Ben opened his eyes, the five soul-sealing crystals in his hand as well as his knife as he looked around. Thera was leaning beside him as she read to mentally escape every revelation that had been forced on her that day, trying to gain a better understanding of how to use her magics in tandem instead of thinking on the fate of the world, while the gods were still talking to the sky, discussing all that had happened.
You know, I think soul crystals has a nicer ring to it than soul-sealing crystals, don’t you?
Not particularly, I just hadn’t thought of a proper name for them yet. Might as well get it out of the way.
“Are you ready for your attempt?” Anailia asked as soon as she noticed he was up. She was only one of a handful of gods that didn’t doubt him, but as with the others she had no issue with what he’d be attempting. In fact, she found herself heavily anticipating it.
“Mostly. For now, do you think you could wake all of them up but weaken them so they can’t make any rash moves?” He asked, nodding his head to the still sleeping people before he continued with an afterthought. “Ah, maybe not the children though, they don’t really need to see this.”
Anailia nodded and as she was doing that, Ben turned to Thera. “Hey, willing to trust me a bit?” He asked, giving his most winning smile as she looked exhausted at just the thought of what he’d be doing. He hadn’t given the full details, but what he had alone was enough to be outrageous.
“Well, I was always likely to get a level or two of sacrilege spending so much time with you, now that we’re dating I guess I can handle shouldering a bit of your madness and the consequences.”
“Hey, it will be fine, don't worry. More than fine even… But admittedly you may get a couple levels of it. But also it’s harmless so don’t worry.”
“Harmless unless someone finds out and attacks you on the street,” She pointed out.
“That happened once and it was mostly because of my status as a whole. Anyway, you still need to take a new job right? Do me a favour and take adventurer.”
That little request was enough to let her see where he was going and she immediately felt a lot less hesitant in the face of the potential benefits. She took the offered job crystal and made her choice, handing it back for Ben to make his.
AVAILABLE JOBS
* Trap user
* Craftsman- alchemy path
* Craftsman- artistic path
* Craftsman- blacksmith path
* Craftsman- cooking path
* Craftsman- stonecrafts path
* Craftsman- sewing path
* Heretic
* Holy craftsman
* Kin
* Mathematician
* Adventurer
* Cursed item maker
* Scholar
* Master craftsman
* Material mage
* Master enchanter
* Destruction mage
* High tank
As all the options filled his mind, he couldn’t help but let out a low whistle.
I sure have come a long way from only having one.
I want to be stronger, Myriad. I don’t ever want to be in a position like the trial again.
“Alright, I take heretic.”
He could have selected it silently in his head but he didn’t see the point, having fully assumed that the gods were already looking into his thoughts as he was taking it with no idea just how much of a struggle that was quickly becoming to do to him without the practice Myriad had. Anailia was left mildly amused by the choice while the other two gods just seemed shocked as they muttered together.
“You don’t think that’s enough to-”
“Of course not, he didn’t even get a level of it. How high could he possibly be to actually be able to kill something with a god in it? I’m sure Anailia will deal with it when he fails.”
Oh, ye of little faith.
Ben asked Thera to invite him into her party, the main perk of the adventurer job that it resulted in their job pools being merged, and held his knife in his hand as he walked up to the first of the sleeping demons housing a god while looked out into the crowd of its old believers before them, all of them now awake, but unable to move, unable to help if a misplaced sense of loyalty compelled them too as Anailia called out.
“By now you’ve all heard the situation,” She told them in a voice filled to the brim with compassion, none of the anger she felt for their gods directed at them. “We don’t blame you for existing, no being chooses their birth, but it’s undeniable that the consequences that the forbidden gods have brought are immeasurable, with the countless other gods who share this world finding them lacking in any trait that would spare them. As such, the apostle of Myriad, the god who will act as your new caretaker as you all come to understand this world, will carry out their sentence, and you’ll see just how weak and unworthy these beings truly are.”
With that she lifted the magic that kept the forbidden gods asleep, speaking to Ben in a quiet voice before they were completely roused from their enforced slumber.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this? Killing is… well it can be difficult. If you don’t think you can just signal me and we’ll make it look good.”
“Thanks Anailia, but honestly, for whatever it might say about me I don’t think I’ll have any issues.”
His god seemed convinced that the acts of violence he had caused in the past without feeling anything was a reflection of how he handled it as a whole, and while he’d never considered it before, hearing it said made him want to deny it outright. He had a sense of right and wrong and he tried hard enough to help others. He’d be sad if anyone he cared about was hurt or died, but none of that applied to the beings before him. They may have very well doomed the world with the choice they’d made, they were far from guiltless like the race they’d created. Even if they were fully sapient, he couldn’t help but easily look past the fact that they were essentially people and only focus on just what he’d gain from this.
I can’t help but wonder if I was always like this or if being on this world’s changed me… No, you know what, it doesn’t matter. Either way, it doesn’t change things right now.
He shook the thought from his head, just in time for the gods trapped within the demons to come to their senses, screaming as they did.
“What are you worthless fools doing? Attack them!” One screamed at their believers in a voice the priests could tell belonged to the god Iflud, as the others had their own things to say, with only one addressing Anailia herself.
“What right do you have to judge us!” Quox spat. “You with so many believers, you with so much faith to spare! Do you have any idea what it’s like to feel yourself starve each day with a feast before your eyes?”
“Of course not, no god that risked themselves to save their people would,” She said dismissively, not caring in the slightest what they had to say but still feeling spiteful as she did. “Of course, I do know of a lovely little god who’s dealt with that, a friendly cube who’s actually guiltless that will make a wonderful guardian of the race you created.”
“What, you’re giving them to that freak!”
“Hey, watch who you’re calling a freaking asshole!” Ben yelled back, thinking of starting with him for what he’d said about Myriad but deciding to save him till the end instead as he held the knife.
“Pff, you think I’m going to be afraid of this little farce?” Quox asked. “As much as gods can be killed, there needs to be far more strength than coming from you boy. All of you up there think you have us? Just you wait, I’ll-”
He stopped his tirade mid-sentence from the shock as he saw Ben plunge his knife into the neck of the demon Iflud had been forced into, the effects of the sacrilege enchantment doing its job with the soul crystal glowing in response as his mind exploded with notifications.
…
…Okay, this is a lot to take in.
The system notifications simply didn’t stop as the names of gods who apparently wanted to see what was going on in his head kept increasing with no silence to come, but he pushed that to the side for the time being. The fact that he was hearing that new notification made him think that with whatever change awakening sacrilege had brought, it had given him just a little more privacy.
I genuinely don’t know where to start with all this. Five new titles is crazy as it is, but two of them are definitely the same, just worded slightly different. As for the skill, I honestly would have been shocked if I didn’t awaken it. If killing a god didn’t work then nothing would, but getting so many levels and still having four gods to go, it just might be possible…
He tried to keep himself from looking happy, really from giving any sort of expression as he tried to deal with all of the new notifications in one fell swoop, hoping that answering in his head would work as he did.
Uh, grant permission to Myriad, Anailia, and Helori. Deny everyone else.
All at once the notifications stopped, only for the sounds of three gods screaming in his mind to take its place.
Ahem, is this not a normal thing if you awaken sacrilege? He thought sheepishly, with Myriad screaming in his head.
Well, after sacrilege changed to king of sacrilege I started getting a lot of system notifications asking if I wanted to allow different gods to look into my mind and I just denied everyone but you three.
It was only Anailia who seemed calm once she understood what had happened, placing a hand on his arm and speaking to him with the voice of the believer she was using.
“Ben, I believe it’s best you get back to it. We can worry about the rest later.”
“But Anailia-” Baphel started, being shut down instantly with her icy glare.
“We agreed to this, don’t tell me you intend to retract your word because you didn’t believe he actually could?”
He backed off in an instant, as did the god beside him while Ben did his best not to stare at the gods and people around him once they’d gained his attention. The notifications were one thing, but looking around it could be seen that how he could see the world had changed too, the bodies inhabited by gods clearly distinguishable from Thera and the group watching, but even they seemed to have something in them that he could only assume was the faith they gave off.
But that’s something to think more on later. He thought quietly as he changed the soul crystal in his knife for an empty one and walked over to Thera, catching the complicated expression on her face as he did.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Um, did you get a couple levels?” He asked awkwardly, suddenly really hoping he hadn’t got his girlfriend stuck with something like that, though she just shook her head.
“Something else. I’ll tell you later, it's… well, I’ll tell you later.”
“Alright, well for now you should take a job that you want but think would be hard to complete, better to get it out of the way while you can.”
“Hmm, sure in that case it will be high telekinetic mage.”
With her job selected, Thera handed the crystal back to Ben as he went to choose adventurer, only to pause as he noticed the new option down on the bottom of the list.
Hey Myriad, do you think I’d be able to complete the divine heretic job after killing one or two of these guys, or would it take a lot more?
What I’m hearing is take it after adventurer, got it.
Name: Ben Heph
Race: Human
Titles: Apostle of Myriad, The Forgotten One, Miracle Maker, Skill learner, Enemy of Eneth, Trial Defier, Trial Breaker, Godslayer, Monster, Madman, God killer, Threat
Jobs: Adventurer (lv 2)
Previous Jobs: Apprentice craftsman, Craftsman, Priest, Enchanter, Mind user, Magic item maker, Magic weapon maker, High enchanter, Fractured mind user, Tree tamer, High craftsman, Apprentice mage, True mage, Tank, Heretic
Attributes:
* Vitality: 602
* Vitality recovery rate: 11/hr
* Mana: 462
* Mana recovery rate: 30/min
* Strength: 485
* Agility: 181
* Stamina: 1595
* Intelligence: 1406
Affinities:
* Light: 3
* Life: 2
* Fire: 4
* Water: 3
* Air: 4
* Earth: 2
* Death: 3
* Dark: 1
* Space: 4
* Time: 5
Resistances:
* Light: 68
* Life: 72
* Fire: 75
* Water: 69
* Air: 66
* Earth: 81
* Death: 78
* Dark: 85
* Space: 63
* Time: 61
Blessed skills:
* Unending crafting lv1*
* Divine enchanting lv1*
* Focus lv9
Passive skills:
* World speak+
* King of sacrilege lv3*
* Complex mind lv7
* Bind
* Partial demonic body
* Defense enhancement lv4
* Parallel thought lv6
* Absorption resistance lv3
* Plant knowledge lv4
* Mental expansion lv5
* Healing enhancement lv2
* All affinity resistance enhancement lv2
* Limit breaker lv0
Active skills:
* Stealth lv1
* Connect lv9
* Hidden mind lv7
* Calculate lv4
* Meditation lv4
* Cycling lv0
* Marksmanship lv0
* Speed reading lv3
* Material user lv4
* Destruction lv4
* Swimming lv1
Blessings:
* Myriad’s Blessing
* Anailia’s Blessing
* Helori’s Blessing
* Galwax’s Blessing
* Elvat’s mana regeneration Blessing
Trials:
* Trial of Anailia and Tolona
* Trial of the Dead God
He briefly took out his card to see the changes and felt himself swoon with how awakening the skill boosted his attributes, even if it was only by twelve and a half percent. He was definitely getting to the point where it was less significant, but even then it wasn’t like that mattered. It was just that the major bonus of awakening a skill was turning into a minor one, but even if he somehow managed to awaken a dozen skills he’d take every little bit he could get. First though he needed to see if the adventurer job would act the way he thought it would.
It was a job that gained experience from killing monsters after all, with more given depending on how powerful the creature killed was. A single leviathan was enough to let a party of six complete all of theirs, and though they weren’t technically monsters, nobody could deny a god was powerful. Combined with the fact that they were trapped within creatures that always gave experience when killed regardless of the job and there was the potential for plenty to be gained as he walked up to the next, seeing it try to say something but stabbing it before it could get a word out as his newly awakened skill showed him exactly where to hit.
A small part of him acknowledged other aspects that king of sacrilege seemed to change for him. There was no denying that it was significantly easier for him to kill this one than the last, the knife slicing into it like butter, but there was also what he was seeing as a whole. Before, sacrilege was like an instinct pointing him to what he should do to cause harm, but now it was as if the forbidden gods and the other three they’d come with had lit up before him, with pinpointed areas highlighted to show how to cause the most harm. Beyond that was what he’d already noticed, looking into the crowd, each of the people he and Myriad had talked to were visibly different to him as well, with the strongest change amongst them coming from those who looked the most devastated to see their gods die.
All of that was interesting and something to be explored later, but no more than a mental footnote in the face of what he might achieve.
Holy crap, Give it to me straight Myriad, what do you think the odds are?
Will do.
He tossed the job crystal back to Thera so she could take a new one. There was no way for him to keep sharing the experience as much as he wanted to unless she wanted to kill one herself, and from the look of it, she wasn’t interested.
Of course, given what Myriad said, that's probably for the best. Anailia seems pretty cool with it but that doesn’t mean every god’s going to be thrilled about a mortal doing something like this.
Still, they’d agreed to it so he wasn’t too concerned, even if they only had because they hadn’t believed he could. Even if some of them knew he had the sacrilege skill, none of them had known just how high he’d had it, and combined with the others in his possession it had made making the current enchantment on his knife easy.
Man, now that I think about it, no wonder some of them are uncomfortable. I wonder if a mortal has ever made a weapon that could do this?
A thought for later. He made his way to the next forbidden god, everything about him that made him divine was locked away as fear filled his eyes.
“Wait, don’t!” He yelled as he begged. “I raised up the afri, I slayed Zurtoro, I’ve survived so much, you can’t do this to-”
His words were cut short as Ben did exactly that, replacing his soul crystal as the notifications of a complete job filled his head.
Huh, I thought it might at least take two, I wonder how much potential experience is just being lost to the void after each kill? A shame I can’t just stock it up and apply it to as many jobs as I can fill, but then at that point I might actually run out of jobs if I could.
He took the crystal back from Thera, seeing another complicated expression cross her face that he was fairly sure had nothing to do with the violent activities he was currently engaged in but resolved to talk about it later.
As he looked through the jobs he had left to choose from he was disappointed to see there wasn’t a new heretic variant he could take, meaning he didn’t have any other option that would gain experience from killing them, just whatever came from the demons they were forced into. While high tank sounded like it might do the job, if it was anything like the original tank job then he already knew it only gained experience defensively, one dedicated to drawing fire and taking hits. It was only as he was about to select master craftsman that he considered one more option. One single choice he knew nothing about that could potentially gain the experience he wanted from the act, even as his god caught on to his thoughts and cried out.
Relax Myriad, if it doesn’t let me finish the job then I’ll just waste whatever experience I gain killing this next one and change it. Besides, even if it does, my single demonic skill has no level so it can’t grow, there’s nothing to worry about.
He went up to the second last one who had gone all but catatonic, unable to accept the reality of the situation that not only was he about to die, but by the hands of a mortal no less. If he’d had the self-awareness he might have viewed it as penance for letting the entirety of his people die, but for one so centered on continuing his own existence without a second thought, those he had abandoned in the past hadn’t crossed his mind, in the same way they hadn’t for the past few centuries as Ben stabbed into him, watching the soul crystal glow.
He felt a small shudder run through his body he took to be Myriad dealing with the last notification as he let out a small cough.
I uh, I haven’t heard that notification before.
Ahem, yeah I’ll do that.
He could already tell he was in for an earful later and even he had to admit it was probably well deserved given that he’d taken both jobs his god had specifically asked him not to go for, as well as the advanced variant of one of them. He didn’t regret it for a second, all of the bonuses he’d managed to gain in a single day would be incredible for both his growth as well as keeping him alive if disaster ever struck again, but for Myriad’s sake he could only hope there wouldn’t be a new job to tempt him when he checked the crystal, and to his minor disappointment there wasn’t.
“Well well well, it was a bit of a stranger path to get here than I’d ever thought, but I guess I’m taking master craftsman.”
Oh, a new knowledge skill, score!
He felt everything he knew about materials solidify in his mind, as it did with any knowledge skill he gained, but this felt more significant than any of the ones he did in the past, if only for the sheer volume he knew. A part of him couldn’t help but question the fact that he’d gained it at a level higher than his current plant knowledge but brushed that away. He was aware of the basic rules of the universe's chemistry thanks to his lessons with Quilith, though his knowledge of its biology was lacking and he assumed that was what made the difference.
Still, gaining it was exciting for him, he’d have to take the time to really plunge into the books he owned on the topic he had yet to touch, but that would be for once he returned to Stonewall, a goal that seemed like it would be delayed yet again.
“Well, just the one left,” He said, giving Quox a smile that the god found to be more horrifying than any demon or evil god could ever be. It was a smile that spoke of just how close Ben was to achieving the third tier, hopefully only needing the death of this god to awaken him beyond the limit of mortals. “Just want you to know that while the others were completely impersonal, even if they did help screw over the world I’m stuck on, you decided to insult my buddy on top of all of that so this might hurt a little more than the others dealt with.”
“Wait, stop, please!” He cried out through the mouth of a demon, turning to Anailia for mercy when he saw he’d gain none from Ben. “A blessing, a skill, anything! I have the strength, surely there’s someone you’d want to have it! Please just spare me!”
He’d thought there was a chance that he’d have been able to escape as the gods dragged them to their execution, still trapped in the uncomfortable body of a demon, but at the very least alive, and with the potential to even use it to slip in among the invasion when it started so long as he could avoid the heavens wrathful gaze, but failing that he’d always planned to bargain for his life like this. Giving either to someone who wasn’t his believer wouldn’t be easy, it would burn a ridiculous amount of faith, but it was all he could offer, even if he could only do it once and given what they were all preparing for, strengthening anyone who could be useful would be an asset.
It was the reaction to the offer that gave him the glimmer of hope he needed as Anailia raised a hand, calling Ben to stop.
“What sort of skill are you offering?”
“An attribute enhancement!” He was quick to say, trying to show his worth. “They match my nature as a god perfectly! Just say the word and I’ll do it!”
She stared him in the eyes, seeing the desperation there before turning away, giving him the briefest moment of panic before she spoke again.
“Thera, come along child, I can’t think of anyone who would benefit from a skill like that as much as you would. Your mana regeneration rate is far too low compared to how much you have so that will be the one you get enhanced.”
The forbidden god silently cheered, though Thera seemed less sure. “Anailia, it’s not that I don’t appreciate it but I really think it would be better if he died all things considered.”
At that Quox screamed. “OH JUST TAKE IT YOU-” His tone only lowered as he felt Ben’s knife on his throat. “Silly girl. No need to turn down something so helpful. Trust your goddess.”
“This is the right choice child,” Anailia told her. “Just place a hand on him. If he tries anything I’ll have his soul destroyed before he can ever make such an error again.”
A terrifying thought for the final forbidden god, with Quox not sure how equipped she was to carry it out. He simply didn’t care enough about the other gods to learn about them in detail, but he was doing this for his survival, he would take it seriously.
Thera’s hand on his head, he felt the bindings on him that were restricting his power loosen. Not enough to do anything major, all he could do was what he offered.
Anailia watched the entire time, commenting as he began. “Is that really all you’re going to put into the blessing? I can see you have far more faith to use than that.”
“But-”
“No buts. All of it. Every drop of your ill-gotten faith that isn’t going towards giving her the skill.”
He didn’t want to. He didn’t want to give everything he had when he’d worked so hard over the last few centuries to get it, but even if it would leave him almost powerless, having to scavenge whatever stray bits existed in the world without going to a specific host, he’d at least be alive for a little while longer, and it wasn’t like it was impossible that the world he found himself on would win after all. It was better than dying on the spot so he did as he was told.
Anailia smiled as she heard the notifications go off in Thera’s mind before turning back to Ben. “Alright, you can finish him now.”
“WHAT? THAT WASN’T-”
He never got to air out his complaints in the end as Ben's blade stabbed into him, his final crystal lighting up with the souls it absorbed.
Even if she understood why it happened, it left Thera feeling conflicted to have taken something from a god under false pretenses, but her own wrapped her in her arms.
“Given what those fools did this is better than any of them deserve, and now more than ever it’s important to get any bit of strength you can Thera. On that note, it’s unfortunate child of Myriad, but it looks like you won’t becoming a god any time soon,” She told him with a small chuckle that he returned with a shrug.
“Ah, I knew getting to the third tier wasn’t a guarantee, I’m just happy to have awakened another skill and gotten some levels and bonuses. All in all, this worked out about as well as it could have,” He said, giving a happy laugh as he did and feeling exceptionally good about how that had all worked out for him in the end. It wasn’t the power he’d hoped he could achieve by getting to the third tier, but it was a lot while also giving him plenty of room to grow.
It was only as Thera gave him a confused look as he was lost in his thoughts, grabbing his face and bringing it to hers, seeming as if she was staring into him that he left his inner world.
“Thera, not that I don’t love the passion but we definitely have an audience here, not to mention all the gods watching us,” He teased as he wrapped his arms around her. “Maybe we should wait for a bit of privacy.”
She for her part ignored it, having something far more important to focus on as she spoke up.
“Ben, your eyes have turned violet.”