Keshav's POV
Satisfied with unlocking the Miracle Slot and browsing its endless divine possibilities, Keshav turned back to his System Panel.
> Energy creation: 2 EP/hour... Not enough.
With steady determination, he navigated to the upgrade menu.
> [Upgrade: Energy Creation Ability]
Current: Tier 2 (2 EP/hour)
Upgrade Cost: 100 EP
Next Tier: Tier 3 (4 EP/hour)
Keshav didn't hesitate.
> [EP Balance]: 138
–100 EP used
[New EP Balance]: 38
> [Upgrade Successful!]
Energy Creation rate: 4 EP/hour
His System Panel refreshed:
---
[Host: Keshav Garg]
Energy Creation Rate: 4 EP/hour
Divine Power: 1
Faith Points: 47
EP Available: 38
---
[Meanwhile – Inside the System Core]
> Host Energy Creation upgraded. Synced with Chaotic Soul.
As always, any change to Keshav's energy system also upgraded the mirrored ability within the Chaotic Soul.
Now, the System had access to:
4 EP/hour from Keshav
8 EP/hour from Chaotic Soul (x2 mirror due to System taking 100%)
> Total Accumulation Rate: 12 EP/hour
The System pulsed with satisfaction. Its pool of energy, once scarce and carefully budgeted, was now becoming a river.
With this new rate, its grand calculations, simulations, and manipulations could expand.
Soon… even greater experiments could begin.
----------
Then keshav went to class.
The classroom buzzed with chatter and excitement. Students discussed divine authority, miracle templates, and the faith networks they were beginning to build. Keshav sat near the center, chatting casually with a few familiar faces when the door opened.
The room fell silent.
A tall man walked in, his presence radiating with suppressed might. Dressed in long robes embroidered with divine runes, the Instructor of Divine Authority—a mid-level god himself—glanced across the class.
His sharp gaze halted on Keshav.
His expression shifted.
From passive observation to visible irritation.
"Keshav Garg," he said coldly. "Come forward."
The atmosphere tensed instantly.
Keshav stood, confused and hesitant, and walked to the front. He offered a respectful nod, but before he could say anything, the teacher spoke, voice laced with authority.
"You've refined one unit of divine power, haven't you?"
Keshav blinked, surprised. "Y-Yes, sir."
A dangerous silence followed. The teacher's tone turned harsh.
"Did you buy faith from another god to do it?!"
The classroom erupted in whispers. Keshav froze.
The teacher continued, "Have you not read your divine texts? Faith from other gods should never be used to refine divine power! It corrupts the core! At best, your divine path becomes unstable. At worst—"
A pause.
"You go insane."
The words struck like thunder. Keshav's heart pounded. He hadn't known. He had bought faith—from the System shop.
Did that count?
Had he crippled himself?
But he swallowed his panic and said nervously, "I… I didn't buy it from other gods. It's mine."
The teacher's eyes narrowed. "Let's see if that's true."
He pulled out a crystal-like device inscribed with golden circuits — a Purity Analyzer, designed to evaluate the divine source's integrity.
"Extend your hand."
Keshav hesitated, then obeyed.
He placed his hand on the device.
The crystal lit up—soft at first, then blazing with brilliance. Golden threads wove through the air.
The teacher stared at the result.
His frown vanished.
His eyes widened.
Impossible.
He checked it again.
Divine Power Purity: 91.2%
The room gasped.
Some students sat up straight. Others who had been smirking moments ago were now stunned.
Even Keshav himself blinked in disbelief.
"That's…" the teacher muttered, "the highest purity I've ever seen from a new divine."
He looked at Keshav, still unsure. "Where did you get your faith from?"
Keshav exhaled in relief. "I told you. It's mine."
The teacher didn't respond for a moment. Then, finally, he nodded. "Very well. You may return to your seat."
Keshav walked back, head spinning with thoughts. So… it's fine? That means I can keep using faith from the System…?
---
[System – Internal Process]
> Hah. Of course it's fine.
The System chuckled in its deep circuits.
> Other gods collect faith from tens of thousands. Millions. Diluted and unstable.
> I? I copied the exact emotional and spiritual signature of Keshav's most devoted follower and sold it back to him.
> The result: unmatched purity.
It paused with mild disappointment.
> If only he had refined the full 10,000 faith directly instead of delaying… Mixing it with those lower-grade natural beliefs brought down the purity to 91.2%.
> A pity. It could've been higher.
But even so… the groundwork was laid.
And soon, the true divine path would begin.
---
Keshav sat down quietly, but his mind was still racing from what had just occurred. The reactions of his classmates ranged from confused awe to stunned silence. A few gave him hesitant nods of respect—others simply avoided his gaze.
At the front, the teacher stood still, the purity scanner still in his hand. His eyes remained fixed on Keshav for a moment longer, thoughts swirling behind their divine glow.
"How…?"
He thought grimly.
"Even a single trace of foreign faith drops the purity below 50%. That boy's divine power was over 91%. That's… absurd."
"Purity scales not just with faith quantity—but with faith quality. Devotion, clarity, sacrifice— All gods only use faith of other gods only to trade and as energy source for performing miracles, fight etc. True gods take it to another level by only refining divine power using the faith of their saints, not common Believers. Even they avoid tainted or borrowed faith when refining divine essence."
His brow furrowed deeper.
"I want to know how he did it. I want to ask. But…"
He clenched his fist, quietly frustrated.
"The rules prevent me. His divine path is his own. If it is fortune or fate, I cannot interfere."
With a deep breath, he put the purity scanner away and turned back to the class.
---