5 hours earlier...
Lichstein Kingdom, shores of the Bepnis Strait
Mount Albur (Hidden Base)
The afternoon sun was the most comforting thing I could feel.
I had returned to the outskirts of the city under construction.
And I stopped in front of the Gorgons' house.
I wanted to see Melissa.
Shortly after I arrived, Athena showed up with all her belongings from Olympus.
I almost had a mental breakdown.
Fortunately, Lilith had arrived—and with that composure of hers—she offered to help Aphrodite with the move along with the Nymphs.
The whole situation was as incredible as it was fucking stressful.
I still hadn't processed that two goddesses were my slaves.
There was no doubt:
"this will be problematic… and a damn pain in the ass."
I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
But, at that moment, I remembered something that made me panic and I shouted to my virtual assistant:
—Quincy, lower my damn charm to two percent, now!
[Right away, Master. ( ~ ₃ ° )✌]
[And don't worry...( ͡°ᴥ ͡° ʋ)]
[I won't let the Gorgons take interest in you.✍( ≖ ‿ ≖ )]
Stheno and Euryale opened the door for me.
For the first time I saw them smile, and even so chills ran down my spine.
I thought:
"Those smiles will give me nightmares…but they're the only ones who can live with Melissa without turning to stone."
They guided me to the secondfloor.
When I opened the door, I saw Melissa watching the dusk through the window.
Her dark snake-hair moved with a life of its own, restless, almost whispering.
Her gaze was distant, resigned.
I approached slowly and whispered in her ear:
—How do you feel?
Before she could even turn, one of the snakes lunged at me with a bite.
I stepped back just in time.
Melissa sighed and gave me a weak smile.
Melissa: —"I think I'm fine… I've just been thinking."
I knew she was lying.
But I didn't push.
—What are you thinking about?
She swallowed. Her sigh was heavy.
And then she let it out, with that fragile voice that pierces deeper than a scream:
Melissa: —"Since this morning, when I needed you the most, you weren't there. I lost everything… Nana, Agatha, my faith, even my humanity. And you left me alone, with the Gorgons."
She fell silent for a moment, but those words hit me like a hammer to the chest.
She continued:
Melissa: —"I didn't ask you to go against the gods.What I need the most is your support… your company."
I stayed quiet.
She was right, and I knew it. But I couldn't stop anymore.
—You're right —I finally said—. You haven't asked me for anything. I've acted according to my own will.
Her green eyes locked onto me, and even the snakes seemed to listen. Then I added:
—And my will is to make anyone… understand the price of their mistakes.
Her gaze softened with tenderness, compassion… and fear.
Melissa: —"Don't you think you're making a mistake?"
—I know I'll pay my price —I replied—. Just don't ask me to stand still.
Melissa: —"What have you lived through… to think like that?"
I smiled with tired resignation.
—I don't believe in forgiveness.
With that said, I turned around.
I couldn't bear to look at her anymore.
I left the room and the house.
I took a deep breath to steady my pulse.
I needed a distraction.
I asked Artia to manufacture more ships of the same design as Comfort; I would use them to bring in my future source of income.
After that I'll look through her facilities.
Some ship or device for underwater travel.
Meanwhile, my thoughts dragged back to something that had been bothering me for days.
I had seen, in the status windows of Lilith, Zeus, Ares and Hades, something I couldn't ignore.
They had stats that I didn't.
Zeus, instead of intelligence and wisdom, had Synergy, Power, and an extra one called Dominion.
Ares, instead of agility and wisdom, had Breach and Instinct—the latter also present in Lilith.
And Hades, instead of endurance and vision, had Rupture and Power.
All those stats were at 100.
But even so… I beat them easily.
A theory was forming in my exhausted mind, so I called Quincy.
—Hey, Quincy… are there hidden stats in this game?
[Of course, Master. -ᄒᴥᄒ-]
—Then why didn't you tell me?
[Master… you never asked! ＼(◎o◎)／]
[IN FACT, YOU NEVER ASK ANYTHING! ┻┻︵ヽ('Д')ﾉ︵┻┻]
[Well, until now. ( ° ‿ ° )✊]
—Touché. Tell me about them.
[According to my database and information—60%, remember—there are eight hidden stats. ( ╹▽╹ )]
—Can I obtain any? (As an NPC?)
[You can, Master. But the cost is replacing a base stat. (●__●)]
—Replace? How?
[Hidden stats possess special effects that drastically enhance performance. ( ꈍᴗꈍ)]
—Get to the point, Quincy.
[If you replace a base stat, all points assigned to it will reset to zero. (◉‿◉)]
—What?
[And those points will not transfer to the new stat. You'll need additional points. That's why it's not recommended you attempt it, Master. ✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧]
—I see… But how is the process done?
[Look at your status window. If you press and hold a stat for twenty seconds, an option called "Convergence or Synthesis" will appear. ←(꒪ヮ꒪)]
—And then?
[Convergence merges two base stats to create a new one. For example, Speed and Agility: when merged, Agility remains, but Speed disappears. ٩( ╯ ͜ʖ ╰ ԅ)]
—And Speed's effects transfer to Agility?
[Correct. And once the slot is free, a menu with available hidden stats will appear. You just have to choose, Master. ᕙ (° ~ ° ~)]
—Perfect… Thanks, Quincy.
I walked to one of the side entrances of the base.
I stopped and breathed out in exhaustion.
The silence was comforting until I heard a voice behind me:
Athena: —"Hey, crazy master, who are you talking to?"
I hadn't realized those two had followed me…
and worst of all: I had no idea how long they'd been listening to me talk to myself.
I saw Lilith lean toward Athena, whispering something in her ear without taking her eyes off me.
Lilith: —"Relax, he always does that." (Surprisingly, sometimes he's more sane than he seems.)
I thought, frustrated:
"Damn it… I'm not crazy! I just talk to my system assistant.That no one but me can see… oh shit, that's the definition of crazy."
Embarrassed, I quickened my pace and entered the base.
To my surprise, Artia didn't activate the emergency protocol or try to kill the intruders.
That, honestly, was strange.
I tried to move away, but I could still hear Athena:
Athena: —"Wow, these facilities are impressive… have the Gnomes and Dwarves already advanced this much?"
Hearing that, I thought:
"Gnomes and Dwarves?"
"What the hell do those races do for them to assume this is their work?"
I had too many questions, but I was tired, sleepy, and fed up with receiving new information every damn second.
Even so, I answered in an exhausted voice:
—This wasn't made by Dwarves. It was designed by humans.
Athena: —"That's impossible, I've seen their technology." (Is this little idiot trying to outdo me again? If he weren't so… interesting?… Wait, why don't I hate this bastard to death?)
—This is the work of ancient humanity. (Boom. In your face, you damn know-it-all.)
Lilith and Athena asked in unison:
—"What…? Ancient humanity? Are there survivors?"
—These facilities are their legacy. And yes, I found them. Also… weren't you the ones who drove them to extinction?
Lilith: —"You're wrong. It was the first generation of gods who started that war."
Athena: —"We belong to the second generation."
—Then… who were the first?
Lilith: —"The gods of the continents of Aztlan, Metso and Oriental: Odin, Zeus, Ra, Hades, Poseidon, and others belong to that generation."
—And the second generation? (Did she just say eastern gods? Wait, she mentioned more continents?… Nah, screw it, if I think more I'll collapse.)
Athena: —"We were an entire generation of goddesses. Among us: "The nine fairies of the nine worlds."
The last goddesses created by Mother Gaia… and the third generation are the children of the gods."
—I see. (So that's why Artia didn't attack them.)
At that moment I noticed my communicator blinking.I answered the link.
[Marshal, are those individuals accompanying you?]
[And if not… shall I eliminate them? I detect they are potentially dangerous.]
—Don't do that, they're with me.
[They are not in my records. Do you wish to register them?]
—Yes, but wait for my order.
I cut the transmission and turned back to them.
—Where were we?
Athena: —"You weren't even paying attention."
—Look at my face, wisdom-obsessed nuisance… I'm tired, sleepy, and stressed. Sorry if that bothers you, alright? I'm not a god, you know? Just get to the point. (I need context and a lot of coffee.)
Lilith: —"The first and second generations of gods were created by Mother Gaia."
—So, in a way… are you all siblings?
Athena: —"All gods were created individually.Except the second generation, which emerged from the same base… and the three brothers."
—Which three brothers?
Lilith: —"I think you know them."
—Don't tell me…
Athena: —"Yes. Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus."
The revelation left me silent.
Part of me wanted to laugh, another… to curse.
If that's the origin of the gods in this damn game, why the hell did the writers use names from Greek or Norse mythology?
If they were going to distort everything… why keep the same names?
As a former translator, I think it would be more original to give them new names.
Rather than mutilate epic tales for simple "narrative coherence."
And because of that: "I curse you, shitty writers."
I shook my head, frustrated, and activated the communicator again.
—God… Artia, register Athena and Lilith as my subordinates.
[Understood, Marshal.]
[One question: will they remain in the chain of command?]
—No. Do not register anyone as my successor. No one will take my place. Understood?
[Understood, Marshal.]
After that conversation and the small internal collapse it caused me, I remembered why I had entered the base.
—Artia, do you have subaquatic vehicles?
[Of course, but I only have designs in the experimental stage.]
—And the fastest one?
[The Manta model.]
[Though it is still a prototype under testing.]
—Why is it still under testing? (First time I hear Artia admit something isn't ready?)
[Because the research center in charge of those designs.]
[Having remained disconnected for so long, I deduced I had to assume its functions, presuming its theoretical—but possible—destruction.]
—Another base? Do you know where it is?
[No, Marshal. Its location is unknown. I can only tell you it was on the ocean floor.]
—But if it was underwater… why was its location lost?
[Like me, that base had its own AI. And according to the records, it was a mobile installation: a gigantic vessel created as a research center.]
I stayed silent for a moment.
Then I lowered my voice:
—Artia, report this only in private.You two, wait here.
Athena: —"Why?" (That sounds interesting.)
—Obey. (The information about these hidden bases is too valuable to leak.)
Lilith: —"Alright." (What is he planning?)
Athena: —"Now you really do look like a tyrant."
***
Mount Albur – Hidden Base, Level J, Laboratories
I entered a sealed room and, finally, I could ask the question I couldn't make in front of Athena and Lilith.
—What exactly was that center researching?
[Weapons capable of confronting "those things," methods to eliminate radiation, nanotechnology, among others. It was a very important research center, Marshal.]
—Nanotechnology… but you already have that, Artia.
[There are two technologies I have not been able to produce or replicate.]
—Why?
[Because I was one of the last bases created, Marshal… and now I believe I am the only survivor.]
—And what are those technologies?
[Subatomic nanotechnology developed at the Research Center, and the dimensional spatial engineering of the Cubes, created at the Command Center.]
—Cubes? What cubes?
[They are dimensional spaces divided into four sides and three rows.][Each square has storage capacity, everything compressed into a cube of 10 by 10 centimeters.]
—Why have I never seen one? (Like a Rubik's cube?)
[I use them to store extracted minerals for production. But the number of available cubes is limited.]
—I see… you ran out a long time ago, didn't you?
[There is no limit to how much they can store. The problem is that their mass increases by one milligram for every ten tons stored.]
—And why is that a big problem?
[Because each cube now weighs, on average, fourteen tons.]
—How many do you have available?
[All are in use. I was given ten thousand two hundred cubes from the Command Center, Marshal.]
—Good… clear two, please.
[And what do I do with the remaining minerals?]
—Build more robots. From all designs.
[Understood, Marshal.]
—Right… why do you assume the Command Center was destroyed?
[Because communication with the Research Center was abruptly cut off. And it was never restored.]
—I see… take me to see Manta.
[Understood, Marshal.]
Artia guided me through the facilities via a Tank-700 model robot.
Once again, I was amazed by the scale of the base: the tunnels stretched beyond what the eye could see.
We arrived at a section I had never explored.
On the door it read: "Experimental Factory."
Inside, there were all kinds of prototypes: machinery, armor, exoskeletons, even an experimental spacecraft.
I also saw something that looked like an ultra-modern motorcycle. Honestly, I wanted to take it for a ride.
But Artia led me straight to Manta.
Manta was a submarine vessel about thirty meters long, shaped like a manta ray.
Its metallic surface had a bluish sheen, and at the front a large transparent glass revealed the control compartment.
I stood beneath the hull and watched as a hatch opened.
From it descended a cylinder that enveloped me and gently pulled me inside the vessel.
Once inside, I looked at the controls and immediately understood the problem: there were only two seats—pilot and co-pilot.
[Manta is designed to withstand pressures of up to 18 kilometers deep and move at three thousand knots underwater.]
—Artia, I don't understand anything about naval terminology.
[It can travel at four point five times the speed of sound underwater, Marshal.]
—And what powers it? Where does it get that much energy?
[It possesses a small fusion reactor. It is completely self-sufficient.]
—And is it safe? Have you tested it?
[I have produced one hundred prior designs through trial and error.][Manta is the final version. But if you fear for your safety, I can perform a full inspection.]
—Alright. How long will it take?
[Give me one day, Marshal.]
—You have it. I'm leaving. (Finally, I'm going to sleep…)
[I will inform you immediately when the inspection is complete, Marshal.]
I exited the vessel.And as I walked down the corridor, an involuntary smile slipped out.
"I never thought the mere idea of sleeping.
could make me this happy."