I’m a Young God, Won’t You Raise Me?

I was wearing the Holographic Badge Samra had given me pinned to the inside of my clothes.

It wasn’t visible, and of course, I had never shown it to Dominic.

“…The badge.”

“The badge?”

“It was a gift. From a friend.”

“Ah… A friend from London?”

“…Yes. But how did you know I was wearing a badge? I have it hidden underneath my clothes.”

I asked with a smile, as though it were a joke.

Hearing my question, Dominic replied with a curious expression.

“At some point, I simply started to sense it.”

It seemed he had only just realized it was hidden.

Judging by the way he spoke, he hadn’t sensed it from the moment I put it on.

For some reason, I had a hunch that it had started after he saw the Luminous Irregular Polyhedron.

And the reason he had detected the badge was probably…

‘Because it isn’t an object from Call of the Void.’

The most reasonable hypothesis was that, since it was an object from outside, it gave him a sense of unfamiliarity.

“For now, let’s get out of here.”

I was the first to start walking.

“There is still evidence left to gather, and we also have to rescue the people who were kidnapped for the sacrifices. I think it’ll be more efficient if we split up.”

As I walked briskly, I spoke to Dominic, who was following behind me.

“I’m smaller, so it’s easier for me to move around without being noticed. I’ll go gather the remaining evidence. How about you rescue the sacrifices, Mr. Dominic?”

I had never thought of myself as short.

But standing next to Dominic, those words came out naturally.

“That’s a good idea. I’ll take the rescued people to my clinic. Miss Edel won’t be able to come near them there.”

I briefly explained where the future sacrifices were being held.

Then I stopped hearing his footsteps.

I was opening the door leading out of the cell block when I turned around.

“…Mr. Dominic?”

“Mr. Gunbam. I know this is rather an unreasonable request…”

He brought a hand to his face for a moment.

He seemed bewildered even by himself.

“Never mind. Forget it.”

‘Is he doing this on purpose?’

Leaving the sentence unfinished only made me even more curious.

It didn’t look like he was about to say anything pleasant.

But the uncertainty kept bothering me.

And if I didn’t ask now, who knew what kind of bomb would explode later?

‘Better to make it explode now.’

With the resolve of a bomb disposal expert, I decided to ask.

“Please tell me, Mr. Dominic.”

After hesitating for a few moments, Dominic spoke cautiously.

“Would you give me that badge?”

The way he said it was cautious.

But the content certainly wasn’t.

I still didn’t know what that badge was for.

However, judging by Dominic’s reaction, it was obviously an important item.

And I couldn’t hand it over so easily.

Besides, it wasn’t even mine.

It belonged to Samra.

I had no choice but to resort to another lie.

“I’m sorry… it’s a keepsake left behind by a friend who passed away.”

After verbally killing off a Samra who was almost certainly still perfectly alive, I once again put on the pitiful expression I had used in jail.

“I’d gladly give anything to the man who saved my life and is also my companion, Mr. Dominic. But I can’t give you this.”

Dominic looked visibly embarrassed.

“It was a keepsake from your friend… I’m truly sorry, Mr. Gunbam. I suddenly felt a strange impulse. I don’t even understand why.”

I shook my head to show him it wasn’t his fault.

“I think it’s because of that strange metal box we saw yesterday.”

“…!”

“It was definitely a dangerous object. We’d better not go near it again.”

“I agree. So that’s what you felt yesterday as well.”

Dominic looked at me carefully once again.

It was the same look he used to make sure I was all right.

I smiled as though nothing were wrong.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes, Mr. Gunbam.”

Dominic followed without objection.

Afterward, we split up to carry out our respective tasks.

And finally, once I was alone—

“Huff…”

I let out all the breath I had been holding back.

Every time I was with Dominic, I felt like my heart couldn’t take much more.

And it was only natural.

I had lied to him far too many times already.

I had even deliberately given him the wrong location for where the kidnapped people were being held.

I wanted him to spend hours searching for them and stay occupied all day.

After all, today’s ritual would no longer use the kidnapped people as sacrifices.

Now, the victims would be the members of the Order themselves.

So there was no need to rescue them beforehand.

‘At first, I planned to stay by Dominic’s side at all times.’

Both to keep an eye on him so he wouldn’t cause trouble and to make use of his abilities.

But now I was beginning to think it would be better to keep him locked away somewhere.

By turning the Order’s believers into the new sacrifices, Dominic had completely complicated the situation.

The people originally destined to be sacrificed were safe.

But the ritual was still going ahead.

Of course, I could infiltrate the Order together with Dominic and stop the ceremony.

It would be much easier.

However.

Ever since he saw the Luminous Irregular Polyhedron, Dominic’s behavior had begun to change.

And I came to the conclusion that I had to prevent him, by any means necessary, from coming into contact with anything related to summoning Outer Gods ever again.

Perhaps Dominic had been summoned to this place by the Order itself.

That possibility occurred to me because I knew the Order’s rituals were used to summon all kinds of Outer Gods.

I didn’t know whether Dominic was a divine entity.

But he certainly was anything but an ordinary being.

So the possibility existed.

On the other hand, Trials were nothing more than worlds that repeated themselves over and over again.

Could a Trial really have the power to summon and imprison a being like Dominic?

I found it hard to believe.

In any case, it was a mystery that couldn’t be solved for now.

So I decided to deal with that night’s ritual on my own.

I circled around the police station until I reached the back and peeked through an open window.

NPCs followed very strict schedules.

And at that hour, there was never anyone in the back of the station.

I reached through the window, grabbed a hat hanging on the wall, and pulled it low over my face.

‘I’m just borrowing a hat.’

Since they had brought me there on false charges, I figured there was nothing wrong with taking a hat as a souvenir from the police station.

Judging by the peaceful atmosphere, it seemed my escape hadn’t been discovered yet.

When it was time to serve dinner to the prisoners, they would certainly notice I was gone.

So I had to finish gathering the evidence and infiltrate the Order before that happened.

I quietly slipped into an alley that no one ever used.

A plump rat let out a squeak and scampered away in front of me.

When I reached the dead end at the back of the alley, a system window appeared.

(You have entered the back alleys of Mournveil. Where would you like to go?)

More than 10 travel destinations unlocked, 8 or more pieces of evidence gathered, and at least 2 companions.

It was a shortcut that only became available after meeting certain conditions.

And I had prepared all of those conditions the day before.

I chose my destination.

Go to Town Hall.

The moment I did, my body stepped onto a garbage bin and nimbly vaulted over the wall.

In an instant, I was running across the rooftops.

Crossing from one low rooftop to another was surprisingly exhilarating.

With my normal physical abilities, it probably would have been impossible.

But thanks to the automatic movement, I moved like a professional stuntman.

Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, I quickly arrived at Town Hall.

I checked the time on the clock tower and surveyed the surroundings.

The cobblestone square was shrouded in a tense atmosphere.

Even the police officers wore grim expressions.

The mayor’s official residence stood two blocks away from Town Hall.

And that was where the murder had taken place.

The greatest advantage of using the back alleys was that the system automatically guided you along the most discreet routes.

More precisely, through places that weren’t even paths, but could be used as such.

I climbed the drainpipe attached to the wall until I reached the mayor’s office.

Since almost all of the staff were gathered at the official residence, the office was completely empty.

I took out the wire I had obtained the previous day.

Old Wire: An indispensable tool for any journalist obsessed with getting the scoop! It can be used for a wide variety of purposes. (Remaining uses: 5)

I picked the lock and pushed the window open.

The moment I stepped inside, another system window appeared.

You have entered the Mayor of Mournveil’s office. A sinister presence can be felt.

It was the notification that an event related to the main story was about to occur.

Normally, the event consisted of the mayor catching me breaking into his office and flying into a rage.

He was under mild brainwashing.

And if you failed to persuade him, he would transform into a monster and a boss battle would begin.

Entering there unprepared almost certainly meant losing a heart.

But now the mayor was already dead.

So I was able to walk right in.

Like a thief taking advantage of an empty house, I began searching the office.

I was looking for documents related to the Order that the mayor had hidden.

In the game, you normally had to either defeat the mayor after he transformed into a boss or persuade him in order to obtain those documents.

I knew they were somewhere in the office.

But it was my first time trying to steal them, so I would have to search for them.

I started by inspecting the desk.

Then I noticed a neatly folded newspaper.

It had probably been delivered before the mayor’s death was discovered, because it was dated that very day.

I glanced at it without giving it much thought.

And something strange happened.

The newspaper’s name, [Mournveil Herald], slowly began to change.

When the transformation was complete, a name I knew all too well appeared.

“…Daily News?”

It was the same newspaper the Cat Butler had given me in The Third Archive.

The one that reported the spaceship explosion.

That couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.

I grabbed it immediately.

But every page was covered with black blocks.

Last time, I had at least been able to read one article.

This time, there was absolutely nothing.

I checked it all the way to the last page.

Then I found a small section of everyday tips filling the leftover space in the newspaper.

It was a very short piece.

But I could actually read it.

Practical Tip from ■■ ■■■!

If an item can be activated but not used, try using the “Appraisal” skill.

“I don’t have a skill like that.”

It was like telling someone that if their beer was warm, they should just add ice.

After examining the newspaper so carefully, that was all I had found.

While cursing how useless it was, a line suddenly appeared, crossing out the text.

Advanced Tip from ■■ ■■■!

If an item can be activated but not used, try using the “Appraisal” skill. Or smear it with a little blood! It’s quite a primitive method, but surprisingly effective.

“……”

What the hell…?

It was as though someone was watching everything I was doing.

I stared at those black blocks.

Then I remembered seeing that exact arrangement of squares several times before.

Every time I completed a Trial, a message with that same pattern appeared, saying that someone was watching me.

It had also appeared during Dejon Deal’s special mission.

And, in fact, the information it contained during that mission had been useful.

After thinking it over for a few moments, I decided to give it a try.

After all, shedding a few drops of blood wasn’t a problem.

I removed the badge pinned inside my clothes and lightly pricked the tip of my finger with its pin.

Then I rubbed the drop of blood onto the badge.

Just when I thought nothing was going to happen—

The blood was completely absorbed.

A holographic glow began to envelop the badge.

Watching such a strange sight, my eyes widened.

The badge emitted a burst of static.

Then a faint voice began to come through.

I gripped it tightly and held it close to my ear.

— …Han Goyo!

“Samra?”

It was Samra’s voice.

He had managed to establish communication between the outside world and the inside of the Trial.

It had been a long time since I’d heard his voice.

I was genuinely happy.

Although I barely had time to marvel at such impossible technology.

Samra spoke urgently.

— Where are you right now?

“In Call of the Void. An NPC forced me to enter it directly from The Third Archive.”

— Are you saying you’ve entered a Trial?

“Yes.”

I felt that something was off.

Samra never asked unnecessary questions.

It struck me as strange that he would confirm that in particular.

— Han Goyo…

After a brief silence, Samra spoke.

— Call of the Void has never hatched.

“…Never hatched…?”

— Which means…

It’s a Trial that doesn’t exist.