The swirling void around him faded as Clark returned to reality. The familiar warm sunlight of the Holy Sanctuary bathed his skin as the training ground dissolved. The scent of fresh earth and budding peach blossoms greeted him.
He exhaled deeply.
Just then, a soft knock echoed from the courtyard.
"My Lord," Seraphiel's calm voice called. "We've returned."
Clark turned and stepped out of the palace gates.
Before him stood Seraphiel and the Banished Crusaders, dust clinging to their armored boots. Their wings were neatly folded behind their backs, though the glint of exhaustion hid behind their disciplined expressions. Even so, their eyes gleamed with quiet excitement.
"You're back sooner than I expected," Clark said, his voice neutral but carrying a note of curiosity.
Seraphiel bowed lightly. "Yes, my Lord. The initial scouting of the nearby region is complete."
Behind her, Lilith stood silently, ever-watchful as always.
Clark gestured for her to continue.
Seraphiel nodded.
"As you commanded, we moved along the outer edge of the fog surrounding the Sanctuary. Roughly five kilometers to the north, we discovered a narrow clearing beside a mountainous ridge. There are signs of mineral deposits there — likely iron or copper veins."
"To the east," she continued, "we encountered multiple shallow streams feeding into the main river. The water appears pure and suitable for expansion of farmlands or future fishing operations."
Clark's eyes narrowed slightly. This information would be crucial for territorial growth once he acquired more workers and resources.
"Any signs of threats?"
"Scattered fog beasts, mostly Mist Wolves and low-tier Night Bats, but no organized groups beyond what we encountered previously. However, further beyond the explored region, the fog density thickens drastically. We suspect higher-tier monsters reside deeper inside."
The Crusaders behind her shifted slightly, as if recalling those oppressive zones of the mist.
"Good work," Clark finally spoke. "Rest for today and continue mapping outward gradually. Avoid unnecessary engagements."
"Understood, my Lord."
Lilith stepped forward.
"With your permission, I will begin compiling the data to update the territory map and plan potential future expansion sites."
Clark nodded once more. "Do so. I'll review the full report later."
After receiving Seraphiel's scouting report, Clark dismissed everyone and returned to the quiet sanctuary of his palace. The soft divine light of the chamber cast gentle shadows along the marble walls. His thoughts, however, were anything but calm.
Sitting in his usual chair, he summoned the system interface.
"Palace upgrade requirements."
The familiar transparent panel unfolded before him, displaying the path to Rank 2.
[Palace Rank-Up Requirements: Rank 2]
Divine Crystals: 50,000
Stone: 50,000
Wood: 50,000
Iron: 50,000
Divine Core: 1
Divinity: 100
Palace Upgrade Token (Rank 2): 1
Clark's gaze narrowed.
"Tch."
He had initially thought his rapid rise would make the next stage easier. But now, reality struck: the difficulty was only beginning.
He leaned back slightly, fingers tapping the polished armrest rhythmically.
First of all, his divinity balance was pitiful.
[Current Divinity]: 10
His rapid purchases of Divine Skills had nearly drained him. Even after converting vast amounts of crystals, the cost had been immense.
"At this pace, my faith income alone won't be enough. I'll need new sources..."
And worse still — both the Divine Core and Rank 2 Palace Upgrade Token were completely missing from his inventory.
He had no choice but to acknowledge it: this wasn't something that could be rushed. If anything, it marked the beginning of a new phase where resource gathering, exploration, and territory management would play a larger role.
Clark exhaled quietly.
While most gods still struggled to even stabilize their domains, his foundation was far ahead. But progress demanded even more from those who stood at the front.
Clark leaned back in his chair, eyes still fixed on the interface. The sheer amount of materials required for the palace upgrade weighed heavily on his mind.
"Divine Core… Palace Upgrade Token…"
He had checked the Trade Area multiple times already. There wasn't a single listing for either item. Even the Special Trade section offered nothing useful on this matter. It was clear now—these critical materials couldn't simply be bought at this early stage.
He sighed softly.
"Looks like I won't be able to rely on pure trade alone."
With a bit of idle boredom, Clark casually opened the Global Chat once again, letting the flood of messages scroll rapidly down the screen.
As expected, the chat was still filled with complaints, desperate trades, and the usual bickering.
Skyfire Monarch: "My followers are about to riot again! Damn it! These stupid C-Rank villagers can't grow food fast enough!"
Silent Blade Lord: "Anyone selling cheap seeds? I can pay in crystals."
Frostblood Warlord: "If I don't get food soon, I might just release my followers to save on consumption..."
Clark's lips curled slightly into a faint smirk.
"Most haven't even stabilized yet… and they already dream of higher ranks."
Suddenly, amidst the scrolling clutter, a new system announcement appeared—small but eye-catching.
[New System Function: Divine Forum Contribution]
"Any God may submit helpful strategies, experiences, or guides to the Divine Forum.
If other Gods find your content useful and vote for it, you will receive contribution rewards based on the total votes accumulated."
[Reward Table: Based on Usefulness Ranking]
Common Chest (low votes100,000)
Silver Chest (moderate votes 1,000,000)
Golden Chest (high votes 100,000,000)
Immortal Chest (very high votes 1,000,000,000)
Note:Treasure chests contain randomized rewards: resources, Divine Crystal packs, rare items, Divine Core Fragments, skill scrolls, or tokens.
Clark's eyes sharpened immediately.
"Divine Core Fragments…?"
His fingers stopped tapping. He opened the additional information panel and read through the system's explanation carefully.
"Divine Cores are divinity fragments condensed from faith particles gathered from other gods' accumulated insights or surrendered faith."
This was new. And valuable.
Unlike the normal hunting or trading avenues, this provided him with an indirect way to collect what he needed simply by sharing knowledge—and letting others do the work of voting.
"Hah… so the system encourages knowledge sharing by turning it into a resource competition."
For other gods still struggling to survive, most wouldn't even have anything worth sharing. But for him…? His smooth early growth path, the way he stabilized food, advanced buildings, resource management, and divine skills—everything could be turned into valuable guides.
"This might just solve two problems at once."
Clark's mind began formulating several article topics instantly.
He sat still for a moment, his mind running through everything he had accomplished since descending to the Divine Continent. From the very beginning, his overwhelming advantage had allowed him to build, expand, and stabilize faster than anyone else. But sharing everything would only create future rivals.
"Share enough to appear generous and insightful, but never reveal the roots of my true strength."
He opened the Divine Forum Submission Interface, and a glowing panel appeared before him.
--- Divine Forum Upload Content ---
Title: Early Survival and Stabilization Strategies for New Gods
Author: Verdant God
Greetings fellow gods,
In these first crucial days, many of you are experiencing the harsh reality of the Divine Continent — where food is scarce, resources are limited, and even your followers grow restless. Having stabilized my own domain, I wish to share several tested strategies that may assist your own survival and growth:
1. Sources of Food and Crystals — Barrier Hunting
The first reliable food source is the fog monsters that constantly roam outside your novice barrier. Even if your followers are weak, remember that the novice barrier is impenetrable for monsters as long as the god does not cross it. You can position your followers near the barrier and allow them to attack without exposing your domain to danger.
The most common early fog monster is the Mist Wolf, which drops:
Wolf Meat (immediate food supply)
Beast Cores (can later be refined into Divine Crystals through the Altar of Refinement)
This simple method allows you to both feed your followers and slowly accumulate crystals without expensive trades.
2. Water — Exploration or Cheap Trade
Clean water, while vital, is thankfully one of the easiest resources to secure. There are two common methods:
Territory Scouting: Prioritize exploring nearby rivers, lakes, or springs. Even small water sources can sustain your followers early.
Trade Market: Many gods acquire surplus water and are willing to trade it at very low rates. Use your excess food or materials to acquire enough water for comfort and stability.
Never let your believers thirst — it directly affects loyalty and faith generation.
3. Food Preservation Techniques — Build Reserves Early
After hunting fog beasts, immediately process and preserve their meat. Roasting or smoking, allows you to store large amounts of food without spoilage.
Benefits of early food preservation include:
Securing stable rations for your followers
Giving you leverage to trade for other critical items (seeds, materials, etc.)
Preventing loyalty drops due to starvation
A well-fed population stays loyal, productive, and faithful.
4. Faith Management — The True Currency of Power
Faith is your long-term fuel as a god.
Assign higher loyalty believers to prayer positions whenever possible.
Avoid overworking your believers or letting them starve — both lower loyalty and reduce faith output.
Build proper housing early to shelter your people, which directly increases loyalty growth.
Remember: one high-loyalty believer can generate several times more faith than ten low-loyalty ones.
The gods who neglect faith management will quickly find themselves unable to support even basic functions.
5. Don't Waste Divinity on Low-Grade Skills — The Fatal Mistake
Many gods rush to purchase Normal skills (fireball, slash, heal, etc.) simply to fill empty skill slots. This is extremely short-sighted.
Your divine skill slots are precious and limited.
Once a skill is learned, it cannot be replaced unless you acquire an extremely expensive Skill Deletion Card (costing 5,000 divinity).
Normal skills can be learned by mortal followers. Save your divine skill slots for high-tier skills that truly reflect your godhood.
Patience will reward you. Rushing into cheap skills now may cripple your power forever.
May these insights help stabilize your domains in these unforgiving early days.
Verdant God
--- End of Upload ---