Chapter 28: The Hero’s Secret and the Designer’s Mind

Yingning’s thoughts were plainly written across her face.

Had I not gripped her sleeve tightly, she would undoubtedly have leaped into the great pit long ago.

Was there even a need to think about it?

Surely, we would pull them all out!

Why wait when such a heaven-sent opportunity, typically reserved for novel protagonists, had presented itself?

This was our chance for a complete turnaround!

All our hopes rested on these three.

“Wait!”

I had no choice but to stop Yingning, for I simply could not believe that such a fortuitous windfall could exist in this world.

Though I rarely played games and understood little about them, I understood people.

Games were created by people, game designers were people, and players, too, were people.

The intricate machinations of the human mind dictated the trajectory of any game, shaping every plotline, every system, and every choice.

Even if humans merely established the foundational parameters, leaving a highly intelligent main AI to complete the rest, the world constructed by that main AI would still invariably reflect the designers’ ultimate vision.

It was akin to assassination: if one wished to eliminate a target, knowing them inside out would grant complete control, allowing them to be dispatched simply and inexplicably.

The same principle applied to games.

To discern a game’s direction, one first had to unravel the designer’s intentions; once those intentions were grasped, complete mastery over the game was achieved, making victory a simple matter.

Thus, every game was a psychological battle between designer and player.

Those who mastered the designer’s mindset could even predict the game’s future to amass vast profits, while the majority, oblivious to the art of divining intentions, simply played haphazardly, led by the nose into one money-grabbing trap after another meticulously crafted by the designers.

Though this largely pertained to the era of PC client games, [Pursuit II] was not designed with such deliberate monetization schemes, and its narrative designer’s intentions were notoriously difficult to decipher.

Yet, designers were, after all, human, not purely random system code.

And if they were human, there would always be a trail to follow.

“Ah, we’ve already decided!”

I clapped a hand over Yingning’s mouth.

“The three esteemed seniors are all Saint-tier, aren’t they?”

“Saint-tier beings are the very backbone of the three races!”

“It appears all three of you have been trapped here by the Sword in the Stone, unable to leave…”

“Therefore, for the peace and harmony of the continent of Ardel, and to bring solace to the souls slaughtered by the demon race, how about we pull out all three of your swords?”

“Hmph… While I find these two utterly disagreeable, rationally speaking, there’s nothing inherently wrong with your proposition.”

“If you proceed, I will still honor my promise as agreed.”

The seductive female voice replied.

“No objections.”

“Indeed, I too will uphold the agreement.”

“The God race will forever be your most loyal support.”

“Alright, I’ll head down now…”

I slowly shuffled, step by laborious step, towards the great pit.

“Oh, that reminds me, I just accepted a quest.”

“The quest requires me to investigate a major event that occurred fifty years ago in the Nine Blossoms Anti-Demon Alliance…”

“However, I haven’t been able to find any seniors with enough experience to ask about it, so I was wondering if I could perhaps inquire with the three esteemed seniors…”

“Ask away.”

“If I know, I will certainly tell you.”

The deep male voice of the God race replied.

“The quest is as follows…”

“In the year 2950 of the Ardel continental calendar, exactly fifty years ago, a monumental event transpired within the Nine Blossoms Anti-Demon Alliance.”

“An astonishingly brilliant Holy Knight drew forth the epic greatsword [Fire’s Delight], a blade as renowned as [Frostmourne], and instantly became a primary combat force of the Nine Blossoms Anti-Demon Alliance…”

“I wish to inquire about the name of that genius Holy Knight.”

“Everyone is incredibly curious about this hero’s true name, as they intend to construct a grand plaza and dedicate it in the hero’s honor.”

I winked at Yingning, silently urging her not to speak.

“Oh… so it’s that matter,” the God race male voice mused, falling into a brief contemplation.

However, his silence did not last long before he sighed and continued speaking.

“I apologize, but I cannot reveal his name to you.”

“The reason the Nine Blossoms Alliance is unwilling to disclose his identity is, in fact, to protect him, as he only recently advanced to the Saint-tier…”

“For such a dazzling genius, the demon race would undoubtedly spare no expense to assassinate him and seize the epic greatsword, Fire’s Delight…”

“Pfft…”

A profound sense of intellectual superiority, as if my intelligence crushed the entire world, instantly washed over me.