My setting is above yours!

Chapter 136 Psychic Awakening, [Setting: Psychic Potential] Updated (5k)

Although the scene before him greatly shocked Ron's worldview, he quickly calmed down and realized what was going on.

game!

Everything that just happened, the scene I glimpsed immediately upon entering the [Spirit Realm]...

All of this means that the [Old Ideal City] he has been in since the "Hollow Age" was nothing more than a game!

Thinking of this, Ron suddenly felt enlightened, and his mind became clear—

'No wonder...no wonder everyone has the ability to conjure things out of thin air in their own reality...those Black Dragon Gang members are still talking about how many tens of thousands...'

Judging from the situation in online games, isn't this just temporarily purchasing something in the game's in-game store and spending a certain amount of in-game currency?

'Mira's chaotic behavior is also related to the fact that she's a player... For her, it's all just a game!'

'That's why she treated me that strangely—she gave me the egg yolk pie as a gift to boost her NPC favorability; she wasn't afraid to die but worried about harming her cybernetic body because she was afraid of damaging her equipment; and after killing Mira, she couldn't get the intact 'Mask of Life' simply because it was just a game character…'

Later, Ronald produced a technical file titled "FTL Technology," but it was completely empty except for the name. This also provided an explanation—

After all, how could an item in a game possibly contain information about singularity technology?

However, although many of his previous doubts were resolved, Ron still realized many new problems:

'But that [Ronald] is definitely not a so-called game NPC... The [Gate of a Thousand Threads] and that slender shadow are absolutely genuine deities.'

Is the so-called "Old Ideal City" really just a fake game?

'Ronald conducted such extensive experiments and made so many arrangements, even targeting deities… how could it possibly be based on a false game constructed from mere strings of code and signals?'

'This "Old Ideal City"...it doesn't look like a real game at all!'

'Maybe I need to find a way to get some information out of him…'

Thinking this to himself, Ron pondered for a moment, then casually struck up a conversation with the mascot costume player beside him:
"Of course! Who doesn't know that the game 'Old Ideal City' is fun? I just started playing it recently and I'm completely hooked..."

As Ron spoke, pretending to be an ordinary player, he casually complained:

"But it's so late at night, and you have to wait for the server to open if you just want to play a game, which is a bit of a hassle..."

Although he had no idea what the "Old Ideal City" was like as a game, or what it looked like in the real human settlements of the "Hollow Age," he figured it was right to just go along with the conversation.

Just by looking at how willing this mascot was to strike up a conversation, you could tell he was definitely a talkative person. As long as Ron kept up the act and didn't give himself away, he was sure he could get something useful out of this chatty guy...

And this person certainly didn't disappoint Ron—

"Hey, turns out you're a newbie who just awakened your psychic powers and just got into this game..."

The player dressed in a pink bunny mascot costume smiled, a hint of smugness in their tone that came with being a seasoned veteran, and kindly explained:

"Then you don't understand. It's obvious you used to play other online games... Which veteran player of [Old Ideal City] doesn't know that this game is great in every way, except that the server has to be restarted three to five times a day?"

"In game terms, that means the server restarts precisely at midnight every day... Don't complain about it, since [Old Ideal City] is currently the best [psychic stealth game]."

"To enable us psionicists to explore the Void of History more safely, [Sky Eye Corporation] integrated the Void of History into the psionic network, which is why they created a top-tier game like [Old Ideal City]—"

"With such a large game and the psionic network being prone to problems, restarting the server is perfectly normal..."

"Unlike other 'psychic infiltration games,' which probably only have one or two historical gaps that can be connected, and the content of a game is the same from beginning to end, with the rewards being all the same, and you have to take 70 or 80 percent of the rewards before you can bring them back to reality..."

"In our [Old Ideal City], rewards can be taken out and brought back to reality at any time. Not only is there no pay-to-win aspect, but you also receive a [Psionic Awakening Potion] directly upon entering the game, helping every prospective psionicist who has awakened their psionic potential to reach the extraordinary..."

At this point, he sighed, his tone revealing a strong approval of the "Old Ideal City":
"For a game like this, what's wrong with just restarting the server a few more times a day?"

"If we went back a few hundred years, we'd all have to risk our lives exploring the Void like the old-timers, just to have a chance to become psionicists... I really don't think we need to nitpick about this game..."

There's no need to nitpick it.

Ron was deeply shocked by what he heard from the mascot costume player.

Are people from the "empty era" really doing so well?

Compared to all previous eras, these psionicists are living in paradise!

Unlike in Ideal City, where students struggle relentlessly to improve their computing power, or in the "Potion Era," where they walk a tightrope between pollution and death, repeatedly taking potions in an attempt to advance...

If Ron understands correctly, it seems that playing this fully immersive "Old Ideal City" is equivalent to advancing on the path to transcendence, with advancement opportunities simply laid out within the game...

There was no longer the danger of death, nor the scheming of those in high positions—

【Sky Eye Company】linked together the 【historical voids】that threaten this era and turned them into a game, which was then placed on the so-called "Psionic Network" for psionicists to play, allowing them to explore these 【historical voids】more safely.

Their promotion path is so broad and secure... Ron couldn't even imagine that the rewards he got from the game could be unconditionally transferred into reality!

"Has Tianyan Company, having mastered twelve singularity technologies, become so powerful that it defies comprehension?"

Ron frowned subconsciously, sensing that this matter was not as simple as it seemed at first glance.

He pondered for a moment, then tentatively said:
"Indeed... But the [Historical Void] is so dangerous, I wonder how [Sky Eye Company] managed to do it—is that Mr. [Ronald] really that powerful?"

"Hey, isn't that right?"

The pink fluffy rabbit said lazily:
"Historical voids are everywhere, the world is on the verge of destruction, yet Sky Eye Company was able to protect a part of the old Ideal City, forming our current Sky Eye City... How could President Ronald not be incredibly powerful?"

As he spoke, a hint of fanaticism crept into his voice:

"Just three more years... just three more years! Once everyone in SkyEye City becomes a psionicist and completes the three-year plan proposed by President Ronald, SkyEye City can escape this sea of ​​suffering and head to a new world!"

"When the time comes, what's the [historical void], what's the [spirit world]... We'll use [FTL technology] to fly out of this galaxy and find a new home flowing with milk and honey!"

'Something's definitely not right...'

Seeing the fervent reaction from the players in the pink bunny mascot costume, Ron raised an eyebrow, confirming that his assessment was correct:

'If SkyEye Corporation truly possesses the technology to completely contain the historical voids, why allow SkyEye City to remain trapped in a near-destruction world overwhelmed by countless historical voids?'

'Furthermore, even if there is technology to limit the [Historical Void], it doesn't mean [Ronald] has the ability to annihilate them at will... Judging from [Ronald]'s recent performance in arbitrarily annihilating the [Old Ideal City], he clearly relied on his personal, real-world power!'

'Moreover, the three-year plan… Ronald promised these citizens of Sky Eye City that after everyone becomes a psionicist, he would take them all to a new star system, freeing them from this misery?'

'Something doesn't feel right...'

Ron seemed to be deep in thought when he suddenly remembered a number—

'Wait... 3,647,761 times... If it's 3,650,000 times in 10,000 years, that's still short by more than 2,200 times...' 'Assuming the game restarts three times a day—and the world of [Old Ideal City] is destroyed three times as a result—then [Ronald's] experiment will need to reach the point of completing once a day in 10,000 years within at least two years!'

Even with some time buffer... it can definitely be finished within three years!

Thinking about this, Ron suddenly understood:
'Ronald may have verbally promised the citizens that he would free them from their suffering in three years, but it now seems that his three-year plan was merely waiting for his experiment on a god to reach a certain point…'

'What exactly is he doing? I have a feeling that it all points to that god. Ronald and 7 must have some ulterior motive...'

'Furthermore, since Ronald's testing ground, the psionic infiltration game known as the Old Ideal City, wasn't a historical void generated by the Sky Eye Corporation, then where did it originate from?'

'So many things I just can't understand right now...'

Ron pondered for a moment but couldn't find any answers, so he sighed inwardly and put all these questions aside for the time being.

These things... can only be discussed later.

Ron is not yet capable of uncovering these secrets—even though Ronald is clearly impersonating him, Ron is not strong enough to stand in front of Ronald and contradict him.

As one of the singularity technologies controlled by Sky Eye Corporation, FTL technology is clearly just as Ron initially thought, and it is not something that can be easily obtained.

However, this doesn't mean Ron gained nothing in this era—

Since all the game items obtained in [Old Ideal City] can be brought back to reality, doesn't that also mean that some things in [Old Ideal City] that seem like products of game design actually work in reality as well...?

The Psionic Awakening Potion that Ron obtained from Mira to advance to the Psychic class, along with the class change token she used for the class change, are Ron's greatest gains in the "Void Age"!

Although he failed to achieve his biggest goal in arriving in the "Hollow Age," switching to a new-era profession and gaining a special attack buff against superpowered individuals was enough to satisfy Ron...

Thinking this to himself, Ron pondered for a moment, then his expression immediately turned solemn, and he gave the pink fluffy rabbit in front of him an expression of approval:
“Excellent! Mr. Ronald’s three-year plan will surely lead us to a better new home… We should all work hard for this plan and strive to go further on the psychic path!”

But as Ron spoke, a hint of embarrassment crept into his voice. He scratched his head sheepishly and said:

"However... I've only recently awakened my [Psionic Potential], and I haven't even been able to advance to a true [Psionicist] yet..."

As he spoke, looking bewildered, he took out the two bottles of [Spiritual Awakening Potion] and the red moon pendant, saying:
"I heard before that when you awaken your psychic powers, you can use certain job change tokens to step onto a more powerful [psychic pathway]. I obtained such a token, but I don't know exactly what to do with it..."

The pink fluffy rabbit was stunned when it saw the two bottles of [Psionic Awakening Potion] and the red moon pendant that Ron took out.

His gaze swept intensely over the red moon pendant in Ron's hand, and he said in an unnatural tone:

"Hey, what are you talking about? How could there possibly be such a good thing?"

As he spoke, he looked seriously at the red moon pendant in Ron's hand:

"And this item of yours... if I'm not mistaken, it should be a negative item that affects one's mental state..."

"This thing won't allow a newbie like you to embark on a stronger path of psionic power; in fact, it might hinder your normal advancement as a psionicist..."

"How about this, you give it to me, and I'll get rid of it for you, okay?"

A clumsy lie, and eyes brimming with greed and desire that even a fool could see through.

But Ron looked grateful and immediately stuffed the red moon pendant into the pink fluffy rabbit's hand:

"Is that so? Thanks, bro!"

...So you got it already?

The pink fluffy rabbit stared in astonishment at the red moon pendant in its hand, a surge of joy welling up inside it.

He forcefully suppressed the joy in his heart and said urgently:
"Hey, even though this is a hassle, I'll definitely get rid of this junk prop for you... Oh dear, my stomach hurts a bit, I need to go to the bathroom..."

He gave Ron a forced smile and a couple of perfunctory replies, then made an excuse and hurried off to the restroom in the corner of the waiting area...

Seeing this, Ron couldn't help but smile.

'They've taken the bait...'

He silently conjured up the [Unknowable Domain - False] within himself, and then quietly followed behind the person.

"Haha, I never thought I'd have this kind of luck... Damn, this newbie actually managed to get the [Super Lord's Emblem]!"

After the pink fluffy rabbit ran to a secluded corner where no one was watching, it sneaked into a toilet stall, grabbed a bottle of [Psychic Awakening Potion] without hesitation, and gulped it down in one go.

"Awakening a new [Psionic Path] with this thing would be far, far better than my [Warrior] Path..."

But just as he was thinking this, preparing to grasp the [Supernatural Symbol] and begin meditating to sense the [etheric energy] deep within the spirit world, a thin layer of mist suddenly appeared in his eyes—

"Huh, what was I just thinking of doing?"

He scratched his head, his eyes somewhat dazed, but quickly regained his senses and was horrified when he saw the empty bottle in his hand:
"Holy crap, how did I drink the [Psionic Awakening Potion]... Wasn't this the one I was saving for my future job change?!"

"What happened?!"

Meanwhile, in another toilet stall—

'It seems that as long as one drinks the [Psionic Awakening Potion] and then meditates while holding it, one can step onto a more powerful [Psionic Path] and become a [Psionicist]?'

Ron looked thoughtfully at the red moon pendant in his hand, but did not rush to begin his advancement.

He first used the [Unknowable Domain - False] to completely conceal himself, ensuring that he wouldn't be exposed due to his disguise when advancing to a psychic, before unhesitatingly opening a bottle of [Psychic Awakening Potion]...

He poured it into his mouth, then gripped the red moon pendant and began to meditate—

Soon, he felt a subtle, spiritual tremor rising from the depths of his heart...

The "etheric energy" pulsed like the tides, pulsating with Ron's "heart," causing the crimson moon pendant to tremble slightly, seemingly resonating with some psionic entity—

But inexplicably, this resonance received no response, and Ron was unable to truly incorporate these "etheric psychic energies" into himself or truly embark on any "psychic pathway."

As time ticked by, a growing sense of suspicion crept into Ron's heart:
'What's going on... Is this really how psionicists advance? Is there something wrong with my actions?'

Or is it that I have absolutely no talent for ethereal psychic powers... and am simply incapable of even venturing into the psychic path?

But just as this thought surfaced in Ron's mind, the red moon pendant in his hand suddenly began to tremble even more violently—

The marks of frost and scorching flashed across it, instantly turning it into dust.

The next moment, Ron felt a surge of "etheric energy" wash over him like a wave, merging into his spirituality...

[You have completed the psychic awakening ritual. [Setting: Psychic Potential] has been updated.]

(End of this chapter)