Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 224 Resurrection of the Dead

"Where am I...?"

Inside the temple of Tatunbto, the city of the serpent god, Setka opened his eyes and looked at his hands, his consciousness momentarily dazed.

He clearly remembered that he had just been fighting a powerful warrior, a monster who called himself the Chosen Champion and was covered in thick armor. Sethka was certain that he had used his strongest abilities, but in the end, he was no match for the monster's terrifying power, nor could he block the sword light that came crashing down on him.

Simply put, he should be dead, since no one can survive such terrifying sword light.

But now...

"what happened?"

Completely baffled, Setka could only turn to the only acquaintance beside him for help.

That was one of the four priests, Sathek the Greatsword, but right now he wasn't carrying his iconic greatsword; instead, he was dressed in a pure white priest's robe, clearly performing some kind of ritual.

And the goal of this ritual...

"Stop looking, I'm the one who called you back."

Faced with Setka's questioning gaze, Sattek the Greatsword simply shook his head.

"I didn't want to go through all this trouble, but who would have thought that no one would be willing to take over your position as the captain of the enforcement team... So I had no choice but to bring you back to life and let you continue. Don't thank me, thank the great Serpent God instead."

"Varied……"

Setka felt his head buzzing. What did it mean to come back to life and keep going?
Fortunately, after a brief conversation, he finally learned what had happened recently.

First and foremost, the biggest thing is what he is currently experiencing—just a few days after he died, the great Serpent God quietly launched the service of resurrecting the dead. As long as the complete remains of the deceased can be obtained and the deceased's consent is acquired, the Serpent God can bring back the spirits that have gone to the underworld to the mortal world.

Of course, there are some special cases, such as Sethka, who needed to perform his duties and died unexpectedly. In those cases, we don't need to care whether he agrees or not; we just need to bring him back first.

"This……"

After hearing all this, Sethka felt his head buzzing.

What incredible things happened during the time he was dead? How could something as seemingly impossible as a dead person coming back to life suddenly become possible?

"If nobody wants to die, won't the population just keep growing?"

In just a moment, Setka realized the huge potential dangers of this mechanism, since the instinct to survive is something almost everyone is born with.

So he immediately voiced his guess, hoping that the serpent god would take it seriously.

But all he got in return was a shake of his head from Satek.

"Why do you care so much? Do you think you're smarter than the snake god?"

Facing the furrowed brows of Setka, Sataik the Greatsword remained expressionless.

"Even the Snake God didn't say there was a problem, but you think there is... Could it be that the Snake God did this on purpose?"

"The snake god did it on purpose..."

Sethka's mind was becoming increasingly confused; having just been resurrected, he was far from his usual sharpness and composure.

However, he at least remembered that he needed to reveal the most crucial information.

So, Setka immediately recounted his experience. "The martial arts skills of those chosen champions are really... at least level 200 or higher."

Sethka stated his deduction.

"A monster of that level could probably only be dealt with by the Serpent God, and judging from its tone, there's likely more than one coming... We need to prepare early, otherwise..."

"This matter has been settled."

Satyak the Greatsword still looked completely indifferent.

And Sethka finally learned what had happened during the time he was dead.

The first thing, of course, is what we just discussed: the Serpent God's Temple quietly started offering resurrection services. But compared to that, the second thing was truly grand in scale—it was a massive celebration involving the entire empire, an unprecedented top-tier event.

Those top-tier experts with levels exceeding one hundred, those elites from all walks of life, will gather in the City of the Serpent God, Tatunbuto, to wage an unprecedented competition for the title of the best in the world.

"Number one in the world...?"

Seth was stunned.

"All industries? How can you compare those?"

"The schedule itself hasn't been announced yet, but everyone has already arrived."

Satyak the Greatsword pointed outside the temple.

"Including those chosen champions you mentioned, they've all gotten involved."

It was at this moment that Setka saw the several giant figures standing outside the temple, clad in thick armor.

Although those suits of armor were not quite the same as those in Setka's memory, it was clear that they were also the chosen champions—but judging from the way they were queuing up at the entrance, they obviously wanted to enter the temple, or even use the resurrection service.

"That's normal. After all, these outsiders are fearless when they fight. They killed fifteen people in just three days, and the competition hasn't even started yet."

Speaking of this, Sathek the Greatsword looked gloomy.

"I don't know what the snake god was thinking, that even these outsiders can be given the treatment of resurrection. He said that as long as they register, they can come to the temple and be resurrected if their bodies are intact... If you ask me, we should sink the bodies of these outsiders into the river. They have caused a lot of trouble during this time."

However, it was clear that despite the cursing, the necessary actions still had to be taken – so the newly resurrected Setka was immediately expelled from the temple, and then the team of fully armored Chosen Champions walked in.

As he watched those chosen champions slip past him, Sethka momentarily thought he was dreaming.

"I'm definitely not awake yet... No, I need to go home first."

Yes, no matter what the current situation is, he must at least go home first. Familiar surroundings can help stabilize his state of mind, something he learned during the war.

However, after returning home, Setka became even more disoriented.

His memory of the location should be correct; his home is here. And according to Satek the Greatsword, not much time has passed since his death and resurrection.

But why does the whole house seem to have changed so much?
"This is……"

Looking at the unfamiliar furniture in front of her, which was carved with unknown runes, Setka became increasingly puzzled.

(End of this chapter)