Rowland was preparing to get his money back from Conrad, even if he couldn't get it all, getting some of it back would be good—that was his hard-earned money.

"Child, don't be sad. Your foster father chose this path himself. You've done all you could; no one could have done better than you." The priest Conrad offered a mild consolation.

As he spoke, a gentle glow appeared in his hand. This was divine magic, but the light did not shine on the deceased Amos; instead, it entered the frail body of the young man.

A trace of surprise appeared on Rowland's face.

Conrad misunderstood his reaction and explained, "Amos died from alcoholism, which is suicide—a desecration of the body gifted by the Lord. Therefore, he is unworthy of God's glory. You were born frail; may this ray of holy light bless you with health and growth."

Having done all this, Conrad was unwilling to stay any longer in the filthy, foul-smelling shelter. He turned and strode away. After leaving the shelter, he patted his money pouch, feeling that the silver coins inside were no longer burning hot in his hand.

Rowland could only give a bitter smile. This priest Conrad was as greedy as ever—money that went into his pocket never came out again. Rowland wasn't particularly surprised by his actions; what surprised him was the effect this divine magic had on his body.

The moment the divine magic entered his body, a stream of information, utterly foreign to this world, flowed through his mind.

"Intelligent Brain activated. Unknown malfunction detected... Malfunction resolved. Confirmed successful entry into the parallel universe of 'Ancient Gods.' Host detected. Beginning transmission of preset configuration... Transmission successful."

"Acquired: Basic Healing Spell. Body nourished by holy light energy. Vitality +1."

"Talent unlocked: God of War!"

Chapter Two: Transmigration, Talent: God of War!

Faced with the information flowing through his mind, Rowland was extremely surprised: so he wasn't the only one who had transmigrated.

Looking at this message—what does 'successful entry into a parallel universe' mean? Could it be that this transmigration wasn't an accident, but premeditated? Was this the result of some mad scientist's experiment?

'Damn that mad scientist!' Rowland cursed. He tried to use the mental inquiry mode from his previous life's games and asked in his mind, "Give me a reasonable explanation for my current situation?"

A gentle voice sounded in his mind—there really was an explanation.

"Ten years ago, the Earth Space-Time Wormhole Administration discovered an information wormhole connecting to another world in Jupiter's Great Red Spot. This other world is very similar to Earth. Based on the information observed, the Federation formulated the 'New Continent' plan. The first step of the plan was to unite the world's top technological powers to create a highly realistic holographic online game, 'Ancient Gods.' This game aimed to replicate the power rules of the other world as closely as possible, with the goal of training warriors to explore the other world."

"So what the hell does this plan have to do with me? Why did you send me to this godforsaken place? I paid money to play the game! What about my rights? What about my personal safety? Is the Federation's human rights protection all bullshit?" Rowland couldn't help but shout in anger! He'd been living his life just fine, only to be thrown into such a strange place—this was just too much.

The Intelligent Brain was unaffected by his emotions and continued to explain: "Half a year ago, the soul wave theory proposed by Dr. Ethan Brooks was fully matured technologically. This theory described a complete method for copying a consciousness into a gravitational wave, sending it through the information wormhole into another world, and reconstructing it without loss. Based on this theory, Colonel Clark Thompson proposed the Pioneer Project: to select a warrior from among the game players to enter the other world as a pioneer. This idea was supported by most people, and you were ultimately chosen. You are... number one..."

"To hell with you! Did you even ask me? I @#￥%!" Rowland couldn't control himself and spewed a torrent of curses.

He was chosen? How come he didn't know he was chosen? Was he a lab rat? These people didn't even ask before throwing him over here—damn it!

"We must ensure the host's mind is free of..." The Intelligent Brain tried to explain, but Rowland wasn't listening at all. No matter what the reason, it was all nonsense!

After a long string of curses, venting every foul word he could think of, Rowland finally felt his anger subside a little. Only then did he ask, "So why me? I just advanced to Legendary. Isn't there a demigod player in the game?"

That demigod was the leader of the game's top guild, a mage with overwhelming power—the only player demigod in the game. By rights, he should have been the best choice.

Just think, such a wise mage coming to this other world would be far better than him—a brute who only knew how to play a warrior and swing weapons.

"Volunteers were selected from among players who had reached Legendary rank or higher. After a scientific comprehensive evaluation, everyone involved in the selection unanimously agreed that, among all players, you were the best!"

"..." Rowland was speechless. "Am I really that good? My world ranking is only in the thousands."

"There are three reasons."

"Then go ahead and tell me." Rowland wanted to see what kind of nonsense this thing would come up with.