The Divine Realm's Trials Are Not Yet at an End

"According to our analysis, if we liken the 'Lord God' to a supercomputer, then this metallic sphere would merely be a portable terminal. To put it in terms you might better understand, it's akin to the relationship between a server and a personal computer. As long as there is still activity within the Lord God's domain, it cannot shut down or enter a dormant state. Therefore, only by forcibly logging out every single participant can the entire system be completely powered down."

In a modest café nestled within Tokyo's Nerima district, Nagato Yuki and Wang Qiu sat across from each other at a small table, speaking in hushed tones about a matter that concerned global safety and social stability.

"The most troublesome part," Yuki continued, "is that although we've already destroyed the Lord God's core and forcibly ejected all the reincarnators, the system has still not been entirely shut down—monsters from various scenarios continue to be released without end…"

"It hasn't been fully shut down? How could that be?" Wang Qiu blinked, puzzled. "Didn't we issue the command to forcibly log out all reincarnators? Why hasn't it worked? Was the instruction not fully executed?"

"The command was executed to completion. Every reincarnator within the Infinite Space was stripped of all equipment, items, bloodlines, physical enhancements, and supernatural abilities. Their memories of the death game were erased, and they were forcefully expelled."

Yuki took a delicate sip of her cappuccino and replied calmly, "According to trace data we recovered, apart from those of us who left earlier, only you, Wang Qiu-kun, managed to preserve your memory and soul-bound inventory—thanks to the coincidence of having your head inside Doraemon's dimensional pouch at the moment of the system purge. Of course, your bloodline and physical enhancements were still stripped away—that was unavoidable. The real issue, however, lies in a misjudgment we made: only the reincarnators were forcibly logged out."

"Only the reincarnators?" Wang Qiu was initially confused. Then, a spark lit in his eyes. "Could it be…"

"Yes," Yuki nodded. "We failed to account for the fact that 'reincarnators' and 'newcomers' were classified as separate entities. That oversight caused a gap in the execution of the command."

She looked steadily at him. "And I believe you know what the term 'newcomer' signifies."

"…Yes. Those who entered the Infinite World for the first time—who didn't even survive the first scenario, who never reached the Lord God's domain for exchange or rest. In simpler terms, they were rookies tricked into joining—like you and the others before escaping from Resident Evil 1…"

Wang Qiu rubbed his forehead and sighed. "How many such trapped newcomers are there? And what effect do they have?"

"Originally, more than a hundred. But as time passed and the scenarios advanced, deaths have thinned their numbers. Still, as long as even one newcomer remains trapped inside, the system of the Infinite Space cannot be fully deactivated."

"Then isn't it just a matter of time?" Wang Qiu raised an eyebrow. "People die eventually. Sooner or later, all the newcomers will perish."

He glanced at Yuki, then sighed again. "Look… Nagato-san, don't get me wrong—it's not that I'm heartless. But stepping into the Infinite World means walking hand in hand with death, where every moment is perilous and every step is a trial. Everyone has to face the danger alone—rescue themselves by their own hands. In such brutal conditions, simply refraining from stepping on others when they fall is already a kindness. Asking me to play the saint… I'm sorry. I neither have that strength nor that kind of self-sacrificing virtue. Besides, surely they have a way to escape too?"

"There is, as you know—by amassing fifty thousand reward points," Yuki replied. "But now, with the Lord God's logic program and exchange functions collapsed, they can no longer enhance themselves using reward points, nor move from one scenario to the next. The only option left to them is to hoard all the points they can. Once they reach fifty thousand, a prompt will appear—choose to return home, and they'll be sent back to their original world; choose to remain, and the scenario space will become a severed, self-contained parallel world, disconnected from the Lord God."

"So you're telling me they need to earn fifty thousand points in the very first scenario? That's insane!" Wang Qiu shook his head. "You're not suggesting the Lord God conveniently assigned them generous, easy missions, are you?"

"The broken Lord God can no longer assign missions," said Yuki. "The only way left to earn points is by drastically altering the storyline."

"But," she added, "because the system has collapsed, time inside the scenario space has become essentially infinite. No one will pull them back—if they can survive… or if someone helps them survive to the end…"

She looked at Wang Qiu meaningfully.

"…And what does that have to do with me?" Wang Qiu munched on a piece of cookie with a resigned expression. "As the saying goes: life and death are fated; riches and honor rest with the heavens. Everyone must walk their own path. If these newcomers are fortunate, they'll scrape together the fifty thousand points. If they die, or can't earn enough… why should I risk my life to rescue them?"

He shrugged. "Just because I'm a veteran doesn't mean I have to shoulder every burden. I didn't create this brutal death game. Besides, you, Haruhi Suzumiya, and Doraemon—you're all stronger than I am. Why shove this responsibility on me?"

Yet Yuki's gaze remained unwavering. "Wang Qiu-kun, there is indeed a reason. A very compelling one."