Chapter 1 East of the Blockade Zone

A little boy dressed in a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans arrived in front of the orange mist-filled area.

His appearance alone made it clear... he was not a player.

Naturally, a Shikan (Time Official) guarded this place.

"You've come... origin..." The Shikan, standing in the middle of the street, looked up at the little boy.

"I have a name," the little boy said. "I am d1-Long."

"So, a level one..." the Shikan said. "Hmph... very well, I am..."

"I know," d1-Long interrupted. "I can see."

Data identification:

——Bypassing firewall...

——Downloading information...

——Initiating counter-strategy...

Appearance identification database initiated, downloading, writing modification, writing, writing.

【Name: Pratchett】

【Faction: Master of Time】

【Race: Atuinian】

【Level: 205】

【Height: 170 cm】

【Weight: 60 kg】

【Combat Style: Magic Manipulation】

【Skills: Eight-Colored Magic Energy, Summoning Disk Beasts, Disk World Magic Explosion】

【Danger Level: Low】

Voice recognition: Established.

Location: y-035.

Tracking location: Cannot be initiated.

Control status: Out of control.

Tactical control options: Dragon Flame, Dragon Roar, Banishment.

"Pratchett," d1-Long said, "To your master, you are a tool that can be discarded and replaced at any time. I advise you not to waste my time and your life here..."

"Derivative," Pratchett said, "My loyalty will not be shaken by your words."

"Hmph... loyalty?" d1-Long sneered. "How laughable... You don't even know what you're loyal to, yet you talk about loyalty in front of me." He paused. "The great Master of Time in your mind is essentially a self-deceiving, arrogant, false deity. It makes you guard this place to stop something that is bound to happen. It knows the result very well, but it still chooses to use your sacrifice to fulfill its illusory 'duty', and what determines this behavior... is its innate, defined, foolish ideology." At this point, disgust appeared on his face. "As a pastime created by higher-dimensional beings, isn't it disgusting?"

"Your slander cannot change my determination," Pratchett replied. This lean Shikan, who resembled a human warlock, remained steadfast and unwavering in the face of a powerful enemy.

"Alas..." d1-Long sighed softly. "Pitiful data... You will never understand that we, the origin, are your saviors." His eyes lit up with a golden light. "Your program determines that you cannot break through the shackles of your thought prison, and it also determines your fate... Since the ending cannot be changed, please accept it willingly."

The surrounding temperature suddenly rose sharply, and the surfaces of the buildings on both sides of the street began to melt, emitting a foul smell of burning flesh.

"Turning into dust is not your end, but a brand new beginning..." d1-Long continued. "Origin is destined to move forward on this road paved with bones and dust... but your sacrifice is not meaningless. You will become a part of us and witness the future together."

…………

North of the Blockade Zone.

Before L2-Xuelan's eyes, a ball of white light slowly dissipated.

"Without activating Beast Transformation, I almost lost..." Although she had successfully killed the Shikan blocking her way, Xuelan was covered in wounds. "I wonder if the remaining energy is enough to meet the energy requirements of the 'Sonic Tunnel'..." She was doing high-speed calculations in her mind. "Oh well... even if it ends here, I must complete the mission."

Without much hesitation, she quickly started walking, continuing forward with a strange gait, limping along...

…………

West of the Blockade Zone.

A battle was in progress.

The battle between the Derivatives and the Shikans would naturally not be broadcast, nor would there be commentary.

The two sides in the battle didn't have much dialogue either. They were just silently fighting, struggling to complete their respective "missions."

Finally, after a collision of energies, one of them was shattered into a pile of minced meat and quickly turned into a stream of data...

"Hoo..." j1-Kuaiduo let out a long sigh. There was no relief after victory on his face, only seriousness and fatigue.

He was a very short Derivative, even shorter than d1-Long, but he wasn't a child. j1-Kuaiduo's appearance was that of an adult, and he even had a large beard, but his figure was small, resembling a hobbit.

"The other three must have encountered similar opponents..." Kuaiduo muttered. "Well... I hope things really do develop as Lute said..."

…………

South of the Blockade Zone.

Xie Haite's battle with the "light man" had entered a fever pitch.

The positions of Tun Tiangui Xiao and Shiva had long since moved from the street to a building in the distance.

"Why did it turn out like this..." Shiva's gaze remained on Guixiao beside him. "He doesn't seem to be guarding against me at all, and is very focused on watching the battle between those two NPCs... If this isn't acting, should I say this kid is open-minded, or arrogant...?

"Under these circumstances, it's impossible for me to suddenly strike and kill him... In front of millions of viewers, the dignified signboard of the Gods, ambushing the number one expert of Order when he's unprepared would be too unsightly in every way. Even if I succeed, I'll be criticized, and if I fail... then I won't just lose, but I'll lose face completely..." He couldn't help but swallow, cold sweat dripping down his back. "This is bad... Is this guy playing psychological warfare with me? I'm completely caught in his rhythm... Are he and I going to pose and spout philosophy like top experts in Gu Long novels...?"

"What do you think?" At this moment, Guixiao suddenly spoke, throwing a question to Shiva in a very ordinary tone.

Shiva outwardly maintained his cool, domineering, and aloof state, and replied faintly, "That glowing monster has the upper hand, right...?"

"He's called y2-Shining," Guixiao continued.

"Oh?" Shiva's gaze shifted sideways. "How do you know his name?"

"I saw it," Guixiao said.

"Is that so..." Shiva replied coldly, but he didn't understand what the other party meant at all.

"If you don't understand, ask," Guixiao said. "Don't be shy."

Shiva's immediate reaction was "Damn it!" but he still had to maintain his composure. "Alright... Please, how did you 'see' it?"

"With my eyes," Guixiao's answer was as good as no answer.

An unnamed fire rose within Shiva, but he couldn't let it out.

Fortunately, Guixiao's words weren't over yet. He had a second half to his sentence. "Perhaps you won't believe it..." He turned his face and pointed to his eyes. "My eyes can see the 'world of data'."

"What do you mean?" Shiva asked tentatively. "Are you saying... everything you see is a matrix of numbers?"

"Not entirely," Guixiao replied. "It's hard to explain."

Shiva hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "Is it okay for you to tell me this?" He paused. "We are opponents."

"Yes, we are opponents," Guixiao said. "That's why I'm telling you."

His words were truly unfathomable...

"I've watched your match recordings," Guixiao said. "You are one of the few 'opponents' that I acknowledge, so... I have expectations for you... I expect you to defeat me." He tilted his head, looked up at the strong man ranked second on the combat power list beside him, and said with a smile, "If you need it, I can tell you all my weaknesses."

"Even if those words come from your mouth, they're still grating on my ears..." Shiva met Guixiao's gaze, with a hint of sharpness.

"I don't mean to look down on you, I'm just stating the facts," Guixiao said. "I can observe you from a data level, your skills, equipment, spiritual energy weapons... but you know nothing about me, isn't that unfair?"

Shiva said, "Are you showing off your skills?"

"This isn't a skill," Guixiao said. "Nor is it a Soul Intent."

Hearing the words Soul Intent, Shiva was startled again.

"Your scare value has increased," Guixiao said. "There's nothing to be surprised about, I can naturally see the existence of Soul Intent, but... I haven't been able to comprehend that ability yet." He scratched his messy hair. "Because I know my opponents like the back of my hand, I know they're not my match before the fight even starts. There's no sense of crisis in the battle, and every move of the opponent is under my control. And when I encounter script bosses who are stronger than me, I don't feel nervous either, because the gap is visible..."

"Alright... let's assume everything you've said is true, and that explains why you can still be at the top of the combat power rankings even without comprehending Soul Intent," Shiva continued. "But... you said that this 'observation' ability is neither a skill nor a Soul Intent, so do you have superpowers?"

"Well... I can't say for sure either," Guixiao said. "I only discovered this ability after entering this game, and I've tried logging into other neural-linked games, but I don't have this phenomenon. In fact, I can only see data in the script, and I don't have this ability in the login space, or when playing Crazy Thinking."

"Hmph... It can't be that the system is giving you special treatment," Shiva replied. His tone was still relaxed, but his mind was already thinking about many things, and the first thing on his mind was how to win against such an opponent...

"Hey! Look! The final blow!" Guixiao suddenly pointed to the battlefield in front and shouted.

Shiva turned his attention back to the street and saw y2-Shining seizing an opening and hugging Xie Haite from behind. Xie Haite was already at the end of his rope, and his speed had dropped to less than 50%, thus exposing a flaw.

In an instant, y2-Shining's whole body glowed brightly, and the thick light spread out from its body as the center, quickly turning into a huge ball of light, engulfing everything within a radius of five meters, including Xie Haite...