Spending My Retirement In A Game

Meanwhile, monsters didn't have the privilege of being 'chosen'. They had to reach the maximum level; the monsters' peak. Of course, it was easier for monsters to get to that point, hence why there were dozens of transcendent monsters and only five people that peaked, but that didn't change just how much of an achievement that was.

However, Eisen did wonder exactly what made a monster qualified to become a god.

While things were split up into 'Heaven' and 'Hell', not all beings in heaven were necessarily good, and not all beings in hell were necessarily evil. Things weren't as black and white as that. As such, there were also many gods that could be considered 'evil'. So the condition most certainly wasn't that the monsters had to be righteous to ascend to godhood.

And from what Silber just said, it was clear. He said he 'failed', not that he simply didn't become a god. So, it was likely that monsters had to face some kind of trial once they reached their peak. It could be similar to the quest that Eisen and the other originals had to clear every 100 levels, though the form didn't really matter. Either way, if they succeeded, they would become gods.

If they failed, they would instead reach the point of transcendence and roam the world as a reality-breaking monstrosity.

But Eisen really didn't understand any of this. Monsters only had the opportunity to become gods at their peak. Meanwhile, people would lose said opportunity. After all, like Eisen and the others, the people that peaked would become totally immortal. So just... why did things work like that?

The Bralfam was still staring at Silber confused, and seemed to be glancing toward Eisen to see what he was thinking. The old man let out a deep sigh, "Silber is a transcendent giant, hence why he managed to grow to that size. And then, the curse came about, and he became trapped. However, the curse came to be in the middle of a battle with another transcendent monster, a Mountain Gobbler.

That's the monster this city was built within."

The Irngrad stared out of the window, "We're inside the mouth of a monster..?"

"Well, it's dead now," Eisen explained, "Brody slayed it for us. A mountain gobbler's body is mostly composed of stone anyway, so things shouldn't really change. You might come across pockets of rotting flesh at some point if you keep digging through the mountain, but overall, I doubt there's going to be many problems for you to keep staying here."

Seeming calmer, the Irngrad let out a sigh of relief, "I see. Thank you, Eisen. Truly, you have saved this city."

The old man was silent for a few moments. He didn't really know what to say. After all, he was the reason why this happened in the first place. Samuel had undone Silber's curse to mess with Eisen, after all.

"Though..." the Bralfam started, "What was it that man said before everything happened? That you... are from the same world as him?"

Eisen looked toward Silber, who just stood there unaffected. Clearly, Eisen had really told Silber everything there was to know, so he didn't have to hold back because of him, "The other originals and I were born in that other world, the same on that Samuel is from. Even there we were skilled and knowledgable. Extremely so.

He spoke to us to gather 'knowledge' to help him create a 'Game', something that could be used to entertain millions of people. In return, we were allowed access to said 'game' earlier than others. Or so, we thought. But instead, he had brought us here to create the world of that game for him. We were forced to help him curate people, countries, and cultures... in the exact way that he wanted."

The Irngrad stared at Eisen, "So... our world was... created by him?"

"No, I don't think so," Eisen replied immediately, "Rather, I assume that he somehow got his hands on a way to access a newborn world, and found a way to control it."

"But... if he is the one that 'curated' every aspect of our world, then... is there really a difference?" the Bralfam questioned. Eisen tought about it for a few moments, though in the end, the answer came to him rather naturally.

"There is. Samuel never had the power to influence things particularly tightly. All he did was rule over the world, decide what he wanted to happen when, and what to focus on. He told us what to develop, what to stop from developing... and so on. In the end, it's the people living within the world that truly created it.

The people that were filled with love and curiosity. The lives that were born and the ones that were lost. They are the ones that created the world, not the one sitting at the top of a tower staring down at the people below him," Eisen said confidently. He wasn't sure if this was enough to truly convince the Irngrad and Bralfam, but he knew that it had to do for now.

Eisen placed his hand onto his chest, "However... instead of talking about that, I think there are some more important matters to worry about," the old man explained, "As the King of Asgard, I pledge to you that we will support this kingdom with as much as we can offer.

For now, that will have to be contained to the manpower of the five originals and my soldiers, and if needed, we will send you rations or more manpower once the imminent trouble is resolved."

The Irngrad slowly nodded his head, "Thank you. I am sure that with your help, we will manage to save as many people as possible. But... what about the statue? Will that ice be a proper replacement?"

Eisen immediately explained, "No, it won't be, but I'm already planning on replacing it. I'm going to head out soon to find the materials to properly build a new pillar for the city," he said quickly, but the Irngrad seemed surprised, "You will take on the endeavor of creating a new statue?"

"Yeah, that's the idea at least. Though... I don't think I'll be recreating the statue in my brother's image, if you're alright with that," Eisen pointed out, and the Irngrad quickly nodded, "Of course! Anything is fine! Wanting to create such a statue in your own image, considering what an accomplishment it would be, is only-"

"Do you think I'm a narcissist? No, it won't look like me either. I have a much better idea than that," Eisen pointed out, looking outside the window as he said so.

---

Silber followed Eisen back out of the castle. The two were standing at the edge of the stairs to head back down, as Silber looked at his elder brother, "You're a King now?"

Eisen stopped immediately, "...right. Asgard wasn't a thing when you were alive, huh..?"

The old man rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I founded it with the other originals at some point. It's an archipelago of numerous different islands. They're all unique to each other, so we have a lot of different ressources on our hand."

Raising his brow surprised, Silber replied, "There were islands there? I don't remember that..."

"Well, each island represents a god, so I think there's some link there, but I don't know."

"Ah... yeah alright, there were just a handful of gods a hundred thousand years ago, so I guess it makes sense for me not to know. But really, I never took you for the 'King' type.

Who'd have thought the guy who only cared about craftsmanship would leave his workshop for once, eh?" Silber laughed slightly, and Eisen looked at him with a nervous expression, "What kind of person do you remember me being?"

A bit confused, Silber thought for a moment, "Well, you were kind, definitely. And curious. I said that as a joke just now, since you usually did travel around a lot, even if mostly to find new materials or learn more about this world. Meet other likeminded people. You said you did that on 'Earth' as well."

"Right... that does sound like me," Eisen replied, smiling softly, "But... that is just 'me'. The current me. Over the course of the past hundred thousand years, I... changed.

So, so much. The 'Eisen' that existed in this world just a year ago is a vastly different person to the one that exists now. The more I learn about him, the more I... despise him. And I'm worried that you will as well. So just...

if at any point, you..."

Silber frowned, "Eisen, who do you think you're talking to? I transcended. You can't reach this point without making a lot of sacrifices. I'm not a saint myself, you know?"

Eisen didn't respond to that anymore. He figured that made sense, but Silber also clearly underestimated just the grandness of how horrible the past Eisen truly was in the end. All the sins that he committed in his lifetime. Eisen himself just knew a fraction of those matters, and even those were enough for anyone to wish death upon him.

"Thank you," Eisen said slowly, "If you do ever change your mind about that, let me know."