Master of the System

Vremya stared at Pravos, making the god of justice shrink down, her neck hunching below her shoulders. He had expected the god of justice to have more to offer, but in the end, she only had one user? “I’m having a hard time believing you aren’t lying to me right now,” Vremya said.

“I’m serious…,” Pravos said and pursed her lips. It looked like she was about to cry. She whirled around and pulled out her personal computer. It was a bit rusty, and the top of the screen was cracked. With a swipe of her hand, she opened her bank account. There were only two hundred fifty earth-grade spirit stones inside, and the most recent transaction, the one made to Kosmos to transfer her strongest—and only—user through a portal, cost one heaven-grade spirit stone, a whole eighty percent of her previous net worth.

“Aren’t you a part of the righteous gods’ alliance?” Karta asked, piping in from the side. “You guys fight the evil gods all the time. How can you have a war without any money?” Even a snack god like her knew the importance of money when it came to war. The side with more money usually had the bigger weapons!

“Blagora manages our funds,” Pravos said and sniffled. “Also, she confiscates my users when they get strong enough. She says I act before I think, and everyone else agreed with her. However, if I propose a plan, and Blagora agrees with it, I can mobilize dozens of immortals!”

Vremya exhaled. At first, it seemed like the cardinal virtues had tossed Pravos to him as an apology. If that were the case, he’d be able to take all her users, all her wealth, and use it for himself. However, now it seemed like the cardinal virtues had tossed Pravos to him because they were tired of watching over and cleaning up after her. “You know what, you can go. I’m looking deep down into my heart, and I’ve found the kindness within. You’re free.”

“Really?” Pravos’ eyes lit up.

“Of course,” Vremya said and nodded. “But your user stays.” Even though Karen was weak, she had still mastered more recipes than his own chef. With that knowledge, she could help Smith Jr. grow faster, and they already had a competitive relationship which was good for both of them. It was hard to grow without rivals: even trees had rivals.

Pravos bit her lower lip and stared at Vremya. The old man looked away, turning his attention back onto his screen. A few minutes passed like this, one god staring at the other. Karta sensed the awkwardness in the air, so she excused herself and went into the garden to check on her chickens. After an hour, Vremya finally looked away from his display to meet Pravos’ teary gaze. He raised an eyebrow. “You’re still here?”

“I don’t have enough money to summon a portal,” Pravos said, her voice so small Vremya could barely hear it despite being a god.

Vremya blinked hard. “If you’re poor, why don’t you go out and kill a few titans?”

“Huh?” Pravos wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands, trying to do it in a way such that Vremya couldn’t see. “I’m not strong enough to kill titans.”

Vremya snorted and pointed at the armor and weapons Pravos had equipped. “I’ve seen those on the marketplace. They’re pretty expensive and practical too. You can’t kill a titan even while wearing that?”

Pravos pursed her lips and unsheathed her sword. She tapped the blade against the side of her armor. Instead of the sound of ringing metal, there were dull thuds that sounded instead. It was as if two pieces of plastic had collided with one another. “It’s fake,” Pravos said, her face flushing red. “Since gods can’t actually fight each other, armors and weapons don’t really matter.”

Vremya scratched his head before nodding. The response made a lot of sense, and the next time someone asked him why he was naked, that would be his reply. “Well, alright,” Vremya said. He reached into his fanny pack and took out a pouch filled with spirit stones. He was a rich man, and since the woman had given him such a good answer, he’d pay her back properly. Vremya placed the pouch of spirit stones into the god of justice’s hands—although she was a bit hesitant to receive it. “Here’s a hundred heaven-grade spirit stones. Do what you want with it.”

“Hey! Old man! You never gave me free spirit stones before!” Karta dashed into the room and glared at the pouch in Pravos’ hands. “Where’s mine?”

Vremya snorted. “Do you pay rent? Be thankful I haven’t collected two hundred thousand years of backpay from you.”

“I was only stuck here for two hundred thousand years because you beamed us into the future!”

Vremya shrugged. Although it was his fault, it wasn’t his problem. “Stinky dog, you’ve made so much money off of my name. Quit being so greedy.”

Karta smacked her lips together before taking her spot on the couch. “Fine, you win.”

“Thought so,” Vremya said and leaned back. His gaze landed on Pravos. “Hmm? You’re still here? Don’t tell me that isn’t enough to order a portal home.”

Pravos swallowed and lowered her hands, still holding onto the pouch. Tears dripped from her eyes, causing Vremya and Karta to exchange glances with one another. The god of justice’s lips trembled. The god of time was actually such a kind person! He was just an old man who grew up in a different era, one strife with violence. His values were different due to the times, but with some gentle guidance, Pravos was sure he could change.

“Are you going to cry?” Karta asked. “If you’re going to cry, let me know so I can record it.” The dog licked its lips. “I bet the video will get tons of views. All I have to do is edit in some potato chips in the background, and the subliminal advertising will be perfect!”

Pravos’ hand twitched. The old man was a good person, but the dog he kept by his side was not! If things continued as they were, Vremya would have his morals corrupted by the snack god. In fact, Pravos was sure that was the case. Who was the first one to discover the god of time after he had awoken? The snack god. Who was the one who helped the god of time set up his systems? The snack god! Everything was the stinky dog’s fault! Pravos was never one to hesitate when it came to speaking out about evil. She stared Vremya right in the eye and said, “You have to get rid of that dog. If you’re afraid of losing its assistance, I’ll be your dog instead!”

Karta tilted her head. A second later she sat up straight, her hackles raised. “Hey! Are you trying to take my spot!? Do you think you have the balls to do it? My buddy Vremya and I are on a mission to take down Istoriya, a primordial god! You almost wet yourself when you found out Vremya was a primordial god, and you think you can replace me?”

“Take down Istoriya?” Pravos asked, her eyes widening. “I’m in! I’ve been wanting him to die for eons! You won’t believe all the horrible things he’s done just to leave marks in history!”

“Wait, no,” Karta said with a frown. “You’re supposed to back out after hearing that. It’s not supposed to fire you up.”

“Justice never backs down!” Pravos declared and stood up proud. “I might be beaten over and over and over and over and over and over…, but I always stand back up!” She nodded at Vremya. “I’ll do everything I can to help.”

Vremya furrowed his brow. It was nice that he obtained another ally to help him deal with Istoriya, but it would’ve been even nicer if she was more capable. Well, he was about to open the business involving the world with an increased flow of time. Instead of dealing with customers himself, he could appoint Pravos as the manager. It’d be perfect.