Chapter 372

“Is that the place?”

Malbre muttered as he looked at the City of the Forsaken. From afar, he examined the city and furrowed his brows.

“…What are those buildings?”

The first thing that stood out were the houses.

Small homes made of solid soil were spread throughout the entire city.

Then there were the Forsaken, scrambling at the sight of him.

They should’ve been gaunt from being unable to produce anything, but they were relatively plump. They looked filthy on the surface, but at the very least, they didn’t seem malnourished.

“So it’s confirmed.”

There was someone here with a production-related ability.

“How pathetic.”

Malbre curled his lip.

He stepped forward. His officers followed behind him. The people of the city panicked when they saw them.

“What do we do?!”

They were in a state of hysteria.

They had been basking in happiness and had forgotten reality. They had no real power. If any of the other factions decided to intervene, they could do so at any time.

It was obvious why Malbre had come. He was here to take Taesan.

“Protect the messenger of the gods!”

“We can’t let them take him!”

People shouted while holding crude weapons. They tried to resist with all their might.

But there were also many who opposed that opinion. One man spoke quietly.

“Do we have a duty to protect him?”

“What?”

“Are you saying we should abandon the messenger of the gods?!”

“No.”

The man shook his head.

“It’s the opposite. Claiming we must protect him—that’s arrogance. Think about it. Do you really think he’ll be oppressed in another city?”

His words gave the people pause.

Taesan’s abilities were extraordinary. Powers never before seen in this world.

The other cities wouldn’t try to exploit him like a tool. They’d shower him with benefits to bring him in.

In fact, staying here would be a loss for Taesan.

“We’re the ones being selfish by trying to keep him here. That’s how I see it.”

No one had a response.

There was no clear answer. The people hesitated, confused.

And Taesan passed them by, walking outside the city.

“Ah…”

“O messenger…”

The people hurriedly tried to stop him—

But Taesan had already stepped beyond the city’s boundaries. Malbre, having approached, spotted Taesan and his eyes lit up.

“That must be him.”

The distinct black hair and eyes. His outfit was far too neat to be one of the Forsaken. Malbre instinctively realized it.

“Are you the one who revived this city?”

“I am.”

Taesan answered briefly. Malbre examined him.

No identifying marks. An unfamiliar face.

He wasn’t from any of the other factions. Then he was most likely someone from outside.

‘So there were still survivors out there?’

Malbre was slightly surprised as he spoke.

“Your power is far too valuable to be wasted in a place like this.”

Malbre extended a hand toward Taesan.

“Join me. Even in this ruined world, I’ll give you a life of absolute comfort.”

The Forsaken watched the scene with anxious faces. Malbre never even considered that Taesan would reject him.

“No.”

Taesan gave a short reply.

Malbre’s face twisted at the unexpected refusal.

“No?”

“I have no intention of leaving here. Go back.”

The Forsaken sank to the ground in relief. Malbre clicked his tongue.

“So that’s why you’re here. You’re a fool.”

He was the type Malbre often saw back when the world was still somewhat livable.

Those who possessed great power, yet used it for others instead of themselves.

Malbre considered them utterly stupid.

In this world, kindness for others was useless. What mattered was oneself. And the results proved that.

Those who tried to help others all died because of their weaknesses, while people like him survived.

Malbre decided that Taesan was one of those types.

He laughed.

It was a foolish move, but that would make it easier to control him.

‘Once I start killing the Forsaken one by one, he’ll come around.’

First, he needed to subdue him. Malbre gave the order to his officers.

“Capture him without injury.”

The officers smirked and stepped forward.

The Forsaken tried to rush forward to protect Taesan, but he stopped them.

“Stay back.”

“Ah…”

The Forsaken froze in place. A compulsive force, like an absolute command, had taken hold of them.

The officers launched themselves forward.

Even Malbre himself wouldn’t be able to block such sharp coordinated strikes easily. Since Taesan had a production-type ability, his combat power should be low. Malbre had no doubt that Taesan would be captured without resistance.

He leisurely watched Taesan.

Even as the officers charged at him, Taesan didn’t move.

His gaze, indifferent and detached, turned to Malbre.

It was like he was looking at an insect.

Malbre shuddered.

His instincts screamed at him. He tried to shout for retreat, but it was already too late. The officers had reached Taesan.

Taesan’s fist moved.

Crunch.

“Ugh—!”

With screams, the officers’ bodies flew through the air. One of them staggered to his feet, having been flung all the way behind Malbre.

“What… what the hell…?”

“Adjusting the force to avoid killing is harder than I thought.”

Taesan stomped the ground. His body surged forward at high speed.

The barely-standing officers flinched and moved instinctively.

* * *

Power exploded.

Invisible force surged toward Taesan. Flames engulfed the surroundings. Razor-sharp blades pierced at his chest.

Taesan moved his hand.

The blades shattered. The flames vanished. The invisible force broke apart.

Even the Forsaken could only stare blankly at the sight.

“What is this?!”

One officer screamed.

It was complete domination. Their powers were being utterly shattered.

“I came up with one possible solution.”

Muttering to himself, Kang Taesan casually swatted away the officers’ attacks.

What method could stabilize the polluted land?

The answer wasn’t difficult. The solution was a [Sanctuary].

A [Sanctuary] formed from [Divinity] was something Taesan could now create with ease.

But maintaining it was the problem. Since [Divinity] was consumed rapidly, once Taesan left, the [Sanctuary] would disappear soon after.

Therefore, he needed to create a [Sanctuary] that could remain even after he departed.

He already knew the method.

In the ruined world of the ghost, he had seen the [Sanctuary] of the [God of Regret].

Though the [God of Regret] had long since abandoned it, the [Sanctuary] persisted through the faith of its believers.

If he created a [Sanctuary] maintained by the faith of people, it would remain even after Taesan left.

[Faith] was built upon people’s belief. The stronger that belief, the stronger the [Divinity].

So he had to firmly imprint his power.

Taesan drew his sword.

Crunch.

“Gahh!”

An officer’s stomach was pierced. Taesan kicked the corpse away.

He waved his hand, extinguishing flames, and grabbed another by the neck. He squeezed.

“O-Ohhhhh!”

The Forsaken erupted in cheers.

The officers began to fall, one after another. Malbre’s face turned deathly pale.

‘W-Wait.’

Taesan was by no means weak. From what he was showing now, he was far stronger than Malbre.

‘No way!’

Malbre possessed the greatest power among the surviving humans.

But even so, his strength wasn’t impressive.

When the monsters had first launched their full-scale invasion, many had gained powers far surpassing Malbre’s.

But all of them died fighting the monsters. That was the only reason he had survived and managed to rule a city.

And now, the power Taesan displayed rivaled those long-dead elites.

‘There was still a survivor like this?!’

Malbre made a quick decision. Escape.

Tap.

“Y-You bastard…”

Abandoning his dying officers, he ran. One of them spotted him fleeing and tried to curse, but was killed by Taesan’s strike.

‘I have to run!’

Until now, whenever Malbre thought he couldn’t win, he ran and hid in a safe place. It was the same when monsters first appeared.

Malbre had always hidden behind the lines.

That was how he survived.

But this time, escape was impossible.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Malbre’s body was lifted by immense force. He was slammed into the ground.

Boom!

“Khak! Kek!”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Taesan, stepping on him, spoke leisurely. Malbre was in shock.

‘…They’re already all dead?’

Taesan grabbed and inspected Malbre.

What kind of special power did he possess?

[You have activated Essence Identification.]

After examining Malbre, Taesan understood.

‘A god’s power.’

It was nothing more than a remnant—not even a shard—but there was undeniably a [Immortal’s] power inside the man.

The reason wasn’t difficult to guess.

Even the gods had struggled to stop the [Old Gods’] invasion. The fact that the [God of Magic] had given Taesan, in his weakened state, a quest to stop them proved as much.

Apparently, in this world, the gods had scattered [Divinity] among numerous random individuals to grant them power and aid in the gods’ fight.

‘So [Divinity] can be used like this too.’

Rather than specific figures like [Apostles] or [Saints], it had been distributed to an undefined mass.

It was a method Taesan couldn’t use yet.

The ways of utilizing [Divinity] were truly endless.

“Nothing impressive.”

Malbre’s power wasn’t all that strong. He could maybe handle low-tier monsters, but against a B-rank monster, he’d be overwhelmed.

He was nothing more than a meat shield.

[Even if the unworthy gain power, it doesn’t amount to anything.]

Taesan had extracted all the useful information.

He pressed down with his foot. Feeling the crushing weight, Malbre stammered.

“P-Please spare…”

“You’ve done nothing but kill until now, haven’t you? So accept it.”

Taesan spoke calmly and finished it.

He returned to the city.

The people, who had been blankly watching, erupted in cheers.

“Ooooh!”

“O messenger of the gods!”

“You descended to save us!”

Taesan looked at them.

A powerful, blinding [Faith] surged into him.

* * *

The people began to worship Taesan.

He gave them food. He provided homes. He even purified the air.

On top of that, he defeated those who tried to oppress them with overwhelming power.

He did it all without expecting anything in return. In their eyes, his actions were saintly—worship was only natural.

In the midst of this devotion, someone shouted:

“No! He’s not just some messenger of the gods! He descended himself to save us—he is our savior!”

“O Savior!”

“O Savior who has come to rescue us!”

The people began calling Taesan their [Savior]. They gathered regularly to pray to him. Their [Faith] toward Taesan grew stronger by the day.

But it still wasn’t enough.

At this level, it wasn’t possible to create a stable [Sanctuary].

Taesan headed to the city once ruled by the Red Incarnate, taking several people with him. The city was in chaos, likely because it had lost its ruler.

Taesan announced that he had killed Malbre and his officers, and that the people were now free.

They didn’t believe him at first. But once they saw him producing food and building houses, their trust began to form.

Unlike the Forsaken, these people had suffered under Malbre’s tyranny. As a result, their belief was explosive.

The people who had followed Taesan from the other city stepped forward to sing his praises. In an instant, two cities began worshiping Taesan.

Thick, profound [Faith] continued to pour into him.

But even now, it was not enough.