The bonfire crackled, and the underground river murmured, but these sounds seemed to instantly recede into the background, becoming irrelevant noise.
Greg remained in his chin-in-hand posture, his eyes blinking once, then twice.
The expression on his face—a mix of helplessness, worry, and disgust—froze, then fine cracks appeared like glass struck by a heavy hammer.
"I..." He opened his mouth, his voice a bit dry. "I somehow... just became a god?"
He spoke those words extremely slowly, every syllable sounding as if it were being squeezed out of his throat with great difficulty.
It wasn't a question, nor was it an exclamation; it was a dazed statement born of pure information overload.
Becoming a god?
And it was that simple?
Wasn't this process a bit too casual?!
Greg's thoughts began to drift uncontrollably in strange directions.
He now seriously suspected that there might be some hidden secret to his birth.
For instance, like a certain God of War whose name started with K, did he actually have the blood of some divine scumbag flowing through his veins, allowing him to obtain the status of a 'god' so easily?
So what came next?
According to the clichés, did he have to embark on a path of god-slaying?
Starting from minor gods, leveling up all the way, and finally cutting down the King of Gods to ascend the supreme throne?
The mental image was quite vivid, but Greg just wanted to hold his head and scream for it to stop.
Because he only wanted to hunker down in the dungeon until the end!
All that fighting and killing was so not peaceful!
Moreover, the mortality rate for the career of a god-slayer was staggering. It was practically impossible not to take a few trips to the Underworld!
The black cat seemed very satisfied with his current reaction. Its emerald eyes curved slightly as if it were smiling.
"Precisely. Though you are merely a Demigod with a weak Godhood, incomplete Authority, and a low Rank... in essence, you have indeed transcended the mundane."
It confirmed Greg's understanding with a series of descriptions that sounded anything but auspicious.
Greg finally recovered a bit from his petrified state.
He lowered the hand supporting his chin and rubbed his face, feeling that the volume of information was too much and his mental processor was overloading.
"Wait, wait... let's sort this out first."
He made a 'time-out' gesture. "First question: You said if you die, I die? If I die, you die? We share a life?"
"Indeed. Intertwined fates, a Life-bond," the black cat nodded.
Greg was silent for two seconds, then suddenly raised his hands to cover his face, letting out a grief-stricken wail of indignation:
"Dammit—! To think that a handsome, promising, and excellent youth like me has to share life and death with a... cat?! What kind of new, cruel punishment is this?! Is this some kind of sick joke?!"
"Hey, now."
The tip of the black cat's tail flicked with displeasure, its voice carrying a hint of offense.
"Watch your words, mortal—oh, I suppose you are a Demigod now. As you are now, you are truly a 'promising' existence. Furthermore, I reiterate, I am no ordinary cat. I am a genuine Goddess: Nightmare."
That final name, carrying the unique weight of the Divine Tongue, caused a slight echo within the cave.
"Shut up!"
Greg peeked through the gaps in his fingers, glaring at it with a look full of disgust.
"Someone like you, who doesn't get my motor running at all and can't even provide the most basic visual fan service, doesn't deserve to be called a Goddess!"
"If you have an objection, try turning into a beautiful big sister with a voluptuous body, long hair, and seductive eyes before you talk back to me!"
"Hoh." Nightmare, in her black cat form, didn't get angry; instead, the smile in her emerald eyes seemed to deepen.
"You don't hide your ugly and blunt desires at all. But frankly, I do not dislike someone as straightforward as you. Compared to those believers who speak of piety while harboring malicious intent, you seem... much more real."
She paused, a rare trace of human-like regret surfacing in her tone.
"However, it is a great pity."
"Because I have been detached from the system of faith for too long, my divine power has waned and my Godhood is fragmented."
"Maintaining this manifestation is already a struggle. If I were to change forms, especially into the... high-energy form you desire, I cannot do so for the time being."
"I can only let you be disappointed."
"Tsk, of course, it's that trope again." Greg curled his lip and lowered his hands, his face written with 'I knew it.'
Based on his knowledge of the original game's lore, he knew very well that the power of the deities in this world relied heavily on the anchoring and offerings of faith.
For an ancient deity like the Goddess of Night, who had vanished for centuries and whose faith was nearly extinct, to still have a sliver of consciousness left to find him was already a miracle. To expect her to immediately display the full glory of a Goddess in her prime was indeed nothing more than a pipe dream.
He sighed, accepting this cruel reality, and continued his questioning:
"Second question: You said we share a single Godhood? So what am I now? A Night God? An Apprentice Dark God? A Godhood-sharing partner? It's not like I'm a Night Hermaphrodite, right?!"
He expressed high vigilance regarding the strange titles he might acquire.
"That is merely a title; there is no need to care too much about it."
Nightmare's tone was very casual. "However, according to ancient custom, an existence like you, who is deeply bound to a Godhood yet retains an independent will and form, seems to be collectively known as—a God-man."
"God-man?" Greg's mouth twitched. "You're the god-man! Your whole family is god-men!"
He unhesitatingly rejected the term that sounded like an insult.
Nightmare didn't seem to mind his sharp reaction and tilted her head.
"It seems you do not like that title. No matter, titles can be changed."
She thought for a moment and said in that ethereal voice, "Then, I shall grant one of my titles to you. From this moment on, I allow you to call yourself the 'Sovereign of Night'."
"Hmm, that one is actually quite good. I like it," Greg nodded.
"I truly don't understand why you humans care so much about these useless titles," Nightmare shook her head.
Greg replied, "And whose fault do you think it is that I have to find ways to make the best of a bad situation?"
Nightmare struck an elegant pose of 'none of my business,' licking her paw and pretending to study the patterns on the cave walls.
"Sigh..." Greg let out a long, resigned sigh, knowing there was no point in bickering with this black cat.
He sat up straight, his expression becoming serious again, even carrying a hint of sharpness.
"Alright, the appetizers are over. Now for the main course. The third question, and the most important one."
He took a deep breath. The cool, moist air of the cave filled his lungs, clearing his thoughts which had been somewhat scattered by the series of shocks.
His amber eyes locked onto the mysterious black cat before him as he asked the core confusion that had been swirling in his heart ever since he was told of the bond:
"You're a Goddess. Even if you've fallen on hard times, couldn't you have found a dying hero, a desperate sage, or a prince seeking revenge to bind with?"
"Why did you choose me?"
Rate on N.U.
