Chapter3-The First Miracle

The wind howled!

By the riverbank, trees swayed wildly, and withered leaves, like mischievous spirits, danced erratically, swirling around the clay statue, vaguely forming a massive tornado.

The villagers gathered here for the sacrificial ceremony all crouched down, glancing around in shock. Their patched white linen robes flapped noisily in the fierce wind.

"Why is the wind suddenly picking up?"

Old John, the village chief, looked confused. Then, as if realizing something, he slowly raised his head, his brown pupils locking onto the clay statue ahead.

When the wind roared, he vaguely sensed an unusual fluctuation of elemental energy in the air.

"Sacred Vestige!"

"The Sacred Vestige is gone!"

Suddenly, Thomas, the blacksmith responsible for guarding the silver cross, cried out in alarm.

His voice spread quickly, and all eyes immediately turned toward him.

At that moment, the fierce wind gradually subsided. The silver cross, originally placed before the three dire wolf corpses, had vanished. Only the box that once contained the Sacred Vestige lay quietly on the ground.

"Where is the Sacred Vestige?"

The villagers widened their eyes in panic.

Their village was extremely poor, and the silver cross was the most valuable item they possessed—their only true source of protection.

But now, it had vanished mysteriously!

"Could it have been blown away by the wind?"

"How is that possible? The Sacred Vestige is heavy! The box wasn't blown away, so how could the Sacred Vestige be?"

"Could it be some evil spirit at work, stealing the Sacred Vestige?"

"But this is a temple! Would an evil spirit dare come here?"

"Then where did the Sacred Vestige go? Without it, how will we resist curses? Diseases?"

The villagers were thrown into chaos, and the scene quickly became a commotion.

Old John raised his voice, suppressing the panic-stricken discussions.

"Calm down! The Sacred Vestige is our village's treasure—it couldn't have disappeared without reason."

Old John held some authority in the village, and the people quickly quieted down. They turned to him, frowning and pressing him for an answer.

"Then… where is the Sacred Vestige?"

Old John remained silent for a moment before turning back to the clay statue ahead. He spoke softly,

"It must have been Deus Initium, who accepted our offering."

Upon hearing Old John's words, most of the villagers widened their eyes in disbelief.

Deus Initium was the only deity the village worshiped. They held sacrifices every year, but such an event had never occurred before.

"That's impossible!"

Most villagers stared skeptically at the clay statue.

"I believe it was Deus Initium! He has felt our sincerity and accepted our offering!"

Thomas's eyes shone with fanaticism as he spoke loudly.

As the village's elder blacksmith, Thomas was entrusted with guarding the Sacred Vestige. In his youth, he had met many powerful Awakeners, and they had all spoken of gods. Surely, gods must exist.

Another village elder spoke gravely,

"I think Old John and Thomas are right. Deus Initium has answered many of our prayers. Our village's survival is thanks to His unseen protection!"

However, most of the younger villagers were unconvinced. They shook their heads.

"We should search the area first before making any conclusions!"

Thus, most villagers began searching thoroughly. The fallen leaves on the ground were swept away in a careful search.

Yet, despite their efforts, they found nothing.

Helpless, the villagers regrouped.

Their eyes flickered between Old John and Thomas.

Though Deus Initium was the village's long-worshiped deity, few truly revered Him. After all, they didn't believe gods truly existed.

The sudden disappearance of the Sacred Vestige seemed more likely the work of Old John and Thomas—perhaps they had hidden it away for themselves rather than some mystical act of Deus Initium.

However, Old John and Thomas were elders and among the rare Awakeners in the village. Without proof, such accusations could not be voiced recklessly.

But seeing that the Sacred Vestige was nowhere to be found despite thorough searching, Old John and the other village elders became more convinced that Deus Initium had just descended!

"Oh, Deus Initium! You are the Beginning of all things! You are the Origin of all creation! You are the Supreme Deity! Your devoted followers praise You! Please continue to protect our village!"

Old John, Thomas, and the elders solemnly placed their right hands over their chests and bowed deeply at ninety degrees.

Seeing their sincerity and devotion, those who had just doubted them hesitated, slipping into self-doubt.

The Sacred Vestige had vanished.

The mysterious windstorm.

Could it really have been Deus Initium, descending during the ceremony?

But… how could that be?

How could gods exist?

Only by constantly improving oneself, becoming an Awakener, could one take control of their own destiny and fight for a better future.

—

[Personal Information]

[Name]: Owen

[Divine Name]: Deus Initium

[Divine Throne]: Protector of the Village

[Godhood Rank]: 1 Star

[Divine Points]: 262

[Spice Points]: 765 (1,000 Spice Points condense into 1 Divine Point)

[Skills]:

Dream Revelation (1 Divine Point)Fireball (1 Divine Point)Necromancy (1 Divine Point)Holy Ordination (1 Divine Point)Healing Spell (5 Divine Points)Flying (10 Divine Points)Lv1 Sacred Vestige (10 Divine Points)Undead Upgrade (10 Divine Points)Mist Spell (10 Divine Points)Wind Blade (10 Divine Points)Shadow Step (10 Divine Points)

Gazing at the newly upgraded system interface, a smile appeared on Owen's face.

With the upgrade of his Divine Throne, he could distinctly feel his clay body becoming as sturdy as stone, and his Divine Power had strengthened significantly.

Casting the same God Skills under his upgraded Divine Throne would now result in a much greater increase in power!

"This is great. Even though I'm only a low-tier god, I am a god nonetheless. I now have my own domain—things are looking promising…"

Owen murmured to himself.

Then, lowering his gaze to his now mist-like soul form, he became increasingly satisfied.

Around his ethereal figure, wisps of mist swirled. A complex God Mark faintly glowed at the center of his forehead.

Moreover, his soul form was now draped in a layer of elegant, ethereal robes, exuding a noble and majestic aura.

His appearance alone had changed drastically compared to before.

"Having a proper Divine Name and territory… This is a good start!"

Owen no longer felt anxious about his current situation. Instead, he was filled with anticipation and hope.

Curious, he tapped open "My Mission".

As a god, he was eager to see what kind of mission the system would assign him.

[Current Mission—Path to Godhood]

Mission Objective: As a deity, you require a suitable Missionary to spread your faith. Please find a loyal believer willing to propagate your teachings and officially grant them the title of Missionary.Mission Reward: 2 Divine Points, 2 Awakening Scrolls.

Reading the mission details, Owen fell into deep thought.

"A loyal believer willing to spread my faith and be granted the status of Missionary…"

This mission immediately made him think of the Dream Revelation skill.

Although he was now a real deity, he was not yet powerful enough. A god must always maintain mystique and awe—it wouldn't be wise to appear directly. Using Dream Revelation was the best approach.

Only when one remains mysterious and powerful will mortals truly revere them.

And the mission rewards were quite satisfactory.

Now, he just had to decide—who would be his first Missionary?

"Let's start with the five D-Rank believers…"

After a moment of thought, Owen quickly made up his mind and focused his consciousness into the God Mark on his forehead.

Now that he was a true god, he could perceive the details of all individuals within his domain.