Chapter 122
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 122
Arjio is not a name.
Ar.
Cruel.
Jio.
Beast.
“They call me a monster, don’t they?”
It meant ‘Cruel Beast.’
* * *
“Evil Gods exist in quite a few dungeons.”
Inside a dungeon steeped in the rites of a primitive religion, Kang Seo-dam, a priest of the Sun Cult, began his lesson.
“Their numbers are vastly greater than those of traditional gods who value peace and mercy. Does any brother or sister know why?”
“Because unlike traditional gods, Evil Gods can easily be created artificially,” a girl answered.
“An excellent answer, Sister Iruda.”
Tap.
Kang Seo-dam rested his wand on the mossy marble floor.
“It is not difficult to stain a white garment black. You can smear it with charcoal, trample it with dirty shoes, or throw it into a mud pit. But the moment black touches a white garment, it can no longer be called a ‘white garment.’”
Around Kang Seo-dam and the novice priests, the corpses of monsters burned, crumbling to ash.
“It is far easier to make a garment black than to keep it white. It is far easier to fall than to maintain sanctity. This is because there are far more ways to become defiled than there are to remain pure.”
Once the monster corpses had turned completely to ash, Kang Seo-dam looked around at his students.
“This area seems safe enough. Let us take a short break and continue our discussion. All novice priests, please make yourselves comfortable.”
“Yes, Priest.”
The young priests, all around ten years old, huddled together and sat near an old altar. It must have once been a place of sacrifice; bloodstains and bones were scattered about, but none of the children were the type to be frightened by such things.
After confirming that all the priests were seated, Kang Seo-dam remained standing and continued his lecture.
“Likewise, compared to traditional gods, there are countless ways for an Evil God to be created. This dungeon is a perfect example. This was a place where living sacrifices were offered to an Evil God.”
“This didn’t happen on Earth, did it?”
“Indeed. The Sun Cult understands this to be the history of another dimension. The religion was called the Sankalut, and they would torture newborns and the elderly in a myriad of ways, binding them to this altar and leaving them to die.”
It was a gruesome tale for young children to hear, but while some looked disgusted, none showed any fear. It was proof of how closely the people of Earth now lived alongside death and suffering.
Kang Seo-dam continued his explanation in a gentle tone.
“What is interesting is that the Evil God worshipped by the Sankalut Cult was a created entity.”
He scanned the faces of the novice priests.
“Is there any brother or sister who can explain how a god comes into existence?”
“There is the one true God who has existed since the very beginning of a dimension,” Iruda said, “and there are traditional gods who, while not the supreme deity, were born from nature and destiny after the dimension came into being.”
“And what of the others?”
“A mortal can transcend their fate, acquire divinity, and become a being worthy of being called a god. I heard this path can be divided into becoming the descendant of an existing god or walking the path of an Evil God.”
“A well-spoken answer, Sister Iruda.” Kang Seo-dam nodded. “We refer to gods who maintain the providence of a dimension and seek coexistence as ‘traditional gods.’ The supreme deity who existed from the beginning is one of them. Any god born from nature and destiny, rather than from a mortal life, can be considered a ‘traditional god.’”
He looked at the girl, her hair tied in a low ponytail, as he spoke.
“Furthermore, as Sister Iruda mentioned, there are cases where a mortal escapes their fate and gains divinity. More than ninety-nine percent of those who twist destiny to acquire divinity in this manner become Evil Gods.”
“Why do beings who obtain divinity from mortality become Evil Gods?”
“First, a being who obtains divinity by defying the natural order is highly likely to possess a wild and rebellious will. Considering that most traditional gods value obedience and harmony, it’s easy to understand why they would become Evil Gods.”
There was also another reason.
“Second, mortals cannot comprehend immortals. Unlike traditional gods who are born immortal—unchanging and eternal—those who were once mortal continue to change and think. This makes them highly susceptible to falling into negative emotions.”
Thus, in the vastness of all dimensions, there were far more Evil Gods than good ones.
“Third, as Sister Iruda said, Evil Gods can be created artificially. What kind of process does this refer to?”
“It refers to sentient beings concentrating their faith into a single point.”
“Exactly. There are beings who were not worshipped because they were gods, but who became gods because they were worshipped. The Sankalut Cult is one such case.”
Kang Seo-dam pointed toward an old but ornately decorated marble chamber.
“If you look at the murals, you can see that the Sankalut Cult worshipped a red gem, an object incapable of thought, as their god. To praise and maintain the gem’s redness, they offered the blood of newborns and the elderly.”
“Did that gem truly become an Evil God?”
“Because it was a nation-wide religion and their faith was so intense, the gem did indeed become an Evil God. This dungeon was discovered and cleared during the early days of the Great Catastrophe, and it now serves as an educational site to teach the origins of gods and their influence.”
At that, the girl with the low ponytail asked again, “If it has been cleared, where is that gem-shaped Evil God now?”
“After assessing its danger level, it is currently being kept at the Research Institute of the Korea Hunter Association.”
At Kang Seo-dam’s words, the novice priests began to murmur.
“The Association Research Institute…?”
“I didn’t know such a place existed.”
“I thought it would be in the Collector’s Gallery.”
“Isn’t a research institute different from a warehouse?”
Familiar with such reactions, Kang Seo-dam explained, “The Collector’s Gallery allows visits from outsiders if certain conditions are met, and items can even be purchased. However, the Association’s Research Institute is different. Only Association staff manage the items, sales are strictly prohibited, and even leaking information to the outside is forbidden.”
He spoke with an understanding tone. “The Collector’s Gallery must be familiar to you all.”
“Yes, they hold a parade in the spring… and it’s so cool.”
“If you become official priests and join a cult, you will become much more familiar with the Association Research Institute.”
“Why is that?”
“Because dangerous and sensitive items related to gods require strict management and storage.”
It was difficult to expect such strictness from the Collector, whose entire identity was tied to running a ‘gallery.’ Especially when the Guild Master himself was known for running around shouting, “Love the works!”
“Are there any other questions regarding the storage of Evil Gods?”
“…”
“None, then. Very well.”
Kang Seo-dam stepped back, giving the novices a clear view of the marble altar.
“It was right here that the divinity of the Sankalut Cult was forged. Do you feel anything?”
“I realize that we must not harbor faith carelessly,” Iruda replied.
“Thank you for your active participation, Sister Iruda.” Kang Seo-dam nodded approvingly. “We do not know which god you will serve in the future, or which cult you will join. However, you must never forget that in the end, even gods are beings swayed by faith.”
At that, the novice priest named Iruda raised her hand once more.
“I have a question, Priest.”
“Speak.”
“Are there cases where a human, rather than a gem, was revered as an Evil God?”
“They are discovered from time to time.” Kang Seo-dam looked thoughtful, his eyes shifting as if recalling something. “As I mentioned earlier, Evil Gods exist in quite a few dungeons. This is another reason they are classified as a type of monster, unlike traditional gods. Just as easily as they are created, they are easily sealed and destroyed.”
They were different from traditional gods, whose destruction was nearly impossible because they were nature and destiny itself.
“Most of those who became Evil Gods in human form still possess a physical body. Those born immortal and those born mortal have entirely different roots. Because they still think like humans, they run into various limitations.”
“…”
“Therefore, without exception, those who became Evil Gods in human bodies have been subjugated or sealed and are currently kept on Earth. Most of them possess some faint semblance of thought, harbor emotions, and seek to eat, drink, and covet things. This, too, becomes a limitation that holds them back.”
One who is bound can never become a true god.
“We call them gods because they can embrace anything. Without the capacity to hold at least a single dimension, they are nothing more than monsters destined to be subjugated one day. Thus, the distinction between an Evil God and a monster is practically nonexistent.”
“…Then, what if someone becomes a god in a mortal body and manages to embrace everything?”
“There are only two such cases discovered so far, but yes, they exist. Both of them chose to abandon their intellect as living beings and wished to become a system that tunes nature and destiny.”
“Then are there no gods with a will and a sense of self?”
“They do exist. Because there are gods with a will and a sense of self, we still occasionally find gods enjoying themselves on Earth. However, you must remember that those are merely ‘will’ and ‘self’ as expressed in human terms.”
A god was nature and destiny.
“What looks like a will to us might be nothing more than a single breath to a god. The warm personality we mistake for a self might be nothing more than a single strand of their hair.”
“I don’t understand.”
“That is a very dangerous thing to say. As someone who has entered the embrace of a god, there is something you must keep in mind. We must not understand gods, we must not calculate them, and we must expect nothing from them.”
That is what a god is.
“Do not try to measure them.”
Nor should you analyze them.
“If you can do that, it means you have already become something other than human.”
“…Was I being disrespectful?”
“You are a novice priest, so it is fine. However, keep in mind that merely looking at them and following their gaze in an attempt to understand can bring about a disaster on the scale of divine punishment.”
“We receive divine punishment just for looking at them to understand?”
“It is not a punishment in the sense that the god intends it, but simply a disaster of that magnitude. Even if the god had no intention of punishing you, that is what will happen.”
“Thank you for the advice.”
“I am glad you accept it,” Kang Seo-dam said, then continued. “There is a saying that one must not look into the eyes of a god.”
“Because if you do, you will go mad…”
“It is a matter beyond the realm of human perception. Imagine a photograph containing every single sight on Earth. It is impossible to take in all of it—hundreds of thousands of images—at a single glance. Trying to force yourself to do so would cause your eyeballs to burst and your brain to rot.”
That is exactly what it means to look upon a god.
“Are there any other questions?”
At Kang Seo-dam’s question, Cha Yi-sol, a curly-haired boy, raised his hand.
“Is an Evil God that harbors pure evil treated as a monster?”
“…Pure evil,” he trailed off. “In our Sun Cult, we do not treat pure existences as monsters.”
However, interpretations varied from religion to religion. After all, this was an era where the distinction between gods and monsters remained blurred.
“Some religions claim that the results of evil can never be pure.”
“Ah…”
“While the standards of justice and nobility are similar for everyone, the standards of evil differ from person to person.”
“…”
“In the first place, I am not even sure if such a thing as pure evil can exist.”
It was a matter of perspective.
“That is also why there are so many Evil Gods. What is an obvious ‘evil’ to the vast majority might be ‘good’ to a select few.”
Who could ever set an absolute standard for good and evil?