Foolish play of the gods

Chapter 3: Song of Blood and Fire · While the young man on the rooftop across the street spent the entire night frowning and guessing, Cheng Shi slept soundly. · The next morning, the moment he opened his eyes, a matching notification for a trial appeared before him. · [Special Trial (A Song of Blood and Fire 【War】) has begun] · [Matching teammates (1/6)...] · [Trial Objective: Grit your teeth through the ordeal of blood and fire (Time limit: 24 hours)] · Cheng Shi’s brow throbbed as he stared at the word 【War】 in the game description. · This was going to be a hard-fought battle. · Though 【War】 was a god under the path of 【Civilization】, His trials were anything but civilized. · Essentially, every match was a raw, bloody slugfest. One didn't even need to investigate the clues provided by the trial; as long as you slaughtered every enemy in the vicinity, you could clear it. · The problem, however, was that surviving for twenty-four hours was a grueling test of endurance and mental fortitude. · The enemy wouldn't give you a chance to breathe, nor would they slow their offensive just because you wanted to rest. · In a situation like this, the more combat-capable your teammates were, the greater the advantage. · "Please, just give me a few Warriors. One deadweight is enough, and that's me. Please, please, please." · [Match Successful (6/6). Entering Trial...] · A blood-red notification flashed by, and the scenery before Cheng Shi’s eyes began to warp. A moment later, he vanished from the spot. · The sky was gloomy, and the air was thick with the scent of gunpowder. · Cheng Shi opened his eyes to find himself standing atop a pile of rubble. Looking around, there was nothing but broken walls and scorched ruins. · This had clearly been a small town once, but now, it had been wiped off the map by the cruelty of war. · Seconds later, several beams of light descended around him, followed by a series of startled gasps. · His teammates for this trial had arrived. · Cheng Shi immediately sized them up. Among the three men and two women, only one held a greatsword; the others, like himself, showed no visible weapons. · Hiss— · Cheng Shi took a sharp breath, thinking to himself, Don't tell me this is another "carry-the-deadweight" lobby? · There were only six classes in the Faith Game: Warrior, Mage, Priest, Assassin, Hunter, and Bard. · In theory, no class was superior to another—there were only bad players, not bad classes. · In practice, however, because the nature of trials often leaned toward certain styles, classes were inevitably ranked. · For today’s 【War】 trial, the "Warrior-Mage-Priest" trinity was undeniably stronger than the "Assassin-Hunter-Bard" combo. · The six matched players sized each other up. When the burly man holding the greatsword saw no other weapons, his expression grew irritated as he spoke: · "Standard procedure. Don't waste time. Report your Destiny Path and class first, then your rank. I'll start. Chen Chong, 【Civilization】, Warrior, Rank 1647." · Under each Destiny Path, there were two to three gods. The reason players only reported their Path and not their specific God’s name was the fear of matching with someone of an opposing faith. · Even though everyone in a trial shared a common fate and should cooperate, when players of opposing faiths were paired, some gods would issue extra "Divine Decrees." These could potentially compel a follower to do something shady before the mission succeeded. · This was a lesson learned in blood and tears. · In the six months since the game started, countless people had died because of this. Players couldn't be blamed for being overly cautious. · Still, at the start of a trial, cooperation was mandatory. · "Song Yawen, 【Life】, Assassin, Rank 1636. Brother, are you an 'Order Knight'? I think I’ve seen that sword in the hands of other 【Order】 Warriors. It's a shield-and-sword set, right?" · The second speaker was a tall, thin youth in sportswear wearing glasses. As he finished, he scrutinized the greatsword in Chen Chong’s hand, seemingly comparing it to his memory. · Since he had been recognized, Chen Chong didn't hide it and nodded. · Seeing him admit it, the expressions of the others relaxed significantly. · Followers of 【Order】 were among the few strangers in this game who could be considered trustworthy. · They followed the will of 【Order】, respected the rules, and practiced self-restraint. They were arguably the most popular teammates in the entire game. · And a Warrior following 【Order】 in a 【War】 trial was a T0-tier asset. · Reliable and effective. · "Xia Wan, 【Life】, Hunter, Rank 1519." · The speaking order had somehow turned clockwise. The heroic beauty in a forest-green short-sleeved shirt introduced herself in a cold, detached tone. · She was tall but not slender; her muscles were tight and well-defined, radiating a sense of power even through her clothes. · Song Yawen grinned and nodded toward her, pleased to have a teammate from the same Destiny Path. · To Xia Wan’s left was another woman, petite with long, flowing black hair. · She wore a black turtleneck shirt that covered her completely from the neck down, leaving only her face visible. · "Nangong, 【Submergence】, Priest, Rank 1396." · The moment the word 【Submergence】 left her lips, the faces of the two 【Life】 followers darkened. · 【Life】 and 【Submergence】 were opposing paths. · Song Yawen looked at Nangong with suspicion, his gaze becoming unfriendly. · Xia Wan remained still, her face cold as ever, though her narrowed eyes carried a heavy sense of scrutiny. · Nangong felt the weight of the atmosphere. To have two people from an opposing path right off the bat—and in a trial where she had to survive a whole day—was a nightmare. She could only pray that the specific gods these two followed weren't direct rivals to hers. · Opposing paths caused unease; opposing faiths could lead to murder. · Next was Cheng Shi’s turn. Looking at Nangong to his right, a meaningful smile suddenly played on his lips. · "Cheng Shi, 【Life】, Priest, Rank 1501." · "?" · The moment he spoke, the expressions around him shifted to a mix of joy and concern. · The two from the 【Life】 path were naturally pleased, while Nangong’s face turned exceptionally pale. · As a path of a "Righteous God," followers of 【Life】 generally held positive values. Regardless of their personal morals, they were "good people" on the surface. · But the gods of 【Submergence】 each had their own brand of "evil." · Seeing the tension, Chen Chong, the Warrior of Order, frowned and offered a reminder: · "Path differences can wait until the end. Twenty-four hours is a long time. Survive first, then worry about the rest." · Song Yawen, seeing he had the numbers on his side, simply chuckled. Xia Wan kept her frozen expression, and Cheng Shi enjoyed the drama. Nangong, meanwhile, lowered her head in thought. · Only the player to Cheng Shi’s left—who was dressed a bit like Doctor Strange—glanced at Cheng Shi with a strange, undecipherable look. · "Cao Sansui, 【Existence】, Mage, Rank 1906." · "How much???" · The moment that rank was announced, everyone gasped. · While the others felt like they had just hit the jackpot, Cheng Shi sucked air through his teeth, his face looking like he was constipated. · "Tsk, 【Existence】, huh..." · Chen Chong’s expression brightened considerably. He raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile: · "Memory Voyager or Time Walker?" · "Memory Voyager" referred to Mages following 【Memory】, while "Time Walker" referred to those following 【Time】. Chen Chong was asking which god he trailed. · Since there were no opposing paths for him among the six, he could afford to be honest so the team could coordinate better. · There were only two gods under the path of 【Existence】. · Cao Sansui was clearly an alias, but names were just labels; no one cared. · He didn't answer immediately. He hesitated, his eyes lingering on Cheng Shi several times. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he sighed. · "Time is a gap, and I am the wind." · This was the prayer of a 【Time】 follower. · Cao Sansui was a Time Walker. · In the context of the entire game, the combination of this class and faith was a T0 powerhouse. As the name suggested, Time Walkers could manipulate time. · Hearing that he was a Time Walker, the smile on Chen Chong’s face widened. Cheng Shi also broke into a grin. · This time, it was a sincere one. · "Brother Cao, you're the goat!" · Song Yawen’s behavior was nothing like a low-profile Assassin. He kept giving thumbs-ups, and if they weren't strangers, he probably would have given Cao Sansui a hug. · "With Brother Chen leading and Brother Cao backing us up, we’re golden, comrades!" · His gaze swept across the group, pointedly skipping Nangong. · Nangong’s smile was awkward. There was no helping it; her situation was truly dire. · Seeing the team already beginning to isolate someone, Cheng Shi shook his head inwardly. · Losing a combatant over a path dispute was the height of stupidity, especially at the start of a trial. · To ease the tension, he thought for a moment and suddenly spoke up: · "A dual-priest system is perfect for a 【War】 trial. My gut tells me Nangong isn't our enemy." · The group looked at him in surprise. Even Nangong looked at this "competitor" from an opposing path in disbelief. · He was actually speaking up for her? · "You..." · Cheng Shi tilted his head, flashing a brilliant smile. · "Let me re-introduce myself. Cheng Shi, Priest of 【Nurturing】." · "???" · "Holy crap? You're a guy, and you follow the God of Fertility??" · [END]