Chapter Text
i.
[Y-You said that you're gonna take your responsibilities and privileges as a higher being more seriously!]
Fuck, she is whining again. It is not like the problems of the lower world have nothing to do with him when it is abundantly clear that the continent cannot handle it without him! Hence, this conversation!
"I am. Tch. Maybe I should visit you less and throw away your cupcakes."
[No, Lee Kiyoung, please listen–]
"Why should I clean up the other gods' mess?" he scoffs while drawing his signature on the paperwork regarding the latest dimensional incident, ignoring Benigore's cries with a practice of countless hours of exposure. "Yuno even checked and that dimension won't suddenly keel over if I don't do anything. Shit. I even took your and Bel-ssi's advice to work more on my godly duties because I fit more into these than the lower world ones and a healthy balance between this world and the lower one is more efficient, but now you're saying I should interfere!"
[But it'll be crippled forever! And you already have more experience than anyone else! Uwahhh, Junior Lee Kiyoung, please, please! The gods in that world already gave advance payment and now our other gods are saying that we cannot refuse anymore! It's a commission! A commission!!]
Damn, look at these shameless gods accepting payment before the task has been done? And without notifying the person in question of doing the task?!! Is he a dimension handyman, or something??? Who the heck taught these people?! Must be that trash Elune rubbing his bad habits on them all!
Sighing, Lee Kiyoung rubs his forehead in a way that would have made Jung Hayan and Kim Hyunsung of the past sweat buckets if they saw that familiar gesture announcing Doom Kiyoung's entrance.
Elune... To be honest, it is not Benigore's fault that all the gods were influenced by one bad apple. He reprimanded her in the past when she confessed listening to her incompetent junior, but there must be a glimmer of affection still.
For her to be practically begging without him blackmailing, peer pressuring or threatening to run to Belial is new, however. She governs for his approval for a while now, seeing as he is the CEO of the continent. The situation must be dire indeed.
"How can it be that a weak dimension can pay up for our dimension that is dazzling with light? What was the price?"
[It... The amount is 100 years worth of divinity.]
Lee Kiyoung puts his quill down.
"...Is that so?"
[...Y-Yes... apparently, that w-world has an abundance of faithful believers but not a lot of f-fighters, so they need some help...]
Politics and instigation, huh? What a coincidence, these are some of his specialties. Just ask the Lee Kiyoung of the 1st timeline who definitely did not destroy the world. Yup.
He does not know what kind of expression he must be showing, but the goddess whispering into his mind gulps nervously as if standing in front of a wild, god-slaying boar.
[...Lovely Lee Kiyoung, that continent has to stand at the end. You know that, right? Right?? You cannot suck their divine power away!!!]
"Haha, of course. Why, I would never think of razing the whole dimension down."
Only the masked trash would do that! Good thing that Jin Cheong the Shadow Hero is someone completely different from that masked trash. Pfft.
[Uh, yes. G-Good to know. The last 100 years have been especially gruelling for that world, so they made a deal that someone capable would assist in strengthening the world with their, um, special skills.]
"And I was recommended?"
[Lee Kiyoung is spoken of highly in every dimension among higher beings.]
That is high praise coming from the higher gods, though he knows that from Chanelia Hermes already that Kim Hyunsung and him are kind of famous for getting their dimension independent. However, empty compliments do not deliver results and the task itself is quite open for interpretation.
"That sounds a bit too vague for a contract."
[Yes, of course! I'll send the contract that got signed...]
[A rank-less optional quest has been created.]
[Help the other world gain power (0/1)]
[Reward – 100 years of divinity.]
[Only our lovely Lee Kiyoung is able to take this quest.]
[Warning: to avoid confusion, our Lee Kiyoung must temporarily take on a new appearance because of player Lee Kiyoung's presence in that world.]
Huh? There will also be a him in that world?
Lee Kiyoung shoots the mission notice a dirty look.
"Wouldn't my parallel past self do all that then? Why call me to clean their asses?"
[That would be the case if the starting point was the same, but it is not. This world may be shorter on divinity, but it has plenty of warriors willing to fight for the continent. The other world needs these talents to awaken first, or to bloom...]
"If it had such difficulties, then should these talents not have awoken already?"
[...]
"...?"
[...]
Why is she staying silent? Could it be that... like when in this dimension, heretics causing trouble and books containing methods to worship demons? No, that cannot be.
"...The other dimension is too peaceful?"
[...Ngh...]
Damn. Unbelievable. Was this Six Point Star everywhere when it was peaceful? Seriously.
[...Indeed, that world has seen 100 years of peace without any big war or conflict. B-Because of this, they are in need of urgent help.]
Peace that led to stagnation and stagnation that led to rot. Lee Kiyoung bets that the amount of deep-rooted evil people there is enough to have millions of useless meetings. It is basically a continental joint training ver. 2.0.
"Shouldn't they have opened more dungeons in that dimension to prevent it in the first place? Or at least acted when it became clear that the peace would last?"
[Ugh...]
"Or taken such a scenario into consideration? They had 100 years of peace and overflowing divinity and instead of using it, the gods decided to lean back and slack, huh?"
[Keuk!]
Like a final nail on the coffin, he scathingly points out, "It is almost as bad as managing a continent 10,000 years without a savings account and then becoming bankrupt in less than a year."
[Uaaaargh!]
"In addition, my parallel self won't have any foothold in that dimension, will he? As an alchemist, I'm sure manufacture classes are plenty–"
Benigore sobs loudly.
[Uegh, it is not like that! The world may have been peaceful but strength still ruled above all! They are just way, way, wayyyyy weaker! Weehhhh! Even our Lee Kiyoung would be enough to crush them all after some time! That's how weak they are!!!]
Rude!! Lee Kiyoung #1 would like to know your address, you know!
"Not only weaker but also still no focus on manufacturing classes," Lee Kiyoung sighs mournfully as the goddess tries to compose herself from her sobs. "Is there anything better in that dimension?"
The Lee Kiyoung of the parallel world will take the continent by storm as an alchemist or will be the laughing stock of all adventurers who have ever lived. Poor him.
[Ahem. Well, there is a lot of focus on the priest class. Faith is abundant, but it also has the population with more black mages compared to our world because of disenchantment against the gods... W-Why are you making that face?]
Lee Kiyoung grins serenely on the outside but in his mind, he is chuckling darkly.
Huhuhu... Does that not sound like the perfect stage for him? A lot of divinity aka. money, lots of priest classes and also dark mages? That means that the gods and demons must be quite acquainted with each other.
It is like that world has it out against his counterpart... ah, really, poor him. Not like it has anything to do with him. If his own life in the continent was normal mode, then Lee Kiyoung had his life cut out for him by doing everything in hard mode.
Who knows? Maybe while Lee Kiyoung is staying in that dimension he will finally have time to work on his terrible stats or even begin making something outlandish like an Immortality Potion. Pfft.
The possibilities are positively endless.
Benigore must have found his silence too unsettling, because she hastily speaks up with a panicked undertone.
[Lee... Lee Kiyoung, d-don't make a mess! Treat this like a, uhhh, vacation! Yes!]
"Relax, I just have to make them gain power. This continent has survived it as well, so it'll be done with full confidence."
[After more than two wars which you–]
"Hmmm? Yes?"
Lee Kiyoung laces his hands together as his right eye begins flashing a luminous gold. Light Kiyoung knows nothing. The Sacred Democratic State's poor Honorable Cardinal and Saint of Sacrifice and Resurrection has no clue what happened.
Shouldn't the Goddess of Light, the esteemed Benigore, know that her Saint of Light and the CEO of the Continental Management Committee has no connection to the previous conflicts except getting sucked into the middle of it?
[Eek...! I mean, ahem. To elaborate about your mission, the duration of your stay is a maximum of two years. After that you will be forcefully transported back. Of course, Lee Kiyoung is free to return even earlier when the mission is cleared.]
Hm, so it has a timer after all. Perhaps better that way; the risk of getting fond of that world are rather high. The first timeline arc cannot be repeated. He should visit Yuno to make sure again.
[Take heed to not expose your identity at any cost. The gods made sure that Mind's Eye or any other attribute or device won't be able to peek at your status window.]
Jackpot!
[However!]
Eh? What else?
[I'd recommend that our Lee Kiyoung stays away from... from his counterpart. And the Sunset Swordsman as well. We do not know how two Mind's Eye with the same class will counter each other.]
"My attribute was heroic rank at the tutorial."
[That's right... Right now, yours is stronger but we don't know what will happen when it matches.]
"Better safe than sorry, hm?" he muses simply. There is probably more behind it than the goddess is willing to admit. "I see."
[Ummm, you already know to hide your status as a higher being, but your divine power may be recognized as higher compared to that world's standards. Try to reign it in.]
Lee Kiyoung grasps the divine power in his body.
[Wha... how, no, ahem, just like that, Lee Kiyoung. That way no one will realise that you're one of us. You're such a quick learner.]
Quite bold words from the goddess that stated in the tutorial that there was no hope in him. Rolling his eyes, he is about to stand up when she abruptly begins shouting.
[W-Wait! Before you go, do you... plan to tell the Sunset Swordsman about the mission?]
"Yes...? His mental health has been stable lately–"
[Mayhaps it is better to lie.]
"...Huh?"
[Lovely Lee Kiyoung, please tell everyone you are going on vacation. Alone. Please.]
Benigore's tone completely shifted. There is a faint tremor in her voice.
"They'll never believe that. I'm a workaholi–"
[Please forgive me. D-Don't tell him the truth. If he gets wind of it, it'll be... bad... and I'm sure we don't want him to get confused again, right? Right?]
...What kinda PTSD did Kim Hyunsung instill in her? Or is it just every incident where Kim Hyunsung went crazy? He has been doing better, though. The whole Blue Guild has been moving away from their crazily protective tendencies.
"I have to tell Bel-ssi, Jihye noona, Commander Jin and Yuno at least. If I don't, Jihye noona will don a mask and destroy everything for the sake of revenge. The Blue Guild will also collapse if they don't take over my work," he points out and picks up his quill again. "If it's like Rohen, he could relapse and mess everything up. The Blue Guild's power is mostly in my hands and that's without counting all my other jobs."
[Ngh... fine.]
"I also haven't gotten the chance to negotiate any of my conditions."
[H-Huh? Ahh, of course. Yes. We... have to negotiate? Wouldn't that be too pushy? The system isn't fully under control...]
There is no way he will carry all of the burden while the gods in the Divine Realm can lean back and make him do all the work! He is not a pawn, damn it.
ii.
[Checking status window of–]
[Error! Target's stats and growth limit cannot be determined by player Lee Kiyoung.]
Lee Kiyoung sweeps to a halt under the panicking crowd, blinking rapidly as he clenches the spear in his hands.
'What? Fuck. No way.'
[Overall rating: Player Lee Kiyoung better stays away. I cannot comment more.]
The person darts away before he can collect his composure, swallowed by the crowd. He only snaps out of his thoughts when Park Deokgu the meat shield™ puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Hyung-nim?"
"Y-Yeah, let's get going."
They push through the start point's exit.