Endless Chaos – Chaos Void Plane
The Path of Knowledge
Chapter 4 – The First Experiment
Arin did not leave the ridge immediately.
Instead, he stayed hidden among the dark stones and continued watching the small village below.
Night slowly spread across the Chaos Void Plane.
The artificial moon above cast a pale silver light over the land, illuminating the simple houses and narrow dirt paths of the settlement.
Below him, the villagers were still gathered around the stone pillar.
Their prayers had become quieter.
Softer.
But the golden mist of faith energy still drifted upward from them like invisible smoke.
Arin observed carefully.
"Artifact, record everything."
The floating cube pulsed gently.
[Recording.]
Arin leaned forward slightly.
Faith energy gathered above the stone pillar in thin streams. It slowly condensed, forming faint threads of golden light that drifted toward the sky.
Just like before.
Just like a river.
Then once again—
A tiny golden crystal formed.
Small.
Fragile.
But unmistakable.
The artifact spoke.
[Proto Godhood Crystal detected.]
Arin watched closely.
The moment the crystal finished forming, it dissolved and vanished into the flowing current of faith.
Taken away by the unseen collector.
"The system is automatic," Arin murmured.
The artifact responded.
[Faith generation → Crystal formation → Energy transfer.]
Arin nodded slowly.
"So the believers produce divine energy, but they never keep it."
The cube remained silent.
Below the ridge, the villagers finished their prayers and slowly returned to their homes.
The settlement gradually fell quiet.
Only a few fires remained burning.
Arin stood up.
"I think it's time."
The artifact hovered beside him.
[Clarify action.]
Arin looked down at the empty prayer pillar.
"My first experiment."
He waited until the village was completely silent.
Then he quietly moved down the ridge.
The villagers were asleep, their small homes dark and still.
Arin walked through the settlement without making a sound.
None of the villagers noticed him.
Soon he reached the center of the village.
The stone pillar stood before him.
Up close, the symbol carved into it became clearer.
A spiral surrounded by lines of light.
Primitive.
But meaningful.
"This symbol represents their god."
The artifact confirmed.
[Belief anchor detected.]
Arin circled the pillar slowly.
Belief anchors were important.
They gave shape to faith.
Without a symbol or idea to focus on, belief scattered and became weak.
But this pillar focused the villagers' faith into a single concept.
Arin placed his hand on the cold stone surface.
Then he looked at the artifact.
"What happens if we introduce a new concept?"
The cube pulsed faintly.
[Possible outcome: alteration of faith energy structure.]
Arin smiled slightly.
"That's exactly what I want to test."
He slowly reached into his pocket and took out a small piece of stone.
Then, using a sharp metal fragment he had found earlier, he carefully carved a new symbol beside the original one.
The design was simple.
An eye.
Surrounded by several small lines radiating outward.
The Symbol of Observation.
Or rather—
The first symbol of Knowledge.
Arin stepped back and looked at the pillar.
Two symbols now existed side by side.
The original one.
And the new one.
The artifact spoke quietly.
[Conceptual interference detected.]
Arin nodded.
"That's the point."
He then sat down nearby and waited.
Morning eventually arrived.
The artificial sun brightened the sky.
One by one, the villagers woke and returned to their daily routines.
Soon, several of them gathered again near the stone pillar.
Arin remained hidden behind a nearby building, watching carefully.
The villagers noticed the new symbol almost immediately.
They pointed at it.
Confused.
Curious.
Some touched it.
Others stared at it for a long time.
Arin watched their reactions closely.
Curiosity was spreading.
Then one of the older villagers spoke to the others.
After a short discussion, they began their prayers.
But this time…
Something was different.
Some of them prayed before the original symbol.
Others looked at the new symbol of the eye.
And when the faith energy began forming again—
The artifact suddenly reacted.
[Energy divergence detected.]
Arin's eyes widened.
The golden mist above the pillar split into two streams.
One stream flowed toward the original symbol.
The other gathered above the symbol of the eye.
The two energies felt slightly different.
One carried devotion.
The other carried curiosity.
Arin felt his heartbeat accelerate.
"It worked."
Slowly, the faith energy above the new symbol condensed.
A tiny crystal formed.
But unlike the previous ones—
This crystal did not dissolve immediately.
It hovered in the air.
Stable.
Unclaimed.
The artifact spoke.
[New divine structure detected.]
[Proto Godhood Crystal – independent formation.]
Arin stared at the floating crystal.
For the first time…
A Godhood Crystal had formed without being taken by the hidden God of Belief.
Arin carefully stepped forward and reached out.
The crystal floated gently into his hand.
Warm energy flowed through his fingers.
His mind filled with a strange clarity.
Power.
Conceptual power.
But extremely small.
Just a fragment.
Still…
It was real.
Arin smiled.
"So the system has a flaw after all."
The artifact glowed softly.
[Path of Knowledge – advancement detected.]
Arin looked at the tiny crystal in his palm.
The villagers behind him continued praying, unaware of what had just happened.
A new idea slowly formed in Arin's mind.
If belief could create gods…
Then perhaps knowledge could reshape the entire system.
He closed his hand around the crystal.
"This is only the beginning."
Far away, across the Chaos Void Plane, invisible rivers of faith still flowed toward the hidden God of Belief.
But for the first time—
A small fragment of divine power had escaped the system.
And it now belonged to someone new.
Someone walking a very different path.
The Path of Knowledge.
End of Chapter 4