I'm not just human!

The moment the final stroke was completed, to Xia Fa's surprise, pleasant music rang in his ears.

The music sounded just like a children's song, but it also had a beautiful and dreamlike quality to it. Before he could react, a rainbow suddenly appeared in front of him.

Immediately following, beneath the rainbow, a colossal castle rose from the ground, forged entirely from yellow sand.

The castle gates opened, revealing a gingerbread man seated on a throne, with many royal cavalry kneeling before him, each holding a long spear the color of candy wrappers.

Then, the sandcastle suddenly receded into the distance, and what lay before me transformed into a lush, green wilderness.

On the desolate plains, a ferocious dragon spews its breath. A brave warrior raises his shield to block the scorching dragon's breath, while simultaneously thrusting his sword at the dragon.

Suddenly, around the dragon and the warrior, appeared a little girl shivering with cold, holding a match; Little Red Riding Hood, carrying a bamboo basket and humming a song as she walked along the tree-lined path; and a princess sleeping in a crystal coffin…

Above them, suddenly, with a series of "pops," clouds with big, watery eyes appeared, showering down countless drops of candy.

All of this seemed absolutely wonderful, as if it had instantly transported Xiafa into the innocent world of a fairy tale, even allowing him to briefly forget the pressure and urgency in his heart.

Suddenly, all the fairytale scenes vanished, replaced by a tidal wave of darkness.

"finally……"

This was the last thought that surfaced in Xia Fa's mind before he was completely engulfed by darkness.

"I'll be able to see that young miner again."

……

Crackling, crackling, crackling—

As sparks rose and crackled in the campfire, Xia Fa slowly opened his eyes.

As far as the eye could see, there was indeed that mysterious dark space, and in the darkness, in an unknown distance, there was an ocean composed of countless colorful lights.

"The Primordial Eternal Sea..."

Since obtaining the [Eternal Secret] and fully absorbing and containing the [Eternal Critical Strike], and experiencing the various benefits of the Eternal Token, Xia Fa's desire for the Eternal Token has reached its peak.

This time, perhaps because he had become a god, he could feel even more strongly the call and attraction of the various eternal tokens in the ancient and eternal sea to him, as well as an indescribable sense of closeness.

Xia Fa also took this opportunity to quickly sense it.

Because if, within the next month or two, I could truly break through the third Ancient Mithril Gate with that incredibly mysterious "Bedeil" and enter the Ancient Eternal Sea, then if I had a prior knowledge of the eternal tokens within, I could pick them up much faster.

Needless to say, even if the third Ancient Mithril Gate opens, the two of them won't have much time left. Making their choice now is naturally the more advantageous option.

"Hmm... I really still want this [Eternal Attack], isn't it? It's definitely one of the strongest dozens of proofs of eternity, right?"

"The strength of Lord Absolute Defense is definitely partly due to Eternal Defense. If I could obtain Eternal Attack, I would not have disgraced the name of Absolute Attack."

"This [Eternal Cultivation] is still there, that's right. The [Eternal Replication] and the [Eternal Suffering] are also there. So, the eternal credentials in the Primordial Eternal Sea won't just fall into the outside world so easily?"

"【Eternal Severance】...This shouldn't be the strongest of the dozens of eternal credentials, but it's estimated to be of a high rank, just like 【Eternal Secret】."

"Wait, [the eternal abstraction]? There are such eternal credentials?"

Seeing that all the eternal evidences he had sensed before were still there, Xia Fa felt a sense of relief for some reason, but a strange expression immediately appeared on his face.

Needless to say, it's because they've perceived something like an eternal abstraction—a kind of eternal proof.

"Besides 'eternal abstraction,' there are also 'eternal laziness,' 'eternal pretentiousness,' and 'eternal verbal abuse'?"

Xia Fa's mind was immediately filled with a sense of sarcasm, and he vaguely felt that this "eternal verbal persuasion" might just be the strongest proof of eternity...

Of course, this is impossible, because this is the real world, not a novel. The higher one's status, the fewer beings can be persuaded by words.

However, if someone could truly absorb and accommodate the "Eternal Talk," Xia Fa would really like to see what the effect would be.

Suddenly, the scattered specks of the ancient, eternal sea flashed and then vanished.

Immediately afterwards, Xia Fa turned towards the location of the campfire.

Then, sure enough, he saw the young miner.

Since learning that [Absolute Defense] had not only reappeared but also single-handedly held off thirty-five Gold Cleaners, Xia Fa has been filled with great doubt about the young miner's identity.

The main reason is that the young miner's previous performance made it difficult to doubt, and one might even genuinely believe that he had lost his "absolute defense."

But now, [Absolute Defense] has returned to the ranks of the nine great gods, and even though, according to Lord [Paradox Clown], he is still in poor condition due to his serious injuries, he still demonstrated the strength that the strongest god should have.

So, who exactly is this young miner?

He has always been good to me and has never deceived me in other matters, so why would He deceive me about His true identity?

The campfire was about ten meters away from Xia Fa, just a few steps away. Xia Fa could see clearly that the young miner was sitting on a small stool with his back to him, hunched over, looking like he was about to fall asleep, or was already asleep.

After thinking it over, Xia Fa decided to take the plunge, go over, wake Him up, and have a proper conversation.

Now that he has become a subordinate god among the gods, he can clearly sense that he can escape from this mysterious dark space at any time if he wants to.

Strangely, the young miner seemed to be one with the dark space, making it difficult for him to escape.

As for the location of this dark space, he didn't know where it was. It didn't feel like it was in the Protoss Realm, nor was it in the real world.

Soon, Xia Fa approached, but instead of reaching out to touch the young miner, he went around to his side and looked down at him.

A soft snore could be heard; sure enough, the young miner was sleeping, and he looked exhausted.

Xia Fa was about to wake Him when he saw the young miner tremble slightly, as if sensing someone beside him, and slowly raise his head.

Even though He was awakened from sleep, if there were enemies nearby, there would definitely be danger. Under normal circumstances, He should have been very vigilant in dealing with the situation.

But He didn't. He simply raised his head slowly and turned around, giving Xia Fa the feeling of an invincible and domineering aura.

Yes, that's the feeling. It's as if no matter what kind of enemy it is, even if they sneak up next to Him while He is asleep, it's not worth His attention.

"Oh? It's you, Xia Fa, you've come."

The young miner, whose face was devoid of features, immediately recognized Xia Fa as soon as he turned around, and his tone sounded very pleased.

"Come, come, let's warm ourselves by the fire. You've really become a god. This is your sixth overlord-level secret contract, isn't it? It's truly unbelievable."

He greeted them warmly and casually made a small stool next to the campfire.

Xia Fa did not choose to sit down, but stared at Him intently.

The young miner yawned, and despite not having a mouth, he made a "haa—" sound, followed by a rather weary remark:

"These past few days, for some reason, I've been feeling very tired, something I've never experienced before."

As he spoke, the young miner waved his hand:

"Let's not talk about that, Xia Fa. Now that you've signed the sixth Overlord-level secret contract, you must really want to know what exactly happened in this world, and how our Nine Great Gods were replaced by fakes, right? Come, come, let me tell you all about it."

Xia Fa thought for a moment, choosing not to immediately discuss the truth or falsehood of the "Absolute Defense," but still didn't sit down on the small stool. He simply smiled and said:

"Then I'll have to trouble you, senior. Please speak. I am the junior, so I should stand and listen."

The young miner didn't seem to mind and cheerfully began to recount the story:

"Thirty thousand years ago, there were only ancient gods and magicians in this universe. Then, a major event suddenly occurred in the universe—of course, I wasn't born yet at that time, so I don't know what that major event was. In short, it was that major event that led to the birth of extraordinary beings..."

Xia Fazai listened carefully, not missing a single word, while comparing his words with those of the Paradox Clown and Gastis the Great Axe.

"...That's roughly how it is. These guys you now call the Cleaners, when they first appeared, they didn't even speak, nor did they have any names for themselves. They just kept attacking extraordinary beings in order to reclaim the power that had flowed out of the origin of the universe and turned into secret contracts, extraordinary talents, and eternal proofs."

Before long, the young miner finished his story. Although the way he narrated it was slightly different, it was indeed similar to what Lord Paradox Clown and Gastis the Great Axe had said.

Immediately, He raised His head, His tone exceptionally gentle:

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask, Xia Fa? Just ask, and I'll answer to the best of my knowledge."

Xia Fa remained silent for a while, then finally gritted his teeth and said:

“Senior, I have always respected you and absolutely trusted you, but…”

The young miner asked, puzzled:

"But what?"

Immediately, He waved his hand magnanimously:

"Ask whatever you want, Xia Fa. Apart from the other few gods and some celestial beings, you are now the only person I can trust. Just ask, don't be afraid of overstepping your bounds."

Xia Fa then stopped hesitating and said directly:

"Now, in the Protoss Realm, Absolute Defense has returned. Not only did it kill the fake Absolute Defense, but it also single-handedly held off a full thirty-five Gold Cleaners, giving the entire universe a chance to catch its breath."

Seemingly because he had finally said what he wanted to say, Xia Fa felt a surge of exhilaration, and continued:

"This news was told to me by the Paradox Clown, which means it can't be false."

"In addition, I also confirmed it through other channels, and those channels are even less likely to be fake."

"And since that Lord of Absolute Defense was able to hold off thirty-five Gold Cleaners single-handedly, based on that feat alone, his identity is absolutely genuine, so..."

Xia Fa looked at the young miner's faceless, egg-shaped face, as if trying to see into his heart:

"...Senior, you've always claimed to have an 'absolute defense' that has lost its power. Why is that?"

Unexpectedly, the young miner was stunned:

"What did you say? [Absolute Defense] is back? That's impossible!"

Xia Fa never expected the young miner to react this way. Moreover, it must be said that if He wasn't acting, then the reaction was incredibly real, just as He himself hadn't expected that another [Absolute Defense] would appear.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Fa replied:

"I also wish you were truly the one with 'absolute defense,' but the facts are what they are."

The young miner immediately stood up, looking quite excited, and paced back and forth around the campfire.

"Something's not right. Something's very wrong. But if it's someone impersonating me, there's no way they could possibly have the strength to take on thirty-five Gold Cleaners all by themselves. But if that guy really has [Absolute Defense], then who am I?"

As He muttered to Him, large and small fleshy lumps swelled up all over His body, especially on His face, which had no features, and looked like blisters from burns, making Him appear particularly eerie and terrifying.

This actually... seems like a sign that things are about to get out of control!

Xia Fa was startled. Since he entered directly with his physical body this time, countless strange electric currents surged from his spine and covered his cerebral cortex.

Otherwise, seeing the young miner about to lose control, Xia Fa had no doubt that he himself would also lose control on the spot.

Fortunately, the young miner seemed to be able to control it, and soon the fleshy spheres disappeared. He seemed to have regained his composure and sat back down on the small stool.

“Xia Fa, let me tell you the truth, my memories are actually very confused. I remember being besieged by the Golden Cleaners, many, many times. I also remember being framed by the Paradox Joker. Of course, it was a fake Paradox Joker. He said that someone was impersonating me, which led me into the Golden Cleaners' trap.”

He paused briefly, then let out a long sigh and lowered his head:

"But I really can't remember how I became like this, or how I got trapped here. It's like I've completely lost that memory."