As a player, can you be normal?

Chapter 728 A New Beginning, A Real End
"Karl!"

Angel spoke in a flustered tone with a cold expression, as always.

"Players 5900 and 5950 are leaving!"

"know."

His Majesty the King is playing Civilization and is now manipulating his loyal people to destroy the wicked Queen Victoria.

"I'll fuck that old bitch to death."

"Karl!"

"understood!"

The king, sitting in his computer chair, slowly turned to the side and looked at Angel listlessly.

"It's their choice to leave, I can't stop them, can I? Besides, Player 5900 is a comic artist, so they should already have their own storyline. Who knows, they might create a lot of new achievements for us after they leave."

The more the king thought about it, the happier he became.

"Heh~ In that case, my targets for the next few years are settled."

“But the next script… the script from the World Tree side…” That’s what Angel is worried about.

“I guess he’ll appear as a summoned beast, don’t worry about it.” The king paused and said, “Besides, the next scenario they’re going to face won’t be their turn to be the leaders. As long as Lillian and her gang are still around, we won’t be last.”

After hearing this, Angel sat down on the sofa in the room and looked out the window helplessly.

“Karl, as a manager, doesn’t he have much freedom either?”

"Ok?"

“Every day we worry about the World Tree’s performance. If we don’t meet the targets, we could be wiped out. Even though we manage so many worlds, we can’t see into every corner of them. We can’t even set foot in the real world. Sometimes we can’t even find a place to relax.”

“Angel, we are just players who manage players. Don’t think of yourselves as gods. There are no gods in this world.”

Angel walked to the window, looked at the quiet Basel skyline outside, and reminisced about the past.

“A thousand years ago, if you hadn’t provoked ‘Redemption’ for my sake, you would probably be living happily in some world like Tia now.”

The king recalled past events.

That was a thousand years ago in the "Endless Corridor" timeline.

Karl Elimond, a player from the "Corridor of the End," killed the administrator on the stage of "Eternal End," one of the main worlds of the "Corridor of Redemption."

"At that time, the system gave me two choices: either take over 'redemption' and build a new corridor, or take the power and choose a world to be reborn as a human."

The king scratched his head and let out an awkward laugh.

"If it weren't for you, I would have chosen to be reborn as a human."

Angel, a staff member of the "Redemption Corridor," is a semi-android. When a new corridor replaced the old one, the "Endless Corridor" might not exist today without her management experience.

During the exchange following the intense conflict between the old and new corridors, due to the intervention of the World Tree, some players will lose their memories of the old corridor, and the staff will be formatted and re-factoryed as new entities.

But Angel, as a descendant of the previous dynasty, will always remember everything about the "Corridor of Redemption".

The five main world corridors now represent the following categories: horror and eeriness (death), humor and leisure (endless), technology and combat (immortality), fantasy continent (emptiness), and miscellaneous (the end).

There was no humorous or relaxing corridor back then.

The style represented by Redemption is "apocalyptic".

If Karl Elimond, who defeated "Redemption," had directly taken over "Redemption," it would have been the simplest start, but in that case, Angel would have been taken back by the World Tree.

Therefore, he designated the three "main worlds" he had the deepest contact with as the new world and turned them into the "endless corridor" with a "funny and relaxing" feel.

As for the original "Apocalypse," it was thrown into the unfortunate "Corridor of the End"—a huge, unfortunate melting pot.

Angel's head was spinning as he thought about all this.

"So Karl, it's been a thousand years, won't you confess your feelings at all?"

"Huh? No, I didn't mean that."

As soon as he finished speaking, Angel leaned back, his eyes becoming strange. The king saw an uncontrollable rage in Angel's eyes.

"Angel, calm down, Basel is doomed..."

"I've been misunderstanding for a thousand years...?"

"What did you say?! Who would consider that? As a manager, I just live one day at a time. Who knows, I might be fired next month! I don't have time to think about these things!"

"Stop nagging! Don't you have time to play Civilization?"

"Nonsense, this is Civilization!"

"Karl! You bastard!"

The sun was stronger than usual in Basel that day.

……

Li Nuo pulled Cha Bai out of the car.

After a flash of white light.

They appeared above the clouds. Cha Bai swung the hammer, sat on it, and pulled Li Nuo up. The two broke through the clouds and descended, the blue sea reflected in their pupils.

sky.

Ocean.

Warm wind.

Icarus.

"It seems pretty reliable."

Li Nuonian read out the train tickets that the staff had rushed to produce.

As usual, the panel related to the world view appears.

……

A thousand years ago, the goddess sent the wind to this world.

Humans have mastered the magic of the wind.

Wind power brought about a technological revolution, and war brought about a historical leap. Gears, steam, mining capabilities—everything is now in human hands.

Excavators are spreading underground.

[The floating stone carries the island into the sky]

That technology was hailed as: Icarus

The great Icarus forged the pinnacle of wisdom, leading us to the heavens.

……

History rises and falls, cycles repeat themselves.

The great Icarus has finally fallen, and we can only return to the ground and begin a new cycle of evolution.

……

Until that day, the root of evolution appeared before our eyes.

The progenitor made a new choice for the world.

We are no longer bound by the dust of history.

So what we need to do next is to explore this world thoroughly.

……

Main Quest: Become the world's number one comic artist

[Mission Details: This is the staff office of "Endless Corridor". We are deeply saddened by your departure, so on behalf of the natives of Basel and the players, we offer our final blessings to player 5900.]

[Player 5900, we'll fuck your ancestors! Hahahaha! Get lost!]

……

Li Nuo looked at Cha Bai very seriously.

"Since we can get more tickets, how about we go back?"

"Forget it~"

Cha Bai laughed and joked, covering his hat, and sped up on his hammer.

"I can sense Dolores's presence."

The magical girl rode her hammer at high speed through the air. Li Nuo put his arm around her waist and sat on the hammer handle. While he was there, he glanced at the equipment that Marger had modified for him.

The pistol, Maggie, incorporates the Ivory Barrel given to it by Dante.

Maggie +23

[Quality: Epic]

[Demon Hunter Pistol, can hold 12 rounds (the transformable Dragon Strike Cannon form has been removed)]

[Effect 1: The first bullet ignores the target's identity and forcibly reduces their health by 20%. Other buffs cannot be applied. Cooldown time: 48 hours]

[Effect 2: Bullets can penetrate walls, can be enchanted, and when charged, all bullets fired are "mercury bullets"]

[Effect 3: Consumes 10% of the user's life force to fire a "Baptismal Mercury Bullet"]

Effect 4: "White Ivory Barrel" effect, deals an additional 60% critical damage to "Demon" type enemies, and an additional 30% increased damage to "Evil" type or spirit type creatures.

[Effect 5: "White Ivory Barrel" effect, does not consume mana]

[Brief description: From "The Royal Order of the Knights"]

Not consuming magic power is important to him.

After all, magic power needs to be injected every time "mercury bullets" are used.

This is equivalent to effect 5 canceling out effect 2.

Another item that has been modified is the walking stick.

The affixes were washed with World Core Fragments, and with all the affixes of the +30 weapon recombined, the staff still looks cheap, but it has been completely transformed.

[Sinner's Cane MAX]

[Quality: Epic]

[Equipment Requirements: Reaction 300, Low Health]

[Effect 1: Deals "true damage" to all spirits and demonic creatures]

[Effect 2: After killing a target, absorb 50% of the target's mana]

[Effect 3: There is a chance that blocking will cause "shield parry"]

【Effect 4: Combo attacks accumulate red light on the weapon. When the accumulated amount reaches a threshold, the Red Blade is activated】

Crimson Blade Release: Deals massive blood explosion damage, increases damage by 20%, increases attack range by 0.5 meters, and has a release time of 30 seconds.

Crimson Blade Explosion: A charged attack that deals 100% critical hit chance and 300% critical hit damage to a single target, and also inflicts shield-breaking damage. The red blade disappears after use. [Effect 5: Randomly activates one attack spell (an ability from the "Legendary Staff")]

[Effect 6: After enchanting, attribute penetration is increased by 95%]

【Effect 7: Spatial destruction property, ignores spatial defense capabilities】

[Effect 8: Boosted by the "Low Health" trait, the lower the health, the higher the staff's attack power, with the maximum amount based on the user's attack power.]

[Brief Description: Player 5900's exclusive weapon]

This walking stick can now be considered a complete success.

In the last dungeon, Cha Bai tested the [Zero-Type Axe and Hammer MAX] and found that it could not use the true effect of +30 equipment when the level was not up to lv99.

So when he came, Li Nuo stuffed two "magic candies" into the box, his last act of squeezing Wenk dry.

The weapon case also underwent a final change.

The turtle shell of Master Roshi has been incorporated into the box.

The current box has a large black shield with the special attribute "Absolute Defense".

"Li Nuo, found it."

Cha Bai's voice rose.

Li Nuo looked over with the wind.

Not far away.

An empty little airship crashed into the sea.

Li Nuo pointed to the location of the airship and said, "We were on that airship when we left last time."

"Found it!" Cha Bai couldn't contain her joy.

She saw Dolos's large airship floating on the sea.

Time in this world has stopped at the moment they left.

They left behind a large amount of treasure, which prevented the large airship from taking off.

Meanwhile, Dolos and her air pirates were still in the process of sending off Li Nuo and his companions and were currently cleaning up the treasures.

Her mentally challenged son was polishing a gemstone, his eyes somewhat vacant.

"Mom, will those three people be alright?"

Dolos crossed her arms and laughed loudly a few times, this strong old woman who could transform into a beautiful young woman.

"Hahaha, idiot! The world isn't that big. As long as you keep flying in the sky, you'll meet again sooner or later..."

"Dolos!"

Dolos was surprised to hear Cha Bai's voice. As soon as he turned around, Cha Bai pounced on him from the air!

boom!
Amidst the scattered gold coins and gems, Cha Bai held Dolos in her arms, and the old woman trembled as if she had been electrocuted.

Her mentally challenged sons stood there, stunned.

"Is Mom dead?"

Li Nuo jumped from a great height while holding a hammer.

Cha Bai cried out anxiously, "Dolos is dead!"

"Idiot!" Li Nuo covered her face and stomped her feet. "Have you forgotten your own weight?"

"I forgot!" Cha Bai quickly cast a healing spell on her.

A moment later, Dolos sat on the gold coin, clutching his ribs and panting heavily, saying, "How many ribs did you break...? How did you get back?"

Cha Bai removed her blindfold and hat, revealing her hair styled in a bun and the hairpin she had given her.

She smiled like a child eager to claim credit.

"Dolos, what do you think of my hairstyle?"

Dolos was stunned for a moment. The two silver hairpins on Cha Bai's white hair seemed to have gone through something. Cha Bai's mechanical hand on her left arm had also changed. Her figure seemed to have changed as well. Of course, her clothes were different from when she left. Her skin was better than before, and her face was fuller and happier than before.

Dolos understood.

Then the old woman smiled kindly.

"It's beautifully crafted."

"Hmm~"

"So," Dolos said, looking at Li Nuo, "you two have been through a lot, haven't you?"

The mentally challenged son said, "Mom, did you get stupid? They just got back."

Li Nuo chimed in, "Yeah, you've been knocked silly."

Dolos: "You're not leaving this time?"

“I think… we shouldn’t leave.” Li Nuo glanced at Cha Bai’s back; she rarely seemed this happy, so he changed his mind: “Yes, we shouldn’t leave.”

Dolos's foolish sons celebrated joyfully.

"We have a strategist! We can conquer all the world's treasures!"

"Idiot, there's no way there could be all the treasures. The world is vast!"

"Where is that silly boy?" Dolos asked Marger.

“Him?” Li Nuo said with dead fish eyes, “Never mind him, he’s doing just fine anyway.”

A warm breeze blew across the sea.

Li Nuo turned her head to the side, the wind blowing her hair curtains, her silver eyes quietly gazing at the sea.

ended……

He felt a little empty inside.

High-level players, higher-dimensional beings—all vanished like smoke. From now on… being a sky pirate in Cha Bai's world, living until the end of the world, and then going through the cycle of life again—that wouldn't be bad.

He was never the kind of person who insisted on standing at the top; essentially, he was just an unambitious cartoonist.

Li Nuo took out the two tickets that said goodbye to the past.

He took out his screenwriter's pen, leaned against the airship's door, and in a quiet, undisturbed corner, silently wrote down the words he had long awaited.

[Signature (Player ID), How long have you been a native in this world?]

"Player 5900".

"Player 5950".

Li Nuo wrote down both tickets together.

"Died peacefully in his sleep."

Are you willing to give up everything you have now?

In that case, you will become a native of "Icarus".

The two tickets turned into smoke in my hand and disappeared into the air with the sea breeze.

……

Countless tombstones stand in the vast fields surrounding the World Tree.

Each tombstone is engraved with a player's name.

The tombstones named "Endless Corridor Player 5900" and "Player 5950" have been turned into blank pages.

At the same time, in the leaves of the World Tree.

The fresh fruit has grown.

At first glance, it looks just like an apple, bright red, hidden among the leaves.

The story drawn by the cartoonist, "Bai Jie vs. Cthulhu," which begins with "Shao Hong" and "Johannesson," splits off from the world of Cairo.

The universe signed Li Nuo appears here.

The world and life he changed merged with it, becoming nourishment injected into the tree trunk.

Then, new branches take shape, emerging bare from the dense foliage.

There is only one fruit on this branch.

Beneath the tree, a panel drifted by, unseen by anyone.

【Creator IP "Li Nuo"】

The first fruit has been formed, the first branch has been formed, now... collect memory fragments.

Inside a dark little house hidden in the tree trunk.

The computer screen was flashing the content shown above.

The black market businessman sat in front of his computer.

Quietly watching the data and text scrolling across the screen.

[Sifting through memory fragments]

The first fruit begins with the location of the IP address.

Parallel World Zone 021

[Date: April 1st]

[The "Fate Corrector" is recording the beginning chapter of this timeline.]

The shady businessman clicked on the folder and opened "Li Nuo's Room".

[Li Nuo's Room: Chapter 1, I Tried and Fell...]

He dragged the contents of this chapter into the background files.

[This content is currently collecting memory fragments... Unable to load content]

[File dragger detected, Black Merchant, ID 0201. Your actions will damage the content. Forced execution, erasure of existence.]

The black-market businessman removed his mask and entered the first chapter of "Li Nuo's Room".

It's December 4nd.

Li Nuo is not home.

He walked to a spot in the house and heard a voice say, "Your identity is not allowed to linger in this area. You will be teleported away in three seconds."

He wasn't in a hurry; he simply pushed a table away a little.

Then they disappeared here.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

(End of this chapter)