<Rule No.1 of “Forgotten God” — Contract>

To form a contract with a deity, three conditions must be met.

First: a history and causal connection capable of drawing the gaze of a god. Second: an offering of value equal to the power granted by that god. Third: an unshakable will that binds both parties.

When these three conditions are fulfilled, the contract is considered complete. From that moment on, their threads of fate intertwine and become inseparable.

※ This text is taken from the official guidebook of the game “Forgotten God.”

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The fall felt endless. And it wasn’t about physical height. It was a strange, alien sensation—as if you were being born anew, living your entire life in reverse, and collapsing again. When the soles of his feet touched the ground, his consciousness was still in a deep stupor.

— Get a hold of yourself! Space out and you’re dead!

Smack!

A sharp pain burned across his cheek. The blurred vision swimming before his eyes began to clear. Gunther slowly raised his head.

— Your name is Gunther, right? Pull yourself together.

The one who struck him was, surprisingly, El. Her usually gentle face was now set in a strict expression, and that alone snapped Gunther fully back to reality.

Whoosh!

He sprang to his feet, taking a combat stance.

“This place...”

The surroundings looked bizarre, as if they had stepped into someone’s dream. The outlines of objects were erased, light and darkness tangled into a chaotic vortex. The radiance was so unbearable it felt like a powerful fluorescent lamp had been lit directly in front of his eyes.

Tiling!

[Divine Resistance resists the “Light” attribute]

Gunther reflexively stepped back, dodging a mass of approaching radiance.

— Good instincts.

That voice belonged to Kalos. He was already several steps ahead, cautiously observing the light.

— ...

It looked like nothing more than light. But the extreme caution on Kalos’s face brought back memories. Back to when he had still been Jonghyeon.

As a fan of “Forgotten God,” he had spent every spare moment scouring the internet for scraps of information about the game. And once, he had come across an interview with the project’s main director. A reporter from a game forum had asked a question many players had wondered: why was “Light” the symbol of Luthien, the final boss?

The answer had left a deep impression on him.

“Humanity has feared darkness since ancient times. But in darkness, people find not only fear. We also find peace. What we cannot see remains unknown, and the unknown does not cause pain.”

“But the moment light is cast, perception begins, and suffering is born. In a world revealed by light, humans gradually come to realize...”

“How insignificant and fleeting they are. The light of Luthien carries that meaning. It is a cruel illumination that lays bare the meaninglessness of human existence before cosmic beings.”

It had been a profound interview. And after Ellen Beyra told him that the director was one of those who received fragments of this world as “inspiration,” those words gained even more weight. If that was the case...

“What happens if you touch this light?”

There had been no such mechanic in the game during the boss fight. What did it actually do? As Gunther struggled with the thought, Dietrich’s low voice cut through the space.

— We start with Jean Daet.

Rahenia stood beside him, gazing into the blinding distance.

— Yes. It seems the youngest, Jean Daet, will break through first. Once he crosses the line, the crack will begin to widen. Until it becomes large enough for Luthien himself to descend into this world.

— Then it’s over. We have to stop him before that happens. Move!

Boom!

At the command, the three gods surged forward, charging straight into the radiance. In a space where direction could not be discerned, they ran without hesitation, as if holding an invisible compass and map. Rahenia and Baldrak immediately followed.

Gunther did not hesitate either. He leapt into the blinding torrent and—

— ...!

At that very moment, he understood the true nature of this “Light.” The white radiance split like a prism, scattering into seven rays. Seven colors. Seven different frequencies.

“Seven... the Seven Cults!”

One of the rays, especially bright, wrapped around Gunther’s body. The moment it touched him, he instinctively understood its nature.

The god of gluttony, hiding beneath the mask of Abundance. Its authority. The source of that power—insatiable hunger and endless lack. A stomach that could never be filled. A thirst that could never be quenched.

— Kh—!

His internal organs twisted as if trying to digest themselves. In his impoverished childhood, he had once filled his stomach with tap water. That hollow hunger, when you swallow water just to suppress the spasms... But what surged through him now was beyond comparison.

The horror of your very existence turning into a bottomless void. But there was something even worse.

— Waa... waaah!

The light wavered. For a moment, the radiance parted, revealing what lay within. Gunther could hardly believe his eyes.

Rustle...

Along the path they ran, like roadside trees, shadows began to rise.

“Trees?”

Black trunks. Twisted branches. Cracked bark. And on every branch, like fruit, something hung. Gunther didn’t immediately understand what it was.

“Ah... damn it.”

...They were people. Or rather, dried corpses of those who had died of starvation. They were so emaciated they no longer resembled living beings, but pieces of bark or discarded insect husks. Skeletal hands clutched their grotesquely bloated stomachs—the end of prolonged starvation.

— Waaah... waaah!

They were the “hungry offerings” sacrificed to the god of Abundance.

“...This is hell.”

The crying grew louder. The space vibrated, resonating with the light itself. And then—

Crack!

Something burst through the ground and surged upward. The spawn of Jean Daet.

Screech!

They varied in form, but overall resembled twisted parodies of humans. Through their split ribcages, black stomachs writhed like snakes. Their jaws stretched unnaturally long, tearing their mouths down to their necks. Tongues split into dozens of strands lashed wildly through the air.

Some had swollen bellies, others were shriveled so tightly that skin clung to bone.

But they all had one thing in common.

Emptiness. Where eyes should have been, there were only black voids. They lunged like predators that had scented fresh meat.

Boom!

But the gods fought without hesitation.

— Break through!

They too must have been consumed by that dreadful hunger. The light made no exceptions. And yet their vision did not cloud. It was clear. Burning rage and a sense of duty shone brighter than that unbearable radiance.

— Forward!

Swords blazed, magic crushed enemies into the ground. Alchemical circles filled the void, and Kalos’s spells rained down upon the monsters.

— FORWARD!!!! they roared, tearing the servants apart.

They did not stop. They did not look back. Gunther, frozen at first by the nightmare, clenched his teeth the next moment.

“...Move.”

The end of this journey was already decided. The intervention of the God of Time would bring victory to the trio. The manifestation of Luthien would fail. That single fact was the only hope in this hell.

— Aaaaaaah!

With a scream, he swung the “Greatsword of Despair.” His consciousness was already wavering. Hunger gnawed at his brain, his vision warped.

And yet he did not stop. Staggering, stumbling, he ran, striking again and again. He ran as if afraid that even for a moment, he might lose sight of the backs of the three gods ahead.

He pushed through—

Through Gluttony hidden behind the mask of Abundance; Through Distrust cloaked in the words of Devotion; Through cruel Execution named Judgment; Through rotten Disease whispered as Healing; Through Chains promised as Protection; Through Madness proclaimed as Repose.

One after another, he broke through them.

Tiling!

[You have witnessed “Kalos’s Completed Spell”]

[Deciphering magical formula composed of taboo and truth]

[You have comprehended part of this law]

[Proficiency in magic branches increases sharply: “Serpent’s Nest,” “Heavenly Vision,” “Red Lantern”...]

[You have witnessed “El’s Miraculous Alchemy”]

[Analyzing the process of turning the impossible into possible]

[Stat Luck increases by 15]

[You have witnessed the mastery of Dietrich — a being who reached the limit of swordsmanship]

[A life devoted to a single purpose condensed into one strike]

[Your body remembers the “Correct Answer” of the sword]

Messages poured down like a waterfall of light. There were as many lines filling his vision as there had been enemies just slain. It was a gain that more than repaid seven deaths.

If this were the usual Gunther, he would have smiled in satisfaction. He would have checked his growth, calculated the gains, and felt pleased. But now, his gaze did not linger on the system notifications even for a moment.

The backs of the gods running ahead. His eyes were fixed only on them.

If even he, trailing behind, was being crushed like this—what kind of pain were those at the front enduring?

Unlike him, they did not know that victory awaited at the end of this thorny path. And yet they moved forward. Just as they had once told him at the Star Tower: humans are beings who do not choose defeat.

Something stirred deep within Gunther’s chest. A feeling every human must experience. A natural, burning impulse toward those who protect the world at the cost of their own exhaustion. A conviction bordering on faith—that the end of this journey must be a happy one.

“Almost there.”

Gunther accelerated again... anticipating the well-earned victory of the three gods.

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But why? Gunther couldn’t understand. He wanted to scream and ask.

Why? What the hell?!

The struggle of the three gods, which had seemed eternal, began to fade. The spawn of the Evil God raged ever more violently. The light intensified, devouring everything. And then, as all collapsed after exhausting their last strength—

...Why did the promised salvation not appear? Gunther stared ahead, eyes filled with incomprehension.

Woooo—

The light flared again.

[Divine Resistance: Failed]

[Existence stability rapidly decreasing]

[Individuality undergoing erosion]

...Something was coming from the other side of the dimension. Something indescribably horrifying. A cosmic entity.

“...Where is the God of Time?”

If it was going to appear, it had to be now. Right before Luthien’s arrival. Before destruction became reality.

“Why...”

Gunther frantically looked around, but saw nothing except blinding light.

It was a paradox. The “future” was real. He himself was proof of that. But for that future to exist, Luthien’s manifestation here must not happen. Yet no matter how he looked, he could not see a way to stop it.

Gunther stared ahead in shock. At the three gods who could no longer fight.

Dietrich stood on one knee, leaning on his sword—his other leg was gone. From beneath his shattered visor came a murmur directed at no one.

— I swear... the glory and joy of victory do not have to belong to me.

Dark red blood streamed down his chin. The sword sank deeper into the ground.

— So please, let someone... go further than I did. Please, do not let them give up.

Beside him, El collapsed. She no longer had the strength even for the simplest alchemical formula, but her hands were tightly clasped in prayer.

— Kh—!

She coughed, staining her body crimson. Her eyes had already gone blind, trembling without focus.

— Not yet... not yet.

And yet, El did not loosen her hands.

— Not... not the end. I know. We are imperfect, foolish... beings who sometimes break.

A faint laugh mixed with a sigh escaped her tightly closed lips.

— But... we rise again. We become stronger, better. You’ve seen it all.

Tears fell from her sightless eyes.

— So...

— Just one more time... just once... give us a chance.

And finally, Kalos. He looked silently at his fallen comrades. Blood poured from the wound in his side. And yet he laughed loudly.

— Ha... damn it, so it ends like this.

It was not his usual joking laughter. It was filled with bitterness and resentment.

— Well... screw it. Our lives were always this messed up.

But in that moment, a bright blue light ignited in his eyes that had seemed forever dulled.

— And still...

The corners of his lips twisted into a grin.

— I have to see it. Whether my choices were right in the end. Abandoning some to save others, cutting away the lesser for the greater... the damn result of weighing everything on the scales of fate! I have to see it too!

The knees of the man who had even abandoned his beloved to save humanity finally buckled. Kalos finished, almost sobbing:

— ...Show me.

Gunther stood frozen, staring at the heart-wrenching scene. Predetermined victory, paradoxes of the future—all of it vanished from his mind. Only one thing remained: a burning sense of injustice that this was the end awaiting them.

The three conditions of a contract. As a devoted player of “Forgotten God,” he knew them better than anyone.

A history capable of drawing a god’s gaze. An offering of value equal to the god’s power. An unshakable will that binds both sides.

Was their history of fighting for humanity—from mortal birth to divine ascension—not enough? Was the value of sacrificing even their own existence not enough? Was this will, striving to preserve humanity even at the edge of annihilation, not enough?

Why does the God of Time not appear? Why? For what reason?! Facing the cruelest injustice of this world, Gunther clenched his fists until they bled.

— Gunther.

And then—

— Gunther.

A voice called him. Someone’s eyes were fixed on him. Meeting that gaze, Gunther felt something strange.

— Rahenia...?

Despite the imminent disappearance of her companions and the destruction of the world, Rahenia’s blue eyes were calm like the deep sea. Clear, transparent, unshakable.

After a brief silence, Rahenia spoke quietly but distinctly:

— Answer us.

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Tiling!

[El, Dietrich, and Kalos offer a contract to the “Fragment of the God of Time,” which constitutes your essence]

Tiling!

[Condition to unlock the attribute “???” has been met]

[The true name of the hidden attribute “???” is being revealed]

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O God who dwells in silence. We were born as humans and were weak, And in our weakness we came to know fear, But knowing fear, we did not retreat, And in the end, we have reached this threshold.

Therefore, do not let our defeat become the end of humanity. Beneath these collapsing heavens, kindle one final light.

Take our histories, Accept as sacrifice our divine ranks, our names, and our very existence. We offer all the threads of this life’s fate.

Have mercy on us. We beg you, turn your gaze upon this world. Grant humanity a tomorrow.

...Break your silence and answer.