I opened my eyes to a familiar ceiling. Of course, it was my room in Fairy and Silver Coin.
Probably while I fainted, Lydia and Benny moved me here.
“Ugh.”
When I tried to sit up, I felt quite tired, but not unable to move. I wasn’t particularly injured either.
I opened the door and stepped out, only to find it was already deep in the early morning, quiet and dark.
Fairy and Silver Coin might have closed early as they were slowly preparing to go out of business.
“Ellie… you?”
Glancing at Ellie’s room, there was no light seeping out from the cracks in the door, just darkness.
I stood on my tiptoes and quietly stepped outside, feeling the cool night breeze on my skin.
“Ah.”
Taking a deep breath, I caught a faint scent of adventurers in the refreshing air.
The nasty smell of monsters’ poisonous blood, the odor of alcohol and vomit, and the stench of a homeless person and an orphan coming from somewhere in the alley.
It was as if all those smells had been mixed together and diluted with a lot of water.
“Well. This neighborhood really sucks, no matter when you look at it.”
And that’s what makes it good. It’s definitely a place I wouldn’t want to live by modern standards, but that’s exactly the vibe of fantasy, isn’t it?
Chuckling to myself, I looked up at the sky. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, killing the mood.
I was grumbling for no reason, but in truth, I hadn’t come out to admire the moon or anything.
The ground.
Just standing on the ground, I was receiving a boost to my recovery thanks to the Seed of the Mountain Range. It was perfect for erasing the lingering aftereffects of the eruption I couldn’t entirely solve in the Sanctuary.
How many times had I stood still, watching the dark night sky covered in clouds, listening to the distant clamor of adventurers, and contrasting it with the quiet surroundings?
Maybe it was just because I had just woken up, or it was dawn, or perhaps I was just feeling sentimental after wrapping up my exploration of the Third Floor of the Labyrinth.
With my mushy head, a thought suddenly popped into my mind.
“Is it really okay to receive this much power?”
If I could clear up to the 12th floor with this feeling, by the time I face the Goddess of Love at the bottom of the Labyrinth, I would likely have absorbed the powers of the Twelve Gods buried in the Labyrinth one by one.
And what about the powers drawn from the gacha?
I had already received a ton of powers from the Goddess of Love, and by the time I finished exploring the Labyrinth, it would have increased significantly.
Plus, I was also receiving the powers of the dead gods from the Godslayer War through the gacha, which had not been buried in the Labyrinth.
I didn’t know where such powers came from or how they were given to me, but honestly, at this point, it felt like there was some deliberate flow behind this.
Until now, I had been busy, needing to focus on immediate tasks, making it hard to figure things out, and even if I found out, there was nothing I could do.
I was avoiding deep thoughts for those reasons.
However, can thoughts truly be blocked just because one tries to?
Whether it was the hazy logic resulting from my semi-conscious state, or the memories of Earth strongly resurfacing as I felt the reality of Pangrave more vividly… or perhaps it was the words left by the God of Mechanical Devices that stirred in my mind.
The flow of thoughts I had blocked until now began to surge toward a certain point. A conclusion I was unaware of.
“It was time. I failed, what about you… was it?”
If I exclude the subsequent explanation of powers and blessings for my future, that’s all the God of Mechanical Devices conveyed to me.
I had a rough idea. That was because unexpected things often happened in areas I didn’t set, but the things I did set were certainly maintained.
And all my settings followed the grammar of web novels meticulously.
From the writers’ perspective, what that phrase implied was simple.
“It was already a predetermined event.”
My reincarnation was a predetermined event. At least the gods knew about it. If I let my imagination run wild, it might have even been something planned collectively.
I had been harboring a near certainty that the Goddess of Love had caused my reincarnation…
But perhaps it wasn’t just the Goddess of Love. It could be a collaboration among the other Twelve Gods as well.
Well. Anyway, since the Twelve Gods were happily buried in the Labyrinth, I shouldn’t worry too much.
It’s truly astonishing, but… I don’t miss my previous life on Earth as much as one would expect.
In those reincarnation or transfer stories, characters often whine about how they miss Earth every single day, right?
In reality, being forcibly dragged to a foreign place to suffer is something to whine about. If I didn’t miss it, that would make me some kind of natural-born slave.
However, my situation is somewhat complicated. I was dropped into a world I created. Yet the love I put into it is overflowing.
Moreover, my life on Earth wasn’t difficult, but if you asked if I had deep regrets from it, the answer would be no.
The story I was writing was already neatly concluded and I was preparing for the next project, and as for family relations… well, I sometimes think of them, but it’s not like I miss them like crazy.
Besides, the profession of an author is one that inherently destroys one’s social life.
As a result, my human relationships were pretty messed up, so aside from a few people, there isn’t anyone I miss.
So, while my regrets for Earth are minimal, my attachment to the Pan Continent is immense.
Thus, I don’t really feel the need to stubbornly cling to Earth’s values or desperately think about returning.
I just want to adjust moderately and enjoy a life of wealth and honor in Pangrave without worrying about going back, that’s my honest feeling right now.
So, it doesn’t matter if my reincarnation was an intentional act and the gods are planning something; the fact is, I have duties that I must fulfill.
“After all, my work and desires are already decided.”
No matter how terrifying the events that happen, in the end, I resolved to handle them.
So there’s no reason to be frightened by the cliché expressions hinting at past secrets and the start of something. Even so…
“The problem is what comes after.”
I have failed. What about you?
What was the failure of the God of Mechanical Devices? The answer is simple.
It’s the fact that he couldn’t end the Godslayer War while treating himself and even the gods like mere components.
Surely, he wouldn’t have anything else worth calling a failure.
So why would he ask me, “What about you?”
“It means that something of that magnitude will occur…”
I can roughly take it as a prophecy that I’m going to be screwed from now on.
Amidst that, the accumulating powers within me crossed my mind.
I’ve directly set some and learned about others since reincarnating.
Powers in this era are extremely rare.
In an era where all gods except for one met death, powers couldn’t possibly be common.
The Goddess of Love used most of her strength to manipulate the Labyrinth, so it’s exceedingly rare for her to grant powers.
Even then, the chance of obtaining powers while exploring the Labyrinth was ridiculously low.
Among countless people in Pangrave, at most, there might be a thousand who possess even the tiniest bit of power.
But what about me?
3-star – Gluttonous Stomach +1
1-star – Aromatic Body Fragrance
1-star – Moist Skin
2-star – Shining Eyes
4-star – Voice of the Dead
5-star – Avatar of Love
1-star – Alluring Eyewink
Basilieus
Seed of the Mountain Range
Argetlam
I was already wielding ten powers alone. And it would only increase from here.
Powers equate to divine strength. And the ultimate purpose of the Goddess of Love is to create a new god to replace her.
Putting that thought together, the final destination becomes somewhat clear, doesn’t it?
While exploring the Labyrinth, building my status, I would fill it with the powers amassed from here and there, trying to attain a godly status of sorts.
It would be her dumping her responsibilities on someone qualified.
“Well…”
Until now, none of my setups have ever failed. But somehow or another, this is reality, and it wouldn’t be strange if it twisted at any moment.
The reality of how the Goddess of Love presents herself makes it hard to categorize her as just a hopeful suicide case; is she too innocent or too sinister? In any case, doesn’t she overflow with desire?
With the future hardships hinted at by the God of Mechanical Devices,
It feels as though a colossal intent that isn’t mine pushes me toward something.
I wonder why that feels unpleasant yet a bit thrilling.
Maybe I’m starting to feel like the protagonist in this situation.
As soon as that thought clicked, my exhaustion faded completely.
With lighter steps, I began to head back to my room.
There was still plenty of time before the sun rose, so I should practice and get used to this newly acquired Argetlam.
Something is bound to happen soon. Whatever the event may be, it’s best to prepare beforehand.
Since just holding onto Argetlam would provide an approximate idea of its enhancement scope, I wouldn’t need to blow up a wall like in the Labyrinth.
“Ugh. What should I test first?”
I mentally began to draft a list as I headed back to my room.
…And then the next morning.
“L-Lydia has been taken back to her home country!”
“Huh?”
“It’s treason! It’s a false accusation!”
“…What?”
Lydia had vanished.
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