The Earth Mother's Blessing

Athens.

The birthplace of Greek culture, where Olympian mythology still breathes.

‘No wonder they say this city lives off tourism.’

The airport was a melting pot of races. Most of the crowd were tourists here to see the sights. But not everyone had come for sightseeing.

Some clutched owl-shaped statues or necklaces, murmuring prayers.

“Hear my prayer, hear my prayer. O Athena, Goddess of Victory.”

A middle-aged woman gripped an owl figurine, her voice thick with desperation. Athena was the patron goddess of Athens, the Greek capital, and the deity of victory and war.

I clicked my tongue and shook my head.

‘Praying to those damned gods won’t do a thing.’

After the Tower of Babel appeared, the gods once thought to be mere myths were proven real. The Asgardian pantheon, the Olympian pantheon, the Vedic pantheon—along with countless other gods and demons—were confirmed to reside on the Tower’s upper floors.

The world had been turned upside down. Regional folk religions once valued only as literature revived, and the faith of believers took concrete form.

‘It’s not like those bastards hand out rice cakes just because you believe in them.’

A cynical smile tugged at my lips. The gods did not watch over humanity. They only extended their hands to those with “value.”

‘They sabotaged humanity’s unity.’

Those who caught the gods’ eyes—the so-called Chosen Ones—hadn’t fought the Old Gods when Earth began to erode into the Tower. Instead, they joined the gods’ world. That world was a paradise reserved solely for them.

Only about ten thousand people escaped the dying Earth. Less than 0.1 percent of the seven billion population.

‘If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠those bastards had shown resolve… we wouldn’t have been defeated so meaninglessly.’

Grind.

My teeth clenched with a chilling sound. Two of the players who had reached the rank of Monarch betrayed humanity—for their own safety!

I exhaled sharply and calmed myself.

‘This time, it won’t happen.’

Suppressing my anger, I moved toward my destination. The most famous ruin in Athens was the Parthenon, the grand temple honoring the patron goddess Athena. But that wasn’t my target. At my current level, I couldn’t absorb more than two divine essences anyway. If I was going to devour one, it might as well be from the highest-ranking god.

So I chose the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. Though only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sixteen columns remained after earthquakes reduced it to rubble, it still felt empty compared to the Parthenon, which had preserved its form into the twenty-first century.

‘Still, the essence should be there.’

I strolled leisurely across the ivy-covered grounds of the Temple of Zeus.

Sniff, sniff.

A scent unlike that of the Primordial Species tickled my nose. This was a place where countless people’s faith had once converged. As a space dedicated to Zeus, traces of that faith lingered everywhere.

I bent down and touched the ground. Digging through the grass-covered soil revealed a marble floor beneath. A faint energy emanated from it—the essence containing a god’s “rank.”

I immediately activated Devour.

Immense power surged up through my palm. Indeed, an essence with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this level of rank was among the rarest I had encountered even in my previous life. The title of God-King was no empty boast.

Wait, what did it just say?

I nearly yanked my hand away in shock. Gaia, the Earth Mother. The goddess who birthed the Olympian pantheon and countless other divine lineages. She symbolized the earth’s divinity—or the earth itself.

‘Right. She’s literally a symbol.’

Even the ancient Greeks who worshipped the Olympians hadn’t worshipped Gaia. She was less a divine being and more a “concept” of the earth itself. After all, you don’t thank the ground every time you walk on it.

‘I barely heard anything about Gaia even in the Tower of Babel.’

I never expected to absorb Gaia’s essence from a temple dedicated to Zeus. An unexpected variable. A smile spread across my face.

‘All the better.’

Gaia’s rank was classified as supreme. Even Zeus paled in comparison to the Earth Mother who had birthed countless gods. Higher mystery, higher hierarchy. An opportunity I hadn’t anticipated had arrived.

Swish!

A massive surge of energy flowed through my palm. The moment I faced the Earth Mother’s essence, it felt as though a colossal tidal wave was trying to swallow me whole.

This… was dangerous.

‘If I’m not careful, her energy will consume me instead.’

Gaia’s essence bore no malice toward me. It simply embodied the concept of “earth.” The all-encompassing earth. True to its nature, Gaia’s essence tried to absorb even my sense of self into the land.

‘If I lose focus, I’ll be devoured by the essence!’

I bit down hard on my lip. The metallic taste of blood sharpened my mind.

Who the hell gets eaten by a god’s lingering trace?

I viciously tore into the essence climbing through the contact point with Devour. Occasionally, a comforting sensation urged me to let everything go, but I held firm with memories from my previous life and never stopped devouring.

How much time had passed since I began consuming Gaia’s essence? In a haze where even my sense of time had blurred, I saw light.

Divine Power…?!

Startled beyond belief, I nearly screamed. I clamped a hand over my mouth and observed my body internally.

‘Divine Power really took root.’

Divine Power. Literally, a power granted only to gods. It was the fuel for performing miracles and an essential force for wielding “authorities” based on a god’s origin.

‘This amount doesn’t mean much, though.’

The Divine Power settled at the crown of my head. Gauging its size, it was no larger than a grain of millet. Moreover, Divine Power couldn’t be used freely. One had to accomplish feats worthy of being recorded in “myth” to manifest it as Divine Power. In my previous life, maybe—but in this life, I hadn’t lived dynamically enough to write a myth.

That didn’t mean Divine Power was useless. Thanks to my knowledge from the previous life, I knew one way to use it.

‘Use Divine Power to raise mana sensitivity.’

Mana sensitivity. The time it took for a player to “perceive” mana. Mana was consumed in various ways—skills, equipment, or physical enhancement. For example, to activate a skill like [Strong Strike], the user had to accurately perceive their own “mana.” It was similar to physical reaction speed.

Mana perception → Will manifestation → Skill activation. That was the mechanism by which players utilized mana.

‘Normal players have a mana sensitivity of around 0.9 seconds, right?’

I slowly closed my eyes. I reinforced my mental strength with the Divine Power at my crown. Mana sensitivity was closely tied to the mind. Since Divine Power resided at the crown, strengthening the soul’s power was possible.

I stimulated the mana within my body with anticipation. The mana residing in my flesh responded to my will and stirred.

‘About 0.1 seconds.’

I clenched my fist tightly.

Whoa. Several times higher than an average player. In my previous life, it had taken years to reach that number!

‘I can save time.’

Mana reaction speed enhanced by Gaia’s Divine Power! Mana sensitivity wouldn’t help much on the Tower’s lower floors. But the foundation I was building now would create a massive gap as I climbed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠higher. It was an investment for the future.

‘It’ll help when learning martial arts in the Tower of Babel, too.’

Unlike mana, internal energy was far trickier to obtain and handle. If I acquired manuals while climbing the Tower, I could settle internal energy faster than in my previous life.

‘But what ability does Gaia’s essence have?’

I activated the status window to check the newly added blessing.

“Insane.”

I let out an exclamation. A constant boost to health and vitality recovery just by standing on the ground. On top of that, it unconditionally increased the efficiency of earth-related essences. For a first-stage blessing, the effect was tremendous.

‘As expected, the Earth Mother is on another level.’

Blessings were divided into three stages. Stage one was naturally the lowest level. To strengthen a blessing, one had to accomplish feats worthy of earning that god’s favor. In my case, it was closer to theft via Devour. Even the essence of Zeus I had originally planned to absorb wouldn’t have granted a blessing this potent.

‘I’ll make good use of this blessing in the tutorial stage.’

I revised the plan in my head. With the Earth Mother’s blessing, I could afford to act more aggressively. The Tower of Babel’s 0th floor would open in two weeks. I was already looking forward to that day.

The moment I lifted my hand from the temple floor—

Rumble!

“I-It’s an earthquake!”

“The god must be angry!”

The temple grounds, left as a penalty for Devour, began to collapse. People fled from the temple. I blended into the crowd and disappeared.

* * *

I returned straight to Korea. My steps were light—I had obtained something far better than planned.

‘Staying longer would only cost more money anyway.’

The salary I had saved in the military. Most of the tuition I had received in advance had been spent on this trip. My balance wasn’t zero, but a strange sense of crisis chilled my spine.

‘Think of it as an investment.’

I gave a bitter smile and shook my head. Once I climbed the Tower of Babel, money like this could be earned in an instant. It was a far more reliable investment than stocks or crypto.

Even after returning to Korea, there was no time to rest.

‘The tutorial starts on the first of every month. There’s still time.’

Six days remained. I traveled around places famous for Korean myths, legends, and folktales. Buying relics imbued with 【Divinity】 would have been convenient, but there wasn’t much left in my account. Those in need dig their own wells. What choice did I have? I had to put in the legwork.

“Found it.”

I wiped the sweat from my brow and muttered. The days of effort had paid off. A house-sized boulder on the mid-slope of Jirisan. A sweet scent wafted from within the black rock, as if honey were hidden inside. It was the “essence” I had desperately sought.

‘My luck held.’

I placed my hand on the boulder and used Devour.

The Infant General Utu-ri. A folktale of the “Infant General” passed down across the Korean peninsula. A three-star skill. Worth climbing Jirisan for, wasn’t it?

I clenched my fist tightly.

* * *

Finally, the morning of November 1st dawned. The day of the decisive battle! I was in a far better position than in my previous life, so the tutorial didn’t worry me. Entry to the tutorial began at 10 a.m., so I left early and headed to Jamsil. The Tower of Babel that appeared in Korea was located about three kilometers south of Jamsil Bridge.

The area around the Tower was packed with people.

“Player Association-certified barrier for only three million won!”

“Essential tutorial item! A dagger with built-in cooking and heat skills for five million won!”

“Cheap, cheap! You’ll regret it if you leave without this!”

Merchants hawked their wares with the determination to fleece every beginner’s wallet. Family and friends had also come to see off players entering the Tower.

“Oppa, you have to come back alive from the Tower of Babel!”

“Go, Kim Nam-jun, Class of ’45 from Pungnam Middle School!”

The atmosphere lacked even a gram of solemnity. It was pure festival vibes. Before the Tower’s synchronization with the world exceeded 50%, there was no penalty for dying during a mission. Without the burden or fear of death, receiving an invitation to the Tower of Babel at this stage was treated like buying a lottery ticket—an opportunity for instant wealth. Everyone was lost in sweet dreams.

“Isn’t that Park Jun-seok, the Platinum-rank player from the Hwarang Guild?”

“If he’s Platinum, there aren’t even fifty in the country.”

Platinum. He would have been that rank when entering the 51st–60th floor section. The player ranks changed every ten floors—Unranked: 1–10, Iron: 11–20, Bronze: 21–30… Promotion matches were required at intervals like floors 10/20/30. Since the Tower of Babel had appeared on Earth ten years ago, a Platinum-rank player was an incredibly skilled individual. But that name wasn’t in my memory. He hadn’t made a significant impact in the distant future. The ones I remembered were all powerhouses. Or rather, in that environment, only powerhouses could survive. If they failed to stop the Old Gods’ invasion, everyone was doomed to die meaninglessly.

‘The only one I can trust is myself.’

I withdrew my attention from the crowd and organized my thoughts. The Tower of Babel tutorial. I steeled my resolve while mulling over the opportunities and essences that could only be obtained here.

Gu-gu-gung!

The marble gate swung open with a thunderous sound. An abyss of darkness where not even an inch ahead could be seen. The sight, like a bottomless pit, stirred humanity’s primal fear. The crowd froze. I pushed past them and stepped into the gate first.