125: Game Invitation

Evening, Godchild Ivan's private club.

When the waiter pushed the dining cart in, Sister Lin's eyes went wide.

It wasn't the potato feast she had imagined.

It was a truly luxurious feast fit for a gourmet show.

Steaming borscht, fragrant roasted venison ribs, golden crispy caviar blinis, and various exquisite desserts and fruits—one must know that in North Bear Country's winter, fresh fruit is more precious than gold.

"This..." Sister Lin swallowed hard, "I thought North Bear Country only had roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, potato pancakes..."

The middle-aged woman standing nearby with a scar on her face—her name was Yekaterina, another S-rank from the North Bear Country military—snorted coldly upon hearing this: "Where did you go for budget travel before? This is the highest specification of reception for His Highness the Godchild!"

Ivan had changed out of his training uniform and was wearing simple casual clothes, looking more like an ordinary college student.

He sat at the head of the long table, with a seat specially reserved for Lu Guangming beside him.

"Come, Guangming!" Ivan raised the glass in his hand, filled with a transparent liquid that looked like water but had a pungent smell, "To celebrate your promotion to Rank 4! And to celebrate us... well, becoming friends through a fight!"

Lu Guangming looked at the glass of liquor.

Vodka, the national drink of North Bear Country, a strong spirit rumored to be flammable.

He had never drunk it before—because he was a minor.

But now... with his Physique and spirit attributes both over 200, this was child's play!

He picked up the glass, clinked it with Ivan's, and then tilted his head back to drain it in one gulp.

Burning.

It burned from his throat all the way to his stomach, like swallowing a ball of liquid fire.

But that was it.

No dizziness, no blushing, not even an accelerated heartbeat.

It was just like drinking a glass of warm water.

Ivan looked at Lu Guangming's unfazed expression, stunned for a moment, and then laughed heartily: "Good! This is what a Rank 4 deserves!"

Over the next few hours, this North Bear Country Godchild opened up.

He talked about interesting things from his university days—before the Otherworld descended, he was just an ordinary college student who loved playing games, reading manga, and even had a girl he secretly liked.

He spoke of his confusion when he suddenly became an Inheritor—overnight, the whole world changed. His classmates' eyes turned to awe, his counselor no longer dared to criticize his homework, and even the girl he liked didn't dare speak to him anymore.

He talked about the panic and resistance he felt when those few S-rank experts found him, knelt before him, and begged him to become the 'Godchild,' the core of North Bear Country's faith.

"I was only 23 then!" Ivan poured another glass of liquor, "I hadn't even figured out my own future, and I had to think about the future of a country? What a joke!"

But in the end, he accepted.

Because those S-ranks told him: North Bear Country needed a banner, a faith that would allow everyone to persevere in despair.

Because otherworld rifts began to appear at the borders, and those twisted monsters needed someone to fight them.

Because the Western Union Country had already begun its maneuvers; if North Bear Country didn't unite, it would be slowly eroded and annexed like those small countries on the Anfei Continent.

"So I became the 'Godchild'." Ivan gave a self-deprecating smile, "The sole faith of the nation, with all livelihoods, technology, and military highly unified. The benefit is no civil war, no internal friction, everyone pulling in one direction. The downside is..."

He paused: "I can't even find someone I can speak my true heart to."

Major General Sokolov was too serious, General Kryukov was too rough, Yekaterina was too rigid, and Mikhail was too frivolous.

Other officials only felt awe for him, and the citizens only felt worship.

Until today, when he met Lu Guangming.

A peer, though a few years younger, someone also at the Rank 4 level, someone... who could speak to him as an equal, and even knock him flying.

Lu Guangming listened quietly, occasionally taking a sip of the liquor.

He suddenly felt that this 'Godchild,' revered as a deity by hundreds of millions of citizens, was actually just a lonely young man pushed to a high position by fate.

"Have you ever played games?" Lu Guangming suddenly asked.

"Games?" Ivan, who was in the middle of a lively conversation, was taken aback, "I played them often before the Otherworld descended. Back then, my favorite was 'Elden Ring'; I was stuck on Malenia for a month. I haven't played since becoming an Inheritor—there are too many things to handle every day, plus training and researching the power of rules..."

He looked at Lu Guangming curiously: "Why? You want to play games? I have the latest consoles here, how about right now—"

"Not that kind of game," Lu Guangming interrupted him.

He put down his glass and took something out of his pocket.

It was a golden card of a special texture, looking like some unknown metal, but flowing with a gentle luster under the lights.

On the front of the card, four words were engraved in an ancient font:

【game of the gods】

Below was a complex invitation code and a website link.

Lu Guangming handed the card to Ivan: "I am currently playing a 'game.' Do you want to play together?"

His gaze was calm, but his heart rate accelerated slightly.

This was his test, and also his ambition.

After Rank 4, his demand for source energy would grow exponentially. Although the faith provided by ordinary players was considerable, there were upper limits to both quality and total volume.

But what if... it were an S-rank Inheritor?

What if this 'Godchild,' who possessed the faith of hundreds of millions and whose own convictions were firm enough to carry the memories of a deity, became a player?

How massive would the power of faith generated be?

Moreover, the system had no coercive binding force, only the most basic 'agreement.' If Ivan wished, he could quit at any time—but Lu Guangming believed that once anyone experienced the convenience and growth speed of the system, no one would be willing to quit.

Ivan took the card and turned it over and over.

"What is this?" When he touched the website link, the card suddenly grew slightly warm.

The next second, a cold voice devoid of any emotional color rang directly in his mind:

【Invitation code detected.】

【Game Title: game of the gods.】

【Game Nature: Augmented Reality, Role-Playing, Infinite Growth.】

【Download and bind the 'game of the gods' system?】

Ivan snapped his head up and looked at Lu Guangming.

In those eyes, which were like frozen lakes, true shock appeared for the first time.

"Is this..." his voice was a bit dry, "the third path you mentioned?"

Lu Guangming nodded: "Yes, my path."

"Who is behind it?" Ivan pressed, "Which organization? Which power? Or... some deity?"

"I don't know," Lu Guangming answered honestly, "I only know that this system has no mandatory constraints; we can leave at any time. Its only requirement is 'faith'—how much you believe you can become stronger, complete tasks, and go further determines how much assistance it can give you."

Ivan fell silent.

He stared at the golden card, then looked back at Lu Guangming.

Every detail of today's battle flashed through his mind—that flawless power, that growth speed that defied common sense, that miracle of suddenly promoting to Rank 4 in the middle of a fight... "So your 'Perfect Path'," Ivan said slowly, "relies on this?"

"Partially," Lu Guangming did not deny it, "But what's more important is myself. The system is just a tool; the path must still be walked by oneself."

Ivan was silent for another dozen seconds.

Then, he suddenly laughed.

The smile grew wider and wider, finally turning into a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha! Interesting! Too interesting!"

He raised the glass in his hand, drained it, and then gripped the card in his palm.

"I accept!"

The moment the words fell, the card transformed into countless golden light particles and merged into his palm.

【Binding successful.】

【Welcome player 'Ivanov' to the 'game of the gods'.】

【Generating character panel...】

【Connecting to the quest system...】

【Synchronizing world information...】

Ivan closed his eyes, feeling the flood of information flowing through his mind.

When he opened them again, those frozen-lake eyes sparkled with childlike curiosity and excitement.

"So that's it... quests, rewards, skills, attribute points... isn't this just an RPG?!"

Lu Guangming looked at his expression, which was like he had discovered a new toy, and couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth turn up.

It was a success.

The first S-rank player.

The first Inheritor player.

And... a truly pure powerhouse willing to believe in the possibility of the 'third path'.

In his eyes, an indescribable light flickered.

This move was the right one.