Chapter 1: If you want to travel through time, then just do it

Now, the time has returned to 5 years ago

The path of Dali's rebirth has begun

In "Divine Demons," players can choose from a wide variety of races, including humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, and undead, all of which are commonly available for selection upon registration. As for hidden races, there are options such as vampires, werewolves, and fallen angels, but the methods to obtain them remain a mystery even after many years. There are numerous rumors circulating on the forums, such as completing extremely difficult hidden quests, spending a significant amount of money to apply for a VIP account, or even the claim that leveling up a character to level 100 and then deleting it could grant access to these hidden races. It is likely that no one dares to attempt these methods.

The current date is May 31, 20XX. Dali couldn't help but sigh, feeling quite unfortunate. "Shenmo" has officially been in operation for a month! Oh, great deity, since I have to traverse, couldn't you send me back a month earlier? Others who traverse always seem to time it perfectly with the launch of a new game, taking full advantage of the timing and circumstances!

After finishing dinner, Dali began the registration process. Being young is wonderful, full of energy.

Let me first provide a brief introduction to the online game "Shenmo".

Dali has traveled through time; this time it is not a dream, but a genuine journey through time.

Now, Dali's profession is that of a Paladin

Dali is a person who has achieved nothing, seemingly lacking talent and evidently devoid of luck. After graduating from university, he struggled to find a few jobs and dated a few girlfriends. Perhaps he is inherently endowed with a certain temperament, as misfortunes such as being laid off and experiencing heartbreak seem to follow him like a shadow. In reality, Dali has always worked hard; he simply lacks the ability to apply what he learned in school. Well, the knowledge acquired in school is of no use to him at all. After being unemployed that year, while venting his frustrations by playing the popular online game "Gods and Demons" in his dormitory, he suddenly received a series of spam messages: XX Studio is hiring gold farmers and power-levelers; interested parties please add a certain QQ for contact... Such spam messages are quite common in online games. At that time, feeling lost in life, he applied for the job with a mindset of giving it a try, and surprisingly, he was hired smoothly—his unemployment turned out to be a significant advantage. He submitted his personal account and registered as a member on their studio's website, and that was it. He did not know who the boss was, how many people were in the studio, or what other businesses the studio engaged in; it was unnecessary for him to know. He was merely a gold farmer at the most basic level, with no salary, and his only task was to complete the orders assigned by his supervisor each month.

Occupation: Paladin (Occupational Characteristics: Proficient in various weapons, armor, horsemanship, adept in light magic, prohibited from learning dark magic)

Three years have passed in this manner. Dali feels physically and mentally exhausted, yet he has also become accustomed to the status quo. At least this job provides a stable income, free from the backstabbing and intrigues of the workplace, and he no longer has to deal with the troubles of traffic jams and being late. However, owning a house or a car seems unlikely, and he has even less hope for a wife. In the blink of an eye, he has turned thirty, and his body can no longer endure staying up all night. Continuing like this is not a solution, but what can be done? Aside from reading novels and daydreaming about how he could be reborn, what else is there? In the blink of an eye, he has turned thirty, and his body can no longer endure staying up all night. Continuing like this is not a solution, but what can be done? Aside from reading novels and daydreaming about how he could be reborn, what else is there? After waking up, he still has to do what he needs to do.

In any online game, it seems that top-tier experts are either thieves or mages, followed by warriors and archers. Professions like paladins, which are characterized by their weakness against stronger opponents, are destined not to reach the pinnacle. In fact, Dali never had the intention of becoming a top-tier expert. Skills? Reflexes? Awareness? He possesses none of these talents! He is aware of this limitation, and moreover, his personality is not one that seeks dominance.

Characters possess a total of 5 attributes: Strength, Agility, Constitution, Intelligence, and Spirit. With each level gained, in addition to a significant increase in health and mana, players are rewarded with 10 attribute points. Of these, 5 points are automatically allocated by the system according to the characteristics of the profession, while the remaining 5 points can be freely distributed by the player. Attribute points are crucial for enhancing combat power, but leveling up is not the primary means of obtaining these points, as leveling is quite challenging. The main way to acquire attribute points is through the achievement system. Achievements are defined as remarkable feats accomplished by players. For instance, defeating 100 players from opposing factions grants the achievement "Hundred Kill", which adds 10 points to all attributes. Catching 1,000 fish earns the achievement "Fisher", which grants an additional 20 points to Stamina. Killing 10,000 small rabbits or chicks in the novice village results in the achievement "Rabbit (Chicken) Butcher", rewarding 10 free attribute points, and so on. There are numerous types of achievements. It is said that theoretically, a level 1 player who completes all achievable tasks at that level can match the attribute points of a level 50 player who does not pursue achievements. A player who diligently pursues achievements stands out as a formidable presence among peers, akin to a BOSS. Players who are enthusiastic about achievements are collectively referred to as "Achievement Enthusiasts", while those who focus on leveling up are known as "Leveling Enthusiasts".

This is a brief introduction to the game; it is, after all, an easy-to-learn game with a straightforward setting

There is no upper limit to player levels; in the words of the game company, players can ultimately reach the heights of deities and demons. Before the great transition, the highest player level was 188, which is already close to the minimum tier of 200 for angels. This illustrates the difficulty of leveling up, which is fundamentally why the power leveling industry has thrived and remains robust. Moreover, the growth of mercenaries and pets requires sharing the owner's experience, making leveling up even more challenging. Due to the difficulty of leveling up, character death does not result in a loss of level but rather a loss of experience. When experience drops to zero, the character is demoted. The growth of mercenaries and pets requires sharing the owner's experience, further complicating the leveling process. Because of the difficulty in leveling up, character death results in a loss of experience rather than a loss of level, and when experience reaches zero, demotion occurs.

On an ordinary evening, having painstakingly completed his work orders, he indulged in the rare luxury of enjoying some marinated beef with his drink, and as always, he sighed deeply while gazing at the setting sun outside the window, lamenting how wonderful it would be if life could start over again.

It seems that at this moment, I might be running errands for some small company. In the face of tremendous opportunities for advancement, tedious work must certainly be dismissed. Various broadband services and computers must also be upgraded without hesitation. After a day of hard work, everything is in place, but the remaining funds are only enough for three months of utility bills and porridge; if I do not succeed, I will perish.

Dali has just recovered from the ecstasy of time travel, only to be immediately filled with regret: "So it really is my turn to travel through time! Why have I never paid any attention to stocks? At the very least, I could have kept an eye on the general trends over the past few years and made some medium to long-term investments to become wealthy!"

The game "Gods and Demons" offers a high degree of freedom. For instance, there are no obvious class restrictions, such as mages being limited to cloth armor or warriors being unable to use magic. As long as players possess the determination and deem it necessary, they can allocate their attribute points to strength and create a melee mage, or they can invest heavily in intelligence to develop a magic warrior; the practical effectiveness of such choices is another matter. At least, before his rebirth, Dali had a colleague in the studio who was a mage clad in heavy paladin armor, whose sole purpose was to assist clients' low-level characters in clearing dungeons. The experience of gathering hundreds of monsters in a small dungeon and then defeating them in one go was simply divine.

In the game, the Paladin is capable of tanking, dealing damage, and healing, seemingly making it a versatile class. However, the reality is that it can neither tank, nor deal damage, nor heal, thus validating the saying: "Jack of all trades, master of none." Before the great power transition, players summarized their five years of experience with the game in one phrase: "Weak against the strong, strong against the weak."

Race: Elf (Racial Specialties: Archery, Light Magic, Nature Magic)

Perhaps some deity finally grew impatient with him and fulfilled his request. Upon waking from a drunken stupor, Dali found himself transported back five years.

"Divine Demons" is a game developed from cutting-edge military technology for civilian use, with the entire game process managed autonomously by the supercomputer "Divine Demons". In addition to monster-hunting tasks, the mercenary system, pet system, arena system, marriage system, and territory system will gradually be unlocked in the mid to late stages, in accordance with the player's level.

The storyline of the game revolves around the conflict between the divine beings and the demonic entities, with mortals caught in the crossfire, representing the Light Alliance and the Dark Alliance.

Character Name: Dali

If we say that the Dali before his rebirth was a beggar with a broken bowl, then the Dali after his rebirth is determined to hold a large bowl. The characteristics of a Paladin, which become stronger when facing the weak, are simply akin to a naturally large bowl! It is easy to operate, practical, highly survivable, and has an extremely high tolerance for error, making it one of the two preferred professions for gold farming and leveling in studios (the other being the Mage, who, if skilled enough, can be said to be capable of anything, which Dali does not possess). Moreover, the Elf race is inherently adept at light magic, which can effectively optimize this profession, specifically enhancing the Paladin's signature skill: Zealous Devotion, which releases holy light in a certain area at their feet, causing continuous damage to enemies. Although in terms of power, it may not compare to the area attack skills of Mages, it is important to note that each profession has its specialization, and light magic has damage bonuses against undead and demons.

However, what can change in 5 years? If it were 10 years, he could start his life anew. Only the three years spent in his original profession serve as the foundation for Dali's turnaround. Although Dali himself is not particularly decisive or ambitious, it is undeniable that becoming a member of the time-traveling party in a glorious manner makes it truly unworthy of the hard-earned second life if he does not achieve anything.