Chapter 146

“Well, then, who should we start with?”

Shamash looked around at the other children and said.

“Let’s start with the easier ones first. Hmm….”

“I’ll go last.”

Sagarmatha replied calmly.

“Hmm. What kind of test did you bring?”

“That’s a secret. We all agreed to keep it secret, didn’t we?”

Hmm… Is the content of the test a secret even from each other? I’m curious about what kind of test will come up.

“I don’t have an easy one either… Then I’ll take the one before Sagarmatha.”

“Alright. So Sagarmatha is sixth, Tethys is fifth. But mine isn’t that easy either…”

What? Did everyone bring difficult ones?

At the children’s words, Baal’s face became slightly tense. Since everyone said their tests weren’t easy, it’s only natural he’d feel tense.

“I don’t really have anything coming to mind, so I brought something simple. Should I go first?”

“Alright. Then Ifrit goes first. But what kind of test did you bring?”

At Shamash’s question, Ifrit hesitated slightly before speaking.

“There are quite a few gods roaming around my desert area. I want you to subdue them properly and bring peace.”

Hmm. That’s quite a simple test.

“But were there really that many gods around Ifrit?”

“Because it’s an endlessly harsh environment for humans, many gods born from fear exist. Occasionally, I got annoyed and tried to beat them up, but they disappeared whenever I moved.”

At Ifrit’s words, Shamash responded with a look of understanding.

“That? The faint sensation you get when a stronger god moves? You feel it when Mom moves, right?”

“Eh… Hmm… Was there such a thing? I don’t really know.”

“Really? Could it be only I felt it? What about the others?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Don’t know.”

“Shamash isn’t the only one, right?”

As the children spoke, Shamash’s face turned into one of confusion.

“So only I could feel that… Thanks to this sensation, I could easily sense Mom’s location.”

“Wow, that’s unfair.”

“Why do you have such a special ability?”

Hmm… The conversation is going off-topic.

“Alright, everyone, calm down. The story isn’t progressing.”

At my words, the slightly restless atmosphere settled down. Good. I subtly signaled to Ifrit to continue.

“Anyway, subdue all the gods in the desert and come back. That’s the test I’m giving.”

Truly, Ifrit’s test is very simple.

Upon hearing the contents of the test, Baal proudly declared,

“If it’s that kind of test, I can definitely do it!”

Baal, full of confidence.

Hmm… I don’t know what kind of gods these desert gods are, but compared to the sky gods, their deity status must be weaker…

Well, it should be fine. Even though he looks like that, he is still a sky god.

“Ah, by the way! Mom helping is prohibited! Do you understand?”

Oh… I was planning to help if things got tough.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Heroes overcome divine trials and grasp glory.

Frequent stories in mythology. Gods test heroes, and heroes overcome those tests.

Attempts to find the archetype of such stories have been ceaseless.

Some called the hero among heroes, Rychlen, the archetype of that myth, while others claimed the story of the warrior chosen by the Goddess of Life as its origin.

In the midst of this, a stone tablet was excavated from the deep sea.

Originally a clay tablet, it had turned to stone due to high heat and pressure. The inscription on the stone tablet read:

“The one who overcomes the trials of the seven gods shall possess this world.”

That was the content.

The discovery of the stone tablet sparked heated debates among countless theologians and historians.

Which gods are the seven gods? What are the trials given by these gods? And what does possessing this world mean?

The gods of the Divine Hall, who might know the answer, maintained silence.

As if to say they couldn’t reveal the answer.

Thus, the answer to the phrase on the stone tablet remained undisclosed, and the existence of the stone tablet itself was buried in the depths of memory.

Around the time my close friend came to me with another fragment of the stone tablet.

The small fragment carried by my very anxious friend, which he claimed no one else had seen.

The inscription on that tiny fragment read:

“The king of the gods. His name is Baal.”

It was an incomprehensible inscription.

Is there a king among the gods? Among the gods who existed as supreme beings, was there a king above them? If there was, wasn’t the goddess known as the god among gods, the Goddess of Life, but someone else was the king?

I didn’t know. Baal was a name I had never heard before.

After showing me the fragment of the stone tablet, my friend left somewhere with a very uneasy gait.

And I never met him again, nor heard any news of him. He probably perished somewhere.

Moving past my friend’s story.

If, really if, the god known as the king of the gods, Baal, truly existed.

Why did the god called the king of the gods disappear?

Why do the gods not mention such an existence?

Why were we unaware of this god?

I don’t know. I knew nothing.

Perhaps this name was one that shouldn’t be revealed. Perhaps it was a name buried in history by the gods of the time.

Perhaps it was a name that should never be spoken. A name that shouldn’t be uttered.

From the moment I thought that, I fell into fear.

I felt as if someone was watching me. I began to distrust the people around me.

Everything led to distrust.

Did my friend also reach such a conclusion? Was that why he was so anxious?

Struggling in the fear that climbed up my spine, I decided to record the information I gathered about Baal in this research notebook, destroy all other clues, and seal the memories within the notebook.

So that I would never see this name again. So that no one would fall into danger because of this name.

When the gods lose interest in humans, when faith weakens.

After that time comes, may this research notebook reach someone searching for the truth, with a faint hope.

May the truth that cannot be known now be passed down to the future.

– From the research notes of a certain historian.

This research note never fell into human hands.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“O gods of the desert! The sky god who will become your king has arrived!”

Near the desert, influenced by the beastmen’s activities, young desert gods with animal heads fiercely resisted Baal’s arrogant declaration of war, and the battle between the sky god and the desert gods continued for several days.

Naturally, the result was Baal’s victory.

Whether it was gods born from scorching heat or gods of flowing sand, none of the gods born from various parts of nature could defeat Baal, who was born from the sky itself.

Facing the immense powers pouring down from the sky, the desert gods had no choice but to kneel.

Well, naturally so. Since Baal, born from the sky itself, possessed the greatest power among newly born gods.

All the faith of those who yearn for the sky flowed into Baal. It was only natural.

The gods born from the fear caused by the harsh environment of the desert could not possibly defeat Baal.

“The first trial was smoothly cleared!”

“Hmm. Now it will finally be quiet around here.”

Ifrit, was the purpose of the trial not the trial itself but to quiet the surroundings?

Well, it doesn’t matter. Subduing numerous gods was enough to show Baal’s power.

“Then next… Either Sylphid or Yggdrasil. Who wants to go first?”

“I will! I’ll go first!”

Sylphid confidently declared.

“Just letting you know! My trial won’t be easy!”

Ho ho. For Sylphid to speak so confidently, I’m curious about what kind of trial it is.

“My trial is! A race with me! From the eastern end to the western end of this continent! Flying fast! A one-on-one race!”

There was a reason for her confidence.

“Also! Teleportation is forbidden! You must race using only your avatar form! Those are the conditions!”

Sylphid, under those conditions, there aren’t many gods who can beat your speed, right?

There was only the possibility that Shamash could transform his avatar into light and shoot off… Hmm… But teleportation is forbidden too.

That’s utterly lacking in conscience.

“What? Let’s try it!!”

Surprisingly, Baal boldly challenged Sylphid’s test.

“Baal. Sylphid’s speed isn’t ordinary. Are you sure it’s alright?”

“I also! There’s no way I’ll lose under this sky! It’s fine! I can do it!!”

Ugh… I hope it goes well…

These conditions clearly lack conscience. Hmm…

Should I just lend a hand a little?