Eldritch Horror Theatre

Ding... ding...

The crisp chimes echoed in the darkness.

Fu Qian gently tapped his left hand against the desk. With every strike, a finger squirmed out of the bare palm.

Patterns, spikes, scales, and ridges—the shape of the fingers remained unstable, the skin shifting across them like a spinning lantern.

Fu Qian paid it no mind. After returning to the Warehouse and realizing his Mythical Form had deactivated, he settled into the most comfortable position in his seat and listened to the prompts ringing in his ear.

[Mission Rating: False God]

[With a Demigod Physique, you exercised the authority of a Deity, judging a new Deity guilty and stripping away her power.

This incredible paradox served as a ritual of fallacy. The authority became clearer before you, and a path opened to an otherwise unreachable Deity seat.

And in your subsequent self-isolation, you upheld this absurdity.]

[Special Achievement: Audience with the Self][Even though the Red Moon, who had always watched you, had long woven a path to Deity for you.

However, your act of self-isolation gave you the right to choose.

Ultimately, that unique choice allowed you to share authority through a method bordering on fallacy.

Not an emissary of authority, but a false Deity.

You embarked on a nonexistent path to Deity, a detour in every sense of the word. It may have an endpoint, but the only one who can guide you is yourself.]

[Special Achievement Reward: Complete Pseudo-God Ritual]

[Your advancement ritual is complete, and you have woven your own path to becoming a Deity.

Although the corresponding Divine Trait did not previously exist in this world.

Because of your existence, it will appear soon.

By following the special connection between you to find it and use it to complete yourself, you will formally achieve Sublimation and become a unique existence distinct from a Divine Emissary.

Due to anchoring the Deity position in advance, you have gained Deity Level Insight. After consuming a target, you can permanently acquire their corresponding transcendent power or authority.]

So the Tier 2 title is simply ”False God”?

According to this, did I forcefully carve out a path to becoming a Deity?

Right now, I have only completed the ritual. Do I still need to find and integrate the Divine Trait before I officially reach Tier 2?

Moreover, because I chose to believe in myself, Insight received a Deity Level boost. It not only became permanent, but even allows me to obtain authority?

There has to be a limit. Otherwise, it would be way too overpowered!

Plus, this bandit-scholar vibe of mine is getting stronger by the day!

After listening carefully, Fu Qian gave a brief mental summary and nodded.

The Warehouse had not disappointed him.

...

In this bizarre and chaotic transcendent world, violent trial and error without any guidance yielding this result was practically the second-best possible outcome.

His earlier guess was probably right. Due to its condition, the Warehouse could not offer him direct guidance, but it could still passively couple with and judge his actions.

For example, the Warehouse was like a teacher with amnesia. They could no longer teach you how to solve a problem, but if you got it right, they could still review your work, confirm the correct answer, and give you a passing grade.

Come to think of it, there had been signs of this when he advanced to the Demigod Realm. At that time, though the Warehouse hadn’t explicitly stated anything, it felt like it could still help out a little by designing missions and creating opportunities.

Now that he was taking another step forward, all it could do was say, ”Congratulations, you got it right.”

...

Additionally, according to the summary, the reason the ritual could be completed boiled down to a single point: taking down Yasui Tokiyuki using a Deity Tier.

As for his final choice, that likely only influenced the difference in paths.

It seemed that if he hadn’t chosen himself, he most likely would have accepted the Red Moon’s call, seeing as she had ”long woven a path to Deity.”

It was somewhat impressive. Even when completely isolated, she could exert such an influence through a single trace of pollution.

This proved once again that the Warehouse was indeed in poor condition. Since the Red Moon could lead him astray, it meant that while in the Original Sin Sage state, he wasn’t without other options.

As an existence with an obviously high Rank, there was no reason the Warehouse couldn’t do what the Red Moon did. This indicated that its condition was probably even worse than the Red Moon’s.

My previous situation was practically fraught with danger!

Not only was I flying blind, but there was also someone hovering above waiting to lead me astray.

Good thing my skills are a notch higher!

Relying on the instincts of a top-tier task runner, I maximized my subjective initiative and mobilized the Warehouse to use its remaining strength.

Given that the Head Cage was in the way, Fu Qian couldn’t touch his chin. He settled for rubbing the cold lower edge of the cage, pleased with himself for two seconds.

This time, not only had he completed the Tier 2 ritual, but he had also conveniently resolved the hidden threat of the Red Moon. It was truly a case of killing two birds with one stone.

Emperor Yasui’s sacrifice was worth it.

Of course, to truly incarnate as a False God, he still needed to find and digest the Divine Trait.

Speaking of which, ever since he grasped divinity, materials seemed to have become a necessity. The ritual preparations Yasui Tokiyuki had mentioned also proved this point.

The difference between the past and present felt quite interesting; he could slowly explore it later.

As for now, it was time to return to the scene of the crime.

With that thought, Fu Qian stood up and picked up the two masks.

Along with a silent Handbell...

A Bell that could chime...

A dull, clouded eyeball...

A white whistle...

Several Rings...

Indeed, perhaps because he had lost control of his body while asleep, his various items had fallen all over the floor, making him look exactly like a loot-dropping boss.

What a pity. The Deity Level Insight came a bit late, and the Delusion Step ability has already dissipated. Let’s go see if I can retrieve Mercy.

Amidst his lament, Fu Qian neatly arranged his belongings one by one.

Glancing down at his body, he carefully adjusted his bone armor, rapidly shifting it into a formal suit.

I should dress a bit more formally for the victory banquet.

The next moment, he removed the Head Cage and put on the Emissary.

...

I almost missed the grand spectacle!

Nothing unexpected occurred. Before his eyes was still that same desolate expanse, and even the uncomfortable ravings had vanished.

At the spot where Yasui Tokiyuki had fallen, a head-sized sphere was floating in midair, rotating like a planet.

At a glance, its surface was covered in bizarre patterns, faintly revealing the design of a crown.

And all of this was enveloped in a crimson hue, thick to the extreme.

At this very moment, the massive Red Moon was pressing down almost to the ground, as if it would crush this place in the next second.

The grand spectacle Fu Qian had referred to was the countless twisted lines on the moon’s surface unfurling, extending into fluttering tentacles and arms.

These creations, possessing a macabre beauty, slowly reached toward the condensed essence of Yasui Tokiyuki, gripping it firmly.

The next moment, as if unable to resist some unseen pressure any longer, the arms and tentacles rapidly retracted, pulling the sphere back into the main body.

When he looked again, a circular imprint seemed to have appeared on the Red Moon.

Seeing this, Fu Qian seemed to understand what the mission summary meant by having her power stripped away.

Yasui Tokiyuki’s authority should now belong to this entity.

Even including this Half-Step Moon.

”You did very well... kind child...”

The next moment, a gentle voice rang out, carrying uncontrollable joy.