Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 2064: This is nothing

"Is it happening?"

Suddenly, the Mark of God began to glow brightly.

About a week had passed since discovering the rock elementals, during which I steadily infused divine energy into the rock pillar. Gradually, it grew back to its former impressive height.

The pillar now aligned perfectly with the mark on the ground indicating its previous stature.

True to form, the gods never left tasks half-finished.

They deemed the job complete only when the rock pillar returned to its full original dimensions.

Filling the rock pillar would normally have demanded far more time, yet an unexpected shift occurred midway through the process.

While injecting the energy, I noticed it growing progressively simpler to continue nourishing the pillar.

It felt like an unseen force was boosting my abilities, or perhaps streamlining the infusion to make it far more effective.

I realized this trial had taught me plenty about wielding my creation-attributed divine energy, yet the sensation remained oddly peculiar.

Could this entire ordeal simply aim to instruct me in harnessing my abilities?

The illumination of the Mark of God provided the clarity I sought.

For as soon as this enhanced Mark of God activated, I sensed an irregularity in its nature.

The upgraded Mark of God merely boosted its divine energy output by a minor degree. Such a trivial enhancement hardly qualified it as a true upgrade.

Still, a flicker of optimism lingered in me, suggesting this might hold some unique twist.

Otherwise, this wouldn't truly merit the label of a trial...

That prompted me to experiment by extracting various items, eager to uncover additional effects from the Mark of God.

Regardless of what I withdrew, the Mark of God showed no alterations. It appeared no novel abilities emerged from acquiring this upgraded version.

The deeper I pondered, the clearer it became that this resembled a tailored training exercise assigned to me.

In truth, the sole tangible benefit from this trial was the domain now under my command.

Would the gods orchestrate such an event merely to hone my skills with creation divine energy?

If so, were they deliberately opposing the God of Creation?

Or perhaps the God of Creation orchestrated this, intending to manipulate me toward some enigmatic purpose...

Ultimately, the rock elementals offered no time for deeper reflection, as the elder stepped up and declared, "Thank you for restoring our source. Thanks to you, our safety is assured for many years."

Shifting to a more resolute tone, the elder added, "Yet we've learned your world remains threatened, which is why we offer our aid. In ancient times, we aided the gods against the forces of Destruction, and now we'll stand with you."

Upon hearing those words from the elder, I instinctively narrowed my gaze toward it.

Noticing my scrutinizing stare, the elder displayed a puzzled expression, seemingly unaware of the reason.

This reaction made sense, given its generous offer while I eyed it with suspicion. It would have been odd if the elder grasped my underlying doubts.

Deep down, though, I struggled to accept the elder's sudden willingness to assist.

The phrasing of the elder's statement carried an air of something scripted...

Like an NPC.

Its delivery truly suggested some external compulsion driving the offer.

After fixing the elder with my skeptical stare for a moment, I abruptly stated, "No need to push yourselves. We value the gesture, but you don't have to get involved."

Not only were the rock elementals stunned by this, but Klein and the rest of the group also appeared shocked by my response. They stared at me in disbelief.

Despite their surprised glances, I maintained a composed expression, firm in my position.

Finally, the elder cleared its throat and replied gravely, "No need for modesty. This threat endangers the world's very existence, so we cannot remain idle."

"No, you shouldn't come with us," I insisted with equal determination.

A deeply uncomfortable expression crossed the elder's face upon hearing me.

"Your majesty, their assistance isn't harmful. Shouldn't we band together as fellow races of the continent?" Klein interjected from behind me.

Yet I countered, "We know nothing about them. Just because they inhabit the continent, does that justify blind trust without learning more?"

Silence followed my words, though I noted their reactions clearly.

Everyone regarded me as if I were defying convention.

Indeed, at that instant, I wasn't adhering to the expected pattern.

But after grasping the full picture, I simply couldn't stick to the script.

Everything struck me as an intricate scheme, far too neatly arranged...