#684 Create a User

I, Shax, the president of Pandemonium Trading Company, am in distress...!

The sale of goods without disclosing their contents, as suggested by Lord Saint, was indeed profitable.

Customers would keep buying until they got the item they wanted, and if they wanted the whole set, they would have to buy more than they needed.

This is undoubtedly profitable for the seller. But wouldn’t it force unnecessary expenditure on the customers?

The madam also said it was a “sinful culture.” 

Is there any hope in commerce that ignores this and only pursues profit?

The passion for gambling, the compulsion to complete, buying in bulk, secrets...!

Oh, what should I do...?!

* * *

Hello.

It’s me, Diablo.

A busy kid who roams the cramped streets of the Demon Capital!

Right now, a storm of a new craze is sweeping through the capital!

It’s the new product launched by Pandemonium called Letasreit Roasted Beans that comes with an idol freebie!

Surprisingly, the real attention-grabber here is the idol freebie. Despite being palm-sized, the intricately crafted figurine is so well-made that it surprises even adults, you know!

Moreover, hundreds of identical pieces have been mass-produced, which has everyone wondering how they managed to achieve such high quality.

...At least, that’s what the adults are saying.

I, who call myself the city’s number one innovator, rushed to the general store and bought some as soon as I could. 

There was a purchase limit, and you could only buy three per person!

And the contents that greeted me after excitedly opening them were...!

Otherworldly Deities Figurine Series First Edition ① Hades.

Otherworldly Deities Figurine Series First Edition ① Hades.

Otherworldly Deities Figurine Series First Edition ① Hades.

They’re all the same?!

I felt uneasy not being able to see what was inside the box, but it was just as I feared!

Since I can’t see the contents, I have to rely on luck to get what I want!

I really wanted the super cool Velesares statue I saw in the cafe, but I guess I’ll have to keep buying more until I get it by chance!

I chewed on the roasted beans that came as a bonus with a feeling of regret!

If that’s how things are, I’m gonna keep buying until I get the figurine I’m aiming for!

Otherworldly Deities Figurine Series First Edition ① Hades.

Otherworldly Deities Figurine Series First Edition ② Poseidon.

Otherworldly Deities Figurine Series First Edition ③ Demetersephone.

Otherworldly Deities Figurine Series First Edition ④ Amphitrite.

Otherworldly Deities Figurine Series First Edition ⑤ Velesares.

Otherworldly Deities Figurine Series First Edition ⑥ Hephaestus.

I’ll keep pulling until I get the Velesares figurine from this series!

Mom! I want an advance on my allowance!

Huh? I can’t?

* * *

I, Diablo, came up with a new game.

Tell you what, I’m known as the “Pioneer of Games” around here.

Allow me to declare that I won’t just get up for nothing, even if I stumble!

It’s a rough journey full of agony!

Things to prepare for my new game:

First, the coloring materials I got from my dad!

Second, the Hades figurines, which I have 27 in total.

Using one of these duplicate figures, I’ll smear it with paint!

Vividly! Pastel-y!

These idol figurines must be made of clay; the paint adheres so well!

And with that, it’s finished!

Hades’ figurine is wholly coated in gleaming gold!

He looks so strong!

And so cool!

There’s just something about a gold-coated body that looks cool, yeah!

Feeling inspired, I decided to paint the other duplicates. I’m going to create a mass production of unique, one-of-a-kind Hades figurines!!

Let’s start by painting them all in a single color.

The all-red Hades figurine looks like it could move three times faster than usual.

The all-blue Hades figurine, somehow, seems different from the green one.

The all-black Hades figurine... I feel like lining up three of them.

The all-white Hades figurine... What is this, a demon?

As I continued painting, I felt my creative spirit ignite!

This is fun. Maybe next time, I’ll decorate them with more than one color!

After experimenting with various palettes, I ended up with...

A variety of designs!

The high-mobility Hades.

The camouflage Hades.

The stealth Hades.

The space battle-ready Hades (with a skirt).

The sniper custom Hades.

The prototype edition Hades.

“Aren’t they all the same?”

How could you say that, Mom?!

They’re completely different!

Listen carefully! The difference between the high-mobility and the prototype edition is... the high-mobility has red eyes, and the prototype has yellow eyes!

“I don’t get it...”

I just wanted to make use of these duplicate Hades figurines, but it turned out to be more fun than I expected!

Just painting them isn’t enough anymore!

I’ll start adding details with paper clay!

I’ll create additional armor and make an even stronger, cooler Hades!

For some reason, I keep getting duplicate Hades figurines!

Once, I even got five of them in a row!

Maybe it’s because he’s the main god of the demon race, so he’s easier to get?!

“Hah-ha-ha! Diablo, you still lack creativity...!”

What?!

Who said that?! Oh, it’s my best friend, Beelzebub!

He also collects the Otherworldly Deities Figurine Series like me, munching on the bonus beans that come with them.

And he must have also accumulated a lot of duplicate Hades figurines!

“Could it be... you’ve been customizing your Hades figurines too...?!”

“You’re outdated, Diablo. The latest trend in the Demon Capital is to use the extra Hades figurines from the first wave of the Otherworldly Deities Figurine Series to express one’s technical skills and creativity.”

W-What...?!

Other people came up with the same idea as me?!

I thought I was the only one who thought of this...!

“That’s your weakness, Diablo. While you’re lost in your own thoughts, I’ve reached a new stage through many exchanges. Behold, my masterpiece!”

W-Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!

This Hades figurine... at first glance, it appears to be an ordinary unpainted figure, but...!

“It... it moves...!”

Incredibly, the figure’s limbs move back and forth when pushed or pulled!

It’s almost like the god himself!

Beelzebub made this?!

“I disassembled the figurine, installed movable joints, and reassembled it. Now, Hades can move his arms, legs, and neck and can be posed in various ways!”

What incredible finesse...!

Beelzebub had gone far beyond me while I was busy tooting my own horn for just painting my figurines! 

“It’s too early to be surprised. I’ve given new power to my figurine through further modification. Behold, its ultimate form!”

Ahhhhhhhh!!!

He adds more figurines, making it three in total!

“Hades Tri-Fusion!!!”

Waaaaaah!

The first Hades figurine is folded into layers with its spine popping out!

As for the other two Hades figurines... their legs are split so far... what is he trying to do?!

No, the three figurines that have been folded and bent to a state that can’t even be called human are sticking together... to form a bigger figure...!

“Tri-Fusion Deluxe Hades Special!!!”

“W-What the!!!”

Transformation?!

Such a method also exists?!

“Do you understand now, Diablo? In the current Demon Capital, it’s a big trend to modify duplicate Hades figurines and compete on their completion in an Idol Battle! That you didn’t know this until I told you means you’re significantly behind!”

It can’t be...!

Me, the top innovative boy in the capital, is falling behind? Am I that slow?!

“Can you catch up and leap into the stardom of the Idol Battle?”

“You bet I can!”

“Heh, that’s the spirit of my rival. I’ll be waiting for you at the top. I believe you’ll surely climb up...!”

* * *

And so, in the Demon Capital, the culture and arts advanced even further with the reconstruction competition using the abundant duplicate Hades figurines. But for some reason, it seems that the bigwigs at Pandemonium were at their wit’s end because of it.

I wonder why?

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they really went with the gacha gimmick oml. also, if anyone's aware of the reference being made here, please do let us know! i could also be overthinking things but space battle ready hades with a skirt seems oddly specific to not be a reference to something

i also saw the cover preview for volume 14 of the light novel, so i included it here! veil's holding a bottle of strawberry milk it seems