Chapter Twenty-Three: The Unveiling of the Divine and Demonic Factions (Part One)

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Opening of the Divine and Demonic Faction Line (Part One)

At this class reunion dinner, some ate without tasting the food, some indulged heartily, and some were simply bystanders. After the meal, the class monitor suggested everyone go sing karaoke to bond further. Since the monitor carried authority, most agreed, though a few abstained, such as Shen Ce, Qin Song, and Xie Fei.

The three walked side by side along the street. The gentle moonlight poured down, accompanied by a cool evening breeze. There were few pedestrians at this hour, yet the night scene was dazzling beyond compare—ribbons of light from the city, cars occasionally speeding by.

It had been a long time since Shen Ce, Qin Song, and Xie Fei had been out together. After walking for a while, they stopped atop a tall overpass, gazing down at shimmering waves below.

Suddenly, Qin Song patted Shen Ce’s shoulder. “Shen Ce, the main reason we asked you out tonight isn’t just the class reunion. Feifei and I are getting married soon—probably in a few months.”

Shen Ce had vaguely guessed as much before coming, so he wasn’t surprised. He smiled as he looked at Qin Song and Xie Fei. “You two are finally tying the knot? Just make sure not to forget to invite me to the wedding.”

Given their ages, Qin Song and Xie Fei weren’t marrying early, nor were they late. With the rapid advances in science and technology, average lifespans hadn’t lengthened dramatically, but aging had slowed considerably. Many people chose to remain unencumbered, marrying only in their forties or fifties.

Xie Fei, her cheeks flushed, was uncharacteristically bashful as she slipped her arm through Qin Song’s. “Of course. How could we forget you? Just don’t get so absorbed in your games that you don’t show up.”

Shen Ce smiled faintly and shook his head. “Naturally, I wouldn’t.” In his eyes, Qin Song and Xie Fei were perfectly matched. Seeing them reach this happy conclusion was one of the few things that truly pleased him.

After chatting for a while longer, Qin Song accompanied Shen Ce home. Shen Ce entered his bathroom, slowly slid into the bathtub, and let the warm water envelop him. Amid the billowing steam, fragments of his university days drifted through his mind. Regardless of how he had felt at the time, looking back now, gratitude outweighed any lingering melancholy. It was probably because of his friendship with Qin Song and Xie Fei that his college life hadn’t been so dreary.

After a deep and restful sleep, Shen Ce washed up and logged into “Dominion of Heaven.” As soon as he entered the game, a system prompt seized his attention. Shen Ce stared in some surprise at the virtual projection that began playing automatically. He had only been offline for a day—had the War of Gods and Demons already begun?

On the glowing projection before him, scenes of war between the Divine and Demonic races flashed rapidly. A demon with dark violet eyes unfurled its black wings, its form growing larger and more indistinct, soon casting the statue of the God of Light in the temple square into utter darkness.

Leaves tumbled from treetops, and the air was thick with the scent of slaughter. In moments, an angel with wings white as snow descended to the mortal realm, a bright yet gentle beam of light piercing the darkness.

Demon and angel figures flitted in and out of sight, spells of light and darkness hurled back and forth in dazzling succession, forcing Shen Ce to squint. At last, the burly demon fell unwillingly from the clouds, shattering into obsidian-like fragments that glittered with a dim luster.

As he watched the demon’s remains, Shen Ce couldn’t help but wonder if the game’s developers would release two different trailers—one where the demon dies for the Divine faction, and one with the opposite outcome for the Demonic side.

“My heroic descendants, the holy war is upon us. The evil demons are about to engage us in a battle of life and death. For dignity and justice, to defend our land, my child, we need you. Will you join the side of the Divine?”

Without hesitation, Shen Ce selected “agree.” He had thought the God-Demon main storyline would take longer to launch, but apparently the developers were rolling it out now. As a priest, he wondered if he might have more opportunities than other classes.

“Ding—Congratulations, player, for joining the Divine faction in the Holy War. Your Faith in the God of Light has increased by 100. In this war, you have one opportunity to defect. Please use it wisely.”

A chance to defect? Would anyone really switch sides mid-battle? Shen Ce recalled that “Dominion of Heaven” had indeed announced information about defection. The benefits had yet to be detailed, but it was clear that defecting would reset one’s Divine Faith to zero and result in a two-week public bounty from the original faction.

Though the consequences were severe, the allure of opportunity would always tempt some to betray their side—many hidden classes could be unlocked by defecting, such as the Dark Priest in the shadow faction, a profession combining the agility of an assassin with the offensive power of a mage. For a holy priest like Shen Ce, this was no small temptation.

Shen Ce scrolled through the information panel several times, finding only a notice about joining the Divine faction, with no details about how the Holy War would actually be fought. He decided to visit the game forum for news.

The forum did not disappoint. Likely because the Divine-Demonic faction storyline had been introduced the day before, most front-page threads discussed how to profit from the Holy War.

The most useful post, in Shen Ce’s opinion, revealed that the Holy War was not only a large-scale event open to all, but also featured smaller solo or team side quests—hidden missions accessible to only a few.

The poster had stumbled upon a side quest after rescuing a ragged alchemist on the road. In the post, he described the alchemist’s attire and location in detail, inspiring many players to camp out in the city hoping to trigger the same hidden quest. Unfortunately, judging from the replies, no one else had yet succeeded.