1 Chapter 1: Unforgiven Evil (Edited)
Note: The italicized text is the character's inner thoughts.
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"Phew! Finally cleared it!"
Reji stretched lazily in his chair, sighing with great emotion as he watched the game enter its grand finale CG animation on the screen.
This was a single-player RPG game called Magic Chronicles. In the game, the player takes on the role of a Chosen One, traveling the continent, encountering various companions during adventures, and constantly growing through one dispute and crisis after another.
By the tenth year in the game, the true main storyline event Demon Race Invasion will be triggered.
At that time, countless powerful and brutal demons from outside the realm will tear through the sky via dimensional rifts, descending upon the world and launching an invasion war. The nations of the continent will fall one by one, and millions of humans will become slaves under the demons' rule.
As the Chosen One, the player becomes the last hope for humanity and the world. They lead the remnant forces of various nations to form the Dawn Defense Line, resisting the demons and reclaiming occupied lands step by step, liberating their enslaved compatriots.
The grand finale CG on Reji's screen now depicted the character he controlled finally defeating the Demon King, exterminating the invading demons, sealing them into the chaos rift, and restoring peace to the world.
As the CG concluded, the screen fell silent, and the narration text began to scroll and appear.
[The century-long human-demon war has finally come to an end. Under your leadership, the No. 001 civilization has successfully eradicated the demon race. The world has escaped the fate of being ravaged by demons, and civilization can continue.]
[However, the cruel war has left the world in ruins, and the dying earth is filled with suffering. The once vibrant homeland is no longer full of life. For the No. 001 civilization, an arduous era has only just begun.]
[Nonetheless, the history you have written will be remembered by the world. The song of human courage you have led will continue to inspire future generations and become the driving force for progress.]
[Thank you for playing "Magic Chronicles".]
[Next, you will enter the extra settlement interface.]
[We will select your outstanding performance in this round of the game for additional scoring. Based on the score, you will receive special achievement rewards.]
Hmm?
Extra settlement and special achievements?
Is this a hidden gift?
Reji immediately clicked in with curiosity and anticipation.
The screen changed.
The narration text began to scroll again.
[You have cumulatively seized vehicles from passersby 703 times in the game, earning the bronze medal achievement - Shared Bicycle] (Settlement score +5)
[You have cumulatively destroyed 15,836 public/others' items, including wooden crates/ceramics/clay pots, etc., using violent means such as smashing/breaking/kicking in the game, earning the silver medal achievement - Lending a Hand] (Settlement score +10)
[You have cumulatively trespassed into others' villas/manors/castles/mansions 5,970 times without permission in the game, earning the silver medal achievement - Your House is Huge] (Settlement score +10)
[You have cumulatively stolen 47 thousand-year-old artifacts, destroyed 24 world wonders, hunted 16 legendary creatures, and toppled 7 fate track statues in the game, earning the gold medal achievement - No Good Undone] (Settlement score +50
[You have cumulatively eliminated 199 succubi in the game, earning the gold medal achievement - Impervious] (Settlement score +50)
[You have cumulatively snatched lollipops from little children 148 times in the game, earning the silver medal achievement - Young at Heart] (Settlement score +10)
[You have cumulatively dispatched companions to execute out-of-party missions for one hundred and fifty-eight years, seven months, and three days in the game, averaging 23.6 hours per day, earning the gold medal achievement - Conscientious Capitalist] (Settlement score +50)
[You have cumulatively formed bonds beyond friendship with 42 companions in the game, earning the gold medal achievement - Peerless Warm-hearted Man] (Settlement score +50)
[You have cumulatively kicked 42 companions out of the party in the game, and in the final chapter, you single-handedly conquered all ten boss battles without any companions, earning the gold medal achievement - Lone Brave] (Settlement score +50)
[You have cumulatively slaughtered 5,268 innocent chickens in the game, earning the gold medal achievement - What Are You Doing?] (Settlement score +50)
[You have cumulatively flirted with the Radiant Saintess 65 times in the game, earning the silver medal achievement - Beast] (Settlement score +10)
[You have cumulatively defeated and captured the Radiant Saintess 21 times in the game, and still allowed the Radiant Saintess to maintain her saintess status at the end of the game, earning the gold medal achievement - Worse Than a Beast] (Settlement score +50)
[You have cumulatively in the game...]
[….]
[..]
[.]
Reji glanced at the long string of narration text that was still scrolling.
"..."
[The settlement is not yet complete. Are you sure you want to skip?]
[Skipped]
[After calculation, your final extra score is: 18,695 points. Congratulations on obtaining the extra clearance achievement - Unforgiven Evil]
[Unforgiven Evil]
[Quality: Supreme]
[Your noble morality deserves such praise!]
[Note: The extra clearance achievement will affect your mysterious gift.]
Reji: "..."
Heh… This game's developers understands achievement.
However, what is this mysterious gift?
Just as Reji was wondering, the next game screen came to the next interface.
[In view of your outstanding performance in the game, we sincerely invite you to participate in a survey questionnaire.]
[Note: After completing the survey questionnaire, as a thank you for your gameplay and clearance, you will receive a generous mysterious gift~]
[Note 2: Please fill out the questionnaire carefully. Each item you fill out may affect your final mysterious gift, so please be sure to fill it out seriously.]
Magic Chronicles is not a publicly released game and is still in the closed beta stage.
Its production company seems to be an unknown small workshop. Anyway, Reji has never heard of it, and he can't find much information about Magic Chronicles online.
As for how he got access to Magic Chronicles, the company actively sent the closed beta invitation to his email inbox.
As a veteran strategy player with many certifications on the online platforms, Reji is used to receiving similar invitations wanting him to participate in closed betas, which is quite common.
He originally just tried Magic Chronicles with a casual attitude, but unexpectedly, once he played, he got completely hooked and immersed in it.
Pulling his thoughts back, Reji refocused his attention on the survey questionnaire.
Games in the closed beta stage basically all have a section for players to fill out survey questionnaires, which Reji is not very surprised about.
And in order to encourage players to fill them out carefully, companies will give out some gifts, which is also a basic industry practice.
Heh, you gave me a final achievement of "Unforgiven Evil", didn't you?
Clearly, there's no such thing as Unforgiven Evil.
I was just a hero who worked diligently for the cause of saving the world.
Reji had always been a person who reciprocated, so since the official developer was so playful and implied, he had to return the favor properly.
After opening the survey questionnaire, the content inside was not complicated, with only three questions in total.
< first question>
[In your opinion, how does the background level of you (the protagonist) affect your gaming experience?]
[1. Difficult - (I think the protagonist's background is too rough and arduous, bringing me many difficulties and setbacks, making my gaming experience very poor, and I hope it can be strengthened)]
[2. Normal - (I think the protagonist's background is okay, although it's quite hard in the early stages, it gets much better after persevering through)]
[3. Easy - (I think the protagonist's background is pretty good, and the growth along the way is very smooth)]
[4. Very Easy - (I think the protagonist's background is too easy, I don't feel any pressure at all, and I hope the difficulty can be increased)]
In the game, the protagonist comes from a fallen noble family. In his childhood, his parents arranged a marriage with an earl's daughter, but unfortunately, the family later declined, leading the earl's daughter to come to break off the engagement, which kicked off the initial chapter of the game's story.
In Reji's opinion, this starting background was actually a bit difficult.
From the start, the player has to face all kinds of exclusion and provocations from within the family, and participate in a series of arena duels, with almost every battle requiring challenging higher levels.
And later, when the earl's daughter comes to break off the engagement, if the player chooses to divorce first before the breakup like Reji did, they will immediately become enemies with the earl and be chased and wanted.
If it were an ordinary player, they would probably be stumped by just the prologue chapter.
But for him…
Reji quickly moved the mouse.
[You have selected "Very Easy". Are you sure you want to submit?]
[Note: Once submitted, it cannot be changed. Please choose carefully.]
[Successfully submitted]
<Next question>
[In your opinion, how does the talent level of you (the protagonist) affect your gaming experience?]
[1. Difficult - (I think the protagonist's talent is too low, bringing me many difficulties and setbacks, making my gaming experience very poor, and I hope it can be strengthened)]
[2. Normal - (I think the protagonist's talent is okay, although it's quite hard in the early stages, it gets much better after persevering through)]
[3. Easy - (I think the protagonist's talent is pretty good, and the growth along the way is very smooth)]
[4. Very Easy - (I think the protagonist's talent is too high, obtaining power is too easy, and I can't experience the joy of cultivation at all. I hope the difficulty can be increased)]
In the game, the protagonist, as someone with the setting of Chosen One, naturally has unquestionable talent and can simultaneously get two or even three fate tracks.
In the later stages of the game, Reji had the protagonist reach the top-notch transcendent level in the three major fate tracks of [Radiance], [Judgment], and [Defense].
This question was also a no-brainer, still [Very Easy].
After submitting, it came to the last question of the survey.
<Last question>
[In your opinion, how does the Radiant Saintess as the supervisor of your (the protagonist's) actions affect your gaming experience?]
[1. Difficult - (I think the Radiant Saintess is too strong to rival, bringing me an extremely poor experience and serious psychological trauma. I hope she can be weakened.)]
[2. Normal - (I think the Radiant Saintess's strength is okay. Although I can't beat her, it's not hard to escape her pursuit. Maintaining the status quo is fine.)]
[3. Easy - (I think the Radiant Saintess's strength is a bit weak. I can often fight her to a draw. I hope she can be strengthened to give me more tension.)]
[4. Very Easy - (I think the Radiant Saintess is too weak and not my match at all. She can't supervise me at all and gives me no sense of tension or pressure. I hope she can be greatly strengthened.)]
Hah… The Radiant Saintess…
The concept of the Radiance fate track is light and brilliance. It is also the one among the many fate tracks in the game with the most followers, the most adherents, and the most extensive influence.
Just like in most games, there will be an organization similar to a police station to restrict players' evil behavior in the game. The saintess belonging to Radiance probably has this kind of role.
In the early stages when Reji had not yet grown, there was indeed a period when he was overshadowed by the Saintess.
However, by the mid-game, as Reji gradually figured out the game and became more and more skilled, the Saintess's growth could not keep up with him, and he began to pull further and further away from her.
Even later on, as can be seen from the previous achievements, the Radiant Saintess, who was originally supposed to punish evil and eliminate wickedness, had fallen to the point of being treated like a small monster by Reji to farm. Let alone stopping his evil behavior, she had almost become an RBQ.
RBQ, Request Bank Queue, refers to a gold coin farming machine.
Unlike the first two questions in the survey where he was fighting against the game company, for this question, Reji wholeheartedly chose the [Very Easy] option.
Firstly, he felt a bit embarrassed that the Saintess had been farmed by him so many times.
Secondly, he quite liked this strong female character who was full of justice and persevered in her beliefs despite being teased and defeated by him so many times.
Reji hoped that the officials could strengthen her a bit.
Good people shouldn't become RBQs.
[Very Easy]
[Submitted!]
After clicking the mouse, all three questions were answered, and the survey questionnaire came to the end page.
[We have received your valuable feedback and will listen carefully and make improvements.]
[To thank you for your participation, the mysterious gift has been prepared for you. Do you want to receive it immediately?]
Hmm?
No need to fill in a shipping address or anything like that?
Making it so formal, Reji thought that the mysterious gift would at least be a physical gift like a cushion or figurine. But now they don't even want a shipping address, so it's probably just some achievement medal, right?
Feeling a bit disappointed, Reji casually clicked the [Yes] option.
Then in the next second.
Hmm?
This light...!?
Buzz!
