Although part of me wanted to go explore the Ancient Mines, I realized even if my suspicions were true and the cause of the disturbances was another reincarnator, they weren't a god yet, since I had become the first one to become one of the first deities in the System Lord pantheon. Because of this, I decided I had enough on my plate at the moment.
Then another thought bubbled up. It was that I had only partially kept my promise to Einvaldskonungr. I had taken offered sanctuary and assistance to those kobolds who needed help, but I hadn't sent him any tributes. For a moment, I considered my options. Technically, I did imply that I would send the red dragon a tribute. I hadn't actually agreed to send more than that, though.
While I was still weak as a dragon, I was still a god, even if it was a minor god. Since I wanted people to trust me, I probably needed to keep my word. Also, the red dragon had helped me, so he deserved it. Sighing, I realized that I would have to give up some of my precious items. The question was, which items?
I didn't really have a lot. Although there were a few magic items, none of them were precious. Most of the items were those that kobolds had traded with me in return for draconic points which they could use to buy something they wanted from my system. Because of this, the items were ones which weren't especially valuable or useful. As for gold and gems, I could send those, but I wasn't sure how much I should send as tribute. At the minimum, I would need to send thousands of gold or an equal amount of gems.
Then again, I thought, I am a god. I could offer him my blessing to offset some of the tribute. I nodded, very pleased with my thinking. Still, I need to at least take some token offerings. With that thought in mind, I started collecting shiny gems instead of gold. While gold was amazing, I didn't want to transport a lot of gold. I would rather send an equal amount of gems. By the time I was done collecting all the gems that were valuable, I realized that I actually had more of them than I had realized.
I paused after that, suddenly realizing something. Things had been happening so fast that I hadn't thought about my situation. I had been getting caught up on minor details instead of looking at the big picture. In my previous life, I used to get laser focused on particular projects and sometimes missed important issues.
Slowly, I took a deep breath and realized, I am an idiot. Not just an idiot, but a gnomish idiot. Okay, maybe not that bad, I thought, changing my mind. But really? I knew the benefits and cost of leveling up as a deity. Why had I not bothered leveling up? My kobold followers are providing me plenty of Faith Points. With this in mind, I mentally prepared myself. System, I thought. I want to use Faith Points to level up my divine rank.
Part of me wondered if the system was going to ignore me or not. Something was telling me, though, that it would respond to this request. A moment later, I smiled, although that quickly turned into a grimace. It was all I could do not to scream as waves of divine energy crashed into my body, altering it once again.
I quickly realized that the divine energy was not going to stop charging through my veins until I used the energy somehow. I clenched my teeth and sent some of the power into my body to reinforce my physical attributes. However, I used the majority of the divine energy to expand my mind. I wasn't sure how long the process took, but when the pain finally diminished and I could see again, I read the latest notifications.
ATTENTION: DIVINE RANK INCREASED. Faith Points have been used to increase your divine rank from rank one to rank six. You have gained the following benefits:
Alter Reality Attribute Increases Avatar Creation Control Shadows Control Undead Illusionary Reality Life and Death Decisions
ACHIEVEMENT: LESSER GOD. You are the first reincarnator to ascend to lesser godhood. Congratulations.
After seeing my new powers, I couldn't help but feel a little pride. Although I only had a few hundred Faith Points left, I had received a lot for the 93,500 Faith Points I had spent. Almost immediately, I sighed. I had been able to level up five times with less than 100,000 Faith Points.
However, that was exactly how many points I would have to spend if I wanted to increase my divine rank again. After that, it was even worse. Obviously, the lower ranks of divinity were easy to acquire. If I wanted to become a True God and get the souls of my family, I would need over four million Faith Points. I sighed, realizing just how far I had left to go.
Still, going from a minor god to a lesser god had really improved my abilities, by a lot. In fact, several of the abilities would be extremely useful. I did have to admit that I felt a little sad that I hadn't been able to decide what powers I would get though. Hurriedly, I opened up Avatar Creation, believing it might allow me to send avatars of myself around the world.
Avatar Creation: An avatar is like a second self for a deity, enabling the deity to exist in multiple places simultaneously. It is an extension of the deity, sharing all its senses and knowledge with the original. A deity can create as many avatars as their divine rank allows. However, making or replacing a destroyed avatar takes one year and must be done within the deity's own realm. An avatar has, at maximum, only half the physical strength and abilities of the deity it represents. The stronger the avatar, the more Faith Points are needed.
At first, I was ecstatic, until I realized it would take a year to create an avatar. Still, while it did require Faith Points, I could gradually pay those points over time. Still, I didn't even have enough points to get an avatar started at the moment. Reluctantly, I went to the next power that looked amazing.
Alter Reality: This allows a deity to reshape the world using Faith Points. This ability allows the deity to make changes to reality itself, but the scope of the change determines the cost in Faith Points. This is similar to Miracles, but more powerful. The larger or more complex the alteration, the more points are required. By spending Faith Points, the deity can bend the laws of nature, create or destroy objects, or even rewrite events. The extent of these changes is limited only by the deity's imagination, their Faith Point reserves, and their divine rank.
I frowned since I was getting a little annoyed. Miracles were basically spending Faith Points to accomplish something, such as the permanent spell connecting my divine realm with the altar in the church. I wasn't really sure how Alter Reality was any different. I was able to create things like the System and change reality already. So how are they different? I wondered. Finally, I silently questioned the system, System, how are Miracles and Alter Reality different?
Miracles:
Nature: Miracles are displays of divine power meant to inspire awe, demonstrate faith, or directly intervene in mortal affairs. Scope: They are acts such as healing the sick, parting seas, or summoning divine aid. Miracles often follow established religious narratives or symbolism. Cost: Miracles are generally less flexible but more dramatic and may require fewer Faith Points if aligned with the deity's domain (e.g., a god of healing performing a miraculous cure). Purpose: They are typically performed as responses to prayers, acts of devotion, or as a means to enforce faith and belief. Mechanics: Miracles are a fixed, structured use of Faith Points with limited room for creativity.
Alter Reality:
Nature: Alter Reality is a more flexible and subtle power, allowing the deity to rewrite reality itself according to their will. Scope: It is broad and unrestricted, enabling anything from minor tweaks to the fabric of existence (like shifting weather patterns) to complex, large-scale changes (like erasing an event from history). Cost: The cost in Faith Points scales directly with the complexity and impact of the change. Purpose: It is used when precision, subtlety, or a tailor-made solution is required, rather than a show of divine might. Mechanics: Alter Reality allows for creative, dynamic use of Faith Points, limited only by the deity's imagination and divine rank.
Summary:
As a new god, without a well-established religious narrative, you have been able to create the Draconic System. The Draconic System has, in effect, become one of your symbols. The same is true for the Twilight Contracts.
After reading that, I felt a little smug again. Apparently, without even realizing it, I had somehow gamed the system. I managed to do stuff that should have been the domain of Alter Reality with Miracles instead. After a few seconds of gloating, I decided to set aside some time later to think about the power. At the moment, it was useless to me since I didn't have any Faith Points to spend. Once I had enough points, then I could practice using my new power. Still, what about Illusionary Reality then? I wondered.
Illusionary Reality: It is a divine power that allows a deity to create illusions so convincing they can temporarily take on the qualities of reality itself. By spending Faith Points, the deity can manifest visions, objects, or entire environments that interact with the physical world as though they were real. The complexity and scope of the illusion determine the Faith Point cost. Simple illusions require minimal effort, while large or intricate ones demand more. These illusions can deceive senses, alter perceptions, or even cause temporary physical effects, such as an illusionary bridge that can support weight. However, the effects are not permanent and fade when the illusion is dispelled or the Faith Points sustaining it are depleted.
I wasn't sure how to feel about that power since I already possessed Miracle and Alter Reality. In fact, it almost seemed redundant. Then again, it was illusionary. That meant that it was probably cheaper than the other two powers. Although it had some niche uses, I was somewhat disappointed in the power.
As for the attribute increases, my physical attributes had gone up by two points each, while my mental attributes had gone up by five each. Not only that, but my health points had increased dramatically once again. In fact, after the divine rank increase, I was willing to bet that I could stand toe to toe with each of the dragons now.
However, I wasn't going to do that yet. I still wasn't a True God, and if I died, I would stay dead. It wasn't until a lesser god merged with their divine realm that they became truly immortal. At the moment, I couldn't resurrect myself like a True God could. Because of this fact, I made a quick decision to start limiting my expenditure of Faith Points so that I could save up enough to increase my divine rank again.
Until then though, I still had plenty to do, such as checking out my other new powers. Control Shadows and Control Undead were obvious. I wasn't sure about Life and Death Decisions though. Curious, I clicked on it for more information.
Life and Death Decisions: It is a divine power that grants the deity absolute control over the boundary between life and death. By spending Faith Points, the deity can either end a being's life or restore life to the dead. The cost depends on the target's strength, with more powerful beings requiring greater Faith Points to kill, and on the duration of death, with those long deceased being more costly to resurrect. This power respects the natural order of death, meaning the deity must overcome significant resistance for powerful souls or those who have passed into other realms. While the act of taking life is immediate and irreversible, bringing someone back requires that their body, spirit, or essence be intact enough to support their return. The use of this power is limited only by the deity's Faith Point reserves, divine rank, and the unique circumstances of the individual's death.
Okay, now I am annoyed, I thought. I could already kill someone with my spells. I could even resurrect them. In fact, Miracles would be able to do both of these things. It almost felt like I had bought a box of crayons, but each crayon in the box was a shade of red. It felt like I was being cheated out of my rewards.
Finally, I sighed, and thought. I guess I should be happy. I doubt that any other god has had such an easy ascension or increase in power. Obviously, whoever created the System Lord pantheon was extremely powerful. In fact, who was the leader of the pantheon. When would I meet him or her? How long would it be before there were other members of the pantheon? In fact, were there others who I didn't know about already?