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Rosen stared blankly. Sixteen years. His "goldfinger" had finally shown up.
So all my tests before were useless? I just had to be dying first? Seriously?
Even if he'd guessed that, no way would he have tested it on himself.
Still, something in his vision had changed. Time began moving again.
The monster's mouth snapped shut—hard—but instead of his head being bitten off, something else happened.
Light.
Blinding, all-encompassing light.
It poured out of him like a shattered fountain, and the moment it touched the monster, the creature evaporated—gone without even ash left behind.
The glow spilled out the window, a wave of invisible force expanding outward. Every ghost within a kilometer disintegrated in an instant.
On the street below, a few passersby glanced up, frowning as if the sunset felt brighter, hotter than before. But they just shrugged and kept walking.
Only Rosen stood there, panting, staring at his own hands.
A warm current ran through him, from head to toe, until every muscle, bone, vein, and nerve felt alive and stronger—pushing past the very limits of human training.
His mind seemed to rise out of his body, soaring past the ceiling, the clouds, even the atmosphere, until a pale blue planet filled his view.
Before he could study it, his awareness plunged back down, rejoining his body.
It was over.
But Rosen knew—he was no longer the same.
He lifted a hand, and golden light flared from his fingertips, flooding the room.
Power. Real, tangible power.
"Is this… magic? No… divine power?!" His voice trembled.
Sixteen years.
Goldfinger, do you even know what I've been through?!
The thought of living an ordinary, money-focused life vanished instantly. This world wasn't safe. That ghost was proof enough.
He had a cheat now. A late one, but still his.
Trying to stay calm, he focused on the "Tree of Life" panel now hovering before his eyes.
His physical transformation was only one part of its gifts.
[Fantasy Manifestation Lv1] — Spend divine power to bring imagined objects into reality. The more mysterious the object, the more power it costs, and the shorter it lasts.
[Life Contract] — Form a bond with a target, making them a divine follower.
[Spirit Boon] — Bless a follower with a miracle, raising their rank.
[Divine Realm Construction] — Once you have enough followers, you can build and upgrade a divine realm.
[Divine Word]: Consumes divine power, granting your words extra force.
That was the full list of the Tree of Life's abilities—at least in broad strokes.
For example, after forming a Life Contract, once a divine dependent's status rose, their master—Rosen—would gain a matching boost. In fact, his growth would be faster and stronger than theirs.
It was a failsafe, he guessed, to keep dependents from surpassing their master too quickly.
"Tree of Life… Life Contract… divine dependents…"
Rosen forced himself to stay calm.
Suddenly, he realized why all of this felt oddly familiar.
Wasn't the Tree of Life the same as the Kabbalah Tree of Life from the Biblical pantheon? And these "divine dependents"… they were probably just another name for angels.
Aside from that, the rest of the abilities fit perfectly with the Biblical God's image—only, compared to the omnipotent deity from the scriptures, he was still ridiculously weak right now.
"If I want to get stronger… I need to recruit dependents."
That much was clear.
If evil spirits really did exist in this world, the odds of forming contracts would be much higher.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a new voice rang in his ears, and a floating panel appeared before his eyes.
[The Dimensional Chat Group invites you to join.]
[Yes / No]
"..."
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