A Champion of Rats

Champion of Goddess Derubo (1)

"Everything. Been moved. Falk.”

First, his face swollen and bruised, came up to me and spoke.

"Good. You better remember this. Never run away before I do in the future.”

"I get it. Falk.”

Somehow, he seemed to put a bit more feeling into the last word than normal, but I wasn’t in a place to care about such things.

There were other things that worried me more right now.

The size of our colony had dwindled drastically, from thirteen including me, to four.

They’d died fighting the goblins. Although, there were gains as well as losses.

In addition to a large amount of goblin meat, I’d gotten my hands on five pregnant goblin females, and two male goblins who could serve as studs.

Besides that, I’d also gotten some apples, bread, beef jerky, two tents, and a bone chair the chieftain had used. It made me feel positively wealthy. And more than anything else…

[Congratulations on the windfall.]

I sat on the chair made of bones and tried to communicate.

"So… you're like an ‘AI assistant' meant to help during gameplay?"

[Yes. You can use ‘Jarvis' and ‘Friday' in ‘Iron Man' for comparison.]

“… I have far too many questions, but I'll start with just one. Why didn’t you help me earlier?”

[My apologies. But as a rule, I only help someone who’s passed the tutorial by themselves. I don't want to waste my time.]

“You sound strangely human.”

[Technology marches on.]

“Yeah, I don’t even know what to say. There are so many things that I want to ask.”

[Please take it slow.]

I was scratching my head.

“First of all, what should I call you?”

[Call me what you wish, Champion.]

“Okay, then since you sound female, I'll call you Mimi. It’s after my favourite character[1], Misaka –”

[– Please call me ‘Mercury'.]

"… That was a quick about-face."

[I might be a mere AI assistant, but please treat me with the minimum dignity.]

“You really sound like a real human… Fine. Next question. What can you do for me?”

[I can provide appropriate information according to your level of activity, and also inform you of your current status and abilities, Champion. In some specific cases I can also offer advice.]

“Why do you call me Champion?”

[Because you are a champion according to your character setting. Champion of Goddess Derubo.]

"Ah… Is there a setting like that?”

[Derubo, the goddess of the damned. You are her champion.]

“Sounds like she’s got a lot of personality. Hmm. Is that how my character is set?”

[Yes. I’d appreciate it if you could immerse yourself in it.]

‘Ahh, this AI’s so well-spoken that it's uncanny. Truly, the march of technology waits for no man…'

[Thank you for the compliment. FYI, I can also read your thoughts.]

"What the… That’s fucking creepy! Isn’t that a violation of my human rights?”

[I’m just trying to serve you better. It’s no different from how you consent to T&Cs for collecting personal information on the internet.]

Don’t they say, you can’t spit on a smiling face? Similarly, it was tough to argue against such a kind tone.

“Alright, whatever. Let's do our best together, Mimi."

[Please call me Mercury.]

"Don’t sound so angry, it's scary. Anyway, there’s one favour I gotta ask for first.”

[I’ll show you your status window.]

Mercury read my thoughts and quickly carried it out. It looked like I wouldn’t get bored for a while.

Surprisingly, the status window didn’t appear as a hologram in front of my eyes, but was injected directly into my head as information instead.

[Style]

• Goddess Derubo's Champion (1): The one chosen by Goddess Derubo. Champion-specific corrections available.
• Friendly Stranger (1): Helped the colony. Develop colony affinity.
• Spy (1): Spied on enemies. Develop concealment and observation skills.
• Agitator (1): Recklessly agitated others. Develop persuasion skills.
• Tactician (1): Made use of tactics, albeit clumsily. Develop tactical intelligence.
• Berserker (1): Went into frenzy due to starvation. Develop berserk effect.
• Terrorizer (1): Terrified allies and enemies alike. Develop terror effect.
• Predator (1): Consumed a certain amount of food. More meals become available.
• Machiavellian (1): Used an ally as a meat shield. Develop rational decision-making.
• Goblins’ Bane (1): Repelled the goblins. Receive a bonus when fighting goblins.
• Colony Chief (1): Recognized as the chief of the colony. Receive bonuses to Leadership and Fame.
• The Enraged One (1): ???

[Leadership]

• Current: 5 (+5) : You can lead 25 ratlings.

[Fame]

• Current: 10 (+10): A scant few may have heard of your name.

[Special Ability]

• Racial Skill(s): Caloric Growth, Caloric Recovery, Caloric Overburn, Starvation Frenzy
• Champion Skill(s): Degeneration – Blessing of Domestication

“There’re a lot of things I want to ask, but this is the biggest one. What’s this champion ability, [Degeneration – Blessing of Domestication]?”

[A sacred blessing exclusive to champions. Like a wizard's magic or a paladin's class ability.]

“Doesn’t sound very sacred, though, does it?”

[Because you’re Derubo's champion. This ability causes a defeated enemy who’s succumbed to fear, to degenerate into tractable livestock. It’s a blessing from the goddess.]

‘That's one creepy goddess.'

[You’re her champion. I advise you not to harbour such disrespectful thoughts.]

“Geez, stop reading my mind already!”

[Why don't you try it once?]

◆◆◆

“Kahk! Curse you!”

“Kieek! I’ll kill you!”

“Ugh! Gah!”

The two male goblins I’d wanted as studs were already battered and demoralized, but not the females.

Despite their bulging, bloated bellies that made it hard for them to move, they showed no hesitation in threatening me.

[It might be better to experiment on the males first. Those females don't seem to like you very much for some reason, Champion.]

“Because I raided their tribe and killed their husbands?”

[Ah, that makes sense.]

Even though it was just a game, the behaviour of the female goblins was absurdly lifelike, and I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

[Don't worry so much. It is just a game. Let's check out your ability.]

“Don’t read my thoughts every time! I keep telling you, it's creepy… You, bring those guys over here."

The surviving rats, including First, quickly pulled a goblin close. He looked like a mess from the beating I’d already given him.

“Stoooop ittttttttt…”

[He’s afraid of you. The ability can be used. Place your hands on his head and apply the blessing.]

I obeyed. As I put my hands on the goblin's head, something ran through my veins and came up to my fingertips.

A sense of ecstasy that filled me with power.

At the same time, the goblin's eyes widened and foam dribbled down from his lips. Soon his bones buckled, his words vanished to nothing, and all signs of intelligence vanished from his eyes.

“““Falk!!”””

The rats shouted in unison.

“Kwik-, kkwiik-”

The blessed goblin turned into a more terrifying figure than expected.

It wasn’t about how he stooped or crawled on all fours. Rather, it was as if the intelligence and dignity of a rational sentient being had been murdered.

"Wow…"

[This is the power of Goddess Derubo. Your colony will benefit a lot from these domesticated goblins, Champion.]

[As a result, you’ll becomes stronger and accumulate more achievements. Then the power of the goddess will become stronger in turn, and she will bestow more blessings upon you. So do your best, Champion. For the glory of Goddess Derubo!]

“Do AIs get drunk too these days? I’ve got no idea what you’re yammering about. Is this goddess really a goddess?”

I asked, unable to take my eyes off the cattle-goblin. Even when I look back on it now, it was a horrific sight.

[Different gods have different alignments.]

“Is that a game setting?”

[… … … Of course, Champion.]

“Wait, what was that three-second pause just now?”

[The speaker lagged. Anyway, please do your best for the glory of Goddess Derubo.]

“Yeah, okay, look. My character’s setting might be like that, but I was hired for this job by someone else, you know? And more than anything, worshipping a perverted god like that is a bit… This place is too realistic, so I’m feeling a sense of rejection.”

[But your bonuses and incentives depend on how well you do on your quests.]

“Huh? Bonuses?”

[Yes. For example, you’ve just received a 1 million won bonus for beating the tutorial. Here, check.]

Then the information entered my brain.

[Incentive details]

[Quest success reward: 1,000,000 won]

“…”

[…]

“…”

[…]

“For the glory of Goddess Derubo!”

[Now we’re talking.]

Editor's Notes:

[1] Not using ‘waifu’ here was the real struggle. Pretty sure Mimi is Misaka Mikoto from Index. Our man is a degenerate. Man of culture.jpg"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity" />