Chapter 203

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 203: Overwhelming with SP (1)

Spending SP without worry.

No concern for income, expenses, or even the balance.

Just spending recklessly as is.

Throwing it all out without thinking of the aftermath, yet the bank balance barely had a scratch.

But even though I was using SP like crazy, the situation itself wasn’t good.

I had deployed gods and sent out my clones, but the world was vast and too many people were collapsing.

There were probably over a hundred million souls I was barely keeping tethered to their bodies…

If this number grows any further, I’ll hit a limit.

If only there was somewhere I could store them…

"Ah."

Then I remembered the Soul Orb I had sealed my father's soul in.

I had planned to release the seal when peace returned.

What if I stored human souls in that for now?

"Soul Orb Creation."

Creating it wasn’t hard.

I had managed it even at SS rank.

Now that I was SSS rank, it was a piece of cake.

“Have all the clones begin creation too…”

My clones were dispatched worldwide to force awaken humanity.

I instructed them to create Soul Orbs on their way and absorb surrounding souls.

Each orb could store about 10,000 souls.

While clones were less efficient than the original body and consumed tens or hundreds of millions of SP, that was pocket change to me.

Thousands of Kim Jihos were awakening humans, creating Soul Orbs, and retrieving fallen souls.

There was no room to preserve their physical bodies, so I focused on protecting the souls.

As I neatly stored souls in the Soul Orbs, the rate at which they were sucked into the sky of Greece clearly slowed.

Clones, Apostle Gods, and soul control…

It was practically like running the whole world alone from my living room.

Amidst this chaos, several messages arrived.

[Lord God, we attempted forced awakening, but with believers of other religions, SP consumption was extreme. The efficiency is terrible, but…]

“It’s fine. Just do it. I’ve got plenty to spare.”

[Christians who label the Lord as Satan are violently resisting. They’re saying how can they believe in a host of devils…]

“Tch. I’m saving their lives and they’re still complaining. Ignore their resistance and awaken them anyway.”

Michael’s bunch really weren’t helpful.

Just as my annoyance peaked, I recalled what Hades had once said:

—As He suggested, why don’t you try spending SP like crazy? If the price is right, we’re willing to join in as mercenaries too. Hehehe…

Good.

They said they wouldn’t directly oppose Olympus, but that didn’t mean they had any contracts with Heaven.

“Hades.”

[Hehehe. We meet again so soon.]

Hades rubbed his hands together obsequiously the moment the call connected.

His eyes already knew why I was contacting him.

Just to be sure, I asked,

"About joining as mercenaries—attacking Olympus directly is a no-go, right?"

[That’s impossible. There’s the treaty, and besides, we’d just die in vain.]

"Die in vain? Because Zeus is a Creator?"

[Yes. If we enter a Creator’s domain unprepared, it's instant death.]

Tch.

I didn’t expect much there anyway.

“What about attacking Michael?”

[Michael, you say? You’re not talking about attacking Yahweh’s New Eden, right?]

“Right. I can’t afford to antagonize both Creators. I just want to drive out Michael who’s being a pain on Earth.”

[Hehehe. Still, Michael is a cherished archangel of Yahweh and an SSS-rank high god. He’s quite a tough opponent. Plus, we risk antagonizing the Creator behind him…]

“So is it possible or not?”

[Hehehe. For that guy, we might need to bring in a few other Lords of Chaos… the cost might be a bit high…]

Hades kept dragging it out.

Ugh.

So annoying.

“How much?”

[How about 50 trillion per Lord of Chaos? With that, the others will likely join too. Ah, and that price is not expensive at all—]

“Only that much? If you finish the job fast, I’ll pay 100 trillion per head. Wipe out all of Michael’s forces.”

I cut off his endless persuasion and offered double his asking price.

No need to waste time haggling over 50 trillion.

[Uh… are you sure about this?]

“You’ve seen how much I’ve earned.”

[I quoted based on that… hehe…]

Hades’ hand-rubbing intensified.

[I’ll contact the other Lords of Chaos immediately. Who exactly are we targeting?]

“All the angels on Earth. Leave the humans alone.”

[Hehehe. Understood… we’ll handle it within three days. We’ll bring back Michael’s head.]

That guy.

He made it sound like a huge challenge, but now it’s “done in three days”?

Anyway, that should take care of the Michael problem.

[Um, Mr. Kim Jiho. This SP… was it sent by mistake?]

[Hey. What is this? Shouldn’t we return it?]

A message came in from Kang Shia.

The screen showed her along with Lee Jinseong and several other guild members.

Ah.

Looks like they also got some SP while I was distributing it to the Apostle Gods.

"Because of those Olympus bastards…"

When I explained I was forcibly awakening humanity to counter Olympus’ schemes, Lee Jinseong looked incredulous.

[Hey, does that even make sense? How are you going to awaken 7 billion people?]

[Yeah. Feels like a waste.]

"I have 240 quadrillion."

[What? Quadrillion? What does that even mean?]

[Uh… is that like ten thousand, hundred million, trillion, then quadrillion?]

Kang Shia asked with disbelief.

I gave a light nod.

[Huh… no way…]

"Would I be throwing around SP like this otherwise? For reference, I gave 10 billion to SS-ranked gods, and 100 billion to SSS-ranked. How much did you guys get?"

[B-rank got a million. C-rank got 100,000.]

"Hmm. Then do they not get affected by alcohol allure?"

[Yeah. Seems fine up to D-rank. E and F are more about self-control. Some people resist, others can’t fight the urge. But no one’s blacking out.]

So D-rank and above are safe, at least?

[We’re getting reports of Kim Jiho appearing in multiple locations. Is this also an Olympus scheme? He’s approaching collapsed people, placing orbs on them, and touching people’s heads. It's making people uneasy…]

Kang Shia showed a video.

It showed “me” approaching drunk, collapsed people, absorbing their souls with an orb, and then touching bystanders on the head.

People awakened one after another.

With no explanation, I was retrieving souls and forcing awakenings.

From the video alone, it looked like an emotionless robot.

Moving at lightning speed before people could react—it’s natural they’d feel uneasy.

"That’s me. I sent out clones everywhere. The situation is urgent. I’m recovering souls so they don’t get pulled into Olympus and awakening people so they don’t collapse drunk."

[Ah, understood. We’ll make an announcement accordingly.]

[But… do the clones have to look like you? People are getting spooked.]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"Hmm… maybe I should change their appearance."

There’s no need to stick to a humanoid form.

With the power of light at my disposal…

Right.

Let’s make it full of a holy aura, so people won’t be wary.

As I changed its form, the light gathered like a soccer ball, gently floating in the air.

When I showed this new form, the two gave a positive reaction.

[That’s a lot better than before.]

[The light feels warm and benevolent. Even followers of other gods might be less on guard.]

“Yeah. Make an announcement through the guild.”

[Yes. And due to the recent incident with the alcohol, world leaders are expressing interest in contacting you, Kim Jiho. That’s the official reason, at least...]

“Those guys… A lot of them seem to want to become my apostles.”

World leaders.

This includes politicians, corporate moguls, and, increasingly, high-ranking Hunters who have emerged as a new elite.

When I awakened as an SSS-rank and scanned the souls of all 7 billion humans, I caught glimpses of their hearts too.

Those who hold wealth and power.

Upon awakening, one becomes younger and healthier, so all of them have already awakened.

Thus, they already have a religion and a patron deity.

But once it became known that the benefits I, Kim Jiho, offer far surpass those of their existing gods—

Even lesser deities desperately seek my favor—so although they don’t express it openly, they clearly want to serve me as their patron god.

[Ah… Yes… Many of them are quietly showing interest in becoming your apostles. Should I say there are no open slots?]

“No, let’s accept them all. I’ll make the offer to them directly.”

Ever since I created the Divine Realm, the limits on the number of apostles have essentially vanished.

Adding a few human leaders wouldn’t even be noticeable.

The only problem is…

Most of these world leaders are already affiliated with someone.

Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism—they’ve formed a coalition, so it’s a bit tricky to just pull them out.

But…

Angels fall under a different jurisdiction.

[Trump.]

“Wh-Who's there?!”

[I am the Soul God, Kim Jiho.]

Let’s start by converting the President of the United States.

Because he’s the U.S. President, every divine faction tried hard to recruit him, and he ultimately went with the Christian side.

Maybe because he didn’t have time for dungeons, he was still only around E-rank.

“Sa-Satan?”

[You know very well I am not Satan.]

“What are you saying…?”

[Heh. I can read your thoughts in detail. I could kill you with a single gesture right now.]

Trump is speechless.

I linked with his senses.

And then I saw it—a hidden underground location.

A bunker?

Several advisors and generals are gathered, with countless monitors lit up.

America’s leadership is monitoring the ongoing state of emergency.

Among them, many secretly wished to become my apostles.

Perhaps trusting in them, Trump thinks my words are just empty threats.

‘I’m in a bunker right now—how could he possibly kill me? I’m even protected by angels…’

Ah, I can sense the presence of angels among the guards.

Though in human form, they are clearly angels on the inside.

I guess angels were assigned to protect the U.S. President due to his importance.

[Let man collapse, and let the angels burn.]

Boom!

“Wha—?!”

“Why can’t I move…?”

People collapsed to the floor without knowing why.

The guards all drew their guns and tried to stand, but they couldn’t overcome my power.

“Aaaaagh!”

“This power… is…!”

“Oh God…!”

Then five people were engulfed in pure white flames.

Just before they were completely consumed, they revealed white wings—

Angels disguised as humans.

They weren’t even S-rank, so eliminating them was easy.

Trump’s heart pounded heavily at the sight.

[Do you believe me now?]

“H-Hmm…”

Trump calms his trembling heart.

Despite his hotheaded image, he regained composure quickly.

Is that what makes him the U.S. President?

“What is it that you want from me?”

[Become my apostle. It aligns with your desires.]

“…Are you telling me to abandon my current patron god?”

[Yes. Abandon your god—and become a god yourself. Didn’t you want immortality?]

Trump fell silent and began to think.

Can he be trusted?

Kim Jiho’s apostles did receive special treatment, but…

Even with that, becoming a god isn’t so simple.

And if he turns away from God, he could face divine punishment…

Many thoughts rush through his mind in a split second.

Time for a carrot, then.

[I’ll make you an A-rank to start.]

“……”

[I’ll provide 10 million SP as your first support. You’ll receive it fully once your rank increases, and I’ll ensure that it continues to rise.]

“If it were that easy… Would I still be E-rank?”

[Heaven couldn’t help because they lacked SP. But with enough SP, it’s easily possible.]

“Hmm…”

[‘Kim Jiho’ is offering you the position of apostle. The condition is becoming an A-rank awakened.]

[Would you like to change your patron deity to ‘Kim Jiho’?]

Since I’m sharing Trump’s senses, even the system messages are visible.

He’s still hesitating.

But it didn’t take long before his finger moved to tap “YES.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]