The Seventh Calamity: I am the True Villain!
Chapter 38: Ch 38 - One after Another

Chapter 38: Ch 38 - One after Another

Apostles.

A rank of honor offered to those who show their strength and devotion to their respective gods.

It is both, an honor and a lifelong reward given to the most loyal believers.

In a normal sense, if gods were to be called almighty, then apostles — the beings known as their proxy — were no weaker than demigods at their full potential.

Miracles, abnormal strength, overpowered abilities, and most of all, influence and the weight of being the god’s proxy — Kai had rejected all of this at once.

Even inside the game, where hundreds of thousands of gods existed, those who had become proxies to even the weakest of the gods, it was a fact that they had lived their lives in luxury.

At that point, Kai’s dream of living a normal life just like others could’ve been achieved just like that.

But he was thinking of a future so distant, that it made it seem almost unreal.

Just like how he knew the existence of gods and apostles, he knew that such a job was not meant for him.

Becoming a god’s apostle was no better than becoming their true dog in existence and wagging the tail at their — the master’s — orders.

In a job where even the slightest bit of negligence would cause one to get their powers stolen by their gods and fall to the level zero, it was too big of a risk.

Not to forget, once bound to a god, one could not grow stronger than them, for their strength belonged to them and came from them; thus, in no sense could they surpass their masters.

For a cowardly dragon who had just learnt the art of flying and wished to soar higher than any other in the sky, he wouldn’t have chosen to limit his sky just to become a lapdog of someone else.

"System, care to show me the description?" He mumbled under his breath in an almost annoyed tone.

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[### Passive Skill - Enhanced Senses]

[• Grade: Rare]

[• Linked Stat: Perception]

[• Description:]

[Your connection to the sensory world has deepened beyond normal limits. Through sheer will and traumatic adaptation, your sensory channels have begun to evolve.]

[- Slightly enhances all five primary senses (Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch) beyond the peak of human limits.]

[- Improves reflexes and environmental awareness.]

[- Increases resistance to sensory distortion, illusion-type effects, and perception-altering debuffs.]

[- Amplifies hidden cues such as micro-changes in enemy movement, aura fluctuations, or killing intent (scales with Perception stat).]

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Reading through the information displayed on the screen thoroughly, Kai’s arm automatically stretched upwards and bent back as his hand patted his own back.

"Well done, Kai. You did a great job choosing the reward."

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[Since you’ve now cleared the fourth Trial, You are now being presented with a choice.]

[• The gates leading to Earth have now been stabilized. Thus, you may now return if you wish; however, you will lose everything you gained here in return.]

[• Proceed with the next Trial.]

---

Kai looked at the screen with a confused expression. He was unsure whether to call the system stupid or extra stupid.

"Who in their right mind would be stupid enough to fall for that... Bet this ’Everything’ includes even the full recoveries we received. System, I’d like to continue." He said while disappointingly shaking his head sideways.

As soon as he said so, another system window appeared, bearing a message that even he did not anticipate in the wildest of his dreams.

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[Congratulations, You have successfully cleared the Fifth Trial—Trial of Willpower.]

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He rubbed his eyes quite a few times and stared at the screen for a few moments, and then proceeded to slightly bump it with his fingers at one of its corners — trying to fix its unknown fault.

Suddenly, the content over the system screen disappeared and all that was left was a blank cerulean-translucent screen hovering mid-air in front of his eyes.

But the very next instant, new texts appeared, indicating that it wasn’t a fault, but the mere, raw truth.

---

[Providing appropriate rewards...]

[A New stat — Willpower — has been Unlocked!]

[Basic Trial Clearance Rewards - (+3) Willpower stats.]

---

"You can’t be serious right now..." Kai stared at the screen with silent aggression. He wanted to fight, and experience that same feeling from before — the feeling of exhilaration.

But now, another one of the Trials had not only confused but also disappointed him greatly.

’I still don’t know what made them think I completed the trial already...’

Then, out of thin air, another Screen materialized, overlapping the previous one.

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[Since you are the first to complete the Trial of Willpower, you are being rewarded with a special privilege!]

[You may now choose an extra reward from the choices below.]

[• Be an apostle of the respective God/Goddess.]

[• a Willpower-related skill]

[• or, a piece of armor.]

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"Wait, again? Aight... Skill!" He said as he slowly sat on the ground with his arm resting on his knees and face on his palm.

---

[You have successfully obtained a New Passive Skill - Unshakable Resolve!]

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The screen then automatically stretched below and the skill’s description appeared.

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[### Passive Skill - Unshaken Resolve]

[• Grade: Unique]

[• Linked Stat: Willpower]

[• Description:]

[Your mind is a fortress — honed through pain, rejection, and sheer defiance. Even when the world crumbles, your will stands tall. Your ability to endure psychological pressure, resist control, and maintain clarity in the face of overwhelming odds has surpassed natural limits.]

[- Grants immunity to basic-level mental control effects, including fear, charm, confusion, and sleep-type debuffs.]

[- Reduces duration and potency of advanced mental interference skills or divine coercion.]

[- When your Health falls below the Dangerous level, it activates "Indomitable Surge" — temporarily increases all resistances by 15% and mental clarity by 50% for 10 seconds (scales with Willpower).]

[- Greatly enhances resistance against divine pressure, curses, or soul-level intimidation.]

[- Increases the success rate of resistance-based checks during soul-binding, corruption, or contract-based temptations.]

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"The description looks cringe as fuck, but I’m proud of you, Kai Evernox..." and the patting continues...

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[You may now proceed to the Sixth Trial — Trial of Intelligence.]

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