" This so-called legendary HIM really isn't simple at all…"

The reason why the HIM in front of him was so different from what Notch had imagined was because Notch had originally only seen Xu Yuan as an outstanding superior.

What he expected when meeting Xu Yuan was nothing more than meeting a remarkable person of high status.

However, when Notch actually saw Xu Yuan, he realized there was a huge gap between his imagination and reality.

Everything Xu Yuan displayed was something Notch had never seen before.

Xu Yuan was just standing there, hadn't even spoken yet, but that alone already exceeded all of Notch's expectations.

All of this undoubtedly proved one thing, Xu Yuan's level was far above Notch's.

That was something Notch had never expected.

As someone in a position of power himself, he naturally understood the truth that there are always higher mountains and stronger people.

He knew well there were many existences stronger than him in this world, but Xu Yuan was the only one who made him feel like he had transcended the category of "human."

Notch couldn't find words to describe that feeling, he could only say Xu Yuan didn't seem like a real "person."

There was an aura about him that went beyond human, as if he didn't belong to this world at all.

This made Notch feel both awe and curiosity toward him.

He began to reexamine his view of Xu Yuan and wonder what kind of story was hidden behind this mysterious figure.

Maybe Xu Yuan had some extraordinary power and intelligence that allowed him to stand at such a height. Or maybe, he came from some unknown realm, possessing unique strength and origins.

Either way, Notch knew he had to understand Xu Yuan more deeply.

At first, Notch hadn't planned to reveal his true identity. He entered the rainforest only to better study the rules Xu Yuan had set.

But after meeting Xu Yuan, he immediately changed his mind.

He knew very clearly that Xu Yuan's level of thought was far above his own, so the many problems he couldn't understand or solve might all find answers in Xu Yuan.

Notch had long been feeling powerless against the current situation of the world, but after coming to the rainforest, the rules here gave him hope.

Notch was certain that Xu Yuan was someone who could help him out of his predicament, so he wanted to talk to him properly.

And since this was going to be a serious talk, Notch obviously couldn't keep pretending to be an ordinary player.

He had to make his identity as the game's creator clear, and also show his attitude.

Thinking that, Notch paused for a moment, then looked at Xu Yuan seriously and said, "Hello, HIM."

"I'm glad to meet you. I'm Notch."

He paused, then continued. "Maybe you don't know who I am yet…"

"I am..."

Notch was just about to reveal his true identity, but before he could finish, Xu Yuan interrupted him.

Xu Yuan looked at him calmly and said, "I know who you are. I also know your identity."

Hearing that, Notch froze slightly.

There wasn't a single change in Xu Yuan's expression; his eyes were still calm, but his words made waves surge in Notch's heart.

At that moment, a sentence suddenly flashed across Notch's mind.

A sentence that had also come from Xu Yuan's mouth, "Hm? Can't find my data information?"

That wasn't something Notch had personally experienced, but he still remembered it clearly.

It was from a recording, when Entity 303, back when he was still a programmer, faced Xu Yuan for the first time.

At that time, Entity 303 had tried to erase HIM's data to free the players of the Eternal Guild.

After erasing one HIM, another HIM suddenly appeared right in front of him.

Entity 303 tried the same method again, but no matter what, he couldn't locate any data belonging to the HIM in front of him.

And it was then that the HIM in front of him said that sentence.

Even though Notch hadn't lived through that event personally, just watching it from a third-person perspective had made cold sweat run down his back.

The amount of information in that one sentence was immense, enough to make anyone tremble upon thinking it through.

That sentence clearly told Entity 303 that Xu Yuan knew who he was, knew the dimensional level of the world he lived in.

He knew who he himself was, and that the world he existed in was a game world.

He knew how Entity 303's world operated, and he knew how this game world operated.

Now, the current scene was exactly like when Entity 303 had faced HIM back then.

Although Notch had technically experienced this sort of thing before, seeing Xu Yuan calmly say those same words still made his scalp tingle.

Notch felt a deep sense of helplessness, he hadn't said anything yet, and it already felt like Xu Yuan had seen straight through him.

After calming himself a bit, Notch looked at Xu Yuan and asked, "You… who are you?"

It sounded abrupt, but that question wasn't meant literally.

Notch wasn't asking for Xu Yuan's name, he wanted to understand what kind of existence Xu Yuan truly was.

He couldn't understand how Xu Yuan could know so many things beyond the scope of the game world, things that even went beyond Notch's own world.

Seeing the confusion on Notch's face and hearing his question, Xu Yuan felt a faint sense of disappointment.

He had to admit, in some ways, there was indeed a sort of unspoken understanding between them.

When they finally met, both realized that the other was completely different from what they had imagined.

After meeting Xu Yuan, Notch found him very different from what he expected; likewise, Xu Yuan found Notch very different too.

In Xu Yuan's mind, Notch should have been more "profound."

As the creator of the game world, no matter what he had experienced, his thinking shouldn't have been limited to an individual's view. It should have been focused on the world as a whole.

But now, it seemed that the real Notch hadn't reached that level.

Xu Yuan had imagined that Notch would ask him many meaningful questions, but he never imagined that the very first question after meeting would be "Who are you."

Even though Notch wasn't as "deep" as Xu Yuan had expected, Xu Yuan's disappointment came only because his expectations had been too high.

The Notch in front of him might not have reached that "depth," but that didn't mean he couldn't.

It was just that the current Notch wasn't the complete, true version of himself yet.

After thinking for a while, Xu Yuan looked at Notch and said, "Does knowing who I am really matter to you?"

The situation right now really made Xu Yuan feel helpless, he had never expected things to turn out like this.

In fact, when Xu Yuan said he knew Notch's identity, he already anticipated that Notch might not remain completely calm.

After all, what he said contained a lot of information, but this wasn't the first time something like that had happened, so Notch shouldn't have been too shocked.

According to Xu Yuan's prediction, Notch might show some surprise but would quickly regain composure and start a deeper conversation with him.

However, what Xu Yuan hadn't expected was that Notch's first question would completely shatter all his expectations and make the situation very troublesome.

On the surface, Notch's question seemed like he just wanted to confirm Xu Yuan's real identity. But in truth, that one question revealed far more information than Xu Yuan could have imagined.

If Notch could ask that, it meant he hadn't truly understood Xu Yuan at all.

Of course, Xu Yuan hadn't expected Notch to have studied him in depth either.

Xu Yuan understood both his own identity and Notch's.

From Notch's perspective, his own status was far higher than Xu Yuan's, after all, he was the game's creator.

And Xu Yuan? Just a self-aware, slightly overpowered monster that existed inside the world Notch made.

Notch might be curious about him, but in his position, there was no need to study him seriously.

Even though Xu Yuan's past actions had influenced the game, they hadn't actually disrupted its normal operation.

In fact, because of Xu Yuan, the game's popularity had even increased.

But what confused Xu Yuan was that nearly every major event in the game world was directly tied to him.

His entire growth and everything he had gone through were deeply woven into the timeline of the game world.

Even if Notch had no obligation to investigate him personally, as the creator of the game, shouldn't he at least keep an eye on the major happenings in his own world?

Wasn't that his responsibility as the game's creator?

Even if he didn't want to take responsibility for the game world itself, as the CEO of a game company, shouldn't he at least be responsible for the game his company owned?

This game world had long exceeded Notch's expectations. As its creator, shouldn't he want to understand how such changes happened?

Shouldn't he try to find out why this world had developed the way it did?

Xu Yuan knew that Notch had been avoiding this game for a long time, and he understood why.

After all, this game world had taken away two of his close friends and even endangered his own life.

But since Notch had now returned and chosen to face this world again…

Shouldn't his first step be to learn about it properly?

If he had truly studied this world in depth, then upon meeting Xu Yuan, his first question would never have been "Who are you."

That was what made the situation truly difficult for Xu Yuan.

He had calculated everything, but he hadn't accounted for this.

Xu Yuan really couldn't figure out what Notch was thinking, he could even sense that Notch himself didn't know what he was thinking. His mind was a total mess.

To Xu Yuan, Notch now seemed completely lost, he had no plan, no clear goal. Every move he made was just pushed along by outside forces.

He entered the trial grounds out of curiosity.

He met Steven, and after hearing Steven's story, he felt as the game's creator he should do something.

Then he and Steven came to the rainforest, saw that its rules could fix the world's chaos, and decided to stay.

He never truly had a goal or a plan. His thoughts were in disarray. So when he saw Xu Yuan, he didn't even know what he should ask.

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