4 Chapter 4: The Path Forward

[Day 0]

Because of The way events unfolded, Asahi predicted a grand reveal, something along the lines of him being the reincarnation of some god.

However, nothing of sorts happened.

Rather, the scene that followed left him baffled.

The young goddess brought out a wine bottle and struggled to remove its cork with her delicate hands. She likely wanted to have some alcohol before a serious discussion, but forgot that she could use her divine powers to make things happen in an instant.

The goddess' current situation reminded him of a certain expression: 'Do you ever look at someone and wonder "what is going on inside their head?"'

Klyscha suddenly paused, and the cork flew up in the air. She poured the liquor for both of them and extended a glass toward him.

He smirked. "Are we gonna pretend that never happened?"

She cleared her throat, a hint of red hue covering her cheeks. "Even gods can be forgetful."

"Quite true." He grasped the glass and brought it to his lips for a taste. His eyes flew wide open. "So sweet… This doesn't eve taste like alcohol."

He didn't even entertain the possibility of Klyscha slipping some strange stuff into his drink. If she wanted to truly harm him, he wouldn't be sitting here with her.

"It's my divine formula," she answered with a serious face. "You should drink it all."

"What is it, though?"

"It'll give you an affinity for every element. You'll need them for your 'goal.'"

"Say no more."

He took a deep breath and downed the glass in one go. The divine liquor almost melted his throat. As it reached his stomach, it generated a large ball of heat. He felt as if flames coursed through his veins, burning him from the inside.

His heart, tempered through tragedies, barely suppressed the urge to scream out. His teeth gnashed with each other as he maintained eye contact with Klyscha.

The flickering of her eyes showed her own worries for him. She reached and placed her warm hand on his. "It won't take long."

He forced a nod, his twitching lips forming a smile. "I-It's easy…"

A few moments later, he experienced a substantial change taking place in his body. His bones twisted along with the muscles before popping back into their place. The pain continued burning through him.

But… he refused to cry.

After what felt like an eternity, the agony subsided. He collapsed on the table, causing Klyscha to rush out of her seat.

She created a cloth and wiped the sweat from his face. "Good job, Asahi. You unlocked the potential to become a god."

"A what now?" He snapped back to his seat, his eyes wide as saucers. "Seriously?"

Klyscha nodded. "Don't you feel strong?"

"Now that you mention it…" He curled his fist over and over. As a regular gym enjoyer, he knew his strength and his limits. Right now, he felt as if he could curl hundreds of pounds with ease. "The divine liquor wasn't to make me drunk — it was to temper my body and willpower."

"Indeed."

"It's like those spiritual pills used in the usual Xianxia," he said with a deep sigh. "Now that I'm stronger, can we talk about my mother?"

"Let's talk about that after we get some basic things out of the way." Klyscha skidded back to her seat and spread her arms. "This place is for people with high karma, like heroes who have saved countless lives. Asahi, you're now one of those."

His head tilted in confusion. "You got something wrong. I'm just a young master obsessed with, well, filling in the hole left behind by her."

"You…" Klyscha trailed her words with a distant look. "You do not know the consequences of your own actions."

Klyscha snapped her fingers like a certain purple bald villain in comics. Hundreds of screens manifested in the sky, showing many girls and boys playing, reading books, laughing, and enjoying their lives.

"The children you helped during your life count to 89,249. Almost a hundred thousand children can live a better life because of your nonchalant donations. Do you not remember that?"

"Woah…" He knew he had helped a ton of children in his selfish pursuit, yet the number still overwhelmed him. "I left a positive impact on the world. It wasn't all meaningless then."

"Positive? Those children will go on to make the world a better place," she said and leaned her chin into her hand, which she propped on the table. "The depths of your feelings… it's breathtaking."

"What? Did you whisper something?"

She softly shook her head. "No."

"Anyways, you haven't answered my question. How will you bring my mother back? Do I have to do your bidding and slay some Demon Lord first? If I were to do that, please give me a system to accompany me…"

"As you wish, you are getting a system in exchange for your karma."

"Woah! Really!?"

Klyscha gave a nod in confirmation. "As I told you before, the children you helped immensely changed the world for the better."

"Damn, I knew those milfs had potential, but even their children…" He couldn't help but smile at his accomplishment. "How much positive karma do I have?"

"Even if I give you my strongest system, you'll have 35,690 Karma left."

"That sounds too much. Indeed, milf hunting is the best way to achieve success in one's life." He pointed at the wine bottle. "and how much was that in Karma?"

She lowered her head and mumbled, "...sand Karma."

"What?"

"Three hundred thousand Karma."

"Holy… just what was it?"

"I'll tell you later. First, I must tell you something about your mother."

The mere mention of his mother made him lean forward in interest. "Tell me."

"I captured your and Aimi's soul after you died. It's how I stopped you from passing into the reincarnation cycle. I couldn't do the same for your mother because I wasn't stalk—watching you at that time."

"You just said stalking! You also wrote that article glazing over me, didn't you?"

"...It's why I can't bring you to her in a traditional sense." She completely ignored the accusations thrown at her and continued explaining, "However, there is a way — you have to reverse the time flow of your universe to the day you were born and stop her death. It's the only way you can save your mother."

He would've called her out for joking if not for the dead-serious look in her eyes.

"You telling me all of this means I have the potential to do it."

Klyscha nodded, her lips curving into a soft smile. "If you're willing to put time and effort, yes."

He leaned back in his seat and took a breath. "It's not impossible then. I'll do it. I'll reverse the whole damn universe to save my mother."

Klyscha clapped. "What do you want from your leftover Karma?"

His lips curved in a playful smile. "Can I get you? You'll be my lovely companion during the day and a hug pillow during the night. Are you willing to become the young mistress to this young—former young master?"

He half-jokingly tried to buy himself a goddess with his karma. She was pretty, adorable, and a kuudere with a twisted sense of humor — a perfect companion to start his journey with.

'Plus she is a stalker of mine. I have to make things official before her love gets out of hand, like Aimi.'

The last thing he wanted was to get stabbed before completing his mission of saving his mother.

Klyscha's brows furrowed in annoyance. "Why would you even want a cliché goddess like me by your side?"

"Hey, it's your fault for choosing that name." He chuckled. "Can't you tell I'm attracted to you?"

Klyscha's eyes closed in deep thoughts as if she contemplated his offer. "Okay, I agree. It's only for your Karma and not like I have any feelings for you or anything," she said, her eyes darting everywhere except him. "You understand?!"

Her sudden transformation into a tsundere took him by surprise.

'A stalker tsundere goddess without baka or other curses… What a strange combo.'

He shrugged his shoulders. It didn't matter whether she was a tsundere, yandere, or kuudere — a gentleman like him loved all types of women equally.

The now tsundere Goddess fidgeted with her dress. "Is that how a tsundere should be?" but immediately after, she shifted back to her usual expressionless face. "My acting was good, right?"

"Stop messing with me," he grumbled and assumed an unnaturally serious expression. "Are you sure about this?"

He had no intention of forcing Klyscha into a contract through his Karma. Rather, he'd be happy if she joined him out of her own volition rather than the enticement of some Karma.

Klyscha's eyes shone brightly, her thoughts a mystery to everyone but herself. She picked up the liquor-filled glass and downed it in one go.

Thud! She practically slammed the glass on the table, yet the glass remained intact without a scratch. She pointed her finger at him with a flushed face. "You know, I haven't ever had the pleasure of experiencing 'Sex.' Can you teach me?"

Klyscha's straightforward request was all he needed to return to his carnivorous roots.

'My first time with a goddess. It'll be fun.'