God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 213: Episode _Our Saintess (5)

8.

The most fundamental trait of those who believe in a god is blind faith. To believe in something unseen, untouched, something that is said to simply exist, without a single speck of doubt, requires a long period of self-brainwashing. Eventually, one begins to mistake what they believe for the absolute truth. It’s inevitable. It helps that there is an intangible substance called divine power to rationalize the existence of a god. Imagine the self-confidence required to believe in something that isn’t even there. ’What I believe is right.’ This naturally leads to a feeling of superiority over others, because they must reject those who deny their god’s existence. This, in turn, can warp into the belief that everything they believe is correct.

Of course, in Fantastic World, that wasn’t a bad thing. Believing in God was the law of the land, the truth, something even the Emperor acknowledged. The priests of the Grand Temple were respected and revered, and they acted with commensurate dignity. A Grand Priest, even more so. That was how he had lived his life.

And now, he had fallen for the Saintess.

’She is the Saintess, so it is my duty as one of the Eight Elders to serve her with all my heart.’

The rationalization wasn’t bad. After all, wasn’t one of the divine commands given to priests an unconditional love for all life? While they passed harsh judgment on black magic mages and forces of evil through their own interpretations, loving all things was not a sin.

So he asked Kardian.

"Lady Kardian, I am worried that the Saintess is not eating at all. Is it perhaps that the food is not to her liking?"

She was her mother, after all. She might grumble and push her away, but surely she was concerned. Thankfully, Kardian answered Saint’s question without much thought.

"She only eats gold."

"...Pardon?"

She said it plainly, without holding back.

"A curse was placed upon her the moment she was chosen as the Saintess in her youth. She must absorb the divine power of minerals created by God—the minerals He chose—to replenish her strength. Naturally, eating only food made by humans will cause her to gradually weaken."

"...Why are you only telling me this now!"

"You did not ask."

She had only mixed in a small lie. The question of why she had to tell such a lie still existed, but that was a matter she had cleanly ignored ever since Simin had taken her heart and made her sign the contract. As long as it wasn’t an order to kill herself, she would follow it. The Simin she had observed so far was human, but not human—a being more interesting than even the demons. Seeing what results came from these actions was an amusing pastime. Besides, Squeaker had already eaten all the gold Simin had given her out of boredom in the carriage, so her supply needed to be replenished.

’I don’t feel like moving myself.’

Simin didn’t care how she treated Squeaker, but it was obvious how he would react if something happened to her. So she helped. No, it wasn’t even helping. Since Saint had shown interest in Squeaker, the frequency of Squeaker’ annoying attacks on her had decreased slightly.

She shook her head as she watched Saint hurry away. Indeed, whether hundreds of years ago or now, priests and demons—the two groups were unchanged, differing only in the properties of the magic they used. At the same time, her interest was piqued. The demons were destined to cross over to the continent eventually. What kind of situation would unfold then?

’The devil of the continent and the devils of the Demon Realm.’

Who would win? A seductive smile played on the lips of the cross-legged Kardian.

*

9.

The Specialists arrived at the headquarters of the Black Magic Order. It had been a long journey. They couldn’t take a carriage, lest they be seen, and navigating the treacherous path to one of the Four Forbidden Zones was no easy task. Even some of the black magic mages had sustained serious injuries.

"Do they really have to build their headquarters all the way out here?" Yeseul wondered.

"It’s probably how they’ve managed to survive without being noticed," Seolah replied.

Every single monster they encountered was powerful enough to be treated as a named monster on the continent, requiring a raid of hundreds to take down. A single graze meant a serious injury; a direct hit was bone-jarringly painful. There were even magical monsters whose hides the black magic mages’ attacks couldn’t even pierce. But the black magic mages proved that their years of experience were not for show, and they arrived at their headquarters safely.

All that remained was the meeting with the rest of the black magic mages. Yeseul swallowed hard. Of course, there was no need to be nervous. In a normal game, this would be like walking into the heart of an enemy camp, but in Fantastic World, the moment Kang Yeseul received her special job, she became the continent’s ultimate evil. In a way, it was like she had been living leisurely in enemy territory and was now finally returning home. There were many new faces, but they were all her subordinates. What was there to be afraid of?

There was only one thing to be nervous about: hazing.

"Simin, are you sure I can just act like my usual self?"

"I told you, it’s fine. What are you scared of? This is your chance to show off the personality you’ve been holding back because of what others might think."

She fell silent.

Simin neatly resolved her worries.

"Unleash your hidden desires. Sweep through them like you’ve truly become a villain. This is just a game, after all. You know getting emotionally attached to game data is the real problem, right? You have to take over the Black Magic Order, no matter what. This is the setup for a huge master plan. If we play this right, we can dominate the main story all the way to Episode 4, no, Episode 5."

"Okay. I’ll do my best."

Filled with hope for the future, Yeseul nodded. She took a deep breath. An image naturally formed in her mind. ’What is a true villain like?’ Surprisingly, the picture came to her without a second’s hesitation. It wasn’t a vague image, but a clear one. So clear that she knew, without a doubt, that this was it. It was a picture so perfect that even Seolah and Hyeonsu would nod in agreement.

’What would Simin do?’

She had been watching him for nearly a year. She hadn’t just been watching him for nothing; it wasn’t so difficult to think and act from his perspective. The three of them headed toward the order’s headquarters.

*

The continent was in a state of utter chaos. Before anyone could even think about searching for the black magic mages who had briefly vanished, news of wars breaking out across the land erupted. Then came the news of the birth of a Saintess from the Grand Temple. One of these events would have been a headache, but three major, history-making events happening at once? How could there be a quiet day?

Naturally, in such turmoil, the ones who kept their wits about them and seized the opportunity were the ones who profited. One of them was Kenji.

"We’re going to war."

His territory was not yet complete. The foundation was laid, but it would take time to finish. However, with his abundant capital, he had hired many NPCs and, using them as a base, attracted countless players to his guild. His forces were such that he could be called the number one guild, second only to the Specialists.

Growth that was only possible for a player. He couldn’t break the wall that separated him from the natives of the continent, but after chipping away at it to some extent, he could use his real-world money to grow at an incredible speed, right up to the limit. He used this to expand his forces even further. And now, the opportunity had arrived.

"Let’s start with the easiest targets."

"Yes, Guild Master."

Compared to NPCs, adventurers were low-level and often looked down upon, but that was only when compared to the top echelons of power. As time passed and adventurers’ presence on the continent grew, the gap was narrowing. It had already been proven that adventurers had enough potential to destroy a decent-sized territory if they worked together. And now, NPCs had joined their ranks. What was there to fear?

Furthermore, the restrictions on territory wars, where a just cause was paramount, had been lifted. Territory wars were breaking out left and right for the most trivial reasons, with everyone fighting tooth and nail. The Kenji Guild joined the fray in the same manner. They focused their attacks on territories they could conquer and hold with minimal losses. In this time of war, the opposing soldiers were naturally armed and put up a fierce resistance, but they couldn’t overcome the Kenji Guild’s greatest advantage: the overwhelming number of players who could resurrect even after death.

Besides, the Kenji Guild had nothing to lose. Their territory was like a sandcastle built on barren land. It wasn’t even finished yet. They simply left their territory empty and roamed with their full force. They profited so much that a suspicion arose among players that Kenji himself might have orchestrated the appearance of the black magic mages. His image, tarnished from the broadcast, was largely restored, and his stream’s viewership increased significantly.

Whispers began to circulate that the Kenji Guild might now be stronger than the Specialists. They were quickly shot down as nonsense, but it was still an incomparable improvement from before. Kenji himself made no comment on such talk. He was implicitly acknowledging it, and at the same time, he was starting to think it might be true. He had grown that much. Still, he didn’t dare declare a territory war on the Rich Territory—the place where the black magic mages’ full-scale northern invasion had not only been thwarted but annihilated. Even so, when he compared their current forces, he felt that his guild now had the upper hand.

—Kenji, you’re not denying it, so I assume you personally believe it too, right? I’ve been a fan for a long time. Could you tell us when you plan to get revenge on the Rich Territory or prove your superiority over the Specialists?

Of course, he didn’t respond to comments like that.

In any case, the Kenji Guild was full of hope. At the very least, the Specialists were currently out of sight, and based on their past actions, it seemed they were focused on leveling up to continue their monopoly on the main quest.

’In the end, Fantastic World is a game of power,’ Kenji thought.

That’s why he predicted that later on, once his forces grew large enough to form at least one kingdom, the tables would turn. His conviction was solidified one day when he saw Simin’s broadcast. Simin, covered head to toe in dirt, was entering the Imperial Capital.

’He’s wasting his time on useless things!’

Perhaps it was a natural choice. The Specialists were a small elite group from the start. Thanks to the unique existence of Han Simin, they had achieved feats, titles, and even a territory that four people could never have accomplished alone, but there were always limits. If they poured money into it, things might be different, but no matter how rich their families were, they couldn’t possibly have the same level of funding as Kenji, who earned and spent his own money.

As a triumphant smile spread across Kenji’s face, a strange scene caught his eye. Simin, on the broadcast. He was approaching a large group of priests. The priests parted for him without any suspicion, and he walked up to a dazzlingly beautiful woman in the center. The beauty’s face, which had been so cold it seemed ice might fall from it, melted into a spring-like smile as she threw herself into his arms.

He was confused.

’What is this situation?’ His confidence wavered slightly.

*