Chapter 131

Having fixed Ragnarok, I trained with Rize over the remaining weekend to adapt.

The newly transformed Ragnarok was too large to be called a one-handed axe, yet slightly inadequate for a two-handed axe.

Its form was almost multipurpose, requiring me to learn various skills, especially regarding the use of power.

“You need to use not just your arm strength but your back muscles as well. Let me help you.”

Luna taught me how to build muscle while I showed her how to use it delicately.

Living in the forest, I had used all my muscles, but I didn’t know how to move them finely.

Rize was a huge help in explaining this to me. However, muscles weren’t the most important thing.

“Are you talking about how to use Divine Power?”

“Yep.”

Exactly, it was Divine Power. I asked Rize to teach me how to use it.

I must have heard about Chaos’s Divine Power enough times for it to stick. It mostly involves quite a bit of trickery.

But aside from that, I had no clue how to actually use Divine Power. I realized just recently.

‘I figured it out in the Soul World, but not here.’

If I had been chosen by Chaos in the game, I could use Divine Power. But that wasn’t the case for me.

I had no clue, aside from Gulrak’s thunder. I remembered seeing Rize split the sky yesterday.

‘Well, Divine Power is over 100 now. That should do it.’

The Divine Power I had been stacking up had surprisingly surpassed 100.

As I mentioned last time, it had long exceeded the minimum threshold. I had been so busy that I completely forgot about it.

Anyway, it was about time to use it in daily life and combat. That’s why I asked Rize for help.

Gulrak’s thunder meshed with my Red Magic and worked, but Chaos’s Divine Power was different.

“It’s simple. Just fervently pray to Chaos.”

“······That’s it?”

“Yep.”

But Rize’s explanation was incredibly sparse. Just fervently wishing for help from the universe? What was that even?

When I reacted with disbelief, Rize scratched her head, looking like she had nothing else to say.

“I know it sounds absurd. But as I mentioned before, Lord Chaos isn’t like other gods. If you want healing, you need medicine; if you want to strengthen abilities, you need personal training. Divine Power essentially is the limit of your potential.”

“And yesterday? You split the sky yesterday.”

The will of Chaos had resonated within Ragnarok.

Even though I partnered with Gulrak, it was Rize who shot Chaos’s will towards the heavens.

Could this only be possible if one became Gwonseong or a Saint? That would be a real hassle.

“Ah. About yesterday? That was possible because I fervently wished for it.”

“··· ···”

“You look confused. Let me ask you back. How do you control Gulrak’s thunder?”

“Hmmm······”

After hearing Rize’s explanation, I began to understand a bit. The thunder indeed manifested at my will.

Just like manipulating magic, there hadn’t been a specific spell or incantation required. Gaia probably works similarly.

It was so natural that I didn’t need much explanation. You just need to pray to Chaos.

“And verification?”

“What kind of verification are you talking about?”

“About your… reduced chest size.”

I pointed at Rize’s smaller chest. It seemed her Divine Power had recovered and grown a little bigger within a day.

Still, it was far from a full condition, looking more akin to what Luna had.

“Are you asking how to visibly verify Divine Power like my chest size is smaller?”

“Yeah.”

“That varies from person to person. My body has been blessed by Lord Chaos, so it’s like this. Everyone else will be different.”

What a vague and chaotic deity this was. However, it was highly probable that magic power equated to Divine Power.

There was no gauge related to Divine Power in the Soul World either. Only health, magic, and stamina were present.

Using Divine Power would naturally consume MP, so this seemed similar.

Rize was a unique case, hence her visible consumption of Divine Power.

‘It’s kind of like magic exhaustion, right?’

If all magic has been spent, one day isn’t enough to recover. It takes days to rest.

Even my physical exhaustion would keep me bedridden for days, so magic would surely be worse.

If it weren’t for Rize, she’d need time for recovery as most people would.

‘I, however…’

Just a day of proper rest charged me right up. If we strictly compare regeneration, I would be far superior to Rize.

I wasn’t sure if I should consider it regeneration, but it’s better than nothing.

What was crucial now was realizing how to use Chaos’s Divine Power.

“You don’t need to hurry. When the time comes, Lord Chaos will help you directly.”

“······Got it.”

“Ah. There is a way, though······”

“Really?”

Just as I was about to feel disappointed, Rize’s words caught my attention. There was a method? What could it be?

While I was filled with anticipation, she glanced around before walking somewhere.

Finally, she grabbed Ragnarok, which had been propped up in the corner. What was she planning to do with that?

“This weapon holds the will of Lord Chaos, so it’ll be easier to use. Now something interesting will happen.”

“··· ···”

This felt really uneasy. While holding Ragnarok, Rize smiled at me, and my unease grew.

Then, Rize approached me while holding Ragnarok and cautiously extended it towards me.

“Why not give it a try?”

Feeling a bit apprehensive, I took hold of Ragnarok as she requested. Nothing happened.

Of course, being Chaos’s believer, it made sense nothing would happen. I looked at Rize with a puzzled expression.

“Can you think some impure thoughts?”

“Impure thoughts?”

“Yeah. Thoughts that aren’t pure. Like how conmen are different on the outside than on the inside.”

“Hmmm······”

What could I think but curse Chaos? But that would be too easy.

As I pondered deeply, a sudden ‘brilliant’ thought crossed my mind.

‘I want to touch some boobs.’

I didn’t specify whose boobs. They all looked above average to me.

Even if it were Luna’s, I wouldn’t care. It’s only common sense for a guy to like that.

Thud—

“······?”

Nothing happened. Even touching Ragnarok felt fine.

Could it be that this isn’t impure enough? Just as I was inwardly panicking.

“As I mentioned again, impure thoughts relate significantly to deceit. Even if you harbor desires, if you express them openly, that’s pure.”

“··· ···”

“Yes. If you seduce someone with lies, they would hate it. But if you state, ‘I want to have sex with you’ outright, they might like it.”

“··· ···”

What kind of bizarre god thinks like that? I was so flabbergasted that I couldn’t even respond.

Zap!

“Ah!!”

As soon as I cursed Chaos inwardly, a weak spark erupted from Ragnarok.

Even I, familiar with lightning, felt an intense sting from that spark.

“Looks like you spoke a lie. Or maybe you cursed Lord Chaos.”

“······Yeah.”

“That’s basically how it works. This weapon carries the will of Lord Chaos, making it easier to discern. But it’s not perfect. Humans often deceive even themselves.”

This felt a bit like a magical conch shell. How did such a divine item end up receiving this treatment?

If Hector saw this, he would rue his actions deeply. Not only had he smashed it, but he also let another deity inhabit it.

While I was inwardly grumbling, Rize seemed to come up with a good idea.

“Oh! This opportunity could help us discern conmen too. Sivar brother?”

“?”

“Where’s that conman you made a contract with last week?”

Could she be referring to Jane? A week had passed since, so we needed to check out the workshop.

“We could both go and educate the Sivar brother and deal with the conman at once.”

“··· ···”

Jane isn’t a conman, she’s rather a genius among geniuses.

Rize had no clue about that, only thinking about ‘education’.

I preferred to avoid them meeting as much as possible, but someday they need to recognize each other.

Additionally, it would be good to clear up any misunderstandings, and I could invest more—so it’s not necessarily a bad idea.

“But she’s just an ordinary person?”

However, Jane is an ordinary person. Far removed from power and not interested in gods at all.

So, even before Ragnarok could discern the truth, the odds of lightning striking were high.

“If I’m holding it, we’ll be fine. I can control the will.”

If that’s the case, it should be okay. I nodded in agreement.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

“Lead the way.”

All good, but can’t we put Ragnarok down? It’s not in Gwonseong form but Saint form, yet the intimidation is no joke.

If Jane were truly a conman, wouldn’t I split her head open with that axe?

Though that would never happen, I still felt an odd sense of unease. This inexplicable anxiety wouldn’t easily dissipate.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

It was just when we were nearing the workshop where Jane stayed.

Despite being a rundown alley, the sound of vigorous hammering filled the air.

The source of the noise was none other than Jane’s workshop. Since it was an area with poor facilities even at the Academy, it must be Jane working alone.

“Is this the place?”

“Yep.”

Creak—

I opened the ungreased door and was met with even louder hammering.

Simultaneously, the intense heat hit my face. I frowned at the warmth for a moment but soon got used to it.

Bang! Thud! Thud!

Finally, I caught sight of Jane in her work outfit, hammering away.

I couldn’t tell what she was making, but I found her diligent work quite charming.

However, her glasses kept slipping due to the sweat, making it seem quite inconvenient to fix them.

“Phew······ Huh?”

Once she seemed to finish a round of work, Jane straightened up and wiped her sweat. Then our eyes met.

Jane, slightly startled by the sudden encounter, quickly flashed a bright smile and exclaimed.

“You’ve come! I was just finishing up! But······”

Maybe it was because I was in front of her, but she spoke confidently and assertively.

But when she noticed Rize standing beside me, her voice trailed off, and she adjusted her glasses slipping down from the sweat.

“Who is this? Your girlfriend, perhaps?”

“No.”

What made her think that? Jane nodded as if it didn’t matter in light of my firm denial.

In the meantime, Rize looked at Jane with intrigue and took a step forward.

It was just a step, yet she reached right in front of Jane’s face.

“So it’s you. The one who made a contract with Sivar brother.”

“Uh? Ah, yes, that’s correct······”

Jane barely mustered a response, having clearly shown visible signs of fluster.

Then Rize scanned her up and down, beaming a smile while extending Ragnarok toward her.

“Could I touch it for a moment?”

“Uh······Sure.”

Jane glanced apprehensively before daring to touch Ragnarok. Just as mentioned before, no lightning struck.

“What do you think?”

“This weapon is nothing ordinary. May I take a closer look?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s difficult. If someone else touches it, lightning might strike.”

Any regular person would give up immediately after hearing that.

However, Jane had her own unique personality. Upon hearing the explanation, her eyes sparkled, and she hurriedly spoke.

“Really? My curiosity has only increased. Please allow me just this once.”

“Alright······ Just don’t regret it.”

As Rize said this, she discreetly let go of Ragnarok’s handle.

If things went as planned, there would be a lightning strike, and Jane would be startled, just like Luna had.

“Um······ I’m fine?”

“Yeah?”

“Huh?”

Yet nothing happened. Ragnarok was still fine in Jane’s hands.

Though her strength seemed weak, making it difficult to hold with two hands, she was managing.

This meant one of two things: either Jane was a follower of Gulrak, or…

“Oh······! Ooooh!!”

She was favored by Chaos.

Rize must have realized it quickly too, showing heightened enthusiasm.

In a rare instance, her expression and voice were filled with excitement.

“Brother!”

“Y-Yeah?”

Rize placed her hand on Jane’s shoulder and exclaimed.

With that sudden motion, Jane’s glasses slipped down again. She looked adorably dumbfounded.

“To meet a lucky person here! I never imagined such a thing!”

“Uh······ Thanks? But, can I ask who you are?”

“··· ···”

This felt like it would lead to something catastrophic.

[Faith is increasing!]

Yep, this is definitely bad.

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