Chapter 17: Risk

They defeated the monster.

Everyone rejoiced and hugged each other, except for the one with a broken arm and the pure-love type engaged to his childhood sweetheart.

“We won!!! Unni Chaerin! Yui, we’re alive!!”

“See? This was my big plan!”

“That was tough.”

F-rank newbies had defeated a B-rank monster.

Four of them accomplished what would normally require five C-rank Incarnations, the so-called wall of talent.

It was an achievement so great that they could hardly believe it themselves.

Cheok Chaerin and Kang Arin, who had been growling and bickering just an hour ago, seemed to have bonded after narrowly escaping death.

Cheok Chaerin ruffled Kang Arin’s hair and praised her.

“I see why your prince-like Constellation chose you.”

“Heehee… I’m not as good as Unni Chaerin.”

A happy ending, building camaraderie and friendship.

But Baek Taeyang, holding his re-set arm, looked at the remains of the flesh monster.

He was the closest to Mister Oh-ho-ho.

“I should have at least asked his name….”

At his words, everyone mourned.

Mister Oh-ho-ho, who had guided the newbies with all his might.

They held a moment of silence, and then Ham Yui patted Baek Taeyang’s back.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah…”

The joy from the victory dopamine was short-lived.

They turned back, carrying the somber weight of their loss.

There were no more threatening monsters, but their stamina and magic power were depleted.

Ham Yui, now acting as the strategist, said:

“Let’s rest a bit further ahead… it’ll be faster to finish the dungeon than to turn back.”

It would take a bit longer without Mister Oh-ho-ho.

Just as they were about to turn around and head towards the exit, Ham Yui looked back.

She didn’t know why.

Perhaps it was a hunter’s intuition or a tribute to the fallen Mister Oh-ho-ho.

But that action prolonged their lives a little longer.

Along with despair.

“…What is that?”

The flesh monster, with its upper body blown away, began to bubble like boiling water in a hot pot. The flat, severed surface started to boil and regenerate, forming a new upper body, even more grotesque and larger than before.

“…Haha.”

“No way…”

Kang Arin’s hollow laugh and Baek Taeyang’s lament.

They didn’t bother preparing to fight again.

Mister Oh-ho-ho, demonstrating a regeneration ability beyond common sense, was too much.

They had no will to fight with their depleted stamina and magic power against that monster.

It was like encountering an insurmountable wall and losing all hope.

“This is too much.”

As Baek Taeyang spoke, the regenerated Mister Oh-ho-ho’s body trembled.

And then, indentations, enough to trigger trypophobia, began to appear…

“Everyone, scatter!!”

Cheok Chaerin shouted.

Tentacles shot out from the indentations like bullets.

Having a tank would have been helpful, but since everyone was a damage dealer, they barely managed to dodge using their quick reflexes.

“Gasp… gasp…”

No.

They didn’t dodge completely.

Ham Yui, the weakest among them, was grazed on the shoulder by a tentacle.

And the price was horrific.

A large chunk of flesh and muscle was ripped from her shoulder, exposing the raw wound.

“Ugh…”

“Yui!!”

An immense pain shot through her body, but Ham Yui bit her lip and endured.

The tentacles that had exploded from Mister Oh-ho-ho’s body in all directions remained in place, unretracted.

It felt like they were trapped inside a jungle gym.

But the extended tentacles wriggled again.

“Holy sh*t!!!”

Baek Taeyang shouted.

The unretracted tentacles twitched, and smaller tentacles shot out in all directions.

This time, they all dodged successfully, but….

“Are we going to die?”

“It seems so.”

Like protagonists in a spy movie dodging laser traps, they twisted their bodies like yogis, barely clinging to life.

But that was only temporary.

The tentacles twitched again, showing signs of another volley.

They laughed hollowly, resigned to their fate.

“At least we’ll meet our lovely Constellations. Lucky us, right?”

“…Well, that’s not so bad.”

“You guys can joke in this situation?!”

Ham Yui’s exasperated shout.

But as if today was their day to die, the thin tentacles wriggled, ready to split again.

‘There has to be… there has to be a way!!’

Ham Yui glared at the monstrous Mister Oh-ho-ho.

And at that moment, she witnessed an unbelievable sight.

They’re in a dungeon…?

There shouldn’t be anyone else here besides them…?

It was just a fleeting moment, but a large man was caught in her hunter’s eye.

“Huh?”

At that moment, with a loud crash, the dungeon floor collapsed.

Naturally, the flesh monster fell down with it, and the tentacles retracted, giving them another chance at life.

****

I told the system to f*ck off.

It’s been so long since I’ve cursed like this.

But despite hearing my curse, Artemis tried to stop me.

“You absolutely can’t do that!”

“Hee…”

Ignoring Aphrodite, who was blushing and chewing on her index finger, the goddess explained why and tried to persuade me.

“If a god directly intervenes in the human world, the system will impose a penalty.”

“……”

“I understand your frustration, but you absolutely can’t do that.”

Artemis was worried about me. Not because of the indirect disadvantages, but genuine concern for me. It was a stark contrast to her apathetic attitude just moments ago when she easily gave up on Ham Yui.

This made me even more uneasy.

It was as if something not human was wearing a human mask.

Sometimes showing human-like emotions, and other times behaving in ways that defied common sense.

Like the uncanny valley.

But no matter how much she tried to stop me, I was going to intervene.

I had to save Kang Arin and Cheok Chaerin, who had shown such admirable qualities, even for a short time.

I stretched my legs, preparing myself.

“What kind of penalty?”

“Many things. You could lose your authority as a Constellation for several months, unable to observe the human world…”

“Artemis, there’s also that, right? If it’s a being from another dimension, they could be expelled!”

Aphrodite chimed in with a giggle.

In other words, the wish I truly wanted to fulfill would be impossible.

The afterlife that functions automatically even without gods… the minimum atonement for what I’ve done.

Seeing me hesitate, Artemis sighed in relief.

“Then calm down now. A miracle might happen, so let’s just cheer them on…”

“Different penalties… does that mean it depends on the level of intervention?”

“Don’t tell me…”

Artemis stared at me intently.

If I went down there, destroyed everything, and saved them, I would receive the maximum penalty.

Because a god directly interfered in human affairs.

But what if I intervened minimally?

What if I didn’t kill the monster and didn’t directly rescue the Incarnations?

Then I wouldn’t be expelled.

“Ahaha! I like you! You’re a rebel!”

Aphrodite burst into laughter, looking at me.

Anyway, after forming a hypothesis, I activated my fifth divine ability.

• [Ω] Space

The power to control space.

I got into a runner’s stance and tore open a dimensional rift. As soon as the space opened, like a starting pistol firing, I ran.

A rift opened in the ceiling of the dungeon.

I clenched my fist and aimed it at the sturdy dungeon floor between the Incarnations and the monster.

-BOOOOOM-!!

A deafening roar that threatened to rupture eardrums.

The sturdy stone floor of the dungeon crumbled, and Kang Arin’s group and the monster plummeted below.

“I think Ham Yui saw me, but maybe not?”

And I opened another rift and returned to where Artemis was.

“That bought us some time.”

“…Who are you, really?”

Artemis asked, as I brushed the dust off my black t-shirt.

I tilted my head and asked back:

“A human.”

“Th… never mind.”

She seemed to have a lot to say but chose not to.

And soon, a message appeared before my eyes.

[Warning: Intervention is prohibited.]

I smirked.

Only a warning, no penalty as expected.

Artemis, crossing her arms, prompted me to explain.

“It’s simple. It’s a fair system.”

They said the penalties for intervening in the human world are different for each god.

If they absolutely hated divine intervention, the rule would be immediate disqualification.

So, I formed a hypothesis that the system is fair.

“But you intervened?”

“I didn’t directly save or kill anyone.”

Did I kill or save anyone?

Absolutely not.

I just broke the floor.

I didn’t directly rescue Kang Arin or Cheok Chaerin’s group.

I didn’t kill or restore the human who turned into a giant monster.

I just broke the floor, and they fell, inevitably buying them some time.

“And since that being intervened first, maybe the judgment is more lenient?”

The true culprit of this incident.

The purple eyes I saw in the cave.

Artemis and Aphrodite said they had no idea what it was.

As a result, even the gods had never seen anything like it, and the bearded man transformed into an irregular monster.

Surely, since a god or a transcendent being intervened first, the judgment would be more lenient.

Like reducing the ban period for cursing at a hacker in a game.

Artemis, hearing my words, clutched her head and sighed.

“You’re a strange one. You’re gambling on something you’re not even sure of?”

“That was my daily life.”

But I couldn’t stop here.

I only bought them some time; it was still impossible for Kang Arin and her group to win. I essentially just bought them time, and the outcome, them being killed by that monster, remained unchanged.

But they have to do what they can during this precious time.

I held out my hand to Artemis and said:

“You want to save Ham Yui, right?”

“…Of course I do.”

She said with a smile.

“Give it to me.”

“You crazy pervert.”

If you want to save Ham Yui, give it to me.

She wouldn’t refuse, considering she’s the reason I’m involved, worried about Cheok Chaerin.

Artemis looked at me with disgust.

And another message appeared before my eyes.

[Penalty: A fine of 1,000,000 coins has been imposed. Constellation activities are suspended until payment.]

….

We all saw the message.

I smiled and ‘asked’ her again:

“1,000,000 coins too.”

“You robber!!”

Oh, come on.

You don’t want to save Ham Yui?