"Undying Gods? Of course they exist!"
Old Man snapped irritably, "Though the Eight Undying Gods vanished into the river of time, they did exist. They even left behind eight divine relics—each one capable of sealing away a corresponding demon with ease!"
"These relics themselves are proof that the gods once walked this world!"
He stated it as fact, not belief.
"But… they've been gone for so long," Uncle Chan said hesitantly. "Are you saying they're still alive? That they can still send messengers down...?"
Before he could finish, Old Man lashed out with a feather duster, smacking him repeatedly.
"Idiot! Fool! The Undying Gods possess limitless power and eternal life! How could they possibly die?!"
"They're called Undying Gods for a reason, dummy! They must be watching this world from a higher dimension!"
He stomped his feet in frustration, thoroughly exhausted by his blockhead of a nephew.
"Undying…"
"Eternal life…?"
The Ancient One's pupils shrank. Only someone like her—plagued by the ticking clock of mortality—could grasp the true weight of those words.
She had protected Earth from dimensional invasions for years. She had seen countless powerful beings rise and fall.
Except for entities like Dormammu, who fused themselves with the very essence of a dimension, shedding all trace of humanity and becoming pure concept…
Every other being, no matter how mighty, still had a limit.
No matter your strength—
When your time runs out, you face death.
That was true even for her.
Even for Ego, the Living Planet.
Even…
Even that arrogant "King of the Gods" next door!
He who waged war across the Nine Realms and made the cosmos tremble in his name—
Even he had to bow before the limits of time.
"Do they really…"
"…truly exist, these undying gods?"
Odin sighed faintly.
Even those who called themselves gods had lifespans, albeit far longer than mortals. Five thousand years might seem vast, but compared to the endless cosmos, it was barely a flicker. A spark in the dark.
Even he was shackled by time.
And yet, this world's so-called Undying Gods…
were said to possess life without end.
They had survived countless epochs—wars so ancient even time itself had tried to erase them. Just hearing about them gave off a heavy, epic weight.
And yet…
This vast, terrifying world of divine immortals…
Was being invaded.
By a system.
Even the summoned invaders were now being called "Messengers of the Gods."
It was like watching a divine-level NTR play out live.
Compared to the shift in perception he'd seen in the Resident Evil world,
This system's intrusion felt far more insidious… far more terrifying the more he thought about it.
Especially…
Especially when Odin realized that the old man's strength was… unfathomable.
In some ways, not even inferior to his own.
"This system…"
"What in the realms is it?!"
He was stunned into silence, gripped by a deep, creeping dread. His hand clenched instinctively around Gungnir.
But even his mighty spear—the Eternal Weapon—couldn't calm his unease.
Meanwhile, the onlookers had no idea the higher-ups were having existential meltdowns.
They were still munching sunflower seeds, happily watching the show as Old Man told his tales.
"So…" Captain America blinked. "This is the so-called balance between good and evil—a war that's lasted for thousands of years?"
He was a bit dumbfounded.
After handling the immediate crisis, Old Man's attitude had clearly softened due to their apparent alignment. No longer hostile, he was downright friendly—as if he genuinely believed they were divine envoys.
After answering Uncle Chan's question, Old Man casually launched into a history lesson about this world.
The Eight Demons… the Undying Gods…
Shendu… Lo Pei… the Twelve Talismans…
It all sounded like ancient folklore, but to the Avengers, it was a godsend.
Finally!
They'd found the main questline!
Maybe it was exposition…
Maybe Old Man was just getting chatty in his old age…
Whatever the reason, after a lengthy info dump—
They finally understood the general layout of this world.
Especially the connection between Shendu and the talismans, and the balance mechanism between good qi and demon qi.
They were no longer flying blind.
"Exactly!"
"The forces of good and evil tend toward balance. If one side tips the scale, the other side will react to restore it. I can sense that demon qi is beginning to awaken. Perhaps your arrival is the gods' way of reinforcing the light…"
Old Man nodded, his gaze softening.
Especially when he looked at Captain America.
He could feel it—the genuine kindness in the man's heart.
"The Twelve Talismans hold great power. They were carved from Shendu himself. If we gather all of them, we can easily defeat him and seal him away once more."
"Talismans?" Cap asked, curious. "You mean like this little charm?"
He looked at the Rat Talisman in Jade's hand, surprised that something so plain-looking could hold such incredible power.
Jade noticed his interest and grinned proudly.
Like a child showing off a prized toy, she handed it to him.
Among the trio, Captain America was the only one who hadn't tried to hurt her—he'd even made a good impression. To Jade, he was already a friend.
No big deal letting a friend take a look, right?
Besides—
Old Man was standing right there. If anything went wrong, he had her back.
"Uhh…" Cap was caught off guard, but his hand still obediently reached out.
The moment his fingers touched the charm—
[Ding—]
[Side Quest: Obtain the Rat Talisman — Completed]
[Objective: Gain Jade's trust and successfully receive the talisman]
[Rating: C]
[Reward: Inferior Ability – Animate the Inanimate]
[Description: A degraded derivative of the Rat Talisman's power. Grants life to non-living matter, making it move and serve with absolute loyalty.]
[Note: Depending on quest performance, rewards may range from Inferior to Enhanced to Legendary. The higher the rating, the stronger the reward.]
"Reward?"
"I already got it?!"
Cap's jaw dropped.
He'd just… taken a charm from a little girl.
And now it said mission complete?!
Dumbfounded, he picked up a nearby pebble and, almost instinctively, activated the new ability.
[Animate the Inanimate]
Buzz~
A ripple of invisible energy flashed.
The pebble suddenly sprouted limbs—and started wobbling across the ground!
Clumsy, awkward, but moving.
"It's alive!"
"IT CAME TO LIFE!!"
Uncle Chan pointed at the tiny pebble golem, eyes wide in disbelief.
Old Man, on the other hand, wasn't the least bit surprised.
Instead, he looked at Cap thoughtfully. "Animate the Inanimate… similar to the Rat Talisman's power?"
"As expected of the Undying Gods' envoy. You can wield talisman powers with ease."
"And… perhaps even exceed them."
He nodded again, growing ever more convinced of their divine status.
After all, the original Rat Talisman couldn't bring a random roadside rock to life.
Outside…
The internet exploded.
"Yo what?! That rock just got up and walked!"
"No way. Since when is Cap a mutant?! And this counts as… what, rock summoning?"
"Bro, are you blind?! That's clearly a SYSTEM REWARD!"
"He just copied the Rat Talisman power?! Dude, this system is busted!"
"…"
Millions of viewers stared at the livestream, eyes practically bleeding from envy.
Animate the Inanimate.
Granting life to the lifeless—
That was OP on a whole new level.