I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 230

I can still move.

I can still fight.

It was all thanks to Abel that I was able to do this.

Job Skill <Absolute Good>.

The most powerful force here, the one that allowed Abel to smash through tens of millions of gates all the way to the Pentagon.

Abel generously shared his remaining strength with me and another version of myself.

“After all… it’s a power I can’t even… maintain…”

That statement wasn’t wrong. Just before leaving for America, I had set the conditions for <Absolute Good> such that maintaining it was incredibly difficult.

To act for the world’s sake, to fight to protect someone, to point the sword only at evil, to show no mercy to enemies, to always act for good.

The light of <Absolute Good>, only usable under these five stringent conditions, was gradually dimming.

“…Why? I don’t really know much about being a hero or <Absolute Good>, but it seems like I’m fulfilling those conditions I just mentioned.”

“It’s because of the third condition.”

“…Are you saying that those bastards over there aren’t evil?”

“Not exactly. The former god has essentially fused with that black mass over there, and it seems that’s why.”

“Are you saying that it’s not evil just because it was reborn by making <The Mediator> a sacrifice?”

“That black mass probably has very little self-awareness. It might just be judged as neither good nor evil.”

“That’s incredibly convoluted.”

That’s why it’s a skill that can only be used against gates and monsters. It exists purely on instinct without reason, and unless the opponent is a monster that ‘invaded’ from another world, they are likely to violate one of the five conditions.

I probably wouldn’t be able to use it against Hector Arthur, the principal, or the emperor either.

Moreover, with the pope present, even if I used <Absolute Good>, it wouldn’t apply to him.

So, Abel had just spent his remaining strength on that last strike of <Absolute Good>.

By itself, it was just pure strength, and while it couldn’t be used to heal the body…

<I'll take care of it.>

“Jisoo.”

<This much... I can still do.>

Even though her strength had all but run out, Jisoo’s intervention, still holding onto some divine essence, allowed the remnants of <Absolute Good> to heal us.

Both I and the other version of me were severely injured, unable to fully recover.

But it was still more than enough to ignite that final spark.

[Fortuneteller, usurper, hero…]

“Where did I go? Damn it.”

[Right, a failed experiment. You… really are unpleasant. At least the others had the minimum qualifications to face me, but a mere failure of an experiment…!!]

“…Just a little experiment, huh?”

[Originally, I intended to create the Fortuneteller as the brother of the usurper, but what did I get in the end? You are not that Fortuneteller over there. You’re just an inferior, subpar failure.]

“………”

[Have you ever won against him even once? I theoretically gave you a body comparable to a combat class, the abilities of a <Fortuneteller>, and high intellect. To think that someone who should so easily outclass a Fortuneteller is struggling this much… Pathetic.]

“…………”

[However… I am a very merciful being.]

Creak.

One of the many arms of the cultist, the former god, extended out, whispering with a smile.

That hand was spread open gently as if to say ‘grab it.’

[Even now, if you betray them, I will grant you your wish.]

“What… do I wish for?”

[That’s obvious. I’ll let you truly become Namgoong Min. If you can take back the divine authority from the usurper, it would not be impossible.]

“…………”

The other version of me stepped toward the outstretched hand.

Just as Abel and Jisoo were about to move, I reached out and stopped them.

[It would also be fun to thoroughly toy with Namgoong Min’s life. I can turn back time, and you’ll enter the Romance Academy. You can approach those pathetic special class humans who talk about friendship and love.]

“………..Damn.”

[You can enjoy everything Namgoong Min attained. The love of women, the friendship of men, wealth, and honor. I will let you grasp everything in your hands. You will be a success, not a failure!]

“………..So.”

The other version of me reaches out.

A feeling that I might grab that hand and betray them hung in the air, but still, I did not move.

[Ah, right! You had parents too, didn’t you? I’ll recreate them for you. I’ll grant you everything you desire besides that!]

“Hey, can’t you hear me?”

[What?]

“Shut it.”

Crack.

The other version of me grabs the hand.

But the moment I did, I twisted it.

And tore it off.

[Huh!?]

“What? To replace Namgoong Min? To turn back time? You think that’s funny, don’t you?”

[Failed… Experiment…!!]

“What I want is just one thing.”

──To kill you.

“To become a puppet again? I’d rather die. That’s not… ‘Namgoong Min’.”

Tossing aside the torn-off arm, ‘Namgoong Min’ took out a card and aimed it.

The shock of the severed memory was so great that it caught the cultist off guard for a moment.

“Well said, me.”

“…Shut it, me.”

“…This is… quite… amusing…”

“Hero, it may be our first meeting, but let me ask: why is it amusing?”

“…I think it would be funny if you threw yourself into the rich tycoon, psychic, crown princess, and saint.”

“…Hey, is a hero supposed to act like that?”

“Of course not at first; it’s something that changed over time.”

“Damn.”

Rich tycoon, psychic, crown princess, saint.

Did the names traumatize me somehow? The other version of me trembled for a moment before grimacing.

“Well, it is reassuring. Hero, you take care of the pope.”

“…The one I believe in is… this Namgoong Min…”

“Hey! Then you tell me! We both have grudges against that bastard over there; borrowing someone else’s hand… I want to push that off until later if possible.”

“I agree with that.”

No matter what anyone says, I want to blow that cultist’s face off myself.

…More than anything, it was only Abel who could stop the pope in the first place.

“Hero, please take care of the pope. It won’t take long for either of us.”

Although we had recovered, we were still far from being in tip-top shape.

Against that seemingly endlessly regenerating cultist.

If a conclusion is reached, it would be in a flash in any direction.

I couldn’t hear Abel’s response.

He had already dashed forward.

Clang!!

Abel’s Holy Sword clashed with the pope’s <Spatial Isolation>, and the barrier that seemed to block everything in the world immediately shattered.

With a forced smile, the pope, who had taken a single step back, began to float in the air.

“Are you planning to toy with this old man?”

“………”

“Silence, huh? Good. God, I shall stop the hero.”

[Those two are enough for me…!!]

“I trust you will be sufficient.”

Special Skill <Dunce>: <Spatial Isolation>.

As the pope reached out toward Abel, a massive mirror-like sphere formed in the air surrounding them.

It was <Spatial Isolation>, meant to ensure a one-on-one duel, preventing Abel from using his hand against the cultist.

Even though the opponent was the pope, one of the most powerful beings in this universe, I couldn’t help but feel worried.

But my anxiety was only a small part of my concerns.

[Fortuneteller, failed experiment…!! All of you must die!!!]

Arms sprouted from every part of his body, lengthening and sweeping through the temple.

Just like before, he would not allow any approach.

He kept a few arms for protection while creating even more to flail around.

“Just avoid it yourself!”

“Nam, what!”

The other version of me utilized physical prowess that had always been outstanding.

With the effects of <Maiden's Breath> still lingering, enhancement magic, and the support of psychics, I evaded and maneuvered.

I went left, and the other me went right.

It seemed the cultist chose to focus entirely on us, who had fully arrived instead of worrying about Jisoo.

“This damn bastard!”

Whoosh!

The main body extended its arm while sharp thorns sprang forth from the extended limbs, stabbing in all directions.

At the same time, the arms swinging with thorns were demolishing the sanctified temple like a mace.

Over ten arms were swinging wildly at different angles and speeds, creating chaos.

‘<Absolute Good> is an absurd skill after all.’

Did Abel truly clear all of this with a single strike?

Even if he swung the Holy Sword with all his might now, he wouldn’t match that earlier formidable display.

Simultaneously, it was proof that he wasn’t a god yet.

No matter how potent <Absolute Good> might be, in the end, it was still a skill, unable to surpass the creator.

‘There’s no possible way to approach…!’

While I managed to dodge somehow, the limits were clear for the two Fortunetellers who lacked any combat-related skills or abilities.

Boom!

“Cough!?”

“Hey!!!”

[You got caught.]

Clang.

I barely managed to evade an arm, but just brushing against a single thorn sent me flying.

Simultaneously, the <Observation> amulet that helped me evade numerous attacks snapped and rolled on the ground.

<Observation> wasn’t a skill I had acquired; it was only usable while wearing that artifact.

Having used it seamlessly as though it was a part of me, I momentarily forgot about it. But once it broke, my gaze returned to that of an ordinary person, bleeding tears of disbelief.

My vision had devolved to that of an ordinary human being.

“Ah…”

I needed to pick it up, but I couldn’t.

The wound from the thorned arm was one thing, but even taking a breath felt like a struggle.

Just how long had I been lying like this?

The attack aimed at the two of us began to entirely focus on one.

[One first.]

In an instant, most of the arms twisted together like a bundle of twine, creating a massive hammer.

And then aimed that hammer at the fallen me──

General Skill <My Little Fortune Teller Shop>.

“──Cough!”

I barely managed to survive.

The split second activation of the skill allowed me to escape to an alternate space, but even as I hurried back, I couldn’t stop coughing up blood.

It wasn’t only my arms that pained; as I rolled after being thrown, my insides felt wrecked.

My stomach twisted painfully, and cold sweat flowed uncontrollably. My entire body cried out to stop moving, to rest.

“Damn it……….”

Even with a recovery, this is all it comes to.

I charged back into the fray, but the limits of being a <Fortuneteller> were stark.

Non-combat jobs were still, in the end, non-combat jobs. I was still holding on only because of artifacts and various enhancements.

The fact that the cultist felt so confident was because he knew he could overpower us.

…And he wasn’t wrong.

In the end, the only time I managed to get close to him was because of his overconfidence and a reckless charge that was akin to a miracle.

‘If I can just get closer somehow…’

But that ‘closer’ felt utterly out of reach.

If Abel hadn’t held back the pope, this fight wouldn’t have been possible in the first place. I couldn’t afford to waste time here.

But right now… if I went back, I wouldn’t be able to help at all.

I needed another option.

A radically different variable.

“…….”

If variables are needed, then.

If it can’t be done with what I have.

“……Hah.”

I had no choice but to create it.

“<Incredibly Useful Fortunetelling>.”

And so, I drew a card.

To read the fortune.

*

“Damn it…”

As Namgoong Min flew away, I stared at the place where the arms were embedded. Fortunately, the end of the hammer that fell wasn’t stained with blood.

‘Did he escape using that alternate space skill?’

Remembering how painfully I was affected by that skill back at the event made me bitterly smile.

That move was obviously Namgoong Min’s trump card and simultaneously a means of reversal, yet all he could do now was save his life.

[…He escaped. Did he completely move to an alternate space?]

“Not even a god that great could stop him, huh?”

[<My Little Fortune Teller Shop>… Yes, I see it now.]

“What?”

[It’s excessive for a mere Fortuneteller to possess.]

The amulet that had fallen from Namgoong Min’s body.

The one he picked up and inserted into himself was laughing.

The former god’s eyes quivered as he gulped down the entire amulet.

[<Observation>, a simple but excellent power.]

“……Damn.”

[I’m beginning to feel I’m moving closer to divinity. Now, I can see your essence.]

“What are you talking about?”

[<Seven Lives>, <Explosive Power>.]

“………!!”

[This isn’t the skill I placed in you. Have you really learned an entirely different skill? That was how you survived all that while rolling around like a bug, huh?]

The eyes of the former god, which had been bleeding tears, now focused entirely on me.

[Now I can see, I see it all. Your skills. That power. Every movement from here on out is clear. My, a Fortuneteller had such skills, and yet their movements were so limited?]

“………So what.”

[Though it’s still unfamiliar, I can’t quite see the skill’s full effects yet…].

Boom.

Crash!!!

“……!!!”

[This way, I can clearly see your weaknesses and limitations. <Seven Lives> is always in effect, but… as for <Explosive Power>? You haven’t used it yet. Show me!]

He snapped his fingers. Of course, I was boiling with rage at that insolence.

But at the same time, in a corner of my mind.

‘……How do I win against that?’

Little by little, very little by little.

…I was beginning to sink into despair.