Aiken woke up in a white space. His body was floating in the air. There was a gorgeous woman in front of him in an elegant white dress. Aiken was familiar with this place since it was his second time being in the mysterious space. He kept his composure this time and didn't let his thoughts run wild before the woman.
"Mortal, you're about to enter Pangea. I am one of Zeus's Nymphs. You met one of my sisters during the tutorial. I will assist you in starting the Gods' Game. First, you need to choose what name you want to use in Pangea. You can keep your current name or change it."
Aiken thought for a moment before responding.
"Godslayer."
The nymph was taken aback for a moment as her eyelids twitched.
"Are you sure?" She asked, in a sweet voice.
"I'm positive."
"Alright. In Pangea, you will be known as Godslayer. Next, Zeus offers you the option to choose your Godfather or Godmother." The nymph said as several names appeared.
Aiken read the list. There were the same eleven names he was familiar with. Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Demeter, Dionysos, Hera, Hermes, Hephaistos and Poseidon.
Aiken had chosen Hephaistos in his previous life. But he would make a different choice this time. To not raise any suspicion, he decided to ask the obvious question.
"Can you tell me the difference between them?"
"I will not. Zeus prohibits it. I can only give you information on your selection." The nymph said.
He nodded. He already knew the most important information. All gods give something to their godsons and goddaughters. However, some gods and goddesses provided benefits that others did not. For what he had in mind he had to choose between Hera, Athena, Poseidon, and Demeter.
"I chose Athena."
"Are you sure?"
"I am."
"Alright. Choosing Athena as a godmother automatically gives you the title "Ruler of a Domain". If you ever lose all your domains, you'll be stripped of that title. That's all I can tell you. You will have to find out the rest on your own.
Here is your status according to your tutorial's results."
[Name: Godslayer]
[Title: Ruler of a Domain]
[Domain: None]
[Godmother: Athena]
[Level 1]
[Experience: 0/110]
[Pangean Recruit: Rank 1]
[Achievement points: 0]
[Agility: 14]
[Constitution: 11]
[Intelligence: 55]
[Strength: 12]
[Skills: None]
[Equipment: None]
[Money: 150 Olympian Notes]
"If you don't have any other questions, I'll send you to Pangea. As a Ruler of a Domain, you will automatically have to complete a Labor in order to build your domain. If you fail, you will lose your title. Good luck!"
Aiken felt his surroundings change as he was disappearing from the white space. He landed in an open area. He was surveying around him to make sure he was alone when a voice rang in his head.
Pff, finally out of that nymph's zone. I can communicate with you now.
Aiken panicked.
"Who are you? Show yourself?"
Calm down, will you? I'm bound to your soul. You don't need to shout. You can use your mind to communicate with me.
He recognized the voice this time.
Hades?
I'm not Lord Hades. I was created by HIM to assist you during your journey and help you finish this game.
Ah, so you were the gift he mentioned. How can you help?
Lord Hades has some knowledge of the game. He was able to trick some Nymphs and got to pick at Zeus's plans. He transferred that knowledge to me.
No kidding! So you know pretty much everything about this game?
No, the information I have is limited. I don't know much at all.
Then you're of no use…
Hang on! Choosing Athena and becoming a Ruler of a Domain was a good decision. Do you know that there are only a handful of gods who can give you that opportunity?
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
I figured that out from my previous experience playing the game.
Alright. Let's wait and see what labor you need to complete.
He received a notification.
[As a Ruler of a Domain, you must have a domain for this title to fit you like a glove. However, you must show the gods you have the ability to carry the title. Complete the following labor to get the right to own your domain.]
[Labor: Help Euphaes and the Messenians win a battle.]
[Messenians and Spartans waged war over territory. The conflict lasted many years and required several campaigns. During the fourth one, the Spartans were keeping the Messenians from accessing the countryside for agriculture in the hope of starving them and driving them out. Facing the dire situation, King Euphaes set out with an army to confront the Spartans at Ampheia. His intention was to remove enemy presence from his territory. Assist Euphaes in defeating Spartans. A victory of the Spartan army contributes to a failure of the Labor.]
[Completion Rewards: 1 Domain Establishment orb, 1 Sac of Goods]
[Penalty for failure: Loss of the title "Ruler of a Domain"]
[When you are ready, say "Start the Labor."]
"Start the Labor," Aiken said.
He felt his body getting lighter. A dazzling light blinded his vision, forcing him to close his eyes. When he opened them again, he was in a large tent with three other people. Aiken and two others were kneeling in front of a man. The latter was sitting down in a rather comfortable chair with a golden crown on his head. Aiken immediately identified him to be King Euphaes.
"I gathered you, my advisors, here to come up with a way to defeat the Spartans." The king said.
Aiken learned a bit more about his situation. He was sent to do the Labor as an advisor to the king.
"Our men are well trained. We can take the Spartans on." The bald man on his right said.
"A lot of lives will be lost." The white-beard man on Aiken's left replied.
"We are at war. The Spartans have spotted us. They will definitely send their men. We need to fight them." The bald man added.
"I'm not disputing that we need to fight. But a head-on battle against them will affect us greatly. We cannot afford to lose many soldiers here."
"Third advisor, what are your thoughts?" Euphaes asked, looking at Aiken.
Hey, Hades's gift, help me out here, Aiken asked his secret helper.
I don't have any information on this particular Labor.
Like I thought, you're no good.
"May I look at the map, Your Highness?" He asked.
The king nodded and gestured to the map on the table. Aiken fully opened it and examined it for a couple of minutes. Based on what he remembered from his previous experience in the game, Spartans were great warriors. A head-on confrontation with them wasn't advisable. He didn't know the strength of the Messenians's soldiers, but the fact that one of the advisors was reluctant to fight head-on gave him some insight. He looked at the terrain around their position and found a peculiarity they may use to their advantage.
Hades's gift, the ravine I'm seeing on this map near our position, can it be crossed by the Spartan army?
No, it's an impassable ravine. They'll have to go around it.
Aiken nodded.
"I have an idea." He said to his audience.
"Speak." The king demanded.
"You see this ravine, here?" He pointed at the map.
Euphaes and his other advisors got up to look closer at the document.
"What about it?" The bald man asked.
"We can move here and build a fortified camp. The ravine will separate us from the Spartans and also serve as a shield. They will have to go around it to reach us. We can have men, here, here, here, and here. We will attack their approaching army on all flanks." He explained, pointing at the strategical points on the map.
The white-beard man stroked his beard as he nodded slowly.
"This could work. We brought materials with us to build a fortified camp."
The king looked at the bald man.
"The ravine gives us a terrain advantage. They can only come at us on one side, and we can prepare for it. We will massacre them." The advisor said.
"And our losses?"
"It should be at a minimum, your highness."
"The camp would also be a deterrence force for future assaults they may launch," Aiken added.
The king approved the plan and it was immediately implemented. Aiken thought he would take part in the battle, but the king left him behind in the barracks. It seemed this labor was meant to challenge his sense of strategy. He was pleased. He didn't want to be in the front line, facing Spartan soldiers.
Though he didn't fight, AIken was still very close to the battlefield. The echo of the fight was heard inside his barrack. The loud cheering that followed confirmed the Messenians' victory. He went out to see the aftermath of the battle. As expected, the spartan army had taken the only route available to it and was welcomed by the Messenian ambush. 500 cavalry and light infantry assaulted the enemy on all sides, bringing home a swift victory.
He received several notifications.
[The attacking Spartan army was defeated thanks to your strategy.]
[Congratulations to Godslayer on completing your Labor.]
[You have proven yourself worthy of being a Ruler of a Domain.]
[You will receive the following rewards:]
[1 Domain Establishment orb]
[1 Sac of Goods]
[10,500 Experience Points]
[The gods were pleased with your strategy, minimizing the losses on the Messenian's side.]
[You will receive additional rewards:]
[100 achievement points]
[50 Olympian Notes]
[You have reached level 8.]
[You have gained 8 Characteristic Points.]
Aiken was content with the rewards. He didn't expect to receive the achievement points but gladly welcomed them. They were necessary for his progression in the God's Game. His body became lighter as he was sent back to the mysterious space with the Nymph.
"Congratulations on completing your Labor. You can now choose where to start your domain. You can decide on it yourself or let me choose for you."
"What are my options?"
"After the tutorial, you were randomly sent to Region 3, in a place named Balfar. You may choose your domain anywhere inside Balfar. If it's available, it will become yours."
A map appeared before him. He could see the whole Pangea world. There were four regions that could be described as continents. Region 3 was located on the right side of the map. Inside Region 3, there were many places. Balfar was one of them, and the biggest one. Aiken roughly selected a place near the sea, in the southern part of Balfar. The zone he selected wasn't too far from a territory named Velos. It was another place inside Region 3, but Velos was much smaller than Balfar.
"You have made your selection. You will be sent to that area. As for the specific location of your domain, we will leave that up to you. Once you decide on a suitable place, just plant the orb in the ground where you wish to establish your domain. Do you have any questions?"
Aiken was looking forward to creating his domain. He shook his head.
He felt his body grow lighter again as he was sent out of the nymph's space.
[Name: Godslayer]
[Title: Ruler of a Domain]
[Domain: None]
[Godmother: Athena]
[Level 8]
[Experience: 10,500/14,500]
[Pangean Recruit: Rank 1]
[Achievement points: 100]
[Agility: 14]
[Constitution: 11]
[Intelligence: 55]
[Strength: 12]
[Characteristic Points: 8]
[Skills: None]
[Equipment: None]
[Money: 200 Olympian Notes]