“I’m really not a fan of misunderstanding tropes, but I really can’t come up with any plausible excuse for what you’ve done, D.”

My voice came out in a rare grave tone, completely devoid of any of my usual cheerfulness.

Despite knowing that it most likely wouldn’t have the desired effect, I still wanted to make this… interrogation? questioning? I don’t really know what I should call it.

Both sound weird considering the other party is an evil god capable of deleting me from existence with a mere thought.

The point is, I hope my uncharacteristic solemnity would make this a serious exchange for once.

Usually, D keeps on leading me around by the nose and I just go along with it since it’s basically harmless.

Not this time though.

“Spoken like a true heroine!” D quipped in reply.

Just as I expected, she’s started with her usual antics despite my attempt at preventing exactly that.

Attempting to associate an avid chaos seeker like her with the concept of order or formality is a fool’s errand.

“This is no laughing matter, D…. I almost killed Neo with my very own hands for fuck’s sake!”

I did my best to remain undisturbed but ultimately failed, resulting in the second half of my sentence coming out as a hiss laden with rage.

The thought of having Neo’s blood on my hands just chills my body down to the very core.

Neo holds a very strange position in my heart.

Looking at her as a project, she’s actually the very first work I’ve invested all my efforts and emotions into unreservedly and without much future planning in mind.

I originally wanted to cultivate her into one of those loyal assassins that thoughtlessly and unquestioningly obey orders.

But I eventually gave up on that and elevated her position to a little sister of sorts, or maybe even a daughter…?

Truthfully, the way our relationship evolved was so very twisted in itself, but it kinda just happened.

No regrets were left behind, so all is fine and dandy at the end of the day, I suppose.

“She didn’t die though, did she? A regrettable result, yet an acceptable one nonetheless.” D replied leisurely.

Although her reply was spoken in the usual light hearted tone, I could still detect genuine regret in her tone.

She truly meant what she had said.

Hearing her words, I suddenly lost interest in continuing this hopeless conversation and put on an expressionless face.

Although my blood was boiling with cold fury beneath this facade, I was still able to hold myself back from screaming at her through sheer will.

No, that would just be me giving in to her whims, which is the last thing I wanna do.

“Yeah yeah, whatever floats your boat.” I muttered dismissively. “Anything else?” I impatiently inquired, not hiding my desire to end this conversation right this very moment.

“Ohhhh, someone’s not in a good mood.” She just chuckled carelessly in response. “Seems like it’s not a good time to learn about your current situation then.” She chirped teasingly.

Just like a master guitarist, D clearly knew the limit of how much she could pull my strings till right before they snap.

I obviously understood that, and yet I was helpless to do anything but willingly fall into her schemes.

After all, something clearly went wrong with me upon acquiring the Chaos Bringer title, and it’s still unknown whether I’m out of danger yet or if my new found self-control is just an illusion.

My arrogance hasn’t reached the level where I’d ignore the obvious facts in favor of keeping up a show of aloofness.

…I’m not a tsundere, okay? Regrettable, I know, but it is what it is– deal with it.

I’m clearly missing the required expertise to deal with the situation, so why not call in the big guns?

Though it is kinda unfortunate that those big guns have a very high chance of malfunctioning every now and then, I can only accept the best I’m offered.

“Who said it’s not a good time?! Actually, I’m in a great state right now– I’ve never felt better before!” I hastily stopped her when I saw the smartphone slowly phasing out of existence. “Well, go on then. Explain, I’m all ears.” I urged.

“Hmmmm, where should I start, I wonder?” She lazily hummed as the smartphone snapped back to reality. “Chaos Bringer seems like a nice spot.” She declared lazily.

That WAS the start of the whole situation wasn’t it?! Don’t make it sound as if it’s a small matter!

I had an overwhelming urge to retort, but I was able to hold my tongue in the end albeit with much difficulty.

“I indeed gave you that one– but! There is a reason for that.” I heard some shuffling coming from her side before she continued. “It was one of my preparations to hide you from ‘their’ eyes now that your aura has become this strong, you see.”

Their?

“And who exactly are the ‘them’ I’m supposed to hide from?”

“Nuh-uh-uh-uhh! That’s for you to find out.” As if to stress her point, a mental image of D placing her arms in an X gesture entered my mind. “The only thing you need to know is that Chaos Bringer was a setup for when you eventually acquire the Outer title.”

“Why would that need any setup? Shouldn’t it just be a matter of you thinking about it? With you being the one that created the system and all that.” I inquired curiously.

Suffice to say, I was more confused now than I was at the start.

Her words suggest that someone has more system authority despite her being its creator.

Yet considering D’s character I don’t see her sharing her toys with anyone except if they force her.

Which is literally impossible if Goddess Alkreya’s description of this universe is true.

According to her, D’s supposed to be one of the three top dogs in this entire universe, after all.

“You don’t really believe the W system is a completely closed one, do you? No one really believes that, right?” She exclaimed in an exaggerated tone as if she never even considered such a notion to be true.

They have no choice but to believe, y’know?! You’re not exactly the most peaceful or weak of gods out there!

Once again, I had to give my all to hold back the urge to retort sarcastically.

“How am I supposed to know? I’m not exactly an expert on the subject of running a planetary system, am I?” Rolling my eyes, I asked rhetorically.

“Oh my, it seems I might’ve forgotten about that considering your usual know-it-all genius attitude.” 

Although her words were as casual as they could get, I still felt a chill going down my spine at the knowing tone her voice conveyed.

“Oo–ohh, well. Happens to the best of us! I might seem like the smartest creature in the universe– but I assure you even I have limits!” I stuttered narcissistically. “What does that have to do with the Chaos Bringer title anyways?” I asked in a forceful attempt to skip the subject.

“While I would love to say it is an ingenious method I came up with after countless sleepless nights spent worrying about your safety, the truth is, I just did it so that I don’t have to deal with your troublesome situation.”

“And…? What exactly does this ingenious method of yours include?” I urged impatiently.

“Okay okay, I will tell you. Basically, this title can use the power of the W system to temporarily hide your existence.”

“Again– from who? It’s an awful waste of energy to use the entirety of the W system for something to insignificant in comparison/”

“You don’t need to know about that– you’re too weak to go against them anyways. Wait until you’re as strong as me– or at least as strong as that Seraphim.”

Is it O?

She said ‘them’ though, which suggests it’s more than that.

Goddess Alkreya didn’t mention a word about potential divine enemies though.

Could that be her way of looking out for me or did she already predict D’s actions ages ago?

Living in constant paranoia would be quite an uncomfortable experience, to be honest.

D on the other hand, wouldn’t care about any of that at all.

In fact, she might find it more entertaining to add a bit of spice to the daily show, y’know what I mean?

“Why exactly am I supposed to hide from ‘them’?”

“Because those scared babies consider your existence taboo.“

Uh-uuhh, I see— Wait, what?!

Excuse me?! My existence is what now?!

That’s an awfully strong word to use.

And why exactly?! I have so many questions right now.

“Up until recently, you were ‘under the radar’. Not anymore though. You know how it is, demi-gods are much more noticeable than regular mortals and all– though I personally fail to take notice of both.” She murmured the last few words in a low but still audible voice.

Gotcha– not!

How the heck was I supposed to know that? And demi-gods were actually a thing in this world?

That’s all new to me! Please explain!

“First, what exactly are ‘demi-gods’? What is the difference between them and just pure gods?”

“Not much really. They are just a bit stronger and are able to initially use conjuring.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Strictly speaking, every creature capable of using ‘magic’ on this planet can be considered a demi-god.”

“Because magic is a degraded form of conjuring, am I correct?”

“Exactly. It’s also the power level which most god-kin are born at, and everything below that is too weak for them to take notice of.” D explained.

“But that doesn’t add up. If every creature on this planet is considered a demi-god, then why did you give me this title now and not way back when I started using magic?”

“You were a demi-god ability-wise, but you were missing the stats. Only when you broke through ten thousand in each stat were you actually considered a real demi-god.” She further clarified. “In other words, you were too weak.”  She snickered.

Ouch.

So I was still considered ‘too weak’ up until a few weeks ago, huh? Well, at least I’m just ’weak’ now, not ‘too weak’.

“Why that specific number exactly? Is it a natural barrier of sorts? Or a limitation you purposefully added to the W system?”

“It’s natural. Getting ten thousand in all stats is ordinarily incredibly difficult. The W system provides an easy way to entirely bypass that threshold though.” D answered, joy evident in her voice.

She isn’t proud of what she created, no.

She is just happy that she was able to break through what is most likely a law etched onto the very being of this universe.

IT is proof that it isn’t impossible for her to break away from her sad fate of eternal loneliness, after all.

Or that’s what I think anyways.

Unfortunately, there’s no way for me to confirm this since I’m not supposed to know this in the first place.

Alright, I’m starting to see the whole picture here.

Something still doesn’t add up though.

“Does this mean that every creature that bypasses the ten thousand stat mark in this world goes through a similar process? Or am I the only one whose existence is taboo?”

I clearly remember Kumoko not needing to go through anything like that in the anime.

She had well over thirty thousand in stats by the end of the first season, yet she never lost control of herself like I did.

Or is it something that will happen in future seasons…?

“You’re special, that’s all I’m gonna say. The rest is for you to discover on your own, fufu~”

Damn riddler!

“Ughh– So what happens to those whose existence is taboo and What should I do?” I asked despite knowing I most probably won’t be getting a helpful answer.

“Nothing really– just a few demi-god level puppets hunting you down till every last piece of your existence is annihilated, that’s all~” She explained gloatingly. “The only way out is to become a god, fufu~.” She added at the end.

That’s easy enough, I guess- NOT.

They start going after me when I reach the ten thousand stat mark, yet I’m supposed to become a god before they kill me?!

How the fuck is that fair?!

I’m pretty sure the W system doesn’t provide much help after you reach the 99,999 stat mark, right?

How else would the Demon Lord stay stuck at that point for ages!

“How much till they arrive? And what is preventing them from sending gods at me instead of just demi-gods?” I tried my best to keep calm, but the trembling of my voice betrayed me.

You see, ‘every last piece of my existence’ most likely includes the soul marks I left on Aiko, Segawa, and Katia.

It’s not just my life on the stake here.

“Well… You should already be dead if we’re using the regular standards, but I’ve extended your time limit by giving you the Outer title. They can’t send gods since it’s against the rules, the unwritten type.” She scoffed.

Rules…? Why would they even have something like that for this specific situation?

Sounds kinda stupid to me.

It’s enough for me to know that for now though.

There’s a much more important question that’s still unanswered.

“How much do I have exactly? I want a precise answer.” I asked again, not letting her brush me off.

“Awww, you’re no fun.” She paused and I heard the sound of a plastic bag being opened from her side. “I don’t have an exact number, but it’s at least two years anyways.” She revealed a vague number.

Not exactly a helpful answer, but it’s enough for me.

Best case scenario, I don’t have to deal with any of that shit before this world's  story line ends.

Worst case scenario, I have only two years to become a god, which isn’t that bad either.

I can just go on a year-long murder-spree in the ocean and the Great Elroe Labyrinth and Greed will definitely accumulate enough stats for me to reach the limit of mortals.

Then I can spend the remaining year searching for ways to break through this limit and finally ascend– which I’m guessing would require a shit ton of MA energy.

It appears I will have to give up my most desired leisurely lifestyle and hop right back into the grind.

“You already have your answer, little fish. You better not let down my kind intentions, because I won’t intervene any more than this.”

“I see… Don’t worry, I won’t let you down. I will make sure to become a god soon enough and give you a good smack for not giving me this explanation in advance!” I raised a clenched fist jokingly.

“I’ll be waiting for you then.” She responded carelessly, and I got the impression that she has a cheshire smile decorating her face right now.

As if… she succeeded in a prank and got away with it successfully.

Before I could express my doubts though, the iconic smartphone faded out of existence, forcing me to swallow them back.

Despite the gravity of the situation, D’s voice and actions were still as nonchalant as ever.

It is understandable considering the enemies are just a bunch of demi-gods she could snap her fingers and make disappear.

Maaan, it’d be really great if those puppet things went to trouble her instead of coming directly for me.

Actually, I might’ve just continued with my vacation if it wasn’t for her final words.

I would’ve just spent my days chilling out and sightseeing after I rescue Aiko and Segawa away from the elves.

Life’s a bitch, huh?

Anyways, I need to adjust my future plans.

The first thing I need to do is move locations.

Gerya– or rather the Holy Kingdom of Allieus itself is just too far away from where most of the series' main events occur.

The Analeit Kingdom, The Great Elroe Labyrinth, Sariella, The Renxandt Empire, The Forest of the Elves, and the Demon Realm.

Except for the first one, the rest are literally on another continent across the ocean!

It’s better if I settle somewhere in between all of those and spend a portion of my free time traveling around to unlock them as teleport nodes in the future.

And I believe I’ve got just the right place in mind!

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