"Because I've got plenty of time," the transparent figure replied, completely unbothered.
"So you've even watched Nezha Conquers the Sea too?" Duncan shot back.
"Of course. I watched it live," the figure said casually, tossing out the kind of divine gossip that was actively hazardous to hear. "Shame gods can't interfere with fixed timelines—otherwise, after he became a god, he'd definitely go back and pull an even bigger stunt. I know him well. Oh, and I'm friends with the Great Sage Equal to Heaven too—he still owes me a drink. That's just how immortals are: it's the same small circle, heads you see every day. East and West don't mingle as much, though."
Duncan wanted to forcibly empty his brain. Who knew whether another god would someday "drop by his dorm" because of something he'd overheard?
"Relax, relax," the figure soothed. "This is just a dream. No matter how strong they are, they can't see in here."
It was trying to comfort him, but being an intangible, faceless silhouette, it was hard to tell what expression it even had.
"Can't you switch forms?" Duncan couldn't help complaining. "You could turn into Big Duck and comfort me too."
"Hey, don't blame me," the figure said with an exaggerated air of grievance. "You barely spend anything—my KPI is in the gutter. If you'd work harder and earn more valis, maybe next time Big Duck will show up on the shop interface to guide you."
It was absurdly cooperative, as if it had forgotten it was supposed to be a god.
"Why can't you just transform yourself?" Duncan gave it a sideways look. That earlier "model" had been… impressive. Shame he hadn't had time to—well—inspect it before it swapped again.
"What if I told you I'm a male god?" the figure asked.
"…That's… not a dealbreaker!" Duncan answered after half a beat.
Cosplayers had fans by the millions—how hard could a "realistic doll" be?
"No. Humans can't. At least, you can't," the figure said, putting on a solemn tone and patting Duncan on the shoulder—though of course Duncan felt nothing. "There are plenty of beautiful girls in this other world. I'd say Alfia is pretty great. Go look for your own encounter. Stop daydreaming about nonsense in your sleep."
Duncan pictured Alfia's figure.
Perfect looks, perfect body—no notes.
Except for that Gospel of hers that could send Zeus flying over two hills. Duncan still wanted to live a long and healthy life, so maybe he'd avoid poking that hornet's nest for now.
"Alright," Duncan said, dragging the conversation back to the point after they'd exhausted the trash talk. "You went through all this trouble to send me here, hiding it from so many gods… why?"
"Obviously to save this world," the faceless figure answered—rarely serious for once.
"Look at what I gave you: the shop cheat, everything from weapons to skills. And you've got an EXP-boosting skill too. You're basically the ideal resident of the Dungeon."
Then it leaned into the theatrics.
"In chuuni terms, you're this world's destiny. This world is on the brink. Besides the Black Dragon and the Dungeon—those things that want to wipe out the Lower World—there are also gods who want to destroy this world just for fun. I need you to save it."
"Then just give me a full endgame set," Duncan said instantly. "You know, the classic 'daily sign-in: ten thousand years of cultivation, one hundred thousand-year soul ring' package."
"Sorry," the figure said, sounding almost apologetic. "That's a bit too much workload. I can't do it right now. I told you—gods can't interfere with the Lower World. The moment I use divine power, I'll get flagged. And I really don't want a bunch of gods ganging up on me."
It paused, then added with deadpan gravity:
"Gods might call themselves immortal and undying, but if a crowd of gods hunts you down… you can still die."
"That doesn't sound very 'undying' to me," Duncan muttered.
"It's like web-novels," the figure said, utterly earnest. "Stuff like 'Eternal Youth Art' and 'Invincible Immortal Manual'—it sounds badass, doesn't it?"
Its shape shimmered—and it turned into Duncan.
"I'm seriously going to sue you for violating my portrait rights," Duncan said.
"Go ahead," the god—wearing Duncan's face—replied nonchalantly. "This form won't last much longer anyway. Time has eroded what little power I have left. Even if you never came, in a few more years I would've faded on my own."
It paused, and for once the tone softened.
"I'm happy I got to see you before I 'die.'"
Duncan exhaled. He couldn't even be mad at that.
"Then what's with the big question mark on the shop homepage?" he asked, seizing the opening. "Did you update my system again without asking?"
"This is part of the salvation plan," the god said. "It took a lot of effort for me to wedge it in. It's the item you need most right now."
Short. Crisp. Final.
"And what exactly is it?" Duncan pressed.
"You'll know later," the god said. "For now, you need to survive what's right in front of you. So I'll give you one free hint."
Its tone sharpened.
"What you ran into… was a demon bear whose potential sits in the Lv.3 bracket."
Duncan's scalp tightened.
Lv.3.
Two of them already felt like a nightmare.
But the god wasn't finished.
"Of course, the reason they're classified in that bracket isn't because each one matches a Lv.3 monster individually."
It let the words hang.
"It's because they are—"
"A group-type monster," Duncan finished, his voice going flat.
The god's "hint" was like a demon whispering into his ear.
He'd fought one. He knew how nasty they were. Two was already absurd. If they were a group-type monster, that meant there weren't just two in this region—there were more.
A lot more.
"So you didn't send me here to save the world," Duncan ground out through clenched teeth. "You sent me here to die."
"I didn't force you to come to this shrine," the god said, shrugging. "In my original plan, this area was Lv.3 territory. You weren't supposed to set foot here for quite a while."
Then it grew unexpectedly firm.
"Besides giving you the shop and bringing you to this world, everything you've done has been your own choice. I can only give you a beginning. The road is yours to walk—step by step."
It patted Duncan's shoulder again and smiled like some encouraging mentor.
Duncan stared at it.
"…Really?"
"Don't be so paranoid," the god said, voice gentler. "I get it—when you're new here, anything abnormal sets off alarms. I can't explain everything to you. But I'm not trying to harm you."
It gestured toward the clearing.
"You were right: this ruin truly was one of the Great Tree Sea's rare safe zones. Thanks to the barrier, monsters didn't dare invade."
"But I set an anchor point out here for a reason—so I could deliver my 'back-up plan' accurately later. Now that you've arrived, whether by chance or inevitability, I can't keep it active much longer without other gods noticing something's off."
The god's voice turned matter-of-fact.
"After you wake up, the barrier will gradually lose its effect. The shrine's role ends here."
Duncan's eyes widened. "Aren't you afraid I'll fail and the world will be destroyed? You're turning off your anchor that easily?"
"First, you're mistaken," the god corrected. "It's not me turning it off right now. I told you—this Lower World is special. The gods above aren't allowed to interfere. After centuries, the power I left behind has been worn down. It fading is natural."
"And second—don't look at gods through human eyes," it continued, tone cool. "You'll regret it. To them, world destruction isn't a big deal. Destruction or continuation… it's all within their range of amusement."
"They don't have your human obsession with 'saving everyone.' Or rather, saving and destroying are both part of their entertainment. Gods have wiped out civilizations and worlds beyond counting. You humans just think the world matters more than it does."
The god's face—or what passed for it—was calm. But Duncan caught something off in that calmness: a faint disgust when it spoke about "other gods," as if it stood apart from them.
"Enough," the god said, cutting off the line of thought. "Time's almost up. It's time for your adventure to begin."
It snapped its fingers.
The space began to collapse. The dream started dissolving into nothingness.
"Wait!" Duncan forced his fading mind to hold on and shouted. "One last question! Why me?!"
The god paused, as if startled.
And then, on a face that shouldn't have had features at all, a smile appeared.
"I don't know either," it said softly. "I don't know how it began… and I don't know how it ends."
It spoke like it was quoting something Duncan would recognize.
"In your words—"
"Everything is the choice of Steins;Gate."
....
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