Pain

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Pain / Suffering (苦痛)
Alias(es)	[Suffering]; Laziness when manifesting through Lu Ce's Sin Mask
Species/Race	God; divine entity
Affiliation	The Gods; formerly connected to the Game's creation and balance
Occupation/Role	God of Suffering; creator of Lu Ce's Chosen of Suffering system; experimenter in godhood and divine-power development
Status	Deceased; Lu Ce chose the “termination” path and later stated that he killed Suffering 912 916
First Appearance	Chapter 1, as the voice granting Lu Ce the Chosen of Suffering role 1

Background / History

Suffering selected Lu Ce after he endured the female doctor's torture without registering pain. It introduced the Chosen of Suffering system, granting Suffering Value and offering Lu Ce an Initial Gene Lock once he accumulated enough of it. 1 2

The system was deliberately designed around pain-based advancement. Suffering later explained that it had studied human artistic works and chose a “point allocation” format; it prioritized improving Lu Ce's physical body because a stronger body would help him retain his humanity while carrying divine power. 7 911

Before its direct return, Suffering's influence repeatedly surfaced around Lu Ce. The Despair Emissary sensed a familiar higher-order power protecting Lu Ce and questioned whether he was connected to the supposedly dead Suffering. 403 Lu Ce's injury-triggered growth was eventually recognized as a gentler form of divine inheritance rather than an ordinary game mechanic. 859

Suffering openly returned during the conflict with the Gods by manifesting through Overload Laziness, startling the Arbiter and the other Gods, all of whom believed it dead. It called them “good brothers” and demonstrated enough power to dismiss War's Star Cavalry. 705 707 Its manifestation relied on pain as fuel: it repeatedly inflicted pain on itself to generate suffering points and sustain its presence. 710

During the Game's collapse, Suffering transferred Xie Antong's pain into itself to heal her, then collapsed and appeared to die again. 713 It later returned through vessels including Xie Antong and Lu Ce, revealing that it had guided a player in imitating the Gods, developing the Seven Deadly Sins mask, and nurturing seven potential divine energies within Lu Ce. 847 851 909

When Lu Ce finally met Suffering directly, it appeared in his likeness, anticipated his questions, and forcibly removed his mask to expose the seven faces beneath it. Lu Ce suspected that this encounter might be a pre-recorded program rather than Suffering's complete physical presence. 907

Suffering ultimately offered Lu Ce its divine power and a choice: become a god or become a “Terminator.” Lu Ce recognized that Suffering wanted release from its endless existence, chose termination, and divided energy with it so it could manifest and die. Suffering thanked him before they vanished. 912

Appearance

Suffering has no single fixed body and commonly manifests through vessels or divine projections.

• Appeared in Lu Ce's likeness during their direct meeting. 907
• Manifested through Laziness with an ink-green face and a twisted smile. 705 713
• Its presence can produce overwhelming divine pressure, destabilizing space and alarming other Gods. 705
• When using Xie Antong as a vessel, it could imitate her appearance while speaking and radiating Suffering's divine aura. 847

Personality

Suffering is calm, resigned, and unusually reflective for a God. It views the Gods as “puppets of power,” beings driven to absorb and expand energy rather than independent individuals with true consciousness. 909

Despite embodying suffering, it does not wish to deliberately create or harvest it from others. It refuses to gloat over Joy's suffering and ultimately reveals itself as deeply burdened by its own existence. 847 912

It can also be playful, evasive, and manipulative. During its return through Laziness, it taunted the Gods, addressed the Arbiter as “brother,” and exploited their confusion over its survival. 705 713

Abilities & Skills

Chosen of Suffering System

Suffering created Lu Ce's pain-based growth system and used it to cultivate him gradually.

• Grants Suffering Value / Suffering Points when Lu Ce is harmed or subjected to pain. 1 2
• Direct or indirectly caused harm from another person can generate points; ordinary self-harm does not qualify. 7
• Points can be converted into physical attributes, allowing Lu Ce to raise Strength, Speed, Coordination, and other stats. 12 183
• The system initially unlocked Lu Ce's Gene Lock after he surpassed the required Suffering Value. 2
• Even after the visible point system disappeared, Lu Ce retained injury-triggered growth through Suffering's power. 895

Pain Manipulation

Suffering can interact directly with pain as both a source of power and a transferable burden.

• Drew pain out of Xie Antong and took it into itself, healing her at great personal cost. 713
• Used self-inflicted pain to create suffering points that fueled its manifestation and combat ability. 710
• Demonstrated that actively chosen pain can resist despair by giving people something tangible to endure. 707
• Is believed by Joy to possess the potential to make even other Gods experience pain. 869

Divine Power and Manifestation

Suffering's divine power is especially compatible with Lu Ce and can persist through vessels, masks, and artifacts.

• Its aura protected Lu Ce from a lethal attack by the Despair Emissary. 403
• Manifested through Overload Laziness and dispelled War's summoned Star Cavalry. 705 707
• Possessed or acted through Xie Antong and Lu Ce at different points. 847 851
• Left a substantial amount of divine power inside Lu Ce, comparable to Joy's empowerment of Xie Antong. 869
• Its power was later embedded into the Black Knight, allowing the artifact to evade the Arbiter's control. 961

Godhood Experimentation

Suffering researched the nature of Gods and attempted to preserve human identity against divine corruption.

• Helped nurture and restrain the seven potential god energies within Lu Ce so they would not become independent Gods. 909
• Assisted in creating the Seven Deadly Sins mask by helping a player imitate divine beings. 847
• Favored physical enhancement over spiritual growth because a strong body could help a host remain human while enduring divine power. 911
• Could anticipate Lu Ce's questions during their meeting; Lu Ce considered the possibility that this was a programmed or prearranged interaction. 907

Relationships

• Lu Ce / Sin — Suffering's Chosen, experimental subject, and eventual terminator. It cultivated Lu Ce through the Suffering Point system, entrusted him with divine power, and was ultimately ended through his chosen path. 1 909 912 916
• Xie Antong / Blank — Temporarily used her body as a vessel and later absorbed her pain to heal her. 713 847
• The Arbiter — Suffering repeatedly calls the Arbiter “brother,” while the Arbiter denies any connection despite showing unusual emotional conflict around it. 712 713
• Joy — A hostile and deeply entangled counterpart. Joy is angered by Suffering's return and considers its power capable of inflicting pain on the Gods themselves. 847 869
• Death — Death recognizes Suffering's return and seeks to prevent it from leaving; it also recalls prior conversations with Suffering. 847 969
• War — War openly seeks to kill Suffering, while Suffering dismisses its threats. 849 851

Notable Quotes

“Good brothers, it's been a while! I'm Suffering!” 705

“Perhaps I was once human too.” 909

“You are the God of [Suffering], yet you don't want to actively create or absorb suffering. You yourself are the most suffering being in this universe.” — Lu Ce to Suffering 912

“Thank you.” 912