The master of Jagyeolsa couldn't believe his ears.
But it didn't seem like he had misheard; Igeon was grinning.
"What's with that face? Taek-su now has divinity, so he's more than qualified. And if you become Taek-su's saint, you'll be able to use the power of the Seongsin. Then you, though human, would still be able to wield power, wouldn't you?"
"So, so, nephew. You're telling me to serve my saint as a Seongsin...!!"
"What are you talking about? It's 'former' saint, I'm sure."
At Igeon's infuriating smile, Jagyeolsajuin's veins bulged.
"In any case, are you telling me to serve the one who was once my servant as my master!"
"Yeah. What, don't want to?"
Is that even something you can say out loud?
Even Hugo seemed flustered by those words.
Well, he could understand the situation, but...
"Even so, to call someone you used to serve a servant all of a sudden...!"
Even Hugo seemed to think that was going too far.
After all, Jagyeolsajuin had been the master he had served for so long.
Of course, they usually only met in the form of spirits or avatars, and this was actually the first time he was seeing his face in person, but still.
"Still, it's because of this person that I was able to protect people all this time. Maybe reconsider..."
"Exactly! How could my servant possibly perform the noble duties of a Seongsin!"
Snap.
Hugo's veins bulged as he looked at Jagyeolsajuin.
And seeing that shameless attitude, Hugo suddenly seemed to recall a past memory.
[Contractor, let's raise the entry standard not by you, but by Igeon's appearance.]
[You stupid servant. Is this all you could manage to scrape together?]
[Pathetic servant. What are you doing? Hurry and prepare the alcohol and feast.]
[Wages for the saints? Foolish servant. The saint should handle that himself.]
[Potential? What nonsense. I chose you as saint because you had the most decent face.]
[Useless servant...]
He couldn't recall memories of his family, so why were the memories of his Seongsin so vivid?
So Hugo momentarily flared up and looked at Jagyeolsajuin, but his former master dismissed it as not worth listening to.
"See? My own servant is this troubled. It's not easy to change a relationship that's lasted 25 years..."
"Would it be possible for him to be the Seongsin of Singungjwa?"
"?!!"
Jagyeolsajuin stared at the flustered Hugo.
"Se-servant?"
But regardless, Hugo smiled brightly.
"Is it possible?"
"There's no reason it can't be? I can just seat my follower there like back in Aquarius."
"Wh-what?!"
"So that's settled. Let's first change that damn entry requirement. You son of a... former master."
"?!!"
Seeing Hugo flip his attitude so completely, Jagyeolsajuin was dumbfounded.
No matter what, there was a thing called the authority of the ruling deity.
So he hastily grabbed Igeon.
"Nephew, no! The seat of Singungjwa is at stake, we must think carefully! Won't this affect Earth? How can my servant... I mean, how can Hugo sit in that seat!"
But Igeon tilted his head.
"Actually, that's why it matters even less, doesn't it? The Singungjwa Seongsin's seat needs to be filled anyway, and it's much better to have someone who knows our world well rather than a proxy."
"!?"
"And most of all, if it's Taek-su, he seems like he'd cherish the saints more than you."
"No, no! I cannot allow it! No matter if you're the divine seat of my elder brother, you cannot change the Seongsin's seat without my permission!"
Igeon scoffed.
"Go ahead. It doesn't matter since I can just use the voucher I got from you."
At the word voucher, Jagyeolsajuin's face went pale.
As expected.
"Here. What I got for fixing your Eojeonseongmul. I still haven't used this, you know?"
"......!!!"
Originally he had intended to use it when bringing Hugo in as a saint, but things had resolved easily then, so the item remained.
Igeon smiled brightly.
"I already felt sorry towards Taek-su and planned to pay off my debt a bit; should I just blow it all?"
More than really feeling sorry, it seemed like he just wanted to torment Jagyeolsa, but Jagyeolsajuin desperately grabbed his nephew.
"Even if you rate Hugo highly, his rank is still that of a lower deity! If things go wrong, the seat of the Zodiac's twelve palaces could be snatched away by other gods! Then you would be in trouble too, wouldn't you? Defending it would be difficult..."
"What do I care? He'd be better than you. Ah, whatever. If you don't like it, just take off your wig and go around. No one would recognize you anyway."
"Argh!!"
Igeon, as if annoyed, looked at Hugo.
"Anyway, what happened with your lifespan."
"Ah, thanks to that, it increased. About 10 years."
"What? It's good that it increased, but that's all? I gave you the Myeongbu."
At that, Inami and Samnami broke into a cold sweat.
"Th-that is... because you, master, stripped away all the lifespans of the Olympian gods..."
"Gathered together, that's the amount that could be produced...!"
Igeon raised an eyebrow but accepted it.
"Well, that's enough for now. It will be resolved once we deal with the Fates anyway."
Just eliminating the immediate risk of death meant the biggest problem was solved.
'They said using the power of the Fates could extend lifespan.'
As for their Authority, he could just take it.
He had also gained things from this trip to Olympus.
[A new achievement has been added (6-star)]
He hadn't used it yet, but it would surely be quite useful.
So Igeon looked at Hugo.
"Then go to Earth now. You need to go to Mr. Jiwoo."
"You? Are you planning to stay here?"
Igeon scoffed.
He still had business in the divine realm, with functions tied to achievements, Authorities, and offerings that could only be handled there.
And.
"Anyway, you need to find your, that, ability."
Hugo coughed loudly, as if flustered.
"You brat. You don't have to be obsessed with that..."
"Get lost. I need to build a 600% Faith brigade, okay?"
Igeon ground his teeth.
From the start, he never intended to leave the Fates who had torn Hugo's soul apart, or the gods who had trafficked it, alone.
And this time, he hadn't brought them on purpose because he didn't know what the divine realm was like.
'I think it would be good to bring Heilli.'
Seeing how the gods recoiled at the Abyss Spear and the Lords, Igeon became even more certain.
'They dread Lord-class beings.'
The kids would also have gradually developed follower-deity grade divinity as well.
But as if reading his thoughts, Hugo raised an eyebrow.
"Do you think I can leave you behind?"
"Get lost, you idiot. I meant bring the kids while I draw their attention, and also make the fourth!"
"As if I'd make one!!"
"Well then, let's just illegally emigrate together. I'll help you two make the fourth. I'm the god of life."
"Oh, come on!!"
It was right then, as Igeon turned to head to the exit area.
"Master! Danger!"
"!"
Flash!!
Along with the screams of the follower gods, a sudden ominous aura engulfed Igeon.
[A pursuit god is tracking the location]
[A powerful curse force threatens the Lord of Ophiuchus]
Everyone was startled by the approaching curse force.
"This power is Seongsin class...!!"
At that, Jagyeolsajuin immediately tried to use his power, but having turned human, he couldn't break the curse.
Thus, the curse force targeted Igeon!
"Nephew!"
It was the very moment the curse force sought to ensnare Igeon.
Boom!!!
"!"
The curse force aiming for Igeon vanished instantly. Someone had destroyed it.
At the same time, the voice of the one who saved Igeon rang out.
"Illegally emigrating is all well and good, but do you truly think you can escape the divine realm?"
"!"
The voice came from behind!
"You!!"
As if merely hearing the voice made his blood pressure spike, Jagyeolsajuin clutched the back of his neck and turned his head.
But Igeon and Hugo's eyes widened.
She looked to be in her early twenties. There stood a beautiful goddess with long silver hair, accompanied by Yeonu.
And as if she had been leisurely enjoying a spa until moments ago, the goddess was wearing a bikini swimsuit.
[Master of the Full Moon]
[Divine Name: Artemis]
At the same time, Jagyeolsajuin's veins bulged as he saw her.
"Ines! Where have you been all this time...!"
But regardless, the Virgo Seongsin looked at Jagyeolsajuin and giggled.
"Oh my, I'd heard the story, but you really have become human? You're already a lazy bum, and if your divinity disappears, I wonder if there's any god who'd take you."
"Hey!"
But the Master of the Full Moon, revealing herself for the first time, slipped on a beach robe and approached Igeon.
She elegantly knelt on one knee and bowed her head to Igeon.
"The Master of the Full Moon greets the master of the Lord of Ophiuchus, my ruling divine seat."
"!"
However, at the sight of this goddess, Hugo's jaw dropped.
'That blessed brat...!'
He was furious, wondering how such a goddess could be Kevin's master, and how that guy dared to so hate and curse his own Seongsin.
But Igeon himself merely scoffed.
She had been repaying Igeon's debt anyway, so she hadn't touched his lifespan.
However.
"What's the problem with going home?"
In response, the Virgo Seongsin looked at Jagyeolsajuin as if scolding him. Hadn't he explained?
"I'm loath to bring this up at our first meeting, but it's because you are wielding the power of the King of Serpents."
"My power? Why is that?"
"That is one of the divine names of the ancient god, the king of all gods. A legendary power that disappeared long ago and was revived by the King of Serpents. Naturally, each faction would try to reclaim it."
"!"
"The tracking just now was along those lines. Though, setting that aside, in the case of the King of Serpents, being a Seongsin is already a problem."
"!"
"Once you've entered the divine realm, you cannot go to Earth, ever."
There was no need to ask what she meant.
Igeon already knew the answer.
'It's the same reason the Seongsins can't go directly to Earth.'
If gods carrying the energy of the divine realm descend to Earth, their power greatly affects Earth's environment.
They could even bring Earth to ruin.
Isn't that why they manifest by descending into their saint's body?
In other words, being Seongsin meant returning to Earth was difficult.
"I don't know why such a rule was set, but even if you try to sneak out, you'll be caught immediately."
"Well, I understand that part."
But.
"That may be the case for me, but why Taek-su?"
At that, the Virgo Seongsin sighed softly and handed over a paper.
It seemed she had discovered this while pulling up Ophiuchus's data to repay Igeon's debt.
And Igeon's eyes went wide at the document she offered.
It wasn't for any other reason.
[Name: Hogu (Pushover)]
[Debt: 1 billion Talents]
Igeon's eyes bulged.
"What the. That's fine for me, but what did this bastard do to rack up this much?"
To that, the Virgo Seongsin held out another paper.
Hugo panicked at the list.
The reason for his debt was simple.
[Drunk Seongsin Assault]
[Drunk Defamation]
[Drunk Seongsin Blasphemy]
[Drunk Extortion]
[Drunk Obstruction of Official Duties]
...
[Drunk Insult]
[Drunk Fraud]
[Drunk Profanity]
[Drunk Special Assault]
[Drunk Special Injury]
[Drunk Illegal Sermonizing]
[Drunk Alcohol-Fueled Assault]
[Illegal Proselytizing]
[Public Indecency]
[Dining Table Flipping Offense]
[And 13,945 other charges below.]
At the paper, Igeon looked at Hugo in disbelief.
"Why the hell public indecency..."
Instead of answering, the Virgo Seongsin pointed to the bottom of the last page.
[Reason: For cursing out his own Seongsin]
"......???"
At Igeon's expression, Hugo looked extremely aggrieved.
"It got torn off while I was fighting the bastards who were cursing you!! You jerk!"
Hugo clutched his face.
He had tried to stay put until Igeon came looking for him, but oh well.
'That pushover, who did they say his original master was?'
'Dunno. According to their master, some XXXX and XXXX bastard...'
'Hey, how dare you call our Geon-i XXXX! You wanna die!'
He couldn't stand for the gods to insult his friend, so he beat them up, and the debt piled up.
That wasn't all.
"Those sons of bitches kept making me drink at the auction house..."
"Ah."
With just that one word, he more or less understood the situation.
'This bastard, did he go proselytizing to the gods or something.'
No, that wasn't the important part.
'Just how much did he curse and proselytize that the proselytizing offenses alone are 800 million?'
Well, never mind all that.
"So even if I can leave once I pay off my debt, are you saying Geon-i can never return to Earth?"
At Hugo's words, the Master of Scorching Heat shook his head.
“It’s not entirely impossible. If you pay the Great Star God, you can go.”
At that, Lee Geon snorted.
“Ah, I saw it in the pamphlet here. The Star Gods each do business with the dimensions they have, right? And offer that to the Great Star God.”
The gods made money in various ways—
selling specialty goods from the dimensions they possessed, turning them into tourist attractions, or outright plundering them.
But among them, the fastest way to earn money was one.
“A popular dimension even gets broadcast, right? The transmission fees and investments that come in from that all go to the Star God? They say the number-one broadcast even gets special privileges.”
“Then Earth could just do that! With that number-one privilege, we can return to Earth, right?”
But at Hugo’s words, the Master of Scorching Heat snorted.
“Well, something like Earth would quickly gain popularity, but it’ll never be number one.”
“Why?”
“There’s a dimension with the top idols. Can you beat that?”
Lee Geon’s veins bulged.
*These bastards. Should I make them cross-dress and do a talent show or something?*
By then, Hugo glared at the Master of Scorching Heat.
“Then how can we return to Earth?”
“If you curry favor with the Great Star Gods, you can receive special treatment. It’ll take about 150 years of effort, but using that, a temporary accompanied trip—”
“What?! 150 years?”
“Wait, before that, why do we have to suck up to those bastards?”
“More than that, a temporary accompanied trip? Are you crazy? You wanna die?”
“But there’s no other way…!”
But at that moment, unexpectedly, the Virgo Star God smiled.
“No. There’s a far simpler and more certain solution.”
“?”
“Go to the Goddesses of Fate and change destiny.”
“!”
The Goddesses of Fate were beings who could even manipulate the rules of the divine realm.
They were figures of high rank even among the gods.
“The Rulebook can even change the rules. Just change the Serpent Lord’s fate, and it’s done.”
But the Master of Scorching Heat looked disgusted.
“If we could negotiate with the Goddesses of Fate, I wouldn’t be groveling to the Great Star God in the first place! The Great Star Gods would get angry if we tried to negotiate with the Goddesses too, you know?”
“What are you talking about? The Serpent God wouldn’t negotiate with words anyway. Just bring the thing, and it’s over.”
The Rulebook was a book that could alter the rules.
The Master of Scorching Heat flinched in surprise, then instantly touched his forehead.
“That Rulebook is hidden away so tightly by the Goddesses of Fate that it can’t be found! We don’t even know if it actually exists—how can you find…”
But that was when.
“Ah, I think I saw it.”
“!”
It was Hugo.
“When I was in Hades’ Palace, he used it while going through my body.”
“Going through your body?”
“He said he was checking my karma or whatever, and used something like a book. He called it the Rulebook.”
The Virgo Star God immediately caught on.
“So he was trying to make you a servant with that?”
“Well, it failed because of my faith… but I think he handed that book to one of his subordinate gods. They seemed like an administrator.”
“Oh. Who? What kind of being?”
With just a clue, they could also snatch the Rulebook.
“If we do well, we might become the first gods ever to possess the Rulebook.”
It was something everyone had imagined, but no one had ever achieved.
That enormous strategic value.
But.
*‘It’s a god trusted with the Rulebook by the Goddesses. We can’t even use our skills—how could we possibly take it…’*
Just as the Master of Scorching Heat was about to say that, Hugo said something unexpected.
“But… I think the woman who took that book was Giselle.”
“Giselle?!”
Surely you meant the one who had been impersonating the Libra Star God.
But Hugo shook his head.
“No, not the one we know… I think it was the original human Giselle, the one who was consumed by her.”
At that, Lee Geon tilted his head even further.
As if saying, *who?*
But the Master of Scorching Heat grinned mischievously.
“Ah. You mean the kid my nephew liked.”
Lee Geon frowned at that.
*What kind of nonsense is this now?*
(To be continued in the next episode)