Chapter 55
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
This chapter is edited by Cthulhu. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 55: Mystery Magician
Bai Yan made a decision that went against his usual habits.
“A habit isn’t the same as a principle. It’s no big deal.”
A habit was like eating lighter and healthier food while trying to lose weight. But if you didn’t follow the diet, having fried chicken and cola wasn’t considered a violation of principle… at least that’s what he thought.
Bai Yan had never been a man of strict principles. As long as he could fulfill his immediate needs and maintain his ultimate goal, he had no issue with flexibly adjusting his habits or moral standards.
Since he only had enough Energy Points for 10 summons and wanted to draw from both pools, he decided to make five summons from each pool.
Bai Yan drew a deep breath and washed his hands as usual.
He narrowed his eyes as he gazed into the mirror, mouthing improvised prayers to Heavenly Lord, Azathoth, and even Ultraman King.
“Alright, let’s do this!”
Bai Yan started with the old pool — Fate. He settled onto his bed, picked up his phone, and tapped the screen without hesitation.
First one!
The dark mist in Fate swirled, revealing certain patterns.
Operator Fragment — Fusion Slime × 1
Second one!
Operator Fragment — Sword of Demons × 1
‘What? Two non-human operators in succession? Too bad they’re just fragments. It would be fantastic if I could obtain them directly.’
Bai Yan shook his head and tapped the screen again to make the third and fourth summons.
Entertainment — Happy Memory × 1
Tactics — Sudden Storm × 1
Bai Yan’s expression immediately soured. It seemed that individual summons wouldn’t improve his luck.
“Other Tactics like ‘Gigantic Meteorite Falling from the Sky’ or ‘A Quarter of Godlike Luck’ would be more useful. Storm is useless when there aren’t any sea battles!”
‘I need to stay calm… must stay calm.’
Bai Yan was overwhelmed with regret. He wished he had chosen 10 summons instead. In situations like this, even though the outcome might be identical, people always felt they could have better luck if they had done things differently.
His fingers trembled slightly as he continued tapping the screen.
Core Operator — Mystery Magician × 1
“Yes! Finally got one!”
Then Bai Yan realized something.
“Mystery Magician? An operator I’ve never encountered?”
What was happening with this game?
Bai Yan frowned. Whether during his first playthrough or the dozens of failed attempts before… he had never encountered this Core Operator.
“Strange… it’s almost impossible that I missed him before. Or… could he be an operator exclusive to the second playthrough?”
Both the early appearance of the new pool and the unknown operator made Bai Yan feel uneasy.
“But it seems I actually got lucky. Thank goodness I didn’t opt for 10 summons…”
Before this good fortune arrived, he had regretted not selecting 10 summons directly.
However, once he obtained a new Core Operator, his perspective completely reversed.
Bai Yan tapped the screen again. The fragments gradually dissolved, then Mystery Magician appeared.
He was a young magician wearing a white smiley mask. His pixel figure wore an elegant purple tailcoat and a black top hat.
He removed his top hat and bowed like a gentleman. Doves flew out from within his hat.
“Magic — that is — trickery and deception.”
Bai Yan lost himself in thought. Somehow, this new operator gave him an intense sense of déjà vu.
He didn’t examine the new operator immediately. He had more pressing matters to attend to.
His Energy Points weren’t depleted yet. He hadn’t tried the new pool.
Five summons remained for the new pool!
Bai Yan took another deep breath. Then his finger pressed the screen repeatedly. Dark mist with purple reflections shimmered. New patterns emerged one after another.
“Here we go!”
Possibility: Fallen Angel — Nightsaber (7 Days)
Possibility: Fairy Witch — Psychic Dancer (7 Days)
Possibility: Enemy of Humanity — AX450 (7 Days)
Bai Yan’s eyes brightened momentarily before dimming.
“All of them are seven days… why did I specifically get skins for these two?”
Two identical 7-day skins could be combined into a permanent skin. Bai Yan could afford to wait until another “7 Days” was summoned to obtain the permanent skin.
He recalled that Psychic Dancer’s ability would be replaced by the talent of summoning fairy creatures when equipped with the Fairy Witch skin.
Operators remained fundamentally unchanged even with new skins.
Even if their Race, STR, and Ability differed, their essence wouldn’t undergo any fundamental changes, and their new abilities would maintain connections to their former powers.
To some extent, it was similar to Martin Morning. Operators temporarily experienced the possibility of another world line.
Nightsaber’s Fallen Angel skin altered her race. With six black wings on her back, she appeared distinctly different from the girl in the current world.
Bai Yan remembered the skin’s appearance. It featured less clothing than Nightsaber’s current attire and would grant her more elegant battle stances.
He yearned to summon her immediately and apply the skin to see it.
Resist!
Bai Yan shook his head. Anyone would understand the difference between 7 days and permanent. Patience now meant eternal happiness later.
Continue with the summoning!
World Line Change Fragment — Atlantis × 1
World Line Change — Obelisk of the Sun × 1
Success!
“Could this be related to the Game ability’s effect? I feel my luck has turned around!”
A bright smile finally appeared on Bai Yan’s face. Within less than a minute, all his previous struggles and regrets vanished.
“It seems that 10 summons is the wrong choice. Individual summons is the way!”
Bai Yan blinked and wondered, ‘Does anyone actually prefer 10 summons?’
System Notification:
“World Line Change — Obelisk of the Sun acquired. Would you like to use it?”
In Bai Yan’s memory, Obelisk of the Sun had simple but practical effects. It would heal city residents’ ailments through sunlight. Additionally, by transforming the Wishes of nearby residents, it would generate 5 to 20 Energy Points daily.
On average, it would allow Bai Yan to perform a 10-summon every two months. The earlier he equipped it, the more rewards he could receive!
Bai Yan selected “Yes”.
“World Line Change — Obelisk of the Sun is loading. Estimated completion time: 3 days.”
Excellent!
Next came the crucial part. Bai Yan needed to complete the new operator’s guide mission, and this was an operator he had never known before.
Guide mission initiated.
Bai Yan clicked on “Operator” and selected Mystery Magician to modify his exclusive battle lines.
“Though it might be controversial, I think this will be interesting…” Considering that Core Operators were all real people, he couldn’t resist making the change.
After only a moment’s hesitation, he pressed the OK button.
“Cry! Beg! Struggle! Then die!”
Dressed in a white suit, Alan entered the archives of Demon Hunt Agency with composure.
Within the extremely spacious archives, rows of floor-to-ceiling cabinets stood in neat arrangement. Under the dim lighting, Alan’s expression was serious.
The closer he approached the thirteenth row, the more labored his breathing became.
The archives contained records of superpower events in the Air Alliance spanning the past hundred years. DHA branches in various cities had been sharing this valuable information.
Cabinets in the thirteenth row held records from thirteen years ago. Night watchmen could access files according to their clearance level.
That event was certainly documented in the archives…
Upon reaching the thirteenth row, Alan’s pupils constricted.
A stunning white-haired woman in black stood before the cabinet, smiling softly as she intently examined a file.
Alan found himself struggling to breathe as if plunged into ice-cold water. He shouted as though reliving a trauma.
“What are you doing here!”
Merete Chambers turned to face him, studied him briefly, and explained with a smile.
“I’m researching information about ‘Tower’. I had no idea your past was connected to my search. Should I apologize? After all, this violates your privacy.”
‘Why is this woman interested in Tower? Does she also suspect Tower’s connection to Babel Tower?’
Alan kept his thoughts private but responded coolly, “No need to apologize. You have clearance to access these files. I have no authority to stop you.”
Merete regarded him with a radiant smile. Then she pressed her lips together, “So your relationship with that person is like this. No wonder you brought him here. Now I fully understand.”
“Enough. I don’t wish to discuss the past.”
Alan’s face bore a stern expression, completely unlike his usual playful demeanor.
Clearly, he had no desire to continue the conversation.
Although he was familiar with death, that particular event still frequently haunted his nightmares.
“I understand. Everyone harbors their own fears.”
Merete nodded slightly. She returned the file and departed.
“See you later.”
Alan remained standing there, head bowed and fists clenched. Finally, he approached the cabinet, retrieved that black file, and opened it.
The file contained detailed records of the incident caused by members of the mysterious organization called “Tower”.
Numerous people were involved. All victims were children, and two of them were “No. 1878907 Alan (Recruited)” and “No. 1878908 Bai Yan (Memory Correction)”.
Each time he reviewed the files, Alan would feel the fear deep within his heart. The source of this fear was, naturally…
“Bai Yan.”
Alan muttered to himself, staring into space.
Suddenly, a voice resonated in his mind.
[You have been chosen, Mystery Magician.]
