Chapter 17: Greedy Disciple (Part 1)
“Where… is this?”
Erika couldn’t help but let out a soft voice. She was currently sitting, her little feet splayed apart, her red eyes glancing all around.
All she saw was utter darkness. No objects, no boundaries, not even a glimmer of light—it was as if she had been inexplicably pulled into an unknown space.
“Gladys?”
Staring into the endless dark, she tried calling out.
But there was no response.
Whatever the case, Erika was certain this wasn’t the room she’d just been in.
“Jie jie jie…”
A strange and piercing laugh rang out.
“Who!?”
Startled by the sudden sound, Erika’s gaze darted about in panic.
Where did the voice come from?
Left? No…
Right?
Still no!
The voice seemed to come from all directions, echoing inside her mind!
“Welcome, little one. I didn’t expect the one who could survive my power would be such a small girl.”
The voice came again—this time, from directly ahead!
At that moment, Erika’s eyes widened. She saw that from the darkness ahead, a dark red light had appeared.
A single beam of light piercing this endless dark—it was unsettling to behold.
“Who are you!?”
Erika shouted again. She staggered to her feet, tense, her gaze locked onto the beam of light before her.
“Jie jie jie… I am the malice that dwells in everyone’s heart.”
Malice?
She furrowed her brow and mustered the courage to shout, “Then come out already, you creepy fraud!”
The eerie voice replied once more from within the dark red glow.
“Show some respect, little one. You should address me as Lord Meladin. This is my consciousness realm—or perhaps, my tomb.
You are the second guest to arrive here. Jie jie jie…”
“I don’t know you.”
Erika spoke softly. “Can you let me go back?”
“Of course. If I wished, I could send you anywhere in the world—the flower-laden Imperial Capital? The resplendent royal palace? Or the grand and holy Holy Church?
But…”
In the midst of his eerie tone came a hint of mockery. “Now that I finally have a guest, I don’t want to just let you leave. You should have a proper conversation with me.”
Hearing this, Erika scowled. She wanted to escape.
But the surroundings offered no borders, no objects—just an endless void. She could only face the beam of light.
“Then what do you want? Chat with you? I’m not interested!”
“Oh~ I do enjoy chatting, but what I really want now… is a devout follower to serve me.”
“Well, too bad. I don’t worship anyone.”
“Oh, you will. Jie jie jie…”
The laughter rang out again. “Because in your eyes, I’ve seen greed.
Anyone who harbors greed can become my follower!
Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come here.”
“What eye of yours saw that?”
Erika glared at the light. Since she couldn’t escape, she might as well confront it directly.
She stared fiercely at the light. “You won’t even show your face, yet you call me greedy with such arrogance?”
“Little one, am I not right in front of you?”
“You mean you’re this beam of light?”
“I can be anything.”
Suddenly, the beam of light began to shimmer.
With flickering shadows, the dark red glow morphed into various forms.
First, it became a bird that flew a circle around Erika.
But in the blink of an eye—
It transformed into a towering mountain.
The emergence of such a massive form nearly gave Erika a heart attack.
And the next second, it morphed into a longsword shimmering with cold light, dancing erratically in the air…
In less than a minute, the red glow had transformed into over ten different forms.
Until finally, it became a humanoid figure.
One with a height identical to Erika’s.
In shape, size, and even proportions, it matched her exactly—only the face was replaced with a featureless red glow.
This shape-shifting display stunned Erika.
“You… what are you, really!?”
“Jie jie jie…”
The figure laughed and slowly approached Erika, speaking in a haunting tone, “I told you—I am the malice in everyone’s heart.
You and I exist in different domains, so you see many versions of me.
In your eyes, I am omnipotent.
If I must have a name… some humans call me…
God.”
God???
The word gave Erika a huge fright.
Her little feet instinctively took a step back, and her pupils widened.
“No… you can’t be…”
“What are you trying to say?” The figure’s grin was exaggerated.
“I read the historical records—they said gods should benefit humanity… or at least look grand and noble…”
“Greatness? What does that even look like?”
The voice turned mocking again. “Giving gifts makes one great? In that case, I’m greater than any god you know!
I understand the god you imagine—I can see into your heart, little one.
To you, gods created the earth, mountains, rivers, and all the world…
And humans constantly pray to them, hoping those so-called ‘great’ gods will bless them.
But what does that amount to?
Heh, praying to gods?
Isn’t it laughable? Large crowds begging together—are they seeking the gods, or just begging for their own desires?”
Erika paused.
What he said… kind of made sense…
She knew that this world had a Holy Church, a religious institution. Though she didn’t know whether gods truly existed, this was clearly a faith-driven world.
But Erika herself didn’t believe in gods. Even before coming to this world, she’d never worshiped any gods or spirits.
Her understanding of gods came solely from what was written in old records.
Seemingly reading her thoughts, the figure continued.
“Do records convey ultimate truth?
Of course not. Records are just books—books in which one imposes their inner thoughts on others.
If you believe them too easily, then you’re simply foolish.”
“Then if you say you’re a god—what kind of god are you?”
“Jie jie jie…
I am the embodiment of greed. I can also be the start of one’s fall.
I am known as the God of Greed—Meladin!
Once, I had followers. But now, as you see, I am a failure—trapped here. So I need a devout disciple to help me be reborn.”
A god… trapped?
That was laughable.
Sounds like a fake god.
Erika blinked. This guy was getting interesting.
“You want me to become your follower?”
“Yes.”
Meladin replied bluntly. “Unfortunately, you’re not the ideal candidate. If there were someone else, I might not have picked you. But right now, I can only choose you.”
“Why?”
“Simple. Only those chosen by greed can come here.
And I can see into hearts. Yours holds no reverence for me.”
“Didn’t you bring me here…”
“During the full moon is the only time I can release my power. As for who gets brought over—that depends on who’s most radiant under the moonlight.
There were others before. Humans I brought here… but they couldn’t withstand my power. They all died.
As I said, you are the second guest to come here.”
“Then who was the first?”
Now Erika was curious. Aside from her, who else had met this guy?
“Let me think…
That one’s name was…
Dervick Spancer.
Yes, I believe that’s correct.”
“Dervick Spancer?”
Erika repeated the name in a daze.
Wasn’t that the guy who appeared in the room earlier?
So when he referred to “Lord Meladin” before—that was this very being!