Dohyuk got off Giwon’s back.
“No one’s watching anymore.”
Dohyuk then stretched his arms and asked another question, but it wasn’t about the ‘Mad God’.
“He mentioned your family.”
“…That’s not relevant right now.”
“I know. I’m just curious.”
Dohyuk wasn’t just curious. He had been focusing on that ever since he heard the Tyrant talking about Giwon’s family. Giwon was a beast. Even if he was, if he loved his family…
“You said you’ll obey me. So maybe you don’t mind telling me about that.”
“…”
“But it’s alright if you don’t to talk about it.”
Dohyuk walked and Giwon followed. Then Giwon spoke.
“In the previous life… I was lucky. I was able to keep my family alive.”
“Everyone?”
“Yes. My parents, grandparents, and my siblings.”
“…”
Dohyuk thought that wasn’t just luck. Giwon wished for his family’s safety, and he did.
“Yet it was all for nothing in the end. I couldn’t save them.”
“The Tyrant killed them.”
Dohyuk made a guess, but Giwon shook his head.
“No. They died long before Jung Ilgyu despised me.”
“Was it an accident?”
“No… It’s just… I didn’t care at some point.”
“What?”
“I didn’t care about their safety anymore.”
His family died one by one after that. Their deaths could’ve been avoided if Giwon had paid attention.
“That’s…”
Dohyuk knew why. It was the corruption that influenced the man to change into a beast and change his way of thinking. If that was the case…
“What about now?”
“…”
What was it now?
“When the Tyrant said something about your family, you reacted to it.”
“…I am not sure.”
He was speaking the truth.
“Maybe it’s regret.”
Giwon stood up. Dohyuk couldn’t understand. The beasts did have someone they considered to be important. Kyuho and Jimin were beasts, but they acknowledged Dohyuk as their friend. Yet how could a beast change who he thinks is important and then later return to it?
“…I see. That’s all for now.”
Dohyuk still had questions, but he was done for now. It wasn’t time to delve into it yet.
“Let’s return to what we need to discuss.”
The gods and faith weren’t simple in this world. People believed in the gods only because it made them stronger.
“It’s an important question though. A strong god can have certain weaknesses.”
“…”
Dohyuk knew. Grava, the God of Hunt, was very powerful. However, he was weak against the heat that Dohyuk used. His entire region was even decimated by the ‘weakest’ god, Aruga.
“So, you mean it’s better to serve a god that doesn’t have a weakness?”
“You can say that. But there’s more. Gods have their own ‘laws’ that they force upon their believers. Even if…”
It demanded too much from the followers. There were various rules and actions that the followers needed to follow. For example, a god who liked to fight would not allow his followers to run from battle. Sometimes, destroying an item that was a god’s symbol was not allowed.
“It’s not always punishable but…”
“They have different perspectives.”
Dohyuk finished the sentence and Giwon nodded. It was a difference of perspectives. Between humans, a slap wouldn’t really mean violence. But what if the slap was targeted at an ant? That would be a disaster. Of course, the gods would know this difference, yet none of them cared. Unless the follower in question was valuable, they wouldn’t care at all.
“And there’s also the third thing we have to consider.”
“…How often they keep their word?”
“Yes.”
Following a rule and giving what they required would be done if the follower decided to do it. But what if it wasn’t enough? Even after promising power, what if the god changed their mind later on?
Dohyuk knew what kind of disaster it could bring. He experienced first hand on what a mad god could do when they didn’t care at all.
“So, with that third condition, Yabadop is one of the gods that no one should mess with.”
Giwon then stopped. They were standing before a vast and barren land. It was a giant piece of land with no plants, rocks, or remnants of the old world. The only thing that existed was Casita’s needle and a fine line running through the land, which was a deep crack in the ground.
“Anything that steps in there pretty much dies.”
“By what?”
“…Nobody knows. No one knows what ‘god’ he is either.”
“…”
The best way to acquire the ‘bracelet’ was just a stroke of pure luck. Many walked into Yabadop’s region in the previous life. Even if it posed great danger, it was common sense that it held great treasure inside. Giwon was one of those people and his people were wiped out.
“The ground shook and the winds stormed us the moment we walked in.”
They were then attacked by hallucinations and various status ailments, followed by monster attacks.
“It was different from anyplace else.”
Most regions with such dangers there to test the humans for pure fun or to train them. But Yabadop’s lair was different. There was no reason, no purpose, no hope or exit. It was pure violence from the god. Giwon’s people died and Giwon closed his eyes, awaiting his death. But he did not die. Instead-
“I heard the god’s voice.”
-You are different.
-I will take it in place of your life.
-I will pay.
When Giwon came back, he was outside the region. And he there was the bracelet in front of him.
“All survivors experienced the same thing. They heard his voice, and they were sent out alive with a piece of equipment.”
Each of the items had different ranks and options. That’s was the only thing that all humans knew about God Yabadop. After the story spread, none dared to enter the Yabadop’s region. The equipment had various ranks and it wasn’t good enough to risk their lives. Giwon’s bracelet was just more unique.
“Then I gave the bracelet to the Tyrant and it became his part of his full set.”
Giwon added, “You might want to wait out here. If something goes wrong, I will be the only one who will die.”
Maybe it wouldn’t be the same. Nobody knew what Yabadop would do.
“…”
Dohyuk did not answer, but he walked past Giwon and stood in front of the crack and looked down.
“Be care-”
Before Giwon could finish, he jumped down.
“…!!”
Giwon quickly ran, but when he got to the edge, Dohyuk was already almost at the bottom. Dohyuk had already mastered the walking skill to walk the cliff. With his 200 physical stats, he was able to run straight down the wall to the bottom of the canyon. At about 200 feet deep, there was nothing there.
“I hope you can climb up as fast as you went down,” Giwon said from above. Unlike Dohyuk, he was coming down with a ‘rope’ in his hand.
“Be careful. We don’t know when…”
Before he can finish, Dohyuk’s body was thrown back. A storm suddenly raged towards him.
“C-come up…!”
His words were pointless this time around as well. The canyon began to change. The walls at the top began to move to close the openings and the world became pitch dark. Giwon began to feel afraid. It was going to start now. Then, some light came from a distance. A flame rose up, lighting the area, and Dohyuk was standing there.
“…I see.”
He wiped the blood from his nose and stood up.
“…What he wants.”
“…?!”
“What this damn god wants.”
He spoke as he read the words that popped up in front of him. He had no intention of giving ‘it’ away.