The power of faith

Faith +20.

"Huh?"

Lin Jin froze at the words that had suddenly appeared before him.

What was this?

A cheat?

But why had it only appeared now?

Before Lin Jin could figure it out, tiny clusters of light suddenly appeared above the heads of the bugs praying to him and flew toward him.

"Is this... Essence?"

From what Lin Jin knew, Essence was the fragments of light that formed dreams in Hollow Knight, as well as the remnants of all wishes and prayers.

Lin Jin had once speculated that the more Essence a bug possessed, the stronger it would be.

The dream bosses were proof of that.

The most powerful among them were the entities known as Higher Beings, and different gods emitted different kinds of Essence.

Radiance's was golden, the Pale King's white, and Grimm's red.

Yet the Essence emerging from these bugs was completely different from what appeared in the game. It had no color at all, just pure, transparent clusters of light without any symbols inside.

As those clusters merged into his body, Lin Jin immediately felt as though he had become more substantial.

Meanwhile, more lines of text gradually appeared before him, growing clearer.

But throughout the process, he suffered a headache that nothing could ease.

"Aagh!"

----------

Name: Lin Jin

Title: None

Race: [Human/Sealed] Higher Being

Divinity: Demigod

Divine office: None

Authority: None

Divine arts: Psychokinesis

Followers: 0

Faith: 20

----------

The sudden change brought such a severe headache that Lin Jin needed a long while to gradually recover.

By then, it was already midnight.

The change had been so intense that, if Lin Jin could sweat, he would probably have been drenched.

He had never imagined that simply enduring it would take so long. Once he regained his senses, he turned his attention back to the refugees.

After praying, they had found places to rest, leaving only a few young bugs to keep watch.

Lin Jin began to think. He had sensed a few things while absorbing those clusters of light.

He seemed capable of growing stronger by absorbing the bugs' faith in him.

Meanwhile, the panel before him seemed to be a special ability of his own, allowing him to clearly understand his condition.

"Isn't this a system? Open the shop."

"Then... a prize wheel? Draw!"

He kept trying for quite a while. After naming every special function he could remember from novels without getting any response, Lin Jin concluded that the panel could only display his stats and reluctantly gave up.

A long silence followed. He was disappointed that the panel was not his own system.

Still, a special change had finally occurred, and Lin Jin decided to examine it more carefully.

This not-quite-cheat was the only thing he could rely on right now.

"It makes sense that my race is human, but why is it sealed?"

Too little information, too many questions.

After some thought, Lin Jin could only conclude that, since this world's inhabitants were all bugs, his human anatomy must look no different from a god's to them.

In that case, it was hardly surprising that this world had automatically classified him as a Higher Being.

As for his divinity, Lin Jin was confused. When had he become a god?

Although the panel only listed him as a demigod, that still meant he possessed some supernatural power.

But several fields on the panel read "None." Lin Jin reckoned that, even if he was a god, he must be among the weakest gods currently known.

"A god, huh? This world certainly has gods, but me?"

Lin Jin quickly recalled the higher entities from the game: the Pale King, a Wyrm, the White Lady, Unn, Radiance, Grimm, the Void God...

He had never given it much thought while playing.

But now that he was in this world, Lin Jin knew his current self was not even qualified to compare himself to them.

Radiance, the god of light, and the Nightmare Heart, the god of nightmares, were terrifying entities whose influence could reach others unseen.

And that was without even mentioning the Void God, the proclaimed enemy of all life, the highest of the top tier, a terrifying entity capable of commanding part of the Sea of the Unlight.

Even if the Little Knight retained its emotions after becoming a god and did not kill indiscriminately, Lin Jin did not know it. If they met, he would probably be swallowed up just like any other minor enemy.

As for the Pale King and the Pale Lady, they were genuine Higher Beings who had lived for countless ages.

As a white being of the highest order, the Pale King probably would have dealt with Radiance personally without needing a vessel, if she had not been formless and spread her plague only through dreams.

Even Unn, probably the weakest of the known gods, could wipe him out with a casual gesture.

I'm still far too weak.

So what? Am I going to hole up here for the rest of my life and never leave?

"No."

He did not even need to think. Fire flickered in Lin Jin's eyes, and his resolve to act never wavered.

He would never accept an ending like that-cowering in some miserable place, giving up, and letting the rest of his life waste away.

Now he had a path to greater strength: the power of faith. Like Radiance, he could continually gain power through his followers' belief.

As long as he was not stupid enough to run off to Hallownest to preach.

Then he still had a very good chance of gathering enough faith to truly become a god.

"It's decided! If Radiance can be a god, why can't I?"

Even if the road was filled with hardship and setbacks, Lin Jin still resolutely chose to walk it.

As a longtime Hollow Knight fan, he knew that doing nothing and hiding in this cave for the rest of his life would not guarantee his safety.

Lifeblood, dreams, the void, Wyrmkind-their conflicts had never ceased across this wasteland.

Nor would they care what they accidentally crushed while fighting one another.

In their eyes, the bugs' civilization was as fragile as a sheet of paper.

He had to become a god and keep growing stronger. Only then could he attain true safety and freedom.

The prospects were bright, and Lin Jin was brimming with motivation.

But he soon encountered another problem.

He needed the power of faith to become a god, and increasing that power required followers.

He had nothing to his name. Where would he get followers?

Keep bribing the bugs who had prayed to him earlier with Moss Balls?

"No, that won't work." Lin Jin shook his head.

Faith and followers were not the same thing.

He could indeed keep making Moss Balls to get them to provide faith.

But that was merely an exchange of benefits. It would not last.

Besides, faith obtained through such an exchange was not pure enough for him to use at all.

Their earlier prayers had only come about because hunger had forced them to eat his offerings.

The fact that his faith had increased by twenty while his follower count remained zero made that clear.

More than fifty bugs had prayed just now, yet he had received a mere twenty points of faith.

Ultimately, they only intended to stay here temporarily to shelter from the storm.

Once the storm subsided, they would leave again and resume their wandering.

Only then did Lin Jin realize that he seemed to have just this one night left.

If he wanted them to stay, he had to come up with a way right now.

To be honest, Lin Jin was very pleased with this band of wanderers.

They were capable and organized. Lin Jin knew perfectly well what conditions were like outside.

Yet these bugs had made it all the way here. Luck alone could not explain that.

They divided their work and cooperated, maintaining order. Even in the worst circumstances, they had not abandoned the elderly, the weak, the women, or the children. They had principles.

In every respect, if he needed followers, this group of bugs could hardly have been more suitable.

They were also exhausted in both body and mind, with no home to call their own. This was precisely when they needed somewhere to live in peace.

Once he realized what they lacked most and craved most, Lin Jin quickly devised a brilliant script.

After absorbing some Essence, Lin Jin had felt that he could manipulate more things over a wider area.

The bugs' earlier prayers had given him twenty points of faith. With a little maneuvering, he could perform feats that, in their eyes, only a god could accomplish.

The wanderers, desperately in need of a safe place to live, would surely believe in him.

This might actually work.

Without delay, Lin Jin immediately set about bringing forth a miracle.

As before, he first made some Moss Balls, then Lin Jin headed to the room behind the statue.

Lin Jin had noticed long ago that this cave contained a passage leading deeper inside.

It seemed to lead to another section of the ancient ruins, but his movement range was limited. He could not leave the vicinity of the statue.

Still, over the past few days, Lin Jin had gathered some information by watching and listening.

He was not the only one active here.

As he tossed Moss Balls into the passage one after another, a chorus of chittering soon rang out.

Counterattack Flies. Those noisy creatures would charge around at the slightest disturbance.

Provoked, the Counterattack Flies immediately swarmed out, rushing toward the outer chamber.

The bugs keeping watch soon noticed the Counterattack Fly's arrival.

They did not know why the flies had appeared, but they still shouted warnings to the others.

Before long, shrieking Counterattack Flies filled the ruins.

The bug who seemed to be the leader immediately picked up a spear and shield and fought the Counterattack Flies on the front line.

Perhaps their years of wandering had given the bugs exceptional vigilance and combat awareness.

The bugs with melee weapons kept shouting at the front to draw the Counterattack Flies' attention.

Those behind protected the more vulnerable elderly and children, hurling stones at any Counterattack Flies that approached.

Through their cooperation, they actually managed to establish an effective defensive line in short order.

But the number of Counterattack Flies did not decrease. Instead, more and more appeared.

Finally, after an even shriller cry, the Husk Bully King emerged.

It had a larger body than the other Counterattack Flies and sharper fangs.

Even if it had been only an ordinary boss in the game.

That was only from a player's perspective. To these ordinary Bugfolk, the Husk Bully King was already a terrifying monster.

It was too late to flee the cave, so the apparent leader acted decisively.

The bug struck its shield with its spear, continuously drawing the Husk Bully King's attention.

The tactic worked. Soon, at their king's direction, all the Counterattack Flies began concentrating their attacks on the leader.

Even with extensive battle experience, the bug inevitably left openings under such prolonged pressure.

Seeing their leader struggling, the warriors desperately tried to come to its aid. The surrounding bugs also picked up stones or whatever else they could find and kept throwing them at the Counterattack Flies.

"Not even a hint of breaking ranks in a crisis? Good. Excellent!"

Lin Jin was even more pleased. These refugees were united, which meant that once they chose to pledge themselves to him, they would be deeply loyal.

But amid his delight, Lin Jin had not forgotten what he was supposed to do.

One or two knocks were enough to open the door. If anyone actually died or was injured, things would become troublesome.

"Time for me to step in."

Lin Jin gradually extended his spiritual awareness, preparing to secure his first followers.