Chapter 170: Chapter 166: Enlightener = Player = Savior?

Jon’s expression remained one of half-understanding, but inwardly, he sucked in a sharp, cold breath.

’Hiss... No difficulty understanding any skill or knowledge... Why does that sound so much like a player?’

Claudio didn’t notice the raging tempest in Jon’s heart. A deep look of remembrance passed through his eyes, which seemed to hold a thousand years of history, and his voice was low and solemn.

"This isn’t simple innate talent, Jon."

"An Enlightener... is more like a phenomenon, a being ’chosen’ by some ineffable power or will at a critical juncture in the river of history."

"They bear missions unimaginable to ordinary people and are often inextricably linked to the survival of the world and the rise and fall of civilizations."

He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts and searching for a way to make the young man before him understand. His gaze swept over Sutton, Rosalind, and the sisters Xia and Xina, who were all listening with bated breath.

"From what I know, the most recent record of an Enlightener dates back to my great-grandfather’s time."

The moment he said this, everyone was stunned.

The great-grandfather of an Elf who’d lived for who knows how long?

Just how distant of an era was that?

But Claudio didn’t seem to think this was anything to be particularly proud of; he simply continued his tale.

"In that age, the Mages of the Yino Continent had scaled a peak of wisdom that countless people could only look up to in awe."

"They understood the trajectories of the stars, analyzed the essence of the elements, and even... touched the very cornerstone of the world’s composition—quintessence."

"Even the Domain of the Deities was within reach for the top Mages. That was a true golden age of ’knowledge’."

The Elf Blacksmith’s fingertips unconsciously brushed against the cold metal casing of the Crystal Energy Accelerator, as if he could feel the residual warmth of that glorious era.

"At that time, the Mages, with their unparalleled mastery of Magic, forged the magnificent Floating city of Omicron. Its core engine could tear through space, driving this miraculous city to soar amongst the sea of stars."

"Their goal was to explore the unknown beyond their world, to extend the Territory of knowledge to the sea of stars."

Then, Claudio’s tone suddenly grew heavy, like a clear sky abruptly covered by thick, leaden clouds.

"However, it was this extreme thirst for the ’unknown,’ this grand expedition into the cosmos... that ultimately brought about a world-ending catastrophe."

The air in the lounge seemed to freeze.

Everyone knew they were about to hear one of the world’s deepest secrets!

"They awoke... the ’Unknowable Beings’ slumbering in the depths of the void. The sole purpose of these existences, or ’phenomena,’ is to ’devour’."

"But they do not gnaw on flesh and blood, nor do they destroy matter. They greedily feed on ’knowledge’ itself—wisdom, memories, inspiration, all the fruits of civilization and spiritual crystals created by intelligent life are their sweetest sustenance."

Feeding on wisdom? Memories? Inspiration!?

What kind of terrifying existence was this?

Xia nervously grabbed her sister Xina’s sleeve. Even the usually composed Rosalind unconsciously tightened her grip on Jon’s hand.

"When Omicron’s exploration fleet delved deep into an unknown starfield and encountered these ’Unknowable Beings,’ disaster struck."

"Like an invisible, ravenous swarm of locusts, they followed the spatial beacons established by the fleet, invading in reverse and descending upon the Yino Continent. They have no physical form, yet they can directly act upon the Spirit and soul of intelligent life, sucking out its spiritual essence."

"That scene... words cannot describe even a fraction of it."

Claudio closed his eyes, as if trying to banish some terrible phantoms from his mind.

"The glorious magical civilization was as fragile as paper before them. The Floating cities fell one after another, crashing to the earth as burning meteors. The most erudite Venerable Masters of Law became drooling imbeciles in an instant, their life’s work reduced to nothing, leaving them as empty, slobbering shells."

"Magnificent Magic Scriptures on shelves turned to dust. Intricate Mechanical Bodies collapsed as if their souls had been torn out. Minstrels forgot their songs, Warriors lost their combat techniques, farmers no longer knew how to till the land... The ’spirituality’ of all life on the continent was frantically extracted and devoured, like light being thrown into a black hole."

"Civilization wasn’t destroyed; it was ’sucked dry’."

"All Extraordinary Power that required wisdom and spirituality to drive—Magic, Divine Techniques, and even many Warrior skills that relied on spiritual will—suffered an unprecedented regression. Countless exquisite legacies were severed, glorious systems of knowledge collapsed and disintegrated, and the world seemed to be forcibly dragged back into an unenlightened dark age."

"This cataclysm, known to history as the Spiritual Famine, completely changed the landscape of the Yino Continent. It also made all surviving intelligent races understand a cruel truth: the universe is not empty and silent. It conceals predators sharpening their claws and fangs, hungry for civilization."

Claudio opened his eyes and focused his gaze back on Jon. His expression was incredibly complex, a mixture of scrutiny, expectation, and a hint of imperceptible worry.

"And the Enlightener is seen as the key to fighting this kind of existence, to mending the world’s wounds, and even... to rekindling the flame of civilization."

"The endless disasters brought by the Spiritual Famine were, it is said, ended by an Enlightener who called himself the Star-Bearer."

"He, along with the Creation Goddess Yino, repaired our world and isolated the ’Unknowable Beings’ through some unknown means, giving civilization time to grow again and eventually flourish to this day."

He stared at Jon and said, enunciating every word.

"Jon, if you truly are an Enlightener, it could very well mean that this world is about to face an unknown danger once again."

As his story concluded, everyone in the room turned their gaze to Jon.

But Jon was completely stunned.

’This joke has gone way too far!’

He knew his own situation best.

He was just a Transmigrator with a system, how did he suddenly become some kind of Enlightener?

’With the system’s help, I learn things quickly, but it’s not like I’ve broken any existing molds!’

’The Engineering and potion-making knowledge I’ve mastered is just a collection of the wisdom of countless players—’

’Wait... a collection of the wisdom of countless players...’

Jon froze for a moment, and his pupils began to tremble.

’One person alone could never, as Claudio said, mend the world and rekindle the flame of civilization...’

’But what if that person already carried the knowledge created and compiled by countless others?’

His trembling gaze shifted to Claudio.

In the Elf’s eyes, he saw worry for the future.

Next was Sutton.

The Old Dwarf’s small eyes also held worry, but not for a potential crisis—it was worry for him, for Jon.

Then Xia and Xina.

The sisters’ golden eyes showed a mixture of confusion and terror, like children who had just heard a scary story.

They were still young and could not yet fully grasp the true weight of everything Claudio had said.

Finally, there was Rosalind.

The silver-eyed follower was the same as ever, her gaze filled with gentleness and trust.

No matter what the future held, she would walk by his side.

Jon sighed deeply in his heart.

’Enlightener... Player... Savior... What is the connection between them all...’

’Oh, Yino Goddess above... why did you have to choose me?’

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