Chapter 2268 – 2268. God’S Atlantis
The Black Pharaoh had vanished. Even looking around, his presence couldn’t be felt.
「Atlantis’s restoration is complete.」
A system notification popped up and then disappeared.
I looked around. The ordinary people were walking around as if nothing had happened. They had no memory of what had just occurred.
However, some people tilted their heads.
“Huh, uh? I feel a sense of déjà vu. Wasn’t there something strange in the sky?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Did you have a dream or something?”
“A dream? Ah. Something like that.”
“It must be déjà vu. You get that feeling sometimes, right?”
“It felt much more vivid than déjà vu.”
“Stop with the bullshit and let’s go earn more AP. Damn it. If only we could control even a small area, we wouldn’t have to go through this crap.”
Some seemed to have noticed something, but in the end, they brushed it off.
‘The strong ones wouldn’t have forgotten like those guys.’
I crossed my arms and stared into the empty air.
“System.”
There was no response. It was always like this. Unless it was something special, the system ignored me.
“Earlier, the Black Pharaoh appeared and tried to mess with me.”
「Checking Atlantis’s records.」
「Result: The Black Pharaoh’s intervention has been confirmed.」
「Sanctioning the Black Pharaoh.」
「The Black Pharaoh is making a face. You tattletale!」
It was just a false alarm. The system’s sanctions wouldn’t cause much damage. All the Black Pharaoh did was have a short conversation.
“System. I’m the victim here. I deserve compensation.”
「500,000 AP will be provided as compensation.」
「Taking it from my pocket! You robber!」
After that, there was no further response. 500,000 AP was deposited into my account. It felt good to earn 500,000 AP for something so minor.
‘I won’t let my guard down. That bastard can leave suggestions in people’s minds with just a few words… It’s better to just forget about that conversation.’
Since erasing memories was impossible, I decided to ignore it.
Flap flap.
Suddenly, a pigeon appeared in the air. The pigeon approached me and spread its wings wide.
Pop!
Like a magic trick, the pigeon burst, turning into a letter that slowly fell from the air.
It was a light feather item. It had the effect of delivering a letter to the target. The store price was 700,000 AP. It was a one-time use item with limitations, so it wasn’t cost-effective.
In short, it was an item closer to a waste of money. Of course, it had its advantages. It could deliver items accurately to a specific target.
I unfolded the letter and checked it. The sender was Samuel, the boss of Helten. The content was simple. A summons for the executives.
• • •
「Entered Sector 3,709, the Star Judgment.」
「This is a hidden sector.」
「In Sector 3,709, truth and lies are judged.」
「The penalty for lies has been removed by the ruler’s settings.」
「Due to the ruler’s special settings, all thrones except the Contract Throne cannot see the situation here.」
「Due to the ruler’s special settings, it is impossible to leave the sector using scrolls or other space-time movement methods.」
「A secret veil has been deployed. All thrones cannot observe this place for a certain period.」
I arrived at what could be called Helten’s hideout. Looking around, all the executives except me were gathered. I made eye contact with Elena, who wore a mirror mask. We exchanged glances but didn’t acknowledge each other.
“The clown’s here too. Now that everyone’s here, shall we start?”
A raccoon sitting on the floor spoke. Next to it was a wooden doll.
Besides them, there were quite a few others wearing masks. There were some masks I had never seen before.
‘There are 8 in total. Last time I saw them, there were 3. 2 died, and 1 is new.’
Helten’s executives were quite fluid. They weren’t gathered by loyalty to Samuel, but by their own individual gains and purposes. If they wanted a close relationship, they wouldn’t use masks or code names.
Eight people were gathered in a small space, but no one spoke carelessly. It was partly due to the special nature of the place. The moment you uttered a lie in this sector, Samuel, the boss, would see through it.
“Thank you all for gathering. I didn’t originally plan to summon you like this. We still have a lot of shortcomings.”
Samuel’s voice was gentle. A young man in his twenties with white skin and blonde hair. He had a likable appearance. At the same time, it was an appearance that could be easily dismissed.
However, none of the people gathered here ignored him. He overwhelmed the room with a strange atmosphere. His presence dominated the place.
‘A returner who isn’t a returner.’
This was the 8th time for Atlantis. Samuel had information from the past 1st to 7th rounds through his hunter ability, Record Viewing.
“Shall we get straight to the point? I’m quite busy, and it was difficult to make time even now.”
The mirror spoke. Samuel nodded.
“Everyone remembers the anomaly that happened an hour ago, right? Surely no one has forgotten?”
The executives didn’t answer. It wasn’t worth answering. They were one of the most famous criminal organizations in Atlantis. Helten’s executives were basically skilled in combat. Even if they were overwhelmed by the rift an hour ago, they wouldn’t have forgotten it.
“Just in case, I’ll ask. Anyone gone crazy?”
“How can you not go crazy after seeing that?”
A lion mask holding a spear retorted.
“How much do you remember?”
“…I know that something was observing us through the rift. I don’t know exactly what it was. My mind went blank, and I killed myself. …Honestly, I don’t want to think about it again even now.”
The lion trembled slightly. I didn’t expect the most aggressive executive to be this shaken.
‘If the lion is like that… Am I the only one who hasn’t gone crazy? Did Samuel go crazy after seeing it too?’
Samuel smiled.
“That’s why mental strength is important. Ordinary people suffer mental damage the moment they see a god’s true form. But the good news is that there are only two beings that can drive us crazy just by being perceived.”
“…Who are those two?”
“The Key to All Doors and Eternal Abundance. The being that observed us from the rift is Eternal Abundance. Those two are gods that even other gods can’t handle.”
“You didn’t go crazy after seeing that? How did you endure it?”
There was a sense of desperation in the lion’s voice. Samuel opened a subspace and poured out items. A pointy hat, round glasses, an old coat, gloves with complex patterns, a necklace similar to a dreamcatcher, and so on.
“These are items with mental defense effects of at least A-rank or higher. Thanks to them, I barely managed to endure it. I guess you could say I was lucky. It left just when I was reaching my limit.”
Samuel spoke as if it was nothing. But no one easily agreed with that statement.
A sparkly person wearing a jewel mask sighed and scratched their neck.
“Boss. Isn’t your ultimate goal to kill a god? Ah, of course, those of you here probably have similar goals. But how are you going to kill something that drives you crazy just by looking at it?”
The other executives silently agreed. They had lost their will to fight after seeing Eternal Abundance. I understood. How could they fight a monster that could shatter stars just by moving?
It wasn’t like an ant trying to kill a human. It was more like a speck of dust trying to kill a human.
‘…Can specks of dust kill a human if they gather? But even if they gather, it wouldn’t be a handful.’
I understood why Samuel had issued the summons. It was to reassure the executives. If the lion was like that, how could the others be okay? If he had left them alone, their will would have been broken.
“Lion, think logically. That’s not a god, it’s a natural disaster. Even the thrones probably consider it a natural disaster, right? It’s a being that even gods can’t understand.”
“…Isn’t that our enemy?”
“Shall I give you some good news? You don’t have to worry about Eternal Abundance ever again. It went outside the universe. Into a mystery that even gods can’t understand. You probably won’t see it again.”
I was surprised.
Wasn’t that the information I heard from the Black Pharaoh?
‘Did that bastard also give information to Samuel?’
Did he know through Samuel’s ability, ‘Record Viewing’? That made even less sense. In the past rounds, Eternal Abundance hadn’t even moved.
‘If it wasn’t the Black Pharaoh… another god must have told him. He must have joined hands with a god of considerable rank.’
I didn’t know who that god was.
“I’ll give you one more piece of good news. The Key to All Doors suddenly disappeared. But this is also bad news. Because the two beings in the universe that the gods were wary of have disappeared. Do you understand what that means?”
“……It means the gods can run wild. Even if that weren’t the case, they would try to take over the empty universe. It’s like the owner of the throne has disappeared.”
A guy wearing a letter mask said. I didn’t know his code name since he was a new recruit.
‘He’s a guy who wasn’t in the original story.’
I couldn’t figure out his identity.
But this guy had been subtly watching me since earlier. I could feel it through my sensitive senses.
‘Is he someone who knows me?’
I had no idea who he was.
Maybe he was from the desert.
“That’s right. The board is changing. It’s a positive change for us.”
“What do you mean?”
I asked.
“Most of the gods’ power is tied to Atlantis. And now it’s too late to withdraw from Atlantis. The losses would be too great. So what will the gods do?”
They couldn’t withdraw. But they had invested too much in Atlantis to just stand by.
“…Raise the stakes? Is Atlantis worth that much?”
“It’s up to the gods to give it value. The important thing is that our value has increased. We have an opportunity.”
“……What kind of opportunity?”
“A good opportunity.”
Samuel smiled. He didn’t seem to have any intention of revealing his detailed plans.
