Chapter 76
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Deception (1)
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One thing was certain: even deities had their main bases elsewhere, so none of them were powerful enough to identify me here on Earth. And the anonymity of the Divine Community was remarkably solid.
This was knowledge I'd gained from no small amount of time and experience.
The deities considered me an obstacle on Earth but couldn't actually track me down.
Even when their obvious subordinates made contact with certain hunters and entered their line of sight, they still couldn't pinpoint me.
The anonymity of the Divine Community was the same story.
By my standards, they operated under some pretty cringeworthy epithets and almost never revealed their true names or the locations of their main bases.
The few who did were either too big to hide or actively sought the attention.
"I think I can pull this off..."
I furrowed my brow, gradually coming to a decision.
It was time to reap the rewards of lurking silently like a ghost, watching and saying nothing, even though I could have operated openly.
As the only deity based on Earth—the one mistaken for an Outer God in Edellion—I would act without exposing my true identity.
Hunter company in Korea, selling off the hunters cheap. Thanks to some unknown sabotage, it's already tough scraping by in that cramped little land.
You should at least get around 150,000 points for that.
Looks like you're about to leave without a dime. How about 100,000?
This is why those evil god bastards...
And can you wait a bit? I need some time to gather the funds.
Fine, just bring the money. If someone else buys it first, deal's off.
His messages reeked of irritation, but he had no choice but to accept my offer.
Now all that was left was securing the 100,000 points in virtual currency.
In the Divine Community, deities traded using these points as currency. And 100,000 was no small sum.
At the very least, I needed someone willing to "buy" what I had.
'It's fine. The seller has no idea who I am anyway. Even if he did, it wouldn't change a thing.'
After mulling it over, I took a deep breath and sent a private message to someone else.
It was a pretty big decision for me—essentially committing to acting like a proper deity.
Something you need?
Got some stuff I want to sell. You interested?
Depends on what you're selling.
These.
Crushing Doomsday—the deity who'd first approached me solely because I was an evil god—replied immediately.
I showed him the trophies my ants had brought me over time.
A divine sword from the orcs' deity, gear from slaying the Holy Kingdom's apostles including Arianne, and more.
Now I knew these were quite valuable.
They were one of the main items traded privately among deities.
Condition's not bad. Some are Demonic Power-based, others Holy Power. Looks like you had some fun somewhere.
80,000.
I need 100,000 right now...
I could lend you 20,000.
It was a bit short, but he said just borrow the rest.
I hesitated but accepted. It was an investment for the ants—no reason to feel stingy.
The one thing nagging at me was why he'd lend first in this anonymous community.
Of course, most deities wouldn't risk the entire community's stigma over a mere 20,000 points.
Wondering what I'm basing this trust on? Roll around with those hypocrites long enough, and you'll realize the only ones you can rely on are fellow evil gods.
'What a madman.'
I let out a hollow chuckle after he loaned the money and bluntly explained his reasoning.
I didn't deny that I, one with my ants, had become an evil god... but I still didn't think my temperament fit the part.
Advance payment confirmed. How do you want to handle the transfer?
Just follow my instructions.
With the points secured that way, I bought the rights to the company and its hunters from the deity trying to leave Korea.
Back in the real world, they knew nothing, just doing their jobs, oblivious to the fact that the deity they trusted had abandoned—or rather, sold—them off.
I now held those rights.
"Arcana Zero?"
"That's right. The empire's foremost secret organization, founded by Prime Minister Shuber himself, leading all magical engineering civilization. Everyone knows it exists now, but no one can just waltz in."
"How do I get in?"
"Wh-what the..."
In a dingy alley of the empire's coastal city, a drunken mage affiliated with the bureaucracy trembled, bound tight by chains that had burst from thin air.
Only someone with immense guts would dare do this to him.
But now, he was crushed by a single glowing red eye from beneath a black hood pulled low—too pale to even shout.
"Th-they're always short on talent there, so if you're exceptional, they recruit on the spot. Rumor has it there's a dedicated examiner inside who handles new recruits."
"That examiner's name."
"Aaaagh! Bellerster! Bellerster Roiman!"
Under the torture of chains squeezing his body, he spilled everything he knew.
By the time he was released from the chains, gasping for air, the mysterious figure who'd kidnapped and tormented him had long vanished.
'No other way. I have to catch the examiner's eye and get special recruited. Once inside Arcana Zero, I'll learn everything the deity imparts.'
Mounting her horse, Seira Redenverk rode northwest again toward the imperial capital, formulating her plan.
If she could steal their dazzlingly advancing technology, she was certain she could transplant that power to the ants.
"Perfect opportunity."
The method Seira chose to catch the eye of Bellerster Roiman—Arcana Zero executive and famed imperial mage—was shockingly simple and crude.
She would cast grand magic right in front of him, something others could scarcely attempt.
And the chance arrived right on cue.
A high-grade mana beast from outside had started rampaging in the woods on the outskirts of the city where Bellerster's mansion stood.
Watching soldiers, knights, and hunters mobilized to subdue the berserk beast, Seira smirked and raised her staff.
"Lend me your power. This is all for Him and the hive."
Asmodra permits deeper access to Seira's Hive Consciousness.
The spell she cast was grand magic far beyond her original capabilities.
But with the mana from the mutant thorn ant parasitizing her body and the absurd computational power of the hive consciousness at her disposal, she had become a monster capable of unleashing such magic alone when she put her mind to it.
"What in the world is that?"
"S-Seventh-circle magic: Flames of Doom!"
In an instant, it dyed the surrounding sky red, a massive whirlwind of flames engulfing the entire forest, wrapping only the targeted beast in searing heat until it was reduced to ashes.
As everyone recoiled in shock from the colossal flame storm, Bellerster—watching from his carriage—was equally stunned.
"Find her! Bring her to me now!"
Naturally, they had to identify the one who'd reached such heights of grand magic.
The subjugation team chasing the beast shifted to a search party, tracking Seira down effortlessly as she stood in place. She was brought before Bellerster.
"Impossible. A young mage like you cast that spell just now?"
"My master passed away, so I ended my seclusion. There was just a mana beast in my path."
With things going exactly as planned, Seira decided to play it brazen.
The tale of a hermit sage's disciple emerging to showcase their power was a cliché legend among mages.
But clichés were proven by history.
"You... Would you not seek the sublime truth of magic?"
Dazzled more by her demonstrated prowess than her background or identity—and eager to pad his own record—Bellerster eagerly invited her to join him.
Seira, head bowed, lifted the corners of her mouth at the question.
"It would be an honor."
And so, Seira easily secured her chance to approach the target.
"Things are falling into place on their own. Uhahaha!"
Astregon, the deity watching the scene, noticed nothing amiss and rejoiced instead at gaining a useful subordinate.
He didn't recognize her face, even with the alias and her hair color changed for disguise.
To Astregon, Seira was just one of countless subordinates.
Unlike other deities, Jin-hyuk couldn't directly infuse his power into his subordinates.
Instead, he evolved his ants through other means, and the power dwelling in Seira now wasn't from the deity Jin-hyuk but from the ants' collective, including Asmodra.
'This is Arcana Zero.'
The place Seira headed was a massive underground facility.
Starting as a secret lab when Prime Minister Shuber first became Astregon's subordinate, it had grown bit by bit into the empire's core facility, backed by the entire nation.
"Your skill is impressive, but regrettably, it may become a relic of the old era. The guardian of sublime magical engineering civilization is teaching us the true power of magic. You should focus on learning the new power as well."
Bellerster showed Seira a vast library-like archive.
It was the pinnacle of the advanced magical engineering civilization Astregon was imparting to his subordinates.
With research already backlogged, Bellerster wasted no time, guiding her straight to the core upon recruiting talent like her.
Asmodra permits use of Seira's Hive Consciousness.
Seira settled in naturally and began devouring the materials.
With the hive consciousness's power, cramming and storing the vast data posed no issue.
The hive consciousness grew stronger as the ants' forces expanded.
Of course, at this level, only Seira could comprehend it.
Yet Asmodra recognized its importance and permitted her partial use.
Thanks to that, Seira's reading speed lagged behind her memorization speed.
Asmodra shows interest in the knowledge. She wishes to learn the knowledge preserved and passed down by humans without hive consciousness.
Pouring knowledge into the hive consciousness unwittingly piqued Asmodra's curiosity intensely.
Already fascinated by advanced civilizations like magic, Asmodra saw this as her chance to learn.
'Indeed, a meticulously structured process. Their deity truly intends to make this empire the world's strongest magical engineering nation.'
Absorbing all the knowledge with her enhanced intellect, Seira elevated her existing knowledge several levels and slowly closed her eyes.
'I've got a feel for it.'
How to transplant this power to the ants. In just one week inside Arcana Zero, Seira had grasped it.