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

Chapter 24: Clearing the Second Scenario

I jerked awake from the loud noise of something heavy scraping against the floor, followed by a series of dull, rhythmic thuds. For a split second, my groggy mind struggled to process what was happening until I heard the familiar groans echoing through the dimly lit room.

Zombies.

I snapped upright, my heart pounding as I turned toward the entrance. The metal cabinet I had used to barricade the door trembled under the force of multiple bodies pressing against it. The rusted door rattled violently, each impact sending a sharp clang reverberating through the building. Damn it. How many are out there?

Pushing aside my lingering drowsiness, I grabbed my steel spear, which I had placed beside me, and quickly assessed my surroundings. There was no other way out except through the window on the far side of the room. Fighting the zombies head-on might not be worth it if there were too many of them. The barricade would hold for a short while, but I had no intention of waiting for it to fail.

With that in mind, my grip on the spear hardened as I turned toward the grime-covered window. With a sharp thrust, I drove the spear through the glass, shattering it into jagged pieces. Cold air rushed in as the broken shards clattered to the floor. Time to skedaddle.

Without hesitation, I swept away the remaining shards with the end of my spear. The opening was narrow, but I could squeeze through with some effort. Fortunately, the first light of sunrise had begun to creep over the horizon, so there was some illumination that gave a clear view of my surroundings.

Hoisting myself up, I winced as my coat snagged on a jagged edge. With a sharp tug, I freed myself and dropped down onto the ground outside, landing in a low crouch.

Crash!

A loud bang echoed from inside. The zombies had finally broken through the barricade. I turned my head just in time to see the rusted door burst open, and several grotesque figures staggered into the room, searching for me.

For a brief moment, they didn’t notice I was gone. But then—

“GRRAAGH!!”

One of them suddenly turned its octopus-covered face toward the shattered window, reaching its clawed hands through the broken glass. But by that time, I was already gone. I bolted, sprinting across the open ground as the first zombie clumsily hauled itself through the window. Thanks to my improved agility and speed, I was able to get away from them without any trouble.

I kept running, passing through the overgrown ruins of the plaza. The zombies behind me let out distorted groans, but their sluggish movements were no match for my speed. Within moments, their sounds faded into the background, swallowed by the early morning silence. Only when I was certain I had lost them did I slow my pace, coming to a stop beneath a collapsed streetlamp. My breathing was steady, and my stamina was barely affected thanks to my improved stats.

Glancing around, the city’s ruins stretched endlessly before me—abandoned buildings with shattered windows, rusting vehicles overtaken by creeping vines, and cracked roads barely visible beneath layers of dirt and debris. This city bore an uncanny resemblance to a modern city from Earth. Yet, nature had long since reclaimed this place, erasing any trace of civilization.

With no immediate threats in sight, I refocused on my primary objective. Navigating through the ruined city was far easier than traversing the sewers. Unlike the narrow, winding tunnels where I had been forced to deal with constant ambushes, the open streets allowed me to move freely, covering ground much more efficiently. Furthermore, once I was alone, the coat’s effect pretty much made me invisible.

I passed by the skeletal remains of what might have once been a marketplace—wooden stalls rotted away, long-forgotten wares scattered across the pavement. Further ahead, an old apartment complex loomed, with many of its doors left open and its interior shrouded in darkness. The world was eerily quiet, save for the occasional rustling of the wind.

“I wonder what happened to this place…” I muttered.

Scenarios were depictions of past events that had unfolded in ruined worlds. Judging from its remnants, this one was strikingly similar to Earth, favoring technological advancements over magic. It was possible that this world hadn’t developed magic at all, though the existence of the thralls, with their strange magic, suggested otherwise.

Because I mostly avoided any enemies and solely focused on finishing the objective, I only killed about a dozen enemies along the way. There were far more zombies than flying octopuses, so I took advantage of high buildings and vantage points to cover the required exploration area more efficiently. By using elevated positions, I could scout ahead, plan my route, and avoid unnecessary detours. With this strategy, it didn’t take long to make steady progress.

By the time the sun reached its peak overhead, the objective was complete.

You have fulfilled the required area of exploration.

Congratulations.

You have cleared Scenario #2 [Exploring the Post-Apocalyptic City].

You have fulfilled the third extra condition of the scenario — Kill 100 monsters of any kind and uncover the secret that the city possesses. (120/100, Complete)

Basic Rewards: 1,000 Soul Coins & Uncommon-Grade Armament Voucher

Additional Rewards: A Random Rare-Grade Skill Book

You have acquired the Predator’s Step Skill Book.

Your Stamina has increased by 1.

Your Dexterity has increased by 1.

Basic Spearmanship has leveled up.

You have fulfilled the prerequisites for class advancement.

Special legendary class detected.

You are now eligible for class advancement.

Would you like to proceed?

[Yes/No]

Before I could read the rows of notifications, a radiant light enveloped me, and the world around me blurred. In the blink of an eye, I found myself standing once again before the Rift of Scenarios. The mild pain from the scratches and bruises I had sustained during the scenario had completely vanished.

I glanced around, noting that it was already midnight. The sky was a vast expanse of darkness, and the cool night air carried a refreshing crispness. I must have been in there longer than I thought.

“Congratulations on clearing the second scenario, divine warrior,” Elysia greeted me, standing calmly a meter from me. Despite the late hour, she remained as composed as ever, diligently tending to her duties.

I nodded in acknowledgment before asking about Boris and Michelle.

“You mean those two?” Elysia gestured toward the side, where Boris and Michelle were waiting nearby. The moment they spotted me, they headed over.

Boris was the first to speak, cracking his knuckles with a grin. “Took you long enough.”

Michelle crossed her arms, scanning me from head to toe. “You don’t look too bad. That means it wasn’t too hard for you, right?”

I shrugged. “Something like that, though it took me longer than you two.”

“Well, not really,” Boris said frankly. “You came out just an hour or so later than we did.”

“That’s right.” Michelle nodded. “There were a lot of monsters roaming around the city, so we had to be careful not to get swarmed. But thanks to that, we managed to clear the second extra condition. Still, we couldn’t figure out the secret for the third one.”

“And guess what? I unlocked my signature skill in the scenario while facing a horde of zombies.” Boris grinned with pride. He slapped my shoulder with enough force to rattle my bones. “I’ll show you when the time comes, lad. Gahaha!”

“Uhh… I’m sorry I couldn’t be of much help,” Michelle added, fidgeting slightly.

It was obvious that something drastic must have happened during their scenario. Signature skills weren’t something that just appeared out of nowhere—they were awakened in dire situations, forged through experience and survival. It wasn’t the first time that I’d seen this. Still, not everyone could develop a signature skill. For Boris to awaken his meant he was something special.

“Oh, right. With the completion of the second scenario, you two should be able to do a class advancement, right?”

“I do fulfill the criteria,” Michelle confirmed with a nod.

“Same here.” Boris grinned. “Should we go check the Hall of Classes now?”

“As much as getting stronger quickly is important, we can’t go there this late at night.” I shook my head. Unfortunately, unlike Elysia, who seemed to work around the clock, the Hall of Classes was closed at night. Besides, even if my body was healed of injuries, I was exhausted.

That said, we began making our way back to our lodging. Though Boris and Michelle couldn’t undergo their class advancement just yet, it was a different matter for me. Without hesitation, I tapped [Yes] on the screen. The moment I confirmed my choice, a faint light enveloped me, and I could feel new power coursing through my body, as if something deep within me had awakened. As I was walking behind Boris and Michelle, neither of them had realized this peculiarity.

You have gone through your class advancement.

All your stats have increased by 30.

Proficiency in all skills has increased dramatically.

You have learned the exclusive Paradox Incarnate signature skill: [Scenario Manipulation].

The stored experience points have been converted into levels.

You have leveled up.

You have leveled up.

You have leveled up.

Maximillian Anderson Lv. 4/40 (EXP 46/460)

Rank: Bet [2]

Patron God: Istellia (Goddess of Imagination)

Class: Paradox Incarnate

Title: Foul Play (2)

Status: Normal

Strength: 59 | Dexterity: 61 + 10 | Stamina: 55 + 7

Mind: 48 | Magic Power: 45 | Luck: 54

Plausibility: 109

Free Attributes: 81

Signature Skill(s): [@!$# Creation], [Fabled Vessel], [Grant Plausibility], [Scenario Manipulation]

Skill(s): [Basic Alchemy Lv.4], [Basic Spearmanship Lv.8], [Basic Swordsmanship Lv.9], [Desperate Willpower Lv.5], [Fast Reading Lv.1], [Inventory], [Mental Tolerance Lv.4], [Negotiation Lv.4], [Pain Tolerance Lv.4]

The higher the level of a skill, the more difficult it became to raise. This time, my skill levels hadn’t increased by much, but I could still feel the drastic improvement from it, as well as the improved stats. This was what separated Aleph and Bet ranks.

Before my class advancement, I had struggled to take down Bet-rank monsters, but now I was confident I could eliminate them as effortlessly as I had dealt with Aleph-rank ones. Even so, I couldn’t afford to become complacent. While my strength had already far surpassed that of an ordinary human from Earth, there were still individuals out there whose abilities far exceeded mine, even before they were chosen as divine warriors. Scarface was likely one of them, though in the grand scheme of things, he was still far from the true monsters that existed in Divine Will.

Still, even with my newfound power, facing him head-on would be risky. If I wanted to stand a real chance, I’d have to go all out from the start and use Fabled Vessel, which would reveal my trump cards. This was something that I wanted to avoid. As such, direct confrontation with him or his group wasn’t worth the gamble. Not until I had undergone another class advancement and reached Gimmel rank.

But more importantly, what was the new signature skill?

As I opened and read through the skill’s description, I was immediately dumbfounded.