this infinite world

As is well known, in a large number of RPG games, those boss-level enemies that players struggled to defeat in the early stages of the game often reappear in the mid-to-late stages of the story.

Ironically, when these once formidable enemies reappear, their status, though unchanged on paper, is often far less than before. Those with good luck might retain their status as elite monsters or squad leaders, while those with bad luck are reduced to ordinary grunts, easily kicked to death by players whose stats have inflated.

Of course, this phenomenon is commonplace in both game design and the real world. From a game development perspective, moderate reuse of assets and data expansion are common industry practices—they can control development costs while cleverly utilizing players' existing knowledge to build the game experience.

As long as the developers don't simply reskin the early-game bosses and bring them back, most players will turn a blind eye... After all, in the numerical progression system of RPGs, former formidable enemies become ordinary opponents as players improve their strength, which actually brings a sense of real character growth.

And isn't the real world just like that? Just like the saying, "Genius is merely the threshold to my understanding," those who were once unattainable will eventually lose their aura as they gain more experience. The junior high students we looked up to in elementary school are nothing more than ordinary in high school; the amazing achievements of the past may just be the basic requirements on a broader stage... This is exactly what is meant by "the strict hierarchy among the top predators."

"...Wait, isn't there some mistake?"

As the melodious hymns filled the air and he watched as the characters transformed, donning armor resembling golden Saint Seiya robes, Yang Yun suddenly felt as if he had become the ultimate boss in a game, about to be ganged up on by twelve righteous Saint Seiya warriors: "What kind of reverse data inflation is this? You're just spending money to power up the monsters, aren't you?"

However, compared to his current situation, Yang Yun was more concerned about the prestige of the guide. Although Yang Yun didn't know whether "mythical form" was anything special in this multiverse, seeing the confidence with which the guide explained the mythical form earlier, and then seeing that even a gatekeeper in the main god space could use similar skills, Yang Yun couldn't help but laugh.

Of course, despite his complaints, Yang Yun could still see the vast difference between these twelve proto-gods and the "mythical form" that the Guide had previously displayed. First of all, their hymns were incredibly weak and unnatural. Rather than a well-structured song, it was more like a simple repetition of melodies, as if twelve children were crammed in front of a piano, each pressing a single note in front of them—monotonous and dull to the point of being laughable.

Secondly, the mythological form of the Guide is a manifestation of the perfect integration of the Holy Path, the Holy Song, and the Holy Position, based on its own Holy Path. In contrast, these First Gods not only lack the Holy Path, but their Holy Positions are also merely empty shells; only their dubious Holy Songs can fool some of the less knowledgeable… If the Guide's "sixteen-foot golden body" is a "true mythological form," then the mythological forms of these twelve First Gods are not even worthy of being called pirated versions; they are merely clumsy imitations, at best "false mythological forms."

However, a false myth is still a myth. Even if these twelve proto-gods are merely poor imitations in their current state, the power they contain is absolutely genuine. Even more terrifying, the crystals on the chests of all the proto-gods simultaneously trembled with blinding light, causing the originally dull and lifeless hymns to resonate strangely in the void, instantly anchoring the surrounding space.

In the next instant, billions of silver-white energy streams poured down on Yang Yun like a torrential rain!

Anchored in space, the vow was certain, and the energy contained within this rain of light was astonishing. Faced with such a force, even a low-level Saint would likely have to temporarily retreat. As for an existence like Melkor, if he dared to confront the combined might of these twelve monsters surpassing the peak of the fourth rank, his Saintly body would likely shatter and his Saintly path shaken in an instant, ultimately forcing him to flee in disarray!

"Yeah, not bad."

—But even with such astonishing power, Yang Yun could only manage a "not bad" assessment. Casually erecting a protective shield, Yang Yun withstood the barrage of attacks from the twelve proto-gods, calmly extending his right hand amidst the world-destroying energy storm, and gently clenching it.

In an instant, strange ripples appeared in space and time. And countless energies that had been scattered and disrupted in this cosmic void began to reassemble accordingly.

The thirteenth Proto-God, which Yang Yun had previously used as a basic energy particle, began to integrate, gather, and recombine amidst the flowing cyan-green light, until it returned to its original state, like a rewinding destruction video... But before this resurrected Proto-God could transform like its companion, Yang Yun grabbed it and forcibly compressed this behemoth into a stream of light, absorbing it into the universe within his body.

"Alright, we should bring back some local specialties after this trip... Otherwise, if Chu Xuan asks and finds out I didn't bring him a gift, it will be a big problem."

As the saying goes, whether someone accepts a gift or not is their business, but whether you bring one is yours. Leaving a message and disappearing, then reappearing long afterward empty-handed—Yang Yun wouldn't do something so lacking in emotional intelligence.

Faced with this blatant act of kidnapping and taking away their companion, these No. 1 Gods were completely oblivious, only launching a relentless attack. Yang Yun frowned as he watched: "That's enough. Logically speaking, a Haki of your level... ugh, a gatekeeper for the 'Main God' has no right to Haki me. After all, I'm here to exchange and learn from other units. Being blocked at the gate by the gatekeeper is a bit too disrespectful to me."

With a slight sigh, Yang Yun muttered to himself, "But no matter what, you are still the protective force of the Main God Space, and can be considered an allied force. It's never good to damage you... Oh, right."

As he spoke, Yang Yun suddenly seemed to remember something, and abruptly raised his God-level wristwatch towards the tightly closed gate of the God-level space. The next moment, a cold, mechanical voice rang in his ears again—

"Captain privileges detected. Confirmed captain of the Arctic team. Authentication successful..."

In an instant, the entire battlefield fell into an eerie stillness. The Proto-Gods, who were unleashing their furious barrage of firepower, seemed to have been paused; the crystal cores on their chests simultaneously dimmed. The twelve colossal figures began to fade like fading holographic projections, creating ripples in space before silently disappearing into the void…

— Done.

Seeing this, Yang Yun, who had enjoyed beating up a main god, robbed a first-generation god, and even successfully infiltrated the main god space of another multiverse as the team captain, looked at the reopened main god space gate of the Arctic Continent team and smiled slightly: "No wonder they need a gatekeeper..."

"What era are we living in? Do we still need a letter of introduction to get you into a workplace?" (End of Chapter)