“Big snake Stark’s territory’s gotta be way better than Aegir’s Water Palace,” one deity says. “But Aegir’s just a regular giant, pretty weak. Some giants are level 30, even 40—their palaces are no joke.”
“I glimpsed a high-level giant’s palace from afar once,” another chimes in. “That’s real mythology…”
“Hey, watch it,” a third snaps. “Ouroboros Abyss just got started—how’s it gonna compare to level 30 or 40 giants?”
Deities chatter away, the scene electric. Some who’ve seen giant cities sigh, thinking Oliver’s impressive but no match for the big-shot giants. But tons of regular, small-fry deities are blown away, gawking like country bumpkins, feeling like this territory’s straight-up paradise. A cosmic starry sky—this vibe just feels higher-tier than the chaos, no question.
“Mind-boggling,” one deity marvels. “And I can sense this space could keep growing. How the hell was this done?”
“Honored big snake Stark, how do we join your faction?” another shouts.
“Yeah, we wanna join right now!”
Deities yell excitedly, brimming with hype. After that “power flex” and territory showcase, tons are all-in.
“Joining my faction’s simple,” Oliver announces. “For the next while, I’ll be reciting primal runes. Listen and try to grasp them. Only deities who gain some insight into primal runes qualify to join.”
Primal runes! In this chaos, they’re crazy important. Oliver’s this strong because he’s mastered so many. Now, picking followers, he’s naturally going for deities with high talent and growth potential, not just high levels.
Some deities might be level 12 or 15 now, but their ceiling’s maybe level 20. Others, maybe just level 7 or 8, could hit level 30 or 40 down the line. Obviously, Oliver’s into the latter. The way to screen them? See how much they can grasp of primal runes. Of course, if some have unique talents, Oliver’ll make exceptions.
“Then please start already!” a deity blurts out, heart pounding with anticipation.
Tens of thousands of deities stare eagerly at Oliver in the void. But Oliver shakes his head. “No rush. More deities are probably still coming. For now, I’m gonna digest the loot I just got.”
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With that, Oliver’s massive body flickers and vanishes from sight, cloaking himself to process the chaos energy from the lightning and water giants he took down.
“Ugh, we’ve gotta wait?” one deity grumbles.
“How long’s this gonna take?” another whines.
But their complaints are quickly drowned out.
“Lord Stark’s this strong, and you’re whining about waiting a bit?” a supporter scolds. “Being a powerhouse’s follower was never gonna be easy!”
“If you don’t wanna wait, leave,” another snaps. “I’ll wait as long as it takes!”
“Damn, you guys already sucking up?” a skeptic laughs.
Deities bicker, the vibe lively as hell. Still, many are chill, figuring the wait won’t be too long. After all, Oliver just took out two giants. Once word reaches other giants, they might come looking for trouble. Big snake Stark’s not gonna stick around forever.
The three strongest giants in nearby Basins? Two are dead, one’s maimed, thanks to Oliver. Even if other strong giants want to show up, they’re too far off. Oliver’s got time to evolve or pick disciples.
“This is the power of lightning, huh?” Oliver muses, chewing on the primal power left by the lightning giant. Electric currents crackle across his body, zapping every inch of his flesh like they’re trying to char him to ash.
Oliver lets the power rampage, wrecking his flesh, then regenerating it. Truth is, he’s wielded lightning before, but his old lightning power was maybe +0 at best, leaning on combining multiple elements for impact. This lightning power alone’s hit +3!
If he can fully master the primal lightning power, his strength’s jumping a whole notch. And he’s not stopping there—he’s tackling the water primal power simultaneously. Water conducts electricity, boosting lightning!
Letting primal water and lightning powers tear through his body at once? Even someone as tough as Oliver can’t help howling in pain. Good thing he’s cloaked and tucked into a hidden corner of the gem space—no matter how loud he screams, nobody’s gonna hear.
Just like that, centuries fly by in a blink. In a secluded spot in the gem space, Oliver suddenly opens his eyes. He surveys his now 9.5-million-kilometer body, checking his shiny new stat panel with satisfaction:
Oliver Stark
Race: Deity
Deity Rating: 17
Attributes:
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Defense: 415,400
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Strength: 474,300
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Chaos Power: 455,800
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Soul Power: 568,300
Skills:
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Devour
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Concealment
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Poison +5
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Elemental Law Manipulation
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Chaos Chain
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Power of Primordial Runes
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Eye of the Law
Possessions:
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Book of the Chaos Era
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Chaos Gem +7
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World Tree
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Bloodreaver, the Chaos Cleaver
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Rune Gem
I hit level 17! Oliver notices his stats have spiked—soul power’s up by 200,000, the others by about 150,000. That’s a crazy jump!
But it makes sense. This time, he devoured the full energy of two level 17 giants, who are stronger than other deities at their level. No wonder his growth’s off the charts. At level 17, Oliver’s stats are basically double Felinu’s. That’s true same-level invincibility!