Mini World Game Console-Chapter 800 - 801: The Strongest Protagonist!
The highest reward: 2,200 Merit Points!
That was more than Ren Suo's current savings!
Is Ren Suo tempted? He just wants to hurry up!
Although he hadn't played strategy tower defense games for a long time—the last time being *Plants vs. Zombies*—such games obviously didn't require micromanagement. Ren Suo wasn't the least bit scared; in fact, he felt, I'm up for this.
Plus, he had the Gatekeeper as an official Krypton Gold channel, and with "Rippling Spring Sounds," there was no way he would chicken out. If worst came to worst, he could just use Krypton Gold to win. Even if he poured all his Merit Points into it, as long as he could score high and clear the game, he'd make a huge profit!
What about multi-chapter games?
What about 6 stars++++?
What about strategy tower defense?
Ren Suo was now so pumped up he couldn't contain his excitement!
Select the game!
Download the game!
In less than ten seconds, a game with a cover featuring planets of the Solar System engulfed in the radiance of war appeared on the main interface.
Upon entering the game, a prompt popped up:
"Connecting to a distant future... Connecting..."
"2049, Lunar Base."
With a crisp sound of gears moving, something on the screen was opening up; darkness suddenly gave way to light, and Ren Suo found his perspective was from inside something similar to a life-support pod. Is the game's protagonist suffering from a terminal illness and needs to sleep in this pod? Or is he in hibernation? Or perhaps…
However, the next second, all of Ren Suo's scientific guesses were shattered—
A calm male voice said, "Stop playing around. If you keep this up, I'll have your account banned."
Me: "This account is supposed to be a family heirloom passed down; you wouldn't dare!"
Damn! In 2049, humans can already lie in life-support pods and play virtual reality games!?
The calm male voice continued, "Give it up, family heirloom indeed. You've only been playing this game for a year and you're already talking about heirlooms—if that's the case, your family heirlooms must be so abundant they couldn't finish distributing them if they tried. Get up quickly."
A gentle female voice said, "Please get up. It's the scheduled reminder you asked me for."
Me: "Scheduled reminder, huh…"
The life-support pod's door slid upward, and Ren Suo got a view of where the protagonist was.
It was a large, European-style bedroom. The most eye-catching feature was a dreamlike huge bed in the center that could fit seven or eight people. Across from the bed, a 120-inch television was likely mounted on the wall, with many uniquely designed machines placed below the display. A few of these machines even resembled the Mini-World Game Console. Additionally, there were many tables and chairs, suggesting that more than one person lived in this room.
Standing before the protagonist were three individuals with very distinct styles.
One of them was a middle-aged man with thick hair and a sexy beard; his eyes seemed to flicker with flames. He was wearing a cloak with a flame pattern over black battle attire that resembled a military uniform. His arms were crossed over his chest, exuding an imposing aura without showing anger, and he was staring irritably at 'me'.
Another was an elegant, beautiful woman. She was dressed in a fitted snow-white velvet coat, her skin whiter than snow, her hair platinum blonde, and her pupils ice-blue. She wore a scarf with an ice-diamond pattern and held a transparent, tablet-like device, looking at 'me' with gentle affection and friendliness.
The third, who hadn't spoken yet, wore tactical goggles—seemingly made from seven lenses pieced together—that completely obscured his eyes. He also wore oversized headphones covering his ears entirely. Only his chin was visible, suggesting he was a young man with decent looks.
The Crystal Maiden said with a smile, "You're awake."
Me: "Crimson Flame War Wolf, Crystal Maiden, Heavenly Perceptive Listener, um... good morning?"
Crimson Flame War Wolf snapped, "Enough with the greetings. How long have you been playing? Have you gone dumb?"
Heavenly Perceptive Listener suddenly blurted out, "Why do you seem to think he's only just gone dumb now? Could it be that you've gone dumb too?"
Me: "I've finally escaped from Earth and had a few days of fun, so I just..."
Crimson Flame War Wolf cursed, "We couldn't find any trace of you for a whole month. If we hadn't remembered your gaming house on the Moon, we might never have found you. If humankind had been wiped out, I'd like to see how you would've fixed that!"
Me: "Hey, I woke up in time, didn't I?"
Crystal Maiden said, "Right, right, nothing's happened yet. Why are you so petty? Weren't we supposed to hurry over there? Why are you still wasting time here talking?"
Crimson Flame War Wolf stuttered, "You, you… Never mind, let's go!"
The scene shifted. They seemed to have left the bedroom and entered the living room, where, to their surprise, stood a sci-fi Teleportation Array covered in Energy Runes. They, along with 'me', stood atop the Teleportation Array. 'Me' asked, "Where to?"
"The Ark's Probe forces have already reached Alpha Centauri. Head to these coordinates; we will eliminate their Vanguard," said Crimson Flame War Wolf.
Alpha Centauri?
Even Ren Suo, whose astronomical knowledge was limited to the twelve zodiac signs, felt the name sounded familiar. After a quick search, he was shocked to realize it was a star system 4.24 light-years away from Earth!
Has the future's Spiritual Energy Technology tree not only unlocked 'Holographic Infiltration Game' but also the black tech of interstellar movement?
The scene changed again. This time, they appeared together in space, gazing at two stars emitting intense energy. One star appeared larger and shone with a golden radiance like the sun, while the smaller, dimmer one emitted a glow closer to orange.
Heavenly Perceptive Listener suddenly pointed at a dim star in the distance, saying, "If the Ark's Vanguard Troops keep moving, they will reach Proxima Centauri without deviation."
Proxima Centauri, a star within the Alpha Centauri triple-star system, is also the closest star to Earth, which is why it's known as Proxima Centauri.
Crimson Flame War Wolf said, "Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf; its surface temperature doesn't even reach 5,000 degrees Celsius. We can come into direct contact with it, let alone these visitors from afar. Their goal must be to completely devour Proxima Centauri's Spiritual Qi Immortal Source, right?"
A moment of silence.
Me: "Are you asking me?"
Crimson Flame War Wolf, his expression pained, retorted, "Who else? Do you think I'm scared to hit you?"
Crystal Maiden slightly raised her eyebrows. "Would you dare?"
Just when these two seemed about to start an argument, Heavenly Perceptive Listener said indifferently, "Use your eyes. Just as I can, you too can see the Immortal Origin."
The scenery gradually changed, and the world seemed to become two-dimensional. Ren Suo saw the dim Proxima Centauri light up with vivid colors bright enough to illuminate the universe. From it stretched many fantastical threads, weaving into bizarre clusters of light in the vast expanse of space.
Heavenly Perceptive Listener continued his explanation. "I have confirmed each one and discovered that the functions of the Immortal Origin and Spiritual Energy Points exactly match those described in your published paper.
"Those white clusters of light are the close-combat Spiritual Energy Points, which, as per the name you gave, are called 'Close-Combat Positions.' The Cultivators Legion stationed at the Close-Combat Positions receives enhanced damage from Spiritual Energy, and their attack range extends to 1.5 x 10^8 kilometers, comparable to the distance from the Sun to Earth.
"The blue clusters are the long-range Spiritual Energy Points, also known as 'Long-Range Positions,' which are rarer but allow Cultivators stationed there to have an attack range that extends indefinitely, even striking targets light-years away.
"There is also a black cluster, which is a hidden Spirit Energy Trap. It looks like an ordinary void, but once activated, the black cluster becomes the Spiritual Qi Void that devours all things. The Spiritual Qi Void doesn't have gravity, but anything that falls into it will inevitably be destroyed; hence, it can be used as a trap. There are also some special Spiritual Energy Points, but none are present here.
"These Spiritual Energy Points all emerge due to the presence of the Immortal Origin. Where there is Immortal Origin, such crucial Spiritual Energy Points are found.
"In ancient times, these places might have been called Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands or forbidden zones, but now, they are vital resources that we must strive to utilize.
"The aim of the Immortal civilization 'Ark' is to plunder the Immortal Origin, relying on devouring it to extend their civilization's lifespan."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "According to your paper, the Ark Civilization is feared to have existed for a hundred million years. They were the first civilization to encounter the Spiritual Energy Tide and successfully elevated their civilization. Using a 'drain the pond to catch the fish' approach, they turned all their people into long-lived Immortals. However, their actions accelerate the decline of the Spiritual Energy Tide. Unwilling to lose their immortality, the Ark Civilization seeks out the next Spiritual Energy Tide.
"The Ark Civilization doesn't allow other races to squander the resources of the Spiritual Energy Tide. Instead, they directly exterminate other civilizations through war, taking over like cuckoos in another's nest, consuming the Spiritual Qi Immortal Source to prolong their eternal life. When one Spiritual Energy Tide recedes, they search for the next.
"Now, the next Spiritual Energy Tide is located at the blue planet on the edge of the Milky Way's third spiral arm: Earth.
"Their Probe forces have now arrived at the Centauri Star System, preparing to devour Proxima Centauri's Immortal Origin as energy to summon the grand army of the Immortals."
As Ren Suo digested all these game settings, Heavenly Perceptive Listener suddenly stretched out his right hand towards 'me'.
At the same time, Crimson Flame War Wolf and Crystal Maiden also stretched out their right hands towards Ren Suo.
In their hands appeared a diamond-shaped crystal radiating with golden brilliance, so dazzling and beautiful that one simply could not look away.
Heavenly Perceptive Listener said, "Let us fight side by side once again."
Crystal Maiden declared, "I've been awaiting this battle for so long."
Crimson Flame War Wolf snorted, "Hmph, let me use my Fiery Flames to purify the sins of these old tortoises."
Hmm? Ren Suo blinked. What is this all about suddenly?
Heavenly Perceptive Listener explained, "As per your orders, the invasion by the Immortal civilization hasn't been made known to anyone else. After all, to them, this war ended 50 years ago... However, the strength of the Immortal civilization far exceeds the imagination of mortals.
"Even as a vanguard Probe force, it requires us Eight-Turn Cultivators to deal with them. Ordinary Cultivators, even with Iron Control, simply cannot defeat the Immortals.
"Relying on Earth's current strength, according to the prognostications of the Spirit King and the Benevolent King, even if Earth's civilization could defeat the Ark Civilization, it would only be a pyrrhic victory, with at least nine-tenths of its ten billion population wiped out.
"So, your actions were correct.
"According to the plan, you will go activate Proxima Centauri's Immortal Origin. Using it as a foundation, you will set up the Spatial-Temporal Chaos Array to transfer the incoming Ark Civilization's legions to the Solar System of 50 years ago. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"At that time, Spiritual Energy had not yet revived in the Solar System. The Ark Civilization, reliant on Spiritual Energy Technology, will find their strength reduced to less than one percent.
"However, you—proficient in countless skills such as spatial teleportation, time borrowing, emotion aggregation, and Immortal Origin activation—will return to the Earth of 50 years ago. There, you'll summon new recruits, form a legion, and utilize the unique traits of the Immortal Origin and Spiritual Energy Points to destroy the powerful Ark Civilization in that spiritually desolate past!
"Although it seems a bit unfair to the Earth of 50 years ago... facts have proven that this is not only the best course of action but also the most correct choice!
"And we will accept your command here, engage the Immortal troops, and prevent them from interfering with you!"
As they spoke, their diamond-shaped crystals merged into 'me', and at the same time, a prompt popped up on the right: "You have new Cultivators ready for deployment."
Ren Suo understood as he listened. This is essentially a tutorial level.
The game perspective instantly switched to a three-dimensional cosmic battlefield map, but Ren Suo didn't feel troubled—because all he needed to pay attention to were the Spiritual Energy Points shimmering in the dark universe.
Just at that moment, on the other end of the battlefield, between Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, several worm-like red-highlighted enemies appeared.
Although they seemed small, the current game perspective was cosmic, with stars as a reference! These worms might be tiny, but they appeared to be a quarter the size of stars!
Compared to Earth… no, they're even bigger than Earth!
Could humankind possibly contend with such foes!?
However, when Ren Suo opened the "Cultivator List," he was momentarily dazzled—
Eight-Turn Cultivator Crimson Flame War Wolf!
Eight-Turn Cultivator Crystal Maiden!
Eight-Turn Cultivator Heavenly Perceptive Listener!
This tutorial level is just too awesome, right? I get to fight with Eight-Turn Cultivators from the start!?
Ren Suo immediately wanted to deploy them on the battlefield, but then he realized he couldn't select these Cultivators.
What's going on?
Upon closer inspection, Ren Suo discovered that each Cultivator had a 'Deployment Cost'.
The Crystal Maiden explained, "Actually, we are unable to perform long-distance Teleportation in the universe. It also takes an extremely long time for us Cultivators to 'adapt' and benefit from the Spiritual Energy Points' amplification, similar to the process of Joining the Way; it cannot be accomplished in one go.
"However, you, proficient in Space Spells and the leading researcher in Spiritual Energy, can not only enable us to traverse star systems but also help us quickly adapt to the Spiritual Energy Points' amplification!
"But this requires you to cast Spells for us. Even though your Spiritual Energy Quantity is enormous and your Spiritual Energy recovery speed is incredibly fast, you must remain within an Immortal Origin. There, you rely on its Fairy Source Power to build up charge, generating 'Spell Casting Points' that can be called upon anytime and accumulate indefinitely. The Deployment Cost refers to how many 'Spell Casting Points' you need to use to deploy us onto the battlefield's Spiritual Energy Points."
So that's how it is.
Ren Suo looked at the battlefield interface and saw a timer '04:59' at the top and a scoreboard '0/5'.
The Crystal Maiden continued, "The countdown indicates the time remaining for you to activate the Immortal Origin and deploy the Spatial-Temporal Chaos Array. The enemy count shows the total number of enemies in this battle. Victory in Battle is achieved when the countdown ends or when all enemies are eliminated.
"By the way, this countdown doesn't follow a normal timescale. Instead, it's the perceived time after you've used a Time Spell within the Immortal Origin to accelerate your own timeframe for rapid Spell casting—typically 10 to 20 times faster than real time."
That makes sense. How could a cosmic war be over in five minutes? This isn't an anime, after all.
Ren Suo noticed a red scoreboard at the very top: '0/5'.
The Crystal Maiden explained, "This is the number of permitted failures. The Immortal Origin is far more important than the battle itself. If enemies are not intercepted by us, they will likely charge directly towards the Immortal Origin. This 'permitted failures' count indicates how many enemies are allowed to breach the Immortal Origin. For instance, in this mission, if five enemies breach the Immortal Origin, the battle is lost."
Oh, so there's a margin for error! The game's difficulty setting is quite good. This way, even if I'm weak, I can at least guarantee a minimum rating to pass.
However, Ren Suo had the nagging feeling that something was off.
He found a dialogue option and asked, "If four enemies break into the Immortal Origin, how are they handled?"
The Crystal Maiden replied, "Huh? Of course, it's up to you to deal with them."
'Me' asked, puzzled, "Huh? What do you mean?"
The Crystal Maiden said, "As our ultimate trump card, any enemies that slip past us are naturally for you to deal with!"
Ren Suo was instantly dumbfounded.
He had initially thought the protagonist, as the Commander, was just a non-combatant who stayed behind shouting, 'Brothers, charge for me!' Otherwise, why wouldn't he join the battlefield himself?
But in reality, the game's protagonist was the most incredible one of all!
The protagonist didn't need any buffs from Spiritual Energy Points. Stationed in the Immortal Origin, he could handle the Stellar Level enemies that other Eight-Turn Cultivators needed Spiritual Energy Points to fight—tearing them apart barehanded, one after another!
This is probably the most powerful starting protagonist in any game I've ever played!
