novelraw Chapter 378: The Gentle Rebel, A Distant Collaboration!
Chapter 378: The Gentle Rebel, A Distant Collaboration!
Six players!
Six individuals with vastly different abilities, yet all considered top-tier by ordinary standards.
All had chosen to abandon their game time.
This cast an eerie mist over the subsequent players and indeed the entire world.
Almost no one in the world could comprehend what was happening.
The remaining four players were completely baffled.
Aside from Jiu Tian whose identity was somewhat obscure, the other players who had gone before were all household names in gaming circles.
Compared to those elites, their own skills were simply inadequate!
Had their disguises been that perfect? They hadn't been discovered at all?
From beginning to end, the game scenario never changed. Weren't the hunters supposed to be able to choose their own settings?Had something gone wrong? Had all the top players coincidentally chosen not to change the scenario?
The unchanging cityscape, the never-shifting environment, the unsettling quiet, the complete absence of game notifications...
This eerie situation made the remaining players' hair stand on end.
[Player Blank, hunting time concluded!]
Finally, after twenty minutes, the game's voice sounded again.
This time, there was unmistakable anger in that voice.
Strangely, instead of immediately announcing the next player, it added:
[Warning to all players: Do not engage in passive gameplay.]
[All previous players failed to complete successful captures. Currently, everyone's score remains at zero!]
Hearing this, all subsequent players, including Chiyo Eine and Jiu Tian who had gone before, were shocked.
Zero points across the board?!
The game's voice continued, now carrying a seductive, demonic tone:
[I must remind everyone that this is a player versus player mode, a zero-sum game, as you've likely realized.]
[It's impossible... for all of you to clear the game...]
The sinister implications of these words sent chills down many spines.
[As for the consequences of not clearing the game, I'd rather not specify. After all, this is hell difficulty, not normal mode. I trust you understand what that means.]
[Moreover, final rankings will be determined by accumulated points - the higher your position, the richer your rewards!]
[I guarantee this: Regardless of performance, the top-ranked player will receive a perfect clear reward!]
At this point, the game's voice had dropped all pretense.
Xie Antong had been listening intently. It seemed to her the game had suddenly raised the stakes!
"So game rules can be changed on a whim? How enlightening," she remarked sarcastically from her still-active room before being forcibly ejected.
[Next player, hunting time begins!]
With this announcement and the earlier warnings, the remaining four players' breathing grew rapid.
For them, regardless of what had happened before, this was... an opportunity!
Perhaps the earlier players had their own schemes.
Perhaps the elite players had reached some unspoken agreement.
Perhaps those in higher positions could see things beyond ordinary perception.
But!
They had a chance at perfect clearance! A relatively simple way to achieve hell mode perfection in a 2.0 version game!
This was their moment.
......
The Grand Elder watched the screen, observing the calm, unflappable emerald-masked figure in silence.
"What will you do about the remaining players?"
"If that truly is your intention..."
"Such a gentle face, yet you'd choose such fierce resistance so early in Game 2.0?"
The Grand Elder hesitated, yet within that hesitation lay a thread of anticipation.
Truthfully, for ancient beings like them, certain theories had long circulated.
Game 2.0 was, at its core, player competition!
Just like before... in the late stages, nearly all game content became player versus player, humans slaughtering humans.
The Grand Elder simply hadn't expected Sin to realize this so soon.
Through concrete actions - from the moment both Perfect Life and Sin simultaneously abandoned the game - his heart had trembled!
—He wanted a draw!
In this openly declared zero-sum game, he sought to force the game's hand by engineering a collective tie.
Such swift reaction!
Such audacity!
Beneath that gentle mask lay a rebellious spirit!
"Actually, that might not be the case. He may not have considered things so deeply," commented the gloomy-looking elder nearby.
"Though, his resistance to such existences sometimes seems almost instinctual."
"Perhaps sometimes... laziness itself is a form of rebellion."
The hot-tempered elder boomed: "I just hope he doesn't overplay his hand!"
"If those before him all lose outright, or get erased, that would be quite the spectacle..."
......
Within the game scenario.
Perfect Life had remained seated beside Sin, puzzled by the lack of pursuing players until the game's announcement brought sudden understanding. He nodded approvingly.
"All six with zero points..."
"Heh, the world certainly has no shortage of unruly heroes."
Then he turned to Sin.
"What's your take?"
"Take on what?" Lu Ce rubbed his eyes, having just woken up.
"Why are you rubbing the eyes on your mask..." Perfect Life facepalmed internally. "About the remaining players - they might not follow your plan."
"What plan?"
Just as Perfect Life was about to respond, his brow furrowed sharply as he turned toward the building's exterior.
The entire city was engulfed in a snowstorm!
Howling winds and snow - impossible as normal game scenery. Someone was making their move!
The blizzard suddenly shifted direction, rushing toward the room's occupants.
Perfect Life sprang up, hands glowing with alternating light and dark energy as he formed a Taiji barrier. But then he paused abruptly.
"Hmm?"
Within the storm came a clear intent - collaboration.
Above, the Creator transformed into a cloud, unleashing full power for the first time to blanket the entire city in snow.