NOVEL WEB Chapter 28: Chapter 24: First Believer
Chapter 24: First Believer
Perspective: Velkaris
"System," I murmured, eyes closed in the divine fog.
"I have 24 hours… I need my first believer."
Not a crowd. Not a kingdom.
Just one person who speaks my name and believes, even if the belief is born from illusion.
Searching the World
Earth — or what this planet had become — was still familiar in its structure.
Continents, oceans, islands.
But altered subtly by mysticism and pathways.
I didn't need crowds. I needed obscurity.
Somewhere no one would look. Somewhere no one would remember.
Then I found it.
A small island in the southern sea.
Population: 102.
Simple folk. Fishermen. Devout to the God of Storms.
But isolated.
No newspapers.
No clergy visits in decades.
"Perfect."
Operation: Erase & Replace
"Let's write a lie," I whispered.
In the system thread, I forged a new history:
That the island had been destroyed in a Beyonder-related cataclysm.
That it was listed as "erased" in Akashic records.
That no attempts to locate it would succeed.
I sent the lie rippling through the undercurrents of fate and knowledge.
And then—
The world forgot the island.
Its name vanished from maps.
Prophecies skipped over its timeline.
Even the God of Storms lost his grasp on the believers there.
I descended upon it.
And they did not see me arrive — because reality didn't remember me arriving.
The First Day
I had one goal:
Secure one believer.
I planted whispers in dreams.
I erased the name "Storm God" from their lips.
I built a church.
It wasn't grand.
It was made from the remains of an abandoned fishing shack.
But inside it, I placed:
A mask carved from driftwood
A mirror that never reflected the present
And a scripture written in a language I forged — one that read as truth but changed when questioned
I seeded them with prayers.
Not commands — suggestions.
"The sea brings lies we must believe."
"The storm comes not to judge, but to forget."
"The mask you wear is your true face
Then I waited… and nudged.
The islanders were confused.
Their memories felt blurred, like they had forgotten something important but didn't know what.
By midday, a man in his late forties — a widowed net-weaver — entered the chapel.
He stared into the mirror.
He touched the mask with trembling hands.
And he whispered:
"Velkaris… if you're listening… take this guilt from me."
[DING: QUEST COMPLETE]
First True Believer Acquired
Source of Faith: Guilt, Regret
Belief Strength: Weak but True
Reward Unlocked: Unknown Shop – First Free Use
I smiled.
That was all it took.
Not armies. Not miracles.
Just one broken soul needing someone to listen.
After the Deadline
Over the next few hours, others approached the chapel, drawn by curiosity or subconscious suggestion.
A child stared at her reflection and cried.
An old woman lit a candle and murmured, "Forgive me, mirror."
I didn't force their belief. I let it grow — like a parasite, or a seed.
This island…
Would become my garden of lies.
One believer today.
The rest would come soon enough.
End of Chapter 24