Chapter 111: A World Where Gods Reside

After a period of leisurely living, Roland embarked once more on a journey of traversal—uncertain yet brimming with possibilities.

The Key of All Spirits transported him as swiftly and decisively as ever, without any strange world gates or detailed crossing rituals. With a mere blink, the world around him shifted.

Even by Roland’s current standards, this power was truly miraculous.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a scarcely developed forest. The lush greenery and fresh air brought an immediate sense of peace and clarity.

Only the occasional birdcall pierced the quiet, confirming that this place had seen little human disturbance.

If not for a narrow, barely maintained path ahead, Roland might have questioned the extent of humanity’s presence in this world.

Stepping onto the path, he examined the tracks left behind. Prepared mentally for the uncertainties of crossing worlds, he quickly realized something.

“Looks like wagon tracks,” he murmured. “The road isn’t maintained… Is this world still in a pre-industrial age, or has it simply taken a completely different path of development?”

The worlds where spirit contracts escaped were varied; it was impossible for each to be familiar.

Yet language barriers no longer worried Roland. Though the Wisdom of a Thousand did little, it proved remarkably effective for learning new things.

Regardless, gathering intelligence remained Roland’s top priority in this strange world.

Having endured the hidden chaos wrought by the Holy Lord in Winter City, Roland no longer allowed himself to be deceived by appearances of calm.

He had crossed worlds upon his own request using the Key of All Spirits, though he was uncertain whether the promised growth in skill mastery and accelerated recovery of magical energy and talisman power would truly come to pass. The spirit contract in this world was connected to the spiritual enlightenment he lacked.

As is well known, spirits tied to such matters were seldom easy to deal with. Roland had no desire to suffer the same fate as the Holy Lord, whose intellect had been diminished.

Fortunately, after a brief wait, Roland’s customary luck prevailed: the sound of a wagon approached from behind.

Two sluggish horses pulled a cart resembling a flatbed wagon, piled high with various goods and bags. The middle-aged human driving it looked like a traveling merchant. Upon seeing Roland standing in the path, he slowed the horses and stopped, eyeing Roland’s attire with a mixture of curiosity and caution before greeting him somewhat timidly.

“Um, do you need something...?”

Roland muttered to himself, surprised that their languages were mutually intelligible and that this man carried no weapons. “Seems more peaceful than I imagined…”

He quickly approached the man, reached out, and grasped his head. The talisman mark of the sheep spirit flickered briefly in his eyes.

In modern society, information was accessible through newspapers or the internet. But in a place that seemed to wear a medieval guise, things were different.

Though still lacking full understanding, Roland knew that in such worlds, territorial communities were vital. Outsiders were often labeled despicable by locals; the best they might receive was wariness, the worst outright rejection.

Rather than laboriously explaining and questioning, Roland preferred to use the divine power of the sheep talisman to directly seek information—more fitting to his style.

Through the merchant’s mind, Roland learned much.

Thousands of years ago, a bottomless dungeon had suddenly appeared in this world. Its environment was complex and ever-changing, spawning monsters that surged to the surface, ruthlessly attacking humans.

To combat this threat, various races gradually united. After heavy losses, they succeeded in surrounding the dungeon and began building towns around it.

Yet countless monsters fought back fiercely, some beyond imagination bursting from the dungeon’s depths. Survivors could only rely on the sacrifices of heroes to resist the catastrophe.

Then, the gods of the celestial realm descended, ending a stalemate that had lasted for centuries.

Indeed, in this world, gods were real—beings from various mythologies possessing near-omnipotent divine power, transcending humanity.

Bored with their celestial existence, these gods treated the world as a game. They came to this land and established rules to seal their powers, ensuring the game’s continuation. Beyond their own amusement, they cared for nothing else and lacked the traditional reverence granted to deities.

These gods indulged in pleasures, friendships, arts, and even adventure, just like the inhabitants below. To facilitate their entertainment, they bestowed a power called Grace upon the mortals, who served them and formed various factions.

This Grace was the key to the mortals’ growing strength. With the gods’ aid, monsters ravaging the surface were gradually eliminated, and the inhabitants even launched counterattacks and explorations into the dungeon, developing by exploiting its resources and monstrous yields.

Those graced by a god became that god’s clan members, obliged to serve their divine patron.

Over the long passage of time, more gods descended, and countless clans sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain. Depending on their gods, some clans specialized in commerce, others in logistics, and some even founded nations centered on themselves—an endless variety.

Most clans, however, followed the mainstream path of dungeon exploration. In this dungeon that had shaped the fates of humans and gods alike, countless legends of heroes and champions arose, drawing more mortals to join as adventurers.

Now, the gods had fully integrated into this world, becoming part of its fabric.

After all, for any race, survival was paramount. Power secured the ability to protect oneself, and when the gods’ Grace appeared in this world, unstoppable transformation began.

Post-divine arrival, dungeon yields became a crucial part of the world’s progress. Monster-born magic stones were applied through various technologies to everyday life. Faced with immense power and profit, no matter the thoughts of the world’s inhabitants swept along by these tides, they had no choice but to join in.

Today, joining a god’s clan was no mere legend of old but a genuine career choice.

As clans interacted, traded, and competed, they composed the world’s main theme—spinning new myths, the myths of gods and their clans.

This was the state of the world now.

“This is the world...” Roland murmured in surprise. Among the myriad fantastical realms filled with swords and sorcery, this one was somewhat familiar, though he had not been deeply acquainted with it.

“If this encounter is also the work of that force called Attraction, then I hope the gods’ so-called omnipotence and the power of Grace... won’t disappoint me.”

Volume Two begins. A humble request for auto-subscription to readers who have supported us this far—heartfelt thanks from Fei Jiu!

(End of chapter)