In the tavern, Miss Malt was tinkering with a machine that resembled a large pot lid, as the event publicized online was about to start on Saturday.
"Excuse me, can I still sign up for the gaming competition now!" The God of Suffering, dressed in a comical King Doll Costume, pushed open the door of the tavern, and the dim light shining from behind him cast a hazy, fantastical aura as if he were shrouded in light and shadow.
"I would like to sign up for Sunday's competition!"
The God of Suffering had decided to enter Sunday's competition, and he had already built a rapport with the Dog-headed Person, asking him to go to the Church of Suffering as a coach, determined to win the championship on Sunday!
Must win!
Miss Malt was startled by the God of Suffering.
Where had this expert come from?
"Then... may I ask who you are? I'm sorry, but we are a formal church, after all. Although we may not have the church's decor, we must have a formal process for hosting competitions. You need to have a valid identity proof for registration."
Miss Malt looked at the King Doll before her, thinking that since you're a contestant, hiding your head and showing your tail in a doll costume... could work! But you need to register with your real name for the competition!
"My name? ..." The God of Suffering suddenly became lost in thought.
The origins and appearances of many deities in this world are different.
Most known gods suddenly emerged naturally; they are aggregates of many abstract values in the world, mostly stemming from mortals' desires for certain abstract values, belonging to the category of "Natural Gods".
Some deities became such through "great blessings," which means God designated them as new gods, using special methods to disassemble and reassemble a life, resulting in followers and servants for that God. These deities in the world are known as "messengers," which fall under "Creator Gods".
There are also gods who originate from a certain material collective that gave birth through special means, such as when a civilization collapses and the collective will spawns something akin to a "god," which belongs to "Phenomenon Gods".
Then there are those who have ascended to godhood through "donning armor," belonging to "Armored Gods".
Donning armor, meaning to imitate.
Those who aspire to be gods imitate some of the important, characteristic actions of a deity and express the deity's traits through words and deeds, to the point where they make it hard for others to distinguish between them.
However, the divinity gained through imitation ultimately leads to the imitator being mostly assimilated, losing a great part of their own will, even if the imitated deity has fallen and lies dormant in the sands of time like a wax figure. The will of that deity still actively lives on in the imitator.
The God of Suffering was one such Armored God.
Therefore, at that moment, he suddenly recalled the days long past when he was a king.
"I was once a king of 'Dolan World'... My name is Pharaoh... Yes, you can find my name in the Church of Suffering's book of faith, near the top... this world is very far from the Grey World... Yes, I used to be a king, but now I have abdicated, nowadays just a common traveler among the worlds... My country predominantly worshipped the God of Suffering..."
As the God of Suffering spoke, he suddenly felt very nostalgic, reflecting that in his time, his country was not wealthy or strong in their world. They were the focus of oppression and exploitation by greater nations, annually tributing substantial amounts of money and even sending their able-bodied to work in another country, which did not allow them to have a significant military presence and also stationed their own troops within their borders.
"It was because of this, from the king down to the common people, actually nobody had much money; everyone lived in hardship, trapped in hunger and poverty, so this intense suffering gained me... attracted the God of Suffering."
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He bought quite a lot of drinks from Miss Malt and then while talking about the past, he also expressed his admiration for the wonders of other worlds.
"The multitude of worlds is truly vast; each world has a different way of life, and wandering around, one encounters many strange and varied deities as well as entirely different lifestyles."
"I must thank the God of Fiction, for He created the gaming console, allowing me to find joy amidst pain... Even though joy is a useless emotion that brings no value to the gods, this joy, when mixed with pain, becomes something else."
After a moment of thought, Miss Malt provided an apt simile:
"Beer with coffee added?"
The God of Suffering bid farewell to the people of the Fictional Church, forcibly dragging the Dog-headed Person out of the tavern, and they jogged all the way back to the Church of Suffering. Now, the church, formerly solemn and serious, had turned into a place resembling an arcade.
"Hit him, do a low kick... Ah, you should release a skill!"
"Having three energy bars full and not releasing an ultimate move, only to be killed in a combo, do you even know how to play!"
The Church of Suffering was as noisy as a marketplace, and upon his return, the God of Suffering gathered everyone and informed his followers that he, their deity, had devised an excellent training plan for them!
"We only have one day left, if we lose this time, I'll be... cough cough." The God of Suffering glanced at the Dog-headed Person, who was looking around, and changed his statement, "If we lose this time, our deity's image in the eyes of the world will be greatly tarnished. That's just how this world is! If you don't play the Dominant Dog, there are plenty of others who will. They don't play dominant roles against you because they look down on you!"
"So we must become stronger Dominant Dogs than they are, preferring a thousand curses upon us over relinquishing our interests! This is not just a game, this is a battle for faith!"
The God of Suffering delivered a powerful sermon, effectively mobilizing the enthusiasm of his followers!
The contraption made by the God of Fiction had already captured a significant share of the market. This fighting game had been out for just two days, and he had already received a great deal of the currency of suffering and power of faith. It was truly a perfect harvester of value and faith!
If he were to be weakened now, then no one would choose his character in the future, plunging him into a huge crisis. This meant that he could have had much more value, but by his inaction and lack of striving, he would watch helplessly as these things faded away from his grasp!
"Our goal is the championship! Even if we get nerfed in the end, at least we must preserve the Dominant mechanic! We must maintain our uniqueness and not let others dictate terms to us!"
"Training through the night, the more we endure, the more pain we feel, the sharper our spirit becomes, and the stronger our gameplay is; that is the power of our Church of Suffering! To play the God of Suffering well, one must truly experience suffering. Only in a state of suffering can one bring out a hundred percent of this character's strength!"
...
Morningwind City Cluster, first district of the first city, second city area of Five Avenues, Steel Church.
The God of Death had been training with a group of people here for a long time.
As the most important church governing the Steam Nation, they have one to three churches in almost every urban area, and these churches can often be rented out for different purposes.
Some are used as temporary factories, some serve as venues for important commercial meetings, some have become notary offices, and some even play a vital role in maintaining public order.
The God of Death rented a room in the church here as a training ground for players, who were also eager to clinch the championship at the first console game competition on Sunday.
But the God of Death himself carried a machine and placed it in front of the Steel God's statue.
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