Global Game: I Can Choose Instance Rewards-Chapter 489 - 343: Boundaries, Lizard Tamer (2)

To the few pedestrians on this street, the tall young man who appeared in their field of vision walked into the bookstore without hesitation. No one could tell that the real person had turned into an illusory being.

Over a dozen seconds later, Wang Zhifan’s true self, hidden far away, controlled this doppelgänger to step into the strange, wide-open bookstore that seemed deserted.

Through the doppelgänger’s vision, he saw there were no customers in the bookstore, only an old man who seemed to be the owner. Coincidentally, he sharply sensed that this seemingly ordinary store owner was not of flesh and blood, belonging instead to the same illusory existence as the doppelgänger he sent here.

"There is indeed something fishy here. I’m glad I stayed cautious."

Wang Zhifan’s true self realized for a moment that the situation was moving in the direction he anticipated. This so-called bookstore was undoubtedly a trap set specifically for him. But with the power of a doppelgänger at his command, he wasn’t too worried and directly manipulated it to go towards the old man who seemed to be nodding off in the chair by the bookshelf.

"Esteemed customer, what book are you looking for?"

The physically illusory old man quickly raised his head to look at Wang Zhifan after he entered the store, showing a genial smile. His eyes were exceptionally bright, as if another will was observing the visitor through them.

"I need some books about the Demon King."

Pretending not to notice the oddity about this person, Wang Zhifan controlled his doppelgänger to respond while keeping an eye on any changes in the surroundings, including disturbances around his true location.

"Oh, news of the Demon King’s imminent return has spread throughout the city recently. Many young people are borrowing books on this topic. Let me fetch you the most popular one among them."

The owner, lacking a physical form, got up from his chair and walked to the nearby bookshelf to retrieve a hard-cover book with distinct infernal features for Wang Zhifan.

This guy showed no signs of being any different from a normal person. If it weren’t for Wang Zhifan’s powerful perception, he would have definitely thought the man was a living being of flesh and blood.

"This book, ’Fall of the Demon King,’ records the great war from two thousand years ago when humanity’s champions banded together to defeat the terrifying Demon King. In it, you can find the heroic deeds of various heroes and learn about the powerful equipment they used, which is said to be hidden in a black tower today..."

The old man extended his hand, handing the hard-cover book to Wang Zhifan, courteously introducing its main contents.

"Thank you, it sounds exactly like what I need."

Wang Zhifan immediately manipulated his doppelgänger to receive the book upon seeing this. After training in the Great Dream Saber Scripture for so long, he had long mastered the ability to materialize his doppelgänger, allowing him to maintain the speed to skim through a book without a problem.

The following time was spent in rapid reading. Wang Zhifan controlled his doppelgänger to quickly browse through the book, indeed discovering some information about the Demon King.

For instance, the Demon King was extremely powerful, capable of destroying a town with a mere casual strike, and the Hell Demon Army under its command was frightful, nearly exterminating humanity back then.

For example, the weapon once used by the Demon King, called the Sinful Greatsword, was stained with the blood of human champions and was later purified by the great sage Agulas Rod’s spell.

For example, the great sage Agulas Rod crafted the Darkness-avoiding Cloak to combat the Demon King, using its unique effects to bravely penetrate the Demon King’s infernal lair, destroying the planar gate and cutting off the endless influx of demonic minions the Demon once commanded.

After flipping through the last page of the book, Wang Zhifan handed it back to the old man resting in the chair.

The old man opened his eyes, and the first thing he said wasn’t about money but rather asked with a smile if he’d finished the book.

"Young man, have you finished reading it?"

"Yes, I have."

"Then I believe you’ve realized your mission. Remember, do not let the Sinful Greatsword fall into the Demon King’s hands, and make good use of the Darkness-avoiding Cloak."

"Hmm? How do you know these things?"

"Hehe... rest assured, young man, I mean you no harm... as a direct descendant of the great sage Agulas Rod, bearing his illustrious name, I hope you can assist me in the forthcoming battlefield against the Demon King, securing a brighter future for humanity..."

After saying these words to Wang Zhifan, the illusory bookstore old man vanished without another sound, with no one popping up to ambush Wang Zhifan’s doppelgänger.

This made Wang Zhifan realize that someone indeed had their eyes on him today, but they were very measured, or well-informed, without the intention of any internal conflict before the Demon King’s advent.

"This old man claiming to be Agulas Rod, could he possibly be the Duke that those player mercenaries mentioned...?"

At this moment, Wang Zhifan, who was hiding on the other side of the city and had retracted his doppelgänger, mused to himself, having acquired a fair amount of information while wandering around the city these past few days. No longer in the initial state of cluelessness, from what he’s learned from those reaching out to him, the other party is an upper echelon within this city and potentially the world, yet they remain courteous to him and refrain from taking overly aggressive actions.

"I can’t fathom how I was exposed... Could it be that Jack betrayed me? But wasn’t he supposed to remain loyal since I paid him sufficiently... or was it the Artisan Association’s appraiser who sold me out? But back then, I did use the Tree-man Mask to alter my appearance..." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Thinking it all over, Wang Zhifan found it odd that he was being watched and that someone knew about the Sinful Greatsword and Darkness-avoiding Cloak. With the information he had, it wasn’t easy to unravel the situation completely, but since things had unfolded as they did, he refrained from delving further, given it was merely a game instance anyway.

He even couldn’t bother to track down this Duke and planned to find a secluded place to quietly cultivate and wait for the BOSS fight.

For his intuition told him, the moment the Demon King breaks free from the seal is near, and it won’t be long before this instance reaches its final showdown. Maintaining peak combat prowess is wiser than running about.

Simultaneously, in this world’s capitals, human elite warriors were gathering voluntarily or involuntarily, readying themselves to confront the impending catastrophe.

Meanwhile, within the player community, they largely served as extras, just like most human practitioners—true adversaries were the Demon King’s minions, not the Demon King himself.

Only a very few players managed to join the ranks of high-level practitioners, among them possessing the credentials to face the Demon King directly.

One of these individuals resided in the same city as Wang Zhifan, already part of the Duke’s forces.

This person was not a Xia Country player but hailed from neighboring India’s real-world, boasting a prominent moniker among the Indian player community: Lizard Tamer, a name that had appeared on the official news section of Xia Country’s player forum.

And the emergence of such high-level players signaled that the instance’s difficulty was extraordinary, far from reflecting its current stage.

At present, in a luxurious manor in the capital, the Lizard Tamer was engaging in lively discussions with other human NPCs, preparing for the battle ahead.

He was a thin white man with sparse whiskers, epitomizing the distinct appearance often associated with Indian origins, hinting he wasn’t from the nation’s upper echelons, possibly connected to his significant fame in India.

The total number of people in this manor barely reached ten, yet each carried a formidable aura.

The most striking figure was the Lizard Tamer, standing high beside a colossal ten-meter-long black lizard, continuously stroking its head with his hand. Though not particularly tall or handsome, his strong confidence overshadowed everyone present.

As he continued to pet the giant lizard next to him, he spoke loudly:

"Gentlemen and ladies! Rest assured! With just a slight intervention from me, Raj, I can easily shield you from the Demon King! If you’re willing to provide a little more support, I shall erase the Demon King from this world completely!"