---Viktor's POV---
"Of course! The remains of the gods affect entire species. For social creatures, that's nothing unusual," I explained, gazing at the still faintly trembling blood vessels on the body of the two-headed howling wolf.
"Don't be fooled by its ugly appearance. The power it holds is on par with a Chosen of the Gods."
"Strong regenerative abilities, extremely high magic affinity, and bizarre, ever-changing talents… Over 600 years of iteration, most surviving magical creatures have integrated abilities from multiple gods."
"Even a juvenile magical creature is no match for an ordinary person."
"What is a Chosen of the Gods?" Garble asked curiously.
"A form of divine amusement," I said. "Every Chosen of the Gods possesses the pinnacle talents of their species, alongside unique and powerful abilities bestowed by the gods."
"In Aeltia, intelligent beings can ascend to godhood through training, learning and comprehending the laws of the world. But Chosen, they're essentially candidates for godhood."
"The only thing they need to do is keep breathing. Time alone will effortlessly elevate them to demigod status!"
"What the heck? That's the ultimate cheat code!" ProGamer_Daddy exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Is there really a way to succeed without effort?" Garble's tone was filled with doubt.
I watched as he glanced at the wolf ahead and averted his gaze in disgust.
"Chosen creatures that look like zombies… Are these really legitimate gods?"
They clearly seemed more like evil gods to him. I merely smiled, offering no explanation.
"Wait a minute," he suddenly recalled something. "Every magical creature can supposedly become a god, but hasn't Aeltia gone 600 years without any new gods being born?"
I had been expecting this question.
Before ProGamer_Daddy could finish his thought, I answered, "Because magical creatures merely possess power and talents equivalent to a Chosen, but they are not true Chosen."
"They aren't recognized by the world's laws. Their growth inevitably stops at the demigod level."
And that's only theoretical demigod status.
Chosen of the Gods were the lucky ones handpicked by a deity. Magical creatures, on the other hand, absorbed remnants from not just one god but often multiple gods.
The consequences for multifaith heretics?
I didn't need to spell it out.
For magical creatures to reach demigod status, an extraordinary amount of luck was required. But once a magical creature did achieve the status, not even ten saint-level mages could take it down!
Garble couldn't help but ask, "Why? With so many magical creatures, hasn't there ever been an exception where one suddenly became a god?"
I sighed. "It's a long story…"
The three players waited quietly for me to continue, but I didn't elaborate.
Finally, NeverShowOff couldn't resist. "And then?"
If it's such a long story, shouldn't you at least start it? His expression seemed to say.
"The reason will have to wait for another time," I cut off the topic, meeting three pairs of resentful eyes in exchange.
But I remained unfazed.
Because explaining the origins of magical creatures would mean starting with the Divine War from over 600 years ago. And to explain the war, I'd have to go back even further, to the Faith Wars that involved every intelligent species in Aeltia. And to explain the Faith Wars, I'd need to dive into the gods' early attitudes toward faith energy…
Three days and three nights wouldn't suffice to cover the foundational concepts.
Too troublesome.
So I simply gazed at the two-headed howling wolf, my thoughts drifting far away.
Living too long is a hassle. Even your stories become impossible to explain clearly…
The restrictions placed on magical creatures might just be the only good thing the gods did before their downfall.
No matter how the three players pressed me, I refused to divulge more about the origins of magical creatures. Those secrets were simply beyond the scope of what players could handle for now.
ProGamer_Daddy muttered curses under his breath. "Damn, I hate it when people leave a story half-finished!"
I ignored him and resumed introducing the wolf in front of us.
"The Two-Headed Howling Wolf King has three innate abilities: Corruption, Phantasmal Voice, and Split Control. It's a level-three magical creature of moderate strength."
"Even three advanced mages working together wouldn't be able to deal with it."
"This thing is only level three with a body that huge?" ProGamer_Daddy's jaw dropped. "What's the highest level, then?"
"The level of a magical creature depends on how many gods' remnants its ancestors absorbed and how many abilities it inherited. For now, there's no upper limit."
The three players gasped.
I could see the thoughts running through their minds—wondering about magical creatures that could fly, burrow, and do anything imaginable.
Probably worrying about unbeatable monsters too.
I saw through their thoughts immediately and added, "No one knows the current state of the earliest conquered magical creature nesting grounds. Your guess is plausible. But the stronger the magical creature, the more severe its movement restrictions."
"Unless there's a once-in-a-millennium mana tide to break their bindings, ordinary people would never encounter them in their lifetime."
"Of course, if you ever do run into one, don't worry. My suggestion is to lie down and wait for death. If you die quickly enough, you might even leave an intact corpse."
The three players fell silent, clearly offended by my bluntness.
Sure, it was realistic advice, but they probably thought I didn't have to say it so directly. Yes, fine, they couldn't even handle a worm, but they still had their dignity.
I watched as they fumed with frustration, banged the table, cursed the system, and vented their helplessness.
ProGamer_Daddy reluctantly wiped his face. "Good thing we didn't recklessly venture deeper into the wilderness. The power disparity in this game is ridiculous!"
Up ahead, I watched as Edgar found an open spot and dropped the body of the wolf.
Boom!
The massive magical creature's corpse slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
As the black blood flowing from its body seeped into the ground, it emitted a sizzling, corrosive sound. Starting from the point of contact, the soil began to blacken and spread outward.
He turned to look at me as I approached.
"Is this one enough?"
I circled the wolf, nodding in satisfaction.
"Plenty. An old wolf king just kicked out of its pack. The materials we can salvage from its body exceed my expectations."
Yesterday, when I brought Alyanne back, I had deliberately left a marker in the remaining blood on the ground. As expected, the two-headed howling wolf couldn't resist the lure of the dragonborn's bloodline and tracked the scent of the blood. This allowed me to mark its movements successfully.
A magical creature without a lair was far easier to deal with.
Edgar had taken only half a day to bring it back.
I gestured toward the church door in the distance, comparing its size to that of the two-headed howling wolf.
"Unfortunately, its size is too large. We'll have to cut it up to move it inside."
"Move it inside?" NeverShowOff, who had just approached, was stunned. "Lord Viktor, what are you planning to do with this thing in the church?"
"Careful—avoid the blood flowing from the two-headed howling wolf. The corrosiveness is still so strong even after the monster is dead."
"Won't it burn the church floor if we store it there?"
Actually, it was not just the floor.
If the church weren't the only livable place left in Honeyvale Town, I would've dismantled it already!
The source of the magic node was beneath the church statue. Only near the statue was there enough magic to activate the Flesh Rebirth Array.
This was the only option I had.
"To activate the Flesh Rebirth Array, we need a magic-rich conversion substrate," I explained. "The second batch of compatriots carrying their mission back to Aeltia is already on their way. We need to prepare bodies for them to inhabit."
NeverShowOff's eyes widened in surprise. "Our bodies are made from monsters?"
ProGamer_Daddy stepped back in fear and hugged himself. "No way! Are our bodies that gross?"
I stood there speechless. Kid, don't complain when you're so fortunate! I couldn't even use such bodies to restore my human identity yet!
I decided to add the task of collecting conversion substrates to the revival penalties for players. From now on, every time a player resurrects, they must provide a monster corpse equivalent to the revival cost.
Oh, and the clothes required for revival—make them provide those too!
I scribbled this idea furiously into my notebook. Then, I began ushering people out.
"The corpse of the two-headed howling wolf is highly corrosive. You won't be able to handle it. I don't need your help here for now, so you should leave."
As soon as I finished speaking, the players who had been pestering me with endless questions instantly got up.
"You should've said so earlier! We're leaving, Lord Viktor," ProGamer_Daddy said.
"Alright, so it really was just a story detail, not a hidden quest," NeverShowOff agreed.
"I'm off to do quests."
Before long, all three players had vanished. I chuckled. "They didn't have to be so pragmatic."
"They're certainly full of energy," Edgar said with a complicated tone. He watched the direction in which the three players had left, his eyes filled with confusion. "I saw the lumber they brought back along the way."
"What? Too slow for you?" I asked.
Edgar shook his head. "Quite the opposite—their progress is too fast."
I watched as his eyes widened with disbelief. He muttered under his breath as he counted again, probably thinking I couldn't hear him.
"Ninety trees... in just a day and a half?" he whispered. "That's enough lumber for four or five wooden houses!"
If this task were given to the refugees outside, it would take three people half a month to complete. Even though the players' bodies were divine avatars, effectively upgraded versions of divine chosen ones... No matter how excellent their physiques were, they still needed time to grow.
So far, they were still ordinary people. At best, they could reduce fatigue slightly by attuning to the laws of nature while chopping trees. Theoretically, their stamina was only slightly better than average.
But the players had turned theory into reality. They had maximized every ounce of their stamina. It was as if they were working tirelessly without ever taking a break.
Edgar couldn't understand.
How could anyone, without supervision or time constraints, willingly engage in repetitive, grueling labor without even thinking of slacking off? They were more unfathomable than the zealots he probably had encountered in the past!
"Oh, that." I sighed a little. "You'll have to start with the concept of grind simulators."
The essence of a hardcore gamer lay in their efficient use of time. To them, stopping while there's stamina left is the ultimate waste! As long as their hands could still move and their hunger bar wasn't draining HP, they would keep grinding.
This wasn't just hard labor—it was the essential time management skill of being a top-tier player. Even wasting a single minute was disrespectful to these hardcore veterans.
"What?" Edgar didn't understand.
"Never mind. Just know that they're a group of people who continuously create miracles." A nostalgic look appeared in my eyes. "Otherwise, how could they be called nerds?"
Don't think I hadn't noticed.
When I explained the monsters earlier, all three players had shown fear of high-level monsters. But were they really afraid? More like they were waiting for me to figure out a rapid method of creating player bodies. Then, they'd brazenly charge into the depths of the Giant Oak Forest with level-one accounts—even challenging demigods!
I stopped myself there, feeling pleased. "Once the second batch of players arrives, you'll naturally come to understand them better."
I looked at the neatly divided chunks of the two-headed howling wolf and cast a floating spell. A rotting wolf head floated beside me as I slowly headed into the church.
"Let's deal with the wolf's corpse first; otherwise, the whole of town will reek for a week."
"Ugh, moving monster corpses is always such a hassle. I need to find a chance to tear down the church." I muttered softly as I looked at the narrow doorway, which could only accommodate three people at once.
---Logan's POV---
Honeyvale Town had been likely abandoned for decades. The vegetation had overgrown, and the crumbling houses collapsed at the slightest push, leaving only piles of rubble.
I scrolled through my game panel. "Great! The debris-clearing task is complete! Today's experience gain feels faster than yesterday's."
"But we're still a long way from leveling up," Garble said, less optimistic.
He measured a piece of wood with a triangular ruler, marked it with wide flax leaves, and quickly split it in two with a blade.
"The second batch of players is arriving soon. If we, as the first batch, can't widen the gap with the newcomers, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
"It'd be best if we could complete the two highest XP-rewarding quests in the task list before they arrive!"
The task with the highest XP reward was to build a city wall strong enough to withstand the magic tide. But that quest was currently grayed out and unavailable, likely requiring certain conditions to unlock.
The second-highest reward was for building residences for the two talking NPCs. I glanced at the small clearing we had just made and the pile of lumber next to it with a headache.
"The only bad thing about this game is that quests can't be repeated."
To avoid new players piggybacking on our progress, we had to grind as much as possible now.
ProGamer_Daddy yanked out a weed nearly up to his thigh, almost toppling over. The weed's roots made up three-quarters of its entire length. He wiped his face with muddy hands, successfully smearing dirt all over it.
"Hey, our progress isn't bad, right? I just went offline and checked the game's official announcement."
"The second batch of players won't be online for another three days—in-game time, that's six days. We should have enough time to build two wooden houses!"
To his surprise, Garble and I both shook our heads. "Not enough!"