Chapter 29: "Next time you test the explosives, you stand in front."

This is an extremely rugged and dangerous path.

Players who choose this path will not gain any Authorities. They are born with slightly lower combat power than other players and are viewed with hostility by all deities; whenever they enter any dungeon, all other players receive a notification that killing this player will yield massive rewards.

They can no longer earn Faith Points or increase their Believer Level by collecting items favored by a specific deity.

They can only progress on the "Path to Godhood" by "collecting divinity."

...

"Faith is the cradle of the gods, but 'shock' is the true currency of divinity."

Every time the eyes of the world tremble because of you, every time their common sense is crushed into dust by you, their souls will shed a wisp of "divinity"—the purest power of creation.

Only by collecting "divinity" can one advance along the path to godhood.

"..."

Chen Jiang sat on the edge of the bed, gently toying with the Ace of Hearts playing card in his hand. This path seemed tailor-made for him; a magician is constantly collecting "divinity."

Upon choosing this path, one cannot use any divine Authorities. Until one achieves godhood, one is essentially devoid of any such powers, though one can use divinity to purchase items and existences available only to players on this path.

Yet, once the end is reached, one becomes the absolute ceiling of the "Paradise of Gods."

A position that is nearly impossible for other players to attain.

He turned his head to look at Xu Kun, who was studying diligently nearby, his eyes narrowing slightly. If he were to choose this path, he would need an absolutely unified and cohesive team to ensure that whenever he entered a dungeon in the future, he would not be besieged.

Furthermore, he had to ensure he would not be backstabbed.

He did not need to worry about Dumb Snake.

It remained to be seen whether Xu Kun could pass the probationary period.

...

"Brother Jiang is a magician."

Dumb Snake spoke in a calm tone, explaining to Xu Kun, "As members of a magician's team, we don't need to master many magic tricks, but we must master basic tools and fundamental movements to facilitate the team's overall coordination."

"For example—"

"During last night's wire retreat, if there were no pulleys and you were on a flat surface, unable to slide, what would you do?"

"Uh... tightrope walk?"

"..."

Dumb Snake looked up at Xu Kun. "Tightrope walking is not a simple technical skill; it puts immense pressure on one's psychological and mental state. For a member of a magician's logistics team, the requirements are a bit too high."

"In such a situation, you need to use a traverse, either upper or lower—moving across the wire using your arms and legs."

"That would be too slow, wouldn't the enemies catch up and start shooting?"

"Many basic movements have different use cases. You don't need to constantly play 'what if'—if you keep doing that, the world would stop functioning. You might as well just stick your head out and wait for the enemy to chop it off."

"Over these three months."

"I will put you through high-intensity special training. You have only one goal: to learn the use of basic movements and tools so that you don't drag the team down during an evacuation, and to be able to handle certain solo missions."

"The time ratio between the dungeon and reality is one month to one day. You are the only one getting to enjoy this kind of in-dungeon special training."

"If..."

Dumb Snake suddenly hesitated, turning his head to look at Brother Jiang, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. If his master were still alive and could continue to teach Brother Jiang inside the dungeons, he could not imagine what kind of existence Brother Jiang would have become by now.

Brother Jiang's talent for learning was monstrous.

His master had more than once stared blankly at Brother Jiang's back. He couldn't guess what his master was thinking, but he could vaguely sense what he might be feeling.

...

"That..."

Just then—

Xu Kun cautiously raised his hand. "Actually, I've always wanted to ask: Brother Jiang is a magician, so why is he so proficient in racing?"

Dumb Snake, having collected his thoughts, looked at Xu Kun and said softly.

"A magician must master all means of retreat."

"Not just racing; parkour, skydiving, wingsuit flying, rock climbing—Brother Jiang is proficient in all these."

"Ah?"

Xu Kun's mouth hung open in disbelief. "Isn't... isn't Brother Jiang only twenty years old? How..."

What he actually wanted to ask was whether Brother Jiang had several lives. These were all high-risk extreme sports; how many times would one have to die to master and become proficient in all of them?

Dumb Snake curled his lip but didn't say much. He had already said Brother Jiang was a genius.

Besides...

It wasn't that there was nothing Brother Jiang couldn't do; at the very least, Brother Jiang couldn't swim or dive.

Yes.

Brother Jiang couldn't swim; he was a classic landlubber.

He remembered his master teaching Brother Jiang for a long time. Brother Jiang learned everything else remarkably fast, but when it came to swimming, it was as if he were cursed. As soon as he fell into the water, he would start thrashing and sink shortly after. No matter how he tried, he couldn't learn it, not even the doggy paddle.

He had learned it easily.

That was the only thing he had learned faster than Brother Jiang.

In the end, his master gave up, feeling that Brother Jiang's destiny was lacking in water.

That was why he named him "Chen Jiang," hoping it would bring more water into his life.

...

Over the next three months, Chen Jiang and his group took no further action, staying almost entirely within the factory complex.

Dumb Snake spent his time giving Xu Kun special training.

Chen Jiang stayed in the factory, keeping a close eye on progress, occasionally leaving the grounds for a stroll before quickly returning.

Soon—

Three months passed slowly.

There was only one day left until the dungeon ended. After three months, "68" players remained.

If the number of players in the dungeon remained above ten by 11:59 PM tonight, all players would be judged as having "failed the mission." Their Paradise Coins, items, learned skill books, and lineages would all be wiped clean, and they would become blank-slate players, starting over from scratch.

A sense of anxiety began to well up in the hearts of all the players, yet even so, no one dared to show themselves easily. The situation remained deadlocked; without special circumstances, it was difficult to break the stalemate.

Especially since those who had managed to persist until now all had their own means and were not comparable to ordinary players.

And over these months, Xu Kun's progress had been rapid.

"..."

Chen Jiang turned to look at Xu Kun, who was standing anxiously behind him. The slightly graying temples and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes clearly indicated that this man was in his early forties, nearly fifty—a truly advanced age. To have mastered so many movements and tool usages in such a short time meant his talent was already comparable to half of Dumb Snake's.

Compared to his talent, Dumb Snake's talent seemed like that of a mere child.

But in reality, among normal people, Dumb Snake's talent was already exceptionally outstanding.

And at such an advanced age, if he could pass the tests of temperament and character, he would indeed be a good teammate.

Moreover...

In these last few days, he had asked the factory owner for some materials and scavenged some more himself, letting Xu Kun use them to manufacture a bomb. He wanted to see exactly what Xu Kun could create. Now, the group stood at the edge of the open space in the factory's backyard, preparing for a test detonation.

"Don't worry."

Chen Jiang turned and patted the nervous Xu Kun on the shoulder, saying softly, "It doesn't matter if the power is small. After all, you haven't received systematic training, and this is the first time you've manufactured one in years. If you truly have enough passion for this, that is the greatest talent."

"Once we get out..."

The next moment—

"BOOM!!!"

A deafening explosion resounded behind them. Thick flames blossomed in mid-air, and a powerful shockwave, mixed with steel pellets, instantly sent the group standing at the edge of the clearing flying!

...

A few seconds later.

Chen Jiang, feeling slightly dizzy, struggled to stand up from the ground. He subconsciously touched his back. Whoa, it felt gritty—quite a texture.

He brought his hand before his eyes to look; it was covered in bright red blood.

He forced himself to turn and look at the massive crater behind him. After a moment of silence, he pulled a "first-aid injection" from his coat and plunged it into his body. Instantly, all the steel pellets were expelled—a rather strange sensation—and his wounds began to heal rapidly.

Dumb Snake and the other one were standing behind him.

He had absorbed nearly eighty percent of the damage, fortunately with his back to the detonation point.

At this moment, Dumb Snake already had his gun pressed against Xu Kun's head, waiting for Brother Jiang's order. Dumb Snake was also splattered with blood, though not as severely, and his eyes were filled with fury.

He knew it!

Anyone who could blow someone else's ancestral grave into the sky couldn't be any good!

"Br-Brother Jiang!"

Xu Kun, kneeling on the ground, was also covered in blood. His eyes were red, and his voice trembled with a sob. "I really didn't mean to. I didn't think the power would be this great. I thought Brother Jiang wanted to see my handiwork, so I definitely couldn't afford to embarrass myself."

"I made it as powerful as possible, wanting to show Brother Jiang and demonstrate my value."

"Right when I detonated it, I suddenly realized we might be a bit too close, but I didn't have time to say anything..."

"..."

Chen Jiang said nothing. He just stood there and slowly lit a cigarette. He looked down at his jacket, which was shredded and flapping in the wind, then helped Xu Kun up and shoved the cigarette into his mouth.

"Make another one of these, as fast as you can."

"Next time we test it, you stand in front."