[Dimension 814: Aethelgard - The Slime Plains]
The blood-soaked Slime Plains were completely quiet. Since Ryder's death, word had spread among the 9,999 remaining "Chosen Ones" that their legendary inventories had been paywalled. Without their cheat-tier weapons, the heroes were currently hiding in taverns, terrified of the low-level slimes bouncing across the grass.
Victor Thorne stood inside his pristine, obsidian Pantheon kiosk, reviewing the subscription metrics on the Tycoon's Ledger.
Suddenly, the sky above the kiosk split open. A blinding beam of pure, divine light crashed into the plains, parting the clouds and turning the grass into crystallized glass.
Descending from the heavens was Goddess Lumina. She possessed six wings of radiant light, a flowing white gown, and a halo that hummed with absolute divine authority. She was the supreme deity of Aethelgard.
"MORTAL!" Lumina's voice echoed across the plains, vibrating with righteous fury. "You have corrupted my Chosen Ones! You have stolen the sacred armaments bestowed upon them by the Heavens! Return their weapons, or face divine eradication!"
Victor didn't look up from his Ledger. He took a slow sip of his black coffee, leaning against the counter of the kiosk.
"I haven't stolen anything, Goddess Lumina," Victor said smoothly, tapping his gold-nibbed pen. "Your heroes voluntarily accepted a thirty-day free trial for my proprietary cloud storage solution. They failed to upgrade to a paid tier. Their accounts are temporarily suspended due to non-payment."
Lumina landed gracefully in front of the kiosk, her divine aura flaring. "They are the saviors of this realm! They must defeat the Demon Lord! You cannot lock the world's salvation behind a subscription fee!"
"I can, and I did," Victor adjusted his midnight-blue cuffs. "The Pantheon Group is a private entity. We are not obligated to subsidize your apocalyptic wars."
"I will smite you where you stand!" Lumina raised a glowing hand, holy energy gathering at her fingertips.
"If you smite me, the servers shut down permanently," Victor met her glowing eyes, his Tycoon's Aura completely unfazed by her divine light. "The legendary weapons are stored in a decentralized offshore vault in the Shattered Void. Kill me, and your 9,999 heroes will have to fight the Demon Lord with wooden sticks."
Lumina froze. The holy energy dissipated from her hand. She was trapped. She had summoned these heroes to save her world, and this human had legally monopolized their entire arsenal.
"What do you want?" Lumina gritted her teeth, her divine pride shattering.
"Your heroes are broke," Victor noted, pulling a glowing, golden contract from the Ledger. "However, as the Supreme Deity, you possess a vast treasury of celestial gold. I am willing to offer you a B2B solution. An Enterprise License."
Victor slid the contract across the counter.
"You will pay a flat monthly fee of five hundred Million Gold," Victor stated coldly. "In exchange, the Pantheon Group will unlock the 'Premium Tier' for all 9,999 of your Chosen Ones, granting them full access to their weapons. You cover the overhead, and your heroes get to save your world."
Lumina stared at the contract. It was extortion on a planetary scale. But her world was burning.
Trembling with humiliation, the Goddess of Light picked up the gold-nibbed pen and signed the Enterprise agreement.
"Excellent," Victor checked his gold Rolex, the Ledger immediately absorbing her divine funds. "Your heroes' accounts have been reactivated. Thank you for choosing Pantheon Drive."