[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-foolish-game-of-the-gods":3,"chapter-foolish-game-of-the-gods-foolish-game-of-the-gods-chapter-261":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Foolish Game of the Gods",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},579532,829,"Chapter 261: Underground — This Trial Is Actually Underground","foolish-game-of-the-gods-chapter-261",261,"\u003Cp>Damp air. A chill that crept into the bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he even opened his eyes, Cheng Shi was covered in goosebumps from the ghostly breeze drifting all around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold — but not a wind chill. A dank, subterranean cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When his sense of smell returned, he caught the rich, putrid stench saturating the air — like rotting leaves piled up in a stagnant pond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under this barrage of sensory input, a thought flashed through his mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'A rainforest? Don't tell me this trial's in the wilderness again.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snapped his eyes open the moment his consciousness fully reassembled — and saw thick layers of decaying branches and rotting leaves beneath his feet, surrounded by a forest of half-dead, rotting trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi's pupils contracted sharply. A startled guess escaped his lips:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the word hadn't come from him alone — three or four voices said it in perfect unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart lurched. He immediately surveyed his teammates. Five figures, all appearing relatively composed — though their furrowed brows betrayed their own disquiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed most of them hadn't expected a [Prosperity] trial to be set underground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The underground was fundamentally different from the surface. This was the nest of [Descent], the stronghold of [Chaos]. The Gods of those two Paths held absolute dominion over underground faith. The deities revered by surface dwellers were considered, to put it bluntly, heretical gods down here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in a place like this, [Prosperity]'s will was practically inaudible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Completing a [Prosperity] protection mission in a place with virtually no [Prosperity] faith — the difficulty was self-evident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi had never imagined the trial would open with this kind of bombshell!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Great. Just great.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only good news was that the teammates looked puzzled but not scared. That suggested everyone had decent scores — likely a high-level lobby. There was still room to coast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, while the group was sizing each other up, a bespectacled man in a gray windbreaker spoke first:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Twisted Night Pythons... everyone, our situation is rather dire.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Sighing Forest!\" A long-haired woman frowned, kicked at the rotting leaves underfoot, and said with undisguised disgust: \"The stench of [Decay]. Every breath is nauseating.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi silently glanced at her and was almost certain she was a [Prosperity] follower. Not just because her revulsion toward [Decay] was written brazenly across her face, but because of that hair — cascading past her thighs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absurdly long. Just like [Prosperity]'s will — growing wild and unchecked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her appearance was eye-catching too. Up top, nothing but an animal-hide bandeau. Below, ultra-short beast-skin shorts. She wasn't even wearing shoes. The primal, untamed look radiated raw wildness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first glance, she seemed to belong to the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unfortunately, this was a forest shrouded in [Decay]. Though this trial belonged to her patron, this environment was anything but friendly to a [Prosperity] follower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sighing Forest was a [Decay]-blanketed woodland located in the northeastern reaches of the underground world. It was arguably the most expansive forest across the entire Land of Hope — underground and surface combined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was called the Sighing Forest because a perpetual mist known as the Sighing Sorrow Tide seeped through the woodland. This mist was saturated with the power of [Decay]. Any living thing swallowed by it would lose all sense of direction before embracing [Decay], becoming part of the rotting woodland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Twisted Night Pythons were among the creatures reforged by [Decay].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the underground's dim sun rose, they transformed into the gnarled, twisted deadwood the players now saw before them — indistinguishable from real trees. But when night fell, the deadwood gradually stirred to life, becoming massive rotting serpents under the moonlight — hunting, devouring — and shedding their skins before the next dawn to become deadwood once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those shed skins became the \"leaves\" carpeting the ground beneath their feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These rotting leaves served as nourishment for [Decay], fueling the conversion of even more unwitting lives that strayed too close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was [Decay]'s ecosystem. This was the Sighing Forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The dark sun has just passed its zenith. About five hours until nightfall. I believe that's enough time to find His trail,\" said a tall, thin man draped in a feathered cloak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can see the dark sun?\" The windbreaker-clad glasses man perked up at the latest speaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feathered man nodded, then shook his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looks like our teammates are still a bit green. Wouldn't you say... Baldie?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'???'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'What?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Baldie?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi followed the feathered man's gaze to the knee-length-haired woman and barely suppressed a laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'You call THAT bald?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Brother, your eyesight must be—'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Wait. No. That's not right!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi's half-formed grin froze. His pupils contracted violently, and he looked at the woman with super-long hair again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'A [Prosperity] follower... called \"Baldie\"... the leaderboard has someone named \"Bald Guy Uses Rejoice\"... the mage channel data said [Prosperity]'s Chosen One hasn't returned to the top yet...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Huh?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Don't tell me she's—!!??'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The horrifying suspicion barely had time to form before \"Baldie\" spat in disgust:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since when do you get to call me that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Featherhead. Guard those plumes of yours, or I'll find an excuse to pluck you bare.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, she casually reached out and — light as a breeze — uprooted a Twisted Night Python. Then, right in front of everyone, she ran one merciless iron hand from top to bottom along the twisted trunk, stripping it clean in a single pass into a pure wooden spear!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She planted the spear upright in the rotting leaves, draped both arms over its butt end, and with an easy, devil-may-care tilt of her head, grinned at the rest of the team:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Relax. Personal grudge. Nothing to do with you all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let me introduce myself. Hong Lin, Druid. Score: 2,567.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Druid — the warrior class of [Prosperity].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A combat profession that could shapeshift across multiple species. Most of its offensive capabilities were ferocious. Tanky yet hard-hitting. Truly all-around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great class. High score. Nice legs— sturdy legs. But Cheng Shi... wanted to run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>2,567!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A player at that score had no business being matched with him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Who the hell is running this garbage matchmaking system!?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Out of a dozen-plus Chosen Ones, only a handful haven't reclaimed their thrones, and THIS round I get matched with one!?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'No — maybe not just one. Anyone who's got a personal vendetta with a Chosen One can't exactly be a nobody. So Featherhead here...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi quickly turned to the feathered man, who smiled with narrowed eyes, completely unperturbed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I look forward to it. I hope you'll put some force into it when the time comes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Wait — you're [Corruption] too?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi was numb. He figured he'd stepped in something foul again. But the man's actual introduction proved to be even worse than having a [Corruption] teammate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zhen. You can call me Zhen — as in 'drinking poison to quench your thirst.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rot Chanter. Score: 2,538.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rot Chanter — the singer class of [Decay].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Perfect. Running into one Chosen One in a trial was already enough. Now there's a high-scoring [Decay] follower too!?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'This is a [Prosperity] trial!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Setting aside their personal grudge — with faiths this diametrically opposed, can Featherhead here even let this trial proceed normally!?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Losing a few points is probably easier for people like them than drinking water.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Cheng Shi's brow was twisted tighter than a pretzel. He sighed internally and turned his gaze to the next teammate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Baldie? Bald Uses Rejoice? You're the [Prosperity] Chosen One?\" the windbreaker glasses man blurted in shock, staring at Hong Lin, then pivoting in astonishment to Zhen. \"And you're the one with the ID 'Zhen Poison' — former number four in [Decay]?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Lin didn't seem particularly proud of her Chosen One status. She pursed her lips in a vague acknowledgment. Featherhead also nodded with that narrow-eyed smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well, this round just went from zero to a hundred.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You seem to know a lot. What's your name?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zuo Qiu. [Existence]—\" The windbreaker glasses man pushed his glasses up, expression complicated. \"Ah, forget it. Can't hide anything in front of you two. I'm a historian. From the History School. Ladder score: 2,343.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first part was a lie. The second, true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His name wasn't Zuo Qiu. But he really was a historian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Incredible!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi's face had gone completely stiff. He was numb from head to toe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I just got burned by one historian, and now here's another!?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'And I get matched with one right after regaining my [Deceit] faith!?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'What — is the God who enjoys watching clown performances now two Gods!?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'If you're going to play it like this, don't blame me for dusting off that legendary catchphrase!'\u003C\u002Fp>",1454,"2026-05-30T16:17:59.408Z","2026-06-01T04:31:40.442Z",1,"novelbin.me","9dac4a15994c2ae95cc74448ecfcb9ab5cb960c2f72e5e2a3ece507ae34554ab","foolish-game-of-the-gods-chapter-262","foolish-game-of-the-gods-chapter-260",1463,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffoolish-game-of-the-gods-cover.jpg"]