The Sins of the Creator

Because of him, I lost my balance, stumbled, and ended up sitting on the floor.

“…Ka-Karvan?”

I was fumbling on the floor where a lingering chill remained, bewildered, when thud.
Two sleek dress shoes stopped in front of me.
As I followed the line of his black suit legs up, Baalzeph’s dry, blood-red eyes were looking down at me.

“So, to continue what I was saying.”

Baalzeph, who helped me up, spoke gloomily.

“That man is preventing you from going back to your hometown.”

“…Karvan?”

“That is correct.”

I was lost in thought for a while at his fluid answer.

First, because I didn’t know what ‘Karvan is preventing me from returning’ meant.
Second, because of the concern over ‘Where exactly is my hometown?’

Hearing Baalzeph’s words, I had unconsciously thought of the snowy mountain city, Bahalgras.

“If you cannot believe it, I shall show you.”

To me, who was just blinking and thinking about the definition of ‘hometown’ that suddenly felt foreign, a black-gloved hand was extended once again.

“The Varg. Just how weak and vile that race is.”

“Hey, why do you keep talking about things only you know… Ack!”

Baalzeph, who snatched my hand as he pleased, began to stride forward.

I flailed in fright, but he determinedly dragged me and stood me in front of a wide wall on one side of the room.

Then, while gripping my shoulder tightly from behind, he waved his other hand in the air as if conducting.

[The internal structure is rearranged by the administrative authority of the Midvalen Governor, <Baalzeph von Bloddyhen>.]

Following his hand gestures, the exterior wall of the building split apart precisely like Tetris blocks.

“…Wh-what is this.”

Thanks to that, I was instantly standing in front of a precipice.

Once my wildly shaking vision stabilized, the scene below my feet finally came into view.

Smoke was rising from all over Midvalen.

Through the gaps of collapsed buildings, I could see the Vargs and the Empire vampires facing off.

At the very front stood Tegen and the familiar faces of the Suras.

Was it Karvan’s command?

In the dark, crowded spaces, there were a handful of Vargs and an overwhelmingly large number of beast-kin.
Perhaps due to long-standing grudges, the other beast-kin were all standing on the side of the Empire, regardless of their tribe.

“The end of the Varg has always been like that. A vile race that tries to isolate itself and plunders other races.”

Baalzeph whispered while pressing down firmly on my shoulder.

“They have an indomitable will that never retreats, always acts as it pleases, and would rather break than bend. That is why they incurred the gods’ hatred.”

The place where the battle was occurring was ‘Eve Square.’

The place where I worked at the checkpoint.

The place used as a training ground and the only area in Midvalen where skills and weapons could be drawn.
There was likely only one reason for choosing that as the battlefield.

[<Nameless Empire Member> casts the <Bloodsucking> skill.]

Because the Empire vampires can use skills there.

“I have wanted to ask you for a long time. Awakener. Why did you choose me?”

“…What are you talking about now, when you’re the one who dragged me here as you pleased!”

“You chose the Empire. Not the Varg. As your helpers.”

I wondered what he meant, then suddenly realized.

[Awakener Shinbi-jui has PICKED her destiny! The new race is <Empire>. (※ User votes are reflected in real-time.)]
[New Vampire Race <Empire> NPCs confirmed for release!]

“Why did you choose us?”

Well, why did I pick the Empire back then? There wasn’t a particularly big reason.

In fact, back then, I also wanted to pick the Varg because they had cute ears and tails, but I was just swayed by the crowd and voted for the Empire.

“Please tell me the reason.”

“I’m not sure. Back then, I just….”

“…’Just’.”

I answered without thinking, then flinched and shut my mouth at the terrifying gaze I felt.

“As expected. It is not surprising. Your race has always been like that. Fickle and rude….”

His burning red eyes flickered with an unknown sense of betrayal.

“And yet, you intend to choose the Varg again now? After locking me in this eternal suffering? Oh, I cannot allow that. Never.”

Baalzeph, who finished speaking in a sinister and rapid tone as if reciting a prayer, swung his black-gloved hand.

[The Midvalen Governor <Baalzeph von Bloddyhen> has issued a bounty on the ‘Varg Race’.]

A bounty? As I blinked at the status window that appeared, a crowd poured out from the crevices of Midvalen with a “Waaaaah!”

Various mercenaries who had remained in the Coliseum, and all sorts of monster races who had been working in the quarry.

“Watch closely with both eyes from now on, as the ‘Varg’ you chose meet their doom once again.”

I was blankly trying to interpret the underlying meaning and belatedly turned to Baalzeph, but it was too late.
He gripped both of my temples tightly with his hands and forced me to look straight down.

“Merciless Representative of the Gods. See for yourself what results the choices you made ‘just because’ bring about.”

“W-wait a minute!”

“Awakener. Watch how those you chose are destroyed.”

“Aaargh!”

At the same time, a horrific scream erupted from below.

In Eve Square, ‘they’ were clutching their faces, kneeling in agony.

“Haha! How do you like that, you vampire bastards!”

“Kuaaaakh!”

…It was the Empire vampires.

I looked uncomfortably at the Empire knights who were suffering in front of a flashing light.

“…How can those beasts use magic?”

Baalzeph began to stutter as he watched the feast of ‘skills’ flashing everywhere. I could feel the body standing behind me trembling.

“The chief who is a God Slayer is one thing, but how can they all use magic….”

“That’s not magic, those are armor options.”

[The High Varg <Amundu> has reflected the ‘Bloodsucking’ skill due to the effect of the <Cherry Blossom Plate Shoulder Armor>.]
[※ Cherry Blossom Plate Shoulder Armor (S): Temporarily enters <Stealth> status when hit. Reflects fatal injuries with a 100% probability upon accumulated damage, and spreads the <Burn> status ailment upon contact. (Creator: Shinbi-jui)]

Good artifacts, armor, accessories, and weapons have things called ‘options.’

For example, my Leviathan has an option like ‘100% chance to return when thrown.’
Since these activate automatically without doing anything, they don’t consume magic power separately.

Just like setting an alarm on a phone that rings at the set time, they operate on their own once specific requirements are met.

‘How do you use this Awakener item?’
‘The one glowing gold has the highest value.’
‘It won’t work if you wear it on your head. You have to strap it to your waist like this to increase your critical hit rate.’

Back in Bahalgras, I had once readjusted the armor worn by the Suras.
I turned on important settings that were set to OFF and made them swap armor if it didn’t match their traits or stats.

‘Tegen, what is the most difficult enemy for you?’
‘Um, flying things! Except for the great Valta, we can’t use magic, and since our hands are clumsy, there are few among us who are good with bows….’
‘Ah! Then I’ll make this for you!’

Also, back when I was into armor crafting in Bahalgras, I had made a ton of artifacts for the Suras.

To prepare for potential battles after the Igra incident, I asked them what enemies were usually hard to deal with and crafted armor tailored to each individual.

And it seemed that effort was paying off.

[The hidden option of the <Rockbear Gauntlets – ‘Flying Things’> equipped by the High Varg <Tegen> has been activated. (※ Flying Things: Deals additional damage to flying entities. Upon consecutive hits, creates a ‘Gravity Field’ around the target, pulling them down to the ground.)]

True to their vampire concept, the Empire’s true forms were bats, and they had been taunting the flightless Vargs by flapping their membrane-like wings.

‘Now, everyone, hold hands and form a trio!’
‘We’re using the secret technique the Valtael taught us! Protect each other!’

However, the Vargs, who already had experience fighting the eagle-kin Igra tribe, were handling the Empire vampires with ease.

They blocked incoming physical projectiles using bugs, neutralized magic with artifacts, and once they got into melee range with proper timing, they took down the Empire vampires and mercenaries one by one using the broken passive skill called ‘Berserk.’

[<Nameless NPC Empire Member> has entered an incapacitated state.]
[<Nameless NPC Empire Member> has entered an incapacitated state.]
[<Nameless NPC Empire Member> has entered an incapacitated state.]

“…Awakener. This is your doing.”

Baalzeph, watching his subordinates fall one by one while trembling, looked at me with eyes full of loathing.

“Teaching those lowly beasts such tricks to mock the gods!”

“Eyy, why would you say it like that….”

“Then what is it, that spectacle? Explain it.”

“Uh, well, simply put, it’s a ‘trick’ or… a tiny bit of ‘skill exploitation’?”

I smiled awkwardly, raising my hands and shrugging my shoulders.

It was a gesture meant to slightly soften his terrifying expression and the atmosphere, but Baalzeph’s face hardened instantly.

“…As I thought. You haven’t changed.”

The man, who was muttering incomprehensible words, ground his teeth.

“Awakener. You failed to resolve my request to grant me freedom.”

“The request to kill you? But that was….”

“Instead, I shall request a different commission. Then, I will give you Midvalen.”

“Yes, what—what is it?”

“Pull out the Varg chief’s heart and bring it to me.”

[A daily quest from the Empire Lord <Baalzeph von Bloddyhen> has arrived.]