Becoming the Supreme God

5

Trent glared at the Genesis Seed resting in Leo's palm. The murmurs of the gathered students grew louder as they calculated the massive gap in wealth. Trent took a step forward and his fists clenched at his sides. He opened his mouth to speak but the words died in his throat.

A deafening c***k echoed above the divine marketplace. The cloudless blue sky tore open like a piece of cheap fabric. The students screamed and covered their ears as a shadow blotted out the sun.

A beast the size of a commercial airplane descended from the rift. It possessed the head of a lion and the scaled body of a dragon. A serpent tail whipped the air and sent gusts of wind tearing through the merchant stalls.

Lord Malakor sat atop the beast. The ancient god wore dark iron armor that absorbed the light. He looked down at the terrified teenagers with eyes devoid of any human empathy.

Malakor did not utter a single word. He simply projected his divine aura outward. An invisible weight crashed down upon the plaza.

Leo felt his knees buckle. The pressure forced him toward the cobblestones as if gravity had suddenly multiplied. He gritted his teeth and tried to lock his legs. The weight pressed against his spine until he hit the ground.

Chloe gasped beside him and collapsed onto her hands and knees. Trent hit the floor a few feet away with a loud thud. All around them the stone tiles cracked under the invisible force. The entire class of novice gods was pinned to the earth like insects.

Leo struggled to lift his head. The air grew thick and tasted of copper. He could hear the ragged breathing of his classmates echoing across the silent pavilion. They were entirely helpless against the sheer magnitude of the ancient deity.

"Get off me!" a voice yelled from the back of the crowd.

Bastian pushed himself up from the ground. He wore a ripped track jacket and his face was red with exertion. He pointed a trembling finger up at the man riding the chimera.

"We did not ask for this game," Bastian shouted over the roaring wind. "Send us back to our families right now."

Lord Malakor shifted his gaze toward the boy. The ancient god did not raise a hand or utter a spell. He just looked at him.

Bastian choked on his next word. His eyes widened in sheer panic. He gripped his own throat and fell forward. A spray of golden blood erupted from his mouth and splashed across the cracked stones. Bastian twitched once and lay still.

The crowd erupted into muted sobs. The message was clear. This was not a simulation. Death in the upper leagues was sudden and absolute.

"You are the new generation of the Novice God League," Malakor spoke. His voice vibrated in Leo's chest and rattled his ribs. "You have thirty days of system protection to establish your domains. Your borders will remain sealed until the tutorial concludes. Build your armies or perish."

The chimera let out a roar that shattered the glass of the nearby vendor terminals.

"The system will grant you the tools to begin," Malakor continued. "Those who survive the month will fight in the Ascension Arena. The victor joins the Standard League. The rest will feed the void."

The ancient god pulled the reigns. The beast launched itself back into the rift and the torn sky knitted itself back together.

The crushing weight lifted from the plaza. Leo sucked in a lungful of air and pushed himself up from the cracked pavement. Chloe remained on the ground weeping quietly into her hands. Trent stared at Bastian's motionless body with wide eyes.

Leo reached down and helped Chloe to her feet. She leaned against him and trembled. They had all played video games and watched movies about alternate worlds. Seeing a classmate drop dead from a mere glance stripped away any remaining delusions.

A melodic chime echoed through the marketplace. Blue holographic screens materialized in front of every surviving student.

"Initiating starter pack distribution," the City System announced.

Leo focused on his interface.

Item Name: Systemic Templar Starter Pack

Type: Summoned Unit

Tier: High Tier Basic

Cost: 0 PoF System Issued

Effect: Generates 10x base devotion compared to regular mortals.

Attribute: Absolute Loyalty.

Leo read the text twice to ensure he understood the parameters. The system was handing every novice god a baseline security force. One hundred loyal templars would provide a massive advantage to any standard player. They offered protection and a steady stream of faith currency.

For a normal student, one hundred templars generating ten points of devotion meant one thousand Power of Faith per day. It was enough to buy basic iron swords or minor healing draughts. Trent could use that income to slowly repair his fragile armor. Chloe could use it to buy simple nets for her fishermen.

Leo was not a normal student.

He opened his personal status screen and looked at his welcome bonus. The Architect of Devotion trait multiplied all generated faith by one hundred.

Leo closed his eyes and did the math. One hundred templars multiplied by ten base devotion equaled one thousand points. That one thousand points multiplied by his unique hundredfold trait equaled an astronomical sum.

One hundred thousand Power of Faith.

He would generate that amount every single day without lifting a finger.

He opened his eyes and stared at the golden Genesis Seed still resting in his pocket. He had spent fifty thousand points to secure his kingdom's agricultural future. He had worried about draining his reserves and leaving himself vulnerable to early attacks. Now he realized his wealth would compound faster than he could ever spend it.

Trent was scrambling to gather one thousand points a day through fear and taxation. Leo would wake up every morning with a king's ransom sitting in his ledger.

"Did you see the starter pack?" Chloe asked. Her voice pulled Leo from his calculations. She wiped her face and stared at her blue screen. "The system gave us soldiers. I can assign them to guard the docks in my village."

"Do not use them for combat," Leo advised her. "Their primary function is generating faith. Keep them safe inside your domain and let them pray. You need that daily income to buy real infrastructure."

"I do not know how to run a village," Chloe admitted. "I just want to go home."

"Home is gone," Leo said gently. He looked over at Bastian's body being digitized and erased by the system cleaners. "We have to play the board. If we fail, we end up like him."

Trent stood up across the plaza and brushed the dirt from his designer clothes. The fear from Malakor's arrival faded rapidly and his arrogant posture returned. He looked at his interface and laughed loudly.

"Did you read the item description?" Trent shouted to his remaining sycophants. He pointed at his blue screen. "One hundred loyal soldiers. The system just handed me a private army. I am going to march them into Valoria and execute anyone who refuses to pay my taxes."

The students who had defected to Leo's side shifted nervously. Trent now possessed armed guards to enforce his cruelty.

"You have thirty days of protection," Trent sneered at Leo. "You better spend all your time hiding behind that glowing seed. I am going to amass an army so big the system will just hand me the victory."

Leo did not bother to respond. He knew Trent lacked the fundamental understanding of basic economics. Trent viewed the templars as swords. Leo viewed them as investments.

"I need to return to Ashguard," Leo told Chloe. "I have to plant the seed before the soil completely dies. You should return to your coastal domain and assess your resources."

"Will I see you again?" Chloe asked. She clutched the fabric of her sweater.

"The Spatial Tear connects our domains to this marketplace," Leo said. "We can meet here. Focus on gathering your daily faith points and do not spend them on useless weapons."

Leo walked away from the golden terminal and headed toward the portal sector. The divine marketplace buzzed with frantic energy. Novice gods rushed to the vendor altars to spend their starter pack income on basic defenses. They were terrified of the upcoming thirty day deadline.

Leo stepped into the designated gateway zone and selected his personal heaven from the interface menu. A swirling blue portal opened before him.

He stepped through the Spatial Tear and left the chaotic plaza behind. He returned to the quiet wooden room of his City Heaven. The transition was smooth and silent.

His blue monitor hovered over the oak desk. The numbers on the screen were already updating.

Current Believers: 1300

Power of Faith: 12990

Leo smiled. The templars had automatically deployed into Ashguard. He knew the numbers would soon skyrocket to unprecedented heights. He walked toward the viewing aperture and looked down at his broken city.

The lower slums were still starving. The royal guards still patrolled the upper rings with cruel indifference. The mortal king sat on a throne built on suffering.

Leo pulled the Genesis Seed from his pocket. The emerald glow illuminated the small room. He had the money. He had the strategy. He just needed to establish his physical presence among his people.

"System," Leo commanded.

"Awaiting your directive," the mechanical voice replied.

"I purchased the Divine Manifestation skill book at the bronze terminal," Leo said. "Initiate the learning protocol."

The system interface flashed a brilliant white. Knowledge flooded into Leo's mind. He understood the complex arcane geometry required to fold space and project his consciousness downward. He learned how to anchor his divine essence into a physical avatar capable of interacting with mortal matter.

Skill Book Consumed. Divine Manifestation unlocked.

Leo stepped away from the desk and stood in the center of the wooden room. He looked at the vast kingdom spread out below the window. The thirty day timer had officially started. Trent was busy terrorizing his citizens to buy cheap armor.

Leo closed his eyes and activated the skill. He prepared to drop directly into the mortal plane and change the world forever.