I felt it before I saw it—a pressure in the air, like the sky itself was leaning down to crush me. The field went deathly still; even the whispers from the plants faded to a hushed tremor. Silver hair prickling at my nape, I straightened from where I'd been tending the hellfire peppers, their crimson glow dimming as if in fear.
Then the clouds parted.
A figure descended—slow, theatrical, golden light spilling around him like molten honey. He looked every bit the god: tall, ethereal robes flowing like liquid starlight, skin shimmering with an otherworldly sheen, eyes blazing white. A faint halo circled his head, and the air hummed with power that made my essence stir uneasily.
He landed at the field's edge, boots not even sinking into the mud. The potato golem rumbled low, shifting its weight. The scarecrow's radish eyes flickered.
"Mortal," he intoned, voice echoing like thunder trapped in a bell. "You have disturbed the balance. Your anomalies reek of heresy. I am Lirath, Watcher of Realms, and I have come to—"
I didn't let him finish.
The words were dripping with arrogance, the kind that screamed fake even before my upgraded system pinged.
[S-Class System User Detected: Divine Facade (Fake God Tier)]
[Plunder Opportunity: High]
A pretender. Not a true god. Just another awakener playing dress-up with a fancy system.
I snapped my fingers. "Scarecrow. Slash him to pieces."
The scarecrow exploded into motion—straw arms whipping out like scythes forged from nightmares, vines extending in a blur of green fury. Lirath's eyes widened mid-sentence, mouth still open on "judge your—"
The first slash caught him across the chest. Robes tore like paper. Golden light sputtered. He staggered, halo flickering, raising one hand to summon whatever divine bullshit he had planned.
Too late.
The second slash took his arm clean off at the shoulder. Blood sprayed—not red, but shimmering gold that hissed on the soil. He screamed—high, mortal, nothing godly about it.
The third and fourth came together: one across his legs, dropping him to his knees; the other through his torso, carving him open like overripe fruit. Pieces hit the ground—wet, thudding—golden essence leaking everywhere.
He gurgled once, eyes dimming. "Impossible... I am—"
The scarecrow's final slash severed his head mid-word. It rolled into the mud, expression frozen in shock.
Silence.
Then the ground woke.
Soil churned hungrily around the pieces. Roots erupted—thick, greedy—wrapping limbs, torso, head. They dragged everything down, absorbing with wet, sucking sounds. Golden light flared once, then sank into the earth, veins of divine essence threading through my field like captured lightning.
The plants erupted in growth—taller, brighter, fruits swelling with new power. Whispers turned to cheers: *Divine! More! We feast!*
Sprout Quill floated beside me, voice a stunned squeak. "Host... you just one-shotted a fake god. Mid-monologue. With a scarecrow. And the ground ate him like a snack."
I watched the last golden vein vanish. Power surged through me—hot, electric, divine.
[Divine Essence Shard Absorbed]
[Farming System – Tier Upgrade: Low → Mid-Tier]
[New Function: Godling Fertilizer – Convert divine entities to supreme nutrients]
[New Skill: Celestial Sow (Level 1)]
[Plant seeds that mimic godly powers]
I laughed—breathless, triumphant. The sky above rumbled uneasily, clouds swirling as if something far above had noticed.
Far away, in a palace of clouds, Heavenly Emperor Zenith slammed his fist on his throne.
A minor watcher—gone.
And the anomaly in the dirt? Growing.
He sent the decree.
The real hunt began.
But in my field, under the fractured sky, I knelt and planted the first celestial seed.
It sprouted gold.
And I smiled.