Chapter 73: Unorthodox Players

Liam woke up with his mind still feeling completely out of place. Before he could even gather his thoughts, the familiar mechanical voice of the system echoed through his consciousness.

Player Liam has awakened.

You have reached the Medieval Period.

Liam rubbed his imaginary eyes and stared blankly into the void for several seconds.

"Already?"

After spending a few moments staring into nothingness, Liam finally regained his composure. He stretched despite having no physical body to stretch and turned his attention toward the system.

"System, good morning, I guess. Tell me, did I get any skills or something?"

The system responded immediately, displaying a series of notifications before him.

[Natural Progression Unlocked]

[Player Race Diversification Progressed]

[Natural Interaction Progressed]

[Player Reached Medieval Era]

[Natural Fundamentals of the World and Magic Progressed]

[Technology Progressed]

[Player Has Completed the First Stage of Development]

[Unorthodox Players will now be able to come into contact with your planet.]

Liam’s expression slowly changed as he read the final notification. The previous messages had sounded like ordinary milestones, but that final one carried a meaning he had never encountered before.

[Distributing Rewards.]

[Reward: Planetary Consciousness Expansion]

[Description: Allows the player to observe multiple locations simultaneously.]

[Reward: Evolution Seed]

[Description: Allows the player to implant a seed into a species that the player can activate at a later time.]

[Reward: Planetary Shield]

[Description: Creates a defensive barrier around the planet capable of protecting it from external threats.]

Liam slowly scanned through the notifications, taking in each reward and milestone he had received. His attention eventually returned to the strange term mentioned earlier.

"What are Unorthodox Players? What’s that supposed to mean?"

The system answered without hesitation.

[Unorthodox Players are players who have been reincarnated into other forms. Within your world, these beings are known as Whiteholes.]

"Whiteholes?" Liam tilted his head. "Does that mean they’re managing something from the inside out?"

[Partially Correct.]

[Unorthodox Players are reincarnated as Whiteholes with the objective of destroying worlds. They gain additional power by destroying worlds, unlike Planet Players who develop and manage their planets.]

[Only a small percentage of players become Whiteholes.]

[Whiteholes can emit what your world refers to as monsters. They may then manipulate these monsters to destabilize civilizations and interfere with other players’ development.]

Liam’s expression immediately became serious.

"So, other than the civilizations developing outside of my control, I also have to worry about these Unorthodox Players?"

The thought alone was troublesome. Liam had spent countless years watching his civilizations develop, believing that the greatest threats would eventually come from the creatures and civilizations inhabiting his own planet.

Now, he had learned that something from beyond his world could deliberately target everything he had created.

Liam opened the player chatroom, hoping the others might know something about these mysterious players. Almost immediately, he noticed a message from X_X.

X_X: An Unorthodox Player is coming toward me according to my system.

Dr. Diagnosis: So fast? I think I can help.

Liam’s eyes widened. "Shit, one is already heading toward one of my allies."

Red Rings: What do you mean you can help?

Dr. Diagnosis: I got a skill called [Temporary Assistance]. I can use it to send selected beings from my planet to another planet.

Red Rings: Such things exist? How did you get that? I want to help X_X as well.

Dr. Diagnosis: I got it from a progression called [World War: First Great War], after my civilizations fought over gold.

Red Rings: I will help you as well, X_X. I’ll try to get that skill. Thanks, Dr. Diagnosis, for telling us about it.

Liam stared at the conversation for several seconds before closing the chatroom. If even Dr. Diagnosis could obtain a skill capable of sending living beings between planets, then perhaps his own progression rewards could offer something equally valuable.

He turned his attention back toward the rewards.

"Now, do we have something that will accelerate our progress?"

His eyes moved across the available rewards before stopping at Planetary Consciousness Expansion.

"Omnipresent?"

Liam examined the reward carefully, and a grin slowly formed on his face.

"Then I can watch everything at once. I won’t have to constantly switch between locations anymore."

His attention shifted toward the Evolution Seed.

"This one could let me add hidden potential to one of my races. I could plant something inside them now and activate it when the time is right."

Finally, his gaze settled on the Planetary Shield.

"And this one can protect me temporarily in case someone actually tries to invade my planet through space."

Liam looked over the three rewards once more, his thoughts already racing with the possibilities they presented. For the first time in a long while, the universe beyond his planet felt much more dangerous than he had ever imagined.

He raised his imaginary hand toward the system interface.

"System, activate Evolution Seed."

System: [Evolution Seed Activated]

Liam spent the entire day adding these new hidden traits.

Race: Elves

Hidden Property:Nature’s Wrath

Description: Elves who establish a deep connection with nature may awaken this hidden property when pushed to the brink of death or driven by a powerful heroic will. Upon activation, their bodies undergo a temporary transformation, becoming a monstrous manifestation of the forest itself. Their physical abilities, senses, magical power, and connection to nature increase dramatically, allowing them to fight as powerful guardians of the wilderness.

Race: Dwarfs

Hidden Property:Forgeheart

Description: Dwarfs who become highly proficient with a forge hammer may awaken their hidden potential. Through years of forging and strengthening their bodies alongside their craft, their physical strength will gradually increase, allowing exceptional blacksmiths to possess far greater power than ordinary dwarfs.

Race: Griffons

Hidden Property:Phoenix Bond

Description: Griffons who form a genuine bond with a dragon may awaken an extraordinary transformation. If their relationship develops into a deep friendship built upon mutual trust, the griffon gains the potential to evolve into a Phoenix, becoming a legendary skyborne creature with immense power and the ability to wield flames.

Race: Humans

Hidden Property:Unbreakable Will

Description: Humans who possess an extraordinary willpower may awaken this hidden property when faced with overwhelming adversity. The stronger their determination to survive, protect others, or accomplish their goal, the greater their physical strength becomes, allowing an ordinary human to temporarily surpass their natural limits.

Race: Beastmen, Demons, and Werewolves

Hidden Property:Desperate Evolution

Description: When a member of these races reaches a state of extreme desperation, their hidden potential may awaken. Faced with certain death or an overwhelming enemy, their bodies can forcibly unlock a new form, granting them a substantial increase in physical ability and allowing them to fight beyond their previous limits.

Race: Dark Elves

Hidden Property:Lunar Ascension

Description: Under the light of a full moon, Dark Elves can draw upon the lunar energy surrounding them. Their magical power will temporarily increase, with particularly talented individuals capable of reaching extraordinary levels of magical output during the full moon.

Race: Lizardmen

Hidden Property:Golden Scales

Description: Lizardmen who accumulate extensive experience on the battlefield may awaken this hidden property after enduring countless wounds and impacts against their scales. As their bodies are repeatedly tested by combat, their scales gradually undergo an extraordinary transformation, eventually becoming as hard and durable as gold. The more battles they survive, the stronger their natural defense becomes.

Race: Fishmen

Hidden Property:Amphibious Evolution

Description: Fishmen who are pushed into a state of extreme desperation may awaken a new evolutionary form. This form allows them to move across land without the difficulties normally caused by their aquatic bodies, while retaining the ability to return to their original form when they enter the water. Exceptional individuals may eventually learn to switch between both forms at will.

Race: Druids

Hidden Property:Beast Tamer

Description: Druids who spend extensive amounts of time surrounded by beasts may awaken an innate ability to establish a bond with them. Through their connection with nature, they can gradually tame even dangerous creatures that would normally attack other races. The stronger the druid’s connection with nature, the more powerful the beasts they may be capable of taming.