Deceitful Game

Chapter 58 The Essence of Title Power

……erosion?

Mingpo's heart stirred, but she didn't say anything and continued to listen.

"Generally speaking, being able to satisfy all three conditions means that you have denied your past and killed your present. What remains is merely the will of the 'title' that occupies the memories of the past."

Gao Fan's voice gradually lowered: "It's just... a wronged soul."

"You did not take away his power, but you helped him to be free."

"...What's this about the erosion of the title?"

Mingpo became serious.

He rolled over and sat up from the sofa.

Gao Fan didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Brother Xiao, you remember, Yao Yao's pupils once turned a dull yellow, right?"

"...What happened?"

Mingpo frowned deeply: "Could that also be the power of the Deceiver?"

"I don't know the specifics, I only know... it's related to some kind of higher-dimensional power."

Gao Fan smiled wryly: "Some charlatans actually jokingly refer to the power of 'titles' as 'the chosen ones of the five gods.' The power of each domain is related to a certain higher-dimensional being. It's just that for us, this power is constrained into a concrete concept by the 'title' and is subject to certain restrictions."

"...For us?"

Mingbo slowly savored the profound question: "And what about 'us'?"

When she said those words, Mingpo already knew the answer.

—It's an adventure game.

[Phantom's deviation from the material world: 65%]

The words spoken when she cleared the level reappeared in Mingpo's mind.

The material world… without a doubt, is the world they inhabit. The world that turns black and white once it leaves its mental anchor point.

All charlatans are born into this world, and history, through constant revision, has molded the material world into different forms.

"Could it be that those adventure worlds are all part of a completely destroyed past?"

Mingper realized a terrifying truth.

"I don't know either..."

Gao Fan shook his head: "I'm just speculating... speculating based on the promotion game."

"Look, Brother Xiao. Since the fundamental purpose of our promotion ceremony is to reclaim those titles that have become 'paradoxes'..."

"What if a completely corrupted history becomes a new timeline, which we can then reclaim?"

"...That is indeed a possibility."

Mingpo nodded slowly.

"That's what I guessed too."

At this point, Gao Fan turned to look at Ming Po: "But once, the 'Ideal Country' lord unintentionally told me something..."

She said that all adventure worlds are fundamentally different from our world.

"That is, there are no 'title holders' in that world."

"She was referring to adventure games as 'adventure worlds,' not 'games.' So, I had an idea..."

"Could those worlds really be real worlds? Were they also influenced by those higher-dimensional beings, and then transformed into various forms?"

"They're just different from us...they didn't produce any deceivers. So it became our 'adventure game'."

Therefore, Gao Fan believed that the ultimate power of a title was some kind of "higher-dimensional existence".

Mingpo realized that Gao Fan might know part of the truth.

If that's the case, then the secrets of the "Phantom" universe can actually be explained—

For example, Yao Yao's consciousness once fell into hallucinations, seeing those classrooms as filth, the security guards as monsters... and perhaps even the contents of the "black magic" book she saw had been altered.

The "little girl" already existed in the school before she came.

Could it be that the students' abnormal behavior and the teachers' irritability are also related to her influence?

"A dim yellow color..."

Mingpo murmured.

He remembered that when Yao Yao lost control of her mind, her pupils turned into dark yellow vertical pupils.

—That was the effect of the Domain of Slaughter.

Mingpo still remembers the state of mind filled with rage and murderous intent when he wore the title "Werewolf".

If similar sentiments were to permeate this school, it could indeed lead to such a tragedy.

Why did the students stop cheating after Yao Yao dropped out of school?

It could be that they were scared, or perhaps they weren't caught again, or maybe the teachers' inspections became stricter again...

But if the entire class can frame an innocent person without hesitation, how could these students be so wicked and audacious?

So, there is also the possibility that "it is no longer necessary".

The real mastermind already knows that Yao Yao has been completely corrupted and that her curse will destroy the school, so there is no need for further intervention.

"...So, whether it's 'post-apocalyptic zombies,' 'nuclear wasteland,' or 'phantom ghosts,' they are all actually parallel worlds influenced by some kind of force?"

"At least that's what I think."

Gao Fan nodded: "Our world... shouldn't have such strange powers. I've been a Deceiver for so long, and I've never met anyone in the material world who can directly see me or influence me. If such extraordinary powers truly existed, then Deceivers wouldn't have been able to exist peacefully for so long..."

"Clearly, in our world, only the deceivers can wield the power of the 'title.' And the more a world 'deviates' from our world, the greater the difference between us."

"...but outside our world, this power dissipates."

Mingbo said thoughtfully, "I understand what you mean by 'the erosion of titles'."

Although Gao Fan did not answer the question directly, Mingpo now has a deeper understanding of the truth.

The power of a title is stable and controlled. Although it can affect a person's emotions... that's already been filtered through a "screen".

If that power were to leak out of control, it would be like Chang Ning turning into a monster, causing him to become a being completely devoid of human form.

Mingpo remembered that Mo had mentioned... this game was self-circulating. If he was telling the truth, then there really wasn't "some kind of organizer." However, this special power at least proved the existence of some kind of "higher-dimensional audience"...

Suddenly, Mingpo realized something.

There's a detail about the "detective" title he received this time...

The conditions for upgrading his title now include a restriction on "when wearing this title".

—But is this restriction meaningful to the average person?

Once an ordinary person receives the title, isn't that already the title they've earned?

These special promotion criteria...

It was as if they knew that Mingpo could manually change the title.

And then, combined with the last sentence of the description of the title "Werewolf"...

"—Welcome back, Mingpo."

Is that really the case?

He was indeed being watched by something...

Thinking of this, Mingpo said seriously to Gao Fan, "If possible, I don't recommend that you change to another title in the short term."

After receiving the title of "Detective," Minpe realized that... this title, which lacked "specialization," was indeed not as powerful as "Frankenstein."

From this perspective, the practicality of the "lucky survivor" is perhaps quite astonishing.

"...Actually, the Ideal State also gave me this suggestion."

Gao Fan wavered when he saw that Ming Po said so.

Perhaps it's because of his height... or perhaps it's because of his experiences.

Gao Fan is the kind of person who has a very poor sense of security.

Seeing teammates with various supernatural abilities and titles, one can't help but feel envious.

If they could fight head-on, who would want to keep running away?

"However, I told the Ideal Country Master at the time that although the games she assigned to me were all scripts that my title and abilities could just be used; and although she always managed my games and didn't just leave me to my own devices like an irresponsible host."

"...But she will always have a moment of rebirth. After all, the hosts train the deceivers so that they can be resurrected. And without the hosts' guidance, when I enter the deceiver game again, I will randomly enter another host's game."

"How can I guarantee that I will still be able to 'luckily escape' by then?"

After Mingpo confessed, Gao Fan finally revealed the future he was truly worried about.

"No, what I mean is..."

Mingbo shook his head: "Since the title 'Frankenstein' is a power stored by 'Limbo' and given to Chang Ning."

"Could it be that the title 'Lucky Survivor' that you hold is also a title that Utopia, or someone she knows, once held? The fact that you can hold this power means that you fit someone's personality or behavior pattern. That's why she keeps saying 'I have the most faith in you.'"

"If the title is indeed some kind of encapsulated high-dimensional power... then inheriting the title is equivalent to inheriting that power, isn't it?"

"If you are no longer a 'lucky survivor'..."

"...Does the ideal state still care about you like that?"

Mingpo couldn't directly reveal the secret about "Weigu Qiongchen," so he could only hint at it to Gao Fan.

Upon hearing Gao Fan's explanation of the "paradox," he also felt doubtful.

Why do I have that special wine cabinet, that broken "Golden Rank" title, and that countdown with no clear meaning?

Is the power he inherited truly his own past?

Why exactly did he appear in the deceptive game?

"...I need to go home."

Thinking about this, Mingpo became restless.

Mingpo was reminded of her own mirror again...

If we hand over another piece of fake gold from the sun, we should be able to repair some of it.

During the last repair, the mysterious wine cabinet that allows him to switch titles was brought to life.

—Will there be any new changes during this restoration?