Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - BeyonderDevilPlayer (3)

"Let's start with the World Will."

He took another big gulp of plum juice and smacked his lips.

"The reason why other fragments of the human world are biased and don't have the same level of technology, magic, superpowers, and all sorts of concepts as Earth is because when the human world shattered, the 665 fragments that were separated from the original human world, excluding the base world, couldn't fully inherit 'everything' of the original human world. Their potential was limited. You can imagine it like this: 666 people are queuing up for food in a cafeteria. Earth, who is first in line, takes a little of everything. The next world takes some of what Earth would have left, and so on. The further back in line you go, the less food is left. People at the back might even face the awkward situation of not being able to get a certain dish at all. That's roughly it."

"What a funny and vivid metaphor..."

"Therefore, the potential for inheritance in each fragment of the human world is different, and each has gone through a long period of time to develop into what it is today: a world of superpowers, a world of magic, a world of cultivation, a world of high technology... And in this long process, their respective World Will will gradually take shape."

"I thought the World Will existed from the very beginning."

"There was indeed a time when the human realm was a unified whole, but when the human realm collapsed, the World Will also crumbled into 666 fragments, becoming extremely weak and only able to slowly grow within their respective fragmented human realms. However, it was still a world-class power, and after so much time, it was enough for each fragment to grow strong... Ah, I haven't properly explained the World Will to you yet, have I?"

He took another big gulp. The disposable cup wasn't very big; he should have been able to finish it in two big gulps. Why was he still drinking?

"The World Will is not the same as the world itself, but a loyal guardian derived from the laws of the world. It usually slumbers deep within the world, unobservable by ordinary people. It only unleashes its superhuman combat power to completely annihilate anything it senses when it detects an existence that poses a serious threat to the world."

"Someone like a system administrator?"

"More or less," he shrugged. "Although it's just a loyal watchdog, its power is undeniably absolute within its territory—the Fragmented Human Realm. As long as the world exists, its power will never cease, and it will never be defeated. Even someone as powerful as Jili can only hide in the Void Space to evade pursuit. Speaking of which, you sensed it before, didn't you? The existence of the World Will."

"..." really.

The instant I realized I was no longer bound by some ironclad rule of this world, something within the void seemed to awaken, and I was almost locked onto by it. However, that feeling lasted only a moment before vanishing, and then Third Brother appeared—

"--Wait, could it be that you saved me at the crucial moment, preventing me from being put on their elimination list?"

Bingo~

He smiled and took another big gulp—I finally couldn't resist.

"Wait a minute! Your cup can't possibly hold that much! Is it some kind of four-dimensional space cup!?"

"You mean this—" He swirled the glass, shrugged, and turned the rim towards me. "—It's actually been empty for a while now."

"Then why don't you—"

"This trick is called 'air drink'."

"... Air drinks?"

I've only ever heard of things like air guitars and air friends...

"It's a kind of self-hypnosis process. Imagine there's lots of sour plum juice in your mind, every drop is sweet, sour and cool, and then connect your actions with your imagination, making a big gulp of it. I often use this trick when I see snacks I want to eat but can't afford."

So poor!

"You're living in such dire straits... Aren't you supposed to be so great? Making money should be so easy for you, right?"

"But I'm doing fine like this. I don't have much money, but I'm not at the point where I can't make ends meet."

"What's with this half-baked, ambiguous approach...?"

"The ideal life is different for everyone. The poor laugh at the rich for their tiring lives, and the rich laugh at the poor for their miserable lives. In the end, perhaps there's no inherent good or bad; they're just different life experiences before death. If we use 'how much one has experienced' as the standard for evaluating the value of life, then those who experience great ups and downs are the richest. For me, ambiguity is precisely the ideal state. A rich soul often doesn't need much material satisfaction. Don't you think that kind of life is more fulfilling?"

It's almost like a hermit's lifestyle... but it seems a little different?

"I'm just a nobody, you can talk about me anytime. Let's get back on track... Where were we?"

"World Will and all that."

"Ah, right, right, and then there's the most important part with you and Jili. As I just mentioned, the World Will's will only act when it senses the presence of 'an existence that poses a serious threat to the world.' I usually include those threatening existences in the category of 'abnormal factors.'"

Abnormal factors...

"Could it be that the 'abnormal factor' refers to... an existence like the Leader that can disrupt the rules of the world? Or perhaps a transmigrator like myself?"

"It's not an equal relationship, but rather encompasses: {those hated by the world} ⊂ {abnormal factors}. The concept of abnormal factors is far too broad; in short, it's 'bugs in the world.' But bugs also vary in size. Some insignificant bugs—like a small texture misalignment in a game—are too insignificant for the World Will to bother with. Only those major bugs that completely contradict the world's rules and even cause irreversible damage to the world can be called 'those hated by the world.'"

"For example, Leader with time-related superpowers—"

"--And you, who inherited the remnants of ▇▇▇▇▇'s power, are not bound by the shackles of 'superpower users must have spiritual power to use superpowers.' However, in terms of the danger of a bug, since you are far inferior to Jili now, the World Will has never paid attention to you."

"... a veiled mockery?"

"Strength and weakness are relative. If you were thrown back to Earth, defeating American capitalism would be easy. Besides, weakness is not a sin. The gains and losses are generally equal. The stronger you are, the more you lose, and the further you are from a comfortable life."

"Can't you just stay on topic?"

"I actually think it's quite necessary to relax your mind by letting your thoughts wander a bit—by the way, did you understand what I just said?"

"... You mean you inherited—'woo-woo-woo' or something? I thought you'd suddenly gone crazy."

"It's not 'woo-li-wa-la,' it's ▇▇▇▇▇... Never mind, you really can't understand yet. This word is directly related to your and Blood Fiend's origins, but let's talk about it later. First, I need to explain the purpose of the Jili."

"I think you should explain your purpose first!"

I was a little surprised—I was actually just chatting idly with a high-ranking member of the organization!? And even drinking plum juice together so peacefully? Regardless of who this Yusuo Zai really is, he's still a high-ranking member of an opposing organization! Since he's on the Leader's side, there's no reason to trust him!

"How do I know you're not talking nonsense? Even if it's true, aren't you a high-ranking member of the organization? How could you just tell me the Leader's purpose like that?"

Yusuo Zai simply shrugged at my increasingly aggressive attitude.

"This is already being gentle with me. If I wanted to save trouble, I could have forcibly imprinted all the information into your brain, forcibly inoculated you with demonic powers, and forcibly gathered the power of ▇▇▇▇▇ and stuffed it into your head, instead of luring you here with Triangle Head and barbed wire, then spending money to buy you plum juice and chatting and laughing with you—after all, forcing you is meaningless. What I want is leverage, not a puppet who obeys my every command."

"Enough!!!"

The strange crimson substance hidden in the mountain hasn't been studied yet, that bitch Tianlu could come back at any time, Haoyue Sakura Dance are still waiting for me to return, the Boundary Breaking Armor Sub Core and Little Butterfly's cocoon haven't been resolved yet, and I'm not thick-skinned enough to chat idly with the enemy boss!

"I have my own things to do. I don't care how you've tried to influence me in the past, but please stop wasting my time! If you're going to fight, then fight! Stop dragging your feet!"

After saying that, I turned and left. Honestly, I hate dealing with these kinds of incomprehensible people the most!

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Ye-- "

Ignoring his weak cries from behind, I let the blood spurt out from my back, transforming into Flame Wings.

"Sigh... I told you to wait a bit. Si Nan Xiao seemed quite calm when she died, so I'm a little disappointed."

His words didn't convey any hostility, so I chose to ignore them. I unleashed my Flame Wings, lifting my feet off the ground—

"The emotions in your heart are far more dangerous than you think."

Then, my body was burned.

From the inside.

In that instant, the disgust in my heart reached its peak. Before I could even feel the pain, black flames surged out from my body.

His voice came from behind me.

"Disgust is like a hyena, like Black Flame; it will burn you to ashes from within."

Not just my body, everything is burning.

I, the earth, the sky, the universe, the world—all were stained with pitch-black flames.

It looked like some animal was watching me from within the flames.

It is some kind of canine with a ferocious appearance.

Despite being scorched by the flames, I felt a bone-chilling cold.

How terrifying--

The moment I thought that, a new change occurred.

There are many tiny things wriggling, moving, and gnawing inside.

"Coo--Coo-coo-woo!"

A pale white worm, resembling something between a maggot and a worm, burst out of my chest.

"Fear is like a worm, a swamp, gnawing at you from the inside out, and you'll sink deeper. Be prepared... though it's no use doing so."

From that point on, the insects began their revelry inside me, devouring my internal organs and growing at an alarming rate. They bit through my skin and flesh from every part of my body, writhing wildly amidst the blood, crawling in and out of my eye sockets. Countless tiny holes filled every inch of my body—even everything around me changed. The ground beneath my feet turned into a dark swamp. My body, scorched by Black Flame and riddled with holes from the insects, sank deeper and deeper into darkness...

Calm!!!!!

Calm down! Calm down! Calm down!

This can't be real, it can't be real! Yes, yes, this guy definitely has the ability to create illusions. As long as I keep reminding myself that this is all fake, nothing will happen! Calm down, pour some cold water on yourself, try to recall how you felt when you witnessed Xiao's death, calm down, and replace your emotions with absolute rationality—

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biu~