Player's Journey In Anime World

Ryou failed to notice a flicker of violet starlight disappearing where Athena had fallen.

Far away, in an extremely hidden underground crypt thousands of miles from the dungeon, that same violet starlight instantly traversed the vast distance and appeared within the tomb. It then dove into the stone coffin at the center of the chamber.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

As the violet starlight returned, it seemed to activate some pre-set mechanism. Torches lit up automatically, illuminating the entire tomb. Surrounding the chamber, the walls were adorned with various relief carvings: heroes borrowing divine artifacts from a goddess to slay monsters, crowds kneeling in worship before the goddess, and the goddess herself wielding a massive shield and golden scepter as she battled a demon god. The tomb exuded a distinct ancient Greek style. Moss covered the crevices of the stone walls, and the once-sharp edges had been worn smooth by time. The uneven surface of the stone showed countless signs of age, suggesting that the tomb had existed for centuries, possibly even longer.

Suddenly, a dull mechanical sound echoed faintly from within the walls. The heavy stone coffin slid open silently. A hand shot out, gripping the edge of the coffin, followed by a petite figure sitting up from within. Yes, petite. Her delicate features resembled those of a porcelain doll, and her silvery short hair draped over her rounded shoulders. Her brown eyes, however, carried a calmness and maturity that starkly contrasted with her youthful appearance. The dim torchlight cast a soft glow on her pale, tender skin, which seemed to shimmer faintly, evoking a peculiar, almost irresistible allure.

The silver-haired loli, completely bare, exuded an aura entirely at odds with her small, adorable appearance. Her tightly pressed lips, slightly furrowed brows, and wandering gaze imbued her with an enigmatic charm.

"I didn't expect I'd have to resort to this final measure," she murmured, her voice clear and innocent yet tinged with seductive maturity.

"But it was all worth it. In the end, I still won, Loki."

She paused, her expression resolute, as she continued, "And you, Nguyen Ryou. After all you've sacrificed, I swear I'll return in the name of Athena."

It wasn't hard to glean from her words that this loli, now inhabiting an entirely different body, was Athena herself—the goddess who had dragged Loki down with her when she was defeated by Ryou. Indeed, Athena had abandoned her divine body, forsaking her divinity, powers, and everything tied to her status as a god. She had left only a fragment of her divine soul, reincarnating into this silver-haired loli form. It was, in essence, starting over from scratch, with no guarantee that she could ever regain her divine status. Someone capable of such ruthless determination was undeniably a person of immense willpower. This loli Athena fits the bill. She was not only harsh on others but even harsher on herself. No wonder Loki had ultimately lost to her.

But leaving the newly reincarnated battle goddess aside for now.

...

 After killing all his enemies, Ryou's body suddenly weakened, nearly collapsing. He quickly braced himself with one hand on the ground, kneeling on one knee to keep from falling entirely. Dark red blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and he didn't even have the strength to wipe it away. The life gem embedded in the back of his hand was already working at full capacity, desperately trying to repair his injuries. But the damage was so deeply ingrained in his essence that the healing process was agonizingly slow.

"Whew... Taking on ten gods at once was still too much," he sighed.

Under the powerful effect of the life gem, Ryou gradually recovered. He opened his system interface casually, and rows of notifications popped up instantly.

[Ding!Congratulations, host, for completing the first stage of the "Path to Godhood" — Slay Ten Gods! Completion Rating: EX-Class!]

[The second stage of the "Path to Godhood" has unlocked: Collect the Fruit of Eden and six Root Gems.]

Ryou clenched his fists reflexively. From the moment he killed the first god, he had sensed something different—something fundamental from the slain gods seemed to have been absorbed by him. By the time he had slain all ten, he felt as though he had transcended, as if the chains shackling his soul had been broken, opening the gateway to a higher level of existence.

"Fruit of Eden..."

A contemplative expression crossed Ryou's face. In his storage space, he already had four fragments of the Fruit of Eden. However, it would take twelve fragments to form a complete fruit. The issue was that the origins of the fragments were unclear. The known methods of obtaining them included defeating beings related to the Garden of Eden and ten-draw gacha. Other than that, he had no leads.

As for the Root Gems, Ryou already possessed four—representing space, time, life, and energy. That left two more to be found. Unfortunately, such divine artifacts were hidden across various mission worlds, and acquiring them depended largely on luck.

Yet, five minutes later...

Ryou stared at the violet Root Gem in his hand, representing the soul, utterly speechless. Putting aside the second stage of his mission for the time being, he ventured to the 99th floor of the dungeon, where he unexpectedly discovered the gem resting on a pedestal.

Well, what could he say?

He could only happily accept it with a grin.

However, after retrieving the gem, Ryou realized something extraordinary. The World Source, located at the deepest part of the dungeon on the 99th floor, had developed its consciousness after prolonged contact with the Soul Gem. A brand-new soul had been born. Observing this infantile soul within the World Source, Ryou couldn't help but marvel.

"Well, aren't you lucky," he said with a slight smile, deciding to lend it a helping hand.

With the [Path to Godhood] now open, he no longer needed the World Source to strengthen himself. And now that it had developed its soul, everything seemed to fall perfectly into place. Ryou pressed the Soul Gem closer to his hand.

Ding!

With a soft chime, the Soul Gem merged into his weapon, Apocalypse. Only one slot remained unfilled—a large, central one, clearly reserved for the most powerful and crucial gem.

After securing the Soul Gem, Ryou brought Apocalypse into contact with the World Source.

Brilliant violet light enveloped the World Source, and Ryou felt a cool sensation seep into his very marrow. The feeling wasn't chillingly cold but rather refreshing, like stepping into an air-conditioned room after being scorched by the sun, opening a refrigerator, and downing an ice-cold soda in one gulp.

Pure bliss.

Just as Ryou's mind began to wander, he suddenly heard a sharp crack—the sound of shattering glass. The World Source, which replenishes the soul, suddenly shattered.

A figure darted out from inside and leaped straight toward Ryou.

Ryou's right hand instinctively twitched. But when he got a clear look at the figure's true face, he hesitated. In that moment of hesitation, the figure had already pounced on him.

"Father!"

A sweet voice called out, belonging to a purple-haired, emerald-eyed loli. However, Ryou froze, stiff as a board, unable to move. It wasn't because this loli was especially strong, nor because she had any power to restrain him. It was simply because... she wasn't wearing any clothes!

The loli showed no shyness at all. She wrapped her arms around Ryou's neck, hanging onto him like a koala, and rubbed her little face against his like a kitten seeking affection. At that moment, Ryou's expression could only be described as awkward. He didn't even know where to put his hands.

What the hell!

First, I somehow gained two clingy mothers, and now I suddenly have a bonus daughter?

Are they planning to organize my entire family for me?!

After much painstaking persuasion, Ryou exchanged for a white mage robe from the system store, and only after an enormous struggle did he manage to dress the little loli in it. Finally, the two could have a normal conversation.

"So, you're saying that you were born from the World Source and are the world's consciousness?"

Ryou's face showed a hint of helplessness. Even though the loli had let go of his neck, she still clung tightly to him, wrapping her arms around his arm as if afraid he might run away.

"That's right, Father!" the loli replied with a cheerful smile.

"Let me make this clear—I'm not your father..."

Before Ryou could finish, he was interrupted by the loli's tear-filled, pitiful eyes, looking at him as though he was about to abandon her.

"...Fine, call me whatever you want."

Ryou could only sigh in defeat.

"Father is the best!"

The loli cheered and then leaned in to plant a kiss on Ryou's cheek. Afterward, she giggled mischievously as if she had done something naughty and dashed away. Halfway through her little dash, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and smiled sweetly at Ryou.

"It's because of you, Father, that I was able to be born into this world. So... thank you, Father."

For some reason, Ryou felt a warm sensation in his heart. Having a daughter... didn't seem so bad.

"Let's go. Time to head home."

"Yes, Father!"

...

"Master? Can you say that again? She's your...?"

"Daughter."

"Wait, what?! WHAT?!?!"

When Ryou returned to the surface, he caused quite a commotion. And understandably so—he had gone alone into the dungeon, only to return with a daughter. When everyone heard the news, their first reaction was, "Are you kidding me?! A daughter? And she's already this big?"

Many people, especially the women who had been involved with Ryou, even began to suspect that this trip was just an excuse for him to retrieve a secret love child he had kept hidden somewhere.

Ryou had to exhaust himself explaining the truth before anyone reluctantly accepted the purple-haired loli's origins. Even so, the revelation left a significant impact on everyone. While most people moved on, certain individuals—specifically the women who had been romantically involved with Ryou—began having other thoughts.

If they didn't hurry up and have kids with him, they'd be left behind!

Soon enough, Ryou noticed that something was... off. Whatever had gotten into them, the women in his life were suddenly much more enthusiastic. Freya and Syr, along with Semiramis, were already overwhelming on their own.

Ryou was starting to consider redeeming some vitality supplements from the system store just to survive. Even Jeanne, who had always been rather reserved, began coming up with new ways to seduce him. Not only did she unlock all kinds of positions, but on one occasion, she even spent an entire night with him—seven times. The temptation of a saint was already hard to resist, let alone when said saint had fallen and gained a devilish allure. Her charm was maxed out.

While Ryou was thoroughly enjoying himself, Jeanne ended up bedridden for several days—an incredibly rare occurrence. After all, the regenerative abilities of Heroic Spirits weren't something to scoff at.

And so, Ryou spent a leisurely yet busy period. As for what he was busy with... well, anyone familiar with Rule 34.

But soon enough, this peaceful time came to an end. The disruption began one day when Ryou was casually chatting with his daughter and learned that, as the world's consciousness, she could alter the world's rules. Ryou's mind immediately began to churn with ideas. What came to him wasn't some grand, noble notion. No, what he thought was this: It's time to settle the score with those damned gods.

Previously, Ryou had always been at a disadvantage—him out in the open, while the gods worked in the shadows. He couldn't do much to them.

But now?

With a daughter who was essentially the world's administrator, where could those gods possibly hide?

Turns out, having a daughter wasn't so bad after all. His mood soared.

However, after discussing things with his daughter in detail, Ryou gradually calmed down. Things weren't as simple as he had initially imagined. His first thought had been to simply rewrite the rules of the world and eliminate the gods outright—a straightforward and brutal solution. But his daughter explained that while she could indeed do this, it would come at a great cost to herself. The gods weren't outsiders; they were native to this world. To put it simply, if the world were a body, the gods would be like a specific type of essential cell.

 Eliminating one or two wouldn't be a big deal, but wiping them all out at once?

Well, imagine removing all of a certain type of cell from your body. It'd be a miracle if the body didn't collapse.

Hearing this, Ryou decided to change his approach. If he couldn't destroy the gods physically, he would destroy them spiritually—by dismantling their faith. These gods claimed to be the world's protectors and insisted that without them, the world would fall to monsters and that humanity couldn't survive without their guidance.

Fine.

He'd flip the script. He'd push the gods into direct opposition with humanity and make them experience what it was like to be universally despised.

Dark, ruthless plans began to form in Ryou's mind, each one more sinister than the last.

"I'm not great at doing good deeds, but when it comes to bad ones, I'm a creative genius. Guess I'm just born to be a villain."

As he sifted through his ideas, Ryou couldn't help but mock himself. Eventually, he made his choice.

"This is the one," he declared. Turning to his daughter, he whispered his plan into her ear.

"...So, can you pull this off?"

The purple-haired loli thought for a moment then nodded obediently. "No problem, Father!"

Ryou suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, I haven't given you a name yet. Let's call you..."