Chapter 130: Deification (1)

The newly awakened Rudera GM… and yet.

Despite being in the mental realm, the [System] had not taken its original form. 

Instead, it appeared as Menhera, the Demon God.

Every essence of its existence had been devoured, consumed entirely by the Demon God, becoming a mere part of her.

“My son…”

As expected, the [System] recognized me as its son.

The synchronization with the Demon God was complete, eroding its rationality and causing it to inherit a twisted affection for me, rooted in the Demon God’s perception.

“A shell.”

However, unlike the Demon God, who was the true form sleeping lazily over there, the [System] did not regard me as her complete son.

To it, I was merely a fake—a fraud that had stolen the body of her son.

The Demon God considered even my reincarnated self as her son, but the [System] rejected this notion.

Though the soul within me was identical to my primordial self, the [System] denied my very existence.

It deemed me false.

It viewed me as an enemy.

Boom.

The words of the [System] were followed by a crushing pressure that rained down on me.

‘I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this.’

The speculations I had made, the plans I had prepared for every possibility before setting off, all pointed toward this.

‘I didn’t think it would match perfectly.’

Boom!

The authority I wielded as Rudera’s GM clashed with the [System], disguised in the form of the Demon God.

This contradiction—loving me as her son while simultaneously despising me as an enemy—stemmed from the Demon God’s failure to fully absorb the [System].

Somehow, the Demon God had managed to subdue and consume the [System]—a being that once challenged me during its invasion of the continent.

She had devoured the vast divinity and authority of the transcendent [System] but couldn’t completely assimilate it.

Perhaps, after losing her son and succumbing to long years of grief, her broken mind was too fragile to handle the cognitive storm that came with the [System].

While the [System]’s consciousness was shattered and consumed, its remnants influenced the Demon God in return.

As a result, the [System] manifested a contradictory behavior, blending its hostility toward me with the Demon God’s affection.

“It’s too late, my son’s shell. Soon, true faith will gather like a radiant beam of light. The blessed birthright my son deserves will be realized.”

The [System] spoke as it clashed with my authority.

“Can you feel it? The pure, intricate, and concentrated faith converging from across the continent!”

As she said, the faith etched into me was steadily growing.

Though the faith she had orchestrated was intended to focus on a limited group of powerful individuals, the caliber of her followers was extraordinary.

Much like when I clashed with her original form, a massive divinity began to coalesce.

“This is a concentrated faith unlike before! My son within you shall awaken!”

For my past life to awaken meant the erasure of my current soul.

If I ascended to godhood in the manner she desired, I would vanish.

And considering that the incomplete Rudera transformation left me and the [System] at a stalemate, her prediction that my godhood would manifest before I could subdue her seemed reasonable.

The [System] had every reason to feel assured of her victory.

“Is that so?”

But I had prepared a gamble before coming here.

Something I had never attempted before.

Whether it would work, I couldn’t be certain, but…

[Execute Protocol.]

[Initiate Event.]

This was my last resort.

***

GM’s Meister, Ollun’s Workshop

Clang, clang, clang!

A dwarven girl, diligently hammering away at her creation, wiped the sweat from her brow.

“Hah, this isn’t right. I need to wrap more silver…”

“…As expected of Ollun.”

“Even after crafting such a masterpiece, you’re still not satisfied!”

Ever since she was chosen by the GM and her hands were healed, Ollun had been creating groundbreaking artifacts like the Lightning Fertilizer.

Unsurprisingly, she had become the greatest Meister among her race, surpassing even the ancient dwarven Meisters who now visited her workshop just to witness her work.

Ding!

While reinforcing a disappointing creation with additional chains, a system window abruptly appeared before her.

Ding!

– You have received the GM’s blessing.
– You have earned an appropriate title.
– Acquired title: Master Craftsman.

“Huh?”

Ding, ding, ding!

“Wha—what’s happening?!”

The dwarves surrounding her were similarly startled as their vision was obscured by the sudden system windows.

***

Fifth Floor of the Tower of Labyrinths – Grand Chapel

“Everyone, what is [Him]? It is a name we long for—a name that resides in our hearts, evoking yearning and tears over countless years…”

“It is a name I have long thirsted for.”

Standing on the stage under the watchful eyes of thousands, Kenyon—formerly a paladin and now the master of the fifth floor of the Tower of the Labyrinth—delivered his testimony of faith, weaving it seamlessly into a sermon.

“[The Lord] I speak of is none other than GM, my dear believers!”

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Tears flowed as countless devotees erupted into applause at Kenyon’s heartfelt preaching.

“You have waited for this moment. Soon, we shall broadcast the News.”

As Kenyon prepared to show a video celebrating faith and devotion, a sudden chime echoed.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

Notification windows appeared before every devotee gathered in the hall.

“0124…”

• GM’s Blessing has descended.
• Title Acquired: Cult Leader.

Kenyon was no exception. 

A system window lit up before him as well, as if the heavens had graced their worship with divine favor.

It was a miracle—a sign that the deity had accepted their devotion with joy.

Faith converged from all directions.

• GM’s Blessing has descended.
  [Knight]
• GM’s Blessing has descended.
  [Archmage]
• GM’s Blessing has descended.
  [Spirit Summoner]

Across the entire continent, blessings rained down, coating the land in a deluge of titles.

[Gamer]
Bit by bit.

[Leader] [Commander]
Bit by bit.

[Martial Artist] [Faithful Descendant] [Sage]

Titles gathered, forming a mighty torrent.

[Master Swordsman] [Chubby] [Muscleman] [Longstone]
[Soft and Fluffy] [Gentle Breeze] [Hard Worker] [Artisan] [Big Brother] [Innovator]
[Hero] [Invincible One] [Berserker] [Block Dragon] [Slowpoke] [Rebuilder] [Corruption]
[Sword Emperor] [Hamster Buddy] [Farm Tyrant] [Liberator] [Restorer] [Gigantic] [Slayer] [Archer]

The rain of titles blanketed the continent.

[Death Guide] [Golden Prohibition] [Flame Emperor] [R’tel] [Ascetic] [Novice Mage] [Witch] [Lame Duck] [Baldy] [Because It’s Fun] [Oh, That’s Why] [Collector] [Grandma Enthusiast] [Lofty] [Restroom] [Savior]

Why did the Demon God insist on stacking titles to create a narrative that deified me?

Why didn’t they simply push the players to strengthen their faith in GM to compel my apotheosis directly?

Instead, they pursued a cumbersome strategy, granting limited, specific titles to mold me into a deity.

Pondering this question, I reached one conclusion.

There was no other way.

I could not ascend to divinity through faith alone, as a god typically would.

Why?

Why is that?

‘Could it be…’

The answer was simple.

Because I had already ascended to divinity once.

To thwart the invasion of [System], I had united the faith of the entire continent to achieve divinity.

Back then, I employed various underhanded means, and due to overlapping issues like the Rudera incident, I failed to become a true god. 

My prior self remained dormant, making it a temporary state.

Yet, I had become a god.

The experience and memories of that event were etched into my soul.

Even if I were to achieve divinity again in the proper manner, those memories and consciousness would persist.

This would render the Demon God’s goal of “erasing Albus and awakening the primordial Albus” impossible.

I would not disappear.

Therefore, to achieve their aim, the Demon God needed an alternative route to my divinity.

That alternative was to collect faith not through sheer quantity, but through quality and narrative.

By weaving stories with a handful of powerful individuals and using titles as a medium to materialize faith, they sought to grant me divinity in a wholly different way.

In essence, the Demon God aimed to make me a deity through this unprecedented method, to erase me in the process.

Only then did I understand why the Demon God was so fixated on the method of titles—particularly the limited, two-character ones.

And in that understanding, I found the solution to break their scheme.

If becoming a god in an untried manner erases my memory, then what happens if I ascend again in a way I have already experienced?

Wouldn’t my consciousness and memories remain intact?

As a contingency, I had prepared a command to distribute titles to every person across the continent.

Titles would be given to all, regardless of narrative or qualification, tailored to fit each individual.

Unlimited, unconditional, and devoid of narrative, these titles would nevertheless all carry the name of GM’s blessing.

By doing so, I would disrupt the Demon God’s carefully crafted narrative titles, uniting the faith and devotion of the entire continent.

This was my ultimate move to dismantle the Demon God’s ploy.