I thought it was a rather sudden appearance.
Why is the Goddess of Time suddenly showing up here?
No, why did she call me to this mysterious place?
But as always, she started talking without any explanation, acting on her own.
“With a distance, and closer, it’s definitely different, right? Your body is very fit!”
The goddess spun around me, poking at various parts of my body with her finger. Her long silver hair seemed to touch her heels, looking like someone who had never been to a beauty salon.
“Wow, no wonder women get seduced easily!”
“Can you give me a ride? Or maybe a piggyback!”
I was curious how long she’d keep talking to herself, when the Goddess of Time clapped her hands together and exclaimed, “Oh, everyone is waiting! I totally forgot since you were all quiet!”
Right, that was the feeling.
Bong!
“Gyaaah!”
I wondered if it’d work, so I immediately punched her in the head.
“Wow, that felt liberating.”
The Goddess of Time, with her neck pulled in, groaned in pain, wrapping her hands around her head.
I had thought before about hitting someone like this, but doing it felt way better.
“First, tell me where this place is and why you brought me here.”
I crossed my arms, thinking I wouldn’t move an inch until I got an answer. The Goddess of Time grumbled and attempted to kick my shin, but I slightly shifted my foot and dodged.
“Is it okay to act so shamelessly after hitting a goddess? You’ll face divine punishment!”
“Is it acceptable for a goddess to kidnap me like this? If you keep pissing me off, I might hit you again, so hurry up and talk.”
I raised my fist, and the Goddess of Time immediately stepped back, her tail between her legs. With her cheeks sagging, she began to explain one by one.
“This is the Divine Realm. I didn’t call you on my own; the gods are holding a meeting about you, that’s why I summoned you.”
“About me?”
“Yes, so let’s hurry. Everyone is waiting.”
The Goddess of Time started walking briskly down a seemingly endless white path.
It felt like walking on clouds—this place really seemed to match the description of the Divine Realm, as pure white birds fluttered about, guiding the way.
At the end of that path was a massive assembly hall.
A place at least three times larger than the oracle I’d seen in the Dragonkin’s land. There, beings with various characteristics and charms waited for me.
It was obvious they were gods at a glance.
‘The one holding a trident is Poseidon, the lightning is Zeus, and the grain goddess must be Demeter.’
Watching their serious expressions examining me, I could definitely sense some pressure, but I wouldn’t yield.
Instead, I stood up straighter, keeping my neck stiff and clenching my fists.
Some raised their eyebrows or cleared their throats, showing signs of discomfort.
In the center was a radiant god with nearly blinding golden hair, arms crossed, riding a sun chariot.
‘Is that Helios?’
The sun god, holding the largest number of devotees on the continent. The aura radiating from him was undeniably overwhelming compared to the other gods.
I even felt my saliva drying up in my mouth.
Before I knew it, the Goddess of Time had settled among the other gods, watching me.
“Now, we will begin the trial for the human Daniel McLean!”
Helios shouted forcefully, leaving no room for questions.
A towering man, over 2 meters tall and wearing a helmet, flew toward me clutching a spear.
Seeing him rush from his seat among the gods indicated he was likely a god too, with an intimidating presence, confident expression, and eyes that thirsted for battle.
I figured he must be the God of War.
Suddenly, a sword appeared in my hand, with no idea when that happened.
Winking behind Ares, who was charging at me, the Goddess of Time seemed pleased. I gritted my teeth and dodged Ares’ thrust.
Perrk!
I then straight-up punched him in the face.
The helmet crumpled, and Ares’ sculpted face shattered like glass. That proved gods bleed just like humans.
But I didn’t stop, continuing to rain down punches until, finally, I kicked him in the temple.
Ares lay on the ground, eyes rolling back, foaming at the mouth, and completely limp.
Silence enveloped the assembly hall.
The only one standing out was the Goddess of Time, clapping gleefully, laughing at the spectacle.
“Oho! That was hilarious!”
Helios glared at her, but the Goddess of Time seemed uninterested in stopping, clutching her stomach from laughter until she finally toppled over.
“Is Ares really that easy…?”
“That was a truly mystical movement. You shrugged off Ares’ ambush with such ease.”
“I’ve heard there are humans who attain enlightenment on a single path. They’re called artisans, and I think he might be one of those.”
The gods began sharing their opinions, but Helios, stepping down from his sun chariot, made a heavy thud that silenced the room.
“Human Daniel McLean.”
His deep voice approached me.
“You have overcome the trials of our gods. You thwarted the goddess of death’s prophecy on the surface and defeated the God of War, proving your strength.”
Drawing the golden sword from his waist, Helios slowly placed it on my shoulder.
“From now on, you shall reside in this Divine Realm, bearing the title of ‘Demigod’.”
“……”
“A feast will be held in your honor, humans will praise you as a myth, and the gods will respect and join you, knowing your remarkable history.”
Whew!
Someone whistled.
Like a signal, the other observing gods erupted into applause and cheers.
“Congratulations on becoming the first demigod among humans!”
“I respect you for achieving a miracle that a human body cannot accomplish!”
“Share the tale of how you cut off the wings of that lizardman!”
They genuinely welcomed me. They were eager to hug me, chat, and dine together, the hall echoing their exuberance.
“Congratulations, demigod Daniel Mel…”
Thwack!
I swatted away Helios’ sword as it shifted to my other shoulder. The cacophonous voices around me only stirred my deep annoyance.
“Enough already.”
I couldn’t help but think how pathetic they were.
“Is this ridiculous play really entertaining?”
Instantly, the assembly hall fell into silence, as if someone had hit a switch.
The gods looked at me, expressionless.
In the midst of the identical expressions, the Goddess of Time had propped her chin, looking down at me.
“To reject the supreme honor that a demigod can possess…”
“Ah, stop it.”
Interrupting the booming voice of Helios that echoed throughout the hall, the Goddess of Time spoke. Her face, which had just been bubbling with excitement like a child, was now clouded with an overwhelming sense of boredom.
“When did you figure it out?”
It seemed she was only somewhat interested in talking to me.
Her voice had raised slightly.
I looked at Helios.
No, I looked at the one pretending to be Helios, twisting my body to glance at the Goddess of Time.
“Gods’ favorite number is 3.”
Lucia and Shakallim too.
The gods say through various texts, prophecies, and gospels that 3 is the gods’ favorite number.
The Goddess continued, explaining the reasoning behind it.
“Because it’s the most complete.”
The number 3 is considered complete.
As the Goddess of Time waved her hands, a gigantic round shape emerged. And under it, three sticks appeared one by one.
These three sticks supported the world like a tripod.
The Goddess of Time chuckled.
“Even with just three sticks, we can perfectly support everything, right?”
I nodded slightly, knowing what that meant.
“So did you all perform this silly play because you got lonely?”
“Hmm? Nope. We just obliged because the humans wanted it.”
Snap!
The Goddess of Time snapped her fingers.
At that, the gods, who had been standing like statues, all turned grey and disappeared.
Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and so on.
All the gods vanished.
“You all wanted gods like this, right? The lecherous god of thunder, the jealous sea god, the unconditionally loving goddess of beauty. Isn’t it laughable that the gods created themselves, but humans recreated the gods based on themselves?”
In the end, the only ones left were me, the Goddess of Time, and whatever was pretending to be Helios in front of me.
The Goddess of Time gestured with her chin towards him.
“Say hello. This is the God of Life. With life, death, and time, having just these three is more than enough to support the world.”
“……”
“But how did you know all those gods were false?”
I subtly glanced at the God of Life. He looked like he wanted to say something but was holding back hard.
“It was the problem that the God of Death was a goddess.”
“Oh, I knew that would cause trouble.”
The God of Death, Hades, is little known, and the best followers are just fanatic zealots hiding in the shadows.
However, the god I actually knew in relation to death was not Hades but an unnamed goddess.
“Isn’t relying on just that for concluding all these gods are fake a bit flimsy?”
“Of course, it was concerning that Helios, not Zeus, was leading the gods’ council.”
Honestly, what bothered me the most was the existence of the Goddess of Time and the power she was providing me with through her imprint.
“The fact that all these gods share a similar aura as me was conclusive.”
Until I arrived here, I had never thought about this. Regardless of how it turned out, I had no way of catching up with the notion that all gods were merely a trifle created by time.
“Hmm, you caught onto that? I tried hard to hide it, but it’s a bummer. Anyway, you’ve definitely merged my power into you well, right? Your body has blended perfectly.”
The Goddess of Time nodded with satisfaction, hopping down from the audience seats and walking lightly towards me.
“Now, as a reward, I’ll give you a riddle.”
With a mischievous smile, the eyes of the Goddess of Time sparkled with excitement, and the God of Life showed a confused expression at this sight.
Pop!
The three pillars supporting the world appeared again.
“The gods that support the world are three.”
This time, as the world being supported drew closer, I could literally see the very essence of the primordial world.
“The sky, the earth, and the sea. Even the basic structural framework of the world consists of three! How amazing!”
Next to it, two dolls appeared.
One was a doll of a girl with silky black hair.
The other was a doll of a boy who could only be described as handsome.
“So, how many end-of-the-world numbers will sweep the world?”
In the empty spot between the two dolls, the Goddess of Time casually placed a doll resembling me, which she had held onto since our first meeting.
“……!”
Chiiiing!
The pain of burning flesh swept across my chest.
On my chest was a mark I had never seen before.
“The answer is three.”
