Becoming a god starts with enhancing fire arrows.

Paril was clearly startled, her thin back trembling slightly.

Perhaps sensing the tension and seriousness in Rhodes's tone, he squatted there, not daring to move.

When Rhodes walked in, she spoke somewhat flusteredly, "What's wrong? I just wanted to pick some mushrooms like you."

"These mushrooms are the same as the ones you have..."

Rhodes said, "Give me your hand."

Seeing that the other party obeyed, he threw everything he was holding into Paril's arms.

Paril barely managed to catch the wild fruits and mushrooms by wrapping her arms around them.

Rhodes said, "I'll do the picking. Just let me know if you see the same mushrooms."

As he spoke, he pulled up the mushrooms from the ground, stalk by stalk.

Paril felt a lump in her throat.

I was an orphan from a young age, and from the first day I was raised by the villagers, I was destined to be sent to the goblin camp.

My daily work consists of cleaning, laundry, and cooking, and the villagers have always been indifferent to me.

Unexpectedly, this man, whom I had only known for a day, felt sorry for me and didn't want me to do any work.

This was the first time I had felt warmth from someone else.

Paril felt a warm liquid welling up in the corner of her eye.

I wanted to wipe it, but my hands were holding something.

She could only slightly raise her shoulders to wipe her tears on the rough patches on her arms.

Just as he was about to say something, he noticed that Rhodes made a silencing gesture, his legs were tense, his left hand held high with his shield, and he was staring at a brown snake coiled in a tree not far ahead.

[Race: Beast]

[Age: Childhood]

Occupation: None

[Description: A juvenile jungle boa, non-venomous and weakly aggressive. Its meat is delicious and edible for humans.]

Rhodes looked at the results of the appraisal spell and carefully moved closer.

The snake was estimated to be over a meter long, its tail tightly coiled around the tree, its head raised high, flicking its tongue in a show of defiance.

Rhodes held the wooden shield up with his left hand and swung it back and forth.

The python stared intently at the shield.

Suddenly, it lunged at the shield like a spring.

With a thud, a muffled sound was heard.

Rhodes seized the opportunity and fired a flaming arrow at the highlighted weak spot under the snake's head.

The brown snake was instantly pierced by the spell, immediately losing its movement, and fell to the ground with a 'thud'.

He picked up the snake by the tail, weighed it in his hand, and was quite satisfied.

He then instructed Paril to gather some firewood in preparation for starting a fire.

Although I've never handled snakes before, since the identification method says they're not poisonous, roasting them shouldn't be a problem.

......

Another part of the jungle.

A six-man goblin squad surrounded three corpses.

They were surrounded by the leading goblin, armed with a short bow, a machete, and a giant club.

The lead goblin held a staff made of old skulls and looked down at the corpse with its neck broken on the ground.

Its short, green fingers caressed the staff, and after a moment, a chilling, eerie green light shone from the staff's skull.

At the same time, the eyes and mouth of the goblin corpse beneath their feet also gleamed with the same light.

"Who killed you?" the leader goblin asked in a sharp, piercing voice.

"Yes... two lowly humans," the corpse replied lifelessly.

The lead goblin continued, "What about your profession?"

"Mage and Priest..."

Where did they go?

"north..."

After the three questions were answered, the eerie green light in the corpse's eyes and mouth gradually faded.

It returned to its original form.

"Did humans do this?"

The surrounding goblins wore expressions of humiliated anger and disbelief.

How dare the human race lay a hand on the noble goblins?

They gripped their weapons tightly, staring intently at the leader goblin with the staff.

The leader goblin grinned menacingly.

"Save as many as possible; I'm going to roast them alive."

......

The girl by the fire stared intently at the roasting snake skewered on a stick.

Next to it were colorful roasted mushrooms strung together with small twigs.

The aroma of roasted meat and the fresh scent of mushrooms filled the air.

Rhodes didn't focus on the roasted snake; instead, he chose to keep watch around.

"Would you like to eat some wild fruit first?"

Paril handed over a bright red wild fruit.

Rhodes took it and was about to eat it when he paused, "Why is there a bite taken out of this?"

"I don't know," Paril replied indistinctly, her cheeks puffed out.

Rhodes looked somewhat disgusted and picked another wild fruit.

The wild fruit was a bit sour and astringent, but it was very juicy. One bite and the sour liquid flowed down my throat, making me even hungrier.

"The snake meat should be ready to eat by now."

Rhodes looked at the snake, whose skin was already charred black, and took off the wooden stick.

After letting it cool for a while, I broke off a piece and handed it to Paril, who was practically drooling on the floor.

Paril took it, peeled off the snakeskin, and started gnawing on it.

Rhodes then took a closer look at the young priest.

The girl's silver hair hung messily over her shoulders, and her bright blue eyes sparkled.

Her facial contours are smooth and soft, with a small chin. She doesn't have the sharp angles common in Westerners; instead, she has a delicate and charming cuteness.

Beneath the patched-up coarse cloth shirt was fair skin.

She is probably too thin because of malnutrition.

At this moment, he was concentrating on dealing with the snake meat.

She took a bite and seemed to get burned, so she instinctively moved away. Then, somewhat unwilling, she leaned closer and took another bite, only to get burned again.

Rhodes was amused.

Peel off the charred snake skin to reveal the tender, steaming white snake meat inside, and enjoy it.

The snake meat, without any seasoning, wasn't as delicious as they had imagined, but the two of them still ate quite a bit with roasted mushrooms and wild fruits.

Rhodes felt a warm current surging in his stomach, and his limbs seemed to regain strength.

The meal ended quickly.

Paril swallowed the last skewer of grilled mushrooms before finally asking the question she'd been holding back for so long: "What's your name?"

"Rhodes".

Rhodes gave a simple and straightforward answer.

He did not mention his surname, fearing that the surname Gilbert would cause unnecessary trouble.

"Oh, okay." The girl nodded.

Then he asked, "Where are we going next?"

"Let's head north to the town of Phil."

Rhodes gave a general direction.

Since humanity was abandoned by the gods fifty years ago, the status of the human race has begun to decline.

Gradually.

The powerful among humans began to band together and form three major cities, with the Gilbert family residing in Nakara, one of the major cities.

All three main cities are located in the north.

As a result, the human towns in the south continued to decline, decrease, and be occupied.

Most human towns today are inhabited by a mix of species, such as the nearest town, Phil.

Rhodes certainly wanted to return to Nacala's main city, but the original owner had only arrived in the southern part of the continent after running away from home for more than a year, so going back was easier said than done.

All they can do is slowly embark on their journey home or pray that the system will send a teleportation spell someday.

Paril nodded and then innocently asked, "Why don't we settle down in the jungle?"

Rhodes said impatiently, "Because I'm busy killing a few gods, absorbing their authority, and becoming the new gods of mankind."

Paris's eyes widened: "Really?!"

"Nonsense! Why don't you use your brain?" Rhodes said.

"The jungle is full of wild beasts, goblins, or other strange creatures."

"We only have one and a half men's worth of fighting strength. Are we just going to stay in the jungle and become food for others?"

"One and a half people?" the girl wondered.

Rhodes didn't continue the topic; instead, he got up and prepared to leave.

"We just started a fire here, let's not linger any longer, let's hurry on our way."

Paril obediently stood up.

The two hadn't taken two steps when they heard footsteps coming from the depths of the nearby jungle.

Rhodes instantly became alert.

Slightly bend over and slowly back away, creating distance between yourself and the swaying bushes.

His brain was working at lightning speed.

The presence of footsteps indicates that the person is at least human or a humanoid being.

And there are definitely more than one.

who is it?

Swish swish.

The bushes swayed more and more violently, and emerald green leaves kept falling to the ground.

Rhodes was on edge.

With a whoosh.

Three humans dressed as adventurers emerged.