Chapter 374: Fear Quitters

After a good while of chatting and teasing, I agreed to Lucy's 7-day free trial even though the whole thing looked shady to me.

I mean, why the hell do I need to pay 99 Faith points a month to play games? Can't I just buy them instead and have fun at home?

Still, the games sounded fun, and they gave me a few ideas on the development of my nightmare tower floors and on how to spice up my sex life with the girls.

Soon, the gamer goddess led me to a special corner in her hub. There were rows and rows of glass capsules stretched before me, glowing faintly with an eerie neon light. Each one thrummed with power, like coffins built for gods, humming with anticipation.

Virtual reality pods.

Apparently, Lucy's own world was a virtual one. She didn't explain it to me well; all she said was that her concept allowed her to turn her physical world into a digital one.

"Welcome to the VR zone," Lucy said, spreading her arms proudly as a dozen or so gods slid into the pods, eager looks on their faces.

"This is where the gods and goddesses can escape the drudgery of daily life and play to their hearts' content."

"Ohhh... really"

"Really," Lucy's grin split wide, mischief glinting in her violet eyes. "You can do anything you want, have fun, play, and no one will bother you."

"What are the rules?"

"There are none, my dear."

"No rules, eh? Hahaha, this is the place I need."

"Then follow me." Lucy's grin grew sharper, more feral.

We walked deeper into the VR zone, past a row of closed pods. Their glass lids were tinted black, obscuring the occupants within, and the air hummed with power, like a living being held captive by the steel.

"Those are the high-tier VIP rooms," Lucy explained, pointing at different-looking VR pods in the distance. "They are only for the top gods, but since I like you, I'll let you use one of them."

"Really? Why are they different?"

"Oh, simple. They are faster and can stimulate 100% of the player's brain and senses. It allows them to experience a whole different world without limitations."

"Ohh?" I raised an eyebrow, my interest piqued. "A whole different world without limitations? Sounds dangerously addictive."

"Addictive is my middle name." Lucy winked, her candy-colored hair bouncing as she leaned closer. "Well… technically it's entertainment, but who's counting?"

FUSHH!

"Alright, hop in," she eagerly opened one of the pods, gesturing for me to climb in.

"Okay, okay, calm your balls."

"I'm a girl."

"Don't care"

With that, I climbed inside the pod, settling myself comfortably on the silicon-like chair. My body sank into it, cradled by its soft embrace, and soon a warm, soothing feeling crawled across my skin.

"Oh, and before I forget," Lucy said, leaning in, "the Nexus challenges also work in my VR world; games are an excellent way to rank up."

"Seriously?!" My eyes widened in surprise.

"Hahaha, yeah. Many gods prefer to do their rank-up challenge here since it's easier to find opponents."

"I see."

"Anyways. Just relax and let the pod connect your mind to my world."

I nodded, closing my eyes, relaxing my body; however, before the pod did its work, I sent a mental message to my daughter Eir to guard me and not allow anyone to get close to my pod. I'm not stupid enough to let my body be vulnerable in a new place, even if the Nexus guaranteed my safety.

One thing I learned the hard way was that the concept of complete safety doesn't exist. Someone, somewhere, will always be trying to fuck you over, and you should never forget it.

The pod hissed as it sealed, the glass rippling over me like liquid night. For a brief moment, the outside world blurred, Lucy's smug grin and Eir's serious face the last things I saw before darkness swallowed me whole.

Then—light.

My eyelids flew open, and suddenly, I wasn't lying in a pod anymore.

I was standing in a massive white room, completely bare and empty, when a voice, synthetic and booming, echoed through the air.

[WELCOME, PLAYER]

[PLEASE CUSTOMIZE YOUR CHARACTER AND INPUT A CHARACTER NAME]

"Customize my character?" I rubbed my chin.

Suddenly, a mirror materialized in front of me, showing my reflection.

"Hmm… you can't customize perfection," I smirked at the mirror, running a finger along my jawline. My crimson eyes glowed back at me, fangs sharp, hair wild like a storm caught in eternal midnight. The system reflection shimmered, waiting for my command.

"Just use my original appearance, there is nothing hotter than me."

[CONFIRMED.] The system flickered.

[DEFAULT APPEARANCE LOCKED.]

[PLEASE INPUT A CHARACTER NAME.]

"Oh, that's easy." My grin widened. "Morgana, The Mother of All."

[NAME, CONFIRMED.]

The mirror dissolved into mist, and the white room shifted, stretching wider until it felt like I was standing inside a limitless void. Neon grids crawled up from beneath my feet, lines of light racing outward in every direction. Symbols appeared in the air—dice, cards, blades, chains—all rotating lazily like they were waiting for me to choose.

[SELECT GAME MODE.]

Dozens of options flickered into existence:

[NEXUS GOD RANKING] [ARENA COMBAT] [DUNGEON RAID] [KINGDOM BUILDER] [SHOOTER] [SURVIVAL] [HORROR] [ADULT] [R18] [EROTIC SIMULATOR] [CUSTOM MODE]

"Oh... good stuff." I licked my lips, eyeing the list carefully. I can see how the VR is an excellent method for the gods to have fun. And the custom mode, now that's interesting. However, I decided to go for 'Nexus god ranking' to try and rank up, then after that, maybe I'll look into the custom mode, maybe craft an orgy battle royal, hahaha, now that would be a party.

"Select nexus god ranking"

[NEXUS GOD RANKING SELECTED.]

[INITIALIZING… PLEASE STAND BY.]

The neon grids beneath my feet pulsed brighter, then folded in on themselves, collapsing into a single line of light that shot upward like a pillar, piercing the infinite void. My hair whipped in the sudden digital storm, the air thick with static as the world rearranged itself around me.

The white emptiness shattered.

In its place, I stood upon a colossal coliseum—black marble floors slick with faint reflections, obsidian pillars wrapped in glowing chains, and an audience of faceless avatars looming above, their countless eyes burning with anticipation.

A new banner spread across the sky, letters burning in red flame:

[NEXUS GOD RANKING TRIALS]

An input box blinked before me, red letters blazing in the void:

[CURRENT RANK: BRONZE]

[NEXT AVAILABLE TRIAL: IRON]

"Ohhh, now we're talking." My grin spread ear to ear, my claws twitching in anticipation. "Let's see what these so-called Iron pups can do."

[IRON RANK TRIAL SELECTED.]

[SEARCHING FOR PLAYERS]

After approximately ten seconds, the void above the coliseum flickered. Dozens of names scrolled across the sky like burning constellations before vanishing one by one. The crowd of faceless avatars stamped their feet, their hunger vibrating the air like thunder.

Oh, I found out that they weren't here to see me or anything like that. It turned out this place was like a waiting room. Gods can sit and wait for an Iron challenge to pop up, and they could challenge them if they wanted.

[PLAYER FOUND.]

Instantly, a god or, in this case, a player materialized before me. A male god with brown hair and matching eyes, clad in different pieces of armor like he was some kind of clown pretending to be a knight.

"Morgana?" he gasped, his eyes widening. "The Morgana? The ass-breaker?!"

"Oh, hello there," I smirked, flashing a fang. "It looks like we'll be playing today."

"NOPE!" he shouted, both hands flying to guard his crotch like I was a dragon about to roast his precious jewels. And before I had the chance to comment on his behavior.

[THE PLAYER HAS LEFT THE INSTANCE.]

The god disappeared in a burst of static, his avatar disintegrating into pixels.

"Eh?" I blinked, stunned for a moment, but then I couldn't help but laugh. "Hahaha... Seriously? Is he really that afraid?"

The system voice droned, cold and absolute:

[PLAYER FORFEIT.]

[ROUND ONE INVALID.]

[SEARCHING FOR NEW OPPONENT...]

"Sigh... Fine," I rolled my shoulders, stretching out my claws with a grin. "Next one better have more balls—or tits—than that coward. I didn't come here for foreplay without the fun part."

[PLAYER FOUND.]

Seconds ticked by, a slow eternity. Then a new figure appeared before me, the void rippling like liquid night.

A tall woman stood in front of me, her long, golden hair tied in a neat bun. She wore a tight white suit, her body curving sensually beneath the fabric. Her eyes landed on me, or to be more specific, they landed on my lovely breasts.

"Tsk," she clicked her tongue, a small scowl on her face. "Life isn't fair."

[THE PLAYER HAS LEFT THE INSTANCE.]

That was all she said before vanishing in a clean burst of static, her perfect golden hair dissolving into pixels that faded like smoke.

I just… blinked. Then I burst out laughing so hard my stomach ached.

"HAHAHAHA! Oh, gods above and below! She took one look at my tits and rage-quit?!" I bent over, hands on my knees, wheezing between cackles. "Lucy! Your VR trials are killing me—and not in a good way! First, a knight who shields his balls, now a blonde suit-girl who can't handle a little cleavage?!"

The system voice droned, cold and absolute as ever:

[PLAYER FORFEIT.]

[ROUND ONE INVALID.]

[SEARCHING FOR NEW OPPONENT...]

"Yeah, yeah," I waved a claw lazily at the glowing sky, still chuckling. "Keep searching. Hopefully the next idiot doesn't faint at the sight of boobs or bolt the second I grin at them."

But I was wrong, and things kept getting worse.

One after the other, player after player materialized—then bolted the instant they laid eyes on me.

Some screamed.

Some cursed.

One even fell to his knees, weeping like I'd stepped straight out of his nightmares, before the system politely erased him in a shower of pixels.

[THE PLAYER HAS LEFT THE INSTANCE.]

[THE PLAYER HAS LEFT THE INSTANCE.]

[PLAYER FORFEIT.]

Again. Again. Again.

I stood in the middle of the colossal coliseum, arms crossed, foot tapping against the marble floor, my grin slowly twitching into a snarl.

"Really?!" I threw my hands up, aura flaring. "This is what passes for Iron rank? A bunch of cowards who piss themselves at the sight of me? Hahaha—what a joke!"

I guess my new fame as 'The Ass-breaker' was too much for those gods to handle.

For a moment, there was only silence. A long, heavy silence that pressed against my ears like the weight of a storm. Then—

[PLAYER FOUND.]

"Sigh, another one," I rolled my eyes, my body sagging with disappointment; however, before I could get bored, something was different.

"TO WAR SOLDIER!!"

"Eh?" I froze, blinking at the newcomer. He was a tall, muscled man clad in the familiar Roman legionnaire armor. He carried a big shield in his left hand and a spear in his right. He looked like one of those warriors that I had in my Immortal army.

"TO WAR FOR THE GLORY OF THE IMPERIUM!!"

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