"Your words deeply shocked the Fire Stealing Priest. He screamed hysterically, 'This is impossible! Before conducting the Divine Descent Ceremony, I checked the Holy Relic many times. It was definitely the "Bloodstained Rags." It's impossible for it to have been replaced!'"
"You didn't respond further, unwilling to reveal the traits of the Desecrating Dark Crow. You merely plastered a cocky, infuriating smile across your face."
"The Fire Stealing Priest vanished before your eyes. His unwilling roar echoed across the room, and on the empty Evil Altar, only you and the 'Dream Hidden King' basked in the pillar of light."
"The landscape of the Fire Stealing Village grew even more twisted. He was exerting his authority, attempting to pull this location into His Divine Domain."
"You continued to wait."
"You saw the 'Dream Hidden King' abruptly freeze, His face contorting in a grotesque grimace, His gaze filled with venomous hatred. At the same time, His abdomen began to swell visibly at an alarming speed."
"You realized that the Divine Sovereign before you was pregnant."
"At the crossroads of destiny once more, the 'Dream Hidden King' had become aware of your sordid and despicable scheming. Enraged beyond measure, He intended to make you taste the wrath of a god."
"So, daring and imaginative explorer—will you choose to stay and witness the fate of the 'Dream Hidden King'?"
"Or will you choose to flee?"
"The Dream Realm Mother Goddess Flower Seed took effect; Yang Qizhou felt so uneasy even sitting down that he simply stood up, his eyes glued to the lines of refreshed text."
"Running was undoubtedly the best choice."
"Though staying might allow for some opportunism in the chaos, the 'Dream Hidden King' had already discovered that the Game Character was behind this insidious manipulation. He would undoubtedly exact the most ruthless revenge. With His divine power, merely killing the character would be merciful. If He imprisoned the character instead—neither allowing death nor freedom, an eternal prisoner—then that account would essentially be ruined."
"But Yang Qizhou was different from other players. His 'Dark Crow of Profane Fortune' ability was precisely suited to sidestepping this dilemma."
"I really wish I could witness the moment a god gives birth. Too bad this is a text-based game," Yang Qizhou muttered, choosing option '1' with a casual gesture.
"The pale text continued to scroll."
"'Foolhardy explorer, with your pathetic strength, how dare you stay and face the wrath of the Dream Hidden King? You must think the gods hold no weight.'
"'Illusory forces surged all around. You were confined in the rift between reality and falsehood. The Dream Hidden King intended to punish you, the blasphemer, in the most brutal manner possible.'
"'At that moment, another exalted and magnificent will descended.'
"'Higher in stature than the Dream Hidden King, greater in authority than the Dream Hidden King. She was the embodiment of beauty. She was the mother of all creation. She had existed since the Second Epoch, the Old King.'
"'Dwelling in dreams, the primeval deity of "beauty" and "birth": the Mother of Beauty and Fertility. She became aware that the Dream Realm Mother Goddess Flower Seed had bloomed within an Ancient God and turned Her gaze upon the Fire Stealing Village.'
"'You saw an enormous eye open between dreams and reality.'
"'And again, you saw the Dream Hidden King overwhelmed with terror, dreading the Mother of Beauty and Fertility. Frantically, He tried to escape the Material World, yet He could not resist the suppression of authority.'
"'The belly of the Dream Hidden King was torn open, and the Dream Realm's Child, born of the Mother Goddess Flower Seed, crawled out.'
"A Cesarean birth, huh."
Yang Qizhou shuddered all over, privately relieved. Fortunately, he hadn't been tempted by that "epic-level" item to the point of volunteering to become some male "mom." Setting aside the social suicide that might entail, the mere prospect of having something tear its way out of his stomach would have left him dead, no doubt about it.
At this thought, Yang Qizhou felt a pang of guilt for the Dream Hidden King. That poor old guy hadn't even done anything to him, yet here he was, forced to experience what it was like to be a "mother."
"Amitabha, Amitabha," he muttered, as his focus returned to the game.
"'The Dream Hidden King is dead.'
"'The Mother of Beauty and Fertility deemed you a mere ant, unworthy of bearing Her child. She departed with the Dream Realm's Child.'
"'You had witnessed a conflict of gods. Though your heart was filled with fear, the greed innate to every explorer rose again. You approached the place where the Dream Hidden King had fallen, ready to take advantage of the chaos.'
"'You discovered that the blood and flesh of the Dream Hidden King had been completely devoured, a sight clearly the handiwork of the Dream Realm's Child. A chill ran down your spine, intensifying your terror.'
"'The "Bloodstained Rags" in your possession sensed a similar trait and flew out on their own, merging with the remains of the Dream Hidden King.'
"'You lost the "Bloodstained Rags."'
"'You obtained the "Hidden God's Clothes."'
"'You picked up the "Shepherd Dog Field Key."'
"Staying had indeed paid off."
Yang Qizhou grinned widely. Sometimes, he wondered how different things would be without the 'Dark Crow of Profane Fortune.'
"Without it, I'd probably end up like one of those members of the Deceit Bureau: stuck in an endless cycle of 'death, death, death, death,' struggling even to gain a Mortal Item, let alone bringing down an Evil God and reaping all these benefits."
He eagerly examined the two spoils of war: the "Hidden God's Clothes" and the "Shepherd Dog Field Key."
"Shepherd Dog Field Key (Exceptional): This key once belonged to the Dream Hidden King and represents a fragment of His authority. The holder can unlock the Dream Hidden King's pasture and command Gwent Hounds to serve them. Effect: You can summon one 'Gwent Hound' to kill any enemy. Current count: 2/1."
"Hidden God's Clothes (Quasi-legendary - Old Item): This item, born from the remains of the Dream Hidden King and the Bloodstained Rags, retains a portion of His 'Hidden' authority. It exhibits a certain degree of sentience."
"Effect 1: No one can know your identity without your permission."
"Effect 2: You can render your existence hidden, unseen by anyone. However, this effect automatically ends when you attempt to interfere with reality."
"Side Effect: Randomly 'erases' objects around the wielder, with the value of the objects increasing over time. When no valuable objects remain around the wielder, the wielder themselves will be erased."
"Remark: You will ultimately be forgotten by the world."
Yang Qizhou felt his earlier excitement recede like a tide, leaving him as cold as if doused in ice water. His mood turned bitterly sour.
"What I thought was a massive haul..."
"...turned out to be a creepy mess." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
"The Shepherd Dog Field Key" was at least decent. It could summon an invisible and savage Gwent Hound—one that had killed Game Characters several times in the past with its vicious bite. Thanks to the "Dream Hidden King's" grant, he had even broken the summoning limit, getting two Gwent Hounds simultaneously, significantly bolstering his power.
But the attributes of the "Hidden God's Clothes"... were downright absurd...