Chapter 176 Even the Almighty is New to Being a Dad Chapter 177
Absolute One Is Also New to Fatherhood Chapter 177
Contradiction (矛盾).
An ancient idiom often used when two or more conflicting logics collide, formed by combining the characters for spear (矛) and shield (盾).
Long ago,
A merchant from the state of Chu held up a spear and boasted, "This spear can pierce through any shield!"
Then,
He raised a shield and declared, "This shield can block any spear!"
At that moment,
A bystander tilted his head and cautiously posed a logical question:
"Then what happens if you strike that shield with that spear?"
Kang-jun's fist—which had felled countless enemies with a single blow—clashed violently against the divine shield Aegis wielded by the Evil God Cultist.
Crack—!
A visible change spread across the surface of the Aegis where Kang-jun's punch landed.
A long, thin fissure spiderwebbed outward from the point of impact, gradually covering the shield's surface...
Then, like sand meticulously sculpted only to scatter in the wind, it crumbled into dust.
[ The divine artifact Aegis, said to block any attack, trembles. ]
[ Two conflicting laws of this world have collided, resulting in an error. ]
Baal muttered under his breath,
"If this isn't cheating, then what is?"
At that moment—
[ The authority Myth Weaving (EX) has activated. ]
[ The Creator God begins recording your myth. ]
A narrative echoed forth:
『 Aegis, forged by the divine blacksmith of the great star cluster Olympus, was an indestructible artifact that could withstand any assault.* 』
『 However... 』
『 The moment it clashed with "■■■"—the one who had once shattered the unbreakable walls of Niflheim with bare hands— 』
The cultist, face pale, stared at the disintegrating shield and whispered in disbelief:
"How... how did you break a divine shield...?"
The narrative continued:
『 An unprecedented anomaly occurred. 』
『 The shield's first defeat. 』
『 A divine artifact reduced to dust. 』
Kang-jun, having obliterated Aegis in a single strike, strode forward toward the cultist.
『 This tale shall be recorded, spread across the Abyss, and passed down through eternity... 』
『 The world shall know it as... 』
『 The myth of ■■■ shattering Aegis. 』
Status windows flashed before Kang-jun's eyes:
[ The divine being of the Olympus star cluster, the Wise Goddess of War, gazes at you in shock. ]
The cultist muttered,
"It was supposed to block any attack... How...?"
He had been chosen by the Wise Goddess of War herself, granted a fraction of her divine power as her vessel.
"Become my avatar."
Along with her blessing, he had received an EX-grade artifact worthy of being called a divine relic.
『 Aegis, the Shield of the Gods 』
Moreover, according to the Appraisal skill, the artifact's description explicitly stated: "Can block any attack."
"Then how...?"
The cultist's eyes flickered toward Kang-jun's face.
Instinctively, he realized—this man was something far more dangerous.
"Damn it..."
He collapsed onto the ground, scrambling backward in fear.
Kang-jun approached him and spoke calmly:
"I've never understood something."
"What...?"
"Why do you all trust the status window so blindly?"
Awakened on Earth placed absolute faith in this inexplicable system called the status window, relying on it without question.
"Do you even know where it comes from?"
From Kang-jun's perspective, the status window was full of holes.
"Yet you trust it anyway?"
Even when he first returned to Earth and stepped into a gate, the status window had displayed:
[ Level: 1 ]
If level truly reflected combat prowess, how could his level possibly be 1?
"I've always wondered—why do you stake your lives on lines of text from a system you don't even understand?"
Kang-jun crouched in front of him.
"Think about it."
His tone was matter-of-fact.
"Awakened gain a skill the moment they awaken, right?"
"......"
"Skills operate similarly to magic."
By chanting an incantation, they could manifest phenomena at the cost of mana.
Unlike magic, which required deep understanding of principles, skills only needed the incantation itself.
"At first, I was surprised that people could use magic-like abilities just by reciting words without grasping the underlying mechanics..."
To Kang-jun, it made no sense.
"Doesn't that seem wrong to you?"
The world of magic was profound.
"Then why did the sages and archmages I've met waste their entire lives studying and training?"
"What...?"
"Why did they struggle so hard to comprehend principles, study history, and refine their craft just to marginally increase their power...?"
Kang-jun pressed further:
"If they could just rely on the status window, why bother with such pointless effort?"
"B-Because the status window is a privilege only granted to the chosen—"
"You might see it as a privilege, but..."
The status window restricted the direction of their growth.
They did work hard—
Grinding levels, raising proficiency—all numbers on a screen.
"I see it differently."
"Nonsense..."
"It's a trap."
Why entrust your growth to an unknown system?
Why chase after levels and proficiency like mindless fools, letting numbers dictate your joy and despair?
"Let me ask you one thing."
Kang-jun's voice was sharp.
"When you chant an incantation to activate a skill... do you even know what you're doing?"
The cultist's lips trembled, teeth grinding in frustration.
"See? You don't."
Kang-jun scoffed.
"If you want to grow stronger, put in real effort."
"What...?"
"Ah, consider this advice for your next life."
With that, Kang-jun summoned a spear of condensed black magic into his hand—
"Once the god our cult serves descends, filth like you will be purged by divine—"
Thud.
The spear pierced through the cultist's throat.
At that moment—
[ You have defeated the avatar of the Wise Goddess of War, Athena, from the Olympus star cluster. ]
[ You have absorbed a portion of the divine power held by the avatar. ]
[ The Wise Goddess of War now openly regards you with hostility. ]
A faint trickle of divine energy flowed into Kang-jun.
"So, you did have divine power."
He kicked the corpse aside and muttered,
"Olympus, huh..."
Memories of the divine banquet resurfaced—faces from the Olympus star cluster.
"Are they involved too...?"
Though his thoughts were tangled, the solution was simple.
He had warned them at the banquet—raise a hand against me, and I'll kill you.
So if they had rebelled, he'd just slaughter them all.
"Let's go."
As Kang-jun turned to proceed deeper into the gate—
"Hyung-nim."
Bong-gu cautiously spoke up.
"About what you said earlier..."
"Hm?"
"Could you explain in more detail?"
Kang-jun walked ahead while elaborating:
"It's exactly as I said."
Then, with complete sincerity:
"Your power is all fake."
Whether swordsmanship or magic, true strength required understanding principles and relentless effort.
Earth's Awakened, however, blindly followed the status window—letting text and numbers dictate their growth, warping their efforts.
"Frankly, most so-called 'elite' Awakened can't even compare to top students from the Magic Tower or promising knights."
Dibald nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, Earth's strong are weak."
Not a single one could measure up to even the weakest of the Five Imperial Ministers.
"Right?"
Kang-jun continued:
"They rely on the status window instead of striving for real growth—that's why they're like this."
They never bothered to understand skills—just chased after skill books and manuals for instant power.
"Bong-gu, do you want to get stronger?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Then train properly."
Kang-jun demanded honesty.
"Don't fall for tricks like levels, skills, artifacts, or options. Just sweat and grind the old-fashioned way."
As he walked ahead, he added:
"That shield was supposed to block any attack, right?"
"Huh? Y-Yeah..."
"And it had that option, didn't it?"
"Yes, clearly—"
"Bullshit. It got smashed like glass."
Kang-jun's voice was firm.
"Don't be fooled by this world's contradictions."
Ding!
A system message appeared:
[ You have come one step closer to this world's truth. ]
His distrust of the status window only deepened.
"Let's hurry."
Bong-gu nodded and quickened his pace.
Everyone pulled into this gate was someone's precious person.
And among them was the café part-timer he had a crush on.
'Please...'
He prayed fervently—that they could save everyone.
Meanwhile, deep inside the Jungle of Oblivion gate...
Several Evil God Cultists stood gathered, conversing.
"Conducting the summoning ritual inside the gate is far more efficient."
The bound captives trembled, muffled screams escaping through their gags.
"Mmpph! Mmmph!"
"Tch. These sacrificial pigs won't stop squealing..."
Another cultist chuckled.
"We can't kill them—they must be offered alive."
"I'd love to cut off their limbs or gouge their eyes..."
"Oho, teaching them fear might shut them up."
The captives shook violently.
"Let's make an example..."
A cultist pointed at the youngest, prettiest woman on the altar—
"That bitch will do."
It was Park So-jeong, the café part-timer Bong-gu had a crush on.
"Mmpph! Mmmph!"
The cultist approached her, grinning.
"Leave the education of these pigs to me. The rest of you, focus on the ritual."
As the cultists resumed chanting—
Huuuuum...!
The reverse pentagram drawn in blood on the altar began to glow.
Their previous attempt to summon a demon god had failed.
Though successful, the entity had vanished without a trace.
Now, they accelerated their next ritual.
'Once our exalted god descends, he shall remake this world as we desire...'
Just as a cultist reached for So-jeong—
"STOP—!"
A disheveled man burst onto the scene.
Battered from fighting monsters in the jungle, Bong-gu tackled a cultist, rolling across the ground.
Thud!
Pinning the cultist down, he shouted to the captives:
"I'll save you all! Don't worry!"
So-jeong blinked in disbelief—
"Huh? What...?"
Because behind Bong-gu...
A radiant halo shone.
Kang-jun, Dibald, and Baal emerged moments later.
Dibald muttered,
"Prince Kim Bong-gu on his white steed, here to rescue his Freya..."
Kang-jun smacked him.
"Turn off the light magic."
The "halo" wasn't her imagination—
It was Dibald's Light Magic, cranked to maximum brightness.