Chapter 32: The Naruto World
Franklin Lin shook his head, pushing aside the mess of thoughts crowding his mind. Then he smiled faintly, trying instead to comfort Lin Muyang and Lin Qin.
"Dad, Mom, you should try to see it more openly. Whether you're a pawn or a player is just a matter of perspective. I could choose to hide all this information, and you could choose to ignore it even if you heard it. If someone has laid out the board, then all we need to do is make our moves. In the end, who's the pawn and who's the player isn't set in stone."
Hearing Franklin's optimistic words, Lin Muyang and Lin Qin could only shake their heads with bitter smiles.
"You're not wrong. Since you're not hung up on it, we won't harp on it either. Why don't you go back to the question you were curious about — the Dragon Ball world line? We'll tell you whatever we can."
Franklin could read the expressions on his parents' faces clearly and took them to heart. The thought that everything they had experienced might have been arranged by someone else was indeed a hard pill to swallow — and it was even harder for him to accept.
He shook his head again, forcing those chaotic thoughts back down. "If I want to truly integrate into the Dragon Ball world line, then how exactly should I do that? Do I just keep following the mission list's instructions? Or is there a simpler way?"
Seeing how serious Franklin was calmed Lin Muyang and Lin Qin. As long as he wasn't falling into despair, that was enough.
"To figure that out, son, you first need to understand what a world line is, and why it exists. Have you ever thought about that?"
Faced with his father's question, Franklin was speechless. "How should I know that? If I already did, I wouldn't be asking."
"I suppose that was a pointless question," Lin Muyang sighed. "The answer to your question is much like the one before — there's only so much we can tell you. So, I've summed it up into three requirements. First, you must sever the causal connection between the True Eye and the Master of True Sight.
"Second, you must help yourself fully integrate into the To Love Ru world line. And third… I'll let you personally experience what a world line is — and maybe earn some spirit stones while you're at it. How does that sound?"
Seeing the troubled look on his father's face, Franklin didn't want to press him any further. But this was about his future — he couldn't just let it go.
"Dad, are you joking with me? How does one experience a world line?"
"Sigh… Normally, you wouldn't be able to. But with the Heavenly Tome and the mission list, it's a different story. That mission list of yours is actually the result of a decision made by me, your mother, and that person together.
"The page of the Heavenly Tome that became the mission list is still in our possession. When we leave — when you're ten — we'll embed that page deep into your soul as your innate gift.
"What we didn't expect was that your innate gift would turn out to be the incomplete original body of the Heavenly Tome itself. With the cultivation levels your mother and I possess, we didn't detect a single trace of it before you spoke.
"As for the mission list threatening to erase you if you fail… that's completely different from what we knew. Everything in existence operates on balance — the rewards and punishments of the mission list should follow that principle too.
"We have no idea why such an unpredictable anomaly occurred. Your mother and I don't know the cause, and relying on it now is simply an act of helplessness."
Hearing this, Franklin recalled the message that had appeared on the Dimensional Heavenly Tome the very first time:
[Due to unknown interference, all tasks issued by the mission list are compulsory. Gifted awakener, please ensure your own safety.]
And the vague dreams he had been having since he turned ten — they were all undoubtedly connected.
Thinking of this, Franklin asked directly, "After you left, I kept having strange dreams every night. And when I first awakened the Dimensional Heavenly Tome, there was a message about some unknown interference forcing all tasks to be accepted and warning me to stay safe. Did you know about any of that? Can you explain it?"
Lin Muyang and Lin Qin could only shake their heads helplessly. "Let's go back to the mission list itself. That's the only part we've studied thoroughly. The mission list can absorb the wish power of all living beings around it.
"When that wish power reaches a certain threshold, the mission list generates a corresponding task. The rewards and punishments for success or failure are directly tied to the task's difficulty.
"Our third form of assistance to you is based on this very principle.
"When you arrive in that world, you'll have only one goal — to disrupt the world's main world line. By breaking, rewriting, or altering it in some other way, you'll be able to feel how a world line changes.
"I believe, son, that with your talent and comprehension, you'll be able to grasp what a world line truly is and how to integrate into it. And when you return, if your understanding is still off, I can guide you further."
As he spoke, Lin Muyang stepped directly in front of Franklin and placed a single finger on his son's forehead. In the next instant, Franklin saw the Dimensional Heavenly Tome float out from his forehead and begin flipping rapidly through its pages.
When it reached the mission list page, it stopped abruptly. And in that moment, the once-passive mission list underwent a dramatic transformation:
[Mission List]
Basic Tasks: [Spirit][Body][Soul]
[Spirit]: Increase spiritual cultivation
[Body]: Increase physical cultivation
[Soul]: Strengthen soul power (Sealed)
——
Permanent Task: [Otherworld Journey] (Spirit Stones)
[Task Rank: E- ～ EX+]
[Otherworld Journey]: Upon accepting this task, three missions approximately matching the gifted awakener's strength will be generated. You may choose one to complete. Completion grants a large amount of spirit stones.
——
[Destiny's Choice]
[Rank: EX+++]
...
[Earn Forgiveness]
[Rank: E-]
...
[Special Auxiliary Growth Task: I Have a Sword (2/16)]
[Task Difficulty: D]
...
[Assimilate into the World]
[Rank: SS+]
...
[Do you accept the Otherworld Journey task? Once accepted, refusal will be impossible. Time ratio between the target world and the World Tree Realm: 100:1]
[Yes][No]
"The task has been issued. All you need to do is accept it."
Hearing his father's words, Franklin didn't hesitate for even a moment and immediately chose "Yes." In the next instant, he felt the phantom presence far away at the Red Ribbon Army dissolve back into the Dimensional Heavenly Tome.
The scene before him shifted, and he suddenly found himself in a pure white space. Ahead of him stood an open door, and above it floated the task description:
[Task Difficulty: E- ～ A+ — Travel to the Naruto World. Destroy or rewrite the Naruto world line and assist the Dimensional Heavenly Tome in extracting the world's origin. Rewards will be issued based on task completion. Basic reward: 1～Supreme-grade spirit stones. Failure penalty: 200 years of lifespan deducted.]
After reading the mission details, Franklin's brow twitched. Destroying or rewriting the world line — that part he understood. But what did it mean to "assist the Dimensional Heavenly Tome in extracting the world's origin"?
He couldn't figure it out. But since he had already accepted the mission, the only thing left was to step through the gate and complete it. He had seen Naruto before — though his memory was blurry, he still remembered the main plot points.
If he wanted to alter the world line, the only methods that came to mind were killing and changing the story. The fastest and most effective approach would be to target the protagonist — killing the protagonist, or killing key figures, would certainly shatter the world line.
Franklin had always lived by a simple principle: if people don't offend me, I don't offend them — with the exception of beasts. Now that he was being asked to harm innocent people, he knew he wouldn't be able to go through with it.
At this moment, Franklin had already formed his initial plan — the If they don't offend me, I won't offend them plan.
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