12. A Goddess Not Even Comparable to Capuman
Yudahee grabbed his aching waist as if it were about to break.
“Ugh…”
The feeling was as if each disc was escaping from its place, giving me an endless chill, but thankfully it seemed not to be the case as they returned properly with a thud.
The uncomfortable place where I spent the night was none other than the co-driver’s seat of Dike’s 25-ton cargo truck.
The reason was simple.
It happened because there was nothing left in this world.
*****
After the end of the arena, what Yudahee did upon returning to Earth was to search for traces of the past.
Dike tried to hold onto my arm and stop me from going, but I knew.
I just ran away.
Before being drawn to the alien, it wasn’t that difficult to find the small one-room where I used to live.
No matter how much time had passed, the familiar neighborhood, the buildings that hadn’t changed at all, made me feel nostalgic, as if the memories were naturally emerging from my heart…
Usually, the owner of a one-room building doesn’t change much, so I wanted to ask about the things inside, but all I encountered was a desolate construction site.
The one-room building was nowhere to be found, and the only thing rolling on the dirt floor was a sign saying “No Entry.”
I asked around the nearby real estate, but…
“Oh, there? There used to be a one-room building there… It seems like the owner changed once. They were planning to rebuild the building, but during the new ground construction, they happened to find some artifacts…”
Ah.
The new owner abandoned the land, leaving the construction site as it was, and since the story of the artifacts spread, no one dared to buy it, so it was left out as it was.
Moreover, it was not just the artifacts that were there, so all the nearby buildings gave up on reconstruction, they say.
It’s a disgrace to mess up and have a fraud exposed.
I never thought nostalgia for an unchanged street would be like this.
Sigh.
“But young man, I feel like I’ve seen that face somewhere before…”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I really don’t believe it.”
In that brief moment, as if trying to do some business even in that gap, Yudahee, who had pushed forward in real estate, let out a deep sigh.
The expectation that the house would still be there… Honestly, there was little, if any, expectation.
If it really was the case, he wouldn’t have come in the first place.
Expecting leads to betrayal; not expecting means there’s no chance of betrayal.
Moreover, that wasn’t the only problem-
“Yudahee… Miss Yudahee… Are you supposed to be dead?”
“…?”
Just like how inappropriate actions at a funeral home are considered a resurrection, it seemed that resurrection was also taboo at the administrative welfare center.
Nearly 8 years since leaving Earth, a considerable amount of time had passed since the automatic death processing due to the missing person report received by the system.
“No, it’s not like that…
Even in real estate, strange reactions kept popping up towards Yudahee.
At the moment when the caretaker was about to say something to Yudahee, who was sighing as if life had burdened her, someone hastily intervened.
“Tada~ The great Deke Astraea has personally come to pick up Yudahee…! Hey, over there, it’s awkward to take a picture.”
Deke, sweating profusely, was the one who did something.
Judging by her words and the driver’s appearance, it seemed like a beauty had come in a sports car to pick up someone, but in reality, she was driving a 25-ton truck, leaning out of the window.
Such a mismatch, it would be hard to intentionally find.
Even though I didn’t want to ride…
“…Could you please not ride it…? Contractee…?”
Looking at Deke’s face, which seemed about to cry, I couldn’t help but feel weak.
With a sigh, I reluctantly got on the truck, and the moment I got on, something happened.
“Hey, there! Catch her! Yudahee, Yudahee!”
“Contract! Make a contract and become a magic youth with me!”
“Dahee oppa’s zombie party!”
Countless crowds surged like waves, not a zombie horde, but it felt like I would be screwed if caught. There was no room for choice.
“De, depart! Depart!”
Closing the door and looking at Deke, I stepped on the accelerator and headed for the main road.
If I had hesitated to get on even a little, I would have been entangled in the situation.
There were also those who tried to rush in front of the car in the middle, but…
“Ah…!”
Di-ke, pressing harder on the accelerator, sped away.
Clatter, clatter.
…Just now, something definitely seemed to have slipped under the truck.
“Nothing… happened…!”
This crazy guy.
Naturally, she was a goddess who even committed hit-and-runs, but when she looked around, Yu Da-hee couldn’t bring herself to criticize him for it.
If she stopped even for a moment, they’d end up shooting the latter half of the dawn’s curse!
It took a long time to break through and finally bypass the crowd.
When she sent him a questioning look, Di-ke scratched his cheek.
“Well… I did win at the arena, didn’t I…? It’s all part of the aftermath.”
The Battle Royale of the gods’ arena had long since turned into a kind of entertainment broadcast worldwide, not just for the gods.
On the day the arena opened, chicken and pizza joints were completely sold out.
Was that why the real estate and the mayor were like that too?
In fact, it was almost a miracle that she had been walking the streets alone until now.
Considering the number of times the arena had been opened, she was just one of the many common winners of the countless tournaments, but her impact was truly top-notch.
Far away, on the wall of a building across the intersection, the situation from that time was being replayed on a digital display.
From Noble mtl dot com
Yu Da-hee made eye contact with dozens of her contractors and muttered to herself.
Then, with the words “NO SIGNAL,” it turned black… and with a fade-in effect, the gruesome scene of the arena and the ruthlessly defeated planet flashed by.
…Why didn’t I see that coming.
On billboards and in newspapers on the streets, the sight of that time, appearing everywhere, contorted Yudahee’s body.
It’s not some kind of dark history fabrication machine.
Ryoikitenkai – Murokusho
Gyaah, Guwaah.
Mistakes from the past are endlessly replayed in the mind.
“…And on top of that, even the gods caused a commotion… There has never been a case like this before.”
In the crowded crowd, not only people but also divine avatars trying to recruit me were leaping around.
For Yudahee, it was the first contract, and to make matters worse, the opponent was an inexperienced goddess in abject poverty. Yudahee had the experience of losing a contractor who was offered more divine power before.
They were unmatched opportunities, and Yudahee thought as much. The fallen gods were eager.
In a situation where the main skill could only be used once as a penalty, how could they endure against the monstrous god riding a white horse in the desert, all defeated with that one move?
Although proposals were pouring in through Deke’s private messages, offering to write off all the debts accumulated so far and even adding more divine power…
Deke had no intention of accepting that.
“Well… This is the 1994 San Cadabra Amazon stock… I bought Tesla in 2003…!”
Deke, who laughed proudly as if enduring the temptation to sell out in such a small temptation, but…
Yudahee, grabbing the uvula once again, turned the situation around.
“Kkiyaaah!”
Debt, debt, debt, debt!
A debt amounting to 5 trillion won!
The debt forced into joint guarantee!
“You crazy bastard, you should pay it back when you can!”
“I won’t sell, I won’t sell, I won’t sell, I won’t sell! With points, I can live well and eat well!”
Caught up in such a goddess, Yoo Da-hee wrapped her head in a sigh that came out involuntarily.
“From 100th place to 51st place is demotion, from 50th place to 21st place is maintaining, from 20th place to 4th place is one point each…”
And for 3rd place, 6 points, for 2nd place, 12 points, and for 1st place, 15 points were to be paid as the arena’s reward.
At the time, the bounty hanging around Yoo Da-hee’s neck was 20 points, a top-grade ticket that surpassed even the 1st place reward, so it was understandable that she was flying high.
“The remaining points are 2 + 15, 17 points…! After deducting the overdue loan interest and principal repayment, there are still usable points… 5 points, a whopping 5 points!!”
It was said that these points could be traded according to mutual agreement. Deke’s words about living well and eating well were not entirely wrong.
However, Yoo Da-hee’s gaze at Deke was cold.
“You’re a wicked rice weevil…”
Although she wondered what was different about him… this fleeting thought that it might not be as bad as she thought passed through Yoo Da-hee’s mind.
Come to think of it… is this… okay as it is…?
What Yoo Da-hee, who had returned to Earth from the foreign media, earnestly desired was just a peaceful daily life, nothing more.
It would be a problem to forcibly break the contract with Deke and leave, given the situation a little while ago. It was evident that gods from all over the world would spare no means to make contracts with her.
Her everyday life would crumble.
Perhaps being tied by the relationship of debt with Deke could be of help.
After using Deke as a shield, if she could hide behind the position of a contractee?
“…Oh?”
Moreover, not only that, with the debt remaining and Deke trying to resolve it using the points, the structure was such that Deke had no choice but to cling to Yoo Da-hee, the only contractee.
A reversal of the typical relationship everyone dreams of.
In other words, as long as this abnormal contractual relationship persists, Dike is inevitably bound to follow Yudahee’s words.
There was no need for things like winning first place in the arena this time.
As originally hoped by Dike, wouldn’t it be enough to roughly hit the top 50, consider the remaining loan interest and principal for Dike, and barely earn some points…?
Chuckling.
“G-Grotesque laughter…!”
Dike swept my arm as if something gave him chills, but what can you do?
He should bear the consequences of his own actions.
“So, now… Can we go to the lodging? Honestly, I feel like I’m going to die from exhaustion right now.”
Having fought in the arena all day, a body constantly pursued.
It seems impossible to just ride the truck and wander around like this.
However, Dike smirked as if to say, “What are you talking about?”
“Huh? Don’t you have a place to stay?”
“What the hell are you talking about…”
Yudahee, who seemed to wonder what this nonsense was all about, asked with a hint of suspicion.
Unsettling thoughts crossed her mind.
…Nah, it can’t be.
“Then, where have you been resting until now?”
“Well, in the truck?”
“What about eating?”
“In the truck?”
“Did you really manage to solve all your meals in the vehicle?”
“Yeah, in the truck.”
Even Kafu would never live like this!
But as always, ominous thoughts always come true. Upon inspecting the vehicle, traces of a rough life were visible everywhere.
She may have the name and appearance of a goddess, but her actions are nothing like a goddess, not even close to the hardworking Kim.
Can this contractual relationship really be sustained?
Yudahee seriously contemplated whether she should jump out of the truck right now.
These two give me Aqua(useless goddess) and Kazuma vibe.