Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 239: Homecoming Plan

Nighttime.

Nol returned to his residence in the Lost Tower first. The room’s decor remained unchanged, and the blue roses in the vase were still in bloom. Although everything was very familiar, Nol felt something was different.

He rubbed his wedding ring and turned on the magic lamp in the room. In the warm glow, the fireplace automatically lit up, the flames gently flickering. The window was open, and the evening breeze from the forest stirred the curtains, already carrying the warmth of spring.

Teest hadn’t returned yet, and Ben was temporarily with Teest, so Nol was alone in the room. However, there were traces of their life together everywhere.

On the desk was the book he hadn’t finished last time. Teest’s winter cloak was draped over the bed. Next to the fruit basket on the small round table, there was a shiny fruit knife—because Nol adamantly opposed him using the “Betrayer” that had stabbed monsters to peel fruit.

Nol walked over to the desk and found several cookbooks that Teest had impulsively bought. The guy was very interested in the slaughter and processing of livestock and fish and had made many notes in the blank spaces.

He picked up a book called “Tips for a Clean Kitchen” and randomly flipped through two pages. He noticed that Teest seemed to be analyzing dissection knowledge and contemplating tricks for dealing with large monsters.

Nol: “……”

He continued flipping through, and in the larger blank spaces, Teest had added many fierce illustrations in red ink. The illustrations were dense, one layer upon another, like the graffiti of a psychopath in a horror movie, which was rather frightening to look at.

But amidst those dark red scary drawings, a golden trace meandered.

At the top of the page, the gold line sketched out a round dragon, looking very much like Nol’s small black dragon transformation. Compared to those curse-like graffiti, the lines of this drawing were fine and soft.

Nol pursed his lips, suppressing the corners of his mouth that were trying to curl up. He reached out a finger, blue ink flowing on the paper. Next to the dragon doodle, a fluffy-tailed cat quickly appeared.

The two little animals squeezed together, making the dark red become just a background, and the whole picture became a lot less ominous.

After doing this, Nol carefully put the book “Tips for a Clean Kitchen” back in its place.

Then Nol sat on the sofa, feeling a surreal sense of disorientation as well as belated tension. Everything was over. He really had married Teest… not for convenience, but a purely secular marriage.

Nol knew that the Mad Monk hadn’t turned into some true, good, and beautiful sweetheart because of him. He also knew that Teest like this wouldn’t fake his feelings.

Teest wasn’t good at it, nor did he deign to—in a sense, Teest was perhaps the most honest person in the world when it came to emotions.

Snapping back to reality, Nol felt a warm satisfaction, as if he had soaked in hot water, though the water was gradually heating up.

Even though they had done everything they should, Nol still felt his skin burn and urgently downed two glasses of iced fruit juice.

It wouldn’t work. He still needed to divert his attention.

He skillfully opened the system interface and began to officially modify the system. “Tahe World” was finally facing its first update. Nol clicked his tongue and stretched out his hands.

First, there was the issue of the Players return.

Before he began, he needed to confirm one thing—how much time had passed on Earth since the destruction of Joy Garden?

Nol calculated calmly.

Originally, he had defined a time ratio for “Tahe World”: ten minutes on Earth was equivalent to one hour inside Tahe. According to this formula, the two hundred years in Tahe were roughly thirty years on Earth.

But this calculation was contingent on the game being live. If it was just in the internal testing phase, the time ratio could be adjusted at will, without any restrictions.

The destruction of Joy Garden occurred at the end of July. According to the Players, the game officially went live at the beginning of August. During this period, over two hundred years had passed in Tahe.

This also made sense. Before he completely took over the system, Star Stealer Sol surely didn’t want too big a disruption on Earth, the “sample”, like a civilization-destroying war.

But once the Players truly logged in, the system’s ratio of “one hour in Tahe to ten minutes on Earth” couldn’t be changed. Nearly a year that Players had been here translated to just under two months back on Earth.

There was still time.

Nol specifically pulled up the system’s time-related data to confirm his deductions.

With the critical issue of time resolved… then there were the people.

Regularly logged-in Players were easy to handle. They could exit the game through the system and revert to their true appearances. For the Players deployed in Three Forks Road, Nol decided to let them return.

Of course, without his permission, they couldn’t “log in again”.

Nol typed away at the virtual keyboard, cautiously tweaking the system settings. The keyboard reflected characters not found on Earth, shimmering with Nol’s touch.

As for those Demon Players at the crossroads… since Mentor wasn’t planning to return to Earth, he’d ask him to screen and investigate them. If they were serious offenders harmful to Earth, he would revoke their Player rights and deal with them accordingly.

Nol wasn’t sure if Teest was interested in those people. He took another sip of his juice.

For the neighbors, he would let everyone choose freely.

During his time in the Lost Tower, he had talked with them quite a few times. The young people tended to want to return home, while some of the elderly had different ideas. Rather than returning to endure illness and loneliness, they preferred to stay in Tahe as powerful monsters, hoping to maybe luck into developing human forms.

Nol’s hands paused on the keyboard.

He had considered whether to keep a portion of the Player login system, allowing some to freely travel between Tahe and Earth.

But that approach was likely to cause complications. Not to mention that someone might slip up, even if perfectly secure, no system was without flaws. If a creature from Tahe accidentally ended up on Earth, or if an Earthling unwittingly stumbled into Tahe, the consequences would be disastrous.

Better to eat one bite at a time. For now, it was best to retain only the “highest administrator rights”, Nol thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

……

Unconsciously, Nol straightened up and entered a deeply focused work mode. He continued until a familiar face crossed the screen and approached him.

Nol jolted on the spot, his heart skipping a beat, uncertain whether it was from joy or shock.

“Good evening, honey.” Teest’s eyes curved with a smile, still carrying the cold air from outside. “It’s the first day after the war. Don’t you know the word ‘rest’?”

“Ah, um, good evening.” Nol squeezed onto the sofa. “I just wanted to fix a few issues.”

Teest raised an eyebrow.

“You see, the classification of gods is very chaotic right now.”

Nol gestured. “The system calls all beings near or beyond its limits ‘False Gods’, and only the highest system administrator is called a ‘God’… Such classifications are too primitive. Even if you’re not an administrator, Teest, you are a very powerful god…”

“Mm—” Teest drew out a long note, which probably meant “keep the compliments coming”, Nol thought.

Given the “Destruction” power borne from the ancient Demon King, and the “Vow” power that Teest himself had created, both were powerful enough to surpass the system.

If it weren’t for the fact that there could only be one highest administrator, Nol wouldn’t mind sharing half of the authority with Teest. Unfortunately, he could only offer the kind of “regular administrator” rights that Painter had, which Teest didn’t really need.

“For ease of management, I’ll have the system regularly scan Tahe to find creatures nearing full level. Such beings don’t yet have powers and are defined as ‘False Gods’.” Nol said solemnly, “If there are individuals of poor character, eliminate them early or impose restrictions… If there are outstanding talents, I will lend them part of the system permissions to help them become true ‘gods’.”

“How does that sound?”

“Not bad.” Teest casually sat next to Nol. “If they choose to fall after becoming gods, can I kill them?”

“If necessary,” Nol answered cautiously.

“Good.” Teest lazily lay on the couch, resting his head on Nol’s thigh. His left hand rested on his chest, the moonstone on his wedding ring emitting a soft glow.

Nol noticed he was warming up again and quickly touched Teest’s cool, smooth hair.

“Nol.” Teest reached out, covering the floating system window. “Let me guess… Before considering the classification of gods, you surely handled something more urgent.”

This time, he didn’t use honorifics.

“You mean the matter of returning to Earth.”

Nol looked down at those golden eyes, knowing what Teest was asking. “That went very smoothly. No problems at the moment.”

Teest: “Oh.”

After that, the two fell silent for a while. Suddenly, a soft light flashed, and the person on Nol’s knee disappeared, leaving only a fluffy, big white cat. The cat firmly pressed down the fallen wedding ring, as if it would vanish on the spot.

After Teest turned into a cat, Nol found it hard to read his expression. The cat stared at him intensely, as if trying to dig holes in his face with its gaze.

“To come and go freely, a very precise design is needed.”

Nol couldn’t help but reach out, pinching the cat’s ear tips. “In theory, only Player accounts can freely ‘log in and out’. To create an account, valid identification from Earth is needed.”

“This is the most basic system logic, not easily changed in a short time. Everything has rules. Even I can’t just make whatever I want happen.”

The cat’s whiskers twitched, and its tail drooped.

Nol couldn’t hold back a chuckle. He picked up the heavy white cat and kissed the cat’s nose.

“But you’ve given me some inspiration, honey.” Nol unnecessarily looked around, lowering his voice. “I could also get you a fake ID.”

“As long as you have an account, I can take you back and forth… if you’re interested in Earth.”

“I will always stay by your side,” he said.

The white cat leapt agilely, and the moment its paws hit the ground, Teest was back in human form.

The Mad Monk looked calm, with a demeanor of “this is how it should be”. Unfortunately, his rapidly beating heart betrayed him. At this distance, Nol could hear it clearly.

“Good. I don’t have to accuse you of neglecting your newlywed husband.” Teest cheerfully headed to the kitchen. “So, to celebrate our first night of marriage, what would you like to eat?”

At this, he clapped his fist into his palm. “How about spicy roasted Star Stealer Sol with bewilderment dew? I kept some extra meat.”

Nol: “……”

Nol: “…I don’t have [Fallen Death] anymore. Just ordinary lamb is fine, thanks.”

“What a pity.” Teest pouted. “By the way, I’ve always been curious. Where exactly does the name [Fallen Death] come from?”

The system’s skill names were usually straightforward or metaphorical of the skill’s characteristics. Only [Fallen Death], with a name seemingly unrelated to its content.

“I thought it was strange at first too.”

Nol couldn’t help but summon the system window again, this time intending to ask the system directly.

The system quickly responded—

[“Fallen Death” name is a direct translation of “Fallen Leavers”, which originates from “Fallen Leaves”. Explanation complete.]

“Its name comes from ‘fallen leaves’,” Nol muttered.

“Fallen leaves? Sounds like it still has nothing to do with the skill.” Teest casually spun a kitchen knife.

“…Teest, in the future, we will travel many times between Earth and Tahe.” Nol’s voice thickened. “Trust me, you will understand.”

Whether in Tahe or on Earth.

Fallen leaves would return to their roots.

---

The author has something to say:

Everyone’s going home!!!

It feels like Teest can’t kick his habit of picking up strange meats for Nol to eat…

Uninformed people: The horrifying Mad Monk is collecting terrifying souvenirs again!

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 238: God’s Divine Code

Painter saw the familiar ceiling.

He woke up inside the Lost Tower, and it was still dark outside. Judging by the angle of the sunlight entering through the window, it was evening, and he had been unconscious for at least a day.

Painter took a deep breath and was surprised to find that his internal organs were still functioning normally, and his body felt lighter than before.

He hadn’t only escaped death, but even the chronic injuries from years of drifting and battling had disappeared, and a powerful life force surged within him.

A miracle.

As the former pope of the Temple of Life, Painter quickly concluded. He looked around the room and soon noticed Nol dozing off in a rocking chair. On the left hand of the God of Creation was a beautiful antique silver wedding ring.

Painter instinctively smiled. It seemed he had missed a significant event.

“Lord Nol.” Painter sat up from the bed, propping himself up with two pillows behind him.

Nol jolted in the rocking chair, slapping his face awake. “I’m here!”

“Thank you for saving me,” Painter sincerely said. “I feel very good now. You don’t need to personally watch over me.”

Hearing “you saved me”, Nol’s face twitched, and he coughed twice. “It was Teest who saved you.”

Painter: “…Ah.”

“You seem unsurprised,” Nol hesitantly said.

“You have a very positive influence on Mr. Teest, and Mr. Teest can complement the areas you are not good at. You two are a perfect match,” Painter responded with a smile, looking like a true priest. “Happy marriage, Lord Nol.”

“Thank you.” Nol sounded a bit embarrassed, but his face brightened considerably.

Painter smiled as he watched Nol.

“By the way, Star Stealer Sol’s true body is dead. I’ve completely regained system control. No one died in this battle—the Players in the city can’t die anyway, and only a few dragons were seriously injured. With the strength of the Lost Tower, it’s more than enough to handle the monsters outside the city.”

Nol detailed carefully, guessing what Painter cared about the most.

“There are quite a few seriously injured people on the civilian side, but fortunately, we’re not short of clergy here, and the knights guard was apt. Everyone received treatment immediately.”

“Finally, just in case, Lynn and the others will do some more investigations to prevent Star Stealer Sol from leaving any bizarre traps.”

“Praise your mercy.” Painter bowed his head, giving a salute. “It’s just… this side of the Lost Tower…”

Investigating traces of Star Stealer Sol was necessary. But with such a big Lost Tower disappearing, wouldn’t the Players still look for it everywhere?

“Don’t worry.”

Nol gently shook his head. “For the Players, they preemptively killed the final boss and ended the main quest. There’s no need to look for the Lost Tower anymore.”

99% of Players still treated this as a game. The Lost Tower was part of the “main storyline”, and since the main line was over, the disappearance of the Lost Tower also made sense.

Painter’s shoulders relaxed a lot. “It seems you know how to send them back.”

He couldn’t help but glance at Nol’s ring.

Long ago, he had witnessed the Mad Monk breaking into the General’s office, cluelessly undergoing relationship counseling. Teest said Nol would return to his homeland after solving the problem, which Teest found displeasing.

Now…

“It seems you and Mr. Teest will have a very interesting journey.” Painter smiled.

“Many times.” Nol laughed along. “We’ll plan it well.”

Painter: “Since everything is going so smoothly, why did you specifically stay with me?”

The divine war ended perfectly, the overall situation was still controllable, and the Lost Tower was safe. As a newlywed God of Creation, Nol had no need to stay here—he could easily arrange for a neighbor to watch over him until he woke up.

Something unusual must be amiss. Lord Creator was surely hiding something.

Painter interlaced his fingers, continuing to smile and watch Nol.

Nol: “……”

Nol’s gaze started to drift.

He hummed for a while, and eventually summoned a system popup. He made it visible and translated it into a common language before showing it to Painter.

[GM: Godfrey Painter]

[God of Life – System Authority “Life” Steward]

Painter’s smile gradually stiffened, and it melted away like snow. For the first time, Nol saw so many question marks on Godfrey Painter’s face.

“In order to, uh, save your life, I granted you access to the system authority ‘Life’.”

Nol tried to gesture. “Simply put, I’ve opened a part of the authority to you. You can borrow it anytime… This way, you can directly intervene in ‘life’ related rules, definitely qualifying as ‘False God’ level.”

Painter: “Can’t you take it back?”

Thinking of the title of the Temple of Life, holding this power really burned.

“I can,” Nol whispered, “but the ‘death status’ on you is also given by the system. I can’t eliminate it. It’s just infinitely postponed by the ‘life’ permission.”

“If I take the power back, you’re likely to die on the spot.”

Painter: “……”

Nol: “……”

Painter said solemnly, “Did you know? I thought before, if the divine war ends and the False God disappears, I would travel around with the Drifting Mercenaries.”

“Without the Temple’s persecution, we could have a lot of easy and pleasant times. That life would be beautiful like a dream.”

Painter’s expression was like an employee scheduled for overtime right before a holiday. Nol hadn’t said anything yet, and this old fox had already guessed the future duties.

“I’m not good at managing.”

Nol could only bring out the sincerest tone. “I’m not suited to take a divine posture to rule Tahe, and I might not be here often… I need someone who truly cares about Tahe to help me look after this place.”

Painter nodded meaningfully. “Without Star Stealer Sol’s persecution, you and Teest can travel around, having many easy and pleasant times.”

Nol’s gaze drifted again. He really couldn’t argue.

Although he was the supreme god of Tahe and had been the team leader in the production team in his dreams… he was really not good at forcibly arranging work for others.

“Hahaha!”

Seeing Nol’s wandering gaze, Painter couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Just kidding, Lord Nol. You saved Tahe, saved my life, and gave me great power. I am very willing to serve you.”

Saying this, his gaze softened. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to reorganize the Temple’s atmosphere. I couldn’t ask for a better assignment.”

Nol heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good… Oh, one more thing. The old Pope announced his resignation due to injuries sustained in the divine war, and Eugene is about to take over as the Pope of Life.”

“It looks like that child wasn’t badly hurt,” Painter said cheerfully.

Nol brutally continued, “Currently, Mr. Eugene firmly believes you are the incarnation of the Goddess of Life Tilia. I think you should know this.”

Painter slowly lay back on the bed, his smile disappearing again. “Before taking up the divine post, can I take a vacation for eighty years?”

“Can’t.” Nol expressed sympathetically.

……

At the top of the Lost Tower.

Perradat stretched her limbs in the fresh air—with the death of Star Stealer Sol, her headless corpse was no longer bound. Perradat reclaimed her power the moment it happened. Her avatar was whole again.

The slender girl spread her arms, her golden hair fluttering with the spring breeze. That unrealistically beautiful face regained its color, looking vibrant with life.

Her avatar was restored, and her core was back in place. Her power was swiftly recovering. In time, her original form would regain vitality and return to the skies. She would once again be a god with formidable power.

Her corpse would no longer be treated as a cleaning tool. She would no longer have to cower in a corner, at the mercy of other gods… Eh?

A long sword rested on her shoulder from behind.

That sword looked familiar. It definitely seemed like Teest’s thing. Perradat froze in the air, and it took a moment to turn her head as if her neck was rusty.

“Ah.” She greeted the wedding ring with an enthusiastic smile. “Newlyweds shouldn’t be here, Mr. Teest.”

“Drake adamantly follows you, unwilling to revert to being one of Nol’s kin, which has always annoyed me.” Teest didn’t withdraw his sword. “Now I understand what that kid was thinking.”

“Because we’ve known each other longer?”

Perradat cautiously eyed the blade, sniffing the scent of destruction from it.

“Because Nol is soft-hearted and easily attached. Drake knows if he firmly follows you, I can’t quietly get rid of you.”

Teest smiled. “After all, I don’t want to upset my husband.”

Everyone knows, to kill a knight’s master, you must first eliminate the knight.

“Ah? …You’re too heartless. I thought we’re comrades-in-arms.” Perradat slowly retracted her neck, twisting her beautiful features.

“I’m not interested in managing Tahe, nor do I want Nol to waste time on such troubles.”

Teest continued on his own. “So I’m fine with him training demigods—after all, those demigods would be restricted by the system. They can’t stir up much trouble. But you are different, Perradat. You know what I’m talking about.”

An utter outsider, an otherworldly god with her own powers. Not to mention, she once competed for ownership of the system.

A potential threat to Nol.

Teest narrowed his eyes. The hand holding the sword became itchy again. Damn, if only Drake hadn’t insisted on saving this guy…

In the end, he reluctantly sheathed his sword. Perradat, meanwhile, clutched her neck, her feet honestly remaining in place.

“What do you plan to do with me?” Now that she had come all this way, she didn’t believe Teest would leave without doing anything. The Mad Monk wasn’t so reckless.

“I guess I’ll also have to take a few demigods.”

Teest exhaled. “There will still be outsiders like you in the future who can’t see clearly, and native scoundrels—those who are useful—I’ll recruit. Those who aren’t will be dealt with.”

“Look on the bright side. Your powers are still somewhat useful.”

It seemed the Mad Monk hunting targets were going up a grade. He really wasn’t planning to retire. Perradat’s face fell, watching as Teest reached out.

What is this—a handshake to start cooperation? Speaking of which, since Teest can’t use system powers, how will he ensure the loyalty of demigods…?

Teest didn’t reach out to shake Perradat’s hand but instead grabbed her wrist. Golden flames burned around them in a circle, like leaping gold.

Countless burning chains shot out of the flames, entwining like snakes around Perradat’s feet. The skin gripped by Teest sizzled, fortunately without any pain.

Cold power squeezed from all directions, and Perradat, “freshly recovered” from her illness, dared not move.

In the midst of the flames, Teest’s eyes emitted a frightening glow.

“Do not attack Nol. Do not attack me. Do not attack Tahe. The definition of ‘attack’ will be determined by Nol.”

“Under the condition that it does not threaten your own life, obey me unconditionally. In exchange, I will spare your life.”

“Mutual agreement. The contract is established. The violator will pay with their life.”

Perradat: “……”

This contract seems incredibly unfair!

But, looking at it another way, the definition of “attack” was determined by the good-natured Nol. As long as she had the intention to coexist peacefully, Teest definitely wouldn’t kill her.

She originally just wanted to scrape by, with no ambitions of dominance or conquest… This contract truly provided a sense of security.

“I agree,” after a moment of thought, Perradat said solemnly.

“I agree.” Teest absentmindedly followed suit, releasing his grip.

The surrounding predatory chains vanished, and a ring of burning gold appeared on Perradat’s wrist. Seconds later, it quietly sank into the skin as if it had never appeared.

That was the moment the God of Fate, the first demigod of the God of Destruction, assumed her position.

---

The author has something to say:

Workers one and two are in position.

Perradat: Happy for three seconds before (crying loudly).

Don’t worry, Perradat, at least your knight is normal. Look at that Painter…

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Kinky Thoughts:

Just a note regarding Painter’s oracle (His existence brings glory to God, and his disappearance will fulfill divinity).

It’s a bit tricky to translate the latter half. For a literal translation (他的消逝将成就神), it would be “his disappearance will achieve God”… Smoothing it out it would be “through his disappearance, he will attain God(hood)… which is what has happened. 

The word in question is (成就) which means to achieve, accomplish, attain.

However, from the perspective of the Temple of Life that would be blasphemous. Again, oracles are vague and don’t have direct interpretations. So the way they see it, Painter’s death doesn’t lead to his ascension but more of a fulfillment (an accomplishment) for God(dess). So the oracle was correct… It was just misinterpreted.

Hope that makes sense.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 237: Life

Eugene hadn’t yet come to terms with his location when he dragged his painfully aching body to its feet, assuming a defensive posture. His body felt heavier than before, and his limbs and bones still harbored a vague pain as well as a pin-pricking chill.

Knight Eugene knew this was proof that he had come perilously close to death.

“You’re awake,” said an ethereal female voice.

Eugene clenched the hilt of his sword and turned sharply, facing Miss Anakin, who sported a professional smile.

“Your physical condition is very poor. It’s best not to move too abruptly,” Anakin advised politely. “That curse was too powerful, and even with our full treatment, your body still suffered considerable damage.”

“Don’t worry, these injuries aren’t permanent. You just need about half a month of rest,” she added thoughtfully.

The curse.

Memories gradually emerged from the stillness of Eugene’s mind.

After beheading the False God, that horrifying red shadow relentlessly charged at him. It was fast, but just within Eugene’s ability to evade.

It was purely torture.

It didn’t immediately take his life but gave him the illusion of a chance to fight back, causing him to flee tirelessly, waiting for him to be completely exhausted and in utter despair.

As the leader of the Investigation Knights, Eugene had dealt with thousands of curses. Compared to this curse, those were merely child’s play—the curse’s shadow emitted pure malice, and Eugene knew that if it caught him, he would face an agonizing death.

Eugene ran through the burning church, the shadow following at a measured pace. It ignored the nearby Anakin and others, focusing solely on chasing Eugene.

What about asking for help from the Saints?

But the curse was too powerful, and he wasn’t sure if the Players’ “immortality” could withstand it. If the Saints were to sacrifice themselves for God, it would be commendable. But to die in his stead… Eugene couldn’t bring himself to do something so against the Goddess’ will.

Or should he just give up?

Fighting to the end, he was sure to die a messy and ugly death. But simply giving up—how was that different from admitting defeat?

He ran, his ears filled with the sound of the wind, the flames, and a soft sigh.

Just as Eugene once again evaded the curse’s red shadow, a hand grabbed his wrist. The hand wasn’t particularly strong, but the magical runes that followed pinned Eugene firmly in place.

[Time of Farewell]

It was one of the unique skills of the rare “Saint” class. It could, and only could, let the caster take on the target’s “death”.

Given that it couldn’t transfer the target’s injuries or negative statuses, it was a rather useless and unpopular skill in regular combat. But all high-ranking clergy knew that in special circumstances, this skill could be the only solution—

For instance, when the target “encounters a curse that ensures death”.

The skill activated, and a gentle new green light illuminated. Countless runes flickered with light, moving across their skin.

This skill looked as pleasant as a spring breeze, but it nearly made Eugene scream. It felt as if it was peeling the nerves inside his body, something being uprooted and pulled out of his flesh, gradually leaving his body.

A few steps away, the curse’s red shadow hesitated, seemingly confused.

Anakin recognized this curse and turned pale. “Wait, there must be another way—”

“…If it’s just about keeping distance, I can use spatial teleportation to delay time,” Drake said with a hint of urgency in his usually calm voice.

‘Useless,’ Eugene thought.

Everyone knew that this situation was utterly unsolvable. This wasn’t a regular False God curse. He could feel the “absolute” power of the system in it.

Trying to save him through other means was like trying to transfuse blood to someone who had lost half their body. Moreover, Anakin and Drake looked extremely tired. [Time of Farewell] was the most suitable solution, but—

Eugene struggled to stay conscious, staring fixedly at the nearby Painter. Under the intense pain of the skill’s activation, neither had the strength to stand and could only sit disgracefully among the ruins.

The curse’s red shadow slowed down, approaching step by step. Painter’s hand holding his was steady and warm, not trembling at all.

That guy still had a smile on his face.

“There are places that need you more.” Painter said to the two, sounding like he was assigning cleaning tasks. “And the skill has already started. If we interrupt it now, we both die here.”

Die.

No, that’s not acceptable.

Eugene struggled violently, trying to shake off Painter’s hand. Unfortunately, the Saint’s magic wouldn’t be interrupted by such a trivial refusal. Painter’s palm seemed soldered to his wrist.

My oracle is fulfilled. I can disappear now. But you…

Eugene suddenly stopped moving.

Was Painter’s death meant to achieve fulfill God? Should he just let it happen naturally?

No, that wasn’t right. Even if it was to die, that person should have sacrificed himself in a grander, more sacred manner. Godfrey Painter shouldn’t die quietly in the rubble, not for saving himself…

“I really like this ending.” Painter turned those green eyes towards Eugene and said deliberately. “I chose it soberly, calmly. I must say, saving Mr. Eugene personally is much more pleasant than being a stepping stone for a god.”

“Well, it’s a little better than saving cats and dogs,” he added silently.

“Godfrey Painter!”

Eugene couldn’t tell if his tone was more fearful or angry, or both.

Right, right. He could still cut off his arm.

Eugene’s left hand reached for his sword but was caught by Painter’s binding magic. As the damned red shadow approached, Eugene’s vision grew dimmer, his head ached as if it would split, and his eardrums throbbed.

This can’t be.

His mind was filled with chaotic thoughts.

Why? …I don’t know, but it can’t be like this…

“…It’s almost over.”

In his gradually fading vision, Painter’s voice sounded as if through a layer of water, vague and fluctuating.

“…I’m sorry, Eugene…”

Why apologize?

Why apologize at a time like this?

Eugene wanted to question, but he had lost control of his tongue and vocal cords. In his vision filled with flashing stars, that damned red shadow slowly embraced Painter, who didn’t resist, merely smiling and patting its head.

……

“No…”

Memories gradually fell into place, and Eugene squeezed out a voice from his dry throat.

Godfrey Painter was gone, he thought. He hadn’t managed to drag that guy back to the Temple, hadn’t managed to hear Painter’s confession. Until the end, he died desecrated and unremarkable.

Eugene slowly raised his hands to cover his face.

“Um.” Anakin didn’t know how to continue the conversation.

Say Painter was alright?

That really wasn’t certain. Painter had been casually taken away by Teest. Teest certainly didn’t have a mission to “save the innocent”. She was sure that when he took Painter away, the Mad Monk’s expression was like—to use a very inappropriate metaphor—like someone numbly picking up shit while walking their dog.

Even if Teest accidentally dropped Painter and killed him while looking for Nol, she wouldn’t be particularly surprised.

After all, that was the system’s highest-level curse. Even if Nol fully controlled the system, he would still need to handle it within logical rules. It was as if Painter had been thrown into an operating room with the “in surgery” light still on.

Anyway, Eugene wasn’t one of their companions, so Miss Anakin quickly decided to leave this unfortunate problem to someone else.

“That False God has disappeared.” She decided to give Mr. Eugene some good news. “Its entity has been completely annihilated, and now everyone can see the real moon… There’s only one moon, and it’s especially beautiful.”

She selectively omitted the fact that the False God had impersonated the Goddess of Life and the Eternal Son.

Eugene hung his head in silence, his shoulders shaking slightly. He still covered his face, his hands submerged in the deepening shadows.

This guy isn’t about to cry, is he?

Too awkward. Miss Anakin felt a chill in her heart and began desperately thinking of a dignified excuse to leave.

“…Ha.” Eugene finally made a sound.

Anakin stiffened beside him. Wait, that sounded a bit off?

“Ha ha ha—!”

Eugene laughed out loud, even seeming a bit relieved.

Anakin quietly clenched her wand. Great, the guy’s been so traumatized he might have just gone crazy…

“Thank you, Miss Anakin. I understand now.” Eugene lowered his hands, his eyes unnaturally bright.

“No wonder he so easily apostatized back then… No wonder he anonymously guided those monks and nuns… No wonder that in the end, he was without any confusion and didn’t repent to God…”

“No wonder I could never bring myself to act against him and could never forget his words…”

“Why?” Anakin braced herself to continue the conversation.

“I believe in him.” Eugene spoke fervently. “So he is the incarnate of the Goddess of Life.”

Knowing the truth, Anakin felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, deciding not to comment on this bizarre causal deduction. Stimulating the patient was generally a bad idea, she thought painfully.

“He saved me because I was his most favored believer. He apologized to me because he initially told me he was merely an envoy of God.”

“He can only be Tilia. He must be Tilia.”

Eugene smiled, his words carrying an irrefutable certainty.

“That’s really… well, an interesting conclusion.” Anakin struggled to maintain a smile. “You seem to be in good spirits. I’ll check the next tent.”

Eugene nodded joyfully, giving a proper knightly salute.

“Kind miss, may your life be full of vitality.”

Anakin took off running.

……

In the next tent.

Teest looked dissatisfied at Nol, while Nol anxiously looked at Painter.

Nol had just released Painter from the seal and used the freshly baked “reversion” power to stop time, maintaining Painter in a half-dead state.

Nol knew this wasn’t exactly a sweet honeymoon activity.

But the Lost Tower was still clearing up outside the city, and Drake was helping the Players, trying to fabricate a believable identity. Nol was still immersed in the chaos of their rushed marriage, and he needed to find some proper work for himself.

So Nol remembered the living creature he had urgently sealed. When he realized it was Painter, he was shocked.

“Ah, I should have let him die.” Teest rested his face on his hands. “Then we could have done a reversion, and I could have taken you to meet my family…”

“You did well.” Nol hurried to reassure. “Don’t worry. Once you get along with your family, we can invite them to the wedding—you know, do a standard ceremony. Exchange rings and vows to each other.”

“And a kiss after the vows.” Teest fantasized for a moment, satisfied with a hum. “Okay, then let him live. Come to think of it, I thought you could heal this guy with a snap of your fingers.”

“Even I can’t just alter the system’s logic.”

Although his Tahe and the shit of problems weren’t related, blind changes could still pose issues. Painter had normally used [Time of Farewell], thus he must endure the death outcome. Nol really couldn’t adjust that.

Unless…

Nol glanced at Teest, who was yawning beside him, and vaguely had an idea. He carefully took Painter’s right hand and slowly exhaled.

[Welcome, Nol.]

[You are applying for “Administrator Assistance Permissions”.]

[A “Standard Administrator” identity has been created, with specific system permissions available.]

‘This is it,’ Nol thought. A system could only have one highest administrator, but he could designate GMs to help manage. Translated to Tahe terms, a god could have relatively weaker demigods.

His Teest was a genuine god. Although Teest always claimed to be Nol’s pope, Nol would never truly let him be a subordinate.

Painter was different. His power was still hovering at the threshold of a False God, and he was filled with love for Tahe. As long as they negotiated, Painter could become an excellent assistant manager.

[You will grant the target Godfrey Painter “Standard Administrator” status.]

[Please select “Standard Administrator” Godfrey Painter’s callable system permissions.]

Nol checked through the dizzying array of permissions, finally finding his target—

[You have designated the system permission “Life”.]

[“Standard Administrator” Godfrey Painter will be allowed to borrow the system permission “Life”.]

This way, Mr. Painter could use the life permission to counteract the death outcome. Full system permissions were definitely stronger than the effects brought by skills.

Before confirming the operation, Nol looked at the “Standard Administrator” name, which seemed too plain. He hesitated for a moment and then reactivated the system.

[You are requesting to rename Godfrey Painter’s “Standard Administrator” status.]

[“Standard Administrator” → “God of Life”.]

[Name change completed.]

---

The author has something to say:

Mr. Eugene, through a completely wrong process, got the right result.

How is this not a kind of fate?

The God of Creation starts arranging work before going on his honeymoon!

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 236: The Second Power

Nol’s mind went blank.

When Teest suggested going back alone, Nol could guess what he was thinking. The long pursuit of knowledge and hunting was over, and Teest would probably go… to say goodbye. Even destroying Star Stealer Sol, the Mad Monk wouldn’t suddenly become a person rich in emotions. Even so, Nol could sense the special place “family” had for Teest. At least in this matter, Teest needed more private space, he thought.

But before activating the reversion, there was a hint of confusion in Teest’s expression.

Nol unexpectedly recognized this bewilderment. When his neighbors were saved, their faces all bore similar expressions—a helplessness and anxiety faced with an unknown world.

No, perhaps at the very start of his journey, he too lived daily with this emotion.

So he knew how to end it.

“Remember, I’m waiting for you here.”

Nol leaned forward, cupped Teest’s cheeks, and whispered into his ear, words that only the other could hear.

“As a normal person,” he emphasized, “I love you, Teest.”

This was the most appropriate moment to say these words, Nol thought. Nol didn’t intend to use them to verify anything, trade anything; he hoped they could act like a small flame, illuminating the way forward for him.

He didn’t wait for Teest’s response and sent him back to the past.

…But he didn’t expect that right after Teest came back, he would drop a syrup bomb.

A proposal? Teest? Now?

Nol stared dumbfounded at Teest, who was half-kneeling on the ground. He moved his hand subconsciously and found it was gripped tightly. Teest was smiling at him, well, mostly at his lips.

The Creator’s mind was a bit frozen.

A second ago, he was worried about Teest’s reversion, thinking about the Mad Monk’s heavy past. This moment, he really couldn’t muster a Hollywood grand finale smile and say, “Oh my god, you finally learned the meaning of love. I’m so happy. Let’s go on a honeymoon right now.”

Nol instinctively knew that Teest was serious, and he also needed to respond seriously… seriously…

“Aren’t you upset? Last time, we had a ‘Goddess’ witness our marriage contract.”

Anticipating that Nol might not immediately respond, Teest squeezed Nol’s hand tighter, continuing with a smile. “Since we killed the officiant, that marriage shouldn’t count, right?”

Nol: “You’re right…”

“But I don’t want a divorce from you, so we’ll just have to get married again.” Teest sighed, as if it had nothing to do with the death of Star Stealer Sol. “And I’ve come to understand a bit more—”

Nol immediately perked up his ears.

Teest didn’t continue. Instead, he pulled that hand to his face and gently rubbed it.

Understanding wasn’t necessary, nor was normality. Most people—especially the likes of Painter—were trees filled with ostentatious flowers and abundant fruits. He didn’t need to understand them, nor did he need to become them, even though he only had a few scant fruits.

The fruits only need to be sweet enough, since he wasn’t planning on sharing them with many people.

The two remained silent for several seconds. Nol’s expression shifted from confusion to contemplation. “Let me confirm one thing, is this the ending you want, Teest?”

“Oh—about that promise, I indeed have an ending I want,” Teest said. “But I will never tell you that answer.”

That way, you’ll have to keep this promise in mind, always waiting for me.

“So, this is just an ordinary proposal.” He squeezed Nol’s hand even tighter. “You haven’t given me your response yet. You…”

He couldn’t finish.

Nol forcefully pulled back his hand, pulling Teest up with him. The knight in white armor staggered a few steps, almost bumping directly into Nol.

“I agree.”

Nol stated solemnly, holding Teest’s hands.

This time, the Mad Monk didn’t send over restraining gold threads, but a hand. As for that promise about the ending… now that they had a signpost from the past, that ending could wait in the endless future.

It would only bring anticipation.

Everything was better than Nol had imagined, so good it felt somewhat unreal.

Nol’s face turned red, and his tone was several times faster. “I agree to you, whether it’s the ending you want, or a new ‘marriage contract’. If you’re not reassured, we can guarantee it with the system. Oh, and the previous marriage contract must be annulled—”

“No.”

Teest shrugged, interrupting Nol’s ramblings.

Without the mutual understanding expected in that moment, the gentle atmosphere just evaporated, plunging Nol into confusion.

“Now the system is your power. And so far, you are more powerful than I am,” Teest explained pompously. “Whenever you want, you can change your mind.”

Nol: “Uh…”

He really had no counterargument, but did you really have to talk about this now, Mr. Mad Monk? Seeing the other handle it with such ease, Nol couldn’t help feeling a slight loss—

Ever since hearing the word “proposal”, his heart had nearly smashed his ribs into a comminuted fracture!

Teest released his hand, summoning the small ring box.

He first opened the small box, satisfactorily admired it for several looks, then stuffed it back into the pendant. “Give it to me, honey.”

Nol: “…?”

Didn’t you just take out the ring box yourself? What else do you want me to take out? Do you want double rings, one for each hand for both of us?

Just as the Creator was urgently pondering whether to create wedding rings on the spot, Teest shook his hand. “The previous ring, give it to me.”

Ah, the default wedding ring of the system.

Nol understood. He promptly took it off and placed it in Teest’s palm. Thinking that this item was issued by Star Stealer Sol-manipulated system, he didn’t plan to keep it for long.

Teest very disdainfully removed his own ring, clutching both rings in his palm. Cold golden flames ignited near his hand, but Nol noticed no signs of the rings being damaged.

After all, it’s a system’s thing, Nol thought. It symbolized the system contract between them, holding a part of power. They both knew that Nol could easily erase it now, but for some reason, Teest apparently didn’t want him to do so.

Teest grimaced, clenched his fists tightly, and the golden flames burned even more intensely. Daylight was approaching, and those golden eyes stared intently at the flame as if they were burning.

Okay, the eternal question again—what exactly is the Mad Monk thinking?

Nol touched his lips, suddenly realizing he was smiling. The loss he felt just moments ago dissipated, turning into anticipation.

Powerful magical fluctuations surged and contracted around Teest. Teest slightly furrowed his brows and clenched his hands, his expression incredibly focused. A thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead. The fire in his hands condensed nearly to a liquid, giving off a bizarre and wondrous luster.

The Mad Monk didn’t genuinely pray—this Nol knew. Even when dealing with Star Stealer Sol, Teest was actively slashing and pummeling. And with Teest having Nol by his side, they were already fighting together, making prayers practically meaningless.

But at this moment, Teest almost looked devout.

Crack.

A faint sound of breaking came from within Teest’s palm.

[Warning! Warning! Detection of external instability factors.]

[Unknown power is generating! Unknown power is generating! Please intervene promptly!]

No, he wouldn’t intervene. Nol watched the heart-like pulsating golden flame, his lips curling up.

In Teest’s palm, the sound of breaking grew clearer. At the same time, the system’s alert sounds in Nol’s ears became more frequent.

[Warning! Warning! Your wedding ring has been damaged under the influence of an unknown power.]

[Warning! Warning! Your marriage contract has become invalid under the influence of an unknown power.]

[…Analyzing unknown power…]

[External power “Vow” confirmed.]

[Warning, “Vow” power has higher priority than the existing system’s contract.]

Amidst the continuous system warnings, Teest patted the debris in his palm, taking out the ring box again. The golden flame gently enveloped it, and Teest raised the box to his lips, imprinting a gentle kiss.

“Honestly, this power really isn’t suitable for me.” Teest muttered, “Once the contract is established, even I have to follow the rules.”

He took out a moonstone ring and gently slid it onto Nol’s ring finger. The moment the ring touched, Nol could feel its surging power.

“What kind of contract did you establish?”

Nol stared intently at the ring, his heart pounding against his ribs.

“Don’t worry. I can’t create a contract without mutual consent.” Teest averted his gaze. “You agreed to the proposal, so this is just a normal ‘marital relationship’.”

“We both can’t silently erase it. To end the contract, both parties must be informed. A normal proposal, a normal marriage, honey.”

After speaking, his gaze slid back to Nol’s face. In Nol’s eyes, he saw a subtle anticipation, mirroring his own.

“I really like it, especially these rings.” Nol smiled. “Actually, this power is very—very suitable for you, Teest.”

It turned out on this fateful morning, neither of them was ‘at ease’. Teest’s emotions were definitely not as calm as they appeared. He had even created a “power” on the spot.

“Destruction” accompanied by “Vow”, Tahe now had a newly born god.

The future would be more interesting than they imagined, Nol thought.

Teest admired their rings for a long while, his expression relaxing, and he revealed a broad smile. “If you think about it, you’re quite right.”

“Just by inducing someone to make a vow and cleverly using the penalties for breaking it, this power could be a pretty good weapon—”

Nol: “……”

…He knew it!!!

……

Beside the damaged Evergreen Church, Players urgently set up an NPC aid area.

Inside one of the tents, Eugene Malloy opened his eyes.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 235: Creator

“Actually, it’s better for two people to choose together.” Thacker skillfully rummaged through the drawers. “Or do you want to prepare a surprise for your lover?”

He took out six exquisite small boxes, lined them up in front of Teest, and opened each one. On the dark velvet were displayed six pairs of beautifully diverse wedding rings.

“A surprise… maybe.” Teest carefully inspected the row of rings. “We don’t need to keep the current rings. The officiant was a complete scoundrel and we just got rid of that guy.”

“Your choice is wise indeed. You shouldn’t keep bad memories.” Thacker Flama wholeheartedly agreed.

All six pairs of rings were very beautiful, made of the finest gold, silver, and jewels, with perfect carving and design. From elegantly ornate to simply majestic, each pair was flawless.

Each ring had an inconspicuous artisan mark on the inside, a twisted trident. Teest knew it was a variant of Flama’s “F”, proving that these rings were the creations of the Flama family.

His father had once specifically drawn it, proudly showing it to him.

“They are all perfect, sir.” Teest stared at the small mark. “I think I need your advice.”

“Understood, you want to buy according to your lover’s preferences. Come on, tell me about your lover.” Thacker naturally let out an “oh”, posing ready to listen attentively.

Teest seemed struck by the word “lover” and he was quiet for a moment before he could organize his thoughts.

“He likes silver-white,” Teest murmured. “He doesn’t like ostentatious decorations—too glamorous wouldn’t work… His personality is very gentle, and he rarely wears warm-colored clothing, so vibrant colors are inappropriate.”

“Right, he has black hair, and his eyes are a beautiful bright blue, like the wings of a blue butterfly. Hmm, he would really suit a blue moonstone…”

Probably because he had given a frightening budget, the rings in front of him all used more expensive, finely cut gems, none of which were blue moonstone.

Thacker hesitated for a moment, then removed four pairs of rings with elaborate intricate settings and overly large, colorful stones. He rummaged around and brought out two more boxes to replace them.

This time, he chose all silver-white settings with cool-colored gem designs. Just as he was indifferent to the White Demon in front of him, Thacker didn’t show any surprise about the “he” Teest mentioned.

“Continue telling me about that young man.” He adjusted the position of the rings, encouraging Teest to go on.

The Mad Monk didn’t easily discuss personal matters with strangers. But Thacker Flama was no stranger, though this was their first such… formal conversation, Teest thought.

He was very good at trading and disguising, yet at this moment, his prided abilities suddenly had lost their use.

“The first time I met him, I thought he was a very strange guy,” Teest confessed almost awkwardly, his speech a bit slow. “Yes, very strange, and he had a lot of whimsical ideas.”

“In the areas he excels in, he’s very confident. But in areas he’s not good at—like social interactions—he can be quite dull. Luckily, as a companion, he’s still professional.”

His father listened patiently, casually removing another two pairs of rings and replacing them with a new pair. Now, only three pairs of rings remained on the counter.

“When did your view of him change—I mean, become more special?” Thacker Flama casually inquired.

Teest’s motion of touching the rings stopped.

There could be many answers to this question.

Such as the day they were forced to enter into a marriage contract facing Lich Valdorlock, or the day in Lynn’s forest when they first exchanged their vows.

Or perhaps during the depths of winter, the first time they truly embraced, the day he made that ridiculous deal about “life, loyalty, and love”.

But what he unconsciously recalled was a sky full of endless fire.

That night, Nol’s blue fire had first become fervent. The blue flames devoured the wooden hut and bodies in the cold wind, the firelight piercing the heavens, tearing the night apart.

[I need to destroy more. I need you. Come with me.]

[My Sir Knight.]

From the moment his heartbeat lost balance, their story truly began.

Reflecting on the past, Teest found it both amusing and sad. Nol had kept his promise, and his own deal had become full of holes. He couldn’t help but shake his head and take a breath.

“If I have to say, it was a very cold night, everywhere covered in snow.”

Teest gave his answer, then realized he was smiling. “Yes, he became special a long time ago. He’s very good at making things ‘special’.”

“Oh, thinking about it for so long. It’s clear you’ve had many special moments,” Thacker teased with a wink. “You really love him.”

Teest looked into his father’s golden eyes, not denying it. “For you guys, these things seem easy to judge.”

“I don’t know if I can give the right response or if I can do it to his extent…”

Thacker grinned. “Well, since you’re so unsure, why don’t you just leave him?”

“No!” Teest twisted around as if his tail had been stepped on.

“That settles it then?” Thacker shrugged. “Let me tell you a secret, I also had premarital jitters—my wife came from a much better background than I, and I always worried I would hold her back, worried that I wasn’t good enough.”

“But I also ‘didn’t want to leave’ like you, so I just had to try harder.”

Saying that, Thacker took away two more boxes.

Teest: “……” What does “just like you” mean?

As far as he knew, his father couldn’t even kill a mouse without closing his eyes. Their mental states were absolutely worlds apart.

However, one thing was certain from this conversation—

From that snowy night with the sky ablaze, he had unintentionally given an honest response.

[I’m yours.] At that time, Teest had responded this way.

“You’re right. I love him.” Now, he phrased it differently.

“Don’t tell me.” Thacker clicked his tongue, taking away the last pair of rings.

“So let’s change the topic. What do you mean by this?” Teest raised his eyebrows towards the now empty counter.

Thacker looked at Teest thoughtfully, leaning down to take out a silver-white ring box from the very back of a drawer. Then he pushed it in front of Teest, gently opening the lid.

Inside the box lay a pair of elegantly designed matching rings.

They used antique silver for the setting, embedded with blue moonstone. The gem was flawless, polished even rounder than a droplet of water. Its size was just right, emitting a captivating bluish-green.

The antique silver surface was engraved with delicate patterns, hiding a set of blessing runes, creating a slightly rough texture. The silver itself had a special luster, which, together with the moonstone, gave the entire ring a subtly soft glow.

At a glance, the rings felt like… a quiet, snowy night.

“The most expensive rings in the store.” Thacker laughed. “You know, antique silver is very expensive. Normally, no one would pair it with moonstone.”

Teest pulled his gaze away from the ring, looking at Thacker with confusion.

“This is something my wife and I made together,” Thacker said happily. “Ignoring what’s normally done, this combination is quite beautiful, isn’t it?”

“If you plan to buy them, I can give you a discount. Just 600 gold wheels, sir.”

Teest was aware of the value of these jewels. Rings priced at 600 gold wheels indeed qualified as “most expensive”, but considering the value of the antique silver and the gems, the price was almost at cost.

“I do intend to buy them, but I don’t want to take such a big advantage of you,” Teest said, not hiding the curiosity in his tone.

Thacker waved his hand cheerfully. “Knowing you appreciate our work, Edith—my wife—would be very happy. And…”

He coughed twice, his voice lowering.

“And your smile resembles my wife’s. It feels familiar to me. Consider it our wedding gift to you.”

Teest’s throat felt dry. “Just for that reason?”

Thacker scratched his head and glanced at the street. Finally, he sighed and lowered his voice.

“I have a child who is very much like you,” he said, subtly glancing at Teest’s silver-white hair. “I hope that when he grows up, he can… find a wonderful partner and have a decent life like you.”

“Consider it a father’s selfishness.”

“…Teest.”

“What?”

“My name is Teest,” Teest said, staring intently into Thacker’s eyes. “As you see, I am a knight—a knight who hunts down heretics.”

Long after this, we will destroy that god of chaos, Father.

Thacker was taken aback for a moment, apparently misunderstanding Teest’s words. “I see. Dangerous work… but I won’t take back my offer.”

“Sir, if my child could turn out like you, I would be very proud.”

Teest looked down, thoughtful. After half a minute, he opened his pendant space, slowly counting out 600 gold wheels—part of it was in equivalent gems, some in silver hooks to round it off.

Finally, he took out the blood-stained gold wheel and gently placed it on top of the small mountain of gold wheels.

“I wish you happiness, Mr. Teest.”

Thacker Flama handed over the ring box with both hands adorning an especially bright smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Flama.”

Teest took the ring box, clutching it tightly in his hand.

“Thank you for your blessings.”

The doorbell rang again as Teest put his helmet back on and left the small jewelry shop.

He didn’t rewind time but continued walking down the street. The afternoon sun was exceptionally intense, and Teest walked unconsciously, inadvertently returning to a familiar place.

In the courtyard, vines bore gem-like grapes, and the swing swayed with the wind. The sound of children laughing and playing came from the yard. Several kids crouched in the bushes, watchfully looking toward the back of the house.

His home.

Worn memories gradually fell into place, becoming vivid—

That day, his father was at work, and his mother went to visit his brother at the knights’ group. His sister was helping with accounts next door, taking his little sister along, and the old grandmother from next door was watching the children in the yard.

Today, his brother who practiced at the knights’ group would come home, and on this day, his parents would give the children gifts and pocket money, and everyone would enjoy a sumptuous dinner together.

At the moment, the young him was staying at home, playing hide and seek with the visiting children.

Teest stood outside the courtyard for a while. Inside, the neighbor’s grandmother spun thread while watching him warily. Teest casually concealed his presence, and the old woman’s wariness turned to confusion.

Crossing the familiar gate, Teest tiptoed towards the backyard.

His past self had hair the same deep brown as his parents’, slightly long and seemingly well-behaved. The young him sensed the unfamiliar footsteps and reached for the blindfold.

Teest waved his hand, and the fabric clung tightly to the boy’s eyes.

So that’s how it is. Having done all this, he couldn’t help but look at his hands.

…So that’s how it is.

Teest turned and walked towards the inside of the house. He turned down one corridor after another, descending the stairs, passing through doors of various sizes.

He stopped at the Flama family’s secret prayer room, walking towards the portrait of the benefactor his family had always worshiped. Teest reached out, touching the cracked paint on the canvas and the god’s smile outlined by that paint.

His Nol.

Teest knew that his God was waiting for him in the future. He gripped the ring box in his hand, his expression soft.

Just then, the sound of light footsteps came from behind.

“Who are you? Only my family knows this room, and Earl wouldn’t be so foolish.” The young him spoke hoarsely, like a young animal trying to intimidate an enemy.

Finally, Teest thought, he finally understood everything. Teest crouched down, reaching out to touch his own head.

“You will go through many things. Your life will be full of questions. No matter what, you will try your best to survive.”

These words were neither a prophecy nor consolation. Teest knew they couldn’t soothe his past self; they were merely a period—a period that declared victory.

Watching his young self’s confused face, Teest’s mouth curved into a smile.

“Everything will eventually end,” he said softly. “God loves you deeply.”

……

After leaving the Flama family’s house, Teest sat on a nearby bench.

He saw his mother and brother laughing as they entered the yard, saw his sister carrying his younger sister and humming a tune as they pushed open the home’s door. He saw his father, who had closed his shop early, beaming with happiness, carrying a purse and fruit home.

Laughter and play filled the Flama family’s house.

At that moment, the whole Flama family was crammed into the kitchen. His father was selecting vegetables, his mother was cooking soup. His brother, having removed his armor, was busy handling fresh chicken. His sister stared intently at the frying pan, ensuring the food didn’t burn. His younger sister, unnoticed by the family, attempted to raid the candy jar.

Teest clasped his hands, quietly listening. The sunshine remained brilliant, the smell of food wafted from the nearby house, familiar and unsettling.

Creak.

The front door opened, and the young him, holding a purse, stepped out of the yard. Yes, his task that day was to buy bread for dinner for everyone.

In that small purse, there were several silver hooks and a gold wheel.

Teest watched his own last departure, his small figure running towards the end of the street. That small silhouette grew increasingly distant, running towards the noisy crowd, running towards a destined tragedy, eventually swallowed up by the overly bright sunlight.

“Bet our little brother will buy what back?” His brother laughed.

His sister became alert. “Hey, you took a gold wheel too. Why do you want to steal a kid’s snack?”

“It’s definitely cake,” his mother said. “I guess it’s peach cake today. It’s the season.”

“Mom, don’t encourage Earl!”

“If it’s cake, that kid will buy one for each of us,” his father interjected. “Instead of arguing, you two should think about what to buy for him.”

“Hmph, I’ve been saving some money every time. When that kid comes of age, I’ll buy him a good sword.”

“Maybe he’d prefer to work in the jewelry store,” his sister said huffily. “His brain works better than someone’s. I’ll buy him a gemstone guide tomorrow…”

Teest sat across the street, continuing to listen.

He listened to those nearly forgotten laughs, to his family’s plans for the future. He listened attentively until his parents became anxious over his long absence, until he heard his long-lost, true name.

The wind stopped, the swing in the yard no longer moved. His anxious family left the house, searching everywhere for the missing Flama’s youngest son.

“Goodbye.”

Teest stood up, bowed slightly, and whispered to those familiar figures.

He ended the reversion.

In the next moment, he was back in the ruined Bissus City, standing in the ruins of the square.

Nol stood before him. The God of Creation retracted his wings and horns, taking on a fully human form. Seeing Teest appear safely, the concern in Nol’s blue eyes quickly dissipated.

“Thank god, the reversion was accurate.” Nol sighed with relief, his face full of concern. “Did you see your family?”

Teest nodded, his expression as calm as when he left.

“It’s all over,” he said.

Nol studied Teest’s face, which now carried a strange softness and a subtle sense of loss. As he expected, Teest didn’t break down or cry; he was unbelievably calm.

Still the same Mad Monk, but…

“I suddenly feel like telling two stories,” Nol said softly. “Would you like to hear them?”

Teest looked at him skeptically. “Please.”

“Once there was an ordinary child named Thacker Flama.”

“From his earliest memories, he had a playmate with whom he got along very well. They played together from time to time and maintained their friendship into adulthood, occasionally visiting each other’s homes. They would talk about many things—work troubles, life’s little problems, and so on.”

“Until the Flama family disappeared, they remained best friends.”

Teest’s calm expression vanished, and he looked at Nol blankly. Nol returned the gaze with a gentle expression and continued his story.

“Once there was an ordinary child named Edith Blanco.”

“When she was very young, she got a beautiful white cat. The cat would listen to her troubles, protect her life, and quietly accompanied her for over a decade. Soon after she met her lover, the cat peacefully disappeared.”

“Then she met her lover’s friend, and she gained a new friend. She and her lover often invited this friend to their home to play with their young children.”

Nol reached out and touched the top of Teest’s head.

“Teest, the reversion just now is not the end. It’s a beginning.”

The Flama family was destroyed in plain view, their deaths etched into fate, irreversible. After that, neighbors no longer spoke of that family. The sole survivor “Teest” lost his real name and most of his memories of his family.

Thus, the past of the Flama family was completely obliterated, unknown, and unremembered by anyone.

…But this also means, for the predetermined fate, the lives of the Flama family contain many, many blanks.

Insignificant blanks, fillable blanks.

In the several decades of life that Mr. and Mrs. Flama had, there could exist a friend who shouldn’t have been there or a cat that shouldn’t have existed. The Flama family’s eldest son could have an extra classmate knight, the eldest daughter could gain a mysterious pen pal.

Unrelated to fate, unrelated to laws. They wouldn’t change history, only leave behind more happiness and memories.

“If not used in warfare, ‘reversion’ is a very good ability.” Nol said, “You still have plenty of time to get to know each other, Teest.”

Teest suddenly felt a pain in his throat. He stood somewhat helplessly, his thoughts blanked by Nol’s “stories”.

Nol exhaled, stepped forward, and embraced the rigid Teest.

“You look like you need a hug,” he said.

Teest looked up at the horizon, where the sun was blood red.

He had left in the evening and returned in the morning. If not for the increasingly bright sky here, Teest almost confused the time.

The morning was appropriate, he thought. Strange emotions pressed on his organs, their presence becoming clearer and he needed to expel them quickly.

Under the concealment of his ability, amid thousands of celebrating Players, Teest ended the hug. He grabbed Nol’s right hand and knelt on one knee.

“I swear to you.”

Teest kissed the back of Nol’s hand, his tone returning to its usual lightness. “This time it’s not a skill, honey. I owe you a real knight’s oath—I will offer you my life, loyalty, and love.”

“I accept,” Nol reflexively responded, then widened his eyes at Teest’s latter half of the statement.

But his knight didn’t immediately stand up.

“I pray to you.”

Teest pressed his forehead against Nol’s hand, closing his eyes. “My faith still belongs to you, and I will not take it back… Thank you for everything you’ve given me, Nol.”

“You’re welcome?”

Nol said somewhat bewilderedly, his neck and ears turning slightly red. There were too many people here—even if they couldn’t see them right now, it was still too crowded.

He hadn’t expected Teest to suddenly do this. It was the first time he’d received such an exaggerated thanks.

His pope still didn’t plan to get up.

“I request of you.”

Teest turned that hand over, this time kissing the palm of Nol’s hand. “Terminate that damned marriage contract. We don’t need Star Stealer Sol as a witness. Now, I formally propose to you.”

“About the words you said to me before the reversion,” he said. “This is my response—”

“I love you too, honey.”

---

The author has something to say:

The proposal is here!!!

I’m thrilled—this is the real proposal! Yes!!!

---

Kinky Thoughts:

This chapter is really too bittersweet. I cried in sadness, then that ending I cried in happiness.

To clear up a few things: Why does Teest seem to have stunted feelings? It’s because he carries the gene of the Pillar of the World inside him. When Nol first arrived in Tahe after completing the game, he met a group of people; a woman begging him to save her daughter. He gave the flesh of the Pillar of the World to save the daughter, who then inherited its genes and traits.

As this group of people reproduces, the gene naturally passes through their offspring, and eventually many became “White Demons”, which have partial Players authority. This is why all White Demon have a second life (one resurrection).

Part of the trait of the Pillar of the World is that they are emotionless—their goal is only to create, observe, and evolve. This is why those who inherit the “White Demon” trait, like Teest, have stunted feelings.

Second: The laws of time. Star Stealer Sol’s reversion ability works as basically a save/load. However, once something is etched into history, saving will no longer work. To be etched into history, it must be a significant event that fate deems worthy and must be witnessed by many people.

This is why the Flama family’s fate cannot be changed, as their story is known and has become a part of history. However, the details of their lives can be changed. In this case, Nol is offering to send Teest back to basically become companions to his family (a cat, a friend, a pen pal) so he can get to know his family better.

These things ultimately will not affect their fate, but instead of probably having mundane memories, they will have more fulfilling memories.

Connecting it back, I forget which chapter (it was wayyyy back) but when Teest looked into Nol’s eyes, he felt they resemble blue moonstone (which is being used for their rings). This event is also why Teest choose to become the knight profession (ch161), because he was the last customer in his dad’s shop before they were slaughtered.

I really love how everything connects so seamlessly together, which is usually Nian Zhong’s MO, but I think she really has outdone herself this time with Full Server. This kind of reminds me of another novel I read called Mist. It’s an unlimited flow novel that I quite enjoyed and recommend.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 234: Sir Knight

Nol savored the taste of victory for a while. It tasted like blood, dust, and the morning air. He let joy wash over him, feeling the warmth rise on his cheeks and the back of his neck.

However, he only relaxed for a moment. Nol quickly turned to Teest, only to notice his subtle expression—Teest seemed frightened by something, which was rare.

Nol looked at the palm of Teest’s hand, at a piece of the Star Stealer Sol’s flesh, and a nearly brand-new gold wheel.

“You got it back!” Nol recognized the gift he had given to Teest, clearly taken back from Enbillick.

“…Mm.” Teest murmured, his stiff expression quickly fading.

“I’ll take this for now.” Seeing that Teest had regained his composure, Nol sighed in relief. He pinched the black-red piece of flesh, and his cheeks twitched a few times. “Good. My ability can confirm whether that guy is still alive.”

[Fallen Death] only worked on the flesh of the deceased, so if Star stealer Sol’s body was still alive, he couldn’t acquire skills through it.

Teest typically left it for him, though eating it directly was disgusting… To prevent Star Stealer Sol from having unknown backup plans, it was better to be cautious.

Nol held his breath, frowning. Back on Earth, he couldn’t even swallow raw beef. As a native of Country C, his tolerance for raw food was limited.

For victory.

Nol swallowed the piece of flesh, trying not to let his tongue touch it, directly gulping it down his throat. Even so, the pungent stench filled his mouth instantly, and Nol gagged a few times, almost vomiting it back up.

[Fallen Death has been activated, successfully obtaining the following authority:]

[Reversion: You have the right to roam, observe, and interfere in the river of history. ※Do not defy the flow of fate.]

Nol finally settled down.

[Fallen Death] had successfully activated, confirming that Star Stealer Sol’s body was indeed dead. And this time, [Fallen Death] brought not a skill but an authority.

[Note: This authority doesn’t belong to the skill extraction scope. It is an illegal extraction. Once confirmed, the system will reclaim the [Fallen Death] skill.]

The system added reluctantly, [Do you wish to save the “Reversion” authority?]

Nol couldn’t help but smile.

As the true ruler of this world, he could invoke any system skill and no longer needed [Fallen Death] to extract it. Just being able to obtain Star Stealer Sol’s authority, “losing [Fallen Death]” was hardly a price.

Even so, he could only choose one authority between Star Stealer Sol’s “Reversion” and “Fusion”. For Nol, “Reversion” was enough.

Nol decisively confirmed the receipt.

A new power blossomed within him, feeling like he suddenly grew an extra arm. It moved freely, but the sensation was somewhat odd.

This time, he fully understood Star Stealer Sol’s authority.

He could change the physical state of objects or living things.

However, he could only make targets “younger”, roughly restoring them to a past state. For instance, he could revert Teest’s peas prepared for dinner back to beans or turn mashed potatoes back to fresh ones… Teest wouldn’t be pleased, though.

He could also send any target—including himself—back to any point in the past and make certain interferences. The distance of the retrospective point depended on the magic he invested.

Yet the laws of time remained as usual, not giving way because of the “Reversion” authority. Whether returning as a human or a god, the established flow of fate couldn’t be changed. If one tried to defy it, destruction was the only outcome.

“I’ve obtained Star Stealer Sol’s ‘Reversion’ authority.” Nol looked at his hands and candidly informed Teest.

Teest didn’t respond immediately. About a dozen seconds later, he smiled nonchalantly. “Want to give it a try?”

Nol: “I was just about to say, let’s go back two hours and see.”

They could backtrack a bit of time to observe the battlefield from another perspective. Nol was particularly interested in the details of Teest’s fight with Enbillick. After all, once the reversion ended, they would return to this moment, not missing anything.

“……”

Teest was silent for a while. “Let’s try it with just me first. You need to stay here. If we return late and no one is watching, something will definitely go wrong.”

“And if it’s me being tested, you’ll definitely focus and use all your strength, right, honey?”

Nol looked at Teest, somewhat astonished.

It made sense, but he always felt there was more to Teest’s words. Nol had never seen such a complex expression on Teest’s face, and he even sensed a subtle repression, not like the demeanor of a victor after a great battle.

Time reversion…

Nol suddenly realized something, pursed his lips, and decided not to ask further. He moved close to Teest and gently kissed Teest’s forehead.

A very warm and soft kiss.

“I will use all my strength, Teest. You can reach any time point over the past two hundred years.” Nol whispered softly, “Remember, I’ll be waiting for you here.”

Teest silently stared at Nol, clutching the gold wheel in his hand, the hard coin hurting his palm. He could hear his heart pounding beneath his ribs—Teest knew his request was somewhat abrupt, but Nol ultimately didn’t ask anything.

Nol spread his arms and cupped his cheeks. His God leaned forward and spoke solemnly and gently in his ear.

Teest’s pupils contracted.

In the next instant, everything in front of him disappeared, and before he could respond, Teest found himself standing on the ground in the intact plaza of the church in Bissus City. Pigeons flew up in flocks and crystal-like water gushed from the fountain. Under the excessively hot sun, people in white clothes came and went.

Teest, wearing a sword around his belt, was covered in black-red blood. His originally white armor was full of dust and mud, clashing with the clean streets. Many passersby cast curious glances, and Teest hurriedly walked to a darker place, storing his sword in the pendant space and cleaning his clothes and armor.

…No, that wasn’t enough. He touched his striking silver-white hair.

Cold golden flames ignited, magic quickly gathering.

Teest glanced at the passing Temple knights. His light armor began to shake, gradually transforming into a suit of full-body armor, as ordinary as any other. The long hair symbolizing him as a “White Demon” was hidden inside the helmet, with not a single strand showing.

This felt completely different from the last time he went back in time.

Last time he was a passenger in the “Reversion” carriage, which dropped him off at an unknown location, and he had to find his way. This time, he was the coachman of the “Reversion” carriage, just stopping here briefly.

He knew clearly that this was Bissus five years ago. He also knew he could continue to go further back.

Teest went full speed towards the direction of Grape Collar. As time rapidly changed behind him, he stopped again in the midst of a high summer.

This should be Cork Street in Grape Collar. The street was bustling with people, and the aroma of wine mixed with grease and fruit was particularly lively.

“Bang!”

A heavy sound came from nearby, like flesh hitting a wall. Teest casually looked over, then fixed his gaze. He saw a big-bearded mercenary with a dented head, and Little Piel just sliding down the wall.

Now, he could see that a mini version of Nol and himself were hiding on Little Piel.

“Dead?” The mercenary kicked Piel with the tip of his boot. Teest frowned.

Clang!

The oblivious mercenary kicked his shin, which was solidly blocked by armor. Teest, with his back to Piel, silently stared at the fat mercenary.

Now, he was powerful enough to hide his presence in front of the past Nol. But he couldn’t speak. Nol would recognize his voice… That would take away a lot of the fun. Teest couldn’t help but curl his lips.

The fat mercenary was blabbering something, but Teest didn’t listen to a word. He knew that the little Nol was observing him, the gaze felt like a feather brushing across his spine.

The fat mercenary’s tone became sharp, but Teest still didn’t bother. Perhaps retaining some animal instinct, the man finally just grunted, “Lunatic.”

“Sir Knight, Sir Knight! Thank you so much!”

Little Piel rolled over like a ball. Teest looked at the tense faced mini Nol and couldn’t help but nod and smile at him.

Too bad the helmet blocked it. Nol couldn’t see his smile.

Teest turned around, blending back into the crowd, moving against the stream of time. Time reversed again. Teest passed a particularly familiar alley. In front of the alley, a group of stray cats were wandering, ready to enter.

…Hmm?

At this point in time, he remembered…

A flicker of light passed, and the White Knight turned into a fluffy big white cat. Teest leisurely walked towards the alley, releasing a bit of destructive aura—dozens of stray cats arched their backs and, in a blink of an eye, cleanly ran off.

This should be fine.

The white cat raised its tail and couldn’t help but turn towards the alley.

“…Just being smaller in body, it’s much better than I imagined.” At that time, his mini self stretched lazily.

“Are you sure?” Little Nol swallowed his saliva.

How funny. Teest resisted the urge to rub Nol’s head with his paw.

Unfortunately, his past self reacted too quickly, immediately summoning Ben. Teest regretfully gave Ben a swipe, confirming that their past selves had perfectly hidden their presence, then he jumped back onto the wall and left that moment.

Time continued to flow backward.

Teest strolled through the past, his body determining the destination before his heart did. It wasn’t the burning Immortal Church, nor a dark dungeon, but a moderately sized jewelry store.

He stopped on the day the Flama family began to walk toward ruin.

The weather that day was incredibly good.

The jewelry store was very quaintly decorated, with vines covering the walls and an elegant sign slightly darkened by the paint. Everything was familiar yet foreign. Through the clean glass, passersby could see the smiling shop owner.

…Is it only my father in the shop today?

Teest stood at the door for a full five minutes before finally pushing it open. The door was much smaller than he remembered, and the welcoming bell at the entrance chimed pleasantly, fate remaining silent.

“Welcome, Sir Knight.”

His father—Thacker Flama—stood behind the counter with a genuinely warm smile.

Teest stared at his face for a while, his fingers instinctively tightening. His father was alive, right in front of him. If he took his father away now… before anything had happened, if he took his whole family away from Grape Collar…

Just as the thought rose, his instincts screamed in warning, as if he was about to jump into an active volcano. It was a warning from time itself, advising him to stay away from the established fate.

As expected, it wasn’t possible.

The tragedy of the Flama family was well known, with the people of the Flama family killed in broad daylight, their burned bodies displayed in the courtyard for many years.

It was an unsolvable, destined death. It was the starting point for the birth of “TEEST”.

He knew all of this was unshakeable, but—

“…Hey, is there something on my face?” Thacker Flama scratched his face awkwardly. “If you need anything, just tell me, and I’ll help you choose.”

There was no one else in the shop at the moment. Teest hesitated for a few seconds before removing his helmet. His silver-white hair cascaded down, and Teest looked up at the familiar face before him.

Seeing an infamous “White Demon” appear in front of him, Thacker Flama was stunned for only a half second, but his face still bore a warm, comforting smile.

“Oh, you’re quite handsome,” Thacker winked. “Let me guess—you’re here to pick a gift for your lover, right?”

“Yes.” Teest heard himself answer. “I need…”

He touched the area above his chest, clearing his throat. “I need a pair of rings, sir.”

“How sweet,” Thacker said cheerfully. “What’s your budget? If you’re not in a hurry, our shop also offers customization services—”

Teest stared fixedly at his father’s smiling face, faintly sensing the direction of this story. But even though Teest thought over and over, “I just want reasonably priced rings,” fate remained undisturbed.

Yes, the destruction of the Flama family was inevitable.

Whether they had the best or the worst day, these were mere “errors” in the face of impending death.

If he had to choose…

In the end, he indeed hoped they’d be happier, Teest thought. The weather was incredibly nice today.

“No problem. Please show me the most expensive ones.”

Thus, Teest said it with a smile, like an ordinary person engulfed in happiness.

“My budget is very—very generous, Mr. Flama.”

---

The author has something to say:

Finally seeing the family, Teest (.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Wow. It’s coming full, full circle. All the pieces. Everything. I have to say this is probably the best of Nian Zhong yet.

Teest seeing his family again—*sobs*.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 233: God’s Gold Wheel

It was a bug.

Logically, the stats he gained through [Fallen Death] shouldn’t be affected by [Physical Destruction]. Previously, the best Nol expected was just “to recover the suppressed stats, with values twice as strong as before”.

However, due to the insufficient details in the descriptions of [Supreme Blessing] and [Physical Destruction], Nol wasn’t sure if the curse could be removed smoothly. Using it rashly might just waste a rare item, and his curse would remain unshaken.

Thus, Nol first gave the [Supreme Blessing] to Teest, along with Teest’s own pendant that “exempts all abnormal states”, ensuring the successful removal of the curse.

Nol carefully explained the above plan to his companions.

Nol was cautious. This time, there was no existing bug for him to exploit. He had to anticipate the worst-case scenario and steadily win the battle.

Who would have thought the system itself had stumbled into a colossal bug!

Nol had never felt like this before. System errors popped up non-stop, wildly pouring power into his body. In a trance, through the system, he could feel the entire world.

Around his neck, the two-colored bead on the pendant floated up, emitting a faint glow.

[Administrator power standards achieved.]

[Loading developer permissions…]

[Integrating permission fragments…]

[Fantasy “Playing House” permissions integrated.]

[Novel “Armored Holy Throne” permissions integrated.]

[Game “Prosperous Shopkeeper” permissions integrated.]

[…Abnormal permission fragments integration complete…]

With a snap, the bead from the destroyed worlds shattered into powder, turning into countless warm light spots. They circled Nol for a moment before gently dissipating into the night.

That feeling of “being connected to the world” became increasingly clear, as if the planet was embedded in his flesh.

[Game “Tahe World” permissions integrating]

[“Tahe World” permissions incomplete. Integration failed.]

[Recommendation: Eliminate illegal invaders. Retrieve your authority.]

“That’s what I’m planning to do,” Nol said silently.

As flesh tendrils exploded near him within two seconds, more crowded in. Nol casually glanced at them and swiftly adjusted his plan—

Beat them down.

Beat them decisively, professionally, with the ferocity of a storm, giving no chance for escape. Nol, usually a mage, wasn’t skilled in close combat, but he possessed the most destructive knight in the world.

Nol raised his hand, and blue fire instantly climbed the flesh tendrils, burning the “shell” disguised as the night sky. The night shattered, and the fake night sky turned into a sea of fire.

Nol, with back against the burning sky, smiled down at someone below—

“Teest!”

……

Flames rose all around, and Teest’s mind went blank for a moment.

Without needing to check the panel, he could feel Nol’s terrifying power surge. The God of Creation, previously within reach, suddenly returned to divine heights. Once again, that person shone a light bright enough to ignite him.

Still so brilliant, he thought.

The path of the Mad Monk had reached its end, and a new signpost emerged. How could he lag far behind his God? Teest stretched out his hand joyously—

“Teest!”

Listen, Nol was calling him.

The next second, Teest soared into the sky, happily grabbing Nol’s wrist. His toes touched Nol’s, and his sword still blazed with striking golden flames.

“I think it’s time we committed a crime together,” Nol whispered. “Teach me, love.”

“Of course, honey.”

Within five meters, Teest’s burning golden threads wrapped around Star Stealer Sol, the flames searing the flesh. Those golden threads traced beautiful, precise “auxiliary lines”, and Nol’s magic followed suit.

25%, 22%, 19%…

On the other side, soft golden threads wound around Nol’s wrists, ankles, and waist. They moved lightly like the wind, helping Nol adjust to the most comfortable attack position. Occasionally, their palms brushed, fingertips touched, as if they were dancing in the air.

17%, 12%, 7%…

The health of Star Stealer Sol plummeted. The Players didn’t care about those two unusual figures. All eyes were glued to the Boss’ health bar. The blue fire cracked the heavens, exposing more of the monster’s body, and the Players’ assaults grew more frantic, nearly tearing it apart with their teeth.

Tendril-like flesh limbs thrashed around, and black-red magic poured from the sky. However, the rate of Player deaths had dropped significantly—

In the most intense battle zone, a young man with pale golden hair appeared silently. Numerous space fire circles opened and closed, shifting lethal attacks for the Players or moving the injured to floating islands.

Beside him, Anakin continually cast recovery spells, and Solo, with eyes closed, threw support spells nonstop.

Real or fake Drake? NPC or Player? At this moment, no Player cared.

Those who came to help, whether human or dog, were friends now. They only knew that someone had launched a terrifying burst of power, making the Boss’ health bar plummet dramatically!

In this situation, there was no need for command. Everyone knew what to do—squeeze out the last bit of strength and maximize output!

Under the shattered sky, amid the dragon’s roars, Players surged like moths to a flame, rushing towards the unreachable high heavens. No one noticed the many strangely shaped bosses that had appeared on the edge of the battlefield, adding bricks and mortar to the New Year’s fireworks-like magical assault.

5%.

Star Stealer Sol tried to restrain Nol with its massive body.

“Expel!” Teest laughed.

The pressing flesh was immediately repelled by an invisible force, flung far away. Nol took the opportunity to twist his body and punched it into a pulp.

“This is my territory, recognized by the system,” he said.

4%.

Nol grabbed Teest’s white armor, shielding him from a wave of deadly magical strikes. Ominous magic exploded on him, only succeeding in blasting open the back of his clothes.

[HP – 0]

The sky was filled with blue flames, shaking more and more intensely. Star Stealer Sol’s body writhed rapidly, unsure whether it wanted to move away from the rift or abandon Tahe.

But that didn’t matter.

Teest hooked Nol’s waist, and the two elegantly switched positions. A wave of golden flames blasted back the way it came, piercing through the massive body opposite of them.

3%.

[I surrender!] A sharp, booming voice exploded directly in their minds. [I am willing to return the permissions immediately. We can talk—]

2%.

[You taught me a lot, Enbillick,] Nol said amid the fireworks-like spread of magical attacks, pausing briefly. [The most important of which is: whatever you say, not a word can be trusted.]

1%.

At the very end, Nol touched the spot over his heart, stopping the storm-like magic. He moved close to Teest, his left hand touching the other’s hand holding his sword.

The sword, previously burning with golden flames, now blazed with blue fire, merging into pure white.

Teest looked at Nol. His God nodded and slightly opened his mouth—the gold wheel engraved with five names lay on Nol’s tongue.

The Mad Monk’s gaze shifted from curiosity to realization, and finally to unprecedented sweet delight.

Nol flew behind him, his hands on his shoulders. Burgeoning power swirled around them, silver-white hair fluttering in the wind.

Nol’s power encircled the “Betrayer” while Teest provided both golden fire and the black power of corruption, brutally squeezed together.

Perhaps because the ancient Demon King’s permissions had completely disappeared, perhaps due to the influence of the Creator’s authority, or perhaps because the owner of the power was too excited—the black corruption and golden flames merged into one, hissing like iron being quenched.

The dark colors burned out and the golden flames became more intense, turning into pure gold in the shape of flames. The flames changed from scorching hot to ice cold, writhing like living things, emitting an incredibly dangerous aura.

[Everything is the arrangement of fate.] The Mad Monk shrugged.

[Wait—] Star Stealer Sol’s body convulsed violently. It seemed to want to escape this world but was stuck to the fake sky, unable to break free immediately.

[Get out of my world,] Nol said.

The night sky split into two as if the light of day lit up.

Star Stealer Sol’s health bar instantly bottomed out, its body frozen mid-air like a specimen. The tendrils that had whipped at Players now hung limply, broken and pudding-like. The sharp screeches in Nol’s mind stopped. The magic fluctuations belonging to Star Stealer Sol rapidly faded.

The False God was dead. Its massive remains lost support and pressed into the still-burning night sky, creating more rifts. Black-red flesh fell along the edges of the rifts as the false sky cracked open. The whole world seemed to be trembling.

Nol gripped Teest’s shoulders. Teest didn’t turn back. The “Betrayer” in his hand was still emitting white light.

What a long journey.

Nol closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Like a chick breaking out of its shell, the sky completely shattered. The writhing chunks of flesh and hard shell fragments fell toward the ground. But the moment they crossed the cloud layer, whether the ugly chunks of corpse or the burning shell, all turned into colorful, beautiful confetti.

This was the privilege of the Creator.

[Illegal intruders eliminated.]

[Integrating game “Tahe World” permissions.]

[Integrating developer permissions.]

[Permission integration 100%.]

[Successfully created “world” authority.]

[Successfully returned “world” authority.]

……

[Execution complete.]

System prompts sounded one after another. Countless warm streams flowed in his veins. The world authority called the “System” integrated into his body. Nol knew he could use it at will—the feeling was a bit strange, like leading an overly obedient puppy.

Nol raised his hand, issuing the first command exclusive to the “God of Creation”.

[The new Demon King has been killed.]

[Main Quest completed.]

Above the celebratory rain of confetti, a huge system popup appeared.

[Congratulations to all for reaching the end of the journey. Rewards will be settled within 3 days. Please look forward to it.]

Nol embraced the gasping Teest, maintaining a stealthy state, overlooking the Players frozen in place. Hesitating a few seconds, he finally added the long-overdue words—

[Welcome to Tahe.]

Behind the popup, the real sky emerged. At this moment, the stars faded. The dawn stained the sky a dream-like light purple.

Players looked up together as colorful confetti drifted down, like an overly beautiful dream.

At the same time, Teest, exhausted, hung on Nol, savoring the thrill of killing Star Stealer Sol. He felt like he was back twelve years ago, when he killed his first high-ranking member of the Eternal Church.

Too bad the cathedral in the Holy Land burned down, and the square was destroyed in an instant. Otherwise, displaying the remains of Star Stealer Sol would have been quite a spectacle. Just the thought gave him goosebumps.

Teest glanced at Nol unconsciously.

Nol was watching the Players on the ground. The mess caused by the war and the beautiful confetti that didn’t match the battlefield was continually falling.

He knew he couldn’t understand Nol’s feelings at that moment. But he was determined not to ruin this significant moment—Teest decided not to disturb Nol and instead admire his spoils and to calm his mood.

A piece of flesh that hadn’t turned into confetti.

It came from Star Stealer Sol’s tendrils, which Teest had prepared earlier. When they returned to the Lost Tower, he could make it into Nol’s breakfast.

The gold wheel was stained with blood and grime.

That was the gift Nol gave him, which he had finally taken back. Star Stealer Sol obviously didn’t cherish it. Teest wiped off the dust, finding many fine scratches on the gold wheel.

As he looked, Teest’s smile vanished.

The gold wheel was stained with a drop of blood. Perhaps because it had once belonged to a False God, Teest couldn’t wipe it off. The bloodstain was precisely on the eye area of the king side face, forming extremely fine traces, like a line of blood tears.

Teest hurriedly flipped the coin over. The tiny scratches between the leaves and the sun were also… very familiar, shockingly so.

The day he was taken away by the Eternal Church, the shop sold its most expensive jewelry. His mother gave him a gold wheel as a gift when she sent him to buy bread.

During the endless darkness that followed, that was the only thing he kept. He had observed it countless times. He could never mistake it.

Just like now.

---

The author has something to say:

Husband duo fighting!

Let’s send off Star Stealer Sol with drums and gongs.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

As Nian Zhong continues each novel, I find her writing of action scenes much better and more exhilarating. This whole scenario really drew me in, as if I were actually playing the game myself. It definitely made me reminiscent of my gaming days.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 232: The Golden Finger Returns

When Enbillick came to his senses, it was already too late to save himself. The long sword not only contained the power of the system but also an inexplicable force. His health was plummeting like a burst dam, and he had little time left, let alone the ability to reverse time in a headless form.

His carefully crafted avatar was destroyed just like that.

[Enbillick Alva [Avatar] – Temporary System Administrator]

[HP: 2,540/35,634,800 | MP: 99,453/1,218,500]

[Star Stealer Sol – Temporary System Administrator]

[HP: 310,656,310/999,999,999 | MP: 250,870,010/999,999,999]

With only a third of his original body’s health remaining, dwelling on the avatar was pointless. The moment the avatar perished, the curse would find the nearest person to him. Unfortunately, he was immobilized now, and Teest didn’t seem inclined to come any closer.

Killing Eugene Malloy wouldn’t be too bad either. There was something seriously wrong with that damn guy’s head. After this battle, Eugene would certainly no longer be of use to him. On the bright side, he had considered various contingencies, including “loss of the avatar without killing the target”.

His main body was still intact.

His recent battle with Teest reaffirmed that the opponent was as skilled as he had anticipated. The situation was still somewhat under his control.

After returning to his main body, he planned to quickly eliminate Teest or Nol—preferably Nol—then use the system to distract the stirring Players, avoiding direct confrontation. His priority was survival.

Survival aside, Star Stealer Sol had no intention of fleeing Tahe.

Leaving would mean abandoning all system-related privileges. After three worlds worth of effort, he had finally secured a stable position in Tahe. He was on the brink of success. There was no reason to give up now.

Thinking this, Star Stealer Sol felt irritated.

He flipped through his shattered eyeball and decisively withdrew from the avatar. Let the curse play with those who desecrate God!

Enbillick’s flesh had just collapsed, and the ground corruption surged to wrap around the corpse. Teest, remembering Nol’s speculation—that Star Stealer Sol surely had a backup plan—decided to destroy his body first and absolutely remotely.

Dark corruption rushed forward, and Eugene instinctively stepped back two paces. Accompanied by a chilling hissing sound, Enbillick’s remains quickly dissolved. Several clumps of black corruption formed hand shapes, meticulously searching through Enbillick’s blood-stained money pouch.

Should he leave some blood for Nol to drink?

Teest thought as he swiftly dealt with the body and searched for “God’s Gold Wheel” stolen by Enbillick.

Found it. He successfully sensed Nol’s presence on one of the gold wheels. Teest joyfully recalled the corruption and was just about to leave—

“Be careful!”

Painter was the first to shout out.

From where Enbillick’s flesh had vanished, a half-human-high eerie red shadow slowly rose, resembling a cloud of blood mist. At the same time, Eugene coughed twice. A circular wound appeared on his forehead. Blood flowed from the fine wound, running down his eyebrows and nose.

The half-human-high red shadow, like a shark smelling blood, rapidly charged towards Eugene. Eugene reflexively raised his shield, and Painter’s high-level dispel skill descended from above. The red shadow ghostly passed through the light and shield, its movement unimpeded.

Eugene had to quickly retreat, managing to create some distance. The red shadow spread its arms wide, still closely following.

“It’s a curse!” Healer Anakin shouted as she displayed the pop-up she saw. “’The Flawless can actively identify abnormal statuses on the target!”

The blood-red popup wobbled, its text varying in size—

[Status: Curse “Blasphemy [Undispellable]” permanently activated]

[※Blasphemy: You have committed an unforgivable great sin. Your crime will forever follow you, embrace you, and you are destined to stop breathing under the curse of God.]

Oh, what a troublesome thing.

Regarding the current situation, Teest could guess a thing or two. Star Stealer Sol, possessing half the system’s authority, couldn’t operate outside the system’s rules. He hadn’t used this curse against them earlier, probably because the trigger cost was too steep.

This curse was far stronger than they had anticipated, but fortunately, Nol had prepared a solution in advance. Teest touched his pendant, where Nol had given him the “solution” just in case.

It was a quill they had taken from Ship Island.

[Supreme Blessing: Removes all known curses. ※Single-use only]

If Teest hadn’t used it yet, it still had a more important purpose. Teest looked at Eugene, dodging the red shadow in the flames… Hmm, would Nol be upset if Eugene died? How upset would he be?

Damn, and there were four witnesses…

“You go ahead. I have a way.”

Seeing through Teest’s hesitation, Painter suddenly spoke up, his tone as calm as ever. “That guy is returning to his main body, and it must be tough for Lord Nol. ‘Supreme Blessing’ should be used where it’s needed—please make sure to eliminate Star Stealer Sol.”

“Excellent.”

Teest clapped his hands decisively and turned around.

He knew, even if Painter was a rare “Saint” class, he couldn’t remove or transfer such a curse. Otherwise Nol’s [Physical Disruption] would have been saved long ago. But since Painter said he had a way, Teest didn’t plan to be curious.

He walked away without looking back.

“What are you doing?!”

He heard Eugene’s voice, mixed with anxiety and questioning.

“Wait, there must be other ways—”

He heard Anakin’s voice tremble.

“Calm down. If it’s just about creating distance, I can use spatial teleportation to buy time.”

This was Kando. Teest was used to hearing the candle’s noisy voice. Suddenly hearing a different voice took him a half-second to respond.

The cathedral was filled with fire and smoke, with soil and water raining down like stones. The air was hot and murky, mixed with a rich scent of blood. The expensive carvings were scorched black and tilted in all directions, and the exquisite murals were melting and peeling.

The armor decorated at the door was red-hot, and the long sword in its hand fell to the ground with a clang.

An unpleasant sense of familiarity slowed Teest’s steps.

“There are places that need you more.” Painter’s mood seemed quite good. “And the skill has already started. If we interrupt now, we will both die here.”

“I really like this ending—I consciously chose it in a clear state. Personally, saving Mr. Eugene is much more pleasant than being a stepping stone for God.”

Eugene sounded like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat. “Godfrey Painter!”

“Oh, it’s almost over.” Painter’s voice weakened significantly. “…I have to say, I’m sorry, Eugene.”

Teest could guess what Painter was doing. As a “Saint”, he surely had high-level sacrificial skills.

…Such as taking on someone else’s fate of “death”.

Whether it was Painter or Eugene, Teest had no particular feelings about their life or death. Since he was unharmed, whether for the greater good or personal reasons, the [Supreme Blessing] should rather be used on Nol.

With a bang, the chandelier in front of the archway couldn’t withstand the flames and shattered at Teest’s feet.

The burning church, the falling chandelier, the naïve to the point of ridiculous sacrifices.

And Teest, who decisively left.

Perhaps due to the time reversion, the memory from twelve years ago was incredibly vivid. The smell of Evergreen Cathedral burning was strikingly similar to that of the Immortal Church from those years.

For a moment, Teest suddenly felt a strange déjà vu—a thumb-sized Nol anxiously staying by Painter’s side, trying hard to think of ways to save people, unable to be pulled away.

…Haa.

This time, Teest turned back after all.

The red shadow firmly embraced Painter, like a giant human-shaped spider. Painter’s eyes were half-closed, his face pale and white. He tightly grasped Eugene’s wrist while countless new green runes wandered on their skins.

It was unclear whether it was due to the curse or “enforced calm”. Eugene was unconscious by then, but his face was rosy and his breathing even, presumably safe.

Anakin was tearful, frantically casting high-level healing spells on Painter, trying to keep him alive. Drake was silent, channeling mana to Anakin, encouraging her futile actions.

“Move aside.”

Teest pushed Drake aside unceremoniously and stepped in front of Painter.

He kicked Painter’s side lightly with his toe. The body below didn’t react. And Teest was sure, this guy had no heartbeat—his magical connection with Eugene was barely there, just not completely dead yet.

He placed a hand on Painter’s face, pressing his palm against the Former Pope’s nose. Countless golden threads pierced into Painter’s skin, traveling through his flesh, focusing where the red shadow touched Painter.

They rooted like tendrils into Painter’s skin within the red shadow, seeming to add a set of pure golden neural networks to that shadow. The red shadow twitched unnaturally, looking more like a spider.

“Can you save him?” Anakin almost bit her tongue.

“Of course not. This is a system curse.” Teest scoffed. “I can only use the power of ‘destruction’ to hold it back a bit longer. There’s no guarantees.”

Ensuring the red shadow no longer moved, Teest decisively broke Painter’s hand. “Ben, take him. Kando, open the portal!”

The shadow wolf leaped out from Drake’s shadow, grabbing Painter in its mouth. Drake looked at Teest somewhat unexpectedly, not reacting for a moment. “Painter is already…”

“His magic hasn’t failed yet. The system hasn’t completely classified him as dead.”

Teest impatiently pointed to the green runes on Painter’s right hand, which were gradually fading. “If you ask a few more questions, he’ll definitely die—let me go to Nol’s side!”

As Drake shut his mouth, a ring of fire lit up. The Mad Monk exhaled, grabbed the wolf, and crossed through space.

……

Nol was in a good mood.

The Saints, Amazon, and Dragon Clan—three of the strongest groups in the world were relentlessly bombarding him. Star Stealer Sol’s health bar visibly shortened. The more Nol roared in fury, the more the Players ignored him. The more he tried to stop the Players, the harder they hit Star Stealer Sol’s main body.

It was fantastic, and if it weren’t for the serious situation, Nol felt like he was part of a rock band’s cheer squad.

The wonderful experience continued until Star Stealer Sol’s health dropped to 33%.

Suddenly, the four wandering eyeballs froze and turned towards Nol. Star Stealer Sol’s counterattack became fierce in an instant, with countless black and red beams bombarding the ground, and in a moment, two dragons were pierced through their magical armor and fell from the sky.

Here it comes.

Teest must have successfully disabled Star Stealer Sol’s avatar, forcing Star Stealer Sol into a corner with no way out, starting a frantic attack. Fortunately, they had already taken two-thirds of his health, so Star Stealer Sol had to be cautious about his remaining health and couldn’t fully unleash his power.

Next, he would definitely focus on himself and Teest.

He was just about to… Hmm?

In front of Nol, blue fire suddenly spread. Teest, along with the shadow wolf, leaped out of the ring of fire. The “Betrayer” swept through the air, blocking several incoming black and red beams.

Teest pointed towards the wolf’s mouth, his tone urgent. “Take custody!”

Nol hadn’t even had a chance to see what was in the wolf’s mouth when his hands finished the operation. The item Ben was carrying disappeared instantly, leaving the wolf’s mouth empty, almost unbalancing it.

Watching that figure disappear, Teest clicked his tongue. He looked at Nol with a melancholic expression, as if he had lost something very important in life.

“It went well over there,” Teest said unhappily, his sword drawing golden fire in the air. “Everyone’s alive, probably.”

“What did you just send over…?” In the midst of the battle, Nol didn’t have time to confirm the unidentified living thing.

Teest pointed his sword at the sky. “It’s not important. We’ll talk after the fight.”

Both looked up, noticing Star Stealer Sol’s health bar had stopped around 29%. The conscious Star Stealer Sol had become much stronger, as if the operator had switched from the default AI to a professional player.

For some reason, Nol could read sheer anger in those looming four eyeballs.

“Together?” Nol extended his hand towards Teest.

“Together.” Teest took his hand, kissing the back of Nol’s hand.

With the two of them closer than five meters, [Betrayal Overture] activated.

Nol and Teest stats increased by 30%.

The next second, blue fire and golden fire collided, with thick fog spreading across the battlefield. Nol, who had been biding his time, made his move. [Creator] created tens of thousands of ice spears, which became pitch black as they mixed with Teest’s destruction power.

Nol made a gesture, and the thick ice spears targeted those four eyeballs. Golden fire burned along the fake firmament, creating bigger and bigger cracks.

Hidden in the fog, Players got a brief respite. The sounds of swallowing recovery and mana potions rose and fell. The Players’ assault eased, but that didn’t matter—

The ice spears traced strange paths, focusing their attack on those four eyeballs. The sky-bound monster let out an ugly roar, and its health, which had just barely reached 29%, instantly dropped to 28%.

Before all the ice spears were shot, Teest let go of his hand. The “Betrayer”, connected by thousands of golden threads, flew towards the monster in the sky. Nol manipulated the surrounding air, sending the sword soaring with the wind.

Teest grasped Nol’s hand, guiding the direction hand-to-hand. The long sword, like a living sewing needle, threaded its following golden threads into the monster’s flesh.

And atop those golden threads lay the God of Creation’s blue fire.

The blue fire burned, creating clusters of compressed air out of thin air. In a few heartbeats, Star Stealer Sol’s body exploded along the golden threads, raining down a foul-smelling blood rain.

The blood rain dispersed the fog, and under the watchful eyes of all, Star Stealer Sol’s proud “reversion” was thoroughly disabled.

Its health was now at 26%, nearly a quarter left.

Teest and Nol immediately used the power of “concealment”, disappearing from the multitude of Players’ views. The next second, Nol heard a nearby scream. “The Demon King’s avatar is gone! It’s the second phase!”

As expected of experts, they reacted quickly.

The sky rumbled ominously. The night sky cracked all around, like parched earth.

Star Stealer Sol’s body continued to fall. Countless rope-like flesh limbs squeezed in. They brutally swung away Players, pressing towards the area where Nol and Teest were, groping around.

Perradat’s “concealment” was only on a mental level. If Star Stealer Sol groped indiscriminately like this, it could still touch them.

[Star Stealer Sol has system permissions. It fought a round with you, and with our combined attack just now, it can definitely sense our combat capabilities.]

Nol ignored the gradually approaching flesh limbs, his thoughts steady.

[…It will then attack us within what it considers a “reasonable” defense. This is our best chance.]

[You should be careful. It might not be an opportunity.]

Teest took out the quill [Supreme Blessing] from his pendant. [In theory, it could remove your curse, or it might not work on your curse at all.]

[Yes, it’s more thrilling than a predestined ‘fate’.] Nol flashed a smile.

He looked up again at the Star Stealer Sol’s main body in the sky—paired with the shattered firmament and sweeping flesh limbs, the thing looked like a mutant embryo breaking out of its shell.

[I don’t know this guy’s moves. Teest, make full use of your combat instincts.]

Nol stated calmly as a flesh limb wrapped around his arm.

[This time, you decide, I execute.]

[If I make a wrong judgment, or if you’re too slow…] Teest murmured, manipulating the golden threads to pull back the “Betrayer”. [Forget it. Let’s go.]

If Nol successfully removed the curse, he would become about twice as strong. Combined with himself and the Players, they could take away about 5% of Star Stealer Sol’s health. The subsequent battle would also go smoothly.

But if [Supreme Blessing] was ineffective, it would mean Nol took a needless risk, and he’d have to quickly pull Nol back to his side.

…However, the future changes in an instant, and that’s how things should be, right?

The tip of the quill flickered with white light, Teest held the light quill firmly, reaching towards Nol’s status bar.

The moment the flesh limb pulled Nol up high, he erased the [Physical Destruction [Undispellable]] from Nol’s status bar.

In the wind being pulled up high, Nol’s eyes widened. He could see the rapidly approaching eyeballs, the imminent burst of dangerous magic, and—

[Warning, status change detected]

…Here it comes.

[Effect logic comparison completed. Judgment: the item “Supreme Blessing” is effective. Starting—starting—starting—]

[—Beginning stats calculation]

The status bar flickered like a bad signal, turning from blood red to pale blue, and the content changed again.

[Demon King [?] – Temporary System Administrator]

[HP: 999,999,999/999,999,999 | Mana: 999,999,999/999,999,999]

[Strength: 67,418,990 | Agility: 39,676,778 | Intelligence: 593,376,400 [+200%] | Physical Defense: 60,657,822 | Magic Defense: 120,679,500]

[Status: Beyond the Law [?]]

…Ah?

…It was one thing for health and mana values to max out, but attribute values typically have a seven-digit limit.

Nol almost forgot to struggle, suddenly realizing something—

The stats he gained through skills had always been added directly, unaffected by the curse. When leveling up, these values weren’t reduced but were considered his inherent attributes.

[Physical Destruction] had reduced his stats by 99%, and now that the curse was gone, the system had enhanced his inherent stats by 100 times.

But his inherent stats had been off for a long time, meaning…

Nol poked Star Stealer Sol’s flesh limb.

The flesh limb exploded into fragments with a “pop”.

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The author has something to say:

The weakening was for this moment!!!

Nol’s curse is the ultimate golden finger…

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Kinky Thoughts:

For those who forgot, a golden finger is basically a “cheat”.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 231: God Slaying

Fischer really wanted to cry.

His life used to be very simple. Praying daily to the Eternal Son, engaging in cult activities, killing people, and vying for the position of Pope. He was the epitome of the most devout villain in the world.

Then, as he wished, he truly became the Pope of the Eternal Church. But his life started to get weird—of course, not to say anything bad about Great Lord Teest—this “weird” assessment was completely objective.

It was normal for a god to summon their Pope before a divine war. But for the god to say, “Forget about the church. Turn into a cat first”, “Just accept a curse. No need to resist”, “Do whatever I tell you,” that was a bit off.

For some reason, Teest kicked the Eternal Church aside and singled him out, the Pope. His God turned him into a fluffy, big white cat, locked in the Lost Tower, supposedly to let him get used to things in advance.

Fischer really wanted to know how a cat could handle a divine war, but he truly couldn’t question Teest’s decisions. After meeting Perradat, he felt a bit more at ease.

The God of Fate’s task: Stay in the Tower, provide and only provide the power of concealment, and add a harmless filter to Star Stealer Sol’s real body.

He said these were Lord Nol’s exact words, though he himself didn’t know what “filter” meant.

In Fischer’s view, Nol and Teest were protecting the struggling God of Fate. Perhaps pulling him into the Tower was also a way for the god to protect him.

However, once he became God’s stand-in and was drawn into the battlefield, Fischer sensed something was off.

“Once the battle starts, slip away from Drake and follow Eugene Malloy. Keep your own distance. Don’t let him out of your sight,” Nol patiently explained before the battle. “Remember to keep [Eye of the Wind] on.”

Fischer’s detection skill [Eye of the Wind].

As long as he activated this skill, he couldn’t influence the event itself but was destined to witness its core.

“Why?” Facing Nol, Fischer still dared to question.

“[Eye of the Wind] confirms you will be involved in a major event.” Nol glanced at him, not too warmly for this former cultist. “You are the calm within the storm, but the people around you aren’t so lucky.”

Fischer: “……”

As a high-ranking member of the Eternal Church, he certainly didn’t like Eugene. But how much did the two dislike Eugene Malloy, to insist on involving him in the center of the event? Wasn’t the “Godslayer Knight” better off as far away as possible?

Since this was the choice of Lord Teest’s partner, he would comply.

Back to the present.

Fischer’s claws were deeply hooked into Eugene’s pant leg. It wasn’t easy for a cat to find a spot to claw on someone fully armored. Fischer was covered in soot and dust, his fluffy fur matted, making him look like a used white rag.

Looking towards Teest, shining in the flames, tears welled up in Fischer’s eyes.

…I’ve done my best, my God!

Mr. Eugene had divine help along the way. With that sword, he forcefully tore open a gap in Teest’s magical barrier. He reached the main hall successfully without being hit by any of the burning golden stones.

Eugene hardly cared about the meowing strange cat on his foot. At a glance, he roughly figured out the situation inside.

Painter protected two Players, carefully in a corner while the false Drake drew his sword, standing in front of them. All four were blood-stained and tattered.

Enbillick was also covered in blood, looking severely injured, confronting a handsome white figure—golden threads softly wrapped around that person, while bowing shadows flocked towards him.

However, that person also had a lot of bloodstains on his clothes. Presumably, he was also severely injured.

The Mad Monk.

Eugene immediately made a guess.

Enbillick Alva was a system-designated protected person, those two Players—Anakin and Solo were likely here for him. Previously allied with Paradise, they might be trying to use this relationship to infiltrate Paradise and rescue Enbillick.

After all, as Eugene understood, Saint Anakin was a very typical righteous player. Such a player following the demon-led Paradise definitely wouldn’t gain any benefits.

Painter protecting the Players… False Drake drew his sword to corner them… Did Painter have a conflict with Paradise? Was the Mad Monk planning to kill the chicken to scare the monkey*?

*(杀鸡儆猴) Idiom referring to punishing someone severely or unfairly in order to make an example.

Was he crashing into a scene of internal strife?

In less than two seconds, Eugene made a rough inference.

He decisively rushed towards Enbillick, positioning himself in front of that person in a standard protective stance. His speed was so fast that Fischer was flung off, sticking to a painting depicting the Goddess of Life bending down to pick berries—Fischer, stuck onto the Goddess’s face, gave her a Santa Claus beard.

Teest: “…Pfft.”

Eugene frowned, sizing up the opponent, trying to find a flaw in that relaxed posture, quickly thinking through his mind. Golden Sword had been specifically named by the system. He definitely needed to be protected.

If he could cooperate with Painter and the Players, it would be ideal. If the situation was different from what he imagined, this would also probe the stance of the group in the corner. He…

As Eugene was rapidly analyzing the situation, a numbness suddenly spread from the back of his head.

…Enbillick Alva? Why?

…Wasn’t that person supposed to be protected by God?

A crushing pain obliterated his thoughts, and Eugene staggered in place. In a haze, he seemed to hear Painter’s anxious shout.

Before him, Teest tried to suppress the smile curling at his lips.

Everything was as his God had said—

“Teest, Eugene will be part of your battlefield,” Nol said in a tone used for bedtime stories. “I’m sending Fischer over. He can ensure this to some extent.”

“Why? I can hold off Enbillick. Plus, there’s that four-person team.” Teest stretched lazily on the bed.

“Drake’s combat style is too cautious and conservative. If they focus on defense, they might withstand Star Stealer Sol’s attacks. Once they try to attack, they will definitely show weaknesses. Drake cares more about his companions’ lives than victory.”

Teest: “Okay, I don’t really get along with him.”

Enbillick wasn’t an opponent one could afford to be distracted against, and he certainly didn’t want to consider the life and death of Painter and the others during battle.

“Given Star Stealer Sol’s caution and shamelessness, it will definitely rig its avatar.” Nol played with Teest’s hair. “Like considering the possibility of the avatar’s destruction, maybe a self-destruct in the end. Even if you could win through normal processes, you could still be in danger.”

The God of Creation’s tone was very confident, just like the first time they fought in the lich dungeon. Teest hummed easily, nipping at Nol’s collarbone as a response.

“So I want to bring Eugene to it.” Nol said, “I want to bring ‘hope’ to it.”

A person at their wit’s end suddenly given another option would definitely try it first.

“Star Stealer Sol likes to ‘domesticate’ others. I have a good idea of what choices it will make. Listen—”

“I have to say, you can be quite scary sometimes, scarier than me.” After hearing everything, Teest gave high praise.

Now, Star Stealer Sol indeed made “that decision”.

Enbillick raised layer upon layer of protective shields. The brilliance of memory magic surged wildly. Teest knew that magic. It wasn’t brainwashing, but selective memory transfer.

“Eugene’s oracle is too special. Star Stealer Sol won’t let Eugene act on his own. It will definitely use this fanatic to ensure Eugene stays on its side.”

Nol’s voice drifted from the memory.

“We’ve never interfered with Eugene, so Enbillick will provide flawless memory information, proving he is the avatar of the Goddess of Life, Tilia—thus, by the ‘Godslayer’ oracle, it will try to eliminate you while saving its avatar.”

Eugene stood petrified, his eyes wide, filled with a startling white glow.

He was being forced to receive the message from Enbillick. Given that it was prepared by the renowned Golden Sword, Teest guessed it must be well-founded and credible.

Teest didn’t attack the protective shields. He pulled several bottles of top-grade recovery potions from his pendant and gulped them down. As the potions took effect, the glow in Eugene’s eyes faded, revealing dark green pupils.

For a few seconds, Eugene Malloy looked somewhat bewildered.

“Supreme Lady Tilia.” His lips moved as he muttered with utmost devotion, his gaze gradually sharpening. “Supreme Lady Tilia…”

In his hand, the “Dominator” sword had never shone so brightly.

“Yes, yes. Kill the infamous Mad Monk. Kill that False God.”

Behind him, Golden Sword spoke in a tone so gentle that it was eerie. “I will help you. Protect me and kill him, my child.”

“I understand, Lady Tilia.”

Eugene gripped his long sword, his tone growing firm. “That is the False God who tarnishes Your glory and must be eradicated.”

A dense fighting spirit and magic entwined around the “Dominator”. The young knight radiated murderous intent. In the corner, Painter silently watched, well-behaved as the other three gave a salute.

Across from Eugene, Teest raised both his eyebrows and his sword blade.

Knight Eugene wasn’t yet a False God, but he wasn’t to be underestimated. Moreover, that sword was mixed with the power of the system and bolstered by the strength of Nol’s letter opener… Even though he had just replenished his strength, he couldn’t underestimate this strike.

In a few seconds, the “Dominator” sword grew even brighter, like a sun turned into a sword. The moment Enbillick removed the protective shields, Eugene moved.

“Praise Tilia,” he said.

The sun-like blade sliced through the air, leaving behind a semicircular afterimage. The blazing sword cleaved through flesh, severing the throat splitting the bones.

It cleanly decapitated Enbillick’s head, who still had a smile on his face.

Enbillick was completely stunned.

The avatar of a god didn’t die immediately from decapitation. Enbillick rolled his eyes in shock, looking at the panting Eugene, as the avatar’s health rapidly drained.

Why?

Just in case, Enbillick had already prepared memories to control Eugene. The memories he provided were flawless, fully proving that he was Tilia—in a sense, this was indeed true. He only needed to remove anything related to the Eternal Church.

He had crafted these memories over and over again, without a single flaw. He had checked repeatedly, as Paradise never tried to recruit the fanatic Eugene for stability.

So why?

He couldn’t figure it out, no matter how hard he tried. Pain and questions filled Enbillick’s head, and he couldn’t even focus on reversion.

Why betray the god he deeply loved?

He hadn’t even had time to react when Eugene’s next sword strike arrived. The burning sword tip pierced through his skull, driving down to his jaw.

Eugene seemed to have completely forgotten the existence of the Mad Monk, as the sword tip plunged relentlessly into Enbillick’s head, again and again.

Thump.

“Lady Tilia is absolute,” Eugene said with a smile.

Thump. Thump.

“Lady Tilia would not be driven to this by a few villains. Lady Tilia wouldn’t show such an ugly face in front of me.”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“I don’t approve.” Eugene’s tone was cold and haughty, like a child declaring his dislike for tonight’s dinner.

With a fierce pull, the long sword was withdrawn, splattering a few drops of blood onto the side of Eugene’s face. His smile grew larger, mixed with certainty and satisfaction.

He had used the sword to decapitate the False God. He had already used the sword to decapitate the False God.

“How dare you defile my Lady Tilia, False God.”

---

The author has something to say:

It seems like everyone is looking forward to Eugene’s breakdown (…

True zealots don’t break down. They’re just another type of lunatic!

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Kinky Thoughts:

Shocking but at the same time not really… I mean given all the characters in this story, everyone is just bat shit crazy. The only difference is the degree of bat shit crazy.

Quite honestly, I’m living for all these twists.

All I can say to Eugene is: slay~~

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 230: Oracle

Things shouldn’t be this way.

Within the alternate space of [Mercy Countdown], Enbillick felt rare anger flare up. No matter how briefly he rewound time, he couldn’t escape from here—ending the [Mercy Countdown] prematurely would only be possible if Painter voluntarily lifted the spell, or if Painter were directly killed by him.

The former was definitely unrealistic, and Enbillick originally thought the latter wouldn’t be too difficult. However, he was proven wrong.

This team of mortals wasn’t here to “defeat him”. They straightforwardly took a defensive approach, focusing entirely on defense. God knew whose idea it was, but the team’s defensive measures were extremely irritating—

“Saint” Painter and “Flawless” Anakin both possessed top-tier healing abilities. These two had their skill sequences well arranged, always ready with the highest level of recovery magic. As long as Enbillick couldn’t achieve a one-hit kill, it was almost as if he hadn’t attacked at all.

Their protector was a magic swordsman who could break through space at will, forcibly neutralizing attacks. And that “Night Ranger”, fearing Drake wasn’t formidable enough, enthusiastically buffed the hero with various enhancements, making their entire team tougher than a turtle shell.

The most infuriating part was that Anakin, the core healer, was a Player, which meant she couldn’t be killed.

Enbillick rewound time over and over, constantly trying different strategies. He tried aggressive attacks, he tried provocation, but this four-person squad was immovable like a mountain, with Drake almost cold-bloodedly maintaining command—as if nothing in this world could shake his nerves. Heaven knew what he had gone through.

He couldn’t bait them into talking, nor could he win in a fight. Enbillick gave up on killing Painter. He could only start guessing their next move.

The time limit of [Mercy Countdown] was approaching. Could it be that the opposing side was willing to sacrifice Drake and Painter, dying together with his avatar?

This would match Painter’s oracle; his death would fulfill Nol, the God of Creation.

No, that wasn’t right. Enbillick immediately dismissed his guess. He knew that Nol definitely didn’t have such ruthless methods. Teest might not mind doing so, but he would be considerate of Nol’s feelings.

So, the answer was left with one—delay time, lock his consciousness in the alternate space for thirty minutes. Then, those two would take the opportunity to attack his real body. Considering the cooldown limitation of [Mercy Countdown], those thirty minutes were the limit.

Enbillick breathed a sigh of relief.

He had already considered such a scenario and had specially prepared his real body in a focused defensive state. If Nol arranged a tough turtle-shell team for him, then those two also had to face a turtle-shell-like Star Stealer Sol’s real body.

He knew their limits. Thirty minutes was all. They wouldn’t be able to make much of a splash.

As for the Players… his real body was at the zenith, which was extremely difficult to attack. Those humans, holding a timed quest, would probably spend over half an hour just discussing whether to attack the “real body”, a monster that was outside of the quest.

Now, Nol probably realized his own judgment error.

Enbillick thought Nol and Teest wanted to eliminate his avatar first. He had prepared the most top-level curse within the flesh—

The moment the avatar was destroyed, the curse would erupt. Using his avatar as fuel, the curse was powerful enough to take away a False God. Such as Nol, of course, but more likely Teest.

However, the opponent wasn’t greedy enough and attacked his real body first. Now, good. When the countdown ended, both his avatar and real body would survive.

Thinking of this, Enbillick was very satisfied with the more than half remaining on his health bar. He deliberately restrained his offensive, conserving strength. Sure enough, Painter waved his wand, canceling the spell.

Thirty minutes were up.

The moment he left the alternate space, Enbillick quietly pulled up the attribute panel. The moment he saw the clear panel values, his complexion turned pale.

[Enbillick Alva [Avatar] – System Temporary Administrator]

[HP: 26,787,000/35,634,800 | MP: 705,430/1,218,500]

[Star Stealer Sol – System Temporary Administrator]

[HP: 402,117,650/999,999,999 | MP: 512,378,760/999,999,999]

What happened?!

Half an hour ago, his real body still had 64% health. Under full defense, the opponents could at most reduce it to around 60%. Only 40% left? In just half an hour?

Shocked for a full two seconds, Star Stealer Sol realized something was off.

It was supposed to be deep night, yet the surroundings were as bright as daylight. The area was empty. The air was filled with heatwaves and platinum flames that licked the exquisite murals.

The entire space was draped with golden threads, as if a group of giant spiders spewing golden silk had built their nest here. The web-like threads reflected the brilliance of the flames, looking more like parts of the flames rather than actual gold.

On the ground, dark corruption sinisterly moved about. They hissed as they corroded the immaculate statues. Shadows like droplets slid down the statues’ cheeks, resembling tears of blood.

Powerful magical fluctuations enveloped the surroundings, isolating the outside world and emitting an exceedingly dangerous aura.

Before him, those four mortals still assumed defensive stances. Looking at the burning Evergreen Church, Painter’s eyes held a hint of contemplation. His new green eyes were brightened by the flames, appearing almost golden.

Unfortunately, Enbillick had no time to pay further attention to these four mortals.

Behind him, someone hummed a tune. The voice was soft and pleasant, soaked with sweet malice.

“You now have two choices, Mr. Rat.”

The statue by the side of the hall collapsed. Teest sat leisurely on the broken white stone, swinging a leg.

“The first, immediately give up your real body and try to escape from under my hand and find a dark corner to cling to life.”

Teest spoke with a smile. His white light armor and silver-white hair made him the most conspicuous light source in the flames. “The second, immediately give up your avatar and struggle with your real body—I recommend this one. It’s more interesting. I can beat you up together with my beloved.”

The Mad Monk toyed with a small hunting knife in his hand, his tone as gentle as a sermon.

Star Stealer Sol naturally had no intention of listening to the enemy’s nonsense. His rage grew fiercer. He immediately controlled his real body, lifting the pure defensive state. Several blood-red beams, accompanied by rigid meteorites, mercilessly smashed towards the main hall.

They successfully penetrated the cathedral’s roof, followed by the beams being scattered by the golden threads, and the meteors burnt up by the golden fire. Teest widened his eyes innocently. “Oh dear, you didn’t think all these were just set pieces, did you?”

Enbillick was expressionless. In those few seconds he lowered his defense, his real body’s health immediately dropped from 40% to 39%.

Could the avatar named “Enbillick” escape? Indeed, it could.

If he abandoned his real body and escaped from here, he could definitely do it. But he couldn’t afford to give up his real body—it would be too insane. Things weren’t that desperate yet.

Sacrificing his real body, giving up the vast majority of his power, losing almost all system permissions, and starting over while being hunted by Nol and Teest under their watchful eyes. It would be just like…

Just like Nol initially.

Enbillick involuntarily looked towards Teest—Teest was holding up a hand, signaling the four-person squad not to move. He smiled at Enbillick, his pair of golden eyes showing not amusement but thick mockery.

This guy was doing it on purpose, Enbillick thought. If he wasn’t mistaken, the Mad Monk was even enjoying this moment.

“Coward,” Teest said lightly, with a grin. “Nol was in a worse state than you initially. At least you know the causes and consequences, and your head isn’t filled with mental corruption.”

Saying that, Teest lightly jumped down from the remains of the statue without making a sound. “It seems you choose to give up the only way out.”

With a casual flick of his hunting knife, it transformed into the appearance of a long sword, gleaming coldly.

Enbillick didn’t respond. He charged directly at Teest. Yes, he wouldn’t risk abandoning his real body. Since it seemed the avatar couldn’t be saved, he had to make this body count as much as possible.

The battle wasn’t over yet. He intended to let the erupting death curse take Teest with it.

This time, Enbillick didn’t focus on defense. Top-level items exploded like money was no object, and in the limited space of the main hall, he wildly unleashed destructive magic, even if those spells affected him too.

Under this nearly suicidal onslaught, the four-person group indeed couldn’t intervene smoothly. Only Teest could grapple with Enbillick—black-red orbs of light and platinum orbs collided incessantly, while large chunks of debris fell from time to time.

The ground seemed to have been scourged by artillery fire hundreds of times. The previously mirror-like tiles were gone, leaving only countless big and small explosion pits. The two gods fought as if they were at the end of their ropes while the grand cathedral rumbled in the flames.

Considering that Teest had completely sealed the hall, Drake decisively switched to a defensive position. He led the others, staunchly defending a corner. They all knew that interfering carelessly at this time could likely complicate matters for Teest.

At this point, Enbillick no longer hid the magic unique to Star Stealer Sol. It was cold and viscous, emitting a black-red glow, like a swamp that had swallowed thousands of people. Unfortunately, compared to Teest’s magic, it still lacked destructive power—

The madness of the two sides wasn’t even on the same level.

Teest battled Enbillick with his real body, but his behavior was even more outrageous than the quietly dying Enbillick. Teest attacked like a lunatic, completely ignoring defense. He seemed to feel no pain, solely focused on turning the avatar in front of him into mincemeat with his sword.

“You killed my family.”

Teest murmured almost inaudibly, as countless golden threads wrapped around Enbillick’s body. “I didn’t get to say goodbye to them. My parents said it was rude not to.”

Enbillick hastily crushed a gem, barely freeing himself with a top-tier protective spell.

“You also want to kill Nol.”

Teest swung his long sword decisively, the blade casting out whips of golden flames. “My Nol.”

Crimson ropes shot from the ground towards the high skies, attempting to bind Teest’s ankles. Enbillick moved his fingers, condensing numerous large and small black orbs in the air, their surfaces shooting out countless spikes, intending to impale Teest in midair.

Teest allowed those spikes to pierce his skin. As blood splattered, the tips of the spikes ignited with golden fire, turning to ash.

“Finally.”

Teest charged directly at Enbillick, his entire form seemingly transforming into a golden fire spear. “You even stole the wishing gold wheel Nol gave me—”

Enbillick: “……”

Unreasonable fool! This is a battle of gods. What nonsense are you talking about?

While dodging, he carefully glanced at the panel.

[Enbillick Alva [Avatar] – System Temporary Administrator]

[HP: 197,645/35,634,800 | MP: 52,190/1,218,500]

[Star Stealer Sol – System Temporary Administrator]

[HP: 370,552,100/999,999,999 | Mana: 314,917,080/999,999,999]

Almost there, Enbillick thought. His curse would attack nearby. Next, he had to receive the right hit to ensure the curse didn’t target the wrong target.

He just needed—

Bang!!!

The gold threads throughout the hall vibrated simultaneously, accompanied by a piercing, shattering sound, and an exceptionally fierce magical fluctuation came from the door. The next moment, a powerful presence approached rapidly.

“Mad Monk!”

Eugene Malloy was covered in wounds. His handsome face was twisted with anger. In his hand, the “Dominator” sword emitted a dazzling light.

Clearly, with that sword, Eugene forcefully broke through Teest’s blockade. On his pant leg, clung a shivering, dazed big white cat.

For the first time since the battle began, Enbillick truly smiled.

His reinforcement had arrived.

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