The People's God: Sacrificing Trillions to Ascend

Han Wu’s initial instinct was to summon his units to engage in the fight. His core race had significantly improved, giving him confidence in overcoming Zhang Gang’s Wolf Rider army.

However, as he tried to summon them, he recalled that as a Divine Being, he still needed a landing pod to establish a connection with his divine realm. The ability to directly summon units from one’s divine realm was exclusive to Demigods and those of higher rank.

With the Wolf Riders rapidly approaching, Han Wu realized he had no option but to fight on his own. Fortunately, his new Class had provided him with a considerable power boost, making him far more powerful than before.

Activate Dark Dragonification!

Instantly, his body was enveloped in black scales, and a pair of dragon wings unfurled from his back, the powerful aura of a Great Dragon emanating from him upon his transformation. The Raid Wolves were simple beasts driven by instinct, and they instinctively recoiled in fear and kept a considerable distance.

Han Wu wasted no time, charging directly into the Wolf Riders and forcefully battering them aside. In his humanoid black dragon form, he wielded strength that rivaled the might of the more formidable Heroic beings.

Zhang Gang urgently commanded his Wolf Riders to attack Han Wu, even using his Divine Skill, Berserk, on them. The Wolf Riders’ eyes became a fierce, bloodthirsty red. Their fear vanished, and they abandoned all caution and charged forward, not caring if they were injured in the process. Their sole objective was to diminish Han Wu’s strength. This was a typical strategy employed by weaker beings when facing a Heroic life form.

Han Wu, having anticipated Zhang Gang’s strategy, quickly took to the skies after eliminating hundreds of Wolf Riders. The remaining Wolf Riders crashed into one another, looking up in stunned confusion. While they were formidable on land, they were utterly helpless against an airborne opponent.

With a mocking chuckle, Han Wu jeered, “You absolute idiot. I can fly, you know!”

Zhang Gang snarled and activated Anti Flight, another of his Divine Skills. Han Wu felt an immediate heaviness in his body and frantically flapped his wings. To his dismay, he could no longer maintain altitude and plummeted towards the ground. Fortunately, he managed a graceful landing on his feet, avoiding a crash.

The Wolf Riders charged towards him again, moving with incredible speed. Han Wu ran off, effortlessly leaving them behind thanks to the greatly improved stamina he had gained from his Third Class advancement. Reluctant to relinquish his pursuit of the Gene and Radiation Stones, Zhang Gang instructed his Wolf Riders to give chase.

For a considerable duration, the Wolf Riders relentlessly pursued Han Wu through countless deserted regions of the Divine River Ruins. In his effort to evade Zhang Gang, Han Wu traversed many regions that were not even marked on his map.

While running, he spotted a conspicuous “Do Not Enter” sign ahead, situated at the edge of a thick and unsettling forest. Overwhelmed by the number of Wolf Riders chasing him, Han Wu had no choice but to ignore the warning and run past it. Zhang Gang wavered, but the allure of riches convinced him to force his Wolf Riders into the danger zone.

It was evident that the danger zone harbored a significantly higher number of mutated beasts compared to the outside. Han Wu continued running, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings. He spotted a monkey with a dog’s head, a six-legged rabbit, a four-headed crow, and numerous other bizarre mutated creatures.

There were even mutated beasts that were a disturbing mix of various animal parts, rendering their origins completely obscure. To make matters worse, these mutated beasts displayed intense hostility towards any outsiders, attacking Han Wu indiscriminately as soon as they detected him.

The Great Dragon aura had no effect on these mutated beasts. Fortunately, Han Wu’s dragon scales offered strong defense, allowing him to easily withstand their attacks. Realizing they couldn’t harm him, the mutated beasts shifted their aggression towards the Wolf Riders pursuing him instead.

Even though the Wolf Rider unit, a potent blend of Elite Orcs and Elite Raid Wolves, was undeniably powerful, they found it challenging to contend with the overwhelming number of Rank 2 mutated beasts. Zhang Gang was forced to intervene, personally scaring off the mutated beasts to protect his Wolf Riders. Ultimately, thanks to the mutated beasts’ intervention, Han Wu was able to evade their pursuit.

Cursing his misfortune, Zhang Gang ordered his Wolf Riders to return, his frustration palpable. After traveling for an extended period, they noticed the return route was unfamiliar. Zhang Gang immediately sensed something was wrong.

...

Han Wu arrived at a small river, finally free from pursuit. He sighed, looking back to confirm that he was no longer being followed. Feeling extremely thirsty after his prolonged run, he kneeled by the river’s edge to drink some water.

At that moment, a small fish appeared, causing him to jump in surprise. Han Wu was taken aback, as he had seen countless fish in his life, but never one that possessed legs and swam using the breaststroke.

He pondered the amount of radioactive minerals the fish must have ingested to mutate so severely.

Could the river be some form of wastewater from a radiation mine?

The thought sent shivers down his spine, and he decided to avoid the river entirely. He preferred risking dehydration to consuming even a sip of the suspicious river water.

With his supplies running low, Han Wu urgently tried to pinpoint his location on the map, hoping to return to the town swiftly. He scrutinized the map for a considerable time but found no trace of the river. It was as if the river had materialized from thin air.

Han Wu attempted to retrace his steps, but after walking for half a day, he found himself back at the same location. After several more unsuccessful attempts, he reluctantly concluded that he was lost.

Waiting for rescue in the Divine River Ruins was not an option, as he would either encounter opportunistic Demigods and Gods who would strip him of everything, or terrifying mutated beasts that would devour him.

Determined to find his way out, Han Wu decided to walk in no particular direction, hoping to stumble upon an exit.He chose a random path and started walking. He would take cover behind anything he could find when encountering groups of mutated beasts, but when he saw a lone mutated beast, he would throw a Radiation Stone for it to consume.

Despite their ferocious appearance, the mutated beasts were all simple-minded creatures. They eagerly consumed the Radiation Stone, but each one ultimately exploded.

After repeating this strategy several times, Han Wu accumulated three Rank 3 Gene Stones and one Rank 4 Gene Stone. He calculated that he could earn ten million Divine Points or more by selling them, but this was still insufficient to create a Divine Essence on his own.

With the approach of night, more mutated beasts began to emerge. Han Wu desperately searched for a suitable hiding place.

As he was about to break several trees to construct a makeshift shelter, he suddenly caught sight of the silhouette of a building on the opposite bank of the river. Suspecting a hallucination or mirage, he rubbed his eyes repeatedly. To his astonishment, the building became even more visible under the moonlight.

The Divine River Ruins were an abandoned project of the Divine River Civilization. Perhaps the building was constructed by the people of that civilization.

Han Wu preferred the safety of a structured building over the dangers of the wilderness. Transforming into a humanoid dark dragon, he quickly flew towards the building, soon hovering above it.

As he had anticipated, it was a complex of buildings abandoned by the Divine River Civilization. The walls were covered in various glyphs and symbols characteristic of that civilization.

Han Wu landed in a spacious courtyard, finding it unusually silent. Despite the apparent safety, he remained vigilant. He couldn’t dismiss the possibility that the abandoned complex had become a nesting site for a mutated beast.

Han Wu cautiously entered one of the buildings bordering the courtyard. Inside, he found the place in disarray, with papers scattered across the floor. He picked up one of the papers and noticed complex equations inscribed on it. After searching the building and finding no signs of mutated beasts, he began to relax.

This place is safe enough. I’m staying here tonight.

Just as the idea of a secure night’s rest settled in his mind, the delicate sound of footsteps echoed from beyond the room. He swiftly concealed himself within a cupboard, cautiously peering through a narrow opening in the cupboard door.

He saw a group of people, all wearing black cloaks, descend into the courtyard and commence preparations for some kind of ritual.

What kind of situation have I stumbled upon? Han Wu wondered.