The World I Sponsored Is Real

―― I want to give up.

It was an ironic conclusion for someone who had thought 'I want to live' over a hundred years.

Erin no longer wanted to continue living. Even at the moment she barely escaped with her life, she hadn't given up hope, but that too was fleeting.

Erin recalled the first verse of the Bible, a sentence often recited by the nun at the village church to the gathered children.

―In the ancient times when only light and darkness existed, there was God.

"Mother, does God really watch over us as the Bible says? Does He cherish us?"

"Yes, my child. God always watches over us with kindness and mercy."

"Then why did a plague spread through our village? Why were the Millian family, who did nothing wrong, massacred by bandits? And why do those bandits live so freely without any punishment for their crimes?"

"…Erin."

When I asked such questions, my mother would place her hand on my shoulder, looking at me as if I had said something forbidden.

"You must never say such things outside. Do you understand? No matter what, you must not speak ill of 'God'. Do you understand?"

"But―"

"Aren't you old enough now? Listen to your mother. Please... If you leave me too, I..."

"…"

My mother was the only one who didn't lose a relative to the plague.

…Because they ended their life first.

'Why, why...'

The bandits who had turned the influential Millian family into ruins.

As their stored food ran out, they began to raid the surroundings again.

My mother threw herself in harm's way to save Erin, and amidst the chaos, Erin managed to escape the village with her life.

The public authority had completely collapsed due to the plague.

All the guards who maintained order were either dead or had fled, and the royal family, unable to devise a solution, left the situation unattended.

If God truly existed, would He just overlook this?

If He does nothing, can He really be called God?

…Such philosophical thoughts lasted only until the second day after her escape.

'I'm thirsty… water…'

She was extremely hungry.

But more pressing was the fact that she hadn't drunk water for far too long.

Finding even a puddle of stagnant water was difficult. Even when water was occasionally found, it was so infested with flies that drinking it would lead directly to death.

Of course, if she really wanted to, she could find water. There must be ways, like climbing mountains to find a stream, or perhaps there were techniques known only to seasoned adventurers.

However, Erin lacked the strength and was too frail to attempt such methods. She also lacked the necessary knowledge. After the plague, she hadn't eaten properly, and her body was in shambles. What could she actively do now?

'I want to live, I want to live…! I must… I must live…!'

Suddenly, she remembered what the nun at the church had said.

Believe in God. God exists. Someday, at a critical moment, He will whisper that He has never left your side.

'God…'

Please, watch over me.

If you pity me, show me the way to live.

Even if it's just to find water, that would be fine. I'd be grateful even for rain to drink. Please, please…

As these desperate thoughts circled her mind, her vision began to blur.

Her will to live weakened.

Everyone was gone. Her family was dead, and the villagers had been brutally murdered by bandits.

Even if she found water and survived alone… would it have any meaning?

Even if she quenched her thirst, did she really have a future?

So, she decided to just give up.

She wanted to stop.

She wanted to join her family, to return to where her departed friends were…

With these thoughts, she slowly closed her eyes.

And she whispered to herself, 'It's over. Let's prepare for the end slowly. There's no hope. God… never watches over us.'

She thought she had made peace with her fate.

She thought so, but…

'…No…'

Tears began to stream down Erin's cheeks.

No.

She hadn't really come to terms with it.

She didn't want to die. Even now, if she could live, she wanted to.

God, are you there? Are you really watching over me?

If so…

Just as Erin was about to lose consciousness, unable even to complete her sentence—

<<>>

'Huh?'

Suddenly, a strange voice echoed in her mind, and at the same time—

――Swoosh!!!!!!

"…?!"

A miracle occurred.

'What kind of plot twist is this…?'

A notification popped up saying 'The next episode has been uploaded!' and without much thought, I checked the new chapter.

Title: 'A Miracle Suddenly Happened'.

The content was quite something.

Erin, the girl who had collapsed while escaping, was in agony, but at the last moment, she called out to God, and suddenly, water began to gush from the ground.

Such an abrupt and artificial development!

'Nonetheless…'

Erin was initially shocked to see the water, but then her face lit up with joy as she hastily drank the water.

And below that scene, as if narrating, the author's note made a surprise appearance.

[Thanks to 'Iguguguden' for donating 1,000 won! Thanks to your donation, Erin could drink water! Thank you, Erin's savior, Iguguguden!]

'Going to such lengths with comic panels just to encourage donations?'

Although it was clearly a commercial tactic, the thought of not having to see a cute girl die from thirst for just 1,000 won made it feel like a worthwhile deal.

I'm not into gore, and this kind of blatant push for donations was amusing in its own way.

'Maybe I'm also driven by a subconscious desire for recognition…'

As I scrolled to the last page.

'…Huh?'

This time, there was a scene where Erin, feeling hungry, was clutching her stomach while wandering around.

The icing on the cake was the author's note at the end.

[She managed to drink water, but she hasn't eaten yet! Erin needs food to overcome future trials! Only your donations can feed Erin!]

"Ha!"

I laughed out loud for a while.

This level of donation encouragement was not just annoying but reached the peak of hilarity.

Alright, you win. I'll donate another 1,000 won.

[ Iggokden (Donation / 1,000 won): Might as well feed her some food too. ]

The reply came back almost instantly, as fast as lightning.

[ PleaseGiveMoney (Author): Thank you so much for the donation! I'll notify you as soon as the next episode is uploaded! Thank you for looking after Erin, Iguguguden! Your kindness will never be forgotten! ]

'Wow, what a response.'

In an era where donations on internet broadcasts start at 2,000 to 3,000 won, sometimes reaching 5,000 won, this 1,000 won punch and the enthusiastic response made me feel like I was getting my money's worth.

'Keep up the good business, this shop.'

And from that day on—

I became the sole reader of this donation-driven comic by 'PleaseGiveMoney'.

Erin started finding food 'very coincidentally' in the grass, and I continued to donate 1,000 won each episode to aid her journey.

She, who had only known failure, began to smile more as she encountered continuous luck. It was clear the artist was skilled, judging by how they paid attention to her expressions. But why someone with such talent would resort to such absurd donation schemes instead of focusing on the story was puzzling. Still, it was quite an enjoyable time.

After many episodes, as I happily followed her journey, one day—

'…Huh?'

This episode's development was much heavier than usual.

Erin encountered the bandits who had massacred her village.

Her life was in danger.

The author's note was also something.

[Erin needs your donations to escape this danger! Without donations, Erin will face great peril ㅠㅠ]

The emoticon at the end was particularly irritating, clearly indicating the author was adept at provocation.

Moreover, the portrayal was too unsettling. Saying 'great peril' was an understatement; the scenes that followed were blatantly obvious about what might happen.

'Ugh. This plot is too intense.'

Before donating, I left a comment.

[ Iggokden: Is this the right direction for the story? Hmm... ]

As expected, the reply came quickly. The author must have been monitoring notifications.

[ PleaseGiveMoney (Author): Iguguguden! Don't worry. With your donation, Erin can safely overcome this crisis! Remember, the plot changes with the donation amount! ]

It was a blatant ask for money, but considering I'd enjoyed the comic for just 1,000 won gifts, I wasn't upset.

What caught my attention more was—

[ Iggokden: How exactly does the plot change with donation amounts? ]

[ PleaseGiveMoney (Author): It's simple. 'Fate changes in proportion to the donation amount'! For example, a 10,000 won donation has ten times the power to change fate compared to a 1,000 won donation. Of course, even 1,000 won is still a donation, so don't feel too pressured! ]

'Ha. Now they're outright asking for more money.'

They said 1,000 won was enough, but the idea that fate changes with the donation amount was too intriguing.

So, let's try with 10,000 won as suggested by the author.

[ Iggokden (Donation / 10,000 won): Alright, you win. Here, take it. ]

[ PleaseGiveMoney (Author): Oh my, Iguguguden! Thank you so much for the 10,000 won donation. You're so generous! The next episode will be uploaded next week! We will never forget this immense 'act of kindness'! ]

'We'?

The last sentence was a bit puzzling, but it probably referred to the writing and drawing team. If there was a separate writer for this comic, that would be legendary in itself.

'Let's wait a week then.'

And so, I shut down my computer without much thought and headed to bed.