Hum—
Green felt his consciousness ascending continuously. Despite having “died,” he existed between heaven and earth in another form. A voice echoed in his ears:
“Adventurer deceased. Calculating rewards for this Life Simulation…”
“Current Task Progress: 100%”
“Alice, inheriting her Godfather’s legacy and memories, has finally grasped the true essence of the Way of the Light. By reverse-refining the faith energy of the Withered Cult into Light, she has ascended. She is the first successor to condense the Godhead of Justice in the thousand years since the fall of Kamudo, the God of Justice.”
“Simulation concluded. Rewards are being settled. Would you like to enter Observation Mode to view the future development of your goddaughter, Alice?”
Is that even a question? Though it was a simulation, Green had long since regarded that Alice as an inseparable part of his existence.
Flash!
The scene shifted once more. In the obsidian night, Alice stood calmly watching the frantic shifting of Duke Montague’s expression. The power of a Legendary Mage, which had once exerted immense pressure on her, now seemed no different from a clown’s performance.
“Impossible! Impossible!” Montague finally roared. “A mere commoner of foul blood… how could you ascend to a Demigod through the Way of the Light?!”
“Lord Sword Saint.” Ignoring the loser’s impotent rage, Alice turned to the old man. “Tell me—am I still a threat to the human world?”
The Sword Saint did not answer. He stared silently at the fading starlight that had been Green, then turned with a sharp swish and walked away without a word.
“Lord Marshal! We cannot be blinded by her!” Seeing his most powerful ally depart, Montague turned sweatily toward the Marshal, who stood guard with his spear. “Have you forgotten your daughter was nearly a sacrifice?!”
“I… well…” The Marshal looked at the overflowing Holy Light radiating from Alice and lost his nerve. The Light was so pure and sacrosanct that he lacked even the courage to oppose it.
“Lord Marshal, allow me to reveal the truth of the past.” A well-dressed man in Archbishop’s robes stepped into view. Lawrence.
“These are the secret files of the Inquisition and the analysis reports of the investigation team.” The Archbishop, arriving just in time, pulled a thick roll of parchment from his pocket and handed it to the Marshal.
“This… you! Montague! You played me for a fool?!” The Marshal’s face twisted in rage. “I wondered how the rabble of a cult could penetrate the High District so easily. It was you all along!”
“You—Impossible!” Seeing his conspiracy exposed, Duke Montague tore off his mask of civility. “Damn you!”
Boom! The Marshal thrust his spear, violently shoving the Prime Minister toward Alice. “Miss, he is yours.” The military head of the kingdom bowed slightly to Alice. “Regarding your Godfather… I am sorry.”
Alice remained silent. The Marshal took the hint and vanished through the air. Only three remained. Alice’s voice was soft, but within that ethereal tone lay an uncontainable killing intent. The Prime Minister shuddered.
“No, you don’t understand…” Under the crushing pressure, the Regent finally snapped. “Everything I did was for the good of the kingdom! Do you know how hard the Northern Empire has worked since that exiled princess took the throne? They have the momentum to swallow the world!”
“And that Demon King who appeared out of nowhere,” he pleaded miserably, “the truce was signed ages ago, yet now he’s back, drowning the continent in blood! Tell me, at a time like this, what good does killing me do for the kingdom?!”
“Yes, I admit my methods were despicable! But do you really think putting a teenage girl on the throne is the ‘correct’ choice? This is a world of the strong devouring the weak! For the sake of millions of subjects, I… I had no choice!”
He shouted with all his might, but unlike the usual cheers his speeches garnered, he was met only by the whistling wind and Alice’s soul-piercing eyes.
“I know,” she said, her tone still soft and steady. “But… so what?”
“What do you mean, ‘so what’?!” the Duke argued. “You claim to be a Paladin! Is a Paladin just a petty person who indulges in personal vengeance, letting the kingdom collapse after I’m gone?!”
“You make a lot of sense, truly.” Alice nodded solemnly. “But Prime Minister, you forgot one thing.”
“?” Montague looked up, confused.
“Right now… I am very strong.” Alice tapped her chest. “I don’t understand conspiracies. I don’t understand weighing pros and cons. As my Godfather said, I am just a total fool. But you forgot that I possess… absolute power.”
“The ambitious Empress? The unsealed Demon King? The internal political strife?”
Clang— Alice raised her own Exorcism Blade. “I will simply eliminate them all!”
Flash! A streak of sword light pierced straight through the Prime Minister’s chest.
“Aaah! AAAAAHH!” The Duke felt as if his entire body was incinerated. The agonizing pain instantly destroyed his final shred of dignity. “Help… Lawrence… help…” He crawled toward the Archbishop.
“The strong devour the weak,” Lawrence said, ignoring the plea. “A convenient theory, Prime Minister. But it seems you are the weak one now.”
BOOM!!! With a touch of eerie excitement on her beautiful face, Alice swung her sword again and again, refusing to miss an inch of his flesh. In an instant, the elegant Prime Minister was reduced to a bloody mess.
After that night, it seemed as if nothing had changed, yet everything had. The unrecognizable remains hanging at the palace gates heralded the end of an era. The once-mighty Montague and his faction were annihilated in a single night.
On that day, Alice died. And the Hero was born.
“Alice, won’t you attend Green’s funeral?” the new Prime Minister, Archbishop Lawrence, asked the cloaked figure in the palace.
“No.” The figure shook her head slightly. “Godfather isn’t dead. I can feel him.”
The girl, who now possessed power exceeding the limits of the material world, turned her gaze toward the side—looking directly at where the observing Green was.
Green, watching silently, froze. Could it be?
“Reward calculation complete. This Life Simulation is about to end…”
“Godfather?” Sensing something, the cloaked figure called out to the empty air.
“Sorry, Alice.” Feeling himself being pulled out, Green reached out with some guilt and patted her shoulder. “But… you really did become the Light. I’m proud of you.”
Vroom!!! White light flashed.
“Godfather? Godfather!” The figure threw back her hood, revealing her exquisite features and shimmering crimson eyes. “You really are alive… I will find you. I definitely will!”
She turned and walked out of the palace. But Green could no longer see what happened next.
Hum—
“Simulation rewards settled!”
“Rewards Issued:”
- Adventurer Class Level: Level 47 Paladin.
- Legendary Weapon 《Holy Avenger》: Originally a mass-produced Paladin weapon, it underwent a metamorphosis after helping its master cultivate a Demigod.
- Healing Soul Curse (1/3)
Looking at the eye-catching reward prompts, Green felt a surge of satisfaction. “All those years of hard work weren’t for nothing.”
Feeling the surging Holy Light within him—though far weaker than his former teammates and not even a percent of Demigod Alice’s power—Green was content. Before this, he hadn’t even been a “professional” class-holder.
However, he looked at the final reward. “Healing Soul Curse?” He narrowed his eyes. Ever since Lucy helped him test his status, he knew the root of his inability to level up—his soul was incomplete. He had assumed it was a limitation of being a “Transmigrator.”
“A curse? Was my soul defect artificial?” He pondered for a long time before looking at the “1/3”. “Does this mean if I complete two more simulations, I can fully heal this defect?”
Thump, thump. Green’s heart hammered against his ribs.
Vroom— The screen flashed. He was back in reality.