The power bestowed by the Ring of the Sky was a form of brainwashing—a force that naturally subdued its targets.
Its method of growing stronger was also quite simple: it only needed to brainwash more beings.
When a single target was fully subdued, the ring absorbed a small amount of power from it, gradually increasing its size.
‘What had once been a mere fingernail-sized fragment slowly grew larger in this way.’
As the Ring of the Sky had stated, its power had limitations when it came to brainwashing humans, especially mages.
The sheer complexity of a mage’s mind and the resilience of their soul were insurmountable barriers.
So, those who wielded this power turned to monsters instead.
Most monsters lacked intelligence relative to their strength, making them much easier to subjugate.
Their method proved to be highly effective.
The power of the Ring of the Sky fundamentally granted happiness.
Life in the wild was a constant struggle of pain and suffering.
The anxiety and torment monsters experienced in that existence were transformed into bliss under the ring’s influence.
Thus, monsters felt only happiness and naturally followed the one who wielded that power.
To experience even greater joy, they obeyed every command their master gave.
**
I stared blankly out the window.
At the base of the mountain, where dense trees once stood, all the land had been cleared away, creating a vast plain.
Within it, various monsters roamed and played.
It had been two weeks since the Ring of the Sky’s lecture.
In that time, a rather large monster zone had been established.
It was Hao’s work—a space where students had released monsters.
I was slightly worried that Hao might lose control again after receiving the ring’s power.
However, this time, he hadn’t caused any major problems.
On the contrary, he handled that power with great caution.
Hao used the power granted by the Ring of the Sky more carefully than anyone else.
Even after completely brainwashing—or rather, in the ring’s terms, making a single monster “happy”—he did not immediately move on to the next target.
Instead, he devoted himself to caring for the monster even more.
And the monster, in turn, remained utterly happy.
Hao claimed that this power was a blessing from the Ring of the Sky and insisted that it should not be used merely to control others.
He believed that such use would ultimately lead to limitations.
“If we make them happy first, then they will, in turn, bring us happiness.”
With that declaration, he created the monster zone and, alongside his companions, began tending to the monsters.
***
I spotted figures climbing the mountain.
It was the time for the tower to open, so students were gathering from all directions.
And at their destination, beneath the tower, a familiar figure was already present—Hao.
He and the people around him were handing out leaflets to the students entering the tower.
Even when students ignored them and walked past, he remained unfazed, simply approaching others with a smile and continuing to distribute the flyers.
Yes, he had found companions.
Or perhaps, rather than calling them companions, “followers” would be more accurate.
Within these two weeks, he had somehow become a cult leader.
Everyone around him wore the same attire—a robe with a black base and a white ring emblazoned on it.
This was the uniform of the religious order they had created.
They called themselves the Church of the Ring of the Sky.
And their leader was Hao.
I scratched my cheek in silence, feeling a little baffled.
To be honest, I had already known that Hao was deeply moved by the Ring of the Sky.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have visited it seven times during the lecture period.
And during those visits, he had even claimed to have reached enlightenment.
***
About a week had passed before he began preaching his faith in the Ring of the Sky.
He became an extremely devoted believer, even going so far as to seek me out, asking if he could meet the ring directly.
At first, I thought he had been completely consumed by its power.
The moment I heard his absurd request, I immediately examined his condition.
However, no matter how many times I checked—through my magic and even using a Mirror Bug—I found no abnormalities in him.
Concerned that there might be some hidden issue, I even performed a purification, but the result was the same.
Hao was completely fine, yet he still maintained his unwavering faith in the Ring of the Sky.
Even when I asked the ring about it, I received no clear answer.
It simply stated that it had taught Hao about happiness.
It was so confident in its claim that it even offered to let me review their conversation.
Despite my lingering doubts, I reviewed the records of their discussion.
But I found nothing particularly unusual.
Hao had merely confessed his past and his guilt, and the Ring of the Sky had shared a few stories in response.
After that conversation, he had chosen to believe in the ring. It was baffling.
I had always known he was gullible—enough to believe anything that came out of the Fang Necklace’s mouth—but I never imagined he would go so far as to create a religion.
Still, I couldn’t exactly call this unnatural.
‘If he wanted to believe in the Ring of the Sky, what could I do?’ I couldn’t force him to stop.
Even if I tried to suppress it, the religion would undoubtedly continue somewhere in secret.
Rather than letting it fester in the shadows, it was far easier to let it operate openly and keep an eye on it.
Even with some lingering doubts, there was no helping it.
Besides, it had proven to be quite useful.
***
I looked over the vast monster zone.
Thanks to its existence, I had been able to find some peace of mind.
Treasures generally enjoyed consuming monsters.
Because of this, they often used their granted requests to obtain them.
So, I needed to secure as many monsters as possible.
But the monsters around the tower had long been hunted to extinction—whether by me or by others who sought to strengthen their Fang Necklace’s power.
As a result, I often had to venture farther out to find more.
Normally, I didn’t mind.
Riding on a turtle and watching it swallow monsters was almost like taking a stroll.
Lately, though, it had become a hassle—because of assignments.
Even while constantly thinking about puppets, I couldn’t ignore the treasures’ unceasing demands.
The recent influx of new treasures into the boards had only made matters worse.
In that situation, the monster zone had been a relief.
Now, I only had to buy a few monsters at a cheap price.
They were too blissful to resist anyway.
***
I focused my magic on my eyes to read their flyers.
They were nothing more than simple sheets of paper stating:
“Believe in the Ring of the Sky, and you will find happiness.”
The religion they had created lacked any clear doctrine or specific goals.
Hao simply believed in the Ring of the Sky and followed it.
‘Who would be drawn to a faith like that?’
At first, I had thought as much.
But I was wrong.
Little by little, some began to seek Hao out.
Like him, they were all people who had received power from the Ring of the Sky.
Of course, not all of them joined.
At first, the religion had only four members.
Even now, two weeks later, their numbers had not grown significantly.
I roughly counted them.
There were about ten in total.
Compared to before, they had only gained five new members.
I frowned slightly.
‘Was “only five” the right way to put it?’
On the other hand, it was rather impressive.
In such a short period, they had doubled in size.
***
“What are you doing?”
Mira, curious about why I had been staring out the window for so long, approached me.
She followed my gaze and spotted Hao, a faint smile forming on her lips.
“Ah, so they’ve started proselytizing now? How amusing.”
“Would you like to watch? I plan to observe them today.”
“Why not? I won’t say no.”
A waiting shadow puppet brought over a chair for her—one I had previously crafted in the form of a beautiful woman.
Mira seemed fond of it, often taking it along with her.
She sat down and leaned against me, and I gently supported her.
Together, we continued watching the Church of the Ring of the Sky.
Today was their first day of proselytizing.
Until now, they had never taken such bold action.
Their strategy was quite calculated.
They showed little enthusiasm toward ordinary people, only approaching them once or twice before moving on.
Instead, they targeted those who possessed the same power as them—those who had received the Ring of the Sky’s gift.
Most of these students ignored the church entirely.
Yet, the members clung to them persistently.
Just like now.
A sharp-eyed student had been caught in their grasp.
Annoyed, he unleashed a surge of magic, knocking them all to the ground.
He muttered something under his breath, then scoffed at them before walking away.
I couldn’t hear what he said from here, but I could tell from the movement of his lips.
“Fools, blinded by their treasures.”
Something along those lines.
I nodded quietly.
I felt the same way.
But no matter how many times I examined them, I couldn’t detect anything abnormal.
They were simply following and believing in the Ring of the Sky.
***
Morning came, and they continued proselytizing until everyone had entered the tower.
Only after handing out every last leaflet did they finally head inside.
Through the eyes of the Mirror Bug and the Shadow Puppet trailing them, I kept track of their movements.
Inside the tower, they behaved completely normally.
They didn’t attempt further proselytization or draw any particular attention to themselves.
They absorbed mana with enthusiasm, diligently trained their magic, and some even challenged the upper floors.
Others managed the monsters outside the tower.
Their daily lives were no different from anyone else’s.
Of course, there were moments when they gathered together, but their meetings weren’t particularly significant.
They simply listened to Hao speak for a while before dispersing.
It wasn’t until evening that their behavior began to change.
They gathered in a quiet room on the first floor—one that no one else visited.
Before them lay a single Mirror Bug.
Sitting in a proper posture, they stared at the Mirror Bug in silence.
Hao stood in front of it and bowed his head.
At that moment, the Mirror Bug emitted a faint glow.
“Thank you for taking the time to be with us again today, our great Ring of the Sky.”
Hao’s voice was filled with reverence.
In response, the Mirror Bug projected text into the air, forming a steady line of words.
[-You don’t need to call me that. Just ‘Ring of the Sky’ is fine.]
Hao shook his head and thumped his chest with fervor.
“How could I? You are the one who granted us lowly beings great enlightenment and power. I will always etch your teachings deep in my heart and follow them.”
[-If that makes you happy, then I am satisfied.]
“Your words are a blessing. As the Ring of the Sky commands, we will always strive for happiness.”
Hao bowed deeply.
Those behind him followed suit, lowering their heads toward the Mirror Bug.
[-So, why have you called me today?]
“Today, we spread the word of happiness to others and devoted ourselves to training. And at the end of the day, we have gathered to hear your words. Here, we offer you our tribute.”
Hao presented a scorecard.
[-Thank you. You have worked hard today. Keep up the good work.]
The Ring of the Sky responded simply.
Hao nodded in acknowledgment before turning to the others.
Raising the fragment of the ring above his head, he spoke, his voice steady.
The Ring of the Sky has spoken:
“I see your efforts. Hardships will continue to come your way, but do not falter. Endure all pain, for at the end of it, even greater happiness awaits you.'”
“Let us offer our prayers to the Ring of the Sky and conclude today’s service.”
Hao clasped his hands together, forming a large circle before placing it over his chest.
The others mimicked his actions, mirroring his posture.
I let out a wry smile.
I had seen this scene multiple times before.
Every day, they gathered like this, offering their tribute to the Ring of the Sky.
A form of worship, just as they called it.
Mira, watching beside me, burst into laughter.
This was her first time witnessing their ritual.
“Hehe, is this real? How amusing. I thought it was odd enough that they believed in treasures, but to think they went this far.”
Believing in treasures wasn’t uncommon.
Their power was immense, so there had always been those who worshipped them.
However, that kind of devotion was usually seen among outcasts, like weeds growing in the shadows.
A mage behaving this way was a first.
I continued to watch them closely.
Their actions afterward were the same as before—they resumed training, then later gathered at the entrance at the appointed time.
And once again, they proselytized.
Even as countless people ignored them, they were undeterred.
Their conviction was palpable, almost as if they carried a sense of duty.
I pulled up Hao’s information once more, checking for any changes.
[-Physical Score: 38 points. You’re steadily improving. Very good.]
[-Mental Score: 96 points. Your mind is highly elevated. How about calming down just a little?]
[-Soul Score: 33 points. Completely normal. No abnormalities detected.]
[-Overall Evaluation: You are deeply immersed in something. Sometimes, taking a step back offers a clearer perspective.]
Once again, no abnormalities.
Only his mental score kept rising.
That was the only strange thing.
The stronger his belief became, the higher that score climbed.
***
Eventually, everyone left the tower.
The believers cleaned up and began descending the mountain.
Nothing particularly unusual occurred.
It was almost identical to the previous day—except that proselytization had now become part of their routine.
“Mira, you should get some rest. This was less interesting than I expected.”
Perhaps there was no need to pay them any attention after all.
At this rate, it might just be a hobby of theirs.
Not that I actually believed that.
This was definitely an anomaly.
A mage putting their faith in something? Even a passing dog wouldn’t believe such nonsense.
***
Morning came, and once again, they started proselytizing.
I stared at them absentmindedly.
Their approach was the same as yesterday—handing out flyers, striking up conversations.
But there was one difference.
Noticing it, I furrowed my brows slightly.
Their numbers had increased.
Yesterday, there had been ten of them.
Now, there were eleven.
The newest addition was none other than the sharp-eyed student who had rejected them before.
He now stood among them, smiling brightly as he handed out flyers to others.
The next day, another member joined their ranks.
Watching this unfold, I let out a sigh.
Something was definitely going on.
They had made their move—now it was my turn to respond.
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