"Ere-sama, so what you're saying is—our goal in training is twofold: to master techniques and to purify our bloodlines, in order to trace back to the world's original power, right?"
"And as of now, Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold are the tiers that represent stages of evolution, from lowest to highest?"
Ian neatly summarized the lesson on a clay tablet and handed it over for review.
Such an intelligent and quick-learning Magical Beast left the Underworld goddess genuinely surprised.
Ereshkigal nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased.
"Then what would happen if a normal adult human awakened their bloodline and advanced to the Golden tier?"
Curious about the actual differences between the ranks, Ian continued probing.
"Purifying the bloodline and wielding divine power results in a true qualitative leap."
Ereshkigal paused, then elaborated further.
"In the ancient era, Marduk, king of kings, led the gods in battle against the calamity Tiamat. After defeating her, they forged her vast corpse into the heavens, the earth, and the stars and storms of the world."
"To honor him, the gods built the city of Babylon and its temples."
"In return, Marduk used the flesh and blood of Tiamat's son—Kingu—to create humans as servants to the gods."
"During the Golden Age, gods and humans coexisted. Newborn humans learned wisdom and skills directly from the divine."
"Moreover, these beings born of Kingu's flesh inherited his strength. They lived long lives, could read cuneiform, and wield magic freely."
"Thus, humans in the Golden Age were beings incredibly close to gods."
By bloodline alone, wasn't Kingu a sibling to the Babylonian gods?
Then humans, born from his flesh, were basically god-blooded descendants.
According to Ereshkigal, human advancement was a return to origin.
In that process, the power inherited from the gods would slowly awaken. Their divine lineage would grow purer.
Thinking that far, Ian flicked his tongue, hesitated briefly, then raised his writing board again.
"What's above the Golden tier?"
Ereshkigal paused, slightly surprised. Her lips pursed, brows slowly drawing together.
"Demigods."
"The Golden tier is the phase of gradually awakening divine power and refining the blood. When over half of one's blood is divine in nature, they are considered a demigod."
"These beings are transitioning into another species entirely. They have powers akin to the gods but lack divine Authority and a formal divine rank."
And if they had both Authority and a divine rank...
Ian suppressed the urge to ask further, hiding the flicker of emotion in his eyes.
After all, according to the Tablet of Destinies that shaped Mesopotamia's fate, there weren't just four eras—there were five.
Before the Golden Age came the Age of Gods.
So, demigods were the bridge between mortals and the divine.
Born from divine flesh, humanity could ascend to godhood if the conditions were right and the origin fully traced.
But divine ranks were finite. The more they were split, the weaker each fragment became.
Whether beast or human, the path to becoming a god was almost entirely sealed off.
The easiest way to ascend?
Kill a lesser god, steal their divinity, and take their place.
Of course, to a Sumerian society where the hierarchy between humans and gods was absolute, that idea was pure heresy.
It made perfect sense that Marduk, the king of kings, would hide such truths to preserve order.
And to prevent the burgeoning, powerful humans of the Golden Age from challenging the gods' authority, the ancient Babylonian pantheon didn't hold back.
Enlil, one of the Three Pillar Gods and ruler of air and spirit, unleashed a great flood to drown the surface world, wiping out most threatening humans and creatures—simply because their noise annoyed him.
And what a coincidence—Marduk later replaced Enlil's divine position. In some texts, the two are even portrayed as the same being.
There's no way that wasn't shady.
History made one thing clear: divine succession was written in blood.
The Babylonian gods had murdered their own parents before. What qualms would they have about wiping out humans—the very beings they'd created for amusement?
Even just the threat to divine supremacy led to a cleansing flood.
And Ian? He was planning to welcome Tiamat back and shatter the gods' rule entirely.
If caught, a Bronze-tier bottom-feeder like him wouldn't just end up in a snake stew. If things went south, they'd probably fry, boil, steam, and serve him in an eighteen-course divine banquet.
Just thinking about it made his back scales stand on end.
Nope. Survival comes first! Only an idiot sticks their neck out!
Resolving himself, the ancient snake shoved every rebellious thought into a dark mental closet and bolted it shut. For now, no more wild ideas.
Still, before the lesson wrapped up, there were a few targets whose power he absolutely needed to clarify.
"Ere-sama, what rank does Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, belong to?"
"Very strong! Main god level!"
Ereshkigal showed a trace of wariness, then realized she hadn't explained the level of power she was referring to, so she added an explanation.
Gods are born at different times and vary in strength. To prevent constant conflicts among them, there are major deities assigned specific domains—like water, harvest, and death—who manage and coordinate governance. These deities, who uphold the structure of a pantheon, are called main gods.
Currently, the one presiding over all gods is the King of Kings, Marduk. And right now, both the Earth Goddess Ereshkigal and the Sky Goddess Ishtar are considered main gods.
But what Ian hadn't expected was that Gugalanna—the bull—was also that terrifyingly powerful.
No wonder his master was so wary of Ishtar bringing along the Bull of Heaven.
Still, as one mystery was solved, another question arose in Ian's mind. He couldn't help but raise his head and ask:
"Ere-sama, I don't get it. Why was the Bull of Heaven, who was supposed to be a main god, killed by Gilgamesh and Enkidu?"
"Gilgamesh is one-third human and two-thirds god. That makes him a demigod. Even if you add Enkidu, the power gap should've been way too big!"
The Goddess of the Underworld thought back to the time Gilgamesh killed the Bull of Heaven, who was wreaking havoc across Mesopotamia and threatening Ishtar. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Right then, the Master glanced up at the underworld's dome and replied with a hint of schadenfreude.
"First, that was only a downgraded projection of Gugalanna, weakened by divine rules. It could only unleash a fraction of its true power. And the Bull of Heaven's divine core is still intact."
"Second, Ishtar severely underestimated Gilgamesh."
"How could the Heavenly Wedge chosen by the gods be that simple?"
"He might be a demigod, but he's fully qualified to become a god!"
"If Gilgamesh truly underwent ascension and returned to the side of the gods, he'd at least reach the rank of a main god!"
"Maybe even..."
At that point, Ereshkigal quickly cut herself off. Her face paled slightly, as though she'd touched on something forbidden.
Ian's slit-pupiled eyes flickered with a cold light as he looked upward.
There can only be one king.
Whether it's among humans—or gods.
He also remembered a meme from his previous life that fit Gilgamesh's situation perfectly: some people score a perfect 100, only because that's the highest number on the test.
Right then, the Master glanced around cautiously. After waiting a long moment and confirming nothing strange was happening, she gently patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
Ereshkigal, keeping up appearances, stretched lazily and stood up as if nothing had happened. She casually grabbed her golden-red spear and headed out.
Judging by the direction, Ian figured his master was planning to head to the Uruk region again to dig a hole—probably with the goal of dragging Gilgamesh's entire kingdom into the underworld.
Seriously, what grudge do you have against Uruk? Is it really that deep?
Watching Ereshkigal's figure slowly fade into the distance as she went off to dig, Ian couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake