The rewards from the three spirit gods caused Lin Xuan's ranking to surge at an unbelievable pace.
In just ten minutes, his position skyrocketed from 101st to 23rd on the New God Ranking!
The gap between him and the top three was now less than 2,000 faith points.
While the entire forum was shaken by the rise of the Lord of Pleasure, Zhang Tai—Lin Xuan's number one player—was quietly slacking off at his workstation.
A qualified employee, after all, should be innovative in their work… and strive to maximize personal benefits.
Fill the kettle with office water.
Grab two rolls of toilet paper from the break room.
As for the free snacks on the counter—devour them without mercy.
Zhang Tai returned to his seat triumphantly, supplies in hand, surveying his surroundings like a lion inspecting its territory.
The boss wasn't around. His colleague Xiaoxue, seated nearby, was absorbed in browsing the forum.
Perfect.
Zhang Tai nodded in satisfaction and took a sip of coffee. The aroma suited his mood perfectly.
Just as he was about to enjoy his spoils, a scream erupted from Xiaoxue's desk.
Startled, Zhang Tai jerked, spilling coffee all over the floor—and onto his pants.
"Hiss!"
The heat made him flinch, but fortunately, his thick clothing spared him any real injury.
He hurriedly grabbed the tissues he had taken earlier, loosening his belt to clean himself—
At that moment, Xiaoxue rushed over with her device in hand.
"Senior, wasn't the new god you recommended last time called 'Lord of Pleasure'? He suddenly became super popular!"
Zhang Tai squinted instinctively. The moment he saw the news about the three gods' rewards, he shot up from his seat.
"Haha! I knew it! Lord of Pleasure! I must praise him!"
He proudly pulled up his records and showed them off.
"Look! I'm his first believer! I noticed him the moment he appeared on the New God Ranking! Tell me—wasn't my judgment incredible?"
Xiaoxue's eyes lit up instantly. Admiration filled her face.
"Wow, senior, you're—"
She suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Zhang Tai blinked in confusion. Just as he was about to ask—
He looked down.
His pants had slipped halfway down.
Coffee stains spread across his dark blue trousers, and in his hand… was a roll of toilet paper.
"Xiaoxue, wait—let me explain!"
Xiaoxue said nothing. Her face flushed red from ear to ear. She shot him a glare, snorted, and walked back to her desk.
"Xiaoxue, this isn't what it looks like—"
Smack.
A crumpled piece of paper hit his face.
She had already put in earplugs. Conversation over.
Zhang Tai stood there, on the verge of tears.
"Great Lord of Joy… what injustice your faithful follower has suffered…"
While mortals had their unlucky moments, gods were no exception.
Seeing the triple reward announcements, the Son of the Hearthfire fell silent.
He had clawed his way to the top three through relentless effort—taking on roles across worlds, enduring harsh environments, never stopping.
And Lin Xuan?
Two days.
That was all it took.
And this… was only the beginning.
With three gods backing him, the incoming surge of traffic was inevitable.
At this rate, breaking into the top ten was only a matter of time.
All he could do now was pray the ranking period would end in ten days. If he worked hard enough, perhaps he could hold his ground until then…
With no one around, he lay back in the lava pool, letting the scorching heat engulf him.
After a long silence, his voice echoed faintly:
"God… is more powerful than any god. Even more than God itself…"
To many new gods, Lin Xuan was now like a catfish thrown into still waters—stirring the entire ranking into chaos.
The demigods, though initially furious at being overtaken, gradually felt a strange sense of relief.
Take the God of the Giant Lizard, for example.
At first, he had been enraged when Lin Xuan pushed him out of the top 70.
But now that Lin Xuan had climbed to 23rd…
His expression turned oddly cheerful.
After all—everyone had dropped a rank.
Which meant… no one really lost.
But for those ranked above Lin Xuan?
Anxiety began to creep in.
Unease grew heavier by the second.
If the ranking were a battlefield, then all the gods were lambs awaiting execution—
And the Lord of Pleasure… was the executioner.
The lower-ranked gods had already been "killed."
Fear no longer mattered to them.
But the top 22?
They were still alive.
And waiting.
Waiting for Lin Xuan to reach them…
…and strike.
Even the Son of the Hearthfire was no exception.
Then, just as things seemed chaotic enough—
The forum exploded again.
[Anonymous User: Latest intel! The three spirit gods—the God of Pain, the God of Hope, and the God of Heroes—have issued decrees ordering their followers to play Dark Souls!]
[God of Hearthfire (Rank #2): ? orz]
[God of Mountain Dog (Rank #176): Damn it! Is there no way for us losers to survive?!]
[God of Spoilers (Rank #87): Damn it! Is there no way for us losers to survive?!]
[Princess Crescent Moon (Rank #3): Damn it! Is there no way for us losers to survive?!]
[God of Mountain Dog: …?]
At this point, the demigods had gone from shock… to numbness.
There was only one option left:
Spend everything.
Push everything.
Release everything.
The song scheduled for tomorrow? Released today.
The drama meant to stay hidden? Leaked immediately.
Even the top-ranked Dream Weaver rushed out promotional material overnight.
Every god scrambled to release their works—
Even if it only delayed their downfall by a single second…