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――I want to stop.

It was truly an ironic conclusion to come from more than a hundred thoughts of ‘I want to live.’

Erin no longer wished to continue her life. In that fleeting moment when she had barely escaped, she hadn’t given up hope for life, but that too was only temporary.

Erin recalled the first verse of the Bible, the line that the village’s Sister always recited to the children.

―In the primordial times when light and darkness existed, there was a God.

“Mother, just like in the Bible, does God truly watch over us? Does He hold us dear?”

“Yes, He does. God watches over us with a kind and merciful gaze.”

“Then why did a plague strike the village? What did the Milliane family do to be massacred by the bandits? Why are the thieves living lavishly without facing any punishment for their crimes?”

“……Erin.”

When she asked such questions, her mother placed her hand on Erin’s shoulder as if looking at someone who had spoken words that should never be uttered.

“You must never speak such things to anyone. Do you understand? No matter what happens, do not casually utter denials of ‘God.’ Do you understand?”

“But—”

“Haven’t you grown old enough? Please listen to your mother. If you leave me too, then this mother….”

Erin’s mother could only protect her own blood from the plague by sacrificing herself first.

……Because she had closed her own life prematurely.

‘W-why….’

The bandits that had turned the once influential Milliane family into ruins.

Once the stored food ran out, it seemed they had begun to raid the surrounding areas again.

To save Erin, her mother threw herself into danger, managing to snatch her life away amidst the chaos and escape the village.

The public authority had completely crumbled due to the plague.

All the guards who maintained order were dead or had left, while the royal family had not been able to devise any effective measures, leaving the people to their fate.

If a god truly existed, would they simply turn a blind eye to such things?

If nothing was done, could that really be considered a god?

……This philosophical contemplation lasted only until the second day after successfully escaping.

‘I’m thirsty… water….’

She was starving.

But more importantly, it had been too long since she had had a drink.

It was difficult to find even a single puddle of stagnant water. Even if she did find a place with water, the flies swarming around it made it obvious that drinking it would lead to her immediate demise.

Of course, if she set her mind to it, she could probably find water somehow. There might be a way. Climb a mountain to find a river, or perhaps… some method known only to experienced adventurers.

But Erin was too weak and frail to actually carry out such methods. She lacked the proper knowledge. After all, since the plague had struck, she had barely been able to eat, and her whole body was a mess; what could she actively do now?

‘I want to live, I want to live…! I absolutely… absolutely want to live…!’

Suddenly, she recalled the words spoken by the Sister she had met at church.

Trust in God. He truly exists. One day, at a very decisive moment, He will whisper that He has never left your side.

‘Oh God…’

Please, watch over me.

If you pity me, please show me a way to live.

It’s fine if you simply tell me where to find water. I will be grateful if it rains, and I can drink it. Please, I beg you, I beg you…

Even as her unanswered pleas swirled around her, her vision began to blur.

The desire to live was weakening.

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

Even if she discovered water, would it matter if it was just for her to survive…?

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

So, then, I just want to give up now.

I want to stop.

I want to go to join my family. I want to return to where my lost friends are…

With that thought, she slowly closed her eyes.

And whispered to her emotions. This is the end. Let’s slowly prepare for the finale. There is no hope. God… will absolutely not look over us.

She thought she had prepared her heart calmly for the end.

She was sure of it, but…

‘…No…’

Tears began to flow from Erin’s eyes.

No.

She hadn’t really come to terms with her feelings.

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

Oh God. Are you there? Are you really looking down at me?

If you are…

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

<<<I’m watching you.>>>

‘What?’

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

――Pshuuuuuuuuuuut!!!!!!

“……?!”

A miracle occurred.

* * *

‘No, what kind of rapid development is this…?’

I received a notification for a comment saying “The next chapter has been uploaded!” and checked the next episode without much thought.

Title: ‘A Miracle Suddenly Occurred.’

The content was quite a spectacle. Though it was normal for a girl named Erin to be suffering after collapsing while fleeing, the last part where she called out to God suddenly had water springing up from the ground.

An extremely nonsensical and contrived development!

‘But well…’

The girl named Erin was startled by the suddenly sprouting water and soon brightened up, hurriedly drinking it.

Then, below that scene, as if narrating, the author’s words appeared out of nowhere.

[God Igguoqueden has donated 1,000 won! Thanks to this, Erin was able to drink water! Thank you! Erin’s benefactor, God Igguoqueden!]

‘They’re going to such lengths to profit off this?’

Though it was clearly a money-grab, the thought of not having to see the scene of a cute girl dying while suffering from thirst for just a thousand won seemed like a worthwhile trade to me.

Gore isn’t my preference, and seeing this kind of excessive exploitation rather put me in a good mood.

‘Maybe I’ve been unknowingly living a life swayed by my desire for recognition…’

As I scrolled down to the last page.

‘…Huh?’

This time, a scene of Erin clutching her stomach and wandering around, likely because she was hungry, appeared.

The icing on the cake was what the left at the end.

[She succeeded in drinking water, but still hasn’t eaten! For Erin to overcome her future hardships, she needs to eat! Only donations can feed Erin!]

“Ha!”

I laughed heartily for a while.

Even the donation baiting was taken so far that it didn’t feel unpleasant and instead reached the realm of delightful mountain humor.

Sure. You win. Here, take another thousand won.

[God Igguoqueden (Donation / 1,000 won): Since you’re feeding her, let’s get her a meal too.]

This time, the comments raced in like lightning.

[MoneyPlease (Author): Thank you so much for the donation! I will inform you as soon as the next chapter is uploaded! Thank you for caring for Erin, God Igguoqueden! I will never forget your kindness, God Igguoqueden!]

‘Wow. Great response.’

In an era where even basic donation amounts for internet broadcasts have reached 2,000 to 3,000 won or even 5,000, it was surprising to see such a warm response for just one thousand won, and I even felt like I was spending money well as I got the art I wanted.

‘Good business. This place.’

Thus, after that day—

I became the sole reader of this author’s donation baiting manga called ‘MoneyPlease.’

* * *

Starting with Erin accidentally finding perfectly fine food in the grass, I continued to donate one thousand won with each episode to help her on her journey.

Though she had been failing continually, her expression brightened bit by bit with each stroke of luck. Watching her expressions drawn with care made me curious as to why such a talented person was not competing with a proper story but instead resorting to this absurd donation baiting—but still, I thought it was quite an enjoyable time.

As many chapters continued, following her journey or lack thereof and helping her, one day—

‘…Huh?’

This episode’s plot was particularly heavy.

Erin encountered the bandits who had slaughtered her village.

If things continued, her life would be in danger.

The author’s note was also quite something.

[Erin needs your donations to escape danger! Without donations, Erin will face grave consequences ㅠㅠ.]

The last emoji was rather irritating, making it clear that this person was very adept at drawing aggro.

Moreover, the presentation was way too cringeworthy. While they phrased it as ‘grave consequences,’ the scenes that followed were obviously explicit.

‘Oh boy. This development is too much.’

Before donating, I first left a comment.

[God Igguoqueden: Is this how the plot is supposed to go? Hmm…]

As I expected, a reply followed swiftly. The author was surely monitoring alerts constantly.

[MoneyPlease (Author): God Igguoqueden! Don’t worry. If you make a donation, Erin will safely get through this crisis! Remember, the plot changes depending on the donation amount!]

They were outright begging for money, but to be honest, I was enjoying the comic despite the scams.

What concerned me more was—a sentence that felt familiar from before.

[God Igguoqueden: Exactly how does the plot change based on the donation amount?]

[MoneyPlease (Author): It’s very simple. ‘Fate changes in proportion to the donation amount!’ For example, a 10,000 won donation has ten times the power to change destiny compared to a 1,000 won donation! Of course, a 1,000 won donation will still help Erin escape her crisis, so you don’t need to feel too burdened!]

‘Heh. Now you’re just outright begging for high-value donations.’

While they said that just a thousand won would suffice, saying fate changes based on the donation amount… wasn’t that incredibly intriguing?

Then, following the author’s words, I decided to give ten thousand won.

[God Igguoqueden (Donation / 10,000 won): ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I concede, take this!]

[MoneyPlease (Author): Oh my goodness, God Igguoqueden! Thank you very much for the 10,000 won donation! 10,000 won! You are truly generous! The next episode will be uploaded next week! We will never forget this incredible act of ‘kindness’!]

‘We will never forget this?’

The last sentence struck me a bit oddly, but maybe it was just the writer and artist thing.

If there’s a separate writer, that in itself is legendary.

‘Then I’ll wait a week.’

With that thought, I turned off my computer and headed to bed.