The world has reset a total of three times now, and Hajime still hasn’t made a move.

  Valiant asks, “Hero? I know you enjoy our company very much, but shouldn’t you start doing the impossible?”

  Hajime replies, “I’d rather not.”

  The world outside the bubble has turned to sand, with evolution playing out at hyper speed. Hajime watches and scoffs, “So evolution did happen… but with guided advertisements?”

  Valiant nods. “Yes indeed, I think we weren’t supposed to know this happened though.”

  Whalescalibur tilts her blade. “Odd… that’s not written in the holy advertisement texts.”

  “Of course it’s not written,” Hajime says. “It takes the mystique out of creation, science rings true yet again.”

  “What’s science? Can we advertise it?” Whalescalibur asks earnestly.

  Hajime ignores her and continues watching. “Either way, it’s about time I do the impossible… just after this next reset.”

  He keeps watching the accelerated life cycle unfold like a nature documentary.

  “Do you think angels evolved this way too?” Hajime asks.

  Valiant shrugs. “Probably? Could’ve been a mutant strain of a monkey with wings.”

  “If that’s true, then—”

  Before he can finish, a meteoric ad slams into the planet, annihilating all life.

  Hajime sighs. “They had developed the wheel… such wasted potential!”

  Whalescalibur cries, “They didn’t get to advertise it! It would’ve sold out in seconds!”

  The invaders break through again, and the world resets.

  Hajime, desperate for a solution, turns to Valiant. “What’s the probability that Deus escapes this deadlock?”

  Valiant, now wearing glasses for dramatic effect, answers, “Less than one percent.”

  “Really? That’s strange. She’s pretty overpowered—she controls time and she’s the patron god of this world. Why is that?”

  Valiant smiles knowingly. “She is one of the most powerful beings in this world, yet… let me put it in a way you’d understand.”

  She clears her throat and adopts a teacherly tone. “You, as a human with no redeeming qualities, are level 1 in power scaling.”

  Hajime scoffs. “Redemption is for the weak.”

  Valiant continues, “Whale, Caladblock, and I are growth-scaling items. For now, thanks to our past experiences, we’re at max level—with user restrictions. That puts us around level 30 on average.”

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  Hajime asks, “How about Elnora? Whenever I see her, I just imagine question marks floating over her head.”

  Valiant nods. “Yes indeed. She’s probably at the maximum mortal tier—level 40—without prestiging into a higher existence.”

  “And Deus?”

  “She’s level 500, maximum divine tier.”

  “And Invader-san?”

  “Level 999.”

  Hajime sighs. “I get it now…”

  He pauses. “Then how did you keep her at bay? That’s the real question?”

  Valiant smirks. “Jeez, Hajime-kun, you want to know a girl’s secrets that badly, you're a thirsty boy! kyaaaa.”

  “On second thought, never mind. Too much baggage on this one.”

  She puffs her cheeks in annoyance. The world breaks again—and time resets.

  Hajime, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, finally takes Whalescalibur in hand.

  “Whale, I’m…” He hesitates, trembling. “...Sorry.”

  Caladblock’s voice cuts in. “Hajime, what are you doing?”

  Ignoring her, Hajime says, “You’re the best acquisition I’ve ever made on this journey!”

  Whalescalibur lets out a joyful scream—and reality subtly cracks.

  Valiant cheers. “It’s working!”

  Hajime continues, his voice shaking. “I think I’m ready now.”

  Caladblock panics. “No, Hajime! Not like this! We can still escape another way!”

  Whalescalibur squeals, “Oh gosh, this is so sudden! I didn’t even get the contract ready in time—just give me a second to collect myself!”

  Her dream is coming true—she can practically see the baby knives being forged at the blacksmith.

  Hajime trembles, knowing he’s committing an unforgivable sin.

  “No… don’t get me the normal package.”

  He gasps for breath. “Give me the Eternal Premium Hero × Sword Package.”

  Whalescalibur screams in joy. “I’ve never advertised that package before! This is fate! Sure, I’ll get it ready!”

  Reality cracks open beside Valiant. “You’re doing great, Hajime! One final push!”

  Caladblock cries, “No! This isn’t happening! You’re my one true hero—you can’t do this to me!”

  Hajime, through tears: “Caladblock… I’m sorry. I’ve realized that Whale is the best for me. Let’s get a divorce.”

  Whalescalibur beams. “Everything’s back to how it’s supposed to be!”

  Caladblock screams, “No! You’re mine! Your will doesn’t matter!” Chains burst from the ground, binding Hajime as her negativity grows exponentially. A massive crack tears open in reality—an escape route is forged.

  “Hey, look everyone! I did the impossible! Let’s get out of here!” Hajime shouts.

  Valiant smiles. “Indeed you did. Nice acting.”

  Whalescalibur objects, “That wasn’t acting—it was real! It has to be!”

  Caladblock mutters, “He’s mine… I’ll never let him go…”

  Hajime sighs. “Snap out of it you two. Let’s get out of here and unbind me.”

  Caladblock growls, “No… you’ll never leave me.”

  “Fine,” Hajime says. “I’ll never leave you. Let’s stay together forever.”

  Caladblock blushes. “Together forever… okay. I’ll take those terms. ARA~.”

  The chains dematerialize. Hajime bolts toward the tear in reality.

  “Valiant, you coming?”

  She gives him a look like he’s the dumbest man alive, raising her chained ankle.

  “Ah… so what I did wasn’t the answer,” he mutters.

  Valiant smirks. “No. This was the answer.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes. After I relayed this information to my other probabilities, all your other selves were guided to this point. Convergence is inevitable now.”

  “And you?”

  “It was short but fun… please go!”

  Hajime looks at her, then at the divine contract. “I made a promise to you. I’m going to keep it.”

  He asks, “How extensively can you modify that contract?”

  “I can remove the bloat if Deus doesn’t notice,” Valiant explains, “but I can’t change the core elements. That’d be too intrusive.”

  “How would she notice if we’re outside time?”

  “It’s her being materialized—she’ll notice.”

  “How much of the contract has already been amended?”

  “About 90%. We were almost done before Invader-san interrupted.”

  “Then try amending the part where I pray to her every morning. Change it to never pray to Deus.”

  Valiant does so—Deus doesn’t react.

  “She’s not reacting… what’s happening?”

  Hajime grins. “If I were a narcissistic god, would I let my work be corrupted by a lesser being?”

  “I guess not… are you saying—?”

  “Exactly,” Hajime says, cracking his neck. “She negotiated with us because all the bloat is meaningless to her. As long as we don’t touch the part she cares about, we can do all sorts of magical things to her contract without her noticing.”

  Valiant narrows her eyes. “Are you suggesting—?”

  Hajime smiles devilishly. “Yes. Let’s scam a god.”