Please support the translation by reading the translation and commenting on otakutl official site.
Thank you.
Everyone from Otaku Translation
---
Late at night.
Knowledge was free, but only if you could find it. This was the most apt description of Rothesia’s library—a chaotic jumble of books with no clear categorization. If the librarians had clocked out for the day, the already daunting task of searching became even more arduous.
“No… not this one either.”
“It can’t possibly be an evil god, right? No, no, no—if it were, rivers of blood would’ve flowed by now.”
Viya paced back and forth in the dimly lit library, her hair half-tied up. She held a plain-looking book in her hands, occasionally furrowing her brow as she flipped through its pages.
Not long after leaving the church, she had regained control of her body. Seizing the opportunity, she rushed to the library, hoping to uncover clues about the mysterious entity controlling her.
Having the power to manipulate "time" seemed distinct enough to narrow down, yet finding anything related to it proved nearly impossible.
Goddess of Order, God of Tranquility, Deity of Cycles… None of the five major deities matched.
She then shifted her focus to unrecognized faiths—true ancient gods or fabricated ones born from societal needs, like the God of Wealth or Holiday Spirits.
The latter didn’t exist in reality; they were merely psychological crutches.
But alas, none of these belief systems mentioned “time,” as though adhering to some unspoken agreement.
“This one doesn’t have it either,” Viya sighed, closing the book.
With a flick of her wrist, she tossed it upward. The book soared high before landing neatly atop a pile of others.
Her physical abilities had improved significantly since becoming an Ascender.
It was a vague sensation, but what stood out most to Viya was how much sharper her mind felt—and how light her body seemed.
Still, it paled compared to when she was merely a vessel. Back then, every muscle in her body moved with precision. Each punch, each step was executed with full force, yet she never felt fatigue.
Miraculous, yes—but considering whose power she carried, it made sense.
“Time… time… or something similar…” Viya muttered, pulling down tome after tome. Her prolonged reading sessions had trained her to skim ten lines at once without missing a single detail.
The clock ticked silently as dawn crept over the horizon.
Morning already? Viya stifled a yawn and glanced at the stack of books on her right—nearly half her height.
She wasn’t going to tidy them up herself.
To be safe, she hadn’t searched the free section but instead rented a private booth for thirty copper coins per hour. Included in that fee was book organization service—if she cleaned up herself, wouldn’t that just waste money?
“A whole night wasted,” Viya groaned, stretching lazily.
Though, it wasn’t entirely fruitless.
By now, she had formed two rough hypotheses:
First, the unknown deity might belong to an ancient civilization, predating even recorded history. That would explain why there were no traces of Him in any texts. With such immense power, surely He’d leave behind legends or epics unless deliberately erased.
Second, it might be a known deity playing around in the mortal realm.
Viya didn’t want to dwell too much on this possibility—it held little value. She preferred the first theory.
Considering all previous events, she speculated that the revived god might face significant restrictions in interfering directly with the mortal world. Hence, He needed a vessel to act as a medium.
This was understandable. Like how humans feel weak upon waking and need time to adjust, divine beings might require decades—or longer—to fully recover their strength.
“Wouldn’t that make Him a super-powerful ally?” Viya thought the phrase sounded disrespectful, but it was the first thing that came to mind.
She didn’t see being chosen as a vessel as a bad thing. Even if she lost herself in the future, at least she’d have experienced greatness.
Why choose her, though? Why not pick someone influential, like nobles?
To beings beyond mortal comprehension, there was no difference between them. Among countless souls, she was simply lucky enough to be selected.
---
The next morning.
After waking up, brushing her teeth, eating breakfast, and going for a jog, Lin Qi settled into his usual spot in front of the computer.
“Where did I leave off yesterday?” he murmured, opening the game save file and loading the latest checkpoint.
As the loading bar filled slowly, the screen went dark for five or six seconds before lighting up again with a familiar scene.
“Let’s push forward with the main storyline.”
Only now did Lin Qi feel like he was playing a complete game. Before, everything felt hazy, lacking a core driving force.
But after understanding the game’s power system yesterday, things started to click.
Ah, so this game used level locks!
Even exploring the starter village revealed rich content across different areas. Rewards aside, exploration itself was worthwhile—the excellent narrative moments alone were reward enough.
Main quests, leveling up, unlocking red exclamation-mark zones, progressing further along the plot… The gameplay loop closed seamlessly.
He shifted his perspective and gazed into the distance.
The first rays of sunlight spilled from the sky, fragmented and refracted by countless towering buildings. They danced amidst morning dew, casting a warm golden haze over the city.
His gaze swept past gray alleyways, elegant classical courtyards, and sparsely populated squares until it rested on the distant brick tower at the city center. A golden quest marker blinked at its peak.
The rustling breeze, hurried footsteps, and car engines blended together, forming the heartbeat of this sprawling metropolis.
Viya lowered her gaze and turned toward the interior of the tower.
Passing through brightly lit corridors, she arrived at the grand hall where candidates had already gathered.
There were many more people here than during the theoretical exam.
Every few years, prodigies emerged during practical exams, showcasing extraordinary talent and earning accelerated promotions. Coincidentally, those around Viya’s age still retained youthful ambition.
Thus, many Ascenders who’d already secured their spots came here to test their limits, having nothing left to lose.
Viya surveyed the crowd when a crisp, unfamiliar voice broke the silence: “Are you alone?”
A young woman in her early twenties approached, wearing a long shirt and sporting messy gray hair. Despite her otherwise pretty face, the disheveled strands detracted slightly from her appearance.
She walked toward Viya.
Viya kept her head down, seemingly deep in thought. The girl waited patiently without interrupting.
After a few seconds, Viya raised her head and replied earnestly: “No, I’m Viya.”
The girl blinked in confusion: “???”.
Please vote for this novel at
If you would like to support this translation, you may choose any one of the options below.
How to find a list of chapters
Please find the chapter label next to your favorite translator's name, and click the label.
