Chapter 187

Chapter 187

After meeting with the gods, players, and NPCs, they shared intelligence along the way, and promptly posted about the recent events on the forum.

As expected, this new occupation immediately piqued the players' interest.

Black Cat: Hiss—Fanatic conversion? Haven't seen that before.

Druid: Mmm, seems interesting. Is it a hidden profession?

Baba: So powerful! Random spells every day? That's insane!

Insane: Something's off. What kind of profession has such a strong debuff? Look closely, after becoming a Fanatic, their sanity decreases daily. Once it hits zero, the character card becomes permanently insane and unusable. Isn't that pointless? Why would there be such a profession?

Matcha Milk Green: Hmm, perhaps it's limited to dungeons?

Alon: Judging from the big shot's sanity, even in the most fortunate scenario where it's deducted by one point per day, they'd last at most two or three months. Maybe as short as twelve days?

Nights: I also think it's a dungeon-exclusive occupation. Extremely powerful yet prone to self-destruction—it's clearly tailored for this dungeon. But based on the beta test, it could also be a test occupation. That's why it's so exaggerated. Perhaps it might be implemented in the official release later on.

Not Crazy: It's highly possible!

The forum was buzzing with discussions about this new occupation. Some were also curious about the Xueges incident earlier.

Uncle Hao: Was the lag with Xueges due to the new occupation being released?

God Among Men: No.

Seeking Even Numbers: Oh, the big shot has arrived.

God Among Men: It was because an Evil God made contact with me.

God Among Men recounted what had happened previously, leaving the players in awe. This kind of event had never occurred before, and no one knew why an Evil God would suddenly make contact with a player.

In truth, God Among Men was just as puzzled. After some discussion on the forum, he still couldn't figure it out.

While God Among Men was lost in thought, a familiar NPC approached him. "We meet again. What was chasing you earlier?"

God Among Men looked and saw it was Fors: "Doctor Fors, how did you end up here?"

"Fors told me you were in trouble, so I thought I'd come and take a look," Fors said. "Even though it's been ages since I held a gun, I can still be of some use with my old bones."

From a nearby channel:

Meow Meow Rules: Ah, big shot, I forgot to introduce them. These NPCs are the city's residents – they're part of the resistance.

Meow Meow Rules: When I went to see Fors, I mentioned that you sent me. After he tested me, he took me to meet these people. By the way, the one in front is the leader of the resistance, Anthony. He used to be in the military.

The resistance?

God Among Men's heart stirred. He looked at the leader, who was almost six feet tall, tall and muscular, with muscles that set him apart from the other NPCs, as did his gun handling and sharp gaze.

He was clearly someone significant.

Noticing God Among Men's gaze, the man nodded in his direction. "Simon, right? Doctor Fors mentioned you. You were being chased by something just now, correct?"

God Among Men: "To be honest, you might not believe me, but it was a monster that shouldn't exist in this world."

"A monster..." Anthony rubbed his forehead. "Are you sure? Not some wild beast?"

"Perhaps it was released from a laboratory," God Among Men speculated casually. "There have always been rumors within the Church that they breed monsters underground to execute those who betray the Lord. That creature must be referring to this one. It probably didn't attack us just now because we were in a group."

"I see."

Upon hearing that it was a laboratory-created monster, the others seemed to accept the explanation without issue. Perhaps this was a unique aspect of their country.

Soon, God Among Men was led to their base, which was a rather secluded residential area. Surprisingly, there were no patrolling church followers or mercenaries nearby. Fors explained, "Although the Church has taken over the city, due to the Black Death, they lack manpower. They deliberately abandon areas with severe outbreaks. This place is one of those forsaken zones."

"A bunch of hypocritical bastards! After draining our savings, they leave us to die! What kind of damn God allows this? I'll never forgive those priests!" An NPC couldn't help but roar in anger, his gaze inadvertently flickering towards God Among Men, still dressed in priestly attire. He appeared highly agitated.

The others hurried to console him, "Alright, alright, what's with you now?"

"Yeah, he's already betrayed the Church. Calm down."

God Among Men ignored the NPCs' emotions. Upon entering the neighborhood and realizing that everyone's attention was on his clothing, he promptly removed his outer robe and discarded it on the ground without hesitation.

Sure enough, after this action, the gazes that had been glued to him significantly lessened.

As God Among Men passed through the area, he turned back to see that his priestly robe had been torn to shreds by a few individuals.

"In this place, do people hate the Church so much?" God Amongst Men couldn't help but ask.

Fors replied indifferently, "The Church's lockdown of the district can only be kept secret for a while. It won't last forever, especially since they've monopolized all the medicine and protective gear within the city. To some extent, now that the Church decides who dies, that person will die."

God Amongst Men fell silent. They passed by another building. The low-rise apartments in this neighborhood had likely been converted into makeshift wards, as human groans of pain could be heard from within. Before they even approached, someone had already delivered protective gear to them, asking them to put it on.

Many doctors and nurses in white coats were shuttling around the area, their faces etched with exhaustion. It was clear that medical resources here were inadequate.

"Fors glanced at God Amongst Men and said, "Let me take you to rest for a while. I'll also tend to your wounds."

"It's nothing major," God Amongst Men said. "Save your energy for those who need it more."

Fors glared at him. "Don't underestimate small wounds. Do you think this is somewhere safe? This is a highly-infected zone. If a flea or a patient's blood comes into contact with your wound, congratulations—you'll be bedridden."

God Amongst Men was speechless and didn't refuse Fors' kindness any longer. After entering the core area of the neighborhood, they quickly parted ways. Fors took God Amongst Men to a room on a higher floor and tended to his wounds. "Stay here for now. We rushed over to rescue you, but there are still many people in the neighborhood who question your origins."

"I understand," God Amongst Men said, his expression unchanged. "Go ahead and hold your meeting. Don't mind me."

Fors patted God Amongst Men's shoulder with a complicated look. Suddenly, he leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Relax, I'll tell them about your glorious deeds. If that doesn't work, you can always demonstrate it again!"

God Among Men observed the teasing expression on Foss's face and his demeanor softened. "I don't think so. I don't have the habit of undressing in front of strangers."

"Ha ha ha ha, don't worry, we won't laugh at you. You've got quite the foundation, kid."

Foss chuckled as he closed the door, leaving God Among Men feeling amused yet helpless. After Foss left, the relaxed expression on his face faded, and he furrowed his brows, clicking on the system notifications that kept popping up.

Ever since he had become an enthusiast, the faint whispers had been incessantly ringing in his ears, bothering him greatly. God Among Men could only manually lower the volume.

Now, with himself alone in the room, he could finally delve into exploring this seemingly new profession that had appeared in the game.

God, in His mortal guise, casually altered the live stream title to "Testing a New Occupation." Instantly, countless forum users flooded in.

"Great One, how are you planning to test it?"

"Are there new spells available now? Or is there a change in sanity depletion?"

"How about the Fanatic occupation? What's it like?"

"This is only the second hidden occupation to appear. What makes it unique?"

"Take it easy, I'll begin the test right away," God Among Men said, "But in truth, there isn't much to test at the moment. According to the system prompts, the daily random spells, attribute point increases, and sanity decreases haven't occurred yet. Currently, I'm particularly interested in this new emerging ritual."

With divine grace, God sketched a pattern on the floor using a room pen, referring to the image provided by the system, as if in conversation with humanity.

Unbeknownst to him, in the mirror, the figure of a lamb-headed youth god materialized silently within the room, gazing at him intently.

The players were unfamiliar with the array’s pattern, but Lenon recognized it at a glance.

It was the very same forbidden ritual magic that Len had employed during the Soul-devouring Butterfly incident, where one could sacrifice their organs, lifespan, or attribute points in exchange for a surge of power.

Originally, it was supposed to be stolen by some player who had mastered the art of thievery during the open beta, from the Investigative Bureau. However, due to the butterfly effect, the storyline had been thoroughly disrupted. At present, Lane had no intention of revealing this ritual magic to players. Nothing else, but primarily out of concern for being plagued by players. After all, logically speaking, anyone with knowledge of the appropriate deity's incantation and the necessary ingredients could potentially attract the attention of the dark god.

And now, this unknown malevolent deity has bestowed this ritual magic upon players?

A quiver tugged at the corner of Lane's mouth. For some reason, he suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the evil deity.

Was He unaware of the Pandora's box He had just unlocked?

A damn fool, thinking only of your fellow craftsmen!

Unaware of Lane's gaze, the deity on Earth, urged by the live stream audience, began to recite the prayer that had appeared in their mind.

In an instant, the scene before the deity on Earth transformed entirely, as if they had stepped into a realm woven from mist, where an indescribably mighty presence loomed before them.

An unfamiliar language suddenly resonated within the deity's mind, and in that very moment, they grasped the purpose of the ritual and the price it demanded.

Each invocation of the ritual to the dark god came at a cost; the more significant and heartfelt the plea, the greater the reward, but also, the more their soul would slowly erode.

Power, wealth, status, strength - all could be bartered with the dark god, yet each acquisition would lead to a considerable loss of sanity and a multitude of sacrifices.

Diving reason into the abyss, this is the endpoint of the fanatic.