The Creator's Bargain
The killing intent and mana radiating from the Dimensional and War God vanished the instant the Creator God spoke. He hurriedly checked the Creator God's credentials within his fighting spirit, looking almost adorable in his haste. Then, with a hollow expression, he continued.
“So you’re both a Creator God and an Absolute Being who received a title? Then why are you here? Did you receive a vacation from him?”
“Something like that. War’s gotten boring. Since you’re a junior for once, I’ll give you a little more. As a bonus, I’ll hand over the goddess and demon goddess who caused a huge incident and got thrown into permanent prison. About a thousand of them. Use them however you like. If more show up, I’ll add them automatically.”
“The numbers… seem about right.”
“Goddesses and demonesses are the best for a harem. Far better than weak humans. Their personalities may be rotten, but they’ll fill the numbers just fine. I’ll also adjust their personalities and divine power so you can control them all. No need to worry.”
“Hmm… Then let’s make a contract.”
A Karma Contract appeared with a whoosh. After carefully reviewing the terms, he signed. The Demon King, who had been hesitating, finally signed as well after the Creator God urged him.
“They’re too weak to even recycle anyway. They caused trouble in the Spirit Realm and got locked in permanent prison, so I might as well give them away.”
The Demon King, who had initially resisted, reluctantly signed after the Creator God remarked that it was better than bankruptcy. He stared at the contract for a moment, sighed, then bowed his head in greeting before turning away. His next words, spoken through gritted teeth, were rather amusing.
“Grhh—! What am I supposed to do about that swindling Chief God of the God Realm?”
Watching the Demon King grumble as he headed back to the battlefield, the Creator God found himself smiling without realizing it.
‘Enjoy it while you can. I’ll see you soon on his battlefield.’
Receiving that level of pure killing intent made the Creator God suddenly miss that place.
‘I’ll play around a little longer before going back. Who knows when I’ll get this kind of free time again, so I need to rest until I’m sick of it.’
With the sense of duty that he must enjoy himself somehow, he looked at his junior—who was radiating mana—with a smile.
‘The Absolute Being of the Origin seems far purer than the rumors suggest. It might be fun. He doesn’t seem like that much of a lustful god, so why did those rumors spread?’
The women he was handing over had problematic temperaments, but their charm and ability to provide pleasure were top-tier. If one could control them, it would be something to welcome with open arms—yet that didn’t seem to be the case.
‘It has nothing to do with me. Once that rumor started, you were branded a lustful god anyway. Just like how I got stuck with the lazy bum label and became an outcast. I tried to change people’s perception, but giving up was easier.’
When the Demon King and the Substitute God Creator God nearby glared at him as he tried to laze about again, he casually ignored them and turned his gaze back to the battlefield, curious to see what someone with that level of power could accomplish against Highest Main Gods running rampant.
Then the Demon King’s voice burst out beside him.
“What the hell is that? His mana just spiked to Highest Main God level for a second.”
“Hm? He’s a sprout who received a title from him.”
“What—! Then we have to kill him! Those things are too dangerous!”
“I received a title too, you know?”
“What—! Why did the Creator God give it to him? Are you insane? Why accept a title that means you’ll always be under his surveillance?”
As the Demon King grew angry, the Creator God chuckled and summoned a long chair, settling into it comfortably before conjuring a drink as well. After gulping down the juice, he spoke.
“The title itself isn’t special. It’s just proof that you’re the strongest and most outstanding in your field. Besides, it’s basically evidence that I received a bit of help from him in the past, so there’s nothing to worry about. Of course, fighting while invoking the title is extremely dangerous, but unless you’re facing true annihilation, no one would do something that insane.”
“It’s dangerous—! They all possess power beyond the standard, and they could become another him!”
“Pfft—! Puahahahaha—! Absolute Beings who received titles becoming another him? Kahahahaha—! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while. Kekeke!”
The Creator God burst into theatrical laughter, nearly spilling his drink. The Demon King frowned at the sight but continued, knowing full well how often this happened.
“That’s why the Demon King race kills any Absolute Beings or Transcendents from the Middle World on sight. There must never be more than one of him!”
“You worry too much. If becoming him were that easy, why are we in this sorry state after receiving all his knowledge? Even with ten of us Substitute Gods ganging up, we’re barely holding even—and right now we’re getting pushed back badly. Don’t tell me you think he deliberately left out the core of the knowledge that amplifies power?”
“He wouldn’t do that. Still, I’m killing them because I’m uneasy.”
“If the number of strong beings doubles, our forces double as well. Not just the god race—protect and strengthen the Transcendents of the Middle World as much as possible. That’s the Creator General’s recommendation. That’s why they want to become Main Gods instead of demons. This difference is why the god race rules more of the universe than the demon race.”
The Creator God spoke with a look of pity.
“Anyway, that’s the problem with the demon race. Fearing something that won’t even happen? Does it make sense to erase reality itself just because it might cause problems? Besides, no matter how much of a Demon King you are, if you indiscriminately kill Main Gods or Transcendents of the god race whose Karma is ‘Extreme Good’ without reason, he’ll come. Even I won’t be able to do anything then. We’ll both be dealt with together.”
“Fine. I just won’t kill him here.”
“Make sure you don’t. And now you can’t kill that child anymore. The sprout has already emerged.”
“Huh? He’s just a Lower Main God.”
“Sit down first. I’ll explain in detail about Absolute Beings who received titles.”
When the Creator God created another chair, the Demon King sat down as well and conjured a drink for himself. After always being together, he could now read the signs.
‘If the Creator God is this relaxed, this war will end in victory.’
The Creator God knew that the Demon King’s combat ability and situational judgment were second to none.
“When a god race member reaches one billion divine power, they become a candidate Main God. At two billion, they become a Main God. Intermediate is five billion, Upper is ten billion, Highest is twenty billion, and Supreme is over fifty billion. Creator Gods are over one hundred billion, and each rank up requires nearly double the divine power, which is why they need the massive Main God Stars. Only planets with infinite vitality and life can support hundreds of billions of believers. Obtaining that much power through personal training alone is nearly impossible, so there’s no other way. However, those who receive the title of Absolute Being often ignore ranks. His help is the most appropriate and correct path, so he teaches methods perfectly suited to each individual. That’s why we say a sprout has emerged once someone reaches Intermediate, where they can wield their own power to some degree. After that, they find their own unique path to grow stronger beyond divine power or vitality according to their disposition, accumulating power in their own field. Compared to ordinary war gods, their combat methods are extremely diverse and their power grows rapidly. This versatility allows them to defeat opponents two ranks above them, and even those four ranks higher can’t completely suppress them.”
“You’re saying I, a Demon King with one hundred twenty billion mana, can’t completely suppress a Lower Main God with two and a half billion divine power?”
“That’s right—! Once someone holds the title of Absolute Being, they shouldn’t be seen as a Lower Main God with two billion divine power, but as an Intermediate Main God with forty-five billion combined divine and mana power. Only a Supreme Main God can defeat them then. But the problem is that revealed power isn’t the entirety of their strength. Especially with magic—as you know, it doesn’t always follow the law that one plus one equals two. No one knows what result will come out.”
The Creator God chuckled here.
“Hah! Moreover, if things get dangerous, they’ll run away immediately. They know better than anyone that death is the end, so they’ll grow stronger and take revenge later. Their power increases rapidly compared to ordinary war gods, so if you make an enemy and let them escape, what happens? Eventually they’ll surpass you and come for revenge. Can you handle that? By the way, if he acknowledges someone, you know what kind of stubborn types they are, right? They’re pacifists in their own way, so as long as you don’t pick a fight and stay friendly, there won’t be any problems. You can tell just by looking at me, can’t you?”
“……”
The Creator God, wounded by the Demon King’s disbelieving eyes, pouted. At that moment, the Dimensional and War God’s mana began to surge explosively. A gasp of admiration escaped naturally.
“As expected of an Absolute Being with a title—he knows what a man’s romance is. It’s truly big and beautiful.”
“What the—! That thing—!”
Rumble—! The black mage who descended onto the land of the Demon God Star ground his teeth while checking his mana.
‘Grhh! All eleven mana circles are fine. My vitality is at full capacity and my divine power is stable. Above all, I’ve confirmed all information about the Substitute God Main Gods.’
If a mage couldn’t overwhelm an opponent they had fought more than twice, it was a matter of talent. The compensation was roughly settled, but thinking about the Creator God—the client for this contract—only soured his mood.
‘Is my Karma really “Extreme Good”? I finally reached the eleventh circle and confidently started my first mercenary job, only to end up in a place with an unmeasurable Creator God monster? And the title is “Jinmyeol”—doesn’t that mean completely annihilating and erasing everything? If a Creator God received that title from him, how many has he killed and erased? What would happen if I activated the title and fought? Never mind. I’ll just match the requested headcount and wrap this up lightly.’
Complaining inwardly, he pushed aside his thoughts and focused on battle preparations.
‘Not much has changed since reaching the eleventh circle. The efficiency of mana consumption for spells has improved, so the number of usable spells has doubled from before. Simply put, where I could use eighty spells simultaneously at the ninth circle before, now it’s one hundred sixty. I can operate one hundred sixty Clash Planets at once. I’ve named this the Circle of Stellar System. I’ll show those who boast about their armies in front of me what defeat tastes like.’
Tenth-circle spells had also increased from eight to sixteen.
‘Excluding two spells for maintaining my body in combat—recovery and protection—I can use fourteen for attacks. Combining my two billion innate mana with two billion stored in the Guide of the Origin gives four billion mana. Using two Demon King magical tools to stack up to fourteen times, I can output fifty-six billion.’
His maximum output had increased from thirty-two billion to fifty-six billion. Of course, his body couldn’t withstand that mana except momentarily.
‘From the eleventh-circle grimoire, I obtained magic that can use divine power and mana simultaneously. Research on anything beyond that is ongoing. Just obtaining knowledge doesn’t mean instantly mastering it like some dream. Still, even this alone gave me power that could overwhelm a Highest Main God. If I mobilize every means available, I could even escape from a monster like that Creator God. Let’s stop these pessimistic thoughts. I thought I had a chance in a one-on-one against a lower Creator God, but… Sigh—! I still have a long way to go.’
Having directly experienced the Creator God, the gap in power was still enormous. The confidence and self-esteem that had swelled with his eleventh-circle abilities felt like they were shrinking rapidly.
‘I’ll just live long and thin.’
He began by lightly casting defensive and recovery magic.
“All Things Shall Return to the Sower. Looking Back at Oneself, Past and Present Are the Same.”
With this, he wouldn’t die in a single hit, at least. Then he increased his mana.
“Forget Favors, Engrave Grudges.”
The automatic overlap with recovery magic caused his mana to surge explosively. Right now, he was temporarily a Highest Main God-level magic god with fifty-six billion mana.
Whoosh—!
‘My body creaks from the excessive mana, yet the ecstasy it brings overlaps with the sensation.’
Looking around, the Demon God Star—overflowing with vitality despite its lacking purity—endlessly supplied him with power befitting its status as a Highest-rank star. A smile formed naturally.
‘This place is the perfect battlefield for a black mage. I really chose well coming here. Mana consumption is low and recovery is fast. With that, enemies of this level aren’t even a threat.’
Moreover, this time mercenary gods had been mobilized as well—two Great Demon God-level demons and two Highest Main Gods.
‘They’ll serve faithfully as shields. Then I can just fire magic freely from the rear.’
There was no element of defeat anywhere.
“The Polymorph of the Gigantes Lord—!”
Following the incantation, his body began to vibrate.
Thud—! Thud—! Thud—! Thud—!
The sound of a massive heartbeat echoed from the giant that appeared in the sky. The heart poured red blood into the air as blood vessels and bones gradually manifested in the void. A human-shaped, absurdly enormous skeleton formed, then was covered with blood and muscle.
‘Unlike before, I don’t need to sacrifice my own body due to insufficient mana. I’m simply creating a Gigantes body like the Substitute God bio-armor and assimilating into it. Maintaining the colossal form consumes endless mana, but even if the Gigantes body takes damage, I can avoid harm as much as I want. I just need to cancel the assimilation.’
It could no longer be called a polymorph, but it was still based on his body for now.
‘Not a transformation, but a complete change of existence! When I reach the eleventh circle, my magic will evolve again.’
Rumble—! Crack—!
The moment the colossal figure’s two feet touched the ground, mountain ranges collapsed and the supercontinent of the Demon God Star trembled as if it would split apart.
‘When composed of thirty billion mana and the Boundary’s vitality, the height was one thousand kilometers. With fifty-six billion mana and the vitality of a Highest-rank Demon God Star, the height exceeds two thousand kilometers.’
Whoosh—!
He assimilated into a colossal body comparable to the Highest Substitute God Main Gods.
‘My vision flickered as my viewpoint rose. Everything felt so small and laughable. This body overflowing with confidence was the Gigantes race—and now it was my body.’
He took a deep breath and stood up.
Rumble—!
His breathing sounded like thunder, and the legs that rose from the earth were already like stars. The atmosphere was already beneath his feet, and his upper body floated in the black void of space, facing the planetary defense lines of gods, demons, and Transcendents.
‘They look so small and fragile. They probably couldn’t even withstand the aftermath of my attacks.’
Spreading both arms wide, he swept them away as if clearing the front. After watching them dodge with wide eyes for a moment, he shouted.
“Divine Power Release—! Dimensional Net!”
Vwoooooooooom—!