Volume 4, Chapter 81 – I Believe In My Only Truth

Subworld has been the center of heated debate among the vast player base ever since it launched.

Setting aside how its world is simulated to a degree almost indistinguishable from reality, just the NPCs in Subworld alone have intelligence levels that shoot through the roof.

Unlike the NPCs in other virtual games, who only stiffly follow pre-set programs, just about every NPC in Subworld possesses intelligence virtually no different from a real person.

That is where Subworld completely crushes other virtual games.

Of course, Subworld also has its mysterious aspects, though we are not going into those mysteries here.

What is worth mentioning is how Subworld positions its players.

In previous virtual reality games, as time went on, the player base, as consumers, would gradually become the boss-like existence within the game world.

You could say that in other virtual games, players pretty much enjoyed main-character treatment.

However, in Subworld, the players’ position is extremely awkward.

First, the NPCs, whose intelligence is indistinguishable from real people, are naturally unfriendly toward those players.

Second is the pitfall-ridden Attribute Template tier system of this game.

Just these two points alone make players have very little presence in the Subworld.

Take the Graveyard invasion war as an example. The players did make some contribution in that war, yet whether from the perspective of the Graveyard or the Seven Great Factions, their impact was almost negligible.

Because of the ridiculous tier restrictions, the vast majority of players had trouble even dealing with ordinary NPC grunts.

Precisely because of this, the player base in Subworld both loved and hated this game.

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They loved the mystery of Subworld and its realism that set it apart from other games.

They hated Subworld’s difficulty, which could be called unprecedented in gaming history.

After all, apart from those endlessly respawning wild monsters you could bully wherever you went, players in Subworld had to walk on eggshells and did not dare carelessly offend any NPC.

And in the Kingdom Faction, where the majority of players gathered, something earth-shattering happened today.

The Throne-tier Holy King of Knights of the Kingdom Faction was going to choose the next successor. The selection criteria were that as long as you were recommended internally by the Paladins, you could enter the candidate list, and from there, the Holy King of Knights would personally choose the successor.

Of course, to players, that was just something to watch for fun, hardly an earth-shattering event.

Yet the reason this matter became earth-shattering did exist.

Because…

On the list of candidates to become the Holy King of Knights, among those highly respected Legendary Paladins with deep seniority, there unexpectedly appeared the name of an ordinary player.

Yunchou.

Yes, it was precisely because a player name appeared on the candidate list that players, who had originally had zero interest in this matter, exploded in an instant.

“Wow, wow, God Yunchou, carry me, please!”

“So savage, can I ask how God Yunchou managed to squeeze onto the candidate list?”

“My admiration for God Yunchou flows on without end like a mighty river!”

“First Throne-tier among players goes to you, God Yunchou, go for it. Beat those emotionless data NPCs!”

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On the game forum, posts worshipping Yunchou for making it onto the list of candidates almost instantly took over the hot topics.

Not only that, the ID “Yunchou” spread through the player base at once, and his popularity quickly caught up to other already famous players.

You could say Yunchou had been a completely unremarkable player before this, but now Yunchou had become famous in a single battle, astounding everyone.

Right now, in the capital of the Storm Kingdom within the Kingdom Faction, the delicate-looking youth called Yunchou, who was at the center of all this buzz, was discussing the matter of inheriting the power of the Holy King of Knights with the King of the Storm Kingdom.

“After my behind-the-scenes maneuvering, you have successfully appeared on the list of candidates, but from here on, I cannot help you any further.”

The Storm King stared at Yunchou with a grave expression, his voice incomparably imposing.

“Understood.”

Yunchou smiled faintly, as if he already held the victory in his hands.

“Those stubborn Legendary Paladins who refuse to adapt are nothing to worry about. The only one I actually care about is the King of Knights.”

“King of Knights?”

The Storm King asked back with a puzzled look.

“That’s right, the King of Knights.”

Letting out a low hum, the smile on Yunchou’s face slowly drew back.

“When I appeared on the list of candidates, the King of Knights would definitely take note of me, this outsider. So the King of Knights is a variable.”

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“Because a righteous King of Knights will never allow an outsider like me, whose background is unknown and who has no seniority, to inherit his Throne-tier power.”

Yunchou’s words left the Storm King sinking into deep confusion.

“You mean the King of Knights is absolutely not going to hand the Throne-tier power to you?”

“Correct.”

Yunchou nodded with a very serious look.

“You dare play me?”

Seeing Yunchou admit it so directly, the Storm King’s eyes went wide, his expression one of intense anger.

“Relax, I am not finished yet~”

Faced with the Storm King looking ready to turn hostile, Yunchou remained utterly calm.

“What I mean is that if we follow the normal election process, someone like me, an outsider, has no way to inherit the Throne-tier power of the King of Knights.”

“But I never said we had to follow the normal process.”

At this point, Yunchou’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“As long as we turn passive into active, and turn disadvantage into advantage, when the situation tilts in our favor, the King of Knights will have no choice but to hand his power over to me.”

Even the Storm King, a master schemer himself, could not help feeling a sense of fear toward Yunchou, who still radiated absolute confidence before him.

If not for the fact that Yunchou was an outsider and could revive indefinitely, someone who acted as if everything was firmly within his grasp like this

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The Storm King would have killed him long ago.

Yet precisely because Yunchou was an outsider and could revive indefinitely, the Storm King felt that cooperating with someone like him was far more cost-effective than making him an enemy.

“So what is your plan?”

Seeing that Yunchou already had his own plan and still looked utterly confident, the Storm King felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

“A plan?”

Yunchou smiled lightly, then stood up.

“Unfortunately, I cannot tell you the plan. This time, the plan concerns whether I can seize the Throne-tier power, so the fewer people who know, the better.”

“Yunchou, I have helped you so much, and you still do not trust me?”

“Of course I trust you.”

With his back to the Storm King, whose expression had turned rather unpleasant, Yunchou answered carelessly.

“I trust you, but the one I trust the most is actually only myself.”

“Because this is the only truth I have distilled from countless failures.”

Paying no attention at all to the Storm King behind him whose face had turned as dark as could be, Yunchou left without so much as a backward glance.