The Gods’ Gacha Game: Return of the God-King

Chapter 110: Rest and Nightmare

“Seven down already, huh?” Tuilë mused with her hands on her hips. “Guess we’re not doing too bad for ourselves.”

“Mhm.” Michelle nodded. “I believe we’re much faster than most divine warriors. At least the three of us.”

I glanced up at the sky and noticed that it was morning here, just as it had been when we finished the scenario. “Let’s take a day off and…” I caught myself, shaking my head quickly. “No, we can’t rush straight into the next scenario. Let’s talk about it later.”

“Okay.”

“Making adequate preparation is just as important, lad,” Boris rumbled in agreement.

“Agreed.”

They all nodded in unison. We hadn’t slept the previous night because we rushed straight into the seventh scenario, and completing it had drained every ounce of our strength and stamina. I really wanted to sleep like a log the moment I set foot in my bedroom. Also, I stored the comm-link that Tuilë had given me in my inventory.

“Speaking of which, Tuilë, Lucian—you both did a good job back there.”

“That’s only natural for a mage of my standing,” Lucian replied proudly, folding his arms.

“Yup, yup. That was still nothing. I haven’t even shown you everything I’m capable of,” Tuilë said with a toothy grin, clearly enjoying herself.

“I’m curious,” Michelle interjected from the side. “What are your levels?”

Tuilë tilted her head and appeared to open her status screen before saying, “Level twenty-nine. I could’ve been higher if I hadn’t holed up inside my workshop, tinkering with constructs and weapons. But if I had to choose, I’d still pick the workshop ten out of ten.”

Lucian smirked faintly, lifting his chin. “Level thirty-three. Not that numbers alone matter. A mage’s true strength lies in how effectively he wields his spells.”

Michelle looked impressed to find that both of them were higher-leveled than her. Boris, however, only gave a low chuckle. “Hah. Not bad. But give me time, and I’ll overtake you both.”

At this point, both Michelle and Boris hadn’t yet reached level twenty, though they were close. It could be said that they were slightly under-leveled for the eighth scenario. Although their combat prowess was way higher than the average divine warriors, it would still be dangerous without adequate preparation.

I was confident that I was closest to Tuilë’s and Lucian’s levels only because I had secured the most kills in the last two scenarios. Otherwise, I doubted I would have even reached level twenty myself. Both Tuilë and Lucian seemed to be straight-up Gimmel-rank divine warriors from the very beginning, which explained why their levels were higher.

We chatted a little longer before parting ways. Since Boris, Michelle, and I were staying at the same inn, we headed off together in the same direction. The streets of Fantasia were just beginning to grow busy at this hour, sunlight spilling over the rooftops and lending the city an almost peaceful air. Honestly, it felt strange to be heading for rest now while everyone else was just starting their daily routines.

Speaking of which, there were also the rewards of the Phantom Blade skill book and a Rare-Grade Elixir Voucher, but I chose to set them aside for later. The elixir voucher, in particular, felt best saved for a time when I truly needed it. For now, all I wanted was to hit the sack.

As we walked, I broke the silence. “Before we rush into another scenario, there’s something I want us to go first: the Rift of Dungeons.”

Boris raised a brow. “Dungeon crawling, eh? I heard the monsters there can vary a lot in level compared to the ones in the scenarios.”

“Is it the alcove on the left, Maxim?” Michelle asked.

“That’s right,” I replied. “Specifically, the Great Wilderness. We can use it to level up and close the gap with the others. After what we just faced, it’s clear our enemies won’t be getting weaker, and neither will the challenges. If we charge in unprepared, the eighth scenario could be life-threatening, potentially causing us to lose our lives.”

Michelle gulped and nodded slowly, carefully mulling over my words. “That… does make sense. Training and gaining levels in a safer environment first would give us more strength.”

Boris grinned. “Hah. Works for me. Been itching to stretch my arms outside the scenarios anyway.”

I nodded. The Great Wilderness would be dangerous, but compared to rushing blindly into the next scenario, it was the smarter choice. Furthermore, there might be places where I could spread the seed of faith and gather plausibility. And beyond that, the quest item from Graham’s belongings could very well lead us to a hidden trove of treasure.

***

I woke up in the late afternoon to a knock on the door of my bedroom, though the rumbling sound downstairs had already woken me up partially minutes ago.

“Maxim, you awake?” Michelle’s voice came from the other side.

“Yeah. Just woke up,” I said groggily as I stretched my body. “What’s up?”

It was unusual for Michelle or even Boris to come wake me. Normally, we just waited for each other in the dining room. Besides, I was among the ones who usually rose the earliest.

“It’s…” she hesitated before continuing, “I’ve been having a recurring nightmare these days, and I want to talk if possible.”

“Sure.” I stood from my bed and walked toward the door. Unsurprisingly, Michelle was indeed on the other side, but unlike her usual composed self, she shifted uneasily, clearly distressed.

“Hmm, I’m a bit hungry. How about we grab some food while you tell me your story,” I suggested.

“Sounds good.”

“Want to wake up Boris too?”  

“Well,” she said wryly, “I passed by Boris’s room earlier, and he seemed to be in a deep sleep. His snoring was so loud that the neighbors were complaining. I can’t imagine what would happen if it were in the middle of the night.”

Huh, so that rumbling sound downstairs was him? “Haha, typical of him.”

Michelle gave a faint smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “At least he’s resting well. I wish I could say the same.”

I glanced at her, noticing how pale she looked. “Alright then. Let’s eat first, and you can tell me everything. Maybe talking about it will help ease your mind.”

She nodded softly. “Thank you, Maxim.”

We walked down the quiet hallway of the inn together, descending the stairs. The aroma of roasted meat and freshly baked flatbread greeted us as we entered the dining room. We quickly settled at a corner table, away from the main floor, though the place wasn’t particularly crowded at this hour. Michelle sat across from me, her fingers tightening and loosening around the edge of the table as if she were trying to steady herself. When the innkeeper’s daughter arrived to take our order, Michelle managed only a polite nod, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Actually, I already had a hunch of what her nightmare might be since the first time she mentioned it. Michelle had always carried herself with quiet determination, but there were moments—small, fleeting ones—where the mask slipped. The way she drifted into a daze while brewing herbal tea, the silence that clung to her too long after battle, or the way her gaze sharpened whenever family was mentioned. Not to mention that the recent scenario had pushed her morals to the limit as she had to attack or even kill fellow humans.

When the food arrived, she pushed her plate around without eating, finally letting out a quiet sigh. “It keeps coming back… The same dream. The same horrifying night. In that dream, my village was attacked and burned down, and my father was… killed by some evil being to protect me… No matter how hard I try, I can’t push it away.”

Her voice trembled, and she lowered her eyes, clenching her fists tightly. “I thought it was just a nightmare. But every time we survive another scenario, it comes rushing back, more vivid than before… Is this really not a dream?”

Something that is too real to be a dream. I snorted inwardly. Perhaps I was more familiar with this than anyone else.

Although not always, divine warriors were often chosen when they stood on the verge of death. That moment of dying was usually sealed away the instant they were chosen. Yet as they grew stronger, the sealed memories surfaced little by little. The recurring nightmare Michelle suffered from was no mere illusion. It was the memory of what truly happened before she was chosen as a divine warrior.

Now, what should I do? Should I tell her the ugly truth, or should I offer her the beautiful lie?

Michelle’s eyes were still downcast, her fingers clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She clearly wanted answers—something to ease the weight pressing on her heart. But I knew too well that the truth was rarely merciful. If I told her, she would come to understand that her nightmares weren’t phantoms of the mind but fragments of her last moments before being chosen. That her father’s death, her village’s destruction—all of it—was real.

But what would that do? Would it give her strength to accept reality, or would it break her resolve when she needed it most? The scenarios were already merciless; to add the burden of her past might shatter her entirely.

On the other hand, if I gave her a comforting lie, told her that it was nothing more than a side effect of the System, or that it would fade in time, she might cling to that illusion. Perhaps it would give her the peace she craved, even if only temporarily. But a lie, no matter how beautiful, could not stand forever. Sooner or later, the sealed memories would surface, and when they did, she might resent me for keeping the truth from her.

I leaned back in my chair, weighing the two paths in silence. As a God-King in my previous life and the creator of Divine Will, I knew better than anyone that this was a game of second chances for mortals. Those who resented their current lives, those desperate to achieve greatness, and those standing on the very edge of death… these were the ones chosen as divine warriors. In a sense, each and every divine warrior was a special existence with the potential to reach godhood.

“Maxim…” she whispered, finally daring to meet my gaze. “Do you know what this means?”

She sought me out because she understood that my knowledge of Divine Will far surpassed anyone else’s. And she was right. I was aware of the answer to her question—perhaps the only one in all of Fantasia who truly was other than the higher beings.

After a moment of silence, I exhaled softly and resolved to tell her the ugly truth. Of course, I would temper it with guidance, ensuring she wouldn’t sink into despair. But whether she chose to take my words as encouragement or let them break her, that was entirely her decision. If she succumbed to despair, then it only proved she wasn’t suited to remain a permanent member of my party, and her usefulness would inevitably diminish; I wouldn’t need someone with such a weak heart.

“What you saw in your dream,” I began, “was all real. Your village’s destruction and your father sacrificing his life to protect you isn’t just a dream. It’s a sealed memory that becomes loose as you grow stronger and clear more scenarios.”

“Wh-What…?” Her eyes widened in shock before she slammed her palms against the table, hard enough to make the soup bowls spill half their contents and draw startled glances from the other patrons. “Is that true?! Maxim, are you telling the truth?”