Chapter 57
“You absolutely must not interfere in his affairs!” Shen Li warned sternly, afraid Lu Chuan might meddle. “Any dungeon involving gods is messy. Other dungeons can be avoided with tricks, but divine marriage forces a direct confrontation with a god, 100%! The Noah Guild hasn’t stepped in—that means the other party is at least a mid-tier god!”
And a mid-tier god already had the power to influence reality.
High-tier gods were few, tightly restricted by the game system, and rarely appeared before players.
“Too bad. My gun does need divine power to feed on. Alright then, I’ll just go practice on some low-tier gods.” Lu Chuan sounded a little regretful, though not by much—his current strength wasn’t enough to make a move anyway.
Though he said this to Shen Li, in truth [Messiah]’s situation was the Noah Guild’s problem. Lu Chuan really had no way to intervene.
All he could do was faithfully relay what he had learned to Edith, and let her decide for herself.
When Edith heard the words “divine marriage,” she fell silent.
As an experienced player, she knew all too well what those words meant. She also understood why [Messiah] had severed ties with all his teammates.
She was utterly powerless.
Edith’s transfer to the Star Guild caused a stir in the Noah Guild.
Even if the Star Guild had been growing lately, most of their recruits were clueless newcomers. Edith was an old hand—how could she not see the disparity in strength between the two guilds? But since she was only a B-rank player, with no important role in Noah, her transfer went through smoothly thanks to some “helping hands.”
Before leaving, Edith once again requested to see [Messiah]. This time, [Messiah] agreed.
She couldn’t even remember the last time she had been to [Messiah]’s residence.
Looking at him now, she realized he had grown much thinner.
Because he had stayed inside his room for so long without coming out, he’d grown pale as well. He looked like a glass doll—fragile enough to shatter with the slightest force.
“[Arrival of the God of Wealth]told me the truth. You… when did you form a divine marriage?” Edith took a deep breath before voicing the question weighing on her heart.
[Messiah] studied Edith for a moment, then smiled. “Looks like I really was used by him a little. But seeing you in such good shape now—I’m glad.”
He didn’t answer her question directly. “The Star Guild may have declined in recent years, but even a dying camel is bigger than a horse. Whatever [Arrival of the God of Wealth] can offer you, it won’t be bad.”
“My transfer papers are already done. You still won’t tell me the truth?” Edith pressed. “With Noah Guild’s capabilities, if it were just a few low-level gods, the guild would have been able to help you.”
“How do you know I didn’t try asking for help?” [Messiah] gave a low laugh. “Edith, have you really forgotten? I actually mentioned this once during a dungeon run, but under the effect of divine power, you all quickly forgot. It was the same with the guild—I told them too. They just let divine power wipe away the memory after evaluating it.”
Hearing that made Edith feel dizzy, though there was indeed a faint sense of familiarity.
So strange. Had he really mentioned this before? Then why had she never been able to remember it?
“Lately, His power has weakened a little. Maybe because He knows I can no longer escape.” [Messiah] smiled. “Edith, Noah Guild raised me. I could never drag the entire guild into standing against a god. Maybe, if they paid a huge price, the guild could solve this problem for me. But would it really be worth it? Am I worth the lives of several top-ranked players?”
A god who could influence reality was definitely no low-level being.
So there was nothing he could do.
“Edith, you don’t need to feel guilty. And don’t try to help me. Alone, maybe I won’t die. But I can’t protect you.”
Edith left [Messiah]’s quarters with a stiff expression, worry written all over her face.
Things were completely different on the Star Guild’s side.
Her transfer process was personally overseen by the vice-guildmaster.
“You actually managed to talk a strong player into transferring for you?” The vice-guildmaster was genuinely surprised—he hadn’t expected Lu Chuan to actually pull off something useful.
Compared to all the nonsense he’d stirred up before, poaching a player straight from a rival guild boosted Lu Chuan’s reputation by leaps and bounds.
Especially since the player had once been [Messiah]’s teammate—this made the Star Guild players all the more excited.
Didn’t this mean that even players in other guilds thought [Arrival of the God of Wealth] was stronger than [Messiah]?
Such a boost in prestige—too good!
Star Guild players had always lacked face compared to the other four guilds, so they valued reputation even more.
After Lu Chuan joined, he’d repeatedly brought them pride and restored much of their dignity. Among younger players, his status steadily rose—he had already surpassed many ranked veterans.
In the latest unofficial popularity poll, Lu Chuan shot straight to number one, becoming the most beloved player in Star Guild.
Even when he stalled reimbursements in the guild’s finance office, they thought it was just his dedication and fairness at work.
Once you start seeing someone through rose-colored glasses, everything about them looks good.
Edith came to report to Lu Chuan.
She thought she’d see other teammates, but found only Shen Li and Starry Shasha.
There wasn’t even a proper training room. Meetings were just held casually in Lu Chuan’s own room.
Such a down-to-earth style left Edith stunned.
She’d assumed someone as flashy as Lu Chuan would set up grand arrangements.
But Lu Chuan was pure pragmatism—he didn’t care for showy setups. If they needed a training room, they’d just use the guild’s. Why waste money building one themselves? Better to put the money straight into Lu Chuan’s account—that would make him much happier.
“Since everyone’s here, let’s talk about our team’s next plan.” Lu Chuan gestured for Edith to relax—no need to be so stiff. After all, they were teammates now, and would need to build trust and synergy.
So soon? They were already moving on to their fifth dungeon? Edith could hardly believe it.
“Are you aiming for first place on the Newcomer Rankings?” she asked.
“No need for honorifics—just call me normally,” Lu Chuan waved off, not interested in formalities. “Not really. It’s just that Cynthia—[Eye of Rebirth]—she mentioned doing another dungeon. She’s preparing for her sixth run and planning to leave the Newcomer Ranking List. She invited me to join, and will bring her own team.”
Edith instinctively nodded at Cynthia’s name. “With two teams together, the chances of success are much higher.”
But if [Arrival of the God of Wealth] and [Eye of Rebirth]—the Newcomer Rankings’ top two—were teaming up, just how high-level must that dungeon be?
“I asked Cynthia when we talked before,” Lu Chuan rested his chin on one hand. “She said once we leave the Newcomer Ranking List, we should clear several strong dungeons quickly, then rush the Master Ranking. The shorter the gap between leaving Newcomer and hitting Master Ranking, the better our chances. I thought about it and…it does seem quite doable.”
And #888 confirmed the idea.
[That’s because the system favors young players with greater potential.] #888 instinctively assumed the Main God System worked like itself, clearly influenced by Lu Chuan’s earlier speculation.
[If the Main God System casts a wide net when choosing hosts, its focus will be on newcomer players showing the greatest potential. Dungeons would naturally tilt in their favor.]
As the god of countless dungeon worlds, even the smallest bias from the Main God System could mean huge advantages for players.
“According to Cynthia, players in the newcomer top three get better roles and quests in their first S-level dungeon than veterans.” Resurrection Guild’s records were far more complete than Star Guild’s, so her information was more reliable. “So we’re going to give it a shot.”
Edith clenched her fists. “If we’re going into an S-rank dungeon, I’ll need to raise my player level. I’m still only B-rank. To even enter, I’ll need to be at least A-rank.”
She had thought she was coming to Star Guild to help. She hadn’t expected to end up the one holding them back.
She refused to drag them down again.
“Of course. I’ve got an A-rank dungeon key—‘Witch’s Secret Elixir.’ You and Starry Shasha go together.” Lu Chuan handed it to them. “Good chance to build teamwork. Shen Li and I don’t need to waste time in an A-rank dungeon.”
Lu Chuan had been holding the key for a long time. He’d meant to try it himself, but he’d leveled up much faster than expected. Now, A-rank dungeons were beneath him. Either he sold the key to the guild or let others use it.
Perfect for Edith and Shasha. He could prepare for bigger things.
“Okay…” Edith accepted it carefully. “What’s this dungeon like?”
“Oh, it’s a crossover with ‘Lord of the Castle.’ Back then, this dungeon was…”
Lu Chuan gave a quick rundown of what had happened.
It was the first time Shen Li and Shasha had heard details of that dungeon, and they were shocked.
“You actually resisted exploring deeper back then?” Shen Li was surprised—he’d assumed Lu Chuan’s personality meant he’d definitely push further.
“At that time, I still had to negotiate with you guys about which guild to join. No way I’d take such a risk.” Lu Chuan answered bluntly. “Besides, I had no way to protect myself then. I wasn’t about to gamble my life. But now, there’s no reason to bother with it. If you run into Lucas in the ‘Witch’s Secret Elixir’ dungeon, give him my regards—and a good beating. Don’t hold back.”
Just like that, Lu Chuan settled the team’s next moves.
“As for our next dungeon, we’ll let Cynthia decide. Her data’s much more complete, so it’s better to follow her lead.” She had clearly invited him to build a connection, likely thanks to what he’d said to Lilus before. She knew he wanted a win-win, and was willing to work with him.
Lu Chuan would be crazy to pass up such powerful ties.
Even he couldn’t help but marvel—same mother, supposedly twins, yet Cynthia and Lilus were worlds apart.
Must’ve been different fathers’ genes at work.
Lilus sneezed several times in a row.
“Big sis, are we really going to run a dungeon with Lu Chuan?” Lilus was a little displeased. He wanted more chances to team up with his sister alone, but Cynthia rarely gave him such opportunities.
“You mentioned his performance in a dungeon before. I’m curious and want to see his skills for myself.” Cynthia nodded. “Nothing shows someone’s strength better than running a dungeon together.”
“I think it’s better to stay far away from him.” Lilus muttered. Even though he had only been in one dungeon with Lu Chuan, he had fully recognized just how reckless Lu Chuan was. Running a dungeon with him required nerves of steel.
“One thing Lu Chuan said caught my attention.” Cynthia ignored his grumbling, her curiosity shifting to another matter. “Messiah’s divine marriage—I care about that. Maybe in dungeons related to him and that god, we can find something that helps us strengthen ourselves.”
“When Mom was alive, she also tried to search for gods. But she said gods cannot reproduce with humans, and even if they did, demigods would only become targets for other gods.” Cynthia paused to think. “But divine bloodlines can indeed be exploited. We both have half-NPC blood, only half human. So the methods normal players use to grow stronger don’t work on us.”
In contrast, anything tied to gods could accelerate their growth.
“There are plenty of low-level gods.” Lilus clearly didn’t support Cynthia’s plan. “If you need blood from a high-level god, I’ll go. You don’t need to risk yourself. Besides, the Messiah situation—Noah Guild is pretending not to know. Why should we interfere?”
It was impossible Noah Guild knew nothing about Messiah’s circumstances.
The only explanation was that they were deliberately turning a blind eye, unwilling to sacrifice top-ranked players for Messiah’s sake.
Understandable.
One was just a newcomer on the Newcomer Rankings, not even certain to ever become a top player.
The other was already a genuine Master Rankings master, a cornerstone of the guild.
The choice was obvious.
If it were just a low-level god, fine. But the one entangled with Messiah had to be somewhere between a mid-level and high-level god—far harder to deal with. And since Messiah had even entered a divine marriage, it was even messier.
The danger was exactly why they chose to “play dumb.”
“As for his situation, I’m still considering whether to intervene.” Cynthia replied. “First, we might not have the ability. Second, even if we save him, we’d just be adding another competitor. In this world, we might not even be able to protect ourselves—how could we protect someone else?”
So, all they could do was gather information and watch.
Every moment, countless players died for different reasons. Messiah would just become one more.
Even Lu Chuan, after learning about Messiah, hadn’t been foolish enough to interfere. Edith, his former teammate, hadn’t even suggested helping him.
For players like them, emotions like “helping” or “sympathy” always ranked below “staying alive” and “leveling up.”
Once a player died, nothing else mattered.
And which dungeon didn’t claim lives?
They themselves might die in the next one, or the one after that. No one could guarantee survival forever.
Messiah’s problem—ultimately, only he could solve it.
For others, it was just gossip.
Edith and Starry Shasha didn’t waste any time. The very next day after the meeting, they entered the dungeon Witch’s Secret Elixir to boost their strength.
Lu Chuan busied himself studying his newly acquired gun, occasionally diving into Evil World dungeons, while also keeping an eye on changes in the Master Rankings.
“System, when do you think the rankings will change? Feels like no one ever moves.” Lu Chuan scrolled from top to bottom. The youngest person on the list looked to be in their fifties or sixties. Though players stayed youthful past a certain level, the sheer age was still unsettling.
Fifty or sixty years old and still can’t retire—how tragic.
[The Master Rankings are already the elite of the elite. They rarely shift…] #888 hadn’t finished speaking when the list, which had been motionless, suddenly changed under Lu Chuan’s eyes.
“What the—this has nothing to do with me!” Lu Chuan quickly raised his hands, but the rankings still updated.
Five names vanished. Five new ones appeared.
“Coincidence. Pure coincidence.” Lu Chuan started doubting if he was cursed with bad luck. He had just casually mentioned it, and suddenly the rankings updated?
Too creepy!
For a second, he thought he’d caused it.
[Host, the last slot on the list—looks like Shen Li made it up there.]
Huh?
Lu Chuan froze and flipped to the bottom.
Sure enough, [Walking Alone for Ten Thousand Miles] appeared.
At the same time, Mei Xue’s [Mephisto] and Gu Quan’an’s [I Just Won’t Look] also joined the list, ranked just above [Walking Alone for Ten Thousand Miles].
When the tiger’s gone, the monkeys become kings.
They had been working toward breaking onto the list, but five veterans dropped off at once, so they were immediately slotted in.
Overnight, they became Master Rankings members.
Completely unexpected.
Sometimes, it really just came down to luck.
[This is bad, host.] #888 nearly short-circuited. [If the rankings are being backfilled, those players who aren’t truly qualified will have to undergo emergency dungeon trials. In other words, each one must quickly clear a trial to secure their position.]
And since Lu Chuan was bound as Shen Li’s teammate, if Shen Li had to complete a trial, then Lu Chuan had to go too.
A dungeon trial for Master Rankings… That meant an S-class dungeon at minimum. No doubt about it.
Start straight at that level?
#888 felt like it would never keep up with its host’s pace.
Couldn’t they just do a normal dungeon for once?
“System, for these backfilled slots, what kind of dungeon do they face?” Lu Chuan vaguely remembered something from his studies, but at his old level he hadn’t paid much attention.
[Host, it’s a Divine Challenge.] #888 pulled up archived guild records.
Anyone slotted into the rankings had to directly face a god. Only then could they hold onto their place.
Lu Chuan stared at his gun, thinking the vice-guildmaster might really be cursed.
He had just gotten a weapon designed to fight gods—only to be sent straight into a god fight.
Shen Li was even more stunned.
Wait, me? Fight a god?
He had literally just told Lu Chuan not to provoke gods, and now he was the one dragged into a Divine Challenge dungeon?
How was this fair? Were the players above him really that useless, leaving him to backfill the rankings?
*
Dungeon — Witch’s Secret Elixir
Edith and Starry Shasha, from strangers to allies, managed to build a shaky level of teamwork.
Shasha even picked up a bit of Lu Chuan’s shameless style, making Edith appreciate her more.
After all, Shasha was also a top-10 Newcomer Rankings player—she had real skills.
They cleared the dungeon safely.
But just as they were about to return to reality and check their rewards, a Divine Challenge Dungeon notification popped up on their party panel.
Huh???
