Chapter 541: The Crisis Averted
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 541: The Crisis Averted
"Oh? Have you considered the consequences of doing that?" I was quite surprised to hear such a firm tone from them.
I was also somewhat curious about what exactly had driven these fellows to such madness.
In that brief span of time, I had managed to glean the general situation through my Identification Art.
This didn't seem to be the main battlefield; information was scarce. All I knew was that this was the edge of a terrifying explosion. Tan Han... or rather, Shopkeeper Xia Li, had fled here with Tan Han in tow.
Once here, she had intended to cast a Teleportation Spell to return to the academy, but the spell failed. The Shopkeeper suffered a double backlash of mental power and mana, ultimately leaving them stranded in this predicament.
Their ordeal seemed like a stroke of terrible luck—perhaps even the interference of Luck had played a role behind the scenes.
However... at this moment, I was confident I could protect them.
So, right in front of the two men, I handed Xia Li and Tan Han some potions to recover from their injuries.
"We know the consequences, of course. But some things must be done, even if it's just an attempt," one of the players said.
Their tone carried a hint of bravado, as if the nuclear bombs gave them absolute confidence. They seemed certain that I wouldn't disregard the lives of those ordinary people.
"An attempt... that doesn't sound very confident." I signaled for Xia Li to remain silent, then stood up and approached the two again.
"Naturally, we've taken the unknown magic you possess into account. But in the end, we only need one thing. If you're willing to make the decision for this girl, we're willing to leave this world entirely."
"What thing?" I asked curiously.
As for his claim about leaving this world, I didn't believe a word of it. Besides, even if they wanted to leave, it wasn't up to them.
"An object. A crown made of something like ice crystals. Your world cannot possibly comprehend such a thing, nor its value. In your hands, it's nothing more than—" The player tried to continue, but his speaking privileges were cut off. If he went any further, he would have revealed information the Game Architects were unwilling to disclose.
"Apologies. I cannot reveal any more information."
"I can see that. It seems this touches upon your core principles, and you can't make any concessions. In that case... let's return to the original question." As I spoke, they felt an inexplicable pressure pierce through the God-Slayer Armor protecting their bodies. The figure before their eyes seemed to blur for a moment. "Do you truly think that I, as a witch, care whether those ordinary people live or die?"
"You!"
Hearing my question, they forced themselves to remain calm. For a split second, they felt a flicker of instability in their account link. But after hearing my words, they knew... the worst-case scenario was unfolding.
The greatest weakness of a threat-based strategy is someone who doesn't value life. They knew little of this world, only that Transcendent power was kept from the masses. If a Transcendent didn't view ordinary people as human beings, then their preparations and threats were nothing more than a clown's performance.
Yet, this world had entered a stage of modern civilization; it didn't look like a place that disregarded human rights. They were conflicted, but the fact that negotiations were still possible suggested there was still room to maneuver.
Even the Game Architects were pessimistic about obtaining what they wanted at this point. They simply instructed the players to fish for more intelligence from this "Calamity Witch."
In truth, they didn't want to use the nukes yet. The player base hadn't spread far enough; if Soul Essence wasn't harvested by players, it would simply return to this world's cycle. They didn't want to be that wasteful.
"I don't believe you'd be indifferent to the lives of those civilians," they finally said, attempting to negotiate further.
They remembered those birdmen with wings on their backs from earlier.
Not long ago, one of those fellows had used that very excuse, standing on the moral high ground to condemn their opponents. How could they not care about human lives?
So, they intended to push a little harder.
* * *
While those two players were arguing with my Knowledge Shadow, I had already left the shattered building and stepped outside.
Just now, I had tested the depths of these players. Their level of Luck utilization was deep, yet incredibly crude.
To use an analogy, it was like a civilization that had discovered and begun using nuclear materials—at first glance, it seemed impressive! But upon closer inspection, you realized they were using nuclear fuel to forge swords and enchant cold weapons. That was the level of disparity.
I finally understood why Dean Bev Alanna and the others disregarded these players. Their understanding and depth of Luck application were entirely built upon that fragment of [Transcendent Knowledge]. I could probably send them packing all by myself.
As long as I "tugged on their network cables" a little, I could prevent them from noticing the instantaneous swap between my main body and the Knowledge Shadow. It was a tedious task, after all; I still couldn't complete the replacement within the limits of human reaction time.
However, the nuclear bombs they had left behind were indeed a major headache. That wasn't something that could be solved just by pulling their "cables." If they were driven to desperation, they could still cause significant trouble.
But according to my Ley Line Appraisal, these nuclear constructs were still based on the [Transcendent Knowledge] power system they possessed.
The creations they called "Transcendent Pixels" were sufficient to replicate a nuclear bomb through Transcendent means, achieving the same terrifying explosive effect.
I didn't know why they went through such a convoluted process, but it likely had to do with how they interpreted [Transcendent Knowledge].
As for why the Ley Line Appraisal could uncover this... it was naturally because they weren't beings who had descended into the Main World on a physical level. The bodies they controlled were still people of the Main World.
As long as their husks bore the Main World Ley Line Shackles, my understanding of them was a form of dimensional suppression.
The only pity was that this appraisal couldn't read their minds. I could only view information if they spoke it, expressed it, or if it was recorded by the Ley Line data.
And while their so-called "mission" was issued directly by that system, they still communicated with each other, which made it easy to acquire this intelligence.
Their supposed "multiple nuclear bombs" were actually just one—a bargaining chip for deterrent negotiations. It was originally meant to be used directly against Xia Li.
So, I had come out to dismantle it. I hate being threatened.
As my gaze swept over the distant ruins that had been razed to the ground, a chill ran through me. I couldn't help but marvel at the players' cold-bloodedness toward ordinary people.
I looked away from the beautiful, frozen landscape at the center; I knew I had more important things to do.
A 3D model of the city, obtained through Ley Line Appraisal, unfolded before my eyes. The target location was marked, and a route was planned out.
But I didn't have time to follow a GPS. I chose spatial teleportation.
The model didn't show real-time terrain updates for the site of the original explosion; instead, it was a blurred area. As the Ley Lines gradually stabilized, the form of the area was slowly being repaired, but the speed was agonizingly slow.
The explosion I hadn't witnessed personally had affected the Ley Lines in that area. In other words, the Ley Lines had been churned up by high-energy Transcendent power. After all, the energy level of the Ley Lines was significant.
But that didn't mean the Ley Line information was lost.
The information still existed; it was just exceptionally chaotic.
If one wanted to use that information, it would be like playing with a 3D puzzle the size of the blast zone. Repairing it alone could take days.
* * *
Back with Tan Han.
Xia Li watched as the two fellows Xiao Han called "players" and "Vanguard Pioneers" stood there talking to thin air for quite some time. She was utterly bewildered.
However, with the help of the potions and her own Immortality, her right arm had nearly finished regenerating.
Even Tan Han was astonished by the sight. Although she had seen Xia Li's recovery during their sparring matches with senior sisters, she had simply thought Xia Li healed quickly. This was beyond her comprehension!
Xia Li couldn't explain it to her now. she didn't know what method Xiao Han had used on the enemies, but it was likely an illusion. They couldn't let Xiao Han's efforts go to waste; they couldn't make a single move that might give the enemies a chance to see through the trick.
Meanwhile, the players were having a grand time fishing for intel and applying pressure. Their lie-detection modules were constantly judging the truth of the statements, going back and forth. They didn't expose anything, silently gathering information.
What they didn't know was that the Knowledge Shadow was constructed from their own subconscious perceptions. It provided them with a wealth of "important information" based on what they wanted to know. In essence, they were just playing a game of wits against themselves.
This one-sided game of mutual satisfaction was going perfectly until they received a frantic alert from the teammate guarding the nuke and the Game Architects in the rear. Their expressions changed instantly!
The location of their technical teammate at the nuke had been exposed, and he had been killed in an instant!
The one-click control permissions for the nuke were lost!
It all happened so fast that they couldn't even react.
But the moment they processed the news, they went cold.
They had been stalling for time to carry out their own plan, but the Calamity Witch had used their own tactics against them, stripping them of their only leverage!
The Game Architects hadn't even received a single frame of footage from the dead teammate's location. That meant the power gap was so vast he had been dealt with instantaneously.
Cold sweat broke out on the two men. Without the nuclear deterrent, even their own safety was in jeopardy. Their voices trembled as they spoke.
To them, this wasn't just a game. While their main bodies wouldn't die, what they experienced here was reality!
"What's wrong? You both look quite pale. Weren't we having such a pleasant chat just now?"
Seeing the girl's expression, their faces turned ugly. This teasing look was a complete reversal from her previous demeanor... there was only one explanation.
She knew!
"Silent... because your confidence is gone? Or is it because you've lost contact with that nuclear bomb? Tell me, what will you use to threaten me now?"
"You did this?" After taking a few deep breaths, the player who had been negotiating with the Knowledge Shadow quickly regained his composure. He was a high-level player, after all; he had some mental fortitude.
"That's right. Now, I'll give you three seconds to run. If you escape, consider yourselves lucky. If you don't... then get the hell back to your own world!"
"Three!"
"Run!"
The moment they heard the Knowledge Shadow actually start the countdown, they made their decision. They didn't dare hesitate for a second.
She was flipping the table without mercy!
They wanted to curse. You really couldn't negotiate with an unreasonable girl. One moment of displeasure and she just flips the table—who could handle that?
As for those two girls... please. They couldn't even save themselves in front of this witch; how could they still target the others?
Right now, they just wanted to escape with their lives. If possible, they wanted to keep these accounts.
But as they bolted out, they ran straight into me, just as I was returning.
Seeing the figure appearing so unnaturally in their path of escape, they instinctively looked back, only to find the Calamity Witch's figure was nowhere to be seen.
By the time they turned back, a searing Charged Ray pierced through their foreheads. Even the armored masks covering their faces couldn't block the penetration and shattering effects of the spell.
As the two figures collapsed, their equipment dissolved into Transcendent Pixels and vanished, revealing the ordinary clothes they wore underneath.
These two had been nothing more than ordinary people in the Main World. Who would have thought they would become puppets capable of paralyzing a massive city?
This was the reality for ordinary people.
No rights, no idea what happened even at the moment of death. They had no ability to face danger; before the turning tides of the world, they were all just ants under the wheels.
I killed these two players without a shred of mercy or hesitation.
I didn't care if the players' early-game progression was difficult or if their gaming experience was terrible. That was for the Game Architects of that world to worry about.
I wondered if they would encounter those turncoats from the Real Protection Association once they launched a full-scale invasion of the Main World. I almost missed them. None of the people in that world had tried the summoning rituals I set up earlier... what a pity.
It seemed I needed to find another way to spread those summoning rituals to that world.
Stepping over the two corpses, I approached Tan Han and the others.
"Sorry, I had to handle some trouble. Let's get you back to the academy first." I stepped forward to help Xia Li. I had seen her right arm severed earlier, but now it had already grown back. I had to admit, Xia Li's life level was quite formidable.
"Thanks, Xiao Han... No, I can stand on my own... If you hadn't come to save us, we might have..."
"It was nothing, just a small favor. But Shopkeeper, what were you doing here anyway? And how did you run into these lunatics?" As I spoke, I opened a teleportation channel.
The other side of the channel was the Witch Academy's infirmary. I had marked this location the last time I was sent there; I hadn't expected to use it so soon.
"That... is a long story..." Xia Li rubbed her temples, her head throbbing. It wasn't just the pain from the earlier backlash anymore; it was the sense of unreality from the multiple twists and turns that had just concluded.
I comforted Xia Li, telling her she didn't need to explain everything right now. It was better to rest and recover first, and the same went for Tan Han.
Once at the infirmary, I spoke with the mentors and moved the two of them into a private ward.
Even though Xia Li had Immortality to repair her body, she couldn't just overdraw her strength like that. Did she think Immortality was a cure-all?
Immortality exists so that life can persist, and it will pay any price to do so.
But the cost of "paying any price" is the ultimate form of self-harm.
"Alright, Shopkeeper Xia Li, Tan Han. Just focus on recovering. I know you must have many questions, but as it happens, I have plenty of free time now. I'll answer your confusion as I see fit."
I gave a light wave of my hand, using a Cleaning Spell to brush away some invisible dust, then sat down nearby. Seeing their hesitant expressions, I gave a soft laugh and spoke.