The Price of Absolute Power

Vein of Void had begun to lose his fear after hearing certain information from the Cyber Realm before the Otherworld War. But after having all his teeth knocked out with a casual punch and then being thoroughly tenderized by the Sword of Ruin and Soul, Dimension Genesis God Core ground his teeth and roared.

Beating an opponent who had already passed out completely brought no reaction, which only soured his mood further. Looking around for someone else to vent on, his eyes landed on the other title holders staring wide-eyed at Vein of Void, the strongest among them, now collapsed with all his teeth gone.

These guys had already proven themselves utterly unqualified in direct combat, so he felt no hesitation.

Emitting killing intent and fighting spirit in waves while approaching with the Sword of Ruin and Soul in hand—if they didn’t understand his intention, they were idiots.

“W-wait just a moment—!”

“We didn’t do anything!”

“Our eyes just got big from shock—!”

But the opponent before them was not someone who would listen to such excuses. Without mercy, he turned every single one of them who displeased him into a bloody pulp.

Thud—! Thump—!

As a bonus, he also beat the five who had been trembling nearby until they were covered in blood. Only then did Dimension Genesis God Core feel his rage subside a little. He sat down on a chair in the garden owned by Vein of Void, pulled a cup of hot tea from his subspace, and organized his thoughts.

The Otherworld was weak, which had various advantages, but the disadvantages were far greater. In the end, there was only one conclusion.

Destroying everything was something he could handle himself. The problem came afterward. No matter how much his Dimensional Authority surpassed the authority domain of a regional universe, managing countless planets and divine realms was too much.

He needed to select useful Main Gods and delegate authority to them, but at this level, that was simply ridiculous.

‘The restriction that reduces power by one-tenth on the surface of planets applies here in the Otherworld as well. That means the Giant God Race is completely out of the question, and once planetary vitality is strengthened, they’ll even lose to naturally occurring monsters and lower Transcendents.’

Even if he perfectly organized the planets and territories and handed them over, they were far too weak for it to work. He could already vividly picture them being overwhelmed by monsters and Transcendents, failing to organize anything and instead ruining everything. He could also see himself running around frantically to stop it, only to eventually explode in frustration.

Gulp—!

Feeling stifled, he drank the tea as if swallowing it whole, then pulled out a pipe and lit it. As a Creator God, it had no physical effect, but it at least seemed to ease his mood.

‘Hoooooo—! Wiping out the traitors is something I can do alone. But managing the ever-expanding territories is impossible. I can’t do everything by myself. I need ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠beings I can trust and delegate to, but what am I supposed to do with only Main God level trash? On the surface of a planet, they’d clearly die even to a coordinated attack from Transcendents.’

Since this wasn’t his personal problem but an issue with the overall level of the Otherworld, no matter how much he pondered, there was no quick solution. Even after taking a long drag from his pipe, no answer came.

‘If it were just the current Otherworld territory, handling it alone according to my temper would be fine. But when I think about the vast territories I’ll have to reclaim later, that absolutely won’t work.’

He desperately needed powerful Creator Gods or Main Gods capable of independently maintaining divine realms. However, the fundamental level of the Otherworld was so lacking that there were no powerful Main Gods he could entrust with the task.

‘There’s only one Creator God—Vein of Void—and even he is barely hanging on if you exclude his title. What the hell is this?’

He tossed aside the pipe, which offered no comfort whatsoever, and pulled a bottle of liquor from his subspace.

Clink—! Gulp, gulp—!

It was a specially made drink, but it had little effect on a Creator God. Still, the act of drinking and the completely different stimulation helped cool his head. Yet it was only a momentary mood change.

He hurled the liquor bottle he had been drinking from at the title holders who were sprawled out.

Thwack—! Thud—! Crash—!

The bottles bounced off their bodies in every direction, but the unconscious beings couldn’t possibly react. Endless grumbling poured from his mouth.

“This damn place—! There’s no way a world that just randomly picks anyone and sends them out to do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠whatever they want could be normal. But this is too much, isn’t it? The whole place is completely ruined, and the level of the subordinates is this bad? What the hell am I supposed to do? Should I just follow the future’s advice, go somewhere empty, train, and come back? Who cares about a world like this that’s falling apart? But what if later rumors spread that the Creator God of Light neglected his assigned territory?”

It wasn’t the kind of karma that would fall on him for neglecting an unrelated Otherworld, but as the Creator God of Light, his reputation would hit rock bottom. Now that he had become a Creator God, maintaining his reputation was something he couldn’t ignore more than karma.

‘In the Main Universe, I can’t act as freely as I do here. There, I’m just a weak god ranked around ten thousandth in combat order.’

Moreover, he was the Origin of the Dimension Clan and possessed far too many things that other Creator Gods would covet.

‘The moment I show even the slightest weakness, they’ll swarm me like sharks smelling blood.’

Even if he tried to yield, too many things were entangled—including requests he had accepted out of greed—for him to have any room to maneuver. With everyone he could vent his anger on now unconscious and unresponsive, he could only irritably keep pulling out bottles and chugging them.

Pop—! Gulp—! Pop—! Gulp—!

After drinking like that for a while, Vein of Void—proving that even a rotten fish is still a fish—regained consciousness and began reading the room. His teeth, which had been sent flying with a single punch, had fully recovered. It seemed the effect of a title was indeed reliable. Since a title was merely a mass of authority rather than a physical reconstruction of the body, there were no restrictions.

However, seeing the dozens of empty liquor bottles piled around their bodies, he seemed unable to decide how to act. If they were below Main God level, the smell alone would have been dizzying, yet there were dozens of such bottles scattered about.

In truth, Vein of Void was on the verge of fainting from the piercing liquor stench.

‘What kind of insanely strong liquor is this? And if Dimension Genesis God Core drank all of it, he can’t possibly be normal.’

But just moments ago, after charging in, he had lost all his teeth in a single blow and lost consciousness. He had keenly realized that force would never work. His temper was truly filthy, so he had to be cautious. Escape was also impossible. He had no confidence he could flee better than Dis of Disobedience, who was sprawled right beside him.

‘Even Dis of Disobedience, whose escape ability is exceptional, was caught without resistance and dragged here. Running away is hopeless.’

So he closed his eyes and pondered what to do. Then Dimension Genesis God Core, who had just lifted a liquor bottle high and was pouring it into his mouth, shouted.

“!”

The survival instinct that Jinri had sincerely carved into his body and soul over five hundred billion years through heartfelt violence and verbal abuse toward the weak was honest. It automatically reacted to a superior’s command with extreme politeness and speed.

Swish—!

As if he had never been beaten and lost his teeth, he sprang up with lightning speed and quickly approached. Dimension Genesis God Core clicked his tongue while looking at Vein of Void, who stood a short distance away with both hands clasped together in a very polite posture.

‘No matter how I look at him, this guy resembles me too much.’

That was why beating him as a mood changer felt bad, yet if he avoided looking at him entirely, he would have no useful subordinates at all. Despite the current state of affairs, he was not incompetent enough to ignore the strongest being in the Otherworld simply because of his mood.

“Understood. I have received the order to erase one of the most benevolent and one of the most malevolent beings each day.”

It was exactly like the long-established relationship between superior and subordinate. There were no further questions. In fact, asking for reasons would only result in more beatings, so doing so would only hurt himself.

“Yes. Make sure to publicly announce that it was ordered by Dimension Genesis God Core, who has become the supreme ruler of the Otherworld. Erase them regardless of the reason. Take all the title holders with you and don’t give anyone even the slightest thought of resistance.”

“…Understood.”

He had no idea why this was happening, but he could only nod in partial understanding. Killing the most malevolent being would generate fame. Gratitude from the weak who had suffered at that person’s hands would follow. And killing the most benevolent being would naturally generate infamy. Those who had received help from the good person would rage. Fame and infamy ultimately translated into recognition.

“We must imprint the name of Truth Deputy Grey Present Dimension Genesis God Core into the Otherworld as quickly and powerfully as possible. Execute and annihilate them in the most grandiose and spectacular way possible.”

The most important thing for a leader was recognition. No one remembered every superior. People only remembered the most important and influential ones among them.

‘Even among the gods, few know the names of all the Creator Gods on the Supreme Council.’

If a passing villager didn’t know the king’s name and simply sang of a peaceful reign, it meant that king was utterly useless in a national crisis. If that king suddenly tried to gather an army in an emergency, would the villager respond? Of course not.

But if everyone knew the name, it was different. If it was infamy, they would come out of fear. If it was fame, they would gather voluntarily. And if both infamy and fame existed, the entire national power could be mobilized. Of course, this was only possible if one possessed the military force to suppress any rebellion.

‘Such absolute dictatorship is an extremely dangerous method of rule for a supreme ruler, but since he says he’ll do it, there’s no way to stop him. Well, since he’s a being from the Void Realm, he can just return when he’s done, so it doesn’t matter.’

Since he had been beaten for being weak the moment they met and had only received insults, there was naturally no obligation to offer sincere advice.

“I shall obey the command.”

He then hurriedly tried to leave with his nearby colleagues. The smell wafting from the liquor bottles scattered everywhere was enough to make his head feel like it would split open. To think there existed a body that could drink dozens of bottles of such strong liquor without any effect—it was simply absurd.

But what shocked him even more was that Dimension Genesis God Core pulled several more bottles from his subspace and threw one to him.

Whoosh—! Tap—!

He was handing out liquor so strong it seemed like it could kill even him, as if bestowing some great favor.

‘What’s the point of this insanely strong drink?’

No matter how he looked at it, this was a specially made, lethally strong liquor that even someone with power above a Creator God wouldn’t survive. However, he wasn’t the type to refuse by claiming he couldn’t drink.

“You lot, drink up too.”

And seeing how he forcibly woke the others who had been unconscious and shoved bottles into their mouths, it was clear he would make them drink even if they resisted. With no choice, Vein of Void closed his eyes tightly and took a small sip. The smell was deadly, but since Dimension ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Genesis God Core had been chugging it and remained fine, maybe it wasn’t actually that bad.

And then he immediately regretted it.

“Gulp—! Gulp—! Cough, hack—! W-what the hell is this?”

The moment the liquor touched his mouth and throat, it burned as if he had swallowed lava. It was unbearable. He coughed endlessly.

“Cough—! Cough—!”

He was dying to know what ingredients had been used to create a liquor capable of throwing even a being who surpassed Creator Gods into such disarray. He had only taken two sips, yet his insides felt like they were on fire. Cold sweat poured from his entire body. His head spun so badly it felt like he had returned to being human and chugged strong liquor until he blacked out.

If even he—the strongest—was in this state, there was no need to describe the condition of the other title holders who had been forcibly fed. He immediately snapped back to his senses and stood up.

“Gaaah—! It’s poison—!”

“Idiot—! How could poison affect us? Gaaah!”

“Keee—!”

“Ugh—! Blegh—!”

“Cough—! Cough—!”

Since even he had collapsed like this, the others who had unconsciously been forced to swallow were thrashing wildly. Their faces turned bright red as if their insides were burning to ash. They tried desperately to vomit it out, but Dimension Genesis God Core shoved the bottles even deeper into their throats to prevent it. He even jammed the entire bottle into their mouths.

In short, it was a scene of utter pandemonium.

‘How horrifying. Is he enforcing military discipline with alcohol?’

Just a few sips did this. If he drank the whole thing by force, he probably wouldn’t be able to endure it. So he secretly tried to hide the bottle behind his back and throw it on the ground. Since the entire area was already filled with empty bottles and the stench of liquor, spilling a little shouldn’t be a problem.

But as they struggled, choking and writhing from the pain of their insides flipping, Dimension Genesis God Core’s voice rang out.

“That isn’t just rare in the Main Universe and the Absolute Realm—it’s a treasure you couldn’t even dream of in the Otherworld. It’s Essence Liquor that I created by investing tens of thousands of years to continuously concentrate the sap of the Cosmic Tree. If your body has the capacity and can digest it, the vitality contained within can increase your Innate Divine Power by at least ten million. Lower gods below Main God level would naturally explode and die if they drank it, but since you all have titles, you won’t die. Endure it and get even a little stronger. If you do your job well, I’ll give you another bottle, so work like your lives depend on it.”

It was originally not a treasure that the weak beings of the Otherworld could consume.

‘While training under the Origin of the Mage God for thirty thousand years, I went through even more trouble trying to make all sorts of things to somehow make up for my pathetically lacking divine power. I had plenty of time, so I made a lot, but now that I’ve entered the realm of a Creator God, most of them have lost their effectiveness and are no longer useful. I might as well use them like this.’

To the title holders, it was a shock like being struck by lightning in the head. The other title holders, who had been trying to vomit out the bottles jammed in their mouths and the liquor rampaging in their stomachs, and Vein of Void, who had secretly been trying to tilt the bottle and pour it on the ground, were stunned into near-fainting.

‘An increase of ten million in divine power—! So this smell wasn’t liquor, but the scent of concentrated vitality?’

In the Current World, raising one point of Innate Divine Power through training normally required ten years of hard work. That meant this liquor was equivalent to at least a hundred million years of training.

‘If it increases divine power by ten million, then even if it’s poison or deadly medicine, I must swallow it if there’s any chance of survival.’

Glug, glug, glug—!

And then the sound of liquid trickling like thunder reached his ears. It was the sound of the liquor he had tried to secretly discard—because even a little was unbearable—passing through the mouth of the bottle and falling to the ground. He had been about to throw away a treasure that could accelerate a hundred million years of training.

“Huuuuurk—!”

He reflexively coughed, then used the fastest movement he had ever made in his life to slam his head to the ground and catch the falling liquor in his mouth.

“Gulp—! Gulp—!”

Fortunately, Vein of Void managed to catch every single drop without spilling any. Gritting his teeth, he swallowed the remaining liquor in the bottle as well. Still in the same position, face-down on the ground, so that no one could steal it from him.