I Went Crazy Killing in the World of Gods and Demons - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Evil God gains followers by bringing calamities and fear, while the Righteous God harvests faith and worship through protection and blessings. The Ox-demons and Snake-spirits, along with Goblins and Monsters that wreak havoc in the mortal realm, obtain power from humans through more direct and brutal means. Humanity’s ability to navigate among these forces is called Spirit.

Spirit is divided into Innate Spirit and Acquired Spirit. Innate Spirit possesses greater energy, often carrying special functions or innate talents, typically found in Spirit Artifacts or Spirit Objects. Over thousands of years, they develop almost divine capabilities. Initially, they might be a mere stone or a blade of grass. Spirit Users humans generally acquire the ability to control ‘Spirit’ through acquired means. But there are also those like you…

Innate Spirit.

Ling Fang looked at Xie Qingling: Innate Spirits like you naturally awaken unique talents or characteristics from birth, though they’re extremely rare. However, he didn’t ask what Xie Qingling’s talent or characteristic was.

Xie Qingling lowered her head and took a sip of coffee.

Was that mystical, chuunibyou-like voice her talent? It was indeed quite special.

Innate Spirits are born knowing how to use ‘Spirit’ you coexist with ‘Spirit’ as one integral whole. Compared to Acquired Spirits, you face no risks when using ‘Spirit’; it is inherently your weapon.

What risks do Acquired Spirits face when using ‘Spirit’? Xie Qingling asked.

Spirit Users are the embodied agents of deities in the mortal realm. Their selection criteria for agents are extremely strict. We don’t know the exact standards, but ordinary people who forcibly change their fate must pay a price.

The price is… their lives. Ling Fang’s tone grew heavier. For ordinary people to become Acquired Spirits, there’s a fifty percent attrition rate. Just to cross the threshold into this world, at least half are eliminated. Our Acquired Spirits are typically selected from specialized talents, such as special forces soldiers who possess exceptional combat aptitudes, yet the attrition rate remains high. For ordinary people, the mortality rate would only be higher.

Xie Qingling parted her lips slightly, rendered speechless.

You needn’t make such an expression. Innate Spirits are formidable. No matter how strong the combat instincts of Acquired Spirits, they pale in comparison to Innate Spirits. Here, he seemed to show a hint of envy. Because Innate Spirits possess one ability that Acquired Spirits can never master an ability everyone dreams of having.

What is it?

Sorry, you lack the clearance for further details. I cannot disclose more.

Xie Qingling:

To leave it at that it was pure torture for her curiosity.

How can I obtain clearance? Xie Qingling pressed.

To gain clearance, you must join us. This information is openly shared within our organization.

How do I join? Through civil service exams?

Ling Fang shook his head.

You must pass our assessment to demonstrate your resolve, capability, and stance. The evaluation criteria are exceedingly strict. Then, he produced a silver bracelet from his hand.

The bracelet was formed by two snakes with intertwined tails, its surface engraved with ancient, intricate patterns that exuded a retro mystique.

This is our internal communication device. It contains the latest developed microchip, protected externally by ancient incantations. From now on, use this to contact me.

Do you wish to join us? There’s no need to answer immediately, because once you agree, you’ll have to face certain situations alone before officially becoming one of us. Ling Fang was making the final confirmation.

Xie Qingling nodded.

Then, farewell. I won’t see you again until you pass the assessment. Finally, a piece of advice – next time you need help, don’t post on the internet. There’s too much false information online, and in the public’s current perspective, the things you describe are just stories to gain traffic. Most posts like yours seeking help are indeed just attempts to gain traffic.

After saying this, Ling Fang stood up and left.

Xie Qingling quickly rose to her feet and called out to stop him.

How can I prove my determination, ability, and stance?

Assessment content – no comment.

Suddenly, the soft laughter of a young couple nearby filled her ears again, and the café returned to its usual crowded and noisy state of an ordinary day.

Ling Fang was gone, as if he had never been there.

If not for the cool sensation on her wrist reminding Xie Qingling that what just happened was real, everything was so calm it seemed like nothing had occurred, as if it were just a dream she had imagined.

Xie Qingling keenly sensed that the man she met today had a contradictory attitude toward her – seemingly quite appreciative, yet carrying full caution.

He was relatively honest, yet remained silent about some potentially crucial information.

Tracing it to the source, perhaps it was because she hadn’t passed the assessment yet, hadn’t proven her capability, or for some other reason.

You’ve encountered someone who could change your destiny. His suggestions and advice are very useful and sincere. However, humans never give trust without reservation. You need a license to prove yourself.

You can still escape now, because no one knows whether what lies behind that door waiting to be opened is an abyss or dawn.

Escape?

That would be underestimating her too much.

Truth only exists where fists can reach – escape was never an option in her decision-making. If she ran away, retreated, or avoided now, would those monsters waiting to tear her apart and devour her take pity on her and let her go?

No.

Never expect mercy from your opponents.

It’s better to keep fate in your own hands.

She must find a way to pass this assessment.

Sunlight poured through the café’s floor-to-ceiling windows, warming her body.

Looking at her unfinished coffee, the financially strained Xie Qingling sat back down, adhering to the principle of not wasting anything, and began contemplating the assessment content.

Ling Fang said she needed to prove her determination, ability, and stance.

Ability and stance were quite easy to understand.

Once she stepped into that world, it meant standing opposite to Goblins and Monsters, requiring sufficient ability to confront them.

Regarding ability, Xie Qingling was now certain she possessed two.

One was this mysterious voice in her ears, the other was her blood, which could affect ghosts and monsters.

Regarding ability, Ling Fang should recognize this too. After all, he personally stated that Innate Spirit was very powerful.

As for stance, that was also easy to understand.

Ling Fang said they were the upholders of order, and as long as she didn’t seek to destroy the world, they wouldn’t take action against her. From this, one could deduce the code of conduct of Ling Fang’s department.

Their so-called stance was to refrain from evil deeds and wrongdoing. As guardians of order, they aimed to make the world more stable and peaceful.

Then, what about enlightenment?

What exactly was enlightenment?

Regarding this point, Xie Qingling couldn’t yet find an answer.

Xie Qingling had a hunch that the key to this assessment might lie precisely in this so-called enlightenment.

She fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist, trying to uncover even a hint about the assessment’s content.

She noticed that the snake eyes on the bracelet were adorned with red and blue gemstones. The red gemstone served as a switch; with a light touch, a virtual screen projected in front of her. The contact list on the screen showed only one person: Code Zero.

There were other icons on the interface, but unfortunately, they were all grayed out and unusable.

For now, the bracelet had only one function: to contact Ling Fang.

Since Ling Fang had just left, Xie Qingling had nothing to say to him and promptly exited the interface.

As for the blue gemstone on the other snake’s eye, Xie Qingling hadn’t yet figured out its purpose.

She tried prying at it for a long time, but there was no response.

It seemed to be merely a decorative blue gemstone.

Xie Qingling sighed softly and decided to end her exploration for the day.

As the sun set, the couple beside her grew increasingly intimate, making it unbearable to watch. Xie Qingling quickly finished her coffee and hurriedly left the café.

At dusk, when gods and demons descend, the boundary between light and dark blurs. With a heart full of worries, you stroll slowly down this street, unaware of the curious, probing hands reaching out beside you. Oh, Psychic who has yet to open your eyes of wisdom, you never realize that a Crossroad Ghost has already taken hold of the hem of your clothes.

Xie Qingling halted.

People flowed past her, but a chill crept up her spine, shooting straight to her head.

Was it that persistent spirit again?

Xie Qingling was prepared to reopen the wound on her hand and engage in another fight.

Having already faced a Mountain Goblin once, she was no longer an inexperienced novice in such situations.

In fact, before leaving home today, she had even stuffed a packet of salt into her pocket.

The Crossroad Ghost whispers softly in your ear: Sister, sister, come with me, let me take you home. It attempts to bewitch you, pulling you into an illusion, but alas, no matter how hard it cries, you remain unmoved.

It has never encountered someone so stubborn. After repeated failures, it can only give up trying to communicate with you. The Crossroad Ghost releases the hem of your clothes, watching you walk away with reluctant resentment. Yet, no one knows how much larger its grudges might be compared to a Mountain Goblin’s.

Xie Qingling: …

The Mountain Goblin’s grudges were truly smaller than a needle’s tip.

She could only hope that this Crossroad Ghost was more magnanimous and wouldn’t come after her again after one failure.

Having confirmed that the Crossroad Ghost’s abilities had no effect on her and it couldn’t harm her with illusions, Xie Qingling decided not to confront it for now.

Acting rashly without understanding the situation might attract even stronger opponents.

In that case, the only outcome awaiting Xie Qingling would be death.

Xie Qingling kept her head down and hurried across the bustling intersection, returning to her dormitory.

It was Sunday.

When Xie Qingling returned to the dorm, neither Jiang Lvlv nor Dong Jia were there.

She knew Jiang Lvlv had a gathering and was probably dining somewhere at the moment.

As for Dong Jia, she had dance training since she would soon participate in a city-level competition. She was likely practicing in the dance studio at the university student activity center.

Around eight o’clock, Jiang Lvlv returned reeking of alcohol.

She leaned over the bathroom sink, vomiting while chanting: Drink today’s wine today, leave tomorrow’s worries for tomorrow.

After the Mountain Goblin incident, Jiang Lvlv had become particularly determined to cherish each day, striving to live every moment joyfully and completely without regrets.

The drunken Jiang Lvlv rambled nonsense, even pulling Xie Qingling along to sing legal statutes using their school song’s melody, redefining what it meant to be tone-deaf.

Amused, Xie Qingling cleaned up after her, then carried her to bed to rest properly.

By nine in the evening, Dong Jia still hadn’t returned.

Somehow, Xie Qingling felt a growing unease in her heart.

Another half hour passed the training session should have ended but Dong Jia remained absent.

Xie Qingling picked up her phone and called Dong Jia.

The call connected quickly, and Dong Jia’s sobbing voice came through, sounding both terrified and frantic.

She said: Qingling, I’m lost.

I’m trapped in the university student activity center and can’t get out.