Chapter 2: The Divine Realm
Even though I could vaguely imagine what this guy was, I didn’t want to admit it
No matter which way I turned, the landscape was all white.
It was hard to tell if there was a ceiling or a floor, let alone walls.
The whole place shone so brightly that it felt both narrow and expansive.
I sat down in this strange place and looked up at the being in front of me with determination.
“You’re not going to say …… God, are you?
“Hahaha, no way, I’m God.”
There is an old man with gray hair who shakes his long beard.
It has a gentle face, a large dumpling nose, and a pudgy body.
If he were fattier, he would look just like the “God” of the national RPG.
It wasn’t just his appearance that made me ask this joke of a being if he was a god.
He’s huge.
He was over four meters tall, and I was looking up at him even though we were both sitting down.
As expected, there can be no such human like that.
“What is it with you gods?”
“You’re dead, you know.”
“I’m dead?”
Oh, yeah, the truck. I must have been getting hit by it.
I understood the words, but I couldn’t feel them.
I die instantly. I don’t even remember feeling any pain.
“Is this the afterlife?”
“Yeah. …… Yeah, well…”
I don’t know why my voice was so sharp.
This isn’t the afterlife?
Even if there is no heaven or hell if there is a continuation after death, then it must be the afterlife. I don’t get it.
As I tilted my head, something moved under the feet of the self-proclaimed god.
I turned my gaze to it as if I were drawn to it, and was glued to it.
To my senses, it happened a few minutes ago. There was no way I could mistake it for something else.
“That is!”
It was the puppy from earlier.
He wagged his tail, looked up at the self-proclaimed god, and meowed, “Meow.”
“Which one is it? What the hell is that, it’s not a dog? Why is this guy–“
Suddenly, I remembered my last moment.
When I tried to save him, the creature disappeared.
It was as if he was instantly transported away.
“You don’t mean to tell me that …… is your pet?”
“It’s rude to call him my pet. He’s a god beast. His name is Poppy.
“That sounds like a pet name to me! I died trying to save that god beast! No, more importantly, does a god beast die when it gets hit by a truck?
The self-proclaimed god quickly looked away.
“I’m dying here!”
“No, I took my eyes off the road for a minute and went to play. When I came to. You were blown up. Teehee.
“It’s just so weird! Damn it, get me back here right now! I’m leaving home!”
“I’d love to, but you’re already dead. And your body is a duplicate.”
A duplicate?
I looked down at it.
My two hands are completely familiar.
There’s nothing wrong with my body. It’s me.
“If the replication is true, what about the original …… body?
“I think he’s probably back at home by now.
“Okay, so he’s home. Good.
“Good…”
Man, you scared the shit out of me.
If I’m home, then I’m not complaining.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s heaven or hell.
Or if I’m dead, decide where I want to go. Oh, you don’t have to send it. It’s been a while since I’ve had a one-shot game. I want to ask about my highest record so far.
“You’re that thing, aren’t you? Don’t people say you’re crazy?”
The self-proclaimed god corrects his voice with a cough after saying rude things.
“By the way, Mori Tenko-kun. I decided to transfer you to another world to apologize for various things.”
“I rejected it. I don’t want to be transported. I want to be somewhere I can walk to. Heaven or hell.”
“You can’t do that either. You can’t walk there either.”
When I said this, the self-proclaimed god suddenly lowered his voice.
“I’ve done some things wrong, haven’t I? And he got very angry. Your God I mean.”
“You’re not an earth god?”
“I’m a god of another world, something like isekai as you call it. Well, I called myself a god, but I’m just a – what do you call it, a higher life form? My world is full of gods. There are many gods in my world, and it’s a polytheistic world. I’m one of them, and people worship me as the hunting god.”
He threw back his chest proudly, his belly fat quivering.
He’s a god of hunting with this body type? So Poppy, the lost dog, is a hunting dog?
That’s a lie.
“If I’m not a god in your concept of the word, I can at least replicate a body and contain a soul. That’s why I need you to live out your life cheerfully and happily. He’ll get angry again.”
“So you’re sending me to another world, a world you control?
“Yeah…”
For some reason, the self-proclaimed god was stunned by my question.
When I looked up in a turbulent manner, I made my eyes swim.
I’m not sure where he’s going to fly to.
“You see, I told you that I’m a pillar, right? If you do something without permission, people will get angry. But there’s a better world out there! The gods there like to look at things, you know, like in that tropical fish breeding game? Something like that! They don’t mind if you mess with them a little bit!”
“You’re trying so hard to cover up your scandals, aren’t you?”
The self-proclaimed god is trying hard to cover up the scandal.
“It’s not like that! It’s an interesting world! Everyone loves the world of swords and magic! You even have status! You can even get cheats! How about space magic? You can even transfer…”
“What? You’re still talking!”
I stood up and stuck my index finger in the air.
“What’s the fun in transferring back home? What was the excitement when you found a loophole!? The moderate fatigue and sense of accomplishment when you get back to your home!?”
The self-proclaimed god curled up his huge body and shrunk down completely.
Then, he bows his head in the same position.
“I don’t know, but I’m sorry. Then the cheat is–“
“‘No thanks!
“‘Yeah, …… that’s not good. If I don’t put something on, your God will be angry. Can I choose one?”
“Suit yourself!
“Okay, I’ll put this and this on it… okay, I’ll send it to you then!”
The self-proclaimed god turned his palm toward me and started to think about something.
That’s when it happened.
It was at that moment that Poppy. The stray dog with a fierce wagging tail jumped at his palm.
“Poppy, Poppy! I’m not playing with you.”
Surrounded by a blinding light, I let go of my consciousness again.
With a very bad premonition.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶