I Hate Systems

"I had lived a fulfilling life until now, Your Lordship," Pnolli spoke as he stood on the branch of a tree situated partway up a mountain and stared at his village which resembled a town now. "I don't have any other desires."

"Seems you're on the last stretch of your life." Compass Carburettor said, having appeared behind the old man.

"You look exactly the same as before." Pnolli smiled wryly, "Even though I am content, at times, I just can't help but feel envious of the power you possess."

"Limitless knowledge and endless creativity, not to mention being a perineal being. I wonder how that is," He sighed, "Especially since even to this date, I've yet to become even a Spirit. I'm only borrowing power all along."

"So, why?" He stared at Compass Carburettor with a saddened expression, "You should know with clarity that I've been harbouring thoughts and jealousy towards you all along. In recent times, I've even thought of ways to steal your power."

"Though I failed, but still, why was I unpunished?" He expressed a frustrated expression on his wrinkled face, "I've seen other Deities from afar. And even the slightest of blasphemy against them is met with the cruellest of punishments."

"So, why wasn't I punished even once to date?"

Compass Carburettor stared at Pnolli in silence, aware that Pnolli was just venting at the final moments of his life. With the sheer extent of knowledge he had accumulated, he could accurately calculate the time of his death.

There were just a few more minutes. Hence, he wished to inquire about the reason. Throughout his life, he wasn't a saint. He had plenty of selfish moments. The journey he started became warped somewhere along the way.

He recovered, continued the journey, faced new circumstances, became warped, and recovered; the cycle went on. But no matter what, when he sought power, he was granted it immediately.

Not once was he refused. It was one of the strongest puzzlements he had harboured for decades. And now, before his natural death, it burst out, prompting him to confront the God of Humanity.

"Your body has grown weak from age," Compass Carburettor spoke slowly, staring right into Pnolli's face as he asked, "But, if you wished to kill someone, can you do it?"

"Yes," Pnolli nodded, "I have thousands of ways to kill them without even hinting others of the cause."

"Yes, you're that knowledgeable now and have the experience necessary to effortlessly pull it off." Compass Carburettor nodded before letting out a confident smirk as he pointed at himself, "But I can do it faster and the methods I can use in your situation surpass a million."

"That's the answer to all your questions." Compass Carburettor smirked, "Anything you can do, I can do it better. This extends to you, your family, your village, and the entirety of humanity."

"Haha, that makes perfect sense." Pnolli sighed, "It seems I was blind until the end."

"You're not a Deity like the others." He laughed wryly and closed his eyes, leaning on the trunk of the tree as he breathed his last, "You truly represent us."

"The God of Humanity."

In his final moments, Pnolli understood that the reason he wasn't punished was simply that Compass Carburettor didn't wish to do so. After all, any action that he, as a human, committed wasn't a sin.

After all, as the God of Humanity, Compass Carburettor represented everything that humans were capable of, the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, nothing a human does can actually offend him.

You can save others? I can save all!

You can kill others? I can kill all!

You can swindle people? I can swindle everyone!

The God of Humanity was someone that stood at the literal peak of everything humans could ever achieve. And along the same vein, despite Pnolli slipping from his path numerous times, he wasn't punished because simply…

Compass Carburettor liked him.

It was favouritism at its finest. A human had his bias, showed favouritism, etc. Being the God of Humanity didn't mean Compass Carburettor loved all humans equally. Nope.

Everything he did was at the pinnacle of humanity, including his show of favouritism.

"You've done an incredible job, Pnolli. Thanks to you, billions of people are aware of my existence and pray towards me. I'm only able to move freely without turning into stone as a result." Compass Carburettor smiled in gratitude as he gently patted the figure of the dead Pnolli, "So, rest well."

"I never made you a Spirit, but what you did for me surpasses what anyone could ever hope to achieve."

Pnolli's figure began to disintegrate as it transformed into faith that flowed into him. At the last moment of his life, he was at peace upon hearing the answer to the question that had plagued him for all his life.

Upon hearing that the God he prayed towards actually favoured him the most was beyond what he had ever wished for. It surpassed his desire to become a Spirit by miles. Truth be told, he was wielding the power of a Spirit for most of his life. After all, whenever he wanted, he borrowed the power, having never been refused even once.

So, the final acknowledgement in his life from the one he respected the most was all he needed, a result that symbolised his entire being into his faith. As a result, his body transformed into a stream of faith and flowed into Compass Carburettor.

The result of that came as a pleasant surprise, for he gained a new addition to his strength.

Avatar of Humanity—Pnolli (Traveller)!

As Pnolli had surrendered his entire existence to the God of Humanity before his death, his data was wholly available, including his mind, stored in the God of Humanity's Tool of Authority.

And with a thought, his figure morphed as Compass Carburettor became Pnolli. Moreover, he could vary Pnolli's age as he pleased.

At this moment, there wasn't an ounce of divinity in him like a Deity. He had truly become a normal human that travelled from one place to another all his life, the mortal human, Pnolli.

It would seem like this power was useless, but it was the greatest power he had attained. After all, it gave him two possibilities.

First, interact with people not as the God of Humanity but as Pnolli. Second, while as Pnolli, he could leave his mountain—his divine land—and venture forth into the world beyond.