Chapter 347

Chapter 347. News of Victory (3)

As soon as the battle had finished, a welcome message appeared.

「Congratulations! You have successfully hunted a once-great being!」

“Finally.”

This meant that the wretched pursuit had finally come to an end.

A mix of relief, lamentation, and achievement swirled within me, but it wasn’t the time to dwell on such emotions.

“The urgent task now is to absorb the Status.”

I began absorbing the Status that had started to dissipate into black mist.

「You are absorbing corrupted Status.」

「Corrupted Status exists within the body. Check your Chaos level.」

「The corruption of Divinity has begun.」

「Hurry and purify the corrupted Status.」

A menacing message related to the corruption appeared, but I was so desensitized to it from seeing it for months that it stirred no emotion within me.

I dismissed the message window and furrowed my brow slightly.

“How bothersome.”

There was the inconvenience of manually having to absorb an irregular’s Status.

Maybe it was because this was a type of monster not included in the game.

How long did I focus on absorbing the Status, I wondered.

A new system window appeared right in front of my eyes.

《System Message》

《Welcome back, Kang Hyunwoo!》

As I checked the message window I had set aside, the expected announcement was there.

「The Barbarian Trait has been activated.」

「The system has switched to a supportive type. Supported player: Kang Hyunwoo.」

After such a long time, the Barbarian Trait, or perhaps capitalism, was activated once more.

Back when I first achieved my Status, it said bluntly that I’d be too busy, but now that I had returned to Earth, it seemed that things had relaxed.

Even though I noticed the system’s presence, I continued to focus on absorbing the Status.

In the past, I lost more than half of the Status due to lack of priority setting, which was why this time, I absorbed the Status without significant loss.

What was concerning, however, were the chunks of memories clinging to the Status.

“How irritating.”

The day Karklein became a god. The day Karklein’s affiliated dimension was attacked.

The day of the fierce struggle and eventual collapse of the dimension and the extinction of the Origin God.

“They are all so vivid.”

It wasn’t just that.

There was the sorrowful wailing that began the wanderer’s journey, the fear of annihilation in a situation where no more Divinity gathered, and the days of slowly losing sanity.

Just like when I inherited Palao’s Status, it felt as if they had become my own and could be recalled at any time.

“What does it matter what kind of god that guy was now?”

I shook off the thoughts with effort and checked the total amount of Status that had increased.

Judging by the size of my Status, it seemed to be about twice as large as it was before setting out to hunt Karklein.

“The process took time, but the result was good.”

Finally letting out a breath of tension, I spoke.

“System, tally up the remaining Holes.”

No new Holes were expected to form.

Therefore, it was a matter of dealing with all the existing ones that were open.

《System Message》

《Already initiated. The tally will be completed and displayed shortly!》

The enthusiasm conveyed through the system’s message was quite apparent, as if it took pleasure in that fact.

I, too, was similarly pleased, so I decided not to criticize it unnecessarily. With all urgent matters handled, I pushed off from the ground.

“Let’s move for now.”

Despite the battle having ended, the Divinity was decreasing slightly.

This indicated that someone was using my authority, though it wasn’t necessary to pinpoint who. I felt it from not far away.

It was only a brief sprint toward where Gilenios was.

Deciding to take advantage of the system’s appearance, I asked a question that had been bugging me.

“So, why are there no other gods on Earth? Biharin had seven, and it looked like Karklein’s world had five.”

Compared to Biharin, earth is multiple times larger. The landmass and the number of creatures inhabiting it are the same.

Yet, there was no other god but the Origin God, the system.

I was curious—whether this was a coincidence or the system was preventing the birth of new gods.

Knowing this could influence what happens to me after this war.

‘I have to avoid being discarded.’

The system didn’t delay in providing an answer.

《System Message》

《They perished while protecting me and Earth from invasions.》

The message had a faintly gloomy feel to it for some reason.

《System Message》

《The last child left 37 years, 3 months, and 28 days ago.》

Listening to the system, it wasn’t a complicated story.

Originally, the system had existed alone like Karlos. But things changed when irregular beings invaded from outside the dimension.

Having never experienced any fight or competition, the system was helplessly overwhelmed by the irregular beings that sought to consume it.

‘The Ice Age or the end of the dinosaur era was that time.’

If an Origin God dies in a collapsed dimension, it becomes complete oblivion.

However, if an Origin God is alive despite the collapse and destruction of the dimension, it is possible to rebuild.

The system barely managed to survive back then and reached the conclusion that it couldn’t protect Earth on its own.

‘So it started raising other gods.’

Earth was not only ancient in its origin, but it was also an unusually large dimension.

Given its size, it was likely that many unique individuals began accumulating their Status.

The system, unable to protect Earth alone, had reportedly supported them as they accumulated their Status.

“In that way, myths passed down from different nations and cultural realms came into being.”

The system’s support likely meant that it mitigated causality to some extent.

It seemed that the system was already well-trained, which was why it could effectively block the threat of causality that had targeted me.

Indeed, in the past, many were said to have achieved divinity thanks to the system’s protection. The number was so great at one point that others even told the system to stop nurturing new gods.

《System Message》

《As a result, for a time, the number of children increased, and both I and Earth could remain safe.》

However, from about a thousand years ago, the number of irregular beings roaming outside dimensions increased, resulting in more frequent invasions of Earth.

One by one, as invasions increased, so did the casualties. After the last god perished, the system was left alone.

From one perspective, the ongoing war had been to protect the system. That might be what I have to do from now on.

《System Message》

《I was so focused on the war that I had no extra capacity to cultivate new Status.》

Without existing gods’ help, surviving causality against all odds is nothing short of miraculous. Achieving divinity through one’s own efforts means overcoming extremely low probabilities.

With the system’s intervention gone, the possibility of new gods being born was close to nil.

《System Message》

《My authority is akin to creation and is not much help in battles requiring the elimination of enemies.》

The best the system could do was create barriers to more robustly protect Earth.

The problem was that, even if hidden, the irregular beings roaming outside wouldn’t just disappear.

In fact, their invasion continued into modern times.

《System Message》

《Especially since three of them came this time… I really couldn’t handle it alone.》

Thus began this damned game. It was the system’s brainchild, an attempt to resolve things on the other side by supporting the gods of the invaded dimension.

“Unexpectedly, I was born in that process.”

Knowing the full story of the event was both refreshing and burdensome. Weighed by these thoughts, I arrived at my destination.

Sure enough, Gilenios was hunting monsters with my authority.

I had made him my apostle since acquiring additional Status.

“You came.”

As I arrived, Gilenios looked in my direction, withdrawing his hand. Having handled the aftermath countless times, it seemed like leaving it to me.

I didn’t plan to push the responsibility of solving the immediate issue onto Gilenios.

‘It’s more efficient for me to do it than to engage in pointless arguments.’

So, I used my authority to destroy not only the monsters emerging from the Hole, but also the Hole itself.

“This ended a bit quicker this time?”

“Practice makes perfect, I suppose.”

“Since you came, you should have come sooner. I’ve been having a hard time all alone.”

Gilenios smirked contentedly as if he were indeed satisfied.

“Didn’t you think to solve it yourself before I arrived?”

“Oh, that’s too tough at my level. I’m not a combatant. Why ask when you already know that?”

Depending on the faith an apostle possesses, their ability to wield my authority varies.

That’s why I destroyed the Hole a moment ago myself. In Gilenios’s case, his faith in me is exceedingly shallow.

‘He’d run away at the first chance if Earth’s fate looked sealed, choosing the next new world to latch onto.’

This realization didn’t come as a shock.

I had known this fact from the beginning, and I’m not particularly trusting of him, so it doesn’t incite betrayal.

But he’s quite useful to have around.

Overall, he’s well-balanced. Since he can use both Karlos’s and my authority, he’s proficient both in offense and defense.

If needed, he can flee using his own authority. Even when I enter combat mode, he’s well-suited to handle any backlashes.

Weren’t we able to wrap up the hunt for Karklein smoothly, thanks to him safeguarding nearby cities?

‘Even my status and authority have slightly changed since becoming my apostle.’

Previously, he would sneak through gaps, but now he could cut through and open passages entirely.

“It’s similar to the nature of Karklein’s authority.”

As he became a formal apostle alongside Meferoseta and Karlos, perhaps his Status had undergone some transformation.

That’s why the relentless pursuit only took a few months to conclude.

I had no intention to disregard his merits.

Given his comprehension of Status, authority, divinity, and irregular information—no one else seems to understand these as well as he does—he’s certainly convenient to have around.

If he sees any advantage remaining for himself, he’ll likely stick with Earth, making him easier to handle without worrying that he’ll flee.

Just like this moment.

“So, are you going to leave the cleanup to someone else and stand by idly?”

At my urging to promptly go and settle the chaos in the city, Gilenios pouted.

But he admitted that it was within his capability. So without further complaints, he leaped off the building rooftop.

After Gilenios left, I turned my attention to another person present there. He recognized me immediately upon my appearance.

Someone with faint yet existing faith in me.

“Seems like the Jordan is doing a good job.”

I had roughly inferred it, as the amount of Divinity had significantly increased compared to before I left Earth. However, encountering my devotee in what was clearly a foreign land surprised me slightly.

“Pardon my lateness in greeting. I’m K.”

“Oh… Ah, ah! Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m User.”

His movements and speech seemed generally awkward, perhaps due to tension. But there was no reason to point that out.

After a brief introduction, I shamelessly asked a favor with a smile.

“Sorry to ask upon first meeting, but may I borrow your phone?”

Having safely completed the mission and returned, it was only right to send a message.

User, initially blank-faced with a delayed response, soon burst into a flurry of fuss.

However, as expected from a battlefield, he didn’t have any electronics on him that might have been lost or damaged in combat.

“I, I’ll find one soon!”

I decided to wait for the time being. Ideally, I would have returned to Seoul with Gilenios right away. Still, the city remained vulnerable to potential invasion incidents due to the aftermath of my battle.

‘A significant number of players seem to have fainted as well.’

I wasn’t callous enough to leave a city in chaos immediately. I intended to stay until reinforcements from the association arrived.

Though I was a bit anxious, I had a reason for staying there.

There had been frequent instances where my apostles on Earth used my authority over the past few months.

Maybe a legion commander appeared, or possibly an overwhelming influx of nemesis-rank entities.

Due to such catastrophic events, I could infer that Earth’s situation hadn’t been good despite my absence.

“But things will be different from now on.”

To prove that, the system, having completed its tally, began to act.

「Patches for updates are in progress.」

「Progress 1%…」

…

「Progress 100%」

「The tally of the remaining Holes has been completed and is now displayed.」

Ta-da!

The message window updated, accompanied by a loud fanfare in my ears.

“Such a fuss.”

It was the sound resonating with dazzling visual effects that every player would have heard.

“What now…?”

Following User’s rather fatigued murmur, I looked up and saw fireworks bursting in the sky.

Above them, numbers began to clearly form:

“6,381,976.”

This was the total number of remaining Holes.

It was the moment when the end of the neverending war began to materialize.

Damned System

TL’s Corner:

It was actually Gilenios.