Chapter 3. Congratulations on becoming a Throne. (2)

"That Apostle guy is trying to pull some kind of scam."

I grabbed a piece of paper floating in the air and checked its contents.

"An observation device worth 20 million at a 10-year contract is supposedly free... but you have to pay hundreds of thousands of points in network fees every month. What's free about that? And you added in tiny print that the network fees can be raised later? Are you kidding me?"

"Urk, urk..."

Number 49, who had been hit by me, was groaning and writhing.

Glaring at Number 49, I skimmed through the documents.

"I know what kind of people you Apostles are. You claim to be the agents of the Thrones, but in reality, you're merchants trying to make the most profit by mediating between Thrones and contractors. I thought you only took coins from the contractors, but now I see you also take Origin Power from the Thrones."

"No, no, great one..."

"Don't give me that. If I sign all the contracts as you suggest, it's designed to make me go bankrupt in a few years."

"That's not true. Of course, it costs a lot, but if you can obtain more Origin Power from the human world..."

"Have such high expectations for a newly appointed Throne? Do you know who I am?"

"I, I don't know who you were as a human, but you are an S-rank Throne, aren't you? You will surely achieve great success as a Throne..."

"You're joking."

During the conversation, I obtained some important information.

Apostles don't know what kind of person I was when I was human.

"I have no intention of doing anything you suggest."

"Great one..."

"First, I'll buy the lowest-spec observation device. I'll pay 500,000 Origin Points in a lump sum. For the network, the cheapest option is fine. Even with a one-year contract, it's only 10,000 points per month, right?"

"With such a cheap device, you can hardly do anything. Invest a little more."

"Fine. If I need something, I'll buy it later."

"Then you'll end up losing money..."

"Another Apostle might come and offer a better deal."

Number 49 flinched at my words.

"What are you waiting for? Prepare it quickly."

"Y-Yes, I understand."

Number 49 got up and gestured in the air.

A contract appeared before my eyes.

After carefully checking the accompanying explanations, I signed with my finger.

Suddenly, a machine like an old CRT TV appeared in the air.

It looked outdated and had a small screen, but it seemed right to start with this.

"Number 49."

"Y-Yes..."

"I know it's hard for you to make a living."

Number 49 flinched again.

"Apostles compete fiercely, and you suffer under powerful contractors and Thrones. Sometimes, you even lose your life."

"..."

In a way, it's the same as contractors.

Struggling to survive and succeed.

"But there are limits to just exploiting others."

"..."

"Think about it. What you want to do from now on."

If a D-rank Throne with a low-level contractor had said this, they would have been laughed at.

But I am now an S-rank Throne, and Apostles have no choice but to listen.

'No matter what, I'm the first Apostle I've met. I need to take control.'

I might be a failing grade as a Throne.

I received the position of an S-rank Throne, but I was just a low-level contractor who achieved nothing in my human life.

Thrones usually have abilities derived from their past experiences and reveal their presence in the human world by lending these abilities to contractors.

But I, who lived as a low-level contractor, couldn't have such abilities.

'But that doesn't mean I should lose heart.'

This is a rare opportunity to be an S-rank Throne.

I need to make the most of this position.

I have no intention of sitting around idly.

I ended my life as a loser in my human life, but as a Throne, I will definitely succeed.

"Great one..."

"Stop calling me 'Great one.' It feels awkward."

"But you don't have a Throne name yet..."

A Throne name is the name a Throne takes.

It's separate from the True Name from their human life, and they are generally called by this Throne name.

"If you tell me your True Name, I'll call you by that name..."

"..."

I didn't feel like revealing my human name.

What should I do?

"Just call me Nameless."

"Nameless, sir?"

I was a nameless contractor in my human life.

A grand name would just feel awkward.

"Understood, Nameless sir. I'll call you that until you have an official Throne name."

"Then go now. I'll call you if I need you."

With that, I started to fiddle with the observation device.

It looked like an old CRT TV, but it was surprisingly a touchscreen.

I could scroll and zoom with my fingers.

In the corner of the screen, numbers were displayed, which seemed to be coordinates similar to those used in the human world.

'The view... is this South Korea?'

A relatively familiar landscape caught my eye.

The map had changed a lot after merging with the Great Illusory World, but large mountains remained.

But what I need to do now is not sightseeing. I need to watch the contractors.

"Excuse me..."

Number 49 spoke from behind me.

"Still here?"

"Finding contractors with that observation device will be difficult. It doesn't have a search function..."

"Search function?"

"Not only does it lack a search function, but it also doesn't show ongoing events. You have to scroll through the screen manually to find them."

High-end observation devices have such functions, like a smart TV.

"That's why I suggested investing a little more..."

"There's no choice."

While replying, I continued to scroll through the screen.

I already had a place in mind.

"I found it."

"Nameless sir, that place is..."

I found a church located in the mountains.

"Isn't that a cult facility?"

"Do you know it?"

"I haven't directly involved myself with that facility, but I've handled events related to that cult a few times."

'The Dawn Star' cult.

A cult organization with considerable influence in East Asia.

"As far as I know, there have been several events there."

"Really?"

"Yes, the facility is actually a place for human experiments, and the events were about freeing the people trapped there. They happened several times."

"Did they all fail?"

"Because they kept failing, other Thrones lost interest... Now it's just abandoned."

Contractors usually participate in three types of events: Scenarios, Events, and Quests.

Scenarios are large-scale events related to the fate of the world.

Events are significant but not as large as scenarios.

Quests are small tasks.

The larger the scale, the more Thrones participate, and the greater the rewards.

Events, while not as large as scenarios, attract many Thrones, and contractors often participate.

"49, can I hold an event there?"

"An event? You mean an event?"

49's eyes widened.

"Events and quests can be held freely by Thrones, but it will be difficult to gather contractors there. It will also be hard to get other Thrones to participate."

"I don't care."

"You should reconsider... I'll get a commission, but if no one participates, you'll be the only one who loses."

"How much will it cost?"

"Events start at 1 million Origin Points, with a 5% commission to the Apostle."

"Do I have to go through an Apostle?"

"Yes, that's why Apostles exist."

49 didn't seem to be lying.

"And it doesn't end there. You have to reward the contractors. You'll also need to promote the event, so the costs will add up. You'll need to invest about 5 million Origin Points."

"..."

"I'm not trying to exploit you. Please believe me."

"I didn't think that."

I stroked my chin and observed the church.

'I participated in an event here before.'

An event to defeat the cult's villains and rescue people from the human experiment facility.

I joined with other contractors, but the cult's forces were too strong, and we failed.

'But back then, I...'

Recalling the past, I manipulated the touchscreen.

The inside of the church began to appear.

'Right, I need to see inside too.'

Thrones are truly powerful.

Being able to see anywhere, even without sound, is impressive.

I got used to the touchscreen and scrolled through the screen without hesitation.

'Where is it?'

I wasn't interested in the priests and guards walking in the dim corridors.

What I was looking for was hidden deeper.

'There.'

Finally, I found my target.

"Hey, 49."

"Yes?"

"I'm starting an event. The base fee will be the minimum, and there will be no rewards."

"No rewards? Then who will participate?"

"Instead, promote it. You can spend about 1 million Origin Points."

"Why would you spend that on an event no one will join?"

"Someone will participate."

Saying that, I touched the observation device screen.

"This one will participate."

"What?"

What I pointed to was an experimental subject trapped deep in the facility.

"I'll make a contract with this one, so please handle it for me."

"Nameless sir, what are you planning to do..."

"An escape show."

I stroked my chin and said,

"Attacking the facility from the outside to rescue the subjects has failed many times, and trying again won't attract interest from Thrones. But what if the story is about escaping from the inside?"

"..."

I have lived at the bottom for a long time.

That's why I know what people at the bottom want.

"A life reversal. Let's make it interesting."

I am now an S-rank Throne.

I have the power to lift someone from the bottom.