Chapter 153

I never thought the day would come when my photo and article would be published in an interstellar newspaper.

And not just any article, but a huge headline on the front page.

I couldn’t believe it, so I read it carefully again, but it wasn’t a hallucination.

It was my face, and it was an article about me.

Once I fully accepted it in my mind, only one thought came to mind.

‘Is it really this big of a deal?’

The administrator had previously told me that young gods are intriguing beings.

They also warned me to be especially careful of the ancient gods, as I, possessing a domain, was not protected.

However, I never imagined I would be a being receiving enough attention to be featured on the front page of a newspaper across the entire universe.

‘But I couldn’t read the Day News in CallOVo.’

Everything was blocked off, so I could barely read the general knowledge section, but now I could see everything, including the photos and the article.

It certainly seemed that I had grown.

—Sa Gongyeon-You’ve-lost-your-mind-! Using-a-young-god-as-news-material-!

The administrator was furious, their hair sticking out in all directions as they trembled uncontrollably.

—Phew, kid. Sorry for yelling.

They finally calmed down and seemed to regret raising their voice in front of me.

Although I might be young by interstellar standards, as an adult by Earth’s standards, I didn’t think much of it even when they yelled.

“It’s fine. But is this article putting me in a lot of danger right now?”

—That’s right. Because the existence of the young god has been publicly exposed.

The administrator turned the page and showed me the next one.

It was a section that required a paid subscription to read, and it described my situation in detail from an alien’s perspective.

Everything had been revealed, including the fact that the young god, who possessed a domain, was living in a defenseless state.

The only saving grace was that the planet’s name or coordinates hadn’t been disclosed.

The photos attached to the special feature on the young god were quite diverse.

Close-up shots of my face, full-body shots, close-ups of just my golden eyes, and so on.

It wasn’t just PTB; there were even photos of me sitting blankly on the bed right after waking up, or pictures of me haphazardly throwing my uniform on before work.

‘And this is even from this morning.’

There was no paparazzi as crazy as this one.

Furthermore, the content of the article was crafted with exquisite skill.

It seemed to reveal everything, yet strangely omitted details, sparking a curiosity in even me to know more about the young god.

They had set the stage perfectly for all sorts of aliens to take an interest in me.

I read the article carefully and thought about it from various angles.

“Can you take the article down if the person involved has not consented?”

—I think it would be difficult since the kid isn’t a protected person…

“Understood.”

After listening to the whole thing, I felt like I understood.

Having reached a conclusion, I told the administrator:

“I will handle this matter.”

—What?

The administrator asked with a serious expression.

"Kid. You aren’t trying to contact the butlers, are you?"

I didn’t expect the topic of the cat butler and rabbit butler to come up right here.

Perhaps because they were Dominic’s subordinates, the butlers seemed to have quite a bit of influence.

"That’s not it."

After politely thanking the anxious administrator for letting me know, I ended the communication.

I let out a long sigh.

I was sitting in an empty conference room.

Training had already started some time ago.

To catch up on the theoretical training that had taken place earlier, I was scheduled to receive a separate crash course today.

So I was waiting alone in the conference room for the training when I suddenly received a call from the administrator.

"Roasted Chestnut."

The Pudding Slime, who had been watching politely until then, called out to me.

I spoke first before Pudding Slime could say anything.

“Dominic-ssi. I think I can handle this.”

Normally, I would have asked him something.

But right now, I didn’t feel like doing that.

I knew that Dominic has no ill intentions behind the advice he gives me.

Although he recommended gouging out eyes, that was appropriate advice by his standards.

It was just that for me, it was difficult to understand and accept.

I made a collect call to Black Block.

Black Block answered immediately after I started the interstellar communication.

—Little Lamb! To reach out to me first—what joy, what delight!

It was as if he had been watching me all along.

I called out to him in a calm tone.

“Black Block-ssi.”

—Speak!

“I am very disappointed.”

—What? Disappointed?!

Black Block screamed in horror.

Before he could let out a sob, I spoke in a cold voice.

“I didn’t expect you to publish an article about me in the Day News.”

—The Day News! It is a truly fine newspaper. It is a true press equipped with noble journalism. But Little Lamb…

I drove the nail in the coffin first to the Black Block, who was trying to slip away pretending not to know.

“Isn’t Reporter Sa Gongyeon Black Block-ssi’s subordinate?”

Silence.

In the silence that felt as if sound had been cut off, I waited expressionlessly.

After a few seconds, a loud laugh was heard. It was laughter loud enough to make my eardrums ring for a moment.

—Hahaha! That’s the correct answer, Little Lamb!

As expected, my hunch was right.

I had once received a quest at the broadcasting station in DeZonDeal, where zombies roamed.

[★Event Quest: Exciting Broadcasting Station Exploration]

It was a quest sent by Black Block, and the quest description included the phrase, ’The broadcasting station is ■■ ■■■‘s subordinate!’

Furthermore, in CallOVo, he had contacted me using Day News.

It was enough to suspect that the Black Block was an entity connected to the media.

That was not all.

Sa Gongyeon’s behavior—rushing at me claiming to be a fan and obsessing over sponsorship—had aspects similar to Black Block.

However, I had determined that they were not the same person, and I was merely suspecting a connection.

The decisive factor in my conviction was this recent front-page newspaper incident.

It seemed clear that Black Block was a superior being to Sa Gongyeon.

However, a mere reporter could not possibly have spread Black Block’s subject of interest throughout the entire universe at will.

The fact that Sa Gongyeon had lavishly decorated the front page of Day News with the birth of a young god meant that there had been instructions from Black Block.

At this point, I suspected that Sa Gongyeon was a subordinate of Black Block, and at the same time, I realized the sinister scheme hidden behind it.

‘Sponsorship contracts.’

All sorts of Outer Gods would take an interest in the young god and try to track the planet.

As a newcomer to Akasha, there was no way I could handle all the Outer Gods.

If I were cornered, I would look for someone to turn to for help, but right now, there were only two beings around me who possessed that kind of power.

Dominic, or Black Block.

Since one can have multiple sponsors, even if I were to sign a sponsorship contract with Dominic, Black Block would have been looking for an opening to intervene.

While showing off to me the influence he could wield over the universe media.

If I hadn’t known the truth, I might have signed sponsorship contracts with both of them just to defend Earth.

‘There isn’t a single alien in this world you can trust.’

Pudding Slime froze my account, and Black Block sold my face to the entire universe.

The administrator’s description of it as a "lawless zone" was very apt.

It seemed that surviving in this harsh universe, where there was not a shred of consideration for children, would not be easy.

—Little Lamb. Let’s sign a sponsorship contract.

Black Block no longer hid his true intentions.

It wasn’t surprising, as it was a development I had fully anticipated.

“What happens if I refuse?”

—Refusal, huh? It will be a bad choice.

Black Block’s voice began to twist strangely.

—What can the Little Lamb do on his own?

His words, mixed with laughter, continued slowly.

—New articles are scattered every day, and more and more people take an interest… The Little Lamb’s small, cute planet might be crushed!

Just as I found myself frowning involuntarily…

A short laugh rang out.

Hovering somewhere between a dry chuckle and a sneer, it was low and quiet.

Nevertheless, it pierced my brain with striking clarity.

And then he spoke.

“■■■■■■■■.”

I heard nothing of what the voice said.

However, I could clearly feel the shaking of the space that occurred at that moment.

If he had applied just a little, just a tiny bit more force, everything around me would have twisted and torn apart.

A dizzying terror swept through my body like a shiver.

I stood frozen, dazed.

Slowly regaining my breath, I confirmed that I was still here.

Then, very slowly, I turned my gaze.

On the desk, a small, soft slime was sparkling.

It was still the cute form I knew.

A polite apology came through.

“I’m sorry, Roasted Chestnut. I startled you.”

He comforted me, saying it wasn’t something a young Roasted Chestnut should have heard, that he had made a mistake, and asked if I was surprised.

I parted my lips and barely managed to shake my head.

Then, a gentle voice returned, saying, “That’s a relief.”

The other party, connected via interstellar communication, was just as frozen.

After a long silence, Black Block spoke.

—Little Lamb. I was watching you first. For a very long time, only you…

I don’t know what Dominic had said to him, but he seemed to have lost his composure.

His twisted voice had returned to its normal state.

However, he still hadn’t given up on me.

By then, I was slowly recovering.

‘Now is the time.’

To ensure I wouldn’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I opened my mouth quickly.

"Black Block-ssi."

I gave him a carrot first.

"I didn’t know you had been watching me for so long. You really are a long-time fan of mine."

—Ah, Little Lamb!

Just as he was about to be moved, I poured cold water on him.

"But to act like this…"

Actually, I was the one who shouldn’t have been acting this way.

After all, I was a low-level god, while the other party was a max-level god with a full set of gear.

But?

I was backed by Dominic, the oldest, most veteran god.

Therefore, I abandoned my original negotiation plan and decided to just stand my ground.

“I will send the food soon. Let’s leave it at that.”

It meant I would send the food as a farewell and that we shouldn’t contact each other again.

Black Block went into a frenzy.

—Please, anything but that! I was wrong.

Given the current situation, I felt like just sending a meal kit and telling him to cook the promised dish himself.

However, I couldn’t afford to completely sever ties with Black Block.

He was a being who had been watching me for who knows how long.

Furthermore, he was already extending his influence across Earth through Sa Gongyeon.

Even if I cast him out immediately, the probability of getting entangled with him in the end was high.

‘And aliens must be defeated by aliens.’

I felt I could vaguely understand what the Outer Gods meant by ‘interest.’

Judging by his actions so far, even though Black Block had driven me into a crisis, it didn’t seem like he would throw me to other aliens as prey.

Unless he took on the role of a savior himself.

And crucially, he hadn’t revealed the planet’s name or coordinates.

—Little Lamb. What do I have to do to appease you?

“Hmm, I think there might be a way…”

As I slowly began to speak, the Black Block grew impatient.

—What is it! Please let me know immediately.

I waited long enough for him to become impatient before I opened my mouth.

“Please settle the payment for my photos.”

My face has already been sold; let me at least earn some Star Fragments.

After all, how could I possibly recall my face once it had spread to every corner of the universe?

Given the circumstances, it seemed best to at least collect the payment.

“I will continue to provide photos, so I would like to sign a formal contract.”

—Little Lamb…

The Black Block called out to me in a trembling voice.

Just as I was about to suspect that he wasn’t acting this way because he was stingy with the Star Fragments…

A tremendous sound erupted from the communication.

—LittleLambLittleLambLittleLambLittleLambLittleLambLittleLambLittleLambLittleLamb Little Lamb!

A voice filled with madness called out to me.

Beyond the crackling noise that sounded like bursting explosions, laughter erupted as if millions were screaming in unison.

This was followed by a sharp squeal, and before long, the ear-splitting noise vanished.

In the silence, the Black Block let out a sound like a maniac: "Hehe, hehehe."

—Little Lamb is truly my star. As your longtime fan, every time this happens ■■■■■■■…

Once again, it was words I couldn’t understand.

Muttering something to himself, the Black Block spoke to me.

—I will go prepare a contract. A contract befitting my star.

He promised with such emotion, yet in the blink of an eye, he lost his mind again and started trying to seduce me.

—But Little Lamb, wouldn’t mere photos be insufficient? Little Lamb needs more star fragments. I have a good idea!

"Black Block-ssi."

—Speak!

It’s annoying, so stop it.

—I’m sorry, Little Lamb…

I hadn’t actually said that out loud, but since it seemed effective at getting the creature to back off, I didn’t correct it.

“Please contact me when the contract is ready.”

I intended to show the contract to the administrator as well.

And since things had turned out this way, I also asked about what I had been trying to find out.

“Black Block-ssi, you are interested in my current form, aren’t you?”

—That is correct.

“Do you happen to know a way for me to maintain this state?”

—What state, exactly?

I wasn’t sure how Black Block would take it, but I spoke cautiously.

“I… want to be a god while being human.”

I wanted to be a god who retained my humanity.

If I had to accept the ego of a young god, I wanted to take the initiative.

—That is interesting.

Black Block answered my dilemma cheerfully.

—But the Little Lamb has never been human!