"Master, wait!" Moshi cawed loudly, forcing Cyrus's reaching hand to still. They took flight, intentionally or unintentionally blocking his view. "With the authority Moshi has been entrusted with, Moshi has finished the preparations for Master's descent. Before Master welcomes Master's first companion Hero, Moshi wishes for Master to handle the mortal shell Master would be using first."

  Cyrus's eyelid twitched a bit. He would be lying if he said the mascot's manner of speech didn't bother him at all. He wasn't a big fan of people who spoke in third-person. Were they allergic to the alphabet I and U, or something?

  "All right," he said calmly, trying not to let it show. Mortal shell. It was most likely the character creation.

  In a blink, a simple oval mirror rimmed with pale jade materialized before him. Cyrus's eyes widened at his reflection, or lack thereof. On the mirror's surface, where his head should have been, was a black hole: a pitch-black core pulsing, sucking, and swirling in an anticlockwise direction with a vibrant blue-pink acceleration disk also stirring in an anticlockwise direction around the core. Ripples emerged on the strokes of the disk as he inhaled and exhaled, the lines splitting only to intertwine among themselves yet again.

  It was the true face of a god.

  Well, that's cool, Cyrus thought as he observed the black hole from different angles. The space around his 'head' seemed to be distorted, translucent lines warping as a force strummed at the strings attached to any and all existences that came too close. Bringing his hand up to his face, he felt the force shifting as it concentrated on pulling his fingers into his head.

  Now that's what you call irresistible. Cyrus snickered at himself. While the force was pretty strong, it was entirely harmless as he could command it to weaken and even stop it entirely.

  "Great God Father wishes to grace the mortal world with his Divine, but the lowly and unfortunate mortals cannot appreciate God Father's Vastness. Nor could they even witness His Trueness," Moshi began, admiration drooling from their beak. "For that, Master will have to be wronged. Moshi has prepared an appropriate vessel from the Godhead entrusted to Moshi. Would Master like Moshi to mold the vessel into shape now?"

  "Sure," Cyrus readily agreed, letting most of the Archon's mumbo-jumbos in one ear and out of the other as he focused only on what mattered. "But what's more important than the body is the point of descent. What are my options?" he asked.

  "Moshi's sincere apologies, Master. Regretfully, Master has not many choices on that matter. There is but one place that has been proven to be suitable for Master's descent—Verdant Promise Isle."

  Cyrus pressed his lips flat, his nose scrunching up. So, the player wasn't given a choice about the starter map in Hell difficulty. That was a total disappointment, especially since he knew from other beta testers' gossip that in Freedom mode, the player had complete freedom with where they began on the map.

  "Fine, then. Just make me look like the locals. Make sure I don't stand out—either in a good or bad way. 'Good'-looking, but not good-looking if you know what I mean," Cyrus spat. His real face was an example.

  Worrying that Moshi might not get him, he added, "Maybe I should go with the distant-but-competent character archetype. I'm pretty laid-back if I say so myself. Plus, I don't want NP—I mean, mortals to be annoyed by my mere existence, but I don't want them constantly bothering me with pointless tasks either. So, try to do a face that gives off that kind of vibe." He asked with a brisk nod.

  This was another aspect of the game that made no two playthroughs identical: the mortal character. As far as Cyrus knew, even if the player gave the exact same prompt, Moshi would still create slightly different character appearances and finesses.

  As for their character's backstory, the player had complete freedom with the script. They could have their skills and appearance to work in their favor. Rolling a swimming ability would make it make sense for a diver backstory for their mortal avatar, for example. Or they could also go with something else entirely if they liked. The game's 'do whatever you want' attitude was what had him looking forward to playing through it the most after he was recruited by Etercon.

  "Moshi hears Master's words! What skin, eyes, and hair color would Master like?"

  "Keep the same skin tone and hair color as most people at the descending point. Make it so that I can pass as a native," he replied. It was best to trigger a sense of familiarity to lower their guard against a stranger. "As for eyes, let's go with purple. It's my lucky color."

  Something visual that should instantly inform the mortals that he was different. Special. Well, unless purple eyes were the norm in the game.

  "Moshi hears! Moshi shaped! Moshi hopes Master is pleased with the mortal's face!"

  At the Archon's declaration, the black hole for his head slowly dissolved, dripping down like melted charcoal ice cream sprinkled with purple sparkles to reveal a face that surprisingly resembled his actual one, just less roughened-up from all the cheap noodle cups and 'aged' instant coffee. Of course, there was the Xianxia-styled long, free-flowing dark hair and unreal lavender eyes, too.

  Did they use the player's data in character creation? That could explain the uniqueness.

  "Good job," Cyrus gave a thoughtless praise.

  "Moshi is eternally proud to hear that! Allow Moshi to show Master the rest of what Moshi has prepared." The crow-shaped guide landed and hopped forward, waddling side-to-side like a penguin between its three legs. They plucked one of their numbered golden feathers and presented it with all six of their curious eyes glittering in pride.

  "Directly using Master's divine power in the mortal world will alert the World Will, even if Master's presence is concealed, and Master will be ejected from Hollow Rift. World Will doesn't approve of Master's Coming, and it rejects all direct uses of divine power. This violent rejection could even terribly harm Master's unprotected soul! And the Second Coming would become more challenging since the Will would be more guarded."

  So, that's the reason Sumiya's World Will got all grumpy. But why though? If a powerful god wanted to save the world, why not let them? On another note, he was intrigued to hear about a Second Coming, which he assumed meant the second time he would go down into the mortal world. Was it a respawn?

  Cyrus gave a brisk nod toward Moshi, urging them to continue. He had questions, but he needed information first. This World Will, whatever it was, seemed to be something he had to watch out for.

  "So, God Father has designed a System to work around World Will, and Moshi has fully incorporated the System into Moshi's being with no flaw!" The Archon cawed, pausing for a moment as they watched Cyrus with a quiet glint in their eyes.

  I don't remember designing anything, but sure. He nodded, waiting for Moshi to carry on. But when the Archon still didn't after a minute had passed, he finally realized the meaning of the now quieter glint in the three sets of crimson eyes.

  "Well done," he said, rubbing a finger against the crow's chin.

  "Anything for Master!" the crow cooed. "Master's godhood will be fully sealed to not accidentally rouse Hollow Rift's World Will. Through this feather, Moshi and Master's mortal self will be connected. Moshi will be the catalyst of the mortal cultivation technique that will help Master ascend normally without being detected by the World Will. Once enough Divinity has been accumulated, Master's mortal self will then ascend as a lesser god. As an ascended mortal, Master can bypass the World Will entirely!"

  So, he had to start from scratch. Cyrus hummed in thought, but Moshi took that as him prompting them to continue.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Moshi will guard Master's Divine Empire, where Master's godhood has been sealed?—"

  "All right, all right." Cyrus tapped the top of the crow's head thrice as if he were spamming a call bell. "Let's take a little breather first."

  That's a lot to unpack already. Also, I swear if you say Moshi one more time… Cyrus couldn't wrap his head around how they spoke so fast with such a small beak.

  He gave a firm, meaningful stroke on their head. "Moshi," he called. "I've been slumbering away for such a long time. I don't remember trivial matters like that anymore. Do you understand?" he said, quickly adopting his character for what it was worth.

  Moshi's six eyes all focused on Cyrus as they really looked at his face for longer than he personally felt they needed to. "...Moshi understands. Master is a bit...unsettled. Please allow Moshi to re-attempt. Is Master in the mood for a leisure stroll?"

  Cyrus sensed something off with the crow's reply, but he decided the matter at hand, one that related to his progression, was more important for now. "A stroll? Sure, I guess."

  "Let Moshi and Master go greet the blessed mortal from Lonan. While the lone mount may be lacking, it's quaint and shall make a good place for a quick conversation."

  [ Destination: Lonan (Endeavor Peak) ]

  Together with a screen, steam rose from the floor. The white mist swirled up from Cyrus's feet, slithering up his legs before it fully engulfed him. The world remained the purest of white even after the mist dispersed. Snowflakes fell like the sky itself had come crashing down in pieces to lie at rest on the ground. Their landing went unheard, swallowed by the howling wind.

  Amidst the heavy snowstorm, the only colors the world knew were those of a seemingly normal young man and a totally normal crow perched on top of his shoulder. The young man left no footprints behind as he walked up the icy slope. No traces left behind for the snow to bury. No mist of breath escaped him either, nor did he shiver from the cold. Even the wind couldn't persuade his flowing hair to sway to its choreography.

  He looked more alive than the snow-choked mountain itself, but there was no proof of his existence.

  "So," Cyrus started, glancing up at how the snow slid off above his head as if he had an invisible shield up. Maybe he did have one. "The World Will is the guardian of the mortal world?" he guessed.

  "Master’s words are utterly faultless. World Will is the will of the world to persevere. Thus, it rejects anything that may harm mortals. Indirect divine interferences are permitted so long as they're in good light."

  So, it was kind of the immune system that would administer the world and get rid of anything harmful to the natives. He should have asked the cloud beast about the exact rules and punishments of a World Will, formatted into a spreadsheet if possible.

  "You just said the World Will will kick me out if I use divine power in the mortal world. So, what do you mean, divine interferences are permitted? What's the difference?" Cyrus asked.

  "Divine interference is when a god interferes in the mortal world as a Divine, either directly or through a medium in the mortal world. It is more than just simply using divine power; it involves intent, status, and subjection to karma. The most common medium of indirect divine interferences is an Apostle. Like Master's Heroes, for example."

  Cyrus nodded and turned to the sets of eyes hidden in the cloak of the snowstorm. He couldn't see them in a literal sense, but he was somehow aware of what they were. Beasts. Dozens of them. They were hiding, yes, but they seemingly couldn't peel their eyes off of him either.

  He flicked his fingers, and instantly, the world stilled—every flake of snow hanging and every gust of wind dead. Finally, he could clearly see the beasts. White wolves. Well, he called them wolves because they had four legs, two pointed ears, and at least a tail, but they were wolves the way rabbits could be mistaken as hares. Their spines jutted out of their back and their open maws were nothing like wolves. They reminded him of that of a caiman instead.

  The pack further lowered their heads, almost as if they were bowing.

  Cyrus nodded back as he willed for the world to continue, and the world obliged, the snow curtain lowering once again to give the wolves their privacy back.

  "Intelligent things, aren't they?" Moshi claimed, nestling into Cyrus's neck. "It's rare for unthinking minds to recognize a greater being when they see one. Even thinking beings often fail to see Mount Tai before them."

  "I guess." Cyrus agreed half-heartedly. "More importantly, I just used divine power, no? That's direct divine interference, right? Why am I still fine then?" he asked. "Are the rules different for the World Wills?"

  "Master used divine power, yes, but it is not divine interference, as both the intent and status are insufficient. Master currently only has a sliver of Master’s godhood remaining, which will be sealed before Master comes into contact with Hollow Rift's World Will,” The crow explained. “The reason Master is unaffected is that Lonan is young. At only a couple of billion mortal years, the world has yet to gain a will. Well, it does have one in its infancy. The Will to survive, but its Rules have yet to form. Sumiya and Hollow Rift, on the other hand, are both mature worlds."

  "Okay...I get that. But do I really have to seal my godhood? How about I just not use any divine power? I can control myself as I did in Sumiya just now. The cloud beast was cool with it," Cyrus fought back.

  Most likely, this was just the game mechanics that wanted him to start from Level 1. Sue him for not wanting to do that when he already had a max-level god character.

  "Master... Sumiya's World Will welcomed Master's projection as a last-ditch effort."

  Cyrus shrugged at the crow's coaxing. "I mean, if it's A-Okay to dump some superpower Heroes from otherworld into Hollow Rift because I intend to use their free labo—I mean, strength to save the world! Then why can't I go down to do the same? Directly, indirectly, sneakily, all of it uses the same divine power. Can't I convince the Will that I mean no harm? Like I'm not showing up in my true black hole for a head form. If I remain a god, with just a tiny bit of god power and use it very sparingly, I suppose I can help them out faster and easier, no?"

  "Master, Moshi truly understands that being a mortal is utterly unpleasant," Moshi reassured him, their voice the heaviest he'd heard so far. "But if Master wishes to descend, Master must seal away all of Master's Godhood. Allows Moshi to clarify this: the problem is not using divine power in any shape or form. To better understand the actual reason for the World Will's rejection... Master, please take another step forward and find out!"

  Cyrus immediately paused in his tracks. He looked forward and found a small crouching shadow in the distance. A house in the middle of nowhere. His lips pursed in thought. He did want to find out, but something about the way Moshi said it made him stop.

  "Back in Sumiya, the World Will paid the price to safely host Master’s consciousness. Now, there’s no such precaution," Moshi said as they swept their wing.

  The snow was whipped aside to their whim, and through the walls of the house hundred or so meters away, Cyrus saw a young man meditating. Contrary to the peaceful act, a frown twisted his features.

  "Take a step, Master," Moshi urged. "Doing so will show Master why godhood must be sealed before touching the mortal land."

  "Uh," Cyrus hesitated. This was the first decision of the game. A branching choice that might or might not matter later, maybe. He took in the figure of the young man.

  The mortal had the appearance of a typical cultivator out in the wild to attain some enlightenment. Inside his chest, between his ribcages, was a tiny, tiny spark of light. One Cyrus immediately recognized. It was the mortal he blessed. All the sparks on the mountains looked identical to the naked eye, but they were individual, their light unique and their own. Not to mention the white light of the young man burned violet—His color.

  Cyrus didn't have to try to notice something dark seeping out of Moshi's voice. Not malefic. But uncaring to a degree that might as well be.

  "How about...we don't." Cyrus decided. "Why don't you just tell me what will happen, yeah?"

  A long second passed before Moshi cawed. "Master is right! Such an unsightly scene would be unbefitting of Master."

  Cyrus's brow twitched. Unsightly? Why unsightly?

  "With another step, the mortal will notice Master's presence, and he will come running without a doubt. Moshi's eyes see through his Soul. His spirit is weak. Once he's in Master's attendance, his mind and heart will become twisted. Predictably, the mortal will commit all sorts of sins, whether physical, verbal, or mental sins, and the sins will result in the birth of an Insanity!"

  Well, aren't I glad? Cyrus inhaled, the warm wind feeling just a bit colder on his nose. He certainly wasn't in the mood to witness the birth of an Insanity, whatever kind of monster that was. He doubted the progress would be pretty.

  Just because he was desensitized didn't mean he liked to or would choose to witness violent scenes. The two previews were enough to make a point about the game's brutality. He didn't need more demonstration in such a short time.

  "The reason Master cannot go down as a god is precisely because of this: mortals are weak! Once they come into contact with Divine, disaster is promised upon themselves! Thus, the World Will's stand." Moshi cawed as if declaring the universal truth. They shook their little head as if ashamed on behalf of the mortals. For a crow who wouldn't mind getting a random mortal killed to demonstrate a point, they almost seemed sincere.

  "Right," Cyrus echoed. "Point taken. I guess."

  Maybe he would be more thoroughly convinced if he took the step. Maybe he was missing out on something by choosing not to do it. And while he was curious what an Insanity was, Cyrus decided to spare himself from cosmic horror and gore. Another time.

  He sneaked a final glance at the young Lonan man. The frown on the mortal's face had dug deeper into his brows as if he wasn't quite satisfied with something as the white light turned and rolled the violet flame fueling him. He had the look of someone who found a massive rock that he was convinced had a priceless gem inside, but couldn't quite crack it.

  Maybe if it had been another player in Cyrus's place, the young man would see exactly what he was trying to discern—even if it ended up being the last thing he knew.

  "Let Moshi and Master return now!" Moshi summoned the mist once again. "To become mortal is to be claimed by time, and already time is running out."