Of course, I didn’t forget to absorb the accumulated faith gathered within the statue of myself. The moment I placed my hand against the stone and activated Absorb Plausibility, a surge of pure faith flowed into me, far more than I had expected.
You have activated Absorb Plausibility.
You have absorbed the power of faith contained in the statue.
You have gained 836 Plausibility.
Not much time had passed in Fantasia, but time moved far faster here. With the three-to-one difference, at least a full month had gone by since my first appearance as their god. Even though the lizardmen weren’t divine warriors, the faith stored within the statue had still accumulated to a considerable degree. And more importantly, it was pure. Their devotion was directed solely toward me, untainted by reverence for any other god.
Funnily enough, I was offered raw fish that resembled salmon, said to be the juiciest and most flavorful catch in the region, along with fruits and various assortments gathered from the swamp. However, I wasn’t some savage who would happily gobble up raw fish, so I merely pretended to eat while quietly storing everything in my inventory, saved for some berries that I ate as a snack.
Once the lizardmen finished preparing, I didn’t waste any time and led them toward the territory of the Green Webber Tribe. Although nearly two hundred lizardmen had rallied to the cause, it still wouldn’t be enough to crush the frogmen head-on. As such, instead of marching straight for their main settlement, we began by targeting the Green Webber Tribe’s peripheral villages, freeing enslaved lizardmen and swelling our ranks with every victory.
That way, by the time we reached the enemy’s main village, our numbers would have snowballed into a truly threatening force.
The first settlement fell before dawn. Under the cover of thick mist, we approached silently. The frogmen guarding the outskirts barely had time to croak before gravity crushed them into the mud. The lizardmen charged afterward, cutting down the stunned defenders with vengeance. Within minutes, the crude huts were reduced to rubble.
When we broke open the holding pens, dozens of emaciated lizardmen stared back at us in disbelief. Chains clattered to the ground as Ruu cut them free, and the moment they realized who stood at the center of the invading force, they dropped to their knees.
“Zha’Rath…” they whispered.
Faith flowed into me like a steady current. If only I possessed the proper skill to gather this intangible devotion and convert it into plausibility whenever and wherever I wished. Absorb Plausibility simply wasn’t sufficient, as it could only extract faith that had accumulated to a tangible degree within objects, not devotion freely held within living beings.
But I wasn’t too worried. Once I accumulated enough plausibility, I should be able to resolve that limitation by combining skills or by creating a new skill entirely with God!$# Creation.
Before marching again, I absorbed the faith contained within the frogmen’s guardian deity statue, draining it completely before destroying it.
You have activated Absorb Plausibility.
You have absorbed the power of faith contained in the statue.
You have gained 211 Plausibility.
Afterward, we moved again before the enemy could realize one of their settlements had been attacked. Each peripheral village fell in the same manner: a swift strike, overwhelming force, followed by liberation. Both Ember and Solana played crucial roles in these operations. Ember prowled through the shadows, eliminating scouts and messengers before they could escape, while Solana remained above the battlefield, her gentle radiance keeping the wounded on their feet and steadying wavering resolve.
Before long, their levels reached forty and continued climbing. With each victory, our numbers swelled as well. Two hundred became three hundred, then four hundred. Naturally, there were children, elders, and the weak among the freed prisoners, and they were escorted back toward the Red Scale Tribe under the protection of designated warriors.
Weapons were scavenged. Armor was stripped from fallen frogmen. The lizardmen had transformed into a disciplined, proper army.
By the time the Green Webber Tribe realized what was happening, it was already too late. Their outer territories had collapsed, and an advancing force was marching toward their largest settlement, led by the Violet-Scaled Dragon God, the lizardmen’s god.
Your Magic Power has increased by 1.
Plausibility: 1,664
I glanced at the total plausibility I had gathered and smiled in satisfaction. This sweeping operation had been well worth the effort. All that remained was to crush the Green Webber Tribe’s main settlement—the one built beside the lake where their guardian deity was rumored to reside.
I stood before the gathered lizardmen, my presence looming over them thanks to my towering stature and gleaming violet scales. Five hundred warriors now stood before me, armed and battle-hardened, their eyes burning with resolve.
“The time has come,” I declared. “The Green Webber Tribe stands before you. Today, you will destroy them in my name. Advance!”
A unified growl erupted from the ranks, swelling into a thunderous roar as they surged forward as one.
As we closed in on the frogmen’s main settlement, I extended my hand and cast {Graviton Pull}. Invisible pressure descended upon the battlefield, funneling the enemy toward the lake’s edge. Frogman scouts attempted to scatter, only to be crushed flat or dragged screaming back toward the center. Panic spread through their ranks.
By the time we reached the outskirts of the village, the frogmen were already cornered, and their formation had crumpled. Huts collapsed beneath distorted gravity. Archers lost their footing, and their bodies slammed into the mud before they could fire a single arrow. The lake glinted behind them, sealing off their final retreat, and the lizardmen charged in, overwhelming the enemy and cutting down the frogmen in droves.
Within minutes, the battle was over, leaving only their chieftain standing knee-deep in mud before the lake, flanked by twenty elite warriors. These frogman high warriors were clearly the Green Webber Tribe’s finest combatants, each averaging level 110 or higher.
And as for their chieftain …
[Green Webber Tribe’s Chieftain, Gruk’Thaal – Lv.130]
A veteran warlord who has ruled the Green Webber Tribe through strength and cruelty. Blessed by the lake’s guardian deity, his body is reinforced with dense muscle and hardened bone, granting him exceptional resilience. Known for personally leading hunts against rival tribes and enslaving survivors to be offered to their guardian deity.
He did not kneel before me. Even now, his bulging eyes remained locked onto mine, his croaking breaths thick with hatred and defiance. Still, his body trembled beneath the crushing pressure of the intensified gravity weighing down on him.
Gravity Magic has leveled up.
Behind me, the five hundred lizardmen raised their weapons in unison, forming a tightening ring around what remained of the Green Webber Tribe.
“Great Dragon God, please allow me to fight their chieftain,” Ruu requested, stepping forward.
Ruu had grown noticeably stronger since the assault on the Green Webber Tribe began. Though he was still lower-leveled than the enemy chieftain, the gap wasn’t insurmountable, especially with my Gravity Magic slowing the enemy’s movements.
Unfortunately, there was no time for such a duel.
Without warning, the lake rippled ominously, as though something vast were stirring beneath its surface. Moments later, the water bulged outward, and a deep, resonant roar thundered from below, vibrating through the mud beneath our feet. The frogmen froze, some of them croaking frantically, eyes wide with manic reverence.
Then the surface of the lake exploded. Three massive serpentine heads burst upward as torrents of water cascaded in all directions. A colossal body followed, rising from the depths, covered with slick black scales, each head crowned with fins and rows of glistening fangs. It was a humongous three-headed sea serpent.
Its immense body coiled above the lake like a living wall, each neck swaying independently as it locked its three pairs of eyes onto us. One head hissed, exhaling a cloud of noxious green vapor that sizzled violently upon touching the ground. Another reared back and roared, unleashing a surging torrent of water that slammed into the shore. The third lifted its gaze skyward, then lightning erupted from its maw, bolts crashing down into the swamp with deafening cracks.
[Triarch Abyss Serpent – Lv.170]
A colossal guardian deity that rules the depths of the Great Wilderness’ lake. Saturated with primordial mana, this three-headed sea serpent embodies elemental dominance. Each head governs a distinct aspect of destruction—poison, water, and lightning—allowing it to devastate entire battlefields through coordinated attacks. Its massive body is protected by abyss-forged scales that grant extreme resistance to physical and magical damage.
Threat Level: Extremely High
The pressure it emitted was instantly recognizable. It’s truly worthy to be called a guardian deity, alright.
It was actually slightly stronger than I had anticipated, but still well within a manageable range. After all, I had already defeated several monsters of comparable strength. Setting that aside, I mentally assigned each head a nickname, namely Venom Head, Tidal Head, and Storm Head, to keep track of them during the fight.
The frogmen watching immediately dropped to their knees, pressing their faces into the mud despite the crushing gravity bearing down on them. Even their chieftain trembled violently now, croaking prayers toward the towering serpent.
Then, to my surprise, the serpent struck. One of its heads lunged forward and swallowed several frogmen whole without the slightest hesitation. Panic erupted. Some tried to flee, but they barely made it a few steps before another head snapped them up. Only when a mere handful of frogmen remained did the serpent finally slow down, appearing somewhat satisfied as it ended its feast.
“Little serpent,” I said calmly, leveling my spear at it, “your opponent is me.”
All three heads turned toward me in unison. Its overwhelming presence pressed outward like a tide, pushing back against my {Gravity Field}.
This serpent might not yet be a true divine beast, but it was clearly on the path to becoming one. Given a century or two, it might have evolved to that level. Unfortunately for it, it had encountered me before that could happen.
One head lunged forward threateningly toward us, jaws snapping wide, only to halt abruptly as intensified gravity yanked it downward. The lizardmen recoiled slightly beneath its overwhelming presence, but their morale did not break. Instead, they tightened their grips on their weapons, steeling themselves to face the serpent. Ruu even stepped slightly ahead of me on my right, as though silently declaring his intent to serve as my blade.
“Stay back,” I commanded calmly. “This one is mine.”
Ember and Solana perched on my shoulders, both glaring at the serpent. Shadows flared violently around Ember’s form, while Solana’s halo shone brighter, bathing the ground in soft radiance.
Without hesitation, I charged forward.
This would be the final offering of the Green Webber Tribe, and the greatest harvest of plausibility yet.