"How can this be?"
Fenric frowned. "If the entire 'One Piece' instance is affected by me, does that mean those who cleared it earlier in Stage One will automatically be upgraded to Stage Two the next time? Does that also mean those who've already completed a higher stage—like Adam, who passed the Third Stage—have changed in some way?"
"This is too chaotic... it's a paradox!"
Aurora nodded. "I've considered that possibility. But based on the intel I've gathered so far, no abnormalities have been reported by those who previously cleared the 'One Piece' instance. At least not those who cleared it before your impact on the system."
She continued, "My personal speculation is that the effects you triggered only apply to Samsara players who run the 'One Piece' world at the same time as you. Like me, for example. After all, no one has ever done anything as bold as what you did."
"We'll know for sure once more people go through the instance again. If they experience changes, my theory is wrong. Otherwise, it holds."
Fenric nodded in understanding.
Aurora's logic was clear. She believed the effects of Fenric's actions were localized, only impacting those who entered the instance concurrently with him. The majority of Samsara players, at least for now, were unaffected.
If her assumption was correct, then in future 'One Piece' runs, this small group—including herself—might have a different experience from others.
"If the enemy comes, I'll block them. If water floods in, I'll build a dam. No matter what changes come, I'll clear my instances in peace," Fenric muttered calmly.
Aurora smiled at his response.
Fenric might not be worried, but she was. Due to her current position, she couldn't afford to think only of herself.
She needed to fully understand the extent of the impact caused by Shura—by Fenric. Was it something the country could weaponize?
"Either way, you've saved my life today. I honestly thought I was going to die. Thank you, Shura."
"Ms. Morwyn, don't be so formal. You've helped me a lot too," Fenric replied with a grin.
"Oh, one more thing—"
Aurora suddenly became serious. "Shura, your rise has been too fast. According to my intel, several foreign factions already see you as a threat. Some are even plotting to eliminate you."
A cold glint flickered in Fenric's eyes. "Let them come. If it's a same-level instance, no matter how many they send—they'll all die."
Aurora nodded, agreeing with his confident, yet unpretentious tone.
"I've heard about your performance. Anyone who can go head-to-head with Fujitora has the right to talk big."
"However," she added, "they may still have other ways to deal with you. You need to stay alert."
"Oh?" Fenric asked. "What kind of ways?"
"The most direct would be to uncover your real-world identity and assassinate you. From what I've heard, even Adam now sees you as a threat. If your identity gets exposed… be prepared. Right now, even we can't determine where you're from."
She paused, then continued, "But their main strategy is to wait for the annual super-dungeon: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. They're planning to gang up on you there."
Fenric was taken aback. "PUBG? Can you tell me more about that instance?"
In his memories, PUBG was an online game from his previous life.
Aurora explained, "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is a global event held every September. It's a confrontation-style instance organized by the Samsara System itself. Every Samsara player who has cleared a Samsara Tower instance must participate in a regional team."
"Winners get massive rewards. The rest get penalized—points will be deducted. You'd better start saving points now, just in case."
"In that instance, Samsara players can fight each other freely. The system enforces combat through gas zones and bombing areas, pushing everyone to compete head-on."
"Right now, Zone E wins every year... because they have Adam."
As she finished, Aurora's expression turned cold. Clearly, she'd suffered at Adam's hands before.
Fenric nodded thoughtfully. He planned to research this PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds instance in depth.
From what Aurora described, it sounded like a real-life version of the battle royale game he used to play.
...For now, Fenric stayed vigilant.
If he didn't want to end up as a corpse, he had to be fully prepared.
After parting with Aurora, Fenric didn't use his personal instance card right away.
Instead, he visited the world of The Great Wall, spent a day there (equivalent to an hour in the real world) with Lin Mei, then logged out and returned to reality.
Back in the real world.
He turned on his computer and searched for information about the PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds instance.
Airdrops. Poison zones. Bombing areas. Shrinking safe zones...
After reading, Fenric shut off the computer, expressionless.
There was no doubt—this was the very same game from his past life, only reworked by the Samsara System into a deadly, real-life version.
In this massive PUBG instance, if you got killed by another Samsara… you'd die for real.
And the worst part?
It was mandatory.
Any Samsara who had cleared a tower dungeon had to participate.
There was no way to opt out.
The next morning.
Fenric washed up and headed straight to school.
Tonight, he would refresh a new personal instance to strengthen himself even further.
Although he was confident that Aurora would help him during the PUBG event...
Fenric had never relied on others.
He only trusted one thing: his own strength.
At school.
The moment Fenric sat down, a fat classmate leaned over from behind with a grin. It's Jitto.
"Fenric, you missed a good show today!"
Fenric sighed. "If you've got something to say, just say it."
"Haha! Tazhan from the next class made an announcement. He said you'd better go apologize to him before school ends today. Promise to stay away from Wen, the school beauty—otherwise, he's going to block you after school!"
Fenric's expression darkened.
Are high schoolers these brain-dead these days?
He was starting to feel more and more that campus life just wasn't worth the trouble.