Chapter 1
「Ragnarok」
This game, also known as the War of the Gods, as befitting its grand name, has a world based on the battles of Constellations who intervened in the human realm.
It was already a well-known game and I also enjoyed playing it.
Both in terms of the Game System and pure enjoyment, I remember it being quite fun.
“....Ah.”
I opened my eyes to a world of pure white.
And facing it, the intuitive thought that struck me was that I was no longer a human being on Earth.
A feeling of being completely free from the constraints of space and time.
In other words, a sense of omnipotence? Or perhaps exhilaration?
A confidence that I could achieve anything, create anything, pumped through me, making me feel good.
「Attempting Login...」
「Player ‘KwonSisihan1233’ profile verification complete.」
「Logging in...」
「Welcome! ‘KwonSisihan1233’!」
“...Huh?”
What appeared before my eyes was a familiar message window, but in an unfamiliar form.
Floating right in front of my eyes.
What is it? An unidentified message window.
Even as I waved my hand to shoo it away, it stubbornly asserted its presence before me, as if it wouldn't disappear until I acknowledged its existence.
“....”
Judging that nothing would change even if I didn't acknowledge it, I proceeded with the message according to the familiar feeling.
「Warning! The file has been severely damaged!」
It then emitted an ominous sound.
「Restoring player ‘KwonSisihan1233’s file...」
「Restoration failed!」
「To preserve the saved file, a temporary file will be uploaded.」
「Do you agree?」
No, agree or not…
Is this really okay?
「Warning! If you refuse authorization, you may permanently lose your saved data.」
“Damn it.”
In the end, I had no choice but to agree to the contents of the window.
Then, a number started rising from 1 on its own.
I waited anxiously for a while, and when it finally reached 100, a clear tone resonated in my head.
「Data restoration complete. ‘KwonSisihan1233’s profile will be temporarily changed to ‘Ron’.」
「Initiating protocol.」
This time, there was a significant change.
The form of my body, which had been floating somewhere without even a visible shape, gradually began to materialize, and my senses started to return.
First, my hands.
Hands with five neatly arranged fingers on each, waving a friendly greeting.
‘...They seem whiter?’
Should I say my skin has become smoother? A definite difference from before stood out.
As I slowly watched my feet being generated, the space around me began to change.
“Oh.”
Despite the continuous inhuman situation, pure curiosity worked diligently instead of fear.
Next to be generated was the shape of a planet, like a globe.
“Wow.”
As if filmed with a super high-definition camera from far out in space, it was so vivid that it felt like looking at a real planet.
「Welcome back to the world, ‘Ron’.」
Ron. My new, freshly forced-upon nickname.
Along with that awkward title, the window continued to pop up, explaining the situation.
「The world has undergone a great crisis.」
A multitude of stars spread around the planet, which looked identical to Earth.
I know what they are.
‘Constellations.’
Beings who bestow transcendental power upon humans, making them Worship themselves.
Thanks to the lunatics who insisted their God was the truth, the main story of the Game progressed.
As befitting the title Ragnarok, those who inherited the power of the Gods began to rampage.
My role here wasn't much different from theirs.
The player's role is to build their own Religious Order and govern their Followers.
Starting as a fledgling Constellation, you gradually expand your influence.
Of course, there were countless trials and errors.
The power of the already established Constellations was immense, and among them were some truly malicious forces.
It was already difficult enough to discreetly recruit Followers, but with the added chaos, the difficulty was incredibly high.
‘But still.’
I did it.
A Game is just a Game, after all.
It's designed to be cleared, even with its difficulty.
That's the ending the Game developers intended, too.
Having pleasantly conquered the entire main storyline of the Game, I became the greatest God, enjoying the rights I deserved.
「You have become the greatest force, a magnificent Constellation.」
Next, the scene shifted to a vast Holy War.
Amidst the Followers dressed in ceremonial robes, the emblem of my Religious Order was displayed high.
Even though I just picked a random design and slapped it on, seeing it treated so grandly filled me with undeserved pride.
“...Ooh.”
The production, so realistic, made my heart race.
It's so, so real.
「However, the world has long been neglected by its Lord God, and the Followers quickly lost their way.」
“...Huh?”
「Having lost their faith, those who doubted arose from within, causing strife amongst themselves.」
“What?”
「There are signs of another Holy War brewing.」
-Holy War.
I understand its meaning now.
An experience point event caused by those who have gone too far.
But to dare cause such chaos in the world I cleared, it's absolutely unforgivable.
“Punish them immediately.”
I want to Play the Game right now.
Even though real life has been too busy to pay attention, I'm not heartless enough to abandon my Followers, who are like my children.
We've overcome so many hardships together!
Within the Religious Order, beautiful Followers, even mascots, were strategically placed!
Building Affinity with beautiful Followers!
Recruiting rare, beautiful Followers from other places!
"The best Religious Order."
Yes. My utopia, the best Religious Order, had been created.
[Lord God, the world still needs your attention and Love.]
"Okay, got it."
With this level of immersion, I was confident I could Play diligently, treating it like real life, like my own work.
"Now send me back."
This vivid augmented reality had served its purpose, right?
[The world still needs your attention and Love.]
"I said I got it, I'll go back and Play diligently!"
[...]
No response came.
"Hello?"
I asked alone in a place where no one could hear, but there was no way I'd get an answer.
A sense of unease, the cause unknown, belatedly began to creep in.
"Hey, you."
No, you guys?
Whoever threw me into this absurd space, I'd appreciate it if you let me go now.
If you return me to normal right here, I can just laugh it off as a prank.
"..."
And so, until I accepted reality... I was forced to remain trapped in this damned white space for a long time.
***
A space far removed from Earth, a completely different world.
Dianon
In this world, a battlefield for gods and home to countless Followers...
"...Ah."
A Follower who had yet to abandon her god clasped her hands respectfully with unwavering faith.
Before her stood a giant statue, a symbol of the Religious Order.
Their god, who hadn't shown a definite form or exerted any direct influence.
And her god, the Constellation.
The woman was exceptionally beautiful.
Had she not sought refuge in the Religious Order, she might have led a troublesome life, bothered by countless men.
Her crimson hair cascaded down to her lower back, and at the end of her divinely blessed proportions...
...was a heavenly face, just as one would expect, devoutly offering a Prayer.
Once again, the woman was exceptionally beautiful.
But her life hadn't been as smooth as her blessed appearance.
If it weren't for her Father God, the woman would have led a very, very hard and difficult life.
Therefore, the woman embraced only her Constellation in her Heart and vowed never to give her Heart to anyone else.
Lisia.
She fell into a deep self-loathing, unable to even keep the name she had dedicated to her Constellation.
She didn't dare harbor any resentment towards her Lord God.
She firmly believed that it was all due to their own arrogance and pride that had brought about this devastating situation.
So even when the detestable forces stole the name of the Religious Order and the existence of the Lord God...
Lisia believed this was another trial of her Love and faith in him.
However...
"Father God, my Love, my everything."
Lisia swallowed her grief and dared to announce the great crisis that had befallen the Religious Order.
"I long to see you. I want to embrace you, to lose myself in ecstasy."
"Please, guide this poor lamb."
With this insignificant life, she had no confidence in withstanding the coming storm.
The Followers' faith dwindled day by day, and the Religious Order's position was becoming precarious.
Since they had forgotten the Constellation's name, perhaps this was the natural order of things.
But Lisia didn't give up.
She longed for the return of that glorious moment.
Father God, grant deep Realization and inspiration to the Followers once more.
Bring light back to the world that has blinded their Eyes and ears.
"I earnestly believe."
And the recipient of such Worship was much closer than she expected.
An existence observing Lisia vividly and clearly with the System's help.
Kwon Si-han, no, the man who had become the Lord God 'Ron'.
"...Is that... Lisia?"
He couldn't mistake her.
Lisia was the special Priest he had personally appointed in the Game.
But this was real. A real, living person.
"Damn, she's freaking gorgeous."
A living, breathing woman, possessing the vibrancy he had only dreamed of.
The figure he had raised like his own child had become a proper Priest, offering Worship to him.
This alone made him want to do cartwheels, but there was one thing that bothered him.
"...Why does she look so sad?"
Lisia had a haggard air about her, as if she were about to burst into Tears.
[Follower 'Lisia' has very low Faith Level!]
Faith Level.
If the gathered Followers' Faith Level was low, there were penalties that reduced various Abilities.
This meant Lisia was in a very bad state.
Opening the status window to check the details, he found a desperate situation; her Faith Level had fallen below 20.
No, this wouldn't do.
The typical ways to work on faith in the Game were Revelations and Holy War.
[Warning! Hostile forces are rapidly approaching Follower 'Lisia'.]
"Holy crap."
Moreover, the situation was not good.
When he opened the Map to check, red dots were indeed rapidly approaching the prayer room.
There were too many for her to handle alone.
...How dare they, my Follower?
Displeasure surged within him.
He immediately manipulated the menu and touched Lisia's name.
- Kwaaang!
At that moment, the hostile forces burst into the space where Lisia was.