章節 44: Chapter 44: Trial Mission

Chapter 44: Trial Mission

[Main Quest Activated: Trial]

[As a mage traversing various dimensions, you must possess keen observation and judgment to excel in this role. In any given world, there exists an item of highest value. Seek and acquire what you believe is the most valuable item in this world. Completing the quest will grant a random reward (reward varies based on task evaluation). Failing the task will result in all attributes being decreased by one level.]

This quest is indeed challenging.

Reading the quest description floating before him, Alex frowned. On the surface, it seemed very flexible—just acquire what he deemed the most valuable item in this world to complete the quest. But upon deeper consideration, it was clear that this task was far from simple.

There were two key difficulties:

First, the item must have high value. Second, he had to be able to obtain it.

If Alex considered valuable items, there were plenty in this world—satellites, nuclear warheads, fusion reactors, powered exoskeletons.

However, even if he knew where they were, obtaining them was another matter. Sure, he might be able to hijack a luxury car or a plane, but he suspected that simply grabbing these items wouldn't yield a high task evaluation.

The quest was explicitly testing his abilities as a dimensional mage.

This narrowed down his target significantly.

For Alex, the most valuable thing in this world was the alien boss. According to the movie, the boss had the power to manipulate time!

The protagonist gained the ability to reset time repeatedly by being exposed to the alien boss's blood, ultimately allowing him to achieve victory. When he died alongside the boss, he even reset back to the very beginning of the movie.

Time manipulation is a rare and precious ability!

Anything involving the manipulation of time is exceedingly rare and valuable. The most tempting part for Alex was that, if the movie was accurate, this boss had no combat abilities—it relied on summoning minions and resetting time. If this were true, taking down the boss would be much easier for Alex.

The only problem was that the aliens had occupied all of Europe, and Alex alone couldn't cross the occupied territory to capture the boss.

However, for Alex, this problem wasn't insurmountable.

But before addressing that, he decided to enjoy some modern food!

Alex didn't have this world's currency, but luckily, the three thugs he encountered earlier had generously funded him. He found a fast-food restaurant and indulged in a hearty meal.

As he enjoyed the familiar flavors, tears welled up in his eyes. Even though fast food wasn't healthy, it reminded him of home.

Now, what should be his next move?

As he ate his burger, Alex watched the TV in the fast-food restaurant, contemplating his plan.

His grasp of the timeline in the movie War for Tomorrow was a bit fuzzy. He remembered that the protagonist, Jack Miller, trained for only a few days before heading to the front lines. However, the subsequent timeline became unclear with all the resets.

In the latter part of the movie, when Jack and the female protagonist went to see the general, the general mentioned that Jack had previously been a deserter but had returned as a war hero.

This implied that Jack had won multiple battles on the beach against the aliens, making it hard to estimate the timeline since a single battle could take a long time to conclude.

Moreover, Jack had to return to London after each battle, complicating the timeline further. The movie focused solely on Jack's constant resets, leaving no clear indication of the actual time progression.

Another issue troubling Alex was whether Jack's resets would affect him. If they did, Alex would face an unpredictable future after Jack's death.

However, if he wasn't affected by the resets, it might be advantageous. Constant resets might be thrilling for the person experiencing them but not for those caught in the loop.

If the resets did affect him, that would pose a significant problem.

Alex had always found a certain aspect of the movie confusing. The protagonists believed that the alien boss used time manipulation to reset and gain victory.

However, Alex doubted this. The aliens appeared far stronger than humans, and the battles weren't particularly strategic.

The alien boss didn't seem to have much intelligence. In the movie, the only strategy shown was the ambush on the beach, which seemed more like a reaction any intelligent player would have:

"Oh, they're attacking from the beach? Let me reset and prepare there." It felt like a standard reaction from any player with average intelligence.

Another issue was how to capture the alien boss.

Alex didn't plan to follow the protagonist, as Jack relied on his reset ability to take risks. Jack could die and revive, but for Alex, it would be dangerous. The best strategy would be to command an army, solving most problems.

As for where to get an army... Alex glanced at his soul stone.

With aliens already here, adding a swarm of Zerg should be no problem.

Alex wasn't in London but in a small town on the border. Since all of Europe was occupied by aliens, reaching London was impossible.

However, Alex wasn't too concerned. The aliens seemed strong but lacked an air force, which puzzled Alex.

While the movie showed the aliens had anti-air capabilities, the absence of an air force was odd. Still, this wasn't Alex's concern—the weaker the enemy, the easier his task.

After a satisfying meal, Alex found an opportunity to leave the town. Positioned behind the front lines, security wasn't too tight, making it easy for Alex to slip away.

"Now, let's see what this soul stone can do."

Standing in a dense forest, Alex took a deep breath. He had swapped his [Arthas] equipment for [Luna].

As soon as he equipped the [Luna] soul stone, the world seemed to change. Strange knowledge filled his mind—powers he had never used before. The scenery took on a dark red hue with blurred edges, and he could see moving shadows at various distances.

Alex closed his eyes and reopened them, restoring the world to normal.

"This isn't quite like the game..."

Flexing his fingers, Alex frowned. He reached out to a distant bush and made a grasping motion.

"—!!"

With a low hum, a deer floated from the bush, struggling to break free, but the psionic energy held it firmly.

Alex made a gesture, and the deer floated towards him. He extended his right hand, and a green substance formed, which he placed on the deer.

"—!!—!!"

The deer thrashed wildly as blood vessels burst from beneath its skin, spreading across its body. When the veins reached the deer's head, it exploded with a "bang," leaving a twitching corpse.

"Damn!"

The sudden explosion startled Alex, making him step back. The psionic energy dissipated, and the deer's body fell to the ground. Soon, something wriggled inside the corpse, and a parasite burst out.

Seeing the parasite crawling at his feet, Alex was speechless. He had wondered how Luna would create a Zerg army without any Zerg, but he hadn't expected this method.

Is this even possible?

Watching the parasite hop around, Alex didn't know what to say. It looked more cute than terrifying. As Alex tried to communicate with the parasite, a gunshot suddenly rang out behind him.

"Bang!"

🌟 Unlock the World of Stories with Early Access on Patreon! 🌟

Hello, beloved readers and supporters!

I am thrilled to offer you an exclusive opportunity to dive deeper into our captivating stories before anyone else. By joining the Patreon community, you'll unlock a treasure trove of benefits, including:

📚 Early Access to 20 Chapters: Be the first to explore new chapters, experiencing the twists and turns of our tales well ahead of regular readers. Your journey through our stories doesn't have to wait!

💬 Connect with the Community: Join a vibrant, like-minded group of readers who share your passion. Engage in exciting discussions, share theories, and make new friends who love the stories as much as you do.

👏 Support the Creator: Your patronage directly contributes to the ongoing creation and improvement of the content you love. Be a vital part of the creative journey!

Patreon.com/anish_44