Surviving without God

Gunther stepped into the old tent and took a deep breath.

‘Everything is exactly the same as it was a few months ago.’

Thin streams of smoke drifted through the cramped, dim space along with the scent of incense. A dirty carpet. A small table on which lay a battered crystal ball and a deck of faded cards. And in front of them — the witch.

“Hello, Gunther.”

She removed her pointed hat and tilted her head playfully. Her violet hair spilled down, filling the tent with a strange glow.

“I went through the trouble of appearing with such a surprise, and you’re not even surprised?”

“I thought it was about time for you to come.”

Hadn’t she said she would appear as soon as the three prophecies were fulfilled? Gunther pulled out a chair and sat across from her.

“Besides, I was waiting.”

The smile on the witch’s lips widened.

“O-oh, it seems you want to get straight to the point.”

“I don’t have time. You know what kind of man I am — busy.”

Gunther glanced at the deck of cards on the table and casually asked:

“So, are you going to read the Tablets again and predict my future?”

“M?”

For a brief moment, silence hung in the air. A faint ripple passed through the witch’s eyes.

“...You ask that with a lot of confidence.”

“You predicted my future too precisely.”

From the very moment he had heard the old man mention the existence of the “Tablets,” Gunther had felt it instinctively: the mysterious deity in front of him was somehow connected to them.

“You foresaw everything — that I would obtain the ‘Godslayer,’ that I would incur a debt in my deal with the One-Eyed King, and that the Eldest and the Youngest would begin hunting me.”

◇ silently listened to Gunther. Yet the smile on her lips kept growing more noticeable.

“If it’s not the Tablets, then I see no other way to explain such accuracy.”

“Who knows. Aren’t you a ‘being not recorded in the Tablets’?”

“Right. You even know that.”

Looking at ◇, who burst into bright laughter, Gunther smirked and concluded:

“Though, in the end, it’s only a matter of interpretation.”

Ellen Beyra had said that the Tablets had been shattered long ago. And what the One-Eyed King supposedly read might have been nothing more than pathetic fragments.

‘Of course, that’s assuming this thing even has a physical form.’

The rest of the conclusions were simple.

◇ and ◆. They were most likely the beings holding the secret of Return After Death. Perhaps they were the very time deities Ellen Beyra was rumored to have made a contract with. It was reasonable to assume they possessed fragments of the Tablets that recorded his future. Gunther smiled faintly and continued:

“But you didn’t come this time to tell me about the future. Right?”

Instead of answering, ◇ simply watched him in silence. There was nothing in her gaze but curiosity, as though she were testing how far he could go.

“If you’re deities, then you can’t grant me favors without payment. I assume it’s time to present your demands.”

“Hm-m, do you really think I might want something from you?”

“If you want something, say it directly. Don’t circle around it. I told you — I don’t have time.”

◇ let out a quiet sigh.

“You truly can’t stand it when others try to manipulate you.”

“You know, it’s hard to stay patient when every time we finish talking I pass out for several hours.”

◇ burst into loud laughter.

“Alright... as you said, today I came with a request.”

With those words, the atmosphere inside the tent changed. The moment had come when Gunther sharpened his attention to catch every single sound.

“Gunther.”

“Gunther.”

“Do not gather the Tablets.”

“Gather the Tablets.”

“The Tablets will pull you toward them, and you toward them, but if they are assembled as one, everything will repeat again.”

“Only the one who binds the scattered fragments will touch the hidden truth. The nearest Tablets are on the upper level.”

...The voices overlapped, then fell silent. She looked just as bewildered as Gunther himself. At last, ◇ whispered quietly:

“Damn it. Brother.”

Psh-sh-sh-t!

That was the end of it. When Gunther lifted his head, only cold snow struck his face. The tent, the witch, even her old belongings — all had vanished without a trace. Only Gunther himself remained, the brightly risen morning sun, and Brody returning from her shift, squeezed dry like a lemon.

“Gunther? Why are you standing there like a statue?”

...Who knows. Gunther quietly sighed.

“Let’s go home.”

***

The next morning, Gunther woke to a rustling sound outside the door. A letter was carefully slipped through the crack.

‘What’s this?’

Tap-tap — the light footsteps moving away belonged to Roanna. Gunther was about to get out of bed when he suddenly remembered that Brody was still sleeping. ...From the next room came the steady sound of her breathing. Ever since his mana had surpassed 60, his senses had become so sharp that it often caused inconvenience. Gunther suppressed the mana that was already threatening to burst out on its own and picked up the letter.

‘...A bear?’

Instead of a name in the “sender” line, there was a crudely drawn bear. Gunther immediately remembered that Ryan’s codename was “Hungry Bear,” and hurriedly tore open the envelope. His eyes caught the rough handwriting.

[How’s it going, Full-Moon... Tch, what a nickname. Makes my teeth hurt. I’ll call you the old way, ■■]

Gunther’s name was hidden by censorship.

[By the way, they only let people write letters here if they’re doing well. That means I made it into the top ranks, got it? Ha, now I’m grateful to my old man in a whole new way for teaching me to read and write while beating the hell out of me. If it weren’t for him, I’d be sitting here sucking my thumb.]

[I see everyone writing to their lovers, but I’m not about to ask some guy to rewrite a letter for another guy. That’d be humiliating.]

The letter, which began with a talkative introduction, was already packed full by the first page. Ryan complained about how brutal the training was and in the same breath bragged about how easily he handled it.

Gunther smirked and continued reading. If he had had friends in the army, he might have received letters like this before, but Gunther had never had such an experience. From his teenage years until his mid-twenties, he had juggled three jobs at once, leaving no time for friendships. Perhaps that was why the look on Gunther’s face as he read the letter seemed so satisfied.

‘Though... since when did he become this talkative?’

A stray thought flickered through his mind. The real point only appeared on the second page.

[Oh right, by the way, the situation here isn’t great. I made friends with a couple of instructors, and they say there are rumors about early graduation. Did something happen outside? Though what would you know — you’re probably running errands for rookies there... Anyway, I hope we’ll see each other before they assign us.]

[I hope I get a decent boss. Anyway, what I wanted to say is — take care of yourself. Don’t go picking fights even if you’ve gotten stronger. You know my instincts are sharp, right? Something’s not right here.]

Gunther carefully folded the noisy letter and placed it in a drawer.

‘...Something’s not right, huh.’

Yes, he agreed. Even around him, all kinds of strange things were happening lately. But one of Gunther’s long-standing principles was to solve problems as they came, not to wrestle with things that couldn’t yet be dealt with.

The Tablets. The time deities.

Complicated thoughts swirled in his mind, yet everyday life hardly changed because of them. As always — do everything possible to prepare for the coming scenario. Only that had meaning.

‘I need to finish my preparations before Seraz contacts me.’

First, Gunther checked the money left in his purse. Despite expenses on all fronts, fortunately 250 gold still remained. All thanks to Night Raven, which never skimped on support for each successful mission.

‘That should be enough for some shopping.’

Night Raven had plenty of money. Not to mention that people as talented in trade as Kalian managed guilds and replenished the treasury — and their coffers were never empty thanks to generous donations flowing in from across the continent.

‘It’s the payment for sending our operatives into other countries.’

Those who had confronted the hierarchs of the Cult of Abundance on the Plain of Laska. Gunther suddenly remembered them.

‘I wonder... did they listen to what I said?’

Did Moon Wolf take his warning seriously and change her fate? The result was unknown. News would take a long time to reach someone of his rank. Gunther shook his head, pushing away unnecessary thoughts.

‘First thing in the morning — I’ll clean out the Gods’ Shop.’

He wanted to obtain offerings to strengthen the power of his subordinates.

‘I wonder who’s on duty today... I mean, which deity is making deals?’

There were both permanent deities in the Shop and ones that appeared randomly. His plan was to first go there, see who was waiting, and only then decide what to take.

[You enter the “Gods’ Shop”]

Inside the place that resembled a gigantic casino, a three-meter giant stepped in front of him, his robe fluttering.

[Client! Long time no see. Do you remember me? High-Being No.28, Rakies. I have been waiting only for you!]

“Yeah, hello, buddy.”

The once cold high-being now behaved as friendly as a casino promoter. Thanks to his constant and profitable deals, the badge on Gunther’s chest now displayed the number 3. It was a result roughly equivalent to the top ten percent of visitors. Naturally, the attitude toward him had changed.

[First, wet your throat. For humans the weather is not very warm right now, correct?]

Gunther took a sip of the hot drink that appeared before him out of thin air. Other visitors around him threw quick, envious glances his way. The past, when he had been despised as “rank zero,” felt like a distant dream.

[I eagerly await what you will surprise us with today.]

But something was strange. Rakies, who was usually more pushy, kept glancing around nervously, as if his thoughts were occupied with something else. Even from the outside it was obvious that the big fellow was restless, and it was hard to ignore.

‘By the way... why are there so many people here?’

And not just people. Messages at the edge of his vision updated without stopping.

[“Child with the Sword” strokes its hilt, waiting for something]

[“Split Tongue” sticks out and holds its breath]

[“Ashen Ring” slowly rotates, waiting its turn]

“What’s going on? Is there some kind of special event today?”

[Yes, exactly so. An auction will begin soon — an event held once every quarter.]

“An auction?”

Gunther tilted his head. The Gods’ Shop had always been a place for one-on-one exchanges. An auction — he had never heard of such a thing here.

‘This event wasn’t in the official history.’

Perhaps it was an Easter egg, so Gunther immediately asked:

“The default rule is barter, but this is an auction. I don’t quite understand.”

[The principle is almost the same as human auctions, client. Only instead of money, participants offer “items.” The exhibitor presents a lot, and the participants propose their exchange offers.]

[If the exhibitor chooses one of them, the others are given a chance to add something more.]

[This continues [N O V E L I G H T] until no new offers appear — then the deal is considered closed.]

Gunther understood quickly and nodded.

“...Sounds like a human auction, but far more profitable for the seller. If done right, you could become rich off a single item.”

[Exactly. That is why even the deities participate. And the goods that appear here surpass any expectations.]

Gods themselves becoming participants. That explained why so many deities had gathered here. Each wanted to obtain the offering they desired. At that moment a thought struck Gunther, and he hurriedly asked:

“Wait, does that mean a human can also become an exhibitor?”

[Ah... yes. But there is an application deadline. It must be submitted a week in advance, and only “Officials” or those above rank four receive instant permission to participate.]

“Damn.”

For a moment Gunther felt disappointed, remembering the various junk lying in his storage. The Box of Chaos, all sorts of little things he had collected along the way... Even if they seemed useless, some deity might have been interested in them, but unfortunately he couldn’t even put them up for auction.

[That is why there are so many “high-ranking” figures here today.]

Rakies’s gaze drifted toward the upper floor of the Shop. The area closed to everyone except those of rank five or six — a place even Gunther with his rank three could not enter. Gunther snorted, wondering who might be gathered there.

“So customer service for rank-three clients is now secondary, am I right?”

[Ah, how could you say such a thing...!]

Hee-hee... hee-hee...

Rakies made a sound that resembled a chuckle and bowed softly.

[Personally, I have great expectations.]

“Expectations of what?”

[That a client so knowledgeable in myths and legends will emerge victorious even in this bloody auction.]

[Perhaps... you may even attract the attention of our Master.]

At that very moment—

Bang—!

The lights in the Shop went out. The casino-like interior vanished without a trace. The gleaming counters were swallowed by darkness, even the signboard disappeared. In the cleared space, a completely different spectacle emerged.

[Qualification confirmation.]

[Entry permitted!]

Wuuuum—

From the darkness, stone columns and semicircular spectator seats rose upward, forming a mysterious auction hall. ...Entities that had previously been invisible began gradually gathering from all sides.

[“Alphonse of Red Street” calculates the odds and gives up]

[“Running Ahead of the Wind” shivers. She has seen deity-officials ranked higher than herself]

[“The Ruler of the Oceans” proudly raises her head]

[“King of Ninety-Nine Defeats” prepares to defend himself, but turns toward the Ruler of the Oceans]

[“Drug-Addicted Saint” sniffs]

And in that noisy darkness, a single beam of spotlight quietly descended. In the circle of light at the center, the first lot was already waiting.