kscans

Chapter 71 - 071

I proceeded deeper into the area beyond the boss room.

In the middle of a vast, dimly lit space, stood a lone torii gate.

There was nothing like this back when FWO was a game.

If I remember correctly, torii gates represent the boundary between the human world and the sacred domain of the gods.

Should I pass through here?

With no other options, I decided to walk through the gate.

Paah, the surroundings brightened.

"Whoa, amazing!"

A rustic, Japanese-style landscape spread out before me, with cherry blossoms dancing in the air.

A pleasant spring breeze was blowing. It was a very calming space.

"Who are you? From where did you enter?"

As I was spacing out, a voice called to me from behind. I was a little surprised that I hadn't sensed any presence at all.

I turned around to see a young girl with beast ears on her head. She was dressed in miko attire and looked adorable.

"...Um, hello."

"I did not ask for a greeting. State your name. What is your purpose here?"

Is she some kind of shikigami that serves the god? If so, I need to be polite.

"My name is Shizukuishi Hayate. I have come to receive power from the god of Japan in order to defeat the Goddess who made the dungeons appear in this world."

"What? You? Not Juuzo? I told him to send the strongest in Hinomoto."

The young girl circled me with a displeased look on her face.

"Hmph. It seems you can use a fair amount of divine power."

Divine power, does she mean the power ninjas use? I was using Fighting Spirit Release just a moment ago. I thought I had completely turned it off, but I guess a little must have leaked out.

"Are you acquainted with Juuzo?"

"Yes. He took me in as his disciple. I came here on his instructions."

"I see. Well, you will suffice. Now, bow your head."

I wanted her to take me to the god, but...

I suppose I have no choice but to obey for now. I knelt and lowered my head.

The young girl then touched my head.

"I have magnified the true power that sleeps within you tenfold with my divine power. Be grateful."

...Hmm? What did she just say?

"To use the divine power I have bestowed, you must awaken your sleeping power. However, if you can do that, you should be able to easily traverse the detestable labyrinth connected to my sacred domain."

I didn't quite understand, but my body felt incredibly light. My mind was also much clearer, similar to a state of heightened brain activity.

But I had a bad feeling about staying in this state, so I focused on sealing the fighting spirit within my body, strongly restricting my power. It was a good thing I had gotten better at controlling my power.

"Now, to begin, go forth and conquer the labyrinth here. You should be able to fight reasonably well as you are now. You will likely struggle against the great serpent in the final layer, but I need you to accomplish at least that much."

"Uh, excuse me... Are you perhaps the god?"

The young girl looked at me with a blank expression.

"Of course I am. Who did you think I was?"

"This isn’t a joke or anything, right?"

"I have given you power, and yet you doubt me, just like Juuzo!?"

I seemed to have angered her a little. It was true that she had given me some incredible power.

"I-I’m sorry. It’s just... you look so adorable."

"Hmph. Well, if that is the case, it cannot be helped. This form is quite nice, is it not? The followers on my <> where I show my face have surpassed one million."

What?

"Do you have a smartphone?"

"N-Not at the moment."

"Then I shall lend you mine. Here."

The smartphone she lent me displayed an account named Amaterasu.

In the media tab, photos of the young girl in front of me were uploaded. The follower count was 1.07 million. Gods are amazing.

Her main posts were photos that seemed to be taken in this sacred domain. They were accompanied by the message, "Those who have a wish for me shall write it below."

In the comment section of the post were numerous entries like...



"...So gods use SNS too."

It was hilarious that while the god's existence was classified as ‘Forbidden’ to keep it a secret, the god herself was posting on SNS with her face revealed.

Well, I guess the truth is harder to spot when it's out in the open.

Her SNS profile proudly stated, ‘The One and Only God of Hinomoto.’ But surely none of her followers believed it.

"Humans these days no longer pray to the gods in earnest. Without activities like this, I cannot gather faith. If I do not work hard, I cannot share my power with my emanations in the various regions."

She's working so hard. It made me want to support her.

I'll make sure to follow Amaterasu-sama later.

"You’re Amaterasu Omikami, is that correct?"

"I have no name. I am the one and only god of this country. This body and this temporary name were decided upon by Juuzo so that I would be more easily accepted by the world."

As she said this, the god spun around gracefully.

"Thanks to his advice, I am still able to gain faith even now."

Master! This is totally your hobby, isn't it!

What are you making a god do!? Are you an idiot? Hey, are you an idiot!?

I mean, this is more approachable and better than a grimy, white-bearded old man who looks like The God, but still...

"You said your name was Hayate. I was surprised to see that you have over five million followers. How did you increase it that much?"

"It used to be less than a hundred thousand. My dungeon streams recently went viral, and the number of people following my SNS also increased."

"What! This detestable labyrinth has such an effect!?"

The god's eyes were sparkling.

It seems she uses SNS to post, but not so much to gather information.

"The number of my followers stopped growing after I passed one million. Hayate, I want you to teach me how to gain more followers through labyrinth streams."

"I don't know how much help I can be... but we could do a collaboration. More importantly, I thought you were supposed to avoid interfering with the material world?"

"That is what I have told the humans who know of my existence, aside from Juuzo. It would be troublesome if they came to rely on me for everything. I am already suppressing the natural disasters that threaten this country each year to less than ten percent, yet humans always want to take the easy way out. They rely on others for their safety and fortune."

I see. So she really is working hard for us.

If the god wasn't here, there would be ten times as many typhoons and earthquakes. I can understand why she grants the daily wishes of ordinary people to gather faith, but ignores the excessive wishes of those who know of her existence.

Alright, I have to help her. I need to increase her followers by presenting her as a vague idol, without explicitly confirming or denying the truth of her existence and power.

With a look this cute, there are plenty of ways to do it.

"I’ve thought of a way to make your account go viral, God-sama. Is it possible for you to possess something like a doll?"

"Such a thing is simple. But why a doll?"

"First, you have to be fifteen or older to enter a dungeon. The Amaterasu account clearly belongs to a young girl, so that’s out. So, I was thinking you could possess the 'Buddy' that can be obtained as a trophy for clearing a Grade 5 dungeon."

The Buddy is an autonomous combat doll whose character design can be freely customized by the player. Not only the design, but also the speech patterns and mannerisms can be set in detail.

In other words, I would design a character to look like Amaterasu, and the god herself would be the one inside. Then, if I say we're officially collaborating, I can forcefully make it work.

This way, I can get the god's help in clearing dungeons while also directing viewers to the Amaterasu account. That's the plan.

"Currently, my stream channel has over one hundred million subscribers. If I direct them from there, I think I can increase your followers by several million."

"Oh! Is that alright!? Will you do it!?"

"It's a request from a god, after all. I can't refuse."

"You are a good man. I like you!"

The god hugged me. Her body was warm and comforting.

"This is a special measure. I have raised the multiplier for your divine power release to thirty. Use this power to increase my followers. However, I absolutely cannot forgive this labyrinth for encroaching on my sacred domain. Once you have acquired a certain number of followers, you will defeat the detestable Goddess. Understood?"

"Thank you. But if the Goddess disappears, won't the dungeons disappear too? The resources seem to be quite valuable for Japan."

If possible, I'd like the four-sword style to remain.

"Have no fear. The labyrinth has penetrated this deeply into my sacred domain. I have already analyzed it. Even after the Goddess vanishes, I can maintain the labyrinths of Hinomoto."

"Does that mean you can't do anything about dungeons in other countries?"

"Other countries will be handled by their own gods. We have a division of labor. I cannot involve myself with the people of other nations who do not offer me faith, and if I were to force my hand, I would be reprimanded."

I see. So it can be worked out. In that case, I'm good to go.

"More importantly, the divine power I have given you is meaningless if you cannot release it. This is a good opportunity. I will accompany you. Let us go to the labyrinth now."

"The labyrinth... the final boss is Yamata no Orochi, right?"

"That is correct. What, did you get scared despite having so much power? Well, it cannot be helped. It has been greatly strengthened by absorbing the power of my sacred domain. But as long as you can release your divine power, there should be no problem."

"Um... I'm sorry. Actually, I already beat it."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I’m saying, I already defeated Yamata no Orochi."

"............What?"