Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 560 - 188. You are an NPC, and I am a Player_2

Chapter 560: 188. You are an NPC, and I am a Player_2

Canyue pressed a single hand on the satchel at his waist, where it held the forbidden knowledge incarnate of the Discerning Eye Fragments.

’Poor child... The power disparity is too great, he doesn’t even have the courage to doubt anymore.’

—How could it be just for fun?

Doing this was merely to avoid Bablushka’s sight and delay a bit more time.

The forbidden knowledge would have to be handed over sooner or later, but while it was in his hands, Canyue decided how long it could be used.

Canyue had long calculated that Bablushka would send Night Butterfly’s troops to monitor him, and since that was the case, having the forbidden knowledge "protected and carried" by a student would give him ample time and excuses to "search for the target’s whereabouts."

As for how long to search, it depended on how long this knowledge could be used.

But Lucite didn’t think this way.

The differences in power, information, and thinking were too vast. He was just a mortal who, within a day, had experienced a terrifying attack, the death of classmates, Hobbs’ secrets, discrimination by the Inspectorate, and then directly faced Zeta Rank.

So many people had died, Canyue must have had an unspeakable purpose, right? There must have been a special reason why he chose to spare their lives.

"Fun."

However, Canyue’s response left Lucite’s head buzzing.

Their hard-fought struggle for survival, the hopes they held as they fought their way out of a disaster, the defiance against Sylia at gunpoint.

All these actions, in the eyes of Canyue at Zeta Rank, were simply dismissed with a single "fun"?

Lucite stood there dazedly.

Seeing the shock to the boy’s worldview, Canyue chuckled to himself.

The more it was like this, the more he wanted to have a bit of fun.

Besides, he truly found it amusing.

"What else?"

Canyue shrugged,

"Did you think you were special?"

"I..."

Lucite began to speak but was immediately interrupted by Canyue:

"I just like role-playing. It’s like mortals putting ants in a jar and watching them build their home, you’ve imagined it too, haven’t you? Watching the ants trapped in a glass palace, fantasizing about becoming one yourself, burrowing into the ant nest, performing tragedies and epics in the ant empire."

Canyue spread his hands,

"Starry Abyss has six layers, each a universe. There are even 13 Narrative-Level Civilizations, populated by more people than the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in an entire universe, beyond counting. Why do you think, among that vast sea of people, you alone are unique?"

"I didn’t think... I just, I can’t accept this."

Lucite clutched his chest, the combined force of the other’s aura and charm weighing on him like a mountain, making every word an exhausting effort.

His three-meter-tall stature felt insignificant before the other’s oceanic grandeur, like a drop of water ready to be swallowed whole.

Facing Canyue directly, for the first time, he understood why people called Zeta Rank beings "Earthbound Deities."

Entities beyond Zeta Rank were imperceptible to mortals; they lived in environments vastly different from those of mortals. Zeta Rank was the limit of what mortal narrow minds could comprehend, the terrifying power they could envision based on their own forms.

"Lucite, do you like playing games?"

Canyue folded his hands behind his back, walking leisurely around the four of them, smiling:

"When I was 12, I stole my first gaming console. It was a role-playing game where the protagonist could level up by defeating monsters, enhance their attributes, learn skills, and receive rewards for completing NPC tasks."

"Everyone fantasizes about being the main character in a game, the center of the world, a cherished one of the planes, dreaming of becoming powerful through their own efforts, achieving their dreams. But in the end, most discover they’re just an NPC, a randomly generated passerby."

Without a sound, Canyue slowly approached James II’s side. Before the latter could react, his body vanished.

"Actually, games are just like the real world. Life is a game where we chase the path to godhood in Starry Abyss because we know: mortals have no future. Only those who ascend to godhood are the true protagonists."

Canyue held a card showing the terrified, distorted face of James II.

"Now, Lucite, do you understand?"

He turned, smiling:

"Mortals are just NPCs, Ascenders are the players."

"I can do whatever I want with you. I can be foolish, I can make mistakes, I can leisurely chat with you here—because I am closer to divinity. I can fail countless times, but once you face setbacks, you can never get up again."

The next moment, he appeared beside Maria, gently lifting her chin with his fingertip. Her close encounter with Canyue’s flawless beauty sent a flood of passion, and his pheromones overwhelmed her completely. Both her mind and body surrendered instantly.

With a simple squeeze, her body vanished. Canyue then appeared before Lucite, holding the two cards between his pointer and middle fingers, smiling:

"Lucite, you’re just an NPC, and I’m the player. NPCs can never understand the minds of players because we do not belong to the same world."

—Can’t move!

Lucite’s pupils contracted. Under the oppressive force of the other’s powerful aura, his body was frozen, unable to move, trembling with instinctual fear. His knees went weak, wanting to kneel.

He couldn’t move, completely immobilized, unable to muster even a thought of resistance.

Yes.

In an instant, Lucite understood the source of this instinctual fear.

"Old Lu..." Hobbs groaned.

—Humans cannot face gods. Humans can only kneel before gods.

"Don’t... don’t kneel..." Hobbs struggled to crawl over, but his injuries made the meter distance seem like a chasm.

—Unable to resist, can’t resist, won’t succeed even if they do. Confrontation is futile.

For a Gamma Rank mortal, a Zeta Rank was the embodiment of such a reality.

"Don’t kneel..."

Lucite’s knees buckled, collapsing to the ground.

Boom!

He fell to his knees, his armor disintegrating, his form shrinking. His eyes were vacant, pupils shattered, staring blankly.

"So beautiful, truly."

Out of instinct and rationality, Lucite completely surrendered.

"I really like this feeling, Lucite."

Canyue raised his hand, as if performing magic, and drew out another blank card, teasing:

"You mortals, thinking you can rival gods with effort and sweat, only to be shattered by reality, faith broken, falling into despair. No matter how many times I see it, I’ll never tire of it."

"So, the game is over, little ghost."

With that, he pressed his large, azure-glowing hand down on Lucite’s forehead.

Hobbs bit down, sprang up, and lunged at him!

"Stop!"