Dark clouds gathered, casting a gray and oppressive gloom over the world.
John's armor was shattered, his hair matted with sticky blood, and his expression was one of exhaustion and despair.
He looked at the devastated world around him, unable to hide the sorrow and hopelessness in his eyes.
The people behind him were equally dejected; some were even slumped to the ground in utter despair.
"Is it... over just like this?"
John swallowed hard, his brow furrowing in pain.
After seven days of continuous fighting, he had held on with his last bit of willpower.
Humanity had given everything, only to end up with nothing. John couldn't accept it.
Crack!
A purple lightning bolt split the sky above, tearing it apart.
A terrifying pressure enveloped the earth.
Under the torn sky, a huge, grotesque face suddenly appeared.
The oppressive pressure made it hard to breathe.
The few people looked at the giant face, feeling a deep sense of helplessness.
"God... gods! John, what do we do?"
A disheveled man's voice trembled with despair as he instinctively looked to John for help.
John didn't answer. He clenched his staff and stared defiantly at the huge, grotesque face.
"Humans!"
The deep voice echoed like thunder.
The giant face looked down on them, its expression unreadable.
"I admire you. Become my slaves, and I may spare your lives."
The face regarded them as insignificant ants.
John and his group exchanged glances, some tempted.
They had come so far; no one wanted to die.
Everyone looked to John, hoping for his response.
John didn't reply. He gripped his staff and slowly raised it above his head.
"Interesting!"
The giant face showed a hint of expression—a deep disdain and mockery.
"Human, you're the first mortal to raise a weapon against me. Even ants strive to live; I pity your choice."
John shook his head. He had never expected to survive.
"I can't kill you, but I only need to prove one thing:
Gods are not invincible.
My death will awaken more people to take up arms and resist!"
His words were powerful, and the dull staff in his hand suddenly shone brightly.
He gripped the staff tightly, his life force rapidly depleting as he forcibly cast a forbidden spell.
John felt a sharp pain in his chest. Blood dripped as a blood-red blade pierced through,
stopping his spellcasting. He looked down at the blood-red blade tip, shock and anger in his eyes.
"My bro, it's useless. We just want to live, even like dogs,"
Aron said coldly, twisting the blade in his hand, shattering John's heart.
As the long blade was withdrawn, John turned around, collapsing into a pool of blood.
Aron's cruelty and the indifference of the others deeply pained John.
"Very good," the giant face looked at Aron with satisfaction.
Aron knelt, overjoyed, "Thank you, my lord."
"Ha," the giant face remained cold.
"Let's play a game. Only one of you can live. Decide amongst yourselves."
The god looked at them with amusement, seeing them as ants for his entertainment.
"Hahaha..." John laughed bitterly as he lay dying, witnessing the ugliest side of humanity.
Aron was dismembered by his subordinates, and those who had sworn brotherhood turned on each other, slaughtering one another. They deserved their fate.
... ...
Ding ding...
The harsh ringing of the alarm echoed in the cramped rental room.
John reached under his pillow for his phone and turned off the alarm.
"Huh?"
The next second, John's eyes widened, fully awake. He sat up abruptly, looking around at the familiar yet strange surroundings with a bewildered, confused gaze.
This looks like his previous rental apartment.
But wasn't he betrayed and killed by Aron?
"Could it be!"
John's eyes widened as he suddenly realized something. He hurriedly picked up the phone beside him.
July 7, 2025, 11:42 PM.
Gulp!
John swallowed hard, unable to hide his ecstatic joy.
Rebirth!
He had actually been reborn!
And it was before the launch of "Gods Descend."
When "Gods Descend" was released, it became a global sensation. Everyone thought it was just a game.
Until the game data merged with reality and the gods descended on Earth, people realized it was not a game but a real parallel world.
...
"In my previous life, I gave everything to protect Earth and humanity. Yet, this was the outcome."
"In this life, I will only protect those I care about!"
"Aron, we will meet soon."
John's voice was cold, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Aron, the president of the Wind and Cloud Guild, was in the same novice village as John and had a special encounter.
But now, that encounter would be his.
...
"Gods Descend" would officially launch at midnight, just a few minutes left.
Buzz!
After a dizzying sensation, John found himself in a strange environment.
The world was shrouded in gray, like the calm before a storm.
A mechanical prompt echoed.
[Welcome to the World of Gods]
[Scanning your identity information]
[Identity confirmed, please enter your ID]
"Godslayer!"
John had already decided on his ID; what he didn't complete in his past life, he would achieve this time.
[ID entered successfully, would you like to adjust your appearance? You can adjust it by up to 20%]
A mirror appeared before John, reflecting his handsome face.
"Adjust down by 20%."
John chose to reduce his appearance, as various forces would soon enter Earth, and he didn't want to be targeted.
With his appearance adjusted, he looked less handsome and youthful, and more cold and murderous.
Satisfied, John clicked confirm.
[Scanning your physical attributes, awakening talent]
The prompt sounded, and John felt a current pass through his body.
The initial attributes in "Gods Descend" were related to the player's physical condition, which was a unique feature of this game.
The system would awaken corresponding talents based on the player's attributes.
Talents were ranked from SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, F,
SSS being the highest and F the lowest.
Talents of S rank and above were unique.
The higher the talent, the greater the potential and the faster the growth.
Awakening an S-rank talent or higher meant becoming a dominant force.
In his past life, John had only awakened a B-level magical damage amplification talent. He wondered if this time would be different.
John felt a sense of anticipation, vaguely sensing that his body was different from before.
Finally, the system prompt sounded again.
[Attribute scan complete]
[Detected that you possess the power of reincarnation, awakening unique SSS-level talent, Plunder]
[Plunder: SSS-level talent, unique]
[Effect 1: Killing ordinary monsters has a 10% chance to plunder their attribute points]
[Effect 2: Killing boss-level elites can permanently gain one of their skills, talents, or special attributes]
[Effect 3: Killing monsters grants slaughter points; the stronger the monster, the more points. When slaughter points reach a threshold, talent effects can be enhanced or new special effects unlocked]
John was ecstatic.
He hadn't expected to awaken a unique SSS-level talent.
Plunder, the ability to plunder attributes by killing monsters.
Killing boss-level monsters and elites guaranteed the plundering of skills, talents, or special attributes.
This plunder talent meant he could infinitely grow stronger through killing, a bug-like existence.
In his past life, John had become a Tier 9 Grand Magus with just a B-level magical damage talent.
In this life, with the Plunder talent, John was confident he could reach the legendary Tier 10 profession and become a being comparable to the gods!
[Please choose your profession]
A light screen appeared before him, showing various profession options.
The world of Gods had six main professions: Warrior, Knight, Mage, Priest, Archer, and Assassin.
Additionally, there were many powerful hidden rare professions.
However, those professions could only be obtained through encounters within the game.
"Mage!"
Just like in his past life, John chose the Mage profession again.
Mages were weak in the early stages but became invincible in the later stages.
[Profession selected successfully, entering the World of Gods]
After another dizzying sensation, John entered the novice village.