---Third POV---
The innate abilities of monsters originate from the remnants of divine blessings.
However, the Goddess Elona, who governed knowledge and wisdom, perished before the Divine War.
Since the gods themselves caused her demise, she left nothing behind, and thus, there was no way for her to bestow corresponding abilities upon monsters.
That said, this was merely speculation.
No concrete evidence supported this theory.
"Elona died before the Divine War?" Edgar asked, stunned. "How do you know that?"
"Oh? Didn't I mention it before? I was there when she died."
Viktor searched his memory but couldn't recall telling anyone else about this event.
Given the general reputation of The Watchers in Aeltia, no one would come to him to discuss the principles behind monster creation.
He had lived for seven hundred years and experienced countless events. Forgetting to mention a few was perfectly natural.
He dismissed his own oversight casually and countered, "Conspiring to murder the Goddess of Wisdom is hardly something honorable. Naturally, the gods would not let the truth spread."
"And do you seriously think, like those deranged fanatics of the Revelation Church, that she is still alive?"
Edgar paused for a moment before shaking his head slowly. "No, it's just... the idea of a god dying before the Divine War is..."
It clashed too strongly with the teachings he'd grown up with.
Even though 600 years had passed since the gods' downfall, the public still clung to the belief in their immortality.
The idea of a god dying before the Divine War—especially one of the thirteen ancient deities—would be deemed heretical by the Ancient Gods' Church.
The entire continent of Aeltia would hunt down anyone who spread such notions.
What? The Watchers were already being hunted by both the New Gods' and Ancient Gods' Churches?
Well then, never mind.
Edgar exhaled deeply, gazing intently at Viktor. "Now I'm really curious. Why were you there when it happened?"
Ever since joining The Watchers, Viktor had repeatedly upended his worldview.
The problem was that, no matter how outrageous Viktor's claims, he always had a way to present evidence or arguments convincing enough to sway Edgar.
The silenced Luminaris furiously hopped twice on Viktor's shoulder, signaling his interest in the story.
Viktor glanced at him, then sighed while staring into the void. "Ah, it's a long story."
The players hiding nearby were whispering among themselves.
"Here we go again. I bet Viktor is about to make up some excuse and dodge the question!"
"Always leaving things half-said. One day, someone's gonna throw a sack over his head!"
"Is provoking hatred just an undead trait?"
"..."
Some things aren't meant to be spoken aloud, you know?
Since the players had already blown his cover, Viktor didn't even bother making an excuse. He directly skipped the topic.
"Ahem!"
Turning to the players, he adopted a solemn tone. "Although we can't resolve the issue of the monsters in the mine for now, discovering this before they hatch is far better than realizing it afterward."
"The Watchers will remember your contribution!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a message popped up simultaneously on the three players' game interfaces:
[Would you like to receive a token of appreciation from Viktor?]
The players' eyes lit up. Only a fool would refuse!
"Claim it! Claim it!"
[Congratulations! You have received the following rewards:
First exploration rights to the monster nest in the mine. Assistance from Viktor (can be used to request a mid-tier or lower spell effect).]
NeverShowOff grabbed the person next to him in excitement. "It's dungeon exploration rights! We hit the jackpot!"
This was the first large-scale dungeon in the game, and it was tied to the main storyline! If used well, it could be the key to setting themselves apart from other players.
The second reward's use was still unclear, but getting the faction leader himself to assist? That was a huge honor!
ProGamer_Daddy, whose shirt collar was being choked, rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, but if I lose resurrection penalties later, we're not making a profit here."
NeverShowOff awkwardly loosened his grip and laughed nervously. "Sorry about that, haha!"
Since monsters were nearby and the area was unsafe, Viktor promptly dealt with the players' rewards and led them out of the mine. He sealed the entrance behind them to prevent any new players from stumbling in before the monster hatchery was dealt with.
Seeing that there was no more storyline progression, the three players quickly left to tackle their next tasks, leaving Viktor, Edgar, and Luminaris behind at the riverbank.
Once Luminaris' silence was lifted, he blurted out indignantly. "Foolish undead! So easily satisfied!"
They handed control of the entire mine to Viktor in exchange for a few paltry rewards! The mine was their discovery!
Viktor responded calmly, "I suggest you start adjusting your mentality, given how Aeceus' memories influence you. In a sense, these players are your followers."
"Your future form will likely depend on how they define you."
Had Luminaris not spoken, Viktor might have forgotten to hold him accountable for earlier.
This Luminaris, with his partial memories of the God of Creativity, often acted like a zealous Ancient God devotee. He adhered to rigid doctrines, such as only certain gods' followers being allowed to use specific magics.
His obsessive desire to control his "followers" clashed starkly with the players' free-spirited nature. If this didn't change, Viktor might have to suppress his intellect to avoid future trouble.
Sensing danger in Viktor's calm tone, Luminaris shivered slightly but remained defiant.
"Who says I'm influenced? Gods don't make mistakes!" Doing menial tasks was one thing, but controlling his thoughts? That was going too far!
Hands on his imaginary hips, he struck a resolute pose, clearly refusing to back down.
When he had signed the one-sided contract, he never intended to let the other party dictate his thoughts.
Even if he now lived in an organization of heretics, he refused to see himself as the outlier.
One day, he would find a way to leave and regain his freedom!
---Viktor's POV---
"Gods don't make mistakes?" I chuckled, looking down at Luminaris. "Keep telling yourself that."
When your opponent was foolish enough, even their defiance became endearing.
If everyone in the divine factions were this naive, it would actually be a blessing.
I scooped up Luminaris, rolled him into a ball, and set him on the stone slab at the mine entrance.
Edgar watched the departing players and sighed. "But Luminaris wasn't entirely wrong. Your helpers really are easy to deal with."
I know.
If this were an Aeltia native group, the mine would have changed hands multiple times before the rightful landowner arrived.
Most Aeltia citizens had no concept of public land ownership—whoever seized it first claimed it.
"They," he mused, "truly come from a world where order is well-established..."
"It seems you have a good impression of the players," I remarked with a chuckle.
Edgar usually didn't comment so frequently on matters unrelated to himself.
"Territory resources belong to the faction; this is a common setting across most games. Besides, it's still the early phase of the game. If you really let the players manage a mining vein, they probably wouldn't even want to!"
I stretched lazily. "Come on, let's head back. There's going to be a lot to do!"
To think there was a monster hatchery near Honeyvale Town. It seemed the number of monsters in the Great Oak Forest exceeded our initial estimates.
Our earlier inspection of Honeyvale Town hadn't been thorough enough—such a significant oversight. Once we returned, every inch would need to be turned over and examined carefully again.
After Luminaris finished enchanting the magic array, I scooped him up and slung him over my shoulder, casting one last glance at the mine.
"Our knowledge of the outskirts of the Great Oak Forest seems to be a little outdated…"
Even the density of monster nests in the outermost areas had shrunk to within a one-kilometer radius. It was likely that the next monster tide would mark the beginning of the forest's expansion.
The players kept bustling until dawn before gradually logging off for meals.
At the same time, my system template updated.
[Name: Viktor von Vinesse]
[...]
[Divine Power: 170]
[Followers: 3]
[...]
"Huh?" I had been lying on my back soaking up the moonlight when I jerked awake.
"What's going on? Why has my divine power only increased by 6 points?"
I had planned to use the next day's divine power earnings to adjust the talents of the second batch of players all at once, and to reserve some for healing. But with only 6 points of divine power, I didn't even have room to operate!
The first day had brought in over 300 points!
This disparity was too much.
To get to the bottom of it, I rushed to the statue and woke up Luminaris, who had been sleeping soundly.
"Tell me, what's going on with the divine power anomaly?"
Luminaris, startled awake, opened his eyes to see my skull with its glowing blue eyes hovering above him. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest.
"Ahhh—"
"Shut up!" I silenced him deftly and pointed to the divine power value on the system panel. "Explain."
Luminaris shifted his gaze aside, feeling aggrieved. I could practically hear him wondering why he'd ever thought it was a good idea to provoke an undead being.
Seeing the 6-point divine power gain, he seemed to realize the issue.
"Oh—so that's what happened."
Relieved, Luminaris casually explained, "It's because the faith of those three undead followers isn't strong enough, of course."
I interpreted his explanation.
Essentially, it meant that the players' enjoyment of the game was only worth 6 points of divine power. The 300-plus points from the first day had been a one-time bonus for onboarding new believers.
If not for my promoting the players to become magic apprentices on the first day, and without any special events to strengthen their faith, each player could only provide one point of divine power per day.
I felt a headache coming on. "Is divine power always this hard to earn?"
At this rate, how long would it take me to heal my injuries and nurture a proper game deity?
"Yes! Faith is already the fastest way to accumulate divine power," Luminaris nodded in agreement.
I understood why. If cultivation weren't so tedious, the ancient gods wouldn't have abandoned their pride to establish mortal churches and adopt the faith-gathering method of the newer gods.
I understood why.
If gaining divine power through traditional means weren't so tedious, the ancient gods wouldn't have abandoned their pride to establish mortal churches and adopt the faith-gathering method of the newer gods.
The boomerang had come back fast.
After confirming that there was no way to accelerate divine power acquisition other than brainwashing to strengthen faith, I tossed him back into the hollow of the statue's palm.
"Alright, go back to sleep."
"..."
I returned to my room and reopened the game panel, continuing to worry.
"Strengthening faith isn't an option; that would make me no better than an evil dragon."
Using the game to spread doctrine was no different from what the ancient and new god churches were already doing. The players' current level of affection for the deity was just right.
"But this speed is too slow. I can only focus on the 100-point divine power income from onboarding new believers."
With this thought, I felt bitter.
"No wonder every church is so enthusiastic about proselytizing."
A single new believer could provide more divine power than an old believer who had been around for over three months. It was practically the best return on investment.
This explained why there were fewer unaffiliated people in Aeltia than rare magical creatures.
I retrieved a parchment and quill from my storage space and began jotting down plans.
The slowdown in divine power collection would impact my subsequent plans, though only to a limited extent. What truly made me feel a sense of urgency was the unhatched monster eggs we'd discovered earlier in the evening.
The best solution was to eliminate the monsters and their hatchery before they fully formed.
This meant I needed to heal quickly and accelerate divine power collection.
Since the number of players was capped at 10 due to the divine avatar's traits, I would need to start recruiting native believers.
I paused my writing, my mood sinking further.
"This issue is even more troublesome than finding players."
The first problem was food.
The sweet fruit forest outside the town wasn't infinite. For now, summer made things manageable, but come winter, Honeyvale would lose a reliable food source.
Most monsters weren't edible. What were we supposed to do—eat red-scaled worms all winter?
By the time winter ended, the worms in the Great Oak Forest would probably be extinct.
The second issue was faith.
It would be easy to attract natives to the town; there were plenty of refugees outside. But converting them to a new faith would be harder than killing them.
Having spent some time with the refugees, I knew their flexible morals allowed them to adapt to almost any situation for survival. They would undoubtedly cooperate with conversion efforts.
However, the psychological defenses built during their time wandering the wastelands, coupled with the indoctrination they had received from church teachings since childhood, meant progress would be excruciatingly slow.
For refugees, faith often became a key source of motivation for survival.
I propped my head on my hand, sighing deeply.
"With that in mind, adventurers who wander into the Great Oak Forest might actually be easier to deal with."
As much as I hated to admit it, the truth was that the comfortable lives and broad-minded curiosity of those bold enough to explore monster-infested zones made adventurers more open-minded and adaptable.