Chapter 82

Looking north from the Cheonma Church Main Hall, there’s a sheer cliff to the right.

And stretching north is a gently sloping road.

This place doesn’t seem super high in altitude, but since I can clearly see the distant forest to the north, it means the Cheonma Church Main Hall itself is pretty elevated.

About halfway between that forest and the entrance of the Cheonma Church Main Hall, there’s a house.

I walk along a weed-covered path.

There are stones crunching underfoot, so this must’ve been a busy route back in the day.

A little further north from where I live, there’s an abandoned village. People lived there until just a few years ago.

But then everything went downhill when Cheonma fought Gapjae nearby.

The survivors relocated west to civilian homes, leaving the village deserted. Nature has slowly reclaimed it ever since.

It’s kinda unsettling how sparse the population is around here.

If only I were alone, it wouldn’t matter, but it’s not ideal for kids to grow up here.

After all, to live like normal humans, you need human interaction, right?

Still, for now, staying here works best. The Cheonma Church might face some major upheaval soon.

From what I’ve seen in Gapjae’s memories, half of Cheonma Church betrayed Cheonma. Maybe even more than half…

Gapjae secretly met with a faction leader, which gives insight into why they rebelled.

Cheonma gave Jeonyang excessive power within the church, and Jeonyang abused it. That resentment eventually exploded.

Of course, the result was Gapjae dying, and Cheonma completely changing—physically *and* mentally.

Their gender changed, their skin tone shifted drastically. Who would believe this person is still Cheonma?

Especially in a world where people struggle to comprehend such transformations.

Who knows what the future holds for Cheonma as they grieve over Jeonyang’s corpse.

I speculated on what might happen next.

The first person likely to find out about all this is Gi-ja-cheon. They sort of manage the Cheonma Church Main Hall.

They’d be the first to follow any orders from Cheonma and one of the quickest to make decisions about the situation.

Most importantly, Gapjae never told them about the Harvesting System—it wasn’t even mentioned.

That reeks of ambition, doesn’t it?

Right under their nose… betrayal.

I’m curious how Cheonma will react. If things go well, maybe there’ll be a flood of warmth coming our way.

With that pleasant future in mind, I returned home.

“Did you have a good day?”

“Choseol!”

Soo-oh ran toward me with a huge smile and grabbed onto me tightly. On the surface, we look like an adult and a child—but realistically, we’re only about five years apart!

“Did you sleep at all?”

Soo-oh nodded. Since I left late last night and came back early this morning, dawn isn’t far off.

Staying up all night isn’t great for your health…

“We should rest first.”

While there’s a chance Gija-cheon might visit at sunrise, it’s less likely today. After all, someone needs to put out the fires at the Cheonma Church Main Hall and deal with the mysterious woman pretending to be Cheonma.

Whether they believe it or not, they’ll have their hands full.

I led Soo-oh to the wall near the kitchen.

It’s still warm here, though I don’t know exactly where the heat comes from.

Anyway, Soo-oh and I lay down together.

She immediately dozed off in my arms.

Yeah…

Even if I don’t fully empathize, Soo-oh must’ve been in a stressful situation. Watching her guardian head off into a burning building while being left alone at home… not exactly healthy.

Thanks to the creatures living in this house, we’ve quietly replenished some warmth. Though I just outright took it, I’ve basically wiped out the small lifeforms nearby.

Hmm…

Could taking their warmth allow me to summon a horde of monsters?

Of course, I didn’t do it initially because creating dangerous monsters would make me appear as a deity of death. But if I did it in the untouched primeval forest to the north, it might work without drawing attention.

Ugh, I need to think this through more carefully.

The monsters deprived of warmth don’t attack each other. They seem able to sense warmth after losing theirs, targeting beings with warmth instead.

Since those who lost warmth lack it themselves, they won’t fight unless absolutely necessary.

Still, these creatures are pitiful, so I’m not too keen on making too many of them.

I barely feel cold anymore… What’s so chilly about anything?

Of course, the warmth stolen from the monsters flows directly to me, so they’ll remain cold until they die.

How long will they survive?

Since I can still sense them, I’ll keep observing.

As I organized my thoughts about the surroundings, light began streaming through the window.

The long night ended, and morning arrived.

Gija-cheon probably won’t come today.

It’s breakfast time, but Soo-oh just fell asleep, so I let her rest longer.

My body also needs recovery…

Diving recklessly after saying I’d follow was a bad idea. I didn’t expect my abdomen to get completely crushed, but somehow I regenerated.

Thinking back, maybe Cheonma saw that regeneration…

Ah well, everything worked out fine, so no harm done.

***

Midday.

Soo-oh and I ate a late breakfast cum lunch.

Peaceful for us, but the Cheonma Church is in chaos.

Cheonma insists they’re still Cheonma, but everyone else calls them a monster and points swords at them.

Around here, blue-skinned women are automatically labeled as monsters anyway.

Both Byung-il and Gapjae seem aware this person is truly Cheonma. Gapjae is preparing to flee, while Byung-il is running around trying to convince others.

But no one listens.

Not even the faction leaders pay attention.

Yet I know better.

They recognize the figure before them as Cheonma but choose to ignore it. Judging by the murderous intent in the air, they assume Cheonma has grown weak.

At this moment, Juggan addressed Byung-il, declaring that Cheonma’s loss of control is obvious.

Due to the distorted appearance, they argue this individual no longer deserves the title of Cheonma and order Byung-il to draw their sword.

Considering the purple hair, it shouldn’t be hard to guess this transformation was caused by my Harvesting System—but no one mentions it.

Instead, the faction leaders seize this as an opportunity, commanding their subordinates to attack Cheonma after consuming strange pills.

These drug-fueled warriors charge forward with bulging veins, looking like total maniacs.

But they couldn’t even get close to Cheonma.

Through Byung-il’s perspective, it seemed like Cheonma made no preparation to swing their sword. Suddenly, a violet streak appeared in the air…

And following that streak, crushed corpses flew in the opposite direction of Cheonma.

Cries of “Cheonma Divine Skill” echoed across the area.

Cheonma gazes at the crowd, likely recalling faces from memory.

Then Ji-gwan shouted, claiming it’s common knowledge that the current Cheonma cannot use Cheonma Divine Skills. Can killing Cheonma and claiming the title really turn someone into the real Cheonma?

Ah…

So they fabricate lies. Now Cheonma becomes a mere imposter despite insisting otherwise.

Hearing this, members of the Cheonma Church raise their swords, declaring vengeance against the traitor as they step forward.

Though some scatter and flee amidst the chaos.

Cheonma’s presence seems surprisingly significant within the church. Even Yunchun revered them deeply, heading toward death despite wishing to ascend higher.

Is this due to personal devotion or the power of religion?

Regardless, it’s quite the absurd scene: Cheonma versus the Cheonma Church.

Hilarious. Then Cheonma finally spoke.

“I am Cheonma.”

Wow…

Despite speaking softly, the voice carried far enough for everyone to hear.

Startled, Soo-oh clung to me while helping with the dishes.

I calmed her down and stepped outside.

The moment we exited, Soo-oh let out a short scream and hugged me tightly. To me, all I see is the Cheonma Church Main Hall.

Apparently, there’s something only she can perceive. Not that Choseol can’t see it—it’s more like I can’t sense it. Like spiritual energy or magic power.

Come to think of it, I never sensed such things even in the first world.

“Submit.”

BOOM!

Some kind of shockwave erupted.

Wait, does someone emit a physical blast? Yet it feels different. Soo-oh grabs onto me and collapses.

Even from this distance, the effect is intense.

“Surrender.”

WHOOSH!

This time, a violet flash illuminated the sky. Five massive claw-like scars tore into the Cheonma Church Main Hall.

CRASH! CRASH!

Debris from walls and roofs rained down.

“Worship.”

A deep, slicing sound resonated.

From the Cheonma Church Main Hall to the surrounding forest, everything split apart as though sliced cleanly.

“I am Cheonma.”

As soon as Cheonma finished speaking, people started bowing one by one, kneeling before them.

“Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years! Eternal reign!”

Whispers of reverence spread among the crowd. Voices strained with effort.

“Cheonma incarnate! All beasts submit!”

Next, relieved voices joined in unison. Almost everyone chanted now.

“Invincible faith! Dominate the land of demons!”

Finally, every person within Cheonma’s gaze dropped to their knees and roared loudly. Their cries reached even where I stood.

That was surprisingly quick.

“Alright, let’s clean up and exercise. Come on, Soo-oh.”

Shaking slightly, Soo-oh looked up at me.

“Choseol… aren’t you scared?”

I glanced at Cheonma, who stared down at the masses repeating their chants. I expected something far more destructive.

Too anticlimactic.

Turning back to Soo-oh, I replied,

“I don’t feel anything, so maybe that’s why.”

Since it’s the truth, I returned to the kitchen and resumed washing dishes.

I wish modern plumbing existed…

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