GOD OF FRAUD

Chapter 1 — The Dead World

Rain tapped softly against the apartment window as I stared at the glowing screen of my old laptop.

The same routine.

Wake up. Work. Come home. Sleep. Repeat.

That was life on Earth.

No magic. No gods. No miracles.

Just endless noise.

I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my tired eyes.

Outside the window, the city of Mumbai glowed beneath the rain-soaked night. Thousands of lights flickered in the darkness like artificial stars. Cars moved endlessly through crowded streets while distant sirens echoed between buildings.

Humanity had conquered the world.

Or at least that was what everyone believed.

I used to believe it too.

My name is Kaiser.

Twenty-five years old.

Graduate. Part-time repair technician. Full-time disappointment.

Not exactly the kind of guy destined to become a god.

"KAISER!"

My mother’s voice echoed from the kitchen.

"Dinner is getting cold!"

"I’m coming!" I shouted back.

I closed the laptop and stood up.

Our apartment wasn’t large, but it was home.

The smell of curry and fresh roti filled the air as I walked into the dining area.

My father sat quietly at the table watching the news on television while my younger sister, Anya, scrolled endlessly through her phone.

"Finally," my mother said while placing food onto my plate. "Do you plan to marry that laptop one day?"

"I would if it earned more money than me."

Anya laughed.

Dad snorted softly while pretending not to.

"Very funny," Mom replied.

I sat down and started eating.

The television continued playing in the background.

Another documentary.

Ancient myths. Lost civilizations. Mysterious religions.

The narrator spoke dramatically.

"Throughout human history, gods existed in every culture. Some ruled the skies while others controlled oceans, fire, or death itself."

Anya rolled her eyes.

"People in ancient times believed anything."

Dad shrugged.

"Maybe they were happier."

I smirked.

"Or crazier."

The documentary showed ancient statues from different civilizations.

Egyptian gods. Greek gods. Hindu gods. Norse gods.

Thousands of years of belief.

Now reduced to stories.

Fiction.

Entertainment.

The narrator continued.

"Some historians believe humanity created gods to explain things science could not."

Mom changed the channel.

"Enough depressing things during dinner."

A cricket match replaced the documentary.

Normal.

Everything felt painfully normal.

If only I had known what waited for me that night.

---

Three hours later, I walked through the narrow streets beneath a broken umbrella.

Rainwater splashed around my shoes.

My phone buzzed.

MESSAGE FROM RAJ:

Bro tomorrow come early. Customer bringing expensive gaming PC.

I typed quickly.

Only if you pay me extra.

His reply came instantly.

Dream first.

I laughed quietly.

Then my phone battery died.

"Perfect."

I shoved it into my pocket.

Most shops had already closed for the night.

Only a few tea stalls remained open beneath flickering neon lights.

Normally, I would head home.

But tonight something felt strange.

A vibration.

A faint humming sound.

I stopped walking.

"...What?"

The sound came again.

Low. Mechanical. Almost like electricity.

I looked around.

The alley beside me was dark and empty.

But the sound was coming from there.

Curiosity is dangerous.

Unfortunately, I’ve never been very smart when it comes to ignoring it.

I stepped into the alley.

Rainwater dripped from rusted pipes overhead.

The deeper I walked, the louder the humming became.

At the end of the alley stood an abandoned building.

I frowned.

I had passed this area hundreds of times.

I had never noticed this building before.

Its walls were cracked and covered with vines.

The windows were broken.

Yet faint blue light glowed from inside.

The humming intensified.

Every instinct told me to leave.

Instead, I walked toward the entrance.

The old metal door creaked open.

Dust filled the air.

The inside looked ancient.

Not old.

Ancient.

As if the building itself did not belong in this era.

The floor was covered with strange symbols.

Circular patterns. Lines. Geometric shapes.

Technology.

At least that was what it looked like.

Except... wrong.

The symbols resembled circuit boards mixed with religious carvings.

I moved slowly through the darkness.

Then I saw it.

A metallic object resting on a stone platform.

About the size of a suitcase.

Black. Smooth. Covered with glowing blue lines.

The humming sound came from it.

I stared.

"...No way."

It looked impossibly advanced.

More futuristic than anything I had ever seen.

My first thought?

Hidden government tech.

My second thought?

Sell it.

Then the blue lines suddenly brightened. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The entire room shook.

I stepped back immediately.

"What the hell?!"

The object unfolded.

Mechanical parts shifted and rotated silently.

A holographic screen appeared in midair.

My breath stopped.

Impossible.

The screen flickered.

Unknown language filled the air.

Then slowly...

The symbols changed.

English.

ACCESS DETECTED.

EARTH SIGNATURE CONFIRMED.

LAST USER STATUS: DECEASED.

INITIATING SUCCESSOR PROTOCOL.

I froze.

"...Successor?"

Another message appeared.

WARNING. EARTH SPIRITUAL ENERGY: DEPLETED.

DIVINE NETWORK: DISCONNECTED.

SEARCHING FOR ACTIVE DIMENSIONAL PATHWAYS...

FOUND.

A map appeared above the device.

Not a normal map.

Stars.

Galaxies.

Worlds.

Thousands of glowing points filled the hologram.

Then one bright symbol appeared far away from Earth.

SPIRITUAL ENERGY DETECTED. DIVINE ACTIVITY DETECTED.

My heart pounded.

"This has to be fake..."

But even as I said it, I knew.

Nothing about this was fake.

The machine suddenly projected an image into the air.

A figure.

Tall. Shadowed.

Its body looked partly mechanical.

Its voice echoed through the room.

"Earth has fallen."

I stumbled backward.

The figure continued.

"The spiritual age has ended."

Its glowing eyes turned toward me.

"If you are hearing this message... then I am already gone."

My mouth went dry.

"This is insane..."

"The gods abandoned Earth long ago after its spiritual energy was exhausted."

The hologram shifted.

Images appeared.

Gods.

Gigantic beings floating above ancient cities.

Creatures made of fire. Storms. Golden temples. Armies kneeling before divine figures.

Then war.

A mechanical god standing above the planet.

Machines covering the sky.

Energy draining from Earth itself.

The figure spoke again.

"I was the final ruler of this world."

The God of Technology.

My chest tightened.

Impossible.

Yet the words felt strangely real.

"I severed Earth from the divine realms to preserve humanity."

The image flickered violently.

"But eventually... even I could not escape decline."

The hologram looked directly at me.

"If humanity ever rediscovers the divine..."

"Then a successor must rise."

The machine emitted a sharp pulse.

WARNING. DIMENSIONAL GATE OPENING.

A circular portal appeared in the middle of the room.

Blue light exploded outward.

Wind roared violently.

I covered my face.

"What is happening?!"

The hologram spoke one final sentence.

"Faith creates gods."

Then the portal pulled me forward.

My eyes widened.

"WAIT—!"

The force became overwhelming.

I grabbed desperately onto the stone platform.

My fingers slipped.

And suddenly—

Everything vanished.

---

Pain.

That was the first thing I felt.

Every part of my body hurt.

I groaned and slowly opened my eyes.

Grass.

Cold air.

The smell of earth and rain.

I blinked repeatedly.

"...Where am I?"

The sky above me looked wrong.

Three moons hung in the darkness.

Three.

I sat up instantly.

My breathing quickened.

"No..."

The portal.

The machine.

The hologram.

It was real.

I looked around wildly.

Dense forest surrounded me.

Giant trees towered overhead.

Blue glowing insects floated through the air like living lanterns.

Then I felt it.

A strange pressure.

Warm.

Heavy.

Like invisible energy filling the atmosphere.

The hairs on my arms stood up.

"...Spiritual energy?"

The words escaped my mouth automatically.

I laughed nervously.

"This is crazy."

Then I heard voices.

My body froze.

People.

Coming closer.

I quickly hid behind a massive tree.

A group carrying torches walked through the forest.

Men wearing leather armor.

Swords at their waists.

One of them suddenly stopped.

He sniffed the air.

"Someone is here."

Another man frowned.

"I sense no divine blessing."

My heartbeat accelerated.

Divine blessing?

The men spread out.

Searching.

One of them stepped directly toward my hiding place.

Panic exploded inside me.

I reached into my pocket instinctively.

My hand touched something.

My phone.

Dead battery.

Wait.

Power bank.

Still charged.

An idea formed instantly.

A stupid idea.

But maybe my only idea.

The man approached the tree.

Three more steps.

Two.

One.

I jumped out suddenly.

And turned on my flashlight directly into his eyes.

Bright white light exploded through the darkness.

The man screamed.

"AHHH!"

The others stumbled backward.

"What kind of light magic is that?!"

My brain moved faster than fear.

Good.

They don’t understand technology.

I lowered my voice.

"Bow."

The men froze.

I raised the flashlight slowly.

Electric white light illuminated my face from below.

Honestly?

Even I looked terrifying.

"I said..."

I pointed the beam directly at them.

"Bow."

The forest became silent.

Then one man dropped to his knees.

The others immediately followed.

My heart nearly stopped.

No way.

NO WAY.

The leader trembled.

"Forgive us, divine one."

Divine one.

I swallowed.

This world really believed in gods.

And right now...

A flashlight looked like divine power.

A dangerous thought entered my mind.

If they believed...

Then what else could I make them believe?

The wind moved softly through the trees.

The strange energy in the air pulsed faintly around me.

For a brief moment, I felt warmth gathering inside my chest.

Small.

But real.

The kneeling men looked at me with fear and awe.

And suddenly...

I understood.

Faith had power here.

Real power.

The impossible idea formed slowly in my mind.

A lie so ridiculous that no sane person should ever consider it.

Yet staring at the terrified warriors before me...

I realized something terrifying.

Maybe this world would believe anything.

And if belief creates gods...

Then perhaps even an ordinary man from Earth...

Could become divine.

I slowly smiled.

"My name..."

The flashlight illuminated the darkness like holy light.

"...is Kaiser."

The men lowered their heads further.

None of them noticed the slight shaking in my hands.

Because the truth was simple.

I wasn’t a god.

Not yet.

But maybe...

I could fake it long enough to become one.

And somewhere deep inside me...

A new title quietly began to awaken.

The God of Deception.

END OF Chapter 1

Author Note:

The early Chapters of this novel focus more on world-building, mystery, and complex lore. If you feel the beginning is complicated or slow, you can directly start reading from Chapter 80, where the story shifts into a more action-focused light novel style with stronger focus on Kaiser, battles, hero moments, romance, and character development.

However, reading from the beginning will give better emotional impact and understanding of the world.