Chapter 675: The First Player Clone to Master Power
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 675: The First Player Clone to Master Power
"You have no idea how hard it is to get a new account when pioneering a brand-new game world. As a reserve for the new world's pioneer force—though I'm not an official pioneer, just an off-book reserve—people like us aren't qualified to be in the first wave. We have to wait for the Vanguard Pioneers to secure game eligibility for us before we can enter the field."
"This account can't respawn on its own. I don't know why, but it's just one life. Maybe the official pioneers know something, but I don't."
"I see."
I leaned back on the sofa, having fished quite a bit of intelligence out of this player. Regardless of how much of what she said was nonsense, the information she had revealed so far was very beneficial to me.
The only pity was that the people from the Real Protection Association wouldn't have the chance to enter the Main World.
Until they achieved the feat of "death allowing for free resurrection," they wouldn't open this "game" for public beta.
Even this "off-book reserve" in front of me had likely undergone a rigorous background check and skill audit to pass.
However, I could more or less guess a few things. After all, I knew exactly what the players' so-called "accounts" were.
They were Luck Threads.
If they wanted infinite resurrection, they would likely need to completely master this world's "Luck Resources," the World Script, or perhaps... master the Child of Destiny?
But that last guess was improbable. After all, the players showed no mercy toward the Child of Destiny, treating them entirely as a machine for rapidly harvesting Luck.
"I've answered your question. Can I ask one now?"
"I will only answer what I want you to know."
"Yes, yes, of course. I'm a bit curious—aren't you all interested in the spatial rift above the Horasso Swamp? Why haven't you developed it? Beyond that rift... there's likely a brand-new world!"
"Why are you asking this?"
"Can I count that as the answer to the question I asked you?"
"You can try," I threatened.
"Fine, fine. I just want to gather some intel to report upward and earn some benefits. I have to use this account to earn something that can improve my life, right?"
"Don't play the victim in front of me. As for the reason... it's because we aren't interested. Since you know the concept of a Transcendent Witch, do you really think a Transcendent Witch would care about such trivialities?" I lied through my teeth without a shred of guilt. Surely this girl knew that a witch's words couldn't be trusted?
"Uh... is that so?"
"Yes. Now it's my turn to continue questioning you," I said, nodding calmly.
The conversation between the two sides was peaceful enough—at least for now.
But just as I had said, lies remained indistinguishable. I could speak naturally, and so could she.
This was a test of mutual probing; whoever's logic faltered first would fall into a passive position.
Of course, this held another meaning for me: even if she was lying, the fabricated content was still based on things within her cognition.
Lies aren't necessarily valueless. For instance, the intel she gave me about pioneering a new world being troublesome—even if we assumed that was a lie, the fact that she could concoct such a story meant it was highly probable that such a thing had happened before. Perhaps it was history, or perhaps it was a popular piece of literature in her world.
It served a small purpose in helping me understand their world, though not a significant one.
Furthermore, I was currently dominating her character; for now, I was simply letting her operate freely. Moreover, my Mimicry Soul, which had already established the Great Knowledge Sharing Spell, could help me receive the visuals from the player's Game Vision.
No matter what, she was indeed a "qualified player."
When their actions were restricted, when they had to sit through a plot they couldn't skip, they would get bored and flip through various functions, checking equipment, inspecting other settings, and so on to pass the time.
I watched the entire process, learning exactly what the corresponding vision was used for. However, I still faced one problem... I couldn't read their script.
The girl in front of me sent many messages to several friends right before my eyes, but I could only guess at the general content...
Language was indeed a hassle. However, their game accounts were equipped with translation programs. Perhaps... I could try to crack them.
Then again... if a player were willing to cooperate with me, it might not be this troublesome.
"It's my turn to ask a question. But I've realized that of all the questions I've asked, you either don't know the answer or it's a blind spot in your knowledge... It's quite troubling. Tell me, what value do you still have?"
"As I thought. Once I'm valueless, you're planning not to let me go."
"You still have some value. Want to know what it is?"
"What?"
"The language and script you've mastered. I'm very interested in the languages and scripts of different worlds. Would it be convenient to exchange that information with me?"
"Language and script..." The player's expression immediately turned serious, her previous casualness vanishing.
"You're actually afraid? Why? Afraid that we witches will invade your world and occupy it?" I sat up straight, as if I had discovered something interesting. "Just like... we did to this world."
"You..."
"You're afraid. You really do know something, don't you?" I continued to press.
These players should have been flaunting their method of descent. The root of their fear of Transcendent Witches was the fear of being found.
But the key was "finding" them. Did they think a Transcendent Witch could find them? Was that possible?
It was possible. After all, a Transcendent Witch could use Luck as bait to guide these players to descend into the Main World. That was enough.
The question was, why hadn't they retreated after learning about the Transcendent Witches this time?
In the previous small world, they had fled so quickly just upon hearing rumors of me, a "Prospective Witch." Why were they refusing to run now, even after confirming the existence of Transcendent Witches?
Was the Main World really that attractive?
No... it wasn't that they hadn't run. That incident where a large number of players in the family's upper echelons died... that might correspond to the timeframe when they obtained this news.
But clearly, the players hadn't all fled.
Combined with the "intellectual hypothesis" that the players had other Transcendent Academies backing them—was that possible?
Those Transcendent Wizards, Transcendent Elves, and Transcendent Holy Angels—which of them didn't have a nature similar to Transcendent Witches?
Those were the very races that had occupied the Main World first, alright?
I still couldn't figure out how those players and those Transcendent Races had gotten mixed up together. It made no sense!
And wasn't it agreed that the Transcendent level wouldn't interfere in this event?
I never doubted the Witch Contract; it was impossible to violate...
As one of the most important subjects of the witch race, though I hadn't studied it in detail, I understood from rumors alone how terrifying the binding power of a Witch Contract was. It was enough to flip the reputation of the entire witch race.
"Regarding that... I'm sorry, I can't agree."
"Then I'll change the question. Why don't you agree?"
"I can't bear the consequences of doing so. My intuition tells me that I shouldn't do things when I can't even foresee the outcome. Usually, I can't afford those consequences."
"Very cautious." I chuckled and shook my head, realizing this girl's value had reached its limit.
So, I lightly raised my hand. The Order of my Domain instantly dominated her body. After a flash of momentary panic, she looked resigned. She knew what her end would be.
"How heartless, Calamity Witch..."
"While you have one last second, take a good look at the sights of this world. You're about to say goodbye to it forever."
The female player looked at the figure before her, feeling her body dominated by an irresistible force. Even as she tried to call upon some mutually assured destruction method within her vision, she felt nothingness before her eyes.
Yes, nothingness. Not pitch blackness—she had simply lost all perception and control over the character.
* * *
Meanwhile, in another world.
"Heh... as expected of a Calamity Witch... what a troublesome person. Even the screen after death is different. I actually had to manually log out. Is this what they call pulling the plug?"
The girl opened her eyes in her own world, met by the sight of a small patch of ceiling.
She took off the gaming device still strapped to her head—a helmet-like apparatus with a mess of cables trailing behind it.
A bottom-layer person like her, living in the No. 9 Shantytown Settlement Area, couldn't possibly afford one of those immersive game pods you could lie down in.
The gaming device she held now was a stipend she had received for becoming an off-book reserve for the official pioneers, purchased by snagging a slot in a trade-in event.
Compared to the cramped "snail-shell" room she lived in, the device looked jarringly new.
After a moment's rest, she pushed herself up from the bed and edged toward the door. She wasn't going out; instead, she reached into a delivery slot in the door and pulled out a box.
This was her ration for the day.
Inheriting the historical legacy of military walled cities, the discounted monthly meal plan she ordered consisted of these meager, drab rations.
She opened it and pulled out an energy bar she was long tired of, swallowing it quickly. She was sick of the high-calorie, high-sugar synthetic sweetness; letting it stay in her mouth for even a second longer made her feel nauseous.
As for whether this was breakfast or lunch... it didn't matter. Food only needed to maintain her physiological functions. Real life... was inside the game.
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have taken that job. Running straight into a Calamity Witch herself... I'd better report the situation. I hope they don't give me some 'duplicate intel' excuse. I'd make more money picking up trash outside."
* * *
Back at Sister Bai's house.
"Xiao Han, did you send her away?"
Seeing that the girl had stopped moving, Sister Bai stood up and asked curiously.
She had actually been watching quite intently from the side. Although Xiao Han hadn't said much to her, she was a Transcendent Witch whose perception could touch Real Time. Even if she didn't understand exactly what Xiao Han was doing, she knew Xiao Han had been busy with something the entire time; the so-called information exchange was merely a front.
"In a way, Sister Bai," I replied, but I didn't elaborate. I was busy. This was my first time officially "possessing a player," and many of the operations were still very unfamiliar.
Fortunately, I had extensive practical experience with the technique of Independent Clones.
What I needed to solve now was the issue of taking over the Game Vision, the player account, and syncing it with the clone's consciousness.
As for the language barrier... operating an account didn't necessarily require understanding the script; knowing what each action represented was enough.
By cross-referencing "operational information" with the feedback from those operations, I could figure out what the corresponding text meant. Then, using the "input method" in the Game Vision, I could gradually crack the translation through this simple method.
Of course, unless it was absolutely necessary, I didn't want to use such a tedious method for deciphering. Even if I left it to a clone, it would take a lot of time.
If possible, I still wanted to crack their real-time translation function through information decoding to learn the language. After all, just recognizing the script wasn't enough; I needed to be able to speak and communicate.
At that moment, the player who should have "logged off" opened her eyes again!
However, her demeanor and aura were completely different from before.
"Xiao Han, you..." Sister Bai started to ask, but she trailed off.
She was a Body Cultivation specialist and possessed Heart Sense. If the previous player had felt like a living corpse to her, the player now felt like... Xiao Han's clone!
But she didn't want to jump to conclusions and ruin Xiao Han's plans.
"I've forcibly kicked her offline. This player character has become a sort of alternative clone for me."
As the explanation came, a flash of surprise crossed Sister Bai's eyes because the words had come from the female player's mouth!
"Yes, I'm researching how to usurp a player's account. For now, it seems to be a tentative success. Even if it weren't, she's become one of my clones, so there's no real loss." I met Sister Bai's curious gaze and gave her my answer.
"Really? Then... that power the players wield..." Sister Bai asked in surprise.
"I should be able to use it too." I attempted to operate the player's combat panel. Soon, a weapon manifested in front of me, and the player's body instinctively grabbed it.
"Interesting. The feeling is completely different from the Transcendent power I master directly. This mode is even more isolated than the players I created in the Expansion Realm." I remarked in wonder.
In the Expansion Realm, I had taught some basic meditation methods. Those players could rely on their affinity for Ley Energy to perform simple manipulations. I even planned to open a DIY mode for the skill tree later, allowing them to develop skills independently—though that would depend heavily on talent.
But the players from this game world... were true players. Despite it being a synchronized sensory experience, there was a sense of powerlessness, as if separated by a screen.
This effectively cut off any possibility for ordinary players to touch the path of Transcendent power.
However... that was for the players. For me... heh, this player was a literal treasure trove!
They had converged the power network and information network onto the player. While the suppression might be terrifying for ordinary people or average Beyonders, for those of us who had received a Transcendent education, it was as if that world had sent a bunch of robots with exposed wiring onto the battlefield. I could reach out and pull their plugs whenever I wanted.
No wonder the Transcendent Witches had so little interest in these players, leaving them for the students to play with.
But for me, mastering such a player clone provided two immediate benefits: First, I had my first sample, making it easy to study their special techniques for utilizing Luck—perhaps I could learn something useful. Second, by studying the characteristics of the Transcendent power expressed by their [Transcendent Knowledge], I could better counter the methods these players employed.
Clearly, the people of that player world still lacked perspective.