After seeing that unmistakable leg of an Outer God, I came to a conclusion without a moment’s hesitation.

"Should I run?”"

Test or not, if an Outer God descended here, I’d be dead.

A few jellyfish and flying fish would absolutely not be able to deal with something like that. Even if there were a hundred of me, I’d be killed instantly.

I wasn’t capable of facing an Outer God yet. Thinking that, I let out a sigh.

That was when I noticed something strange about the fallen leg.

"...?"

It was different from what I remembered.

It wasn’t completely different. It was definitely a part of that octopus-like Outer God that had relentlessly chased me before. There was no way I’d mistake it after everything I went through.

But compared to that one, this was smaller, and its color was a dark crimson. Unlike before, where it felt like a moving corpse devoid of life, this one felt different.

Simply put, I couldn’t feel the passage of time from it.

'Another individual?'

Normally, I’d think it’s just from the same species but a different individual—but those things called ‘Outer Gods’ shouldn't exist in multiples like that.

It was the same, yet different. As I carefully observed the leg, unsettled by that contradiction, a possibility crossed my mind.

'What if…'

After a brief moment of thought, I crushed all the deep-sea creatures I had created.

-Crack!

In an instant, the sea fell silent, and the pressure returned to normal.

I had reset the test back to its initial stage.

The next sequence unfolded the same way. Using seawater once more, I created 100 flying fish, and the first lizard I had seen sank down again.

This time, I waited until the lizard died, then tore its body apart.

"Let’s see…”

I fed the remains to the flying fish I had created.

They were cautious enough to avoid even approaching a corpse, but when I forced their mouths open and shoved it in, they had no choice but to swallow.

The bodies of the flying fish that consumed the lizard began to distort and change.

Some grew scales along their wings. Others developed grotesque forelimbs.

It was an all-too-familiar sight. The deep-sea creatures I had seen until now had been all like this.

"So this is how they’re made.”

Watching them, I nodded as my doubts began to clear.

Deep-sea creatures weren’t just grotesque by nature. They possessed things like elongated tentacles and tens of thousands of eyes that could never be obtained simply by devouring each other.

In other words, they likely gained those traits by consuming land creatures that fell from above, like just now. Over a very long period of time.

And the “land” mentioned here wasn't the continent where humans lived, but—

'Probably the primordial world that Great Void is trying to restore.'

You wouldn’t gain such monstrous forms and power from eating something like cows or horses.

A world where Outer Gods existed as a matter of course and where pain wasn’t even recognized as pain. A palace that could only be called hell.

Creatures from that world, said to have been rectified by the First Mage, would occasionally fall into the Abyssal Sea. And the deep-sea creatures, consuming them, became the monsters they are now.

Of course, it wasn't certain. The flying fish wouldn’t eat it unless I forced it into their mouths and made them chew, so this was still just speculation.

But that didn’t matter. What mattered was what I could deduce from it.

'This isn't just the Abyssal Sea. It’s the primordial Abyssal Sea.'

I already knew this was some kind of testing ground, given that the same lizard kept appearing infinitely.

But I hadn’t realized it was set in the past. The reason I could be sure was simple. Those land creatures would no longer be able to fall into the sea anymore.

The primordial world had already been organized by the so-called First Mage.

And this Abyssal Sea, now bound to me as an individual, could no longer receive anything from above.

Which meant the conclusion was obvious. This place was set in a past where the primordial world and the Abyssal Sea were still connected.

If that past continued, Outer Gods would fall in.

Outer Gods that, once they fell into the Abyssal Sea, could never escape again.

And the ones that would fall next wouldn’t be in normal condition.

Could I beat a wounded Outer God from the past?.

'Absolutely not.’

I fell into thought again, almost in disbelief.

This qualification test actually expected me to defeat an Outer God, albeit a weakened one?

I had no idea who set this up, but it seriously made no sense.

If an Outer God were weak enough for me to defeat, it wouldn’t deserve to be called a god in the first place.

Is that really it? Defeat an Outer Hod, and then you would be allowed to go where they reside?

It felt like something was missing.

"?"

While I was thinking, something poked me in the back.

It was one of the flying fish that had eaten the lizard flesh. As if it recognized me as its master, it kept poking me with its claws.

As I brushed it aside, something flashed through my mind.

'...Wait.'

Another condition of the test. The ability to create life.

Without keeping those deep-sea creatures alive, the test couldn’t proceed.

At first glance, it seemed useless. The ability to endlessly create newborn life might seem miraculous, but if one were told to defeat a martial arts champion with it, it would become completely worthless.

But what would that champion think if they saw someone endlessly pulling newborn life out of their hand?

And what if that opponent wasn’t a human but an Outer God?

I thought about it for a long time.

Until I realized there was no other way out of this place.

*t*t*

Having made my decision, I began creating life again.

Over and over, even after fragments of the Outer God’s leg fell in the water, I repeated the process countless times.

Eventually, something entirely different from before began to fall.

The first thing I felt was the water pressure.

"..."

The pressure rose just enough to kill what had fallen in.

Enough to kill a lizard.

Then, enough to kill the centipede that could endure a lot more than the lizard.

How much pressure would be needed to kill a fallen Outer God? Just as I was about to test that—

An entirely unexpected burden arrived.

[Keh, gehk.]

[Ah.]

[Ih...]

The deep-sea creatures I created originally couldn’t speak.

They were fish. They had no vocal cords. I hadn’t made anything like that.

[Co-cold, cold, coldcoldcoldcoldcoldcoldcoldcold]

[Why, me…why am I here…why am I here?]

[I didn’t want this.]

The trembling creatures muttered incoherently, and then—

-Crunch!

They began tearing themselves apart with newly formed teeth.

'...This is an Outer God…’

Something like awe rose from deep within my mind.

Normally, I would’ve dismissed this as grotesque and horrifying, but now, I could clearly see the cause-and-effect behind their self-destruction.

The invisible blood flowing from the wounded Outer God was granting life to everything it touched.

Quite literally, a liquefied miracle.

I understood. A stone touched by that blood would gain life and move.

A dead animal would rise again.

The deep-sea creatures made of seawater were being influenced by its concentration, gaining the authority to speak, gaining ego, and then choosing to kill themselves.

I didn’t know why. Perhaps once they gained self-awareness, they realized just how unbearable this Abyssal Sea was.

Only then did I truly grasp what I was facing.

A God not of this place.

A being that created and altered life.

A god.

'...Get a grip.'

I clenched my teeth, forcing my deteriorating mind to hold together.

This was the first time I’d come this close to its actual body and not just its tentacles, so I hadn’t known it possessed this kind of ability. Now that I did, getting any closer to that bastard’s blood was out of the question.

The problem was, there was no way to block it.

That divine blood had no form, scent, or color. Nothing. It simply existed and contaminated everything around. As I retreated blindly, not knowing what to do, I frowned.

Because despite all that, I could clearly see that thing that should have no shape or form.

How?

"...Ah..."

I moved the surrounding seawater and finally understood.

The seawater that granted life and that god’s blood shared the same properties. I had been tracking it by observing how the seawater became contaminated by it.

In that case…

I stirred the surrounding seawater and swept the god’s blood away from the area.

Only then did my dying deep-sea creatures barely begun to calm down. Though most of them were already dead.

Just as I tried to save the few remaining—

-Booom!

"...Dammit."

This time, as if the Abyssal Sea refused to lose, it began unleashing its own pressure.

The pressure skyrocketed exponentially in an instant. Far beyond what was needed to kill something like a lizard.

Only after reaching a level close to what I knew as the true Abyssal Sea’s pressure did it stop.

At that point, just a single small jellyfish remained alive.

[........Ah. Ah......]

At last, past the leg, past the body, its face entered the range of my Tide Sense.

A chill ran down my spine. Since its legs resembled an octopus, I had assumed its head would be the same.

That assumption was narrow-minded. Its head was that of a corpse with human-like features.

A nose, eyes, and mouth—all were wrapped in bandages. And from every opening, dark red blood seeped out.

Even that was just an approximation. Its true size was so massive that even my greatly enhanced Tide Sense could only grasp tiny fragments of it.

As I stood there overwhelmed, the bandages covering its eyes slowly slipped off.

From within an iris so rotten it seemed to melt—large enough that merely falling could destroy a large city—twitched and looked straight at me.

The eye stared at me and then at the jellyfish beside me.

[Ah.]

Then—it moved its tentacles to form words without opening its mouth.

Those words carried no inherent meaning, yet I understood them.

That creature, right now,

[Help me—]

was asking me for help 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"..."

It conveyed speech without speaking. Not reacting to that alone was already difficult.

Of course, I didn’t answer.

If I spoke up here, it would realize a certain fact.

—That it had completely mistaken the kind of being it was asking for help.

[I can be of use to you. Little one—]

Perhaps mistaking my silence for hesitation, the Outer God made the first offer.

[So help me.]

Those words.

I focused harder than I ever had in my life, analyzing how they were transmitted as fast as I could.

And what I realized was utterly incomprehensible and catastrophic.

'...It gave life to sound?'

The Outer God used its blood to grant life to the surrounding sounds.

The faint popping of bubbles in the Abyssal Sea, the subtle friction of water brushing against my robe. It brought all of that to life and used them to convey meaning.

For a brief moment, each tiny sound became a living entity carrying the intent of that Outer God. Even a mere insect nearby would have understood its meaning.

It was absurdly inefficient and wasteful beyond reason. Yet, even as I was stunned by it. I quickly moved the seawater.

I was also capable of creating life after all. Even this method, while absurd, was something I could imitate.

[What can you offer?]

Through crude, I imbued intent into a small crack created by the wave of my hand—

It looked pathetic, so I felt rather uneasy, but the Outer God, instead of mocking my attempt, seemed convinced by its imperfection and responded.

[I shall grant you a portion of my authority to one as insignificant as you—]

The Outer God, after saying something mildly insulting, suddenly extended its divine blood and contaminated my jellyfish.

If that thing burst, it’d be dangerous. I flinched but stayed still. The trembling jellyfish soon began to drift calmly.

It moved far more peacefully than before.

[If you wish, try moving it.]

I tried moving the jellyfish, and it froze.

I hadn't given it any commands. I hadn’t used pressure or currents. Yet the jellyfish, something that should be separate from me, moved as naturally as if it were part of my own body.

I waved my hand lightly. Instantly, it dissolved into formless seawater.

I waved again, and it reformed into a jellyfish. I realized instinctively that I could do this oven outside.

Until now, I had been borrowing external seawater, creating life that did not truly belong to me. But this was entirely mine.

Water of life that only I could control, albeit only a cup’s worth.

As I stood there in shock, the Outer God responded as if it were nothing special.

[That is far superior to your pitiful authority. The price has been paid.]

[Fine. What do you want me to do?]

[Bring them…]

[Huh?]

What kind of nonsense was this?

The Outer God didn’t appear to have any visible wounds.

Regardless, it continued forming intent.

[I cannot last long. Bring the other fallen gods—]

[Answer one thing first. I don’t understand.]

[...?]

[Why did you fall here?]

It was risky, but the Outer God was wounded and currently trusting me.

I couldn't just let this opportunity pass. It might never come again after all.

Of course, I was quietly condensing pressure behind the scenes, but information was too valuable to just ignore.

[The same as you.]

The Outer God’s intent grew heavier.

[I was defeated, and fell.]

[Your opponent showed mercy. You didn’t die.]

[How foolish…we are beings that do not die. Even in defeat, we do not perish.]

[...]

Wait a second, huh? These bastards can’t die?

I stared blankly, stunned.

Well, they were gods after all… But losing to another god and still not dying? Didn't that mean they were basically immortal?

Then why did defeated gods fall into the Abyssal Sea—

[...So you too are imprisoned here, as I am.]

[Yeah.]

The Outer God immediately answered my mental question.

The reason so many Outer Gods filled the Abyssal Sea was because this place was a prison.

A place where defeated gods were locked away, never to escape again.

'So it’s not just this one.'

I had assumed there were maybe two or three at most. The thought of dealing with multiple immortal beings made my head throb, but I still asked another question.

[Then how do you plan to escape?]

[No matter how well they hide, they must exist.]

[What? Who?]

[The one who rules this Abyssal Sea.]

The Outer God spoke through clenched teeth.

[I can find them. If I locate that ruler, this Abyssal Sea will no longer be something to fear.]

[...I see. That’s enough. That answers everything I was curious about.]

I nodded in agreement.

[Then I’ll go immediately. Do you need anything else?]

[Quickly—]

The Outer God raised its trembling leg and conveyed its will.

[I have little strength left after granting you authority. While I endure, hurry—]

"Is that so?"

[...?]

The Outer God realized half a beat too late that I had spoken out loud.

'So this is what the qualification test was about.'

Not whether I could win, but whether I could deceive.

A test of whether I could remain undetected even in this place where Outer Gods lurked.

Whether I could create life convincing enough to fool them.

In other words—

"So the moment you saw my jellyfish, it was already over..."

[Wha—how could a mere—]

The moment it saw my jellyfish, the Outer God accepted it as one of its own without a single doubt.

That meant my ability to create life had already passed their standards.

Only one thing remained. Proof that I had passed.

The moment I realized that, the world blurred.

My body dissolved like foam, melting into the Abyssal Sea.

I had felt this before. The sensation of becoming seawater, of becoming part of the Abyssal Sea.

But this time, it wasn’t nearly as horrifying.

[What in the world is…]

Seeing the Outer God’s stunned expression as it faded away, a question surfaced.

Was that thing just a construct of the test?

Could a test even create something like an Outer God?

There was only one way to confirm.

[Jern! You’re awake!]

When I opened my eyes again—

I heard my clothes talking.

[...How is this possible...]

Beside it, living water trembled violently.

I snapped fully awake and immediately swung my hand.

[...!]

The mid-layer, already half in shock, slowly melted away as a blood-red jellyfish formed beneath my hand.

"So it was real."

I stared blankly at the jellyfish, then replayed what had just happened, and suddenly, a possibility struck me.

'Wait, that thing could even create living sound, then maybe—'

I closed my eyes, gathered my personal seawater, and created life.

This time, it wasn’t a jellyfish, nor sound, nor anything like that.

Just a simple air bubble.

"..."

[I-I cannot believe it.]

The only way to escape the Abyssal Sea was to adjust the density between the real world and the Abyss.

And that indispensably required a fragment of the real world—

In other words, air from the real world.