HP - Chapter 23

Kingdom of Gods 01

[Next game is loading. Please prepare to enter the game.]

Little Butterfly was truly terrified, especially by Zhong Xu's eyes filled with killing intent. It was constantly on edge, feeling that any second she might charge forward and dismantle its mechanical wings.

To quickly get Zhong Xu out of the way, it pressed the 'Select All' button. Matching compatibility didn’t matter, nor whether players were veterans or newcomers; it only cared about meeting the player quota.

At the last moment, Little Butterfly hesitated and worried: "Player Zhong Xu, your points have been reset to zero... you must listen carefully to the game rules."

After Zhong Xu's figure disappeared, the producer wearing the black butterfly mask emerged from the code once more.

"Little Butterfly, you’re quite kind," the producer said lightly, showing no anger despite being killed twice. "How about I send you to be her exclusive little assistant?"

Little Butterfly found this even scarier than him losing his temper.

"No, no, no!" it hurriedly started bootlicking. "Little Butterfly only wants to stay by your side forever. Little Butterfly is only your exclusive assistant."

"Alright, send me in first."

"Huh?" Little Butterfly was stunned. "You... are also entering the game?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"Of course! This is the world you created. You can go anywhere you want." After flattering him, Little Butterfly hastily sent him into the game.

It wiped away nonexistent sweat in its mind and sighed with relief. Finally, both formidable figures had been sent away... Being a little assistant was truly tough.

Fortunately, most players crowded into the same game, giving it a chance to slack off a bit.

Transitioning from the illusory space to another world took only an instant.

This was a wasteland.

A storm swept yellow sand across the sky, obscuring the sun and making everything blurry.

Zhong Xu’s first sensations were the foul smell and the stinging sand in her face. She instinctively covered her nose and mouth to feel slightly better.

She habitually scanned her surroundings, but aside from yellow sand and some ruins of unknown age, only in the distance could she faintly make out the shadows of gray trees.

"Wh-what is this place?"

A confused voice sounded nearby.

Zhong Xu saw someone suddenly appear close by.

But the sandstorm was too intense to clearly see their features.

"Damn... why am I here? Did I die? Impossible... I counter-killed successfully!"

On the other side, another figure appeared, vaguely visible, covered in blood and holding a pair of scissors.

As she hesitated to speak, the next scene made her expression turn cold—

One person, two people, three people, four people... countless figures appeared rapidly across the wasteland, filling her entire field of vision.

Most of them were confused, terrified, or under the misconception that they were in a dream.

They suspected those around them; arguments, shouting, and questioning sounded incessantly. Zhong Xu felt a headache coming on, with no chance to speak.

So chaotic?

If this is a game, it shouldn’t be this chaotic, right?

As if hearing her thoughts, a voice suddenly sounded from the sky above.

"Welcome, everyone, to this game."

Zhong Xu’s pupils contracted—it was the game producer’s voice.

He actually showed up?

The panicked, noisy crowd fell silent for a moment, but soon louder voices rose again.

"What is this place?"

"Who are you?!"

"Stop with the mystical nonsense! I've already solved this level and am about to clear it!"

"Quiet," said the voice from the sky, extremely impatient.

After he spoke, the entire wasteland instantly fell silent. It seemed some method was used that rendered everyone unable to make a sound, leaving them only to stare in terror at the yellowish haze of the sky.

"That's better. Let me introduce everyone to the situation."

The producer's tone became warm and polite again.

"I know there are many players currently in games. Forget the past—I’ve interrupted the games you were experiencing."

"I also know there are many new players entering for the first time, who must be confused and scared right now. Don’t worry—die enough times, and you'll get used to it."

"This is a historic moment! This will become a legend! This is the largest-scale game with the most players!" His voice suddenly rose, tinged with a hint of madness. "Welcome everyone to 'Kingdom of Gods'!"

As his words ended, a storm swept across the wasteland, blowing yellow sand that covered people from head to toe.

Even unable to speak, the players' exasperation was evident from their eyes and expressions:

You call this the Kingdom of Gods?

His voice softened, as if smiling: "You are gods."

"Omnipotent gods—if you wish, a single thought can make the yellow sand recede and turn this world into a true divine realm."

All... gods?

Players looked around; the dense figures seemed to stretch to the horizon.

Logically, gods should be rare, right? So many gods?

"But hidden among you is a 'sinner,'" the producer continued.

Hearing this, Zhong Xu’s eyes turned cold, and she felt a sense of foreboding.

He added, "This sinner is like a pitiful insect, struggling and surviving in the gutters. But this insect is never resigned, so sooner or later, it will try to bite the gods to death."

Although he didn’t reveal his true face, Zhong Xu felt he was precisely targeting her, probably hiding somewhere unseen, watching her.

Excellent.

The heavier his vindictiveness, the better.

That way, she’d have the chance to kill him every time they met.

"So before the insect climbs onto your necks, you must strive to find it and judge it."

The players all felt a sudden itch on their necks, as if an insect were really crawling there.

They instinctively touched their necks and found a card, as if by magic.

They bewilderedly took the card.

The card was exquisitely made, with a black butterfly printed on the back that seemed to leap out, faintly shimmering with a strange glow.

Turning it over to look at the front—

Some saw a young man in lavish clothes, carrying a staff on his shoulder, walking along a cliff;

Some saw a beautiful empress sitting on a chair, with a heart beside the chair, surrounded by a dense forest;

…

"I selected the 22 Major Arcana cards from the Tarot deck for this set. Your divine power is contained within these cards."

God's divine power is in Tarot cards?

But… what does it do?

If someone draws the same card as another, does it mean they have the same ability? And how do they use the Tarot card’s power?

Players had countless questions, but they couldn’t make a sound, only fret helplessly.

"I don't like answering questions, and yours are mostly numerous and useless," the producer's voice from the sky turned cold.

As everyone was stunned and troubled, he added, "But you have plenty of time to explore on your own. This round has no time limit."

"Have fun. I look forward to our next meeting."

These were his final words before disappearing. The players regained their ability to speak normally.

【Game Background】: This place is called 'Kingdom of Gods.' Sinners are exiled here; only by accepting divine judgment and becoming sinless can they escape calamity…

【Game Level】: ??? (Hard to identify)

【Player Count】: ??? (Too many to count)

【Game Objectives】:

(Must complete) None (This round is an open world; tasks are not mandatory, and players can freely explore)

(Optional) Ensure the Kingdom of Gods has no more sinners

【Game Rules】: ??? (Please explore the world to understand the rules)

【Game restart completed. Hope this is a pleasant gaming journey】

The series of question marks in the game details left many people confused.

The massive crowd instantly erupted with various voices.

"Isn't this just chaos? No rules, no objectives—how do we get out?"

"There is an objective, right? Isn’t it just finding that insect... the sinner? Open worlds are like this—freely exploring is the point."

"Good grief, exploring the world in this desert? I'll die in no time."

"What does the sinner look like? Seriously, he didn’t explain clearly."

"Everyone, listen! That person just said we're omnipotent gods—a single thought lets us do anything! So what's a little yellow sand?"

"He said that, but I’ve had several thoughts already... I want money, lots and lots of money. Where’s the 'do anything' part?"

"With how stupid you are, the insect will crawl up your neck first. What do you need money for here? Can you even spend it? Besides, take a good look at what we have—divine power is in the cards!"

"How do we use this divine power..."

…

Zhong Xu passed through crowd after crowd, but there were simply too many people; she couldn’t get out.

"Hey, miss."

Someone suddenly tapped her shoulder. She turned to see a round, smiling face.

The girl who tapped her asked, "What card did you get? Mine is 'The Lovers.'"

She generously showed her Tarot card: the image was Eden, with an angel standing on a cloud; Eve before the Tree of Knowledge, and Adam before the Tree of Life on the earth.

Zhong Xu praised it: "Hmm, your card is really pretty."

"Haha, really? Then you..."

"My card isn’t very nice, so I won’t show you."

"Ah... huh?"

"Everyone, look! I figured out how to use the Tarot cards!" Suddenly, someone in the crowd ahead raised a card and shouted, "My card is The Magician! I remembered The Magician represents creation, so I started pouring my thoughts into the card... I imagined needing a house that could shelter me safely."

The next moment, the earth rumbled.

People around fled in panic, then they saw a tall building rise right before their eyes!

So this was how the Tarot cards were used.

So the Kingdom of Gods needed to be built by them.

Everyone began joyfully trying to use their own Tarot cards.

Zhong Xu turned away from the crowd, walking farther and farther until she reached a sparsely populated corner.

With a grave expression, she unfolded the card in her hand.

When everyone else received a card, she had too.

Only—

It was a blank card.

1. 神之国 (Shén zhī guó): Kingdom of Gods

2. 罪人 (Zuì rén): Sinner 

3. 虫子 (Chóngzi): Insect/Bug – Derogatory term dehumanizing the sinner

4. 塔罗牌 (Tǎluó pái): Tarot Cards 

5. 大阿卡那牌 (Dà ākǎnà pái): Major Arcana – 22 archetypal trump cards

6. 空白卡牌 (Kòngbái kǎpái): Blank Card – Zhong Xu’s card

7. 开放世界 (Kāifàng shìjiè): Open World – Sandbox design

8. 为所欲为 (Wéi suǒ yù wéi): Act with impunity – Idiom describing gods’ supposed omnipotence

Characters / (Players)

• 终栩 (Zhōng Xǔ)

  • Role: Protagonist 

  • Game Role: Blank Card/Sinner

• 游戏制作人 (Game Producer)

  • Role: Creator of the game world; god-like figure

• 小蝴蝶 (Little Butterfly)

  • Role: Mechanical assistant 

Sevyn here ~~~

Starting a new arc ~