For Eris, this situation was… painful.
The followers she had just chosen… had immediately tried to switch allegiance to Izumi.
Life was truly unfair.
Maple—Maple—scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"Well… um…"
Since Izumi had already refused, there wasn't much else they could say.
After a brief, hushed discussion among themselves, Maple stepped forward and nodded.
"Goddess Eris… we're willing to join you."
"Please take care of us from now on!"
Honestly, following Eris didn't seem bad at all.
Judging from her relationship with Izumi, she was clearly someone important.
And besides—
Even if they couldn't cling to the biggest pillar…
There was still a very nice second-best one right here.
For gamers like them, luck was everything.
Just look at Maple.
She could casually defeat monsters and obtain absurdly rare drops.
That was the power of luck.
And now—
A literal Goddess of Fortune stood before them.
Why would they refuse?
Eris beamed with joy.
"Please take care of me as well!"
Then she turned to Izumi.
"Izumi-sama, send us back!"
"I need to grant them blessings!"
Izumi didn't object.
With a simple wave of his hand—
The group vanished.
Before Maple and the others could react—
They found themselves somewhere entirely different.
"…Where are we?" Maple murmured.
Their surroundings were breathtaking.
They stood on a massive tree branch stretching endlessly through the sky.
Below them lay a vast city.
Behind them—
A luxurious house.
Eris giggled.
"This is my home!"
She pointed downward.
"That's where the others live."
"Only people recognized by Izumi-sama can come here."
"Come on, let's go inside!"
"We'll handle your blessings first. You can explore later."
She pushed open the door and led them in.
Inside, Eris turned around excitedly.
"Alright! Take off your equipment and lie down."
"Expose your backs—I'll grant you my blessing!"
Her enthusiasm was obvious.
This was her first time performing a Falna.
Despite some embarrassment, the girls complied.
One by one—
Eris pressed her divine power into their bodies.
Her blood… her essence… merged with them.
And instantly—
Their Luck stats skyrocketed.
After all—
She was the Goddess of Fortune.
Even a single blessing from her could drastically alter fate.
But this—
This was her divine blood.
Their fortune surged to absurd levels.
Especially Maple—
Her luck reached a near-unbelievable extreme.
From now on, their party would likely obtain top-tier loot with ease.
Eris clapped her hands in satisfaction.
"All done!"
Then she smiled warmly.
"Asuna-san, you'll be their leader from now on."
"Please take care of everyone!"
She tilted her head.
"Do you need anything?"
"I can buy it for you!"
"I have plenty of points!"
She puffed her chest proudly.
Eris had no intention of being stingy.
As her followers, they couldn't afford to look weak.
So she began pulling out items—
Skills from her world.
Rare artifacts.
Even divine-tier equipment.
"All of this is yours to choose from!"
The girls were stunned.
"…Is this for real?"
Eris's generosity was overwhelming.
If others saw this, chaos would erupt.
But here—
There were only them.
...
Meanwhile…
Izumi knew nothing about any of this.
Because right now—
His attention was elsewhere.
His expression darkened slightly.
"…Something's wrong."
His world barrier…
Had been tampered with.
The disturbance was faint—
Almost imperceptible.
But Izumi had felt it.
Without hesitation, he teleported to the source.
And then—
He saw her.
A white-haired girl.
Holding a crowbar.
Prying open his world barrier.
Each motion—
Cracked reality itself.
A small hole had already formed—about the size of a fist.
Yet she continued, completely focused.
If not for a brief fluctuation earlier—
Izumi might never have noticed.
Even after she broke in.
"…Seriously?"
Izumi frowned.
That hair.
That crowbar.
There was no mistaking it.
Nyaruko.
But—
This version was different.
Stronger.
Much stronger.
"…Two-Digit level…"
Izumi narrowed his eyes.
This wasn't the goofy, chaotic girl he remembered.
This one—
Was dangerous.
Yet…
Her behavior was strange.
Sneaking in like this?
Carefully prying open the barrier instead of forcing entry?
"…So she doesn't mean harm?"
If she did—
She would've already broken through by force.
After a moment of thought—
Izumi stepped beside her.
Watching her work so seriously, he almost laughed.
Nyaruko wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead.
"Phew…"
"This world is way too tough!"
"Are you that scared of intruders?!"
She muttered to herself, annoyed.
Then—
She raised her crowbar again.
Completely unaware of Izumi's presence.
Her entire focus was on the hole.
Izumi cleared his throat.
Then spoke calmly:
"Need a hand?"
Nyaruko froze.
Her ahoge shot straight up.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
She turned her head.
Stiff. Mechanical.
Like a broken puppet.
Izumi's lips twitched.
His fist tightened.
A radiant aurora-like energy gathered in his palm—
Quiet.
Condensed.
Ready.
The atmosphere—
Shifted.