A God.

  Despite his parents being faithful devotees, Joe had never believed in God. To him, it was a concept humans created to cope with reality. If such a being truly existed, then it would have intervened long ago. It would have stopped the slaughter of its followers who died daily in endless wars. It would have saved Joe from his suffering on Earth. It would not have allowed his life to be so miserable.

  “You really expect me to believe that?” Joe scoffed.

  “Why wouldn’t you?” the woman replied. “I am the perfect image of a deity."

  Joe had never been particularly focused on women. Even the girl who used to talk to him regularly in his previous life had done so without any effort from him to pursue a relationship. He was attracted to women, but he never chased them. He knew rejection would come easily, and he doubted he could maintain a healthy relationship when he barely had control over his own life.

  That said, Joe had a type.

  And the woman before him fit nearly all of it. If a goddess truly existed, this was the image that would form in his mind.

  She had only one major flaw. One fatal disadvantage that would be a deal breaker for most men.

  Her chest was flat as a road.

  What a shame.

  “Why are you looking at me with such a disappointed expression?” the woman demanded. “Did you not hear what I said? The one before you is God herself.”

  “I heard you,” Joe replied. “Tell me this instead. How can a god exist inside my consciousness? Are you just my imagination or something?”

  “Watch your tongue!” Her voice thundered through the void. Joe flinched as his soul trembled under the pressure. “Who are you calling an imagination? Do you believe the mind of a mortal is capable of envisioning a perfect existence such as myself?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  The woman smiled smugly.

  “My image of a goddess is a little more beautiful than you.”

  Her eyes widened. Her forehead twitched. Her long white hair lifted as an oppressive aura poured from her body. “What did you say?”

  “You aren’t perfe—”

  A wave of force smashed into Joe’s gut. Essence sprayed from his mouth as his body folded and skidded across the void.

  “I am flawless!” she roared. “Say something like that again and you will regret it!”

  Joe staggered upright twenty meters away, clutching his stomach. He forced a grin. “There’s nothing wrong with imperfections. No one is flawless.”

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  Another wave of force slammed into his face, sending him sliding ten meters farther.

  The woman floated forward, the long white chain binding her wrist to the massive sphere of energy straining as she moved. “You keep saying such nonsense! Do you want me to die?”

  Joe wiped the essence from his nose and straightened. “Jeez, I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “Fine. You’re perfect.”

  The goddess smiled in triumph.

  “Are you really a God?”

  “Of course. I would never lie about my glorious status. In fact, the term God does not do my excellence justice. I am a being that exists even above the Gods.”

  She spoke with such confidence that Joe found it difficult to doubt her. Her tone and presence were convincing. Still, the idea felt absurd.

  “If you’re really a God, then what the hell are you doing here?”

  “That is precisely what I wish to know. No mortal should be able to stand in my presence, let alone converse with me. My mere existence should erase your soul.”

  She appeared in front of him in an instant.

  “Who are you!”

  “It’s Joe,” he said calmly. “The owner of this place.”

  Her eyes dilated. “You. Are you saying you defeated the Guardian?”

  “You mean the big golem guarding the gate? Of course,” Joe replied casually. He summoned the golem’s core into his hand.

  “Impossible!” she shouted. “There is no way you could have defeated the Guardian. I created it using my own spirit energy to stop you from reaching this place. And you’re telling me you killed it?”

  “Yeah. It was tough, I’ll give you that. Your craftsmanship is impressive. Once I figured out its weakness, though, it wasn’t that difficult,” Joe said casually.

  “But you’re not even a Tiered individual. You’re Unawakened!” the goddess exclaimed. “That should be impossible!”

  “You seem to know a lot about me.”

  “Of course I do! Why do you think I’m imprisoned in this cursed place!”

  Joe’s eyes narrowed.

  ‘Imprisoned. Is that why there was a gate?

  “I didn’t expect you to reach this place so soon,” she continued. “If you had accepted your fate and lived a normal life after learning you weren’t Awakened, you could have enjoyed a few peaceful months.”

  “A few months?” Joe asked sharply. “Why only a few months? What happens after that?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said dismissively. “Now that you’re here, you’ve made my job much easier.”

  She drifted backward.

  “Tell me,” she asked suddenly. “Is there anything you wish to achieve in this life?”

  “I want to leave this place and return to my original body.

  ”Besides that.”

  “Nothing matters to me more than reuniting with my friend,” Joe said firmly.

  She studied him with interest.

  “Surely you had dreams before coming here. Kneel and bow your head, and I will fulfill them for you.”

  “No,” Joe replied without hesitation. “I bow to no one.”

  “Why you insolent—”

  “I can achieve my goals on my own. I don’t need your help.”

  “You bow to no one?” Her voice rippled through the void. “Who do you think you are, mortal? You will obey me. Now bow!”

  She snapped her fingers.

  An overwhelming pressure crushed down on Joe. His body buckled as he was forced into a crouch. His soul screamed under the suffocating force. Breathing became impossible. Every part of him threatened to collapse.

  But Joe refused.

  He had sworn he would never let others control him again. This life would be different. He would not be the weakling who bent and surrendered.

  He lifted his head and met the goddess’s stunned gaze.

  “Fuck you!”

  The void shook.

  A violent surge erupted from Joe’s body and slammed into the goddess, sending her flying. She crashed into the massive sphere of energy bound to her chains with a deafening impact.

  “Impossible!” she screamed. “No mortal can possess this much spirit energy!”

  Joe stood tall as the pressure vanished completely.

  “I don’t care if you’re a goddess,” he snarled. “Go to hell, bitch!”

  The void trembled again. The massive orb plummeted, dragging her down as it smashed into the solid surface below.

  Joe appeared before her in an instant.

  He loomed over her seated form as she stared up at him in disbelief.

  “I won’t repeat myself,” Joe said coldly. “Answer me honestly.”

  “How do I get out of here?”