Truth or Death
The Spirit Realm War was indeed something the plump Main God could complain about, given that he himself was a Highest God yet had been completely excluded from the list of targets for seduction. ‘Still, I have no idea how to resolve this mess. If I formally report these issues to the Main Divine Realm, my location will be exposed. Then they’ll cling to me, insisting I join the war, and if the administrators of the Absolute Realm notice me, they’ll definitely try to influence me.’ That would mean being dragged straight into that absurd battlefield with almost no compensation. ‘So it would be best to settle things amicably here and help resolve the problem. They must have been in such agony and hardship that they even tried to die by my hand.’
The Goddess of Companionship had fled with all her assets the moment things turned sour and even spread malicious rumors. After living in loneliness, she had then been scammed with another companionship contract by the Spirit Goddess she was supposed to manage—so of course she would have lost all will to live. ‘On top of that, with the Divine Realm in such chaos, she naturally had to watch her subordinates’ reactions and couldn’t live freely.’ Being marked by a superior meant the end of one’s household, and under that pressure her own work had fallen apart, forcing her to watch her subordinates in turn. It was enough to bring tears to one’s eyes. ‘This universe truly is merciless. One wrong move and it’s over.’
Understanding the difficult position of a Main God who was also a male deity, the Dimensional Lord decided to be lenient. From a practical standpoint, no matter how high his analytical ability was, he couldn’t dismiss the insight of those who had directly managed this place. Moreover, there were simply too many Spirit Gods training here—it would take far too much time. Maintaining good relations with anyone possible was the surest path to success within an organization.
“I’ll resolve the matter of the five Main Gods and the stolen divine power. In exchange, send me the highest-quality Spirit Gods from the Spirit Realm Waiting Area, and do it free of charge. After I leave, formally report the incident and its resolution. The Main Divine Realm is busy with the Spirit Realm War, so if you handle it internally there shouldn’t be any major repercussions.”
“Th… thank you so much.”
“What’s there to thank me for over something so small? We Main Gods of the Divine Realm should help each other out. If you’re grateful, just send me the very best Spirit Gods you can. Let’s work well together from now on.”
“I’ll personally select them. Thank you for your consideration.”
The Intermediate Main God bowed his head respectfully, his face still showing disbelief at the Dimensional Lord’s sudden generosity. ‘I understand exactly how they feel, having been tormented by the high-priority female Main Gods you people sent in the past. Make sure you handle your duties properly.’
He withdrew his gaze from the repeatedly bowing Main God and turned to the plump god, whose face was still flushed red as he huffed in anger. ‘He can’t control his emotions at the news that sending Spirit Gods is free. The ridiculous part is that the hiring cost for Spirit Gods is essentially just an introduction fee paid to the Spirit Realm Waiting Area anyway.’ There was also the concept of bribes for requesting good gods, and it seemed he was furious at missing out on that this time. ‘As expected, there’s no point trying to get along with schemers. The moment they suffer even a small loss after getting along fine, they immediately look for ways to sabotage you.’
It didn’t matter much to the non-combat plump god, but recovering the divine power that had been offered to the female Main Gods under false pretenses was of utmost importance to the combat gods—far more than mere wealth. “If you try any more tricks this time, it’ll cost one problematic Spirit God per round trip. I’ll personally place you at the front and give you some encouragement.”
“I’ll do my best.”
The Dimensional Lord clicked his tongue as he watched the plump god bow hurriedly, as if he had never been angry in the first place. ‘That mechanical reply and the distorted waves of divine power reeking of resentment tell me he’s definitely planning to interfere somehow to extract payment.’ Beings who used their heads never willingly gave up their own gains. ‘It’s obvious he’s still trying to scheme.’
As the overall managing god of the Spirit Realm Waiting Area, there wasn’t much he could skim, but the position still carried considerable vested interests. He had probably received plenty of requests already, so this alone wouldn’t make him abandon his stance.
“If you want to lose all your flesh and die before I leave, feel free to try something. ‘If it is not truth, grant me death.’—!”
Magic School: White Magic, Mental, Manifestation
Effect: A reinforced spell of True and Death that kills the caster if they speak anything other than the truth. It reads truth and falsehood down to the unconscious level, regardless of the speaker’s own beliefs, and brings death at the slightest lie. Even if one speaks only truth, they cannot be certain of their own hidden thoughts, making this magic extremely dangerous. The only way to resist is to exercise the right to remain silent.
Restriction: Without the target’s consent, it can only be forcibly activated against opponents of 2nd Circle or lower. Even if the target believes they are telling the truth, if their unconscious mind judges it false, they die—so those affected almost always choose silence. Because absolute truth is not necessarily truth in reality, the magic has limitations as an interrogation tool and is mostly used to silence those one wishes to shut up.
Protagonist’s first words after manifestation: “Since there’s no one in this world worth trusting, I have no choice but to do this. If you lack the confidence to back up your words, then shut up.”
He cast a spell that forced others to speak only the truth and killed them if they lied. ‘For a white magic spell, it’s remarkably brutal. One dies instantly if what they say is not truly the truth, even if they believe it is.’ No one could know their own heart with perfect clarity or be certain their actions were righteous. ‘It is a magic that kills at the slightest tremor of the heart.’
This white magic known as True and Death originated as a mental magic created by a loose-lipped mage famous for spreading gossip and malicious rumors, who wanted a quick way to verify the truth of facts. It was so vicious that even black magic paled in comparison. ‘Anyone who tells even the slightest lie to the target while under this magic will die immediately. Ironically, the very mage who developed it was killed by it.’
The problem was that he had gone around claiming he exposed and spread the truth of rumors not for his own desire, but to guarantee the public’s right to know. One of the high-ranking mages harmed by the rumors he spread became furious, publicly cast this magic on both of them, held a hearing, and ultimately led him to his death. The answer the mage gave just before dying—still refusing to believe his own words were false—became famous: “I did it not for my own desire, but for the public. The public has the right to know the truth of this world. Humanity must become wiser and freer.”
The moment he answered, he vomited blood and died, still unable to accept that he had lied. He had genuinely believed what he said. As the dying mage frantically checked the spell formula, wondering if the magic was broken, the opposing mage sneered and spat venom: “Foolish mage! If you truly cared for the public, you would have revealed your own magic instead of digging up others’ shameful secrets. If you truly cared for the public, you should have sacrificed yourself rather than turning others into laughingstocks! In the end, you paid the price for creating this magic without even understanding your own true heart.”
Thus, the foolish mage who could not even recognize his own ugly desires was mocked for eternity. Yet the truly laughable part was that the creator of a magic so filled with malice that even black mages could activate it without issue was classified as a white mage. ‘Even though it carries such a vicious evil that black mages can use it without any problem. I, who reached the 11th Circle, modified it into a 10th Circle spell and cast it, so even a Highest God of the 9th Circle will be perfectly caught. And not just at the moment of manifestation, but as a permanent effect.’
Ziiiiing!
The plump god froze completely as the magic was engraved upon his heart. Still, as a Highest God, he seemed to have roughly understood its nature. ‘To a managing god, that magic is nothing short of a death sentence.’ A true managing god was an existence that navigated the boundary between truth and lies, so even a single word would put his life at risk.
“Do your job well and I’ll release it when I leave.”
A satisfied smile appeared on the Dimensional Lord’s face as he watched the plump god nod frantically. ‘No matter what truthful words you speak, the probability of death for a managing god of your level is overwhelmingly high. I’m truly looking forward to seeing how long you last.’
The Dimensional Lord had no intention of easily forgiving those who tried to deceive him. Especially if they were not a Main God-level powerhouse and offered him no benefit. ‘In the past, when I had no power, I had no choice. But now I will repay everything thoroughly.’
The Dimensional Lord tucked away the list of recommended exemplary Spirit Gods and the special-management Spirit Gods list that the plump god had first handed over. ‘After all, if a name isn’t on this list, it means they’re at least somewhat trustworthy, so it’s worth using as reference material. If they’re not on this list, then there’s no problem to begin with.’
He snorted as he watched the plump god’s mouth fall open in shock while examining the magic cast upon him, then headed toward the sealing chamber where the Main Gods were imprisoned. He shoved the Main God who wanted to follow him back into the office with orders to select the personnel to hand over, then set out with only one direct-line Main God and the plump god. ‘They probably haven’t even been able to verify the Spirit Gods during this time, so this will be a good opportunity for them to understand their duties.’
More than anything, he intended to eliminate all the problematic ones, and having a Main God of the Divine Realm by his side would only cause noise. “Are all the Main Gods of the Divine Realm outside the Spirit Realm the same as the Dimensional Lord, the highest-ranking Main God?”
To the direct-line Main God who spoke with many layered meanings, he answered simply. “I’m generous. Even the Main Divine Realm acknowledges that.”
The direct-line Main God gave him an incredulous look, then glanced at the plump god who was desperately trying to undo the magic cast on himself and said, “Since he’s like family to you, wouldn’t it be fine to forgive him?”
At those words, the plump god, harboring a sliver of hope, hurriedly quickened his steps at the Dimensional Lord’s reply. “I’m merciful. That’s why I didn’t kill that guy and only sealed his mouth.”
“What?”
This naive direct-line Main God who still didn’t understand what was being said seemed like he would be quite entertaining once he became a Main God of the Divine Realm. ‘If even one of my female Main Gods had been here, they would have staged a rebellion immediately and I wouldn’t have been able to keep my position. After that, the best I could hope for would be becoming a mercenary god.’ Still, since he would be receiving a lot from them in the future, he offered some advice. “I don’t know much about your family atmosphere, but for the development of the Divine Realm, that kind of attitude is pure poison. The foundation of divine realm development requires strong and wise Main Gods of the Divine Realm, excellent gods who offer loyalty, and countless devout believers. Weak and foolish Main Gods of the Divine Realm, gods who seek camaraderie over loyalty, and countless frail believers only lead to desperate attempts at maintaining the status quo, and eventually decline. A Main God of the Divine Realm is the vanguard of war, the judge of the Divine Realm, and the ruler of the Middle World—not everyone’s friend. If you want to become that kind of existence, you’d be better off as a clown.”
“…Are those my father’s words?”
The direct-line Main God showed faint anger, yet his expression was filled with resentment. ‘He considers his own father shameful? This is why a direct-line Main God who should at least be an Intermediate Main God remains stuck as a regular Main God.’ Born as a direct-line descendant of a high-ranking Main God that every god desired, yet he was utterly pathetic. It was a bad situation, but instead of blaming his own shortcomings, he looked to his parents’ faults first. It was truly pitiful.
“Hah! What an amusing thing to say. Do you really think your current position was achieved solely through your own power? There’s only one reason I gave you this opportunity.”
The plump god stopped at the innermost garden of the temple. Around them, four Highest Gods and hundreds of Highest Gods stood surrounding them warily. ‘I can’t tell if they’re trying to block the inside of the barrier or aiming for me, but the fact that I can see Main God-level divine ranks means they’re thinking of fighting. Their wings shine, but the robes they wear are shabby, after all.’ This was why it was necessary to display one’s divine rank through wings of light or clothing. They looked down on him, and now that he had suddenly appeared and beaten their Main God of the Divine Realm while tormenting their Highest Gods as if to kill them, they were furious. If they charged, he would simply crush them, so he cut off his thoughts and spoke. “Because the possibility of becoming a Highest Main God lies with the Main God of the Divine Realm here. That’s why the Creator God left a handle to exploit and, instead of taking away the Intermediate God realm that has no value compared to himself, sent him here to train. With the intention of reforming his weak personality as well.”
“Father is a Highest Main God—!”
The direct-line Main God was so shocked he couldn’t speak, and even the plump god’s eyes widened. ‘These guys really don’t know. The Spirit Realm’s evaluation is the worst, but its scale is the greatest, and its believers are countless Spirit beings and Spirit Gods. Moreover, the Spirit Realm Waiting Area must constantly maintain the Creator God-level authority known as Guerrilla Volcano, so naturally the Main God of the Divine Realm must be a Highest Main God.’
Of course, that was only in terms of the potential required to operate it—the current rank was indeed Intermediate Main God. But that potential alone was enough qualification for the position of Main God of the Divine Realm at the Spirit Realm Waiting Area. ‘The Creator God-level authority keeps stimulating his potential, so he will eventually become a Highest Main God. Of course, if he gives up like now and lives however he wants, even the divine power he currently has will be drained away.’
The Dimensional Lord had also discerned this potential through the evolved Creator God’s senses and magical analysis authority after the Main God’s body control was released. ‘Otherwise, there would have been no reason to let him live in the first place.’ The Dimensional Lord had no support base in the Main Divine Realm, so he needed to help in times like this and form alliances. “Didn’t you know? Your father is a direct-line descendant of a Creator God. While reaching Creator God is nearly impossible due to a god’s growth limit, reaching Highest Main God is relatively easy. He doesn’t seem to be a direct-line descendant of the exceedingly noble and great Creator God, but he is definitely the direct-line descendant of another Creator God.”
“Then what about me?”
“Your limit is Intermediate. Even if your growth limit is Highest God, a direct-line descendant born from an Intermediate Main God state will have the same level as their limit, no matter if they are born with a companion or not. You can easily reach Intermediate Main God, but after that you must truly be prepared to die in training. Or your parents would both have to become Highest Main Gods and raise your growth limit back up to Highest God. There’s a reason parent gods call each other eternal companions. To raise the growth limit of direct-line descendants they create together, both must do it together. However, if you become a Highest Main God, you could reach Upper Main God on your own.”
The surroundings fell silent. It seemed they truly hadn’t realized. ‘Well, it would be hard to believe that their always lethargic Main God of the Divine Realm, who nods off like a sick chicken, possesses the growth potential of a Highest Main God.’ This was why one had to choose their companion carefully. A promising Main God with the potential of a Highest Main God had gone to number one in an instant.’ The Creator God was not the type to send an incompetent Main God to a place that could become the front lines at any moment. In case of emergency, since his potential was that of a Highest Main God, he could endure by aligning with the core of the Divine Realm, so he had been sent. But their current appearance was too pathetic to trust, and since they were full of suspicion, he added further explanation. “Have you ever seen your father training?”
“Of course I have… No, I haven’t. He was always lost in drink.”
“To maintain and strengthen one’s divine power in the Creator God-level authority Guerrilla Volcano, which drains divine power and vitality just by standing still and drives one to the limit, one must possess authority or divine rank of the same level. Can you endure in the Spirit Realm without any training?”
“Ah?”
The direct-line Main God, about to flare up at the unbelievable words, instead showed a confused look. “Without any training in the Spirit Realm, maintaining the status quo becomes difficult and divine power decreases. Yet your father shows no training at all, and his divine power is still increasing slightly—didn’t you find that strange? You yourself must train to the point where you can’t tell others in order to maintain the Main God’s divine rank.”
“……”
“If you train to the death, accumulate divine power, and improve your authority on the Main God’s battlefield, you will eventually become a powerful existence that reaches Highest Main God. He was sent as the Main God of the Spirit Realm Waiting Area for personal training and defense. Well, there’s the problem with his karma being ‘good,’ but if the Spirit Realm Waiting Area develops well and produces excellent Spirit Gods who contribute to the universe’s development, that issue will be resolved quickly. This is a place that filters out excellent gods from among the losers who become Spirit Gods and recycles them through strengthening, so the karma accumulated when those Spirit Gods who become official gods again contribute is enormous. The harsher the duty, the higher the evaluation, so if one reaches ‘Absolute Good’ instead of ‘Extreme Good,’ it’s not impossible to surpass the wall of Highest Main God. That’s why he was sent here. Believing that you would overcome adversity and advance. But if he finds out you’ve been living like this just because you were scammed by a female Main God, what do you think will happen?”
Looking as if he had been shocked by the Dimensional Lord’s words, the direct-line Main God stood dazed for a moment before hurriedly bowing his head and speaking. “I believe the plump god alone is sufficient to guide you from here. I must go help my father select Spirit Gods. Since he hasn’t managed them directly, he doesn’t know much.”
“Go.”