Chapter 153

I never imagined a day would come when my photo and an article about me would appear in a galactic newspaper.

And on the front page, in a massive headline, no less.

I read it again slowly, unable to believe it, but I wasn’t mistaken.

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

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

’To this extent?’

Previously, the Administrator told me that I, a young god, was a being who piqued the interest of older gods.

He also warned me to be especially careful of the ancient gods, as I possessed a domain and therefore lacked protection.

However, I never imagined I was a being of such interest that I’d land on the front page of a universe-wide newspaper.

’But I couldn’t read the Day News back in Call of the Void.’

Everything had been blocked there, and I could barely read the general knowledge section, but now I could see everything-the photos and the articles.

It seemed I had certainly grown.

- Sa Gong-yeon is out of his mind! How could he use a young god as news material!

The Administrator was so furious that his hair stood up in every direction, trembling with rage.

- Phew, kid. Sorry for shouting.

He finally calmed down and seemed to regret raising his voice in front of me.

Though I might be young by galactic standards, I was an adult by Earth’s standards, so I didn’t think much of his shouting.

"It’s fine. But am I in a lot of danger because of this article?"

- Yes. Because the existence of a young god has been publicly exposed.

The Administrator flipped the newspaper to show me the next page.

It was a section that required a paid subscription to read, and it contained a detailed description of me from an alien’s perspective.

Everything was laid bare, including the fact that a young god with a domain was living in an unprotected state.

The only saving grace was that the name and coordinates of the planet had not been disclosed.

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

Close-ups of my face, full-body shots from head to toe, zoomed-in shots of my golden eyes, and so on.

Not just the professional ones, but photos of me sitting on the bed in a daze right after waking up, and photos of me wearing my uniform loosely before heading to work.

’This one is even from this morning.’

There was no paparazzi more insane than this.

Furthermore, the content of the article was exquisite.

It seemed to tell everything, yet it subtly omitted key details, making even me curious to learn more about the "young god."

It had set the stage perfectly for all sorts of aliens to take an interest.

I read the article slowly, considering the situation from various angles.

"If the subject didn’t consent, can the article be taken down?"

- Since the kid isn’t a protected subject, I think that will be difficult...

"I understand..."

After listening to everything, I think I finally understood.

Having reached a conclusion, I spoke to the Administrator.

"I will handle this matter myself."

- What?

The Administrator asked with a dead-serious expression.

- Kid. You’re not planning to contact the butlers, are you?

I didn’t expect him to bring up the cat butler and rabbit butler so suddenly.

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

"That’s not it."

I gave a polite bow of thanks to the anxious Administrator and ended the communication.

I let out a long sigh.

I was currently sitting in an empty meeting room.

Trainee education had already begun a while ago.

To catch up on the theoretical education that had already taken place, I was scheduled to receive separate intensive tutoring for the day.

So, I was waiting in the meeting room alone when I suddenly received the call from the Administrator.

"Roasted Chestnut."

The pudding slime, who had been watching quietly until then, called me.

Before the pudding slime could say anything, I spoke first.

"Mr. Dominic. I think I can solve this."

Normally, I would have asked him for advice or something.

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

I know that the advice Dominic gives me has no malicious intent.

Even though he recommended pulling out my kin’s eyeballs, that was appropriate advice by his standards.

It was just difficult for me to understand or accept.

I placed a collect call to the Black Block.

The Black Block answered immediately as soon as I initiated the interstellar communication.

- Little Lamb! To contact me first, what ecstasy, what joy!

It was as if he had been watching me this whole time.

I called him in a calm tone.

"Mr. Black Block."

- Please speak!

"I am truly disappointed."

- Eh? Disappointed!

The Black Block shouted in horror.

Before he could start sobbing "huhu huhu," I spoke in a cold voice.

"I didn’t expect you to put an article about me in the Day News."

- Day News! A most excellent newspaper. A true press with noble journalism. But Little Lamb...

I drove a wedge into the Black Block, who was trying to play innocent.

"Isn’t reporter Sa Gong-yeon your subordinate, Mr. Black Block?"

Silence.

In a silence so deep it felt as if the sound had been cut off, I waited expressionlessly.

After a few seconds, a loud burst of laughter erupted. It was a laugh so loud it momentarily made my eardrums feel numb.

- Hahaha! Correct. Little Lamb!

Just as I thought.

I had once received a quest from a broadcasting station in Dejondil, where zombies roamed.

◆ Event Quest: Exciting Broadcasting Station Exploration!

It was a quest sent by the Black Block, and the phrase ’The broadcasting station is a minion of ■■ ■■■’ was in the quest description.

Also, he had contacted me in Call of the Void using the Day News.

It was enough to suspect that the Black Block was a being related to the media.

That wasn’t all.

Sa Gong-yeon’s behavior, rushing in as a fan and obsessing over sponsorships had similarities to the Black Block.

However, I had judged that they weren’t the same person and had only suspected a connection.

The front-page newspaper incident was the deciding factor in giving me certainty.

It seemed obvious that the Black Block was a higher existence than Sa Gong-yeon.

A mere reporter wouldn’t be able to spread the Black Block’s object of interest across the entire universe at will.

’The fact that Sa Gong-yeon had brilliantly decorated the front page of the Day News with the birth of a young god meant that the Black Block had given the order...’

At this point, while guessing that Sa Gong-yeon was the Black Block’s subordinate, I also realized the hidden scheme behind it all.

’A sponsorship contract.’

All sorts of foreign 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 those foreign gods.

When driven into a corner, I would look for someone to ask for help, and there were only two beings in my immediate vicinity with that kind of power.

Dominic, or the Black Block.

Since one can have multiple sponsors, even if I signed a sponsorship contract with Dominic, the Black Block would look for a gap to slide in.

All while flaunting the influence he could exert over the galactic 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 to trust.’

The pudding slime froze my account, and the Black Block sold my face to the entire universe.

The Administrator’s description of a "lawless land" was very apt.

It seemed that surviving in this harsh universe, where there is absolutely no special treatment for children, would not be easy.

- Little Lamb. Let us sign a sponsorship contract.

The Black Block no longer hid his intentions.

Since it was an expected development, I wasn’t surprised.

"What happens if I refuse?"

The Black block’s voice began to give way to a laugh.

- What can the Little Lamb do alone?

The words, mixed with laughter, continued slowly.

- Every day, new articles will be spread, and more and more people will become interested... Your small and cute planet might be crushed!

Just as I unconsciously frowned, a short laugh was heard.

It was something on the border between a hollow laugh and a sneer, low and not loud.

Nevertheless, it pierced through my brain very clearly.

And then, that person spoke.

I couldn’t hear what the voice said.

However, I could clearly feel the tremor in space that occurred at that moment.

If he had put just a little, just a tiny bit more power into it, the surroundings would have twisted and been torn apart.

A distant horror swept through my body like a shiver.

I stood frozen, completely dazed.

Slowly regaining my breath, I confirmed that I still existed in this place.

Then, I very slowly turned my gaze.

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

It still had the cute appearance I knew.

A polite apology followed.

"I am sorry, Roasted Chestnut. I startled you."

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

My lips trembled, and I barely managed to shake my head.

Then, a soft reply came back, saying "That is a relief."

The person connected via interstellar communication was equally frozen.

After a long silence, the Black Block spoke.

- Little Lamb. I was watching you first. For a very long time, only the Little Lamb...

I don’t know what he heard from Dominic, but his momentum had been broken.

The twisted voice had also returned to normal.

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

By then, I had slowly recovered.

’Now...!’

To not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I quickly opened my mouth.

"Mr. Black Block."

First, I gave him a carrot.

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

- Ah, Little Lamb!

As he was about to be moved, I immediately poured cold water on him.

"But to act in such a manner.."

Actually, the one who shouldn’t act in such a manner was me.

I was a low level god, and the other was a god who likely had max levels and full gear.

But?

I had the most ancient "veteran" god, Dominic, backing me up.

Therefore, I tossed aside my original negotiation plan and decided to just be stubborn.

"I will send the dish soon. Let’s end it with that."

It was a way of saying that I’d send the food as a farewell, so let’s not contact each other in the future.

The Black Block went into a panic.

- Please, anything but that! I was wrong.

Right now, I felt like sending him a meal kit so he could cook the promised dish himself.

But I shouldn’t completely alienate the Black Block.

He was a being who had been watching me for an unknown amount of time.

Also, he was already extending his influence to Earth through Sa Gong-yeon.

Even if I cast him out now, there was a high probability we would end up entangled eventually.

’And aliens must be defeated by aliens.’

I think I vaguely understand what the "interest of foreign gods" means.

Judging by his actions so far, although the Black Block had put me in a crisis, he didn’t seem like he would throw me as prey to other aliens.

Unless he wanted to play the role of the savior.

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

- Little Lamb. What must I do to make you forgive me?

"Hmm, I think there might be a way..."

As I slowly trailed off, the Black Block grew anxious.

- What is it! Please tell me quickly.

I waited long enough for him to get impatient before I spoke.

"Settle the payment for my photos."

Since my face was already sold, I might as well earn a few star fragments.

How could I possibly collect all the photos of my face that had already spread across the universe?

Since it had come to this, it seemed best to at least collect the fees.

"I will continue to provide photos, so I would like us to have a formal contract."

- Little Lamb...

The Black Block called me in a trembling voice.

Just as I was wondering if he was doing that because he was stingy with star fragments...

A massive sound erupted from the communication.

- Little Lamb Little Lamb Little Lamb Little Lamb Little Lamb Little Lamb Little Lamb Little Lamb LITTLELAMB!

A voice filled with madness called me.

Beyond the crackling noise, a laugh erupted as if millions of people were screaming simultaneously.

Following that, a sharp beeping sound was heard, and shortly after, the ear-splitting noise disappeared.

In the ensuing silence, the Black Block let out a crazed sound, "Hehe, hehehe."

- The Little Lamb is indeed my star. As your long-time fan, every time this happens ■■■■■■■...

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

After muttering something to himself, the Black Block spoke to me.

- I shall prepare a contract. A contract befitting my star.

He promised as if deeply moved, and then immediately started trying to seduce me again, not having regained his senses.

- But Little Lamb. Photos alone wouldn’t be enough, would they? The Little Lamb needs more star fragments. I have a wonderful method!

"Mr. Black Block."

- Please speak!

’Stop it, it’s annoying.’

- I am sorry, Little Lamb...

Although that wasn’t what I actually said, the deterrent effect seemed good, so I didn’t correct him.

"Contact me when the contract is ready."

I planned to show the contract to the Administrator as well.

And since things had turned out this way, I asked about something I had been wanting to find out.

"Mr. Black Block, you’ve taken an interest in my current appearance, haven’t you?"

- That is correct.

"By any chance, do you know a way for me to maintain my current state?"

- Which state are you referring to!

I didn’t know how the Black Block would take it, but I spoke cautiously.

"I... want to be a god while remaining human."

I hoped to be a god who maintained his humanity.

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

- How intriguing.

And to my concern, the Black Block replied cheerfully.

- But the Little Lamb has never been human to begin with!