Chapter 747: Main World Game Codename: Calamity Witch
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 747: Main World Game Codename: Calamity Witch
A new day.
"Yi Rui and the others are making steady progress every day."
Sensing the information synchronized from my laboratory clone, I sometimes find that... knowing everything isn't always a good thing. For instance, life loses a certain sense of anticipation.
Still, aside from that, having clones is incredibly convenient for most daily matters.
Come to think of it, Yi Rui was right before. If it was just a guess then, it’s a fact now: my progress is faster than theirs. That’s exactly why I’m turning my attention to their process now.
I have many clones, and I receive a massive influx of information every day, including data gathered from the perspective of a Variant Beast in the Expansion Realm. Fortunately, I have the Great Knowledge Seed to help organize and share the burden; otherwise, I’d spend my entire life doing nothing but processing information.
Because of this headache, a curious thought has begun to take root in my mind... it seems the Tree of Great Knowledge needs another upgrade.
Perhaps "upgrade" isn't quite the right word. To me, the Tree of Great Knowledge has always been complete; I simply add another floor to it every time. But from a higher perspective, I suppose I am constantly perfecting it.
In the past, I probably never imagined that the "perfect" Tree of Great Knowledge would eventually reach a point where it needed to be elevated again.
As expected, a person’s needs are always rising. I have designs on the Tree of Great Knowledge primarily because a need has arisen. It is precisely because the Tree has shown its limitations that I have the urge to continue refining it.
Unfortunately, it’s just a thought for now. I don’t have a concrete plan yet, but I’ve recorded the idea in my memos. I have more important things to do, so I’ll set it aside for the time being.
Back at the lab, I’ve already used a clone to inform Yi Rui and the others of my current progress and stated my requirements. I just need to wait for them to finish their deliberations and bring some people over to the Body Cultivation Room for the next stage of the experiment.
Currently, the derivation of their Demonic Remolding Rebirth Art spellbook has improved to the point where they can adapt their bodies to resonate with 101 Mana Sources, officially breaking into triple digits.
This is no small feat. Before this, they spent a long time testing the boundaries of failure, which was a significant time sink. Their progress from a single Mana Source to over a hundred has been remarkably fast.
Furthermore, they are now using a self-created Tenfold Base Resonance Method, which has replaced the original basic connection method. Although a hundred sources is just the beginning compared to my initial theory of "ten thousand," from the perspective of a tenfold base, they are already halfway there.
From here, they should progress smoothly until they hit the thousand-source threshold. The final step will be the ten-thousand-source cap. After all, ten thousand is merely the theoretical limit.
As it stands, a hundred Mana Sources is just barely enough to conduct prototype experiments for Self-Generated Mana. As for exactly how many Mana Source nodes are required to complete the framework, I’m not entirely sure. Even I can’t pull an answer out of thin air without experimental data to back it up.
I hope the required number is under ten thousand. Otherwise, I’ll face another problem: the load-bearing limit of the Ley Line Shackles.
Whether it’s the method Yi Rui and the others use to link Mana Sources to the body via the Demonic Remolding Rebirth Art or the resonance method, both essentially use the Ley Line Shackles as a carrier for the Mana Sources. They lack Self-Generated Mana, so they cannot theoretically carry an infinite number of sources.
If the number of nodes required for the Self-Generated Mana framework I’m designing exceeds the theoretical ten thousand, things will get complicated.
However... it’s not unsolvable. I have a potential solution, but it’s incredibly tedious.
That method involves continuing to use ten thousand sources as the base to construct a prototype for a Self-Generated Mana Body Talent. However, this prototype framework would need to be modified according to my understanding of Self-Generated Mana architecture. Its purpose wouldn't be to form the final "Self-Generated Mana" immediately, but to intervene more deeply in the essence of life, allowing the body to gain additional capacity to carry Mana Sources before the mana is actually born.
Only once the minimum number of nodes for the Self-Generated Mana framework is reached would the full construction of the Body Talent begin.
The current Demonic Remolding Rebirth Art isn't capable of making the body carry that many Mana Sources on its own, so I’d have to rely on the prototype phase to "overdraft" that capability in advance.
Of course, there are other ways—alchemy items or other methods—anything that provides extra capacity for Mana Sources would work. But these methods are undoubtedly troublesome. I don't think these are problems students can solve on their own, so I’ll need to ask for help from more professional Transcendent Witch sisters.
My clone has already communicated the necessary information to Yi Rui and the others. Now, I just have to wait for them to arrive. After all, the next thing they need to attempt is the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method, which simply can't be performed in a laboratory setting.
The foundation of the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method is the physical metamorphosis achieved through the Demonic Remolding Rebirth Art, which allows one to meet the threshold for practicing it. At this moment, the Mana Sources they’ve acquired that resonate with them aren't in any special state.
Originally, these Mana Sources were simply linked to the body. Later, through their own exploration, they created a more complete scheme—the Tenfold Base Resonance Method. Now, the relationship between them and the Mana Sources is one of resonance. Theoretically, there isn't much difference, but it makes them much easier to control.
My task is to use the principles of Self-Generated Mana to shape those resonating Mana Sources into a specific ritual structure. Through this special method of Body Cultivation, I can use the Body Cultivation system to influence the essence of life and construct Self-Generated Mana.
And this is merely the "preparatory stage" before actually practicing the Body Cultivation system. The Body Arts that complement this Mana Source Body Cultivation Method are the real key to its elevation.
The birth of Self-Generated Mana is a gradual process; what they need to do is create "something from nothing."
Based on my current understanding of Self-Awakened Body Cultivation and Self-Generated Mana, they are merely constructing Self-Generated Mana based on my designs. Without the "foundation" of Self-Awakened Body Cultivation, they lack the ability to move "from existence to perfection" on their own.
Back when I started with only a sliver of mana and progressed to the point where it surged and regenerated constantly, it was all based on the fact that my instincts were continuously refining it atop my Self-Awakened Body Cultivation.
When I first discovered Self-Generated Mana, it was a capability built upon Body Cultivation. Only after it was fully perfected did it become independent, eventually interacting with my Body Cultivation to give birth to my Totem.
Since I have something they lack, they will have to pay a higher price to fill that "void." I don't mind giving them another helping hand.
While waiting for Yi Rui and her team, I also took a moment to check in on my collective of clones. Although I’ve been busy with my own affairs, the information my clones gather from the outside world serves as my personal intelligence network. It acts as an informational anchor that keeps me from becoming detached from society.
Among my vast array of clones, there is one particularly unique existence: the player whose game account I "appropriated."
At the start of this vacation, that clone had just finished adapting to the identity and was still figuring out the world's language, writing, and other details to prepare for integration into the player community.
Initially, I thought about creating more of these player clones, but I gradually gave up on the idea because it wasn't necessary. I didn't truly "steal" the account; I merely took over the access permissions. I can't use this type of game clone to fight against the players.
Not only is it unnecessary, but more importantly, the combat power of players at this level is inferior to the spells I can cast by hand with my original clones. Furthermore, since the account permissions ultimately belong to the other side, a large-scale hijacking would likely be discovered and cause unnecessary trouble.
Therefore, I’ve positioned that player clone solely for intelligence gathering: language, writing, culture, game settings, transcendent powers, and so on.
Although I promised Dean Mei that I wouldn't go looking for trouble in that game world, this kind of clone is very reliable for the job—it can cut and run at any time without leaving a trace.
Besides... just because Dean Mei told me not to get involved in the game world's affairs, does that mean I won't? Her intention was that she didn't want me to be in danger. The subtext is: as long as it isn't dangerous, do whatever you want.
Dean Mei has helped me immensely throughout my journey. Looking back, the things she told me weren't always the absolute truth, but rather the truth as I could understand it from my perspective at the time. I understand this perfectly. If I encountered an ordinary person who got caught up in my business, I wouldn't be completely transparent either; I’d frame things from an angle they could grasp to guide them into working for me.
However, ever since my status as a Little Witch was officially recognized, Dean Mei hasn't seemed to do that anymore.
As for the game world, Dean Mei and the others naturally have their own considerations. She told me about the current stalemate, and I suspect the actual predicament is likely many times more troublesome than I imagine.
Anything involving the game world is already a gambit on a transcendent level. The reason no overt conflict has broken out in the Main World is due to the "Transcendent Non-Interference" contract. Even so, if I accidentally wander into the game, transcendent methods could easily put me in a life-threatening position.
Take the final exam hunt from last semester, for example. The transcendents only had to have a single thought, and so many students acted upon it. They only had to move their lips, and afterward, they could wash their hands of the whole thing.
The only reason they were "skinned alive" afterward was because they were facing unreasonable Transcendent Witches. What if the Transcendent Witches were on the same level as the transcendent races of the Three Top Academies? Forget about shearing off a World Fragment; the compensation would likely have been a verbal apology that I might not have even heard.
So, Dean Mei’s warning was primarily for my safety.
I still remember when I was perfecting the Tree of Great Knowledge. At that time, transcendent mentors from other academies were visiting our Witch Academy for an exchange. Afterward, Dean Bev Alanna stayed by my side specifically to guard me. At the time, Dean Bev said she was protecting me, and that without her, those guys from the other transcendent academies might have actually made a move. I thought she was joking then, but looking back now, it might have been the literal truth.
Setting those distractions aside, that special clone of mine has been active for a while now, and I naturally intend to make full use of it. Under the premise of ensuring my own safety, I continue to passively receive information and data from that game world.
For instance, my clone has already successfully blended into the player community. I’ve learned that the players aren't a unified front; most are solo actors or, at most, part of small groups of a few people. Of course, this is largely because a massive number of Main World player accounts have been deleted, forcing many to fend for themselves.
The game level of the account I possessed isn't very high, and I don't dare communicate with the original friends on the list for fear of being exposed, but I’ve still gathered some intel.
For example... the players currently remaining in the Main World are basically all "insiders" who are fully aware that their actions constitute a "world invasion." However, even as insiders, they don't understand the threat their own world is facing; they only have a vague idea that this world contains taboos they shouldn't touch.
I also discovered the name that game world uses for our Main World.
Initially, when the Main World was first discovered, it only had a string of temporary codenames. Now, a formal game title has appeared. It’s just like how Qiu Ruxin’s world was called the open-world game Planet of Sin.
The name of our world is... Calamity Witch.
For a moment, I felt almost flattered. But after thinking it over, I realized... once they learned the truth, this so-called "Calamity Witch" probably didn't refer to the title I threw out on a whim, but to the witch race itself. They truly believe that Transcendent Witches are evil entities that bring calamities upon them.
I also learned that their game world has different types of games.
"Open World" is the invasion method with the best immersive experience. They have many other invasion modes, each representing a different game style. For example, the classic "System-style" with forced death-penalty missions is a high-end game managed by professional players behind the scenes.
Only worlds that have been completely conquered and pose no future threat are opened up as "mass-market games," relying on ignorant players to play in that world and squeeze out every last drop of value.
They call it a game, but in essence, it’s just a different form of manual labor. Of course, even if it's labor, the job description might be "acting as a slave owner in another world." But even if they are slave owners, it doesn't change the fact that they are being used and exploited by the high-level elites of the game world.
After all, the "games" of that world don't just exploit the worlds designed as games; they also exploit the players' time, energy, and money.
I almost feel a bit of pity for the people of the game world. But then again, they don't seem to deserve my pity. What about the worlds they invaded and enslaved?
Therefore... I should stick to my original plan for that world: total extermination.
There’s no need to consider whether they are right or wrong, how wicked their elites are, how pitiful the commoners are, or how tragic the invaded worlds are... none of that matters.
Strip everything back to its essence, back to simplicity... it all comes down to the fact that back in that small world, they disgusted me. Therefore, I will pull them up by the roots!
It’s that simple.
Thinking about it this way... I suppose I’ve become quite cold-hearted. No wonder witches have such a bad reputation. But I don't think the older witch sisters would mind if I made that reputation just a little bit worse.
