The Sin of Exceptional Talent

The goddess standing before him had been born with a talent so prodigious it drove the Dimensional Lord to contemplate murder out of sheer jealousy. For the crime of possessing such a gift, her own parents had warped her very essence, condemning her to live with a hideous face and an unnatural lower body. That truth stirred a storm of complicated emotions within the Dimensional Lord.

‘To think I’ve grown so complacent that I’m already eyeing the position of Chief God of the God Realm, unconsciously hoping to settle comfortably as a Highest Main God. I’m still nothing more than a bottom-tier administrator god in this Main Universe—what peace am I even dreaming of? If the Creator Gods decide to kill me, that’s the end. I can’t fully trust the protection granted to Main Gods. In the end, my only true stronghold is my own power.’

This was proof that even the gods of light were ultimately just another interest ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠group. In an organization like that, clinging to one’s position inevitably led to compromise and stagnation. Only an endlessly evolving organization would embrace his ambitions.

The Main Gods who had been defeated by him and absorbed into his domain had undergone a thorough cleansing in the past through the influx of Karma, Certification Battles, and the Substitute Race. Yet no matter how much the surface changed, their fundamental nature remained untouched.

‘This Main Universe is beginning to stagnate as well. Power struggles and factional conflicts are erupting everywhere within the god races.’

The fact that a Main God reigning supreme in the heavens would attempt political interference in the divine realm under his management—rather than direct combat—signaled the first signs of decay. In such political battles, a needle hidden in a leather pouch would either have its sharpness dulled or be thrown away entirely. In any purge, the first target would undoubtedly be him: a Middle World origin who held no factional backing despite bearing the Dimensional Lord’s title.

‘The only way to prevent that is to maintain overwhelmingly superior military force and irreplaceable utility value.’

Building forces and expanding alliances now would only be a temporary bandage. In the end, his own strength remained the absolute priority.

‘Even someone like me, who rose from a dark mage, is far too alien to the god races. Once my power and usefulness vanish, I’ll be forgotten in an instant. In a position like that, what room do I have for jealousy?’

It seemed he had grown intoxicated with the title of Chief God of the God Realm. Absurd.

‘The only reason I became part of the god races was to obtain the Authority of Creation. Only then can I fulfill the promotion conditions he set.’

He steadied his wavering heart. It appeared he had been utterly drunk on position, honor, and power.

‘After the Main God of the Divine Realm was subdued, he began addressing me with proper respect, and it must have gone to my head.’

A thought of ‘him’ suddenly surfaced.

‘This is why he absolutely forbids anyone from using honorifics toward him. He even publicly declared that he would erase those who showed him respect. Does he guard against his own arrogance to that extent? He really is impossible to handle.’

‘Those who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠respect me shall be erased. Weak ones, do not use honorifics with me. The respect of the incompetent is worthless. Only the competent have value—even if they curse and guard against me.’

This was precisely why one referred to that supremely great and powerful being simply as ‘him.’ Violating this rule meant no forgiveness, even for a Creator. Therefore, daring to call him that was permitted.

‘Is arrogance the privilege of the strong and the poison of laziness?’

The taste in his mouth was unbearably bitter. Even now, there existed a Main God capable of grinding Intermediate Main God-level Demon Adamantium—equivalent in toughness to his own body—into powder using nothing but physical force with the divine power of an Upper God, then reforging it into an entirely new metal through raw strength alone.

Any lingering disdain he had felt toward the god races, who busied themselves solely with political intrigue, vanished completely. The talent that filled him with such jealousy and crisis ignited his fighting spirit.

‘If I simply become stronger faster than them, that’s the end ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of it. I have no energy to waste on jealousy. That goddess will definitely prove useful.’

Having fully reorganized his thoughts, he snapped his fingers.

Snap!

He generated a full-body armor that fit her form perfectly. It covered the body she had been joyfully exposing—those perfectly shaped yet burdensome breasts that were far too large—leaving her completely clothed. The material gleamed with a golden brilliance like a hammer, engraved with roaring flames. On her left hand, he formed a massive gauntlet designed to fully utilize her immense strength.

‘She is the goddess of alchemy, so this might be unnecessary meddling. However, her defense is critically lacking at the Upper God stage, so this should compensate somewhat.’

The figure she now presented was that of a female war goddess with an upper body more than twice the size of a normal woman, fully armed with a giant hammer and combat gauntlet. The overwhelming presence made it clear that anyone caught by those perfectly trained arms would not escape unscathed.

‘Overall, it’s acceptable.’

Her distorted, ugly face could be corrected through their contract. The legs as well. He had no interest in providing free service.

“Wh-what is this?”

She had been delighted while gazing at the jewel-like metal in her hand, but now she stared in shock at the armor that had suddenly clothed her.

‘Well, if I can create divine equipment worthy of a Main God and force it onto her regardless of her will, it far exceeds the level of Main Gods as they understand it. My own creation has finally reached the bare minimum standard for a Main God by his criteria.’

Becoming the Main God of Light had been worthwhile. After ascending to Chief God of the God Realm, he had absorbed nearly all the knowledge of the God Realm and most of the Main Divine Realm through their connection.

He was still nowhere near a Creator God, but he had achieved most of his objectives.

‘All that remains is to strengthen and train my body until it matches the 11th Circle. Then I will finally become a complete 11th Circle mage. I can challenge the Creator Gods and escape my status as a mere disposable underling.’

By accepting only demonic energy from the eternally reigning Demon God and raising the purity of his magic power, he could complete the 11th Circle using the dark path he had received. Then he could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Creator Gods who currently lorded over him as administrators. No—he could finally escape this situation where he had to hide so desperately out of fear of their battlefield.

‘The jewel metal created by that alchemy goddess will serve as the foundation.’

With alchemy capabilities at this level while still an Upper God, once she became a Main God she might be able to create metal that even beings above Creator Gods could wear.

‘I will make certain she does.’

He extended his right hand toward the goddess.

Startled for a moment by his armor, she hastily offered the newly created metal with both hands. As the goddess of alchemy, she understood exactly how difficult such creation was, and a hint of respect flickered in her eyes.

‘In the end, it was implemented based on his dark path, so it’s not particularly impressive.’

He had observed the entire creation process. That meant he could apply it directly to his own creation. While he couldn’t replicate the main body of a demon race member close to the Demon God, everything else was possible.

‘The bio-armor machine god fused with my body consumed most of my Demon Adamantium, so the true blood of the demon race within it is more than sufficient.’

Clutching the jewel, he pressed it against his heart and chanted.

“I am the one and only special existence in this world.”

Crunch!

Splurt!

Divine blood sprayed as muscle and flesh tore apart. The injury occurred as transparent ruby-like metal burst out from beneath his skin. It was a side effect of the process still being a mixture rather than a true fusion. He was still too inexperienced.

Yet with the acquisition of this new material, the dark magic machine god was evolving completely. It was indeed an advancement of at least one full stage in material quality.

‘The Demon Adamantium I created through brute force had severe refinement issues. Well, that’s only natural considering I smashed stars together and ground them in the collision.’

By cleanly resolving those flaws with Infinite Alchemy, the armor had reached a level where a Highest Main God wearing it could defend against attacks from Upper Main Gods.

Gazing at the transparent ruby-like metal armor enveloping his entire body, he nodded. Now, damaging his body while wearing this bio-armor machine god would require at least an Upper Main God going all out.

This was worth any price.

“You pass. I recognize you as a General Main God of the War God and an Intermediate Main God of Alchemy. Although the two positions overlap, the difference in level means the vitality provided will be 1.5 times that of a standard General Main God. Prepare the contract.”

He handed over the official contract from the Main Divine Realm as expected. The contents were nearly identical, so there should have been no issue, yet she hesitated greatly.

“Is it insufficient?”

Honestly, he had abandoned his earlier impulse to kill her, but the emotion still lingered.

‘I’m not the type with such a generous heart.’

Whoosh!

Fighting spirit surged on its own. Yet she answered with unyielding determination.

“I am not a War God, so I cannot accept the compensation of a War God. Furthermore, since I am still an Upper God, I will only take compensation appropriate to that level.”

“Is that sincere? You’re saying you want less, not more?”

She was practically writing the tale of an ancient hero god. This was the logic of social misfits who placed their personal convictions above the organization or their superiors.

In any case, those useless old myths had completely ruined any sense of social propriety.

‘If a superior offers generous terms, just accept them. Why refuse with talk of convictions and stubbornness, digging your own grave?’

The anger of a superior offering goodwill only to be rejected for incomprehensible reasons was terrifying. This was why he had once received the absurd title of “Brave” from him.

Of course, contracting her as a higher-ranked god and employing her as a Main God would be immensely beneficial, but that was no easy task.

‘Ugh. I can’t exactly pull a fraudulent contract. It would be slightly bad for my Karma.’

He had somehow ended up in the ridiculous position of having to explain why she should accept more.

‘How am I supposed to explain this properly to such a narrow-minded, old-lady-like goddess?’

It was incredibly tiresome, especially when he still had hundreds of interviews ahead of him.

Then a good idea suddenly struck him.

‘I don’t necessarily have to explain it myself.’

Earlier, there had been a goddess who cleverly schemed to seize the initiative by offering to help the interviewees. She was currently staring at him intently, the front of her translucent robe turned in his direction as the situation deviated from her expectations.

A satisfied smile formed on his lips.

“Flipside Main God Lokina, was it? This is now a joint interview. Explain to her why she should receive the compensation of a General War God Main God and an Intermediate Alchemy Main God, and handle the matter. You already promised to help, so make sure to explain thoroughly. If you assist these Main Gods’ interviews and ensure they all pass normally, you pass as well.”

“……”

There was no immediate reply. During the interviews of the female Main Gods who were former Demon King candidates, she would have roughly grasped the situation by dangling interview advice as bait to the others.

With the intelligence of a Main God, she would have inferred nearly everything from the circumstances and appearances alone. That was likely why she couldn’t answer. After all, every single one of them was extremely abnormal.

“It would be better to simply fail me now.”

In the end, that was the only response possible. For the goddesses present here to pass a God Realm interview would be absolutely impossible for any normal Chief God of the God Realm.

‘Even I, who desperately needs Main Gods right now, have a record of forcing them in only to throw them away. If not for this place, I would have no way to recruit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any from my position of complete isolation. Picking them up again only reminds me that they are the normal ones, and I—who am desperately trying to use them somehow—are the abnormal one.’

The problem was that this would mean the goddess failed.

‘A schemer god who speaks of the impossible is useless.’

One who employs schemes must find a path to victory even from a doomed battlefield.

But her next answer pleased him greatly.

“However, if you permit me to use any means necessary, it is possible. I will make it extremely satisfactory.”

From her cold tone, he could sense the sincere resolve to do absolutely anything to achieve her goal.

Satisfied, he nodded and settled into the office chair, reviewing the resumes once more.

‘I won’t need to intervene next time.’

It seemed he might acquire a highly capable strategist. Of course, she was a double-edged sword brimming with poison.

‘Well, if I handle things well, there won’t be any problem.’

The Dimensional Lord was in no position to be picky about whether the rice was cold or hot.