Chapter 2 - The Worship of Laziness

"Goddess of Sloth?"

Broken's eyes widened in astonishment at the figure that had appeared before him, causing a flutter of nervousness and awe. "What's happening here?" he asked, wondering if the spirits had fled because of the goddess that had appeared before him.

"If a goddess appears in front of me," Broken asked, anxiously gulping as he considered the possibilities of what the goddess could do for him, "is this good news? She said that she would make me the greatest player?"

Broken felt a wave of uncertainty wash over him as he noticed Akidia, the goddess, lying prostrate on the ground. Cautiously, he lowered himself to get a better look at her face, and was overwhelmed by her extraordinary beauty. He couldn't help but feel a tension in his body as he muttered under his breath, "I know this is just a game, but it's hard to tell what's real and what's not with my own eyes. She looks perfect as a goddess."

Immortal Legacy was a game that made it appear as though its players were actually existing in the real world. Even though the figure of the goddess before him was nothing more than an NPC, the astonishing beauty of her left him in a state of awe.

"I mustn't think like this in front of a goddess," he thought, "what if she can read my mind, and believes I'm a lecher? I'm only admiring her beauty."

"But wait," Broken exclaimed upon closer inspection, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw that the goddess was fast asleep. "Really? She can fall soundly asleep like this in just a few seconds?"

[One who strives to better themselves through practice and hard work is often the most unfortunate, yet simultaneously the least motivated of all.]

Suddenly, a global announcement system notification suddenly popped up in front of him. This type of announcement was visible to all players in the virtual world of Immortal Legacy, and having experienced this before, Broken paid little attention to its contents.

[One had achieved something remarkable - the first player to ever witness the majestic, divine grandeur of the deities. It was an incredible feat, one that he would never forget.]

"Huh?!" Broken was surprised, and his attention was immediately drawn to the announcement. He felt strangely connected to it.

[A player became the first to meet the goddess of sloth in person; she was an extraordinary figure, described to be the most stunning goddess that had ever existed and yet the most sluggish of all. If one had seen the most beautiful creature in the world, they would not be able to comprehend the level of beauty deities possess.]

[Yet, this legendary player's journey began right here, in this moment when he first encountered his blessings.]

"Huh?!" Broken exclaimed, his guess being correct that the announcement was referring to him. He was now in the presence of Akidia, the goddess of sloth. "Wait, so I'm really the first player to meet the deity face-to-face?"

[You received the title "He Who Encountered the Deity" for your extraordinary experience of coming face-to-face with one of the deities, the Goddess of Sloth, for the first time ever.]

[Title Effect: All Basic Stats +20, New Conditional Active Skill "Ethereal Form"]

[Ethereal Form (Conditional Active Skill) Lv. 1]

[You are granted the power to transform into an ethereal form. It grants you immunity from physical attacks, but doubles the magic damage taken.]

[Duration: 5 seconds]

[Cooldown: 1 hour]

[Activation: When you would otherwise take fatal damage that puts your life in danger.]

"This is incredible!" Broken exclaimed in awe, his eyes widening in astonishment as he took in the effects of the title he had obtained; it had boosted all his basic stats by a whopping 20 - an incredibly valuable title! When he multiplied the 20 by the number of basic stats he had, the result was extraordinary.

"But, wait, I know I'm very lucky to be the first person to meet the goddess, but what should I do?" Broken thought to himself.

He didn't want to risk upsetting Akidia by waking her, so he took a few steps back and lay on the ground, ensuring that his body was not higher than hers.

"I hope this way I can show her more respect. I'll wait here until she wakes up. She said she would guide me; I hope she can give me something of value."

He tried to remain as composed as possible as he waited for Akidia to wake up, taking whatever solace he could in the knowledge that he only needed to wait for a short while. At least an hour, he told himself that he could manage. After that he would have to log out and get ready for his shift at the store, where his manager was notoriously strict. He couldn't risk being late, as it could mean the end of his job.

Broken waited with a sense of uneasiness, the minutes stretching into an hour. Finally, his time had run out and he uttered a defeated sigh. "What should I do? Do I stay or do I leave?" he asked himself, feeling torn between the two.

He was incredibly fortunate to receive an opportunity that most people could only dream of. He knew that no matter what gifts or prizes he might receive, the opportunity itself was the most valuable thing of all. Although other players had already been blessed by the gods, none had ever been in the presence of a goddess.

Broken lay prostrate on the ground, anxiously waiting for the goddess to wake up so that he could ask for her blessing. He was prepared to explain the situation and hoped she would be sympathetic to his cause.

At that moment, Akidia slowly opened her eyes and paused for a moment, trying to recall what she was doing. Suddenly, she was startled and turned her head to look at Broken.

"Huh?" Akidia beamed with pride. "Oh my, this cute human, he's so lazy he can even fall asleep while I'm here. I don't have the heart to wake him up."

Lowering her head back to the ground, she closed her eyes and sighed. "I have been working so hard these past few days to prepare a prize for my soon-to-be champion, so I guess I'm just too exhausted."

And with that, Akidia drifted off to sleep.

"Wait, did I just hear something?"

Cautiously, Broken raised his head and swiveled it towards Akidia. He detected a faint whisper, so tranquil and soporific that it almost lulled him into a reverie. Yet, when he tried to discern where it was coming from, he found Akidia still soundly asleep.

"Ugh, how much longer is she going to be asleep?"

Broken sighed in frustration, dreading the fact that he was already three hours late, which equated to an hour in the real world. He was running out of time, but he still had a chance to make it to his workplace.

"What will happen to me?" He asked anxiously as he opened the user panel and noticed a notification there.

[Due to the presence of a goddess, the logout feature has been temporarily disabled.]

He sat down, pressing his palms together against his face and looking down in disbelief.

"But, what? Really?" he exclaimed. "I won't be able to log out until the goddess in front of me wakes up? What should I do? Do I wake her up? No, no, no, I don't think that's a good decision."

At that moment, Akidia slowly opened her eyes and paused for a moment, trying to recall what she had been doing before drifting off. When she suddenly saw Broken kneeling before her, a sense of pride and awe filled her.

"Huh?" Akidia thought, smiling. "This cute human is worshiping me and praying to me, even though I haven't even declared him as my champion yet. I don't think I should disturb his concentration."

Lowering her head back to the ground, Akidia closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh. "I've been working so hard these past few days," she murmured.

"Good night," she yawned before settling back into a peaceful sleep.

***

As news of someone having met a deity in person spread rapidly across the internet, it sparked a variety of reactions and speculations about their identity.

"I'm sure it's Paycheck, the champion of Greed. He's the wealthiest and most respected in the Kingdom of Dissidia. Recently, he announced that he had secured a deal with a dog food company to become their main sponsor."

"You're such an idiot, fanboying over someone who only plays games to get women like him."

"Actually, I have a feeling it's ElonMeh, the champion of Pride. He's an absolute prodigy, with an unrivaled talent in the Immortal Legacy. Who in this world can compare with that person's genius? I'm sure he will be the top player ever and utterly invincible in the Immortal Legacy."

"However, I was quite surprised to find that, despite the many champions that have been elected in IL, none of them have ever met a deity. How did they even get the title of 'champion' then?"

"I'm sure they just got lucky with a quest that made them a God Champion."

"So how do I become a God Champion? I want to become the God Champion ...."