Monopolizing Skills to the 666th Floor - Chapter 196

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Skill Devouring Up to Floor 666 Episode 196

196. Creator God

A being that emerged from the light.

A humanoid figure with white hair and golden eyes.

But its presence was on a completely different dimension from humans.

‘That’s Creator God El.’

The creator of the system that Amon had spoken of.

The very person who designed the system, placed Administrators, and created the entire structure for mining Divine Force.

“So you’re the Creator God.”

[It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Demigod.]

El’s golden eyes gazed at me.

Though expressionless, a faint curiosity flickered in the depths of those eyes.

[And your origin is human, no less. Interesting. It’s difficult for humans to become Demigods on their own… Let me see. Hmm… Before using Regression Magic, the Labyrinth Designer had tampered with the core. To think he’d pull such a stunt trying to escape the Labyrinth. Pathetic fool.]

First calling it interesting, then pathetic.

Despite the words coming from his mouth, his face remained expressionless, devoid of emotion.

“Can you know my past just by looking?”

[Of course. It’s all recorded in the system logs.]

As expected of the Creator God who made the system.

It seemed he could know everything just by looking.

[A Demigod with considerable stats… You’ve maintained the Achievement 1st place continuously. And to think you’d cover Skill Copy’s weaknesses with Parasite. This is a combination even I didn’t anticipate.]

I quietly observed this being called a god.

He didn’t seem to harbor any hostility toward me upon our first meeting.

So I asked.

“There’s something I wanted to ask when I met a being called a god.”

[Is that so? I’ll answer anything.]

“What’s your reason for creating this system?”

[Reason…]

A subtle change appeared in El’s expression.

It was the look of someone hearing a trivial question.

[Well, because it’s fun.]

“…Fun?”

At the unexpected answer, I unconsciously furrowed my brow.

“You created this system just for fun?”

[Just? You’ve experienced how perfectly my system operates, haven’t you? With that ability, you’ve risen to the top, even eliminating Administrators. A mere human.]

Certainly, I had come this far thanks to the system.

Without it, I’d still be the insignificant loser I was before regression.

But.

“Until you granted the system, we were living ordinary lives. But once the system, Labyrinth, and Administrators appeared, humans became workers mining Divine Force and died in the Labyrinth. Do you know that?”

[I know.]

It was such a calm answer.

[But the Labyrinth was created by the Designers. I only created the system. So everyone could use it to grow and enjoy themselves.]

“Enjoy themselves?”

In other words, El was the being who created the development tool, and the Designers were the beings who used it.

Either way, he was shifting responsibility to the Designers.

It was absurd.

To think a being called a god had this kind of mindset.

[I know. I know what you’re thinking. But that’s the truth of the world. The powerless prey are simply devoured by the powerful predators. And I’ve watched such worlds countless times.]

For a moment, a faint regret flickered in El’s eyes.

The process of watching over countless eons showed in his bored expression.

[Do you know how boring it is to be a god? As a human who can’t even live 100 years, you couldn’t possibly imagine. The position of a god who must only observe for eons.]

El gazed into the void.

[So I created it. The system. So everyone could use it to gain power, grow, and move toward their goals.]

“Does that serve as an excuse?”

[Excuse? I’m the God of Creation. My role is only to create and design things. Setting the system’s rules and structuring it is within my domain. But once it starts operating, I too am bound by those rules. That’s the price of creation.]

“So you bear no fault at all? Isn’t that too irresponsible a statement?”

[That’s how it originally is. I can design, but I can’t arbitrarily change a system that’s in operation. I was born that way from the beginning.]

“That doesn’t mean you bear no responsibility.”

[Responsibility? What responsibility are you talking about?]

El’s golden eyes sparkled with pure innocence.

As if he had done nothing wrong at all.

I was so dumbfounded that I said a word.

“You said you made it so everyone could enjoy it, right?”

[That’s right. So what?]

“Do you think the people who died in the Labyrinth enjoyed it? Do you think the humans exploited by the Administrators enjoyed it like a game?”

[That’s just the perspective of the weak. The strong definitely enjoyed it. The process of gaining power, growing, and reaching the pinnacle. Like you.]

“Then it wasn’t a system for everyone from the beginning. You sacrificed the weak for the amusement of the strong.”

[Isn’t that how the natural order works? Predator and prey. Strong and weak. That’s the way of the world.]

“The natural order?”

I let out a scoff.

“In nature, when a lion catches a rabbit, it doesn’t tell the rabbit ‘this is a fun game.’ But you labeled an exploitation system as growth and packaged it as something for everyone. Isn’t that more vicious?”

[….]

For the first time, a subtle crack appeared in El’s expression.

“And you know what. If you’re a god, you would have anticipated this result, right? What kind of tragedy the imbalance of power would bring. You said you’ve seen it countless times while living for eons? If you made it knowing this, that’s not negligence but complicity.”

[….]

A long silence flowed.

El’s golden eyes trembled slightly.

[I can only create. Destruction is not my domain.]

“That’s even more of a problem.”

Cold anger seeped into my voice.

“If you can only create and can’t stop it, shouldn’t you have been even more careful when creating? The system you made was a disaster that couldn’t be stopped once it started operating. To mine Divine Force, humans were needed, and the system itself was designed to operate on the premise of exploitation.”

[That’s….]

“Do you know how many people died because of the system you made out of boredom? How they lost their families, lost their dreams, lost their humanity and became monsters. To you, it was probably just an entertaining spectacle.”

Briefly, El’s golden eyes wavered.

Silence flowed for a while.

[…Your words have merit.]

El spoke as if acknowledging it for the first time.

[But what’s already been created cannot be undone. I am the god of creation. Eliminating what has been created is beyond my Divine Authority.]

“Then I’ll eliminate it for you.”

I said coldly.

“This system you created. This disaster. I’ll put an end to it.”

[….]

El said nothing.

After a long silence.

He finally opened his mouth.

[I heard you eliminated all the Administrators.]

“So what?”

[It’s an interesting matter. To massacre dozens of Administrators single-handedly.]

“The guys who worked under you died, and you only find it interesting?”

[The Administrators are nothing but consumables. I can create as many as I want again.]

El spoke in an indifferent tone.

Even though dozens of Administrators had been massacred, he showed no sign of being disturbed.

‘As expected, this guy also regarded the Administrators as nothing more than parts.’

Just as Amon had said, the Administrators were merely tools to operate the Labyrinth.

[But there’s a problem. If the Administrators disappear, Divine Force mining becomes impossible. That’s troublesome for me too.]

“So that’s why you appeared.”

[That’s right.]

El raised his hand and swept through the air.

Then space distorted and something began to become visible.

The sight of countless planets wrapped in Labyrinths.

It wasn’t just Earth.

Civilizations existing throughout the universe were all bound to the Labyrinth system.

[As you can see, the system I created is extensive. It’s mining Divine Force from numerous planets. The Administrators are the core that maintains that system.]

“….”

I was breathless.

It wasn’t just Earth.

The entire universe was trapped in El’s exploitation system.

“What are you trying to do by mining Divine Force? It’s not simply to help Administrators become gods, is it?”

It wouldn’t be just for simple entertainment.

I asked this question thinking there must be some ulterior motive.

As if my guess was correct, El’s lips curved up slightly.

[Isn’t it obvious? To become stronger.]

“You’re already a god.”

[Gods have ranks too. Lower gods, middle gods, upper gods, and beyond that.]

El’s golden eyes gleamed.

[I am an upper god. But I’m aiming for what’s beyond that. The realm of absolute godhood.]

“Absolute god?”

[The ultimate being that can create and destroy everything. To become that, I need massive amounts of Divine Force. Even now, most of the Divine Force I possess is being poured into the Awakening Ritual. It will be completed soon.]

Hearing those words, a thought suddenly struck me.

‘If he’s in the middle of an Awakening Ritual… El’s actual combat power might be limited right now?’

Anyway, I found out why he created the system.

To mine Divine Force by sacrificing countless lives to become a god.

In short, everything was a tool for his ambition.

“So you created the system because of your greed after all.”

[If you want to call it greed, feel free to do so.]

El wasn’t ashamed in the slightest.

[It’s not just me – the Administrators are the same. They also wanted to become gods. I simply used that desire.]

“Used it?”

[That’s right. I made the Administrators work by dangling the hope of becoming gods as bait. But in reality, I designed it so most of the Divine Force they mined would be attributed to me through the system.]

El spoke mockingly.

[The Administrators believed they could become gods, but in reality, they only received amounts that would make it difficult to become even lower gods no matter how long they worked. Foolish creatures.]

“Wait.”

I interrupted El’s words.

“You adjusted the amount the Administrators would receive?”

[That’s right. I set the distribution ratio during the system design phase. 95% of the mined Divine Force gets absorbed by the system, and only the remaining 5% goes to the Administrators.]

“During the design phase?”

[Of course. When creating a system, setting rules and structures is part of creation. Distribution ratios, flow paths, restrictions… all of this was finalized during the design phase. Once it starts operating, even I can’t arbitrarily change those rules.]

“So you designed it as an exploitation structure from the beginning.”

I smiled coldly.

“You said you could only create, but now I see you packed all your malice into that creation. You set it up to take 95% during the design phase, then later make excuses saying you only created it.”

[Excuses? I merely stated facts. Designing structures at the point of creation is natural. Are you saying I shouldn’t even do that?]

“You should have designed it more carefully.”

Anger crept into my voice.

“You said you could only create and couldn’t destroy, but you created it with a destructive structure from the start. An exploitation system that can’t be stopped once it starts operating.”

[But if you were in my position, you would have made the same choice. I bear no responsibility.]

“Don’t play word games, El.”

The Creator God’s mindset was so disgusting I had to say something.

“From the moment you set it to take 95%, you became an accomplice. No responsibility? Not your domain? Don’t make me laugh. You controlled this system from beginning to end. So all Divine Force would flow to you. So humans would be exploited, Administrators would be used, and everything would move within your palm.”

[Fine by me. If that’s what you think, then so be it. But what does that matter?]

His attitude became defiant.

He had given up on making excuses.

[The Designers creating labyrinths, Administrators mining Divine Force, humans dying within them. It was all a structure I intended. A perfectly functioning system.]

“Do you know how many lives were sacrificed because of the system you created?”

[I know. The death toll recorded in the system logs is… about 8 trillion 372 billion across the entire universe.]

“You recorded it… in logs?”

[Of course. To measure mining efficiency, I need to calculate input versus output. Death rates are also important metrics.]

El casually stated the numbers.

That indifferent attitude made my anger feel like it would explode.

“Over 8 trillion lives have died so far, and you call this a perfect system?”

[That’s the result of how the Designers and Administrators operated it, not my responsibility. I merely created a tool. How that tool is used is up to the user.]

“Are the Achievements you created also such tools?”

[That’s right. Achievements like ‘All Things Are Creation’ are especially special among what I’ve made. It’s the concept of being able to create anything with Terra. There are infinite possibilities depending on how the user applies it.]

I listened carefully to those words.

‘With Terra… create anything? Then…’

An idea flashed in my mind.

I didn’t know if this would work, but.

“So. You did nothing wrong at all?”

[Of course. The dead were merely materials for creating Divine Force. For me to become the absolute god. What’s wrong with that?]

Now he openly called lives materials.

Humans, other races, even the Administrators.

To him, they were all just consumables.

“I’ll kill you.”

I drew the Divine Transformation God-Slaying Spear.

The spear tip pointed toward El.

[You’ll kill me?]

El burst into mocking laughter.

[You’re a Demigod. I’m a high-ranking god. You don’t seem to understand how vast that gap is.]

“We’ll find out when we try.”

[Foolish creature.]

El flicked his finger.

Instantly my body flew through the air and slammed into the wall.

It was a level of mana that even my stats couldn’t defend against.

[This is the difference between a god and a Demigod. No matter how much you struggle, you won’t be able to inflict even a single wound on me.]

I tried to stand up, but an invisible force pressed down on me.

The bones throughout my body creaked.

[This is what it means to be unable to touch even a hair.]

El slowly approached.

[But I’ll give you a chance. If you work under me, I’ll let you live. I need an Administrator, after all. How about it?]

“…”

[No answer. Then you have no choice but to die.]

El raised his hand.

Obviously my head would be crushed by telekinesis.

‘Is this the end?’

But.

‘No, it’s not over yet.’

I opened the status window.

《Terra : 982,498》

《Divine Force : 94,691》

I had nearly a million Terra, and almost a hundred thousand Divine Force.

And I had one Achievement.

▶All Things Are Creation(SSS)

―Acquisition Condition : The first human to absorb and stabilize the Three Gods’ Terra.

―Effect : Consumes Terra to unleash the power of creation.

The power to create with Terra.

Then.

‘Convert Terra into Divine Force.’

I put my will into the Achievement.

The will to consume Terra and create Divine Force.

[Consuming Terra to generate Divine Force.]

[Terra ‘982,498’ is consumed.]

[Divine Force ‘982,498’ is generated.]

In an instant, Terra was converted into Divine Force.

《Divine Force : 1,077,189》

Over a million Divine Force.

Cracks appeared on El’s face, which had maintained an expressionless demeanor until just moments ago.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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