Chapter 13: Chapter Twelve: The Power of Gluttony

From a god’s-eye view.

Deng Ken and his group hid among nearby shrubs; the druid had specially prepared herbs to mask their scent.

Severus said grimly: “That monster is ravenous—it will return.”

The witch, now clad in a fur coat, crouched less than twenty centimeters from Deng Ken and said sharply: “Aren’t there Witch Hunters in the Church?”

“Why didn’t the villagers ask the Church for help?”

Severus replied: “Dacia has fallen.”

“The Huns destroyed the great temple where the Sarmatian barbarians performed their rites, burning even the sacred grounds to ashes.”

“It is said a legendary monster emerged from the flames.”

“But it was quickly driven back by the Huns, then fled into the Goths’ territory.”

“The Church, seeking to spread its faith among the Goths, recalled all nearby Witch Hunters.”

Are the Huns really that fierce?

Deng Ken didn’t know what level of legendary monster had appeared, but if it wasn’t tied to the Mythic Age, it might not stand a chance against the Hun army.

The Crow Queen—Tris frowned: “What about the Amazon priestesses?”

Severus said grimly: “They’ve likely all been slaughtered by the Huns.”

The Amazon warrior women of ancient Greek legend had always lived in Anatolia, Phrygia, Thrace, and elsewhere—unrelated to the Amazon River in South America. This people’s lineage eventually settled in Sarmatia, where many female warriors still remain.

Sarmatian female warriors were renowned in this era.

But they’ve likely been utterly destroyed by the Huns; under the Huns’ immense pressure, even the Empire had to ally with barbarians to resist their invasion.

The Goths had long been driven into chaos by the Huns.

They originally adopted the Christian-Arian faith, but this doctrine was condemned as heresy by the Church, even sparking internal conflict; now, the Church’s vigorous aid to the Ostrogoths likely aims to erase Arian influence entirely.

Though secular powers fought fiercely, the Church had consistently sent missionaries to barbarian lands—even into territories conquered by the Huns.

“Though this is a parallel world, the broad historical trajectory should be largely unchanged.”

Deng Ken frantically recalled his past historical knowledge, piecing together a clearer timeline.

“The first node on this timeline should be the Han-Xiongnu Century War.”

“After the Xiongnu migrated west, they merged with other Eurasian peoples, gradually forming new Hun tribes.”【Note: Strictly speaking, the Huns are no longer true Xiongnu, as their lineage has undergone multiple fusions, though some customs and physical traits remain very similar.】

“As their power grew, they began invading the Western world.”

“Their first war was the annihilation of the powerful Alans.”

“When I fought the Hun eagle-hunters, I saw Alan auxiliaries in their ranks.”

“Their second war was the destruction of the Germanic-established Ostrogothic Kingdom, alongside the conquered Alans.”

“I recall seeing Gothic cavalry auxiliaries in yesterday’s battle.”

“After destroying the Ostrogoths, the Huns turned on the Visigoths, forcing hundreds of thousands to cross the Danube and flee into the Roman Empire. The Goths later crushed the Roman army, shaking Rome’s foundations—Rome could never again control its vassals or territories.”

The Huns drove the Visigoths into desperate flight; the Visigoths then rebelled and decisively defeated the Roman army, even trapping Emperor Valens in a wooden hut and burning him alive.

This was the prologue to the Empire’s fall.

“Since this is a parallel world, many details may differ.”

“But this is surely the era of Attila, the Scourge of God—when the Hun tribal confederation had effectively become the Hun Empire.”

Perhaps due to supernatural forces, the fall of other powers was delayed, and the Empire’s survival extended further.

“Fortunately, I’ve played many games set in the barbarian invasion era.”

Deng Ken gradually clarified the era’s timeline; now he could roughly predict what changes the world would undergo.

The Western Roman Empire would fall; the Middle Ages would begin.

Within the dimensional space.

The projection before Deng Ken suddenly shifted, and a line of characters slowly appeared.

“Anchor historical nodes.”

“Parallel Universe—Medieval Earth.”

“Activate Legend Gauge.”

“The Legend Gauge of No.1 Avatar can be used to strengthen your soul, and upon severing the avatar link, elevate the avatar’s status to become a legendary spirit, saint, demon, angel, demigod, or deity.”

“Your chosen faction will determine your sources of Legend Gauge and further influence future history.”

—Legend Gauge: 0.

A currency-like marker appeared at the top of the projection; when Deng Ken’s awareness focused on it, a detailed sub-menu emerged.

—“Roman Legend Gauge: 0.”

—“Germanic Legend Gauge: 0.”

—“Celtic Legend Gauge: 0.”

—“Hun Legend Gauge: 0.”

[Note: You are in the late Mythic Age. Your faction’s Legend Gauge will affect the future a thousand years hence. If the corresponding legend vanishes entirely from history, No.1 Avatar will no longer be able to gain further Legend Gauge.

Medieval Earth is in the final phase of the Mythic Age; No.1 Avatar cannot ascend to deity status by conventional means.]

Fuck.

Has a new feature unlocked?

When Deng Ken glanced at the Crow Queen—Tris beside him, he noticed a faint Legend Gauge marker on her.

—“Crow Queen—Tris (Legend Gauge 1)【Skull Mark】【Friendly Unit】: This unit is the last High Priestess of Roman polytheism; upon death, she may ascend to a lower-tier spirit and exist within the World Will as a spirit during specific periods.”

[Note: If her legend vanishes entirely, the spirit born from it will also vanish in the future.]

[Only immortal spirits can fully integrate into human history and endure until time’s end.]

[Immortal spirits vanish only when all humanity perishes!]

Is this the main storyline kicking off?

Deng Ken instinctively thought in terms of game mechanics, but quickly realized this was an extremely open-ended, free-form main quest.

Because No.1 Avatar’s actions were entirely his own choice.

The final outcome would determine No.1 Avatar’s life form: if he died obscurely as a lowly commoner, he’d be a wasted save—useless to the dimensional space.

But if No.1 Avatar achieved something significant in this world, he’d be a successful save—able to be summoned as a spirit into the dimensional space, potentially influencing future avatars.

The exact mechanics remained unclear to Deng Ken, since No.1 Avatar was still under his conscious control.

“At least a lower-tier spirit.”

“Otherwise, No.1 Avatar is a wasted save.”

Dying anonymously as a nobody meant squandering this precious avatar incarnation.

“Angels, demigods, deities—no point dreaming yet.”

“This is the Medieval Age.”

“I’ve been waiting for a ghoul for nearly a day.”

Deng Ken’s focus remained on the map; he mused: “The best chance now is still ascending to a spirit. Last time, thanks to the Crow Queen—Tris’s help, I became a lower-tier spirit.”

“Now my power is stronger. If I seize the opportunity, ascending to an upper-tier spirit shouldn’t be hard.”

He wouldn’t interfere with matters tied to divine origins—deity-level affairs.

His life came first.

The power struggles among mortal factions—he could fully exploit them.

Deng Ken quickly formed some ideas.

This turbulent era was his grand stage; how far No.1 Avatar advanced would determine the final outcome of his save. But some things—he should avoid touching, like the God’s faith.

Remember Emperor Julian the Apostate, who tried to revive polytheism? Some say he died suddenly on the battlefield because he was assassinated by Church loyalists.

Given what Deng Ken now knew of the world’s truth, the Church could easily kill an emperor.

“It seems the Witch Hunter—George also has Legend Gauge.”

Deng Ken glanced at the druid beside him.

Hmm.

Two-star blank unit.

When such a being dies, he leaves no trace in history.

“Here it comes!”

As Deng Ken pondered the Legend Gauge, a red dot suddenly appeared on the map’s edge.

—Ghoul【Supernatural Being】(1-Star Silver-Gray)(Hostile)!

Deng Ken shifted his view and saw a bizarre creature, vastly different from the ghouls he knew—its body was covered in black fur, with claws and fangs, reeking of decay, its skull regressed like a monkey’s, crawling hunched on the ground.

This monster wasn’t a corpse-like undead, but a flesh-and-blood demonic creature.

The druid beside him suddenly spoke: “I have a feeling.”

“It’s near.”

The witch—Tris’s lips moved slightly, and soon the forest echoed with the startled flight of birds.

A faint, foul odor drifted through the air.

Deng Ken gripped his Northern War Bow, staring at the ghoul’s approach, and said grimly: “It’s over there.”

“Don’t startle it.”

“Wait for it to come.”

From the shadow of the trees, a twisted, black-furred creature crawled out, dripping slime from its mouth; its dark-brown skin was entirely covered in thick black hair. It sniffed along a scent until it reached the group’s position, then began clawing frantically at the nearby grave.

Now!

In the whistle of the arrow, Deng Ken struck the ghoul in the neck—but what should have crippled or killed a normal human only made the monster let out a pained roar.

“Its health bar is so long!”

This was Deng Ken’s first encounter with a supernatural being; the ghoul’s health bar was roughly three times that of a regular soldier, and normal fatal wounds could not kill it instantly.

Severus grabbed his oak shield and one-handed hammer and charged forward.

The witch stood still, but amid the hum of the wind, invisible magic seemed to flow, trapping the monster in place.

Witchcraft.

Magic in the medieval age had not yet been systematized; Deng Ken did not know how many supernatural abilities the witch possessed.

The ghoul tried to flee.

This monster had a touch of intelligence—it would attack lone ordinary people, but would also flee when faced with a strong foe.

Severus slammed his shield into its body, cutting off its escape route.

Hit!

Deng Ken shot an arrow straight into the ghoul’s head; the arrow nearly pierced through its skull. The monster’s long health bar instantly drained, and its hunched, black-furred body collapsed to the ground, twitching violently.

Severus, seeing the scene before him, raised his shield warily and approached, casting a glance at Deng Ken.

That man.

When he offered to help, he made only one demand: that he be the one to deliver the final blow.

Fran’s Flying Axe.

Headshot!

Deng Ken swung Fran’s Flying Axe in a mighty slash, nearly cleaving the ghoul’s head in two; a foul, murky fluid oozed out, mixed with a small yellow lump resembling grease.

Hiss.

This man is incredibly strong.

Severus’s pupils contracted slightly. Though Deng Ken wielded Fran’s Flying Axe—a light, short-handled axe—his slashing stance reminded Severus of Gallic berserkers. In barbarian lands, the most favored weapons were swords and axes, with axe techniques being the most ferocious and brutal; a two-handed axe’s devastating strike could sever an enemy’s head—that was the signature move of barbarian berserkers.

In early clashes with imperial armies, barbarians relied on axes to break through the thick, sturdy armor of the legionaries.

Since they settled in the forests of Greater Germania, axes were also used daily to chop trees, so a large portion of the barbarians’ elite infantry were skilled in battle-axes.

These elite infantry, aside from being fragile, undisciplined, and prone to reckless charges, were among the finest foot soldiers of their time.

Later, the empire reformed its military.

Constantine I absorbed barbarians into the imperial legions, restructured the army into frontier and field forces, and established foreign mercenary units; as a result, some imperial troops began to include fierce warriors skilled with battle-axes.

Deng Ken’s strike immediately labeled him as a “barbarian warrior” in the druid’s eyes.

Of course.

His most basic combat style was still just slashing, chopping, and thrusting—far from the true skill of a veteran barbarian. But he often carried Fran’s Flying Axe, which inevitably led some to mistake him for a Frankish barbarian.

Among all the barbarian tribes, only the Franks could throw flying axes with any real accuracy.

Human Form #1 is a border farmer.

If we’re talking bloodline, only the Crow Queen—Tris might count as a relatively pure Roman-Greek, and even Severus is of Gallic barbarian origin.

“He’s a master!”

Severus now firmly believed Deng Ken was no ordinary man.

A faint glow appeared.

In the projection, a faint light from the ghoul’s corpse merged into Human Form #1.

——“Gluttony [Unique Ability]: You can consume days’ worth of food in one sitting; your digestion is greatly enhanced, and your stomach transforms into a supernatural form. You can slowly increase your maximum vitality through eating, eventually gaining the resilient life force of a one-star supernatural being.”

Indeed, a great reward.

Deng Ken had slain many heads before, but only the barbarian berserker had granted him the “Strong” talent, slightly raising his vitality cap.

This kill, against a supernatural being, clearly offered a tier higher.

“What if I slay a dragon?”

“The causal law projection shows a dragon on Ice Island—it already killed me and Tris.”

After seizing the “Gluttony” ability from the ghoul, Deng Ken now knew exactly where his next power upgrade lay.

Humans, as enemies, mainly provided combat techniques.

Only by killing supernatural beings could he obtain various unique abilities.

“Why is this the medieval age?”

“If this were the mythic age, I’d be flying already!”

Of course, in the mythic age, I might also die extremely fast.

………………