The Burdens of a Creator God

The memories of his days as a mercenary god during the Otherworld War brushed across his mind. To prevent the denial of karma, I volunteered for the worst battlefield and became a mercenary god. It was an era of frantic, repeated battles and hard-won victories, all driven by the terror that defeat would mean never receiving another commission again. Hesitation had been a luxury.

Kuk—! Since when did I start thinking about the future like this? If I win, everything will somehow work out. Success alone will make it all fall into place. The world has no choice but to believe that results ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠are everything. You lot, pull yourselves together too.

He sent the goddess lords, who had been perched on his knees, straight back to their seats as managers of their own divine realms. The moment they returned, they vanished in a panic; the shock must have hit them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠harder than he realized.

No need to waste attention on that right now.

Even without further reinforcing his attribute power, he had finally obtained an authority worthy of stepping forward as a Creator God of the Absolute Realm without shame. Sensing that the tedious authentication and promotion procedures were nearly finished, he stamped his foot on the glorious seat and rose.

Thud—!

Oooong—!

As he focused divine power into his palm the instant the promotion to Creator God was finalized, the response came immediately.

Guuuuurk—!Oooong—!

The process of materializing divine power and transitioning straight into creation had accelerated by nearly six times. While his official promotion left the raw output of his divine power unchanged, both his operational efficiency and activation speed had risen dramatically.

At this rate, two months to create a Main God Star and two years for a Creator God Star? Finally, my magic power and authority are properly balanced. Good thing I held out for the official promotion.

He could have become a Creator God on his own. The wings of light belonging to the divine race represent the number of authorities that can be activated simultaneously. Training to activate multiple authorities worthy of a Creator God’s rank at once would have allowed ascension. Yet he had gritted his teeth and endured precisely because of the enormous boost in ability that came with official promotion through the God Realm’s support.

There are those who became Creator Gods or Demon God Kings without the support of the God Realm or Demon Realm. However, that is nothing but the folly of the arrogant.

Independent ascension could not compare to the God Realm’s official process. The God Realm was a system in which gods shared and supported one another’s authorities. Promotion backed by the God Realm was refined and supplemented by all the higher divine races. Of course, a true genius might achieve more alone, but one had to remember that the higher divine races—especially the Creator Gods—were geniuses among geniuses.

A lone genius cannot defeat an entire collective of geniuses. If I had ascended by myself, the processing speed might have increased by twice at best? Truly fortunate. At this level, I can aim for both the Origin of the Mage God and the Origin of the Dimensional God.

The strength of the Mage God and the usefulness of dimensional authority had already been proven by himself and the Grey Absolute. Moreover, since the Origin of the Wind Family had personally stepped forward for that authority, acceptance by the Absolute Realm and the Master Universe was inevitable.

If I become the Origin of two authorities and lead both the Mage God Race and the Dimensional God Race, no one will be able to threaten my position. I will gain power that even rebellion against the God Realm would forgive. The processing speed has risen enough for that to be possible.

Creating such a future would mean an endless series of burdensome tasks, but for the first time in a while, his mood lifted.

Ordinary Creator Gods of a Master Universe would be lucky to avoid death by the insects of the Wind Star the moment they approached it. However, thanks to the Origin of the Mage God and the successful commission, he would at least avoid being turned away at the door. And with his processing speed improved to this degree, it seemed unlikely he would be expelled for lacking the qualifications to become the Origin of the Dimensional God. He now understood just how remarkable that alone was.

Yet this pleasant mood shattered at a faint voice.

“What should we do?”

He had completely forgotten them; their presence as Lower Gods was so faint. When he turned to look, they bowed their heads like lightning. Swoosh—!Whoosh—! They seemed to have realized the gap between them had grown too vast to meet his gaze.

It was the Platinum Divine Dragon Erendra, the former Hero God party, and a few Lower Gods. Erendra had officially entered the God Realm as a 9th-circle High God, while the former hero party had earned entry through their contributions in the Lord God General Selection. Rederia, now a red parrot, was there as well.

These people also earned entry by capturing many High Gods and moving according to my intentions.

A few other Lower Gods existed, but their respective racial gods and direct superior gods had already taken them away. Since they could not disobey his orders, they would ultimately be sent to the Creator God Star as candidates for the Dimensional God Race, yet he still needed to maintain influence over them. Especially since these individuals had proven their worth by defeating High Gods.

Besides, I need to secure some stake in the Dimensional Creator God Star no matter what. Kuk—! They really are quick.

However, these people were human-born like himself. On top of that, since he had even awakened their authorities, they carried the brand of his direct forces; other gods would not try to claim them. Moreover, they were merely Intermediate Gods. If left alone, they would never withstand the pressure from other factions.

In the end, I have to keep them close and manage them personally. What a bothersome task.

They have both merit from this incident and ability, so keeping them around should be fine.

Having made his decision, he immediately offered praise.

“You all performed very well this time. The rights you held in the existing Main God Star that was moved to ‘Granraha’ will be granted identically. In the Creator God Star, you shall act as representatives of the candidates and handle coordination with the dragon race. In the God Realm, I entrust you with management of the Lord God Temple and the surrounding forests. Speak directly to the God Realm’s ego for anything necessary during your duties. Within the limits of your rank, I will support you personally. This is the extent for now—does it suit you?”

“Thank you—!”

“We will devote our loyalty—!”

They must have grasped how significant direct support from the Chief God of the God Realm who had become a Creator God was to Lower Gods. It was equivalent to a human emperor actively helping the chief of a small village. As long as he retained the position of Chief God of the God Realm, almost nothing would be impossible for them.

That was why even the former Hero God party could not hide their joy, kneeling as they spoke. Then the red parrot carefully continued.

“I also contributed to some degree, so I hope you will loosen this form a little. If it is insufficient, I promise to teach this child as much as possible and produce results.”

It was the merit of deliberately leaking the weaknesses of the Root School to Almighty Hwi. It could not exactly be called something done willingly. Still, he had acknowledged it because the Dark Mage who advised him had asked, and there was a separate reason he had deliberately revived Rederia.

Gods born as living beings had difficulty mastering the authorities of spiritual beings. Even if they did learn them, the unstable mental state caused authorities to manifest in bizarre ways. To overcome this weakness, either a higher god had to develop it personally or they had to establish their own independent system. This had been carried out to resolve the old grudge between schools that had once driven each other to the brink of extinction.

Rederia is the greatest dark mage who reached the realm of gods alone. That red bird form already belongs to the domain of divine authority. She will make an excellent case study for authority development.

A transcendent who had obtained power close to a god on her own would find a way to obtain the desired authority. When considering the authority development of over a million transcendents and future cases, he could not handle every one personally.

“Educate the dark mage to establish and manifest divine authority. With that, I forgive the rudeness you committed against the Chief God of the God Realm.”

It was an order to teach the dark mage, awaken the authority of flame, and prove her value. She seemed to understand the meaning immediately and could not speak.

Now only one remained. The most important and urgent matter.

“Platinum Divine Dragon Erendra, listen.”

“Yes—!”

He had ignored opposition and practical problems, forcing the dragon race into the position of ruling species of the Creator God Star. No one can doubt that they are now my direct forces, nor can they betray me. The moment I lose the seat of Chief God of the God Realm, the dragon race will have to step down from their position as ruling species as well.

Yet the creation of the Dimensional God Race and the temporary residence for the candidates was only a stopgap. The dragon race had to protect the position they had seized through their own strength.

“For the dragon race to legitimately maintain the position of ruling species of the Creator God Star, the population must exceed one billion and there must be at least ten dragons of Main God rank or higher.”

“Huk—!”

Erendra let out a gasp that sounded like a groan of despair. The position of ruling species of the Creator God Star was not something a race of merely two hundred thousand individuals with only one forcibly promoted 9th-circle member could handle. Ten Main Gods or more was simply absurd. However, considering the current military strength of the God Realm, even this was the minimum figure.

The strength of the currently affiliated Main Gods was special, so he had judged that the dragon race’s Main Gods needed to approach the level of the Dragon God Race. Even if transcendents supplement vitality as candidates of the Creator God Star, minor problems will continue to arise. If the dragon race’s forces decrease from their current level, opinions to replace the ruling species will pour in endlessly.

The Chief God of the God Realm could not ignore realistic problems concerning the entire God Realm forever. They would have no choice but to strip the position, holding the ruling species responsible for their inadequacy.

The higher one flies, the deeper one falls. That was the fate awaiting the weak who seized an opportunity yet failed to win.

“If you lose the position of ruling species, the dragon race will gradually disappear under the checks of other gods. All dragons except those who have obtained divinity will be exterminated.”

“…….”

Erendra seemed to have completely lost her soul; she could not even speak. Although he possessed absolute power that surpassed all gods on a personal level, as one of the divine races that valued the collective, he could not ignore every opinion. Moreover, the gods would never leave the dragon race alone after they had already proven themselves a threatening force in the war among the High Gods of the Main Divine Realm.

The reason the dragon race has been operated as a management species until now is simply because the God Realm had no breathing room.

The authentication war against the Substitute Race was almost certainly lost, and nearly half their vitality had been handed over as the price for allying with the demon race. Thanks to that, they lacked the leisure to manage even the Middle World directly and had simply pushed the burden onto the dragon race. That was why they had tolerated a population of two hundred thousand.

Now that the authentication war against the Substitute Race—the great threat—has ended, and the demon race cannot be a problem with me here, they will try to clean things up immediately.

Even if the dragon race had not drawn the wariness of the High Gods by becoming the ruling species, they were destined to disappear. There is no Main God Star that holds this many dragons in one place. If their numbers increase further, the Dragon God Race might awaken. Therefore, we cannot give up.

Considering the legendary strength passed down for the Dragon God Race, the higher species of the dragon race, it was a regrettable matter for the Chief God of the God Realm.

“Face reality. Failure to achieve it means extermination. Recognize the future. This is an opportunity to become the Dragon God Race. Consider this the final chance for the dragon race and prepare with the resolve to die fighting.”

By becoming the ruling species of the Creator God Star, they had been given the opportunity to overcome the crisis of the dragon race’s total annihilation and become the Dragon God Race—the gods of the dragon race. All that remained was the dragon race’s desperate effort.

“I appointed the dragon race as the ruling species in recognition of their distinguished service in this Lord God General Selection. As the Chief God of the God Realm, I will provide all support for the development of the planet and the strengthening of intelligent beings’ vitality.”

He placed his hand on Erendra’s head. She remained completely motionless, head bowed, overwhelmed by the brutal reality and the overwhelmingly enormous opportunity. What I am conveying is information about the Dragon God Race obtained upon becoming a Creator God. Their strength and greatness were on a completely different level from the divine races.

He also passed on how such a powerful race had gradually disappeared. They are slowly self-destructing through birth avoidance. It isn’t even funny.

He promised both drastic revival measures for the dragon race and full support. Watching Erendra’s face gradually brighten with hope and gratitude, he could not stop the lonely thoughts from rising.

To revive a clan of over two hundred thousand, steeped in individualism, to more than one billion… how much resolve and sacrifice will that require? Truly pitiful.

She would have to become an iron-blooded ruler whom no one could approach, shouldering the fate of the entire dragon race. Rather than wasting time persuading the opposition, she would have to carry out ruthless purges. He could not guarantee that her own blood relatives and family would be absent from those purges, but she must not weaken and step back. Once she had decided to move forward, the moment she stopped, the only thing waiting was the abyss where everything would be lost.

She will have to live a harsh life different from mine, where I endured and withstood everything for the sake of personal ideals and strength. However, only when the dragon race completely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠solidifies their position as the ruling species will the gods of the God Realm acknowledge that fact.

The same was true for the Lower Gods composed of the former Hero God and other transcendents. Because I personally summoned them into the God Realm, any mistakes they make will ultimately return to me, the Chief God of the God Realm. I cannot allow them to suffer a fatal failure.

After transferring all the immediately necessary knowledge to the others as well, he sent every one of those recognized as his direct forces to the positions they should occupy. Just like him, they had no time to waste.

I have done everything I can. Now all that remains is to watch.

From now on, the level of their fates would diverge according to each individual’s effort. The decisions and measures taken today had changed the fates of hundreds of billions of intelligent beings.

During my mercenary god days, I killed countless beings directly, but because it was for the sake of survival, there was no burden. Yet now, mere words and actions for political necessity create such enormous ripples. That was the terror of speech and conduct as a Lord God General equal to a Creator God and as Chief God of the God Realm.

On top of that, becoming entangled with the position of leader of a newly acquired force made his head spin. The biggest problem right now is that I don’t even have time to worry about such things.

Having become Lord God General, there were more than a few places he had to visit with his attire neatly arranged and full etiquette observed. If I ignore them, I won’t get away with it. First, I must go offer my thanks to the Origin of the Mage God. If I delay any longer, he probably won’t even meet me.

He had considered cutting ties by pretending not to know because the connection was too burdensome to handle, but after rising to a high position, he realized he could not dare do so. The truth that the higher one climbed, the deeper one fell applied far more severely to himself—a Creator God—than to his subordinate Lower Gods.

Although he had obtained the creation power he desired for the sake of raising his circles, he now realized that hiding had become impossible. There were now far too many beings who would chase the Magic God of Dimensions to the ends of existence even if he tried to hide.

I drew too much attention. Especially my future self—he won’t just sit quietly and watch me live comfortably.

Grumbling, he removed his shabby robe and hurriedly changed into attire suitable for a Lord God General. At that moment, the God Realm’s ego delivered an additional report.

“I’m only 10,005th?”

It meant he was at the very bottom among more than ten thousand mid-level Creator Gods. There were 10,004 beings stronger than the Magic God of Dimensions. And that was only among the divine races; including the demon races would push the number over twenty thousand.

I thought I had become quite strong by taking first place as Lord God General, but hearing that my rank among Creator Gods is below ten thousand leaves me speechless. Still, this is reality.

Since a huge uproar had just occurred over the ranking issue, the information was likely accurate. Of course, if he mobilized even the Black ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Flame Creator Great God Seongmyeol, he would possess near-highest-tier authority. He was confident he would not lose easily even to a Creator General. However, in his position as Lord God General of the 499th Master Universe’s divine races—who were engaged in a desperate struggle against the Substitute Race over the ruling species—using it would be extremely difficult.

If I use Seongmyeol frequently and something goes wrong, I could be framed as a spy for the Substitute Race. As a Creator God with no affiliated divine race and appointed on the Grey Absolute’s recommendation, it is extremely dangerous.

Right now, the Grey Absolute’s domain was in the midst of a life-or-death battle between the full force of the Substitute Race he had drawn in and the existing ruling powers. Though it may simply be venting anger, it could easily appear as though he is replacing the ruling species with the Substitute Race.

The fact that the Magic God of Dimensions, who had become Chief God of the God Realm through the Grey Absolute’s recommendation, could be manipulated into being seen as a spy for the Substitute Race sent a shiver down his spine. Moreover, because of this ranking war and the matter with the Black Flame Absolute, the Grey Absolute was accumulating the worst notoriety throughout the Absolute Realm and the Master Universes.

The beings who suffered damage will not look kindly on the Grey Absolute’s past. Instead, they will rush in even harder to kill him.

It was fortunate he was a Creator God affiliated with the God Realm. If he had remained an individual, the number of enemies coming for revenge would be uncountable. As a Creator God, a recommendation is fine, but if I become entangled with a higher being who holds a grudge, I won’t survive. How did it come to this? Because of my future self, the present is the most dangerous time.

His future self, a 14th-circle Mage God, was almost an independent being. Therefore, he cared nothing for his present self’s circumstances. It was fortunate that his future self was currently manifested in the Origin of the Mage God through reality negation—the only thing besides Jinri that could control him.

Having realized that his only place to lean on now was the Origin of the Mage God, he had to make a good impression at all costs. Yet even that would not be easy.

“But how exactly should I dress to look neat and courteous?”

Having spent his entire life wrapped in a black robe and rolling across battlefields, he had no idea how to wear formal attire.