that they had revealed themselves so openly now meant only one thing.

‘They’ve decided to recruit me seriously.’

Ryan exaggeratedly trembled all over.

— ...Hey, you’re supposed to quit having “dangerous friends” after your teenage years.

But despite the joking tone, a strange light flickered in his eyes. It seemed he already vaguely understood their true nature—and why Gunther was acting in concert with them.

‘He really is damn sharp.’

The organization members were meanwhile leading out the people who had been held for sacrifice. Acting in practiced coordination, they separated the wounded and seated the others into wagons. Their movements were mechanical, yet there was unmistakable human care in them. The people, who had been terrified to death moments ago, gradually began to calm down at the sight of such treatment.

Ryan suddenly murmured:

— There are a lot of them.

Gunther nodded.

— Yeah. A lot.

They were all different. Some looked like adventurers or mercenaries, others were ragged poor from the Lower City. Even ordinary merchants and farmers were mixed in.

They shared one thing.

Traces of torment—scarred bodies. Exhausted faces mottled with bruises and swelling. Crimson welts across shoulders and arms, clearly whip marks.

Gunther silently observed the scene.

‘Truly a disgusting little world.’

And at that moment—

Tap-tap-tap.

Quick footsteps approached. Two small figures broke from the line and ran toward them with all their strength. Gunther narrowed his eyes in surprise.

‘Who are—’

The little brother and sister the paladin had kept. Their small bodies covered in bruises, they stumbled as they ran. Their destination was Gunther.

Reaching him, they bowed low in perfect unison. The boy spoke in a hoarse voice:

— Sir... we will never, ever forget this mercy.

The little sister seemed mute—her lips moved soundlessly. But her meaning was clear without words.

‘...Wait. How do they know?’

Gunther frowned slightly. In this iteration of life, he had never stepped to the forefront. The children had no way of knowing the face of the one who saved them.

‘Then why—’

His gaze shifted involuntarily.

At the edge of the lot, like a gray shadow, stood a figure. Slender build. Wolf mask. Silently observing, blending into darkness.

— U... u-uh.

Gunther looked back at the children. The girl was holding something out in her palms.

— Sh-she... she wanted to give you something.

A small glass marble lay in her hand. Cheap glass. So worthless that even the money-obsessed slavers hadn’t bothered to take it.

Gunther did not ask what it meant. He simply closed his fist around the gift.

— Thank you.

At the same time, he opened his other hand. The boy’s eyes bulged at the sight of a gold coin.

— Th-thank you so much!

Gunther said nothing more. A short nod replaced farewell. The boy took his sister’s hand and returned to the line.

Ryan, who had watched the scene warmly, muttered:

— I wonder what’ll happen to them.

— ...Who knows.

The future of the rescued was usually predictable. Most would return to their former lives, trying to forget the ordeal like a nightmare. They would stay silent out of fear of Luthien’s retaliation and live as if nothing had happened. Some would even leave the city entirely.

But not all chose that path.

‘Sometimes prey becomes the hunter.’

There were always those brave enough to turn scars into resolve. In the game, rescued victims sometimes later reappeared as full-fledged members of the organization.

Rrrr.

After some time, the wagons under guard disappeared from sight.

Ding!

[Congratulations! You rescued victims from the clutches of the Luthien Theocracy and transferred them under the wing of Night Raven!]

[Act 1, Scene 2 — Complete!]

[MVP — Gunther Sirhe]

[Stage reward calculation will begin shortly]

[※ Transcendent result achieved]

— Reward distribution temporarily suspended due to exceeding standard parameters.

— Emergency recalibration in progress. Please wait.

Gunther froze for a moment.

‘Transcendent result?’

Was clearing it with one death instead of No Death rated that highly? Still, without veteran knowledge and a fair amount of luck, one could have easily died ten more times on this stage.

But the messages continued.

[Your alignment shifts toward Good]

— Favorability from citizens and certain factions increases.

— Probability of favorable terms when accepting quests or trading increases.

— Organizations with Good alignment may attempt contact.

— Karma gained from good deeds increases.

[However...]

— Karma gained from evil deeds decreases.

— You begin attracting attention from Evil-aligned factions.

— Surveillance from certain criminal groups and cults may intensify.

— Unexpected hostile actions may occur in some regions.

Just as Gunther finished reading the generous yet ambiguous notifications—

Click. Click.

As if waiting for the moment, soft heel steps sounded from the darkness.

Shrrk.

The strange scraping of an umbrella tip across stone ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) accompanied them.

Only one person remained on the empty lot.

Gunther turned toward the sound.

‘Finally.’

Wolf mask met wolf mask.

Their gazes locked like predators, piercing through each other.

— Gunther Sirhe, — Moon Wolf declared. — The mission was completed successfully.

***

We left the warehouse and moved to the rooftop of a secluded building.

If compressed to its essence, the conversation that followed amounted to:

“Hey, want to keep working with us? We’ll pay well. If not—you can die.”

...Of course, Moon Wolf did not threaten openly. He was perfectly polite. It was simply a logical conclusion.

What kind of organization would Night Raven be if it allowed an outsider who knew of their existence to walk freely? At best, I’d be watched for months. At the slightest suspicion—eliminated.

‘I never intended to refuse.’

Honestly, the terms were excellent.

For starters, the 100 gold reward for this mission was supplemented by an additional 80. In crude terms, I had earned a fortune from a single job. As a silver-tag mercenary, I would have had to grind for a year to see that kind of money.

...And that wasn’t all.

— If you continue completing similar missions, the rewards will become even more substantial. Not limited to gold.

Nezzi. Rare combat-enhancing elixirs. Advanced cultivation techniques. Artifacts. Mediation in forming a divine contract—though that was irrelevant to me.

Moon Wolf hinted subtly at these exceptional incentives.

Even if the storyline did not require joining Night Raven, I would have been tempted.

— Fine. I’m in.

— ......

The lower half of Moon Wolf’s face beneath the mask twitched almost imperceptibly.

— What?

— Nothing.

Understandable. No matter how good the terms, an ordinary person would hesitate. Anyone with sense would realize this “work” meant a deadly game against the Luthien Theocracy.

And I had accepted without the slightest hesitation.

— ......

He studied me for a moment. Like a player double-checking cards on the table.

Then he slowly extended his hand.

— I look forward to productive cooperation. You may call me Moon Wolf.

I clasped it.

Ding!

[Story progression: “Under the Raven’s Wing” advances to a new stage]

[You have temporarily joined the secret organization “Night Raven”]

[New interactions unlocked]

— Access to certain missions and informant networks.

— Ability to build relationships with certain members.

— Regional influence analysis unlocked...

Naturally, it was temporary. I would not be entrusted with truly important operations yet. Full membership would come only after the “verification” was complete—once they confirmed my origin, past, and connections posed no threat.

‘...I wonder how much his favorability increased?’

While shaking his hand, I glanced at Moon Wolf. In the game, clearing the warehouse raid boosted his favorability sharply. Yet his gaze remained unreadable.

Even in the game, he was one of those characters whose emotions were impossible to discern below a certain threshold.

‘Socializing with Moon Wolf will take time.’

‘He’s actually a rather cute character once you get to know him. Shame.’

At that moment, his gaze shifted to Ryan standing nearby.

— ......

Ryan stiffened.

I pushed stray thoughts aside.

— Do you intend to continue acting together with this partner?

I knew this question would come. It sounded casual, but carried weight.

— ...Yes.

— I see.

Moon Wolf nodded indifferently. Yet his crimson eyes behind the mask examined Ryan closely.

— Then I wish you both luck.

He stepped back. His silhouette blurred, dissolving into shadow. Blink twice—and he was gone.

Ryan took his place.

— Creepy bastard. Walking around at night with an umbrella.

He tried to joke, then asked:

— So? What’d you talk about?

— You’ve already figured it out. Why ask?

Ryan’s eyes shone like a child’s. He inhaled sharply, words tumbling out:

— So... it’s true? Those people? There really is a force resisting that insane Luthien?

— Yes.

— And you’re going to work for them now?

— Something like that.

— My god...

There was hunger in that quiet breath. A clear desire to be part of it.

‘What grudge do you hold against Luthien?’

Ryan was brave—but not suicidal. Yet in Act 1, Scene 1, he had fought the Holy Army like a berserker. He had not faltered before the paladin either.

‘And most importantly—he was imprisoned in that warehouse too.’

...What revenge drove him?

I had no structured information on Ryan Parker, a character “outside the script.”

The decision was mine alone.

— Ryan.

— Huh?

— Stick with me and you’ll die fast.

— ...?

— Forget the beautiful wife and kids you always talk about. You won’t live that long.

Ryan stared blankly. Then understanding dawned.

His eyes trembled.

And suddenly he leapt up and shouted:

— Screw that! At least I’ll die with a grin on my face!

...Yes. I knew he would answer like that.

I smirked and slammed my fist into his.

— Ow! You son—

[Three gods watch you warmly]

.

.

.

Ding!

[Party member “Ryan Parker” added to your scenario]

[Party leader authority strengthened]

[Access to character status of “Ryan Parker” unlocked]

***

Removing the soundproof barrier, Moon Wolf focused his gaze on a single point.

Vooooom! Crash!

The burning warehouse collapsed with a thunderous roar. Left alone, the fire would have merely charred it—but the organization’s sabotage accelerated the collapse. No significant “evidence” would remain.

‘There wasn’t much left anyway.’

He had seen the departing Arcane Runner erase all records within the warehouse. A new Arcane Runner not in any database.

If recruited, she would be a tremendous asset.

‘Gunther seems to have made contact with her. We can hope.’

Moon Wolf glanced at the onlookers gathering—more precisely, at the Luthien hounds among them—then turned away slowly.

He wanted to leap down and tear them apart.

But restraint was necessary. Being detected by Luthien while injured was the worst-case scenario.

Pshhh.

— Vice-Commander, is the trial complete?

Moon Wolf raised the receiver.

— Yes.

— Wow, sounds like it went well. There’s actual excitement in your voice.

A loyal subordinate—too familiar with him. Even slight tonal shifts did not escape notice.

— I suppose I owe you an overall evaluation.

Overall evaluation.

Moon Wolf replayed everything from beginning to end.

— This recruit candidate...