novelraw Chapter 361
Chapter 361
"Don’t you have any followers of your own?"
Kanzaki Rei thought for a moment, then asked in return.
For just a brief instant, the smile on Lottie’s face stiffened.
"The Deeplands are completely isolated from the outside world. I have no means of contacting the surface, so... it’s rather inconvenient to develop followers."
She answered smoothly, her tone conversational.
There was none of the aloof, untouchable aura typical of gods. Instead, her attitude toward Kanzaki Rei was surprisingly approachable.
"No wonder I’ve never heard your name out there."
Lottie’s smile froze again—just a little longer this time.
...Is this human picking a fight?
Do you think I don’t want to be famous?Do you think I don’t want to be known?Do you think I don’t want followers?
I can’t get out!
I’m stuck in the Deeplands!
If I could leave, who in this world wouldn’t know the name Lottie?!
Back then, she had clashed with a certain unknown Moon Sovereign. Her very name had been erased from the world.
Not a single soul remembered her.
Later, she expanded her divine kingdom into the Deeplands, fusing it with this realm.
And from that moment on—
She lost all connection to the surface world.
But if she could seize the position of a Moon Sovereign, she would regain a fragment of that connection—enough to interfere with the world during the fifth month of every year.
"Oh... so that’s part of your trial?"
Lottie coughed lightly.
"Not exactly."
"A trial is a trial... you still need to pass it before I can use you."
"If you can’t even pass, then you won’t be of any help to me."
"...Though, given the current situation, I could lower the difficulty a bit."
She’s... surprisingly easy to talk to.
But still—
Is this really okay?
He was standing face-to-face with a true god.
Were gods really this approachable?
She didn’t even feel dangerous at a glance.
Kanzaki Rei felt both curiosity—
And deep caution.
Her authority was over mind and illusion.
A being like that could trap him in an illusion effortlessly.
"Are you wondering," Lottie suddenly said, "why someone as weak as you can look directly at me without collapsing?"
Before he could answer, she continued:
"That’s because I’m wearing clothes to suppress my divinity."
"If you saw my true, naked form... you definitely wouldn’t be able to endure it."
Kanzaki Rei kept a straight face.
...but internally—
Do you even hear yourself?You shameless god—how many times are you going to emphasize that you’re not wearing clothes?
Are you actually trying to make me imagine it?
No... don’t think like that.
She governs the mind.
She can probably read everything.
...Wait.
She did just read my thoughts.
Did my God-Tier Talent — Unsolvable Mystery fail?
Or... does it simply not work against true gods?
He had always wondered—
At what level would his talents start to lose effectiveness?
Now, he finally had a test case.
Lottie watched his expressionless face.
Despite the lack of visible change, she spoke as if reading a book.
"You’re wondering how I can see through your thoughts."
"To be honest, you’re full of secrets. I can’t fully read you..."
"Especially your mind itself."
"But even if your true intentions are hidden, your expressions, movements, and gaze still reveal everything."
...So it does work.
Unsolvable Mystery wasn’t completely negated.
That meant—
Even against a true god, a God-Tier Talent still held some effect.
Though not absolute.
"I don’t sense any fear from you," Lottie continued. "You must be quite confident in your ability to escape the Deeplands without my interference."
"Mm~ that’s good."
"I need someone capable in the real world. If you had no tricks of your own, I’d be the one troubled."
Kanzaki Rei replied calmly:
"I don’t recall agreeing to help you."
This Lottie really was polite.
Every sentence—you this, you that.
What is she, some ultra-formal noble deity?
He found himself unconsciously mirroring her tone.
Otherwise, it felt... awkward.
"It’s fine~"
"You’ll agree."
"I could tell the moment I saw you—you’re that kind of person."
Kanzaki Rei let out a quiet breath.
"...What exactly do you want me to do?"
"I want a temple in the real world. A statue."
"And I’d like you to spread my existence a little."
"That’s all?"
"Of course not. There’s also my Divine Descent Ritual."
"If you can fulfill the conditions for my descent, that would be even better."
Another Divine Descent Ritual...
That makes two now.
A thought flickered in his mind—
What if two different descent rituals were triggered at the same time?
Would White... end up fighting this one?
"You’re thinking something very rude."
Kanzaki Rei cut off the thought.
But another one slipped through—
So that was more rude than imagining you naked?
"...That’s also rude."
...Seriously?
Even fleeting thoughts?
Gods of the mind were truly irritating.
"Secretly disliking someone is also rude, you know?"
...Kanzaki Rei suddenly understood Ansu a little better.
Having your thoughts exposed like this—
And still being fine with it?
Then again...
Ansu had lived long enough to not care about dignity at all.
To him, life was just experience.
Even being humiliated was just another flavor of existence.
"If it’s only something like that," Kanzaki Rei said, "I can help."
"But I’ve heard that Moon Sovereigns reward their followers based on merit..."
If there were no binding contract—
He didn’t mind being a "follower" temporarily.
After all—
War God’s chosen.Honorary Priest of the Church of Life.Successor of the Church of Light...
He’d played every role.
Say what needs to be said to humans.Say what needs to be said to ghosts.
As for who he truly followed?
That was up to him.
"No need to worry about rewards," Lottie replied sweetly.
"What I offer will be more than enough."
"But before that—pass the trial."
"Otherwise, I can’t send you out of the Deeplands."
"Even I’m bound by its rules."
That made sense.
If she could freely send people out—
She would’ve done so long ago.
No need to negotiate like this.
"You’ve already passed the first trial."
"Awakening within the Deeplands."
"So next is the second trial."
"A test of your combat strength."
...Combat?
Straightforward.
"You’re a Level 5 class holder, correct?"
"...Yes. How did you know?"
"When I look at you, it’s written all over your face."
...What?
You can see that?
His strength far exceeded Level 5—
Yet she still read it accurately.
"I’ll assign you a Level 5 standard trial."
"Alright."
As her voice fell—
Darkness peeled away.
A massive creature emerged.
A Seventh-Tier Falling Star Scorpion.
Its body was enormous—dozens of times the size of Earth itself.
Three tails unfurled, each tipped with planet-like stingers.
"Be careful," Lottie’s voice echoed faintly. "This is a Seventh-Tier, Second Metamorphosis monster. Extremely dangerous."
Dangerous?
Kanzaki Rei raised a spear in his right hand.
His undead army already included Seventh-Tier, Fourth Metamorphosis entities like Parasitic Sea.
Danger?
Where?
He stepped forward.
[Skyfall Style — Third Form: Phantom Strike · Convergent Dragon Annihilation]
BOOM!
His arm flickered—
Too fast to see.
Countless strikes condensed into a single point.
A straight line tore through space—
And through the scorpion.
A hollow tunnel blasted clean through its body.
Instant kill.
Silence.
Lottie reappeared beside him.
Her mouth opened slightly.
"...You... are really Level 5?"
She had intended to go easy.
After all, if he failed—
Who knew how long she’d have to wait for another candidate?
And with the Moon Sovereign competition approaching—
Missing this chance would be disastrous.
So she had deliberately chosen the lowest viable difficulty.
For most geniuses—
Defeating a Seventh-Tier monster at Level 5 was already a challenge.
She had even worried he might fail.
But instead—
He annihilated it instantly.
"...You’ve got some serious skill."
Her eyes lit up.
Maybe—
She had truly found a gem.
"Mm! Your combat ability is excellent!"
"Trial passed."
"Now—on to the third trial."
Kanzaki Rei paused.
This trial system...
It felt almost too casual.
Like a perfunctory physical exam—
Something that barely mattered whether you passed or not.