— — — — — —
With a crisp snap, the open folding fan closed.
As the fan folded shut, Shiroyasha narrowed her eyes and spoke in a tone that carried a strange mix of amusement and concern. "Honestly… that was reckless."
Sitting beside her, Ryo said nothing. He simply held a cup of hot tea and took a slow sip.
Half an hour had passed since Algol willingly left to another world.
Just a moment ago, Ryo had received the report that the Thousand Eyes observation department had sent to Shiroyasha. Through that report, he'd seen everything that had happened.
According to the Thousand Eyes intelligence ranking, the chaos Algol caused this time had been classified as "Two-Digit level."
Within Thousand Eyes, that label meant the minimum rank required to handle the incident.
In other words, the report was only meant for beings at the Two-Digit level to read in detail.
And to prevent leaks, even the personnel who compiled the report had erased portions of their own memories after finishing it.
Yet even in her sealed state, Shiroyasha still had the authority to read it.
As for Ryo, Shiroyasha simply didn't see any point in hiding it from him. After all, the mastermind behind the whole mess was sitting right next to her.
"Are you sure this was a good idea?"
Shiroyasha turned her head toward Ryo and shook it lightly.
"With that statement Algol made, the gods will definitely tighten their guard around her. She'll attract all the attention, sure."
"But that attention won't stop with her. It'll land on you too."
"By now, a lot of gods are probably wondering whether you're part of the Tricksters."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Ryo replied calmly.
He set the teacup down and looked into the surface of the tea.
"A human who possesses Another Cosmology isn't unheard of. Rare, sure, but you can still find them in Little Garden."
"But a four-digit rule-breaker purely with a human spirit rank…"
Ryo narrowed his eyes, smiling faintly. "I'm the only one."
"Being too unusual is a crime in itself."
"Compared to an unknown that terrifies people… most would rather deal with something they understand."
"That approach will just make some gods hostile toward you," Shiroyasha said with a sigh.
"True."
Ryo nodded without hesitation. "A completely ordinary human who ends up hated by the gods… from any angle, that sounds like a death wish."
"But if nobody envies you, you're just mediocre."
His gaze sharpened. "Starting today, the era has already changed, Shiroyasha."
"This isn't the old age where the gods sat peacefully and comfortably fed on humanity's prosperity."
"You…"
Shiroyasha's eyes widened.
It didn't take long for her to grasp the implication behind Ryo's words.
"The Godslayer War? You've got to be kidding… You're actually planning around that?"
Soon, the gods would descend into the lower layers.
Some would become Heretic Gods, others Godslayers.
In that environment, the hostility aimed at Ryo might actually become an advantage.
The gods who once merely disliked him would effectively become walking treasure vaults of divine authority.
And thanks to the restrictions of the coming conflict, their strength would be limited to below the rule-breaker Four-Digit rank.
In the lower layers of Little Garden…
Against opponents like that, Ryo would practically run wild.
Of course, it wasn't impossible for Three-Digit powerhouses to intervene with their true bodies, even breaking the ban on using their full power in the lower layers.
But would they dare?
Aside from Little Garden's central core, the newly signed Godslayer Treaty explicitly forbade Three-Digit beings from interfering. The moment they acted, they would lose their eligibility to compete.
Those ancient beings who had waited countless years for this opportunity… would they really throw it away?
They would never.
Ryo was only a newly risen Four-Digit. The era when he could truly compete was still far in the future.
For someone who had already grown strong, held certain advantages in the lower layers, and didn't threaten their core interests too much…
Even if he really was part of the Tricksters, so what?
For the chance to reach the Two-Digit rank, what couldn't they endure?
They would tolerate it.
They might even try to appease Ryo, just to keep him from causing trouble during this crucial period.
Because a rising talent like him, someone with room to grow, was one of the most attractive Four-Digit figures to recruit in the lower layers.
Whatever the Trickster could offer him…
Those gods could offer it too.
Maybe Ryo could even squeeze achievements out of those old monsters and strengthen himself in the process.
And all of that because only Ryo himself knew the truth.
This so-called group that disturbed the order of Little Garden and terrified the gods… the Tricksters.
One hour ago, it had exactly one member.
Even counting Algol, who had just "officially joined," that made two.
So what price had the Tricksters offered to recruit Ryo? Heh. Whatever he said it was.
He could make it up as he pleased.
That meant Ryo held the power to set the market's minimum price. Any god wanting to compete in the lower layers and recruit him would have to offer more than that price.
And the gods couldn't argue.
Because if they refused to pay, their enemies… or the "Tricksters"… might.
Sitting comfortably as the dealer, Ryo could profit from both sides.
"..."
Shiroyasha's mouth twitched.
She looked utterly speechless.
"Hey… you do realize this is going to make a lot of enemies, right? Like every three-digit out there."
The potential benefits were huge. But the downside was obvious.
Playing both sides meant a lot of gods would start hating him.
Aside from fools, nobody enjoys being exploited by someone acting like a capitalist squeezing profit from them.
Shiroyasha shook her head and spoke more seriously. "If you're going to do this, then before the Godslayer War begins…"
"You'd better secure enough power to protect yourself."
"And that kind of power won't come from an ordinary Three-Digit level. Before the war ends, you'll need to reach at least the level of Zeus."
Shiroyasha's eyes sharpened as she stared directly at Ryo.
Then she asked, slowly and clearly, "Can you do it?"
.
.
.
Support the story by leaving some power stones!
And if you'd like to support me and read 50 advanced chapters, check out: patreon.com/_Coreal