The pocket watch Mana Kin took out was not particularly eye-catching; in fact, it was a bit worn out.

"This is a tool that can detect the required materials for goblins in ruins. Don't be fooled by its appearance, it was sent by headquarters and they entrusted us to take good care of it..."

When Mana mentioned headquarters, she was referring to the Steel Island, the headquarters of the Goblin Merchant Guild. It was rumored to be an entirely man-made island constructed from steel and its location was constantly changing, only known to the guild's leader.

"So, why are you...?"

Why did Mana Kin bring out something so valuable at this moment? Could it be that he wanted to help himself?

"Don't let my father know..." Mana Kin whispered as she naturally passed the pocket watch to Shiki's hand, "I believe that you, my friend, can retrieve what we need from that ruin..."

Shiki nodded, he seemed to understand. This guy was taking a gamble; he was betting that he could bring back something good from that place.

But if there were good things there, why didn't they go and get them themselves? Were they not afraid of being robbed?

Or perhaps there was something they feared in that place? Or were they certain that they wouldn't need what was inside?

There were too many doubts. Shiki couldn't help but be reminded of how he debates with himself when writing a book...

"Thank you, Mana Kin. I will definitely return the pocket watch to you..."

"That would be best. Good luck, my friend..."

Shiki only said that he would return the pocket watch, as for the things inside the ruin, Shiki wanted to see if he could make use of them.

On the night after the departure, Shiki also took the opportunity to log off and rest. Spending too much time playing was not a good thing.

Closed beta progress (2/30).

The passage of time in reality and in the game was in a ratio of 1:2.

One day in reality was equivalent to two days in the game.

Shiki had already been in the game for almost a day. Returning to reality, he felt as if he had traveled through centuries.

He ate something to relieve his hunger and thirst, then he opened his phone, and the messages were overflowing.

Ice Cream: "Hey, where are you?"

Ice Cream: "Quick, check the comments section of your novel!"

Seeing this, Shiki immediately opened the comment section of his serialized novel and almost dropped his phone in shock.

During his absence, Yanyi, who ranked first among his novel's fans, had been overtaken.

In her place was the former second place, Muzuzi.

Then these two seemed to have started some kind of fight, engaging in a one-hour long battle of rewards.

Yanyi rewarded 110,000, finally stopping, while Muzuzi, with a slight lead, rewarded 120,000, and even made some sarcastic remarks.

Muzuzi: "Brother, what's wrong with you? Going soft?"

Yanyi: "I'll take it back next month!"

As the author, Shiki hadn't responded to these two big spenders for such a long time, which seemed really inappropriate.

Leaving aside the fact that his novel was just average, having someone who was willing to reward was already pretty good. But these two big spenders had turned his novel into a battlefield...

He immediately messaged both of them, asking for their contact information, and prepared to create a group chat. He normally didn't like group chats, but since they were big spenders, it didn't matter...

With that matter settled, he uploaded a week's worth of scheduled manuscripts. Playing the game was his main focus now.

He also checked the news, a video chat between Mr. Xiao, the producer of "The Second World," and the representatives of various countries had been conducted to discuss the release plan after the open beta.

The representatives of each country expressed their welcome and willingness to subsidize gaming equipment, so that the public could play this "future" game.

"So, the closed beta was basically a freebie..." This was Shiki's first reaction after reading the news.

"But if countries are paying attention to it at this level..."

Shiki couldn't help but think further. If this game followed the plot in online novels, it would definitely impact reality in the future.

"If it really can impact reality..." Shiki looked at his hands and couldn't help but feel motivated.

Even if he couldn't impact reality, the release of such a game would definitely attract many people. Information and equipment transactions in the game would inevitably lead to real-world economic transactions.In this way, it is indeed a great opportunity to make a fortune.

Thinking of this, Shiki became more and more excited. He drank the coffee in his cup and didn't even bother to take a nap, immersing himself in the game all night long.

Just three hours later, Shiki returned to the game again.

"Master?" Vikith didn't expect Shiki to come back so soon.

Seeing that Vikith was still awake, Shiki thought it would be a good time to chat with her. He had never had a serious conversation with the opposite sex face-to-face before, although he was quite active in online chat.

"Vikith, do you know where I just went?"

Vikith nodded, "I guess you went to your own world..."

Upon hearing this, Shiki had a big idea in his mind. Could it be that this game really has an impact on reality?

The NPCs here are just ordinary humans, and Vikith even knows about the existence of another world.

"Forgive me, master, I also sensed it through the soul contract. You are not the death king who brought nightmares to the world a thousand years ago, but the chosen one..."

Vikith continued speaking, and Shiki nodded in agreement. How could he be such a terrifying person? In the other world, he was a good student, a law-abiding citizen, and a handsome young man.

"Do you know about the chosen ones?" Shiki asked.

"Well, the chosen ones are people selected by the creator god from another world. They can transform into various races and influence the course of the world. There are records about this in the library..."

This confirmed Shiki's speculation, that this world is indeed extraordinary.

"A thousand years ago, there were chosen ones who joined the war against the death king, but without exception, they all failed..."

"..."

Shiki always felt that he was discovering the truth about this world. If there were chosen ones a thousand years ago, then how did those people come here?

At least the game he was in was the first time he had heard of it. Could it be from other worlds? Or is it simply a parallel world?

As the author, Shiki's imagination ran wild. He felt like he was exploring something indescribable.

"Master, it's late at night, we should go to sleep..." Vikith's clothes disappeared one by one...

The next morning, Shiki and Vikith continued their journey. They had horses gifted by the Goblin Merchants' Guild, which made their travel much faster.

The ruins are located in the mountainous area where The Kessel Duchy and The Stan Duchy intersect.

It is a dangerous place filled with wild beasts, not a good place to be. Mana Kin, who gave Shiki the information, also mentioned that they once encountered a one-eyed giant there...

System: "Version 0.21 update!"

While on the road, the system suddenly pushed a game update. Fortunately, it didn't require the player to log out. Shiki glanced at the updated content...