[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-player-beyond-dimensions":3,"chapter-a-player-beyond-dimensions-a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-15":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Player Beyond Dimensions",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2254981,4399,"Chapter 15: Chapter Fourteen: Heresy! The Inquisition","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-15",15,"\u003Cp>On the map of the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marks of witches and druids appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken rode forward with three warhorses summoned by his call; the witch seemed to know his approximate location and had stopped ahead to wait for him. The Crow Queen—Tris seemed to possess many inexplicable abilities, so Deng Ken was not surprised she could track his position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that recent battle, he avoided close combat as much as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any player who has played a Mount & Blade-style game in permadeath mode and faced reality knows: before your character is properly leveled up, always prefer mounted archery over melee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With my current strength, I’m roughly equivalent to a high-ranking barbarian warrior.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In melee, I can handle at most three opponents.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only a three-star unit like the Witcher—George might possibly fight ten or more in close combat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But even such a powerful supernatural being would surely die if surrounded by a cavalry unit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on Deng Ken’s understanding of this world, the peak of mortal martial power should be the level of Beowulf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to reach that level of strength, he’d likely have to keep killing—Beowulf’s combat prowess approached mythic levels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——“Throwing Mastery: You are proficient in using throwing weapons such as throwing axes, javelins, and daggers, greatly increasing their accuracy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——“Shield Defense Proficiency: You excel at using shields to block and parry, and are familiar with various shield types. Additional combat skill: [Shield Bash].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——“Military Weapon Proficiency: You are skilled in using various one-handed, two-handed, and polearm weapons, increasing damage when using non-magical weapons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——“Battle Style—Sweep: A high-ranking barbarian warrior’s combat technique. You excel at using two-handed weapons to inflict fatal damage on enemies within range, capable of severing a man at the waist with a single strike.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gains from this battle were acceptable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was no qualitative leap, likely because the enemy’s combat techniques did not exceed the limits he had already acquired; the next breakthrough would probably require quantity to trigger quality. Deng Ken had only acquired a master-level archery skill from slaying the Eagle Shooter; most other combat skills remained at the proficient level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was normal—warriors of the Eagle Shooter’s caliber were rare even within armies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True combat masters likely existed in large numbers during the Roman gladiatorial era, about a century ago, but after Christianity became the state religion, gladiatorial combat was largely banned. Those ancient Roman champion gladiators may have possessed master-level close-combat skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, real combat involves many factors, and the most critical are armor and weapons. On the battlefield, unless one possesses the strength of Xiang Yu or Lu Bu, even a master will be overwhelmed and killed by numbers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, we must mention Lu Bu: many events attributed to him in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms are fictional, yet the most implausible one—shooting an arrow through the gate—was real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken knew he could not yet accomplish such a feat; even with his buffs, it would be pure luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wonder how many heads I must cut off before I can raise my next combat skill to master level.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master-level skills are clearly the beginning of qualitative change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken reunited with the witch and others, galloping eastward toward Germania; their destination was Belgic Gaul, where the Empire had established the province of Belgica, though now nearly half of it had become Frankish territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, the Frankish foreign legion rebelled and established the first Frankish Kingdom on this land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Britain is currently a relatively remote region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, the main threat is Saxon invasions, not large-scale wars; whether Deng Ken plans to become a lord or a rogue, the British Isles offer a chance to rest and develop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The geographical position of the British Isles is excellent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the entire European continent descends into chaos, Britain will remain largely untouched; if he ever seeks to become a king or conqueror, after unifying the British Isles, he could launch a counterattack against the mainland at any time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s stick to the original plan—first go to Britain and take a look.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next step.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Most importantly, the monsters and trolls from Norse mythology—once I obtain the [Regeneration] ability, my survival rate will skyrocket.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are too few monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken had been transmigrated for a long time and had heard almost no rumors of supernatural creatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps the unenlightened Nordic regions might have more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Human enemies grant combat skills; supernatural monsters grant special abilities—both must be pursued, both must be strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Real men must be hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken and his group were heading toward areas that would later be Calais and Dunkirk in modern France, from which one could reach the British Isles—geographically located in Belgic Gaul. But the region of Lesser Germania was already on the brink, likely to fall to barbarian attacks at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Greater Germania currently had no unified leader; the many barbarian tribes were collectively called Germans, and internal conflicts raged daily—today you cut me, tomorrow I cut you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Saxons had begun to rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Decades earlier, due to relentless Saxon raids on the British province, the Empire had been forced to withdraw its last Roman legion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, it had already been unable to defend the territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, the British Isles belonged to the Celts; King Arthur’s legendary kingdom was likely one of these native petty states, centered roughly in Wales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to legend, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table defeated the Saxon invasions through twelve battles, preserving peace on the British Isles for a time. But eventually, the Anglo-Saxons still conquered the island and later evolved into England.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After crossing the war zone, the group entered Frankish territory; they were a branch of Germanic barbarians, currently divided into three tribes: the Salians, the Ripuarians, and the Chatti (Hessians).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ripuarians had already been conquered by the Hun Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahead should be Parisii,” Severus turned and said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Parisii?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That must be the ancient name for Paris; now it was merely a small settlement built around the Île de la Cité, originally housing only a few hundred people, with the old town covering less than half a square kilometer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, as the Roman Empire urbanized its occupied territories, Parisii gradually grew to a population of over ten thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Britain also began urbanizing during this period, with the first concept of provincial capitals emerging, but these cities were later destroyed by Saxon invasions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many barbarian tribes sought to preserve and inherit Roman civilization, yet in the end, civilization regressed massively amid war and chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems the productivity of this era is indeed very low.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along his journey, Deng Ken saw nothing but desolation. The Romans had developed a sophisticated urban water system as early as the BC era, yet the towns along the route lacked even decent drainage channels. Among the barbarians, the Franks were among the most advanced in adopting Roman civilization, yet their farming methods remained primitive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But early feudal manors had already begun to appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empire had largely lost control of this land; most townsfolk encountered were barbarians. Yet the journey remained dangerous—they repeatedly encountered other barbarian bands raiding deep into imperial territory. It seemed that under pressure from the Hun Empire and population growth, more barbarian tribes were flooding into imperial lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Parisii was a typical medieval small town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear the Franks were highly martial—true Gallic roosters. Some wealthy free men dressed similarly to characters in the TV series Vikings. Yet along the way, there were also many half-naked serfs and slaves; barbarian warriors had transformed into early feudal nobles, gaining land through war and legal means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that a vineyard?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken and his group rode into town; guards stopped them for questioning, but due to Severus’s presence, they encountered no trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Franks had adopted from Roman civilization irrigation, grape cultivation, and horticulture; compared to other barbarian tribes, they evolved rapidly, existing in a liminal space between civilization and barbarism, laying the foundation for the later rise of the Frankish Kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the barbarians, they were among the least addicted to alcohol; after the entire nation became Christianized, they quickly gained the Church’s support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Parisii had dug drainage channels; the town looked tidy and clean, far cleaner than medieval Paris, at least not reeking of filth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current leader of the Salian Franks is Childeric I, father of Clovis I, the founder of the Frankish Kingdom; later came Pippin the Short’s usurpation, and then Charlemagne rose in the Carolingian dynasty—this marked the beginning of medieval history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charlemagne is the King of Hearts in playing cards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The town guard’s gaze lingered for a moment on the witch’s unmistakable figure, and he involuntarily swallowed; then he let them pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dared not provoke Severus—just by his attire, he knew the man was no ordinary person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Germanic inn was a striking building, large in area, two stories high, wooden-framed, walls coated with clay plaster. The Franks retained some Germanic barbarian traditions: drinking, horse racing, and gambling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Germans were heavy drinkers; their main beverages were mead and beer—give them enough alcohol, and these barbarians would drink themselves to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inn hall was chaotic; a drunkard boasted he had once killed a Hun cavalryman by splitting his skull with a Frankish throwing axe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Severus walked ahead, spoke briefly with the innkeeper, and the group settled into a corner seat. The witch deliberately sat at the very back, avoiding the gaze of men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had slightly bound her chest, but could not fully conceal it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To these barbarians, women with her figure were irresistibly alluring—even with a face veil, she drew stares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A slave brought food and drink—a woman with dark skin, somewhat Egyptian-looking, possibly a descendant of mixed-blood slaves brought from Egypt by the Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empire had always had many slaves; a few years ago, Burgundy had erupted in a slave and serf rebellion, swiftly and mercilessly crushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The architectural style of this era was primitive; only Italy and Greece remained relatively civilized. Entering Gaul, most buildings were crude wooden huts; the inn resembled the Nord inns from Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, even worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stools in the inn were rough enough to tear your buttocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken glanced at the witch beside him, scanned the other patrons, and whispered: “Has the person you’re looking for arrived?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris shook her head slightly: “No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But my messenger has notified Ania; she should be arriving nearby soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ania of Cologne, one of the founders of the Witch Coven, the Thorned Rose—unlike the Crow Queen—Tris, she was not a priestess from the polytheistic era; she had married a general of the Empire, who was also a polytheist, his lineage traceable back to Emperor Julian the Apostate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, her husband died suddenly; fearing persecution by the Church, she joined other witches for mutual protection, and the Witch Coven was thus founded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Severus’s origins were similar—his ancestors had served as generals under Julian the Apostate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a sense, Emperor Julian the Apostate was the last coordinated counterattack by the remnants of polytheism; he was truly a sage, as evident from his final words to posterity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(If any reader has time, please copy his final words into the chapter notes—it won’t count against the word limit. He was the last wise emperor under polytheistic influence.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This emperor loved only one person, treated his people kindly, promoted commoners, lived simply, humbly, and benevolently—remarkable. When he marched against Persia, he fought with his back to the wall, burned his supply ships, and when his army was trapped, he mounted his horse without armor to aid his rearguard. Yet he was likely assassinated by a Christian traitor, stabbed through by a javelin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Roman legions were the most skilled in using javelins across all of Europe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he still inflicted heavy damage on the Persian army, killing two generals and over fifty nobles, crippling the Sassanid Empire and rendering it unable to confront Roman forces for a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This emperor died suddenly under the protection of numerous polytheist priests; his death marked the final collapse of polytheism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken nodded slightly and focused his mind, entering the God’s-eye view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Frankish Elite Axeman (One-Star).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Saxon Forest Hunter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Gothic Caravan Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Visigoth Mercenary Soldier (One-Star).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In God’s-eye view, all units around the inn were neutral; no red enemy markers were detected. Those with additional labels were combat-capable individuals; most others were marked as farmers, slaves, militiamen, etc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people posed little threat—a trained soldier could handle many of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hun Empire claimed an army of five hundred thousand, but its true combat troops numbered only around one hundred thousand, mostly low- and mid-rank soldiers—mostly conquered slaves and auxiliary forces, given crude weapons, no armor, and driven onto the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since there was nothing to do right now, Deng Ken simply expanded his viewpoint and observed the entire Parisji.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blacksmith shops, quarries, inns, residences, commercial districts, the Viceroy’s mansion, vineyards—every type of building was marked clearly, like a detailed map, letting Deng Ken understand Parisji’s entire architectural layout at a glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There were only about a hundred soldiers guarding it; looks like they’ve all been pulled out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officially, this land still belongs to the Empire, but it’s no longer under its control; the Empire’s regional generals have long become warlords. The Franks are still foreign mercenaries of the Empire, now joining forces with the Visigothic Kingdom’s cavalry to confront the massive Hun invasion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken disliked the food of this era—it was hard to swallow—but Roman-style Italian cuisine was the only thing he could stomach, so he used his godlike viewpoint to control the character and gorge himself, activating the passive ability of “Gluttony’s Power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eating a little to fill his stomach was fine, but actually trying to “gluttonize” was torturous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others in the inn had quietly noticed him—he’d devoured roughly two days’ worth of food for an ordinary person in one go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch’s expression was subtle: she was astonished by Deng Ken’s appetite, yet calmly poured him water and sliced meat for him, as tender and attentive as a maid. The Crow Queen—Tris had long concealed her beauty, knowing full well that beauty in chaotic times invited unnecessary trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know how much time had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a marked unit appeared in Deng Ken’s godlike viewpoint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Witch—Aniya (Two-Star) 【Neutral】.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After so long, Deng Ken had again spotted a supernatural unit marked as “Witch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two-Star blank?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apparently, not all witches carried the skull marker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken shifted his godlike viewpoint and saw toward Parisji’s gate: a woman in a hooded cloak rode in, followed by three mounted guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Sarmatian Foreign Cavalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Privateer Cavalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Imperial Retired Guard Knight (One-Star).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This must be the person Tris was waiting for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This witch was of high status, born into an old Imperial noble family whose ancestors had once conquered Cologne; she now sought to cross the sea to Britain and could not do so without this witch’s aid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after the Emperor Apostate—Julian died, all noble families who followed polytheistic faiths had declined in power. Fortunately, Aniya’s ancestors had once included a commander of the Imperial Field Army; the French noble title “Count” derived from this lineage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to medieval nobility ranks, she was a descendant of Roman counts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At present, witches had not yet been slandered as in the medieval era; most were still successors of polytheistic priests, and back then, only nobles could serve as priests of the gods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many Roman emperors had been Chief Priests; Caesar himself held the title for life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken suddenly set down his cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after Aniya’s party entered Parisji, a small group of red-marked units appeared and entered the town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Witch Hunter (One-Star).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Heretic Inquisitor (Two-Star).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Divine Concealment Assault Assassin (One-Star, Silver-Gray).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Hermitage Monk (One-Star, Silver-Gray).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Hermitage Templar Guard 【Blood of the Holy Grail】 (Two-Star, Silver-Gray).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuck!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under his godlike viewpoint, Deng Ken couldn’t help cursing—but outwardly he showed no reaction, merely picked up his weapon and gestured to the two beside him to leave first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they got trapped in this inn, they’d be hacked to death by the Heretical Inquisition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………………\u003C\u002Fp>",2682,"2026-06-19T13:13:01.402Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","03a2f96e71ff8bfe40d6591cd5905cfe6cbf847ade9a645f745cee17d88c74cd","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-16","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-14",195,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-player-beyond-dimensions-cover.jpg"]