The chaotic noises never ceased.
The sounds of sorting supplies and food, the loud shouts of the commanders, the crisp noise of feathers hitting the ground—all of it blended into a constant clamor.
Everyone, utterly exhausted, squeezed out their last bit of energy.
“Hey, why don’t you take a little rest?”
When I said that, the commanders just smirked and pushed me forward.
“We have to keep going non-stop to stay ahead. Sir Doryeon, you should get some proper rest. You’ve been at the front lines the whole time. We’re only sorting the supplies; the royal soldiers will handle the rest.”
How could I feel comfortable with that?
After helping a few more times, I handed out cups of Holy Water.
They drank it eagerly, as if their throats were parched.
Watching them, I stepped inside the fortress.
Status Window
[Hor] [Lower-Ranked Deity]
》[Church Level – 2]
ㅁ Number of Devotees – 1,326
ㅁ Faith – 683,637
ㅁ Powers: [Devotee Appointment] [Receiving Prayer] [Divine Sight] [Divine Revelation]
- Unlocked Titles – [Lowest-Ranked Evangelist] 32/50, [Lowest-Ranked Paladin] 30/30, [Lowest-Ranked Priest] 20/20
- [Lower-Ranked Evangelist] 0/5, [Lower-Ranked Paladin] 0/3, [Lower-Ranked Priest] 0/2
Lying down on my cot, staring at the Status Window, I suddenly realized just how much had changed.
But not all those changes were positive.
The number of devotees was thirteen hundred.
Over four hundred men had died fighting bravely in the final battle at Polin Castle against the unavoidable undead horde encountered on the way there.
The stark number of devotees glaringly highlighted the empty space left behind.
Loss was still unfamiliar to me.
And it was something I didn’t want to get used to.
I fought back the sudden wave of melancholy.
Luckily, there was something perfect to lift my spirits.
“A Lower-Ranked Deity, huh.”
Woong.
A brilliant light blossomed from my fingertips.
My faith, having just broken free of the lowest rank, shone even more brightly and brimmed with greater power than before.
And that wasn’t all.
The status of my devotees had also drastically changed.
All the residents of Snowfall had become Evangelists, while the elves, including Tasar, had become Priests.
The Paladins were a given.
All this happened after the full church level up and ascension of the deity rank.
It felt almost new, refreshing.
Looking at the greatly increased special devotees, it felt as if a personal order of knights had been formed just for me.
Of course, I wasn’t going to be satisfied with just this.
I had to create something truly magnificent.
One that bore the glorious name of Temple Knights.
“Alright, next…”
While envisioning the future, my gaze shifted.
Newly acquired powers: ‘Divine Sight’ and ‘Divine Revelation.’
Very straightforward names.
And yet they sparked great anticipation.
Until now, the only thing I could do was increase debt or gain faith through others’ wishes—I hadn’t yet fulfilled any wishes as a god.
Who would call me a god under those circumstances?
That’s why I pinned my hopes on these two new powers.
Finally, I had obtained at least a single ability worthy of a god.
“Let’s see how different it is from the game world. Let’s test it out.”
Whether it would meet my expectations or disappoint, I was about to find out.
‘Divine Sight’
My lips curved into a smile.
At that moment, the world before my eyes suddenly changed.
***
Divine Sight.
It was truly the ability to observe the world with the eyes of a god.
Now that I could see the entire Riot Castle at a glance, I tried to explain this state simply…
Yeah, it felt as if my eyes were suspended high up in the sky.
The limitations of the physical body and eyesight had disappeared.
It was a godly, omniscient perspective.
“Why are you drinking my Holy Water, you bastard?! That’s saved for later!”
“Seriously! Why are you so stingy over just one drop?”
I spotted men rummaging through a supply cart, squabbling over the last sip of Holy Water, and I chuckled.
I briefly scanned Riot Castle here and there.
Some gripped the hands of their fallen comrades, secretly wiping away tears, while others had collapsed as if unconscious.
This was a quiet, sorrowful peace that had descended on a fortress where death and battle never ceased.
Watching everything unfold, I turned my gaze elsewhere.
In the distance, I caught sight of Demonic Energy rippling from the Dead Land.
‘Well, Divine Sight is a pass. This is a power I desperately needed.’
The world was already twisted beyond repair.
I had been overwhelmed by the endless stream of variables.
With this ability, I could anticipate those variables in advance and prepare.
‘I’m going to smack the back of the backstabber’s head.’
They say that once you know and prepare, not even the heavens can stop you.
The Southern Continent and that bastard Allan Marks.
Who knew how twisted the variables would be.
I was planning to send spies soon to keep tabs on them, but the timing couldn’t have been better—I had acquired a high-performance observation skill.
‘Where else should I look?’
The land below flickered past swiftly.
The Dead Land, which I had barely crossed with great effort, revealed itself again.
In an instant, the ruined remains of Polin Castle came into view.
Around then, the consumption rate of Divine Sight’s mana began to rise drastically.
‘Distance and Demonic Energy… is that it?’
The further away from my body the sight reached, and the denser the Demonic Energy in the location, the more Faith was consumed.
Proof of this was when I passed over the Demonic Energy-infused area of Polin Castle; the Faith cost dropped sharply from 800 per second to below 300.
That was enough to roughly gauge the limits of Divine Sight.
Now, it was time to look at what really mattered.
‘First up, that guy.’
Allan Marks—the youngest son of the Great Magic Family Marks and a prodigy of unparalleled genius.
I had to see if he was training hard as I knew, or if he was secretly sharpening some unfamiliar blade.
So, I searched for him.
Hoping it would work, I thought of Allan Marks in my head.
Suddenly, the scene before me changed.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
A noble-looking carriage ran over the ground.
There was no doubt Allan Marks was inside.
But something felt off.
“Huh.”
A familiar Demonic Energy radiated faintly from the carriage.
Though he had seemingly suppressed his aura to avoid detection by ordinary people, I could clearly sense it.
It was undoubtedly the same Demonic Energy that the Liches had unleashed upon Polin Castle.
“Ugh…”
Peering hurriedly inside the carriage, I saw a boy clutching his head with both hands—Allan Marks.
Why was Demonic Energy stirring so deeply within him?
Damn it.
I had suspected something was off, and my suspicions weren’t unfounded.
Luckily, my mind quickly formulated a plausible theory.
‘If this guy was with the Magic Alliance…one variable begets another.’
I couldn’t rule out the possibility that Allan Marks, who should be holed up training at home, had joined the Alliance.
‘That damned boneheads must have messed with Allan.’
I pondered quietly.
That had to be it.
The phrase ‘hidden dangers in the grass’ popped into my mind.
Allan’s talent was evidently unique enough to attract the Liches’ attention.
They must have handed over all their Demonic Energy to make him a demon.
A chill ran down my spine.
A deadly poison was growing invisibly somewhere.
***
I stopped using Divine Sight and organized my thoughts.
“This is happening because of me.”
I have no regrets sending the Liches away.
If I hadn’t done so, I wouldn’t have known about the Magic Alliance’s surprise attack.
I merely chose a method that could strike both the Liches and the brazen Magic Alliance with one blow.
“Regardless of the circumstances, the bottom line is that Demonic Energy has taken root inside Allan.”
I nearly got played.
Of course, if I hadn’t realized it by now.
Once aware, a trap is no longer a trap, and a crisis is no longer a crisis.
Instead, it could be turned into a great opportunity.
And now, I reached a conclusion.
In the future, Allan Marks would be the mastermind behind the destruction of Bartenberg.
“I’ll have to deceive that bastard.”
I already apologized in advance to the Liches that had died a miserable death.
Their schemes would be ruined once more because of me.
***
Whispers kept creeping into Allan’s mind.
“Kill him. Kill him. Kill him…”
Those harsh voices stirred violent urges.
Like the voice of a demon, they shook the human mind violently.
“Shut up!”
Crash!
A randomly thrown object shattered a glass window.
Allan had long since realized the Liches had done something terrible to him.
Now five days since he broke away from the chaotic alliance and returned home.
During that time, Allan had been trying hard to understand his condition.
Thanks to that, he had some grasp of the situation.
Across the continent, ‘Monsters’ were running amok.
They scattered ominous Demonic Energy, appearing as either humans or strange creatures.
Some literally called them ‘Monsters,’ while others named them ‘Demons’ because of the Demonic Energy they bore.
Whatever the name, the important thing was this:
All of them were originally ordinary humans who exhibited strange symptoms before becoming monsters.
Allan thought this closely mirrored his own condition.
“Damn it. I knew I’d become one of those monsters—”
His eyes glimmered with venomous bitterness.
He showed no fear of going mad.
He was simply miserable, unable to endure what the Liches had done to him.
“I have to get stronger.”
Stronger—strong enough not to be shaken by this Demonic Energy.
Allan Marks was just about to make that resolve.
[Allan…]
A faint voice echoed.
Allan blinked once.
[Allan… it is you…]
Did it seep in through the broken glass window?
A single autumn leaf fluttered inside on the breeze.
For some reason, his heart pounded rapidly.
He felt as if he were facing something immense.
Swoosh—
A brilliant haze blossomed from the autumn leaf.
Watching the light, his body, once filled with toxins, seemed to cool.
“Ah…”
Allan reached out blankly toward the haze.
When his trembling fingertips touched the light, the voice came again.
[I have watched over you for a long time.]
[You are sinking in darkness even now.]
The voice was completely different from the violent, whispering monster’s voice.
It was neither cruel nor joyous.
The voice flowing from the light was endlessly compassionate and gentle.
“…Who are you?”
Allan asked.
He realized his voice was trembling.
He had never been nervous before.
But in front of that light, maintaining calm was impossible.
Fear and awe swept across the room like white waves.
[I created the earth and the sky.]
[I created what is necessary, and what is unnecessary.]
[What more do you want me to say?]
The light grew stronger.
By the time Allan came to his senses, he was already kneeling.
“What do you want from me?”
With an attitude as if receiving an order was natural, the genius Marks bowed his head.
It all felt perfectly natural and right.
Was this what it was like to be in a hallucination?
Or to be intoxicated?
There was no suspicion or caution.
At least, for now, he lowered his stance like a gentle lamb.
[I am giving you a Divine Revelation.]
[First, you must not shake off the autumn leaf I have placed on your body.]
[Second, you must endure hardship for three days and bear the pain for ten days.]
[Third, you must desperately wait for the right moment.]