Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Successful Clearance.

As soon as this announcement came out, the forum was filled with discussions.

Some people were excited, some were worried, some were eager to try, rubbing their fists and preparing to become humanity’s hope and save all mankind from disaster.

[If the Benevolent Ruler faction wins, the horror game will completely withdraw from our world?]

[It looks like they’re giving human players hope, but the hidden malicious intent isn’t hard to see.]

[First of all, only the sole victor among the ten Crown Princes can have their wish fulfilled. In other words, everyone is actually in a competitive relationship. Of course, you can say you have no selfish desires and are willing to let others win, but even if you have no selfishness, can you guarantee others don’t either?]

[Pay attention, this “wish fulfillment” probably means any wish can be fulfilled. The temptation is too great.]

[The Crown Prince identity can be transferred. Isn’t this openly trying to provoke conflict between players? If you seize a Crown Prince identity, you can become a Crown Prince yourself. This... the future conflicts are already foreseeable.]

[The game has descended for many years now. Previously there were even trash players asking why babies and the elderly didn’t have to enter the game... There are many players who want the game to leave forever, but there are also many who want the game to fully descend.]

[Things were already chaotic enough, but now that faction wars are out, it’s obvious the future will become even more chaotic.]

Among the countless discussion threads, a few posts stood out especially.

[I have a hidden identity and possess multiple skills. Hahahaha. In the end, the winner will be me. I am the chosen one!]

[The person next door has a hidden identity? Coincidentally, I also have a hidden identity. If you’re chosen by heaven, then so am I.]

After seeing the words “hidden identity,” many players lost interest in discussing the upcoming faction war and directly clicked into the posts instead.

Right now, they wanted to know more about hidden identities and multiple skills. After all, something like faction wars had little to do with ordinary players.

[Original Poster: The moment I entered the game, I unlocked a hidden identity. Back then, I already knew I was extraordinary. I never expected the faction war to appear now.

Although the exact rules haven’t been announced yet, I think I’ll become tomorrow’s Tyrant. I will build my road to kingship with blood.]

[What a psycho.]

[Do you really have a hidden identity? What is it?]

[Why does a hidden identity belong to such a chuuni idiot?! I work diligently, respect the elderly, love children, so why is my starting skill so ordinary? I refuse to accept this!]

[Where did this brain-damaged idiot come from? “Build your road to kingship”? Did you even graduate middle school?]

The original poster selectively replied to a few comments.

[Original Poster: If you don’t accept it, too bad. The reason I possess a hidden identity is obviously because I deserve it.]

[Original Poster: I won’t explain the specifics, but anyway, my skills are awesome.]

[Original Poster: Just a few of my skills can crush you ordinary players by several streets.]

After reading the post contents, many players were filled with confusion.

What exactly were hidden identities?

Why didn’t they have one?

Of course, besides confusion, there was even more envy and jealousy.

Who wouldn’t want a higher starting point?

Perhaps because too many players were asking, one player who possessed a hidden identity stepped forward and made an explanatory post.

[About Hidden Identities.]

[Original Poster: I’ve seen many players asking about hidden identities, so I’ll explain a little. Of course, I can only share some shallow opinions, since I’m just a newcomer who was selected by the game not long ago.

I had a hidden identity from the moment I entered the game. At first, I thought everyone had one, but later I discovered that wasn’t true. Players with hidden identities only make up a very small portion of all players. That’s why the two posters next door think they’re chosen by heaven.

But I think hidden identities also vary in rank. Some hidden identities are quite ordinary.

However, there’s no denying that players with hidden identities can indeed go farther and more smoothly than ordinary players, because we possess more skills. Right now, I have three usable skills. I don’t know about others, but I feel three skills won’t be the limit.

As for hidden identities, I feel they’re more closely connected to skills. Different hidden identities will possess different skills. Their strengths also differ.]

After seeing this post, many players became red-eyed with envy.

[Holy crap? Three skills? And that’s not even the limit?]

[Possessing a hidden identity depends entirely on luck?]

[It’s probably related to this major game update. As an old player who’s been in the game for over a year, I really missed the right era. Who could’ve expected hidden identities to suddenly appear now?]

[Looks like the rankings on the main leaderboard are going to undergo a massive reshuffle soon.]

[No wonder so many newcomer players suddenly parachuted into the top hundred rookie rankings recently. But I agree with what this person said about “hidden identities also varying in rank.”

After all, you can tell from the starting rankings.

Since the game descended until now, there has only been one person who directly shot into the top ten overnight — “Moonlight.”

So the question is, does “Moonlight” possess a hidden identity?]

[Definitely. That also explains why “Moonlight” started at rank nine.]

[LMAO. That player next door who wants to become a Tyrant really loves flattering themselves. Chosen by heaven? Moonlight hasn’t even spoken yet. What the hell are they?]

[Seriously, all kinds of trash are showing up now. A Tyrant? They should first see whether they’re worthy!]

[So, which faction will Moonlight choose?]

[It’s not about which faction Moonlight chooses. It’s whether one of the initial ten Crown Prince positions will belong to Moonlight.]

[With factions, of course you can choose. If you like a faction, just snatch someone else’s Crown Prince identity directly.]

[So... the game probably won’t publicly reveal the identities of the ten Crown Princes, right?]

[This... is really hard to say...]

*

Inside the game, Ning Rong knew nothing about the game update. At this moment, she, Zhou Yujing, and the other temporarily allied teammates were walking along the path searching for the little girl.

Zhou Zhou clasped both hands behind her back and spoke in a lively tone, “The side quest is to eliminate the little girl’s resentment. Captain, do you have any good ideas?”

01 lazily said, “Obviously, directly telling the little girl the truth won’t work.”

After all, the little girl had woven herself a dream where her parents and brother were still alive and had merely abandoned her and left this place. If they directly shattered that dream, it might immediately trigger the boss into going berserk.

The reason the little girl lost that portion of her memories was precisely because those memories were too painful for her.

Zhou Zhou tilted her head and asked Ning Rong, “Do you guys have any ideas?”

Ning Rong slowly said, “The little girl lost her parents and brother, leaving only the cats behind. So, could we perhaps weave a beautiful dream for her? In the dream, she was an orphan abandoned at birth, but then two cats appeared and accompanied her throughout her childhood. They remained together the entire time.”

[Sure enough, once the thinking changes, the dark plot instantly becomes heartwarming. This way, the resentment in the little girl’s heart should disappear too.]

[The little newbie really knows how to make things up.]

[But how do they actually pull it off?]

Zhou Zhou nodded. “This idea is very good, but how do we weave a dream for her?”

For veteran players, this wasn’t really a problem.

01 directly said, “I have an item that can alter an NPC’s memories, but...”

Zhou Zhou excitedly asked, “But what, Captain?”

01 lazily replied, “But the NPC has to fall into a weakened state first.”

01 had already contributed a useful and precious item.

Therefore, the task of weakening the boss naturally fell onto Ning Rong’s side.

Since this was cooperation rather than being carried to victory, both sides naturally had to contribute.

Ning Rong nodded slightly. “Alright. My boyfriend will handle it.”

Uncle Zhong glanced at Zhou Yujing, but his words were directed at Ning Rong. “Looks like your boyfriend’s skill is attack-oriented.”

Ning Rong simply hummed in acknowledgment.

After discussing their strategy, the group had a clear plan in mind.

As expected of members of the national main team, 01 and the others not only had perfectly coordinated skills, but also possessed countless items.

Using a tracking item Uncle Zhong brought out, they found the little girl in the villa’s small garden.

The moment she saw them, the little girl stood up and prepared to run again.

At that moment, Zhou Yujing directly released five shadows, which attacked her head-on!

[Holy crap! Zhou Yujing can already split into five shadows now?]

[Not bad, not bad. He could only split into four shadows not long ago. Looks like his growth speed is also very fast.]

[His girlfriend is too powerful, so he can’t fall too far behind, right?]

The five shadows directly sealed every route the little girl could use to escape.

Enraged, the little girl revealed the viciousness belonging to a dungeon boss.

But because Zhou Yujing seized the initiative, combined with the simultaneous attacks from five shadows, the little girl was injured almost instantly.

Just as the little girl was about to go berserk and trigger her burning blood state, 01 swiftly used the “Dream Weaving” item.

The moment the item took effect, the little girl’s eyes instantly became hazy.

Confusion filled her gaze. “Little White... Little Black... where are you?”

“Little White...”

“Little Black...”

As the number of times she called their names increased, the confusion in her eyes gradually faded.

In her memories, she was an orphan abandoned since childhood.

Her only family members were Little Black and Little White.

They brought her endless warmth and drove away her loneliness.

She was unfortunate, but she was also fortunate.

The moment the little girl found Little Black and Little White and hugged them into her arms, the notification announcing completion of the side quest rang out in Ning Rong and the others’ minds.

[With reliable teammates, clearing the stage becomes way too easy.]

[But there really aren’t many people capable of taking out an item like Dream Weaving. Someone like 01 can already be considered a top-tier player.]

[But cooperating with the little newbie wasn’t a loss for 01 either. If the little newbie hadn’t directly copied his skill and obtained the clue keyword “shipwreck,” they would’ve needed much longer to find the next clue. And during those nearly twenty hours, who knows what nonsense the game might’ve created?]

Generally speaking, the less time players stayed in the game, the better.

Because once too much time passed, the game might produce situations players could never anticipate.

The longer the time, the more variables there were.

01 gestured toward Ning Rong. “Looking forward to meeting again next time.”

Ning Rong replied, “Goodbye.”

She and Zhou Yujing chose to leave the game directly, but 01 and the others did not leave immediately.

01 glanced at the time. “Those people from the national branch teams should be arriving soon too.”

Zhou Zhou said, “If they come now, they should be able to clear directly. After all, we haven’t left the game yet, and the boss hasn’t reset either.”

01 shrugged.

That was precisely why he chose to stay behind.

If he could help these juniors survive, he would do his best to bring all of them out alive.

After waiting for a short while, Chi Juan and one of her teammates indeed appeared in the 2216 timeline.

The moment they appeared, 01 and the others noticed the problem.

“Why are there only two of you? Where’s your other teammate?”

Chi Juan’s expression looked terrible.

Just a few minutes ago, she had still been entangled with Xu Yan.

Xu Yan wanted to survive, but she only had two items in hand.

Compared to Xu Yan, the other male teammate was obviously more perceptive and much better at flattering her.

When facing this male teammate, Chi Juan would always remember her previous teammate, Chen Chu.

Although Chen Chu’s final performance had not satisfied her very much, at the beginning, he had genuinely prioritized her in everything, always giving way to her and flattering her.

So between Xu Yan and this male teammate, she chose to give the token to the male teammate.

Chi Juan remained silent.

Her male teammate answered instead, “There weren’t enough tokens.”

Zhou Zhou frowned. “Didn’t you search the entire area around the villa?”

Chi Juan grew somewhat annoyed.

If there had been enough tokens, would she not have given them to her own teammate?

One should know that she had previously led other players through the dungeon without injuries!

Somewhat displeased, she said, “We searched everywhere. There were too few tokens. Other places simply didn’t have tokens marked with the year 2216.”

Uncle Zhong sighed. “The number of tokens was probably smaller than the number of players.”

In other words, from the very beginning, the game had never intended for all players to survive.

After saying that, he informed Chi Juan and her teammate about everything that had happened in the villa.

After completing the main quest, Chi Juan also did not choose to leave immediately.

She looked around and asked, “Where’s my teammate?”

01 lazily said, “Wasn’t your teammate abandoned by you?”

Chi Juan replied, “I mean the other one.”

01 gave an oh and lazily answered, “Cleared the stage with his girlfriend.”

[LMAO. I feel like 01 is being sarcastic, but there’s no proof!]

[I seriously love 01’s personality! He looks unserious, but he understands things more clearly than anyone.]

[The more you interact with him, the more you’ll discover how good 01 is. This is definitely an old player worth following.]

After hearing that answer, Chi Juan did not hesitate and directly left the game.

After she and the other male teammate left, Zhou Zhou tilted her head and said, “Captain, I don’t really like her.”

Once upon a time, she had sincerely shipped the Junyu couple pairing. Whenever she wasn’t running dungeons, she would spend every day digging for sweet moments on the forum.

But after learning that the male lead of the Junyu pairing had always had a girlfriend, she completely lost interest in shipping them.

01 ruffled her hair. “Then don’t like her.”

Anyway, they probably wouldn’t have any contact in the future.

And not long after they left the game, all surviving players of “Amnesia” simultaneously heard a mechanical broadcast ring through their minds.

[Player Xu Yan has died.]

[Detected that player Xu Yan’s resentment level is excessively high, affecting dungeon operation. The boss has now been affected. “Amnesia” #￥#%￥￥%￥]

[!@#@￥%]

[Updating game...]

[“Amnesia” upgrade successful.]