Chapter 188: Floor 35: God's Lie
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 188: Floor 35: God's Lie
Why does God not judge sinners directly?
The true god who could provide the answer was right before my eyes.
When I asked without hesitation, the theologians around me smiled faintly.
"Wh-why are you smiling?"
I asked, flustered and a little irritated at the theologians.
"More than twenty people have asked that same question today alone. As expected, it seems everyone wants to ask about that."
The words they wanted to say upon meeting God.
Why do you not punish sinners?
Why do you allow non-believers to exist?
Why do even wicked people go to heaven through faith alone?
One foreigner even asked this question.
"Our great hero, Severance, protected our country from foreign invasion and saved countless citizens. Why must he go to hell just because he did not believe in Ella?"
"I've received such questions many times," Ella said, looking at Murakan with a relaxed expression.
I thought she would be flustered, but she answered as if she were used to it.
"First, let me explain from a human perspective. A perfect example is right before me."
All eyes turned to Murakan.
"M-me?"
"Yes, you. You killed countless people under the pretext of judging heretics. At the time, did you consider it a sin?"
'Ah...'
Back then, I certainly didn't consider killing them a sin, nor did I feel any guilt. All the followers of the Muion Cult must have felt the same.
"But you feel it now, don't you? If so, by what standard should human sin be judged? Whose standard should be followed? Is killing a sinner a sin? Is saving many people a good deed? Is revenge justified? Who judges all of this?"
The judgment of human sin. That is...
"Humans... judge?"
"That's right. Humans judge."
The fundamental problem of good and evil. The fact that the judge is 'human'.
A prisoner executed as a sinner might later be found innocent, and a respected figure pretending to be virtuous could be a serial killer.
A person who kills a bandit to protect their family, a soldier who kills people under orders to protect their country. Are they sinners too?
"B-but you, as God, know everything, don't you? Can't you just consider the circumstances and mete out the appropriate punishment?"
"That is impossible."
"Wh-why?"
"Because I love you all."
"...?"
God was saying something incomprehensible.
All the suffering, poverty, and murder in this world happen because God loves humanity?
"The answer is similar to why God doesn't force non-believers to believe. Because I love you, I value your free will above all else. Would you force the woman you love to take a drug that makes her love only you? Or would you perform surgery on your child's brain to create a child who obeys your every word 100%?"
Because they are human, with basic desires, conflict and crime are inevitable.
So, what if God created a world where humans unconditionally obeyed His word and committed no crimes?
The people living in it... could you even call them human?
Wouldn't they be closer to robots, beasts, or onaholes than humans?
That's right.
From God's perspective, forcing human free will, delivering divine punishment, and making them worship only God is akin to kidnapping and imprisoning the woman you love, feeding her aphrodisiacs, and raping her until she loves you!
If you keep raping her, make her bear children, and feed her, she might eventually come to love you.
How could one do something so horrific!
Because God loves humanity, He gave them free will and the right to choose. And instead of forcing them, He is always courting them. He gives revelations to prophets and fulfills prophecies, desperately pleading, "I love you this much, so please look at me."
"Then... let me ask one last thing. Is it right for those who commit crimes, the wicked ones, to pay for their sins?"
"......"
Just then,
[Ding~]
[You have cleared the 35th Floor Trial. The reward grade has been increased for achieving the True Ending: 'Religious Unification'.]
"It seems our time is up. It is time for me to leave."
It seemed the remnants of the Muion and Saion Cults had all been dealt with and integrated into the Ella Church.
"Y-you're leaving?"
"Yes. Do not forget. God always loves humanity."
Finally, she knelt on one knee before the prostrate Murakan. Then she pulled his head toward her chest and held him tightly.
"Ah...."
In that moment, Murakan felt an ecstatic sensation, as if he were truly being embraced by God.
'This is the embrace of God...'
A warmth so comforting he would be content even if his life ended right then. It was a primordial comfort, like being back in his mother's womb. All his worries and anxieties vanished, and he could feel only God's love.
"Hmph. I have corrected your flawed scriptures and created a new gospel. Take this and spread my word."
[Ella Scripture]
Her chest moved away, and a rather thick book was placed before him.
"Ah... I understand, O Ella..."
"Then, farewell."
Swoosh~
And so, Lee Do-hee finally united the two religions and departed.
From now on, the two religions would no longer treat each other as heretics, brutally violating one another, nor would they water-torture and rape women in the name of purification.
No matter how future generations might judge her, the fact that she was the great prophet who peacefully united two major religions would never change.
*
"Aah...!"
Returning to the waiting room after finishing the trial, I could feel the strength returning to my body. The stuffiness that had been weighing me down was replaced by a vitality that made me feel like I could fly.
And I called out the name whose absence had left me feeling so empty.
"Chat window!"
- Doha
- Knghh, you actually beat it?
- So is Yula really Yula?
- Even Lee Do-hee doesn't know that one
- Kyaa, world's first clear of the 35th Floor S-rank Religious War Trial, grats grats grats
- Congrats for now, I guess?
- World's first clear, grats grats grats
- Do-hee, you're gonna be on the news. First clear, grats
- Fucking bitch, I never get tired of looking at those tits
There were some weird comments, but seeing these guys who never change somehow put my mind at ease.
"Hmph, ahem! How dare you sexually harass Lady Ella!"
- Lady Ella my ass
- Yula's gonna be sobbing lol
- How could you steal someone else's religion...
- Execute the heretic!!
[Ding~]
[DoheeTunaSoDelicious has donated 50,000 won]
So is Yula really Yula? You can tell us.
"Hmm... that?"
Is Yula really Yula?
I just glossed over it naturally during the trial, but there's no need to do that here.
- yeah
- fr I'm curious too
- Uh... that's a bit of a sensitive topic
- There's a similar religion in the real world, is this okay...?
"Hmm... it should be fine? Because... I don't know either!"
Lee Do-hee declared, with confidence, that she didn't know.
I really don't know.
'I'm not a real god, how would I know if that being was a god or not...'
- ????
- Something about water, something about ice...
- No wonder she shut him up with a boob attack at the end lol
- Wait, so it was all just a lie?
- Fuck, you damn cultist bitch!
- It was all a scam...? Fuck, and I believed you!!
- Human: Humanity cannot accept this!
- What the hell...
- Ah... Lady Ella, I believed in you!!
- Then what was that 'world of God' thing?
"That... 'world of God' was just me releasing all my remaining divine power. When normal people are exposed to such a high concentration of energy, they pass out like that. 10,000 is a huge number, so I guess they all just fainted. Hahaha..."
- Y-you scammer!!
- So you're saying Yula isn't Yula?
"No, I'm telling you I don't know! Why are you guys being like this... I thought I was going to go crazy from all the acting back there."
I don't know either. How am I supposed to know that?
I spent almost five days reading the scriptures without sleep, but I couldn't find a clear answer.
'Because I am merely human, I cannot comprehend the will of God.'
Those were my own words, but perhaps they apply to me as well.
'But... it's true that a god did exist.'
There were things left behind that could only be called the work of a god.
The prophecies that came true with strange accuracy. The mural in the holy land that suddenly lit up. And the fact that what I read in the scriptures perfectly matched the events in the history books.
It was true that something had existed. Though whether it was the god that humans wished for, I don't know.
"I'm just a mere human, so I don't really know~"
- Fuck lol
- For real?
- Sigh...
- So she was a scammer...
- According to the doctrine of the Trinity, which posits the existence of three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—there is a high probability that Yula was a true descended god. It is inferred that she came with the personhood of the Son. It is correct to view her as identical to the actual Yula.
- Hello Do-hee, I'm a graduate student in the theology department at Korea University. May I use this broadcast for my thesis?
- Uh....
- Eh?
- Oh
- Gasp!
- Do-hee, the real ones are showing up?
"Ahem... feel free to write your thesis... Now! I'd like to state that the religions in this other world have no connection to real-world religions, and with that, let's look at the rewards!"
She quickly changed the subject.
'The only thing I know about religion is from a few MyuTube videos...'
[Please select your SS-rank reward]
"Tsk, I cleared it with so much difficulty and it's only SS-rank? This is so unfair. Oh, right. Shouldn't I get a reward for the fucking bug too? Hey, administrators? Isn't this a real EX-rank reward situation?"
[......Please select your reward]
- But you benefited from it, you bitch lol
- I think you wouldn't have a right to complain even if you got a penalty for this
- Do-hee is just overflowing with greed
- I wanna squeeze that greed pouch of hers
- Look at her now lol
- Admin, just lower her reward grade
- Malicious bug exploiter, religious scammer of the century << Adding to Lee Do-hee's crime list
"Ahem... Never mind. I'll just proceed."
To be honest, clearing it by exploiting a fucking bug deserved some criticism.
But the trial's difficulty was so high it would have been impossible to clear without the bug, and because of me, those who came after now had a glimmer of hope. That's why everyone was just playfully throwing a stone or two.
[Dotamuk has donated 50,000 won]
Thanks to you, I'm memorizing Yula's 99 commandments and attempting the 35th floor. There are so fucking many, goddamn.
- Oh
- The positive function of porn
Just like that, the 35th floor, which until now had a 5% chance of unavoidable death, now had a glimmer of hope thanks to me.
"Still, it's practically an SSS-rank reward, so let's take a look."
With a pounding heart, I flipped over the card.
Flip.
<Sanctuary Proclamation>
You can designate a Holy City and a Holy Land. {View Conditions}
◇ While in the Holy City, all believers' stats +10%
◇ Upon receiving the pilgrimage buff in the Holy Land, all stats +20% for one week
"Oh...? This is... good, isn't it?"
It's a reward that seems like it will have great synergy with the religious reformation I plan to carry out. Especially since 'fellow believers' will basically be my guild members, right? I'll set it up that way with the reformation.
But the problem is...
"But this... seems like it's S-rank?"
The performance is a little lacking. My Hole-Sharing Brotherhood effect alone gives a 20% stat increase when two people gather, so this feels a bit insufficient.
- Aww, too bad
- Still good, isn't it?
- It's good, but... it's just a decent S-rank
- If the SSS-rank one is shit, just pick this, right?
- If something like futanari comes up, you have to pick this
- ? You have to pick futanari
- Why would you pick futanari?
"...Let's look at the next reward."
Flip.
<Bless Lv.9>
Blesses the target.
◇ Consumes 28 Divine Power to increase Defense by 45 and Elemental Resistance by 45 for 2 hours and 20 minutes.
◇ Slightly reduces fatigue and increases vitality.
Thanks to my trait, the effect is doubled, so that's 90 Defense and 90 Elemental Resistance per stack. In terms of performance, it's a superior version of Iron Body, but because of the divine power consumption, the difference won't be that huge.
"Oh... guys, how much is this on the auction house?"
- Kyaa
- 8 billion...
- There's only one listed for 8 billion?
- This is also S-rank, but... the synergy with Do-hee makes it totally broken
- It's not supposed to be a skill like that;;
- It's a nice skill for a buffer to have, but just so-so otherwise
'Not bad.'
It also has the advantage of starting at level 9.
But 8 billion is an amount I can earn by selling my breast milk for just a few days.
"Okay, next!"
And now, finally, the long-awaited SSS-rank reward!!!
Fliip!
"Let's goooooo!!!!"
<Saintess's Robe>
A relic said to have been worn by a certain blind saintess.
It has no armor value, but it cannot be damaged.
◇ Defense + 50
◇ Divine Power + 500
◇ If the wearer is a virgin, her hymen is absolutely protected, and an additional +500 Divine Power is granted.
◇ <Saintess's Protection> activated.
“Ah…”
An equipment piece with divine power? This is... honestly, useless.
To raise my divine power by 500 right now, I only need to invest about 12 points into the stat. For someone else, this might be an SSS-rank piece of gear, but for me, it's not great.
And most importantly, to make this useful, I'd have to be a virgin... and I'm not a virgin!
"Seriously, what kind of item is this?! A filthy item that discriminates against non-virgins!! It is im-impure!! It shall receive divine judgment!!"
- Busted
- Vir?gin
- Non-virgins out!
- And it's divine power lol
- Virgin lol
- An item Lee Do-hee can never use
- This is punishment for using that fucking bug
- Serves you right for messing with the admin
- The one thing Lee Do-hee has too much of is divine power
- Lee Do-hee and virginity lol
- Yes, your gacha luck finally failed!!
“Hoo… Saintess's Protection? What's this skill?”
<Saintess's Protection>
Reduces all incoming damage by 20%.
However, it can only be cast on a loved one.
Looking at the performance alone, it's completely broken.
20% damage reduction? That's performance beyond SSS-rank.
"For fuck's sake..."
- lololololol
- Wow lolololol
- Do-hee...
- You need to find love, Do-hee...
- Does rape count as love?
- Rape-to-pure-love is a valid trope
- This is gear that has to be used by a woman in a true platonic love
- The performance is good. 1000 divine power is crazy high
- lol
- This bitch is a lesbian who's always chasing girls
- Wonder if it works on women?
“Hoo… right. Sometimes you get a bad roll.”
Honestly, I've been pretty lucky so far.
The fact that my viable choices have been effectively reduced from three to one means the risks I have to take have increased.
Sometimes, you get something like this. No, honestly, about half the time, I'll probably get duds and have to begrudgingly pick one of the other options.
“It's okay, everyone. In that case... I'll just take both. Manager, please buy the Bless skill book with money. I will choose the Sanctuary Proclamation.”
- Oh?
- Manager: Purchase complete!
- Really?
- You can't get that one anywhere else
- Wow... Do-hee's guild members are gonna get some serious buffs
<Sanctuary Proclamation>
You can designate a Holy City and a Holy Land. {View Conditions}
◇ While in the Holy City, all believers' stats +10%
◇ Upon receiving the pilgrimage buff in the Holy Land, all stats +20% for one week
“First, let's check the conditions for the Holy City and Holy Land.”
The concepts of the Holy City and Holy Land were very simple.
Holy City: A city where you have resided for a long time.
Holy Land: A place where you have resided for a long time.
"Is that it...? Then the Holy City would be Seoul, and I'll have to think a bit about the Holy Land. If I make it my house, people will come to my home for pilgrimages, right? If the Tower meets the conditions, making it the Holy Land wouldn't be a bad idea."
- Lee Do-hee's room... uhuhuhu.
- Do-hee's room reveal
- Let's make it Do-hee's room, right?
- The semen on her bed will never dry lol
- Pilgrimage (cum and go)
- All her underwear will disappear lol
- lol
- fr the Tower is the best option, but will it work?
"You perverts... I'll try that in a bit. First, there's still something left to do."
And there was still something left to do.
The religious reformation!
“Alright, everyone!! Finally! Today is the day our Lewdness Cult officially opens for business!
The founding of the Lewdness Cult!!!
I will become a true god!!