[You have selected the third option.]
The third option was the one I'd chosen.
It wasn't a rational choice.
Since I had absolutely no information about what awaited me outside or what I might encounter, the sensible thing would've been to assume the worst and choose one of the other options.
But I didn't want to.
Just as the name ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ suggested, I wasn't exactly in a favorable situation.
And because of that, this option felt like my last chance.
If I chose the first or second option, that would be the end of it.
But the third option held the hope that I could continue growing stronger.
After all, what someone trapped in a swamp needs isn't another person's hand to pull them out just once, but a rope that will allow them to escape no matter how many times they fall back in.
To be honest, I'd chosen it impulsively because the other options somehow felt as though they were telling me I couldn't grow any stronger….
Still, it should be fine.
Thanks to [Bone Replacement], I should be able to raise my stats quickly as long as I obtain some good bones.
I comforted and reassured myself with those thoughts.
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ squeezes out what little power she has left to strengthen the Blessing for her Apostle.]
-Skill growth speed increased to ×1.5.
As though encouraging me, the Damn Goddess increased the Blessing's effect from 1.3 times to 1.5 times.
I usually didn't like her very much, but at this moment, I felt at least a little grateful.
[For Those Who Are Doomed.]
With that final message, the light swelled once more, and the bench and streetlamp disappeared.
I felt a little reluctant to leave, but the pure-white light showed no intention of waiting, as though telling me that it was time to go.
—Stay strong, my child.
Just then, I thought I caught a faint glimpse of a woman's smile beyond the brilliant light.
Unfortunately, at that very moment, I emerged from the light and was transported high into the sky, so I couldn't see her properly.
Wait, the sky?
“Clack? Clatter, clatter!”
‘Ah, that damned goddess, seriously…!’
A bungee jump without a rope had suddenly begun.
CRASH—!
The result was painfully predictable.
Fortunately, perhaps because my body consisted of lightweight bones, I wasn't particularly injured.
Thanks to the Damn Goddess, I even got to experience something like this. How very grateful I am.
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ becomes bashful.]
That wasn't a compliment!
Haah. She'd seemed quite goddess-like when she'd appeared as a doll earlier, but now she was nothing more than the Damn Goddess again.
Was it a sense of disparity? Or awkwardness?
Whatever it was, I doubted I'd ever be able to reconcile those two sides of her.
***
As I reassembled the bones that had scattered during my fall, the dust gradually settled, revealing my surroundings.
A blue sky, white ground, and white trees.
It was as though I'd stepped into a black-and-white film, with everything except the sky bleached pure white.
It was a dreamlike sight, but I didn't allow myself to become so captivated by it that I lowered my guard.
After all, places that looked this fantastical or unusual were usually found inside Gates, and there was a high probability that they concealed something.
I used [Bone Manipulation] to create a bow and several arrows, then began walking while keeping a wary eye on my surroundings.
After walking for a while, I soon noticed something among the pure-white trees.
“Clatter?”
As I approached, a statue gradually came into view.
The statue, carved from what appeared to be pure-white marble, was so badly broken and chipped in various places that its original form was impossible to recognize.
Judging from the relatively intact portion depicting a pair of legs, it had definitely been a statue of some person….
—The Goddess's divinity has been confirmed. Welcome.
When I reached out to touch the statue for a closer examination, an emotionless voice rang out.
RUMBLE….
As soon as the voice faded, the ground split apart, revealing a hidden staircase.
The whole situation was so sudden and contrived.
An ominous feeling seemed to strike me in the back of the head.
What were the odds that a skeleton who'd suddenly fallen from the sky would discover a hidden staircase nearby?
And then there was the word ‘Goddess’ mentioned by that voice.
Something smelled fishy.
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ urges you to stop being suspicious and hurry inside.]
Seeing the Damn Goddess react like that only made the whole thing smell even fishier.
But that didn't mean I could simply ignore the staircase.
In the end, I began descending the steps without letting go of my suspicions about the goddess.
[You have entered the First Sacred Site of the ‘Goddess of the Doomed’.]
I knew it.
The moment I stepped onto the first stair, a translucent notification window appeared before my eyes.
As expected, this place was connected to the Damn Goddess.
The statue I'd seen earlier probably depicted the Damn Goddess herself.
And the entrance must've opened after sensing the divinity emanating from me, her Apostle.
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ proudly declares that she prepared this place for her Apostle.]
But that can't be the only reason….
The fact that the Damn Goddess had deliberately guided me here didn't entirely dispel the suspicious feeling I'd experienced earlier.
“Clatter?”
And I soon discovered why.
At last, the staircase ended, revealing the Sacred Site.
Instead of magnificent stained-glass windows, cracks were carved into the walls everywhere.
Instead of soft silk curtains, the windows were draped with webs woven by spiders themselves.
And instead of the Divine Power that should've filled the Sacred Site, dust floated through the air.
This place was more of a ruin than a Sacred Site.
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ pretends not to notice.]
Normally, Sacred Sites and Temples, which were almost exclusively associated with beings known as Constellations, were maintained by their followers.
And even when they had no followers, they were usually repaired and cleaned naturally by the Constellation's Divine Power.
If a Temple was a place that connected a Constellation with humanity, then a Sacred Site was a holy place steeped in that Constellation's history.
That was why Constellations generally took care of their Sacred Sites and paid attention to them, even if they neglected their Temples.
Especially when it was somewhere as significant as their very first Sacred Site.
Yet this place was a ruin.
Even if it was a hidden Sacred Site, there was only one thing that could explain how thoroughly it had been neglected.
“Clatter….”
So you're not the ‘Goddess of the Doomed’, but a goddess who's already completely ruined….
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ makes excuses, saying that it is rare for the doomed to succeed, and even when they do, they end up joining other Constellations.]
That's quite a realistic explanation.
But it doesn't change the fact that you've already failed, does it?
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ lowers her head.]
By any chance, do you have any other Apostles besides me…?
[None.]
Any other followers…?
[None.]
Hey, stop passing everything off to the System and answer me yourself, Damn Goddess.
I'm still your only Apostle, so surely you've got a Sacred Relic or something to give me…?
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ says that selecting an Apostle and bestowing a Blessing were the limits of her power.]
Oh, we're completely screwed….
The relationship between Constellations and Awakened was similar to the symbiotic relationship between sea anemones and hermit crabs.
Constellations shared their power or Blessings with the Awakened, while the Awakened spread the Constellations' names and gathered Faith for them.
That was how the relationship between ordinary Constellations and Awakened worked….
But right now, the Damn Goddess couldn't do anything for me.
In other words, she was practically a parasite.
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ complains that calling her that is a little too irreverent, even considering everything.]
What else would you call someone who does nothing but suck up Faith without giving anything in return?
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ angrily protests your irreverence several times before shrinking back into a corner.]
Even if I wanted to switch to another Constellation, I was currently a Skeleton Soldier, a monster.
I'd probably be exterminated before I could even meet another Constellation.
And even if I managed to meet one, they'd likely erase me without a second thought simply because I was a monster.
I was completely cornered.
To think I'd have to keep going until the very end with this parasitic Damn Goddess….
Being a skeleton isn't easy.
Sigh. What's the point of complaining like this…?
It's not as though my complaints will suddenly turn the Damn Goddess into a successful goddess.
—Clatter.
Perhaps feeling sorry for me after seeing me like that, Papi moved slightly and offered me some comfort.
Yeah. Since things had already turned out this way, I might as well explore the Sacred Site a little more.
***
The Sacred Site was circular in structure, with doors positioned in the four cardinal directions—north, south, east, and west—including the entrance I'd come through.
A rectangular altar stood at the center, surrounded by various structures arranged around it.
…That description made it sound rather impressive, but most of the structures had collapsed under the weight of time, leaving only the altar in a relatively intact condition.
“Clatter, clatter.”
Since the altar was the only place worth examining, I approached it and noticed a pendant resting on top.
A silver pendant bearing a design resembling a tree hanging upside down.
[White Forest Pendant]
-Separating the pendant from its necklace allows the user to teleport to a Sacred Site of the ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ after a 30-second waiting period.
-The Goddess's Blessing has granted it an automatic restoration function.
*Warning - The user cannot move during the waiting period.
As soon as I picked up the pendant, various pieces of information about it appeared before my eyes.
So, to put it simply, this was a means of teleporting back here whenever I wanted.
The 30-second waiting period meant I couldn't use it to escape during combat, but it was still a good item.
That was especially true because its automatic restoration function meant I could use it multiple times.
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ emerges from her corner and proudly asks whether you like her gift.]
I'd suspected as much when I saw that part about the Goddess's Blessing. So the Damn Goddess really did prepare this….
“Clatter.”
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ claims she didn't hear you and asks you to say it again.]
Well, if you didn't hear it, that's that.
Although I was a skeleton and couldn't actually blush, I covered my face anyway and looked around.
Considering the presence of the altar, this place was probably a prayer chamber or the central part of the Sacred Site.
In that case, where did the other three doors lead?
Curious and wanting to change my mood, I decided to open the door on the right first.
CREEEAK….
The door opened with a sound resembling a ghost's scream, revealing an enormous open space beyond it.
It was a fairly spacious area, but white flames burned here and there, illuminating the clearing so that it wasn't dark.
CLATTER!
Judging from the various bladed weapons and other melee weapons my feet struck as I walked, this place seemed to be either a training ground or a smithy.
Considering the enormous furnace and training dummies visible in the distance, perhaps it had been used as both a smithy and a training ground.
—!
Just as I was about to turn around and examine somewhere else, a sound lingered in my ears.
This place had been abandoned for an incredibly long time, so naturally, there shouldn't have been anything making noise.
—! —!
Yet the more I concentrated, the more clearly I could hear the sound and feel the vibrations.
They were coming from the direction of the enormous furnace.
Come to think of it, the furnace, which should've been cold without a blacksmith to tend it, was glowing brightly.
….
There's another being here besides me.
The thought sent a sudden shiver through my body, and tension ran down my spine.
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ cannot contain her laughter at the sight of your nervousness.]
…What the hell are you laughing at?
Well, no matter how much of a Damn Goddess she was, surely she wouldn't have allowed a dangerous being into her own Sacred Site.
Even if she was the Damn Goddess.
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ gets angry and tells you not to look down on her.]
I casually ignored the Damn Goddess, who was getting angry all by herself somewhere, and headed toward the furnace where the sounds were coming from.
—! —! CLANG…!
The closer I got to the furnace, the louder the sounds became.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
By the time I was almost at the furnace, the sounds had grown so intense that I could feel them as vibrations rather than simply hear them.
“Who are you, you bastard?”
Just then, a human voice rang out from behind me.
Startled that someone had managed to get behind me in an instant, I quickly turned around.
But there was nothing there.
“…Down here. Down here!”
Following the thoroughly irritated voice, I lowered my head slightly.
Standing there was a little man with a translucent body glowing blue.
“Clatter?”
“I don't know what you're saying, but I've got a pretty good idea what you're thinking. Let me make one thing clear: I'm not a little man. I'm a Dwarf.”
A Dwarf? Aren't Dwarves usually a humanoid race with thick, luxuriant beards?
But looking at him….
“Tch. Thinking such unpleasant things…. There's a long story behind that. And behind this ghostly body of mine, too. Come inside first!”
With those words, the Dwarf headed into the smithy where the enormous furnace stood.