God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Stan stared at the group of people with a stoic gaze, but his heart was completely in turmoil. After all, he had just asked a difficult question.

Giving them a foreign substance for them to take into their body that could end up killing them, or leaving them to a fate worse than death was something he had a bit of an internal struggle when doing.

Should anything bad happen to them, it meant their blood would be on his head...

"So you are saying if we eat these things, we will have powers like you and Sue?" Maya asked with a dumbfounded expression.

"Yes, but unlike us, you will have to pay a price for the power you will attain. These things aren't so easy..." Stan said with a complicated expression.

"I see... If that's the case, then I'll do it without hesitation." The look of worry and suspicion on Maya's face immediately changed to one of resolve.

Every single one of them also griped onto the magical corals as though they held onto dear life itself. They had just been told they might finally have a shot at survival in this cruel world. A world that was starting to reject their very existence...

"I'll do it too!"

"How do you even eat this thing?"

"Do we eat it right now? Or do we have to wait some more?!"

"Hold up!" Stan calmed the agitated crowd. The group of people instantly fell silent, their eyes looking up at Stan with a fire that burned in their souls.

Letting out a tired sigh, Stan spoke solemnly, "There is a probability that taking this thing can lead to a fate worse than death. The only information we have from the system is that to attain this sort of power, you must first give something in return."

They all fell silent, but Stan was able to see that the fire in their eyes was still burning.

"I see..."

'System, how do they use the {Vitality Coral}?'

{Replying to host: Since the {Vitality Coral} is a remnant of the sea god, or in more accurate terms, a sea god, they should concentrate and invoke the name of the sea god that appears in their consciousness...}

'A sea god, huh... There is more than one?'

{Replying to host: Affirmative...}

"To use it, stay focused and concentrate on the coral in your hands. A name will appear in your mind. Once it does, call it out..." Stan explained.

"That is all?"

"Seems simple enough..."

They all seemed relieved when they found out the process wasn't complicated. One by one, they all shut their eyes and concentrated on the coral in their hands.

The rainbow glow slowly flowed upwards, from the coral into their heads through their temples. The looks on their faces quickly morphed from joy to annoyance, to discomfort, to pain, to anguish in a few seconds.

Banshee-like screams of pain filled the air, creating a conundrum of suffering...

"W-what's going on now?" Sue asked in a panic.

"I don't know..." Stan had a look of distress on his face as he watched them moan and groan in pain.

Blood began seeping out of their eye sockets as they held onto their head and cried out.

All this stopped soon enough, as the screams and wails came to an end gradually. From kneeling or lying positions, they all stood to their feet, their eyes glazed over.

In soft, almost murmur-like voices, they called out the name of the god whose essence they had ingested.

"I offer my divinity to Levron, the god of the south cosmic sea, ruler of the murky depths..."

They were all struck in a trance and didn't seem to be aware of their surroundings while Stan and Sue watched in shock.

The water in the ocean began bubbling violently, as a strange light began to rise out from their bodies. The light was of a blinding gold pigment surrounded by a pure white halo with runes and strange inscriptions covering it.

The golden lights slowly rose above their heads and floated there for a while before they suddenly fazed out of existence.

The {Vitality Corals} in the hands of the people standing before Stan shattered into pieces. At the same time, the glazed eyes of the people grasping unto them gained clarity all of a sudden.

They looked disgruntled for a while before they finally got a bearing on their surroundings.

"Maya, what happened?" Seeing that they had finally gotten ahold of themselves, Stan immediately inquired of Maya what had happened.

Maya stared at Stan with starry eyes, then began narrating what she had seen in her trance in a dreamy voice;

"It was so surreal... We stood above an endless ocean with so much life in it. Fishes, big and small with all sorts of colors swam within the ocean. Huge sea creatures and underwater beings that I couldn't even see the ends of swayed and stirred up waves..."

Before she could go on, Sue cut her off...

"Levron, this sea god, who or what exactly is he?"

There was a brief pause from Maya as she struggled to organize her thoughts...

"I couldn't see his full form, but he appeared like a huge shadow that stretched from horizon to horizon, completely covering the surface of the water. Despite this, he didn't block any light coming from the sun or moon. This is because the light from his eyes was just as bright as heavenly bodies."

"A single breath from him was able to create tides and shift that incredible ocean. He... He was the one that offered us this power." Maya said as she clenched her fist.

Looking at them, Stan and Sue were able to see the previously pale expressions of the people surrounding them turn rosy and vibrant. They were instantly filled with the power of the sea god they made a contract with...

"What did you have to offer in exchange for this power?" Stan asked with narrowed eyes.

"He told us all we had to do to obtain his power was to offer up a portion of our 'divinity', whatever that means..."

"Divinity? What is that?" Sue asked in suspicion.

"I have no idea as well," Maya said with a couldn't care less look on her face. She was far more excited about the power coursing through her body.

The {Vitality Corals} increased their physical stats, all the way from 10 to 60 points. A five times increase was so drastic, they were able to feel its effect vividly and immediately.

Stan decided to ask the system, 'System, what exactly is divinity?'

{Replying to host: Host currently lacks sufficient system points to purchase this piece of information...}

'Hm? My points aren't enough?!' Stan was a bit shocked at this. He had over 50,000 system points due to his hesitancy to overspend his precious hard-earned system points, so for that not to be enough to purchase just one piece of information was nearly ludicrous.

"Seems like we can't more information on that for now," Sue said with a frown.

"Don't worry... It doesn't seem to be an issue for now. When the time comes, we'll see what we can do." Stan comforted her.

"I can't believe it! I can breathe well again!"

"That crushing invincible weight is gone as well!"

"Look at me! I can jump so high!"

"I feel even stronger than before!"

"I don't feel as hungry as I used to! This is amazing!"

Those that had been granted power by Levron the sea god yelled in joy as they explored the extent of their new abilities.

The joy they felt was beyond explanation. They had finally acquired the most essential characteristics necessary for survival in this new world.

"Pay attention!" A sudden shout from Stan cooled the bubbly atmosphere down.

"You all might not know this, but right now, you all have been granted only 50 extra points to your physical stats, namely, strength, agility, defense, perception, vitality, and so on... It might seem like a lot, but on a grander scale, it is but a drop of water in the ocean."

Stan let his words sink in before he continued, "You all can finally perform activities normally and might even be able to defeat the weakest of mutant beasts, but you might not even stand a chance against the weakest devils. Don't let this sudden gain of power get into your head! Should you ever be in a situation where combat is required, make sure self-defense is your number one priority.

Am I clear?!"

The authoritative voice Stan spoke with, combined with the gratitude they had for Stan because of the whole ordeal with the {Vitality Corals} made respect blossom within their hearts.

"Yes sir!" They all replied as loud as they could.

Their reply made a tinge of pink appear on Stan's face as he tried to look for an appropriate response to their enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Sue was busy giggling and having the time of her life watching from a distance."

"No, just treat me as you have been. There's no need for pleasantries." Stan hurriedly said.

Although he had helped them, Stan had done it for the convenience of everyone involved which included himself and Sue. Now, they would not have to worry over every small incident that occurred, and the other people would at least be able to bear the shockwaves produced by their battles...

"How long have we been here?" Stan asked Maya who was now standing beside him gallantly.

"Three to four hours... " Maya said with a professional look on her face. Regardless of the circumstances, she found herself in previously, it still didn't change the fact that she was once a professional staff of the school, and was used to receiving orders.

Now that she finally had a little bit of control over her fate, she had regained her composure.

"Four hours, huh... I wonder how they are doing over there." Stan said as he gazed off into the distance where he could still see the head of the gigantic {Flame Devil}.

"Probably worse than us..." Sue said solemnly.

This statement couldn't be any more true...