'Am I happy with my current life?'
William closed his eyes and looked back at the ten years that he had lived in the town of Lont. Everyday was filled with warmth and love that sometimes, he could feel his heart melting. His Mama Ella would always be by his side to ensure that he would not suffer from any harm.
His Aunt Anna would hum him songs while holding him in her loving embrace. His Uncle Mordred ensured that he was not lacking in food and clothes. His Aunt Helen would always find time to bake him desserts that he could bring to the valley while tending his goats.
His Big Brother, Matthew, who loved reading books, would find time to read him stories about the Southern Continent. And his Grandfather, James, always throws off his reminiscing and loved to brag about his adventures during his younger days.
Those ten years, made William realize that even though this world didn't have the conveniences of the modern world, even though it didn't have electricity, television, radio, and the internet, he didn't find it boring.
In fact, every night when he went to sleep, he would look forward to seeing the sun rise from the East. Because he knew… he knew that another day filled with warmth and happiness was waiting for him.
"I am very happy," William said softly. He then opened his eyes and looked at the adorable girl in front of him. "Although I don't know what kind of life I might have lived if I entered the Silver Portal back then, the life I have now is very precious. I'm glad I was born in the world I am living in."
"I see," Lily replied with a beautiful smile. She could tell that William was being sincere and he was indeed very happy with the life he had now. "That's good to hear."
"Mmm." William scratched his cheek in embarrassment.
"Well, I'm glad that you are living a happy life in that world, William," Gavin materialized out of thin air. He sat beside Lily, facing William.
"As expected of my sworn brother!" Issei appeared as well and sat beside Gavin.
"You're just like me when I was younger," David chuckled as he appeared beside Lily.
The four Gods who had formed a connection with William had all arrived. They were all looking at him with smiling faces as if they were up to no good!
William didn't feel that something was off and greeted them all with a smile.
"It's been a while, Gavin, Brother Issei, Sir David."
"Indeed. It has been a while William." Gavin nodded his head. "I'm glad you are doing well."
Issei and David also nodded their heads in acknowledgement.
"Since everyone is already here, why don't we all eat first?" Lily proposed. "This feast was prepared for your arrival, so it would be a waste if you don't have your fill."
"She's right," Issei commented. "Let's all eat!"
William nodded his head and everyone began to eat and drink. After the food had been cleared from the table, the Gods started to ask William questions about his current life, which the boy answered as honestly as he could.
"That Master of yours is not half bad," Issei said with a mischievous grin. "Will, having an older woman as your lover is not a bad thing. They are more mature and you can lean on them when things get tough. Also… your master had developed in all the right places. If you know what I mean."
William flashed Issei a knowing smile. The two perverts stared at each other as lewd grins appeared on their faces.
Lily clicked her tongue in annoyance, but didn't say anything else.
David played with his beard as he looked at William with admiration. "Although I gave you my staff, I didn't think that you would really use it so soon."
"Sir David, I am very thankful for the gift that you gave me. If it wasn't for your staff, I might have re-entered the cycle of reincarnation at the age of one years old."
"I guess you can call this Fate. When I first saw you, I was reminded of my younger days…"
"What younger days?" Lily sneered. "When you were born as a God, you were already old. How can you shamelessly say that William reminded you of your younger days?"
David pretended not to hear Lily's spiteful words and continued to play with his beard. "Your Mama Ella loves you a lot. Be sure to take good care of her."
"I will," William promised. "I consider her as my second mother. For me, Mama Ella is family."
David had a satisfied expression as he nodded his head. He was the God of Shepherds and William indirectly became one of his followers when he became a Shepherd in the world he was born in.
Naturally, he was also aware of Ella and the other goats whose Fates were now tied to William.
"Gavin, do you already know why I came to see you?" William asked.
"Of course I know," Gavin replied. "It's just that, I didn't expect you to see me this early. That Wolf Tide sure brought you a lot of benefits."
Gavin chuckled as he patted William's shoulder.
"Okay, let's now get down to business." Gavin's expression became serious as he crossed his arms over his chest. "In order for your experience limiter to ascend to the next level, you need to finish a quest."
"A quest?" William inquired. "What kind of quest? Like those quests in the games I played back on Earth?"
"Something like that." Gavin nodded his head. "Once you clear this quest, another special feature of the CPU Core will be unlocked."
"Special feature?"
"Yes. you will start receiving special quests that will give you points called God Points."
"God Points?" William tilted his head in confusion.
Lily coughed lightly as she continued Gavin's explanation. "God Points are points that you can use to purchase items in the God Shop. Our believers, who have received our blessings, are able to access this shop and buy items that can only be found in the God Realm."
"All items in the God Shop are made by the Gods themselves," Issei said with a smile. "Some of them are expensive, while others are VERY EXPENSIVE. By the way, I'll give you a 50% discount on the first three items that you buy from my shop."
"Big Brother, what kind of items do you sell in your shop?"
"Aphrodisiacs, candles, whips, bondage outfits, bunny costumes… and many more exciting items that will make your nightlife extra exciting!"
William swallowed hard as he held Issei's hands. "Do you also have sailor costumes?"
"You bet I do," Issei answered with a lewd grin. "We even have shrine maiden outfits."
The two perverts clasped their hands together which made the other gods look at them in contempt.
Gavin cleared his throat in order to catch William's attention to continue his explanation.
"Listen, William, I will now tell you the contents of your quest," Gavin said. "Right now, you are in the Pantheon of Courage. One of our colleagues has asked for assistance and it just so happens that you are also present in her temple.
"Because of this, I decided that your quest would be to help her follower clear a trial. You will find more information when your soul returns to your world. Do you have any other questions?"
"W-Will I be able to see you guys again?" William asked.
"When you reach your next bottleneck, you can come and find us again," Lily answered with a smile. "Big Brother, even if you miss Lily, you shouldn't push yourself too hard. Take things one step at a time. We will have our reunion in good time."
"Don't worry, Brother," Issei commented. "We will also be watching over you from time to time. Even if you can't see us, we can definitely see you."
"That's right." David nodded his head. "Of course, we can't really interfere and help you when you encounter difficulties. Gods aren't allowed to interfere with the material world. However, we can offer you help in other ways."
"The important thing is for you to live a life worth living," Gavin said. "Although getting strong is a must, you must not ignore the world around you. Life is not a matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
"You will make a lot of choices in life. Some of them may not lead to the ending that you envisioned, but regardless of your choice, you must see them through to the end. The same can be said for the Special Quests that will give you God Points. If you feel that the quest is absurd, or goes against your morals, you don't have to do it."
"Eh? I can skip special quests?" William asked.
"Yes. Doing the special quests are not compulsory," Gavin answered while sneaking glances at Lily and Issei. "Only do the things that you think are worth doing."
"Understood." William nodded his head.
Issei and Lily both had mischievous smiles on their faces.
'Big Brother, let's see if you can resist the Special Quests that I will give you~'
'Don't worry, Brother. Your Big Brother will ensure that you interact with the ladies as often as possible.'
The Two Gods shared a knowing glance at each other before returning their attention to William. What William didn't know was that the ones who would be giving out the Special Quests were none other than the Gods themselves.