A Weird Game
Note from Great One:
Thought -> Mommy
System -> Banana
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Nestled at the eastern foot of the Great Yellow Dragon Mountain, Humble Village unfolded like a serene painting. With just over 200 souls, it stood in quiet repose beneath the colossal mountain that pierced the clouds with its majestic peaks. The air was a symphony of nature's melodies – the gentle rustle of leaves in the mountain breeze, the harmonious chorus of birdsong, and the distant calls of unknown beasts.
As the sun ascended, its golden rays painted the village in a warm embrace. The mountain cast a protective shadow, creating pockets of cool shade amidst the waking landscape. At the village entrance, laughter wafted through the air, mingling with the subtle hum of peace that hung over the quaint settlement. The villagers moved about their morning rituals, and a palpable anticipation lingered in the air, as the village awaited the return of their hunters.
A group of people emerged from the woods, wearing in lightweight armor and each wielding a broadsword. Resting on their shoulders were formidable beasts. At that very moment, three more individuals appeared from the woods, laboriously pulling a massive creature, the size of a house, with ropes.
"Father has returned!"
"I want to become a hunter too!"
"Look at that beast! It's huge!"
The kids sprint around, their small fists punching the air with unrestrained enthusiasm, while their mother standing nearby couldn't help but smile.
As the hunters reached the entrance gate, they one by one dropped the beasts they carried to the ground, immediately surrounded by eager villagers.
"Call the village chief and inform him to prepare for tonight!"
"Yan Shen, you will be the cook for this evening!"
"Just the thought of it makes my mouth water."
"Yan Shen, where are you headed?" Yun Tao, a bald hunter with a broadsword strapped to his back, called out to a young hunter entering the village. "Aren't you joining the celebration? We're having a feast tonight!"
Yan Shen didn't turn around, waving his hand as he walked inside and replied in a straightforward manner. "I need some rest."
Hearing his words, Yun Tao scratched his head, glancing at the other hunters' faces and then back at Yan Shen. Even though he couldn't see Yan Shen's face, he muttered, "That kid..."
"Leader, ignore him. You know how he is... Even though I want to taste his food, and there's still time before night." One of the hunters patted Yun Tao, who only smiled helplessly in response.
Several months had passed since Yan Shen joined the hunter team of Humble Village. His plan was to retire after saving enough money, but survival came first. The only way to live peacefully was by becoming a hunter. It was the only way for him to earn a living since he didn't know how to do business.
The world around the Humble Village was vast and mysterious and always filled with dangers. Beyond the Great Yellow Dragon Mountain lay many cities or towns, because of the danger and distance between the cities, the village could only rely on hunting for survival and sometimes waiting for merchants.
Entering his house, a smile gradually crept across his face at the sight of the familiar computer nestled in the corner. To his surprise, the computer from his previous world had somehow made the transition with him into this unfamiliar world. Bewildered by the mystery of his sudden transportation, he could only recall losing consciousness in one world and awakening in another.
Maybe it was a mistake by some god or he died because of overplaying, he really didn't know. The only choice he had was to live with what life gave him and move on. Also, he couldn't do anything about it with his current self.
However, the most important thing right now was that he could finally play a game because he remembered that today was the day the game download would be complete.
He turned on the computer, and the mouse moved slowly to the icon with an image of a man holding a torch. Below the icon was the name 'God Simulator.'
"Finally..." Yan Shen sighed, feeling excited.
In fact, this game was bizarre. It needed several months to download, which made him doubt if it was an actual game, as no such game existed in history.
Anyway, Yan Shen clicked the game.
The screen turned black, followed by English characters appearing one by one on the black screen.
[The world had lost its purpose. As a newborn god, you have the role to guide it toward either peace or destruction.]
It was a simple sentence, with no action, dramatic effect, or flashy animation.
The next moment, the black screen was replaced by a sky and a sea of trees in the background. The screen zoomed in, showing mountains, rivers, various monsters roaring, and even the walls of kingdoms. The pixel-style pictures looked fresh and nostalgic, making Yan Shen feel relaxed.
Then three options appeared in the middle of the screen.
[New Game.]
[Continue.]
[Customization.]
There was no quit option like in other games.
Yan Shen clicked on [Customization] to explore more before starting to play.
Two options appeared.
[Old Gods]
[New Gods]
He clicked the [Old Gods] option first.
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-Old Gods-
- God of Death
- God of Life
- God of Earth
- God of Order
- God of Darkness
- God of Light
- God of War
- God of Sun
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And so on...
"These gods sound powerful..."
Looking at the [Old Gods] option and not finding one he liked, Yan Shen knew that these gods might be powerful but were already overrated. Many of these gods he had played in various games or read about in novels, such as the game about the bald man slaying gods. As a gamer, he wanted to try something new.
After scanning the list of [Old Gods], memories of countless gaming adventures flooded Yan Shen's mind. The powers of the God of Death, summoning undead and unleashing corpse explosions, seemed eerily familiar—skills he had mastered in other games and even read in novels.
Dismissing the overused tropes, he shook his head, deciding to seek something new. 'I've grinded through these quests a hundred times, he thought, clicking on the next option with a spark of curiosity.
Unlike the [Old Gods], the [New Gods] were completely different, with many gods he didn't know about, such as the God of Philosophy, God of Knowledge, or God of Forest.
Scrolling through, there were many options that piqued his interest.
"As a gamer myself, this one suits me!"
Yan Shen's eyes lit up as he saw one option that he liked and wanted to try.
He slowly clicked it.
[Choosing this option is irreversible, the choice will be permanent. Are you sure about your selection?]
[Yes/No]
He chose [Yes].
Then the background was slowly replaced by a green sea of trees. The screen zoomed to the middle of the forest, where a temple stood. Above the temple, a question mark floated.
[This is your temple. Please name it ______]
Yan Shen didn't think about it; he just put "God of Games Temple." After all, he was the God of Games, and the temple was for him. There was nothing wrong with naming it the God of Games Temple.
As soon as he finished typing, the words 'God of Games Temple' replaced the question mark above the temple.
Then the world fell into silence...
Yan Shen clicked the temple, but nothing happened. He tried expanding the map, but still, nothing happened.
What's going on? What kind of game is this? What kind of company made this game? There wasn't even a basic tutorial or guide on how to play this game! Yan Shen felt speechless.
Just when he was wondering, a group of pixel characters came out of the forest, walking around the temple.
An exclamation mark popped out above their heads. Yan Shen clicked it, and then a dialog box popped up.
"What a great temple! This must be the temple of an Almighty Great God."
"God of Games... what a domineering name!"
"Let's go inside and serve the Great God of Games!"
The group of people knelt inside. "Oh Mighty God of Games, we humbly offer ourselves as your new servants. Guide us, we beseech you, and extend your divine protection to our village!"
[You gained new believers!]
[You gained Faith!]
[You unlocked blessing!]
[You unlocked Faith. You can now use Faith to create miracles, upgrade blessings and creation.]
Yan Shen noticed a small human head portrait in the upper right corner, showing a population, with a Game Controller icon next to it showing belief. Both population and faith were at 12.
It seemed that 1 believer would provide 1 point of faith.
He clicked the Blessing icon next to the game controller icon, and then a system panel like in any manhwa popped up.
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-Blessing-
- Gamer Panel: Believers will receive the power of the God of Games through leveling and gaining classes.
-----
"Gamer panel..." Yan Shen widened his eyes, his back straightening. "Wait a minute..." He zoomed in on one of his believers, and a blue box appeared and hovered before them.
"They have a gamer panel, a panel that can level up and gain classes?"
This was the second time he felt envy toward a game character. As a gamer himself, he had always dreamt of having such features, but it was just a dream, and no such gamer panel existed. However, seeing a gamer panel appear on one of his characters, he felt envious.
"I traveled to this world, so according to the rules, I should receive a system or some sort of cheat... but several months have passed..."
...
"The Great God has answered our prayer!"
An old man welled up with tears of joy, spreading his arms wide toward the deep blue sky. His gaze was fixed on the mysterious blue box before him. Even though he was confused, he knew this was a great blessing from the Almighty God of Games.
The blue box that the Great God gave them was a strange one, there was his name, other things that he didn't know about, except for the mana/energy and skills/abilities. The other details were new to him.
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-Status Window-
Name: [Elowen]
Class:
Subclass:
Level: [1]
Experience: [0/100]
Health: [89]
Mana/Energy: [10]
-
-Skills/Abilities-
Passive: (none)
Normal: (none)
Unique: (none)
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"How come the Great God knows our names...?"
Elowen turned sharply toward a middle-aged man with a mix of shock and indignation. He delivered a slap to the middle-aged man's head.
"Blasphemy! Do not dare to question the Great God! The Great God, an omniscient entity beyond mortal comprehension, graces us with divine wisdom. We, as mere mortals, remain in ignorance, yet the Great God bestows upon us a sacred blessing. To challenge His will is a defiance beyond measure! How can you, in your audacity, question the divine wisdom that guides us?"
Upon hearing the old man's words, the middle-aged man suddenly felt enlightened and immediately knelt on the ground. "Forgive me, Almighty God of Games!"
Looking at the man humbly kneeling, Elowen turned to others, seeing them looking silently at the air. He pondered aloud, "How come I can't see your God Blessing..."
"... I don't know, elder..." Torin scratched his head and answered uncertainly. He was about to ask the elder what the God Blessing could do for them, but seeing his best friend reprimanded by the elder, he shut his mouth.
"Elder..." A woman walked forward with white hair, carrying a broadsword at her back. Her voice blended with curiosity and determination. "How do we use the Great God's blessings?"
With a hand behind his back, the elder gazed at the temple with reverence. "I don't know, but the Great God has given us a gift. Now, we ignorant mortals need to do our job to open the gift."
Turning to his group, a group of 12 strong hunters of his village, he instructed, "Call the village and have them serve the Great God. From now on, we will live near the temple."
"In this difficult world, only through the protection of the Great God can we survive and strive!"
The elder's proclamation echoed with conviction, emphasizing the newfound responsibility bestowed upon them by the divine blessing.
...
[You gained a devoted follower!]
[You gained 2 Faith!]
They were sure energetic...
Looking at the dialog boxes that appeared one by one above his believers, especially the long white-haired old man, he felt respect, even though he was just a game character.
Yan Shen then looked at his blessings and other things. After exploring, he could finally figure out how to play this game.