Surviving without God

If one thought about it carefully, the Gods’ Shop was truly an alien space. A place where gods could partially reveal their forms and exert their influence. A place where dozens of “subordinates” walked about without any restrictions.

The reason was simple. The Gods’ Shop was located directly above the passage connecting the world of gods and the world of mortals.

Only one thing needed to be noted here. At such a distant crossroads there existed a being capable of creating infrastructure accessible even to humans of merely the 1st hierarchy, and of overseeing countless transactions.

‘Power at the level of an “Official” would not be enough here.’

Exactly so. The owner of the Gods’ Shop was none other than the “Supreme God.” A being whom Gunther, despite his astonishing growth over the past months, had still never encountered in person. Minor god, Official god, Supreme god. The one who stood at the very summit of the ancient deities. A supreme divinity that some might even compare to the Outer Gods.

‘...It’s coming.’

The invisible presences that had filled the hall suddenly stirred all at once.

[“The One Who Closes the Gates of Heaven” cautiously raises his gaze]

[“Broker of Bloody Deals” looks on with a servile grin]

[“The One with a Thousand Fingers” shrinks back]

[“Holder of Chains of Debt” lowers his head and glances aside]

[“Walker upon Black Waves” holds its breath]

[“Priest of Ashen Wings” nods]

And—

[“Merchant of Boundaries” appears]

Throughout all eras, wealth had always inspired reverence. The god who, for countless years, had methodically accumulated his rank like gold bars finally appeared before them.

Step—step—

His avatar, surprisingly, differed little from a human form. A physique slightly over two meters tall. Skin shining like polished gold, and eyes gleaming like coins. A gentle, friendly smile played across his face.

[Welcome to Auction 539, my guests]

Moreover, he did not emit even a trace of the “divine aura” that any god was supposed to possess, so at first glance he resembled nothing more than an ordinary merchant from among the alien races. Gunther knew the reason.

‘Because if he revealed his aura, every low-ranked human here would simply die.’

...Even if this body was merely an avatar containing only a small portion of his true power.

The Merchant of Boundaries had been obsessed with every tiny coin since the days when he was still human and eventually became unimaginably wealthy. He showed politeness even to the most insignificant clients.

‘I didn’t expect to meet this gentleman as early as Chapter 1.’

[“Running Ahead of the Wind” looks at the Merchant of Boundaries with envy]

[“The Ruler of the Oceans” casts a sideways glance]

[“Alphonse of Red Street” reminisces about the old days once again]

Some deities caused a real commotion trying to curry favor with him. Gunther briefly scanned the rapidly appearing messages. Among them flickered familiar names.

‘Almost half of them are Official gods.’

Then, while observing the seating for guests, Gunther noticed something else.

‘Ha.’

Among the human participants there was not a single one below rank 3. That meant the minimum requirement to take part in the auction was to be among the top ten percent of all visitors. Most concealed their faces beneath masks and robes, and only the rank badges glimmered on their chests. When Gunther noticed ranks as high as 5 and 6 among them, his gaze flickered slightly.

‘...There’s nothing easy to catch here. The competition is insane.’

He had only planned to pick up a few offerings for members of his squad, yet he had ended up drawn into something far larger than he expected. Even Gunther, who understood the preferences of gods quite well, could not expect an easy walk this time.

‘...Rakies will be disappointed.’

At that moment the Merchant of Boundaries spoke again.

[So that you, deities, may participate in the auction comfortably, I shall bear the “cost” of stepping out of the shadows]

[However, I ask that you refrain from carelessly releasing your divine aura. There are those in this hall who cannot yet withstand its weight]

As soon as those words were spoken, strange sounds echoed from all sides.

Boom—!

Gunther, who was rarely taken aback, stared at the two silhouettes that had suddenly appeared beside him.

“Ha-a... A collective manifestation, huh. Since it’s come to a Supreme God, absurd things like this become possible. When will I ever reach such heights? No, can I even reach them? Huh? Can I?!”

The goddess muttering this nonsense like some scatterbrained fool quickly straightened up when she realized people were looking at her. The white folds of her garments fluttered with the sudden movement. ...A deity trying to appear arrogant but somehow managing to look awkward instead. Gunther let out a short chuckle.

‘Dove, welcome.’

Standing right beside Dove was an unfamiliar woman. Although they were meeting for the first time, Gunther could guess who she was from appearance alone.

Hair flowing like a dark-blue current. Eyes containing the silence of the ocean depths. She looked young outwardly, but her gaze resembled the sea itself. Bottomless, incomprehensible, calm — yet capable in an instant of raising a wave ready to swallow everything around it.

[“King of the Knights of Ninety-Nine Defeats” looks at his former lover with trembling eyes]

[“Alphonse of Red Street” whistles]

[“Drug-Addicted Saint” smiles as though greeting an old acquaintance]

Her majesty suppressed even “Running Ahead of the Wind.” The «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» goddess who had just been standing upright immediately shrank and awkwardly greeted her.

“Ah, greetings...”

But the Ruler of the Oceans did not reply, merely scanning the surroundings. From the very beginning she had not even spared Gunther a glance. Embarrassed, Running Ahead of the Wind finally turned toward Gunther and coughed for no reason.

“Ahem, ahem. Regressor, the winds of fate have brought us together again. How have you been?”

“Since when do we use informal speech?”

“It’s been a long time!”

Gunther let out a short sigh as he looked at her radiant smile.

Normally, meeting a god’s avatar face to face outside a temple was only possible after the completion of Chapter 1, when the “boundaries” collapsed. So the situation was clearly exceptional. Amid endless changes, Gunther addressed an old acquaintance who still pretended he did not exist.

“Hey, are you really allowed to appear openly like this?”

“...I still possess enough strength to hide myself from filthy gazes.”

“Really? It would be even more impressive if you had enough strength to hide us too.”

“What a demanding descendant you are.”

Frowning slightly, she waved her hand. Gunther felt an invisible veil descend over them. Then her cold, stern gaze fixed upon him.

“By the way, where is my staff? You promised to return it.”

“Ah, that...”

There had been no response from headquarters yet. Even if he got it back, the decision had already been made to hand the item over to the Society of Forgotten Books. Just as he was wondering what to answer, the Ruler of the Oceans seemed to read the answer in his silence, and her expression changed. She lowered her gaze for a moment, then slowly nodded as though understanding everything.

“It seems the matter is dragging on. That is why you are here? Looking for some small gift to appease me?”

“....”

“This auction will not be easy. Are you prepared? Remember — the sea is not easily satisfied.”

Gunther stared silently into empty space... no, he drilled into it with his gaze.

[“King of the Knights of Ninety-Nine Defeats” sinks into thought, recalling old times]

[“Alphonse of Red Street” remembers the days when the King of Knights ran back and forth trying to prepare a gift]

[“Drug-Addicted Saint” defends him, saying the boy has a good heart]

Gunther thought for a moment and made a decision.

‘...I suppose I’ll participate.’

Originally, he had intended to obtain the following:

A lightning-element item for Tarsha. An antique for Levain. A divine relic that would suit Blanc well. ...And something that would cause Parco particular suffering.

Plus, an offering for the Ruler of the Oceans — newly added to the list.

In truth, obtaining even one thing from that list would be enough. Since the items here were of far higher class than expected, success would be like hitting a jackpot.

‘In the end, I still have something to rely on.’

Gunther recalled the message that had arrived a few days earlier.

[Chapter 1, Act 4 rank calculation complete]

The reward for all the suffering in the Labyrinth had finally been issued.

[As a member of “Night Raven,” you flawlessly completed your first mission and completely foiled the plans of Luthien]

[Moreover, you uncovered the true nature of an item that had previously been considered unidentified and established an unexpected connection with a new group called the “Society of Forgotten Books”]

[Your achievements have left an indelible impression within the organization, and your name now shines brighter than anyone else's]

[Expected number of deaths: 11, actual number of deaths: 2]

[Clear Rank: SS]

[Clear reward issued]

-Karma: 250 (efficiency bonus 15% applied: 287)

-Chaos Chest x4 (current stock: 9)

-Random Offering Chest (current stock: 1)

Gunther’s gaze lingered on the reward section. Who knew. Perhaps, like last time, something valuable for trading would come out of the Chaos Chest. The Random Offering Chest could also produce results if luck favored him. Since he had been diligently raising his Luck stat, this was not such a risky move.

‘In the worst case, I still have Karma.’

How attractive a currency that was to the gods had already been proven by the goddess currently swallowing her saliva beside him. He had no intention of spending it on worthless junk, but simply knowing he had a trump card in reserve made him calmer.

‘Alright, let’s begin.’

Step—step—

The moment Gunther made his decision, the Merchant of Boundaries stepped away, and a subordinate appeared on the stage in his place.

[Now then, we begin the auction!]

Gunther also got to work. He began the “opening” of the chests.

“Open!”

[Item acquired! Excessively gaudy night vessel...]

And then... Why? The Ruler of the Oceans grabbed Gunther’s arm in shock.

“What are you doing?!”

.

.

.

The spectator hall had been built even larger than a stadium for the convenience of participants. Because it possessed special properties, the space could expand without limit. There was no reason to crowd together when hostile deities might gather in the same place.

A situation where there was no need to encounter unpleasant individuals. And yet those who had taken seats concealed their identities extremely carefully.

“The bait has been placed?”

“Yes. They will definitely bite. We displayed something they will not be able to resist.”

The man who had given the order fell silent for a moment, then quietly laughed.

“Excellent. That is how it should be. Only that way can we fix the mess those two worthless fools created.”