[Strength 111 (+14)] [Endurance 95 (+2)] [Agility 103 (+2)] [Vitality 105 (+6)] [Mana 96] [Luck 90 (+2)]
(Remaining Ability Points: 0)
<Achievements (11)>
<Unique Ability (1/1)>
Wow, these stats are dazzling as always…
No, wait.
User information.
It had been a while since I last checked, and so much had changed.
“Hmm…”
Seraph was silently scanning the data, staring into the void.
But his eyes slowly furrowed—was that a bad sign?
“Some things have changed… but quite a lot of information has been deleted as well.”
That was it. Some parts had changed, and many details had vanished.
This was a secret I hadn’t shared with anyone yet.
Because even I couldn’t fully understand these changes.
But Seraph was neither someone to hide things from nor someone I needed to hide from…
Then, suddenly,
“On top of that, Hwajeong has been playing pranks…”
Seraph sighed after staring into the void for a long moment.
“What do you mean by pranks?”
“Have you read the user information?”
“Of course… Wait, are you saying Hwajeong is behind this anomaly?”
“Half right, half wrong.”
I asked just in case, but Seraph quickly denied it.
“The mark Hwajeong left on your heart and the changes in your user info are unlikely to be connected.”
“But… you just said it was a prank.”
“Exactly…”
“Exactly?”
Hesitating, Seraph continued with a tone of disbelief.
“This mark is basically a ‘claim.’”
“A claim?”
“Literally. It means, ‘This person belongs to me, so don’t touch him.’”
“Who would even try to touch me?”
“Probably targeting the gods of Earth.”
“Seriously… what’s that supposed to mean?”
I clicked my tongue without realizing it.
So that’s why he called it a prank.
I thought it would be some profound message, but it was just that?
“Anyway, your title and true name have changed… but the ancient priestess’s imprint, mana activation, and charisma effects have completely disappeared. What do you make of that?”
“Simple. Those effects no longer need to activate.”
“Huh?”
“No need to overthink it. How do you feel yourself, Suhyun?”
I looked up at Seraph’s question.
“After checking, the ancient priestess’s imprint is definitely gone, and the mana activation effect is gone too. But do you feel weaker compared to before?”
I immediately shook my head.
The mana flowing through my circuits feels more stable than ever, and the mana activation could probably accelerate infinitely, if I exaggerate a bit.
In other words, I don’t feel weaker—I feel much stronger.
Stronger beyond comparison.
The fact that I crushed Heo Junyoung, who had trained fiercely on modern battlefields, is proof of that.
“I agree. Your current body should be able to produce at least twice the divine power you showed in the Terra battle.”
So, they disappeared because they were no longer necessary?
Not a bad thing, then…
“No, I mean, there must be a reason for this, right?”
“That’s why…” Seraph finally looked away from the void and met my gaze.
“We need to pay attention to your title and true name in the user info.”
“What did you mean earlier by ‘half right, half wrong’?”
“It’s still just speculation…”
“Go ahead, I’m listening.”
Putting aside the mark, let’s sort out the rest.
The Slayer’s title changed to ‘Vessel of the Gods.’
Normal, Sovereign of the Sword, and Demon traits disappeared, leaving only the cryptic true name ‘1/66,536.’
Seraph, who had been silent for a while, spoke cautiously.
“Do you remember when you requested Hwajeong as a special privilege?”
“Yeah.”
“And how I opposed it?”
“Oh, you warned me it was dangerous.”
The moment I replied as if it didn’t matter, Seraph’s eyes sharpened.
“Yes. To be precise, I thought no human could handle the power of a Nine Heavens-level god. Especially not by directly housing it inside the body, particularly the heart, rather than as an external divine weapon.”
“But you know as well as I do, it wasn’t about handling Hwajeong’s power—it was about storing it. It wasn’t absorbing the power, but borrowing it. And I’m not the only one using divine power. There’s my brother, Im Hanna, and Cha Sorim too.”
Why was that a problem?
I argued, but Seraph remained unmoved.
If anything, his expression suggested the opposite.
“The three users you named used a method called ‘Divine Possession,’ summoning the gods only when needed. Even then, they only borrowed part of the gods’ power—they never fully contained a god. So it’s not comparable to you, who constantly houses a god. It’s a completely different matter.”
“That’s…”
“That’s not all. You’ve fully used divine power through Flame Transformation several times. More importantly, you’ve saved your life multiple times by receiving divine vitality.”
“…”
He was talking about Gehenna sharing her life force.
“Even if we set aside the power of Chiwoo Cheonwang, which is at the Five Heavens level, Gehenna and Hwajeong are Nine Heavens-level gods—on par with creator gods. Your body, which these two gods’ powers come and go from at will, has somehow become a kind of vessel… Thinking this way explains some of your changes.”
As his voice faded, I suddenly grasped what Seraph was trying to say.
“Perhaps… you have already…”
Seraph stopped himself abruptly, then gave a faintly sad smile.
“No, sorry. I might be jumping ahead. There have been cases of humans becoming gods, but only once in all of history.”
Now that I think about it, the armor I wear is Chiwoo Cheonwang’s armor.
The only one who became a god from a human.
“…”
Silence stretched between us.
Despite the long conversation, Seraph couldn’t reach a conclusion.
I had some hope, but I wasn’t expecting answers anyway.
After all, even the Zero Code, a being of the Ten Heavens, couldn’t give a definite answer.
Well, enough of this headache-inducing talk.
Better to change the subject.
“Can’t be helped. For now, we just have to keep all possibilities open and be cautious. By the way, Seraph?”
“Yes?”
“Putting me aside, what are you going to do now?”
“…?”
Was that unexpected? Seraph’s eyes widened.
“As you said, all the other angels fled to Heaven.”
“That’s right.”
“And you were almost the sacrifice, but you exist now because of the Zero Code’s whim.”
“…”
By now, anyone but a fool would understand what I meant.
My situation was a problem, but Seraph’s future was one too.
…Though the answer was already decided.
Still, I asked partly as payback for his reckless actions five years ago.
And partly because I wanted to hear it from him directly.
“W-What are you talking about? Didn’t you declare you’d take me back?”
“You did. Thanks to the Zero Code, you got me back easily. So now it’s time to decide your future.”
“…”
“Hmm, hmm. Well, how about you just go back to Heaven like the others?”
I said it with mock seriousness, watching Seraph’s expression become increasingly entertaining.
“W-Well, is that really a problem? Since you have your own issues, maybe I should just stay here at the altar for now…”
“You’re not seriously planning to stay as a helper forever, are you? Wouldn’t it be better to just return to Heaven? Since I got the Zero Code, your rank must have risen quite a bit.”
“…That’s none of your business, Suhyun.”
“Well, yeah, but…”
When I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, Seraph’s face clearly showed he was a little hurt.
After enjoying his awkward attempt to act nonchalant, I slowly stood up.
Quite some time had passed, and it was about time my wives came looking for me.
“Well then, think it over.”
Of course, before turning away,
“I’ll lend you a hand…”
I reached out toward the altar.
The morning sky was so clear and blue that just looking at it lifted my spirits.
After returning from the summoning chamber and stepping out of the temple, Seraph and I didn’t exchange a single word.
But as we strode down the stairs, the silence between us stretching longer than I expected, I started to wonder if maybe I’d taken the teasing a bit too far after not seeing her for so long.
“Su-hyun…”
Suddenly, Seraph broke the silence.
I deliberately didn’t respond.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from living with multiple wives, it’s that in a marriage, it’s crucial to establish who’s in charge early on.
Call it childish if you want.
The shock from five years ago still lingers.
…Wait, what am I even thinking?
Feels like I’m counting my chickens before they hatch.
“You know the role I fulfilled as an angel, don’t you?”
Her calm voice cut through the quiet, bringing an important realization with it.
“The demons have been eradicated, my duties in the Whole Plane are complete, and thanks to you, Su-hyun, who should have disappeared, I am able to exist once more.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a warm, comforting sensation spread across my back.
Wings?
They fluttered gently, as if soothing me softly. I almost laughed, but managed to hold it back.
“So, if it’s possible, I want to become human.”
“Human?”
Her next words caught me off guard, and I found myself asking without thinking.
“Why?”
Being an angel doesn’t seem so bad.
The wings feel warm and nice, after all.
“Because angels cannot conceive human children.”
Ah, I see.
Angels can’t bear human children.
Well, they are different species after all…
“……”
…Huh?
“I have no lingering attachment to the heavens or my position as an angel anymore.”
By the time I snapped back to reality, we had already stopped walking.
I quickly turned around, and Seraph was standing still as well.
“There is only one thing I wish for.”
A cool morning breeze.
“To become human, bear your child…”
The spring wind flowed gently.
“And…”
Bathed in the blessing of sunlight pouring over the white stairs, Seraph smiled brightly.
Then she said,
“As your wife, I want to spend a hundred years together with you as your husband.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Sorry for the delay.
I promised to post this within a week after December 13th, but it’s been over two weeks now…
I thought having more time would make writing easier, but I guess I was wrong.
Looking back, when I was still in school in 2013, I could come home around 6 or 7 p.m. and still post on schedule, but now…
Even I don’t have an answer for this.
I want to find that passion and joy again.
No, I have to find it.
Some people have even told me to just quit if I’m going to keep doing this half-heartedly and focus on studying instead (maybe they saw the comments… ;), so I’ll try to whip myself back into shape.