Nyarlko's voice of defense weakened a bit, sounding guilty. Whether it was to maintain her vast God Realm or her own existence, as a deity, she needed to consume something called primal essence. Because she had been holed up in her room for the past three years, indulging in various anime and games, she had already spent all her initial funds.
"Enough! Send this pervert back immediately! I can get what you want by myself!"
"But Karen-chan, you almost died last time, and the cost of repairing your body alone put me in huge debt again. This guy is someone I drew out by overdrawing all my luck. From now on, you two just focus on conquering the world for your Goddess, okay? Milk bread, and shapely models will all be yours."
Nyarlko hugged the White-haired girl's arm while pouting, her ample chest severely compressed and deformed. However, the soft touch did not make Karenina feel at ease. She only felt that this not-so-bright goddess was as clingy as a piece of taffy.
"Don't flatter yourself. I haven't agreed to stay here yet."
Rosen spread his hands, adopting an uncooperative attitude. He had no interest in being a god's lackey, let alone one whose Goddess was in an extremely impoverished and indebted state. A boss who couldn't pay salaries was like an adult's appendix—completely unnecessary.
"As long as I have enough 'primal essence,' I can help you achieve any miracle, like reviving the dead, or rewinding time. Don't you have any wishes you want to fulfill?"
Because the previous gacha pulls and body repairs had exhausted her borrowed funds, Nyarlko could only give Rosen an IOU now. The reason she was able to persuade Karenina to become a God Chosen was by promising various conditions, using both soft and hard tactics.
"Of course, but if that matter requires hoping for a miracle from a god to be realized, it's meaningless. And compared to that, your situation seems much more troublesome."
"Hehe... I knew you'd say that, but if I can't pay back Shub's debt, you'll be forcibly mortgaged to her by the Pantheon Forum Administrator. That one's Divine Grace Technique will gender-bend all of her God Chosen into beautiful girls. You... might even become a stoic, emotionless older sister type. Doesn't that sound pretty exciting?"
Seeing that the other party was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, Nyarlko grinned mischievously and directly explained the consequences of her unpaid debt. Every nascent God Chosen, in addition to their innate and passive skills, also received a 'Divine Grace Technique' supported by their affiliated deity. Different deities bestowed unique skills.
For example, Shub-Niggurath's 'New Moon Realm' could feminize her affiliated God Chosen, greatly increasing their charm... and making their bodies exceptionally sensitive. This was very friendly to female God Chosen, but for male God Chosen... well, opinions varied.
As for Nyarlko's own Divine Grace Technique, 'One Thousand Faces,' it could grant the God Chosen an identity corresponding to the current world's background upon entering the material realm, along with a certain amount of resources and connections to facilitate the mission. It was a skill with a very high ceiling but also a very low floor, its effectiveness depending on the God Chosen's own decisions.
"Not at all... I think we need to have an honest talk."
Rosen's face immediately darkened upon hearing this. He had no fetish for being reborn as a beautiful girl. Moreover, the Black Goat of the Woods' so-called Divine Grace Technique... looked like a skill for a pimp no matter how he saw it. He wouldn't gamble even on a one-in-ten-thousand chance, so he decided to listen to what the other party wanted him to do first.
"Mhm, understanding each other is a good start. First, let's introduce the identity of a God Chosen. As the name suggests, it refers to someone chosen by a god. Of course, this is just a title; you can change it to hero, zealot, angel, or whatever you like. If you're even more shameless, you can call yourself a champion. This is a basic rule jointly established by the gods."
As a fictional mythology that only emerged in modern times, Nyarlko's foundation was incomparable to those old-brand deities. Simply put, Cthulhu mythology came first, and then she came into being. She was just a little girl who had only been born less than four years ago and was given the divine name of Nyarlathotep.
The existing pantheon system was also constructed by the old-brand deities, so unless her chaos could one day break the old order, she would still have to honestly follow the rules set by those beneficiaries.
"Hmph... anyway, they're all doing the work of robbers, thieves, and fraudsters."
Karenina, who was standing nearby, sneered in dissatisfaction, her Fingers digging into her skin as she crossed her arms. Rosen also noticed the White-haired girl's indignant expression; it seemed that being a God Chosen was not an easy job.
"As for Azathoth... you can understand It as the World Tree, the Golden Tree, or the Tree of Kabbalah. In short, It is an existence that creates and sustains countless worlds, and also the cradle from which many gods are born."
"That's a subtle metaphor..."
Listening to Nyarlko's rare serious explanation, Rosen nodded thoughtfully, indicating understanding. In various mythologies, there would always be a so-called source of all things, and the Azathoth in her mouth was actually the different pantheons' term for the creator.
"Our mission as gods is to prune Its overly wild 'branches (dreams)' to prevent large-scale world collapses. However, direct intervention by gods could potentially worsen this situation, so at this point, we must rely on the power of the God Chosen."
"Whenever a world is successfully prevented from heading towards destruction, the 'Pantheon Forum Administrator,' who maintains Azathoth's normal sleep, will provide corresponding primal essence. This is also the only universal currency among the gods. The Administrator, explained using the Cthulhu Mythos setting, is actually the 'Flautists.'"
Nyarlko raised her index finger and explained seriously, concisely detailing how to obtain primal essence, the meaning of the existence of gods and God Chosen, and the central system that allowed all of this to function normally.
The 'Flautists' she referred to are, in the lore, a group of mindless and shapeless Outer Gods surrounding Azathoth, who soothe the Lord of All with monotonous, low drumbeats and flute sounds, keeping It in eternal slumber and preventing Its awakening from destroying the universe. Translated into layman's terms, it's an automatic reaction mechanism that maintains the normal functioning of the world.
"Oh? So the God Chosen are equivalent to saviors?"
Rosen liked to find justifications for his actions. Having grand titles like 'Agent of Justice' would naturally be ideal, as it would reduce many unnecessary troubles for him.
"Well... 'pruning' doesn't mean saving. Sometimes, to prevent pests (anomalies) from spreading to other branches, we must choose to eliminate it. For the indigenous civilizations of the material world, that might be the coming of Judgment Day."
"Moreover, the Administrator itself has no will and only operates according to specific mechanisms, leading some idiots to abuse their power and accelerate the progress of world collapse. There have even been trash who destructively plundered resources and enslaved the weak to satisfy their selfish desires."
Nyarlko sighed, holding her forehead with an expression of utter exasperation. However, despite saying this, she still hoped that Rosen would try to avoid such individuals before he truly matured, as the strength of a God Chosen could not be simply distinguished by rarity alone.
"Do their affiliated gods completely indulge their God Chosen to act as they please?"
Hearing this, Rosen couldn't help but frown. If possible, he wanted to avoid large-scale indiscriminate slaughter, as that would lead to an overwhelming increase in his workload, where no matter how many murderers he executed, he couldn't keep up with the rate at which vengeful spirits were generated.
"As long as they get enough primal essence, that's all that matters. Anyway, for Azathoth, the rise and fall of the material world are merely fleeting changes in a dream. Except for a few individual gods, the rest either turn a blind eye, are indifferent, or even encourage their God Chosen to use unscrupulous means."
"And you, as Nyarlathotep... what is your stance on this?"
"Hmm... let me think. If this disturbance continues, Azathoth will eventually awaken."
Nyarlko looked at Rosen with a serious expression and replied, "If gods and God Chosen do not fulfill their intended purpose, then they lose their reason for existence. The final outcome will be their demise, along with the old world, on the day Azathoth awakens."
[God Chosen Profile]
Name: Rosen
Rarity: SSR
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 27 (Earth years)
Affiliation: Nyarlathotep (Azathoth Pantheon)
Innate Skill: 'Executioner of the Non-Heaven'
Core Passive: 'Hour of Absolution'
Divine Grace Technique: 'One Thousand Faces (LV1)'
Evaluation: Disgusting! Pervert! Peeping Tom! Scum! — Karenina
[God Chosen Profile]
Name: Karenina
Rarity: SR
Race: Construct
Gender: Female
Age: 16 (Earth years, based on psychological age)
Affiliation: Nyarlathotep (Azathoth Pantheon)
Innate Skill: 'Engineering Expert'
Core Passive: 'Modular Core'
Divine Grace Technique: 'One Thousand Faces (LV3)'
Evaluation: Karen-chan is the cutest in the world!!! — Nyarlko