After an unknown period, Chen Tian finally woke from his slumber. He stretched his limbs, his complexion returning to normal, all traces of fatigue vanished.
"A good sleep is so refreshing!" he exclaimed.
Xueyuan Long slowly rose and stood behind Chen Tian. Chen Tian looked around, "We're out. Not bad."
The two then looked ahead. Chen Tian's expression was filled with shock. Before them stood a mechanical castle, but this one was complete, unlike the one they had encountered earlier.
Chen Tian approached the gate, which slowly opened. Having come this far, this must be the final step.
He pushed the door open and was immediately bathed in firelight as Chen Tian and Xueyuan Long proceeded into the castle.
"Master," Xueyuan Long said, "How did you win that game of chess earlier? My calculations couldn't predict that outcome."
Chen Tian replied, "It's normal. Your computer's processing power can't keep up with my mind's computational ability. Each time I calculate, I simulate thousands of scenarios. Your current computing power won't suffice unless it's upgraded."
"That game, my calculation was correct, otherwise I wouldn't have won. In the final move, I trapped the opponent in a no-win situation. No matter which piece they moved, their king would be captured, thus I emerged victorious."
"However, such intense calculations are incredibly draining. That's why I passed out. Thankfully, I won that round, or we'd still be stuck in the labyrinth."
Chen Tian let out a sigh of relief. It was fortunate he made the right move; he shuddered to imagine the consequences otherwise.
They walked through the castle's interior, Chen Tian and Xueyuan Long moving forward. The castle was vast but devoid of any furnishings, appearing utterly empty.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Xueyuan Long touched his ear, and green light shot from his eyes, scanning the interior.
Xueyuan Long removed his hand from his ear and stated, "Master, there's something ahead. My machine can't identify it, but it shows no signs of life."
"Alright!"
Chen Tian and Xueyuan Long moved forward. They eventually reached a dead end, where a mechanical treasure chest rested on a platform.
Thick dust covered the chest, indicating its age.
Chen Tian approached the chest and slowly opened it. Instantly, a silver light erupted from within, filling the entire castle. When the light dissipated, Chen Tian was stunned. Inside lay a rusty mechanical gear and a badge with a four-colored exterior.
Chen Tian was speechless. Had he worked so hard for just these two items? It felt like a mockery.
He reached out and took the four-colored badge. A notification immediately popped up.
"Accept quest? Quest level: SSS-class!"
Chen Tian was taken aback. The badge was a quest item!
He selected 'yes,' and the quest panel appeared before him. Chen Tian was stunned.
This quest was related to the second level of the world. Chen Tian selected 'yes' again, as the rewards seemed quite substantial.
He then picked up the mechanical gear. No interface appeared, so Chen Tian placed it in his inventory.
As the mechanical gear was removed from the treasure chest, the platform instantly turned to dust and scattered, revealing a teleportation array before Chen Tian.
Chen Tian knew this was the exit portal for the dungeon, designed to send players out. He then pulled Xueyuan Long and they both stepped onto the array.
Light flashed, and their figures vanished.
Mechania City, a player hub. In the teleportation array, a radiant light bloomed, and Chen Tian and Xueyuan Long reappeared.
Chen Tian looked around, bewildered. The dungeon's teleportation gate was connected to this city's portal!
"Ding! Congratulations, player, on obtaining the hidden profession, Mechanical God!"
"Ding! Congratulations, player, on leveling up to level fifty!"
"Ding! Congratulations, player, on obtaining the seasonal token!"
"Ding! Congratulations, player, on obtaining the Mechania City Gear, allowing you to use the Mechanical God profession once!"
Chen Tian was astonished by the electronic voices in his mind.
"Holy crap, holy crap!"
He was shocked. How had he suddenly reached level fifty? His attribute interface and everything else had been restored. Chen Tian then brought up his status screen.
He examined the information for the hidden profession, Mechanical God, and understood that this profession had synchronized him with the world's origin.
This explained why his interface was now usable and his strength restored.
He then looked at the other rewards.
The seasonal token was the badge he had seen. Chen Tian decided he would head to the second level to complete this quest soon, as the rewards were significant.
As for the Mechania City Gear, it was the rusty gear he had found. Chen Tian hadn't expected to obtain a gear so early. Now, only two more gears remained unfound.
One was in the Mechanical Sea, and the other's whereabouts were unknown. Chen Tian then opened his interface and began allocating attribute points.
Excluding luck, all other stats reached 9600. His HP rose to 10030, bringing him closer to normal player data.
Chen Tian then pulled up his map and studied it. He had originally intended to level up in Mechania Forest, but suddenly reaching level fifty, he wasn't sure why.
He looked at the map. The city he was in was Mechania City, the closest to Mechania Forest. A three-hundred-mile journey to the left led to the leveling area.
Chen Tian nodded and said, "Xueyuan Long, I'll help you level up a bit later. You focus on farming materials in the third level. I need to return to the second level for something."
"Understood, Master!"
Chen Tian then summoned his mechanical keyboard, tapped on it, and with a wave of his right hand, he vanished.
Xueyuan Long's aura surged, becoming even more potent than before. Chen Tian's Divine Eye observed Xueyuan Long's level reaching sixty-five. However, further advancement was not possible.
Unless he had higher-grade materials, it was impossible. Chen Tian then assigned Xueyuan Long his tasks in the third world: searching for the mechanical gear, locating the Mechanical Sea, and killing monsters to accumulate experience for Chen Tian, as well as gathering materials.
As Xueyuan Long was Chen Tian's modified human, any experience gained from killing monsters would go to Chen Tian. Chen Tian chuckled happily at the thought. He wouldn't have to level up himself anymore.
But then, an interface appeared before Chen Tian, stating: "Player mode is special. Experience sharing is not possible beyond fifty meters!"
"Ugh!!!"
Chen Tian's beautiful fantasy was shattered. This meant he had to remain within fifty meters of Xueyuan Long to receive his experience.
The second and third levels were separated by an entire world. This was far more than fifty meters!
Chen Tian felt like crying. His perfect plan was ruined, but material drops could still be collected and sent to him.
Chen Tian then opened his map and examined the city's layout, searching for the world teleportation gate. He found it quickly.
His figure became a streak of light, plunging underground. Xueyuan Long, seeing this, remarked, "Is the second world also returning to its original state? Keep going! I still need to work hard!"
With that, he turned and headed towards the city gates.
Second level, Chunyang City. A beam of light descended from the sky, and Chen Tian slowly emerged from it as the light vanished.
Chen Tian looked around and murmured, "The Spring Nation? I wonder how far it is from the central rift of the four nations."
He then brought up his map interface and looked at it. Chen Tian's mouth twitched.
Good heavens, this was the most distant city in the Spring Nation. To reach the central area of the Four Seasons Nation, he would need to reach the edge of the main city of the Spring Nation.
This was currently the most remote city, requiring him to traverse four leveling zones and five cities to reach his destination.