The Blackened Saint Selene had finally obtained the long-desired rest.
Here, in Paradise, there was peace.
Inside the Rift, no one would oppress Selene. Even if she accidentally burned her surroundings due to mishandling her power, there would be no punishment. Nor would she be falsely accused as a witch and burned at the stake.
What pleased Selene the most was that she was the ruler of this domain.
The ruler of the Rift, who seemed almost godlike and was looked upon with awe, turned out to be far kinder and more gentle-hearted than Selene had anticipated.
“Master, why did you take me in, someone like me?”
The ruler never responded to Selene’s question. However, instead of words, the ruler showed Selene through actions.
[Rift’s Ruler ‘Actor’ has gifted 5★ The Blackened Saint Selene with 2☆ Dwarf Honeywine.]
“Ah…”
A brief moment of kindness was all it took for Selene to accept.
“Master, I will follow your commands.”
Selene became the ruler’s vanguard. She swung her sword solely for him and scattered the fires of the underworld on his behalf. The once-desperate fanatic became a disaster that none could stop.
[5★ The Blackened Saint Selene has returned from an expedition.]
[Rewards: 300Exp / 5☆ Shadowfall Lance]
Every time Selene returned from expeditions with valuable spoils, the ruler praised her.
[Rift’s Ruler ‘Actor’ has gifted 5★ The Blackened Saint Selene with 4☆ Rosary of Corruption.]
Selene liked it in the Rift. Here, she had found everything she desired. A kind lord, and a Selene capable of faithfully carrying out the lord’s orders. Even as she burned the worlds and impaled the hearts of otherworldly residents on her blade, becoming a demon of destruction, she found someone who approved of her. That was sufficient to fill Selene’s heart.
For a brief moment, everything was ideal.
[A great power has taken root in the Rift!]
[Rift’s Ruler ‘Actor’ successfully fused 5★ Storm Mirien.]
[…]
[A great power has taken root in the Rift.]
[Rift’s Ruler ‘Actor’ successfully fused 5★ Queen Who Swallowed the Stars Asteria!]
[Rift’s Ruler ‘Actor’ successfully fused 5★ Mother of Omens Karne!]
Though Selene could no longer monopolize the ruler’s attention, and many other minions with powers comparable to hers had appeared, she didn’t feel overly troubled.
The master was a great figure.
She had never desired to monopolize someone as insignificant as herself.
Selene had only one wish from her master: Acknowledgment.
Having that alone was enough for her to burn herself again if necessary and dedicate herself anew to her new master.
Thus, the Blackened Saint Selene enjoyed a brief respite within the Rift.
“To eternity, I will serve you.”
However,
Such was Selene’s wish that it was rendered meaningless.
Happiness did not last long.
[Fire the 5★ Blackened Saint Selene from service.]
Just as the gods had abandoned Selene and she had abandoned the world,
Eventually, the ruler also abandoned Selene.
“Why… why, Master?”
Selene had reached her final limit.
Once again standing in front of the stake, she collapsed in confusion.
She pleaded desperately towards her master.
“I can do better. I will no longer be a burden. Even if I have to go into the fires of the underworld, I will bring back treasures for you. Please, give me one more chance, I beg you…”
Selene could do better.
Any shortcomings could be corrected, and if necessary, she was willing to cut off her own limbs.
Selene continued to plead.
[The calamity will be set free. Their power is formidable, and they will bring another world to ruin. This decision cannot be reversed!]
[Y / N]
The ruler remained indifferent, ignoring Selene’s words. But as always, the ruler revealed their intent through actions.
[Y]
Selene was expelled back to the extraplanar existence she had come from.
The time without the ruler felt like an eternity for her.
Wandering aimlessly in a dimension devoid of anything, Selene thought.
Why had the master forsaken her?
There was no feeling of resentment.
All that remained was self-loathing.
The regret of not pleasing her master, the sense of loss that her time of happiness had ended.
All of this burned her flesh like stakes on a pyre.
[Another calamity from Disaster Order is coming for you.]
When she opened her eyes, it was in a new world.
Different from her previous world—a higher-order realm.
Here, Selene could rival deities and become a new order of the world. However, Selene had no will left. The flame had burned out long ago, and she was but kindling without fuel.
The prison resembling Paradise, without her master,
This is hell.
Selene naturally understood.
“…Punishment, punishment is needed.”
Selene thought that this was a trial set for her by the master.
The master would never abandon her.
This was the prison of punishment arranged by the master to blame her deficiencies.
Selene sought to regain the master’s favor through ascetic practices.
[The Blackened Saint Selene spreads holy fire. The Abyss has been opened.]
Thus, Selene hid herself in the Abyss.
She continued to burn her body with a whip of fire, seeking to return to Paradise through greater suffering.
That was until recently.
While enduring the flames, Selene felt a familiar sensation.
“Ah…”
The largest fragment of Selene’s life was only her master.
Therefore, she could tell.
She instinctively felt it.
“Master is… here in this world. He still… wants me.”
Deep within the Abyss, Selene lifted her head.
The fiercest flames among all calamities began to stir.
Humans are said to be creatures of adaptation.
Terror on the first day, disorientation on the second, and brawls among themselves on the third. By the fifth day, human society had reached the stage of interpreting the changes in the new system of the world.
=
– Have you confirmed what’s being deployed here? Are they gathering minions?
Reply: If you’re curious, ask God’s Halberd directly.
Reply: Will asking get me an answer?
Reply: Yup.
– This feels like some kind of Tycoon game? Strengthening your stronghold, farming experience and items to distribute to your subordinates.
Reply: You don’t need to fight directly? Isn’t this more like an RPG?
Reply: First eruptions seem to require eating calamities. We’ll find out when it happens.
– This is a conspiracy by Bill Gates and Elon Musk! The message only appears to those who’ve taken the vaccine!
Reply: BS.
– Seeking party members to hunt together in two days.
Reply: Location?
=
“Hmph…”
As I watched the constantly changing opinions in the community, I smirked faintly.
All kinds of opinions were pouring in. There were insightful users who had accurately pinpointed the genre of Disaster Order, along with those who casually posted what looked like messages from a game community, asking to recruit party members.
But many comments were attached to that latter type of post. Some had even formed groups akin to guilds, studying the game system.
And for good reason, because reality was no longer what it used to be.
Just last week, who would have imagined the world turning into a game?
[Time remaining until the next Rift Eruption: 39h]
“In two days…”
Time flowed by in the blink of an eye.
Newspapers, which had previously sensationalized the earthquake damage and mysterious structures, had now shifted focus to the new order of the world, spotlighting the victims.
What is Disaster Order, what is a Ruler, and what does Calamity mean?
And the status screen was, surprisingly, quite helpful in this regard.
[The Rift in Disaster Order erupts at regular intervals.]
[Calamities will fall. The Ruler must subordinate these calamities to ascend to a higher being.]
[Establish a stronghold. Collect calamities, use them as fertilizer to leap forward.]
Rulers, commonly referred to as Awakened Ones, began to appear.
A sort of social phenomenon.
The government seems eager to suppress this phenomenon as much as possible through public authority, but a video that went viral on social media recently became a hot topic.
The massive black tower that rose in Yeouido. A video was captured from afar as soldiers entered the dungeon, where Storm Mirien resided.
As the leading soldier stepped into the tower, a massive black storm swirled around. The storm moved as if alive, greedily swallowing the soldiers around the tower like a maw.
After a few hours, none of the soldiers swallowed by the storm emerged from the tower.
This video spread rapidly, and anyone who saw it could only come to one conclusion:
“This is not a problem that can be solved by ordinary means.”
After that incident, stories related to the Awakened began to emerge on community boards.
Concerns about the eruption of the Rift dwindled.
And what about religion?
Some factions worshipped the new order of the world, treating it like divine punishment. Others believed it should be approached with cold rationality. And then there were anarchists, those who preached the end times, and conspiracy theorists all entangled in a power struggle.
Simply put, it was chaotic.
It was clear that there was precious little worth extracting from the community discussions.
“…I’d better focus on my tasks.”
Turning off the internet, I looked at another window.
Ding.
[No stronghold has been set, status cannot be confirmed.]
[Master ‘Actor’, please set up your stronghold.]
[Failure to set up a stronghold may result in penalties.]
The translucent message box continuously requested me to set up a stronghold.
The stronghold was the alpha and omega of Disaster Order.
Without a stronghold, one could not gather calamities, synthesize them, or enhance equipment. Expeditions also needed to be organized from the stronghold management interface, so it was essential for those starting the game.
“Essential, but there’s no immediate need to set it up right now.”
Unlike others, I was a well-versed game master of this cursed game.
I also well understood the drawbacks of rushing to set up a stronghold early on.
Especially in the current scenario where tricks like rerolls were not possible.
“Careful preparation before setting up the base will make it no less effective.”
Of course, that didn’t mean I had idly wasted time up until now.
Preparations have been steadily made for the upcoming eruption.
“…A baseball bat should be sufficient, right?”
Following the game’s rules, the first eruption would not unleash extremely powerful calamities, mostly one-star calamities, akin to goblin-like beings.
Occasionally, two-star calamities may appear, but running away would be an option then.
A nail-studded baseball bat should be enough.
“…Looks like I’m as ready as I need to be.”
I wrapped the baseball bat a few times with electrical tape and leaned it against the side of the front door.
In fact, there was something else that I was more worried about.
Opening the achievement management screen via the status window:
[Achievement Earned: Loved by Calamities]
[Reward: 1,000Exp]
“…Huh.”
Never seen before achievement.
And the amount of experience is absurd.
This amount of experience would be enough to upgrade the starting facilities by three steps upon setting up the stronghold.
“…Feels kinda dangerous.”
That’s why I’m uneasy.
Loved by calamities…
Seems unrelated to the in-game progression so far, though.
Fortunate thus far that nothing unusual has happened.
“Whatever, better to just focus on the task at hand.”
No point in overcomplicating things. With renewed determination, I glared at the timer in the top corner of the status window.
[Time remaining until the next Rift Eruption: 0h]
[The Rift erupts.]
Exactly a week after the previous Rift eruption, the Rift exploded again.
[Calamities are coming for you.]
Everything seemed in line with the expected weak calamities during the first eruption.
[1★ Forest Imp Horde has appeared!]
[1★ Leaf Sprite Horde has appeared!]
[…]
[2★ Moss Hunter has appeared!]
[2★ Ember Fox has appeared!]
However, there was one unexpected difference.
[Dungeon “Abyss” has erupted.]
[5★ The Blackened Saint Selene wanders about.]
Not only the Rift was erupting.
