Murdoc opened his eyes once again. This time, he wasn't lying on rotting straw or a stinking magic circle, but on soft, dry bedding.
It was a strange room, adorned with a heavy yet cozy sense of antiquity. Half of the view from the window showed clear blue sky, and the other half a beautiful forest scene. There was a cup of perfectly warm honey lemon water on the bedside table, thoughtfully prepared with a drinking glass.
This setup didn't resemble a hotel or a personal residence. Murdoc glanced around the room and didn't see any religious symbols or emblems, suggesting it wasn't a place of worship either.
A strange place.
Instinctively, Murdoc touched his wound. The stalactite piercing in his abdomen had already healed, and his blood- and mud-stained monk's robe had been replaced with an everyday long robe.
Had those two people saved him?
Murdoc only had a vague memory of what happened before he fainted. He wasn't sure if those absurd visions were real or hallucinations from being in a state of blood loss. Given their bizarre nature, he was more inclined to believe they were hallucinations.
Right, the Cat Tail Spirits! He had spent two whole days with them. That certainly wasn't a hallucination.
Murdoc shivered and began feeling around his body. After some frantic searching, he found a round wooden box on the windowsill, cushioned with soft silk. Under the sunlight, the two little furballs were squeezed together, their small bean-sized eyes closed, emitting tiny snores.
Relieved to see the two little creatures safe and sound, Murdoc finally relaxed. Whoever had rescued him and was kind to these soft little beings couldn't be all bad.
Murdoc poured himself a glass of lemon water to moisten his parched throat. He decided to go out immediately to find someone to confirm the current time—he didn't know how long he had been unconscious, and with the clerical exam looming, he couldn't afford any delays.
But before his feet could touch the ground, the room's door creaked softly open.
Instead of human footsteps, he heard the tapping of claws on the floor. Murdoc's startled gaze fell upon a bizarre young figure that squeezed into the room, half-man, half-griffin.
The youth appeared to be in his twenties, with handsome, gentle features that radiated a kind-hearted aura. He had almost black, dark brown short hair and rare deep purple eyes.
His human upper body was covered in silver light armor, while his muscular griffin lower body bore armor fit for a warhorse. A sturdy belt wrapped around the junction of his human and griffin halves, with a long sword hanging from it—a sword longer and more imposing than a typical knight's blade.
A monster knight?
Knights usually swore fealty to someone, Murdoc thought uncertainly. He still couldn't see any religious emblem or noble family crest on him.
"It's lunchtime," the griffin knight said a bit shyly. "Miss Perradat said you would be awake by now and asked me to take you to dine."
Miss Perradat? That name felt ominously familiar.
Murdoc glanced at the knight's powerful hind claws and swallowed. "You are…"
"Just call me Piel." The griffin knight nodded amiably.
"Alright, Mr. Piel. I am, uh, Murdoc Farrell."
Murdoc responded awkwardly. Piel himself seemed friendly, but the intimidating presence of his griffin half was overwhelming.
He followed the griffin knight out of the room, continuing to cautiously observe his surroundings. Before long, he encountered several "people"—beautiful young men and women who looked human but whose aura was definitely not human. Their pupil shapes were exceptionally odd, instinctively making one's hair stand on end.
Murdoc only felt this blade-like sensation at the back of his neck when facing lethal monsters. The theological school had emphasized that only "boss-level monsters", at the pinnacle of their species, could master the ability to morph into other races.
Like these "people".
Despite Murdoc's efforts to restrain himself, he couldn't help but tremble, silently reciting prayers from the Temple of Life.
"Please tone down your aura, everyone." Knight Piel raised his voice understandingly. "Murdoc is just a regular person."
The young men and women exchanged looks, their faces melting into varying degrees of benign smiles. The suffocating sensation vanished, and Murdoc was finally able to breathe again.
"Aw, you frightened the kid… Here, want some malt candy?"
An elegant lady stepped forward, speaking in a voice that belied her youthful appearance. "The cafeteria just came up with it. It's quite tasty."
"No, thank you," Murdoc replied stiffly.
He almost stumbled to the hall.
In a corner of the hall, a female succubus was sprawled out on a sofa, dressed in oversized and bizarre clothing. Opposite her sat a Saint Bernard dog-headed beastmen in knight's attire, eagerly watching the hall's main door, his tail wagging furiously—even though there was no one there.
"Mr. Painter," Knight Piel suddenly slowed his pace and bowed.
Who?
Murdoc spun around, his heart nearly stopping on the spot.
Burgundy semi-long hair, fresh green eyes. That familiar face, Murdoc had seen countless times in the holy texts. It was indeed Godfrey Painter, the embodiment of the God of Life.
In that moment, Murdoc finally realized where he was—
The Kingdom of God, Paradise.
Wait, why does Lady Tilia also need to disguise herself as a man in Paradise? No, no, the urgent matter is to pray. This was a rare opportunity, and he must not show disrespect to a god. Murdoc clumsily began to kneel.
"No need for prayers, Mr. Farrell. I hope you have a good appetite today."
For some reason, the God of Life looked very tired. "Tell the cafeteria to save some lunch for me. I need to make a trip to Whitebird City."
The casual demeanor of the God was too much! Murdoc didn't know how to respond, and he could only stand petrified.
"Didn't Mr. Eugene just go there?" Knight Piel asked with curious yet terrifying candor. "Or did Lord Teest specifically send him?"
"It was a traitor from the Temple of Life who caused this mess."Painter rubbed his face tiredly. "That kid Eugene, in his effort to uphold the honor of the Temple of Life, tends to go overboard… He's indifferent towards his own followers, and one mishandling could spark a conflict between the followers of the God of Strife and the God of Life."
Piel thought for a moment before sincerely offering his opinion. "Maybe that's exactly why Lord Teest specifically tasked Mr. Eugene to handle it."
Tasking one to trouble two gods, that wicked God of Destruction would certainly do it.
But since Lord Nol and Lord Teest were together, and since Lord Nol had tacitly consented, Piel decided not to say more.
"What about Miss Perradat?" Piel skillfully changed the subject.
"She's busy twisting malt candy," a familiar voice chimed in. "Drake and Lynn have been dragged into playing with her. You'd better not get caught by her."
"Lord Nol!" Piel exclaimed excitedly.
It was the black-haired follower!
Murdoc's overheated brain finally cooled down a bit. He tried to ignore the terrifying conversation he had just overheard and looked for the source of the voice.
The black-haired and silver-haired duo stood nearby, with the one known as "Teest" standing behind "Lord Nol", his fur cloak draped over Nol.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen." Painter gave a small bow.
"Why are you still here?" Teest wrinkled his nose. "Your godson is clearing out the traitors for you. His methods are too harsh, and the City Lady is somewhat displeased—a friendly reminder, she was never fond of the Temple of Life to begin with."
"I was just about to head over." Painter sighed. "I'll make sure everything is handled properly on Miss Hannah's side."
"It's not as serious as all that," Nol reassured him. "Your approach is relatively gentle. Having you there is more reassuring."
Murdoc: "..."
The scene before him was far too irreverent, and he truly didn't know how to react. After hesitating for a while, he couldn't help but move closer to Knight Piel.
"Who exactly are those two?" he pointed to Nol and Teest speaking with Painter.
"Lord Nol of Creation and Lord Teest of Destruction," Piel replied honestly. "They are really nice people. They even saved my life before."
Murdoc: "...…Ah."
If his physical condition had allowed, he really would have fainted again. Now, it seemed that the absurd visions he had before passing out were very likely "real".
Until he was brought to the dining table, he still hadn't quite recovered.
Apart from himself, six others were seated around the round table—
The frighteningly approachable two supreme gods, a blond girl so beautiful she didn't seem real, and a young man with blue eyes frowning as he twisted brown sugar syrup.
Besides these four with overwhelmingly strong auras, there was the female succubus who had been napping in the hall and a red-eyed girl dressed like a witch.
"Perradat, didn't you say you weren't coming to eat?" Nol casually served Teest some fried meat.
"I wanted to come see Avra's child," the blond girl muttered. "Besides, I've already won."
"That doesn't count as winning." The blue-eyed young man scoffed emotionlessly. "Someone shamefully wasted food, flinging sugar everywhere. And in my view, Miss Lynn clearly let you win."
"I collected the sugar with magic. It's not wasted! Drake, you're just unhappy you lost—"
"Collecting? You clearly didn't want to eat it yourself." Drake sneered. "If you had eaten all that sugar, I would acknowledge your victory."
"You're just unhappy you lost," Teest interjected leisurely.
"..." Drake's mouth twitched, swallowing a venomous response.
Teest: "You're just unhappy you lost, great—magical artisan—Drake—"
Nol glanced at the three gods, bristling with tension, deciding to distance himself from the fray and seize the opportunity to eat more. Noticing Murdoc's panicked gaze, Nol smiled gently.
"Relax," he said. "Your exam doesn't start for another two days. You won't miss anything. We won't tamper with your memory—if that's what you're worried about."
Right, the exam.
Murdoc stared blankly at the gods squabbling together, finally grasping a bit of reality.
A modest-sized table was laden with homely food, with the gods noisily bickering like family members.
The God of Life pleaded for leftovers to oversee the God of Strife's work. The God of Fate tried to monopolize all the caramel pudding on the table, while the God of Guardianship, with a darkened face, studied the syrup as if it were a matter of world-ending importance.
The legendary God of Creation forked a piece of meat, affectionately feeding it to the God of Destruction. The latter pointed at a dish, asking for the God of Creation's taste opinions, and casually kissed his ear.
Their smiles were soft, the kind unique to lovers.
Murdoc thought his theological exam was doomed.
Two days later, Murdoc stared blankly at his test paper.
[Please discuss your views on the "God of Creation" and the "God of Destruction" and elaborate.]
As a follower of the God of Life, lying was not a commendable act. Murdoc sighed deeply, dipped his quill in ink, and tiredly wrote a line.
[They are a sweet couple. I have seen it with my own eyes.]
The author has something to say:
The main story is finished! Wow, I've completed another novel _(:з」∠)_
This! Done! Managed to update daily without interruption! But the update times were erratic, annoyingly. I'll try to be on time with the next novel!
Next up are extras like the sweet wedding and sweet adventures of the couple! Extras are [not necessarily] daily updates. I'll find time to correct typos or minor issues.
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Completed works include fantasy-themed "Stray", apocalyptic "Happy Doomsday", wasteland-themed "Access Denied", xuanhuan "Sendoff", and modern fantasy "Evil As Humans". You can check these out in the author's column~
Please click [Favorite this Author] in the column (〃ω〃)
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The next novel, "Help" is tentatively scheduled to begin in June or July~
I'm still not satisfied with the blurb for "Help". I'll update it here after revisions.
It's a pseudo-infinite flow, expected to not be longer than this book—harmless (?) ghost gong x super fierce human shou, a partner duo _(:D」∠)_
Kinky Thoughts:
With this, we reached the conclusion of Full Server First Kill. Hopefully you enjoyed the novel. I quite like it and rank it quite close to Stray, my favorite Nian Zhong novel.
In terms of cohesiveness and plot points coming together, this has been Nian Zhong's strongest, in my opinion. The twists were extremely well executed, and the tension and action scenes were superb.
Where I think it was weak was the romance (at the start). While I like the concept of Teest learning to develop feelings and what love is, the romance at the start seems a bit forced on Nol's side. I do like how, in the end, it's about Teest learning what love is (though it took only about 200+ chapters), but then again, a lot of Nian Zhong's characters have this trait. It's understandable, given the plot undertones.
Overall, if you enjoyed this novel, I highly recommend you read Stray. Many concepts in this novel came from Stray, and you would appreciate them much more had you read Stray first. Not only that, Stray, in my opinion, is still Nian Zhong's best novel she's written.
You can also read other novels by this author that I've done: Happy Doomsday, Access Denied, Sendoff, and Evil As Humans.
As always, if you enjoyed this novel, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. You can use Google Chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.
Lastly, I would like to thank everyone for your comments, encouragement, help with my translations, and ko-fi donations.