Chapter 284 - A Game that Breaks the Fourth Wall!
Chapter 284 A Game that Breaks the Fourth Wall!
“As for the game’s difficulty, many people have already summarized it quite well.
“This is an extremely difficult, hardcore game. Most ordinary gamers would take a long time to get used to it, and they would suffer in the process. As for gamers who like to be challenged, conquering this game would give them a unique sense of satisfaction.
“Yet, do you think that’s all there is to the game?
“Do you really think that the game was created especially for the minority, god-like players? Do you think developers would give up on lousy players who form the majority? “If so, you’re absolutely wrong!”
“The officials had left ordinary gamers an alternative path. That’s through the special, divine weapon, the Pudu!
“Many people might feel confused. One can only obtain this hidden weapon after dying at the hands of the old monk six times. How did the developers expect players to find it?
“Pure luck?
“No, no, no! That’s not the case!
“The officials have left clues behind on purpose, in the hopes that gamers with bad technique but would become invested in the game’s plot would discover the weapon!
“Everyone would have realized that the old monk plays a huge role in Repent and be Saved’s official novel.
“This old monk was portrayed as a strong, elite monster in the original plot. Yet, he turned out to be even weaker than the small monsters in the game.
“Why is that?
“It’s obvious that the officials had left this clue behind on purpose. Curiosity would drive gamers to study this old monk closely. After the monk kills the player six times, he would recover his sanity and give the awesome Pudu to the player.
“This way, even lousy players would get a weapon that would help them complete the game.
“The game provides a platform for professional players to display their elite skills and for less-skilled players to skip the fighting. Thus, Repent and be Saved is a game for everyone and not only for the minority!”
Pei Qian felt beads of cold sweat dripping down his back.
It was no wonder that the weapon was discovered so quickly! It was hidden in the official novel!
Repent and be Saved’s content closely followed the official novel. That was why the old monk was made into an elite monster. Yet, in order to hide the Pudu well, Pei Qian purposely weakened the old monk. He thought that it would greatly reduce the chances of players being killed at the hands of the old monk and consequently finding the Pudu.
However, he forgot about the official novel after changing the old monk’s statistics!
Pei Qian could not be blamed; he would never have expected something like that!
He finally understood how the Pudu was discovered. Pei Qian rubbed his own chest and continued reading.
“Yet, do you think that’s all there is to the game?
“Do you think that there’s nothing more to the game other than ordinary and god-like players being allowed to use different weapons?
“If so, you’re absolutely wrong!”
Reading Teacher Qiao’s transition made Pei Qian feel an oncoming heart attack.
Why was it absolutely wrong?! The fact that your video has gone this far shows that you have massively overthought everything! I didn’t even plan for gamers to find the Pudu! Are you going to continue to misunderstand me?!
Teacher Qiao’s unique voice continued to narrate in the video.
“Everyone has discovered that the Pudu is a weapon that allows one to progress quickly through the game. It can kill certain monsters but not all enemies in the game. Many people castigated the officials for doing this on purpose just to disgust players.
“They’re wrong.
“The officials did this on purpose but not to disgust players. There’s a deeper meaning!
“I conducted some detailed tests. The Pudu can only be used to reach the ending involving the six realms of rebirth and existence in the first round. More accurately put, it can only defeat monsters that are related to the old monk’s storyline!
“Why did the officials do this?
“According to the results of my tests, the game currently has three main endings. The first is the ‘malicious spirit ending’, where you end up in Yama’s palace, kill Yama and his magistrates, and become a malicious spirit. The second is the ‘rebirth ending’, where you enter the six realms of rebirth and existence and get reborn. The third is the ‘sacrificial ending’, where you go to hell and kill the crazed ruler, sacrificing yourself to suppress all the grievous souls.
“Of course, what each player does at checkpoints like the Three-Life Stone and Bridge of Forgetfulness could result in different types of endings. “However, broadly speaking, these are the three main endings. Yet, apart from this, there is one additional hidden ending.
“That’s the ‘repent and be saved ending’!”
At this point, Pei Qian felt light-headed.
I was the one who decided on the first three endings; that’s fine.
But what the hell is a ‘repent and be saved ending’?! How come I didn’t even know that such an ending existed in the game?! Was Teacher Qiao making this up?!
From that point, Teacher Qiao’s voice became increasingly impassioned.
“This ending is not in the game but outside it.
“‘There is no end to the bitterness; repent and be saved.’ That line’s original meaning is good, but it’s continually used in the game to persuade players to give up!
“All of you would have known that you were at the beginning of a journey of unlimited torture when you started the game. Once you fight their way out of the village, you would arrive in the town. After leaving the town, you would walk through the gate to the netherworld and arrive at the Road to the Underworld and then the Bridge of Forgetfulness… lastly, you would arrive at Yama’s palace and hell.
“The further you progress, the stronger the monsters would become!
“The journey through the game feels like an endless sea of bitterness. Your hearts would keep saying ‘repent and be saved’, ‘turn around’, and ‘there’s no point in fighting anymore’!
“The officials use various ways and meanslike the epitaph and the reminder about the end of the refund allowance period—to invoke these thoughts inside you.
“If you listen to your heart and give up on the game, then congratulations. You’ve achieved the ‘repent and be saved ending’.
“You’ve given up. You’re free. It’s like leaving the sea of bitterness.
“However, what will become of your character in the game?
“It looks like he has repented and been saved, but in fact, he has lost the opportunity to change the world forever. He would be no different from the wandering monsters on the Road to the Underworld, who have lost their three immortal souls and seven mortal forms; he would be forced to remain in the bitterness for the rest of eternity.
“Do you feel like the fourth wall has been broken?
“That’s right. The protagonist in the game is suffering, and as are you. Each time he dies, you feel it. If you give up, you may think that you’ve escaped the bitterness; but you’ve also lost the opportunity to change the world forever.
“Do you understand why the game is so immersive?
“Yet, do you think that’s all to the game? “Do you really think that’s the end? “If so, you’re absolutely wrong!” Pei Qian could not help but rest his head in his hands, feeling like he was on the brink of collapse. He could not imagine what Teacher Qiao would say next. He tried extremely hard, but his imagination had limits.
“I mentioned before that the Pudu allows one to progress quickly through the game, but it can only get you to the ‘rebirth ending’. However, this ‘rebirth ending’ is a fake ending through and through!
“In this ending, the protagonist thinks that he has escaped a helpless world. Yet, in actual fact, he is only going through the same rebirth cycle. “This is the evidence: in the newbie village, there is a dying old man whom the protagonist is forced to kill so he can follow his soul to the Road to the Underworld.
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“However, if a player reaches the six realms of rebirth and existence and restarts the game, he would find that the old man would be holding the same weapon and wearing the same clothes as the protagonist. In fact, this old man is the protagonist himself!
“Take note, everyone! Even if you don’t have the Pudu, gamers can still achieve the ‘rebirth ending’. It just means you would fight more monsters and have a harder time.
“The Pudu was a weapon created especially for the ‘rebirth ending’. Not only can you skip a portion of the gameplay with the weapon, but you can also easily defeat the monsters and boss related to that ending.
“In order to obtain the Pudu, the player has to die six times. That represents going through the six realms of rebirth and existence and achieving enlightenment at the seventh try. That’s the beginning of a new life.
“Everything looks like a coincidence; it’s all perfect, isn’t it? “Some players might think that since the Pudu allows them to skip through a portion of the gameplay, it reduces their suffering and brings them bliss. Compared to the original ‘rebirth ending’, this ending might even make players happier.
“However, these players would be lying to themselves.
“Players would only achieve the true ending if they put down the Pudu, endure the suffering with their own skills, and fight the boss in hell. Only that would put a real end to the mortal world’s suffering.
“Does everyone understand me at this point?
“Repent and be Saved was made so difficult to completely break the fourth wall! The high difficulty allows the player to be at one with the protagonist in the game!
“If you gave up in the face of difficulty and chose to refund the game, you achieved the ‘repent and be saved ending’. The protagonist gives up on himself and submits himself to endless suffering.
“If you progress quickly through the game using the Pudu and only fight the easy bosses, you achieve the ‘rebirth ending’. However, you would just be lying to yourself and others; the protagonist in the game doesn’t actually escape the rebirth cycle.
“Only by putting down the Pudu, enduring the suffering together with the protagonist in the game, and constantly training yourself to become stronger would you be able to achieve the true ending. Only then would the protagonist have really saved the world. “That’s why I say this game is more suited for lousy players.
“God-like players would not be able to empathize with the protagonist as he struggles internally while being stuck in the mortal world. Of course, the fourth wall would not be broken for them. They would not suffer in the same way. “On the other hand, only lousy players would have to put in blood, sweat, and tears to progress through the game bit by bit. When they finally complete it, only they would feel the joy of attaining Nirvana and enlightenment! Only they can truly understand the world and the meaning behind the game!
“Many people say that this game is difficult and repulsive. I want to say, that is indeed true. “This game is extremely difficult. However, it’s precisely because of this that you would feel a sense of achievement after completing it!
“Nobody would notice a small molehill. However, countless mountain-climbers would want to conquer Mt. Everest.
“Thus, I hope that the people who gave up on the game would purchase it again and give it another shot. To those who have already purchased the game, don’t try to refund it the moment you meet with some difficulties.
“Emerge victorious over yourself. You will feel a sense of achievement that no other game would be able to invoke in you.
“Finishing this true product of the Gods; don’t leave behind any regrets in the game!”
Coupled with the extremely appropriate background music, Teacher Qiao’s impassioned voice would make his audience feel passionate and eager to rush headfirst into battle.
However, both of Pei Qian’s hands grew cold. He felt the blood solidify in his veins.
“This is so sad…” Pei Qian looked up in anguish, feeling utterly speechless.