Chapter 41

[You know what? Freya’s name originally meant ‘Sparkle’?]

First, I dragged everyone inside the Academy grounds.

They had the skill to follow me around like kindergarten kids, trailing behind me.

At least they weren’t being loud.

Should I give them a gold star or something?

“…What’s all this?”

That’s when it happened.

Miho, who had been lazily lying around inside, quietly came out and growled at the group of gods huddled together.

The gods, startled by her energy, started scrambling around in chaos.

Hmm. This is awkward.

They all look like little kids, so it doesn’t feel like she’s threatening gods—more like she’s just bullying children.

I waved my hand to call Miho off.

I already know about her obsessive tendencies, but that’s not the point here.

Only then did I turn to look at the little gods.

“Hey.”

At my words, gasps of “Hik,” “Hek,” and “Hueok” echoed from all around.

They’re not *actually* kids, though.

Wait, no—if you think about it, they’re basically newborns in terms of when they were born.

Reminding myself of that, I pushed down the rising frustration and decided to be generous.

“Kids.”

Maybe because my voice softened, the gods looked at me more comfortably.

They all looked different.

Except for the common trait of being either cute or beautiful, they each had distinct personalities.

I’m not sure how to categorize them.

Let’s start with the usual line.

“Do you all have names?”

“……”

The little gods shook their heads, looking confused.

Odin quickly whispered something, but unfortunately, none of the gods seemed to understand him.

Alright. So they don’t have names.

Guess it’s my turn again.

First, I picked out five candidates from the front row.

Starting from the far left.

“You’re pretty, so you’re Sparkle.”

“Sparkle…?”

“What? You don’t like it?”

“……”

Sparkle smiled brightly, seemingly satisfied with the name I gave her.

Through a few experiences, I’ve figured out the trick to giving good names.

It’s about identifying their characteristics and giving them a fitting name.

Hmm. I’ve mastered it.

Maybe I’ve reached expert level by now.

Well, not quite. Haha.

After moving Sparkle aside, I brought the next kid forward.

Let’s see. This one looks sneaky for some reason…

As I was pondering, the kid in front suddenly raised his hand urgently and shouted.

“Lo, Loki! My name’s Loki!”

“…Loki?”

For a moment, I was lost in thought at the familiar name.

Isn’t Loki Thor’s brother?

Wait, no. That’s just the movie version. I’ve heard that in actual mythology, Loki is Odin’s friend.

But if Loki’s here, does that mean Ragnarok will happen too?

Can it even happen with me around?

I’m curious.

Once I started thinking about Norse mythology, the thoughts just kept coming.

I only read a few books as a kid, but it was enough to briefly reminisce about myths.

And then I realized none of that matters anymore.

It’s all just recorded stories, after all.

This is reality.

Reality is a process of standing up against uncertainty every moment.

There’s no room to worry about things that haven’t happened yet or futures we can’t touch.

Though it’s fun to think about sometimes.

“Alright, Loki. Move to the right. Next.”

And like that, within 15 minutes, I named and categorized all the gods.

*

“Is there a reason you categorized them like this?”

After I divided them into Norse and Greek teams, Belva asked, puzzled.

This world doesn’t have Norse or Greek mythology, after all.

But it seems fate is a thing.

Even without any special measures, the gods naturally moved to the mythologies that suited them.

Zeus and 14 other gods.

Odin and 8 others.

And beyond that, I knew all sorts of gods were awakening and being born out there.

But I couldn’t manage every single one.

The blood and flesh of the giants covering the Jungle Area, Volcanic Region, and Canyon Area alone spanned over 65 million square kilometers.

Even as a Watcher, I couldn’t track and handle every movement across such a vast area.

I’ll gather the rest later.

For now, this is it.

I called over the gods, who were huddled together, full of wariness.

“Attention.”

At that, a chorus of gasps and murmurs broke out.

I sighed softly and lowered my voice kindly.

“Alright. From now on, you’ll follow Miho and learn survival and hunting skills for about a week.”

“Me?!”

I have no intention of spending my time on these little gods.

I smiled at Miho, who looked startled, and asked again.

“Should I do it instead?”

“……”

Miho fumbled with her words for a moment, then finally gave up and nodded.

This is your chance to fix your personality too.

Even now, Miho glares at Zeus whenever she sees him, as if saying, “How dare you cling to me?”

She’s got serious possessiveness and obsession.

If this were Earth, she might’ve caused a major incident with that kind of personality.

I sent all the gods off with Miho and surveyed the area.

Where should I drop them so they won’t be a bother?

Since they all have Divine Power, it doesn’t really matter if I drop them in the Volcanic Region or Ice Field.

But I’d still prefer to send them somewhere they can survive easily.

Guess I’ll have to go on another exploration trip soon.

Maybe I’ll find a livable place along the way.

I’ve been…

The area I’ve explored probably doesn’t even exceed 5% of the entire dimension, even if I’m being generous.

It’s that vast.

It’s as if countless worlds are still clumped together, not yet divided.

That’s why there are still so many places I haven’t been to, and it’s chaotic with unknown dangers.

But now, I’m certain.

There’s no life form in this land that can kill me.

It’s a kind of arrogance-like confidence.

“Oh.”

After flying for about a day, I discovered a new terrain.

An area entirely purple.

There, I saw something like a giant worm stretching its head towards me and roaring.

The nine-headed worm’s body was surrounded by a dark red glow.

Divine Power.

The stronger I become, the more this world evolves viciously, as if learning from me.

But didn’t I confirm it last time?

My growth rate surpasses the dimension, the world.

By a large margin.

Once an opportunity is missed, it will take much more planning and effort to kill me.

Crunch-

Falling down, I shattered and swallowed the surrounding glow.

.

.

.

Ten years have passed.

“This feels really weird…”

“Bear with it. It’s good.”

On Belva’s back, wings made of a black, sticky substance have now sprouted.

It was the result of receiving my Divine Power.

Applying the principle of blessings I experienced long ago, I was able to grant my Divine Power to Belva, who had lost hers.

Honestly, I thought it wouldn’t work, but it seems I was wrong. Belva accepted the Divine Power as if it were her own.

It makes me think that the Watcher race might have been designed to accept divinity.

Or perhaps there was some change from living with me.

Whatever it is, it’s a good result.

I congratulated Belva on regaining her power.

And I told her.

Now is the time.

Belva nodded at my words and quietly closed her eyes.

The black, mucus-like wings trembled for a moment, then disappeared into the air as if melting away.

Blink.

Belva opened her eyes again.

The black eye that appeared in the sky also opened.

A black tear streamed down Belva’s face.

It seemed to be the price for using a power that didn’t match the nature of Divine Power.

Originally, the Watcher’s gaze didn’t have such a creepy pupil, and there were no usage restrictions.

I spoke to Belva, who looked a bit distressed.

“Let’s just check quickly.”

For the past ten years, I’ve only pursued the elevation of divinity and realm.

I didn’t pay attention to the children.

Since I didn’t visit the Academy often, the grown children left to find their own places, and now it’s hard to even know where they are.

By the way, I’ve made peace with Noah.

At some point, he came to me crying, saying he was hungry.

That was already 9 years ago.

We’ve been getting along well, but he suddenly went for a promotion and we lost contact 4 years ago.

Considering the time ratio between here and there, it’s been over 50 years for his promotion.

Belva said it’s rare to see a Watcher with so little talent.

Anyway, I cheered for Noah’s promotion.

Still, in situations like this, it would have been easier if Noah were here.

“Found it!”

At Belva’s shout, shedding black tears, I also opened my eyes.

Below, dozens of Sanctuaries, each covered with their own Divine Power, revealed distinct colors like oil paints on a canvas.

Everywhere I looked, it was the same.

Everywhere was the Sanctuary of some myth.

Miho’s Mountains and Seas. Zeus’s Olympus. Odin’s Asgard.

Even countless gods I hadn’t seen yet were forming groups, ready to start an era.

I saw Odin’s spear piercing a giant’s head.

I saw the Nine-Tailed Fox’s flames burning a giant snake to death.

I saw Zeus’s lightning obliterating a cyclops.

Gods celebrating victory and gods vowing revenge.

A tall golden tree.

A giant river crossing the world.

A land of eternal fire and ice.

Life was born from the group, and the born life formed a civilization.

I looked at the civilization filled only with gods and myths, and muttered softly.

“…We’re screwed.”

It’s too early.

I never imagined it would develop this quickly.

Crack, crackle! Crackle─!

The moment I realized it, the veil surrounding the dimension shattered like a lie and fell down.

“Ah…”

Belva let out a sigh.

I blankly looked up.

Through the gaping sky, stars from an outer dimension I had never seen before swayed as if they were about to pour down.

And then, a round Milky Way began to approach this side.

For some reason, I felt like vomiting.

An unfathomable depth. A body out of control, shaking.

I glared at it.

It didn’t take long to realize that it was the “pupil” of something.

[The Lucky Star is here.]