"Pwaaak... pwak pwak. A human?"

It was a chicken, a ridiculously muscular damn chicken and it was looking at me with unmistakable amusement.

"...A chicken?"

Almost immediately, [[Insight]] activated as a status window appeared before me.

[Trial of the Path Beyond Strength]

[Within the endless worlds lived a Murgin named Chiki. Born a humble farmer, he would one day leave behind a legend remembered for generations. Yet the path he walked ended with a regret that even legends could not erase. Walk beside him... and help him find the path he never could.]

After reading the description I was quite thankful for once again, I looked back at the chicken, who was now tilting his head at me.

"Pwaaak... pwak pwak. Chicken? What’s that?"

"Never mind."

I quickly realized that just because he resembled a chicken didn’t mean his species was actually called one. Pushing that thought aside, I focused on something far more important.

"You don’t seem surprised by my existence."

It was as though he had been expecting someone... He just hadn’t expected that someone to be a human.

The chicken let out a strange laugh before walking toward me.

"I have been expecting the Angel of God. We, the residents of Chapkor, have prayed for years. I knew God hadn’t abandoned us. I knew HE would send someone one day."

He scratched his feathered cheek.

"It’s just that... I never expected that someone to be one of the extinct humans."

"I have only ever seen your kind in the pages of history, where humans were described as a greedy race that waged countless wars before ultimately driving themselves to extinction."

"We Murgins have been raised on tales warning us never to become like humans."

He lowered his head apologetically.

"Though I mean no offense by those words, O Angel of our God Ruruk. I am grateful that you have finally decided to grace our village with your presence."

This was a historical projection, something which happened long ago somewhere within the endless world. Probably a hidden continent tucked away in some forgotten corner, that explained why they believed humans had gone extinct instead of thriving across the other continents...

But I didn’t bother correcting the misunderstanding.

If it made things easier... Why bother?

"The God Ruruk has heard your prayers and sent me here to aid your people. Tell me... what is it that you desire, O child?"

"I shall help you overcome every regret that still burdens your heart."

I played along with the role.

The chicken, who had been standing only a few steps away from me, suddenly dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he began to sob.

"Why did it take so long, my Lord? Why did God take so long to send you? Were our prayers somehow lacking? Were our offerings not enough?"

"I do not blame you, nor do I blame God. I am simply grateful that neither of you abandoned us. I am grateful you have finally descended. It is merely the curiosity of this humble farmer."

Although I couldn’t see his expression clearly, the way his claws dug into the soil was enough to tell me what he truly felt.

Anger.

Still...

I had a role to play.

"God Ruruk heard your prayers long ago but the affairs of the mortal world are not something even the Great Gods can interfere with so easily."

"Even He grieved upon witnessing your suffering but until enough sincerity had been gathered, He could not descend."

"So... Was our sincerity lacking?"

The chicken’s claws dug even deeper into the earth.

"I do not know the affairs of the Divine. I am merely a messenger."

A heavy silence settled over the area before the chicken finally raised his head. A smile rested on his face, the kind that only existed to hide pain.

"All that matters is that you are here at last, my Lord. Please, allow me to guide you to Chapkor. Everyone will be delighted by your arrival."

I nodded.

The muscular chicken, who claimed to be nothing more than a humble farmer, led me through the forest.

Barely a few minutes later, we reached the foot of a mountain. Nestled beside it was a small village built along the banks of a quiet river. Watermills turned steadily with the current, feeding the nearby farmland.

Small cone-shaped houses were scattered throughout the settlement.

At first glance, it looked peaceful.

But...

The village lacked the bustle of everyday life, there were no lively streets and no children running about except an unsettling silence.

Chiki didn’t say anything else and simply guided me toward the largest house in the village. Along the way, I could feel countless wary gazes following me through the small windows of the cone-shaped houses.

I even caught fragments of whispered conversations.

"Who is he?!"

"He looks different."

"A human?"

"What is a human doing here? How is one even alive?"

"Great... one more mouth to feed."

Some sounded shocked. Some were simply confused. The rest... were cautious.

I paid them no mind.

Soon, we arrived before the largest house in the village. An old, hunched Murgin stepped outside. His bones protruded beneath the thin layer of flesh clinging to his body.

"How was your training today, Chiki? Do you perhaps need more food to train?"

He asked with gentle eyes. Beside him stood a small child, whose condition was no better than the elder’s. Looking at them, Chiki’s expression darkened slightly before he pointed toward me.

"There is no need to waste food on someone as worthless as me to protect the village anymore, Chief. God has finally answered our prayers. He has sent us His Angel. He has finally sent us a protector."

He roared loudly and the moment those words left his mouth, hurried footsteps echoed throughout the village.

The Murgins who had been hiding inside their homes rushed out one after another. Very few of them were in any better condition than the elder but without a moment’s hesitation, they all dropped to their knees before me.

Many of them had already begun to sob.

"Oh, heavens..."

"Thank you for answering our prayers."

Even the elder stumbled before slowly kneeling.

The child beside him continued staring at me with innocent curiosity until the elder gently pulled her down as well, pressing the child’s head against the ground.

No one questioned Chiki’s words.

No one doubted that I was God’s messenger.

They simply believed I had come to save them.

I didn’t know whether this unquestioning trust came from the projection itself, making things easier for the challenger...

Or whether it was simply the desperation of drowning Murgins desperately clinging to the last thread of hope they had left.

But looking at those poor fools still waiting for some God... For the first time since entering this trial... My own expression couldn’t help but sink into a frown.