The Unfairness of Talent
The demigods of the tenth circle, forcibly summoned to the Otherworld War and the temple of the Dimensional Lord, all bowed their heads. The long-dreaded time of Selection had arrived far too quickly.
They could not bring themselves to tell their clans, who were rejoicing over their ascension to Creator God Star—a realm more than ten times larger than Main God Star and overflowing with incomparably richer vitality. They could not speak the truth: any being who failed to meet the standards of a Creator God Star would be converted into pure vitality, becoming the foundational stock for the new ruling species of that star.
The criteria were brutally clear.
‘At minimum, sixth circle or higher.’
Those born at the sixth circle must naturally reach the seventh. With effort, they must attain the eighth. In other words, only higher species that had transcended mortal life and entered the realm of spiritual beings qualified. The reason was equally absolute and unchangeable. Unlike the divine realms of Main God Stars, Creator God Stars demanded vitality of extremely high purity. To fully receive the support of the divine realm, the ruling species had to be replaced. There was no choice but silence.
Besides, this was hardly the first time it had happened. What had once been regional conflicts to select superior ruling species during each incremental ascension had now escalated to planetary scale. Yet now that they had risen to the level of Highest Creator God Star, the elevated standards would claim far too many sacrifices. In fact, nearly every living being might perish, with replacements likely imported from other Creator God Stars.
The clans they had nurtured from birth as demigods, raising them through prosperity all the way to upper gods, would vanish entirely. For fellow members of the same species, the despair was beyond words.
‘Even rebellion is an extreme choice we cannot make.’
The demigods of the Middle World stood no chance against the divine realm, especially after already being culled once. Forming an alliance with the Demon Realm was the only alternative, yet the Magic God of Dimensions—a native of the Middle World—refused to fight the divine realm where he now served as Main God. His infamy was so overwhelming that most had already abandoned any thought of resistance. They were even voluntarily surrendering the vitality they once received as participating forces and handing over their magical power. There was nothing more to say.
While the demigods and transcendents of the eighth circle and above wallowed in despair, welcome news arrived.
The Magic God of Dimensions had declared that he would create a Main God Star—something only a Creator God could normally produce—through some unknown method, and offer it to the species that failed the Selection. Furthermore, among the goddesses who had contributed to the divine realm for the longest time, he had granted Granraha the authority of a subordinate main god, including full dominion.
“A new Main God Star—!”
“It’s at least an upper main god level—! With that, full migration is guaranteed, and we can even aim for evolution into a higher species.”
Of course, they could not take any of the existing species’ wealth. Buildings, artifacts—everything belonged to the next ruling species of the Creator God Star. Survival for those expelled naked into the void would be impossible on the new Main God Star. It had not yet been properly organized.
However, if they used their own power, they could transport enough resources to maintain their current level of civilization and secure their survival. Since every god had already been granted permission to assist their species with full strength during the Selection, the quicker deities had already mobilized their saints, popes, and even shrine maidens to gather supplies.
The safety threshold for moving sentient beings had not yet been reached, and cleanup work remained. But with the support of the Highest Creator Realm, there was no way their goddesses could fail to organize a mere Main God Star.
After the divine realm’s position had been somewhat settled, the next group summoned—powerhouses of the seventh circle and below—suddenly began fighting to decide the ruling species of the Creator God Star. Their dumbfounded faces twisted in protest as they demanded explanations, only to be beaten senseless by the irritated Magic God of Dimensions.
‘Of course, the representatives of seventh-circle species who know nothing find it too harsh. But this is actually an exceedingly merciful measure. Instead of one-sided judgment, he has given them a chance.’
‘Moreover, offering the eliminated a chance to try again—there is no greater generosity.’
They even thought that, as a human-born god, he was merciful toward living beings.
The Magic God of Dimensions, who had been enthusiastically beating the former hero—now the pope of the Former War God—with a wooden sword of unknown origin, emanated fighting spirit as he completely suppressed the seventh-circle beings.
“The opening of hostilities is set for one month from now—the estimated time needed to organize Granraha Main God Star. If any of you plan to spout nonsense about how we are all good neighbors and therefore cannot possibly fight, hoping to ride some ridiculous, forced emotional storyline, you had best abandon that dream right now. Any species that abandons progress and evolution through trial and struggle has no right to live in my domain. If the representatives forfeit the battle of Selection, the entire species will be exiled into the empty void of space. They will have no qualification to become members of another Main God Star or the foundational stock of a Creator God Star. And the representative who caused such a situation…”
With a light snap of his fingers—crack!—a colossal silver planet engulfed in crimson flames appeared in the empty air. Not one or two, but twenty of them materialized at once. Even without knowing their nature, the overwhelming divine power and danger they radiated was unmistakable. The pressure bore down without restraint, making it clear these were not entities living beings could contend with.
The Magic God of Dimensions pointed at the silver colossal stars flickering with black flames and pronounced his verdict.
“I will use them as fuel for the mechanical creator gods, the Antares. Forever—!”
Whoosh—!
All twenty mechanical creator gods blazed with black flames simultaneously. The heat and shockwave that even upper gods would recoil from slammed into the representatives of each species. Some screamed and suffered severe burns. Yet this was the Highest Creator Realm. Their wounds healed instantly, and their bodies gradually adapted to the heat, leaving them utterly disoriented.
After confirming that the representatives of each species had indirectly received the divine realm’s support and grown stronger to their current limits, the Magic God of Dimensions sent them back to their Main God Stars. Having tasted the limits of the eighth circle that they could never have reached on their own, with the help of the Highest Creator Realm, those with talent would all ascend to lower gods.
‘I have already given all the blessings and support I can. The next step is to finish organizing the new Main God Star, Granraha.’
But that intention was not immediately fulfilled.
The end of the Sword of Ruin and Soul was gripped by the former hero, now the pope of the Former War God, who endured the forced return. No—the mass authority had been meant to return all beings of the seventh circle and below. Yet this individual had used the brief support of the divine realm to reach the entrance of the eighth circle through his own power.
He had already stood at the peak of the seventh circle; with even a little divine help, he would have broken through. Still, the Magic God of Dimensions could not hide his chilling discomfort as he looked down at the former hero who had ascended to lower god through nothing more than the indirect influence of the divine realm.
‘What a disgustingly monstrous talent. Without direct divine assistance, he instantly constructed the authority of a lower god and acquired divinity through mere indirect support from the divine realm. Is this authority the courage of never giving up? Indomitable? The stronger the opponent and the more beings he must protect, the more his power skyrockets? If he receives a title and represents a Main God Star, even a main god could not guarantee victory against him in pure combat. Haaaaah… If only I had possessed even one such talent and reached its ultimate form, I wouldn’t be in this miserable state. I would have become the Origin of the Mage God or some other creator god, enjoying glory—!’
‘Because my talent was lacking, I dabbled in everything and combined them haphazardly, ending up half-baked and in this condition. The strongest of the 10 Mainstays of the Absolute Realm call me Grey? In the end, if I remain at the bottom of their hierarchy and fail to earn their recognition, it’s over. Moreover, since I have not built a complete authority or ego due to my lack of talent, every being born from me is at best a demigod. At best, they might reach main god level. How could someone like me possibly become an Origin? Even becoming a proper Main God of the Divine Realm feels excessive. Yet this hero bastard, if he merely receives a title, could immediately become an Origin. The world is truly unfair. Should I just kill them all, karma be damned? If I kill them all and absorb them into the Divine Spirit Purgatory, maybe I could build a complete authority… No, forget it. I’d get dragged away by Jinri. If a Grey candidate among the 10 Mainstays does something like that, my karma would plummet, and that would be a headache. No matter where you go, those at the bottom with ordinary talent suffer the same hardships. Even if you desperately strive, you start below average and get bullied. Once you barely manage to pull your own weight, you’re dismissed as mediocre. Even if you work even harder to escape that, all you receive in return is wariness and contempt until you’re eventually expelled. Just like what the current 10 Mainstays are trying to do to me. If I had overflowing talent like this guy and possessed complete authority, that would never happen. I would have been welcomed with applause instead. How I envy those with such exceptional talent that they receive patronage instead of group harassment.’
Jealous of his own pope’s outstanding talent, the Magic God of Dimensions received a desperate shout from the former hero, who had reached lower god purely through talent without the help of holy swords or armor. Having already grasped the properties of the Sword of Ruin and Soul and confirmed he would not die, there was nothing left to fear.
Although the Magic God of Dimensions held nothing but resentment toward him—having been forced into the position of the god he served and even the papacy—he was still the War God. If he returned like this, he had no idea what would happen to him as pope. Besides, although called a hero, he was ultimately a mercenary. The respect, support, and authority a pope received from billions of worshippers could not be compared to that of a king. Having personally realized why the pope of his comrade, the Main God, could become equally strong without effort, he could not give up now. Moreover, as pope, the support and secrets of the divine realm fueled his desire to evolve further as a powerhouse.
“P-please have mercy—! Ordinary humans are far too weak, and there are so many of them. Hundreds of billions of lives will perish. They are all your believers and those of the divine realm.”
“You’re the amazing one, so take care of it yourself. You’re the representative of humanity, not me. Besides, why is someone like you clinging to a weakling like me and begging like this? Must be nice. Being so talented—! I don’t have any talent, so just surviving is incredibly hard.”
“…Huh?”
The former hero—now pope—froze at the monologue the Magic God of Dimensions had muttered while lost in thought. A shadow fell across his face as the wooden sword he had just been holding was now pointed directly at his forehead. It would not kill him, but the pain and impact it delivered were unbearable. His mind went blank for an instant.
Above him, the Magic God of Dimensions spoke with a chilling voice that made no effort to conceal its killing intent, striking the former hero’s ears like a storm.
“Do you also look down on me because I’m a human-born god? Did you think I would grant special treatment out of pity? Do you even understand what price I would have to pay for such favoritism? For the sake of managing my karma, if there were a way to avoid further sacrifice, I would have taken it. And when I became the War God, who was it that rejected me as a human-born god and tried to subjugate me? It was you, and the vast majority of present-day humanity agreed with you. Did you really think I would forget that? So don’t you forget this either, Pope of the War God.”
The hand of the Magic God of Dimensions rose upward, lifting the Sword of Ruin and Soul along with it. Staring at the former hero’s face, frozen in terror at the fighting spirit and killing intent of one who had reached the Creator God stage, he repeated coldly,
“I am generous, but I am also tenacious. Whether it is a grudge or a favor, I make sure to repay it when the opportunity arises. I only stopped because I suddenly became the Main God of the Divine Realm. As the Main God of the Divine Realm, I believe fairness is the core of rule. Therefore, there will be no special treatment for humans just because I was once human. I will give every species the exact same opportunity. So win and claim the Creator God Star of Dimensions for yourselves. If you lose, however…”
Whooooooosh—!
The wooden sword swung, splitting all space and time in its path. The target was, of course, the hero.
“Just as you fear, more than ninety percent of the current Main God Star’s humanity will perish during the adaptation period. So stop it as a hero and win. Even if you lose, as the Main God of the Divine Realm, I will gladly welcome the Indomitable Hero God. Congratulations on becoming a lower god, even if it is the very bottom of the divine hierarchy. However, if you wish to make suggestions to the Main God of the Divine Realm, at least reach main god level first—! How dare a mere bottom-rung lower god act so arrogantly.”
Booooooooooom—!
A completely different explosion rang out from before. Previously, he had held back because living beings possessed weaker spirits than spiritual gods; excessive shock or pain could drive their souls insane or cause self-destruction. But now that the man had become a lower god, there was no need to restrain himself.
Crash—!
Watching the hero slam headfirst into the ground and bounce away into the distance from the recoil, he clicked his tongue. Even a serious strike from someone at the Creator Candidate level had been partially deflected by a mere lower god. Originally, the plan had been to crush his skull—though it would not kill him—but the impact had been absorbed by the ground, sending him flying instead. It was an astonishing feat for a body he had only just acquired as a lower god.
‘If the talent of the strongest hero on the current Main God Star is already at this level, I get chills just imagining what the one evaluated as possessing the greatest talent among current main gods—Almighty Hwi—could do. Seeing him, a member of the divine race, fight on equal footing with a Creator General during the battle against the 500th Master Universe was already mind-blowing. But whatever. We won’t be crossing paths anyway.’
If he ever came charging in, the Magic God of Dimensions intended to thoroughly teach him what happened to those who intruded upon his domain.
“Tsk—! As expected, he’s strong. If he holds out well in the divine realm and becomes a main god, he’ll be quite the asset. Once the Selection is over, regardless of the results, place the Indomitable Hero God at the very bottom of the lower god hierarchy. Erendra, the Platinum Divine Dragon, train him thoroughly until the Selection begins. And all gods, strengthen your support for your respective species to the maximum. We must extract as many eighth-circle or higher beings as possible from this Selection. We cannot afford to discard even a single one.”
“Yes—!”
Erendra, the Platinum Divine Dragon, hurriedly bowed her head while catching the hero who had been sent flying. As she looked at him floating unconscious in the air, the Magic God of Dimensions thought to himself,
‘Tsk—! At least you’re better off than me. After all, a human-born god like me is your superior. I have no one above me. And every god I serve has a birth status so incomparably higher than mine that I can’t even lean on them. Damn it—! Why a sudden emergency contact? Did something happen in the hierarchy battle among the 10 Mainstays?’