Chapter 115: The Melancholy and Bitterness of Xi Ze

In the instant of shaking hands with Afnora, Yu Sheng’an couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.

After much effort and sincerity, he finally achieved a milestone success.

He had to admit, the chain of suspicion among the Gods of the multiverse was indeed terrifying!

Upon reflection, it was understandable.

Gods were different from Archmages.

An Archmage’s power comes from magical knowledge. Even if their body dies, as long as their consciousness remains, their power stays with them.

To kill an Archmage, one must be prepared to pay a heavy price and possibly gain nothing.

But Gods are different.

A God’s power comes from the Divine Spark, which requires Source Essence to operate. It’s like a gun and bullet, powerful but external.

Anyone who kills a God can replace them, and the benefits are predictable.

For example:

If Yu Sheng’an killed the Underworld God and seized the Underworld Divine Spark, he would fully replace the Underworld God’s role, control the Underworld, and command endless undead, exponentially increasing his power overnight.

Besides the lure of benefits, the ideologies among the Gods are highly opposed.

Most Gods come from different backgrounds; even ten miles apart have different customs, let alone separate planes?

Cultural differences dramatically alter a God’s worldview.

Ideological clashes coupled with the lure of benefits form the chain of suspicion among the Gods.

This is perhaps the cost of becoming a God and also the tragedy of being one!

Like ancient emperors who ruled the world, yet remained lonely.

Thinking of this, Yu Sheng’an instinctively questioned himself—are the Pantheon’s ideals too idealistic?

If the God of Music is hard to trust, what if several more problematic individuals join? Won’t the team fall apart?

“Can you let go of my hand?”

Afnora’s slightly annoyed and shy voice startled Yu Sheng’an.

Looking down, he realized in his mixed feelings, he had held onto her small hand.

Indeed, women seem to be made of water; her soft hand felt so gentle.

“You…”

Feeling Yu Sheng’an deliberately squeeze her hand, Afnora blushed, withdrew her hand, and glared at him.

It was like the more she thought about it, the angrier she got!

This guy, isn’t he too… bold?

Does he really think I knew nothing about the bicycle ride last time?

“Hmm?”

Just then, Yu Sheng’an suddenly turned to a set of virtual screens beside him.

One of the screens enlarged at the command of his mind, covering all others.

Afnora pouted, believing Yu Sheng’an was deliberately shifting attention.

But when she looked, she found that the Quever apprentice magician assessment had its first passing magic apprentice.

Yet the battle continued in the display.

Clearly, reality isn’t a game; even with the task complete, they couldn’t leave at will.

In the image, a player was controlling an Earth Puppet to smother a weakened old orc with the power of the earth.

The player then emerged from the ground, hugging a strong orc warrior as if embracing a lover.

But in that embrace, the neck of the figure snapped, folding his head to his back.

A black double-barreled shotgun emerged from his neck stump, aimed at the orc’s chin.

With a “boom,” amid swirling black smoke, the orc warrior seemed to swallow the gun and died, his skull flying off and colored liquid splattering everywhere.

The scene was quite gory.

Even Yu Sheng’an, used to players showing off, was surprised.

He even felt a bit of admiration!

Considering how recently Flintlocks were introduced?

In less than a day, they had found such a clever use. Truly remarkable creativity.

This player, none other than the paraplegic called Xi Ze.

Actually, Yu Sheng’an had noticed Xi Ze quite early on.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have specifically assigned the task of locating Sparta to Xi Ze.

Now, the more value Xi Ze showed, the more interested Yu Sheng’an became… Perhaps he could intervene and nurture him.

After this apprentice magician assessment, the next magic apprentice recruitment will start.

He could inform Dundar to admit him by special exception.

No, to be more accurate, they should adjust the recruitment standards.

—Regardless of physical health or disability, everyone should be treated equally.

……

Right now, Xi Ze couldn’t imagine he had already caught the Internet God’s attention.

All he had on his mind was to kill all the orcs in front of him.

In the intensity of battle, Xi Ze suddenly saw nothing—a clear view without a single greenskin.

He paused, realizing the fight had ended.

The makeshift wooden huts were in ruins.

The ground was littered with orc bodies, only six Earth Puppets remained standing, thankfully the captain survived, which meant…

“Yay! Task complete!”

“Well done!”

“Hahaha…”

Without needing to check the task progress, his companions’ cheers confirmed it for Xi Ze.

Hearing this, Xi Ze smiled, feeling a sense of relaxation and satisfaction.

“Thank you all for your support! But it’s not time to celebrate yet. Let’s tidy up and then celebrate back home!”

Manancy calmly instructed, although her smile was impossible to hide.

“Alright, Captain!”

The players obeyed, looting corpses and gathering spoils, then quickly retreated to avoid being tracked by Shaman Priests.

On the way back, Manancy approached Xi Ze: “Are you a magician?”

Xi Ze smiled: “No.”

“A fighter?”

“No!”

Manancy looked skeptical. Such strong combat skills, yet he claimed not to be a magician or fighter? She found it hard to believe.

“Don’t believe? Many think I’m a magician. I wish! But I’m really not.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Interested in applying to the Magic Academy to learn magic?”

“Me?” Xi Ze showed a hint of bitterness: “That’s impossible.”

“Your combat skills are strong, you must have worked hard, right? My mentor said even if a soul isn’t strong, if it’s resilient, that’s enough. This year, all Empire’s magic academies will expand enrollment by several times. Maybe before, your soul’s strength wasn’t enough, but this year, the chances are high.”

Clearly, Manancy misunderstood something.

“Is that so? Then I’ll try.”

Xi Ze nodded to change the topic.

He didn’t want to explain too much.

Nor did he want strangers to know about his paralysis.

Thanks to the Internet God, he was satisfied with his current life.

As for the Magic Academy?

How could someone like him have any qualifications to enter such a divine institution?