Chapter 5: Forbidden Knowledge
"The God of Knowledge, Solomon."
Nathaniel spoke, face blurred.
He maintained his image—mysterious, luminous, and enigmatic. A deity cloaked in ambiguity.
Klein had already etched that name deep within his bones.
"I, hereby declare that you shall be granted the dignified position, to be my Champion."
Nathaniel's voice echoed within Klein's mind.
A familiar noise rose from the shallow depths, at the back of his mind.
[ Ding! ]
[ You have acquired a Champion: Klein Whitecrow. ]
As he dropped his guard.
Another foreign voice.
Ethereal, divine, and otherworldly, descended into the sea of his consciousness, invading his mind.
Klein's eyes widened as a sharp, distracting, and unbearable sensation—like the screech of a chalkboard—raked through his senses.
He instantly drifted his gaze away from Nathaniel.
Then, the sensation stopped.
He realized the sensation was a warning—his mana sense couldn't detect Nathaniel, as if he had vanished entirely.
Nathaniel listened to the voice.
Is this what I expected?
His smile widened in anticipation.
{ Ding! }
Nathaniel knew what he was dealing with.
{ Magnificent, spectacular, and incredible! }
{ You have attracted the attention from an existence beyond the fog. }
{ Your existence has been veiled from the perception of the existence beyond the fog, the Outer Gods. }
Outer Gods.
That's the title that would send a shiver down the spine of even the cruelest of tyrants, the mightiest of warriors, and even the strongest of creatures.
Barely anyone knew about their existence, but they remained a constant threat.
Countless events, spread throughout history, only happened through their indirect intervention.
Not many things were known about them.
They're barely mentioned, especially in the first book.
Though the sequel explored more on this topic, Nathaniel hasn't finished them.
He reached 85 chapters, he stopped mostly because he intended for the sequel to marinate.
I have been stalked all this time…? Outer Gods sure creep me out.
He filtered the noise and focused.
{ Your achievement has been recorded into the Akashic Record. }
{ You have convinced one person of your identity as a God. }
{ You have acquired a Divine Champion while not being a God. }
{ You have become a source of hope for your followers. }
{ You have taken the first step to walk the path of Godhood. }
{ New title obtained: False God. }
This is a reasonable development…
He chuckled, he had expected this to happen, it was just inevitable.
{ The world sensed of the birth of a new God, born from lies and deceit. }
{ Your
{ Your
{ Your
{ You have broken through the initial barrier. }
{ Divinity Value: 101 }
{ You have reached the realm of the
Nathaniel's crescent-shaped smile stretched unnaturally, as if the very concept of joy had been twisted into something divine—and slightly unsettling.
He had reached Tier 1.
The initial level of existence, of divinity.
It should mean he had formally awakened.
System, check my status.
He thought, but before he could—the voice returned.
{ Ding! }
{ Congratulations! }
{ You have been awakened! }
{ You have awakened one talent: }
— Embodiment of Mana (EX-rank)
{ Detected that the current existence is temporary. }
{ Failsafe activated—Talent has become permanent, tied to the Soul. }
{ New title obtained: The Transmigrator. }
{ Your
{ Your
{ Your
Nathaniel digested the information conveyed by the voice, nodding his head to the rhythm.
System, pause the command.
Nathaniel sighed and glanced at Klein, who couldn't meet his gaze.
A small chuckle escaped his lips as he pressed his outstretched hand into Klein's forehead.
"Klein Whitecrow, make great use of this knowledge, my Champion."
He said, voice laced with expectations.
System.
He called out to his trusty companion.
Please, filter out all parts of my memories that hint at the fictional nature of the 'Sovereign of Decay' novel and help me insert it into his mind.
Nathaniel awaits the response.
[ Ding! ]
[ Projecting the memories into your Champion, Klein Whitecrow's mind… ]
A tidal wave of memories surged into Klein's mind—some familiar, others only distant echoes of names and faces he'd once heard in passing.
Though, the one that sticks out to him was the fact that he died.
His vengeance, abandoned and unfulfilled.
His little siblings, alone, both survived through the way of the mercenaries.
Jeanne… Leon…
He thought, his eyes darkened as he witnessed the fate of his remaining family members after he died.
He returned to reality.
Nathaniel's voice anchored him to reality.
"You see it, right? The vision of the future, a possible future—would you like to change it?"
Klein stood without a word, his clenched fist trembling as if holding back a scream.
He nodded—barely.
Nathaniel stared at Klein's solemn expression.
Klein's eyes downcast, his mouth frowned, and the light within his eyes dimmed.
Nathaniel muttered, rather sluggish.
"Good…"
Nathaniel's strange behavior went unnoticed by Klein, his mind was disoriented, his emotions were chaotic, he barely kept himself together.
Ugh… Are you trying to make me braindead…?
Nathaniel sarcastically said to the system after he received the 'return' from the knowledge he gave Klein.
He reminisced a few seconds before.
Before Nathaniel's face was the system, its tangerine light, circular shape, attracted his attention.
[ Loading… ]
[ Ding! ]
[ Returning the gifted memories… ]
[ Applying the x100,000 effect… ]
His mind was dumped with an ocean's worth of information.
Regarding routes to the future.
The whereabouts of secret treasures.
The detailed biology of Magic Beasts.
And much more.
It wasn't something that would render him braindead and unable to function properly, thanks to his new biology.
Though, it would still undoubtedly slow him down.
His consciousness was dragged back to the present.
His thought process was noticeably more sluggish.
He could barely operate at his regular pace.
Even after minutes, the endless series of knowledge still flooded his mind.
Note to self, don't give away memories randomly before having the processing power enough to digest them…
Nathaniel scolded himself, his mind cleared as he digested the knowledge whole.
"Klein Whitecrow." He called Klein's name, his voice steady, laced with obvious excitement.
System, as the so-called 'God', I can give Klein something I owned right? My knowledge, a portion of my power, hence talent and its adjacent shouldn't be out of the question… am I right…?
Nathaniel asked, his tone curious and hopeful.
[ Yes, it's allowed. ]
"Yes, Lord Solomon?"
Klein instantly knelt before Nathaniel, like a devout servant.
This is how I should act… right…?
He asked, confusion and worry evident in his tone.
Amused, Nathaniel snapped his finger.
Snap!
Outstretched his arm, pointing his palm towards Klein.
"I will be giving you a parting gift, use it wisely."
His voice had a hint of expectation and mischief.
I want to bestow my talent 'Embodiment of Mana' to Klein, I'm curious in regards to what kind of talent that will emerge from the multiplier and…
Nathaniel paused.
I want to be a good 'God'.
He smiled, sensing the absence of his talent.
[ Ding! ]
[ Transferring the ownership of 'Embodiment of Mana (EX-rank)' to Klein Whitecrow, the Champion. ]
To be continued…