The first believers

Believers +52

The moment Gron led his clan in kneeling before Lin Jin, the believer count on the panel before Lin Jin's eyes jumped by 52.

At once, Lin Jin felt strength surge through him.

It was not the sensation of a temporary boost. Rather, something within him seemed to have changed permanently.

Excellent! Operation Play God was a success!

The bugs below might not have known it, but Lin Jin knew better than anyone that what he had just done was already his limit.

He had only 20 faith points to spend in total. A few soul spells would probably have used up that paltry amount.

What should I do? Or rather, what would be more fitting for a god?

After turning it over in his mind, Lin Jin finally chose the approach most likely to fool them.

Instead of using his power a little at a time, he had poured it all into conjuring one enormous fireball.

Judging by the bugs' reactions, he had certainly intimidated them all. Even the Husk Bully King had chosen to flee.

But the fireball only looked frightening. It was all show; however large it was, the slightest contact would deliver no more than a single Soul Strike.

Fortunately, Lin Jin's gamble had paid off, and these believers were his reward.

Name: Lin Jin

Title: None

Race: [Human/Sealed] Higher Being

Divinity: Demigod

Divine office: None

Authority: None

Divine arts: Psychokinesis, flame

Believers: 52

Faith points: 32

As the bugs continued praying, the faith points he had just spent began recovering, soon returning to 32.

Once they reached 32, however, they stopped increasing. Lin Jin nodded slightly. "It seems there's a limit to how much faith each bug can provide. I wonder whether time has anything to do with it."

At that thought, Lin Jin immediately resumed his divine demeanor.

If he was going to put on an act, he had to see it through.

"Very good. You may rest. Tomorrow, you shall undergo a trial."

"Should you succeed, I shall bestow my blessings upon you."

With those final words, Lin Jin dispersed the flames he had created.

The heat subsided, and the cave gradually returned to its normal temperature.

Seeing that the god seemed to have departed, the bugs below turned to their clan chief.

Gron remained in his prayer posture, his heart still racing with excitement.

"It's true! Everything the old chief said was true!"

A god truly existed, and this god was willing to shelter his clan.

Gron's eyes shone, and his entire body trembled.

But he could not relax completely yet. The god had also said that a trial awaited them tomorrow.

If they failed, even returning to their old life of constant migration might be too much to hope for. They might even be destroyed for offending the god's majesty!

"You all heard him. Go and rest. Tomorrow, we will face the god's trial."

Gron turned to address his clansfolk, his voice carrying a reassurance they had never heard before.

The bugs exchanged glances. Who could possibly sleep now?

Far too much had happened today: first a safe cave, then unbelievable food, a predator appearing out of nowhere, and now a divine trial.

Still, since their chief said everything was fine, they were better off leaving the worrying to him.

"Chief, we all believe in you. We're counting on you from here."

"The Chosen of God chose us. This is a miracle. You don't need to worry too much, Chief."

One after another, the bugs returned to their original places.

As for the Counterattack Fly corpses on the ground, they were too exhausted to clear them away.

Gron remained where he was. His clansfolk's comforting words and encouragement had done little to bolster his confidence.

"Everything hinges on tomorrow's trial."

Gron looked back at the statue in the distant chamber. For some reason, he felt that, compared with before, it seemed to be giving off a faint glow.

"Chief, you saw it, didn't you?"

"Isara?"

"Yes, yes! I understand everything now. Chief, it's all thanks to you. Those offerings were part of the trial too. Hahaha! Our god!"

Isara's voice brimmed with excitement, her body trembling nonstop. Thinking back to the offerings from earlier, she seemed convinced she had understood everything.

"Isara, are you all right?"

"Yes, of course! Chief, I've never been better. The god is watching over us. Nothing could be better than that!"

Without waiting for his response, Isara continued on her own.

"It was no coincidence that we came here. It was fate! Fate brought us here! That god needed believers, and we happened to answer his call!"

Isara looked back at the statue and bowed devoutly once more. Even her veil could not conceal the radiance in her eyes.

Gron understood that look all too well. It was like a child finally gaining a parent's protection, a starving person seeing mountains of food, or a traveler finally reaching the end of a long, arduous journey.

Gron fell silent and chose not to question her further.

Isara was being far too optimistic. Gods had never needed believers, but believers could not do without gods.

The clan might simply have arrived here by chance. To gain the god's protection, they had to prove their worth.

The clansfolk in the cave huddled together again, while Isara went alone to the statue, apparently intending to repair it.

Picking up the spear and shield he had dropped, Gron decided to stop overthinking things.

"I only need to do what I should."

For the sake of his clansfolk's future, Gron had resolved to make the god feel they were worth his investment, even if tomorrow's trial cost him his life.

The chief prepared for battle, and the young bugs were already geared up and ready. As though sensing their resolve, many of the mothers finally felt reassured as well.

The cave completely shut out the wind and sand outside, and it also had water and food.

In this rare place of safety, the clan's mothers began laying their eggs one after another.

They should have laid them long ago, but the harsh conditions of the wilderness had prevented them from doing so.

These eggs, initially the size of soybeans, would soon grow and eventually become fully independent adults.

The process was actually very fast. With enough nourishment, the bugs could grow to adulthood in just two or three days.

Adults raised that way often did not live long, but out in the wilderness, the bugs rarely had much choice if they wanted to survive as a species.

Now, however, their opportunity had arrived.

With ample resources, the clan no longer needed to deliberately limit its numbers.

Quite the opposite: they would urgently need more help in the days ahead.

That made succeeding all the more essential.

Gron silently polished his spear, determination blazing in his lone eye.

The next day

Lin Jin drifted over from the distant corridor, having confirmed his suspicions.

Sure enough, the increase in believers had considerably expanded his range of movement. This was not merely a matter of length and width, but a three-dimensional area.

He could also pass through walls like a ghost. The previous night, he had already gone above the temple to investigate.

As expected, the temple he occupied was merely one part of an enormous ruin.

The entire mountain seemed to have been hollowed out to accommodate various facilities. Unfortunately, his limited range had only allowed Lin Jin to investigate a small area near the temple chamber.

For now, all Lin Jin knew was that the chamber containing his statue seemed to be merely the starting point, while the endpoint appeared to be the mountain's summit.

He had no idea how long ago the civilization that left these ruins had existed, but its people were undoubtedly gone now. "In that case, why not put this place to good use?"

Figuring that inventing a little was no different from inventing everything, Lin Jin planned to present himself as a god who had once been immensely powerful but was currently in decline.

That would preserve his dignity while also explaining why he could not currently move mountains, fill seas, control the weather, or create things out of thin air.

By his reckoning, it was just about the next day anyway. Lin Jin memorized the route and immediately headed back.

These first believers were immensely precious. Calling them his last savings would be no exaggeration. Losing them would be a tremendous blow.

Passing through the layers of sedimentary rock, Lin Jin returned to his temple.

The scene was much as he had expected. After getting enough rest, Gron had led his clan in continuing to pray of their own accord.

Lin Jin also discovered that when they prayed in his absence, the essence of their faith gathered on the statue.

Once he returned, that essence flowed toward him instead.

Faith points +52

Feeling himself absorb the bugs' faith, Lin Jin was highly satisfied.

Their pure faith gave Lin Jin more options now. At the very least, creating one large fireball would not leave him utterly drained as it had yesterday.

It seemed these believers truly believed in him now.

What surprised Lin Jin even more was that his little temple had actually been repaired.

The Counterattack Fly corpses were long gone, the fallen stone pillars had been raised again, and the dust accumulated over the years had been swept away.

Even the damaged statue had been rebuilt into the likeness of a blazing flame.

Its details were somewhat indistinct, though. Presumably, the bug who had repaired it did not really know what the god looked like either.

The statue also made the faith Lin Jin absorbed more tangible.

The workmanship was still crude, but the thought behind it deeply moved Lin Jin.

Now he understood why, the previous night, he had suddenly felt as though he could travel farther again.

This was clearly someone with great potential, an excellent candidate to become his future pontiff.

"So devout on the very first day. Once I find out who did it, I'll have to give them my full support."

A god could not appear before people too often. He really did need someone to act on his behalf.

Seeing that all his believers were present, Lin Jin wasted no time and spent faith points to summon another fireball.

The praying bugs witnessed that unbelievable sight once again and immediately realized their god had arrived.

Gron was nervous, while Isara was excited.

The coming trial would determine the clan's entire future.

"I have witnessed your loyalty and faith. Very good."

There it was again. No bug had spoken, yet a voice appeared directly inside their heads.

This time, however, it was not just Gron. Every bug felt it.

With both terror and reverence, they gazed up at the fireball in the air, waiting for their god's final command.

"Your trial is to purge, in my name, the heretics infesting my royal capital."