I Have a God Simulator

The Fighting Shovel Armor were constantly thwarted by the Monster Strength Grass.

But on the Eastern Continent, once they matured, they rampaged unchecked. Even the local apex predators, the Blazing Chickens, could do little against them. The Fighting Shovel Armor seized vast stretches of forest.

Luh Yao looked down upon the Eastern Continent. After observing a battle between the Fighting Shovel Armor and the Blazing Chickens, he understood why.

The Blazing Chickens' flames inflicted guaranteed damage on the beetles, but in a physical brawl, the Fighting Shovel Armor held the absolute upper hand. As melee fighters, the Fighting Shovel Armor had always survived by relying on their tough carapaces and strength. A Fire Elemental Creature like the Blazing Chicken dared not get too close.

Plus, the Fighting Shovel Armor could fly. The Blazing Chickens would often conjure flames only for the Fighting Shovel Armor to take to the air and land in a safer area, posing no significant threat to them.

The real victims were the innocent bystanders. They would find themselves inexplicably chased by fire. Animals like field mice and monkeys would lose their homes in the blink of an eye.

After a major fire, it would take a long time for the grass and trees to grow back.

When the two types of Extraordinary Creatures fought, it was the ordinary animals that suffered the most.

Against this backdrop, the Blazing Chickens crossed mountains and ranges, traveling to Aegir's Fire on the Western Continent to summon heavyweight reinforcements: the Mad Flame Birds.

The Mad Flame Birds possessed superior flying abilities and had a larger Body Type. They overpowered the Fighting Shovel Armor in both Tier and speed, treating them as prey.

With the Mad Flame Birds' arrival on the Eastern Continent, the exploding population of Fighting Shovel Armor found their living space shrinking, and a delicate balance was once again struck across the land.

The arrival of the Fighting Shovel Armor also brought changes to the ecosystem of the Eastern Continent.

The most direct impact was on the little pixel people.

They had always avoided the Blazing Chickens, treading carefully in areas where the hot-tempered creatures roamed. The appearance of the Fighting Shovel Armor taught them to navigate around the beetles' territory.

Although the Fighting Shovel Armor were also hot-tempered, they didn't mind you as long as you gave them food. They were nothing like the Blazing Chickens, which would chase, peck, and breathe fire at you for a single glance.

Luh Yao's attention was drawn to two small figures on the grasslands.

One of the two pixel people, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a pack, was Lie Yu; she was the one the Snowman had stolen from until she cried. The other was an old, shirtless man with a string of garlic around his neck. It was the Grand Elder of the Ascetic Order, Yan Jiu, who hadn't been seen in some time.

The old man and the young woman had somehow ended up together.

Luh Yao continued to watch.

A dialog box appeared above Lie Yu's head: "You're still injured! It's dangerous to stay here; there are more and more monsters. Don't go any deeper. I'll see you to a boat."

Yan Jiu said, "Life and death are both part of one's training. Thank you for your kindness and for healing me. You should go. This place has become a gathering ground for monsters."

Lie Yu didn't understand. "Why must you fight the monsters here?"

"When facing Extraordinary Creatures, humanity cannot forever hide under the care and protection of a God. As a servant and follower of Yao God, I will be the one to take that first step."

"..."

Lie Yu turned and walked away.

Luh Yao noticed she was only hiding a safe distance away, seemingly still worried.

A Ghost symbol hovered over Yan Jiu's head, indicating he was on the verge of death.

The old man walked silently deeper inland. Not far ahead lay the territory of the Fighting Shovel Armor.

Spotting the intruder, a sturdy Lv. 10 Shovel Armor came charging over.

Yan Jiu had already reached Lv. 15, placing him at the very peak of the Yao Race. But he wasn't a combat type; his attack was only 2, while his Defense was a high 7.

The old man engaged the Shovel Armor in a head-on brawl, and the status [In Combat] appeared.

Luh Yao switched to the combat screen.

Facing the Shovel Armor's pincers, Yan Jiu grabbed both sides with his bare hands, and the two began to wrestle.

Contrary to what Luh Yao expected, Elder Yan Jiu's fighting style was brutish and hardcore. With no flashy moves, he met the strength-oriented beetle head-on, using takedowns and punches.

While the Shovel Armor's attacks couldn't break through Yan Jiu's Defense, Yan Jiu's attacks were equally ineffective. Only the occasional lucky critical hit would force a loss of 1 Life Value for each of them.

The confrontation devolved into a stalemate, a pure contest of will and ferocity.

Man and beetle refused to yield. Tempers flared as they continuously wore down each other's stamina and Life Value.

In the end, after losing more than half his Life Value, Yan Jiu managed to beat the Fighting Shovel Armor to death with his bare fists.

The old man panted, a Weakness icon appearing above his head.

But a new enemy had already approached, unheard and unseen.

A white Mad Flame Bird descended from the sky. It flapped its wings, igniting the grass and trapping the old man and the Shovel Armor's corpse within a ring of fire.

The fire spread across the grassland, sending a panicked Lie Yu scrambling for safety atop a pile of rocks.

The Lv. 16 Mad Flame Bird circled in the air, watching as the fire slowly consumed the human and the beetle's corpse on the ground.

Yan Jiu seemed exhausted. He sat motionless beside the Shovel Armor's corpse, refusing to move even as the flames engulfed him.

Seeing this, the Mad Flame Bird finally drifted down and began to peck at the beetle's corpse.

The moment it landed, the status [In Combat] immediately appeared over its head.

In the combat view, the Mad Flame Bird's wing was seized by the flame-wreathed Yan Jiu. The two of them wrestled on the ground, becoming a rolling ball of fire.

The Life Value of both combatants dropped steadily.

-2

-1

-3

-1

...

A frantic stream of damage numbers flashed above the heads of both Yan Jiu and the Mad Flame Bird.

This deathmatch was even more brutal than the last.

By the time the Mad Flame Bird died, Yan Jiu's Life Value was already below 30. It continued to drop from the burns, and his combat stats were halved due to the [Weakness] status.

Smoke rose from the old man's body as he struggled to his feet. "This is my kill."

Lie Yu ran over to tend to his wounds.

"Don't."

A dialog box appeared over Yan Jiu's head. "Please, go back and tell everyone... that human potential is in no way inferior to theirs. Do not be idle. Train diligently..."

In the distance, more Mad Flame Birds were rushing toward them.

An exclamation mark lit up above Lie Yu's head, followed by a Fear icon.

"We're done for! There's no escape! These damn arsonists! I haven't even collected my beehives yet... My Honey Wine isn't even finished brewing..."

A sea of fire surged in from all sides, about to swallow the two of them whole.

Luh Yao clicked his mouse.

The Miracle, Rainfall, descended, instantly extinguishing all the flames.

At the same time, Isabel appeared, riding her Magic Staff. The Holy Sword materialized in her hand as she glared at the flock of birds. "Stand down."

The moment the Apostle appeared, the flock scattered and fled without a second thought.

Once her task was complete, Isabel departed as quietly as she had arrived.

A big smiley face appeared above Lie Yu's head. "We're saved!"

"It's Miss Isabelle! I can't believe I saw an Apostle descend with my own eyes! You are truly blessed by the God, sir."

Yan Jiu, however, knelt and pressed his forehead to the ground. "Lord Yao God, thank you for your mercy and compassion... for allowing me to comprehend the Holy Mark in the final moments of my life..."

'You're welcome,' Luh Yao thought.

Fortune is the reward for the brave.

A new notification popped up in the simulator.

—Great God, one of your Believers has performed a feat that far surpasses his peers. Do you wish to transform him into a Hero?

[Yes] [No]

A faint light glowed around Elder Yan Jiu.

This time, Luh Yao readily clicked [Yes].

After Elder Yan Jiu became a Hero, the Ghost symbol above his head vanished without a trace, and the [Weakness] status was also removed.

The man seemed to have grown younger!

Yan Jiu prayed silently, "God above, I swear to spend the rest of my life continuing my journey of cultivation, never retreating or stopping. I will use my fists and my Holy Mark to challenge every Extraordinary Monster in this world, to spread Your Faith and glory, and to prove the path of humanity."

Luh Yao frowned. 'Something's off about Yan Jiu.'

'He used to be a down-to-earth, scholar-type Ascetic, focused on pilgrimage and enlightenment. How did he turn into a bare-knuckle Cultivator?'