Chapter 124: History of Despair
Chapter 124: History of Despair
Chapter 124: History of Despair
The subject of tomorrow's exam is "Morality."
Judging from the despicable nature of the first day's exam, there's a high probability that the second day will also involve a dream test. As long as the exam score is above 12 points, he could earn the reward of dream fragments.
Dream fragments seem to hold a unique value for the indigenous inhabitants of the dungeon, but for him, they can be used as potion ingredients.
Moreover, he couldn't work part-time at the library anymore, but the Librarian did provide some information. Tomorrow afternoon, the portal to the gymnasium will open. After he finishes the exam, he could explore the gymnasium.
Gu Yi arrived at the library. Before entering section C, he applied a psychological suggestion to himself and then stepped into the section.
He randomly picked up a book. After a quick glance, the previously incomprehensible text was now easily readable to him.
The shelves were filled with humanities and social science books, with a significant portion being history books. Some of these books weighed as much as five to six kilograms, making them slightly cumbersome to hold and read.
Gu Yi didn't have the time to read each book thoroughly, so he could only skim through them.
Each history book detailed a different civilization.
In one book, it documented a world where humans coexisted with monsters, which could be captured inside balls and carried around.
Another book described an underwater civilization where marine creatures possessed intelligence comparable to humans. This book repeatedly mentioned a place called "Bikini Bottom."
Yet another book covered a civilization similar to Earth's. The course of history wasn't much different from that on Earth, except for a legend about a stone mask that never appeared in Earth's history.
"Hmm..."
Gu Yi pondered for a moment, feeling that these history books documented the histories of various parallel universes.
Browsing at this rate was too slow. He believed that every book in section C was worth careful study. He found a spot, sat down, and utilized his infinite deduction ability to skim through all the history books in section C.
After a detailed reading, Gu Yi discovered that all the parallel worlds had experienced a common catastrophe.
— The Weird Resurgence.
Though the time of the "Weird Resurgence" differed in each world, the disasters they once faced were identical to the catastrophe Earth was currently facing.
They had various names for the mastermind behind the "Weird World."
Destroyer, Evil God, Lord of Calamity...
No matter how objective the compilers of the history books were when describing this mastermind behind the scenes, their words were always filled with fear and hatred.
The final historical event that many civilizations encountered was the Weird Resurgence.
The duration of each civilization's battle against the Weird World varied; some fought for a decade, some for a century.
As Gu Yi read through all the history books, the more he read, the deeper his despair grew.
Because—
Not a single civilization had ever defeated the Weird World.
Ultimately, they would fail in increasingly challenging dungeons. Almost forty percent of these civilizations met their end due to betrayal from their own kind or became a part of the Weird World after surrendering.
Humans would eventually be consumed by an increasing number of weird creatures, turning the whole world into a wasteland.
Just as Gu Yi was about to exhaust all his mental strength, he found the thickest history book, which documented a civilization's battle against the Weird World lasting for three centuries.
In the book, the author referred to their civilization as the "Ascenders" and the mastermind behind the Weird World as the "Overseer."
In the midst of the calamity brought by the Weirdness's arrival, the Ascenders civilization developed and successfully unlocked the technology for interstellar travel. They tried to leave their decaying home planet to find a new homeland and continue their civilization.
However, just as they settled on a new planet, the Overseer pursued them relentlessly. Before they could firmly establish themselves, they were swallowed by a sudden surge of weird creatures.
They were the only civilization to have direct contact with the Overseer.
According to their description, the Overseer is the embodiment of the universe's will, representing the deepest dark side of all intelligent beings.
He feeds on the fear of death and baits with the hope of survival, playing with all intelligent beings at his whim.
He would always tell you that with just a little more effort, you could kill him.
And then, just as you grasp that last bit of hope, he personally extinguishes it.
The Overseer can never be annihilated; he will always reincarnate in the void.
Beings can never oppose the Overseer; only death is the best way to face him.
...
"Students, the library will be closing soon."
The Librarian played the closing music.
Soft violin sounds drifted through the library.
Gu Yi sat at the table, scribbling with a pen on paper. He wasn't sure if people in the real world could clearly see what he wrote, but he had to convey the information he obtained today to the real world.
Gu Yi had some doubts about the history books in Section C.
The entire dungeon world constantly emphasizes that "suicide solves everything." Even the conditions for passing levels included "choose death." Perhaps the history books in Section C were compiled to reinforce the "belief in suicide."
Gu Yi followed his team back to the dormitory.
As usual, once Chen Zeyu returned to the dormitory, he turned off the main light, lay on his bed, and began reading a book with his bedside lamp on.
Gu Yi didn't say much; he climbed into his bed and closed his eyes.
(Deduction starts!)
(You use psychological suggestion on Chen Zeyu.)
(You: Chen Zeyu, where are you from?)
(Chen Zeyu paused for a moment and put down his book.)
(Chen Zeyu: I'm from Wapeng.)
(You: What do you think of the Weird World?)
(Chen Zeyu: What Weird World?)
(You ponder for a moment.)
(Normal NPCs can't be aware of the Weird World. Chen Zeyu's reaction was expected.)
(You recall the content of that history book.)
(You: Do you know about the Ascenders?)
(Chen Zeyu: Are you talking about that novel called "The Great Overseer?")
(You: Novel?)
(Chen Zeyu: Yes. It's a very popular novel. "The Great Overseer" tells the story of an interstellar civilization battling a catastrophe named the Overseer.)
(You: Oh, it's a novel? I thought it was a history book. I saw it today in the library's Section C.)
(Chen Zeyu: You didn't actually believe it was real, did you? You're killing me with laughter.)
(You: Haha, forget about it. I wanted to ask, why did you come to study at Wapeng High School?)
(Chen Zeyu: What's there to say? Of course, it's because Wapeng High School is the best high school in the world. If I get high scores in the final exams, I can choose any college I want.)
(You: What's the outside world like?)
(Chen Zeyu: I don't understand what you're talking about.)
(You: I mean...)
(You tried to indirectly understand the specifics of the dungeon world. However, no matter how you approached it, directly or indirectly, Chen Zeyu always looked puzzled.)
(You realize that this is a cognitive impairment imposed by the system on the native residents. You can't obtain more information from them.)
(You end the deduction!)