I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 790

Chapter 3: The Path to Divinity

The old man’s face sank into the shadows, appearing gloomy and worn, with none of the past wisdom and serenity; he looked like a decaying figure lost in the night.

It’s hard to imagine that a grand mage, who was almost at the pinnacle of the extraordinary path, would be hit hard to this extent.

“Cough, cough!”

A few short coughs made Book’s complexion even worse.

Hmm?

This finally caught Roy’s attention; after all, how could a sage with hundreds of years of experience be struck down like this?

This felt less like a mental setback and more like…

“Director, are you injured?”

Book froze for a moment, then straightened his back and waved his hand. “Just a minor injury.”

“Just a little cost of high-tier projection.”

Once you reach the high tier, you can create power projections.

The projection can only exert about ten to twelve percent of the original power, but the energy needed to condense the projection is far more than that.

In simple terms, creating a projection is extremely inefficient in terms of energy consumption and also relies on special mediums; it’s more like a last resort.

That said, the sage’s condition was still not normal.

The high-tier projection consumes a part of the original power; if it were destroyed, there would be considerable backlash. But the sage’s projection had naturally exhausted its energy. It shouldn’t have such severe aftereffects.

Remember, it’s been over half a month since that battle, and even Karl has mostly recovered. The sage’s current state is clearly not right.

Roy expressed his concern: “Director, you know that Alice and I are not ordinary mid-tier extraordinary beings. If you need help, please don’t hesitate.”

“Ha ha, your concern is very much appreciated by this old man. But the holy light has limited effects on me, unless…”

Book gazed at the black-haired youth, his eyes flickering for a moment before quickly retracting, chuckling softly.

That smile was filled with helplessness.

“You still can’t help this old man much now.”

“When you step into the high tier, I won’t hold back.”

It’s been rumored for ages that the sage retired to the background after suffering from the hidden wounds of the demon lord battle, staying in the academy.

Now it seems there’s some truth to these rumors.

Since Alice’s holy light couldn’t heal him, it seems there’s a good chance the issue is soul-related.

When it comes to the soul, Phoenix is undoubtedly the expert. Previously, Phoenix had met Book face to face.

Not mentioning it suggests Book’s issue isn’t too serious and also that Phoenix’s current powers can’t heal Book’s soul.

Without the sage, the previous battle against the sword saint wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.

No need for extra words of gratitude.

Roy just kept this kindness in his heart.

The best repay would be to step into the high tier as soon as possible, gaining the power to heal Book’s soul.

Book looked back at Alice. “Let’s stop this topic; what you’re most concerned about now should be this child, right?”

Roy collected his thoughts and nodded slightly, his expression becoming serious. “That’s right.”

“As I mentioned before, a portion of the goddess’s power is sealed within Alice.”

The goddess’s power is relatively stable for now, but as soon as Alice employs her seraph ability, that divine power shows signs of agitation.

Having such a ticking time bomb is no wonder that the usually indifferent Alice is feeling a bit anxious.

The sooner they handle this, the better it would be.

“Director, is there any way to completely eliminate this power?”

“Regrettably, I am also powerless.”

Book sighed with deep regret.

“From my guess, the church wants to control the goddess’s power and forcibly confine it within Alice. The so-called holy light baptism is just this process.”

“What’s inside Alice isn’t just simple divine power; otherwise, she could assist you in purifying the holy light’s corrosion and resolve her own issues. She likely contains a part of the goddess’s origin; unless a higher-tier power purifies it, she can only rely on herself.”

The origin of a god, a vessel for the divine.

Roy frowned slightly. “It’s almost like… divine descent.”

“Exactly.”

Book confirmed his thought: “In theory, this isn’t much different from the cultists’ divine descent ritual.”

Cultists presiding over divine descent have no good ending, regardless of success or failure.

If they fail, they’ll meet countless gruesome fates. If they succeed, they end up being possessed by divine power, becoming shells for the god’s reincarnation.

Thinking about that, Roy felt a tightness in his chest, then looked at the girl beside him, his expression turning strange.

So, has Alice become one or not?

Book scrutinized the golden-haired girl and explained, “Unlike cultists, the church’s methods are clearly more sophisticated and intricate.”

“Plus, with the saint lady’s extraordinary bloodline—no offense intended, but that pure ‘angel’ bloodline is practically a perfect vessel for the goddess’s power.”

“In theory, she is almost certain to be invaded by the goddess’s power. But for the moment…”

The old man stroked his beard, his expression growing profound as he lamented: “Perhaps she could achieve what those cultists have long desired.”

Roy’s eyes widened in shock. “Does that mean…”

Book nodded seriously, confirming his suspicion: “Becoming a god.”

The room fell silent, the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

Becoming a god. Just those two words are a hurdle that all living beings struggle to cross.

Since the First Era, with changing times and countless strong beings.

But whether it’s noble lords with golden bloodlines or holy light believers, even servants of the dark gods, no one has climbed up to the divine throne again.

The sage couldn’t, and that pope couldn’t either.

Even the apostle favored by the gods, who can practically steal divine power for their own use, still cannot step beyond that legendary threshold.

“That’s not easy.”

“But as long as she digests the divine power bit by bit, using it as her own and gradually elevating her bloodline, there might still be a chance.”

Challenging a deity with mortal power would be a long and arduous tug-of-war with a massive disparity in strength.

But Alice has indeed taken the first step, winning a round against the goddess by successfully digesting part of the power.

Excited about this possibility, Roy cautiously asked for verification: “Director, has anyone really ever succeeded in stealing divine power to become a god?”

“No.”

“But…”

“There was once a person who was infinitely close to this, just a step away, or perhaps even half a step.”

Book seemed to sink into the past, his gaze distant, landing on a corner of the room.

There lay a photograph recorded by a projection magic stone.

In that photograph were eight people.

The young Heroes of the six, the first saint, Angela, along with another companion.

That was a person Roy didn’t recognize.

Being just a step away from becoming a god, how could such a significant figure not have come to Roy’s attention?

Feeling curious but noticing the other didn’t voluntarily reveal it, he couldn’t press further about their past.

Book looked nostalgic, clearly not recalling anything pleasant.

After a long silence, Alice tentatively voiced up, “So, does that mean Alice has hope of becoming a god?”

Actually, having heard all this, Alice, with her head spinning, had only one thought.

It sounds impressive!

Becoming a god seems amazing, and her master seems quite excited about it too.

She clenched her little fist towards Roy, her eyes sparkling with eagerness, “Alice will do her best!”