The murals within the temple looked almost alive.As light touched the ancient floor patterns, they glimmered faintly—drawing Damian's gaze toward the stories carved into stone.
At the center of it all:a grand depiction of the birth of a god.
Leanne stopped in front of the mural.Then she spoke quietly.
"This shows the moment a god was born."
Ian frowned."A god… being born?Aren't gods supposed to have always existed?"
Leanne stared at the mural in silence before replying.
"They say the gods were born alongside the creation of this world.But… there are records of new gods emerging afterward."
Damian narrowed his eyes."You mean, the original gods were there from the beginning,but new ones appeared later on?"
Leanne nodded."Yes. Gods have existed since the dawn of this world.But at the same time, there are moments… when a god is born."
Ian tilted her head."So are gods eternal beings?Or can they… be made?"
Leanne pointed to a section of the mural and said,
"There are many interpretations about the origin of gods.But there's one common thread—in this world, there is a process… by which one can become a god."
Damian's expression shifted subtly.
Here, people seemed to believe gods were born.But everything he had seen of power's final form suggested a different truth—one of becoming.
What was the difference?
And slowly, he began to realize:the rules of this world were fundamentally different from those he had known.
To be born a god. To become a god.
They were not the same.
Damian thought back to the Murim, to how strength was understood there.
In the Murim, the pinnacle of power was called Deukdo—enlightenment.
Some called it immortality.Others called it Nirvana or Transcendence.Still others described it as crossing into realms of the divine—Hwakyung, Hyeongyeong, or Shingyeong.
In essence, a human becoming something godlike.
It wasn't that gods simply existed.It was that one became god through mastery.
But Ian and Leanne didn't see it that way.To them, gods had always been there—an absolute truth, as unquestionable as breathing air.
Leanne glanced sideways.
"Damian… you look like you're thinking something strange."
Damian continued to study the mural.
"What if gods don't exist—but rather, someone becomes a god?"
Both Ian and Leanne blinked at the same time.
"…What are you talking about?"
Damian tapped the mural with his fingers.
"There's a painting here of a god being born.But what I saw wasn't a birth—it was a process of becoming."
Ian scoffed."And what difference does that make?"
"It's not the same."
Damian's tone was firm.
"To the people of this world, gods are primordial—they've always existed.But what I've seen is different—it's the journey, the process of becoming one."
Leanne narrowed her eyes."You saw something?"
Damian recalled what he had witnessed in the heights of Murim.How those who reached the peak of martial power—whether they called it enlightenment, transcendence, or divine awakening—all eventually became something else.
They became akin to gods.
So then, in this world… what is a god?An eternal being?Or a mortal who ascended?
Leanne muttered,"That idea… it goes against everything in this world's theology."
Ian added, looking uneasy,"Anyway, what do people like us know about gods?We'll never get an answer."
But Damian couldn't let go of this thought.
Because—
This was the moment the laws of this world clashed with the laws he had known.
From the very beginning, he had felt a discord.And now, it had become clear.
***
Chapter : Crusader, Paladin, and the Power of Divinity
Having arrived at the ancient temple,Damian and his companions found themselves sinking deeper into questions—about gods, about existence, and about belief.But theory alone could never explain everything.
That's when Leanne pointed again to a mural on the wall."This one's a record… of those who serve the gods."
Two kinds of figures were depicted:On one side, warriors in armor with drawn swords.On the other, clerics adorned with glowing sigils and sacred robes.
Ian tilted her head."Wait… aren't these paladins and crusaders?"
Leanne nodded."Right. Among those who serve the divine,the ones who fight are split into two paths."
Paladins
Those who draw power through faith.
They wield holy magic and divine energy.
Warriors who also heal and protect.
Their bond with their god is their source of strength.
Faith is power.
Crusaders
Warriors who fight for the gods.
They may receive divine energy, but their strength lies in martial prowess.
More offense than healing.
If paladins are vessels of divine will,crusaders are its executioners.
Damian stared quietly at the mural."They both follow the same god, right?"
Leanne nodded."Yes. But there's a difference.Paladins listen to the god's will.Crusaders fight to carry it out."
Ian snorted."So one's a holy knight-priest,and the other's just a fanatical brute with divine branding?"
Leanne gave a bitter smile."Not the most respectful way to say it, but… sure."
Experiencing Divine Power
Damian stared at the mural.
"So… what exactly is divine energy?"
Leanne raised her hand and chanted softly.A gentle glow shimmered at her fingertips.It looked like magic—but it felt different.
"Divine energy isn't the same as mana," she said."Mana comes from nature.Divine energy comes when you connect with a god."
Damian leaned in, intrigued."So someone with mana can't use divine energy?"
Leanne shook her head after a moment's thought."Not necessarily.But divine power is only granted to those who follow the divine will.Without faith, it won't come."
Damian's Doubt
Damian fell silent.
"Faith is power…"
He couldn't help but question it.
The power he had known was earned through training—through relentless effort, discipline, and mastery.But in this world, belief alone seemed to bestow strength?
Then was this just another form of being "chosen"?Or… could anyone receive divine power?
A Living Example — The Paladin Appears
That's when a metallic sound echoed through the temple.A voice rang out.
"There you are."
All three turned their heads.At the temple's entrance stood a man clad in radiant armor,a cloak bearing a cross-shaped sigil draped over his back.
A Paladin.
He looked around the chamber and spoke solemnly."This is sacred ground.Blasphemers have no right to be here."
Ian immediately snapped back."Oh yeah? You got a law that says we can't enter?"
The paladin frowned."You… you're a thief.You have no place in the house of the divine."
Ian gritted her teeth, but Leanne raised a hand."We're not here to defile anything."
Still, the paladin remained wary.He narrowed his eyes at Damian.
"You… are the real problem."
Damian looked back with cold indifference."Why me?"
"Because you are out of sync with this world."
Those words…struck a nerve.
Damian recalled the old man's prophecy:
"You are one who should not exist."
The paladin drew his sword slightly from its sheath."Your presence taints this place."
Damian's hand slowly reached for his hilt—but he didn't draw.
"So this is divine power, huh?Mind if I test it?"
The paladin narrowed his eyes."Divine power is not magic.It is the will of the gods.You are not worthy of witnessing it."
Damian smirked."Let's find out then."