Chapter 15

The water screen flickered to life, replaying the world's scenario.

Jack Avery, more familiar with the true situation than anyone else in the room, wanted nothing to do with the replay.

Yet Jonas Kim pressed him, "Don't miss this rare chance. Understanding the scenario of such an exceptional S-class world is crucial!"

Intrigued, Jack asked, "Why is it so important?" He wondered if others could also attempt to clear the game.

Jonas, fixated on the screen, explained patiently, "Even though re-entry to this world is impossible, watching the replay can help us gauge the difficulty level of an S-class world and even understand the designer's approach."

Jack cynically thought to himself, 'The designer's approach? Easy to summarize in three words—utterly mad.'

Suddenly, Jonas exclaimed, "Holy shit, he's already dead!"

On the water screen, a young man dressed in medieval garb took an arrow straight through the chest.

The crowd around them swelled, the chatter relentless. "Is this just the first day? A heart-piercing death must hurt so much!"

Another viewer added, "At least there's no limit on the number of retries."

"But dying over and over has to be agonizing!"

On the screen, Cyrus was resurrected at a save point just moments before his death. He decided to attend the meeting, which promptly resulted in his decapitation.

As the actual person involved, Jack's immunity to pain meant he hadn't been too bothered about losing his head at the time. Now, viewing it as an observer, the scene was horrifically striking.

His head and body separated, blood poured out dramatically. The butler, maintaining his composure and elegance, held Cyrus's head tenderly, speaking as if to a lover.

The onlookers echoed what Jack was thinking: "This is madness!"

Some with a darker sense of humor remarked, "The butler's kind of hot, though."

"Hot? Maybe you should offer him your head to play with?"

"No thanks, I'm out!" Just watching was enough; no one wanted to actually experience having their head detached after their heart was pierced!

Jonas reflected aloud, "Definitely S-class difficulty. He died three times right from the start." The screen now depicted Cyrus being double-teamed by the vampire and the butler.

Jack remained silent, his confusion growing. Would the world's scenario reveal the special ability he had chosen?

In this game, where fatal injuries are rendered painless, the level of difficulty isn't regarded as particularly high. It essentially involves dying a few times until the correct path is uncovered. When death lacks the sting of pain, fear becomes a moot point.

"Man, this newbie's got nerves of steel—died that many times and still keeps his cool!" remarked an observer.

"How's he holding up without any mental fortification?!" another exclaimed.

Jonas, mistaking Jack's silence for shock, whispered, "Honestly, the plot's difficulty is moderate; it's the repeated agony of dying that's brutal. Sure, he can reload from saves, but every arrow, every knife wound feels real, and the pain lingers in his memory, enough to break anyone's spirit."

For a newcomer thrust into such an unfamiliar world, the psychological strain and fear alone are overwhelming, not to mention the frequent deaths. If someone were mentally fragile, they might have already lost their sanity.

"Look at this newbie; died three times, reloads, and still keeps his cool. He even spotted other save points in those brief seconds..."

Another chimed in, "He's more than just cool; after respawning, he faced that vampire again without a hint of fear and even flirted effortlessly!"

"He must be a real charmer," someone joked.

"Charmer," "cool and wise," "mentally tough"—these were the labels bestowed upon Jack Avery as he stood silently observing.

From the crowd came a shout: "My God, that vampire is so hot! Silver hair and eyes—absolutely striking!"

"I think the butler's hotter! That deep, subtle intensity is just perfect!"

"Wait, I thought that maid was... damn, it's a guy!"

"Isn't this game called 'Left or Right in Love'? Why is there another one?"

"He's dead again!"

"...Typical of an S-level difficulty."

The tension in the plot eased momentarily until Lucas and the butler made a dramatic return, and all four characters were together once again...

The hall erupted in excitement: "It's over, he's capsized!"

"I bet the newbie's going to stylishly die again."

"I bet he manages to juggle all four of these characters!"

"I bet the newbie's a heartbreaker of epic proportions!"

Jack thought to himself that if not for the risk of arousing suspicion, he would have turned and walked away right then.

When Cyrus Hall finally transformed into a demon and Jack found himself unable to commit suicide, the audience erupted in laughter, as if uncovering an Easter egg at the end of a movie.

"Brilliant! Killed countless times, yet in the end, he just can't die!"

"Respect, really. After dying that many times, to keep stabbing himself without changing expression."

"You can see the pain on his face—it's real!"

When Jack's attempt at suicide failed and his immunity to fatal pain malfunctioned, he truly felt what it was like to be stabbed in the heart. It was painful, yes, but bearable, especially since Cyrus Hall's body had already become demonic, which significantly dulled the sensation.

Even after the mission concluded and the screen reverted to a water blue, the crowd was still reeling.

Jonas remarked, "True S-level difficulty—both physically and mentally torturous."

His comments resonated with the crowd: "To die so many times in just seven days could break anyone. Even someone with strong mental resilience could lose their cool due to the constant threat of death. And the key to beating this game? Cleverly leveraging these four characters. A single misjudgment leads to death, each death further destabilizing your mindset—it's a vicious cycle."

Their insights were spot-on. Without the immunity to fatal pain, Jack would have struggled significantly to complete this challenge.

And consider the pitfalls hidden among the special options—if he had chosen immunity from fatal injuries, he would have doomed himself from the start. Imagine surviving against all odds for days, only to discover that completing the task was impossible—that's the epitome of despair!

Jack Avery was struggling to grasp the full scope of the game's challenges. Without the special privilege that negated fatal pain, this game would have indeed presented a significant challenge. Although he was unfamiliar with the difficulty levels of other games, the reactions of the people in the hall indicated that this scenario was considered highly difficult. This was, after all, merely a trial for newcomers, intended to be navigated by ordinary people. For those unaccustomed to such a brutal plot of repeated deaths, the difficulty was formidable.

However, with his immunity to lethal pain, Jack was spared any psychological damage, although the melodramatic plot still thoroughly rattled his worldview.

But why then was it classified as S-level difficulty?

Nathan York, having returned from the quasi-world, quickly reviewed the plot and mused, "Ethan's still got it. Just by infusing it with Soul's Intent, he bumped a B-level task right up to S-level."

If Jack had heard this, it would have cleared up his confusion.

The S-level rating was purely because Ethan Grey had infused the game with Soul's Intent, notoriously finicky and without a true match for years, setting extraordinarily high trigger conditions for the game.

The greatest difficulty in this game wasn't in choosing the privileges, the melodramatic plot, or even the final twist, but rather in meeting these trigger conditions. For example, a highly difficult game might allow a thousand people to attempt it, with at least one guaranteed to succeed, giving a success rate of one in a thousand. Another game, of moderate difficulty, might select only one from ten million to attempt it. Even if that person succeeds, the success rate plummets to one in ten million, making what is a moderate game appear incredibly difficult. The threshold is indeed a criterion for judging difficulty.

Of course, Jack Avery was unaware of these nuances, and the onlookers didn't know about the existence of the privilege, thus shielding Ethan Grey's Soul's Intent.

The water screen momentarily dimmed before lighting up again. A line of bold, flamboyant script appeared:

[Invitation to the conquerors of 'Left or Right in Love' to join Cloud Pavilion.]

The hall fell silent for three seconds before erupting into chaos.

"Cloud Pavilion, man, they're inviting a newbie to join!"

"This newbie's luck is off the charts! Clears an S-level world, bags a special skill, and gets an invite to Cloud Pavilion!"

The buzz was unavoidable, and Jonas Kim was momentarily speechless before he finally exhaled, "Impressive, really."

Jack, curious, asked, "What's Cloud Pavilion?"

Jonas's expression grew complex as he replied, "You haven't even chosen a class yet."

Jack was clueless.

Jonas sighed, "In the Central World, there are three classes: Explorers, Collectors, and Recorders. Depending on your class, you receive different missions, which is crucial for team-based quests."

Jack picked up on another crucial detail—the possibility of team-based completion.

Jonas continued, "Typically, completing the newbie trial allows you to choose a class. Explorers mostly receive exploration tasks, Collectors are tasked with gathering, and Recorders are needed to chronicle world narratives and characters."

Jack inquired, "What about the designers?"

"Seen those designer X references? They start as Explorers, Collectors, or Recorders too. After many world completions and passing certain tests, they might gain the ability to design."

"Not everyone has the talent for design, though."

Jack's eyebrows raised slightly, "That X…"

"X is a legend, the current pinnacle among designers, and the only one who can craft SS-level worlds."

Jack thought to himself, "This could be tricky."

Jonas sighed again, enviously, "Cloud Pavilion, huh? A newbie without even a class getting their invite is beyond what anyone could dream of."

Jack was more interested in X-related queries, but it was clear Jonas was more concerned with Cloud Pavilion, so he followed along with the conversation.

Jonas explained, "Cloud Pavilion is the largest organization in the Central World, gathering the most talent and resources, and possessing the most up-to-date exploration data. Joining allows you to share these resources and progress."

Jack was genuinely intrigued, "Is X also in Cloud Pavilion?"

Before Jonas could respond, the water screen flashed another message: [Invitation to the conquerors of 'Left or Right in Love' to join Cloud Pavilion.]

The hall erupted once more: "A double announcement—that's the kind of treatment only a deity like X gets, damn!"

"Yet our god X turned it down."

"I bet the newbie won't refuse, he seems too sharp."

Jack Avery thought to himself, "..." He hadn't planned on joining any organizations, but if this group was at odds with X...

Jonas spoke softly, "That's why X is a legend. He's the only one who ever declined an invitation from Cloud Pavilion."

In Central Park, a silver-haired elf burst in energetically, exclaiming, "Haha, Ethan, you're done for!"

The man tending to a rose bush didn't even look up. "Be careful, don't step on my flowers."

"Your little rose has caught Cloud Pavilion's eye!"

The man looked up, his arched eyebrows framing a pair of strikingly different eyes—one deep red, the other deep blue, creating a vivid contrast as if fire and ice had collided, weaving an indescribable air of languid devilry.

He responded nonchalantly, "He joined Cloud Pavilion?"

Nathan York replied with schadenfreude, "Cloud Pavilion has extended an invitation to him."

"Oh." The man continued to fuss over the luxuriantly blooming roses.

Nathan grew impatient, "Aren't you worried he'll accept?"

Ethan Grey just smiled and said nothing.

Nathan warned him, "I'd advise you to keep your identity a secret, your little rose is probably dying to kill you, you freak."