Thriller Paradise Chapter 166: The Protagonist Strikes Back (XI) - Novel Cool

Chapter 166: The Protagonist Strikes Back (XI)

Chapter 166: The Protagonist Strikes Back (XI)

The movements of Copernicus and Galileo were indeed beyond what an ordinary level 8 player could achieve. As they advanced across flat terrain, they gave the impression of gliding over water on lotus petals—reminiscent of the “light kung fu” seen in legendary tales. From a gaming perspective, this was the result of overlapping passive skills creating an astonishing visual effect.

The two mini-bosses bursting from the forest were grotesque abominations, their bodies stitched together from corpse fragments into vaguely humanoid shapes. Their appearance was a grotesque fusion of revulsion and horror, though their strength was unremarkable. Any of the six players in this scenario—excluding the Gms—could solo one of these creatures without much trouble, albeit at a cost.

Blades flashed like icy lightning, their figures taut as drawn bows.

Copernicus and Galileo wielded identical weapons and combat abilities, their timing perfectly synchronized. They both knew the monster data intimately, confident that a single strike would cripple their foes, with three moves max needed to finish the battle.

But…as they struck, an unexpected twist unfolded.

The mini-bosses didn’t suddenly grow stronger—they dropped dead for no apparent reason. Only the Gms realized the truth: the monsters had inexplicably perished the instant before the attacks landed. When the blades hit, the creatures were already lifeless husks, their bodies propelled forward only by momentum.

Imagine a hulking brute charging at you with a brick, then collapsing mid-charge from a sudden heart attack—right as he reached you.

The Gms and Feng Bu Jue remained oblivious to the real cause. To all appearances, Galileo and Copernicus had simply dispatched the monsters with two swift strikes.

The three Order members caught up quickly, with Yongzhe Wudi exclaiming, “What’s going on?! You two are Gms too, aren’t you?!”

“This isn’t right…those monsters didn’t die by our hands,” Galileo muttered, already opening the GM menu to check. His expression darkened.

Meanwhile, the environment around the players shifted. The illusions vanished, revealing the forest in its normal state. A glance at the terrain showed they were already close to the farmlands at the mountain’s base.

Feng Bu Jue reacted instantly, turning to Copernicus. “The ritual array’s failed, hasn’t it?”

“Why are you asking me? How should I kn—” Copernicus began, only to be cut off.

Feng Bu Jue pressed, “Why did it fail?”

“Exactly! Why do you keep asking me?!” Copernicus snapped, clearly annoyed.

“Because you’re a reconnaissance proficiency,” Feng Bu Jue replied matter-of-factly. “Does your ‘reconnaissance proficiency’ mean you’re supposed to know everything?”

“Fine, I’ll rephrase then,” Feng Bu Jue said, his demeanor shifting abruptly from flippant to intense. The playful banter ended. His eyes burned with fervor, yet his expression remained calm and confident. “Was this the work of a derivative being?”

“Huh?” Meng Jing Chan spat out a mouthful of beer.

Order had some internal intel on derivative beings, though it was scarce. Beyond confirming their existence, only a handful of encounters had yielded minimal data. Ye Zhi and Yongzhe Wudi, being lower-tier players, were hearing the term for the first time. But Meng Jing Chan, with his higher clearance, knew the basics: in six-player team survival mode scenarios, there was an infinitesimal chance of encountering uncontrollable data entities called derivative beings. As for their traits, scenario generation mechanics, or GM intervention protocols—Order had nothing.

Only two credible derivative being encounters existed in Order’s records. Both involved six-player squads reporting humanoid entities identifying themselves as derivative beings. These entities possessed abnormal strength and intelligence far surpassing typical scenario bosses, acting independently of the game world itself. The first encounter ended abruptly after minimal interaction, while the second allegedly resulted in a party wipe when the derivative being allied with a boss. Even this meager data was classified as high-priority.

Meng Jing Chan’s shock stemmed from hearing “Mad Bu Jue” utter the term. Could the obscure guild “Hell Front” rival Order’s information network? How many members did they have? How professional were they?

Copernicus and Galileo’s expressions were priceless. If Meng Jing Chan was stunned, the two Gms were even more so.

“What…did you just say?” Galileo feigned ignorance.

“Need me to clarify?” Feng Bu Jue countered. “Gentlemen, check your GM menus. Did the sudden collapse of the ritual arrays relate to derivative beings?”

The three Order members stared at the Gms like they were monsters, then at Feng Bu Jue like he was a super-monster. The information overload and tense atmosphere left them speechless.

The Gms exchanged glances. Galileo finally chuckled. “After this scenario, you’ll need to talk with our superiors.”

“Let’s focus on the current issue,” Feng Bu Jue insisted. “When the illusion faded, I used Know Your Enemy again—” since the Gms knew players’ skills, he saw no need for subtlety. “It revealed nothing. Can I assume a derivative being eliminated the boss?”

“Resentment Well still exists but lacks power,” Galileo replied. “The same goes for the other three ritual arrays on the mountain. They all lost their strength simultaneously.”

“Simultaneously?” Feng Bu Jue paused. “Setting aside the possibility of four derivative beings coordinating, the problem likely lies with the source of their power.”

“There is another method to sever Resentment Well’s power,” Copernicus added. “Not just destroying the ritual arrays—it would be more accurate to call it annihilation.”

Galileo continued, “The Basis Flag data shows a true boss named Wayiru. He isn’t on this map, and we can’t view his stats. We know that if fewer than three ritual arrays are destroyed before jumping into Resentment Well, the boss appears. My guess is a derivative being entered the other side of Resentment Well and eliminated Wayiru, severing the power source for all ritual arrays on our side.” He’d finally resolved his earlier confusion about the derivative being’s fluctuating coordinates—the entity had likely shifted to the parallel world.

“Then a question arises,” Feng Bu Jue said. “Why haven’t we completed the scenario yet?”

“…That, we don’t know,” Galileo admitted.

Copernicus speculated, “It might relate to the main quest. The current objective is still ‘Enter the mountain and locate the Abandoned Shrine.’ We may not have triggered the next Flag. Destroying any one of the three mountain ritual arrays updates the main quest to ‘Destroy four Soul-Grasping Formations and seal Resentment Well’s power.’ Defeating the true boss changes it to ‘Eliminate Wayiru.’ But now…we haven’t triggered either. The ritual arrays lost power before any of that.” His eyes flicked as he checked the GM menu mid-sentence.

“So the main quest is stuck at the first step, huh…” Feng Bu Jue murmured, “Interesting… If this reasoning is correct, even the true Boss has already fallen. That means there are no remaining Flags in the scenario that can advance the main quest progression. How are we supposed to complete it then?”

“Since you seem to know so much,” Copernicus replied, “perhaps we should all just speak plainly.” He then turned to the three members of Order. “We ask that you four players withdraw from the scenario directly.”

“What’s this now?” Yongzhe Wudi retorted. “You three have been babbling about some incomprehensible nonsense, and now you want us to quit? Voluntary withdrawal mid-scenario will incur a time penalty that prevents us from queuing up again! Not to mention there won’t be any rewards at all. For us, this loss is even worse than a party wipe!”

“Apologies, but under the current circumstances, this scenario is essentially a Bug. The conditions for completion can no longer be met,” Galileo explained. “As Mr. Feng said, the main quest is stuck, and we’re powerless to resolve it.”

Feng Bu Jue, sensing Yongzhe Wudi might not grasp the concept, added with a supplementary analogy: “It’s like the Li Xiao Yao Sect had just left Yuhang Town in the classic game, only for the Lord of the Moon Worshippers to be suddenly gunned down by an alien wielding antimatter weaponry during a fly-by of Earth. Even if you keep playing, there’s no way to clear the level.”

Copernicus continued, “We still have work to do—dealing with derivative beings. If you stay, you’ll waste time even if you survive. Eventually, you’ll still have to withdraw voluntarily.” He knew he couldn’t spin this into a player liability anymore, so he recited the company’s emergency script: “As for your time penalties, since this is a system error, the company will compensate you. We’ll report this incident to our superiors once we’re done handling it. Relevant personnel will contact you all to propose a resolution. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied.”

Ye Zhi asked, “Since you’re Gms, can’t you explain to us now—what exactly is a derivative being?”

“Hmm… apologies, but we’re not authorized to disclose that information,” Galileo replied.

Ye Zhi’s next move mirrored Feng Bu Jue’s earlier ten-point strategy against Pan Fenghua Xiong: “You know we’re members of Order, right?” she pressed aggressively. “With our studio’s credibility, if we publish details of today’s incident on our official website—”

“That’s certainly within your freedom,” Galileo replied, unfazed. “The company will issue appropriate responses and explanations.” He spoke confidently because, after Feng Bu Jue’s encounter with Pan Fenghua Xiong, the company had already drafted new protocols for Gms to follow if exposed. Facing Ye Zhi’s threat, this scripted answer was all he needed.

In truth, the existence of derivative beings had already been exposed long ago—though the four players present, including all major studios, remained oblivious… In fact, during the transition from Closed Beta to Open Beta, someone had already posted about “derivative beings” on the forum. But the thread vanished into the sea of posts, not even rising to the level of an “urban legend among a small group of players.” People these days rarely believed anything without proof. Who could you blame? The news broadcast? Hmph…

“Hmm… if you insist…” Ye Zhi began to argue further.

Meng Jing Chan waved her off. “Ye Zhi, threats won’t accomplish anything,” he interjected, suddenly radiating a commanding aura. Sternly addressing Copernicus and Galileo, he continued, “I can assure you both right now—Order won’t leak any information regarding Gms or derivative beings to the outside world.” His logic was clear: the fewer people who knew sensitive intelligence, the more valuable it became.

“However…” Meng Jing Chan’s tone shifted, “whether we exit the scenario now is still our freedom as players.”

Galileo caught his meaning: “If you want to engage with the derivative being, we won’t stop you.”

Copernicus shrugged with a smirk: “Let me remind you kindly—the derivative being’s strength and aggression far exceed any scenario Boss you’ve fought. Don’t complain if they kill you too quickly.”

“They just want to gather intel. Besides, getting killed avoids an active withdrawal penalty,” Feng Bu Jue chimed in. “And for the record, I also want to see this derivative being.”

“You’re after intel too?” Meng Jing Chan turned his gaze to Feng Bu Jue, asking gravely.

“I’m just a casual player with no studio burdens,” Feng Bu Jue replied. “I’m acting out of curiosity.” This sounded plausible coming from him. “Since this derivative being cost me all rewards, I at least deserve to see what the culprit looks like.”

The only derivative being Feng Bu Jue had ever encountered was X-23. He didn’t expect to meet her again—given their typical fate, Twenty-Three was likely already destroyed. The odds of encountering her here were practically zero. Thus, Feng Bu Jue assumed the entity in this scenario must be an unfamiliar Level-4 derivative being.

Driven by intense curiosity, he seized this rare chance to study another derivative being. Understanding their nature, comparing them to other AI entities, might reveal differences in their personalities or philosophies—like the unique variations among real sentient lifeforms.

“Do as you wish,” Galileo said. “But let me clarify—we’re here to destroy derivative beings, to ‘kill’ them and reduce them to data fragments. That’s our absolute priority. You may watch or gather intel if you like. We welcome assistance—but interfering is not permitted.”

The three members of Order readily agreed, while Feng Bu Jue remained silent. After a dozen seconds, he suddenly asked, “One last thing… You two… Can’t access Protagonist’s Grace, can you?”

Galileo hesitated. “That’s… right. Why do you even know this?”

“Don’t give me that look. I guessed most of it.” Feng Bu Jue replied. “Including the scenario’s first instance, Protagonist’s Grace randomly transferred three times—twice to Invincible Bro, once to Ye Zhi. Directed transfers occurred three times too—one for Invincible Bro, two for me.” He glanced at Meng Jing Chan. “The only ones who never received Protagonist’s Grace are you two Gms and… Chan Ge.”

“The term ‘player’ appears repeatedly in the scenario briefing regarding the Grace system, but one rule wasn’t mentioned: ‘When team size is two or fewer, Protagonist’s Grace disappears.’ Now that we’ve confirmed you’re Gms, the system’s exclusion of you from ‘players’ makes sense.”

“So you’re saying…” Ye Zhi followed his logic, “If this scenario had no derivative beings or Gms, just a standard team survival map, the system wouldn’t have added Protagonist’s Grace?”

“At least that’s my take,” Feng Bu Jue said. “Protagonist’s Grace is a protective mechanism the system applies based on scenario difficulty. As a system-generated effect, it persists as long as the scenario remains active—even if players are teleported.

“In a normal clear, four players leave, leaving only the two Gms. If Protagonist’s Grace still existed, it’d be unfair to derivative beings. Hence, the system simply barred Gms from acquiring it altogether.”

“What are you talking about?” Copernicus scoffed. “You’ve been watching too many sci-fi films. A quantum computer has no sentience. Even if it did, why would the system grant survival chances to trash data it’s supposed to erase?”

Feng Bu Jue smirked inwardly: Wish I knew… Maybe your higher-ups are just sadists who designed it this way.

“Hmm… Perhaps I’m overthinking,” he said aloud. “Let’s just climb the mountain. If we find the Resentment Well, we’ll find the derivative being too.”

(End of Chapter)

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