160: Chapter 160 Recruiting Protagonists from All Realms: You call this Ascension?

pangu-003, First Heaven · Nether Heavy Industry Layer · Titan Reform-Through-Labor Camp.

"Line up! Everyone line up! This is a civilized game, no cutting in line!" "The ones in front, hit faster! Each person has a three-minute time limit for damage output! Even a God King has dignity; he can't be stepped on forever!" "That priest! Don't just watch! Heal the BOSS! If you kill it, what are we going to play with?"

If the previous Nether Heavy Industry Layer was a hardcore industrial zone, it has now become the most popular "5A-level internet celebrity check-in spot" in the entire server. In the center of the square, Zeus, the Titan God King who once awed the Universe, was currently wearing a washed-out pink tutu, bound by thick chains to a "Penance Rack" made of Titan alloy. Above his head floated a golden title: [LV.999 Premium Training Dummy (Indestructible)].

"I... I am the God King..." Zeus's eyes were vacant, mechanically repeating this line. Every time a player slashed him, he was forced to emit a preset sound effect: "Ouch! It hurts! Young hero, what fine martial arts! EXP +1000!"

This double torture of body and spirit made the Light Spirit Race High Priest and the Machine Race Mainframe, who were waiting in line nearby for their "shift," feel like their cores were about to crack. They huddled shivering in the corner, desperately wiping the railings beside them with rags (undergoing labor reform), fearing they would be the next ones dragged up to be a training dummy.

...

Thirty-Third Heavens · Tianhe Academy (formerly the Scripture Pavilion).

Li Mo stood on the terrace, overlooking the vibrant "exploitation scene" below, and took a satisfied sip of Abyss Milk Tea. "Very good, the players' enthusiasm for leveling up is high." "But..." He turned around and looked at the giant holographic map behind him displaying the operating data of pangu online. "The current game content is a bit too thin."

"Thin?" Star Spirit Navigator (and Director of Operations) Lumina's mouth twitched. "Captain, we have the Thirty-Third Heavens map, the Abyss Food Festival, the Scrapped Draft Dungeons, and now the 'Beat Up the God King' daily activity... You call this thin?"

"Of course." Li Mo put down his teacup and pointed to the large blank areas on the map. "Look, although we have a massive number of players (the fourth calamity), top-tier logistics (Scrap Iron Clan), and abundant ingredients (Abyss monsters)." "But we lack one thing."

"Middle-level management."

"Exactly." Li Mo explained, "The current players are fierce, but they all practice the magic-modified version of the 'Qi Induction Technique' I just made up. In other words, they only know how to do basic attacks and throw bricks." "True cultivation arts, like Alchemy, Formation, Beast Taming, Talisman... relying solely on those old men like Lei Wanjun to teach them would work them to death. We need a group of... professional mentors."

Li Mo walked to the desk and picked up the Setting Collection which exuded an Aura of Chaos. "Moreover, the Author's task for me is to 'fill the holes'." "In these myriad worlds, how many brilliant 'protagonists' are trapped in their Small Worlds because the Author went on hiatus, gave a bad ending, or the power scaling collapsed?" "They have top-tier Aptitude and top-tier Luck, but nowhere to use them."

"So..." Li Mo lifted the spring and autumn brush, his eyes flashing with the light of a capitalist... oh no, an educator. "I'm going to recruit them all." "To be teachers for the players, gatekeepers for the dungeons, and to add some color... to the world."

Buzz—! Li Mo lifted his pen and wrote a golden, shimmering Invitation Letter in the Void Realm. [Now Hiring: Tianhe Academy Visiting Professor / Dungeon Guardian BOSS.] [Requirements:]

Must hold the status of "Protagonist" or "Great Villain" in their respective worlds.

Possess a specialized skill (e.g., controlling fire, lightning, raising insects, etc.).

High pressure resistance (able to endure player harassment). [Benefits:]

Room and board provided (Thirty-Third Heavens ocean view room).

Provide "Ascension" channels (take you to see the truth of the world).

Can even help you rewrite a bad ending.

"Go." Li Mo flicked his wrist. The invitation letter transformed into countless streaks of light, penetrating the dimensional barriers of the ship and flying toward the vast multiverse (Narrative Layer Scrapped Draft Zone).

...

Multiverse · No. [Douqi Continent]. (Note: This is a typical scrapped draft world; the plot has been stuck on the day before the protagonist's Three-Year Agreement for five hundred years.)

Xiao Yan (pseudonym) was sitting on a cliff, chewing on a grass root out of boredom. As the protagonist of this world, he had been sitting here for five hundred years. "Old man, when exactly is that fight going to happen?" He touched the ring on his hand. An old Soul floated out of the ring: "Don't ask, the Author has stopped updating for five hundred years. They've probably forgotten us." "Sigh..." Xiao Yan sighed, "My 'Buddha's Angry Fire Lotus' is about to get moldy. If I don't get to fight soon, I'm going to use the Heavenly Flame to roast sweet potatoes."

Just then. Whoosh—! A golden light descended from the sky and hovered in front of him. It was a golden letter, exuding a "high-dimensional Aura" that made his Soul tremble.

"This is..." The old grandfather in the ring exclaimed, "This is... a summons from the Upper Realm?! Could it be the legendary 'Ascension Guidance Order'?"

Xiao Yan's hands trembled as he took the letter. "Do you want to know the meaning of life? Do you really want to... have a fight?" "Click [YES] to take you away from this lagging world."

Xiao Yan's eyes turned red. Five hundred years! Finally, there's a signal! Never mind fighting, even if it's hauling manure, it's better than being a statue here! "YES! I'm clicking YES!" He pressed down hard.

Boom! A pillar of guidance light fell, sucking him and the old grandfather in the ring inside.

...

Multiverse · Plane No. 8848 · [Magic Restricted Book Area].

Inside a wizard tower reaching into the clouds. An old man known as the "Magic God" was looking at the magic book in front of him in despair. "No... this formula is wrong..." "Why is the power limit of the Fireball spell locked at the Forbidden Curse level? I want to deduce the 'World-Extinguishing Curse,' why does the Law of the world return an error?" (Because the Author set the limit that high; any higher and the book would collapse.)

Whoosh—! Golden light fell. "Want to break through the shackles of the setting? Want to see what the true 'Rules' look like?" "Tianhe Academy Research Department is hiring a Chief Magic Consultant. Benefits: Unlimited computing power support."

The old Magic God's eyes lit up like two supernovas. "Truth... I hear the call of truth!" Without hesitation, he threw away the staff (trash) in his hand and grabbed the letter.

...

pangu-003 · Thirty-Third Heavens · Welcome Square.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! With the continuous flickering of the teleportation Formation, dozens of figures appeared out of thin air. Some carried giant swords, some wore magic robes, some rode giant dragons, and some were accompanied by nine-tailed foxes. Every one of them exuded a startling Aura—the lingering power of the Protagonist Halo.

"This... this is the Immortal Realm?" Xiao Yan, carrying the Heavy Black Ruler, looked around, feeling the Spiritual Qi so thick it wouldn't disperse (though it was mixed with a bit of Abyss cumin scent), trembling with excitement. "Such strong energy fluctuations! My Dou Qi... no, my Spiritual Power is cheering!"

"This place is full of the scent of high-dimensional rules." The old Magic God took a greedy deep breath, "I feel it! The Bottleneck that has troubled me for a thousand years is loosening!"

This group of "country bumpkin" protagonists from various worlds were like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, finding everything fresh. "Look at that! That flying iron bird (patrol drone)! What exquisite Alchemy!" "Look at that tree (Jianmu Elevator)! It actually goes straight to the ground! What a miracle!"

Just as they were immersed in the joy of "Ascension." "Hey! You guys over there! Newcomers?" A somewhat casual voice interrupted their reflections.

Everyone turned to look. They saw a group of people wearing strange clothes (bikini armor, frog headgear) and holding a variety of weapons (bricks, frying pans), surrounding the edge of the square and pointing at them. It was none other than the fourth calamity (players).

"Holy crap! New NPCs have spawned!" "Look at the one with the ruler! So cool! Is he a new class mentor?" "That old man's ring is nice; can we loot it?" "Quick, go get the quest! First-hand quest rewards are the highest!"

Clatter— Thousands of players rushed over like a zombie siege. They surrounded them, their hands wandering everywhere. "Handsome, teach me how to play with fire?" "Old man, is your beard real or fake?" "Beauty, is that nine-tailed fox for sale? I want to make a scarf!"

"Presumptuous!!" Xiao Yan was furious. As the protagonist of a world, when had he ever been teased like this? "Where did these madmen come from! How dare you be so disrespectful to this venerable one!" "Buddha's Angry Fire Lotus! Go!" He flipped his palm, and an exquisite yet destructive three-colored fire lotus was thrown directly at the male player touching his pectoral muscles.

Rumble—! The fire lotus exploded. A giant mushroom cloud rose into the air. Players within a hundred-meter radius were instantly blown into white light.

"Hmph! Ants." Xiao Yan snorted and clapped his hands. However, in the next second, his expression froze.

He saw that the white lights did not dissipate; instead, a few seconds later, they reconsolidated at the respawn point in front of him. The resurrected players were not only unafraid but... even more excited.

"Holy crap! That skill is awesome!" "The damage is so high! And it's an AOE!" "I've decided on this mentor! No one snatch him from me!" "Great Master! Blast me again! I want to take a screenshot for my social media!"

"You... you guys..." Xiao Yan took two steps back, the emotion called "fear" appearing in his eyes for the first time. "You are immortal?!" "Even the Soul Clan wasn't this creepy!"

The old Magic God was also under siege. A group of players were trying to snap his staff to see if there were any hidden items inside. "Stop! That's my Soul-bound Magical Artifact! Ah—! It broke!"

Just as the scene was about to spiral out of control and these protagonists from all heavens were about to be "played to death" by the players. "Silence."

A calm voice came from the palace in the clouds. Although the voice wasn't loud, it carried an irreversible Administrator Privilege. All players were instantly frozen in place, unable to move while maintaining various lewd poses.

Li Mo, dressed in green robes, stepped through the Void Realm and walked over slowly. Behind him followed T-9 and Star Spirit Navigator.

"Welcome, everyone, to Tianhe Academy." Li Mo smiled at the disheveled "protagonists." "I am the Dean here, Li Mo." "I am also the person who fished you out of that boring 'infinite loop'."

"You..." Xiao Yan looked at Li Mo, instinctively feeling a sense of suppression. It was the natural suppression an Author has over their characters. "Where exactly is this place? And these people... what kind of monsters are they?"

"This is pangu-003." Li Mo pointed to the frozen players. "As for them..." "They are your future 'students'."

"Students?" The old Magic God looked at the staff broken in two in his hand, wanting to cry but having no tears. "This is too... too unruly!"

"They are a bit unruly." Li Mo smiled and casually snapped his fingers. Buzz! The staff in the old Magic God's hand was instantly restored, even gaining a ring of golden runes (enhanced version). The Dou Qi Xiao Yan had consumed was instantly refilled, and even the Heavenly Flame inside him evolved.

"But what I can give you..." Li Mo opened his arms, and the grand Setting Collection appeared behind him. "Is the 'upper limit' that you could never reach in your original worlds."

"Here, the Fireball spell has no power limit." "Here, Dou Qi can transform into a horse, or it can be the power source for a star-destroying ship." "As long as you are willing to teach." "I can let you see... another possibility for the story."

Li Mo walked up to Xiao Yan and patted his shoulder. "How about it, young man." "Are you interested in being a... 'Head of the Blasting Department'?"

Xiao Yan looked into Li Mo's deep eyes, then at the fire lotus in his palm, which was ten times more active than before. He was silent for three seconds. Then, he broke into a wild smile. "I'll do it!" "Anyway, it's better than blowing in the wind on a cliff for five hundred years!"

"I'll do it too!" The old Magic God raised his hand. "I want to apply for research funding! I want to study that magic that allows for infinite resurrection!"

Li Mo nodded with satisfaction. "Very good." "T-9, take the professors to complete their onboarding procedures." "And by the way, tell the players..." "The new version [All Heavens Mentors] is live." "Those who want to learn skills, prepare your tuition (grind)."

Watching the group of protagonists being led away by T-9, Star Spirit Navigator couldn't help but sigh: "Captain... you're building a 'Protagonist Avengers Alliance'." "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Li Mo looked into the distance. "What am I doing?" "Of course, it's for... the final grand play." "Having players as cannon fodder isn't enough." "We need real 'heroes' to stand against the... upcoming 'Nothingness'."