God of Tricksters

After returning to his hotel, Theo laid down on the bed. He didn't know why but he felt a bit tired after dealing with Coline.

Although Coline's action was weird, he shouldn't have any problem dealing with her. So, this state of exhaustion appeared out of nowhere.

"What's wrong with me?" Theo gritted his teeth. It felt like he just wanted to sleep.

At first, he thought that he was under someone's ability. The ability he was talking about could be a curse, hypnosis, or even an illusion.

However, such an ability wouldn't escape his eyes. He would have stayed in Coline's house if not for the God of Mischief telling him.

[Go sleep!]

He thought this was the God of Mischief calling him, but this shouldn't be the case because every time he called him, there would be a headache, not sleepiness.

Still, he had no choice other than to listen to him. After asking the Mythical Rank Expert, who had been tasked to supervise until his visit was over, to stand by outside, using him as his own guard, Theo finally laid down on the bed and closed his eyes, wondering what happened.

Unlike the usual sleep, he somehow could feel something. He felt like he was falling slowly. Although his body or clothes weren't wet, he felt like he was falling under the water.

He tried to open his eyes but to no avail. Even his finger couldn't even move.

'Where am I?' Theo asked himself with his fuzzy consciousness. 'Is this sleep paralysis? Is this a lucid dream? I don't know.'

Theo didn't know his current state and sought the answer.

As if responding to his wish, a light that lit up the darkness appeared in front of him. Even though Theo couldn't open his eyes and he could see the darkness in his eyes brightened.

A high-pitched sound suddenly rang directly in his head.

'Theodore Griffith, my child.'

Theo felt the love and care from that voice. It also sounded like the voice of a mother, but it was different from his mother's voice.

'Who… Who are you?' Theo asked in his mind.

'I am the mother of all.'

'Eh?' Theo didn't expect such an answer as it took him a while to understand what she said.

But before he could finish, she had said another thing.

'I have seen all your progress and determined that you're worthy to wield that power to the fullest potential.'

'My power to the fullest potential… the mother of all…' Theo muttered inwardly as one name appeared in his head. 'Order!'

'That's right. I've given you your power.'

'That means you are the world itself? I've heard that the world has its own consciousness… So, that is you?'

'You're correct. Every person who wishes to hold the supreme power that can destroy the balance of this world needs to be assessed once again after receiving the trial periods before you're allowed to wield that power to its fullest potential.'

'Trial periods? Does that mean you've been assessing me on my character, power, and action?'

'That's right.'

Theo fell silent and asked one last question. 'If that's the case, do you think I'm worthy to wield this power?'

'That's the question that you ought to answer yourself. Do you think you're worthy?'

'I don't know.' Theo gave an immediate answer.

'Almost all the people who have come here in the past have the same answer. They believe they're worthy. But why do you not know?'

'It's simple. I don't know everything… you, my power, the future… When I know about you, I might have a different answer. If I know the extent of my power, I might get tempted. If I know the future, I might regret having this power.'

The world fell silent for a moment before it used its power.

Suddenly, Theo felt he had reached the bottom of the ocean and stood carefully. He soon heard the world saying, 'Open your eyes.'

Theo followed the world's instructions and opened his eyes, albeit he could see nothing in front of him.

He tried to look around but found nothing. There was only complete darkness. Even the light that illuminated him earlier disappeared.

However, the darkness soon brightened as flames appeared, scattered in the area. Then, the mountain was created, and the trees followed right after… even the soil, the grasses, and all the details were formed.

However, the most terrifying thing he could see was a giant hill that stood tall in front of him.

The hill was wobbling around as if it was alive. The hill itself had a muddy pinkish color with black dots scattered around.

But when more details appeared, Theo realized it was a living being. There was a wave coming down the body every few seconds, so it was clear that it was a monster.

Theo felt frightened from just seeing it alone. He even took a step back and asked with a horrified expression, 'What is that?'

'That's what happens when you disrupt the balance…'

'Disrupt the balance? Disrupting the orders?!'

'Yes. A few hundred years ago… when humanity sent a nuclear bomb.'

'Wait a minute… A nuclear bomb…' Theo gasped upon that realization. 'The humanity once sent a nuclear bomb to the other side, and the World Class Monster razed the entire country to the ground…'

'Yes. Humanity was his creator. I loved everything in this world, even if that creature is made by mistakes. That's the system. Hence, the monster that absorbs the radiation evolves and finally gets recognized with one Order… Mutation Order!'

Theo dropped his jaw to the ground. After being aware of Orders, he knew the possibility of a new Order manifesting.

It would be easy to blame everything in the world, but the World Class Monster had been warning the humans not to disrupt the orders. Yet, humans launched the nuclear bomb.

Humanity should be the one at fault since the world just followed the system that she already had.

And the price of that disruption was the monster before him that could even make him terrified just by staring at him.