I Have a God Simulator

Luh Yao checked Yan Jiu's latest [History] and found the reason.

...

At 69, he completed his sixth pilgrimage.

At 76, after witnessing Ascetics being hunted and killed by Cannibal Crabs and Blazing Chickens, he comprehended [Heavy Strike].

At 77, he completed his seventh pilgrimage.

At 78, he began to challenge Extraordinary Creatures.

At 79, on the verge of death, he evolved [Martyr] into [Holy Mark].

...

Yan Jiu's worldview and goals shifted when he saw Ascetics being treated as prey by Extraordinary Creatures.

If they couldn't protect themselves, they couldn't go on pilgrimages or spread the God's blessings.

So even at nearly eighty years old, Yan Jiu decisively changed his path, beginning to explore the possibility of being a Combat Cultivator.

Lie Yu treated the old man's wounds. After she finished bandaging them, his entire body was wrapped in linen, making him look like a skinny Mummy.

An ordinary person would not have survived such injuries. But Yan Jiu was a rare superhuman. After being transformed into a Hero, his Life Value was fully restored, and his level rose to LV16.

The only downside was that the scars covering his body from the fire's burns seemed permanent.

Luh Yao clicked on Yan Jiu.

In the character portrait, the old man was covered in bandages and wrestling with a massive Fighting Shovel Armor, his arms firmly gripping the monster's two mandibles.

A single line was written below it.

—Human potential is no less than theirs.

Among Yan Jiu's abilities, besides [Evasion] and [Heavy Strike], [Martyr] had been replaced by [Holy Mark].

...

[Holy Mark]: A Martyr transcends through pain and death to understand how to further spread the God's blessings, gaining a chance to ignite the Fire of Faith in Extraordinary Creatures.

...

Under extreme pain and near-death conditions, [Martyr] could evolve into [Holy Mark].

However, Luh Yao was still unsure of the effect of igniting the Fire of Faith in Extraordinary Creatures.

He locked his perspective onto Yan Jiu.

After his rebirth, the old man became more prudent, traveling along the coast of the Eastern Continent. The beaches here were frequented by Cannibal Crabs, while the land was roamed by Fighting Shovel Armor and Blazing Chickens, which paradoxically made it a common area where the three groups were more restrained.

Lie Yu followed behind him.

"Can you teach me? I want to be able to fight against Extraordinary Life, too. If only I had your incredible strength."

"Do you have an enemy?" Yan Jiu asked.

"Yes. There's a bad guy over at Elf Lake. He steals everyone's treasure chests. He's horrible! I want to teach him a good lesson!"

"..."

A question mark appeared over Yan Jiu's head. "Child, that's not what Extraordinary Power is for."

"But it is! He steals everyone's things, and nobody can do anything about him. Everyone says that a phantom thief can't be caught, but if you're not even willing to try, then nothing will ever change."

Lie Yu insisted, "Bad guys who steal things should be caught and locked up."

The old man was silent for a moment.

"Well said. Some things need to be done, and someone must do them."

"Unfortunately, I can't teach you. I'm still fumbling in the dark myself."

The Ascetic spoke frankly to the young woman, "If you want to find a path, then go to the [Divinity School] in Yao City. Study there first and become a Scholar."

"If you can comprehend [Theology], then you won't need anyone to teach you. Through pilgrimage, you will gradually come to understand everything."

Lie Yu replied, "I took the apprentice exam for three years and never passed."

A big smiley face popped up over her head. "The Scholars said I'm not cut out to be a Scholar. I can't sit still, and I get sleepy the moment I look at a book. They recommended I stick to my family profession and remain a Hunter."

"..."

A sweat-dropping emoji appeared over Yan Jiu's head.

"Do you like honey? My father was a rare beekeeper when he was alive. He would travel everywhere to collect honey. I've been brewing Honey Wine, too, but the taste is always a little off."

"I brought Honey Wine, honey cakes, and beeswax. Want to try some?"

The old man fell completely silent and just focused on walking.

Lie Yu, beside him, didn't find it boring at all. She could talk to herself just fine.

"I heard Ascetics don't drink alcohol and don't eat much. They say you only eat one clove of garlic a day. Is that true?"

"Ah! Your garlic is gone! It must have been burned off in the last fight. Before the next battle, please remember to take off your garlic necklace! It's such a shame to let food be destroyed like that. Wasting food is a sin..."

"..."

"But it's okay, I have lots of garlic in my bag!"

Lie Yu made a new garlic necklace for the old man. Yan Jiu didn't refuse and put it around his neck.

"Also, I'm out of fresh cotton and linen in my bag, so it might be a while. If you pour alcohol on the wounds, they're less likely to get infected, you know."

"Oh, right. Since you have Extraordinary Power, your wounds probably don't get infected, do they?"

"..."

"Why do Ascetics shave their heads and go shirtless?"

"Is it for convenience, or to temper yourselves? It's strange, isn't it? If you don't wear a shirt, people think you're an Ascetic. But if you don't wear pants or a skirt, people probably just think you're a pervert."

"The difference between a pervert and an Ascetic is just a shirt versus pants..."

"..."

The emojis above Yan Jiu's head kept changing—one moment angry, the next sweating, then a question mark, then a sigh.

Just watching this on the simulator made Luh Yao's scalp tingle.

Lie Yu chattered on and on as they walked, her spirits high.

But soon, Yan Jiu was saved.

A new battle had begun.

The old man locked eyes with another Fighting Shovel Armor and began to wrestle.

Unlike the fights before, this one was more of a spar. They wrestled for a while, seemed to acknowledge each other, and then mutually backed away in a silent understanding.

Then, Yan Jiu continued on his way, challenging one Fighting Shovel Armor after another.

The lowest among them was LV12, and the highest even reached LV17.

After his life-and-death battle, Yan Jiu was now more focused on honing himself, in a manner akin to making friends through martial arts.

When he entered a state of combat, Lie Yu wouldn't dare to speak, hiding nervously off to the side to watch. Only after it ended would she run out to check and treat the old man's wounds.

After his duel with the eighth Fighting Shovel Armor, something new happened.

That LV12 Fighting Shovel Armor actually started following Yan Jiu.

The old man patted the beetle's carapace. "Since you have ignited the Fire of Faith and believe in Lord Yao God, then join me in ascetic training and challenging our limits."

Although the Fighting Shovel Armor couldn't speak, it continued to follow Yan Jiu.

With Yan Jiu's permission, it even allowed the exhausted Lie Yu to sit on its back, carrying her along the way.

Luh Yao now completely understood.

Yan Jiu, now possessing [Holy Mark], was spreading Faith by sparring with Extraordinary Life, while also constantly challenging his own human limits.

The founder of the Ascetic Order was forging a new path of extraordinary power for the pixel people.

...

Luh Yao pulled his perspective higher.

Coincidentally, more of the little people were rushing to the Eastern Continent from all over.

Unlike Yan Jiu's hardcore training methods, most of them adopted a more roundabout approach.

They brought fruits and vegetables—including potatoes, soybeans, berries, and grapes—and fed them to the Fighting Shovel Armor.

In return, the Fighting Shovel Armor clan allowed humans to move about in their territory. And under the protection of the Fighting Shovel Armor, the little people no longer had to fear the Blazing Chickens.

Of course, the pixel people's goal wasn't just to build good relations.

Their target was the young Fighting Shovel Armor.

Many people wanted to follow their previous experience in raising Off-Road Rabbits, Musk Ladybugs, and Split Worms, hoping to introduce this powerful species by raising them from a young age to serve humanity.

However, the process was not smooth.

The Fighting Shovel Armor were as casual about raising their young as other Extraordinary Creatures. As soon as the larvae hatched from their pupae, they were left to fend for themselves.

This was when humans could lure the larvae away with food.

But because the Fighting Shovel Armor were inherently aggressive and ill-tempered—not a docile species—and had large appetites, there was a problem. After being brought back to Yan City and Yao City, these larvae proved difficult to truly tame. If one wasn't careful, they would even injure people and livestock.

So, Yao City and Yan City soon banned the private raising of Fighting Shovel Armor.

Luh Yao thought this was normal.

The pixel people were still in the early stages of contact with the extraordinary. They were a long way from mastering domestication. You have to learn to walk before you can run.

'Even I, their God, am still slowly running trials and gradually introducing new species.'

'It's both to increase the biodiversity of this Fragment World and to make preliminary attempts at jump-starting a civilization for the Forest Elemental Creatures.'

Just then, Philos suddenly reported some intelligence.

"Lord God, an Unknown Divine Statue has appeared in Creation Valley."

Luh Yao shifted his perspective.

'A new player, the first in a long time, has actually landed right in my testing grounds.'

'Their luck is pretty good.'