The Price of Overconfidence
When the Substitute God Clan showed no reaction to his call for war, the Dimensional and War God began speaking slowly and deliberately. “A transformation ability worthy of a God of Magic, but it’s not enough to hide from a higher Absolute who possesses a title. And I’m on vacation, so I can’t even take a life. Nearly getting annihilated together while trying to overwhelm the opponent? Did I let my guard down too much? In the end, you talked far too much. If you had finished it immediately, you wouldn’t have suffered like this.”
The voice of the Dimensional and War God rang out thinly. As expected, it came from within the crack of the massive spear. ‘As expected of an Absolute with a title—he survived.’
The Creator God, who had been chuckling, stretched long in his chair and spoke. “Everyone makes mistakes while growing up when they’re young. Suddenly rising in rank, acting arrogant, and then facing death is something every Absolute with a title experiences.”
“I am a God of Magic. Reason and logic are the foundation of my existence.”
“Even so, you’re still a Lord God. You stood on a hill, climbed a mountain, and thought the sky was within reach before charging in blindly. A mere Intermediate Main God is nothing more than an insect to him in this universe. If it weren’t for the authority support from my ‘Jinmyeol’ title—the power to ‘kill and erase the enemy by any means’—you would have been annihilated. And then erased by the Demon God King. I went easy on you because you’re a junior and I’m on vacation. If you’re going to show off an Absolute’s title while acting as the Mercenary God, make sure to include the Demon God King’s non-interference clause next time.”
“Thank you for the valuable advice. It seems I really have started talking too much. I will reflect on this.”
Feeling the Dimensional and War God crawling out from between the cracks of the Lord Slayer spear, the Creator God shook his head. ‘His divine power and magic are almost completely depleted. He’s in a complete mess. It’s a miracle he’s still alive.’
It was the worst possible state, with even his presence noticeably diminished.
“By the way, how did you escape? There wasn’t even a moment to use spatial movement.”
“I urgently canceled the assimilation with the giant god race’s body, inserted my main body into the crack of the Lord Slayer spear, then struck the spear directly to pierce through the Substitute God Clan’s main body and its planetary bio-armor, launching it outside the annihilation zone.”
“You did it properly in the end.”
“No! I couldn’t retrieve everything. I barely managed to escape with only the core.”
When the Dimensional and War God finally crawled completely out of the Lord Slayer spear, the Creator God’s mouth fell open in shock.
“You’ve turned into a divine youth?”
“Haha. This is quite an embarrassing sight.”
In truth, the Dimensional and War God’s height had shrunk dramatically to around one meter forty centimeters. His face and limbs had lost all muscle definition. The countless scars that once covered his body had vanished, leaving only soft, baby-pink skin. Even his face had lost its characteristic fierce expression, replaced by a round, cherubic face that still carried the fullness of youth.
‘A face with clear, beautiful features—flawless whether viewed as a god race or demon god race.’
His appearance was completely different from the violent warrior who had once been a dark mage and later became the Dimensional and War God. The only proof of his identity was the pair of eyes that still burned with fighting spirit, shining like black gold.
The Creator God could not hide his bewilderment at the sight of the battle-hardened warrior, once covered in terrible wounds, now transformed into an incomparably beautiful divine youth.
‘This isn’t a transformation. That is definitely his true body.’
Thirteen pairs of dimensional wings sprouted from his back, and above his head floated eleven clear circles of magical power. The only God of Magic in this universe who had risen from dark mage to Lord of Light and then to Dimensional and War God—this was undeniable proof.
“There wasn’t enough time during the emergency release of the assimilation process, so I only secured the core and omitted part of the body’s growth sequence.”
“Pfft—!”
“Since the giant god race’s body, which contained the growth process, has been annihilated, I have no choice but to grow naturally from this state.”
“Kakakakakaha—! Pukakaha!”
Watching the Creator God roar with bizarre laughter and slap his thigh, the Dimensional and War God felt a vein bulge on his forehead before letting out a sigh.
“Yes, go ahead and laugh. I myself am stunned by my own mistake.”
“Puhahahak—! An Absolute with a title ending up like this! Kahahahat! This is a historic moment worth recording! Kahahahahaha—!”
Seeing the Creator God now rolling on the floor in laughter, the Dimensional and War God examined his own condition.
‘Eleven circles of magic power and 2.5 billion in divine power—both are intact. The body has separated in an immature state, so evasion and durability have slightly decreased? That’s fortunate, at least. My combat strength remains unaffected. After all, I am a mage.’
Close combat would be impossible, but at long range, his fighting power was equal to before. Of course, the lack of training meant his durability was an issue, so exceeding maximum output would be dangerous. The moment he tried, this delicate body would probably shatter.
“Now that I think about it, this isn’t so bad.”
The Creator God stopped laughing, a smile lingering on his face as he pulled a book from his robe.
“Take this opportunity to strengthen your divine race aspect. In my view, the body of a transcendent who evolved from a human has a limit at eleven-circle user. Even with the giant god race’s body, you couldn’t fully manifest it. To become a complete eleven-circle Lord God, you have no choice but to strengthen your own abilities rather than rely on shortcuts. The difference in species cannot be ignored.”
“Mm!”
A groan escaped him involuntarily. Having compared the bodies of the giant god race and the Substitute God Clan, the overwhelming superiority of the latter was undeniable.
‘The Substitute God Clan’s bio-armor can withstand nearly infinite divinity. However, even with the giant god race body I created, going beyond eleven circles is impossible.’
That said, becoming a complete Substitute God would require abandoning his own will and appearance.
‘As a human and transcendent, physical reinforcement has reached its limit. The only remaining path is to strengthen the divine race’s body.’
He spread his thirteen pairs of wings, flapping them gently as he inspected his entire body.
‘Divine power spreads naturally throughout my body, bringing vitality.’
The characteristics of the divine race, which had previously been suppressed by his trained body and magical power, were now manifesting naturally.
‘This is almost a perfect divine race body rather than a God of Magic evolved from a dark mage. As a member of the divine race, my authority is recovery and reinforcement as a spiritual lifeform.’
As a dark mage, he had obtained the divine position of dimensions and become a complete god, but his magically reinforced body had been overwhelmingly stronger, suppressing his divine power. By omitting the growth process of his magic-related body this time, balance was finally being restored.
‘If I raise both divine power and magic power together now, I could become incomparably stronger than before. If he obtains the divine power of a High Lord, there may no longer be any limit to his magic power’s maximum output.’
“This is certainly an opportunity to raise my divine power.”
“Exactly. Your maximum magic power is at High Lord level, yet your divine power is only at lower Lord level. Eventually the balance will collapse. You need to raise your divine power at least to upper level. I’ve written down my own method for strengthening divine power, so use it as reference.”
Receiving the book handed over by the Creator God, he spoke in a puzzled tone. “Is there something else you desire?”
There is no such thing as favor without compensation. That was the iron rule of the world he had lived in.
At those words, the Creator God let out a hearty laugh.
“Haha! Just grow up well and help me later. To be honest, I’m a beggar too, so living alone is hard.”
“Can a Creator God even be a beggar?”
“The foundation of an Absolute with a title is the Creator General, so a Creator God is indeed a beggar. You’ll understand once you grow up and rise high enough. Well then, here is the compensation for completing the contract. I’ve stored it properly.”
The brilliantly shining ‘Creator God’s Jewel’ containing the female transcendents and female prisoners promised as payment to the Mercenary God was handed over to him.
‘That is similar to a subspace, but it is also an entire world and the core of a Main God Star. Not only can stars enter it, but depending on the divine power, even another universe can fit inside.’
The Creator God’s Jewel was a symbol of a Creator God’s authority and power. Its value was incomparable to mere stars. He was stunned by the boldness of handing over something so precious so casually.
“I’ve set the controls so you can use it freely. See you next time.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
“We who have nothing must help each other to survive. Work hard and grow quickly.”
Once the Creator God disappeared, he checked inside the jewel in his hand. The numbers were probably accurate, but he wanted to confirm the levels.
“One hundred Absolute-level beings at ten circles, and nine hundred and eight gods and demon gods below upper rank? This won’t be enough to use immediately. The forces are too lacking to show overwhelming fear to the arrogant Absolutes of the Middle World.”
Having no forces in the Divine Realm and appearing insignificant as a God of Magic, he had been ignored and defied by the demigods of the Middle World. Thanks to that, his teeth ground together in resentment and humiliation. With only a slight advantage, rather than instilling fear, he would only give them false hope.
“Let’s strengthen them a little. But how am I supposed to return to the Divine Realm looking like this?”
He summoned a mirror and stared at his reflection, utterly speechless. There stood a noble and beautiful divine youth who looked perfectly suited to be a prince of the Magic Empire.
‘It’s exactly like my appearance from childhood.’
It was also how he had looked before being torn apart by the high elf queens and reborn as a warrior. Moreover, with thirteen pairs of dimensional wings radiating brilliant light behind him, anyone who saw him would think he was a beautiful divine youth of the Lord Gods.
‘I cannot force rapid growth. If I alter the growth process now, the side effects will be severe.’
If a divine youth forcibly became an adult god, the power of his true body would decline. Therefore, he had no choice but to grow naturally.
‘Just how long does natural growth take for the divine race? Ten thousand years per generation, wasn’t it? Sigh—!’