CHAPTER 12 THE SYSTEM WAS BLESSED WITH A NAME

 Once more, an impediment that posed a threat to Vandread's life had to be overcome by him. 

‘I am waiting for your answer, Vandread.’ And again, the voice repeated itself to him. 

And since Vandread was already without any other options, he had no choice but to agree, as evidenced by the fact that he responded with "Fine!" 

If there was anything that got Vandread's attention, it was the sudden realization that he was able to breathe underwater that only just occurred to him at this very moment.

 It's possible that he was too preoccupied with the presence of this strange yet somewhat familiar voice talking inside his head to notice anything else going on around him.

"I can imagine that there are a few things that are making you scratch your head right now. Let me be clear, though; I'm only giving you a brief window of opportunity within that barrier around you so that you can try to breathe underwater. However, if you are unable to guess my name, then each incorrect answer will cause the barrier to become thinner and thinner until it finally disappears entirely.’

The challenge that was issued by the voice caused Vandread to have some reservations about taking part in it. Given that he would be putting his life in danger if he did so, he expressed reservations about taking such a risk. 

However, he quickly came to the conclusion that doing nothing would result in the same outcome. Taking the risk could, perhaps, pay off in the long run with a positive outcome. 

“Will I have any clue?” Vandread asked.

‘I believe that I have already explained to you who I am.’

"Come on, you've got to tell me something, isn't that the least you can do?"

It sounded as though Vandread was grasping for any scrap of information he could get from the voice. He was trying to keep a positive attitude and believe that he would be able to solve the problem. 

Riddles and quests within the video games and app games that he used to play were a breeze for him to complete back in the days when he was still alive on earth. For him, it was like solving a problem that was as simple as eating a piece of cake. 

He had no idea that life in Dizencia was supposed to be completely different than he had experienced up to that point. 

While Vandread waited for the hint that would be given to him by the voice, he continued to do his best to recall exactly when it was that he had first heard this familiar voice. Since the name was on the verge of tripping off his tongue, he was certain of it. 

It seemed as though Vandread was simply attempting to buy him some additional time in order to discover the identity of the person whose voice he had been hearing. Still, no matter how hard he tried to think about it, he just couldn't get the word out of his mouth. It was like it was stuck in his brain.

“Are you a God? The God of this world? Of course, you are! You said that you are the order of this world. Everything falls into a thin line under your watch. Then you could only be a God! Because that was what Gods usually do, right?”

‘Incorrect’

As the voice corrected Vandread for his error, the barrier that was surrounding Vandread began to break apart, exposing two additional layers of protection for him to use against the surge of the water.

“Incorrect? That can’t be possible! You are a god! You are the order of this world, and–and everything falls into your watch! That can only be done by a God!”

‘It’s incorrect. You should try to guess more accurately this time, Vandread. Considering that you only have two more chances left, failing to do so would result in your death by drowning.’

Vandread, who was feeling somewhat more wary than usual, paused for a moment to thoughtfully consider the following response. This time, however, he couldn't afford to make an educated guess and risk getting it wrong. He thought for sure that God was the identity of the voice, but this proved that he was wrong. 

A newfound awareness had opened Vandread's eyes. The only thing that he could make out was the blur that was all around him. 

The dense layer of barrier that protected him and allowed him to breathe normally while he was enclosed made every location appear as if it were a blur. But as more and more time passed, Vandread's fear started to become more apparent. He knew that if he got the next guess wrong, one of the two layers that were still intact would also break off.

He simply could not allow something like that to take place. 

‘Are you ready for your next guess, Vandread?’

The sudden question of the mysterious voice somewhat startled Vandread. He took a moment to recover before he could compose himself back to his normal state. This time, he tried to come up with another idea about the possible identity of the voice.

He voiced out within himself that if he wasn’t a God but he could oversee everything in this world, then he must be something sort of similar to that. Although Vandread was still trying to push his mind to think, in the end, he still couldn’t come up with exactly what the voice’s real identity was.

Fear had been embracing him since the moment his first attempt to guess it failed. At this very moment, his second guess could be a failure or not, and it would all depend on what Vandread decided to tell the voice.

As of the moment, Vandread stood there within the circle of the barrier as he tried to contemplate the available clues he had. He had been carefully analyzing the passages through phrases that the voice had given him.

I am but the order of this world. Everything falls into a thin line under my watch.

Vandread looked into the clues that may have been hidden in the context. Despite this, every time Vandread looked into it, it led him back to the same thought, and it didn't matter how many times he looked into it.

He was under the impression that the voice belonged to a supreme being or an entity with divine origins that inhabited the entirety of the world of Dizencia. Someone who possessed the ability to see through various locations, circumstances, and even other people.

He reasoned that it had to be a supreme god because nothing else could explain its power. If not, then there could be other deities in this world that are on par with or even more powerful than the supreme god of this world. 

The realization that he had never heard of any supreme deity of Dizencia, even after he regained consciousness and learned about being reborn in this world, led Vandread to come to the conclusion that he must have been mistaken.

He was aware from the very beginning that this world was replete with magical phenomena, legendary beings, and formidable beasts. However, he was never told about any patron deity of this world, nor did he ever come into contact with anyone who did know about them. 

It would appear that the people of this world do not believe that God could possibly be more powerful than they are. 

It's possible that this was also the reason why the mysterious voice seemed to tell him that his initial assumption was incorrect. It was for the simple reason that concepts like a supreme deity or a divine entity did not exist in this particular world. 

Vandread may have found it impossible to believe that, but he must now rule out the possibility of a divine being as his next possible guess.

And now that he had been set back to square one once more, he had to think about what could possibly be the identity of the person who possesses the same abilities as the mysterious voice told him. He made an effort to put himself in the position of the voice and entertained the idea of making a wild guess in his head.

There was no way that he could be an angel because such a thing was still capable of having connections to divine entities. 

The fact that he did not grant Vandread three wishes, but rather three stages of mind explosion, rules out the possibility that he was a genie either. Vandread even entertained the idea that, if the mysterious voice had turned out to be a genie, he would have requested his ultimate powers back almost immediately.

Vandread was adamant in his conviction that, had he been in possession of all of his powers at the time, he would have had no trouble breaking through the surface of the water and reaching the shore. He would not have cared if he had to struggle to determine the identity of the mysterious voice in order to avoid drowning to death. He would have done anything to avoid losing his life.

But Vandread was currently unable to escape this predicament, and he had no choice but to carry out the challenge that the mysterious voice had assigned to him, which was to determine what his name was. If he failed to do so, he would perish from getting drowned as soon as the two layers of the barrier that continued to protect him broke down as well.

“Can’t you at least give me a little more clue?”

‘Not possible.’

“You are not being fair enough.”

‘But life is unfair and uncertain, Vandread.’

“Why wouldn’t you just provide me with your name instead of giving me all this trouble!” Vandread almost lost it as his voice toned up a bit.

‘If I did that, what’s the point of asking it as a challenge? You human beings have the misconception that problems can always be solved in an easy manner. You search for and devise the quickest way possible, avoiding any and all difficulties. And when you fail, you all look like pitiful souls who don't deserve even the slightest bit of sympathy because of the terrible upbringings you had. You all are cowards who deserved tobe out through such ordeals because you are all incompetent.’

“I shouldn’t have just shut up instead of asking who you are.”

‘And you think by doing that I would skip challenging you and instead help you out? How pathetic. You really don’t get it, Vandread. I don’t help the weak. I chastise them, and you are no exemption.’

This time, Vandread was able to connect the scattered pieces of information that he had been attempting to decipher. The next thing that went through his head was that if the hints that had been given to him couldn't be connected to any divine entities, then he should rule out angels and genies as possible answers. 

Even though mages and magus were quite on the same level as divine entities, he didn't count them either because they don't necessarily have the same abilities that he claimed divine entities have. 

Vandread was getting more and more worked up about the current predicament. In spite of the fact that he was running out of options, he continued to explore all of the possibilities available to him. Even after considering wizards, warlocks, and witches, he chose to disregard them in the end. They all share the same characteristics, but they are not entirely identical to what the mysterious voice described them as being.

No matter how hard Vandread tried to come up with an answer, he always ended up crossing that option off the list because he just couldn't muster the confidence to tell the unknown voice that it was his second best guess.

And despite the fact that Vandread still has one more chance available to him in the event that he fails the second one once again, he simply could not afford to throw away another opportunity. Because of this, he was ultimately compiling as many viable options as he could muster up in his search for a solution.

‘What’s your second guess, Vandread?’ Another question was posed by the mysterious voice. It seemed as though it couldn't stand to wait any longer. 

“Yes. I know the answer.” Vandread replied. He eliminated all of his other options except for one that could be the correct response. This time, he was able to definitely be certain that the solution to the challenge posed by the mysterious voice was unquestionably this one.

Then the mysterious voice asked, ‘Tell me your second guess, then.’ 

After hearing this, Vandread retorted right away with a grin on his face and proudly  told him, "You are a sentinel."