Global Game: I Can Choose Instance Rewards-Chapter 441 - 319: Final Trial, Speedrun 2

However, the chief wasn’t in a hurry to explain; he first lit a cigar, took a puff, and then slowly began to speak:

"Mr. Wang, actually I was once like you, a player. You should understand what I’m saying."

"You’re a player too? I don’t think so."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhifan’s expression changed slightly. He scanned the middle-aged white man from head to toe and couldn’t discern any player characteristics, such as his life aura, which in Wang Zhifan’s perception wasn’t extraordinary, unlike many seasoned players in the game who were practically minor superhumans.

"I’m no longer a player; I was once... But the price of shedding this identity was to become what I am now, a nearly ordinary middle-aged man."

The chief continued to explain, with his eyes seemingly flickering with distant thoughts, as if recalling something.

"No, there’s no exit mechanism after becoming a player! You’re lying!"

Even though Wang Zhifan saw that the other’s demeanor didn’t seem deceitful, he chose not to believe him because all the information he knew indicated that players in the transcendent game could only move forward, not backward; otherwise, ordinary players who were tormented by the quests would have chosen to quit long ago. How could so many people die in the quests?

"Heh... You don’t know because you haven’t been exposed to it long enough, haven’t reached Lv100 as a player... Once you hit Lv100, you’ll find an ultimate test awaits everyone, and failing this ultimate test results in permanent death or ending up like me, losing all power and living in the game world like an NPC, serving its operation..."

The chief’s deep voice revealed a hint of bleakness and unwillingness, inclining Wang Zhifan to believe that he might not be lying.

"Why did you come to me? Was it just to tell me you reached level 100? I don’t see how this relates to my current tasks."

Although slightly touched inside, Wang Zhifan couldn’t help but admit his confusion; he didn’t know what this person intended.

"I came to help you because you hold the hope of freeing all worlds."

After a brief pause for thought, the chief began speaking slowly.

"That existence is carrying out its plan across countless universes, and if no one ever passes the ultimate test, it will relentlessly influence more and more worlds, and countless beings will die innocently... Perhaps you, like me back then, think it’s not a big deal, but please understand that the more worlds are affected, the harsher they become... Like the hope you brought earlier, it’s actually one of this universe’s seeds of mechanical calamity; the beings of this universe have been destroyed by those wandering disasters many times already, but that existence enjoys the drama of such torment and repeatedly sets tragedies in motion..."

The middle-aged white man smoking a cigar disclosed quite novel information to Wang Zhifan, pointing out that the transcendent game wasn’t a good thing, it should be ended, and Wang Zhifan was a potential candidate.

"What are you talking about? I can’t empathize with you! The transcendent game has brought some dangers, but it also provided many people with unprecedented experiences, granting them unimaginable power; it’s not entirely base or cruel!"

Wang Zhifan raised his voice to rebut the chief’s words because he personally felt the benefits of the transcendent game outweighed the disadvantages, and he held no great aversion to it at present; he even anticipated new intriguing quests every morning in the real world, meaning he did not feel the transcendent game needed to be terminated.

"Heh... Is that so... Your reaction is identical to mine back then. I was smooth sailing, believing I could gradually control everything and even dominate the game... But the ultimate test awakened me! Made me realize we’re mere playthings! It rewards us with minor benefits when satisfied, giving us the incentive to continue performing with utmost effort! But true freedom isn’t like this! No universe should be subject to unrestricted destruction! The world I was born into once had a very bright future! Many intelligent species had hopes of reaching the pinnacle of prosperity and civilization! But now they’ve all gone extinct! Only a few offspring growing in the ruins think they’re the chosen civilization, not realizing they’re merely disaster leftovers! It’s unfair!"

The chief’s emotions were extremely agitated, as though his long-accumulated feelings finally had an outlet, pouring over Wang Zhifan.

Wang Zhifan looked at the man, with such a drastically different appearance from the past, and started to vaguely understand where his hatred for the transcendent game came from.

Because he remembered that in the real world, the originally somewhat stable world was being eroded by patches of Gray Realm; from the moment Gray Realm appeared, it was destined to become increasingly distorted. And who could deny that Gray Realm wasn’t orchestrated by the transcendent game?

Perhaps the players in the real world, pleased with themselves, haven’t realized that one day their home will also turn into a disaster-enacting quest.

"Were you really a player once? And born in this universe? Not originally a human?"

Finally, based on the chief’s words, Wang Zhifan asked this question, otherwise he couldn’t understand why his pain seemed so genuine.

"That was a long time ago... In countless cycles, I have become familiar with this new identity. You can regard me as a human, a human from a different dimension than yours."

After venting, the chief finally calmed down, puffed on his cigarette again, answered Wang Zhifan’s question, and then got to the main point:

"When you entered this quest, I noticed you through monitoring; otherwise, I wouldn’t have met with you as soon as you completed the first small task and guided you to trigger subsequent tasks in the quickest way... But your acquiring the disaster seed was completely unexpected for me; it’s actually not content you should encounter in this quest, and under normal circumstances, couldn’t be contacted... This anomaly appearing means your capability is very strong, enough to bear my expectations for you... So, valued by older generations of failures, please accept my final help! Quickly leave this dominated and destroyed world! Go to other universes! Hurry to ascend to Lv100! Complete the ultimate test! As long as you succeed, every dimension will be saved by you! Every universe will eternally remember your name!"

Listening to the chief behind the desk passionately speaking these words while simultaneously operating something on the computer in front of him, Wang Zhifan, still unsure of how the man intended to help him, suddenly saw a familiar light screen flash before his eyes.

[You’ve been upgraded to Lv14, strength attribute increased by 1 point, portable space expanded by 1 cubic meter.]

[You’ve completed a long-term quest task in a short time, unlocking the hidden achievement "Unconventional Clearance", promoted from VIP to SVIP player.]

[SVIP player: Compared to VIP players, your identity in the initial stage of quests will not be determined by initialization, allowing you to choose from several options, which cannot be changed during the quest once chosen.]

[Please actively select your quest rewards (up to 3 items)]

[Rare level (90% probability drop):]

[Hawk-class Frigate (Rare)]

[This is a relatively small interstellar battleship, with a total length of 56 meters, width of 12 meters, height of 4 meters, capable of sub-light-speed travel, armed with missiles and a laser cannon, its hull can defend against minor meteor impacts; it’s the primary choice for cruising within the Fixed Star Element, but please take the license assessment provided with the chassis and self-drive afterward, otherwise accidents may occur easily.]

[El II Fighter Armor (Rare)]

[This armor excels in both close combat and ranged attacks...]