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Translator: penny
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Ancient God Versia
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Long ago, it was said that the Selection Process was ruled by ancient beings.
Then the current gods seized it, divided the space-time, copied it, and turned it into what we have now.
Of course, there are other interpretations.
-It must have been a close fight. The ancient gods' influence is still considerable, so it's hard to say they simply lost.
In short, it wasn't a defeat that forced their retreat, but something done by agreement.
They handed over this world willingly, in exchange for the right to steadily exert influence.
And regardless of which side is true, players going through the Selection Process can encounter fragments of them.
As the goddess made her presence known, the wind vanished completely. With the wind's howl gone, the mountaintop was instantly enveloped in silence.
...To the point where it felt like the world itself had stopped.
Whoosh.
Amid that stillness, light was born. As if cradling starlight, a soft glow emanated from the goddess's body. Only then could people sense her extraordinary presence.
"How dare you spew vulgar filth at a goddess. You're worthless trash not even fit to live."
Her face was infinitely benevolent, yet her chilling voice froze the very air, giving off total psycho vibes. Her appearance and personality were that mismatched.
"Hoo, gotta hold back. Right, everyone? We have to stick to the good side. If you say my tits are like a cow's or my ass is so big I'll pop out babies easy, I might just snap and kill you all?"
As Versia glanced at the Chinese group, they flinched and trembled. The swagger from moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
'No idiot would jump in at this timing.'
Thankfully, they weren't that brainless. The Chinese quickly stopped all their obnoxious behavior.
They quit groping the women, pulled up their pants, and hid their ugly dicks away.
Wise choice. Back in the first round, some moron had acted clueless and permanently lost his dick to one of the goddesses.
"..."
Once everyone had straightened their clothes, the mountaintop fell silent. They all watched the goddess warily, barely even breathing.
'Please don't let her get pissed and wipe us all out.'
Ancient gods are quirky. They act on whims. But they also show mercy sometimes.
For a moment, there was worry, but thankfully, nothing like that happened.
"Hm?"
"What's this place?"
Instead, as new people arrived, she smiled brightly like the tense mood had never been.
"Oh! New arrivals! Welcome!"
People froze in confusion at her instant mood switch, but as more beings shattered the awkward silence, the atmosphere gradually improved.
No joke—over 400 people poured in one after another, filling the empty spaces.
'Looks like a guild crossed over together.'
Sure enough, someone gasped in surprise and shouted hopefully.
"It's Kim Jin-woo! Rank 39, Kim Jin-woo and the Jeju Nohyung Alliance!"
"For real?"
"Whoa! We're saved! The guys who specialize in beating Chinese scum just showed up! The Chinese bastards are screwed now!"
The sleeves of the 400 newcomers bore the embroidered letters [Jeju Nohyung]. They scanned the area, spotted the Chinese, and exuded a murderous aura.
'They look like they're facing mortal enemies.'
You could tell just from the vibe. These two groups were sworn foes.
"Kim Jin-woo! Kim Jin-woo!"
And that guild had serious name recognition.
A man stepped forward from the group's center.
Thud. Thud.
He was handsome.
The Selection Process mirrored Earth's tendencies—raw power alone didn't make you famous.
To have star quality, looks had to back it up.
In that regard, Kim Jin-woo was tall, good-looking, and maxed out on star power.
"Damn. That bastard made it here."
"How the hell did he find out?"
His calm entrance drew cheers from the crowd, while the Chinese looked utterly defeated.
Kim Jin-woo stopped in front of the corpses beaten to death by the Chinese. He gently closed each of their eyes.
...His faintly anger-tinged face sent shivers of through onlookers. Definitely an effect that came with the handsome mug.
Kim Jin-woo rose and stared straight at the Chinese leader.
"Hao Zifeng."
"Kim Jin-woo."
"So this is where you were hiding."
"...You followed me?"
"Of course. We've got a lot of bad blood between us."
The man called Hao Zifeng scowled deeply.
"Persistent bastard."
"Wanna settle it now?"
Hao Zifeng subtly showed his displeasure.
Though the Chinese had more numbers, they hesitated and fell back before the freshly arrived [Jeju Nohyung Alliance].
Like prey facing a predator.
Maybe endless defeats had ingrained fear in their bodies.
Hao Zifeng glanced at the bored goddess on the side, his eyes lighting up.
"No rush."
"Hm?"
"We can't fight here anyway. The goddess said no fighting."
"Goddess?"
Only then did Kim Jin-woo notice the soft glow hidden by the crowd. And that's when the alert appeared.
Team composition has ended.
Current members: 1,326
Clap clap clap.
As soon as the alert popped up, the goddess clapped, drawing all eyes to her.
Her untouchable presence—and the horrific scene from earlier—kept people about ten steps away, staring warily.
"Not long ago, an ominous prophecy came down. The world's end was foretold. After much deliberation on how to avert it, we decided to seek those who can help."
In rough terms: the world was doomed, so go handle it for us.
"From now on, I ask you all to enter the [Primordial Forest] and carry out one task."
Good news.
I let out a sigh of relief.
[Oracle Island] scaled difficulty by participant count and ranking scores, with [Primordial Forest] being the highest.
Of course, I had no clue what to hunt there.
'It all depends on which monster spawns.'
Trial zones were divided space-time pockets.
Even the same [Primordial Forest] changed era based on the selected monster.
Same area, different seasons and environments by year.
'Out of five possible routes, one fits the current situation.'
"Your mission is to slay ancient beasts. The fate of the world hangs on it—and your lives too. So, could you help us out?"
The goddess asked with an incredibly soft, friendly smile.
"..."
Most people just stood there rigid.
No yes, no no.
They'd just seen seven Chinese explode for mouthing off.
No one wanted to risk a slip-up and die, so mouths stayed shut.
"...Everyone?"
But she had no idea that silence pissed her off more. Just as I debated speaking up, someone beat me to it.
"Of course. We'd be honored."
It was Kim Jin-woo. Oblivious, he approached the goddess with a moved expression.
"A goddess, huh? No wonder you're so radiant and beautiful."
Who hates compliments on looks? But the goddess didn't seem thrilled.
...Maybe acting like a lowly bug courting her soured her mood.
'Getting too close without reading the room could backfire.'
Luckily, born lucky, Kim Jin-woo stopped three steps away, knelt on one knee like a knight, and showed proper respect.
"Tch."
Hao Zifeng watched with regret.
Honestly, that pose was cringey as hell... but a handsome guy pulls it off, and everyone forgives.
Kim Jin-woo looked up at the goddess and continued.
"I gladly offer this life in flames to serve world peace and you to the best of my ability."
Handsome, eloquent, refined, charismatic... If this world was a game, he'd be the protagonist.
'Though nothing compared to a goddess.'
I shifted my gaze from Kim Jin-woo to her.
A lofty being shining like stars in the night sky.
Ha...
Just looking inspired awe.
That subtle glow from her body was straight-up cheat-level. It amplified her presence and charm alone.
Like all the world's lights shone on her.
Her already pretty face glowing made it like a normie vs. idol matchup.
No wonder that handsome guy fawned with sparkling eyes.
"..."
But though she smiled, her tone was flat.
Pure business.
"Yeah, sure. Thanks for the help."
Only my ten years of experience let me catch that. Newbies to ancient gods would think all gods talk that arrogantly.
"Yes! Leave it to me!"
Kim Jin-woo's eyes sparkled like a fool's, and the crowd envied or admired him. Pretty much confirmed.
"Kim Jin-woo and the Jeju Nohyung Alliance will surely ease your burdens, Goddess!"
"Thanks. See you back here when it's done."
She waved him off like "now scram." Still, Kim Jin-woo's eyes shone.
"Now, teleportation begins."
The goddess continued her explanation.
"There are nine beasts total to hunt. The parent was already slain by the hero party, so just handle the nine offspring."
As expected, ancient beast hunt.
For reference, ancient beasts are all insanely dangerous. Think about it— if gods request it, how strong are they?
The crowd murmured, sharing my sentiment.
"Once done, I'll reward you. Mythic-grade items, no less."
"!!"
The murmurs exploded—positively.
"But note: they grow very fast. Hunt the offspring quickly before they mature."
People exchanged glances.
"Raid boss hunt?"
"More like a game. If the monsters fully grow, monster team wins. Kill 'em all first, humans win. That vibe."
"...Yeah, got it."
Now grasping the quest, people grouped up fast to strategize.
"Higher contributors get extra rewards. Can't have freeloaders and hard workers get the same."
"Well said."
At that, led by Kim Jin-woo, everyone nodded. Chinese too. Then [Jeju Nohyung Alliance] and [Qingbang] glared at each other.
"No environmental destruction. That forest matters to us all. And just in case... go ahead and kill each other."
The two groups, radiating murder, flinched and looked at the goddess.
"But do it after slaying the beasts. Even united, success isn't guaranteed."
Kim Jin-woo and Hao Zifeng smacked their lips but nodded. Survival trumped revenge.
"Note: unlike you, those monsters show no mercy. They'll hunt every last one. Want to live? Kill first. Go!"
Teleportation began.
Hundreds of light pillars descended from the sky, enveloping people and vanishing with them.
All warped to the [Primordial Forest].
'...What?'
But for some reason, only I didn't teleport. Left alone.
As I looked around puzzled, someone spoke up.
"You're a follower of Lady Arsena, huh."
Ancient God Versia had snuck right behind me, smiling brightly.
"Heard the news."
Eyes full of interest.
The goddess who'd grumbled and treated others like bugs now beamed with fondness in private.
No cap...
■■■'s favor toward you has greatly increased.
To the point an alert popped.
No idea why Arsena last time and Versia now had their names censored in favor alerts, but
Her eyes brimmed with interest as she bombarded me with questions.
"But how'd you know Lady Arsena?"
"Pardon?"
"What about Lady Taladrass?"
"Well..."
"Heard you visited her shop too. Did you see Lady Taladrass's face?"
"Um."
"And you already got resident status?"
"..."
Versia fired questions nonstop, no chance to reply.
Left alone, I'd forget half. I quickly raised a hand.
"Ah."
She snapped to, eyes sparkling, awaiting my answer.
I gathered my thoughts and replied point by point.
"First, I learned their names from old records. Visited the shops, but never saw their faces. ...And yes, I have resident status."
"Whoa, that's tough! Congrats!"
"Thank you."
"We can meet often after the Selection Process ends!"
"Haha, yeah."
If a god says so. Earth was gone anyway, absorbed into their world.
"So, Lady Versia, what's your relation to those two?"
At my question, the chatty goddess went quiet. Her vibe deflated hard. Even unflappable me was startled.
"Uh, um... well... I act as their herald..."
Ah, got it.
Versia. Obscure god. Not my first hearing, though—recalled from Trial briefings.
'Herald. Fancy talk for running errands for the big shots.'
No famous ancient god heralds included her.
Meant she was low-tier, and her Trials were brutally hard.
'Even ancient gods delegate like humans.'
Popular stars get cushy, easy, crowd-pleasing gigs.
Unknowns get the tough ones.
That's why ancient god popularity rankings rarely shifted, from what I knew.
Sensing her wilt, I quickly changed topics.
"So why'd you keep me behind?"
"Oh, right."
Versia pulled something from thin air. A light-formed thing took shape and landed in my palm.
"This?"
"Lady Taladrass said to pass it. She's thrilled you recommended her name for your guild."
Ah, suggesting [Taladrass] for Bitch Squad survival won her favor.
"Said grab a meal sometime."
With Taladrass? Not thrilled, but I nodded.
"It'll help on this journey."
I examined the paper scrap in my hand.
[Sealing Heaven and Earth: Seals the sky and earth, preventing anyone from entering or exiting.]
One-use mythic tool to trap even colossal beasts.
Hard to obtain even if you wanted. Hope I don't need it.
"Time's up. Shame, but see you later."
"Thanks for the chat. Was fun."
"Me too. When you meet Lady Arsena and Lady Taladrass, put in a good word for me?"
Practically begging. Never thought I'd see an ancient god buttering up a human.
"Sure."
Versia beamed and snapped her fingers. Light flashed, and an alert appeared.
You have entered
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