Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1675 - 18: Allowing Their Weakness

Zhao Yuan opened the black box, and amidst some commands and evidence, right at the center lay a piece of parchment, elegantly and dignifiedly inscribed with the Pope’s handwriting:

...

[The truths of the old age were once regarded as eternal.]

[——The law of gravitation causes apples to fall, the black hole law predicts the end of space-time, energy is conserved, the speed of light is constant... They were considered indisputable iron laws, the codes of the universe’s operation.]

[However, Ran Bo’s life showed people that "writing" was above "truth."]

[As long as someone’s dimension is higher, they can suppress the gravity of black holes; as long as a certain occupation sets a skill of spatial vibration, apples can float, and the law of gravitation becomes invalid; as long as ice magic naturally reduces fire magic by 20%, flames are inevitably weaker than frost.]

[What does this phenomenon resemble?]

...

"...A game." Su Ming’an uttered the word softly.

Between the Holy Seats, the pressure of the Mother Goddess grew increasingly intense, accompanied by the sound of burning air.

Hui Chi opened his arms wide, with the colored window’s light seemingly drawn by his resolute stance, gathering upon his shoulders, illuminating him like an angel about to deliver a blasphemous declaration.

He looked directly at the suddenly constricting pupils of Su Ming’an and pronounced:

"The universe is like a game, isn’t it?"

The drooping eyelids of the angel sculpture appeared to tremble, the compassionate smile of the Mother Goddess on the mural shimmered in the flickering light, revealing an indescribable eeriness.

Hui Chi’s hypothesis was too bold, too insane, yet it faintly resonated with the countless absurdities Su Ming’an had experienced.

A hypothesis roared into form, almost bursting forth from his throat—

If the universe can be likened to a "cat," and the World Game can be likened to "the organs of the cat," then can the universe also be likened to a "game?"

"Think about it, only within the framework of a ’game’ can rules possess the supreme authority, yet be amendable by the system."

Hui Chi stepped forward, the flow of light surged along, casting a wavering shadow beneath his feet, almost touching the tip of Su Ming’an’s boots.

"Fireball Technique can be created out of thin air, defying conservation of mass-energy. Life and death become a child’s play, space can be teleported freely because these are game mechanisms inscribed in the underlying code."

"If it weren’t for the game, ’rules’ themselves would be omnipresent; physical laws and chemical principles are the norms of the world, no emphasis needed. Only when we clearly perceive the existence of a ’meta-engine’ defining and supporting these rules, do we have the opportunity to exploit them through ’panels,’ ’quests,’ and ’levels,’ and confidently shout the term ’rules,’ realizing they can be modified."

The flow of light rotated around him, illuminating him like a glowing entity. His gaze swept across the grand murals and sculptures, his crimson eyes burning with the fire of insight.

His speech was highly erratic; the barrage was filled with scarce listeners who could keep up with this storm of thoughts, mostly confused "???’s" and stunned "!!!’s".

Su Ming’an understood.

Not only did he understand, but his palm gripping the sword seeped with fine cold sweat, feeling a chill of shivering.

Hui Chi looked at Su Ming’an, eye-grippingly:

"As long as there are enough ’Players’ or ’NPCs’ interacting within this framework, as long as the enormous concept collection of ’game’ encompassing everything continues to operate..."

"As long as we view saving civilization as ’clearing the game,’ consider our missions as ’main quests and side quests,’ perceive the cosmic cycle as ’saving and loading files,’ view our life as ’different endings (HE, BE, TE)..."

"Then, the ’Game God’ deeply bound to the concept of ’game’... The essence of the ’Lord of Dreams’ we’ve been seeking—"

"It is, fundamentally undying!"

"In the end, our life is life itself. Why sum up our life, distinguishing HE, BE, TE ends? Isn’t this succumbing to the concept that ’the universe is a game’? Treating cosmic reincarnation as a ’playthrough,’ viewing yourself as a game character, aiming for a different ’game ending’?"

The pressure between the God Seats intensified constantly, the sound of burning air persisted unceasingly.

"Therefore, to truly defeat it. Fundamentally dissolve this ’universe game’ which treats all of us, all gods, all epochal civilizations as refreshable characters and storylines..."

He paused for a moment, his crimson eyes locked onto Su Ming’an’s deep black pupils, narrating slowly, word by word:

"Not by killing a specific ’deity’ or ’boss.’

"But—"

Su Ming’an’s lips slightly moved, nearly uttering the final answer simultaneously with Hui Chi.

"...By breaking the concept of ’Game Otherworld’ itself."

The instant the words fell.

"Boom——!!!!!"

As if triggering some defensive mechanism, the entire space between the Holy Seats trembled violently!

The crystal on the dome burst with dazzling light, the Gods on the mural seemingly about to spring from the walls, the angel sculpture cracked with fine lines, resembling thousands of tons of sea water compressing from all directions!

The wind blew Su Ming’an’s hair, his heart pounding fiercely.

It seemed he inadvertently formed a mindset... because he knew of cosmic reincarnation’s existence, he constantly thought of a "next playthrough."

Even if "this playthrough" fails, he can lay clues for future playthroughs for clearing the perfect ending that isolates observation.

Because his death rebound is utilized this way, he regarded himself as a character who experiences no pain nor despair, and viewed the universe as a stage similar to a game.

He skillfully isolated his humanity and suffering, naming various doomed paths—killed by Noel, the path of failing to rescue the world, the path of inheriting the World Game, the path of becoming the Cosmic Dominator... He looked at those "selves" with familiarity yet estrangement; they were clearly his life, yet he regarded them indifferently as "characters of different playthroughs," for he long accustomed to not cherishing himself.

It seemed as long as it’s not the ultimate successful "ending," everything remains distant, vague, momentary.

He deeply understood that even if everything is destined to be erased, it’s not meaningless. He respected and cherished regarding everyone with this, wishing them salvation and happiness in every cycle of reincarnation. Yet regarding himself, he overlooked.

Many viewers on the forum discussed the final doomed path, many would exclaim "I don’t want a bad ending!" "I don’t accept such an ending!" "I hope the ending is happy, like everyone living peacefully together..." "As long as the ending isn’t bad, I’ll be satisfied..." Such sentiments, although they are also part of this life, seemed as if they viewed their doomed paths as game endings.

When did it start?

Their lives... seem to have been gamified.

It should have started since knowing about cosmic reincarnation, recognizing the existence of "multiple playthroughs," life seems to have become a game that can be constantly restarted.

But even if only once, the nineteen years of life before... They were indeed real, vivid, and palpable.

A collection branded with labels like "Savior," "Number One Player," "Lighthouse." He walked this path, constantly completing "quests," leveling up, exploring the "map," facing "BOSSes," chasing a certain "ending."

But why must their lives be defined by a "game ending (ENDING)"? Encasing a life full of infinite possibilities into a "game" template—HE (Happy Ending), BE (Tragic Ending), TE (True Ending)...

When was Destiny handed over to an invisible "scoring system"?

[Holy Meal], [Eden], [sunny day]...

What right does such a long, glorious, painful, and comforting life have to be summed up by a flimsy, short, and concise ending phrase?

...

"The ’Lord of Dreams’ we have always been wary of, perhaps His true Authority isn’t dream weaving—if His Authority truly is ’dreams’, doesn’t it overlap with the Spiritual Dream-Maker?"

He recalled a footage he had seen before.

...

[After playing, with a "click" sound, a white-haired young man appeared on the screen.]

["We all got it wrong, we were all deceived!" The white-haired young man seemed to be speaking to someone,]

["His true Authority... isn’t ’Genesis’ at all!"]

["The foundation of Luowasha... is conceptually wrong!"]

...

Perhaps.

That guy’s Authority isn’t "Genesis," nor is it "Dream."

As Su Ming’an expected, it should be...

"Game," right.

The true name of the Lord of Dreams should be... Lord of Games.

Lord of Games of All Realms.

So, under His command, there are so many "Awakeners" at His disposal, those people are actually "Managers," they are His Divine Envoys. And the others are all "Players."

"Managers" can even see or change the lives of "Players," so Bai Qiu and Bai Qiu are able to possess "Players."

Su Ming’an finally understood—therefore, the essence of "them" is "Players of players."

Of course, the game does not refer to a real game, but is just an easy-to-understand metaphor for the essence of the Universe, like comparing the Universe to a cat.

Then, the path to victory, on a logical level, leaves only one, yet as absurdly preposterous as pulling yourself off the ground by your hair—

Break the concept of the "game" itself.

No wonder, the Lord of Dreams... no, the Lord of Games is not anxious at all about Su Ming’an’s challenge, He completely does not think Su Ming’an can defeat Him.

—Because Su Ming’an is the "Number One Player."

How can a defined "Player" defeat the "Game"? From the start, it’s a mistake.

The truth about the "Creator Gods" revealed by the Sword Spirit, the sorrow and epic of the Gods of Luowasha...

The absurd manuscript seen by Zhao Yuan, the fear of the maid named Meimei...

Lü Shu’s desperate protection, Tian Yu’s sacrifice, the Players’ hoarse and exhausting fight, the blood flowing for the ritual on the square...

Ran Bo’s pain, Lin Hejin’s regret, Su Qi’s bewilderment, Su Wenjun and Qi Zhou’s pain, Qianqin and Phoenix’s confusion... and at his feet, the serene smile on Hui Bei’s corpse.

Everything, everything, all the pain...

Hui Chi looked at him and smiled: "I know you are smart, you can always figure out a way to break the deadlock that no one else can. If you think of it, there’s no need to tell me, just do it yourself. Of course, it will be very difficult. Much harder than killing a specific Deity. You need to fight against the inertia of thoughts formed over billions of years, the backlash of vested interests, the resistance of those fearful of change, and even the resistance of ’Players.’ They may have already grown accustomed to the conveniences brought by the ’game.’"

For example, the barrage right now. They still want to stay in the eternal world game, even if in a controlled manner, even if such "happiness" will one day be casually stripped away.

After all, many people, even while alive, are like mayflies in their fate. Most people have no room for ideals, nor the cost to be noble. They can only be "despicable," this "despicability" does not stem from their own despicability, they simply have no choice, this world hardly gives ordinary people a way out.

But if a particularly strong frog wants to leap out of the well, other frogs shouldn’t pull him down.

Thinking of this, Su Ming’an vaguely had an answer, he seemed to have deduced what the method to end the observation truly is.

—To end the "game" in their eyes.

"I will protect them." Su Ming’an didn’t reveal the method he thought of in his heart. He only said that he would protect them.

He wants to strive for the highest ceiling for civilization, and also to protect the lowest baseline of civilization.

In the beginning, he once denounced the despicability of people willingly mediocrity, hated their anger for not striving, why remain rotting in the audience rather than gamble on a chance.

Now he still doesn’t admire behavior that traps oneself in the mud, but he also begins to understand that some people indeed cannot grasp a way to stand up, perhaps lacking some courage, perhaps lacking perseverance, maybe plagued with bad luck, insufficient ability... For instance, an illiterate old man, how can he understand the puzzles of an instance? For a child who faints at the sight of blood, how can they step onto a battlefield?

As a Savior... Although he doesn’t describe himself with such noble words, sitting in this position, he grants space and opportunity to these people.

Allowing the weakness of some people.

Allowing their "despicability."

Allowing some imperfections and retreats.

And the difficult predicaments caused by their retreat, would be filled in by him—who possesses strength far above ordinary people, far more resources than most.

During this journey lasting over half a year, the Savior has mastered inclusion.

...