Chương 191

Morpheus said.

"The gods of that era demanded worship. While the other Saint Pioneers didn't directly contend with the gods regarding this, the Staff Saint refused them directly. The gods sent their apostles to punish him. The Saint fought back. His momentum built up until his staff became powerful enough to even affect them."

"Wait," Sangmin interrupted. He stared at the ceiling speaker.

"Are you saying the staff saint fought the gods alone?"

"Yes," Morpheus stated simply.

"And he was the first to ever kill a god." Sangmin choked on his own spit. He coughed, thumping his chest.

"He killed a god?!"

"Yes," Morpheus confirmed.

"He was the first true god-killer in the history of the Satisfy. The Gods panicked as a result and the remaining gods banded together. They descended upon the mortal world in full force. It took their combined might to finally strike the Staff Saint down." Lim Cheolho tossed a chicken bone into a small trash bin.

"They were terrified. A power that scales infinitely without a ceiling is one of the biggest threat to their dominance. If a mortal can just swing a staff long enough to kill a god, then the gods aren't truly absolute."

"Correct," Morpheus said.

"After they killed him, the gods placed a permanent curse on the foundation of the world itself." The ancient runes on the monitor shifted. The text translated into modern language. Sangmin read it out loud.

"'No being born of this world shall ever inherit the peak of the staff.'""It was a complete ban," Nahee said. She pushed her glasses up.

"They deleted the class from existence. The system was forced to bury the path of the Staff Saint. For several destroyed worlds, the class never reappeared. The curse worked perfectly."

"Until Rudra," Sangmin said. He finally understood.

"But how did he bypass the divine curse?"

"Because of his origin classification," Morpheus explained.

"In the core code of the world, NPCs and monsters are tagged as native entities. But players log in from outside the game. They are classified as Immortals, or Outlanders." Nahee looked up from her tablet. A small smile appeared on her face.

"The wording of the curse."

"Exactly," Lim Cheolho chuckled. He wiped his hands on a wet towel.

"The gods were very specific. They said, 'No being born of this world.' Rudra wasn't born in Satisfy. His soul came from the real world. The system took the curse literally. Since Rudra wasn't born on that world, the ban didn't apply to him." Sangmin stared at the screen.

"A technicality. He was able to become the Staff Saint on a technicality."

"The system is fair," Morpheus replied.

"The rules were followed exactly as written." This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Sangmin rubbed his temples.

"Okay, fine. He slipped through the crack. But now he is out there balancing holy and demonic energy. Won't the gods realize their mistake? Won't they just hunt him down now to fix the loophole?" Nahee shook her head.

"It is not a big deal, Director."

"How is a god hunting a player not a big deal?" Sangmin asked.

"Because the gods who actually fought the first Staff Saint don't exist anymore," Nahee explained. She pulled up the current pantheon data.

"That happened several destroyed worlds ago. Most of those ancient gods died in the subsequent world resets or faded away. The current gods in Asgard—like Zeratul—were born much later. They only know vague myths about a dangerous mortal from a forgotten era."

"They do feel the danger," Morpheus added.

"The gods are showing subtle unrest. The current gods could sense they danger that the Player Rudra could have on them, if he was allowed to grow but they are unable to."

"Then why don't they?" Sangmin asked.

"Because they are restrained," Morpheus said.

"Restrained by who?"

"Goddess Rebecca," Lim Cheolho answered. Sangmin looked at the Chairman.

"The Goddess of Light is protecting him?"

"She favors him," Nahee said. She pulled up a background algorithm on the monitor. A soft, golden light pulsed gently on the screen.

"Rudra's Divine Power stat is incredibly high. It is also completely pure. He doesn't worship her, but he naturally generates divine energy through his actions."

"He helped the Second Pope and Imperial Lion," Sangmin recalled.

"He purged the corruption in the Vatican."

"Yes," Nahee nodded.

"And today, instead of being corrupted by the Great Demon's energy, he forced it into balance with her light. Rebecca is the supreme goddess of the current Asgard. She likes what she sees. She will be keeping the gods in check so that they do not wantonly interfere with the player 'Ruda'." Sangmin let out a long, heavy breath. He slumped back into his comfortable office chair.

"So," Sangmin summarized.

"He bypassed a forgotten curse because he is a player. He got noticed by the Devil Monarch on another world. And he isn't getting smited for breaking several taboos because the supreme goddess likes his vibe."

"That sums it up nicely," Lim Cheolho smiled. The Chairman stood up. He tossed his napkin into the trash and walked over to the giant monitor. The ancient text faded away. The live video feed returned. On the screen, Rudra stood in the dark cave. He rested his black lightning staff on his shoulder. He looked completely relaxed. The pile of grey ash from the Great Demon slowly blew away in the cave draft.

"He doesn't even know," Sangmin muttered.

"He has no idea about the ancient lore, or the Devil Monarch, or the gods watching him."

"He doesn't need to know yet," Lim Cheolho said. The Chairman put his hands in his pockets.

"He just wants to help his people and cook good food. The Zenith operates at his own pace."

"The Zenith," Sangmin repeated. He looked at the player on the screen. He remembered how Rudra casually slapped the demon.

"He really does fit the name."

"Let him play," Lim Cheolho said softly.

"The world is changing. The old rules are breaking. I want to see how far the Zenith can swing that staff before the heavens finally decide to test him." Sangmin nodded. He pulled up his daily report on his desk terminal.

"Well, he just hit Level 273. His growth speed is accelerating again. We should probably monitor the eastern borders. He still has those ocean temples to clear."

"Keep an eye on him," Nahee agreed. She turned off her tablet.

"But I think the game balance is safe for today." The operations room settled back into its normal, quiet hum. The red warning lights turned off. The programmers went back to typing. On the giant monitor, Rudra turned around and walked out of the cave, completely unaware of the massive waves he had just sent across the universe.