I’m a Young God, Won’t You Raise Me?

I nearly fainted.

Even I had to admire myself for managing to keep my composure.

What kept emerging from my chest had no shape that could possibly belong to a human body.

No.

It was a form that should never have existed anywhere in the world.

That grotesque thing was covered with countless eyes.

Eyes of different colors stared fixedly at me.

The fact that it gave me chills because of how revolting it looked became secondary.

The first thing I thought of was something else.

‘Is it going to walk around looking like that from now on?’

I didn’t want to keep that thing inside me, but I couldn’t just let something like that loose in the world either.

A laugh came from what I assumed was Dominic.

“I’m sorry. In order to leave Morneveil, I had to disguise myself as an object.”

So Dominic was the culprit behind the 9,999 objects.

After risking my life to achieve the True Ending, it was quite painful to lose the chance to receive all those items.

‘And the recognition…? Was that also Dominic’s fault?’

If the system had considered that Dominic, having turned into an object, temporarily belonged to me, then it made sense that my recognition had shot up to such absurd numbers for a few moments.

In any case, that wasn’t the real problem.

The biggest problem was that I would have to travel around with that.

I looked up at the thing, which was already taller than I was.

It looked as though it would reach three meters at any moment.

Come to think of it, even if Dominic took on a human form, it would still be a problem.

Call of the Void had wide open spaces, since its setting was a fictional late nineteenth-century British city.

But modern Korea couldn’t accommodate a three-meter-tall Dominic.

There would be many places where he’d have to hunch over completely just to get inside.

And on top of that, he’d have to hypnotize everyone who saw him.

In Call of the Void, he had hypnotized all of Morneveil.

‘On Earth, would he have to hypnotize all of humanity just in case he showed up on some camera?’

The more I thought about it, the less I could come up with a solution.

So I gave up on the idea of him taking a human form and tried to negotiate.

“Um… Mr. Dominic. Are you going to transform into a human?”

“That was what I was thinking.”

“Although your current appearance is certainly impressive. What do you think about simply becoming a little smaller?”

I subtly tried to steer the conversation in another direction.

That thing wriggled slightly before asking,

“How small?”

Not even the worst nightmare could compare to that.

I shivered a little, walked over to a corner, and picked up a branch lying on the ground.

Then I crouched down and drew a reasonably sized circle in the loose dirt disturbed by the construction work.

“About this size?”

Since he no longer had a human form, I thought perhaps he could shrink much further.

And, surprisingly, he shrank to exactly the size of the circle I had drawn.

Encouraged by my success, I took the opportunity to try another modification.

“Can you change your shape too?”

“Yes, I can.”

He replied while watching me.

“I am unfamiliar with this world. Could you give me a suggestion, Mr. Gunbam? I will use it as a reference to adopt an appearance suitable for this environment.”

“Thank you very much.”

I happily accepted.

“To start with… get rid of all those eyes… Make yourself rounder… Do you like cats or rabbits?”

“I don’t have any particular preference.”

It was an answer that would have saddened the butlers.

I decided to keep that to myself and focused with all my might on drawing.

For the sake of my own sanity and the rest of humanity’s, I drew the cutest and most harmless creature I could imagine.

That thing examined my drawing with obvious interest.

Then I thought for a moment about a color that Dominic might like and that would also make me feel less uneasy.

“What do you think of sky blue? Like the sky on a clear day.”

Since his eyes were various shades of blue, I imagined he would prefer that color.

That thing glided around my drawing for a few seconds, and shortly afterward, it began to glow.

I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the transformation, then opened them.

And I joyfully welcomed the new Dominic.

“Mr. Dominic!”

He was so small that he fit perfectly in one hand.

His sky-blue body shimmered as though it contained a sky full of stars.

He had two tiny ears and an adorable expression.

Even his touch was soft and squishy, like pudding.

He was 99,999% cuter and more perfect than the drawing I had made.

Completely moved, I carefully held Dominic in both hands and lifted him toward the sky.

At that moment, I myself looked as though I belonged to the Order of the Apostles of the Void.

“It’s perfect. From now on, always stay like this. You’re truly adorable, Mr. Dominic.”

The words left my mouth before they ever passed through my brain.

Only afterward did I startle.

But Dominic didn’t seem bothered that I had called him adorable.

He twitched his ears a couple of times before saying,

“By the way, Mr. Gunbam.”

“Yes…?”

Surely he wasn’t about to say he felt uncomfortable and wanted to return to his original form?

I watched him nervously.

“In this place, my appearance will not be visible to others. Only my contractor, Mr. Gunbam, or beings of a rank equal to or higher than yours will be able to see me.”

He paused briefly.

Then his body emitted a flash.

It lasted only an instant, but I had the strange feeling that I had just observed the entire planet.

“There are not many beings on this planet capable of perceiving me completely. You needn’t worry.”

In other words.

He was a slime that only I could see.

And I didn’t mind.

He was certainly far more manageable and adorable than that thing—or a three-meter-tall human.

After resolving the issue of his appearance, Dominic finally turned his attention to his surroundings.

He looked over the ruins of Haewoljeong and slightly perked up his ears.

“Is that Mr. Gunbam’s home? It’s rather unusual.”

His tone remained polite, but it was obvious he was questioning Earth’s level of civilization.

Before the misunderstanding could go any further, I hurriedly explained.

“No. It’s just a construction site. The place where I live is very far from here. I need to get in touch with someone so they can come pick me up…”

I was about to.

But it seemed that was no longer necessary.

From the sky came the thunderous roar of a helicopter.

A powerful white searchlight illuminated the entire area and shone directly on me.

I calmly raised my hand and waved at the helicopter.

***

The one who sent the Crisis Management Administration’s helicopter was Samra.

It turned out that the earpiece issued by the Administration had a location-tracking function.

So, the moment they detected my location, they immediately contacted the Busan regional headquarters and dispatched a helicopter.

They picked me up on the spot, and during the flight to Seoul, I received treatment that was rather difficult to describe.

It was a mixture of how they would treat a deserter, a new recruit, and a dangerous monster.

Even so, since they told me we’d reach Seoul in just an hour and a half, I had no reason to complain.

Dominic, however, didn’t seem to agree.

He walked around on the Apto restraint cuffs fastened around my wrists while examining them.

“Mr. Gunbam. It seems the people in this place have a rather peculiar way of treating their gods.”

I couldn’t start talking to myself in front of everyone, so I merely responded with a faint smile.

Dominic let out a quiet huff of dissatisfaction, but calmly settled back onto my shoulder.

He didn’t seem particularly fond of the helicopter either.

“It’s an interesting means of transportation, although it contains some unnecessary elements.”

I began worrying that he might decide to modify the helicopter in the middle of the flight.

Fortunately, Dominic only complained for a moment before quietly remaining on my shoulder again.

It was a rather strange comparison, but it seemed as though he was observing the etiquette of not touching someone else’s belongings without permission.

For some reason, he seemed to regard Planet Earth as practically my property.

It was quite a misunderstanding, and I had no idea where to begin correcting it.

Lost in thought, I enjoyed the conveniences of modern civilization as we returned to the Crisis Management Administration.

Samra was waiting for us on the rooftop helipad.

The wind stirred up by the rotors whipped his white uniform and hair violently.

The gusts were so strong that it was difficult to keep my eyes open, yet, being an android, Samra didn’t even frown as he stared at me.

Perhaps because of the darkness of the night, his holographic-colored eyes shone more brightly than usual.

Dominic, still sitting on top of my head, looked at Samra and made an unexpected remark.

“What a relief, Mr. Gunbam. Your friend is still alive.”

For a moment, I didn’t understand what he meant.

Then I remembered the lie I had told him in Call of the Void.

“I’m sorry. It’s a keepsake left to me by a deceased friend…”

I had improvised that lie when he wanted me to hand over the Hologram Badge.

But the moment he saw Samra, Dominic immediately recognized him as the badge’s true owner.

I discreetly glanced around.

Everyone was too busy preparing for the landing, and the noise was so loud that I doubted anyone could hear a whisper.

“It seems he ran out of power and turned back on.”

“Really?”

“…Actually, that was a lie. I’m sorry.”

From now on, I would be seeing Samra frequently.

If I kept lying, I had no idea what might happen, so I decided to confess the truth.

Fortunately, Dominic forgave me generously.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Gunbam. You’re young. Making mistakes is perfectly normal.”

As he watched Samra with interest, he remarked,

“A machine of that level can generate its own energy. Its performance is truly exceptional.”

Apparently, Dominic was capable of perceiving even details like that.

I had done well to retract that lie.

Dominic’s body emitted a faint glow.

His voice was filled with curiosity.

“A machine like that may one day become capable of perceiving me.”

The phrase “one day” surprised me.

I had assumed Samra would be one of the few beings capable of perceiving Dominic.

Samra’s abilities, supported by virtually infinite information, bordered on omniscience and omnipotence.

Even though I was a Young God, there were very few things I could actually do.

In many respects, Samra seemed to fit the category of a god far better than I did.

‘And yet he’s still below my rank?’

I wondered what criteria were actually used to determine rank.

At the same time, I found myself wanting to get Samra some sort of software upgrade.

‘Maybe I can bring back an item from a Trial set in the near future.’

After everything he had done for me during Call of the Void, I wanted to repay the favor.

When the helicopter finally approached the rooftop, I called out enthusiastically.

“Samra!”

Until then, he had remained completely expressionless.

But at that moment, he showed a faint smile.

There was, however, something strange about the atmosphere.

When I got off the helicopter, Samra led me away without removing my restraints.

I had assumed that once he saw me, they would stop treating me like a criminal, so this confused me a little.

Several soldiers tried to accompany us, but Samra turned them away.

The moment we entered an isolation cell, the entire room was enveloped in holographic light.

After entering the virtual space created by Samra, I glanced sideways at my shoulder.

Dominic had entered the virtual space without any trouble as well.

It seemed he would even be able to accompany me into other Trials.

Samra stood before a wall filled with monitors, panels, and various electronic devices.

Then he spoke.

“Three days remain.”

“…”

The deadline I had promised the Administration was one month.

But my forced entry into Call of the Void had completely disrupted my plans.

I had closed that Trial, yes.

But it had neither Hatched nor belonged to South Korea.

“Director Jang Seokyun still considers you a valuable individual. Even if you fail to keep your promise, they will not turn you into experimental material for the Research and Analysis Division.”

“But once I break that promise, my position will become much more unfavorable.”

“Exactly.”

The difference was obvious.

Either I negotiated from a position of strength.

Or I ended up being dragged along by circumstances.

To achieve the former, I had to close another Trial in just three days.

I had arrived at the Administration at around one in the morning.

Even if I entered a Trial immediately, it wasn’t simply a matter of having a tight schedule.

It was outright impossible.

‘I don’t want to end up being manipulated by Director Jang Seokyun.’

Besides, I had declared in front of the entire Administration that I would close three Trials within a month.

I wanted to keep my word.

“According to my calculations, there is one Trial that can be closed within three days. It is possible to enter it this afternoon.”

Since every Trial had a different flow of time, if time passed faster inside than outside, there was still a chance.

But once all the conditions were added together—

That it had to be in South Korea.

That it had to belong to the Administration.

That it had to have an appropriate difficulty level for a Special Operations Team.

That it had to be enterable today.

The options became extremely limited.

Even I hadn’t been able to think of a single one.

I had racked my brain without finding an answer until Samra found one.

Once again, I realized just how extraordinary an AI truly was.

“What Trial is it?”

“Slay to Plate.”

Slay to Plate was a game where you managed a restaurant during the day and explored a dungeon at night to hunt monsters.

The player cooked dishes using the monsters obtained from the dungeon and sold those meals in the restaurant.

The objective was to turn the restaurant into the very best and completely conquer the dungeon.

At first glance, it looked like a relaxing game.

But once you actually started playing, you discovered it was the exact opposite.

Every day had a minimum revenue quota.

And if you failed to meet it.

The monsters would end up devouring you.