Welcome to Rewind World Game
Chapter 451 - 448: ’Lv Shu is on the first level.

Chapter 451: Chapter 448: ’Lv Shu is on the first level.

After reading his identity, Su Ming’an stretched out his hand toward the still Fuer in front of him.

Fuer was within arm’s reach, and Su Ming’an’s movements were extremely swift, causing Fuer, who was still reading the rules, to not react in time.

Under the extremely shocked gazes of the other six players, Su Ming’an’s hand accurately touched the back of Fuer’s neck.

[When touched by the ’Ghost’s hand on the back of the neck, the person will be directly eliminated.]

This was written in the instance rules.

Fuer, frightened by the icy hand, shuddered violently all over. His face turned pale as he backed away, looking at Su Ming’an with sheer panic, as if he had seen a flood beast.

"You, you’re the Ghost??" Fuer never would have thought that someone would make a move even before the rules had been fully announced.

And besides, the ’Ghost’ would be eliminated if voted out. Even if you are the Number One Player, you can’t be so overt...

Su Ming’an glanced at the reactions of the others.

"Not eliminated, huh." Su Ming’an looked at Fuer, who was still trembling on the spot: "You’re still here."

He glanced at the panel beside him, where the yet-to-be-announced rules continued:

[The ’Ghost’ will have tracking ability over all other contestants, with the ability to use a tracking skill once per hour to continuously know the nearest contestant’s location for ten minutes. This ability is disabled after nightfall.]

[When the ’Ghost’s hand touches the back of the opponent’s neck, they must mentally recite the word ’eliminate’ in order for the elimination to succeed.]

...

"I see." Leslie, with a teardrop mole on her face, said: "Such rules prevent us from simply huddling together and taking turns touching each other’s necks."

Otherwise, as long as they all stayed close, they could just let everyone touch each other’s necks to see who gets eliminated. There was no need for mutual suspicion.

"That means..." A middle-aged man with a complexion of death raised his eyelids: "Number One Player, are you the ’Ghost’?"

He was Erwin, one of the latter hundred players, greedy for wealth and fond of high risk and return. He was once an international human trafficker who ended up in prison after being backstabbed by a girlfriend. Before the start of the World Game, he was still serving time in jail.

Having come this far, he was no fool and quickly thought of many things.

"Or..." His thick lips moved, and a keen light flashed in his eyes: "...are you ’Human’ and intentionally putting on this act, wanting us to vote for you later?"

The others, hearing this, felt it made a lot of sense. After all, the Number One Player, no matter how formidable, was not someone so arrogant to reveal a ’Ghost’s identity before the rules were even fully read.

In this game, it was clear that they couldn’t escape the voting segment. The ’Ghost’s identity had to be well concealed, otherwise if someone caught on, it would be a nailed-on elimination, no matter how strong their abilities were.

"Who knows." Su Ming’an smiled, completely ignoring their suspicions. He turned and naturally moved to stand next to the Clan Leader.

"Clan Leader, who are these eight?" Su Ming’an looked at the eight NPCs behind the Clan Leader.

The Clan Leader’s squinted eyes opened a slit at the sight of him, and the smile on his face became more genuine.

Clearly, Su Ming’an’s Ruler Occupation with a friendly Initial Favorability also applied here. It looked like the Clan Leader had at least 20 Initial Favorability points towards him.

"These eight are the ’Candidates’ for this war." The Clan Leader explained: "If anyone among the originally selected hundred Guides dies unexpectedly before the game starts, then these children will fill their places. Also, in such a Sacrifice Field, they will act as contestants to fill the gaps in your numbers."

Su Ming’an understood — these people were the substitutes.

"Clan Leader, what does the Oracle we need to collect look like?" he asked.

"I’m not sure myself; we tribespeople are just witnesses to your war..." the Clan Leader said.

"I see..." Su Ming’an nodded slightly and naturally led the Clan Leader into the tribe, leaving the other contestants behind.

"—Wait! Number One Player! We need to discuss an overall strategy first! All ’Humans’ should unite, if you act rashly, you may be gradually broken down by the ’Ghost’!"

A deep male voice came from behind, belonging to the hot-tempered boxer Yuriklu, who calmed down and tried to initiate a small meeting.

"...You’re recognizing me as ’Human’ again at this time?" Su Ming’an didn’t look back, showing no intention of engaging with them: "You guys chat, I’ll cast my vote when it’s time, you don’t need to worry about me, feel free to doubt."

He left swiftly, laughing and talking with the Clan Leader as he disappeared in front of the others.

"This, the Number One Player can’t be the ’Ghost,’ right, being this casual..." Yuriklu clenched his fist, not annoyed, but turning to look at the remaining six players: "Then let’s discuss briefly, about what we do next. I think we should move in pairs to monitor each other. That way, by the first round of voting, we can pinpoint the ’Ghost’ based on who gets eliminated..."

His voice was suddenly interrupted by laughter.

"Sorry." A woman with flax-colored curly hair and rimless glasses smiled lightly, elegantly covering her mouth with her hand: "I did not mean to be impolite."

"Was there something funny in what I said?" Yuriklu frowned.

"Haha." The flaxen-haired woman, Cynthia, a Magic Series player in a western Shrine Maiden occupation, laughed lightly and turned away: "No, nothing. I’ll take my leave now."

"—You’re leaving the group too?" Yuriklu’s frown deepened.

"Sorry, big guy, I’m taking a leave too." Leslie twisted a lock of her hair and walked off with a smile.

"I’m leaving as well." Erwin, with his deathlike complexion, walked away holding his Skull Staff.

Their followers left quietly alongside them.

Yamada Machiichi did the same.

Still wearing that red Lolita outfit, he looked quite charming with a charm unique to cross-dressers. After bowing slightly to the others, he quickly left the tribe’s entrance.

As for Lv Shu, he hesitated briefly on the spot before deciding to quickly follow Su Ming’an.

Yuriklu watched them all leave the pre-game meeting without consensus, frowning more deeply.

"What’s with these guys?" he muttered: "What are they up to?"

After all, in his opinion, it was better for everyone to gather and exchange information. Even if they split into pairs, it would be stronger than each going their own way. Otherwise, when someone found the Oracle and initiated the voting phase, everyone would be clueless about the "ghost."

...

"I have never seen this key before," the Clan Leader said, shaking his head as he glanced at the key Su Ming’an handed over.

He stroked his white goat beard, "However, I can feel a hint of Lord Bai Shen’s presence in it. It might be a relic left by Him. You may want to ask the First Tribe about it."

"Can we also leave the Fourth Tribe during these three days?" Su Ming’an asked.

"Of course, you can," said the Clan Leader with a chuckle, "The rules don’t say you have to stay within the Fourth Tribe, do they? This vast Qiongdi is yours to explore wherever you like, and you can even join another Sacrifice Field along the way. Of course, you probably aren’t allowed to hide out in a Sacrifice Field the entire time. I’m not sure about that situation, but your freedom shouldn’t be restricted."

Su Ming’an nodded; that was good news indeed.

Earning four Silver Stars in three days was valuable, and during these three days, he could continue to gather clues from within Qiongdi and even take part in other instances he came across—quite a lucrative proposition.

In the next few days, it would be the perfect opportunity to visit the First Tribe. The key he had, which had fallen in front of Xiber’s door at the start of the instance, should be useful.

Anything related to Bai Shen, even with a mere lingering presence, was extremely precious here. As he put the key away, he had seen a deep yearning in the Clan Leader’s eyes, as if he were looking at a sacred relic.

After a brief chat, Su Ming’an found that the Clan Leader knew pitifully little information. Instead of talking much, he started trying to convert him.

The white-bearded old man started praising Bai Shen, saying he represented Perfection and the One, day and light, was omnipotent, the greatest deity, and he lured him, the summoned adventurer, to join their faith quickly, to worship Lord Bai Shen together and enjoy endless happiness...

Su Ming’an really didn’t understand what there was to worship about a Bai Shen who would die from a mere curse from the sky, nor why these people would worship a god who died right before their eyes and still call Him "omnipotent." But after all, faith varies from person to person.

After bidding farewell to the Clan Leader, he decided to take a walk around the Fourth Tribe first.

The men and women here were all tall with dark skin, likely due to regular exposure to sunlight.

He stood by a flowing stream, intending to check for curse contamination in the water.

"——Su Ming’an!"

A familiar voice came from behind him.

"Why not hold a meeting?" Lv Shu came over, "If we don’t communicate, ’humans’ can easily be divided and conquered by the ’ghost.’ You leaving the team hastily could lead to suspicion..."

Su Ming’an scooped up a handful of water, watching the clear liquid slip through his fingers.

The sunlight streamed through the dark shade of the trees onto his hand, illumining the tiny particles in the water, which seemed to be fine.

"The victory condition for ’humans’ is to survive three days or eliminate all the ’ghosts.’ The victory condition for ’ghosts’ is to eliminate all the ’humans’ within these three days," Su Ming’an said. "So, in your opinion, discerning each other’s identities and forming alliances between ’humans’ and ’ghosts’ to create two opposing camps is the right thing to do, correct?"

"..." Lv Shu faintly felt something was amiss.

"Lv Shu, who do you think is the best choice for the first round of voting?" Su Ming’an suddenly asked.

"You," Lv Shu said without hesitation.

"That’s right, from the overall situation, it seems voting for me is the best option," Su Ming’an said. "If I am the ghost, then everyone will immediately have one less major threat to worry about. If I am human, they can also be at ease, and with the 100% power boost I get as a human, they will feel more secure."

"That’s right..." Lv Shu began, only to be interrupted by Su Ming’an.

"...but is that really the case?" Su Ming’an looked at him.

"..."

The babbling brook flowed gently by their side, near the edge of the tribal area close to the forest, where they could faintly hear the incessant noise of insects.

Lv Shu looked into Su Ming’an’s eyes and suddenly realized something.

"The first layer," Su Ming’an raised one finger. "Those on the first layer think that humans should cooperate with each other to fight against the ghost. Everyone should split into rational teams, either pairs or trios, and see who among them dies by the end, then cast out the ghost during the voting stage. They would feel that, in the first round of voting, voting for me is the best. Because if I’m ’human,’ then there’s no harm in giving me the 100% strength boost.

But... this is not a faction-based game, Lv Shu. It’s an ’individual’ competition. Everyone here is each other’s enemy. Even if they are both ’human,’ they simply cannot place their trust in each other. Because once someone is eliminated, that’s it, they won’t get a single Silver Star. They don’t benefit from their own faction’s victory, so why should they feel safe walking with a player who could potentially be the ’ghost,’ only to become a sacrificial victim for other players to base their votes on?"

He said this and then smiled, "...and if they vote for me, and I get a 100% strength boost, won’t I become a threat to them? During the day phase, players are not allowed to attack each other, only those who are the ’ghost’ have the qualification to break this restriction, but... what about at night?"

"At night," Lv Shu said with a solemn expression. "At night, even ’humans’ have the ability to kill."

Lv Shu realized this point.

...Being touched on the back of the neck by a ghost results in a player’s elimination. But what if someone takes action and chooses to kill another player directly?

During the day phase, only ghosts can act, but once it turns to night, even ’humans’ are able to kill others.

Moreover, the killed, die outright, losing all remaining participation rights in the Eighth World, which is far less gentle than being ’eliminated’ by a ghost.

So, from this perspective, the distinction between the ’human’ and ’ghost’ factions simply isn’t important.

The moment the rules were announced, they were misled.

...In this competition, there is no such thing as "factions," just a pure battle of individuals. Even if they discuss, they won’t come to any good conclusions, as everyone here is very cunning.

Lv Shu understood.

So just now, did Su Ming’an deliberately reach out his hand, wanting others to think he is the ’ghost’ to get the 100% power boost?

In that case, Su Ming’an must be... ’human’?

"Then there’s the second layer," Su Ming’an raised two fingers. "People on the second layer are aware of the aforementioned reasons and refuse to cooperate with each other. Just now, aside from Yuriklu, everyone has reached this level."

Lv Shu’s face darkened.

He always felt that Su Ming’an’s words seemed to suggest that he, Lv Shu, was only on the first layer.