Rise of the OtherGod Apostle: Not a Cult Leader, but a Serf?!

#007Reader Mode

#007

To survive in this insane medieval world, I knew I had to toughen up mentally.

The average person from the Middle Ages had a mental fortitude of around 30 – enough to stomach the sight of a rotting corpse for a few days at most.

But a modern-day softie like me?

I’d probably be scarred for life on the spot…

Fabio was used to stumbling across corpses, a typical occurrence for someone from this era. For me, these were just stories I had read about. If I actually saw a dead body now, I’d likely vomit and faint right then and there.

“Given my fragility, I should have been eliminated from the preliminaries long ago.”

Now wasn’t the time to ponder the Celestial Observatory of Reverse Heaven or Othergod contracts. My immediate concern was whether I could make it as a regular person in this deranged Dark Realm.

“But what worries me most is this bizarre question mark trait…”

[???]

*Hidden Trait. Effect unknown.

That’s all that appeared when I tried to view the details. However, the nature of this trait was quite obvious. Moments before plunging into the Dark Realm, I clearly recalled a departing message – a system prompt informing me that ‘Mother Aelusia’ had granted me a hidden trait.

Considering her cryptic hints like “I am on my way” and “wait for me,” this trait likely possessed some kind of tracking capability. Its [???] status probably indicated it hadn’t been activated yet.

“……”

I attempted to assess my current predicament.

Among the 16 Othergods, I was a potential contractor of Hapenesus, who unfortunately ranked dead last.

My stats? Average at best.

No assets, connections, or education to my name – just a lowly serf. Shackled with a seemingly useless trait that couldn’t be upgraded.

Yet somehow, I had caught the attention of Mother Aelusia, the top-ranking Othergod.

“I’m royally screwed, aren’t I?” I groaned, clutching my throbbing head in frustration. If this were merely a game, I would have rage-quit this disastrous round and restarted.

What could Mother Aelusia possibly want with me?

What plans did she have once she located me?

To eliminate the competition?

But Mother Aelusia didn’t know about my agreement with Hapenesus at the time.

In retrospect, it might have been better if she had known. Why would she perceive a lowly Apostle of Hapenesus as a threat?

If Mother God was aware of my contract with Hapenesus, she may have dismissed me, deciding it wasn’t worth wasting precious clear points to grant someone like me a trait.

“Ugh… damn it.”

I shot a resentful glare at the [Miracle of the Silver Tongue], the trait responsible for this whole mess. If it weren’t for this cursed trait, Mother God wouldn’t have felt the need to accelerate her plans.

[Miracle of the Silver Tongue]

* The one who charmed an Othergod with mere words, devoid of any actual power. The ‘Stars’ are watching.

* The SYSTEM applauds you!

The detailed information only fueled my anger.

“What’s with this ‘applauds’? She’s probably just itching to f*ck me over!”

“The Stars are watching.”

There was no doubt that this particular line was the reason Mother God was agitated by this damned trait.

“If only that bastard system hadn’t given me this trait!”

Aelusia wouldn’t have marked me like this!

Damn system!

As if eavesdropping on my furious rant, the system sent a notification.

[SYSTEM: The trait granted by the ‘Stars’ cannot be arbitrarily assigned by the SYSTEM.]

“…So it’s not your fault?” I asked, but no further notifications came.

“Hello? I know you’re listening. Can we chat for a moment?”

“Mr. System?”

I tried every possible way to get a response, from an angry “System bastard!” to “Hey you f*cking bastard!”, to a more polite “Excuse me, Mr. System?” But it remained silent.

“F*ck you system! Answer me!” I shouted, but my ranting was like screaming into the void. Defeated, I gave up.

Regardless, that damned trait was the true villain here.

I’m not entirely sure what being watched by the stars means, but I can guess it earns an insurmountable amount of aggro from Othergods.

Yet this trait lacks any redeeming quality to offset this blood-curdling aggro effect. No charm upgrade, no mindless following from the masses. It’s like a penalty trait, chock-full of disadvantages without a single perk.

“I should get rid of it quickly…”

But what was the method to remove a trait?

As if on cue, the previously mute System chimed in with another notification.

[SYSTEM: Once the ‘Stars’ grant a trait, not even the Heavens can rescind it.]

“What did you say?” I furrowed my brow in confusion.

Why the silent treatment before, you bastard, but now you’re all chatty?

“What kind of garbage trait is this?” I grumbled, and the system displayed a new notification.

[SYSTEM: ‘Star-Realm’ is a trait that can be held only by those who have accomplished extraordinary feats. Simply possessing it elevates your ‘rank’.]

“…And what’s this ‘rank’?”

[SYSTEM: An entity that has amassed sufficient ‘rank’ can transcend mortality.]

“So, it’s a way to ascend to divinity? That’s why even the already divine Othergods are sensitive about a newly formed Star-Realm?”

The System fell silent once again. I asked another question.

“…Is there a way to seize someone else’s rank?”

This time, a response emerged.

[SYSTEM: Two possibilities exist.]

[SYSTEM: The first is complete fusion. If Entity A absorbs Entity B, all of Entity B’s achievements as the ‘incarnation of A’ become A’s accomplishments.]

Incarnation… It reminds me of the Hindu concept of avatars. In Hinduism, vastly different gods are all considered ‘avatars’ of Vishnu. Even Buddha is viewed as an avatar of Vishnu…

But isn’t absorption just a euphemism for being devoured? Especially the ‘absorption’ carried out by Mother Aelusia…

It must be a loud, crunchy feast.

Massaging my temples, I persisted.

“What’s the second method?”

[SYSTEM: The second is to appoint them as a subordinate deity. The superior being can then harness the rank and its related powers, accumulated by the subordinate deity, as their own.]

[SYSTEM: The greater the divergence of the ‘essence origins’, the riskier the first method becomes.]

As the System’s words sank in, a glimmer of hope surfaced.

Mother Aelusia’s essence revolves around evolution and mutation.

I can’t quite grasp the nature of this ‘Miracle of the Silver Tongue’, but it seems to have nothing in common with ‘evolution’.

“Perhaps this will limit their attempts to ‘devour’ me to avoid potential risks?”

However, the System swiftly extinguished my fleeting hope.

[SYSTEM: Nevertheless, if the divergence falls within a certain threshold, the first method becomes virtually risk-free.]

“………”

Is this damn System deliberately trying to push me into despair with such answers?

All the so-called ‘facts’ it shares seem like pointless nonsense.

Eventually, I gave up trying to smooth out the furrowed lines between my eyebrows.

Despite how frustrating this system is, the information it provides could be important.

This ‘divergence within a certain limit’ thing is upsetting, but it’s not something I can just ignore.

I see three possible ways to deal with this situation.

1. Die before getting caught by the Mother God.

Basically, this means choosing to end my own life rather than face the horrifying fate of being devoured.

Mother Aelusia can only extract data from a body that has recently died.

Even the [Undead Resurgence] skill that resurrects the dead can’t preserve the bodies unless there’s some kind of body-related trait involved.

So, dying early takes away the possibility of being exploited.

Ideally, I’d want my body to be completely disposed of without a trace before committing suicide.

Of course, this would only be a last desperate measure.

While living as a serf in this godforsaken medieval world is tough, the fear of death is even worse.

2. Accumulate more ‘disparity’ to evolve into a subordinate deity under the Mother God.

If I can gather enough disparity to make it risky for me to be consumed, there’s a chance I could negotiate openly.

Especially if I manage to collect ‘disparity’ that strongly goes against Mother Aelusia’s very nature, my odds of not being consumed could go up a lot.

The problem is I don’t really understand ‘disparity’ or how to accumulate it.

I’m not sure if earning ‘achievements’ adds to ‘disparity’, but at this point, achieving anything seems nearly impossible.

And the third option is…

3. Surrender to the Order.

Basically, side with Roklem, the God of Order and Condemnation.

Conclude isn’t a battlefield where the Othergods fight each other directly.

Instead, it’s a dangerous survival game where the key to winning is avoiding the Order’s watchful eyes.

In the realms beyond the stars, Othergods might have huge power, but in the Dark Realm, they’re powerless without influence.

Given this, it seems like the Order, which has a tight grip on the Dark Realm, is more powerful than the Othergods without their contractors.

Even if the Mother God’s chosen beats the other 14 challengers, making a contract with her is just the start of the game.

The Order is still a powerful opponent throughout, ready to claim victory at the smallest mistake.

If winning wasn’t my goal, the Order would be a dependable ally.

However, after careful deliberation, the third option appears to be my only escape route.

I believe I could shorten the timeline to just three months by sharing some intel with the Order.

Although I’m currently chosen as Hapenesus’s Apostle, I’ve spent the majority of my time playing with the ‘Mother God’.

After finalizing the contract with Her, the Church of Mother knows precisely where to conceal themselves from the Order’s reach.

By disclosing this tiny bit of information, the Order could wipe out the heretics without a trace.

Of course, taking such action would also spell my own demise.

Aligning oneself with an Othergod is the gravest of taboos, and even having knowledge of it demands seeking penance.

If they uncover my potential status as a contractee, I’ll find myself burning at the stake.

Even if I aid in apprehending all Othergod contractees and my immense contribution is recognized, my fate remains unchanged.

The more indebted the Order feels to me, the more zealously they’ll set me ablaze.

…They’ll purify me to save me from descending into hell.

Post-execution canonization might be a possibility, but that still involves a fiery conclusion.¹T/N: ‘Canonization’ refers to the formal process by which a church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which they are included in the “canon,” or list, of recognized saints.

The disturbing, archaic notion that burning can absolve sins is unfathomable.

“Rather than intervening, I should concentrate on staying close to the Order.”

On second thought, even if I convert, there’s no requirement for me to join the clergy.²T/N: ‘Clergy’ refers to formal leaders within established religious organizations. Their roles and functions can vary widely depending on the specific religion, but they typically perform spiritual, ritualistic, and religious activities.

Taking a humble job like a chapel caretaker or a laundry worker would be enough.

Being in proximity to holy relics and knights would discourage any heretics from approaching me.

“And most importantly, I must avoid encountering the high-ranking clergy.”

The high-ranking clergy acts as a bridge between the entity ‘Roklem’ and humans.

Therefore, it’s possible that Roklem might discover some information about me through these high-ranking clergy members.

“I need a low-profile job that keeps me close to the chapel, but doesn’t draw too much attention.”

With a thoughtful frown, I brainstormed keywords to trigger my ‘memory’ for any relevant information.

“The Order… Where could I find them? A priest? Maybe at the church or chapel…?”

[Out here on the frontier, there are no ‘priests’. If you need help, you should seek out Antonio, the bell ringer.]

A message window popped up.

“Antonio, the Bell Ringer?”

[Antonio, the ‘Bell Ringer’, is seventy-three years old now. He only has two daughters. When I mistakenly called him a priest, Antonio humbly corrected me, saying he was not a priest. But he’s more devout and admirable than any priest I’ve ever met. He handles everything on his own without any help, and the bell he looks after always rings on time.]

“The bell?”

[…The God of Order demands punctuality as a sacred doctrine. But to uphold it, they first had to understand the concept of time. That responsibility fell to the servants of the God of Order, now known as ‘bell ringers’.]

[“Everywhere the bell’s toll reaches is under the watchful gaze of the God of Order and Condemnation.” I hear that phrase at every worship service.]

“Now that I think about it, there were a lot of bell towers back when I was playing heretic slayer.”

[The first thing they build in any new frontier settlement is the ‘bell tower’. I had to help with its construction. There was a knight in the procession carrying the consecrated bell. His mount, a pitch-black warhorse with a white mark on its forehead, ate twice as much fodder as a pack horse. And I was the one who had to prepare that feed.]

“Why the sudden horse trivia?”

Wouldn’t it be better to describe the knight in more detail?

However, thinking of keywords like armor, knight, and sword didn’t trigger any further information. I only ended up learning unnecessarily about preparing horse feed.

“Well, I guess those details wouldn’t be important to a lowly serf.”

For now, I decided to go find Antonio.

“I should ask if the Order has any special job openings.”