“That’s the place.”
Malbre muttered as he gazed at the city of the Abandoned. Observing it from a distance, he frowned.
“...What are those buildings?”
The first thing that stood out was the small, sturdy houses made of earth that spread across the city.
Then he noticed the people moving around frantically. These were the Abandoned, and they should have been scrawny and malnourished. Instead, they looked relatively healthy, a bit worn, but certainly not starved.
“There’s no doubt about it.”
Someone here had the power to produce.
“Pathetic creatures.”
Malbre sneered and advanced, his lieutenants following behind. The city’s people saw them coming and panicked.
“What do we do now?”
In their joy and relief, they had nearly forgotten the harsh reality of their situation. They had no power. If any other faction decided to intervene, they would have no way to resist.
The reason Malbre was here was obvious: he had come to take Taesan away.
“We have to protect the Messenger of the Gods!”
“We can’t let them take him!”
The people raised crude weapons, shouting their determination to fight back.
But not everyone agreed. One man spoke calmly.
“Do we really have an obligation to protect him?”
“What?”
“You’re suggesting we abandon the Messenger?”
“No.”
The man shook his head.
“It’s the opposite. It’s arrogant of us to think we can protect him. Think about it—do you really believe someone like him would be mistreated if he went to another city?”
The others paused, considering his words.
Taesan’s abilities were impressive, far beyond anything they’d seen. The other cities wouldn’t use him as a tool—they would likely shower him with gifts and privileges to keep him.
In fact, staying here was probably a disadvantage to Taesan.
“If anything, trying to keep him here is our selfishness talking. That’s how I see it.”
The people were silenced, unable to argue against his logic.
Taesan walked past them, heading outside the city.
“Oh...”
“Messenger...”
People tried to reach him, but Taesan had already stepped outside. Malbre spotted him and his eyes glinted with recognition.
“It’s him.”
The man with the distinctive black hair and piercing gaze didn’t look like someone who belonged among the Abandoned. Malbre instinctively knew.
“You’re the one who revived this city?”
“Yes.”
Taesan answered simply. Malbre studied him.
There were no identifying marks or signs of affiliation. He wasn’t part of any known faction. That meant he likely came from outside.
“Are there still survivors out there...?”
Malbre was slightly surprised, but he pushed that thought aside.
“Your power is wasted on a place like this.”
Malbre extended a hand.
“Come work for me. Even in this ruined world, I’ll make sure you live without want.”
The Abandoned watched with anxious expressions, but Malbre didn’t even consider the possibility of Taesan rejecting his offer.
“No.”
Taesan’s response was short.
Malbre’s expression twisted.
“No?”
“I have no intention of leaving. Go back.”
The Abandoned sighed in relief and relaxed. Malbre clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“So that’s why you’re here. You’re an idiot.”
People like Taesan were once common. Those who possessed powerful abilities but used them for others rather than themselves.
Malbre considered such people to be utter fools.
In this world, caring for others was useless. Only one’s own survival mattered; the results spoke for themselves.
Those who cared for others were easily exploited and killed, while people like him had survived.
Malbre laughed, finding Taesan’s attitude foolish, yet it made him easier to control.
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
‘If I start killing the weaklings here, he’ll give in.’
For now, he just needed to subdue Taesan. Malbre ordered his lieutenants.
“Capture him without injuring him.”
The lieutenants sneered and moved forward.
The people of the city started to rush forward to protect Taesan, but he held up a hand to stop them.
“Stay back.”
“Oh...”
The Abandoned froze, feeling a compulsion as if they had been commanded to obey.
The lieutenants lunged forward.
Their attack was precise—sharp enough that even Malbre would have difficulty countering it. Since Taesan possessed non-combative powers, Malbre was certain he would be helpless.
Malbre watched with satisfaction.
Even as the lieutenants closed in, Taesan remained motionless, his gaze distant and cold, as if he were observing insects.
For a moment, a chill ran down Malbre’s spine.
An instinctive warning blared. He opened his mouth to yell for a retreat, but it was too late. The lieutenants were already within range.
Taesan moved.
With a sickening crunch, a single punch sent the lieutenants flying. One of them tumbled past Malbre, struggling to get up.
“What... what was that?”
“Controlling my strength so they don’t die is harder than I thought.”
Taesan stamped his foot, and his body surged forward at incredible speed.
A force erupted.
Invisible energy crashed down on Taesan, flames roared, and sharp blades aimed for his chest.
Taesan moved his hands.
Blades shattered, flames vanished, and invisible energy dissipated.
The Abandoned stared in shock.
“What... what is he?”
One of the lieutenants cried out. They were being completely overpowered, their attacks shattered like brittle glass.
Taesan murmured as he brushed off their attacks.
“I’ve thought of a way to stabilize the contaminated land.”
The answer wasn’t difficult. A sacred site.
Taesan had enough divine power now to establish one.
But maintaining it was an issue. The divine energy would deplete quickly, and the sanctuary would disappear soon after he left.
So he needed a way for the sanctuary to sustain itself.
He had an idea.
In the Wraith’s world, he had seen the Sanctuary of the God of Regret.
Even though the God of Regret had long abandoned it, the believers’ faith continued to uphold the sanctuary.
If he could create a sanctuary powered by faith, it could last even after he was gone.
Faith depended on the strength of people’s belief, and the stronger it was, the more powerful the divine energy would be.
He would make sure they understood his power.
Taesan drew his sword.
With a brutal slash, one of the lieutenants fell, and Taesan kicked the body aside. He extinguished another flame and grabbed another by the throat, tightening his grip.
“Oh... oooooh!”
The Abandoned cheered.
The lieutenants fell one by one. Malbre’s face drained of color.
‘W-wait.’
Taesan was far from weak. His strength was greater than Malbre’s own.
‘He... can’t be!’
Malbre had the highest power among the survivors.
But he knew his strength was nothing special.
In the early days of the monster invasion, there had been others with far greater power. Yet, those stronger fighters had all died in battle, leaving Malbre free to rule.
Taesan’s power now reminded him of those warriors.
‘A survivor...?’
Quickly assessing the situation, Malbre made a decision: he needed to flee.
“D-damn...!”
He abandoned his dying lieutenants and fled. One of the lieutenants cursed as he saw this, but was silenced by Taesan’s attack.
‘I have to escape!’
Whenever Malbre had encountered a stronger opponent, he’d fled and hidden somewhere safe. He had done so even during the monster invasions, staying away from the front lines.
But this time, it was impossible.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, he felt a tremendous pressure lifting him off the ground and slamming him into the earth.
Boom!
“Gah! Ugh...”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Taesan, standing over him, spoke nonchalantly. Malbre’s face twisted in horror.
‘He... he already took them all out?’
Taesan looked at Malbre, assessing him.
What was the source of this special power?
[You have activated Essence Analysis.]
Examining Malbre, Taesan realized.
‘Divine power.’
Although just a fragment, Malbre had a trace of divine energy.
The reason wasn’t hard to guess.
The invasion of the ancient gods had been nearly impossible for the gods to repel, hence the quest the Magic God had given him.
In this world, the gods had scattered divine energy among humans to give them powers strong enough to fight on their behalf.
‘So even divine power can be used this way.’
Not just select individuals like apostles or saints, but granting divine power to ordinary humans.
It was a method currently beyond Taesan.
Divine energy’s potential was endless.
“But it’s nothing impressive.”
Malbre’s power wasn’t particularly strong. He wouldn’t stand a chance against even a mid-level monster.
He was, in essence, just a meat shield.
[An unworthy fool wielding power remains unworthy.]
Taesan had extracted all the information he needed.
He pressed his foot down on Malbre’s chest. Under the weight, Malbre stammered.
“P-please... spare me...”
“You’ve killed without hesitation. Now it’s your turn.”
Taesan finished him off.
Returning to the city, he was met with stunned silence before the people erupted in cheers.
“Woo-hoo!”
“Messenger of the Gods!”
“He has come to save us!”
Taesan looked at them.
Their faith, overwhelming and intense, poured into him like a flood.
The people began to worship Taesan.
He had provided them with food, built homes, and purified the air.
Then, with his unmatched strength, he had defended them from those who sought to oppress and enslave them.
For the people, Taesan’s actions were nothing short of miraculous. His kindness, shown without expecting anything in return, left them seeing him not just as a savior, but as a divine figure. The people’s reverence naturally deepened into genuine worship.
In the midst of their devotion, someone cried out, “No, he’s not merely the Messenger of the Gods! He’s come down to this world himself to save us — he is our Savior!”
“Savior!”
“Behold, our Savior!”
The people began to refer to Taesan as their Savior, gathering regularly to pray to him. The fervor of their faith grew, creating a tangible wave of devotion directed solely toward him.
Yet, Taesan knew that even this level of faith was still insufficient.
To ensure a lasting sanctuary, he needed a much deeper, unwavering faith that would endure beyond his presence.
Taesan gathered a few representatives from the city and set out toward the city that had once been ruled by the Red Apostle. With their leader gone, the city had fallen into disarray, with people uncertain and directionless.
Taesan addressed them, explaining that he had defeated Malbre and his subordinates, and that they were now free. At first, the people were skeptical, but when they saw Taesan perform acts of creation — providing food and constructing shelter — they began to believe.
Unlike the Abandoned, these people had suffered harshly under Malbre’s rule, and their relief transformed quickly into reverence.
Those who had accompanied Taesan from the city of the Abandoned spread word of his deeds, loudly proclaiming his greatness. In no time, this second city also began to worship Taesan.
With the unwavering faith of two entire cities behind him, an intense and steadfast divine power continued to flow into Taesan.
But he knew it still wasn’t enough.
A new possibility crossed Taesan’s mind.
“What if I were to receive the worship of every living soul on an entire planet?”
In a normal world, such an endeavor would be impossible. Every world is usually overseen by its own god, and with diverse populations, unifying everyone under one belief was nearly unthinkable.
But this world was different. The god who had once watched over this realm had been slain by an ancient god, and only a handful of survivors remained.
With survival being a pressing concern for all, gaining the faith of every human on this world might just be achievable.
[Honestly... even I have no idea what that would mean.]
The wraith could only speculate.
Universal worship — the faith of every living being.
It had now become Taesan’s ultimate goal.