Chapter 76 - Unearthing Truths 1

"What CAN you do about it?" the Mech God suddenly raised his volume.

Letting out a sigh, he continued. "Seriously. I'm starting to forget why I chose you as a candidate. Anyway, my point is that you mortals just have no idea what life is all about."

Rynold raised a brow and asked, "And I suppose your immortal self knows what it's all about?"

The Mech God looked at Rynold with an annoyed expression. Well, not that Rynold could tell anyway because of the god's bright silhouette.

"Kid, you really like to push my buttons, don't you?" the Mech God asked sincerely before continuing. "Our stories haven't really been passed along as they should, not that it mattered anyway.

You see kid, no matter which sentient being you ever encounter the same always happens. They constantly find a way to bring problems into their own lives. More often than not, they even cause problems for other people too."

The god's tone seemed to change from doting to a sudden dip as if expressing defeat.

"Sentience, whether be it from mortals or immortals alike, always brings problems. It seems that the higher you are in the food chain, the more problems you bring," the god continued with his defeated tone. "Those self-aware are smart enough to know what they're doing but, instead of being praised, they get outcasted."

Rynold felt that.

Regardless of who they are and where they come from, human beings seem to be constantly against themselves. Rynold never liked to be a part of it. Truth is, he was sick of the constant bickering among people.

It was always this or that, right or wrong. Rynold hated that people constantly chose sides over issues and went out of their way to make a point. He's even seen friends that ignore each other over a small and useless argument. Can you even call them friends at that point?

He never really understood why people did these things. Because of that, he was constantly in the middle of fights and never really knew why. It wasn't like a punch in the face would make the problem go away.

"I say it again," Rynold spoke once more to the god before him, "What can you do about it?"

The Mech God audibly sighed at Rynold's question, indicating his disappointment at Rynold's naivete.

"Kid," the god's tone noticeably brightened, "You've got potential. Don't make me end that because of your bad mouth."

"Fine," Rynold agreed, "Don't you have anything else to say to me? I'm sure you aren't here just to rant about the whole point of living is pointless."

The Mech God casually scoffed at Rynold's disrespectful attitude.

"I'll get straight to the point then. I came here to tell you that the Association has started to act again. Well, not that you didn't actually know that but I just thought I should probably let you know."

Rynold raised a brow at the not-so-sudden revelation.

"I heard," Rynold said with a tired expression, "Can you tell me more than what I already know?"

"I'm getting to it. You should know better by now than to keep interrupting me like that," the Mech God cleared his voice before explaining.

"The Association of Sacrilegious Shits. They don't call themselves that, obviously, but because they don't have a name, we gods decided on giving them one," he stifled back laughter before continuing.

"Their goal is pretty simple. Destroy the order that the gods have established and make the world independent of the gods' influence. Which, if you ask me, is pretty stupid considering we didn't do anything to influence the world until now.

Anyway, these ASSes would do anything to achieve their goals, even going as far as accepting deals with devils. They would destroy civilizations that believe in the gods and would stop at nothing to destroy anything resembling the gods."

Rynold nodded in understanding. It was a pretty simple and straightforward enemy that he had to clean up. Not that he had a problem cleaning up messes that other people left behind, some questions still managed to rise to the surface.

"Nice name and all but I don't get it. Why don't the gods just finish all of them off? You're relying on humans who can barely get their shit together and now you want us to take care of this?" Rynold asked with a serious tone, eager to know more.

The Mech God hesitated to give a reply. It wasn't as simple as answering a question. The god knew what the answer was but hesitant to give it. After all, he wouldn't know what the repercussions are to telling the truth. He could even lose a candidate with so much potential.

With a shake of his head, the Mech God decided to give the truth. If Rynold decided to leave, he would just have to find a new candidate instead.

"Truth is, we gods are limited in what we can do to actively intervene in your world. There's just no way for us to stop a threat that is solely directed at us since there is always going to be a person who would go against the natural order no matter which decade or century."

Rynold realized what the god was trying to say.

Despite the natural passage of time and the evolution of civilization, there is always going to be chaos opposing the natural order of things. People who would constantly challenge the very foundation of society.

It might be better in modern times but, with the revival of creatures that have existed millennia before, there was no doubt that someone had to do something about it. This was no battle that you could squish with a simple, brutal battle.

This was a sociological one that needed to be uprooted from society once and for all.

Nodding with satisfaction, Rynold pondered his options. Not long after, with a serious expression on his face, he looked at the bright silhouette of the Mech God.

"How do you suppose I fight something way out of my league?"

It was then that the Mech God realized Rynold had accepted.

Misunderstandings aside, Rynold accepted this because of a personal reason. It wasn't because he wanted to do something to earn the gods' favor or doing it for the greater good. Rynold did this because of a mission that he had set out to do long ago.

"As expected of my candidate," the Mech God smiled which was once again hidden by the silhouette. "You know, for a smart guy, you always seem to ask the same stupid questions. How do you fight someone stronger than you? Get stronger, of course!"

Rynold, this time, didn't bother responding and waited until the Mech God explained further.

"The system that we granted you, humans, are made so that adjusting to a Mana-capable body was an easier process. No way does it state that you have to constantly fight to get experience and get stronger. There are a bunch of ways to do that!" the Mech God spoke with pride in his words.

"Humans have developed video games that accurately depict how to get stronger in a progressive way. I, in all my greatness, have developed the system based on those video games. In fact, I've made it better!"

Rynold face suddenly turned into shock as he was surprised by the sudden revelation. He somewhat expected that the system was developed by gods but he thought that they did it half-heartedly. Who knew that the god who actually developed it was talking to him right now.

The Mech God continued to blabber on.

"This system that we've given you has more than enough features to let you grow. For example, increasing your understanding of Mana might not lead to an increase in your level. However! Its benefit is unquestionably useful!"

Considering what the Mech God just said, Rynold nodded. He had gained Augment skills that helped him during crucial times. Even though they didn't necessarily reflect his current level, the Augment-related skills made him able to fight stronger enemies on the same ground.

"Candidates, actually, are given the opportunity to gain strength easier," the Mech God continued his passionate explanation. "We gods have chosen candidates based on our standards. Naturally, each god has its own standards to decide. Of course, we gods have also given you benefits as well!"

Rynold's eyes widened.

'The Technomancer class.'

The secret condition to unlock this class was there all along. How could he had not realized that it was available to him because he was chosen as a candidate?

"Kid. As a Mech God Candidate, you have the natural ability to get stronger the more Mechs you create. It's encoded onto the Sigil you have right there. Now, it goes without saying that no matter whatever Mech you create won't match my standards. But! Don't be discouraged."

Before the Mech God could even continue, Rynold interrupted him.

"And who's to say that I won't make a Mech as good as yours?"