this infinite world

Let's rewind a little...

"Chu Hao, have you ever reflected on your fighting style all along?"

On his way to the goblin kingdom, Chu Hao, deep in thought, suddenly heard a question. His finger, tracing the map, paused slightly. The young man turned around and saw Yang Yun walking beside him, staring at him thoughtfully, his right hand gesturing wildly at his side. It seemed as if he was trying to pull something out of Chu Hao.

During this time, Yang Yun had maintained this somewhat eccentric style of behavior, which Chu Hao hadn't bothered to pay attention to. However, recalling his previous failed battle with the blasphemer Azog, he slowed down slightly and replied seriously, "Yes, the arcane bloodline endowed me with a standard spellcasting framework, and my current fighting style is also based on that system."

As he spoke, Chu Hao lightly tapped his fingertips, and magic power gathered and took shape like flowing water. With his movement, a three-dimensional spell model and corresponding runes appeared in the air, and a blazing white fireball spun above his palm: "My main offensive strategy is ranged Evocation, which suits my role as a spellcaster; and on this basis, I will supplement it with Transmutation and Utility spells to deal with different situations in battle..."

"Hmm, a very standard turret mage setup."

Feeling the immense energy contained within the fireball, Yang Yun nodded: "Then why did you rush up alone to fight Asog in close combat? As the captain of the Arctic team and a long-range artillery turret, you should have been smarter."

...It was because of the circumstances at the time that I had no choice but to do it.

Chu Hao skillfully concealed his speechless expression. If he had actually stood at the far back, foolishly casting fireballs, then with the strength of the Blasphemer Asog, the opponent could probably dodge all his attacks with a slight twist of his body, and he wouldn't have been able to hit a single one even if he worked himself to death.

Even when he got that close, his fireball, which was no less powerful than the level eight spell Sunfire Blast when he went all out, was still blocked by Asog with one hand and failed to achieve anything... Was this chasm-like gap just a matter of ranged attacks or not?
No, you misunderstood me.

Although Chu Hao didn't say it aloud, Yang Yun only saw his eyes and understood what the young man was thinking. He had to interrupt him, saying, "As the captain of the North Ice Continent team, haven't you noticed that there are too many ranged main combat members in your team?"

According to the criteria that a mature reincarnation team must have five members with different roles, namely a captain, a sage, a mental controller, a melee main combatant, and a ranged main combatant, the current Arctic Continent team is undoubtedly a crippled team with a serious imbalance in its strengths.

Among them, Chu Hao single-handedly plays both the roles of captain and sage, while Oqi, the mental power controller, is a relatively newcomer who was recently put into the role. Nian Xikong, the sword cultivator, is versatile, capable of both close and long-range combat, but her cultivation method is extremely unsuitable for group battles, much like her usual demeanor—she's a lone wolf. The arcane mage Chu Hao, the archer Zhang Heng, and the shadow traveler Tom form a rather unusual trio of mage-hunter-rogue…

In addition, there was something that left Yang Yun speechless: the Arctic team actually had a chef who was a professional before entering the God Space, and later exchanged for the Gourmet Cell Bloodline, so he was obviously a logistics support person, Gangluer... You know, the Arctic team can't even find a decent melee fighter right now, how can they still accommodate a high-end profession like a chef?

It would have been better if it hadn't been mentioned before, but Yang Yun's question immediately exposed the embarrassing weakness of the Arctic team... the lack of a front row.

Generally speaking, it's hard to find mental controllers and intelligent people, but there's never a shortage of melee fighters who can take the lead. After all, throughout history and across cultures, whether in reality, comics, novels, or movies, warriors are the profession with the lowest entry barrier and the largest number of players... In high-level games, one might need to understand battle aura, know how to use rage, and master a weapon-wielding skill; but in extreme cases, even a farmer who usually works in the fields can take on the role of a warrior, which shows how versatile this profession is.

Within the Central Continent Team, Zheng Zha is undoubtedly the top melee DPS, ranking among the best in the entire God Space. Yang Yun initially pretended to be a healer, but after completing the "Overload" development, he also became a melee specialist. Cheng Xiao has been skilled in boxing since joining the Central Continent Team, and later became a martial arts practitioner who cultivates both internal energy and fighting spirit. Zhao Yingkong's style is more like a reckless warrior with a full build of Battle Fury, Desolator, and Black King Bar, charging in head-on as soon as her skills are activated, rather than an assassin... Even the damage dealers, Overlord and the Mechanic Luo Gandao, prefer melee combat in their daily battles.

However, the situation of the Arctic team is completely different from that of the Central Continent team. If we exclude Sterry, who is far from mature and basically useless, and who is not on the same side as Chu Hao at this time, as well as the all-rounder Nian Xikong, the one in the team who is best at close combat is actually Chu Hao, who is an arcanist... Without a front line to hold the line, the back line cannot exert its full strength, which explains why the Arctic team is having such a hard time in battle.

"...How could I not know?"

Upon hearing Yang Yun's question, Chu Hao rubbed his temples, showing no signs of embarrassment.

In fact, Chu Hao had long been aware of the inherent flaws in the current North Ice Continent team's roster. The reason he went to such lengths, employing both strategy and deception, to bring thousands of dwarves from the distant Blue Mountains, was to compensate for the lack of melee fighters, allowing the team members to unleash their full potential and avoid exposing their weaknesses: "If J and Ares were still here, they..."

J, a real-world underworld boxing champion, exchanged for a B-grade advanced internal energy enhancement, giving him the strength to unlock the first-tier gene lock. At the very least, he was absolutely qualified as a melee front-line fighter. Ares, on the other hand, exchanged for the bloodline of a necromancer from Diablo II. His sub-giant skeleton, possessing second-tier strength, was an excellent front-line tank, allowing Zhang Heng and Chu Hao to unleash their full potential.

Of these two, one had already died in the Alien vs. Predator mission world, becoming the aliens' meal while covering Chu Hao's mission; the other, due to Chu Hao's foolish decision, tragically perished in the Terminator's apocalypse, never surviving to see the dawn of hope...

Thinking of his former comrades, Chu Hao's eyes dimmed considerably. But the past is the past, and dwelling on memories would only weaken him. Besides, Chu Hao didn't want to talk about it anymore, so he shook his head and said, "The flaws in the team's configuration and formation were indeed my mistake, so I will try to find a way to solve these problems."

"Hmm, it seems that's what I thought. Because of the previous deaths, the team is incomplete or something."

Unfortunately, Yang Yun was not someone who could be easily fooled; he immediately saw through the truth that Chu Hao was hiding.

In fact, it's not difficult to see this. After all, the mental controller of a mature reincarnation team should not be a novice with virtually no combat experience: "And judging from your current situation, it seems you haven't experienced a horror movie where you can revive your teammates?"

"……No."

When Yang Yun mentioned reviving his teammates, Chu Hao gritted his teeth, but he ultimately replied, "Although we learned about the Legend of Gods and Demons and the Resurrection Scripture from Zheng Zha, we haven't had the chance to go to that world to carry out a mission yet..."

—That's strange. Logically speaking, an ordinary reincarnation team should encounter a world where teammates can be resurrected after three to four main god missions... But judging from the exchange strength of the Arctic team, they have already experienced about eight to ten missions. How come they haven't experienced a mission world with resurrection capabilities yet?
Thinking of this, Yang Yun's gaze lingered on Chu Hao for a moment, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. This "protagonist," lacking both fortune and status, was already quite strange. Leaving aside the countless, complex causal threads entangled within him, this very mission world involved Fuxi's schemes. And those seemingly coincidental encounters might have been part of a higher-dimensional calculation… Thinking this way, even the most illogical and bizarre events seemed unsurprising.

On the other side, Chu Hao, who had initially appeared calm, was now quite unsettled. Yang Yun's words were like a pebble, splashing water in the deep pool beneath his calm exterior. The sudden silence only intensified this unease. After a moment's hesitation, Chu Hao decided to speak first. The young man exhaled a breath of stale air and went straight to the point: "Yang Yun, you're not here simply to criticize our team's personnel structure, but rather to say something... So, please speak frankly."

"Well, why don't you try this thing first to see if it works?"

Yang Yun thought for a moment, then took out a plain-looking black stone with a jagged crack in the middle from his pocket and casually tossed it into Chu Hao's hand: "If it works, the main god should give you a hint..."

"Resurrection item found: Resurrection Stone".

Just as Yang Yun said, when Chu Hao caught the stone that was casually thrown over, the God's notification sounded instantly: "You can revive the dead members of the Reincarnation Squad. Each member of the Reincarnation Squad can only be revived once using the Resurrection Stone."

When Chu Hao heard the notification from the main god, he was completely stunned. His right hand, which was holding the resurrection stone, trembled, and he was about to leap up from the ground—

"Alright, seeing how excited you are, I roughly know that this resurrection stone can still be used."

Seeing Chu Hao's agitated state as if he had suffered a stroke, Yang Yun had to press down on the former's shoulder with one hand to prevent this usually calm young man from jumping up like a rabbit: "Before you get excited, tell me what the main god's hints said?"

After calming down, Chu Hao immediately relayed all the hints from the main god that he had heard to Yang Yun like beans spilling from a bamboo tube... and Yang Yun frowned slightly after listening.

—A lot of explanation has been omitted... Is it because the rules differ between the multiverses?

Yang Yun remembered that when he obtained the Resurrection Stone in the Harry Potter world, the explanation from the Supreme God was not as simple as Chu Hao had heard. Not only did it explain in detail the corresponding restrictions and costs of resurrection, but it also specifically emphasized that the Resurrection Stone could only function properly in Godric's Hollow... But in Chu Hao's hands, these explanations and restrictions seemed to have disappeared.

"Is there any limitation to this resurrection stone?"

After calming down a bit, Chu Hao realized something was amiss... Putting everything else aside, what was the method of use? What was the cost? How exactly should he use this resurrection stone to revive his teammates?

"Don't rush. Since I've given it to you, it's for you to use."

Yang Yun glanced at Chu Hao's grip on the stone so tightly that no one could pry it open, and instantly saw through his thoughts: "However, you'd better wait until you return to the Main God Space to talk about resurrection, because this resurrection stone is something I brought from another...other world, so I don't know whether this thing is compatible with the Main God's resurrection system."

Yang Yun chuckled and brought over the information that the resurrection stone actually came from another multiverse. Although he was now fully capable of resurrecting others without relying on resurrection items, firstly, he was not a native of this multiverse, and secondly, the souls of the Reincarnation Team members should be protected by the main god, so it was difficult to entrust them to others unless absolutely necessary... In any case, the teammate that Chu Hao wanted to resurrect was only dying for the first time, so he didn't need to take action himself.

"...Sorry, I got carried away."

Chu Hao breathed a sigh of relief. As the saying goes, concern can cloud judgment; even he, overwhelmed by the joy of reviving his teammates, had momentarily lost his composure. But after calming down, his gaze towards Yang Yun was filled with gratitude: "I can't thank you enough right now. Although I have nothing to repay you with, Yang Yun, once I return to the Main God Space—"

"—No, you do, you just haven't realized it yet." Yang Yun interrupted Chu Hao before he could finish speaking.

The next moment, with Yang Yun's finger gently tapping Chu Hao's shoulder, a cyan light emanated from the young man. Although extremely faint, it was pure and flawless, as if it could purify everything, see through everything, and analyze everything...

"Sure enough, I knew all my efforts over this period of time had paid off. The protagonist of this multiverse could never be a loser who has nothing but the protagonist status... What is lost on one front is gained on another. Even without the protection of the protagonist's luck, I have another treasure by my side."

Seeing this, Yang Yun nodded in satisfaction and looked at the bewildered Chu Hao, saying, "Next, I may, no, I will inevitably face a great battle. At that time, I will borrow this treasure from you, is that alright?"

"No problem, Yang Yun, just take it!"

Feeling the heavy weight of the resurrection stone in his hand, Chu Hao, who had no idea what other "treasures" were inside his body, answered without hesitation: "In this way, it is making the best use of everything!"

"Okay, your words are enough."

Seeing that Chu Hao agreed without hesitation, Yang Yun patted the former's shoulder again, making him feel heavy: "However, I won't take your treasure for free. It would be a pity to have such a cheat as an innate spiritual treasure but not know how to use it."

"Listen up, Chu Hao, your biggest problem right now is that you don't have a mature tactical system... So on the way to the Goblin Kingdom, I'm going to teach you a technique, a combat system that can maximize your current strength and is suitable for your current state."

As he spoke, Yang Yun lowered his voice mysteriously and whispered to Chu Hao, "Have you heard of..."

"A 'rune mage'?" (End of Chapter)