Chapter 510: Divine Protection

Chapter 510: Chapter 510: Divine Protection

Crystal Lynn looked at Seraphina Sullivan, awaiting her decision.

Seraphina Sullivan was silent for a few seconds.

This instance was certainly strange.

The Native People knew about Players, yet the system hadn’t issued any penalties.

Moreover, the main quest explicitly required her to "save one hundred Native People," which meant she was supposed to interact with them.

Going back with them might be a way to learn more.

More importantly, these people didn’t seem hostile toward Players. In fact... they seemed eager?

"Alright." Seraphina Sullivan nodded. "We’ll go with you."

Kyle Kane was overjoyed and quickly called for his team members to lead the way.

Lamb looked at Seraphina Sullivan, then at the group of Native People, hesitated for a moment, then set off on its four legs, sticking close to Seraphina Sullivan’s side.

...

The group passed through a dense jungle, twisting and turning for nearly half an hour before finally arriving at a hidden cliff face.

Kyle Kane pushed aside a thick tangle of vines, revealing a pitch-black cave entrance.

"Please," he said, stepping aside and gesturing.

Without hesitating, Seraphina Sullivan stepped inside.

The cave opened up into a whole new world.

It was a naturally formed underground cavern, its vast space about half the size of a soccer field.

A few oil lamps hung from the rock walls, their dim, yellow light barely illuminating the entire space.

Various supplies were stacked in the corners—food, water, weapons, cloth, and some miscellaneous items of unknown purpose.

Dozens of people were sitting or lying about the cavern, most of them elderly, women, and children.

When they saw Kyle Kane’s party return, they all looked up, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

But when they saw Seraphina Sullivan and her two companions, along with the sheep, everyone was stunned.

Kyle Kane didn’t offer any explanation, instead leading Seraphina Sullivan directly to a relatively separate area deeper inside the cavern.

There were a few simple wooden tables and stone stools there, in what looked like their meeting area.

"Please, have a seat," Kyle Kane gestured, then called for a team member to bring over a few bowls of clear water.

Seraphina Sullivan sat down, her gaze sweeping over their surroundings before finally resting on Kyle Kane’s face.

"You can talk now."

Seraphina Sullivan’s voice was calm, yet it held an unquestionable certainty.

She sat on the simple wooden stool, looking directly at Kyle Kane. There was no panic or fear in her eyes, only a calm, almost sharp scrutiny.

"Why do you know about Players? And what happened to the Players who came here before?"

Kyle Kane was silent for a few seconds, as if gathering his thoughts.

He glanced at the man with glasses and the other team members beside him, then at the elderly, the women, and the children in the cavern, and finally took a deep breath before sitting down across from Seraphina Sullivan.

"This story has to start from before the Demonic Apocalypse descended."

His voice was low, tinged with a sense of distant memory.

He looked up at Seraphina Sullivan and her companions. "In your original world, did all sorts of apocalyptic disasters appear as well?"

Seraphina Sullivan gave a slight nod.

Crystal Lynn also nodded.

Kyle Kane gave a bitter smile. "Actually, our world once had Players, too.

Then came all kinds of natural disasters—floods, droughts, earthquakes, plagues... one after another, as if someone was deliberately tormenting us."

He paused, his gaze growing distant, as if piercing through time to see a scene from long ago.

"But back then, we still had hope."

"Hope?" Flora Sullivan asked.

"Players," Kyle Kane said, his voice tinged with a trace of reverence. "We could become Players, too. They possessed special Abilities. They fought, they struggled, they survived the disasters, and then they grew stronger.

The Native People of our world treated them as heroes.

Because as long as one of us could ascend to godhood, this world would be protected by the Divine and would no longer be subjected to the various disasters sent by the system."

"We could... live like we did before."

His voice grew quieter and quieter, until it was almost a whisper.

Seraphina Sullivan and Crystal Lynn exchanged a look, both seeing the shock in the other’s eyes.

"After a Player becomes a God, they can shield their original world from the system’s apocalypses?"

Seraphina Sullivan repeated the question, making sure she hadn’t misheard.

Kyle Kane nodded. "Yes. That is the truth that has been passed down in our world—the system drops Players into various apocalyptic worlds, forcing them to struggle for survival amidst disasters, grow stronger, and ultimately become a God.

And in the moment they become a God, they can choose to protect this world.

From then on, this world would break free from the system’s control and return to peace."

Flora Sullivan frowned. "Then you didn’t succeed?"

Kyle Kane looked up, a miserable smile twisting his lips.

"Actually... we did succeed."

Seraphina Sullivan’s pupils contracted. "A Player successfully became a God? And protected this world?"

Kyle Kane nodded, but his smile grew even more bitter.

Crystal Lynn couldn’t help but speak up. "But your world now... it’s filled with demonized monsters. What kind of protection is that?"

Kyle Kane didn’t answer directly. Instead, he slowly stood up, walked to the edge of the cavern, and turned his back to them.

"Human greed..." His voice, low and hoarse, drifted over. "It is endless, never to be satisfied."

He turned back around, his eyes landing on Seraphina Sullivan’s face.

"Did you know? There are actually two ways to protect this world."

Seraphina Sullivan’s brows furrowed.

Kyle Kane said, word by word, "The first is for a Player to become a God and use their own Divine Power to protect the world."

"The second—"

He paused, then uttered a single word that seemed to make the temperature in the entire cavern plummet:

"Deicide."

A flash of insight sparked in Seraphina Sullivan’s mind.

Deicide.

The remains of the Demon God.

The side quest.

Her breath caught for a moment, and she blurted out, "The Player who became a God... don’t tell me it was the Demon God?"

Kyle Kane looked at her without answering, but his expression said it all.

Seraphina Sullivan’s mind raced.

’If the Player who successfully became a God was ultimately slain—then their remains would be the remains of the Demon God.

And the reason this world turned into a Demonic Apocalypse, with crazed plants and animals everywhere, is because the residual Energy from the fallen God polluted the entire world?’

That made sense.

"So..." Seraphina Sullivan began slowly, looking directly at Kyle Kane, "you know what the Players’ quests are?"

Kyle Kane gave a bitter smile. "We know many things.

The Players who came here before... they told us a lot."

He walked back, sat down across from Seraphina Sullivan again, and folded his hands on his lap, his gaze sincere.

"Your quests... do they include a task to cleanse the Demon God’s remains?"

Seraphina Sullivan was silent for two seconds, then nodded. "Yes."

Kyle Kane let out a long breath, as if a long-held suspicion had finally been confirmed.

A plan began to form in his mind.

"Just as I thought..."

The man with glasses interjected from the side, "Captain King, if their quest is to cleanse the Demon God’s remains, that means..."

Kyle Kane cut the man with glasses off.

"It means the Players who’ve come this time might actually succeed."

He picked up the thread, his gaze on Seraphina Sullivan growing complex. "But it’s also possible they’ll repeat the same mistake."