A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

"Tell me what you encountered in the forest." said the commander.

So Thomas explained several key points he encountered, including the battle, the evil tree people, and the central area. Of course, he left out the details about his deal with the King of the Forest.

"...We can now confirm that this remnant of the past who calls himself the King of the Forest is a being with advanced intelligence. He can control the evil tree people and at least the plants and animals around him. Finally, he is likely to be nearly omniscient in the forest."

As Thomas described his experience in detail, the other members of the Knights Templar had unknowingly come closer and even gathered around the table to listen carefully to Thomas's story.

After Thomas finished speaking, everyone exchanged glances with an expression of "as expected" on their faces.

"Why, it looks like you guessed it a long time ago?" Thomas asked.

"We made an estimate before we came here," the Grand Master said. "We considered several possibilities, and now it seems that this is exactly what we expected."

"That remnant of the old days must be a deer-headed demon!"

"Deer-headed spirit? That kind of..."

"Yes, it's one of those legendary powerful and mysterious guardians of the deep forest, monsters with the ability to control nature. These monsters are usually the guardians of the forest and are hostile to humans."

Thomas thought of the red light that filled the forest, and of the forest king's claim that he could grow golden apples.

It seems to be true.

"And, without a doubt, it's a calamity-level being," the Grand Commander said. "Furthermore, it's probably a commanding monster, clearly with numerous minions and accomplices."

"Since it said these evil tree people were created by it, it means we must act quickly, otherwise its minions will increase in number!" Someone suggested on the side.

"That's right!" Others agreed.

The Grand Commander made a gesture and everyone stopped.

The Grand Commander looked at Thomas. "Captain Thomas, what do you think?"

"I think it's best to delay it a little," Thomas replied. "Two or three days is best."

"why?"

"Because I suspect that the poor condition of the Deer-Headed Demon is probably related to Prince Yaroslav."

"You haven't seen it, why do you judge it like this?"

"I sensed it when I was at the entrance to its cave," Thomas said. "It's truly alone in there. In other words... it's not afraid of fighting me, but it doesn't want to either. So it must be in some unusual state. Perhaps injured, perhaps, and attempting to heal with some magical ritual. Considering what I just said, I'd say the probability is at least 70% to 80%!"

"Now it's not afraid to fight with me."

"But the future is hard to say!"

"Wait, it could also be a feint, an empty city plan!" someone retorted.

"It's not an empty city plan," Thomas said calmly. "First of all, it's omniscient in the forest. It knew I was coming."

"But even so, it may not be able to coordinate in time!" This time it was the commander-in-chief who questioned.

"No, if it couldn't be dispatched in time, it would definitely transfer its reliable subordinates over while stabilizing me. But it didn't do that. It had enough confidence to fight me." Thomas said.

If Thomas noticed that the evil tree man was waiting nearby when he was about to leave, Thomas would immediately turn hostile and charge in.

But nothing happened.

After Thomas left, he used his grayscale vision to observe carefully to make sure that the evil tree man did not come over.

In other words, in the judgment of the King of the Forest, there is no need for the help of the evil tree man to deal with Thomas.

The other party just doesn't want to cause trouble, not really afraid of trouble!

Thomas didn't understand why before, but after combining it with what the Grand Commander said, he began to guess that all this was related to Prince Yaroslav.

Prince Yaroslav was dissatisfied with the existing deal and wanted to negotiate with the Forest King. To increase his bargaining power, he issued a bounty.

But it was clear that his choice was wrong. The deal between the two parties ended in violence... Although the details are unknown, the fact that the prince and his entourage (including members of the Knights Templar branch) appeared in the forest of hanging corpses is the best answer in itself.

"Since we've determined it's a Deer-Headed Demon...how should we deal with it?" Thomas asked. "Should we just go and kill it?"

"If possible," the Grand Master said, "I wish to capture it."

"How?"

"I have a ritual spell that requires five people to perform," the Grand Master said. "Five people will be stationed at the five corners, forming a pentagram. We simply need to injure it until it's unconscious, or completely subdue it... in short, if we can immobilize it, we can then use the ritual spell to completely control it with the power of God. The next step is to bring it back to Kiev and seal it within the Knights' underground. Then its power will be ours."

Thomas completely understood.

Now, the Knights really lack elite combat power.

There is no way around it. After all, the elimination rate from the backbone to the elite is ninety-nine percent, or in other words, only one out of a hundred people can overcome life and death, unleash their potential, and become an elite.

If I could steadily acquire the ability to harmlessly advance to the elite ranks...

Then no matter how big the risk is, it is worth taking.

Only then could the Knights Templar truly break free from the shackles of their biological parents (the Grand Duke and the Church).

"Is there any solution?" The commander asked after seeing Thomas pondering for a long time.

"I have a plan," Thomas said. "It has about a 50% chance of success!"

"A half success rate is already a lot." The captain said decisively.

"Captain!" someone nearby shouted anxiously.

Upon hearing this, the Grand Master slowly stood up and looked around at the elite members of the Knights Templar.

Those present were carefully selected elite members of the Order, and all of them were older than Thomas.

"Everyone, I understand how you feel. Captain Thomas is so young and inexperienced... We can't place our bets on someone who's untrustworthy," he said in a deep voice. "But I have to say this: among all of you here, myself included! No one is more reliable and trustworthy than Captain Thomas!"

"Knight Thomas has always been renowned for his piety and talent. His military exploits are legendary, and the entire Order should have heard of them. Some say I deliberately promoted him, but no one can deny his achievements!"

"He once captured an Assassin assassin lurking in the city within three or four days, without any intelligence. He also participated in the brutal siege of the Protectorate, and even managed to survive with his entire team. He has braved numerous risks to eliminate the minions of the evil god, and in the battle against the evil god, he saved many brothers and sisters from the Knights and the Church, making extraordinary contributions. Not to mention, in this operation, it was Knight Thomas who found various key clues and evidence in Novgorod, and also served as a scout here, perfectly finding our target. I want to ask, does anyone think they would have done better than Captain Thomas in the same situation?"

There was complete silence all around.

No one dared to say anything, so the Grand Master sat down and faced Thomas again.

"How to do it exactly?"

"It requires the right conditions, otherwise it's impossible," Thomas said. "First, we must avoid its ability to sense it. Anyone... and perhaps more than just humans, who enters the forest will be sensed by it. If we can't make some people immune to this perception, then everything else is meaningless. In fact, if it wants, it doesn't even need to meet us; it can just play hide-and-seek with us in the forest."

"I know how to solve this problem," the Grand Master said. "Since it's conducting extensive human sacrifice experiments, it's undoubtedly evil. Envelop yourself in the spell 'Protection from Evil' to become immune to its extraordinary observation abilities... but that's not a 100% chance. There's a slight chance its observation abilities can transcend magic. However, its perception, however powerful, is likely limited to the forest. If it can use the spell 'Fly' to soar higher in the sky and then suddenly descend... even the most cunning creature will be caught off guard."

It’s okay that Protection from Evil is a first-level spell, but Flying is a third-level spell!

It is no exaggeration to say that the art of flying is worth a thousand gold.

"Do we have enough magic?" Thomas asked.

"Yes!" the Grand Master said firmly. "Anything else you need?"

Thomas' heart trembled.

For this Deer-Headed Demon, I'm afraid the Knights have chosen to go all in!

"I'm afraid we'll need a cannon to deal with the evil tree people," Thomas said. "And a better gunner."

"There are cannons on board!" the Grand Master said. "We have the best gunners." He pointed to a Knight Commander behind him. "They never miss a shot!"

The author says:

Author's words: Thanks to the book friend for the reward, here is the big chapter

Chapter 280 Deer Head Essence 1

There was silence in the forest in the early morning.

And in this deserted place, there is a lonely figure standing in front of the lonely altar in the forest.

As his hands were busy, the sound of metal colliding continued to be heard.

"Life flows, just as water flows from mountain peaks to the lowlands, ultimately flowing into the sea. Everything is God's creation, everything is God's will. Mediocre people cannot truly understand God's great creativity, and therefore cannot comprehend the power of true gods. Therefore, true believers can only fulfill God's glory through practical actions, and only through extreme imitation can their own existence be closer to the great gods..."

Robin chanted softly while using the short blade and long sword in his hands to cut a piece of the offering on the altar to the appropriate size.

The offering, roughly the size of a palm, had turned pink after being heated on the altar. As the knife slit it, only a small amount of liquid, as pale as a rose, escaped. This liquid, like a sauce, flowed lightly over the edge of the altar, where he used it as a placeholder for the table.

Then he picked it up with a dagger and put it in his mouth.

The meat tastes really...

There was a wet chewing sound in his mouth, occasionally mixed with the sound of cartilage breaking.

Unfortunately, the taste is a bit too... dull.

Robin sighed softly. It's like a bottle of freshly brewed wine. Although it's perfectly brewed to release all its inherent flavor, the grapes themselves aren't growing properly. Without enough sunlight and nutrients, the grapes will shrivel and become tasteless. Even the most perfect brewing process is useless... No, perhaps even that's an overestimation.

Life itself is like fermenting grapes, where the raw juice transforms into delicious wine. But if it is damaged during the fermentation process and goes through meaningless freezing and thawing again and again, then no matter how perfect it is, it will never be perfect.

The scent of a man always had a hint of smoke, the scent of a woman tasted like goat's milk, those killed instantly sometimes carried a hint of shock at the loss of life, and those who were seriously injured and died slowly were like fermented fruit...

But as the old saying goes, hunger is the best spice.

He didn't remember when he ate the golden pine cone.

But at that time, he seemed to have no choice - he was seriously injured and bleeding excessively, and his body was suffering from severe hypothermia due to bleeding, and he was also in a very cold early spring environment.

But he remembered very clearly that after eating the pine cone, he felt the voice of the gods on the one hand, and on the other hand, a strange desire seemed to arise in his heart.

The more clearly he could hear God's voice, the more he felt an uncontrollable hunger, like a bottomless bowl.

As pieces of pink meat disappeared from his mouth, his appetite was not satisfied, just like a person who had not eaten for several days took a small bite of bread. How could this be enough to calm the burning hunger? It was just an appetizer, but it only fueled it and awakened it.

The muscle portion was thick and bland, but the offal portion was wonderfully juicy. Unfortunately, having also been frozen and thawed, the flavor became bland and uninteresting.

Oh, I really hope I can return to my hometown and see my wife and children. That feeling of blood connection must evoke the deepest longing, because they are his beloved family...

When I thought of that wonderful taste, saliva flowed uncontrollably from the corners of my mouth.

He seemed to be split in two: the old part of him that still wanted his wife to spend the rest of her life with him, and the new part of him that desperately wanted to quench his thirst. Streams must eventually flow into the river, just as a family can reunite with him.

The new him is becoming stronger and stronger. Will he one day eat away the old him and break out of the shell inside the remains, just like a newly emerged moth bites open a cocoon?

After swallowing the last piece, he went from lamenting to excited, thinking that he would still be hungry today. But the sound of footsteps in the distance behind him reminded him that the prey was coming.

God had already told him all this.

Thomas stopped and gestured for the knights behind him to stop. No one moved, but their hands were on the hilts of their weapons.

"It's... it's you!" Robin's voice was a little unclear, as if he was speaking with a mouthful of water. "One-Eyed Dragon?"

He didn't know the other few people, but it didn't matter.

These are not dead, frozen, inferior meats, but delicious, steaming, premium delicacies.

So no matter how the other party answers, it doesn’t matter. Whether they are acquaintances or strangers, they will all stay here as his first fresh feast.

Thomas looked at the man in front of him who had turned into a man-eating monster.

He had seen this altar before, but hadn't paid much attention to it. But this time, he saw someone using it as a dining table... well, he recognized the person.

It's the adventurer named Robin.

Unlike the last time they met, Robin's appearance had changed drastically: his eyes were bloodshot and protruding, his lower jaw had grown and swollen, his teeth had become a row of sharp cones like a shark's, and his exposed skin had turned an unhealthy deathly white, symbolizing that he had completely become another creature that survived by eating flesh and blood.

His greedy red eyes concealed a desire for flesh and blood.

But for some reason, while staring at those eyes and assessing the other party's dangerousness, Thomas felt a similar feeling coming from deep in his heart, as if he himself was hiding some unknown desire.

No, not himself, but... he couldn't explain what it was, but a certain part of his body, something connected to his soul, was also greedily craving external energy. He wanted to...

"Sir, I'm afraid his entire soul has been twisted," said a knight beside him.

Thomas shuddered, broke free from that state, and returned to reality.

Robin, who had turned into a monster, looked at these uninvited guests greedily.

He had been hungry for too long, and his god had allowed him to eat freely. When he succumbed to his desire to hunt humans himself, he clearly felt his own strength growing rapidly, and at the same time, he could sense the alluring vitality coming from the other person.

What a plump piece of meat it is. If you peel it like a peach, suck the sweet juice underneath, and then pick away the fascia with your teeth, what color would the muscle behind it be?

His appetite was rising uncontrollably, and he wanted to become one with that person as soon as possible.

Then he followed his desire and rushed forward.

Thomas retreated, and two knights came forward, one on the left and one on the right.

The longsword and short blade in Robin's hands flew out the moment the weapons clashed. It would be more accurate to say that he had given them up voluntarily rather than being knocked away.

He knew that the changes in his body had caused his hands to become deformed, making them unsuitable for holding a sword and fighting. So, he decided to try a different approach.