Ubermensch – Chapter 145

Chapter 145

Nodens designated a place for the people from the Murim dimension to live. He also provided statues that generated unlimited supplies.

However, the statues only generated items that could be carried by a single person.

In the end, people had to use their own strength to build houses.

“Oztalon, please move the pillars.”

“Okay.”

Following the instructions of skilled craftsmen, Mason moved busily, and wooden houses began to be rebuilt quickly.

Sweat was the best way to forget sorrow.

By the time the settlement, built brick by brick, was completed, Mason had become close to the people.

“Oztalon.”

Especially with the President.

“Shall we begin?”

“Okay.”

Mason and the President were in the middle of recreating the Heavenly Demon Divine Palm.

Mason explained the flow of power and the impact he felt, and the President tried to reverse-engineer the martial art to recreate it.

Of course…

Thwack!

The President’s palm struck Mason’s chest over and over again.

“This doesn’t seem right…”

“What’s the problem?”

“It lacks that… smartness…”

“Hmm…”

The President had trained himself with military martial arts. Naturally, both the martial arts and the man were focused solely on lethality and destructive power.

An explosion of force.

That was the main operating principle of Bombardment Fist.

It was efficient but brutal. Elegance and finesse like the Heavenly Demon Divine Palm were hard to find in Bombardment Fist.

“Let’s put aside the reverse-engineering of the Heavenly Demon Divine Palm for now. Have you made any progress with internal energy cultivation?”

Mason shook his head.

“No luck. I can’t gather any internal energy at all.”

It was the same with the Ordinary Cultivation Method taught by the Unmanned Sword and the Patriotic Divine Skill taught by the President. The phenomenon of Qi gathering in the dantian simply did not occur.

This was a completely different issue from having talent or not.

The problem for those who truly lacked talent in martial arts was that they couldn’t properly move the Qi they had gathered in their dantian. There was no case like Mason’s, where Qi wouldn’t gather at all.

“Is it because of my constitution?”

“It must be because of the Barbarian modification.”

Mason’s muscles didn’t grow even when he exercised. Conversely, his muscles didn’t shrink or gain fat even when he didn’t exercise.

An unchanging body.

It was because his smart cells had fixed him in his current state.

It seemed that the smart cells were canceling out the process of gathering Qi in the dantian, seeing it as a change.

“If this is the case, won’t you be unable to use martial arts?”

“Well, it’s not like there’s no way to use them at all…”

The divine power that came from being revered and trusted, the power of a god.

With that power, he should be able to perform martial arts.

“Let’s try to restore the Heavenly Demon Divine Palm for now.”

“Okay.”

Mason repeated labor and training every day.

Then one day…

“Oztalon.”

Nodens was standing behind him.

“You look well.”

“So-so.”

Mason turned to face Nodens.

“What brings you here?”

“People often find that their motivation and efficiency increase when they know what they are working for. I came here to show you the fruits of your labor.”

“That thing about teaching martial arts to the Space Whales?”

To be honest, it sounded crazy.

“Indeed. I would like to show you what it looks like, if you wish.”

“Let’s do that.”

As Nodens snapped his fingers, Mason’s body was suddenly floating in the middle of space.

Although he was in the extreme environment of outer space, Mason’s body was completely comfortable. Nodens’ power was protecting him.

However, that didn’t mean his mind had gotten used to it.

‘I can’t get used to this…’

He was without a spaceship, let alone a spacesuit. He should be used to it by now, but it was strange and unsettling.

Nodens looked at Mason and said,

“Look to the side. Slowly. Very carefully.”

Mason slowly turned his head. And then, he perceived a fierce light that seemed to burn his eyes.

The sun? No. It was the light of a star.

“Ugh!”

As Nodens snapped his fingers, a black veil spread out before Mason’s eyes.

Even though he could perceive the fierce light of the star, his eyes weren’t dazzled at all. Mason slowly turned his head and gazed at the star.

“Did you bring me here to show me that star?”

“No. I wanted to show you what will happen to that star.”

Ooooooh…

A majestic cry rang through both his ears and his mind.

A gigantic silver creature. A Space Whale was approaching a star the size of itself.

The Space Whale slowly approached the star and opened its huge mouth wide.

Gulp!

The Space Whale put the star in its mouth as if swallowing its prey.

At the same time, a terrifying energy spread out as if it were about to explode, and the Space Whale’s body swelled up several times its size.

However, it was only for a moment.

As the intense energy rushed through its body, the Space Whale’s body began to shrink.

The Space Whale, which had returned to its original size, was emitting a soft glow, unlike before…

“What did I just see?”

When Mason spoke in a voice mixed with awe and fear, Nodens opened his mouth.

“Space Whales are creatures that originally devour debris and gas planets. However, I tried to feed them stars to make them the main force of the Silver Arm fleet. But there was a problem.”

“What was that?”

“Digestion.”

A star was like a burning flame.

A Dyson Sphere was a structure that encapsulated a star to extract its energy.

However, a Space Whale wasn’t a machine. Even if it absorbed the heat of a star, its efficiency in storing it as energy was low.

“The problem with the Space Whales was that even if they ate a star, they would digest it instead of storing the energy in their bodies. So, I came up with the idea of using internal energy cultivation techniques.”

“To store energy in the Space Whales’ bodies…”

“That’s right.”

The star became the Space Whale’s dantian, and the star’s surplus energy flowed through the Space Whale’s eight extraordinary meridians.

Murim people were more efficient at using core energy than players.

He had succeeded in transplanting the efficiency of Murim people into the Space Whales.

“Now, we can equip each individual Space Whale with an energy source. They can now exert combat power on par with Battlestars.”

Battlestars were planets for long-range bombardment, while Space Whales were extraterrestrial creatures for close combat. If their output was the same, Battlestars, which could unleash one-sided bombardment, would inevitably have the advantage.

But if they both had the same level of energy source. And if they had a more efficient method of storing energy, it would be possible to deploy a barrier that could withstand bombardment.

Nodens looked at Mason.

“Whatever wounds you received on that mission, they were worth it. Because with this, our main fleet is complete.”

“I see…”

“Of course, there are still many types of troops that require the help of other gods, including you.”

Mason asked a genuine question.

“Is it necessary to create so many types of troops? Wouldn’t it be better to leave only the most efficient ones?”

The Destroyer’s forces consisted of three types of troops.

Nanomachines, which were microscopic machines. Puppet weapons such as Soldiers and Knights. And heavily armed Dyson Sphere Battlestars.

Having fewer types of troops had the disadvantage of lacking versatility, but on the other hand, it had the advantage of being easy to mass-produce.

Nodens, who pursued diversity, and the Destroyer, who valued efficiency.

The battle between the two gods was also taking place in their design philosophies.

“That’s not possible.”

Nodens shook his head.

“I am not creating soldiers, but conscripting them. Since the Destroyer’s purpose is destruction, he doesn’t have to think about what comes after victory. But I have no choice but to think about what comes after victory.”

“After victory.”

Mason looked at Nodens.

“What will you do after victory?”

“Wait.”

Nodens said with a calm expression.

“Wait for another being to be born that I can communicate with.”

At that moment, Mason felt an inexplicable chill.

“What do you think of the Destroyer?”

“My mistake that I must stop.”

“What feelings do you have towards him?”

“Welcome.”

Nodens smiled faintly.

“Thanks to him… I have a purpose in life for the first time since reaching the pinnacle of evolution. A life where I have to do my best. In that sense, the Destroyer is a welcome existence to me…”

Mason looked at Nodens.

“You’re… a monster too.”

The mad evil god and the mad good god.

They might be nothing more than the heads and tails of a coin.

‘If the Destroyer hadn’t been born, wouldn’t Nodens have become the Destroyer and been destroying the world?’

Mason felt a chill.

Because it was entirely possible.

And that assumption… could be changed to another assumption.

‘If we defeat the Destroyer, is there any guarantee that Nodens won’t become another Destroyer?’

Mason felt a cosmic dread.

And he tried to hide that feeling.

Because even if Mason’s prediction was right.

No, if Mason’s prediction was right, he had to hide the fact that he suspected him.

“Are your wounds healed now?”

“They’re not healed. They probably won’t ever heal.”

Mason would forever remember Yekaterina and the 21st century. He would forever remember Seo Yeonhee and the Murim world.

Every time he thought of their names, every time he thought of those worlds, his heart would ache.

But he wouldn’t let those feelings overwhelm him and make him crumble. He could clench his fists as he thought of their names.

Mason could say with confidence.

“But I’m ready.”

“Good.”

Nodens said calmly.

“As you know, everything happens because of cause and effect. There must be a cause for there to be an effect.”

“So?”

“There is a power that transcends that law.”

Nodens said.

“It’s called Geas. It’s not a magic where you gain power through training and practice, but a magic where you pledge a restriction in exchange for gaining power. I want you to investigate its principles.”

“Specifically?”

“Either use Geas yourself, or bring someone who has used it.”

“I will.”

Nodens smiled faintly and said,

“I’ll tell you in advance, but it’s a dimension quite far from the Destroyer’s reach. You can put aside your worries about the Destroyer and go in peace.”

“That’s a relief.”

Mason nodded.

“Because it seems like nothing more heartbreaking will happen.”