Drinking Hot Water Is a Hometown Tradition, Faith in the Six Great Gods

Squelch!

Tang Zheng thrust the tip of his sword in and gave it a light twist, snuffing out the wild boar's last breath.

Blood welled from the Toughness wound, but it did not spurt out. That was why Lerr had reminded him to stab that spot.

"Gained 15 experience points!"

A notification flashed across the Attribute Panel.

[Ability Table]

Talent: [Player]

Overall Level: 2 Lv

Experience Bar: 95/100

Class:

Basic Class: Genius 1 LV (Warrior, Priestess/Priest)

Intermediate Class: Sword Saint 1 Lv

Skill Points: 0

Passive Skills: Item Box, Slash Enhancement (1%)

Active Skills:

Warrior—Instant Reflection, Fourfold Slash of Light, Quick Slash

Magic—Minor Wound Healing (Tier One)

Tang Zheng swept his gaze over the Attribute Panel, which only he could see. He needed just five more experience points to level up, much faster than he had expected.

He had only killed a few beasts.

Still, it made sense. His level was simply too low. As his level continued to rise, leveling up would probably become increasingly difficult.

"Hmph." The satisfied look that had been on Grandma Lizzie's face vanished.

She had originally thought Tang Zheng had taken her words to heart, but now it seemed he had not taken them seriously at all!

Tang Zheng pretended he had not heard her.

In this other world, humans who reached level 29 stepped into the Heroic Realm and were already counted among the top experts of the human nations.

However!

Even with greater talent and relentless effort, the human race could only reach a limit of around level 40—the level known as the "Awakened."

This was no longer a question of talent or effort, but the limit of the race itself!

Even among humans, the four "Elder-leaning" individuals had more or less begun to "stop being human." Only then had they achieved such accomplishments.

And a level of around 40 was merely the beginning for Tang Zheng!

This also meant that!

When he became enemies with the "Great Tomb of Nazarick" in the future, no human would be able to become his companion.

When Tang Zheng first crossed over to the Royal City, he had agonized over whether to take a magic Class or a Warrior Class first, rather than focusing on one Class series. This was partly why.

Without companions, someone who focused solely on magic or solely on being a Warrior would easily become a target of the people from the Great Tomb.

"You're much more skilled than when you started."

"But I'll still remind you: Monsters are different from ordinary beasts."

Seeing Tang Zheng's clean and efficient movements, Lerr grinned. He picked up the lifeless wild boar again and quickly began processing it.

"There has to be a familiarization process." Tang Zheng smiled faintly, picked up the porcelain jar he had borrowed from Nfirea, and poured all the water from the waterskin into it.

Then.

He placed the porcelain jar on the rack over the campfire.

The porcelain jar had originally been used to store herbs. It had been sitting idle for the time being, so Tang Zheng had asked for it and turned it into a kettle.

"You seem to really like drinking hot water." Nfirea watched Tang Zheng's movements. Remembering how the other man had boiled clear river water in the jar and drunk it for several days in a row, he could not help asking curiously.

"Oh, I wouldn't say I love it."

Facing Nfirea's curious question, Tang Zheng sat down cross-legged again and answered with a smile, "It's actually a tradition from my hometown."

Nfirea looked enlightened and did not press further.

In this world, different places had all kinds of differing beliefs and customs. It was best to avoid probing into someone else's customs and faith.

At present.

The mainstream faith of the various nations was the Six Great Gods.

The humans of this world truly did need to thank the first Players who descended here.

Judging by the plot shown in the anime and the light novel, nearly everything happened within the lands where humans lived.

The human territories seemed fairly large, but in truth, this continent was enormous. Humans had merely huddled in its northwestern corner.

The central region of the continent, meanwhile, was occupied by Demi-humans and the Heteromorphic Race. There, humans were nothing more than slaves, or even food.

In the other world, whether Demi-humans or the Heteromorphic Race, both far surpassed humans—the short-lived race with limited potential—in lifespan and level cap.

In theory!

With a weak race like humanity, they should have gone extinct long ago as time passed. There was no reason they could have occupied the northwestern corner of the continent, let alone survived there.

And in reality, that was indeed what had happened. Six hundred years ago, humanity had already been on the verge of extinction.

But at that moment, the first Players, known as the Six Great Gods, descended!

With their overwhelming and invincible strength, the Six Great Gods rescued humanity and moved them to the northwestern corner of the continent, where they could survive.

That was why the mainstream faith of the human nations was the Six Great Gods.

Unfortunately!

Of the Six Great Gods, all but the one known as the God of Death were human. Their lifespans were short, and they died one after another over the course of a century.

The only survivor, the God of Death, was killed five hundred years ago during a battle between him and the Eight Greed Kings, after their descent.

Compared with the Six Great Gods.

The "Eight Greed Kings" were more like Players. Their title alone revealed how they had ravaged the entire continent.

According to records left by the various races, although most of the Eight Greed Kings were Demi-humans—and some were even of the Heteromorphic Race—they had, surprisingly, been rather fond of humans.

As a result, even now!

An existence with the "Wicked" nature of the "Eight Greed Kings" had surprisingly left behind few legends about their evil in human society.

"The Six Great Gods descended six hundred years ago, the Eight Greed Kings five hundred years ago, and two hundred years ago, a large number of Demon Gods appeared and the Thirteen Heroes emerged. There's also the Player whose information is unknown and who may have descended onto the Central Continent."

"Then there's the future descent of the 'Great Tomb of Nazarick.'"

Several thoughts flashed through Tang Zheng's mind.

Almost every hundred years, Players descended into this other world.

Based on this information, the True Dragon Lords probably knew that a Player would soon descend into this world as well.

"Unlike the suddenness of the previous times, when the available information was limited."

"This time, the True Dragon Lords should already be prepared. However, compared with the 'Six Great Gods,' the 'Eight Greed Kings,' and the sole Player among the Thirteen Heroes."

"The overall strength of the 'Great Tomb of Nazarick' far surpasses that of the previous three batches of Players."

Tang Zheng fell into thought, and a notion surfaced in his mind.

"If I can make the True Dragon Lords fight the Great Tomb ahead of time, perhaps I can profit as the third party."

Even if the True Dragon Lords ultimately lost, it would only benefit Tang Zheng, never harm him. He could also take the opportunity to deplete the Great Tomb's reserves and most of its strength.