Chapter 2: The Era of Descent

Did he believe it?

Did he manage to fool him?

Watching Wufuruike, the Star Child, the Blessed by the Gods who descended from the heavens, walk out the door while angrily patting his scalp, Li Ang, who was currently sitting on a chair inside the wooden hut, let out a huge sigh of relief in his heart.

It was all an act.

The talk about not understanding human social ethics, the efficient method of sacrifice, the theoretical correctness—all of this was a persona Li Ang had fabricated for Wufuruike to see.

As a Descender who had arrived in this world, he could only pretend to be a true person blessed by the gods, using faith and disguise to craft a posture of an unquestionable leader.

Because once he showed weakness or incompetence, these people would not have the slightest bit of mercy.

"But starting off by descending into this Frozen Wasteland, with Raiders all around—isn't this difficulty a bit excessive..."

If he hadn't been able to put on an act, wouldn't he have been killed as a slave long ago?

Closing his eyes to pretend he had no emotions, Li Ang began to sit on the chair like a machine, only his inner mind beginning to review his performance along the way.

Li Ang is a Descender.

Five years ago, accompanied by a loud noise, everyone in the world where Li Ang resided gained the ability to descend into other worlds.

After the initial chaos and disorder, people quickly summarized some characteristics.

Most of the time, human descents occur in cities or areas where civilization gathers, but the more dangerous the place, the more abundant the rewards often are.

Every Descender will encounter a certain degree of danger and hostility after descending, and after resolving it by utilizing the innate talents and personal judgment they brought with them, they can simply survive.

Then, they can proceed to gain glory and ability in this strange, different world.

Sounds simple, right?

But on the way here, Li Ang saw with his own eyes what that seemingly honest and simple man had just done.

He was killing people.

Killing some of the slaves in his own fleet.

Because the slaves worked a little too slowly in this frozen world, he nonchalantly killed a few of the weaker men and hung their dripping heads on wooden stakes as a warning.

On the cold coastline, countless slaves wearing crude wooden and stone shackles, gaunt and sallow, were dismantling damaged longships at the edge of the shore, building a rough dock and small town along the coast. And the best house among them was the one Li Ang was currently in.

And the reason these Norscan Raiders killed people was also very simple.

Because they had been blown off course by the storms of the Dark Gods, their ships were damaged, and they had to dismantle some longships to make up for the gaps.

So some slaves, and even some Norscans, were destined to be unable to leave on the longships, so killing to filter them out, using cruel and violent behavior, was a very natural choice.

Because if they didn't do that, they couldn't survive.

Food was insufficient, the longships were damaged, the route was unknown, and there was nothing visible to hunt nearby; thus, reasonably and logically killing some slaves to intimidate and utilize them was an instinct for the Norscans, like eating or drinking.

After all, Li Ang could not expect a civilization that relied on slavery and raiding to have any strong sense of mercy or compassion.

So, after Li Ang deduced the origins and mindset of these people, he pretended to know nothing.

He pretended to be as cold and ruthless as a machine, pretending to fit the image everyone had of a cold machine blessed by the Dark Gods, one that knew nothing of human suffering or emotion.

Only such an image and rhetoric could make these people, who survived tenaciously in the biting cold wind, believe that he was indeed the Star Child who had descended from the heavens.

He was the morning star who had come to save them, to lead them out of despair, the savior who could grant them release from this frozen earth.

Only such a cold, brutal, and efficient image could intimidate this group of uncultured slave owners.

However, Li Ang was not lying.

He truly could save these suffering people from their despair.

Listening to the faint screams and wails coming from outside the door, Li Ang felt a scene gradually coalesce in his consciousness as the hostility toward him dissipated. It was a scene belonging to a Descender, one he had seen countless times during his studies before descending.

A semi-transparent panel appeared in his consciousness.

"Li Ang (Star Child)"

"Strength: 1"

"Constitution: 1"

"Agility: 1"

"Perception: 1"

"Talent: Communication Mastery"

"Regardless of what language the other party uses, you can communicate with them."

"Skills: None"

"Evaluation: You have arrived in this world for less than a day; what more could you want?"

A simple and straightforward panel, one could even say it was a bit crude.

If it were only this panel, then after a period of action, the Norscans, upon discovering they could not escape their predicament, would definitely turn him into a Blood Eagle and hang him on the prow of a ship as a decoration.

But Li Ang had confidence.

Because compared to other ordinary Descenders, he had another advantage.

His talent was not one, but two.

The brand-new talent born after the soul from the other world merged with the soul of this world—this was his true foundation.

"I have killed all the dissenters, Star Child."

Wufuruike pushed open the door and threw the few round objects in his hand in front of Li Ang.

Those terrified heads displayed the appearances of the Norscans Li Ang had seen on the road who had expressed doubt and hatred toward him.

And Wufuruike, covered in blood, caught his breath while looking at the heads rolling on the ground, then looked at Li Ang sitting on the chair before him and asked in a deep voice, "I have completed my task, so please give your instructions."

"..."

Looking at the man who had rolled to his feet and died simply because of a single word he had spoken, and facing those eyes that had lost their luster, Li Ang slowly closed his eyes.

The moment the system sound rang in his mind, the timid Li Ang had already 'died'.

An unprecedented sense of peace, along with certainty about the future, emerged in his heart.

"All dissenters within the settlement have been eliminated."

"Prerequisite quest: Settlement of the masses, has been completed!"

"A Planet-level Wonder (possibly a non-natural Wonder) and some raw materials will appear in a reasonable manner around your first settlement! Please have your Explorer conduct exploration at your initial Landing Site."

"The Explorer you currently possess is: Monster Hunter Wufuruike."

"... Head toward the back of the cliff where I descended; as long as you cross that mountain peak and wait for a period of time, you will receive your answer."

Looking at the man covered in blood, Li Ang opened his eyes and said with a calm expression.

(End of this chapter)