Chapter 129

Unlike most traditional gods, whom it was difficult even to contact or communicate with, most evil gods were not hard to summon, and the chance that they would answer was high.

That was because evil gods actively sought out their fallen believers.

"Or they may deliberately plunge a human they take a liking to into misfortune in order to make that person their believer. There are humans who receive an evil god's love because they have fallen, and there are humans who fall because they are loved."

If a god watches humans, then there exists a way to call that god. Because of that, in countless dungeons made from destroyed dimensions, there were many cases where intellectuals with misguided intentions brought disaster upon themselves.

"The most common case is for the purpose of revenge."

"Revenge?"

"There are also rare cases of people summoning evil gods simply because they wanted destruction."

In the classroom of the prospective priests, Kang Seodam continued his explanation.

"Do you know the seven deadly sins?"

"Pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth."

"Good, Sister Iru-da. This is a concept that existed even before the Great Catastrophe, when humanity was not closely connected to gods."

Kang Seodam nodded.

"After the Great Catastrophe, Earth underwent many changes in perception. Even so, if that concept still remains intact, you can take it to mean that it has shown that much value."

In religious circles, that was true of the seven deadly sins.

"The proud do not try to learn. The greedy do not share. The envious lose the chance to grow, and the wrathful do not endure. Lust easily blinds a person, gluttony makes one forget how to respect others, and sloth becomes the act of letting one's own value rot."

Kang Seodam looked around at the students.

"Humans are social creatures who cannot survive alone. In particular, humans on Earth before the Great Catastrophe were quite weak compared to other living creatures on the planet."

"..."

"Even so, the seven deadly sins still existed back then. Is there any brother or sister who can guess why these were regarded as sins, regardless of before or after the Great Catastrophe?"

The girl with the low ponytail, Iru-da, raised her hand.

"I can explain."

"Please explain it before your brothers and sisters."

"As you said, humans are weak social creatures, so they must form communities, and in order to survive and develop sustainably, they must not commit the sins mentioned above."

"That was a model answer."

Kang Seodam swept his gaze over the room again.

"Is there anyone who understood what Sister Iru-da said?"

"Me."

Yes, Brother Cha Yi-sol. I would like to hear your opinion.

"I think it means that if you're selfish, everyone can't live together, so you have to live kindly."

"That was an accurate summary."

He expressed his approval.

"As is true of good and evil, the world is vast and humans are diverse, so if someone acts according to their own greed, someone else is bound to become unhappy. Resources are limited, and not everyone has the same personality or desires."

This was the method humans, as social animals, had chosen in order to survive.

"There may be brothers and sisters who want to say this. When dungeons were overflowing and monsters were pouring out, in that urgent situation, was it truly right to care for others instead of preserving oneself?"

Kang Seodam shook his head.

"I am not judging the good and evil of human behavior. Humans exist, think, and act for themselves by nature, and so the actions of such humans can easily come face-to-face with evil. Choices that can satisfy everyone are extremely rare, so in the end, someone will criticize even your good deeds."

That was why the important thing was not human good or evil.

"If I had faced the Great Catastrophe, I would have said this. Everyone should do their best to survive on their own."

"Uh... Uhh..."

"Does that sound strange? But a priest is also human, and humans exist for themselves."

"..."

"If even preserving oneself is evil, then humans should not have existed in the first place."

He would not treat even selfishness when one's life was threatened as a sin. However, the act of giving when one had room to spare added strength to the survival of humanity.

So, then.

"Good and evil are not important to the subject of this lesson."

They had to see the world.

"Look at the flow of the world."

They had to broaden their field of vision.

"Is this the Great Catastrophe? Are you currently at a scene where monsters are flooding in? The world is gradually establishing systems and running toward peace, and the faster that pace becomes, the higher, on average, the number of people who receive the grace of life will become."

"..."

"What matters most to priests who serve traditional gods is the balance of the dimension. Only when this dimension, this world, and this nation are maintained can they and we enjoy the grace of life for as long as possible. So do not be stupid, but do concern yourselves with good and evil."

Kang Seodam stroked his chin.

"I know how absurd it must sound to tell you to do good in a world like this. But if you wish to live and enjoy more things, if you are one of those ordinary people, then it would be best to become a faithful servant to the words of a god."

He looked around at the students again.

"Then another question will arise. What if you become the priest of an evil god who loves destruction and imbalance, not a traditional god? What if you wish not for the grace of life but the grace of death, and you are not an ordinary person who wants to chat with friends, enjoy delicious meals, and live out an everyday life... Must you still become a faithful servant?"

Kang Seodam nodded.

"And so, we return to the first topic."

He took in the students with his eyes.

"In the dungeons of countless destroyed dimensions, Hunters see the results of the disasters brought upon themselves by intellectuals with misguided intentions. That is because quite a few gods can be called forth with very slight qualifications and simple knowledge."

Even an extremely frail scholar can call forth an evil god. As long as he knows what the evil god he wants to call forth desires and the procedure to do so—no, even if he merely wants a calamity that will grant his distorted wish, an evil god will answer him.

"Some evil gods even agree to transactions with humans through very simple materials and rituals. Someone succeeded in summoning one by offering up only a single rat as a sacrifice, someone summoned one by drawing a simple picture, and someone called in a calamity by reciting only a short prayer."

Evil gods respond quickly even to the faint groans of humans.

"Because hatred and disillusionment reach a god faster than gratitude and praise."

Evil gods speak to humans when they are at their weakest, and calamity arrives in an instant.

"Because traditional gods are born within providence, many of them are inexperienced in dealing with such negative prayers. Most gods do not even recognize insignificant individual beings called humans, so how could they understand their wishes, and would that understanding even be proper? I am saying the probability is low."

"Then what must we do to receive a god's answer?"

"The easiest method, as I told you earlier, is to call forth an evil god. Most evil gods who seek to make use of humans' negative emotions or naked greed have a great deal of experience, and thanks to that, they are also adept at dealing with humans."

Kang Seodam spoke while pointing at the countless pieces of data floating on the screen.

"The fact that most gods who enjoy amusement are evil gods can also be explained by that reason."

Evil gods, who had the most experience directly clashing with humans, were more likely to be skilled at understanding and imitating those humans as well. That was why they could respond immediately to human calls.

Kang Seodam clicked his tongue.

"Above all, let me state this first: in Korea, all evil gods except for a few recognized by the government and religious circles are considered targets for extermination."

"Ah, so that's why evil gods are called monsters..."

"That is correct. So even if an evil god appears very gentle and good-natured in your eyes, you must not easily make a contract with them or rely on them. They are extremely knowledgeable about humans."

In particular, some enjoyed corrupting young priests like these.

"Quite a few evil gods enjoy corrupting humans."

"Why is that?"

"We suspect it is literally because they find it amusing."

"... B-Because they find it amusing..."

"Do not forget that to a god, humans are, at best, toys."

Even if the grace they bestowed could objectively be called "love" from a human point of view, that "love" might ultimately be no more than a single glance from a god. The standards of gods and humans were clearly different.

"No matter how much they cherish and love you, when you die, they will not weep for you like family. They will not build you a gravestone, nor will they prepare a warm meal for you when you are tired and sad. Those are things you can only hope for from fellow humans."

Kang Seodam looked at the brothers and sisters whose expressions had become somewhat repulsed.

"That does not mean you need to fear serving a god."

"But then, in the end, aren't we being used?"

"If you put it that way, we humans are using gods as well."

"Isn't that a little different...?"

"What would you do if an ant passing by followed you?"

At that, the priests opened their mouths one by one.

"I think I'd take it with me and raise it."

"Wouldn't you feed it?"

"I think I'd run away because I'd wonder why it was following me."

"Could it be so small you might not see it?"

"I think I would look closely to see if there was a problem."

Kang Seodam asked them in order.

"If you took the ant with you, how would you raise it?"

"Uh... Wouldn't I give it a house? There are ant-raising kits, you know."

"What kind of food would you like to give it?"

"... I'm not sure, maybe a grain of rice? Star candy? Something like that?"

"Why did you think you would run away?"

"How would an ant recognize me and follow me? That's strange. It's not even human. Someone must be up to something sinister."

"Would it bother you if you failed to see it because it was small?"

"Wouldn't I... not know that in the first place? I wouldn't even know it was there."

"How would you check whether there was a problem?"

"I'd just pick it up...? Look over its body, or, well..."

Kang Seodam asked one final question.

"Are you confident you could hold a small ant in your hand without bursting it?"

"... If it's unlucky, I think it might burst."

"Please describe the emotions you would feel then, Sister."

"A little... sorry? Grossed out?"

"I see."

He said to the priests.

"This is how gods feel about you."

"..."

The children who had not known turned white, and the children who had been guessing that this was what he would say let out sighs. Kang Seodam examined each of their faces, then continued speaking.

"If a god loves you and takes you in, you will be imprisoned in a safe and peaceful yoke. If a god misinterprets your cries and gives you power and wealth you cannot handle, you will break easily."

"..."

"Some gods may find it unbelievably disgusting and repulsive that a human came looking for them. Others may not recognize you at all, no matter how desperately you call out. That can happen."

He looked at the child who had answered last.

"If there is a god who tries to understand and care for you clumsily, you may die at that god's touch. And no god will be saddened just because a human dies that way."

If that incident made the god interested in humans, they would seek out another believer, and if it instead gave them antipathy, they would never so much as glance at humans for the rest of their existence. That was what a god was.

"In extremely rare cases, there are humans who receive a god's proper affection. We call such beings saints and holy women, and throughout their lives, they become mediators who connect the enormous existence called a god with humans."

"I heard the holy woman of the Moon Cult communicates with a god! They said she is a living god, the next Moon."

"Yes, she is a very important person. And because of that, the holy woman of the Moon Cult will never be able to leave the cult for her entire life, and will always live trapped within the god's touch and gaze. That is because her vessel is so enormous that she is the only person who can treat the god normally."

"..."

"That is far removed from what we commonly call human happiness."

Kang Seodam said firmly.

"Do not try to understand gods. Do not expect anything from gods, and do not try to use them. A god's hostility may be an easy-to-understand calamity, but a god's goodwill is also a calamity comparable to it."

"..."

"Gods are nature and fate with will. Do as we humans do when we find food in nature and do not question the fate that approaches us. Then calamity will pass you by."

He added.

"That is the way to coexist with gods."

"... That makes me more scared..."

"A priest, simply by existing, can open the possibility of communication with a god."

"But..."

"Someday, a god who suits you well will come to you."

Kang Seodam spoke with his characteristic blunt face.

"But if you end up serving a god who does not suit you, there will be no greater calamity than that."

"... Yes."

"So what I want to say is that you should keep your hearts as pure as possible."

"What?"

"I keep saying this, but the ones that usually respond fastest to humans' negative emotions are evil gods."

And an evil god was still a god.

"In that case, you will face a calamity you never imagined."

Had he not spent all this time warning them over and over about the danger of gods?

"One day, you may come to desire something so badly that you would give up your entire life for it. It could be gold and silver treasure, it could be some ideal lover, or it could be revenge against the people who made you miserable. Or you might simply be swept up by impulse and fall into the thought that you want to destroy everything."

However.

"If you hear a god's voice then, do not answer."

It could be that very god who had plunged you into the pit of misfortune. Humans who easily feel temptation before sin and then break grasp that rotten rope without even knowing what it is.

To begin with, a god who speaks to a human when they are suffering the most and in the greatest pain, a god who offers them an opportunity, could never be called a god of mercy and abundance. There was a high chance it was an evil god who had been waiting for that person to collapse completely.

"Instead, vent your anger with your own power, use someone else to throw society into chaos, and place madness in human hands to wield. Kill passersby, set fire to the homes of sleeping people, and pull out their entrails while they are still alive."

"... Th-That's too..."

"That comes cheaper than answering an evil god. One who uses an evil god to express their own desires will not even be able to properly resolve those desires, and will lay waste to their surroundings. It is better for you to step forward yourselves, as that will satisfy you more and cause less damage to those around you."

If an evil god skilled at dealing with humans interferes, no one can be saved. Whether it is the instigator or the bystanders around them. Whether they are guilty or not, such things would not be very important perspectives to an evil god.

"If you are swept up by an evil god, no one can be satisfied, and no one can become happy. That is why it has been confirmed that the intellectuals who called forth evil gods for revenge all died after writing words of regret. The same goes for summoners who wanted only destruction."

Their souls would still be abandoned in the grip of the evil gods.

"Be wary of gods, and reject evil gods."

"..."

"Then you will be halfway there."

At that.

"..."

"..."

Cha Yi-sol was sweating bullets.

Kang Seodam and Iru-da looked at him with very subtle eyes.