[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-player-beyond-dimensions":3,"chapter-a-player-beyond-dimensions-a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-9":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},2254975,4399,"Chapter 9: Chapter Eight: The Fork of Fate","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-9",9,"\u003Cp>Within the ring of trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch let out a soft sigh, as if filled with helplessness, and whispered, “I may not be a match for the witch-hunter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They know us well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They know everything about us, our weaknesses.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forest nymph lifted her head, her voice trembling with sorrow: “You are so powerful—defeating that witch-hunter would be no challenge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Will you truly stand by and watch us perish here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch’s face softened with pity as she sighed softly: “Even if I killed that witch-hunter, what would it change?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“New missionaries would come. More witch-hunters would arrive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, the witch gazed toward the church, her beautiful face fixed on the cross in the darkness, and murmured: “Our age has ended...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even this powerful witch felt profound helplessness before the tide of change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a great mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pressing down on all supernatural beings, making it hard to breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the witch’s words, the forest nymph’s face darkened with despair. Like a withered flower, she rose silently, bowed, and withdrew—as if preparing to accept her fate of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch suddenly called out to the forest nymph, who was vanishing into the shadow of the oak. She hesitated, thought for a moment, then said: “I am pursuing a clue to a prophecy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I succeed...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can take you away from here, to a quiet land far beyond the continent, to settle in peace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forest nymph’s face was sorrowful as she whispered: “The gods have been abandoned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What use is a prophecy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch fell silent. Her vision of the future was endless fire, countless kin screaming in agony as they burned, crucibles ablaze—symbols of merciless judgment upon them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heretic!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a tragic fate lasting nearly a thousand years—the so-called Dark Ages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness has come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dark Ages are upon us!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She must grasp the last thread of light in fate, for it represents their only remaining hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch’s expression turned solemn: “The prophecy tells me the Church will launch a nearly thousand-year persecution against ‘heretics.’ The Dark Ages are imminent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The child of fate who will change all has already been born.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He may influence the future of the world. One thread of fate shows him guiding us forward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beyond the distant sea lies a cold land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There, we can escape the world, avoid conflict, and wait quietly for the dawn of enlightenment a thousand years hence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forest nymph froze in shock, her expression doubtful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch said calmly: “I can place a ward over your dwelling. It might deceive that witch-hunter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forest nymph’s face brightened slightly—she opened her mouth to thank her, then suddenly let out a piercing shriek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—“Witch-hunter!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the darkness, at the edge of the tree ring bathed in moonlight, a figure in a gray hooded robe stepped slowly forward. His chainmail glinted faintly; gray vambraces, black gauntlets, one hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his back. His cold eyes held no emotion—pupils like amber, slit like a dragon’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air froze instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch’s expression turned grim—this witch-hunter posed a grave threat to her. The forest nymph’s face twisted in terror; over the past century, countless of her kind had fallen to witch-hunters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rustle stirred in the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone else?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both the witch and the witch-hunter looked startled. Beneath the moonlight, a lean, handsome profile emerged from the trees—a tall, slender figure stepped forward, drawing his Northern warbow to full draw, an icy arrow aimed at the witch-hunter ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken emerged silently from the darkness. He did not approach the witch nearby, but stood still, back turned to her, his expression cold as he stared at the witch-hunter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s you!” The witch’s face lit up with relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three figures stood in a triangle, the witch-hunter’s expression equally grave—he had thought he was tracking the witch, only to realize he’d been following someone else all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The child of fate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold land beyond the distant sea?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably not Britain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Iceland?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Iceland didn’t see settlers until the ninth century—if it’s across the sea, it must be Iceland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are the prophecy spells in this world that powerful?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch-hunter glanced at the witch, then at Deng Ken, utterly ignoring the trembling forest nymph in the shadows—as if her power meant nothing. He spoke slowly, voice hoarse: “The Crow Queen—Tris.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch stared into his dragon-slit eyes and whispered: “The Dragon-Slayer—Saint George.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saint George slew a dragon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken’s expression turned grim—he had never imagined this witch-hunter was a figure from legend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s roughly 450 AD now. Many legendary figures probably haven’t even been born yet. If we go back a little further, this would be the age of myths—when gods and mortals walked side by side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Go back five hundred years, and you might meet Jesus walking the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the shadows, the witch-hunter said calmly: “I go by George-Paul now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A wandering witch-hunter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch, the Crow Queen—Tris, looked puzzled. She whispered: “I am now Tris-Heathway, a hermit forest witch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken interrupted at an inopportune moment: “Deng Ken, farmer from Bran Village on the empire’s border.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No surname.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At a moment that might be etched into legend, he simply had to chime in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just chime in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken’s sudden interjection left both of them momentarily silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the witch-hunter lowered his hand from his sword hilt. He looked at the witch and said calmly: “I no longer serve the Inquisition.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Some witch-hunters have broken free of the Inquisition.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We are free servants of the Lord, cleansing the world of monstrous threats.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This witch-hunter held immense standing within the Church—he possessed the authority to judge archbishops in the name of faith alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From God’s perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch-hunter’s marker had reverted to neutral yellow. His marker had never been the obvious red of hostility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by his words, the witch-hunters he claimed to belong to were distinct from the Church’s witch-hunters—not part of the Inquisition, uninterested in heresy conflicts, focused solely on eliminating monsters that threatened ordinary people. Likely ancient creatures surviving from the mythic age—especially since he might be the only dragon-slayer alive today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch remained skeptical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch-hunter didn’t care. His gaze swept over the trembling forest nymph beneath the trees, then he turned and left the grove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had sought out the Crow Queen—Tris—to declare his stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From today on, he and his followers would have no ties to the Inquisition. They would stand apart from the Church, devoted solely to destroying true evils that threatened mortals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Witch-Hunter Brotherhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Edict of Milan, the Church was no longer the Church he once knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Church’s power was swelling rapidly—they had even proposed the idea of a “Papal State.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken watched the witch-hunter depart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch beside him made no move. He lowered his Northern warbow as well—after all, the retreating figure was a true witch-hunter, bearing the name “Saint,” famed for slaying a dragon, possibly the future patriarch of all witch-hunters in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gentle breeze stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forest nymph had vanished silently. The Crow Queen—Tris stared at Deng Ken and whispered: “You knew all along?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken nodded slightly. “Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris looked puzzled: “When?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken thought a moment: “When I fought the barbarian stragglers—I felt an arrow aimed at me, but it suddenly veered off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Later, when I fought the rangers, I was certain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris’s expression cleared in understanding. She whispered: “Your spiritual sensitivity is strong. You have a warrior’s instinct.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken slid the arrow back into his quiver and said calmly: “You suddenly asked me about Bran Village.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I remembered stories from my childhood—elders told of a treehouse deep in the heart of the dense forests beyond the mountains, where a forest nymph lived. She once healed a lost hunter and guided him out of the primeval woods.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch’s eyes flickered slightly as she gazed at Deng Ken and said slowly: “That’s why you helped me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They walked toward the edge of the forest. The witch re-covered her face, then suddenly asked: “How much did you hear?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From God’s perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The target remained a blue marker. Deng Ken replied calmly: “I heard nearly everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch fell silent. After a moment, she said: “Don’t tell anyone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they stepped out of the forest, the Crow Queen—Tris gazed at Deng Ken’s back. This man’s senses were extraordinarily sharp, far beyond ordinary human limits. His combat skills improved rapidly—in just one battle, he had mastered horseback riding and mounted archery. Such talent left even her astonished, reminding her of the heroes of mythic times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris seemed hesitant, but finally spoke: “What are your plans next?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken stood at the inn’s entrance, thought for a moment, and said: “I don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One step at a time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In this world, first find a place to stand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch’s expression softened; she whispered: “Would you consider coming with me to Britannia first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken’s expression suggested he was thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said gravely: “What would I do in Britannia?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris said slowly: “To visit another wizard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another wizard? Britannia?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken seemed to recall something and asked: “Who?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris spoke with deep respect: “Merlin. One of the most powerful wizards alive today!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merlin?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I’ve indeed descended into an era nearing the end of myth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What of King Arthur?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a figure around five hundred years AD, after the fall of the Roman Empire, when barbarian threats reached Britain; one branch of the Germanic peoples, the Saxons, launched massive invasions—they became the primary population of modern Britain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>King Arthur was a Celt, representing the Irish, Scots, and Welsh; in ancient British myth, he repeatedly repelled Saxon invasions with Merlin’s aid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in the end, the Saxons still conquered and ruled Britannia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur may not yet have been born, but Merlin should already be active, wielding great renown in the supernatural world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least in legend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merlin was a cambion—born of an incubus and a mortal woman; his demonic blood granted him supernatural power and wisdom beyond mortal ken.【NOTE: The succubus, a nightmare spirit that seduces men and subjugates them to her will, is well known; the male counterpart, the incubus, is a demon that preys upon women and seeks to breed cambions.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Deng Ken stirred, the Crow Queen—Tris immediately said: “I can give you a great sum of money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken hesitated: “Let me think on it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris did not press. To follow the fate foretold in prophecy, she resolved to travel the entire continent in search of the Child of Fate, to avert the grim destiny awaiting her kind over the next thousand years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this great ideal, she was willing to sacrifice everything—even herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She needed to find a peaceful realm that would protect witches and other innocents with supernatural power, so that their lineage might one day glimpse the dawn of the Enlightenment a millennium hence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Witches, after all, are still flesh and blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Crow Queen—Tris was immensely powerful, traveling alone across the continent remained difficult; Deng Ken’s strength was evident—many times, a blade solved problems more easily than sorcery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night passed in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, before Deng Ken had decided how to answer the witch, someone knocked on his door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside stood the wounded guard captain, supported by another man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guard captain’s name was Catulus; he was in fact a private armed force maintained by imperial nobles, disguised as caravan guards, also protecting their commercial interests within the guilds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catulus’s face was pale; he sat down with the other man’s help and looked earnestly at Deng Ken: “Lord Deng Ken.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are your plans next?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken’s expression grew slightly odd; he murmured: “Not yet decided.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catulus glanced at him and pressed on: “The Empire has grown increasingly turbulent; barbarians invade frequently, and Asia is on the brink.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Factions within the Empire are locked in endless strife; barbarians grow ever stronger within the army!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Deng Ken, have you ever considered seizing this chaotic age to build your glory?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the man spoke, Deng Ken knew what he wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just didn’t know which noble house he served—old imperial aristocracy or newly risen barbarian elite? After all, even the assimilated “civilized” barbarians now looked down on other tribes as savages; indeed, the early barbarians conquered and absorbed by the Empire looked down upon the barbarians Emperor Constantine I had accepted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barbarians’ hierarchy of contempt had layered itself endlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empire’s true legitimacy now lay with the barbarians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Deng Ken been a “Romano-phile” in his past life, he might have accepted—but now, he had never considered siding with the Empire; after all, he’d seen nothing good it had done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empire was collapsing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his abilities, forcing a reversal might be futile—but the title “Augustus,” the Emperor’s name, still held undeniable allure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Easterners struggled to understand the allure of the One Ring, but if you engraved upon it “Mandate of Heaven, Eternal and Enduring,” they would instantly comprehend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken paused, then said: “Let me think on it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Traveling with the Crow Queen—Tris meant entering the supernatural world; choosing the mercenary Catulus meant walking the mortal path to glory—his future energy would likely be spent preparing for the coming chaos, for the Empire’s collapse marked the official beginning of the Middle Ages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eternal life, magic, beautiful witches? Or the title of Augustus?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The age of mortals has begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last of the myths is about to end; supernatural power is destined to retreat into darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken saw the man off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fell into deep thought, long without answer—until suddenly, a flash of insight struck him. He decided to enter meditation, to observe the karmic reckoning from a divine perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had reached a turning point in fate; the dimensional space’s karmic law must now shift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………………\u003C\u002Fp>",2334,"2026-06-19T13:13:01.402Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","fd1cf26d191399f36cfa94b8d7b8f4bb40e8fd26666999fb0d6b8e289fa5eb69","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-10","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-8",195,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-player-beyond-dimensions-cover.jpg"]