The world doesn't need succubi to save it.

The Lord doesn't care.

I never cared.

Despair ultimately became the unfathomable undertone of that darkest era.

Natural disasters, plagues, famine, and death were the constant themes of that era.

Under these circumstances, ordinary people, no longer bound by the shackles of faith, gradually went to two extremes.

Some people succumbed to despair without resistance, indulging their long-buried desires and venturing into all sorts of forbidden areas.

Having fallen into utter depravity, they became another form of despair itself.

Another group of people never gave up resisting, even in their most desperate moments.

Those mortals who refused to give up founded different organizations, and they studied and explored the divine scrolls, constantly making attempts.

They used prisoners, slaves, and even themselves and their loved ones as test subjects, paying any price to try to gain power.

It even includes some taboo areas!

One cannot truly live without being obsessed.

At that time, it seemed that no one could say for sure whether they belonged to the light or the darkness.

But these people are different from the former, because they hold hope in their hearts, even if that hope is so small that it is invisible.

Fortunately, they succeeded.

Magic, Mana, Force, Aura... Different organizations refer to this power in different ways, but these details are not the problem.

Because mortals truly gained power!

These people became the first awakened ones.

Unfortunately, the power they gained was still very weak, and their application of that power was still very rudimentary; they were not powerful enough to stop the war of the gods.

Ordinary people can only huddle in the corner.

These organizations united to resist the forces of the gods, protect the weaker ordinary people, and continue their research, patiently awaiting the outcome of the divine war.

However, they did not live to see the final outcome.

Because, suddenly one day, all the gods disappeared.

That day, the whole world fell silent.

Just like their capricious arrival, without any warning, divine pronouncements, or revelations, the gods collectively fell into a deep slumber.

All the gods disappeared at the same moment and returned to their own divine kingdoms.

Only a desolate landscape and the remnants of divine artifacts remain, testifying to the cruel reality that once unfolded.

The world's silence did not last long.

Although the gods are no longer here, this hatred that has lasted for hundreds of years will not simply disappear.

Someone always has to pay the price!

Under the leadership of a leader, the awakened ones who had been lying dormant under the shadow of the gods gathered together and turned their attention to the same place.

Mortals turned their weapons against the once high and mighty divine apostles!

The clarion call for the counterattack has now been sounded.

When the third century arrived, after decades of division and unification, most of the divine scrolls retreated to the realm of the gods and secluded themselves, while the rest could only hide in the mountains and forests and no longer posed a threat.

Thus, humanity achieved a complete victory.

The war between humans, the war between gods, and the war between humans and deities—the three-hundred-year-long Dark Ages—had come to an end.

The awakened ones created an epic belonging to mortals and ushered in their own era.

The leading organization that spearheaded the Awakened's counterattack was the predecessor of the Watchers.

The human leader at that time was the first leader of the Watchers.

A legendary figure who found a way to survive for humanity in countless desperate situations is a true hero of mankind.

After that, the organization disbanded, and the surviving humans returned to the ruins of their homeland to rebuild order, which has continued to develop to this day.

However, unlike them, the awakened ones with extraordinary powers do not appear in the open, but instead establish their own society.

On the surface, it is a modern society governed by the rule of law that Ning Feng is familiar with, with no trace of extraordinary power, and people are living normal lives.

Secretly, the awakened ones formed various organizations, traded with each other, and silently resisted the erosion of inhuman forces.

The two societies are interdependent, yet do not interfere with each other.

Of course, the two are not entirely unrelated; some families and forces have Awakened Ones behind them.

Ordinary people who encounter extraordinary events or awaken their talents will also be absorbed into the other side; Ning Feng was one of them.

Thinking of this, Ning Feng stopped stroking the smooth fur on the black cat's back, which he had been unconsciously stroking while lost in thought. He suddenly understood what Ariana meant.

"Hmm? You've figured it out?"

The purring stopped, and the black cat, its eyes half-open, rested its head on its paws and spoke in a sleepy tone:

"Gods are just a bunch of capricious creatures."

"The divine is the source of all miracles."

They bring prosperity, faith, and miracles.

"At the same time, the gods are also the source of all chaos."

They bring calamity, chaos, and death.

“And those who awaken are those who attempt to rebel against the gods.”

"Whether it is a miracle or a calamity, they do not want any reward from others; they will take it themselves."

Ariana's tone remained unchanged, but there seemed to be a hint of amusement in her voice.

"But what's interesting is that no matter how they try to hide it, their source of power is always the gods."

"Everything the Awakened Ones do is an attempt to steal the authority of the gods, so they..."

Her eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter, and Ariana's voice was filled with schadenfreude towards the gods as she spoke, enunciating each word clearly:

“They are all blasphemers.”

"How interesting! Mortals once raised their swords against the gods, devouring their authority, while the gods fell into a deep sleep and were powerless to resist when faced with blasphemy."

"Do you think... there could be anything more pleasurable than this?"

Ning Feng remained silent. When recalling that cruel history, he could not feel the same joy as Ariana.

All he felt was reverence and sorrow for the martyrs, and disgust for the gods who had caused it all.

"You know what? Actually, it does exist."

Ariana didn't expect a reply. She looked up at Ning Feng, muttering to herself, and slowly said:

"for example……"

"The gods are awakening."

Chapter Eleven: Let Me Make a Deal You Can't Refuse

"The gods have begun to awaken from their long slumber."

Ariana's calm voice, however, struck Ning Feng like a thunderclap across the night sky, causing his breath to catch in his throat for a moment.

Gods...

He's about to wake up!?

"Although the gods are still asleep, the situation has begun to improve, and they will one day return to reclaim their rightful authority."

Ariana nuzzled Ning Feng's hand, signaling him not to stop, and squinted her eyes teasingly:

"Although those willful girls seem to be playing the villains, you don't really think they'll just keep sleeping like this, do you?"

of course not.

Ning Feng, a self-proclaimed veteran player who has watched countless game trailers, understands one principle very well.

If something appears in an expansion pack, then it must be meaningful!

Enemies, friends, romanceable characters and their sisters and relatives (cough), behind-the-scenes villains... every detail is designed so that their future appearances won't seem abrupt or give the audience a sense of disjointedness, like a deus ex machina.

Upon arriving in this world, Ning Feng noticed the illusory concept of "gods," which seemed incredibly sophisticated.

A faction that is invincible in the early stages and is also severely restricted is treated exactly like a late-game boss.

He was absolutely certain that the divine would become a significant part of his life at some point in the future, bringing about tremendous changes.

But Ning Feng didn't expect... this change to happen so soon!

Are you kidding me?!

I just killed my first succubus; she was a brand-new, fresh-faced newbie, fresh out of the factory.

Then, in a moment, they told me I could go out and pick up customers—huge, incredibly big clients, and a huge number of them.

You're playing this high game right from the start... Don't you even ask me if I can handle it?

but……

After his wild thoughts subsided, Ning Feng calmed down and regained his composure.

Panic at such a time serves no purpose other than revealing one's cowardice.

As I said before, panicking won't help.

Moreover, the Awakened Organizations have been waiting for the gods for so long, surely they have some ideas prepared?

Since we were able to defeat the divine beings in the past, it's not too much to ask them to clash with the gods a thousand years later, is it?

Even if the sky falls, there are always tall people to hold it up; the Watchers' Society's millennia of accumulation is no joke.

I am just an ordinary person who longs for awakening. It is not my place to take up the banner of counterattacking the gods.

Just then, a silky touch interrupted Ning Feng's thoughts.