Chapter 1:
The Fire and the Frying Pan
THE PUNKY MAN smirked at me as he held on to Carol from behind.
He really did just call me the God of Fate, right? I didn’t mishear him? Dammit, I’m such an idiot! He approached Carol, not the other way around! Why didn’t I notice sooner?
One thing was for sure. This guy played the same game I did.
“Tell me who you are,” I said.
“I’m guessing you ain’t asking for my name. Listen, you don’t gotta know who I am. I just wanna have a look at that book you got there, and a little chat with this rug rat.”
The more he spoke, the more confused I got. What would a corrupted god want with Carol and the holy book?
“Do you even know what this book is?”
“’Course I do. It’s the God of Fate’s holy book. Dunno how you managed to get it to the real world, though. Check out what I got here.” The man pulled out his phone and shoved it in my face.
A book that looked a lot like mine dominated the screen. Now I knew for sure he was another player.
Stay calm. Carol’s counting on you!
“You a corrupted god?” I asked.
“Hey, you’re sharp. Don’t be a hero, though, unless you want the kid to go the rest of her life with an ugly scar on her face.” He pulled a penknife from his pocket. “Wow, that was kinda corny, huh? Too basic villain, if you know what I mean. Mind if I try again?”
Was this a joke to him? Studying him closer, he was lean and scrawny. I should have an advantage with my physique, but he had that knife.
“Try it. Then see what I do to your face,” I shot back.
“You talk tough for someone without any weapons.”
I wasn’t about to let him intimidate me in front of Carol. I was one of the God of Fate’s disciples.
Speaking of Carol, she looked completely calm. I was worried she’d be scared, but maybe she just didn’t understand what was happening. That was probably a good thing; it was safer if she didn’t struggle.
As we spoke, I closed the gap between us slowly, hoping he wouldn’t notice. I needed to be close enough to snatch the knife and pull Carol away from him.
“What do you need Carol and the book for?” I asked.
“Oh, y’know. This and that. Ooh, don’t get too close! I don’t like daredevils. That’s why I brought some friends with me.” The man held the knife in his mouth and snapped his fingers. Several figures appeared from behind the trees and vending machines around us.
I gritted my teeth. “These your friends?”
There was a plump guy in his twenties, a woman in a brightly colored kimono, and an old man with a slightly bent back and a cane. Nothing visibly connected them. They just looked like ordinary visitors to the shrine. Then I realized their faces were empty of emotion, their bodies gently swaying. It was like looking at a bunch of zombies. A shiver ran up my spine.
“What did you do to them?”
“You really are sharp. Stay there, guys.” The three of them froze immediately at his command, so still it was like he’d stopped time. “Whaddya think? They’re my puppets, and they do whatever I say. That’s why you should consider things before you play the hero.”
Was he serious? Whether he could control them or not, none of these three looked like they were in their right minds—so how did they understand his orders?
“What did you do? Hypnotism? Drugs?”
“Dude, you sound like you’ve been reading way too much manga. You really think shit like that’d give me this much control over them? I’d laugh, but the truth is even crazier. It’s a miracle. I can control these guys with the power I get from being a corrupted god.”
“Miracles don’t work in the real world, dumbass!” I yelled.
The man looked taken aback for a split second before doubling over in laughter.
“Don’t tell me you’re still at level 1! Guess you don’t know much about the game at all, huh?”
Levels? What?
“Didn’t expect you to be this funny. Well, I’ll gladly explain. I’ve always wanted to do a villain monologue.” He wiped away his tears of laughter and turned to me with a smirk.
I hated him mocking me, but I was curious about his explanation. Carol was still quiet. I hoped she could hold out for a bit longer.
“So there are a ton of corrupted god players just like there are you regular gods. Now me, I’m the God of Temptation.”
If there were different corrupted gods, the miracles they could perform were probably different, too.
“I can control people by amplifyin’ their greed and tempting them. It’s easier if they’re mentally weak, or if they’re drunk or kinda out of it, or something. Now these guys were gettin’ drunk off the ceremonial sake, which is why I picked them out.”
So these were just visitors to the shrine who had nothing to do with the game. My original plan of just punching everyone in sight and taking Carol back shriveled up to nothing. I couldn’t risk getting these innocent people involved.
Could we really use miracles in the real world? It sounded too good to be true, but I couldn’t deny the possibility after everything that happened to me yesterday. I still had a ton of stuff to learn about The Village of Fate.
So this guy uses people’s greed to tempt and control them? Wait. Does that mean… No, that’s stupid.
Before I knew it, I was voicing the question out loud.
“Are you behind what happened with Yamamoto-san?”
“Huh, never expected a NEET to be able to figure that one out. Great job. I just fixed that bum’s brain up a little before he went over to your place.” He stuck his tongue out at me and poked at my forehead.