The False God and the True God (1)
"My daughter. My beloved daughter. Can you see your father's face?"
"……Dad?"
"Ahh. Is this truly reality? If this is a dream, I never want to wake up."
"I can run! I can run!"
"Even after a lifetime of research in the Magic Tower, I could never walk… Running inside Luddera was my only joy in life. And now I can stand!"
"No way. I was sure I'd never hold a sword again…? How…?"
"This sensation…! Such firmness at my age! How long has it been, dear? I've been waiting for this day. Me too. How long we've longed for this… Hm? Why, what's wrong, dear? You're going to wash up? W-Wait, dear? What do you mean? D-Dear? Dear!"
The entire continent overflowed with joy and celebration.
Homes filled with sorrow,
families collapsed in despair—
all could now laugh as one.
All people praised a single being.
A true miracle, one that history had never witnessed.
And the one who wrought that miracle was no emperor of the Empire. Nor the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom. Nor the Holy Son of the Holy Kingdom.
Certainly not the gods who had ruled the continent for thousands of years.
It was the otherworldly god whose name had only recently become known,
GM, the master of Luddera.
His miracle.
That day would forever be etched in the annals of the continent as an unforgettable one for all its inhabitants—a day of salvation when the Lord Himself descended to relieve the pains of the flesh. It would be remembered for generations.
Somewhere on the 5th floor of the Labyrinth Tower.
"In the name of Lord Deus! Be purified!"
Boom.
A man in pristine white armor swung his massive warhammer down, unleashing a burst of holy power centered on him.
-Kieeeek!
Dozens of zombies struck directly by the holy power burned away in sacred flames.
"As expected of Paladin-nim!"
"Such beautiful power of faith!"
The Holy Knights watching the scene beamed with admiration as they rushed forward, but
"……."
Kenion, the Holy Knight Captain who had wrought that spectacle, wore a darkened expression.
'I've grown weaker.'
The title of Paladin, bestowed only upon the most devout in faith and martial prowess among the Holy Knights who served Deus.
He had ascended to that pinnacle at a young age through unyielding faith, yet against these zombies, his power was slightly diminished from before entering the Labyrinth Tower.
'My faith… it's wavering.'
As the one wielding that power, Kenion could tell. The holy power, which grew in proportion to faith, had weakened.
His own faith in Deus was shaking.
-The one who shall save this world is our Lord Deus, and salvation shall not come to those who believe in false gods like Alia.
That creed had never wavered since childhood. He had never doubted it before climbing the Labyrinth Tower.
Armored in such ironclad belief, he had reached the zenith of the Holy Knights as a Paladin.
Yet from the day the 2nd floor was cleared, Kenion's faith was no longer the same.
'Beastkin gaining their own god? Impossible. The reason they lost their god wasn't because it sacrificed itself to protect them? They weren't abandoned for their sins? No, that can't be.'
According to the scriptures directly penned by Deus, all beastkin bore the curse of their great ancestral sins, rendering them unclean. They were a race without a god, forever denied salvation. Or so it should have been.
The faith in GM, master of Luddera, had begun spreading rapidly.
And the beastkin had immediately embraced their new god.
'Even so, they're a cursed race. Their religion can't be legitimate. They'll surely reject other races and ignite horrific wars.'
He had assumed they would fall to depravity from their hatred and distrust of others, but
'They've embraced all non-beastkin who believe in GM?'
The beastkin had accepted not just their own kind, But all the other races worshipped GM as their brother, Even those who had persecuted beastkin.
It was behavior unbecoming of a race rejected by the entire continent.
A religion of tolerance and love.
More tolerant than even the followers of Deus.
From that day, cracks began forming in Kenion's once-unshakable faith in Deus.
'Deus declared the beastkin unclean. But look at their actions. They take in orphans of other races who've lost their parents, feed and shelter them. They accept as brothers even those with no ties, so long as they share the same god.'
Who was the god of love and tolerance?
What was the religion of love and tolerance?
Deus, who had rejected and persecuted all beastkin for millennia? Or GM, who taught them to embrace even their enemies?
Day by day, Kenion's mind grew more tangled.
To banish these stray thoughts, he led his Holy Knights relentlessly up the Labyrinth Tower.
Obeying Deus's command to conquer the tower and claim its hidden items.
Focusing solely on that, he fought and fought.
Labyrinth Tower 3rd floor.
Labyrinth Tower 4th floor.
From the demon lairs to the jungles, he pressed on without rest.
With every advance,
Labyrinth Tower 3rd floor, 66th Evil God Temple cleared by player Ahenobarbus and 3 others.
Labyrinth Tower 4th floor, Miracle Great Jungle cleared by player Lea alone.
Alerts announcing floor clears halted him and pushed him back, but he did not rest.
I am a Paladin, the faithful sword of Deus.
I must not harbor irreverent thoughts.
Endless advance.
Amid it all, Kenion heard of the Miracle Spring Water.
The tale that GM had bestowed the miraculous healing elixir upon every soul on the continent.
'The light of the gods does not shine equally on all.'
Priests and Holy Knights wielded holy power to heal the sick.
Yet not everyone received that blessing.
The wealthy and powerful could easily obtain healing and grace from priests, but the poor and powerless could not.
Contrary to the scriptural verse that all were equal before Deus, only the privileged received more of the god's favor.
GM was different.
He demanded nothing from players.
No sacred gold, no tithes, no offerings, no volunteering priests or knights.
He simply gave.
Kwaaang!
-Kieeeek!
Kenion accelerated his march on the 5th floor of the Labyrinth Tower.
'Don't think. Forget it. Just advance.'
To ignore the stray thoughts. To steady his wavering faith.
But despite his efforts, his holy power was already waning.
"Keep watch for a moment. I shall offer prayer to the Lord."
"Yes, sir!"
He ordered his Holy Knights to stand guard and entered a small building already purified.
As expected of our Captain. Even in such grueling battle, he never neglects prayer. Can anyone be more devout? No Paladin could surpass his faith.
The Holy Knights gazed at Kenion's back with reverent eyes, but if they knew the truth, their faces would have soured.
Thud.
Kenion leaned his long warhammer against the wall.
'Lord Deus. Please, grant me an answer. What must I do?'
He slowly knelt, clasped his hands, and closed his eyes.
'What was the love I believed in?'
He cried out desperately, but no reply from the god came.
More fervent than ever before, yet his god gave no answer.
'Will You truly not provide guidance?'
Kenion grasped his warhammer and rose.
'Then I shall conquer this tower. I shall offer it to You and hear Your answer.'
"Ah, finished already, Captain?"
"We depart at once."
Kenion surveyed his Holy Knights.
"That castle."
He pointed to the faint black castle in the distance.
"We conquer that fortress, the heart of this floor. And offer it to our god Deus. To spread the Lord's glory far and wide." To hear the Lord's answer. To reach truth and resolution.
"We shall follow!"
"Even if the end be hell itself, with you!"
Kenion nodded at their replies.
"All forces! Advance! Forward!"
'I shall find the answer at this journey's end.'
Deus or GM.
Who he must truly choose.