Aiden’s first night in this new world quickly approached, and with it came the time to cook dinner. Luckily, he had enough experience to start a fire and prepare his food.
But first, he offered the day’s hunt to his goddess.
"Lady Apophis, please accept my tribute."
Aiden had found a small but sharp knife while looking around the ruins, and he had cleaned it with boiling water before skinning the rabbit.
He was no expert at this, so his work was sloppy, but it was still good enough for the goddess to accept it.
The snake deity quickly regained her human form and took the offering. But instead of eating it, she handed it back to Aiden with an almost flustered expression.
"As my first believer, I cannot afford for you to go hungry. But humans cannot digest raw meat. So I will permit you to cook this and share it between the two of us."
This was an unexpected offer, but not an unwelcome one. Aiden was happy to cook the meat so they could share it.
For the first time in forever, Aiden went to bed without a full stomach. But he had no complaints about his current life. He knew that if he got to choose his life, he would want to spend it in the presence of his goddess.
...
Leaving the protection of the goddess’s sanctuary was not as nerve-wracking as it had been the last time. Aiden had noticed the presence of a village nearby, so he decided to head there in order to gather some supplies.
He did not have any money, but he was sure he could provide useful labor in exchange for some.
Moreover, he was not alone. His goddess had changed into her snake form and coiled around his wrist like a bracelet to accompany him, which made Aiden happy.
"Once we get to the village, I will no longer speak to you. But call my name if you need my help."
Apophis reminded him as she retreated into his sleeve and tucked her head in. Her expression looked pained, and Aiden felt bad for dragging her all the way out here.
But what was done was done, and he needed to start recruiting followers quickly in order to rebuild Apophis’s strength.
The village was small and laid out in a circular pattern, with a huge white marble temple dominating the center. It looked beautiful, but Aiden felt like he was being pressed down upon when he looked at it.
[You have entered another god’s territory.]
[Due to an external god’s influence, your power has been reduced by 50%.]
[Your connection with your goddess has been reduced by 50%.]
The system instantly notified Aiden of what was wrong, making him frown. He did not like the fact that his connection with his goddess had been weakened. But her presence by his side made him feel better.
He took a few steps farther into the village, but his legs soon started to ache and his head began to feel heavy. His body was signaling for him to stop, but he kept pushing himself forward.
Aiden’s persistence was soon rewarded because an old couple quickly spotted him and hurried over to help.
"Oh my! You look like you are in pain, child. Do you need my help?"
The old lady asked, and Aiden shook his head to indicate that he was fine. The old lady sighed and gave him a displeased look.
"Don’t try to act tough. That is how people overexert themselves and end up getting sick. If you are suspicious of us, then please don’t be. We have a grandson your age, and you remind us of him. So we wanted to help you."
The old couple seemed like good people, so Aiden decided to trust their words and follow them back.
The pair looked relieved to see this, and soon they took Aiden back to their home. It was a small hut, barely enough for three people, but Aiden could tell that it had been built with love and care.
"You can rest inside. Just make sure not to wake our grandson. He’s in a delicate condition right now, and we don’t want to make it worse."
The old lady told Aiden, and he nodded before entering the room.
[A rare opportunity has appeared. A new branch path will be unlocked.]
[Would you like to help the sick grandson?]
[Chance of Success: Depends on the game’s outcome.]
[Success: Cure the grandson. Reward: +3 Followers.]
[Failure: -1% Divinity. Goddess status will be lost.]
Aiden’s system began flashing until he had no choice but to pay attention to it. It turned out to be a rare opportunity.
He wanted to accept it, but the price of failure was too high. He could not afford to be the reason his goddess lost her status.
’Can I see what kind of game I will be playing?’
Aiden asked, but he did not receive an answer that satisfied him.
[The game will be selected at random. Please click here to spin.]
The system was clear about what it wanted Aiden to do. But Aiden did not want to be selfish.
"My Lady, we have a rare opportunity to spread your name. But if I fail, you might lose everything. What would you like me to do?"
Aiden asked, and the goddess gently patted his wrist, almost as if telling him to go ahead and do what he needed to.
Or maybe it was simply Aiden’s own wishful thinking.
Whatever the reason, he decided to be selfish this time and quickly pressed ’Accept’ on the system screen.
[Loading game...]
The screen faded before flashing blue, and then a very familiar interface appeared in front of Aiden. It had a pixelated black-and-gray background with a very familiar white snake.
"Is this... the Snake game from old mobile phones? Is the system asking me to play this?"
Aiden questioned as he looked at the screen. The instant he touched it, the snake began to move.
[Snake Game.]
[Score 100 points to perform a miracle in your goddess’s name and cure the sick child.]