Running Away and an Ultra-Bug-Level Backpack

"Soma, are we really just abandoning the headquarters and running away? Is that really okay?"

When they arrived at his house in Orario, Falan could not help but ask.

"Otherwise, what do you plan to do? With my Soma Familia, we simply can't stop those who are determined to act."

Falan fell silent. He had already considered that possibility, but he had not expected it to be true.

"They're going to attack the Soma Familia's headquarters. Isn't that the same as disrespecting you, Soma?"

After thinking for a moment, Falan said, "Besides, the 'gods' agreed to restrict their divine power, so there should also be..."

"No, there isn't. Or rather, for us, adventurers are the guardians in this game down in the Lower World."

"A game?" Though he had long felt that this world resembled a game, hearing Soma put it that way made Falan want to know more.

"Yes. For gods like us, with lives so long they are practically eternal, our time in the Lower World truly is just a game to pass the time. That is why limiting the use of divine power became a universally accepted rule."

"We compete to see whose Familia can prosper the most without relying on divine power. And whenever adventurers fail to protect their god and that god is sent back to Heaven, it means that god has been eliminated from the game."

"So that's how it is." Falan finally understood that the game Soma spoke of differed from the game he had imagined.

The game he had imagined was the Dungeon system, which resembled the games he had played in the past.

The game in Soma's eyes was how the gods viewed their descent into this world.

Perhaps this was a place for them to pass the time, challenge themselves, and experience divine life.

They could scheme against one another here, carefully manage their Familias, or experience loving relationships with mortals.

But for long-lived beings like gods, as Soma had said, it was all merely a game.

"Then, Soma, did you abandon the Soma Familia because you no longer intend to manage it?"

After pondering it for a while, Falan spoke again. After all, given Soma's status as a god, he should not really be running away.

"They're addicted to Divine Wine, and you abandoned them long ago. But since they are nominally adventurers under your command, it would be difficult for you to act against them directly. So you intend to use the opportunity created by word spreading about my Backpack ability, and rebuild the Soma Familia through the hands of other gods?"

The gloomy young god merely nodded. "More or less. To me, the old Soma Familia was little more than a place that supplied brewing ingredients. If it was destroyed, so be it. It was you who made me consider managing a Familia again."

"..." Falan could not help falling silent. As expected, although these gods seemed rather simple-minded, that was built upon absolute power.

Their experience as long-lived beings was equally not to be underestimated. This time, it looked as if Soma had chickened out and withdrawn from the Familia headquarters.

But in truth, it had all been part of his plan. He intended to use this incident to carry out a major purge of the Soma Familia.

After all, those who remained at the Soma Familia headquarters were basically the hopeless lot. Most of those who had not stayed behind were out adventuring to some extent. This was a screening, a screening of the entire Familia's members.

As for whether some people who could still be saved might also die at the Familia headquarters? Soma had probably never cared from the beginning.

After all, this was just a screening. If you happened to be at the headquarters at that time, then even if you could still be saved, that was simply bad luck.

The way Falan looked at Soma now carried a trace of fear, because this was the difference between humans and gods.

It took him time to think through and judge such matters.

Yet Soma, relying on experience accumulated over thousands or tens of thousands of years, had thought of it and acted upon it immediately.

Everything had been so smooth as well. If Falan had not suddenly thought of it, he probably would not have realized that the truth was like this.

Then Soma suddenly spoke again. "By the way, what is the current state of your Backpack?"

"Uh..." Faced with Soma's sudden question, Falan chose to report honestly.

"Two bottles of Divine Wine, eighteen bottles of unfinished Divine Wine, ninety-six bottles of failed Divine Wine..."

As Falan listed more than two hundred items one by one, he began to form a guess, yet he still could not figure out what Soma wanted to ask.

"I see. Items of the same type only take up one slot in the Backpack?"

"Falan, take out my cabinet, then take out the failed Divine Wine as well. Put it directly into the cabinet."

Falan then followed the instructions. Soon after, Soma told him to store it back in the Backpack.

Then Soma asked, "Now then, what does your Backpack record?"

"A cabinet containing ninety-six bottles of failed Divine Wine..." As he said it, Falan fell silent.

Was this what it meant to be a god? Soma had instantly found the bug in his ability.

In other words, his ability did not merely store items by category. If he packed everything into one large bag and then stored it in the Backpack, it would still count as a single slot. That made his ability feel even more broken.

"Soma, the reason you had me do that was..."

"I only wanted to test the storage capacity of your Backpack. It seems your magic is far more unusual than I imagined."

Soma did not say anything more. As he had said, Falan's magic was simply too special.

Originally, with one slot for each kind of item, it could already equal or even surpass the carrying capacity of a support team of more than twenty people. Now, however, it was an ultra-bug-level backpack—or rather, calling it a portable warehouse would not be an exaggeration.

Soma silently patted Falan on the shoulder. "From now on, you'll become even more sought after. Even if the only thing you reveal is the Backpack ability, the fact that you can fill a single item with things and store it as only one slot..."

Soma did not continue, but Falan understood the implications.

One of the reasons limiting the expedition depth of most Familias was the issue of supplies. If his ability were exposed, then to Familias preparing to venture deeper, he would be an incredibly sought-after portable warehouse.

"Then, Soma, what should I do next?"

"Wait a few days. I'll attend the Divine Assembly and discuss it with them."

"Believe me. Once the Divine Assembly is over, there absolutely won't be any more problems with your personal safety."

Hearing Soma's words, Falan could not help swallowing hard.

Indeed.

With storage space as bug-level as his, those Familias dedicated to exploring deeper floors—

Would absolutely not allow certain people to pose any threat to him.

For the next few days, it seemed he could only quietly wait at home.