Primordial Authority
Trait understanding too low—absorption imperfect.
Degradation applied.
Trait ‘Power of Incarnation’ → ‘Primordial Power’
Understanding:0%
Degraded version of the Destroyer's exclusive trait, Power of Incarnation. Grants partial access to a god's power.
To wield a god's power, three methods exist:
• Become a god's follower.
• Form a direct contract with a god.
• Subjugate a god as a familiar.
Followers of one god cannot use others' powers. The latter two methods have no limits on power variety.
Warning: Low understanding limits borrowing to powers of gods currently active on the continent.
I reviewed the trait's details and clenched my fist without realizing it.
A god's power… It was nothing short of absolute might.
So this was the Destroyer's ability.
Even though the low understanding had downgraded its rank, this was more than enough. Considering I hadn't even properly witnessed his power before, it was an enormous achievement.
Hmm. There are only three known gods in Dimension World right now.
The commonly known religion was just one: the Church. They worshipped the Devotion God, and it was the only place where one could obtain a healer class like priest.
Mages could use spells with minor recovery effects, but they paled in comparison to priests' holy power. That's why priests were essential for large-scale dungeons or party hunts.
Unlike other classes, becoming a priest required passing multiple trials, so there were few of them—true nobility among nobles.
Well, it's a tough job for a reason.
A priest's holy power varied wildly based on their affinity with the god they served, as did the types and number of holy spells available. Being chosen as a priest was less a choice and more a calling—not something anyone could just pick.
But the Church's biggest issue wasn't the players; it was the god itself.
The Devotion God. I wouldn't last a day under her if I were them.
The Devotion God, also called the Goddess of Spring, was as capricious as they come—hardly matching her name. She'd strip long-time priests of their powers on a whim if they fell out of favor.
I knew so much about the Devotion God because the Eltia Iron Kingdom was one of the nations under the Church's sway.
Despite her fickleness, she'd been a huge help against the calamities, thanks to the Descent Dancer—who received the prophecy foretelling the calamities' descent—emerging from the Church.
The Descent Dancer was a true incarnation.
But she was worlds apart from the Destroyer. The Devotion God wielded divine power, sure, but hers leaned toward healing and foresight, not combat.
Because of me, the continent's history has accelerated. Seeing the Descent Dancer come from the Kartinin family, the Los Clan will probably snag that class.
And I could guess who would get it.
Morian Ri. If she becomes a saint again like in Dimension World 1, that'll stir up some real buzz.
She and Itsuki Minami—the one called the Crimson Calamity—had been the most popular figures in Dimension World back then.
For now, the only known religion is this one. But with the oracle, religious reforms will spawn groups worshipping various indigenous gods across the continent.
The oracle kicks off the religious reform event, where gods start directly influencing the continent to fend off the calamities.
But it's not like new gods pop out of nowhere in a monotheistic continent. They were already rooted here, just not organized like the Church—so they stayed unknown.
The oracle breaks that restraint, allowing upper gods like the Devotion God to manifest fully.
It's no exaggeration to say the oracle opens the gates for the gods.
Afterward, lower gods join the upper ones in exerting influence, and various groups emerge.
Proving it: beyond the so-called sole god of Devotion, two more upper gods already exist, unknown for now.
One is the God of the Veil. The secretive Veil organization, led by Asera Tanubiel—the elven empress and home to the Hidden Eater—is shrouded in mystery from the start. No one knows what influence the God of the Veil wields even after the calamities descend.
All I know is that my mentor, the Dark Army's Bazarr, planned a half-elf legion called Moondance, tied to the Veil's successors.
Unfortunately, Bazarr died of an incurable disease in my dreams, so I never saw Moondance completed.
But now I have the Dragon Heart to save him—and the Hidden Eater as a link to the Veil.
The second is the God of Slaughter. It's the deity worshipped by the barbarians settled in the Land of Savages to the south.
Like the north, the Land of Savages isn't a unified kingdom but scattered tribes, each venerating different aspects of the God of Slaughter—lions in one, desert scorpions in another.
So they never formed a unified force like the Church; it stayed a tribal quirk.
The community debated it endlessly, but players starting in the Land of Savages concluded they got no special powers from the God of Slaughter.
But unlike what they knew, the God of Slaughter already influenced every player there.
The Berserk trait barbarians get on job change isn't just a class perk—it's divine grace.
Tribes venerated different forms, but the power was the same: madness and slaughter.
One god hid itself, the other offered slaughter over dignity—hard to inspire faith.
I wasn't dwelling on the gods' grandeur or strength.
The Power of Incarnation channels a god's might.
That meant even the Destroyer calamity was just a proxy wielding some god's power.
That changes everything.
Until now, I'd seen calamities as intangible absolutes, like gods. Challenging something so vague is the height of uncertainty and fear.
But knowing he's merely an incarnation backed by divine power made that distant specter feel grounded on my turf.
He's no different from me, in the end.
If the transcendent intervener in my memory fragments wasn't the Destroyer but a god, it made sense I could borrow his trait now.
If the Destroyer had directly tampered with my memory fragments, would he really overlook the risks like I face now?
Speculation, maybe. But if he was forcibly pulled into the memory intervention like me…
I wouldn't fear facing him anymore.
It might just be stealing his trait, but it gave me far more.
But…
I stared at my clenched fist.
If this power lets me borrow a god's might, I have to choose one… Which god?
Three gods on the continent: the fickle Devotion God, the aloof God of the Veil, and the madness-driven God of Slaughter…
I grimaced.
All powerhouses, none appealing.
Even in the calamity wars, we borrowed the Church's power, but relations with priests were never great.
In Dimension World, priests got noble treatment; in my dreams, they were beyond that.
Just becoming one made their egos sky-high, regardless of skill…
Saving lives is great power, but few had the temperament to match.
Not that priests must be sacrificial icons. Compensation isn't wrong. Not everyone needs to be saintly.
I just hate when they act like gods themselves.
I wondered which god's power the Destroyer borrowed. His presence alone was terrifyingly overwhelming.
Not just the divine power.
His own strength amplified that intimidation.
If I could find the god he served…?
But I shook my head.
No. Even a mighty god wanting world destruction is just an enemy.
A bitter smile crossed my lips unbidden.
The calamities' descent. Just an oracle prophesying doom—we died without knowing why he appeared or sought annihilation.
Crushed like ants underfoot. Humanity had no say, just accepted the scripted end.
So beating him was my goal.
But if the Destroyer is merely a proxy…
The real foe might not be the calamity.
"First things first—the enemy right in front of me."
Having barely landed one sword strike on him, dreaming bigger was arrogant hubris.
No need to rush.
Plus, lower gods awakening post-oracle weren't necessarily weaker than the current upper ones.
God of Respect, God of Fear, God of Praise, God of Fury, God of Equality… Countless gods dotted the continent, inferior overall but surpassing uppers in niches.
But…
I recalled the gods from my memories but could only click my tongue in dissatisfaction.
Lower gods do pack punch in specifics. But could their power beat whatever god backs the Destroyer?
I hadn't met every follower, and power varied by affinity, so no certainty. But no followers matched the Destroyer's aura.
I'll think on the gods slowly.
Joy at the new trait faded to mild regret as I made my choice.
"Why agonize? Test them one by one. Picking the right weapon to beat him matters, but so does compatibility. Forcing a mismatched tool is folly."
It was then.
Whoosh—!!!
Even in this sub-space, azure flames flickered into existence before me.
"Black Eye…?"
I couldn't help but feign surprise, gazing at him radiating ethereal light.
Come to think of it, he appeared in that recent dream too.
Was it just a fragment of memory from foresight… or had the real him intervened here?
"Be honest."
Half astonished, half intrigued, I stared at Black Eye.
"You never planned to become a follower anyway."
"So just subjugate them all. Ten out of ten, a hundred out of a hundred—put them under your heel. No limits. One's bound to be useful."
Subjugating gods.
Who else could say that so casually?
"You're telling me to build a God Army?"
"What's stopping you?"
I couldn't help but chuckle at his words.
"Yeah, right."