He feigned madness for eighteen years, all for the power of a god.

The dean looked at the face in the mirror, a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

The fear of death, like an icy tide, finally breached all the dams of his pretense.

His cloudy eyes flashed with resentment and madness as he roared hoarsely.

"What else could it be... for?! Of course, it's for money! For survival!"

"Do you really think...do you really think there are any kind-hearted people in this world who would open a money-losing orphanage just to take care of you unwanted burdens?!"

"Innocent!"

He laughed maniacally, spitting everywhere.

"In this filthy, cannibalistic era, there's no such thing as kindness or justice! There's only endless profit! Only money! Because only money can ensure survival!"

His gaze was fixed on Bai Ye's indifferent face in the mirror, filled with malicious pleasure.

"It's all your fault! Bai Ye! It's all your fault, you madman!"

"If you weren't out of your mind, and I couldn't sell him two years ago, why would I ever have considered selling Lin Jie!"

"If you were mentally sound, you would be the one being sold!"

"I wouldn't... have dragged this out until today!"

He attributed all his sins to Bai Ye's "madness".

Bai Ye simply stared coldly at him, at the old man who had once given him "warmth" and "affection".

In the final moments of his life, he revealed such an ugly and vicious face.

He didn't speak.

Because there's no need to say anything to a dead person.

The shadowy hand gripping his neck tightened abruptly.

At the same time, even more shadows surged out from the mirror.

Like a black tide, it instantly and completely engulfed the dean's aged body.

There were no screams, no struggles.

The old man who sold his soul for profit, along with all his sins and resentment, was swallowed up by darkness.

With the death of the dean, Bai Ye's rank finally broke through the first level and stepped into the twentieth step.

In the bathroom, Bai Ye stood in front of the mirror for a long time.

Ten minutes later, he slowly raised his head.

He didn't want to waste time being sentimental in such a place.

Now, not only does he need to survive, but the children in the orphanage do too.

He still has a lot to do.

Bai Ye composed himself and noticed that at the very moment he devoured the Dean and advanced to the twentieth level.

On the mirror in front of him, water droplets began to drift and gather on their own.

Eventually, it gradually solidified into a clear line of text:

You have reached level 20. To advance to the next level, you need to complete the advancement quest.

[Please silently recite "Theos" in your heart to receive the advancement quest details from the gods.]

I don't think I had this quest when I was level 10.

Could it be that it's only on the second or third floor?

Theos?

Bai Ye looked at the words on the mirror, lost in thought.

"Ax" means steps.

So what does "Theos" represent in the language of the gods?

A deity? Or a mission?

He recalled the message that appeared in his mind at the very beginning of his transmigration.

The original authority of the supreme deity.

Could it be that this "Theos" is the key to that world of gods?

Without hesitation, he silently recited the syllable in his mind, following the instructions on the mirror.

"Theos".

Om-!

The scene before my eyes shattered instantly.

Bai Ye felt his consciousness being assaulted by an irresistible force.

It was pulled out of the body and plunged into an endless, colorful vortex.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself in an incredibly bizarre place.

It was a... dark movie theater.

The cinema was empty, except for rows of black seats that were neatly arranged and stretched into the endless darkness.

The movie screen directly in front of me was also completely black, showing nothing.

The entire space was deathly silent, without a single sound, filled with an oppressive and ominous atmosphere.

Bai Ye's gaze quickly settled on the center of the theater.

A white figure was sitting there.

The figure's outline was blurry, making it impossible to discern its specific appearance or gender.

It's like a simple line drawing outlined with light.

But the ancient, vast, and incomprehensible aura emanating from him made Bai Ye instantly understand.

He, or rather it, is what is called... a god.

Bai Ye composed himself and slowly walked towards the white figure.

He felt no fear or awe, only a curiosity about the unknown.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

He stood in front of the white figure and spoke calmly.

"Um... what is my promotion mission?"

The white figure didn't speak or even move.

It simply raised its "hand," which was also made of light, slowly.

He pointed to the huge, dark movie screen in front of him.

The next moment, the screen lit up.

A line of blood-red, distorted text, like flowing blood, slowly emerged.

[Promotion Quest: Usurper]

[Mission Objective: Kill an Extraordinary individual who is on a promotion quest, and take his place to complete the promotion quest.]

Kill someone... who is on a promotion mission?

Bai Ye's pupils contracted slightly as he looked at the words on the screen.

Is this really a promotion mission for second-tier extraordinary individuals?

Isn't that a bit too difficult?

First, you need to find an extraordinary person to carry out the promotion mission, and that alone is not easy.

Not to mention replacing him to complete his promotion task.

In the instant he was pondering this, the black movie theater in front of him began to shatter like broken glass, piece by piece.

His consciousness was once again pulled back to reality.

It was still that empty, cold station restroom.

The line of text made of water droplets on the mirror had long since disappeared.

It was as if everything that had just happened was just a bizarre dream.

Back in reality from that eerie "Gods' Cinema," Bai Ye stood in the bathroom for a long time.

The bloody promotion mission in his mind gave him a deeper understanding of the cruelty of this world.

The relationships between extraordinary individuals are not as simple as he imagined.

In order to climb up the ranks, they even need to fight each other, stepping over the corpses of their own kind to compete for promotion spots.

It's like a dark, bloody gladiatorial arena.

He had just received his admission ticket.

When Bai Ye returned to the orphanage, her older sister Bai Zhi was sitting at the old stone table in the courtyard, holding a payment reminder slip, looking worried.

When she saw Bai Ye return, she looked up, her face showing some worry.

"What's wrong, sis?" Bai Ye asked.

The older sister sighed, her face filled with worry: "The dean... he left in such a hurry that he forgot something very important."

Bai Ye pondered for a moment, then placed the money box he had received from the wealthy merchant on the table:

"Um."

"He asked me to give this to you, saying it's some of his savings, and that you can use it to pay your taxes first."

He had hidden the box temporarily, but now he has taken the money out.

Bai Zhi opened the box with a puzzled look on her face. When she saw the 50,000 yuan in banknotes neatly stacked inside, she was completely stunned.

"This...so much money?" She could hardly believe her eyes.

"How much tax does the dean owe?" Bai Ye asked.

Bai Zhi pulled out the top one from the thick stack of payment reminder slips and handed it to Bai Ye, her face full of bitterness:

"See for yourself."

Bai Ye took the payment reminder and his gaze fell on the final total amount.

The long string of zeros made him frown.

It amounted to a full million.

Over the years, the director has accumulated a mountain of debt in order to keep the orphanage running, and the property tax has been in arrears for three whole years.

Although there was a considerable amount of money in the box, it was still a drop in the ocean compared to the huge amount of taxes owed.

Bai Ye guessed that the dean planned to sell the children and then run away.

They had no intention of repaying the money.

"What is the final deadline for repayment?"