Divine Skill [Fake Death]

Qin Shang let out an "Oh."

He thought to himself, No wonder I haven't heard about any world records in sports being broken frequently over the past decade.

I thought the stat boosts from leveling up would turn people into superheroes who wear their underwear outside their pants...

Just then, the Red-robed Cult Master seemed to read Qin Shang's thoughts and chuckled softly.

"You're probably still thinking like a normal person and haven't adapted to your identity as a Path of the Gods player!"

"The player base of the Path of the Gods are all superpowered individuals; you can't measure them by ordinary standards."

"You can think of it as urban supernatural abilities."

"Even if they get into a real conflict or have a dispute in reality, players with these abilities have absolutely no need to go and fight ordinary people hand-to-hand."

"So, the Path of the Gods doesn't need to grant ordinary players overly extraordinary powers in these aspects."

"After all, that would be like trying to hit a target with a long detour, attacking someone's strength with your own weakness."

"It's like a con artist; you have [Inheritance] and [Fake Death]. With just these two skills at levels one and two, if you really wanted to take down an ordinary person..."

"No, forget ordinary people; even world-class athletes would be like playing a game."

"Not to mention, a hypnotist's professional skills, [Dream Invasion] and [Hallucination], are practically impossible to defend against when used on ordinary people."

"With just one skill, they can make you fall asleep on the spot. Even if you had the terrifying combat power of someone like Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, after falling asleep, taking a couple of stabs would be pretty tough, right?"

Qin Shang was stunned for a long time after hearing this before sighing inwardly at how terrifying it was.

That's right, he was now a Path of the Gods player.

And the skills from the Path of the Gods could be brought out of the game entirely; this was the most terrifying aspect of the Path of the Gods.

Perhaps in terms of close combat, a high-level con artist couldn't defeat a well-trained SWAT officer.

The key was that they wielded all sorts of strange and bizarre skills. What good would superior close-combat ability do?

The Red-robed Cult Master was right; hypnotists were also terrifying!

The Little Loli, "Grandpa Niu Cosplays Maid to Seduce Zhuang Zhuang's Mom," was a hypnotist.

Back in the first carriage, even though she, as an NPC, absolutely couldn't lie, whether it was during the part where she incited everyone or when she introduced herself at the beginning.

This little girl didn't reveal the slightest slip-up.

The more pink she wears, the deadlier she kills!

It really didn't lie to me!

The Doctor, "Heart-to-Heart Sister," didn't die unjustly. Who told you to discover the truth that "the pinker the slippers, the deadlier the kill"?

The next moment, Qin Shang suddenly caught a key point from the Red-robed Cult Master's words.

"Oh, right, what is Fake Death? Is that also a con artist skill?"

His understanding of skills was still too superficial.

It was actually good to know more about the characteristics of skills.

As soon as he said this, the Red-robed Cult Master's tone instantly rose, with a hint of envy.

"The effect of Fake Death is similar to a rollback."

Rollback?

Death rollback?

Qin Shang was startled.

He suddenly remembered that among the items he received as a reward for clearing [Death Train], the 'Cursed Red Skirt' seemed to have a similar passive effect.

"There's a consensus among the Path of the Gods player base that it's very difficult to kill a con artist after they reach level two."

The Red-robed Cult Master clicked her tongue, her delicate lips parting.

"This is because the second skill for players with the con artist Character Card is called [Fake Death]."

"A level two con artist can fake their death once within twenty-four hours, which means a death rollback once. You should know what rollback means, right? It's like loading a save file when playing a game."

"But the prerequisite is death... as long as they are killed, this passive can be triggered!"

"After triggering Fake Death, a level two con artist can roll back to five minutes prior."

"If their level increases, this rollback time can be extended. For example, rolling back to half an hour ago, an hour ago, two hours ago, or even days or months ago is not impossible..."

After saying this, the Red-robed Cult Master, as expected, detected a trace of shock and uncertainty on Qin Shang's face.

The reason was simple: the skill [Fake Death] was also...

It was too damn overpowered!

Doesn't that mean that after level two, con artists are basically unkillable?

After all, they could just keep rolling back their deaths.

The Red-robed Cult Master's pretty face also showed a trace of envy.

"That's why I told you, although Path of the Gods players don't have much improvement in their physical abilities or basic physical qualities, perhaps in terms of physical prowess, even peak Path of the Gods players cannot contend with some top-tier athletes."

"But if you really wanted to kill them, you wouldn't even need to get into a physical confrontation."

"Once your level is high enough, you can just self-terminate on the spot. Use Fake Death to rollback a few minutes and, while they're caught off guard, hit them with a brick..."

The Red-robed Cult Master flashed a seductive smile.

"Or, if you were a high-level Con artist, and you really wanted to kill someone, it would be even simpler."

"I just said, as your level increases, the time you can Fake Death rollback becomes longer. For example, if you wanted to kill me, but you couldn't defeat me, what would you do?"

"Super simple. You'd just Fake Death back to when I was a child. While I was still a kid, you could just grab me and strangle me to death..."

Hiss!

This was incredible, truly unbelievable.

Qin Shang's eyes lit up.

Did that mean...

Did he have a chance to use Fake Death to rollback to the day before his wife went on her business trip, and go to Yanjing with her?

Did he have a chance to go back to the day his mother committed suicide by jumping off a building?

Thinking of this, a flush of fervor spread across Qin Shang's face.

This skill could truly make up for all of life's regrets!

"Of course, no one has ever done that yet. If you become a high-level Con artist in the future, I don't recommend you do it either."

Just then, the Red-robed Cult Master noticed the excitement in Qin Shang's eyes and added, pouring a bucket of cold water on his enthusiasm.

Qin Shang was stunned.

Then, he blurted out reflexively.

"Why!"

The Red-robed Cult Master let out a mocking laugh, giving him a meaningful look.

"Because once you Fake Death back, you won't be able to come back!"

Won't be able to come back!?

Qin Shang's eyes widened.

"Why?"

"According to your explanation, let's say I'm a high-level Con artist player. If I travel back a few years, complete what I want to do, and then commit suicide to activate the passive, can't I just Fake Death once?"

"Like in your example, I go back to when you were a child, I strangle you to death, and then commit suicide to trigger Fake Death..."

Before he could finish, the Red-robed Cult Master sneered.

"Fake Death is a rollback, not a full file read. Let's say you're 20 years old this year..."

"I'm 26!"

The Red-robed Cult Master slammed on the brakes, abruptly causing Qin Shang to lurch forward, nearly hitting his head on the windshield.

Seeing his disheveled state, the woman smiled with satisfaction. Seemingly annoyed that someone had interrupted her, she vented her displeasure slightly before continuing slowly.

"Then 26 years old."

"For you, the limit of Fake Death rollback is 26 years ago, which is the day you were born."

"And after returning to that day, if you try to use Fake Death to rollback again, you'll be surprised to find that you are not a Path of the Gods player."

"Because the you from 26 years ago did not have a Character Card."

"Moreover, after rolling back, you will become the you of that corresponding age. Meaning, the you from 26 years ago, a baby in swaddling clothes..."

Qin Shang's expression froze.

Damn it, what kind of skill was this!

So, the conditions allowed Fake Death to fulfill travel within one's lifetime.

But traveling to the past simply meant carrying memories; it didn't allow for changing all settings.

For example, if 16-year-old Qin Shang was a lonely boy carrying a small backpack to school, he would still be the same when he traveled back.

At that time, Qin Shang hadn't received his Character Card...

At best, he could tell his mother that in a few years, she might be brainwashed by a pyramid scheme, join it, and then jump to her death.

But at that time, his mother would likely slap him hard and tell him to get out of her room.

And the most unbearable part would be to experience all the events he couldn't change, like his father's disappearance, his mother's suicide, and his own dropping out of school and ending up in prison, all without any superpowers.

These events would almost become a closed loop, a foregone conclusion.

Even if he traveled back, he, without a Character Card, would still lack the ability to change much of reality.

"Understood?"

The next moment, the 'Red-robed Cult Master' smiled playfully.

"So, under normal circumstances, you can only go back to the day you became a Path of the Gods player."

"Besides, con artists generally don't rollback to the day they obtained their Character Card."

Qin Shang was stunned again.

"Let me tell you something unpleasant: the Path of the Gods' system calculations encompass those con artist players who attempt to use the [Fake Death] skill to return to the past."

"The Path of the Gods' system calculations transcend time!"

"In other words, if the dungeon number you entered on the day you obtained your Character Card, according to your memory, was 001, then the first dungeon you enter after traveling back in time to reobtain your Character Card will definitely not be number 001."

"The system will not allow a player to enter the same dungeon twice. And according to the system's algorithmic determination, if you have previously entered and cleared dungeon 001, then you will absolutely not enter dungeon 001 again."

"So, even if you're thinking of going back to change some regrets with the abilities you possess, I strongly advise you not to..."

"Because even if you go back, you won't be able to change much. More likely, when time progresses to the day you obtained your Character Card, you'll be matched with a high-difficulty dungeon you've never entered before, leading to your demise within it."

Hearing this, Qin Shang finally understood.

The [Fake Death] skill was indeed incredibly powerful.

As one's level increased, the timeline for rollback could be extended indefinitely, and the number of rollbacks within a day could also increase.

However, this was contingent on first becoming a player of the Path of the Gods.

Otherwise, rashly returning to the past would alter the future.

The Path of the Gods, this supernatural system that transcended reality, would rewrite the future.

The trajectory of many events would gradually become uncontrollable!

Moreover, even if one rolled back to the timeline after obtaining their Character Card, they wouldn't necessarily be safe.

Because the Path of the Gods was aware of this action, and the rule that players could not enter the same dungeon repeatedly ensured that the experience gained from memories would be completely useless for a con artist who returned to the past with their memories.

Seemingly heaven-defying, but actually impractical...

Qin Shang silently affixed a label to the [Fake Death] skill.

Perhaps in normal circumstances, it would only be used for short rollbacks of a few minutes or hours to avoid potential dangers that might occur afterward?