Sacrifice's Rise: I Became Invincible After Entering Godslayer Temple

Having escorted Emma to the entrance of the girls' dormitory and faced with the threatening gaze of the gatekeeper, John could only regretfully stop there. 

Emma offered John a reassuring look before she and Lily, hand in hand, entered the familiar dormitory building.

As he retraced his steps, observing the buoyant young boys and girls under the trees by the roadside, John felt a pang of sentimentality. Being young is wonderful...

At that moment, John's phone vibrated, signaling a message from Emma.

Emma: Johnny, wait for me for a few days. Once the school stops the bed checks, I will come to see you. I will unlock a few more positions to properly compensate you (smirking).

A warm feeling stealthily surfaced in John's heart as he couldn't help but smile at the message. 

Just as he was about to head home for a deep sleep, his phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number.

John answered with a slightly furrowed brow.

"Galewind, I am Michael Anderson…"

John paused for a moment, taking some time to recall the elderly man with white hair that he had met before. 

Come to think of it, their last encounter was just a few days ago. 

However, with the whirlpool of events that had transpired in just a few days, it felt like a lifetime had passed.

"Ah, Elder Anderson, haven't you left the city yet?" John asked with a light smile.

A hearty laughter echoed from the other end of the phone. "I was planning to leave in the next couple of days. As you know, there are a ton of matters waiting for me at the research center in the capital. Shadowswift left earlier since he has even more to handle on his end."

"But just as I arranged my flight, news came of a sudden forced update from Godslayer. This update was just like the previous one; completely unexpected without any signs. The researchers at the center are all baffled. I wonder if you have any insights into this?"

After contemplating for a bit, John decided it was best to be candid. 

Deep down, he held a great deal of respect for Elder Anderson.

This elderly man was a genuine researcher, devoid of any ulterior motives. 

John could see that all of his endeavors were guided by a dedication to the continuity of human civilization...

John hesitated for a moment before responding softly, "You know, regarding the sudden update, I do indeed know some reasons behind it..."

On the other end of the phone, Elder Anderson was evidently taken aback. 

He had just casually called John, without harboring much hope. 

Yet, unexpectedly, John actually knew the reasons behind the forced system update this time.

"Where are you now? If it's convenient, could we possibly meet and talk about it?" Elder Anderson asked, a note of urgency in his voice.

Glancing back at the school gates behind him, John spoke calmly, "I'm not in the city center at the moment. You can just let me know your location, and I'll come to you shortly..."

After pondering for a brief moment, Elder Anderson replied with a touch of excitement, "Alright, let's settle on that. Let's meet at the same café where we met last time. I'll contact Mayor Daniel Roberts right away to reserve a private room for us."

John nodded with a smile.

...

Two hours later.

The familiar spot, the familiar environment, the familiar décor and furnishings of the private room greeted him. 

However, this time, as John pushed the door open, he found Elder Anderson already seated inside, sipping coffee while browsing through a tablet in his hand.

The room housed Elder Anderson alone, his white hair strikingly prominent. 

Although it had only been a few days since they last met, the wrinkles on Elder Anderson's face had deepened noticeably, accompanied by distinct dark circles under his eyes — clear signs of his restless days.

Before John could even sit down, Elder Anderson, unable to hold back his curiosity, asked, "What exactly happened? Why did the Godslayer game system suddenly undergo a forced update?"

With a wry smile, John shook his head, "Professor, I rushed over here without even getting a sip of water. Could you let me catch my breath first?"

Elder Anderson pushed the untouched cup of coffee in front of him towards John, stating solemnly, "I already ordered it for you, just like the one last time... Let's get to the matter at hand without delay; this issue is of great importance and we really can't afford to procrastinate..."

John sighed somewhat helplessly, and after pondering for a moment, he began, "Regarding this system update, I suspect it is related to the recent incidents in the Godslayer game world. Of course, this is merely a hypothesis, and I cannot be certain that this is the actual reason."

Elder Anderson's gaze bore into John as he urged, "What happened in the game world?"

John uttered a few words softly, "The devil descended."

A somewhat confused Elder Anderson blinked, silently awaiting further explanation from John.

"I've come to understand one thing now," John continued, "whether it's the so-called officials who developed this game, or you all — the researchers truly responsible for running and monitoring the Godslayer world — none of you are actually able to influence the game's system..."

Without hesitation, Elder Anderson nodded, his voice tinged with resignation as he said, "I've mentioned this to you before. Although ostensibly, the Godslayer game was a joint development project, today we can only manage the most basic operations in the real world. The true manager of the game is still that unknowable system..."

"Be it the game's updates or various settings, all are autonomously developed by the system. We can only assist; we don't have any means to interfere or influence it..."

John wore a contemplative expression, noticing Elder Anderson's eyes filled with inquiry, he decided not to keep him in suspense any longer. Speaking calmly, he began, "To understand this, we have to go back to my last entry into the game. Due to a friend's request, I ventured to find a special item in the Godslayer Continent, but unexpectedly, in that secret realm, I encountered…"

John narrated the incident of the devil's descent in great detail. Worried that Elder Anderson might not understand the significance of the devil in the Godslayer world, he took extra care to explain the standing and strength of the 72 abyssal devils.

As John spoke, the gravity on Elder Anderson's face intensified.

"So, what you're implying is that the sudden game update happened because of the devil's arrival on the Godslayer Continent?" Elder Anderson asked.

With a serious demeanor, John replied, "I believe so. Be it Godslayer or other virtual games I've played in the past, every update is invariably triggered by some extremely significant events. In other games, to generate such events, corresponding data must be added..."

"However, since you all do not control the data of Godslayer, there's only one possibility left — the system deemed it necessary to disclose these significant events to the players through a version update."

Upon hearing John's hypothesis, Elder Anderson fell silent, unable to find words for a long while. 

Although unsure of what occupied the older man's mind, the increasingly solemn look on his face indicated the tremendous importance of the matter at hand.

Therefore, John did not interrupt Elder Anderson's deep contemplation; instead, he called for the attendant waiting outside the room, ordering some food for himself. 

Having rushed over here, he was famished.

As John indulged in the feast before him, Elder Anderson finally came back to his senses, his smile tinged with bitterness as he said, "I fear that your speculation might indeed be the closest to the truth..."

John looked up in confusion as Elder Anderson pushed the tablet he was holding towards him.

"Take a look," he urged. "This is the official game update notice that was released last night. It details all the changes in this game update."

Rather than immediately looking at the tablet, John asked Elder Anderson, his face full of doubts, "I have been curious about one thing, since you mentioned before that you have no control over Godslayer's game system, how do you know the contents of these updates?"

"I assume this 'official game administration', the two companies overseeing the operation of Godslayer, are just fronts you have put forth, existing only to muddle the players' perception."

Elder Anderson did not deny John's supposition. 

He explained softly, "You are correct. Neither we, the developers, nor the two companies running the game, have any influence over the game system."

"The reason the officials can announce the content of the updates promptly is that the game system itself exhibits it. In the research center, there is a supercomputer perpetually linked to the game system, though we have never been able to discern the nature of their connection…"

"Whenever there is an update, the supercomputer automatically activates, displaying the details of the update…"

A look of astonishment overtook John's face, the french fry in his hand forgotten.

"From what you're saying, it sounds like the game system is...alive?"

With a peculiar look, Elder Anderson spoke in a deep tone, "You feel it too? In fact, many researchers at the center have raised this theory. They continually posit that the system governing the Godslayer game world might very well be a sentient entity…"

"However, no matter the methods they've tried, they've yet to find a way to communicate with this system…"