Please support the translation by reading the translation and commenting on otakutl official site.
Thank you.
Everyone from Otaku Translation
Chapter 41: Mr. Yog’s Initial Attempt
There were over a dozen branching skill trees, each emphasizing different attributes. The only downside was that Lin Qi couldn’t view their specific effects until the source skill at the root of each tree had been unlocked.
Even for trees like the Tree of Cycles and the Tree of Sighs—whose sources had already been activated—he could only unlock the next tier after fully upgrading all preceding minor skills.
"I’ll have to visit the Void Domain again sometime and collect every blessing available."
Lin Qi also glanced at the effect of the Mark of Cycles. Perhaps because it hadn’t been upgraded yet, it remained at zero levels with no particularly notable abilities.
Staring at the dazzling array of skill trees, Lin Qi felt a familiar pang in his gut. He dreaded imagining just how grind-heavy this game would become.
But he couldn’t ignore them either. If they were willing to include something as iconic as Eagle Vision, who knew what other crucial skills might be hidden within?
"And then there are the statues… Having to run back here every time I want to upgrade feels like too much of a hassle."
He mused thoughtfully, his gaze slowly rising until it settled on the statue before him.
Come to think of it… Could I move this thing back to my dorm?
---
The Sea.
"Congratulations. You’ve learned how to truly 'see.'"
Minstrel spoke with her eyes closed.
Though her words were congratulatory, her tone carried no sense of warmth or blessing.
Opposite her, Viya lay utterly spent. If not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, someone might have mistaken her for a corpse.
Dozens of water-formed spears protruded from the sea around her, slowly dissolving under the sunlight and returning to the waves.
"So, will what I learned this time appear as another laureate?"
Once she’d recovered slightly, Viya asked curiously.
"Perhaps."
Minstrel remained indifferent, brushing off Viya’s question with obvious disinterest.
"But…" Viya intended to use this opportunity to pry for more information when suddenly a wave surged forward, swallowing her whole. Her vision darkened instantly.
When her sight returned, she instinctively scanned her surroundings and realized she was back in the room prepared by the Esoteric Sect.
A burning sensation flared on the back of her hand, accompanied by a long, drawn-out sigh:
"Ritual… Sacrifice… Grayson Noenta… Grayson Noenta…"
Though it was merely a sigh, Viya understood its meaning perfectly.
This wasn’t Mr. Yog’s voice—she was certain of that. Combined with the statue before her and the prayer she’d just performed, the origin of the voice was clear.
The God of Sighs!
Earlier, Byron had mentioned that after undergoing baptism, she’d gain an initial understanding of her mission… So was it that name? Viya fell into deep thought.
Thinking about it further, after praying, she entered Mr. Yog’s divine realm while Minstrel taught her a new ability. Did this hold some deeper significance?
With a hypothesis forming, Viya lowered her gaze to the laureate hovering above her palm.
It shimmered faintly in shades of gray, ethereal and weighty. While Siren’s Requiem resembled a vivid painting, the Half-Knowledge Eye seemed less flashy but carried a heavier sense of history.
Focusing her mind, she raised the laureate slightly to examine its intricate patterns. With her rudimentary knowledge of ancient Hemoric language, she managed to decipher one word: "Sigh."
Just as I suspected!
She grew visibly excited.
In Viya’s understanding, prayers, statues, and rituals fundamentally served to strengthen the connection between mortals and gods.
And Mr. Yog—an ancient deity himself—had used this unique link, employing her as a vessel for experimentation. Through her, he had stolen a fragment of authority from the God of Sighs.
Undoubtedly, the laureate now resting in her hand was a product of this attempt.
Oh… my… god… Viya’s heart raced. If her hypothesis was correct, it meant she had just participated in an action involving beings on a divine level.
The mere thought filled her with excitement—and a touch of pride.
Even though she might have been a dispensable cog, easily replaceable, nothing could dampen Viya’s mood at this moment.
After all, even the most devout believers might go their entire lives without catching a glimpse of a god or hearing their holy words. Yet here she was, witnessing firsthand the interplay between two high-level entities—and actively participating in it.
"Calm down… calm down… This isn’t the time to celebrate yet."
Viya reminded herself of her precarious situation, trapped in the heart of the cult’s stronghold. She tried to compose herself, but her agitated emotions churned like restless tides, refusing to settle.
Soon enough, however, a familiar sense of control washed over her. Some divine force was helping her regain composure.
"A new series of quests?" Lin Qi muttered in confusion.
As he exited the skill tree interface, a notification popped up in the upper-right corner. Opening the quest log, Lin Qi found a new task titled The Apostate Who Defected.
This quest was special. Unlike the golden mainline or blue side quests, its identifier was purple.
The title sounded familiar… Wasn’t it a prerequisite for upgrading the Mark of Sighs to Level 2? Lin Qi clicked on the detailed description.
[The Apostate Who Defected]
[Quest Level: 2]
["When a believer kneels before a deity for the first time, their fate ceases to belong solely to them." Grayson Noenta, a coward, whose selfish betrayal defiled the purity of faith.]
[Objective: Eliminate Grayson Noenta]
"The reward is… +20 reputation with the Esoteric Sect and experience points?"
After reading through the quest details, Lin Qi pieced together what the purple quests represented.
Another storyline—one where he’d proceed as an apostle of the Esoteric Sect, becoming a true outlaw beyond the law!
"The requirement is Level 2, so it looks like I’ll have to put this on hold for now."
Grinding above your level could work, but it wasn’t worth it. Chances were, he’d end up wasting hours exploiting terrain mechanics, abusing save-scumming techniques, only to earn measly experience points—a poor trade-off.
As a seasoned player, Lin Qi deeply understood the importance of choosing the right playstyle.
By the way, maybe I should check if I can move the upgrade point back… He controlled the character to circle the statue, then made her punch the statue once.
The sound of fist meeting stone echoed. The statue didn’t budge, but his health bar dropped by one point.
"… Well, at least the worst-case scenario didn’t happen."
Lin Qi had half-expected a pop-up message saying, "You have desecrated the divine," followed by an absurdly long health bar appearing over the statue, leading to a brutal boss fight.
"Looks like I’m stuck running three hundred sixty miles round-trip for upgrades in the future."
He chuckled wryly to himself.
---
Viya waited anxiously, her thoughts racing with excitement whenever she recalled what had just transpired.
Under the familiar sense of control, she walked slowly around the statue, exuding the confidence of a victor.
This triumphant demeanor only reinforced her belief that her earlier hypothesis was correct—Mr. Yog had seized the opportunity to experiment and achieved some success.
Then, she saw “herself” move.
A fist slammed hard into the statue.
"Huh?"
Feeling the sharp pain in her left hand, Viya’s azure eyes widened in bewilderment.
Please rate or leave a review for this novel at
If you would like to support this translation, you may choose any one of the options below.
There are advance chapters available now
Access will be granted 24 hours after the donation
Tier 1: 10 Advance chapters
Access fee $3.00 Monthly
 | Link |
How to find a list of chapters
Please find the chapter label next to your favorite translator's name, and click the label.
