— — — — — —
A Creator.
One of the most unique spirit ranks in Little Garden. In some cases, you could even drop the "one of."
That's because of what it represents.
Among the highest-level Gift Games in Little Garden, there is one that stands apart from all others.
The Creator Game.
'Are gods born from human faith, or do humans evolve through the blessings of gods?'
The game exists to determine which of these statements is true.
The first answer—gods born from human belief—gave rise to two types of beings: Those who wield the original text capable of hosting Another Cosmology, and the strongest humans who can rewrite the world through poetry, known as Poets.
The second answer—humans evolving through divine blessings—
The ultimate spirit rank born from that idea is the Creator.
In Little Garden, all life is automatically drawn into this eternal Creator Game. Every race can give birth to a Creator, and once one appears, they are instantly granted a three-digit rank and status.
Even without authority or divinity, their power is elevated to that level through the support of Little Garden's core system.
In the end, the clash between Original Holders, Poets, and Creators determines the balance between gods and humans across every universe under Little Garden's domain.
That is the Creator Game, one of the highest-order games in existence.
"Yeah."
Seeing Leticia's stunned expression, Ryo let out a soft sigh. "If we want to push you into a four-digit rule-breaker or even a three-digit in a short time, this is probably the only viable path."
Leticia's mastery over shadow authority was already deep, nearly beyond all limits. She stood just one step away from reaching the level of rule-breaker. But that one step had stopped countless people.
After hearing him out, Leticia looked at him quietly. "You've been planning this for a long time, haven't you?"
"…Yeah."
Ryo nodded without hesitation. "I was already considering it when I brought you back."
"Back then, Arcadia was surrounded by enemies. Kurousagi was barely holding everything together, and I was just a weak seven-digit. At the time, the whole community shared one dream—to raise a three-digit powerhouse. If we'd managed that, it would've turned everything around. Everyone believed in it. Me included, even after becoming a four-digit."
Leticia's expression turned strange.
Back then, Arcadia was so weak that once she returned, she immediately became their strongest force, their final trump card. And even in that situation, Ryo had already been thinking about pushing her to the three-digit level.
With a sigh, she looked at him. "If it weren't for Lamia, you probably wouldn't have told me about this at all, right?"
"Or rather, you were planning to keep it secret until everything was ready?"
She understood Ryo's personality all too well.
He liked setting people up, sure. But every time he did, they ended up gaining far more than they lost. C
A companion like that required caution, no doubt.
But there was no denying it. He had a knack for making gains.
Just look at Shiroyasha and Athena.
The former had her Sun Authority strengthened. The latter, if not for Algol, might have been the fastest to reach the three-digit level.
At the time, Metis's spirit rank was in the hands of Athena of Little Garden. And Algol had been sealed at Perseus's stronghold.
If Algol had been killed, Athena would have been the first to meet all the conditions for ascension.
No one had a smoother path than her.
And compared to Athena, Algol's situation was even more outrageous.
After forming a spirit rank-sharing contract with Ryo, she had directly found a path toward the two-digit level, putting her ahead of everyone else.
Compared to gains like these, who would even care about Ryo's habit of dumping the blame on others?
If anyone truly understood the full picture, they'd probably be begging to take the blame for him.
And yet, the thing that left Leticia both exasperated and deeply touched was this—
Ryo, who always made others carry the burden, had actually chosen to endure a loss for her sake. He allowed Ouroboros to use Lamia as leverage, all because of her.
Even if she had already given herself to him, she doubted she could ever repay that kind of debt.
…Should she really ask her sister for help?
Leticia hesitated.
She worried Ryo might refuse. But at the same time… knowing him, he'd probably want both.
The real concern was whether her sister would accept it.
And Lamia's own feelings mattered too.
Leticia found herself seriously considering the idea of "offering up" her younger sister.
Meanwhile, Ryo was calmly explaining his plan, looking rather pleased.
"Like you said, I've been thinking about this for a long time."
"First, we take the vampire concept of the demon lineage from Algol. Then we find your missing sister and secure the remaining portion in her possession. After that, we merge all three into you."
"During the process, you can use the special traits of beings like Draugr to help fuse the three concepts together."
"If we're lucky, we can merge them all in one go and form a Creator-level spirit rank."
"At that point, what does it matter if Ouroboros is holding Lamia? Do you really think whatever tricks they planted would override a Creator's authority?"
There was a hint of mockery in Ryo's smile.
With proper preparation, the idea that Ouroboros could use Lamia to threaten him was almost laughable.
As long as Leticia formed the Creator-level vampire concept, it wouldn't matter where the First Lamia was or what condition she was in. Any problem could be resolved in an instant.
If Ouroboros ever realized that handing over Lamia hadn't restrained Ryo at all, but instead helped Leticia take the most critical step toward becoming a three-digit existence…
They'd probably regret it on the spot.
Even spies aiding the enemy weren't this generous.
This was practically a free gift.
"I understand."
Leticia took a deep breath, then, without hesitation, stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ryo.
He froze for a moment before returning the embrace.
A moment later, he felt a soft whisper by his ear, followed by a light touch against his cheek.
"Thank you."
A faint warmth lingered where she had kissed him.
Ryo fell silent.
At that exact moment, the door suddenly slid open.
"Ryo, the leader of the Draco Greif Alliance has arriv—"
"…?"
Kurousagi stopped mid-sentence.
Staring at the two locked in an embrace, a giant question mark practically popped over her head.
.
.
.