Caelum’s Preparation (1)

I looked at the startled women with bewilderment.

Especially Ludicer. She should know about the item I obtained, right?

“What did you say just now? Mr. Kim Han, you don’t mean you have the six heroes’ soul stones?”

I nodded at Aetas’s serious tone. Then I looked at Ludicer and asked.

“Ludicer, didn’t you see? I got them from Mors’s dungeon.”

“Ah, that time…! It was when I was arguing with Mors. An adamantium golem! If she gave an artifact, she should have made sure the golem wouldn’t be judged as an enemy. She must have deliberately set it up to humiliate us! That’s why I was arguing with Mors. I’m sorry.”

True, the other gods at least had necklaces that guided direction, rendering even simple mazes meaningless.

Only Mors’s dungeon had been hostile toward me, who carried a divine artifact.

“I see. But why would she do that?”

“Wait. I didn’t just call Mors; I called the others too.”

No sooner had Aetas finished speaking than three gods abruptly rose from the ground.

“Why call us? We’re busy. Oh my, Mr. Kim Han.”

Genesis, whose voice had sounded masculine, softened into a flirtatious tone the moment she spotted me.

“What’s the matter?”

Spatium remained stern as ever.

“Why call… damn it!”

Even Mors scowled and spat out “damn it” the moment she saw me.

In the end, all the creator’s fanatics had gathered.

Coldness dripped from Aetas’s face, and Ludicer’s expression even exuded killing intent.

What on earth is going on?

Aetas’s cold voice flowed out.

“Mors, did you really put the six heroes’ soul stones in the dungeon you told Mr. Kim Han about?”

“…Huh? Did I…? Hehe.”

Kwang!!

I realized for the first time that they could use power even within the Garden of Gods.

When Aetas drew power, a section of the garden vanished. Ludicer did the same and drew power.

“W-wait. What? What did I do?”

“Mors!!”

Genesis and Spatium were flustered, their voices sharp with anger.

But unlike me, Aetas and Ludicer’s gazes were fixed solely on Mors, as if they were about to pounce.

“Wait. Why is the mood like this? This is worse than the Melun incident.”

No one answered my question.

Mors simply bowed his head and fiddled with his fingers, while the other gods all had grave expressions.

As I prepared to ask again, Ludicer’s cold voice broke the silence.

“Soul stones.”

“What? Who would…”

“They’re the soul stones of transcendents who could have been the first gods after the Creator.”

“Yes, but why does that matter?”

Four serious goddesses and one silent goddess — the five of them remained speechless for a long time.

“Damn it, Mors. What were you thinking?”

“…Well, it was so long ago… I forgot about it, too. I only remembered long after I told Kim Han about the dungeon.”

Their private conversation resumed.

“No, but these! What is this!”

Seeing the five of them arguing among themselves, I snapped, and Mors heaved a sigh and began to explain about the soul stones.

“Kim Han, I heard you met the Creator. Not just once. Do you know that gods were not gods at first?”

“Yes.”

“It’s about that time. Demigods — the transcendent — appeared and ruled like kings. Not a few transcendents, but many who took it upon themselves to protect ordinary similar races. They killed or subdued monstrous transcendents, restraining or sealing their powers.”

“Continue.”

Up to this point, it was a story I already knew from the item’s description.

“But other transcendents disliked that. At the time there weren’t many dimensions, and except for the transcendents who remained indifferent, everyone resented them. But the six transcendents were truly powerful, and together they grew even stronger. The two sides clashed constantly, and eventually the other transcendents decided to gang up on the six. Here’s the problem: Mr. Kim Han, if someone who cared for you and helped you without regard for themselves fell into trouble, what would you do?”

“I’d help them as much as I could.”

“Right. Most of the similar races who found joy thanks to the six heroes began to pray for them — to keep them safe, to let them live, to help them win. What do you think happened?”

What happened? They prayed? Prayer…?

“Could it be… divinity?”

“Damn, you know everything. Yes. The six heroes began to receive divinity, from their creatures.”

“I thought only the Creator could bestow divinity?”

Maybe my question was sharper than expected; all five goddesses couldn’t hide their surprise.

“…You even know that? Yes. It was an imperfect, replica-like divinity. Still, divinity is divinity — enough to deal with transcendents. And they had to face death from the aftermath of battle.”

I nodded, recalling that the item’s description had mentioned their deaths.

“But as I said earlier, the similar races who had learned happiness under the six heroes prayed for them, not even realizing they were dying. As their bodies died, their souls rose in rank. Just as our gods’ souls rise in rank and are denied reincarnation and thus fade, their souls were refused reincarnation.”

“….”

“No matter how benevolent or world-improving a being was, the ‘law’ rejects a state of mere soul existence. So the Creator made the six into soul stones.”

In short, their souls, trapped in a limbo neither annihilation nor reincarnation, were turned into soul stones.

“Alright, I understand. But?”

“…The way to use them is to eat a soul stone and die.”

“…What the hell?”

I couldn’t help but blurt out something unpleasant toward Mors.

‘Eat it and what, split your mind? And die? Die on purpose?’

“S-so… my representatives basically have the talent Immortality… so even if they eat and die, they come back to life. Then the heroes’ soul rank lowers enough to allow reincarnation, and my representative, dying, gains one of their powers… two birds with one stone? Hehe.”

Ugh, look at this crazy bitch.

‘Battlefield of the Gods’ Year 4, January 1.

A female representative who had entered and left the Garden of Gods in the morning took a room at an inn with the best view of the Garden of Gods building.

“Sigh, Kim Han… I wonder when he’ll come…”

Even so, she couldn’t take her eyes off the window facing the Garden of Gods.

It was an order from her patron god, but more than that, she couldn’t look away because she needed to use the power her god had granted.

‘This time I’ll give you a great power unlike before. But to use it fully you must complete my directive. You won’t be able to use it until then.’

Her patron god Cortina’s words echoed in her ears.

But she couldn’t complain; the power Cortina gave this time was an enormous amount compared to before.

So she had no choice but to wait.

At first she thought of going to Kim Han, but Cortina had told her to simply wait and report when he arrived, so she stupidly waited and took the room with the best view of the Garden of Gods.

“Phew… He should come within two or three days.”

However, it took her ten days and one more day before she finally spotted the person she’d been waiting for.

“Huh? Isn’t that the representative with the strange name Kim Han?”

She went out to the square, confirmed with several locals, and then smiled broadly as she spoke.

“Lady Cortina, I’ve found him!”

The sunlight in the forest feels warmer perhaps because it pushes through the dense trees to reach you.

At the flicker of light appearing and disappearing with the breeze, the man’s eyes opened among the couple sleeping deeply in primordial repose.

He looked down at the woman sleeping in his arms.

Depending on the angle, the scene can feel completely different, but from the man’s face it looked as if he desperately needed a cigarette.

But only for a moment — when the woman stirred, his expression immediately changed into that of a loving partner.

“…Hm.”

Did the man hear her murmuring? He held the bare-skinned woman gently.

As if the earlier scowling face had been a mistake, the two looked every bit like lovers who cherished and adored each other.

The man’s face, watching the woman fall asleep again, hardened in an instant.

‘Damn, how many days has it been already? Annoying bitch. So damn lustful. How did I even put up with it until now?’

His face changed again when the tossing woman opened her eyes.

The woman opened her eyes and smiled happily at the man who looked at her with joy.

“Caelum.”

“You’re awake? Cortina.”

The woman who called his name in a distant voice was Cortina, an intermediate sky god.

She opened her mouth with difficulty, as if sending away something she didn’t want to lose.

“Caelum. They’ve come, to the Garden of Gods.”

“Really?!”

Caelum leaned in as if to strike and asked loudly; Cortina nodded weakly.

“…Yes.”

“Ah… thank you.”

“Are you going?”

“I’ll go. I’ll stop by soon.”

With that, Caelum vanished from Cortina’s sight.

As Caelum disappeared completely, a tear rolled down Cortina’s cheek as she stared at the place he had stood.

“I know you don’t love me. Still, I was happy. Farewell.”

Cortina had lived far longer than Caelum and was a higher-ranked god.

Could she not have heard Caelum’s muttered complaints about her changing face or casting barriers in annoyance?

As if expecting something, she left her farewell at the spot where Kaelum had vanished.

Caelum returned to his castle on the clouds without looking back.

He hurried not only because he had to, but also because he could escape Cortina.

“Phew… crazy bitch. How long did you do it? Filthy whore!”

Spitting curses, Caelum pulled a white glowing document out of the air.

With firmly pressed lips, Caelum opened the document, resolute.

The top of the document was written in divine script, but if Kim Han had seen it, he would have read it like this.

Caelum began to write down the relevant entries without hesitation, as he had decided countless times already.

“Time: 90 minutes should be enough. Location: random since there’s magic anyway. Desired rule:… Manifestation.”

Caelum filled in all the fields and looked at the scroll with eager eyes.

Then a movement on the paper matched his expectation.

The letters Caelum had written swirled chaotically, and as if created from the prior writing, two short lines appeared.

Output: 40%.

To use it now, please tear the scroll.

“Wait, Kim Han. You bastard!”

Tear!

With the sound of tearing paper, Caelum’s divine form vanished without a trace.