Survival in the game world begins with Biochemical 2

Chapter 820 Hall of Valor

Beyond the edge of the Nine Realms, at the junction of various realms.

As Freya said at the very beginning, the Nine Realms are each other's reflections, and they coexist on the branches of the World Tree.

Because of this special structure, there exists a point in the gaps between the nine realms that is theoretically equidistant from all nine kingdoms.

Although this place is not like the realms of the World Tree, which are inaccessible without special means, it is still a place that is basically unreachable for the vast majority of the inhabitants of the Nine Realms.

However, on this particular day, this special place welcomed several special visitors.

On the vast lake, where the water ripples and is crystal clear with no impurities, a small boat drifts leisurely from afar.

Boating on the lake, you can see the clouds and mist drifting at the horizon where the water meets the sky. Of course, the black rocks and statues of all sizes scattered around are even more eye-catching.

The small boat continued to move in a certain direction until a small island made of black rocks appeared at the edge of the horizon, at which point it changed direction and rowed towards that island.

After an unknown amount of time, the small boat arrived at the island and stopped on the shallow beach covered with black gravel.

Then, a pair of boots stepped off the boat.

It was Li You, but he was all alone.

As for this island and this unique lake located at the far end of the Nine Realms, it is the very place he is heading towards—Valhalla.

However, why he came, and why he came alone, is a long story.

【Ding! 】

[Stage Quest: Kill and liberate all corrupted Valkyries (9/9), Completed. All subsequent main quests are now unlocked.]

[Main Quest 3-1: Travel to Asgard before Kratos arrives in Jotunheim (Completed).]

Main Quest 3-2: In Asgard, fight at least two major Aesir gods (Completed).

Main Quest 3-3: Slay Baldr, the God of Light (Completed).

After the phase of liberating the Valkyries, the main quest was also updated, and a completion message popped up for 3-3. And that's not all.

【Ding! 】

[Main Quest 3 is now complete, and all features in the Companion section are unlocked. You can now summon all your companions.]

Please note that a new main quest has been unlocked.

[Main Quest 4: Complete the Ragnarok event (in progress) while ensuring the survival of key allies.]

[Note: Main quest 4 is the final quest in this world. After completing it, you can travel between worlds.]

These prompts appeared after killing Sigrun's physical body and freeing her from Odin's bondage, but Li You didn't check them until after the conversation with Sigrun ended.

Overall, the main quests after arriving in the world of God of War seem to follow the game's main storyline while imposing restrictions on him.

Perhaps Kratos and his son have already completed the main storyline of God of War 4, so the subsequent restrictions have been lifted, allowing him to directly experience the Ragnarok event.

But thinking about it in reality, it's not that simple. After all, if it's just to complete the main storyline of the fourth generation, there's no need to send Li You to Asgard. Is it just to make things more difficult for him?
That's unnecessary. Adding more restrictions to the system would make Li You's life in this world extremely difficult.

Therefore, Li You also felt that the system seemed to be issuing tasks to him in a targeted manner, and pointing to an ultimate goal.

"Does this system... also want me to become a god?"

Based on what he had seen before, Li You made this guess.

But clearly, there is no answer to this question.

—Back to the new mission, completing the Ragnarok event. This mission seems to overlap with Li You's goal, and it seems that he can win even if he does nothing. However, with the condition that an important ally survives, the difficulty is different.

After all, several friendly characters in the fifth installment of the story died due to plot reasons, such as Brock and Frey, Freya's brother.

Li You glanced at the list and found that the names of those people had been marked by the system, which was good because he didn't have to open the blind boxes.

The problem is, the list is a bit long.

Not only are there the main surviving friendly characters from the fourth and fifth generations, but also Brock and Frey who died due to plot, and even... Surtr and Simara.

...So they can also be considered "important figures on the friendly side"?
This immediately raised the difficulty level to hell—if Li You hadn't prepared for it beforehand.

After all, without the deaths of Surtur and Simara, the monster known as Ragnarok could not have been created, and the victory of Ragnarok could not have been won.

So there's only one path left: as we discussed with Tyr and Mimir before, let Li You become a god and then carry out their plan to create a second Ragnarok.

After reaching this conclusion, Li You realized that all paths lead to the same destination, and he eventually arrived here, at Valhalla, which is the gate of the Hall of Heroes.

Previously, Sigrun had agreed to Li You and Tyr's request, even though she didn't understand.

She arranged a meeting time with Li You and gave him the coordinates of the Hall of Heroes, which is why Li You was able to arrive here now.

As for why he came alone, there are various reasons for that as well.

Sigriun agreed to the request, but she needed to find her sisters first before she could come and open the gates of Valhalla for Li You, so she left first.

Secondly, Tyr also said he had some things to prepare, and mysteriously set off alone, taking Mimir with him along the way, saying he needed his help and would send him back to Kratos's house afterward.

Finally, the area where the Hall of Heroes is located has a special restrictive effect. Apart from the dead and those with divine power, no one else can move an inch here, and even gods will be greatly restricted.

For all the reasons mentioned above, Li You eventually arrived here alone by boat.

Walking along the black sand beach into the depths of the island, Li You saw a heavy stone door with golden light shimmering through a crack. At the top of the door was a huge half-body statue of a Valkyrie wearing a long robe and with wings on her back. Above the door frame was an inscription of runes that also shone with light.

"'Ráa sjálfr sínum háttum'... take control of yourself."

Of course, Li You didn't know Old Norse. He was able to understand the sentence thanks to the translator and because he remembered the plot—after all, there wasn't much of a plot in Valhalla.

As he reached the gate, the sound of flapping wings echoed in the sky. Li You looked up and saw three elegant figures flying swiftly from the horizon, finally landing orderly in front of him.

Needless to say, those were three Valkyries, the leader being Sigriun. This Valkyrie Queen had now returned to her physical form, and the two behind her had also regained their physical forms.

Li You looked at the two people and found that only one of them was the same as in the game, El, who was good at healing. The other one was changed from Guna in the game to Hilde.

"You've arrived a little earlier than I expected." Sigrun nodded to Li You, and the two Valkyries also greeted him warmly. After all, in this world, it was Li You who had saved all the Valkyries.

"Well then, though it's a little late, please allow me to say welcome to Valhalla, my friend."

Valhalla, also known as the Hall of Heroes, is one of Odin's palaces in Norse mythology and the residence of warriors chosen by the Valkyries.

Valhalla was supposed to be a massive golden palace located within Asgard, the absolute core of Odin's domain.

However, this is only a description in the original mythology. In countless later creations, the concept of Valhalla has been changed countless times, and this is also the case in the new God of War, or rather, in the world that Li You is currently in.

In this worldview, Valhalla remains the residence of the heroic warriors and the core of Odin's rule, as he intends to rely on them to survive Ragnarok.

However, this only refers to the palace located in Asgard. At the same time, a conceptual Hall of Heroes was also separated and placed at the farthest point of the Nine Realms.

This temple is the core of Valhalla in this worldview. It is no longer a palace where warriors live, but a hall for fighting and self-improvement.

It could even be said that this is the true Hall of Heroes, and only the Valkyries can open its doors.

Li You came here to enter, challenge himself, and find the path to godhood.

As the inscription on the gate says, "Master yourself" is the key to reaching a higher level.

Previously, Tyr and Li You went to find Sigriun not only to restore the balance of the Nine Realms and complete their mission, but also to use their power to open the gates of Valhalla.

Sigrun and the other two led Li You to the gates of Valhalla and explained to him:

"Valhalla will extract the memories of those who enter to create challenge levels. These trials will target your weakest points, and you must demonstrate your mastery of your various powers."

"To open the gates of Valhalla, at least three Valkyries are required, and only the dead, or those who have experienced death, can enter, besides us."

Li You had forgotten the restriction that only the dead could enter the Hall of Heroes: "Then I...?"

“Don’t worry, I sensed traces of death in your soul. You are undoubtedly qualified to enter Valhalla.”

Sigrun saw through his thoughts. "Otherwise, I would have told you from the beginning that you couldn't get in."

Li You nodded, but he was puzzled, wondering when he had died.

Perhaps dying during the trials in the Fragment World, or during the challenge at the Ancient Dragon Peak in Soul 3, would also count as fulfilling the condition?

In short, as long as I can get in, that's fine.

"Lord Tyr has also spoken to me. He said he won't be coming here for the time being and asked me to look after you in other ways. So, during your trial, my two sisters, El and Hilde, will be here to assist you."

Sigrun explained step by step, "They also know a lot about Valhalla. Just ask them for anything you need."

Li You didn't ask any further questions, but simply gave a polite smile.

As for where Tyr went? There's no need to ask that question.

Although this Norse god of war was acting all mysterious, Li You didn't need to guess to know that he had most likely already entered Valhalla and was waiting for him at the final checkpoint.

Just like he did to Kratos in the game's DLC.

After explaining all the precautions, Sigurd reminded Li You one last time: "Besides all of the above, there is one more thing you should pay attention to."

“This is the heart of Valhalla. Apart from us, only Odin should know about this place, and even he cannot force his way in—no one can.”

Li You thought to himself that it might not be so. In the game, Kratos broke down the door and forced his way in the first time he came, although he was eventually sent out because of the weakening effect of the Hall of Heroes.

When Freya and Siegrun arrived later, they were both amused and exasperated to hear that Kratos had forcibly entered Valhalla. Only then did they open the gates for him in the proper way.

Sigrun, of course, had no idea what he was thinking, nor did she know about those other timelines; she simply continued speaking:

“However, as the king of the gods, Odin has the authority to select new Valkyries. If he discovers something, he might try to enter by extreme means. At that time, my sisters will warn you in advance, and you must be very careful.”

This is indeed noteworthy, since Odin could easily appoint a new Valkyrie after the previous one is gone. There are already three Valkyries loyal to him who have appeared in the fifth generation, perfectly meeting the conditions for opening the gates of Valhalla.

So Li You nodded solemnly: "I understand."

"That's all. If you have any questions after you go inside, you can ask my two sisters. As for myself, I'm afraid I can't stay here for long."

Sigriun said, "I have found Freya and am trying to help her break the curse that prevents her from harming anyone, as well as find her wings. At the same time, I will lead the remaining sisters to restore the balance of life and death in the Nine Realms as much as possible."

“I can’t keep waiting for you until these things are done.”

“No problem, your matters are also important.” Li You nodded naturally. “I will keep in mind what you mentioned.”

Sigrun had nothing more to say, and she then led El and Hilde to the massive stone gate of Valhalla.

"Let's begin, sisters."

Sigriun stood in front of the gate, while El and Hilde flew up and stood on either side of her behind her.

Sigriun spoke first, reciting a short phrase in Old Norse in a chant-like tone: "Leifa—"

Following her, El and Hildor also chanted in different tones: "Leifa~~"

As they chanted, it seemed as if the chorus of more Valkyries echoed across the entire island, with faint echoes reverberating in the void and drifting into the distance.

Immediately afterwards, the heavy stone door roared and slowly opened amidst their chanting!

Once the gates opened, they revealed a soft, overflowing golden light; this was the proper path to Valhalla.

After nodding to Sigrun and the other two, Li You stepped out without hesitation and entered the golden light!

(End of this chapter)