"Clang."
As the gentle chimes rang out, William slowly rose from the cemetery. He sniffed the air, then raised an eyebrow slightly and whispered, "The scent of an evil god..."
As a priest of the God of Heroes, enhanced by divine magic, he could easily discern the hidden power of evil gods within the divine realm. Although the good and evil sides had reached a peaceful consensus, the annual meetings of the theocratic council emphasized that deities of all attributes must not be discriminated against for any reason. Yet some senior deities on both sides still held prejudices. For instance, believers of the God of Healing and the God of Plague occasionally clashed to the point of serious injury.
Fortunately, the power of the God of Heroes was not so extreme; after all, anyone could be a hero, whether good or bad.
William looked around, the bleak wind making him shiver slightly. He subconsciously wanted to cast a warming spell, but found that the power in his body seemed frozen; he couldn't use it at all.
"An immersive experience?" he murmured. Not surprised, he reminded himself that this was the work of a god—and even a newly born demigod was not someone to underestimate.
He wasn't afraid, because he knew that as long as a work was uploaded to the Gods Forum, its core program was designed not to harm ordinary people. This was a rule set by the eight chief gods, and no god had ever broken through it, so the Lord of Pleasure was no exception.
William grabbed his longsword and shield; the cold metallic feel instantly put him at ease. As a priest of the God of War lineage, he underwent annual assessments on weapon use. Holding a shield in his left hand and a sword in his right, his languid gaze vanished, replaced by a sharp, hawk-like expression.
Although good and evil were now considered equal, the characteristic of evil gods was their ability to stir emotions in unique ways. It was impossible to predict where they might lay a huge trap in their works. Even in casual games, William remained cautious—vigilance was an essential trait of a hero.
After confirming the surrounding area was safe, he began to follow the guide and move forward. Soon, two skeleton soldiers lying on the ground appeared before him. He walked forward quietly, and relying on his martial skills, he quickly dispatched them, then easily dealt with the monsters along the road.
It wasn't until he reached the campfire that he relaxed slightly, patted his chest, and muttered, "Was I just scaring myself? What era are we living in? What kind of evil god would still be here to trick people?"
As the firelight flickered, a figure slowly emerged from the flames.
[Ahead lies a challenge; please enter your vow.]
"A vow, huh…" William's lips curled into a slight smile. Encouraging words always gave him a greater sense of accomplishment. These new gods loved to play little tricks, but the old priest had seen through them long ago. He coughed lightly, noting that even in a casual game, the monsters had been far too easy, so he mentally prepared himself.
"Simple and straightforward," he said. For a priest under the great God of Heroes, this challenge was a piece of cake.
William looked around at the scenery. Though the difficulty was low, the sea of clouds and towering cliffs were strikingly realistic; the immersion was top-notch. Already, it was very good for a new god, which explained the enthusiastic forum posts promoting it.
He stood up from the fire, gently patted the dust off his clothes, and walked to the end of the road. According to instructions, he needed to jump down. Peering over the edge, he spotted a skeleton soldier crouching in the shadows, waiting to ambush him.
William smirked. Such petty tricks could only fool newcomers with no combat experience. He leaped down, landing directly on the skeleton, then swung his longsword and stabbed. Bones shattered, and the monster vanished into thin air.
"No difficulty at all, no difficulty at all," he muttered, shaking his head in pity. Inwardly, he sighed—this new god, the Lord of Pleasure, was indeed still immature. If it were him, he would have replaced it with a stronger demon or tauren to make the encounter more challenging and keep players engaged.
The straightforward, easy approach didn't suit his taste. The building ahead was massive and magnificent, like an arena, but William was no appreciator of scenery.
"Oh well. He's a god after all; I have to respect him. I can't just quit after playing for a bit," he comforted himself, then pushed open the door and entered the fire-lighting ritual site.
A few minutes later, William awkwardly raised his shield, barely blocking Gundyr's powerful blow. Even with the shield's protection, the residual force caused his health bar to drop significantly.
Gundyr swung his halberd again; William rolled backward, creating distance before taking two gulps from his Elemental Bottle. He still hadn't fully processed what had just happened.
Behind the door stood a towering statue of a giant. Following the instructions, he drew the longsword embedded in its chest, and the giant began to revive, launching a swift attack at him. Stirring music began playing, as majestic as the sacred sound of time, and a health bar longer than his life appeared in his field of vision.
"My God above!" William was caught off guard by Gundyr's sudden attack. Fortunately, his rigorous training allowed his instincts to react faster than his conscious thought, helping him dodge the first strike.
"What a twisted sense of humor…" he muttered, raising his shield. The immense force of Gundyr's blow sent shivers down his spine.
Exhausted from just waking in the cemetery, his body was weak. He instinctively tried to use divine magic to strengthen himself, only to realize, with a sinking feeling, that he was in the Lord of Pleasure's divine kingdom, where the magic of other gods could not be used.
At this moment, all he could rely on were his shield and longsword. Like the original hero, accustomed to casting buffs before battle, he was almost stunned by the raw, unassisted combat. Gundyr seized the opening, and his halberd, like a flashing dragon, sent William flying.
A few seconds later, William returned to the campfire, helpless. Though it was his own oversight, he couldn't help but awkwardly touch his nose as he thought of the four words that slowly appeared before his eyes after death:
Simple and straightforward.
"I'd like to ask… is there any way to block these four characters…?"