Chapter 37
It was the highest grade quest I had ever received.
As much as the grade, the content was the most perplexing.
“Collect the body of a god? What does that even mean?”
I had never heard of such a thing. In fact, does it even make sense to be asked to find a god’s body without them knowing?
[You have received a note from the God of the Dead. Would you like to check it?]
“A note?”
The god who had previously only been behind the scenes was now speaking directly.
The one who had given me the strength to reach this point.
My heart was pounding. It was frightening, but I couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.
In any case, it’s only a note.
“Acc… ept?”
Before I could even click accept, the surroundings began to change.
“Huh, huh?”
I was bewildered.
Wasn’t it a note?
In an instant, the surroundings were bathed in darkness. An unfamiliar yet familiar space.
“This is.”
Right. It was inside a coffin.
It seemed like it was leading somewhere endless, but the magical power felt was the same as when opening the coffin.
“You were close by. What a devious god you are.”
–Have you finished swearing?
A grandiose voice resonated through the space, filling my ears.
I couldn’t discern where the voice came from.
Just hearing it made my heart feel like it was about to burst.
“Uh… Hello? I don’t know where you’re speaking from, but nice to meet you?”
–You didn’t expect to see me like this. Neither did I.
It was strange. That a god wouldn’t expect to meet him.
Still, I couldn’t see his appearance. I could only hear a grand voice from the darkness.
–I didn’t expect you to come to a place ruled by the God of Life. Thanks to that, I’ll have to advance my plan a little earlier than planned.
“Um, I think I need a detailed explanation. I don’t even know why I became an undertaker.”
–Is that so? Was it an incomprehensible process for mortals?
“Instead of saying things I don’t understand, could you please explain it from the top?”
It was frustrating that the god kept speaking in vague terms.
I was surprised to find that even a god could be so infuriating, but I waited for his words.
–You asked why you became an undertaker?
“Yes. Let’s start with that.”
–It’s simple. Because you are the right person for it.
“So what exactly am I the right person for?”
–For beliefs, mourning, constancy, and justice.
“Oh, I’m stressed. Not the God of the Dead but the God of Oblivion, it seems.”
–I can hear everything.
“Oh, sorry.”
–Understand this: As a god, I cannot provide you with the detailed information you want. It would both defy causality and further add to the decline of my divinity.
Seeing as he was somewhat apologetic, my frustration eased a bit.
“Well, it’s not like I’ve staked my life on accuracy.”
I had lived finding answers with ambiguous clues. I could probably deduce the god’s vague words to some extent.
“Can you tell me about the plan you mentioned that needs to be advanced?”
What kind of plan would a god need to bring forward?
–At this moment, I cannot tell you everything. You wouldn’t understand it and it would only hinder the progress.
“Then why did you call me…?”
–However, I can tell you one thing. As you might have guessed, the God of Life is not in a normal state. Or rather, his true nature has been revealed.
“A revealed true nature…?”
–The only way a god can intervene in the world is by leaving part of their divine body in that world. The body acts as a medium connecting the god and the world.
Once again, the conversation veered into unrelated topics. But this was important information I couldn’t ignore.
–The larger the part of the body left behind, the stronger the influence it can exert. The connection with the world becomes tighter.
“Then, how big is the part of the God of Life’s body left here?”
–If measured by human standards, it’s about the size of a fingernail.
I recalled the conversation I had with Kalmo.
A catastrophe that turned an entire village into vampires because a ritual was delayed by a day was caused by a force equivalent to a mere fingernail.
“So if a whole arm was left behind, could the world be destroyed at will?”
–It’s not impossible, but it won’t happen. Leaving a part of the body is also a gamble for a god.
“Really, the more I hear, the more complicated it seems.”
–When part of a god’s body is separated, the god loses that amount of power. If it falls into the hands of another god, they would permanently lose that power.
“Then why do gods leave parts of their bodies behind? What’s the benefit?”
–Gods can only acquire faith in the worlds they are connected to, and the size of their faith corresponds to their divine rank. The more divinity they gain, the stronger they will become.
“What are the benefits of increasing their power?”
–The supreme power to become the Absolute God or even kill the Creator.
“……It’s frightening.”
–Not all gods aspire to become the Absolute God. As I said, the God of Life has only now revealed his true nature.
I think I’ve roughly understood the situation.
The corrupted God of Life was forcibly exploiting faith here to increase his power.
–Faith can be expressed in two words: trust and fear. Which word they choose is up to the god.
“Gods are no different from humans. Or maybe they’re even more despicable.”
–……We do our best. To prevent everything from collapsing.
“One more thing. Was the Great Catastrophe also caused by such gods?”
–I can’t tell you that. I’ve already risked the decline of my divine rank to share what I have.
“Is that so… Well, it’s a relief. It seems the god attached to me has no such greed.”
There was a moment of silence.
As if understanding Yohan’s feelings, the god also waited for him.
“Damn it.”
Along with a sense of futility and helplessness, another emotion surged.
“Those fucking bastards.”
Anger.
Anger towards those who arbitrarily take and define our lives.
Yohan was human. As ordinary and insignificant as anyone.
At the same time, he was a rebel. The type of human who resisted following predetermined paths.
‘I want to break them. I want to show despair to those arrogant gods who act so high and mighty.’
“What should I do? How can I bring desperation to those so-called gods?”
Yohan momentarily felt as if he heard laughter in the darkness. The darkness seemed to warm slightly.
–Find the hidden divine body. Find it and make it your own. I am the one who wishes for your growth more than anyone.
It became clear.
Yohan understood how to navigate this place and what to do next.
His mind felt brighter.
Approaching a more fundamental purpose, he could vaguely understand what he had been doing until now.
–Perhaps it is destiny that you came here.
“By the way, I don’t really like the word destiny. It feels like my choices are being crushed.”
–A good thought. Believe in it whenever you wish. I do not choose my messengers lightly.
“Ah, by the way, what does the divine body look like? Since you mentioned a fingernail, should I look for something… solid?”
–The divine body exists in any form. Sometimes in the form of a living being, sometimes in the form of an artifact.
In other words, he didn’t really know. The form could vary for each god.
‘I have a premonition that I might be able to recognize it.’
It was an instinctive certainty. He felt sure he would be able to recognize it.
It might just be bravado, but Yohan had always trusted and acted upon those feelings.
“By the way, where is your divine body? Is it on Earth as well?”
He suddenly wondered. Where does this god gather his divinity from?
–…Isn’t my divine body already with you?
“Eh?”
No way.
He turned around.
Where there had been nothing, a coffin was now standing.
“That’s… Your divine body…”
–And I have also existed for a long time. It’s just that you didn’t know.
At those words, Yohan involuntarily raised his head.
He tilted his head back as if looking at the sky.
“……!”
At that moment, chills ran down his spine. He saw two red lights twinkling like stars from above.
Red eyes.
The red eyes, so deep that their depth was unfathomable, seemed to pierce through everything about Yohan.
“You’ve been here ever since I first arrived.”
The God of the Dead had been present for a long time.
It was just that Yohan had not been aware of it.
–Remember. The world is always within the realm of perception. Good fortune be with you. Messenger.
The red light disappeared.
At the same time, Yohan’s surroundings began to brighten again.
When he came to his senses, he was back in the room he was sitting in before it all disappeared.
“Was it a dream?”
It felt dreamy. It was plausible that everything he had just seen was a hallucination.
“It’s not a dream.”
The coffin was still there behind him.
The sight of the coffin, which brought back his sense of reality, felt like a message from that god to stay steady.
“Seven days, and I need to find the divine body within that time?”
There was quite a bit of time. At first glance, it seemed like enough.
This place, where the catastrophic event was ongoing, had a limited range.
“You must have been quite surprised. You didn’t expect us to defeat all the Devs, did you?”
What kind of sabotage would come next?
He felt the dawn breaking. From now on, it would be the time ruled by the God of Life.
The God of the Dead must have left before morning in order to avoid his eyes.
“No matter what it is, it doesn’t matter. I will overcome it all. I won’t just stand by and witness the pranks of such a god.”
He could hear Yangmu and his party moving outside.
They were moving busily, showing they were also doing their best.
Yohan, putting the coffin away, finished preparing to leave.
Although he hadn’t slept for even a minute, he felt unusually light.
* * *
“I’m glad. Nothing seems to have happened.”
Yangmu sighed in relief upon seeing the intact field. He had been worried that the field might have been ruined overnight.
“Don’t worry about the nights anymore. If the field is attacked, I’ll get a signal.”
“Really?”
Knowing that the God of Life could only exert influence during the day, Yohan reassured Yangmu with some embellishment.
Yangmu’s condition was directly tied to the quest’s condition.
Yohan intended to relieve Yangmu of as many worries as possible in the future.
“Good job, Daha. For now, let’s play dead and stay still.”
Ah, he’s already dead.
In a flash—
Yangmu, who seemed to have regained his energy after a good sleep, activated his skill with vigor.
The light, shining even stronger than yesterday, penetrated the garlic, which grew robustly like a child in its growth stage.
The potatoes and sweet potatoes planted nearby were also sprouting slightly, influenced by the light.
“By noon, the garlic should be ready for harvest. It might even finish sooner than expected.”
That was encouraging news.
With this speed, harvesting all the crops within seven days seemed possible.
Drip— Drip-Drip— Drip— Drip-Drip—
At that moment.
The surroundings darkened slightly, and at the same time, the sound of something falling from all directions was heard.
“Hm? What’s going on?”
Drip—
Something fell onto Yohan’s forehead as well.
The substance, heavy with moisture, was rain.
“Rain, all of a sudden…?”
Clouds had gathered in the sky, which had been clear just a moment ago. The rain was also becoming more intense.
“Ah, could it be.”
Why is it that uneasy feelings often turn out to be correct?
It was absurd to see such a clear obstruction.
The sabotage wasn’t just about sending monsters.
This petty god was even tampering with the weather to hinder the harvest.
“This is troublesome. If I use my skill now, it will absorb all the moisture. Excess moisture is toxic and could cause rotting.”
What was more frustrating was how effective the sabotage was.
To harvest on time, the rain needed to be stopped.
If it kept raining like this every day, not only would the harvest be impossible, but time would be wasted as skills wouldn’t work properly.
Thud-thud-thud—
To make matters worse, something started to gather from all directions.
It was similar to the vibrations Yohan felt yesterday, an irregular pulse created by multiple creatures’ steps.
“Shall we take a moment to relieve some stress?”
It seemed like trouble was brewing despite things going well.
But Yohan was not disheartened.
A god who had only left a fingernail-sized body wouldn’t be able to continue making it rain.
It would stop soon, and they could simply take shelter under the eaves until then.
“Damn it.”
But the clever god did not give him that time.
Monsters were gathering from all directions.
These unknown creatures were approaching while drinking in the surrounding moisture.
