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[No Name] Community HQ
After nearly a week of nonstop work, the members were holding a small welcome party beside the flower garden.
The attendees were the younger group of [No Name] and all official members.
Though by the end, the party had basically turned into a BBQ feast for the kids.
The official members, meanwhile, had a completely different vibe.
A blonde vampire was giving a lecture, while three beauties sat listening intently.
"In Little Garden, most abilities come from the gifts of high beings like gods, celestial spirits, or dragonkind."
"A small portion comes from a person's natural traits or from abilities that can be replicated and taught."
"…"
"Beyond abilities lies the Authority."
"At the lower levels, it's commonly believed that authority is a fixed ability formed by combining a sequence of basic rule-runes under one's control, along with faith and concept."
"Philosophically, authority can be divided into two aspects: power and duty. Separate yet united."
"The biggest debate around authority lies in this—'With this authority, what are you allowed to do?' and 'With this authority, what are you forbidden from doing?'"
"This argument is key. The former sets the scope of what you can do. The latter defines what you can't do."
"In broad terms, the strong in Little Garden constantly break through the latter to reach the former. Meaning they keep shattering the limitations of what they're not allowed to do, gaining the right to exert their power in more domains."
"When you can use an authority to produce effects acknowledged in all recognized domains of Little Garden, that meets the basic condition for rising to the three-digit Domain."
"And to do that, you need a deep understanding of the concept of Authorities…"
By the pool, Ryo held a wine glass as he watched Athena, Luo Hao, and Lancelot sitting gracefully at the pavilion. Then he glanced at Leticia, chalk in hand, teaching like a strict tutor.
His expression turned strange. "This is supposed to be a welcome party for new members, right? Why does it feel so weird?"
Beside him, Black Rabbit—dressed in a deep purple evening gown with a high waistline that made her figure unusually striking—smiled with an expression that was hard to describe. "Ambition is a good thing, so don't mind it too much, Ryo."
"I get that," he said, looking toward the kids grilling meat and sneaking glances at the impromptu lecture. He sighed. "Still, I bet those brats are disappointed. This was supposed to be a rare chance to welcome new members."
"Jin and Lily will understand," Black Rabbit said with a closed-lip smile.
Then she tugged on his sleeve and gestured toward the garden exit. "Walk with me?"
Ryo blinked, then said, "Sure."
They left the garden together but didn't go far. Instead, they slipped through a side door of the community building and entered a storage room.
As soon as Ryo stepped inside—
Bang.
Black Rabbit shut the door and locked it.
"…Seriously?" Ryo nearly jumped. "Wait, don't tell me you're into this kind of setup?"
"What setup?"
Black Rabbit froze, then her face went bright red. She flicked her ears and spluttered, "That's not what I brought you here for! What goes through that head of yours all day?"
Before he could reply, she stepped forward in two quick strides and pressed her hands on his shoulders, expression suddenly serious.
"Look into my eyes."
Ryo paused, then obediently looked.
Her eyes were large, pupils a clear pale red unique to moon rabbits, bright and clear like gemstones.
"Pretty eyes," he commented.
"Even if you suddenly compliment me like that…" Black Rabbit faltered, flustered, instinctively wanting to pull back—but then she remembered why she brought him here and snapped herself out of it.
No. She was not here to flirt.
Taking a deep breath, she asked sharply. "Tell the truth. Where did you scam those three girls from?"
"Especially the silver-haired one and the honey-blonde one. Athena and Lancelot—don't even try telling me those are just common names."
"No, wait. Not just them. That Luo Hao too. A five-digit freak, the pressure she gave me, and the way she didn't even bother greeting anyone—it all screams 'not the type to willingly join a community.'"
"My dear bunny~ Calling it 'scamming' is a bit much, don't you think?" Ryo said dryly. "As a leader, I went through the trouble of pulling in strong members. You could at least show some appreciation instead of accusing me right away."
At that, Black Rabbit actually panicked a bit. "If it's not a scam… then… did you seduce them?"
"…"
Ryo opened his mouth, closed it again, then simply raised his glass, took a sip—and sprayed the wine straight toward her.
Black Rabbit flickered out of the way in a blur of movement, letting the wine hit the floor. She reappeared in front of him, expression unreadable.
"…So I was right?"
"What was that for?" Ryo glared.
Black Rabbit shrank her neck, mumbling, "I was just worried…"
Her tone softened into a pout. "Lady Leticia said that silver-haired Athena, in terms of power scale alone, is at least on the level of an elite four-digit. Maybe even higher."
"And that Lancelot is also good among the four-digits."
"Plus that five-digit freak Luo Hao who only hasn't reached four digits due to authority restrictions."
"You see the problem, right?"
"You were gone just a bit over a day and came back with three four-digit level women. Voluntarily joining us."
"Tell me with a straight face that nothing is going on."
"And more importantly, two of those four-digits share names with major figures in Little Garden. That's obviously a big deal. So you're definitely hiding something. I'm right, aren't I?"
"…"
Ryo didn't know how to answer. He thought for a moment, then deflected:
"I've got one good news and one bad news. Which do you want first?"
"The bad," she answered instantly.
Ryo sighed. "Athena is Athena. But she's an Athena from another world."
"Divinity dispute?" Black Rabbit froze.
In Little Garden, the divine titles of named gods were fixed. It was like an official seat issued by the core system. Each title corresponded to a share of faith, one of a god's sources of power.
So a divine title was precious, almost equal to proof of legitimacy among the gods.
Fighting over a title was called a Divinity War. For lower levels, it could escalate into a full-blown Faith War.
"And it's against that Athena…" Black Rabbit's teeth started chattering. "We'll die. We'll definitely die. That one has literally never lost!"
Ryo, completely calm, delivered another blow. "By the way, her divinity combines Wisdom, the Earth Mother, and the Underworld Queen. A trinity."
"The gods involved are Athena, Medusa, and Metis."
"Oh, and I helped her reach the throne of the Almighty One and Only True God in that world, so that got merged into the divinity too."
"A trinity. One, and almighty…" Black Rabbit muttered, eyes wide. "That description touches the realm of incomplete high divinity, at least at three-digit. Maybe even two-digit."
Her voice trembled as her eyes watered. "Liar. That's obviously more than just one bad news."
"Want the good news?" Ryo asked calmly.
"…Yeah," she sniffed, nodding while trying to compose herself.
Ryo took a sip and said plainly:
"The good news is, before going to that world, I got authorization from Athena, the one from here. Permission to do whatever I wanted and make big chaos."
Black Rabbit's eyes lit up. "You mean—?"
"Yeah. I secured a get-out-of-jail-free card."
He finished his wine and smiled.
Immediately, Black Rabbit looked relieved. That was big. If the Greek pantheon questioned things later, Ryo had justification—proof that he acted with prior permission.
The silver-haired Athena might suffer… but as long as Ryo wasn't in danger, Black Rabbit could live with that.
Then Ryo added cheerfully. "Oh, also, I'm planning to turn myself in. I'll officially admit I personally orchestrated everything regarding Athena."
"…Huh?"
Black Rabbit froze, ears perking straight up. Her mouth opened slowly.
"WHAT?!"
Her bewildered yelp practically blasted through the ceiling.
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