Even though I had become a Lesser Deity, not much had changed.
My body had been adjusted to suit my new state, and I had bound the Administrator Authority of the Labyrinth of Bahart to myself.
Other than those things, everything was the same as before. Even though I was a God, I was still only a Lesser Deity. I had no proper followers yet, which meant I had no Divine Power to use.
‘This is what I have to do from now on.’
Before the war with the Supreme Apostle broke out, I had to secure as many, and as strong, Apostles as possible.
[This is a place without an Administrator.]
[Connecting to the relevant dimension.]
When I returned to Earth, a new message appeared. Most of the places where the Six Dragon Gods created Labyrinths were locations where there was no Administrator God, or where the Administrator’s power was weak. Earth must have been the same. Since I now possessed the qualifications and had arrived on Earth, the planet naturally became bound to me.
“Now I have three dimensions.”
If I gathered the strongest individuals from all three dimensions, wouldn’t it be easier to deal with the Supreme Apostle? I entertained that thought for a moment, but then the rules regarding the Dimensional War that Ru had passed down flowed into my mind.
— Dimensional Wars can only take place between one dimension and another.
— It is impossible to move living beings between dimensions.
If I could rule several dimensions and gather only the strongest from each, I could potentially make one dimension the strongest in existence. While exchange between different dimensions was possible, once a Dimensional War with the Supreme Apostle began, I would have to face him using only those present on Earth.
‘I’m at a disadvantage.’
The Supreme Apostle was a Lesser Deity just like me. Furthermore, he had been developing his dimension for a very long time. If we fought like this, I was guaranteed to lose. I needed a special method to bridge the gap created by that vast amount of time.
‘There is one way.’
A method perfectly suited to the recent changes. I had already drawn the picture in my head. All I had to do was check if it was feasible and then proceed. I moved to the Labyrinth to verify.
[Entering the Labyrinth of Bahart.]
When I checked what I could do as the Administrator, everything I wanted was possible. First, I adjusted the settings so that no external forces could interfere. I erased all traces of the Six Dragon Gods. Now, I was the only one who could manipulate this Labyrinth. After finishing the initial work, I moved to the Golden Tower.
I went to the Tower Master’s office and met Yoo Seolha.
“I have a request.”
“Work as soon as you arrive? But the atmosphere…”
She must have noticed the change in me immediately, likely due to her exceptional skills.
“I’ve become a God. A Lesser Deity, for now.”
“…It didn’t seem impossible, so I don’t even know what to say. What kind of work are you assigning me this time?”
“Managing the Labyrinth.”
“Excuse me?”
I manifested a chair and sat down across from Yoo Seolha. Then, I calmly explained the plan I had formed in my head.
“I’ve gained the authority to manage the Labyrinth. I intend to hand part of that over to you.”
“And why do we need to manage the Labyrinth?”
“A Dimensional War with the Supreme Apostle is going to happen. To win, the Hunters on Earth need to become stronger.”
“…Ah, so that guy wasn’t the end of it.”
“Someone who employs several beings like those High Apostles will come for us.”
“Can’t you just handle it yourself? If you’ve become a God, it should be possible.”
“There are many restrictions. Even as a God, I’m only half-complete. That’s why a Dimensional War is so tricky. I can’t intervene directly in the fight.”
“Is it the same for the opponent?”
“Yeah. It’s a fight using what each side possesses. I don’t know how long they’ve been preparing, but they are definitely stronger than us.”
“How much time do we have?”
“One year.”
Yoo Seolha pursed her lips.
“That’s too short. It’s hard enough to train even one S-rank Hunter in that time.”
“That’s why I plan to use a special method.”
“What is it?”
“I’m going to implement a Time Attack System and enhance the rewards. I’m also going to try adding a Constellation System.”
Currently, the Labyrinth’s conquest rate wasn’t that high. In the beginning, because it was somewhat easy, there were many applicants, but as the floors went deeper, the number of people challenging them dwindled. Looking closely, it was inevitable. I hadn’t cared much about the rewards since I was focused on obtaining Hidden Pieces, but for others, the rewards were the main draw.
Basically, the rewards from the Labyrinth were too stingy. A few Magic Stones, a few potions, and some resources from the specific floor. As the floors went deeper, the difficulty increased, but since the rewards remained meager, the desire to challenge them dropped.
The Time Attack System was meant to fill that void while also identifying those with superior skills.
“If additional rewards are given to those who show great skill within a limited time, won’t everyone work hard to challenge it?”
“Probably. Then what are you going to give as rewards?”
“Items, of course.”
“I don’t think they’ll be interested in just any items. Most things can be made in reality.”
“I’m going to distribute things from the Dragon Lair.”
The equipment crafted with the utmost care by Dwarf smiths was so superior it couldn’t be compared to anything made in reality. Furthermore, I planned to supply potions much better than those currently sold by the Golden Tower—elixirs and potions that increased stats. On top of that, there was a massive amount of Attribute Grass and various potions being grown by Fryra.
“That will definitely catch their eyes. With those, most Hunters would grit their teeth and challenge the Labyrinth.”
“Right? We’ll settle the reward issue with that.”
“But what is this Constellation System?”
As I climbed through the Advanced Arena, the number of SSS-rank Hunters increased. However, there was currently no place to utilize them. We would only truly need them during the war with the Supreme Apostle, but having many SSS-rank Hunters didn’t guarantee victory. The Supreme Apostle would surely have SSS-rank followers of his own.
That was when I thought of Artina.
‘The Saint of the Sword.’
Artina’s Divine Power grew stronger as her number of followers increased. Furthermore, as Artina grew stronger, I grew stronger too. The Constellation System was based on that concept.
If I were to go out on Earth right now and say, “I am a God, follow me and become my Apostles,” there would be significant backlash. Attempting to induce faith by showing off my powers to people one by one would also take too long.
‘If I use the SSS-rank Guardians like Constellations, it solves everything.’
Hunters would receive teachings from the Guardians they believed to be Constellations, and the Guardians could surpass their limits through the faith of the Hunters. And as the Guardians grew stronger, I would also grow stronger. It was a natural way to expand my influence.
‘It also makes it easy to choose Apostles.’
It was impossible for me to watch every Hunter in the world by myself. As a Lesser Deity, I wasn’t given many tools. The Constellations could solve that.
Different personalities.
Different weapons.
Different combat styles.
Each Constellation would choose Hunters that fit their own style, and many Hunters would see their talents bloom. Among them, those with exceptional talent—those recognized by the Guardians—could be appointed as Apostles. I could select and manage incredible Apostles simultaneously. This way, I could indirectly receive help from various dimensions to grow Earth.
When I shared my thoughts with Yoo Seolha, she nodded.
“But are there many Guardians?”
“For now, there are at least sixty. There will be more in the future.”
“Then what is it that I have to do?”
“Manage the Labyrinth on Earth while I’m away. Occasionally host events with items as prizes.”
“You won’t be on Earth?”
“It’ll be hard to take down the Supreme Apostle with just this system. I’m thinking of trying something else as well. That’s why I needed someone to manage this system in my stead.”
Yoo Seolha let out a deep sigh and nodded.
“But how are you going to implement something like a Constellation System?”
I had a small amount of divinity accumulated through Artina. By using that, I could use the Authority to link one dimension to another.
“We’re going to build it together starting now.”
“What?”
“Let’s begin.”
Together with Yoo Seolha, I created the Constellation System. Things that seemed impossible could mostly be resolved by using my Authority.
[Created a system to view the Labyrinth from the Dragon Lair.]
[Created a system to leave one’s will to a being connected across dimensions.]
[Created a system to transfer skills.]
After creating the systems, I checked to see if they functioned properly. In the world of the Dragon Lair, I blinked my eyes.
[Accessing the Constellation System.]
[Summoning connected Hunter.]
[Yoo Seolha (SS-rank) is entering the Labyrinth. Broadcasting the scene.]
The image of Yoo Seolha entering the Labyrinth appeared.
“Can you hear me?”
Yoo Seolha nodded and replied.
【I can hear you clearly.】
“Then try a conquest.”
Using Fly Magic, Yoo Seolha floated slightly and charged through the Labyrinth, striking down the enemies that appeared.
Flash!
Boom!
Explosions followed the flashes of light, and the monsters vanished instantly. Soon, she arrived at the location of the Boss Monster. Looking at the Boss Monster exuding a menacing aura, Yoo Seolha calmly prepared her magic. As the creature emerged, her magic surged toward it.
Kaaaa-booom!
A powerful explosion swept away the Boss Monster, and a new message appeared.
[Time Attack Record: 1 minute 34 seconds.]
[You have achieved the fastest record. Providing reward.]
An item appeared in Yoo Seolha’s hand. It was a recovery potion with slightly better performance than the intermediate potions sold at the Golden Tower, and a steel sword crafted by a Dwarf. I finished checking that the Time Attack System was functioning normally.
【But records are meant to be broken. Are you going to provide a reward every time?】
“Probably.”
【I think there might be cases of abuse. If the first person takes as much time as possible to finish, and then others slowly shorten the record…】
“You don’t have to worry about that. We can just set a baseline.”
Based on the records of the floors conquered so far, if we set a minimum threshold, such things wouldn’t happen. Even if that weren’t the case, someone would always want to stand out, and someone would always want to monopolize the rewards. This world doesn’t always run rationally, nor does it always go as planned.
“If something like that really happens, just intervene appropriately. That’s why I’m putting an Administrator in place.”
【Yes.】
“Now, let me try giving you a skill.”
I transferred a skill I had learned in the past to Yoo Seolha, and the enlightenment and usage instructions were delivered directly to her.
[Transferring the Dragon Fang Spiral Spear (SS-rank) skill to the Hunter.]
The message appeared, and Yoo Seolha nodded.
【It worked perfectly.】
“Good. Let’s leave it at this for today. We’ll do a final check in one week and then start immediately.”
【Okay.】
The system preparations were complete. However, the reason I didn’t start immediately was that the Constellations needed training. I cut off the telepathy and walked toward the Guardians in the Dragon Lair.
Some were drinking. Some were eating. Some were napping under the World Tree, while others were training. I called together the Guardians, who were each doing their own thing.
“You were bored just being here, weren’t you? Well, I’ve brought something fun for you, so everyone, come over here.”