Chapter 60

A massive crowd gathered at the plaza of the capital of the Ansellus Kingdom.

The streets were packed with people, and on the main roads, lines of people stretched all the way to the castle walls.

They were all kneeling, facing one direction and praying.

That direction was the plaza in front of the royal palace.

And right there… it’s where I died.

There stood Dakota, now a grown woman, wearing an extravagantly flowing outfit. She held up a piece of old cloth containing contract inscriptions.

It looked ancient, like some kind of relic. But how could that be?

Dakota began reading aloud: “The Outsider asks you this…”

“Will you give me to you? In return, when you’ve completed everything, I’ll take all you possess. How does that sound?”

The followers of the Outsider rejoiced and prayed in agreement.

Thus, they accepted. Their skin turned pale, their hair became purple. For a select few with fatal injuries or illnesses, their skin turned bluish.

Yeah, you guessed it.

Right now, I’m submerged beneath the surface, forming contracts with people.

I never expected to form contracts with over ten thousand people at once, but it worked.

And any doubts I had about splitting myself too thin among so many disappeared.

Even after surpassing ten thousand, I felt no lack of energy. There was no sensation of being even slightly drained or reaching my limit.

So, mission accomplished.

I’ll try experimenting with even larger numbers later.

With such a vast sample size, I figured out the criteria for gaining abilities.

If someone has a strong desire that can’t be resolved by physical improvements alone, they’re more likely to gain a special ability.

However, I still don’t fully understand how those desires translate into specific abilities.

Wide’s case was straightforward.

He wanted to stand out from others, combined with an ambition to reach the highest position. Maybe because fire represents immense power, Wide gained control over powerful flames.

What about Tisah?

He wanted to escape his organization. Normally, he’d gain incredible speed, right? Instead, he got regeneration powers—recovering instantly from severed limbs or arrows piercing his eyes.

There’s some mysterious gap between desires and granted abilities.

But I’ll figure that out eventually.

The important thing is… we’ve created countless Harvesters.

And now we have a mass-production plan.

The path for humans blessed with power is singular:

As expected, the Outsider Faith spread explosively. During this time, Rebecca did something intriguing.

She established a holy site.

In the Outsider Faith, there’s only one true holy site—the place where I was executed.

Rebecca stationed herself there, giving blessings to visitors and having them sign a guestbook with their own names. She also gave them a small piece of cloth as proof.

At first, I didn’t understand the significance.

But months later, it became clear. The effects were right before my eyes.

Every follower of the Outsider Faith aims to visit the holy site, receive a blessing, sign the guestbook, and then return home with their proof.

Yes, Rebecca methodically turned this into a pilgrimage system.

This attracted an enormous number of people to the Outsider Faith headquarters.

Traveling long distances is arduous, especially in this era with poorly maintained roads and limited transportation. It’s practically risking your life.

But upon arrival, they’d instantly heal all wounds and even gain strength through blessings. Of course, everyone from every corner came here, gritting their teeth.

Movement of people means movement of wealth.

Goods flowed into the Outsider Faith headquarters, and a massive market formed in the capital of the Ansellus Kingdom.

The kingdom began to prosper.

As the number of people with purple hair spread like locusts, the Seongsin Church fiercely condemned the Outsider Faith.

They claimed that those who sell themselves will have nothing after death, no matter how well they live now.

From beneath the surface, I offered a somewhat indirect rebuttal.

Don’t I just leave the soul intact?

Sure, it turns black when I touch it, and if I drain its warmth, it collapses like a deflated balloon. But it remains. Won’t it revive someday?

Honestly, whether it revives or not, I don’t care once I’ve gained the warmth.

Anyway, the Seongsin Church declared war, claiming it was for humanity’s sake.

Although the Outsider Faith outnumbered the Seongsin Church, the ratio was barely 5:5.

But royal families across nations traditionally followed the Seongsin Church. Looking only at the nobility, the ratio was closer to 1:9.

In other words, this was the last chance for the Seongsin Church to defeat the Outsider Faith, as far as I could see.

The Seongsin Church rallied kingdoms under its banner and invaded the Ansellus Kingdom.

However, even before reaching the Ansellus Kingdom, their forces began to falter.

Because while the upper echelons were mostly Seongsin followers, the lower ranks were predominantly Outsider believers. Even if you had elite knights or massacre-capable wizards, without supporting soldiers, their effectiveness dwindled rapidly.

Seongsin-believing individuals who also followed the Outsider Faith…

Especially those with purple hair, who despite possessing superior abilities, were treated poorly in Seongsin society.

They initially tried hard to persuade their superiors.

But when ignored, they started deserting one by one.

When forcibly restrained with violence, they retaliated fiercely.

Even the strongest knight, capable of killing an Outsider believer effortlessly in one-on-one combat, struggles against multiple empowered individuals in chaotic situations. It’s nearly impossible.

Even before reaching the Ansellus Kingdom, their army began shrinking.

Though not entirely gone—maybe down by half?

Despite the losses, they still had plenty of elite soldiers filled with faith in the Seongsin deity.

For me, this war meant harvesting countless amounts of warmth, which made me happy. But it was clear the Outsider Faith was in some danger.

Not everyone with abilities is suited for killing.

Some miners gained the ability to see in complete darkness.

Others, who cared for livestock, gained the ability to communicate with animals.

The Future Hope Church tended to produce more aggressive abilities due to their environment.

The roots of the Outsider Faith lie in the lower classes—people unfamiliar with strategy or tactics, whose only experience with fighting comes from street brawls.

Even with large numbers, they’re ill-prepared for war. I know that fear can cause entire groups to scatter.

Even with great numbers, they could lose.

So, I resigned myself to watching the war unfold, hoping to gain lots of warmth.

And as expected, countless warmth came my way. So much blood flowed it seemed like rivers.

Yet strangely, almost no one fled the battlefield. Despite the chaos and terror, they stayed.

I never ordered them to fight to the death. I don’t manipulate minds unless sending memories of Yasle.

Through their eyes, I observed, but I couldn’t understand their thoughts.

I gain memories only at the moment of contact with light. When someone becomes a Harvester, I obtain their memories upon contact. If they die while still a Harvester, I only gain warmth, as I already received their memories earlier.

Even without new memories, I continue observing through their perspective after initial contact.

So, while observation continues, memory is different.

Memories are cleaner but often lack detail. Like the warmth of sunlight during a special moment or unique scents and textures.

Harvesters provide more information overall. Though their thoughts remain unclear, requiring me to infer based on physical reactions.

Thus, I couldn’t grasp why they chose to fight and die for the Seongsin Church despite their evident fear.

Regardless, I’m happy as long as I gain warmth from their deaths.

Now that we can replicate Harvesters, even losing wouldn’t be a problem.

No, wait.

It can’t end this way—not until Xungkesuni gets what’s coming to her.

What should I do? Is there a way?

Should I edit the memories of skilled martial artists and send them?

No, that takes too much time.

During the war, I carefully studied the Harvesters.

Unlike before, when I realized Harvesters could be created even without my presence, this time it felt different.

In the midst of this deadlock…

The Seongsin army arrived at the Outsider Faith headquarters.

They fought fiercely. Many Harvesters died, as did numerous Seongsin followers.

What shocked me most was Rebecca.

Curious about her background, I learned she’s quite strong. At least strong enough to survive encounters with individuals or groups.

In the middle of the battlefield…

Suddenly, Rebecca stepped forward. A flash of lightning emanated from her chest, forming a glowing sphere.

Before my summoning, I had created a heart resembling the one I used to steal warmth through explosions. Apparently, it evolved into something more advanced.

When the sphere glowed, nearby armor and weapons floated around her, disintegrating into dust.

What happens when flesh and bone enter that spinning metal grinder?

They get shredded.

She moved like a living meat grinder, pulverizing everyone in her path.

But human strength has limits.

Soon, a force overwhelmed her personal power. It wasn’t magic—though magic would surely kill her, she skillfully dodged each attack.

A massive pillar of light descended from the sky.

Everyone within its radius, Harvesters included, melted away.

Yes, every single Harvester, even those fighting for the Seongsin side, vanished.

But everyone present understood the meaning.

The Seongsin deity had intervened.

I thought the Outsider Faith was doomed.

How could anyone defeat a god capable of orbital strikes?

But amidst the fading light…

Rebecca remained unharmed, smiling even.

She turned and walked back to the Outsider Faith followers.

When asked why she smiled, she announced that the Seongsin deity had burned one of its own chosen ones.

The Seongsin side cheered, thinking they’d done well.

I agreed—they had indeed done something beneficial for their cause.

While observing Rebecca’s intentions, the situation took an unexpected turn.

Since the light indiscriminately consumed both friend and foe, it became evidence of the Seongsin deity’s hypocrisy.

The narrative shifted.

“From the start, the Seongsin Church has been a religion serving the privileged.”

This message spread quickly. Everyone outside the privileged class turned against them.

Realizing they were never truly accepted, former allies of the Seongsin Church betrayed the nobility and royalty.

Chaos erupted.

The Seongsin-assembled army was on the verge of conquering the Outsider Faith headquarters.

But due to this incident, the Seongsin Church collapsed.

Not only the Outsider Faith, but other religions and even atheists joined the revolt. The Seongsin Church became seen as a narrow-minded religion unworthy of belief.

In short, the Seongsin Church utterly fell in this war.

With just one person’s words, the Outsider Faith not only won the battle but also secured its status as a universal religion.

That day marked the practical end of the Seongsin Church.

Its surviving members fled, while the Outsider Faith celebrated their victory.

Immediately after the war, before post-war recovery was complete…

Rebecca, treated as a divine incarnation, declared a witch hunt.

This sparked a festival.

The content of the festival?

Tormenting the witch Xungkesuni for joy.

Everyone participated happily.

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