[Deception] slunk out of the underworld, not daring to linger for ev a momt.
In truth, Hades hadn''t made things difficult for him; just facing Hades was pressure ough for [Deception].
But no matter how you looked at it, he had sessfullypleted his mission.
Not only had he retrieved and delivered the item his master had ordered to John, but he also witnessed an incredible sce firsthand.
Hades, ostracized by Mount Olympus and removed from the Twelve Olympians, was no longer standing idly by.
He had granted his authority to John, making this game increasingly interesting.
"Phew... now, I probably wouldn''t stand a chance against John, would I?"
Reflecting on it, John now possessed four kinds of divine authority, a blessing from the Apocalypse, and seemed to have a close connection with Seraphina, along with other secrets [Deception] might not be aware of.
All these factors had elevated John''sbat power to a terrifying level.
It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that soon, John could face Demigod-tier beings head-on.
Ev if other [Apostles] awaked, they wouldn''t be able to do anything to John.
However, this prested a headache for [Deception].
His master''s task was for him to closely watch John, constantly guiding him towards the oue his master desired.
But with John''s currt strgth, would he still list to [Deception]?
"Sigh... I''ve be walking on thin ice all my life. Do you think I''ll ever reach the other side?"
[Deception] looked down at a gre frog by his feet.
Naturally, the frog didn''t understand what [Deception] was saying.
It just croaked once and th hopped away.
...
The Next Morning!
John woke up feeling suffocated.
Struggling to op his eyes, he found ria''s beautiful legs resting on his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.
Gtly, he moved her legs aside and finally took a deep breath.
"Phew... I slept so soundly."
This was the first time in the game world he had slept so well.
After yesterday''s overwhelming joy, the excitemt of his hanced power had significantly dulled.
Thinking carefully, as long as John didn''t counter any extraordinary trouble, his currt strgth would allow him to handle it easily.
However, he wasn''t tirely sure just how strong he had be.
But th, a server-wide announcemt cleared up his confusion.
[Server Announcemt!
The first yer''sbat power has surpassed ,000 points, unlocking thebat power point panel. Each yer can now check theirbat power on their yer panel.
Note: Combat power is determined by the yer''s overall strgth, including panel attributes, equipped gear, and special items, with the highest value tak for simr items.
The top 0 yers on thebat power ranking will have theirbat power disyed.]
Thetter part of the announcemt contained lgthy details, such as one point of Stamina converting to two points ofbat power, one point of Attack converting to four points ofbat power, and so on.
John didn''t pay much atttion to these details.
He was more curious about hispanions''bat power.
Wh John oped the overallbat power ranking, he was stunned.
As expected, they dominated the top five spots.
John, at the top, had an astonishingbat power of ,300 points. Ev the second-ranked Qing had only 4,000 points, nearly 7,000 points less than John!
The third to fifth ranks were Exiled Immortal, Lily, and H, respectively, but their differces were minimal, only a few doz points apart.
However, from the sixth rank onward, there was a steep drop, withbat power only a 4,000 points, highlighting the vast gap betwe John and the others.
Despite this, John couldn''t calm his excitemt.
In fact, in John''s previous life, thebat power point ranking system also appeared in the mid-tote stages of the game.
Thebat power point system would only be activated wh more than five yers had surpassed ,000 points.
At that time, John''sbat power wasn''t ev in the top 0.
Ev at the time of his death, he had barely reached 30,000 points.
Yet now, only four months had passed.
The next momt, a dialog box suddly popped up in front of John.
"Congrattions on reaching the top of thebat power ranking. Do you wish to reveal your yer ID?"
That question again.
Four months ago, wh John was new and cautious, he chose to hide his idtity.
But now, there was no need for that. He had be strong ough, had trustworthypanions, and there was nothing left that could threat him.
With that in mind, John exhaled deeply.
"Reveal my yer ID."
"A server-wide announcemt is about to be made."
[Server Announcemt: Congrattions to yer John for bing the first yer to surpass 0,000bat power points and reaching the top of thebat power ranking!]
...
"0,000 points, the speed of this progress is much faster than I imagined..."
[Deception], now possessing a physical form and recognized as a yer in the game world, could naturally see this server-wide announcemt.
The rapid rise in John''sbat power left [Deception] with a headache.
Indeed, thebat power disyed on the ranking reflects the totalbat power in extreme conditions.
Normally, John''sbat power would hover a ,000 points.
The problem was that [Deception]''s currtbat power was a mere 4,500 points, just barely cing him in the eighth rank.
Besides John and hispanions, there were two ordinary yers ahead of him, which was quite embarrassing.
Ev though part of the reason for John''s rapid growth was due to [Deception] granting him his authority, [Deception] felt that ev if he reimed his power, he might not be a match for John now.
Althoughbat power points ar''t everything, and [Deception] was confidt he could defeat Exiled Immortal and the others over sevty perct of the time, John, with simr abilities and ev more, had clearly slipped out of control.
Of course, [Deception] wasn''t the only one troubled by this.
In a corner of Spartonia City!
Staring at the yer ID at the top of the leaderboard, the man exhaled deeply.
"John''s growth is too fast. Ev I find it troublesome, let alone those idiots.
It seems the purging task needs to be elerated."
As the man''s thoughts churned, there was a gtle knock on the door.
"What is it?"
"Lord [Divine Emissary], there is a visitor iming to be... Hermes."
...
"John, I sse the presce of a [God]."
While sparring with Qing, John''s face changed upon hearing Seraphina''s warning.
As Qing''s powerful punch came towards him, John spread his wings and soared into the sky, dodging the heavy blow!
"Qing, hold on a second, I''ll be right back!"
With that, John shot up, his figure shrinking until he was just a tiny ck dot disappearing into the clouds.
Seeing this, Qing scratched his head and looked at Exiled Immortal, who was watching from the sidelines.
"What now? We were just getting into it. Exiled Immortal, how about you step in?"
"If I must, I must!"
Exiled Immortal summoned a breeze, which gtly carried him into the ara to face Qing from a distance.
Meanwhile, above the clouds
John swallowed hard, incredulously asking, "Seraphina, are you sure you ssed the presce of a [God]? Not a [Divine Emissary]?"
"There''s no mistake, John. A [Divine Emissary] is too weak and wouldn''t differ much from your currt strgth, at most a 5,000bat power.
But the power of that presce, if converted to yourbat power points... it would be at least 90,000 points!"
"Wait, 90,000 points? Could it be Hades?"
"Of course not. If my sses are correct, it should be Hermes who''s visiting."
John was not unfamiliar with this name; he ev had a Hermes set in his yer invtory.
"The God of Thieves?"
"Don''t underestimate him. As the son of Zeus, his power is far greater than you might imagine."
"But why would he appear here? Are [Gods] allowed to ter the game world?"
"Absolutely not! The power of a [God] is too overwhelming. If they were to appear recklessly, it could cause the world to copse. That''s why I''m perplexed. But regardless, you need to be on high alert.
He''s a staunch supporter of Zeus, and he holds his father''s words asw.
His presce here doesn''t bode well for you.
It''s possible he came specifically because of you.
Your rapid increase in power has far exceeded the expectations of the gods, and unexpected changes oft mean danger."