Chapter 343

Chapter 343. Origin and Meaning of Divinity (2)

‘There’s still a human body to consider.’

The physical form of a 27-year-old man known by the name Kang Hyunwoo.

My body had the potential to live several more decades in the material realm.

This was something guaranteed by causality the moment I was born as a human.

Though I could still be threatened by various diseases and accidents.

In my usual daily life, the chance of my body falling ill or being injured was nearly nonexistent.

As long as this game was operational, the new divinity I had achieved was sustained as my attribute.

‘Without battles, only the aging process would remain.’

With a player’s attribute, the risk of disease or accidental death was nonexistent.

If I was to meet my end, it would only be on the battlefield.

In contrast, original gods like the system or other Biharin gods lacked a physical form in the material realm like mine.

‘The system, derived from the origin, must have never existed physically.’

Biharin gods might have crumbled while accumulating their status.

They amassed vast statuses, requiring immense periods.

A biological body capable of enduring such prolonged time spans doesn’t exist under the laws of causality.

Therefore, they’re immediately restricted by causality when they manifest.

‘Unlike me, who retains a body integrated with causality.’

All this was possible because I accumulated my status through an unconventional route.

You could call it a sort of bug.

Thanks to this, although I had become a god, I could stay in the material realm without any cost.

And having confirmed there were no particular issues at my manifestation stage.

I then faced a new problem.

To solve this issue, I gathered some people and briefly explained the situation.

“So, um, let me get this straight… You became… a god? And now you need followers who believe in you, hyung?”

Nodding at Kim Yul’s question, which was laden with confusion, I glanced at the gathered individuals as they added their thoughts one by one.

“I apologize, but I already wholeheartedly serve someone…”

“What? Are you saying we can’t have existing religions? What should I do? I’m Buddhist… this is complicated.”

“I’m Catholic… does this mean I need to change my religion?”

“Does it really work like that if you just decide to believe?”

“Well, believing in itself wouldn’t be hard… although, I’m not certain. Previously, after being thrown away by Meferoseta, I went over to Karlos.”

“I don’t follow any religion. I can become Hyunwoo… Hyunwoo… sir’s, eh, follower… can become a follower… but I’ve never practiced a religion. What does it mean to believe in a god?”

“……”

One after another, Jordan, Yang Taeho, Ethan, Kim Yul, Gilenios, Yang Hyewon, and Rashar voiced their various responses. Despite their differing words and reactions, the commonality was that they were perplexed by the situation.

Frankly, even I, who brought everyone together, wasn’t at ease.

If I was to distinguish my feelings, it leaned more toward awkwardness than confusion.

Faced with them, I had to gather followers.

The reason for needing followers was abundantly clear.

‘They’re the source of a god’s power.’

The faith of the followers turned into divinity, which was then absorbed by the god.

When I first read this, my mind went blank, overwhelmed with how burdensome the task sounded.

‘I harbored a slight aversion, too.’

Having grown up hearing about the damages wrought by cults.

Being well aware of corrupt figures even within mainstream religions.

Honestly, I’m not the type to expend energy believing in intangible entities.

That’s why incorporating religion into my life was something I never considered.

‘Besides, I possess the Seize function.’

Apart from gathering followers, there existed a way to secure divinity through this function.

Although I pondered on not gathering followers, relying solely on the Seize function felt too precarious.

‘Should I fail to hunt other gods?’

Should the divinity held by those I hunted be insufficient?

‘The more battles I engage in, the more I’ll deplete my energy source.’

Not being able to properly utilize the Authority due to lack of divinity was the worst-case scenario of all.

‘Preparation is necessary.’

Promotion, or rather, evangelizing, was clearly essential.

Knowing this logically, I gathered four people to explain my intentions.

“…… Phew.”

Attempting to articulate further, I was overcome by a deep sense of emptiness and sighed heavily.

‘What should I do to find people who will genuinely revere me as a god?’

Roam around like some lunatic from a documentary, proclaiming belief in me would bring salvation?

‘… That’s horrifying.’

I thought biting my tongue and dying was preferable.

‘I’ve really outdone myself here.’

I never imagined I’d experience creating a religion during my lifetime.

My situation truly felt like being enveloped in complete darkness.

‘The contents must be accurate since it was relayed directly by the system.’

The system itself must also be securing divinity in such a manner.

‘It is the original god of Earth, the solitary god of our planet.’

Including all the denominations, such as Catholicism and the Anglican Order, would amount to billions of followers.

I couldn’t begin to fathom the scale of divinity amassed through their faith.

It was an immense amount beyond any estimation, surely aiding in Earth’s preservation and maintaining the game.

‘Biharin gods tethered the Biharin for this very reason.’

The absence of followers would eliminate all means of gathering divinity.

Divinity is essential for perpetuating wars.

Thus, it was inevitable they had to anchor those who would worship and believe in them.

These thoughts perfectly placed the last puzzle piece of the long-held mystery into its rightful spot.

Despite this newfound clarity, immediate obscurity persisted.

However, I had to find some solution.

‘I can’t remain fixated on this problem forever.’

The lingering black vines needed to be dealt with.

Utilizing my authority, Destructive Thunder, was the one way to irreparably destroy them.

Whether by personally traveling worldwide or selecting apostles to receive my power and dispatching them, that was the plan.

The issue lay with selecting these apostles.

‘They must be chosen from those who believe in me…’

The long contemplation led back to the starting point.

‘A follower who believes in me is necessary.’

As I let out another prolonged sigh.

“Um…”

Rashar, who had been silent, raised her hand and asked.

“I was just asking since I didn’t quite understand; Only those who believe in you are present here, correct?”

Initially, I didn’t catch the meaning behind her words.

“So, um… what I mean is, what exactly constitutes the belief you desire?”

With Rashar’s subsequent words, I realized I had misunderstood something.

“If you recall, I was raised as a follower of Finelpenia due to family influence.”

However, later, she became an apostle for Palao.

“But even then, I didn’t exclusively believe in Palao’s doctrine.”

The teaching that Finelpenia would bestow rewards for a diligent life was another belief Rashar naturally upheld.

“Additionally, I also believed in Temoria’s teaching that enduring and persevering would earn the sweet fruits of accomplishment, as well as Agnotia’s teaching that the lies and hypocrisy of the fallen would inevitably be exposed… I hold all these beliefs deeply.”

In Biharin, no one forces the belief in a single god alone.

Among the seven gods, a particular favorite might be devotedly worshiped.

Even priests and holy knights acknowledge the existence of all seven gods.

The seven gods utilized each other’s existence to build a more robust faith:

‘Witnessing the miracles of a different god might strengthen a believer’s faith in their chosen god.’

Believing they might experience such miracles someday.

The world of Biharin had irrevocably proven the existence of gods.

“Hence, even with differing religions, I think it poses no substantial issue in becoming your follower. As I pointed out, everyone gathered here trusts you.”

Yet, she questioned why none of them were acknowledged as followers.

“When founding a new order, there’s usually a doctrine for belief and adherence.”

After a short pause, Rashar carefully opened her mouth again.

“So tell us, what exactly should we believe about you?”

It struck directly at the core of my overwhelming issue.

What should they believe about me?

I stood with my arms crossed, fidgeting with my fingers before opening the stats window.

Kang Hyunwoo – Out of Standard

Divine Name: God of Battle

Authority: Destructive Thunder (壞雷)

Believers: 1

「View Player Information」

Much had changed in the status window.

The lengthy information, hard to capture all at once, was pushed to other pages.

To view magic magics I’ve learned before, my Reputation, and Achievements, you now access player information separately.

The first page’s empty spaces were filled with simple data, and from those straightforward details, I pressed the field marked as Divine Name.

A rather long explanation appeared then,

「Your tale of pioneering the battlefield is also the history of relentless struggle and miraculous victories……(truncated).」

However, amidst this lengthy explanation, one phrase distinctly caught my attention.

「……as long as the battlefield exists, you will fight as always, ultimately seizing another miraculous victory.」

“Ah.”

I remembered Kerax’s words, who was tallied as my sole follower.

‘Hence, you will accomplish what I could not, he said….’

Realizing my approach was wrong from the start.

I didn’t need someone who would solely deify me.

“Victory.”

“Pardon?”

“…… What I need is a group believing I can surely win this war.”

Upon vocalizing my realization, the people gathered around exchanged knowing glances.

“Well, you know…”

“Certainly, if it’s you, hyung…”

“Hasn’t everyone here thought about this at least once?”

“True enough. If not Hyunwoo, then who would?”

It wasn’t difficult to validate the accuracy of my sudden insight.

「An entity worshipping you is verified.」

「An entity worshipping you is verified.」

「An entity worshipping you is verified.」

…….

Because the system messages were refreshing.

Relating to achievements, a specific condition or action sparked strong belief.

That was the condition for securing divinity.

I distinctly felt the flow of divinity entering.

‘It’s a miniscule amount, but it certainly is increasing.’

Drop by drop, like water trickling into a drying reservoir.

I opened my eyes after exhaling softly, catching Rashar’s gaze directly in front of me.

How long did I gaze into those ordinary grey eyes devoid of any leftover golden glimmers?

Something non-visible was felt.

‘…… It’s that.’

More than seeing it, saying felt it would be accurate.

I discerned the magnitude, the extent of belief held towards me.

Not only Rashar but all the believers in that place were perceptible to me.

A truly uncanny perception.

The sensation dispersed as I, startled, sharply inhaled.

Yet, my perception remained precise.

It revealed to me that Rashar possessed the strongest faith at this gathering.

She sincerely believed I would end the war.

‘Not sure what led to that change of heart.’

Thanks to Rashar, this dilemma was resolved, and I intended to thank her.

“Then make me an apostle!”

Before I could even articulate, Gilenios sprang up, shouting.

His timing robbed me of my chance.

I furrowed my brow, glancing sidelong at Gilenios.

‘His faith was the smallest.’

The noisiest one was the one with the least amount of faith.

“Tsk.”

However, selecting apostles was necessary.

To quickly resolve the black vines, having more hands would be beneficial.

I started skimming a book to find the pertinent section.

Damned System

TL’s Corner:

Hyunwoo casually becoming a god. Gilenios casually asking for apostleship while having the smallest faith.