Ch.155The Prelude to War Is Dangerous (1)

After dealing with Tindalus and Hudson, I immediately met with Shin Doyun, accompanied by Serejia.

“So, care to explain?”

“…Honestly, even I didn’t expect enemies of that caliber to cross over. I apologize for causing this crisis.”

Surprisingly, he was quick to acknowledge it. Shin Doyun admitted his mistake with a stoic attitude.

Watching this scene, Serejia spoke with a hint of curiosity.

“Is this person Earth’s…?”

“Yes, young demigod. Come to think of it, I should thank you.”

“Why?”

Serejia tilted her head in confusion, and I too focused my attention, intrigued.

Shin Doyun then willingly revealed details he hadn’t mentioned before.

“When Baek Eunha first crossed over to Earth, I was quite shocked. If not for the gap created by the separation of body and soul, imposing restrictions would have been impossible.”

In other words, if Serejia hadn’t messed things up, Shin Doyun wouldn’t have been able to tamper with my powers either.

“So literally everything was your fault from start to finish?”

When I gave her a sour look, Serejia flinched and pretended not to notice.

But looking at the results, it turned out well. I was able to advance to the next level through that process, and prevent the dungeons from suddenly becoming too difficult.

“Tsk.”

“So, wasn’t there something else you wanted to ask?”

That’s right. If not for that, I wouldn’t have bothered seeking out someone I just met yesterday.

“How would you rank that guy we just fought among your kind?”

“Tindalus possessed the divinity of the 4th tier. To put it simply, he was mid-to-low rank. However, he didn’t seem able to use his full power.”

In other words, he wasn’t particularly strong among beings with divinity.

As expected, I clicked my tongue and fell into thought.

“Even I would struggle against an enemy twice as strong as him.”

In response to my complaint, Shin Doyun tilted his head and replied.

“Your greed is excessive. From my perspective, defeating someone who achieved divinity in a human body is already remarkable. It’s an achievement you should be more proud of.”

Of course, he’s not wrong. But the situation itself isn’t very optimistic.

“If someone has a 4th tier god as their subordinate, wouldn’t their backer be at a much higher level?”

“…Indeed, that’s correct.”

After pondering for a moment, Shin Doyun spoke again with a somewhat dark expression.

“Initially, I suspected the being possessed 2nd tier divinity. But today’s battle changed my thinking.”

“Then?”

“Most likely 1st tier, a supreme divinity that has accumulated power through vast history.”

Honestly, just hearing it doesn’t give me a good sense. The only gods I’ve fought were Serejia and Tindalus.

However, there was a perfect point of comparison right in front of me.

“What tier are you then?”

“I am 3rd tier. I can say that a divinity like Tindalus is no match for me.”

Shin Doyun nodded with an extremely proud attitude.

Wait, is that something to boast about?

“So if even a 2nd tier divinity crosses over, we’re all doomed?”

“Earth is essentially my domain. Even a 2nd tier divinity couldn’t exert their full power here.”

That was quite reassuring. As Serejia and I showed some relief, Shin Doyun smirked and added one more thing.

“Don’t be too relieved. Even considering that, my defeat would still be certain.”

“…So there’s no solution after all.”

The opponent is most likely a 1st tier supreme god.

Meanwhile, on our side, we have just one 3rd tier god, and I’m responsible for more than half our fighting power.

Looking at it this way, the situation is quite desperate.

“…Do we actually have any chance of winning?”

“Of course.”

At his confident attitude, Serejia and I looked at Shin Doyun with surprised expressions.

“Why are you looking at me like that? From the beginning, my plan didn’t even include Baek Eunha’s existence. Naturally, I have a plan in mind.”

Come to think of it, that’s true. Shin Doyun had been fighting the enemies alone without my help. We only formed this alliance because the situation developed this way.

“Why do you think I created hunters and the system in the first place?”

If it was just about stopping dungeons immediately, the powerful Shin Doyun could have acted directly.

In other words, there was another intention hidden in that whole process.

“This is the first step to filter out the sprouts.”

“Sprouts?”

“I mean identifying those who have the potential to obtain divinity.”

That was quite a grandiose statement.

“Honestly, they all seem pretty similar to me. Can you really win with that?”

“I have already completed all preparations. If they qualify, I can grant them immense power.”

Shin Doyun seemed quite confident.

I thought he was an untrustworthy guy, but now I see he’s thoroughly prepared.

As I expressed slight admiration, Shin Doyun changed his expression and raised his fingers to indicate numbers.

“However, two things are desperately needed for that.”

“What are they?”

“First is time, and second is material. As you know, humans haven’t yet reached the stage needed for the plan.”

Then what did he mean by material? The answer could be understood from his next words.

“Take out Tindalus’s corpse.”

“…I think I get what you’re saying.”

Swoosh.

Thud!

Eventually, Shin Doyun planted a seed containing strange power right in the center of the extracted corpse.

“Since things have come to this, your role is important. We need to secure as many divinities that cross over as possible.”

At the same time, this would buy time for other hunters to grow.

“Even a 1st tier god has limitations. They can’t send overwhelming forces yet, and there will certainly be aftereffects.”

In other words, this was a grand game.

A war on a chessboard where both sides exchange moves in preparation for the final battle.

And my role would be to serve as the assault soldier at the forefront, crushing the enemy.

“You are a peculiar being. Even if you were to fight me, the authority of this planet, right now, the outcome would be uncertain.”

“I think I could beat someone like you.”

“…Don’t interrupt and listen. That’s not the important point.”

Shin Doyun then sent me sincere trust with a serious attitude.

“Even if many qualified individuals gather, the greatest possibility of taking the enemy’s head lies with you.”

“…Stating the obvious now.”

“So if you encounter an enemy you can’t handle, retreat for now. Losing you would be the most painful loss for me as well.”

Despite the various twists and turns, we’ve now become each other’s greatest allies.

Feeling our strengthened cooperative relationship, I nodded to indicate not to worry.

Finally, Serejia, who had been quietly listening, threw in a comment.

“…So should I just stay put?”

“Well, even I, being a god with a short history, don’t know much about demigods.”

Immediately after, Shin Doyun continued with a somewhat meaningful expression while resting his chin on his hand.

“However, the very form of a demigod feels strange to me. What is a demigod in the first place? A god, which should be complete, taking an incomplete form—isn’t that quite strange?”

In media like movies and games, children born between gods and mortals are often called demigods, but in reality, such things don’t exist.

Gods aren’t born as someone’s children, and there’s no concept of inheritance for them.

“The answer surely lies within yourself. I can’t say anything more than that.”

And so, we parted ways with Shin Doyun and returned to our comfortable home.

Plop.

Thud!

Staggering through the door and throwing myself on the bed, even just one day’s events feel like a long journey.

But with this, the future has become clear.

‘So basically, I just need to take down every single one that crosses over.’

Many things have happened, but thinking about it, not much has changed.

After all, that’s what I’ve always been doing.

Only now, my opponents have changed to beings from above the heavens.

‘…It doesn’t matter.’

From birth, I was a powerless person without any abilities.

Sent to Thebes as a penniless nobody, I’ve been clawing my way up from the very bottom.

Each time, the enemies grew stronger, and I had to keep challenging the impossible.

‘This time is no different.’

In the end, as always, I will calmly defeat the enemy and aim even higher.

That was the only belief I had in myself.