Chapter6-The Surging Devotee

The reactions of the villagers fell into Owen's sight. Satisfied, he nodded, gaining a moment of clarity.

"Seeing is believing. Only by truly displaying the means of a deity will they become more devout!"

Muttering to himself, Owen eagerly turned to the system interface.

Previously, there were only five D-rank devout devotees in the village.

However, after the recent event, that number had increased to eleven!

In addition, the number of E-rank devotees had risen from sixty-five to eighty!

And these villagers were only a portion of Annasi's population.

Once the news spread throughout the village, surely more would become devout devotees!

After all, a true deity had descended, performing a miracle—

And in such a shocking manner!

It completely shattered their previous worldview.

"With my current Godhood Rank of 1-Star Ancient God, the missionary I ordain should be able to surpass an entire major tier and reach the level of a Tier-3 Advanced Awakener."

Owen glanced at Thomas, who was absorbing the divine power within the ordination scroll, muttering to himself.

Thomas had originally been a Tier-2 Advanced Awakener. Though such individuals were rare in the village, they were quite common in the outside world, ranking among the lower tiers of Awakeners.

But now, by leaping two tiers and reaching Tier-3, not only would Thomas' combat strength increase significantly, but his status would also rise considerably.

After all, there was a vast gap between Tier-2 Awakeners and Tier-3 Awakeners.

Reaching Tier-2 Peak was already rare.

And breaking through from Tier-2 Peak to Tier-3 Beginner was even more difficult—

Only one in ten might succeed.

Yet Thomas had directly advanced from Tier-2 Advanced to Tier-2 Peak,

Then to Tier-3 Beginner,

Then to Tier-3 Mid,

And finally, Tier-3 Advanced!

An entire major tier, three sub-tiers, all at once—

Simply unbelievable!

Owen had a strong feeling that if he had not become a 1-Star Ancient God, even using Holy Ordination, Thomas would have, at best, only reached Tier-3 Beginner—never Tier-3 Advanced!

And as one advanced in rank, breaking through became increasingly difficult.

The gap between Tier-3 Beginner and Tier-3 Advanced was massive.

"Now that Thomas has become a Tier-3 Advanced Awakener, with his newfound strength, next year's tribute should be far more valuable."

Owen narrowed his eyes, anticipation flashing across his face.

For him, now aware of the divine hierarchy, the annual sacrificial rituals were of utmost importance.

The offerings dedicated to him were even more crucial.

Offerings made to himself would receive a hundredfold increase!

Even low-grade Sacred Vestiges could become high-grade artifact fragments!

And if higher-quality offerings were presented…

The results would be unimaginable after the enhancement.

Although sacrificial items offered to a deity must not be tainted with divine energy,

the stronger the missionary, the better the items they could obtain.

These items would be completely unassociated with any deities,

making them perfect tributes.

Suppressing his excitement, Owen opened the quest interface.

[Path to Godhood – First Stage Quest Completed. Claim Reward?]

The system's prompt appeared.

Owen immediately confirmed.

At once, 2 Divine Points emerged from his body like fireflies,

followed by two Awakening Scrolls, glowing faintly with golden light.

Awakening Scrolls—

they could turn an ordinary person into a Tier-1 Beginner Awakener!

For Owen, who had only just begun his divine path, they were invaluable!

"Now the question is… who should receive these two Awakening Scrolls?"

Owen weighed the scrolls in his hand, scanning the many villagers gathered at the dam, deep in thought.

At the Dam

Having fully absorbed the scroll's power,

Thomas lowered his gaze to his revitalized hands and body, eyes filled with shock.

He had grown younger!

"Am I dreaming?"

He couldn't believe it.

This feeling of youthful vigor—compared to his previous aged state—was intoxicating.

But most importantly, the elemental energy within his body had become purer,

and he had even condensed a Magic Core!

This elemental crystallization was something only Tier-3 Awakeners could form!

Compared to Tier-2 Awakeners, the difference was overwhelming.

If his past self stood before him now,

he was absolutely certain—

one move would be enough to overpower his former self!

Beyond the massive rank increase,

he also gained knowledge of five new skills in his mind:

Fireball

A powerful elemental attack spell, capable of inflicting significant damage on Tier-3 Awakeners.Mist Spell

Manipulates water elements to create a dense fog,

useful for concealing movements and weakening enemy attacks.Shadow Step

A movement ability allowing rapid bursts of speed,

covering hundreds of meters in an instant.Healing Spell

A beginner-level healing technique,

capable of curing minor wounds and illnesses.

These skills alone already far surpassed his expectations.

Back when he traveled the world, he had spent a fortune just to learn the beginner-level Steel Skin,

which was nothing compared to these abilities.

But the most formidable of them all—

Divine Descent

A divine blessing, granting him the power of his deity!

Though he had yet to use it,

Thomas knew this was his strongest ability!

"Thomas humbly thanks Deus Initium for His divine blessing!"

"From this day forth, as a missionary of Deus Initium, I shall spread His faith and exalt His name!"

His face flushed with excitement, Thomas took a deep breath to calm himself,

then bowed deeply before the statue of Deus Initium.

He understood—

his transformation was entirely due to his devout faith in Deus Initium!

At the same time, he fully embraced his role as a missionary.

Originally, he had thought being a missionary simply meant spreading Deus Initium's teachings and converting new followers.

But now that he had truly become one,

he realized the immense responsibility that came with it.

More importantly—

he now wielded power that was a hundredfold greater than before!

A Tier-3 Advanced Awakener!

Even in small cities, such individuals were rare,

far above his previous Tier-2 status.

And yet—

he had risen from Tier-2 to Tier-3 Advanced in mere moments!

Not only that—

his body had regained its youth,

becoming a Tier-3 Advanced Awakener in his prime!

Meanwhile, the villagers, roused by the commotion, continued to gather.

Upon arrival, they listened to their friends and relatives,

who excitedly recounted the miraculous event.

Then, they saw Thomas—

a man they all knew—now transformed!

Deus Initium had truly descended!

A deity resided within their village!

Overcome with devotion, many villagers rushed home,

retrieving their finest offerings to place before Deus Initium.

They knelt, some even bowing until their foreheads bled,

praying fervently:

"O mighty Deus Initium, please bless my child in Black Iron City!"

"O great Deus Initium, grant me endless riches!"

"O divine Deus Initium, keep my family safe and healthy!"

Their past worship had been merely symbolic—

but now, they had witnessed true divinity.

At the same time, Old John, standing amidst the crowd, stared blankly at Thomas,

his expression frozen in shock.

As a Tier-3 Beginner Awakener, he sensed it most clearly—

Thomas' aura had surged to unimaginable levels!

At that moment,

his entire worldview shattered.

And then—

his heart filled with devotion.

Owen glanced at his system interface in surprise.

"Two C-rank devout devotees?!"

His gaze fell on Old John, deep in prayer.

"What does he desire so much…?"