I Have a God Simulator

The Divine Statue of the Three-Headed People was destroyed, but no artifacts dropped.

Luh Yao was slightly disappointed, but not surprised.

Even if the opponent had an Artifact, they would have certainly burned their Faith to use it in a life-or-death battle. The only way to get it would have been to kill them instantly in a blitz... but that would consume a lot of Faith and might not have been worth it.

Through trial and error, Luh Yao had gradually figured out a new strategy for Divine Wars.

First, he would send in his tanky Apostles in waves to deplete the enemy’s Faith, create space, and draw their attention. Then, he would have the hidden Snowman steal their Fire of Faith and Artifacts, thus maximizing his spoils.

Luh Yao opened the new Artifact the Snowman had acquired.

...

[Wild Horn]: Faith +1/hour. Blow the horn to call nearby creatures toward its location.

...

It seemed this Artifact played a crucial role in the Three-Headed People’s ability to lure the Cannibal Crabs.

Thinking back, Luh Yao realized the horn’s ability would also be useful on his islanders. It was quite a handy little artifact for the early game.

He could use it to pull mobs when entering the Abyss.

Luh Yao dragged it into his Artifact Bar.

Next up was the cleanup phase.

Isabel landed on the island, riding her Magic Staff.

After casting Mourning Prayer, she summoned a Dead Black Ball and began her patient questioning.

"Lord, they say the Divine Statue appeared not long ago, washed onto the island by the waves."

"At the time, very few people lived on this island. They only came here to gather wood and grass, but then they discovered the Divine Statue. The statue would bring fish from the sea, stop storms, and provide shade from the scorching sun..."

Isabel relayed the information simultaneously.

"Later, the first group of people began to worship the Divine Statue. That was when the first Prophet emerged. The Prophet received a revelation that this god was called the [Tri-Limbed God]."

"Not long after, ferocious green crabs crawled ashore and gathered around the Divine Statue."

"The Prophet told everyone that the God wanted them to feed these Divine Servants—the giant crabs."

"The crabs had enormous appetites and could never be satisfied."

"In the end, the Believers were also eaten by the giant crabs. Only before they died did the Believers realize they were just livestock the God used to feed the crabs."

"More and more people came to this island, and the process repeated itself."

...

Luh Yao began his post-battle analysis.

The crab-raising Tri-Limbed God had taken a monster-horde approach, with everything centered around efficiency.

The Cannibal Crabs’ reproduction rate far exceeded that of humans. They could also generate Wisdom and Faith by eating people, which was why the Tri-Limbed God cultivated them as its core Believers. A large population would generate a large amount of Faith.

If it had been given enough time, it might have actually forged a path to becoming a Crab God.

The battle with the Tri-Limbed God had brought something to Luh Yao’s attention.

He switched his perspective to the Yan City Divine Hall.

Inside the Divine Hall, the White God was lazing on the ground, surrounded by piles of meat, wheat cakes, potatoes, grapes, and wheat beer. It wallowed in an ocean of food, sucking in a heap of it with every opening of its mouth.

The moment Luh Yao arrived, the White God shivered and immediately stood up—though still in its four-legged wild boar form.

Unlike the Apostles, a Subordinate God could feel the gaze of its True God, which saved Luh Yao a lot of trouble.

"Lord True God, you’ve arrived."

A sycophantic smiley-face symbol appeared above the White God’s head.

Luh Yao typed, asking about the situation he wanted to confirm.

"Uh, Lord True God, about that... the power of a Miracle depends on how much Faith is consumed. One point of Faith can only produce a Miracle with one point of effect."

"It’s the same when used for combat."

"This little god’s [Stamping] consumes 20 Faith and only deals 20 damage. Of course, if you stack it enough times, the damage can be quite considerable..."

Luh Yao stared, stunned.

’Something’s wrong.’

’This isn’t right.’

’When I use a Miracle against a non-deity, a lightning bolt that costs 20 Faith clearly deals 40 damage.’

’Why is the White God saying that 20 Faith only deals 20 damage?’

The White God was a little baffled by Luh Yao’s repeated questions.

It answered cautiously, "Lord True God, that’s just how it is... Faith doesn’t increase or decrease out of thin air. The amount of power you can exert is equal to the amount of Faith you have."

Luh Yao pinched his cheek, lost in thought.

’It wasn’t that the Tri-Limbed God was too weak.’

’It was perfectly normal. Its freeze attack consumed 30 Faith and dealt 30 damage.’

’It’s my Miracles, created with Faith, that deal double damage. I’m different from other Gods.’

’So, what’s the key difference?’

After eliminating a series of possibilities, Luh Yao identified the one unique anomaly about himself.

The Divine Hall.

This was what set Luh Yao apart from other Divine Players.

Other Gods had Divine Statues, but he started with a Divine Hall—a completely different class of structure. The problem was, the fragments of the Forest God’s *Memory Book* didn’t mention anything special about the Divine Hall, only that one was left behind.

Regardless, the double-damage buff against non-deities was undoubtedly a powerful tool for the early game. This had saved Luh Yao a lot of initial expenditure.

Unfortunately, the Divine Hall’s Traits weren’t displayed as data at this stage. Besides being able to house the Divine Statues of Subordinate Gods and granting double damage on Miracles, he had no idea if it had any other special effects.

He also questioned the two former Apostles, Philos and Saniluo, and learned that the Divine Palaces created by the Gods had no additional abilities.

’In that case, a Divine Hall must be something only Titled Deities or even Main Gods possess.’

He would have to slowly figure out its detailed Traits on his own.

...

Luh Yao stretched and was about to log off.

A new notification popped up on the simulator.

[Yan Jiu has completed his pilgrimage.]

[Yan Jiu has become an Ascetic.]

—O great God, a Believer has performed a feat far beyond that of his peers. Do you wish to transform him into a Hero?

[Yes] [No]

’Another pilgrimage?’

Luh Yao opened the Divine Hall view and saw Yan Jiu kneeling on the ground.

At this moment, Yan Jiu’s character model had undergone a huge change.

He had shaved his head, was bare-chested, and had a string of garlic tied around his neck. Even though he was only 28, Yan Jiu now looked like he was 58.

Yan Jiu was kneeling before Luh Yao’s Divine Statue, repenting in his heart.

"Lord God, I have sinned."

"First, I committed the sin of pride, for I actually believed there were Gods in this world greater than you..."

"Then, I committed the sin of wrath, growing angry and pained because I had not received your favor, and in turn..."

"..."

"I have walked the pilgrimage path of the Legendary Prophet Hemira, and only now do I deeply understand your greatness and breadth, your power and glory. All the suffering and troubles we experience, including our own insignificant lives, are not even worth mentioning."

"I dare not ask for your forgiveness for a follower who once betrayed you."

"I only wish to spend the rest of my life reflecting on myself, spreading your Faith, and learning to face all suffering with peace. In suffering, I will learn to see your glory and mercy, and thus complete my own impure atonement."

Luh Yao noticed that Yan Jiu’s personal panel had also changed.

...

[Salt Race LV7] Yan Jiu

Life Value: 80/80

Mana Value: 15/15

Damage: 1

Defense: 4

Speed: 3

[Longevity]

Possesses a longer lifespan.

[Martyr]

Willing to sacrifice oneself to spread the Divine Gospel.

[Ascetic]

Understands and improves through suffering.

...

Luh Yao had almost forgotten about Yan Jiu.

To be honest, even though Yan Jiu had caused a certain amount of chaos, it was a trivial matter in Luh Yao’s eyes. After bringing in the White God, he had completely forgotten about Yan Jiu and his group of heretical believers.

’A God is very busy. I don’t have time for such trivial matters.’

However, Yan Jiu himself clearly took it very seriously.

He first completed a pilgrimage, then came to repent piously, transforming into an Ascetic.

Luh Yao found himself admiring him a little.

’Not bad, kid. At least you take responsibility and didn’t just up and run.’

So, Luh Yao clicked [No].

He had always wanted to see what would happen if he didn’t transform someone into a Hero.

’Will the little guy get angry? Will he be disappointed? Or will his personality darken?’

A pained emoji appeared above Yan Jiu’s head.

Then, it was replaced by a joyful one.

Luh Yao stared, a look of utter confusion on his face.

Yan Jiu’s level instantly shot up to LV10.

’Holy shit.’

’So that’s what an Ascetic is!’

’The more their god punishes them, the more excited and powerful they become!’

Luh Yao was utterly shaken.