Chapter 98: The God They Desired

Hao closed his eyes.

His face gradually began to calm.

However, the flow of magic surging from his body was filled with his fury, swirling violently around him.

He slowly spread his arms wide.

The grand motion drew the eyes of the believers.

As he took in their gazes, he suddenly opened his eyes and shouted.

“The Sky Ring has spoken to me. It was on the night of the third day since I first faced Him. I asked Him, ‘Can I endure this long era of suffering alone?’ Sensing my anxiety, He looked at me and spoke.”

He paused for a moment.

Meeting the eyes of each believer, he pointed to the Mirror Worm, his gaze shining.

“He said, ‘I see your hardship and walk with you. I will never leave nor abandon you. So trust in me. Wherever you go, I will be with you.’ That is how He comforted me. Yes! The words of such a wicked demon are not to be believed! The Sky Ring will never forsake us!”

Beyond the Mirror Worm, Hao cried out passionately.

“Pfft.”

Mira let out a small laugh once again.

She covered her mouth lightly, giggling, then looked at me.

“That boy is quite amusing. Truly captivating. To say such words with sincerity…”

She caught her breath, her voice still filled with amusement.

Her eyes curved into crescent moons, brimming with delight.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

‘Yeah, how entertaining it must be.’

A student had flustered a treasure and even forced it to seek our help.

To her, nothing could be more amusing.

But unlike her, I couldn’t find it funny.

I let out a deep sigh.

I was just as bewildered.

That was why I couldn’t enjoy it.

Instead, I felt a creeping sense of self-reproach.

‘What had I thought before?’

I had likened this to a board game between the treasure and me.

The Sky Ring made a move, and I blocked it.

I had regarded the students as mere pieces beneath me, wearing an air of arrogance.

But I had been wrong.

The Sky Ring had no such thoughts.

The student I had dismissed as just another game piece had gone mad on his own.

A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.

Hao continued to shout at the believers.

They responded with fervent enthusiasm, their excitement only growing.

They no longer cared about the Sky Ring.

They paid no heed to what it said.

Instead, the more words the Mirror Worm spat out, the louder they cried.

Some wept as they called upon the Sky Ring.

Hao was among them.

Tears streamed down his face like rain.

“I will save you—no, we will! Let us pray, remembering the Sky Ring. May happiness always be with us.”

Hao clasped his hands together, tracing a circle over his chest.

The believers bowed their heads and followed suit.

Soon, they organized themselves and left the room.

Silence settled over the space.

The Mirror Worm we had been watching began to tremble again.

It flickered briefly before changing the screen.

The communication window with the Sky Ring appeared, and it was writing out a message.

***

[Did you see how they called me a demon? I don’t understand why they’ve changed so suddenly. Just yesterday, they were nothing but kind children.]

Disappointment was evident in its words.

I smirked wryly as it continued.

[Besides, I don’t even remember saying those things. When did I ever promise to always be with them? I’m busy enough just tending to this room.]

“Didn’t you receive tributes from them every day? You probably said something to them at that time. Hao mentioned it was the third day since he met you. Do you remember anything from that day?”

The Mirror Worm hesitated, erasing and rewriting the words repeatedly.

The Sky Ring seemed to be organizing its thoughts.

Eventually, it cautiously began to type again.

[I remember answering their questions when they brought me tributes. And if it was the third day… I do recall saying something similar, but that wasn’t what I meant.]

“Could you tell me exactly what you said? If you can’t remember clearly, I can review the recording from that day.”

The Sky Ring, uncertain of its own memory, agreed.

The Mirror Worm quietly stirred, slight ripples forming on its surface.

Tribute offerings were classified as significant events, so interactions related to them were always recorded.

***

The third day…

After digging through the records, I finally found the footage.

The Mirror Worm began playing the video.

In the recording, Hao was alone in front of the Mirror Worm.

He wasn’t even wearing his current attire—just a simple robe.

Hao, his face full of hesitation, lowered his head toward the Mirror Worm.

“Sky Ring, will I really be able to pass this trial, surpassing the others in this tower? That has been my greatest concern lately.”

[Do not worry. Even if you do not pass, you will use that misfortune as a stepping stone to attain greater happiness. I will always wish for your happiness, so believe in yourself.]

That was what the Sky Ring had said.

Hao’s expression brightened, if only slightly.

“Thank you. Hearing that makes me feel a little better.”

He offered the Mirror Worm his tribute and left.

The video began to fade.

That was the record of that day.

“Huh. He seemed pretty normal back then.”

Mira leaned slightly against me as she spoke.

I gave a small nod.

It looked more like a simple counseling session than a sermon.

‘Had that bizarre religion started from something like this?’

I had never thought to trace it back so far.

[See? I only tried to encourage him because he seemed troubled. I didn’t say anything grand.]

The Sky Ring’s words were clear.

Hao’s memory had twisted somewhere along the way.

And it had all stemmed from faith and devotion.

“But surely you knew they had formed a religion around you?”

[A religion…? Isn’t that something that happens everywhere? Whenever I spread happiness, something like this always follows.]

The Mirror Worm displayed the words.

A headache crept up on me.

I rubbed my forehead in silence.

Perhaps I wasn’t capable of fully grasping a treasure’s way of thinking.

I vaguely recalled something a professor had once said—about the process of capturing the Sky Ring.

It had been found in a remote land, where both humans and monsters were steeped in overwhelming happiness, gathered in one place.

A form of religion had already taken root there.

The professor had extracted the Sky Ring from the center of it all, boasting that it had felt like stumbling upon a treasure in the street.

That was why I had assumed the Sky Ring had intentionally led Hao to create a religion.

But after seeing all this, I understood.

The Sky Ring hadn’t done anything.

Hao had built this religion entirely on his own.

The Mirror Worm blinked hesitantly, as if gauging my reaction.

Then, with a cautious air, it began to display more words.

[I did expect a few of them to gather since they received my power. Happiness grows when shared, after all. I only intended to receive some small offerings… I never imagined Hao would go this far.]

It was a confession of sorts.

I let out a soft sigh.

I hadn’t predicted Hao’s actions either.

It seemed neither of us had.

Something still nagged at my mind.

I had assumed the Sky Ring had chosen Hao specifically because of his unique power.

“Didn’t you select Hao knowing about his abilities?”

[Abilities? Did he have some kind of power? Oh… Some of the other treasures did say he had a certain ‘scent.’]

“That scent has grown incredibly strong. Strong enough to enthrall monsters. You weren’t aware?”

[Ah… I see. I’ve been locked up in storage, so I had no idea. That does explain a few things, though…]

Mira let out another soft chuckle beside me.

When I glanced at her, she met my eyes with a knowing smile.

Ah… that’s why she was laughing.

I looked away.

“Tooth Necklace told me. That boy believes anything you tell him, so it’s easy to answer however you like… I never imagined it would turn out like this.”

I let out a bitter laugh.

In the end, the issue boiled down to one thing—Hao was spiraling out of control.

I clicked my tongue.

He hadn’t stood out this much during the last treasure-hunting class.

It seemed this class suited him far too well.

He had already been chosen by two treasures.

Clearly, attracting the attention of non-humans wasn’t just a matter of scent.

***

“So, can you help me? If you do, I’ll give you all the points I’ve received from them so far. I had planned to use them elsewhere, but solving this problem is more important right now. I’ve collected… around 15,000 points?”

‘15,000 points?’

‘Had they really offered that much?’

‘It hadn’t even been a full month.’

‘Well, they had been fervently hunting monsters lately.’

The power granted by the Sky Ring was specialized for that, after all.

They gained strength and earned points—truly a win-win situation.

With about twenty of them steadily contributing points, it made sense that the total had reached that amount.

“Those kids claim the warehouse keeper is persecuting them and are trying to summon me down. If Hao really possesses the kind of power Evron mentioned, I might not be able to resist their call… and that would be a disaster.”

The words trembling on the Mirror Worm’s surface seemed to reflect the Sky Ring’s growing unease.

I gave a heavy nod.

‘How could I ignore a treasure voicing its fear?’

I had always fought for the rights of treasures.

A threat to them was a threat to me.

Raising a treasure to the status of a god without its consent—treating it like a mere object—was something I would never tolerate.

Stopping them would restore order to the tower, save a treasure in distress, and even grant me a few extra points.

Yes, just a few.

It wasn’t as though I was doing this for the points.

“Trust me. I’ll resolve this perfectly. Of course, you’ll have to help a little too, Sky Ring.”

[Of course! I’ll do whatever I can.]

I stroked my chin.

I needed a flawless plan.

Truthfully, I had already thought of something while speaking with the Sky Ring.

It was a highly plausible approach.

Hao was half-trapped in a world of his own making.

To the point that he called the Sky Ring a demon.

That meant he was deeply immersed in his own fabricated version of the Sky Ring.

Which made things simple.

I just had to show them what they wanted to see.

I flashed the Mirror Worm a light smile.

“If they look at the Sky Ring and deny that it’s the one they believe in… then why not create the Sky Ring they truly desire?”

[What?]

“We’ll give them their god—the one they can fully believe in and follow.”

I turned my gaze toward a doll resting in one corner of the workshop, its eyes closed in silence.

It had long, flowing violet hair and an exquisitely crafted face.

Professor On had created it in an attempt to explore the nature of love.

Hao seemed to be quite fond of it.

It wasn’t surprising.

Even I, its creator, had felt drawn to it.

It was the most beautiful doll I had ever made.

Perhaps I should put it to use.

With that appearance, Hao would surely be drawn to it.

And if I could stir even the slightest ripple in his emotions, the plan would become even easier.

I had no idea what kind of Sky Ring they envisioned.

Maybe they didn’t even know themselves.

Even the Sky Ring had no clue.

Which meant all I had to do was act convincingly.

‘Maybe… I could catch not just three but four birds with one stone.’

The thought made my face twitch into a grin.

“Heh, you look downright sinister right now. Your thoughts are written all over your face.”

Mira poked my cheek playfully.

I cleared my throat and schooled my expression.

Time to set the stage.

A little practice wouldn’t hurt.

I got to my feet.

I had to move quickly.

***

The next day arrived.

Hao passed through the tower’s entrance, looking slightly fatigued.

But his eyes still burned with intensity.

Even from a distance, they shone brightly.

Mira and I stepped in front of him.

He lifted his head to look at us.

I greeted him with a light smile.

“We’re here for an inspection. Just checking if you’ve been spreading your faith overnight.”

Hao met my gaze for a moment, then shook his head.

I nodded slightly.

Then, locking eyes with him, I spoke.

“Always remember that we’re watching. And that the Sky Ring is in our hands.”

I raised the key in my grip.

The magic emanating from it subtly spread through the air.

Hao’s gaze lingered on it before he gave a slow, heavy nod.

A hint of hostility flickered in his expression.

Mira and I turned away, arms linked.

As we walked off, I waved a hand.

A doll with violet hair trailed behind us.

It let a small slip of paper fall from its fingers.

A tiny note.

It floated gently on a stream of magic and landed near Hao’s feet.

Hao picked it up, then looked at the doll.

The doll met his gaze—its expression tinged with sorrow.

“Hey, hurry up already!”

I called over my shoulder.

At my words, the doll bowed slightly and resumed following us.

We left Hao behind, moving far away.

Far enough that he wouldn’t be able to hear us.

Once we were safe, I reinforced the area with a magical barrier and turned to Mira with a grin.

Mira tilted her head before speaking.

“Do you think this will actually work?”

I gave a firm nod.

A convincing appearance makes a story all the more believable.

And I had faith in that.

The doll blinked its gemstone-embedded violet eyes at us.

From a distance, I saw Hao pick up the note.

Satisfied, I climbed the stairs.

***

That night.

When the students were leaving the tower, Hao quietly slipped into a first-floor room.

He fidgeted with the note in his hands.

“I will be waiting for you at the place where you always prayed.”

That was what it said.

It was the room where the Sky Ring believers always held their services.

When Hao entered, his eyes widened.

Standing by the window, gazing at the moon, was the violet-haired doll.

Hao stared at its face, utterly entranced.

Sensing his gaze, the doll turned to him.

Bathed in moonlight, it offered him a faint, fragile smile—one that seemed as if it could shatter at any moment.

The doll handed him a slip of paper.

It drifted softly through the air, guided by magic, and landed gently in his hand.

Hao read the message.

And froze.

[I am the Sky Ring. The one you believe in and follow.]

The doll inclined its head slightly toward Hao.

Hao could do nothing but stare, utterly spellbound.