CHAPTER 89: CHAPTER 89: DEVOURING THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD

EDITOR: DRAGON BOAT TRANSLATION

In the end, Ren Suo still didn’t go to see Zhao Zili.

He even began to vaguely regret entrusting Xie Qiansi with the investigation.

Fortunately, he hadn’t used the Tactical Bureau system to conduct it; otherwise, he would have left traces and been in trouble by now. However, things weren’t much better—at least Xie Qiansi and his uncle were now aware that ’someone is looking for Zhao Zili.’

Ren Suo could only claim that Zhao Zili had swindled his money and the like. Given Zhao Zili’s background, this excuse seemed somewhat plausible. Whether or not it would deceive them depended on luck.

But even if Xie Qiansi had the wildest imagination, he wouldn’t be able to deduce anything further; at most, he would later be surprised and wonder, How did Ren Suo just happen to encounter Zhao Zili?

Did Ren Suo have any leverage? No.

Whether it was the Fairy Palace Assassin, the Truth Seeker, or the Ren Family Cultivators, Ren Suo hadn’t made any physical contact with them; on the contrary, he was the one who had been influenced by them.

Zhao Zili was the first game character Ren Suo had exchanged intelligence with outside of a game. However, Zhao Zili’s death quickly brought Ren Suo back to his senses. What was I thinking? Isn’t this against my principles of conduct?

He had no reason to intersect with these ’game characters.’ His identity and his knowledge made Ren Suo’s proactive investigation seem very out of place.

I’ve gotten a bit ahead of myself, Ren Suo thought.

Through ’Player’s Privilege,’ Ren Suo’s playthrough of "Jedi Priest," despite some setbacks, was generally very smooth. Spreading ’Demon Intelligence’ within the game also went unimpeded. This gave Ren Suo an unfounded sense of confidence: he felt he was becoming increasingly adept at using the Mini-World Game Console.

That was why he had wanted to investigate Zhao Zili, to try to find the connection between the Mini-World Game Console and reality.

If Zhao Zili hadn’t died, Ren Suo would have definitely gone to him. Through questioning and surveillance, he would have observed what would happen to him next that would lead to him being taken over by the Mini-World Game Console.

Now, Ren Suo fully understood: he had been controlling a dead person in the game.

But Zhao Zili’s death also made Ren Suo realize—the Mini-World Game Console was far more dangerous than he had imagined.

He had uploaded his game review yesterday at noon, and then Zhao Zili had died. Ren Suo wouldn’t believe it for a second that there was no connection; he’d bet his life on it.

So far, Ren Suo had learned that the game console not only ’rendered game processes into reality’ but also ’altered the past,’ and now, it even ’reigned over life and death.’ And all this time, he had thought he was beginning to understand the game console’s mechanisms.

It was like a mortal seeing a divine dragon soaring through clouds and conjuring rain. When the dragon descended and allowed the mortal to touch it, the mortal might think he could become a Dragon Knight.

If Ren Suo became a character in the game, how would he cope?

Moreover, in reality, he should try his best to avoid any involvement with game characters. Ren Suo’s investigations would only attract more suspicion. He couldn’t use official channels to probe the connection between the Mini-World Game Console and reality unless he had a legitimate standing to do so.

Ren Suo knew how keenly both the Tactical Bureau and the government monitored every move of ’Ren Naiser’ and the information leaked in those videos.

Ren Suo set a new rule for himself: Play carefully, keep a low profile. Try not to let the game directly affect my normal life. For instance, I shouldn’t casually use the surname Ren in games, or else it wouldn’t just be the Ren Family branches being targeted anymore; the consequences would be more severe.

Ren Suo sat on the sofa, pressed the power button on the game controller, and the TV lit up.

After completing "Jedi Priest," Ren Suo had moved the game console back to the living room. Unless it was absolutely necessary to use a keyboard and mouse, Ren Suo would definitely play on the TV. The reason was simple: the TV had 4K resolution and HDR, allowing him to see more details.

Plus, playing on the sofa meant he could lie down, sit, or roll around, which was far more comfortable than sitting in a computer chair.

The "Jedi Priest" video hadn’t been uploaded yet, and Ren Suo didn’t know when it would be—after all, "If You Are Strong, Climb Ten Thousand Meters" had taken five days to upload.

Therefore, Ren Suo didn’t dwell on it and focused on preparing for his lottery draw.

Among the thirty games in today’s May Day sale, five were priced below 50 Merit Points, seventeen were between 50 and 100 Merit Points, five were between 100 and 150 Merit Points, and three were priced above 150 Merit Points.

These were all discounted prices.

It was already 8:30 in the evening. Ren Suo first took a thorough shower. He applied body wash liberally, as if it were free, and scrubbed his hair with shampoo until it foamed up. Then, he put on his most comfortable pajamas and wiped the game controller clean with a disposable alcohol wipe.

Before the lottery draw, one must bathe and change clothes!

Ren Suo had set his target: he would only draw five times.

If he drew one of those four multi-Chapter games priced above 150 Merit Points, he would stop immediately!

Ren Suo had discovered that the more Chapters a game had, the more expensive it was. Of course, their Merit Point rewards also far surpassed those of single-Chapter games. The games still priced above 150 Merit Points after a discount were all multi-Chapter games—at least, this was true for games below 3-stars.

And keeping 54 Merit Points would leave him with enough leeway for either in-game purchases or buying an additional game.

Preparations complete, let the draw begin!

"Would you like to spend 10 Merit Points to participate in the May Day Golden Week Special Draw?"

The draw interface was quite magical. It had transformed into a roulette wheel divided into thirty-one slots. Each slot bore the name of a game... Wait, thirty-one slots?

A new slot, gleaming with golden light, had appeared. On it were solemnly written the words: "100g gold bar x 10."

Below it was a note: "The gold bars are purchased through official channels and are investment-grade bars that can be gifted. Please use them with confidence."

The Golden Week draw could actually yield gold!? Ten 100g gold bars, at the current gold price, could easily sell for two hundred thousand. No problem.

Hey, this option isn’t bad at all...

While Ren Suo was contemplating, the roulette pointer had already started spinning.

Thankfully, this roulette didn’t have a ’Thank You for Playing’ slot; otherwise, Ren Suo would have suspected the draw interface was rigged. Many online lotteries were like that. Although the wheel made it seem like chances were even, nine out of ten times you’d get ’Thank You for Playing,’ and the one remaining time, it would be something like, ’You’ve won a 1,000 yuan life insurance policy from Mysterious Country’...

The pointer spun quickly. It gradually slowed down and, as if obeying the laws of physics, finally settled on a slot in the bottom-right.

"From Hell," 40% OFF, 2-star game, puzzle game. Players take on the role of a coffin shop owner who can communicate with ghosts, tracing back to a distant, forgotten crime that is a matter of life and death for him. Discounted price: 60 Merit Points. Reward: 180 Merit Points. In-app purchases available. Exclusive reward: "Spirit Vision."

Hmm, the reward isn’t bad. A good start,

Ren Suo thought. He then drew three more times. Apart from the second game, which was a 1-star game discounted to only 15 Merit Points, the other two were quite good:

"Fighting Overlord," 20% OFF, 3-star game, fighting game. Players take on the role of a mortal Martial Artist, challenging the ten strongest experts in the world. Discounted price: 96 Merit Points. Reward: 200 Merit Points. Exclusive reward: "Martial Arts Master."

"Deep Sea Giant Kun," 50% OFF, 3-star game, strategy simulation sandbox game. Players become a creature in the deep sea. In an environment where Spiritual Energy has revived, they must evolve into a Kun by devouring and slaughtering, becoming the Strongest King of the dark depths. How to evolve is entirely up to the player’s choice! Discounted price: 100 Merit Points. Reward: 250 Merit Points. In-app purchases available. Exclusive reward: "Re-Evolution."

Although he didn’t know what ’Re-Evolution’ entailed, higher star-level games meant they were more expensive and difficult, but also offered better rewards. The rewards from a 3-star game definitely wouldn’t disappoint him.

Ren Suo was already quite satisfied having drawn "Deep Sea Giant Kun." However, when he looked at those 3-star multi-Chapter games, he hesitated again—especially the 3-star+ "Over My Dead Body." If he could complete that game, he might become a Level 3 Player right away.

He remembered some games were only playable by Players Level 4 and above.

Forget it. No need to be stingy over such a small amount of Merit Points, Ren Suo thought. With his wallet feeling heavier, he no longer cared about a mere 10 Merit Points and continued with the draw.

The pointer continued to spin. As it gradually slowed, Ren Suo’s gaze was naturally drawn to the golden slot it passed.

It would be nice to draw two hundred thousand... I just wonder how I’d cash it out. Express delivery? Or maybe a space teleportation? Ren Suo mused.

With two hundred thousand, Ren Suo could buy a small car for leisure, no longer needing to squeeze onto the subway.

After buying a commuter sedan, the remaining money could go towards a new computer and Noise-Canceling Headphones. Those recent Noise-Canceling Headphones from an anime collaboration were quite nice, but they cost several thousand yuan, and Ren Suo hadn’t dared to buy them.

Then he’d send tens of thousands home. Money was always the best way to let them know he was doing well, no exceptions.

Just as Ren Suo was pondering how to spend these two hundred thousand-plus yuan, the pointer gently glided past the golden slot and stopped on the next one.

Ren Suo blinked. He stuck his thumb between his teeth, bit down lightly, and let out a soft ’heh.’

Was this good luck or bad luck? He’d missed out on two hundred thousand. And then... he’d drawn the same game again.

"System prompt: You have drawn the same game again. You can choose to draw again or upgrade the game (the direction of upgrade cannot be controlled)."

I understand redrawing, but what does upgrading the game mean?

Ren Suo hesitated for a moment before choosing to upgrade the game. If it’s the wrong choice, no big deal. I can just pick another game to play. Drawing the same game twice in a row has to come with some kind of surprise, right?

Then, a brand new game emerged.

"Devouring the Spirit of the World"

"This game, an upgrade of ’Deep Sea Giant Kun,’ is a strategy simulation role-playing sandbox game. Players will become any living being in an environment where Spiritual Energy has revived. By devouring Spiritual Objects and overcoming all challenges, they will become the strongest living being in the world. How to evolve and which enemies to choose is entirely up to the player. Completion rewards 250 Merit Points and the exclusive ’Super-Evolution’ reward. In-app purchases are available, and there may be subsequent Chapters. Current game difficulty: 3-star+."