Thank the Gods for Their Gift

The information contained in those two sentences from the God of Gluttony was so overwhelming that Lin Baici was left dumbstruck.

"You're saying this cushion is the God's Taboo Object?"

Lin Baici walked over to the cushion and examined it carefully.

It looked utterly ordinary and inconspicuous. The incense burner carved with beast patterns, on the other hand, looked like a valuable antique.

That was why Lin Baici had misjudged it.

Perhaps the God of Gluttony found the question too stupid to answer.

Of course, ever since Lin Baici had heard that Mysterious Voice, it had never actively responded to him. It always spoke to itself, and most of what it said had to do with eating.

"That Divine Grace, Eidetic Memory—if I eat it, does that mean I'll remember anything I hear someone say just once, no matter how long it is?"

Lin Baici grew excited.

With that ability, his learning efficiency would soar.

[Report: A Nine Leak Fish has been discovered. My explanation was already so straightforward, yet it still needs me to say it again!]

"..."

Lin Baici's lips twitched. Was he being looked down on?

Gurgle!

Lin Baici's stomach began growling again. Ever since he had approached the yellowed cushion, his appetite had started boiling over, almost impossible to suppress.

It seemed to hold some peerless delicacy, tempting the glutton within him.

"H-how do I eat it?"

Lin Baici stuck out the tip of his tongue and licked his teeth.

He couldn't exactly bite into this cushion like it was a flatbread, could he?

A pair of slender, translucent arms, as though condensed from starlight, extended from Lin Baici's shoulders. They grabbed at the cushion from the air and tore out a fist-sized Light Orb.

The Light Orb resembled a Soap Bubble, dazzlingly colorful, with a pale golden Small Ball wrapped inside like a Little Sun.

"This is Divine Grace?"

The intense urge to eat made Lin Baici want to reach out, snatch the Soap Bubble, and stuff it into his mouth.

The feeling was like that of a refugee who had endured famine and hunger for most of his life suddenly seeing a feast fit for an emperor.

He desperately wanted to eat!

[Open your mouth!]

Lin Baici opened his mouth.

[Thank the Gods for Their Gift!]

After the God of Gluttony spoke, its two arms grabbed the Soap Bubble and shoved it into Lin Baici's mouth.

The moment the Soap Bubble entered his mouth, it burst. The pale golden Little Sun was warm and melted instantly, like a cup of Hot Milk flowing down his throat and into his stomach.

Lin Baici's body immediately heated up. At the same time, mysterious knowledge appeared in his mind, branded onto his neurons.

Even if he wanted to forget it, he couldn't. It was like an inborn talent.

Eidetic Memory acquired √!

A sense of fullness rose within him, leaving Lin Baici deeply satisfied.

"Perfect!"

Lin Baici snapped his fingers.

"Baici, what are you doing? We should get going."

Sima Mu called out from the courtyard.

"Oppa?"

Jin Yingzhen had returned from picking tea leaves. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!"

Lin Baici looked at the cushion and asked the God of Gluttony in his heart.

What should I do with this God's Taboo Object? Can I take it with me?

He had gained his first Divine Grace from it, so it held sentimental value and he wanted to keep it. He just didn't know whether it was still dangerous.

[Herbal Cushion. Sit on it while studying, and you can remain energetic, work hard for extended periods without fatigue, and gain Eidetic Memory.]

[Continued use can permanently improve memory and has an effect on treating Alzheimer's disease.]

Great.

Lin Baici set the Incense Burner aside and picked up the cushion.

It was not heavy, probably around three pounds.

"Oppa, are you taking it with you?"

Jin Yingzhen was worried. "Only after a God's Taboo Object undergoes a Black Coffin Seal will its danger be reduced!"

"What is a Black Coffin?"

Lin Baici asked.

"I don't know either. The manufacturing technology for Black Coffins is top-secret and controlled by the state!"

Jin Yingzhen explained, "Just remember that Black Coffins can prevent the Rule Pollution of God's Taboo Objects!]

"Mm!"

Lin Baici had even brought along the Pine Torch. Why would he fear a cushion that could only weave Dreams?

Worst case, he would drink another sip of tea!

"I didn't expect this cushion to be the God's Taboo Object!"

Jin Yingzhen wanted to touch it but did not quite dare. "It would be great if it had Divine Grace!"

If it were not a God's Taboo Object, Oppa definitely would not have taken it.

"What exactly is Divine Grace?"

Lin Baici's thirst for knowledge was burning.

"Thirty years ago, meteors fell and God Ruins appeared. Gods emerged from them and fed on humans. Ordinary people knew nothing about it, but they say the world nearly ended!"

Jin Yingzhen gathered her thoughts.

"Some people stepped forward. They killed the gods and discovered that after gods died, they left behind fragments. If humans ate those fragments, they gained extraordinary powers!"

"It's just that gods are too difficult to kill."

"Fortunately, not every God Ruins contains powerful gods. Most of the time, what exists inside God Ruins are God's Remains—the corpses of gods."

"Destroying God's Remains also causes fragments to drop. Humans can still gain extraordinary powers by eating them."

"People call that power the Gift of the Gods, or Divine Grace for short!"

"Go on!"

Lin Baici listened intently. He was only an ordinary high school graduate and had no way of hearing these secrets known only to the upper class.

"God's Remains emit radiation that pollutes everything. A small number of objects mutate under that radiation and become God's Taboo Objects!"

"Among those God's Taboo Objects, an even smaller number give birth to Divine Grace. Such objects are the most sought-after spoils in Hunter circles!"

Jin Yingzhen's brother was a God Hunter with enormous fame in Korea, so she knew quite a few insider details.

"Hunter circles?"

Lin Baici had heard so many new terms today.

"If God's Remains cannot be contained or destroyed in time, the God Ruins will spread, contaminating larger areas and making them uninhabitable."

"God Ruins are more terrifying than floods, earthquakes, or volcanoes, so twenty years ago, governments around the world classified them as a new type of natural disaster."

"Humanity would not sit around waiting to die. So people who break into God Ruins, hunt gods, and seal God's Taboo Objects are officially called God Hunters!"

Jin Yingzhen was a little thirsty from talking. The moment she licked her lips, Lin Baici handed her a bottle of Mineral Water.

That considerate gesture

made Jin Yingzhen like him even more.

"So we count as God Hunters now?"

Lin Baici thought the profession sounded cool.

"No!"

Jin Yingzhen shook her head. "Ordinary people can't even withstand the most basic radiation pollution in God Ruins. After around a dozen hours, they turn into a puddle of dead flesh without consciousness. Only people who have 'eaten' Divine Grace can remain in God Ruins longer, and only such people qualify to be called God Hunters!"

Those Hunters standing on the front lines against gods were precious national assets and heroes, all possessing immense privileges.

When Jin Yingzhen's brother hunted gods, he could even mobilize local troops to assist him.

"Mm!"

Lin Baici nodded.

So he was a God Hunter now. That was so sudden!

Come to think of it, why hadn't I felt dizzy or nauseous when I didn't have Divine Grace?

"Just like the gaming industry and entertainment industry, God Hunters naturally have their own circles. They sell information to each other, exchange God's Taboo Objects, look for teammates, and so on!"

Jin Yingzhen had used her brother's account to log into some internal websites before. The information there had opened her eyes.

"Us ordinary people really don't know anything!"

Brother Gu wiped the lens of his Canon Camera, looking thoroughly depressed.

After returning from picking tea leaves, they had stood by the doorway and heard plenty of Jin Yingzhen's explanation.

"Ignorance is bliss!"

Sima Mu chuckled. "For some people, learning what the world is really like would make them collapse!"

As a top Female Anchor, Hua Yueyu had a far broader social circle than Brother Gu, Old Aunt, and the others. She had heard plenty of gossip and rumors about God Ruins.

"Stop chatting and hurry up. Let's destroy the God's Remains and get out of here!"

Xu Xiu's head hurt badly, like she had just awakened from a hangover and then been strapped to a roller coaster for Half an Hour.

"Oppa, let me carry it for you!"

Jin Yingzhen proactively reached for the cushion.

Old Aunt moved her lips, wanting to show off a little, but the thought that this was a God's Taboo Object with Rule Pollution kept her from saying anything.

"Okay!"

Lin Baici did not stand on ceremony.

If he carried the cushion himself, he would not be able to fight if danger appeared.

Once everyone left the courtyard, they looked to Lin Baici and waited for him to make a decision.

Lin Baici's performance had made it unnecessary for him to nominate himself. He had firmly taken the position of Leader of this temporary seven-person team.

"God of Gluttony, which way?"

Lin Baici asked silently.

The God of Gluttony did not answer, but a faint hunger returned.

Before, Lin Baici knew that whenever he suddenly felt hungry, there would be lost items nearby. But now, that hunger was like a radar pointing toward God's Taboo Objects.

"How about we check out the Great Hero Hall?"

the Female Anchor suggested.

"That works!"

Sister Xiao Li found amusement in misery and cracked a joke. "If nothing else, we can pray to the Bodhisattva for some good luck!"

The Black Mist had dissipated considerably, and everyone could now see the hazy outline of the Great Hero Hall.

"Then let's go!"

Holding the Pine Torch, Lin Baici led the way. But before they had gone far, the God of Gluttony spoke.

[Absolutely! Absolutely! Absolutely! Do not go to the Great Hero Hall, or you will immediately board an elevator to hell!]

Such a grave warning made Lin Baici frown deeply.

Forget it.

Better play it safe!

"We'll visit the Great Hero Hall last!"

Lin Baici decided to follow his hunger!

A quarter of an hour later, Sister Xiao Li suddenly caught the scent of something sweet.

"Smells so good!"

Following the scent, Sister Xiao Li ran after it.

Hua Yueyu and Brother Gu hurried after her.

"It smells like some kind of porridge!"

Old Aunt sniffed hard and jogged after them too.

"Baici, let's go too!"

Jin Yingzhen grabbed Lin Baici's arm and pulled him forward.

"Wait, something's wrong with this smell!"

Lin Baici wanted to stop everyone, but it was useless. They completely ignored him. The scent was all that remained in their minds, and they just wanted to taste it as soon as possible.

Rule Pollution had struck again!