Chapter 460

Taesan examined his own body.

Something invisible was surrounding him like a membrane.

The power contained within it was not of this world.

It belonged to the Old god.

“What is that?”

Beldenkia asked with a baffled look.

“That’s not just power or rank, is it? What kind of power did you gain?”

“Authority of an Old god.”

Taesan explained briefly. Upon hearing it, Beldenkia’s pupils widened before he let out a dry laugh.

“Denial of the laws themselves? That’s just…”

It was not something easily accepted.

“Then doesn’t that mean no one can interfere with you now?”

Even transcendents’ powers were rooted in the laws of the world. But Taesan shook his head.

“Not quite. There’s a clear limit.”

That may be true when the Old god wielded the power directly—over life, death, authority, and even the laws of the Labyrinth.

But that power had deteriorated during Taesan’s process of stealing it. Now, it could only block laws directly interfering with him.

And every time he blocked a law, [Immutable Self] was consumed.

When he blocked Diana’s ultimate strike, the [Immutable Self] surrounding his body was consumed. It was recharging, but the recovery was very slow.

“Doesn’t look like it’s decreased.”

“Well, that’s because the gap in rank between us is so large.”

Taesan was now a transcendent.

Even if Diana was strong, she was at best within [Boundary Line]. The difference in rank was overwhelming, so the consumption was minimal.

To block an attack from someone of equal or higher rank would consume a lot more [Immutable Self]. After hearing the explanation, Beldenkia stroked his chin.

“Still, that’s an absurd power. To affect you at all, they’d have to break through [Immutable Self] first. Until then, no interference would work.”

“Exactly.”

Even with its limits, it was a tremendously powerful skill.

No being in this world could escape the concept of laws. To exert any influence on Taesan, they would first have to overcome the wall of [Immutable Self].

And that was the authority of an Old god. It did not belong to the laws of this world. It couldn’t be easily understood even by the opposition.

Now, there would be no more cases where [Attack Nullification] failed meaninglessly.

‘So this is the authority of an Old god.’

And even this was a severely degraded version compared to what the Old god originally wielded.

He began to wonder what kind of authorities the other Old gods had. Beldenkia let out a helpless laugh.

“A being with an Old god’s authority. I’ve never even heard of that.”

Next, Taesan checked the changes in Bardray and Akasha.

The two evolved and changed each time an enemy was defeated. Since he had defeated a fragment of an Old god, he expected a significant change.

[Prince of a Ruined World: Bardray]
[Prince of the fallen empire of Carbert. Bardray. Reborn with a sword as his body.]
[Attack Power +2854]

But contrary to his expectations, there weren’t any major changes.

His attack power had risen significantly, but considering he had defeated a fragment of an Old god, it wasn’t much. Bardray spoke.

[Probably because it was an Old god. That’s a being beyond the laws. You’re special, so you could draw power from it. I’m not.]

“That’s true.”

An Old god was immutable. Its power neither increased nor decreased. Only Taesan could forcibly steal it using [Boundary Line] and [Spirit Rank Ascension]. Bardray wasn’t included.

“What about you, Akasha?”

[I don’t really know. Everything still feels like it’s covered in fog. I feel like something’s about to come to me, but… not yet.]

“Take your time.”

[Yes. Thank you, Master.]

Taesan had finished checking the rewards he’d obtained.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Taesan closed his eyes and looked inward.

He had become the God of Earth.

On Earth, he was a transcendent.

So what could he now do as a transcendent, and what kind of influence could he wield?

He read himself, observing his new power and abilities.

“…Ah.”

A voice slipped out. Taesan realized something and opened his eyes.

“Now that I think about it, it was obvious.”

Taesan let out a hollow laugh.

He had become a transcendent.

Naturally, he should now be able to use abilities that only transcendents could.

Taesan stood up. His body leapt through space.

—

There was one week left before they returned to the Labyrinth.

During that time, people danced, sang, and rejoiced.

“For Lord Taesan!”

They shouted the names of those who had saved them.

And the most frequently called name was, of course, Taesan.

Everyone on Earth worshipped him. They prayed to him and praised him.

One former singer even wrote a song for him.

“For Lady Diana!”

The next most mentioned name was Diana.

She had single-handedly taken down multiple S-class monsters. She rightfully earned the people’s admiration. Beldenkia also received similar praise for the same reason.

“For Lady Lee Taeyeon!”

Naturally, Lee Taeyeon was also among the praised.

She was the second strongest Earthling after Taesan.

She had fought S-class monsters and saved many lives. She deserved the recognition.

And among all this—

No one called Amelia’s name.

Amelia wore a bitter smile among the crowd.

“Sigh…”

With a sigh, she stepped out from the celebration. People who recognized her smiled brightly and expressed their gratitude.

“Ah, Lady Amelia! Thank you! We survived because of you!”

“No, we were all just doing what we could to live.”

She gave a brief reply and quietly slipped away to a secluded spot.

She wasn’t forgotten. People still trusted and believed in her.

But she was no longer their symbol of hope.

“Well. It’s not like that’s surprising.”

She muttered quietly. In terms of strength, she was fifth. A very ambiguous position.

“…It still hurts a little.”

She couldn’t be the protagonist.

The protagonist was Taesan.

She had accepted that.

But she couldn’t help feeling down.

Amelia leaned against a wall.

‘What is it that I want?’

Even she couldn’t clearly understand her own feelings.

As she stared blankly, Taesan came to mind.

Their first meeting hadn’t been good.

Chosen by the gods, and firmly believing she was the best, Amelia had never doubted that she was stronger than Taesan.

But in their duel—

She had been utterly defeated.

A completely overwhelming loss. An absolute gap in rank.

Amelia was captivated by that power.

More accurately, she was captivated by the existence of Taesan.

She had believed that, with her talent, she would catch up someday. That she could stand on equal footing with that mesmerizing man.

I’m the one who will catch up to you.

I’m your next.

With that mindset, she attacked the Labyrinth.

But at some point, Lee Taeyeon changed.

Like a completely different person, she began to descend the Labyrinth at an incredible pace. Alarmed, Amelia sped up as well, but Taeyeon quickly overtook her.

As a friend, she felt joy and pride in Taeyeon’s growth—but also panic.

I’m the one who’s supposed to catch up to him.

I’m the next in line.

But it didn’t stop there.

Then came Diana and Beldenkia—both clearly stronger than her.

Her strength, once considered exceptional, suddenly didn’t seem all that remarkable.

And then, the overwhelming power Taesan had shown upon returning.

The thought of catching up to him vanished from her mind.

And something else—something she didn’t recognize—took its place.

‘Is it jealousy?’

Was she jealous of their strength? No. She was grateful they had saved so many lives. She had never felt jealous.

‘…Did I want to be worshipped too?’

Once, yes. She had wanted to be the strongest. To be praised by all.

But not anymore. While the lack of attention stung a bit, it wasn’t what made her sad. The real reason was something else.

‘…Taesan and Taeyeon often talk alone.’

She knew that Taeyeon’s transformation was related to Taesan. But he had never said anything to her.

Same with Diana and Beldenkia. Taesan never shared much about them with her.

That made her feel a little left out.

“.Ah?”

She let out a surprised sound.

She had realized why she felt down.

To her, Taesan was like a god.

An overwhelmingly powerful leader who guided everyone.

And she wanted to be recognized by him.

For him to say she was strong.

For him to say she was someone he could trust.

She wanted to be someone he confided in—someone who shared his secrets.

Her face turned red.

“What the hell is this?”

It felt like a child craving acknowledgment. She didn’t want to admit it. She shook her head violently, but once the thought entered her mind, it wouldn’t go away.

Looking back, she had always wanted to be acknowledged by someone.

Even when she was deceived by the God of Fall, it was because he had recognized her.

Now, that person was Taesan.

Once she realized this, the feeling wouldn’t stop. Her mind was filled with the same thought, again and again.

She wanted to share secrets with Taesan.

She wanted him to say, “I trust you.”

She wanted to stand back-to-back with him, fighting with their lives on the line.

She crouched down.

“This is really all I wanted? Seriously embarrassing.”

“What is?”

She jumped to her feet in surprise.

Taesan was beside her before she realized it.

“T-Taesan? What are you doing here?”

“I have business with you.”

“…With me?”

Not Lee Taeyeon, not Diana—with her.

That alone made her feel better. The gloominess disappeared completely. She smiled brightly.

“What is it? Tell me.”

Taesan looked at her for a moment, then spoke.

“Do you want to become my apostle?”

—

At Taesan’s words, Amelia froze.

“You’re talking about becoming the apostle of a god… right?”

Taesan nodded.

An apostle.

She knew what it meant.

“I’ve become a god.”

Not in the perfect sense, but Taesan was now a transcendent.

And a transcendent could create apostles.

“Your soul will belong to me. In exchange, I’ll be able to grant you my power.”

Up until now, Taesan had received apostle contracts from transcendents.

But now, he was the one offering an apostle contract.

“You’ll be my first apostle. Interested?”

“…Hold on.”

Amelia was confused. She needed time to process this sudden proposal. Taesan waited quietly.

After a bit of time, she asked,

“How many apostles can you have?”

“Just one for now. I can only make one at the moment.”

He wasn’t a full transcendent yet. There were limitations.

Hearing that, Amelia bit her lip.

She spoke with a resolute expression.

“Taesan. The apostle contract—you should offer it to Lee Taeyeon, or Diana, or Beldenkia.”

“Why?”

“Because the three of them are stronger than me.”

They had more talent than she did.

If they became Taesan’s apostles, they could maximize his power and grow stronger. If she became his apostle, she wouldn’t be able to fully use his strength. That’s what she believed.

“What are you talking about?”

Taesan looked at her like she was saying something ridiculous.

“You have talent, Amelia.”

“Well, I do. But not more than they…”

“Your talent is not inferior to Taeyeon’s. In fact, in some ways, it surpasses hers.”

“H-huh?”

Amelia believed she was lesser than Taeyeon.

But now Taesan was denying that belief.

“You’re amazing. In terms of raw talent, you’re not behind any of them.”

Thump.

Amelia’s heart pounded.

Taesan was acknowledging her.

“Are you serious…?”

“I am.”

Taesan nodded.

‘As expected.’

Amelia was extraordinary.

In Taesan’s eyes, her talent was among the finest of all the people he had seen. Even after escaping the God of Fall’s influence, she had descended the Labyrinth at incredible speed.

But something had changed in her at some point.

She slowed down. Hesitation and uncertainty began to show in her movements.

Taesan knew why.

‘Taeyeon’s talent is doubt and caution.’

She was timid to the point of cowardice—constantly questioning, sometimes even rejecting the correct path.

She had survived and grown stronger thanks to that talent. Even after regaining her past-life memories, that foundation remained unchanged.

‘And Amelia’s talent is belief in herself.’

She repeatedly risked her life. And she never doubted. She believed she would win. That she could achieve everything she desired. And she actually did.

That was her talent.

But after her crushing defeat to Taesan, the belief that she was the strongest was shattered.

Even so, she could continue on—because Taesan was the only one stronger.

Then came Lee Taeyeon.

Taeyeon, unlike Taesan, hadn’t seemed greater than Amelia at first. But she suddenly changed and surpassed Amelia.

Then Diana and Beldenkia appeared.

Her belief in herself began to crack.

She began to doubt whether she was truly exceptional—whether she was just slightly better than average.

She had been quietly crumbling under the weight of her own doubt.

Even if she cleared the Labyrinth, she might only reach a mediocre level.

Taesan had no intention of letting that happen.

‘This is perfect timing.’

He had been wondering how to restore Amelia’s shaken confidence. Words alone wouldn’t work. She needed proof that she was valuable.

And nothing said acknowledgment more clearly than an apostle contract.

“I don’t offer apostle contracts to anyone I don’t recognize.”

Amelia’s eyes trembled. Her face flushed.

What bloomed within her was joy.

“You are exceptional. It’s just a difference in direction. You’re not behind Taeyeon or Diana in the slightest.”

“But Taeyeon cleared the Labyrinth faster…”

“That’s because she regained her memories.”

“…Her memories?”

“I can’t explain everything, but she went through a special process. It’s not because she’s more talented than you.”

Amelia couldn’t hide her smile.

Taesan was directly acknowledging her.

He said she was not inferior to Taeyeon or Diana.

“I’m not offering the apostle contract to Taeyeon, or Diana, or Beldenkia. I’m offering it to you, Amelia.”

Amelia worshipped Taesan. And she understood what it meant to be an apostle.

An apostle was the closest servant to a god. They obeyed divine commands and were chosen only by gods who truly trusted, admired, or valued them.

Amelia understood what Taesan was offering. All her embarrassment disappeared.

“Of course, I won’t force you. You’d be giving yourself to me. If you don’t want to—”

“No.”

Amelia shook her head.

Her thoughts were clear.

She smiled wide—the same confident smile she had shown when Taesan first met her, when she truly believed she was the best.

“I want to. Taesan, I accept.”