episode_0006

“Right now, I want to ask… but…”

“If you want to ask, then not asking is not right.”

“I’m your contractor! Huh? Shouldn’t I know what kind of person my contractor is so that I can help?”

“Um, I barely managed to return after being tormented by those crazy guys from a distant galaxy~”

“…Feels like a lot has been omitted, doesn’t it?”

However, Yoo Dahee no longer felt like explaining.

Would she reveal what this goddess liked?

As she thought this, Dike, looking anxious, tried to persuade her with hand gestures, but he couldn’t get anything more out of her.

“But… it’s okay…! I got Parashu and if it’s just physical ability, I can overwhelm SR…! Alright, then I’ll explain about the arena!”

While Dike enthusiastically chattered, spinning his happiness circuit, Yoo Dahee’s response was utterly lackluster.

…Yoo Dahee had only snapped at Adikia because it bothered her, not with any intention to meddle further.

She didn’t care about any penalties or consequences.

“….So, 100 contractors fight for their gods in the theme park?”

It was clearly an incredibly bothersome task.

Thinking of snapping Adikia again, she wondered if they would just expel her from here as a disturbance without even letting her compete.

Upon this thought, Dike looked at Yoo Dahee with an anxious expression.

“Oh, you won’t…?”

“Well, I don’t know…”

Just as she absentmindedly fiddled with Parashu, Hieeek! Dike’s face crumpled.

He clung to her legs, saying it would be difficult to handle any more penalties.

“Yoo Dahee, Yoo Dahee, Yoo Dahee, Dahee… Dahee… Daheee!”

That gaze seemed to vaguely understand what she was thinking.

“Please, please let me win…! No, even if there’s no point deduction, it’s fine to place between 21st and 50th in the middle tier… please..!”

“Hey, hey! Let go! Won’t you let go?!”

As if a water ghost was clinging and dragging, Yoo Dahee panicked and kicked her legs, but to no avail.

Instead, he held on tighter.

“After all, wouldn’t it be better to just participate, then jump around and become free the moment we enter?”

The tediousness was beyond intolerable. Since I’m not actually going to die, I could just slit my throat with a paring knife and be done with it.

“Th-then your life will also become more difficult in the future…!” Just as Yoo Dahee’s eyes were about to narrow halfway in disbelief at the goddess’s threat, a sheet of paper was pushed forward.

“A contract! It’s a contract!”

In Deke’s eyes, who was tightly gripping the extended paper, there was a glimmer of hope.

“If I lose in this upcoming match and have to pay 1 point to the Interdimensional Credit Union, the remaining debt will be… distributed to the contractor according to this agreement…!”

What? Hastily intercepting the paper and reading it, Yoo Dahee realized what this goddess had done. It wasn’t an ordinary contract. It was a despicable joint guarantee agreement.

It promised that the guarantor would fulfill the obligation jointly with the debtor, but its true intention was nothing less than to single out one person and enable the transfer of all rights, a sheer desperation. Considering how many households collapsed due to joint guarantees during the IMF crisis, it was truly the worst move.

Although it was a vile contract, reaching the end and seeing ‘Deke Astraea’ signed alongside her own name, it seemed sincere.

This lunatic. When did she do such a thing… Yoo Dahee thought, realizing there was a gap in her memory from the time she woke up after being hit by a truck until the next morning.

But…

“If you tear up this kind of contract, that’s it.”

She thought that without the contract itself, there would be no obligation to fulfill, but unfortunately, Deke was one step ahead of her here.

“Hmph, do you think I would have left the original intact?”

Looking down at the torn and scattered contract on the floor, Deke pointed to the sky.

“The original has long been entrusted for interstellar freight delivery… It’s already reached the Interdimensional Credit Union and been confirmed!”

“What, you accepted this underhanded contract?!”

“The goblin Interdimensional Credit Union’s stance is that once they receive power from the other party, that’s the end of it!”

However, the guarantor must have some kind of hidden agenda to accept it or not.

Even if you ask a street homeless person for a guarantee, would the bank easily accept it? I thought…

Dike raised both hands and winked, drawing an inverted V above his eyes.

“Even though I look like this, this body possesses emotions… [Eyes of Truth]! Even if the current is not favorable and I’ve incurred debt, my abilities are outstanding!”

The goddess herself had presented something rare in the contract— an SSR-grade contractor, hard to come by…!

The conditions from the Interdimensional Credit Vault side, after tapping on their calculator, seemed quite favorable.

If the contractor had exceptional abilities, they could command their worth anywhere.

However, even if Dike’s emotional state was considered, there remained a hint of doubt, which had now been completely shattered due to the recent commotion.

Casually pressing a skilled SR-grade contractor and effortlessly handling a goddess without being overshadowed, displaying prowess akin to a monster…!

“…How much debt did you incur, exactly?”

“About 50 billion ether in total….”

Dike scratched his cheek as he spoke in terms of power units, but Yoo Dahee wouldn’t understand that. She kindly converted it into Korean units for him.

“About 500 billion?”

Shock washed over Yoo Dahee at the change in units.

Did this crazy guy just secure a joint guarantee for 500 billion?

Grabbing Dike tightly, as if to say “What do you think?” while her lips trembled, she exclaimed, “Ughhh! Stop…! But the interest rate is low…!”

“How low?”

“….20% annually?”

She twisted his wrist until it almost dislocated.

Dike writhed in agony, experiencing the side effects of being contorted, but who cares.

This goddess could handle it.

*****

[A few moments later, 10 minutes before the arena begins, please check your equipment, participants]

As Yoo Dahee tormented Dike for a long time, the broadcast echoed, prompting everyone to begin checking their gear.

In contrast, things were far from smooth on this end.

The equipment that Adikia had abandoned was in a sorry state. “They’re ruined…!” Nearly all the gear was either broken or riddled with holes, rendering them useless. The only salvageable items were a set of clothing that could at least cover him up.

Seeing Yudahee’s lack of will, Deke muttered to himself and retreated to a corner. “Sigh, other goddesses apparently take care of their contractors… Why not me…? Ugh…”

“Perhaps it’s worth considering what you did to get here,” he suggested. From hitting someone with a truck to forging fingerprints for coerced suretyship, and now being thrust into a fate-determining arena, it seemed unlikely he’d receive any respect or kindness.

Even though the legal system was deeply rooted in South Korea, this goddess was beyond its reach. But what could he do? This was all his doing. If he truly wanted to rebel, he wouldn’t have hesitated to swing an axe at Adikia. Despite his numbed emotions, a sliver of humanity remained within him, guiding his choices.

“Please… return the equipment…” Deke’s image of himself banging his head on the ground came to mind. “Tsk… I had no choice. Since this incompetent goddess forced a contract, participating in the game was inevitable, and at the very least, reaching the middle ranks was necessary. Somewhere between 21st and 50th place…”

“Don’t just hide in the dark like a shut-in. You need to stand up and explain,” Yudahee urged. “You should aim for the middle ranks to avoid bankruptcy.”

Realizing that if Deke went bankrupt, she would suffer consequences, Yudahee couldn’t leave him alone. “Really? Are you really going to help me?”

“Yes, so please… Whoa!”

“Thank you, thank youuu!” Deke lunged at Yudahee like an eager dog, causing them both to lose balance. “Ugh, such a bothersome goddess,” Yudahee sighed.

*****

Listening carefully to the rules of the arena, it seemed no different from a battle royale game. Initially, everyone started on equal footing without any equipment or abilities, but over time, boxes appeared throughout the arena where one could farm gear brought in from elsewhere. Furthermore, as the number of participants dwindled, they naturally became able to enhance the abilities granted by their deities.

“Does this mean I’m screwed?” Yoo Dahee gazed at the lettering engraved on her wrist. [For this match, you can only use your weapon once.]

Upon hearing this, it was truly the worst. Wasn’t this like being told to win a chicken dinner in PUBG with only a P92 pistol? From what she roughly gathered, her opponents were at the level of flying around in helicopters, firing M134 miniguns, wearing full-body armor, and wielding Barrett M82 sniper rifles. Meanwhile, all Yoo Dahee had were two brass knuckles and a hand axe received from the dwarf inspiration.

Watching the hologram displayed on the waiting room wall, showing the latter part of the previous match, was ridiculous.

[Darker than twilight, oh crimson flowing through my veins…]

[Farewell, strongest. You’ve merely romped about in the arena without me.]

[Ohhh]

It felt more like the late stages of a superhero manga than PUBG.

“How is the main weapon determined?”

Since she only had an axe, she wondered if the axe would become her main weapon and her fists the secondary, but…

“Uh… according to the booklet, it doesn’t seem to work that way!”

“What kind of booklet is that?”

Glancing at the cover, it read “Guidebook for the Goddesses Traveling the Arena.”

All sorts of things were coming out. Flipping through the contents, she found the penalty section.

“It seems that one’s primary means of combat within their own mind is naturally sealed… So, if a sword is your primary, even if you swing it, it won’t cause any damage to the opponent. It’s prohibited to use it as a means of attack… You can swing it, but it won’t inflict any damage. Even if used for defense, it will be penetrated by the opponent’s attacks.”

[As we slowly lower our fingers according to the footnote number 22 at the end of the description, what is written below is -]

“If you receive this penalty, it’s practically best to give up on the competition once. In the history of the arena, only three people have received this penalty and survived until the middle or later stages.”

“…Is that so?”

“Ughhh… I hate the universal overseer….”

Why is this goddess making such strange noises?

Perhaps she feels the aura of defeat. Somehow, I gave her a light tap on the back of her head again.

This time, with just enough force to make her bow her head slightly, as a sign of comfort.

“It means it’s not an impossible task.”

Since there have been precedents of three people each surviving.

The difference between something having a 0% chance and not is like heaven and earth.

There was plenty of room for Yoo Dahee to dig in.

The goal is not to come in first place.

What Yoo Dahee is aiming for is simply to rank within the top 50.

“…Anything more than that would be a hassle.”

In the early stages of the martial arts competition, Yoo Dahee, who judged that there was some possibility if she used her skills, tried to plan based on the guidebook step by step, but….

[Now, let the 221st Earth Cup Arena Competition begin!]

[This round’s theme: Ultra Rapid Fire]

“Huh.”

“…?”

Before even getting a chance to lay the groundwork, everything collapsed completely.