Hearing the voice, Alan paused, surprised.
He then began to extend his mind power, encompassing the surroundings, trying to locate the source of the voice.
However, he soon recalled something from two thousand years ago, before his traversal to this world, he had heard a voice in his mind.
"You have been chosen to enter the game of 'protagonist' and 'antagonist' conflict."
After that, Alan successfully traversed to this world.
But nothing happened thereafter. He rose to power, becoming the Almighty God, and only now did the voice resurface.
He found it somewhat unbelievable.
At this moment, he was somewhat speechless.
Alan had originally thought he was the protagonist, but now it seemed that might not be the case.
If the game hadn't started before, what does it mean for it to start now?
Why hadn't the game begun all this time?
Pondering, Alan quickly came to a possible explanation.
The only thing that might have an impact was the "Holy Light" within him.
This light had emerged in his heart upon his arrival in this world.
The power was immensely strong, and now, after absorbing various other forms of energy, it had become unparalleled.
If every righteous protagonist has a "cheat code," then this Holy Light would be his.
Moreover, this Holy Light not only allowed him to absorb various energies to grow stronger but also made him incredibly charismatic, attracting many races, not just humans, to worship and bow before him.
If a king's presence relies on strength and combat ability, then this was pure charisma and allure.
Like moths to a flame, all races are irresistibly drawn to enchanting beauty.
This "Holy Light" endowed Alan with such a trait.
Moreover, not just him, the paladins also possessed overwhelming charisma that could attract and subjugate others, though not as powerfully as Alan.
Under this charismatic influence, Alan achieved many great deeds that many historic rulers aspired to but could not accomplish.
Similarly, even after becoming a deity, relying on the endless charm of the light, he conquered many gods, turning them into his followers and supporters.
Only a very few still harbored the heart to challenge him, and that too was a result of Alan deliberately controlling his powers.
Now, Alan heard that familiar voice again.
However, nothing else ensued in the surroundings.
Perhaps it was because of the presence of this "Holy Light" within him.
Subsequently, Alan headed towards the abyss.
At the same time, he attempted to retract his "Holy Light."
Soon, he reached the bottom of the abyss.
Here, using the dark powers of the abyss and his own control, he successfully suppressed his "Holy Light" temporarily.
This action limited his powers to the level of a human.
At this moment, he was just human ruler Alan, not Alan the Almighty.
In the next moment, a force appeared around him, attempting to engulf him.
Alan also realized that this power was trying to read his personal information.
However, it couldn't identify the information about his "Holy Light" or his current state as the strongest paladin.
Quickly, the force dissipated, and a virtual interface appeared before Alan.
The interface clearly displayed:
[The game begins!]
[Game Rules Introduction: There are two factions, one is the protagonist, blessed by fate and supported by destiny!]
[The opposite of the protagonist is the antagonist. The antagonist is the protagonist's rival and destined nemesis. Antagonists begin with very strong abilities and significant backgrounds but will be surpassed by the protagonist in the later stages and ultimately defeated by them!]
[Suggestion: Antagonists can kill protagonists. Once successful, they will steal some of the protagonist's abilities and attributes. Additionally, killing a protagonist increases the antagonist's points, which can be used to exchange for special items and artifacts!]
[Hint Two: Protagonists have some ability to discern antagonists, but antagonists do not possess the ability to discern protagonists unless the protagonist's actions are too obvious!]
[Hint Three: If an antagonist kills more than three protagonists, they will receive a special title and extra blessings!]
[Hint Four: When a protagonist or antagonist is killed, they do not die immediately but continue to exist as a soul. They may wander the world or reincarnate in the underworld. Only when their soul is destroyed do they truly perish!]
[Hint Five: If an antagonist can find a protagonist first and kill them before they react, they will receive an additional bonus!]
Looking at the interface and its instructions, Alan was momentarily stunned, then began to ponder.
This system was indeed quite peculiar.
Soon after the introductory interface disappeared, Alan noticed other functional interfaces. [Personal Information], [Communication Center], [Personal Ranking]...
He quickly opened the [Personal Information] to check his details.
[Name: Alan]
[Antagonist Identity: Human Paladin General]
[Level: Lord-tier]
[Points: 0]
[Fate Favor: Veil of Shadows]
[Antagonist Level: 1]
[Antagonist Level Skills: None]
[Ranking: None]
At this moment, seeing his personal information, Alan was speechless.
His identity was that of an antagonist?
It should be noted that he was the one who saved the human realm and ascended to the Divine Realm as the Almighty God!
Even in the Divine Realm, he was the strongest king and the most powerful paladin.
Now, times had changed, and his kingdom and throne had naturally fallen into others' hands.
However, to only be a general in the paladin legion and at lord-tier level seemed a bit much.
Perhaps, he had suppressed his powers too much?
Originally, Alan just wanted to bring his power down to the strongest human king level.
But now, it seemed he had suppressed it to the level of a legion general, at lord-tier?
Thinking about it, he felt quite speechless.
Additionally, the game's ranking had not yet appeared.
It seemed to imply that the game had not started before.
Could it be that because of him, the game was delayed for nearly two thousand years?
This thought wasn't too distressing.
However, the identity of an antagonist was indeed hard for Alan to accept!
Now that he was the Almighty God, what significance did Fate hold for him?
He was curious about what his Fate Favor, "Veil of Shadows," could bring him.
Logically, if he were a general of the paladins, under the influence of "Veil of Shadows," he might gradually be corrupted by dark aura and transform into a member of the Demon World?
Or perhaps become a servant of the Ancient Ones, who were reviving?
This line of thinking seemed quite reasonable.
However, with the "Holy Light" merged with his Almighty God authority, his paladin bloodline was not ordinary.
It not only possessed an almost maxed-out charm value but was also impervious to demonic corruption.
Not to mention, his divine power was immensely vast.
The arrival of this game piqued Alan's interest.
That was, how would he, as an antagonist, be surpassed by the "protagonist" under Fate?
Of course, Alan also realized another point.
It seemed that because his divine power and special "Holy Light" paladin constitution were not detected, his current antagonist level was only level 1.
Had these been detected, he might not have become an antagonist, or his antagonist level would have been significantly higher!
What impact would this have?
Alan was curious.
Moreover, it had been a long time since he had operated in the world with lord-tier strength.
For the moment, he wasn't too keen on restoring his Almighty God powers.
He wanted to see how he would be treated with his current lord-tier capabilities.
At the same time, he was curious about this protagonist – what qualities and abilities they possessed to challenge and gradually defeat him.
While Alan didn't believe the protagonist could succeed, it would still be interesting if they came close enough to cause him some trouble.
Of course, if they were too weak, they would be swiftly defeated.
After all, if antagonists have levels, protagonists should too.