Chapter 1730: Chapter 74: The 10,000-Point Player
Su Ming’an heard this and made a decisive decision: "Lü God, send me back to the Sea of Consciousness, I will go to meet up with Chen Yuhang and the others."
Chen Yuhang must arrive with the Key as soon as possible, as the Key can allow the Demon Mother Goddess to break through the seal. Whether She appreciates it or not, as long as She leaves the Source Point, She will definitely confront the Radiant Mother Goddess, for they are mutually exclusive deities.
The White Wolf flicked its tail, and in the next moment, Su Ming’an was immersed in the dark currents, returning to the Sea of Consciousness and racing towards the position of Chen Yuhang and the others.
The scenes in the Sea of Consciousness rapidly receded, with vibrant colors, floating Memory Fragments, and the collective unconscious being so bizarre. Su Ming’an concentrated, sensing the lingering Rin Clan aura on Chen Yuhang, which was their only point of resonance...
"...Su Ming’an, I won’t let you go." He suddenly heard a familiar, hoarse voice.
Atlanda’s voice.
The Divine Envoy of the Eighth Throne, Mist Gap Magician.
"Haunting like a ghost." Su Ming’an felt like this person could appear anywhere. They had appeared once during the succession ceremony, and now they appeared again.
This should not be Atlanda’s true form, but rather a part of the massive conglomerate within the Eighth Throne’s thinking, equivalent to an avatar of Atlanda, which emerged with this burst.
"Seeing you work so hard, I wanted to tell you... your thoughts are correct, this indeed is a grand scheme of the Lord of Dreams. If it is not intervened, everything will fall into the Void..." Atlanda held Su Ming’an’s leg, whispering like a water ghost.
Su Ming’an heard this and confirmed his speculation.
Indeed, as he thought, such cycles are pathological.
The Universe should be eternal, vast, and profound... Yet now all their understanding of the Universe seems naive and trivial, like an infinitely repeatable multiple-round game. Clearly billions of years, yet like a fleeting moment.
Recalling the methods of the Lord of Dreams, it elicited numerous suspicions.
Therefore, Su Ming’an must meet the Lord of Dreams, as players gradually no longer regarded life as life, nor death as death, their minds thinking, "if it doesn’t work, we’ll just try again." Seeing Su Ming’an keep moving forward, they thought, "it’s enough, let’s go home, there’s no need to pursue anything, even if it’s a trap, we can just live again"... This is absolutely wrong and misguided.
Su Ming’an didn’t fully believe it, as Atlanda’s words were all meant to make Su Ming’an develop an "acknowledgment" mentality, thereby subtly merging into Su Ming’an’s consciousness and ultimately taking over.
Looking down, in the Ocean of Consciousness, a phantom yet heavy figure clutched his feet—Atlanda, akin to a water ghost tied to the legs of a drowning person, with the deep sea beneath the feet. The surface of the Ocean was the iceberg of reality, while the bottom... pitch black, didn’t appear to be a good place.
Su Ming’an struck at the water ghost-like Atlanda, and in an instant, the transparent consciousness around became dim, almost extinguishing.
...This was the Sea of Consciousness, and such wide-ranging attacks would disturb the entire region.
"Let go, whatever the Eighth Throne gave you, I can give too." Su Ming’an lifted his foot to kick.
"I won’t let go," Atlanda said.
"Respected Great Prophet, don’t use such disgraceful methods, the whole world sees you as sticking like gum." Su Ming’an deceived him.
"I won’t let go," Atlanda stubbornly insisted.
The two top players in the world bickered like children, arguing "you bounce back, I bounce back your bounce back."
Chaotic gray mist surged up, and without the restraint of the World Tree Seed, the Power of the Eighth Thrones, which nearly forced Su Ming’an to self-destruct earlier, swept over instantly, turning the figure gray.
The boundaries of perception began to melt, as if something sticky clogged the brain... Su Ming’an sensed trouble and immediately a golden flash glinted in his palm.
...
[Effect 1: You can select any player to share any opposing damage you receive in the next 3 seconds, cooldown time one hour.]
...
In an instant, Su Ming’an’s condition alleviated, immediately initiating Spatial Displacement above the sea’s surface.
Three seconds were still too short, so Su Ming’an swiftly reviewed his trump cards, which he originally intended to reserve for the final battle with the Lord of Dreams. Using one more trump card here would reduce his final victory probability by a bit.
A flash of light appeared in his palm as he was about to use a trump card—
"Splash! Splash! Splash!"
Suddenly, he heard countless sounds of entering the sea.
...Sounds of entering the sea?
He suddenly looked up—only to see dozens of figures swimming towards him, shouting out: "Divine Son! Come with us!"
...Divine Son?
This title was particularly novel, and Su Ming’an confirmed that none of his aliases went by this. The group swam closer, dressed in white robes embroidered with eyes and sun insignia. They were followers of the Radiant Mother Goddess. When did he become the Divine Son of the Radiant Mother Goddess?
Su Ming’an suspected they had ulterior motives, but the "Missionary Halo" and other Charm passives instantly allowed him to perceive their emotions... worry, admiration, reverence, affection... not fake.
Someone outside must have deceived these people, leading them to believe he was the Divine Son of the Radiant Mother Goddess? Was it Su Rin? But wasn’t Su Rin supposed to be confronting the Radiant Mother Goddess?
Their appearance here indicated they too had abandoned their physical bodies, diving into this place. Without Su Ming’an’s Divinity, they couldn’t survive long in consciousness form; abandoning their bodies already meant no return, which meant... they were ready for sacrifice, knowing they could never return. Who could deceive them to such an extent?
Watching as they came forward one by one, pulling him upwards. A grand procession of conscious entities came to protect him, some dispersing the chaotic currents, some shining holy light, and some lifting Su Ming’an upwards...
"You can’t escape..." the sinister voice suddenly burst.
Noah’s Chain’s radiance dimmed, the three-second invincibility ended, and Su Ming’an’s body came to an abrupt halt.
A wrenching pain radiated from his heart, as if something burst forth from within.
"Atlanda!" Su Ming’an shouted, "Why do you stop me, even though you said I was right!"
He had sensed that Atlanda wasn’t an absolute enemy, unlike the purely egoistic Alger, Atlanda had vision, a larger picture, yet insisted on standing in his way!
A hint of pain flickered in Atlanda’s eyes:
"’Right’ doesn’t mean ’doable’! I’ve seen it countless times, countless times...! You’ve been crushed into powder on this path, don’t you understand? Humanity is inherently a lower form of life, as fragile as thin paper, one misstep, one fall can lead to our demise, diseases and natural disasters can destroy us at will; even if World Game forcibly boosts us—we can’t oppose the highest existences of the Universe! Being a Perfect Pass in everything and sticking to your ideals from start to end, isn’t that enough! Give up, close your eyes, cover your ears, accept the happiness meant for lower life forms, what are you thinking! You greedy guy!!!"
In that moment, Su Ming’an looked towards Atlanda.
Atlanda’s loud voice stopped instantly, rendered speechless, as if stared down by a beast. He saw the madness in Su Ming’an’s blood-filled eyes, brimming with indelible "greed."
—Such fierce, terrifying, explosive greed.
Everyone was deceived by this person, the greatest benevolence also means he cares for no one, the strongest ideals also mean he is greedier than anyone, the most philanthropic is also the most desirous, the most emotional is the most rational, those best at slaughtering themselves are the most terrifying madmen. He treated himself as a tool, dismantling his own private desires and feelings as a human, signifying he cut away the biological instinct of the will to survive, like a person who lost the sense of pain, unable to realize his own pain.
At the start of the Game, he wouldn’t accept a future of humanity’s collective annihilation.
At the end of the Game, he wouldn’t accept a future of humanity turning into a void.
Atlanda recognized the expression; the core of this person had never changed. This Su Ming’an, who was charging towards formidable enemies without looking back, was just like he was in the beginning of the World Game, charging recklessly.
—His greed and dictatorship were entirely for others, not himself. Absolute altruism is absolute egoism, and absolute egoism is also absolute altruism.
"After defeating the Radiant Mother God, I will initiate a vote." Su Ming’an gazed down at Atlanda, "If the vote shows that humanity wants to stop... I will not be a dictator. I will halt. By then, I will have acquired all the divine power and energy of the Radiant Mother God. I will become a First Level God, enough to bless the entire Zhai Xing, preventing it from descending into chaos and crisis, and without fearing the looming high dimensions. I will use abilities like Soul Ferry to revive the deceased... if it can be called revival."
As he spoke these words, a sudden pain struck his head... many images rushed forth in chaos, as if his feet were stepping on golden sand, striving to move forward, yet the tides swept in, erasing everything.
He seemed to see a scene—a dusty café, where a blob of flowing viscous substance, wearing a sapphire blue top hat, made a sound—
...
"Happy twenty-first birthday," said Noel Agnini,
"Come and end your life."
...
Su Ming’an forcefully patted his forehead, cold sweat crawling all over his temple. He knew he had triggered déjà vu, recalling some memory in a cosmic reincarnation—was this memory of him fleeing with Zhai Xing, pursued by Noel and other high dimensions?
But now it was different, once he defeated the Radiant Mother God and ascended to First Level God, he would not fear such situations. Zhai Xing wouldn’t be forced to flee, and he wouldn’t have to become the World Tree, but rather assume a complete high-dimensional form.
This too is part of moving forward.
"If the vote shows that humanity does not want to stop, then I will continue moving forward," Su Ming’an stated resolutely, "I will not, by my own will alone, cling to ideals and force everyone to follow my path. If they are willing to follow, then I will eternally lead, be the first to battle, the first to face enemies, the first to win, until it is certain that the future is definitely bright and glorious, I will bring victory to them."
"But if the vote shows that humanity wants to stop, I can halt my steps, choosing to safeguard the happiness humanity wishes to embrace." Su Ming’an pursed his lips, "Then, after ensuring their complete safety and that they are not implicated... I, alone, will go to meet the Lord of Dreams."
Atlanda, upon hearing the latter part, originally thought that if humanity supported stopping, Su Ming’an would agree to close his eyes to the troubles, sharing in ordinary happiness with humanity. Unexpectedly, this guy still wanted to move forward, even if alone, still wanting to challenge the Lord of Dreams. He almost wanted to laugh; how could there be such a person in this world?
Moving forward alone, without the aid of other deities, without pioneers paving the way, without like-minded companions, without crucial moments of assistance, without collaborative information exchange among solitary islands, without comprehensive information support from a large collective... the difficulty increased exponentially.
One person... one person, as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
...
Atlanda’s expression softened.
He recalled himself in the earliest cycles of reincarnation... back then, he was naïve, believing that though humanity was born small, as insignificant as ants beneath the cosmic scale, with enough effort, one could become a towering powerhouse, breaking away from their destiny... later, after countless tragic endings and suffering more terrifying than death, he grew numb, desperate, voiceless.
The despair of working diligently to the end, only to be glanced at lightly by some high-dimensional being and then bursting and dying outright.
The ephemeron perceiving the lifespan and power of other beings, the instantaneous collapse and bewilderment.
All his efforts, all his contributions, all his pain... were merely ants struggling in the palm of some existence. Like a student excitedly bringing out a 100-point test paper, only to find out the paper’s full mark was actually 10,000 points.
The most terrifying part was that it wasn’t that he couldn’t score 10,000 points, but that the test paper given to him, all its questions combined, could only offer a maximum of 100 points. He could never access the other papers.
After discovering the Lord of Dreams, Atlanda also attempted challenges. Yet as the attempts increased, he gradually lost count, slowly realizing that even if he worked hard from a score of sixty to seventy, from seventy to eighty... the distance from 10,000 points had no significance.
Until he found a peculiar person.
—Su Ming’an.
A Su Ming’an who never retained memories, his soul pure and clear, each time trying to break past the 100-point limit, enduring pain and despair that Atlanda could not fully comprehend.
The most astonishing thing is—Su Ming’an actually breached the 100-point limit.
Broke through a boundary that Atlanda thought was completely impenetrable for humanity.
Even if in some reincarnations, Su Ming’an’s performance was not that great, but Su Ming’an was human, not a machine; humans make mistakes, but humans are also the species most adept at learning and progressing... In most cases, Su Ming’an demonstrated potential that deeply shocked Atlanda.
Once, Su Ming’an reached 101 points... he reached a place previously insurmountable for humans.
Then, his score soared higher.
Two hundred, five hundred, a thousand, five thousand points...
First Level God, high dimensions, power holder of the World Game...
Like a stagnant well suddenly erupting with a frog leaping towards freedom. Atlanda couldn’t help being drawn towards it, even though most of his own memories were fragmented, yet he always saw Su Ming’an.
Bright, luminous, dazzling, shocking, like a scorching sun, like a clear light, like a Lighthouse, like a Wildfire.
Yet, it was still useless, unable to reach 10,000 points.
Gradually, the initial anticipation and admiration turned into anxiety...
Then, the anxiety turned into numbness, as Atlanda realized that no matter how hard humanity climbed upwards, there would always be bloody prices to pay due to various reasons—high-dimensional backstabs, soul disintegration, wagers from organizers, betrayals from companions... they could not reach 10,000 points and defeat that towering being.
Finally, the numbness transformed into a tinge of jealousy.
Look, you couldn’t do it either. So what if you scored a few thousand points? Instead of watching you get spectacular scores only to crash terribly, leaving nothing behind... it would be better if I stepped on you, to gain my happiness.
After all, that 10,000-point being increasingly guarded against you—It couldn’t control you, so It wanted to kill you. It could control me, so It used me.
However, this time is different...
Atlanda had never had such a strong and subtle premonition. Perhaps this time, Su Ming’an could really get the highest score. In fact, up to now, it feels as though there are already about seven to eight thousand points, there really is a possibility of success.
Thus, Atlanda has been hesitating. Until now, it was the best time to act—the suppression from the World Tree Seed in Su Ming’an’s heart had failed, the disaster long buried by the Eighth Thrones erupted instantly.
Stop, stop now, there’s still time, Su Ming’an.
Why persist in stubbornness, so many people want you to stop, what are you thinking?
...
"Stop, that’s an enemy you cannot defeat!"
The Prophet roared, unable to maintain his surface elegance.
...
"—I refuse." the person replied decisively.
Like a saint.
Also like a savage beast.
...
