A dull pain throbbed in the back of his head for an instant. Chi Yizhen’s vision flashed bright then dark—he had died yet again…
At the same time, an electronic voice sounded in his ear: [Player, this is your seventh death.]
Chi Yizhen pressed his head. The sensation of being struck was still very clear, but strangely, just like every time before, he still didn’t feel much pain. He assumed the game had lowered his pain sensitivity to prevent him from breaking down.
In this space as dark as a prison cell, Chi Yizhen asked, “How many restart chances do I have left?”
The electronic voice replied: [One.]
Chi Yizhen let out a soft hiss, silently lamenting his terrible luck.
He had originally been an ordinary law-abiding citizen who disliked going to work and socializing. His daily life consisted of making a living as a gaming streamer and video editor.
After the hype for his previous game died down, Chi Yizhen received a beta invitation for a new game called “God Cultivation Strategy.” This was a game not available on the market, and he had never seen any promotion for it. Chi Yizhen initially paid it no mind, thinking it was just another reskinned mobile game trying to trick content creators into free advertising. But when he opened the game video, he was immediately amazed by the CG graphics, which were beautiful enough to rival major 3D games from overseas. Then, with the thought of testing it out in advance for the netizens, he didn’t hesitate to create an account, customized a character according to the game instructions, and impatiently clicked “Start.”
After that… He transmigrated.
At first, he didn’t connect the transmigration with the game. He just assumed he had suddenly died from staying up late playing games and transmigrated—although this method of transmigration was already cliché, well… who cared, as long as he could continue living.
The new body had no uncomfortable aspects. Although there was no mirror, he examined himself thoroughly and discovered his arms and legs were at least twice as thick as his original self, he had eight-pack abs, and his field of vision was obviously higher—at least ten centimeters taller than before. Going from 178cm to over 188cm all at once, with his nearsightedness gone too, Chi Yizhen’s confidence swelled accordingly. After all, such a robust physique was enough for self-protection.
As a newcomer in a strange place, he didn’t dare make much noise. Chi Yizhen cautiously examined his surroundings.
At that time, the location where he transmigrated was a garden in the palace. From Chi Yizhen’s perspective, that garden had a peculiar style and covered a very large area. Chi Yizhen walked for a long time, becoming hungry and tired. Finally, he arrived at an altar in the palace. At that time, he naturally didn’t know this was an important place. Seeing food offerings on top and not a single person around, he naturally decided to steal some food to fill his stomach.
He was still very naive then, thinking that since the body he had soul-transmigrated into looked strong and the clothes were quite nice, even if he wasn’t the master of this place, he should at least be a guest or something. Being hungry and eating some food wasn’t a big deal—he could apologize and pay compensation, or at worst work to pay off the debt. It would be even better if this new world was a law-abiding society like Earth.
Then the mirror on the altar perfectly reflected the appearance of his body.
With a clang, the plate of food in Chi Yizhen’s hand dropped. The polished bronze plate rolled on the ground, clearly reflecting his dumbfounded face.
Chi Yizhen of course remembered this face, because not long ago, he had been adjusting its eyes and nose in front of a computer screen. This was the first game character he had created in that game!
What was going on? Had he transmigrated into the game?
Before Chi Yizhen could figure out how to summon the game interface, he was discovered by patrolling guards. At that time, he still thought all of this was a holographic game, so he had no reaction to those menacing guards, and then he got killed.
After death, he didn’t leave this godforsaken place, nor did he log out of the game. In the darkness, only a string of characters floated before him, meaning he hadn’t completed the prerequisite quest and couldn’t log out to return to Earth. Only by completing the prerequisite quest and earning enough points could he go back. At that moment, he clearly realized this wasn’t a game but reality, and with nothing to his name, he could only rely on this strange thing disguised as a game.
Name: Sal (randomly generated name)
Race: Human
Height: 188cm
Skills: None
Reputation: None
Points: None
Chi Yizhen: “What is the prerequisite quest?”
The electronic voice responded: “Escape your tragic fate.”
Chi Yizhen calmed down for a while, then once again selected “Start Game.”
The second playthrough began, but he didn’t return to the garden where he first arrived. Instead, he found himself at the altar with guards already charging at him with weapons raised. The shadow of death from the previous playthrough made him instinctively crouch down with his head in his hands, shouting that he was wrong and shouldn’t have stolen food. He acted like an ignorant commoner, and he truly was an ignorant commoner.
Different responses triggered different results. Those guards didn’t run him through without question like last time. Instead, they captured him and handed him over to the Captain of the Guards, Raymond.
Raymond scanned his entire body with the ring on his hand, a gesture like an exam proctor using a device to scan students for electronic equipment.
He didn’t detect anything, so Chi Yizhen was thrown into prison, and then his apparently very substantial strong body couldn’t withstand the torture. In less than half a day, he was beaten to death.
Third playthrough: time rewound again. He was already thrown into prison with torture in progress…
Fourth playthrough: congratulations! He actually survived the first day of torture.
Fifth playthrough: survived the second day of torture. Progress made, keep trying!
Sixth playthrough: already familiar with the rhythm of beatings, he skillfully avoided vital areas, leaving only some flesh wounds. Then he was taken out of prison and died under the guillotine. That rigid Raymond didn’t forget to kill him even when the church exploded.
Seventh playthrough: deciding to take the initiative, he delayed some time and informed Raymond that the church was going to explode. Raymond was dubious, then at the moment of the explosion, Chi Yizhen was struck from behind and killed. The culprit was a low-ranking soldier in the prison.
This quest was too difficult! Fortunately, he hadn’t died seven times in vain—while being beaten, he didn’t forget to gather information from the guards’ scattered words.
If this time isn’t successful, I’ll have no more chances. Chi Yizhen took several deep breaths, steeling himself mentally before saying, “Let’s begin!”
He didn’t know that as he restarted, the electronic voice silently activated another program in the dark space: [After seven trials, the player’s soul strength has been elevated and promoted to optimal state. Loading “God Cultivation Strategy”…]
****
Kingdom of Theodore, Prison.
“This damned hot weather. May the gods bless us—let’s hope nothing goes wrong today.”
At noon in July, under the scorching sun, a man stood before the gate of the gray brick prison, irritably loosening his collar.
He was a young man with blue eyes and blond hair, only twenty-five years old this year, wearing a neatly pressed black military uniform. The crisp, form-fitting cut and exquisite detailed patterns made him look tall and long-legged, quite handsome. No matter how you looked at it, this was a spirited young man. However, at this moment, Raymond’s face was clouded with an unhappy shadow.
Last week, with his family’s recommendation, he had successfully passed the assessment to become the Palace Captain of the Guards. The Kingdom of Theodore placed the greatest importance on July because this month was the birth month of the kingdom’s guardian deity, the Goddess of Four Seasons. The palace would hold month-long rituals, so July’s palace security work was the top priority of the entire year.
To pass the assessment and become Captain of the Guards, Raymond’s abilities were naturally not to be underestimated. Who knew that on the second day after he confidently took office, a little thief had infiltrated the central altar of the palace and even stolen the offerings dedicated to the Goddess of Four Seasons. That little thief was of course quickly captured, and as Captain of the Guards, Raymond bore inescapable responsibility for this. He was severely reprimanded and nearly lost his newly acquired position. He was just very puzzled—no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t figure it out. At that time, every part of the palace had strict security. He had investigated afterward, and during that time period, it should have been impossible for anyone to infiltrate the palace, yet that little thief had somehow gotten in.
“Captain, it’s time.” A guard wearing the same black military uniform but with fewer decorations on the collar walked up to him and saluted. Raymond nodded at him and said, “You can bring the person out now.”
Today was the third day since that little thief was locked in prison. This morning, Her Majesty the Queen personally ordered his execution. Raymond was appointed as the executioner. He walked out from the shadow of the wall into the bright and brilliant scorching sun, hoping this mission wouldn’t have any mishaps. If he couldn’t even execute a criminal properly, then his position as Captain of the Guards would be finished.
It’s just executing a little thief—surely I won’t be that unlucky, right! For some reason, Raymond’s heart was filled with lingering unease.
The sound of metal turning rang out. The black iron gate of the prison was opened, and two jailers escorted a young man out. The young man was tightly bound with rope, only his feet able to move freely. His white long-sleeved shirt and brown trousers were dusty and gray, and beyond that, they also bore marks of whipping and other torture. The reason they didn’t put shackles on him was because there was no need—this audacious little thief possessed no power that could threaten them.
In this land blessed by the gods, that an ordinary person without any extraordinary power could infiltrate the palace was truly an incomprehensible matter.
Raymond saw that the person had been brought out, so he turned and led the way at the front, with two guards at the very back, and the prisoner escorted in the middle.
In front of the prison gate was a wide road paved with stone slabs. On both sides were high walls built of gray brick and stone. Looking ahead along this road, at the end of the line of sight were rows of buildings, and behind the buildings, a tall tower spire. That tall tower was the largest church in the royal city. Raymond had received baptism there at both his birth and coming of age. Having encountered such bad luck just after taking office, Raymond decided to go to the temple for a prayer after executing the criminal.
“Boring, really boring.”
Just as Raymond was thinking about his next tasks, a lazy voice suddenly came from behind. He paused in his steps and looked back. “Who’s talking?”
Raymond turned his gaze to the prisoner. He hadn’t looked carefully at this little thief’s face earlier, but looking now, he discovered that not only was there no panic on this prisoner’s face about to be executed, but rather an expression of extreme boredom.
Raymond frowned. “Were you just talking?”
The prisoner looked up at him, his tone quite arrogant. “What do you think?”
Raymond’s frown deepened. This prisoner wasn’t ugly or wretched-looking. On the contrary, he had quite a handsome face with very distinctive black eyes that were now studying him while accurately and unmistakably uttering his name. “Raymond Herbert.”
Raymond felt that the vague unease in his heart had finally settled. Yes, how could it be such a coincidence that a little thief infiltrated on the second day of his appointment? Someone must have deliberately arranged this to sabotage his work! Who was it, or rather, which faction was targeting the Herbert family?
Suspecting there were enemy spies among them, Raymond made the others stand far away. He wanted to interrogate him alone. “As long as you honestly confess who sent you, I can request that your execution be postponed.” This was an order personally issued by the Queen—canceling it once was impossible, but he could apply for a postponement. As long as this person provided enough value, perhaps the Queen would change her mind.
Hearing this, the prisoner showed a surprised expression, then slightly curved his lips into a smile. At this moment, he didn’t look like a little thief who had snuck into the palace to steal offerings. He spoke, “So you think I’m afraid of the death penalty?”
Raymond was puzzled. “Aren’t you?” In his view, this prisoner who was strange in every way had endured two days and nights of torture but now took the initiative to speak. Wasn’t it because the death penalty was imminent but the rescue he was waiting for hadn’t come?
Chi Yizhen: “No, I’m purely finding it boring. Too boring.” Raymond, please understand—I really don’t want to be a riddler, but right now I need to pretend to be strong, and I must reasonably explain why a strong person would willingly endure two days of torture. I can only attribute it to the strong person wanting to play a game, and you’re all part of the game now.
Raymond indeed frowned. “What’s boring?”
The prisoner looked up at the sky. “This game is too boring. If I’d known it would be this kind of monotonous, dull ending, I wouldn’t have played.”
Raymond looked at him in bewilderment. “What game?”
His inquiry seemed to spark the other’s interest. This prisoner looked at him again, then suddenly closed his eyes but continued speaking, “Walk ten steps forward and turn a corner—there’s a guillotine. You want to execute me there. Ha, I see a little bird relieved itself on the guillotine. You’re too disrespectful, actually wanting me to die in such a filthy place.”
The execution site was indeed not far ahead. There was indeed a guillotine there, and when the time came, the guillotine blade would fall and separate this little thief’s head from his body.
That there was a guillotine in front of the prison was common knowledge. It wasn’t strange that this prisoner whose identity couldn’t be verified could mention it. What Raymond found odd was how he knew a bird had relieved itself on it. No, that guillotine was placed in the open air—having a bird pass by and relieve itself wasn’t particularly strange either.
Raymond saw that this prisoner only knew how to talk nonsense without revealing any important information. Plus, the time for execution was approaching, so he finally lost patience and escorted him to the guillotine.
Because this month was the Divine Birth Month, the capital had to be cleaned from top to bottom. The guillotine naturally wasn’t spared. When they walked to the front of the guillotine, the sharply polished blade was reflecting brilliant white light in the sunlight.
What filth and bird droppings—this prisoner had clearly been talking nonsense.
Raymond was somewhat disappointed. Even at this point, this prisoner still hadn’t revealed any useful intelligence. Either his backbone was very hard and he’d rather die than leak the secret of the person behind him, or he was just a lucky little thief who was only discovered when stealing the offerings. Whether it was the former or the latter, he couldn’t possibly get anything of value from this prisoner anymore.
Just as he was thinking this, with a splat, a glob of bird droppings fell from the sky and smashed onto the guillotine blade.
Raymond paused slightly, suddenly remembering how the prisoner had spoken with closed eyes earlier. He really didn’t want to admit it, but at that time, the other’s posture and expression were extremely similar to those high and mighty priests in the temple.
No way! This should just be a coincidence. What extraordinary being with precognitive abilities would run into the palace to steal offerings?
As Raymond pondered, those two jailers had already pushed the prisoner onto the guillotine.
The prisoner frowned. “You really want me to die in such a filthy place? But I suddenly don’t want to die now.”
Those two jailers didn’t have Raymond’s patience. They reached out to push him toward the guillotine blade. However, this prisoner seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Just as they raised their hands, he had already leisurely taken a step forward, and the two jailers immediately pushed at empty air.
The prisoner stood on the guillotine platform, turned his head to glance at that distant tall tower, squinted against the scorching sun, and muttered to himself, “With such high temperature, it must burn easily, right!”
What was he talking about? Before anyone could make sense of it, Raymond suddenly saw the prisoner’s mouth open slightly, letting out an onomatopoeic sound of an explosion: “Boom.”
The next moment, a more violent, deafening explosion suddenly erupted. Everyone was startled. Raymond sharply looked toward the source of the sound and saw that the distant tall tower had already caught fire. Black smoke continuously poured out from the tower top. His pupils dilated. He looked back at the prisoner in disbelief. “What did you do?”
But the prisoner only slightly curved his lips into what looked like a mocking smile, then spoke again, letting out another onomatopoeic sound of an explosion.
Boom! This time it was the buildings surrounding the tall tower. The aftermath of the explosion pushed up an even higher wave of heat, accompanied by people’s screams and panic. The flames were like a man-eating beast, brazenly climbing higher and higher under the scorching sun. Raymond shouted, “Quick, quickly dispatch people to support the temple and rescue the civilians!” The prison guards immediately rushed toward the temple.
As for himself, he drew his saber and pointed it at the prisoner. “Who exactly are you?”
The two jailers standing behind the prisoner also retreated several steps in vigilance and fear.
But the prisoner just stared at them for a while, his expression thoughtful. “This game is finally getting interesting.” At the same time, the rope binding him snapped with a crack.
Right in front of them, the prisoner rubbed his wrists, shifting his gaze from them to the northeast direction—exactly where the royal palace was located. “If that place also explodes, this game should become even more interesting, right!”
Alarm bells rang in Raymond’s heart. Seeing that he was about to make that mouth shape again, he immediately slashed at him with his blade. It missed.
Raymond froze. His swordsmanship was already considered divine in others’ mouths—how could he miss?