Chapter 168: The World Convention 2

"How do I do this world convention stuff?"

Liam stared at the notification hovering before his consciousness, its strange symbols shifting slightly whenever he tried to focus on them. He had already figured out how to communicate with other players, create life, and even interfere with the development of civilizations, but this was something he had never encountered before.

"It should be the same as everything else, though I need to guess."

He paused for a moment, recalling how he had activated some of his previous abilities. Most of them required nothing more than a thought or a simple intention, so there was no reason to believe this would be any different.

[WGAGAD HAHVENTION]

[TARWRET FAGYER: X_X]

[CONFIRMATION REQUIGAGAD]

[TELEFAKGAG DDATH PLAYERS]

The moment Liam confirmed his intention, the notification flashed before disappearing completely.

Then, reality began to ripple.

It started with the space immediately surrounding him, where the familiar landscape of his planet seemed to bend as though an invisible hand had dipped into the fabric of existence. The distortion spread outward, passing through the mountains, forests, and distant settlements, until even the very concept of distance appeared to lose its meaning.

For a brief moment, Liam felt as though he had become detached from everything he had created. His connection to the planet remained intact, but something was pulling his consciousness elsewhere, dragging him through a passage that existed beyond the boundaries of his own world.

The sensation was unlike teleportation, and it certainly wasn’t the same as his Astral Projection.

Instead, it felt as though the universe itself had decided to fold a small portion of its existence and place him somewhere else.

Then, everything went white.

Liam opened his eyes, although he wasn’t entirely certain whether he even possessed eyes in this place. A thick layer of white fog stretched in every direction, covering what appeared to be an endless space without walls, floors, or ceilings.

At the center of this seemingly boundless world, a blazing sun hung in the air.

Its golden rays spread across the white fog, illuminating everything without casting any discernible shadows. Yet, despite the brilliance of its light, Liam felt no heat or discomfort, only a strange, gentle warmth that reminded him of something he couldn’t quite identify.

He stared at his surroundings for a moment before shifting his attention toward the structure.

Two curved golden tables faced each other, separated by a considerable distance. Each table had four seats arranged neatly along its curved edge, with the seats facing the opposite side, as though they were designed for a gathering between two groups rather than a meeting between individuals.

The tables themselves seemed to have been carved from a material that resembled gold, although their surfaces were so smooth that Liam couldn’t see a single imperfection. Their edges glowed faintly beneath the sunlight, and intricate patterns covered their sides, forming symbols that seemed to change whenever he attempted to examine them closely.

Between the two tables floated a large globe-like object.

It resembled a monogram of a world, with countless intricate markings covering its surface and several thin golden rings revolving around it. The globe rotated slowly in the air, displaying what looked like continents, oceans, and other geographical features, though Liam couldn’t determine whether it represented an actual planet or something far more abstract.

For a moment, he simply observed the arrangement.

’Is this it?’

The entire place was covered in white fog, with the blazing sun at its center, yet despite its rays, it felt strangely gentle. There was no wind, no sound, and no visible source of the light that illuminated the surroundings, making the entire space feel detached from the natural laws Liam had grown accustomed to.

He slowly approached the nearest golden table, his attention shifting between the empty seats and the floating globe.

"The World Convention... it has the same feeling as Consciousness Space, though it feels like I’m the creation instead of the creator."

That was the closest explanation he could come up with.

Consciousness Space was something he had gradually expanded and modified according to his needs. Even though it existed outside the physical world, it still felt like a place that belonged to him, an extension of his own consciousness that he could manipulate whenever he wanted.

This place, however, was different.

Liam couldn’t feel any authority over his surroundings, nor could he sense the familiar connection that allowed him to influence the environment of his planet. He was simply present in a space that had already existed long before he arrived, and for the first time in a while, he felt more like a visitor than an owner.

Before he could investigate further, the fog on the opposite side began to stir.

A vague silhouette gradually materialized several meters away from him, its outline becoming clearer with every passing second. First came the shape of a head, followed by a pair of shoulders and a slender body, until the figure finally took on the appearance of an ordinary human.

Liam instinctively straightened his posture.

Although he had never met X_X in person, he had heard enough about the other player through the planetary chat to develop some expectations. Considering that X_X was another planetary consciousness who had survived in this strange universe, Liam had imagined that the other party would possess a somewhat imposing presence.

Instead, the silhouette looked confused.

The newcomer glanced around repeatedly, shifting his head from one side to another as though he had been dropped into an unfamiliar room without any explanation. His movements were awkward, and even after noticing Liam standing nearby, he continued staring at the surrounding fog with an expression that suggested he was desperately trying to make sense of what had happened.

Liam raised an eyebrow.

’Is this really X_X?’

He had expected someone with a more godly feeling, perhaps an individual whose very presence would convey the weight of having created an entire planet. Instead, the person standing before him felt strangely ordinary, almost like a high schooler who had accidentally wandered into the wrong classroom.

The silhouette finally turned toward him.

"This is the World Convention?"

His gaze wandered across the golden tables before landing on Liam. For a brief moment, he appeared to be processing something, but the confusion on his face quickly transformed into disbelief, followed by an expression of outright anger.

"SO IT MUST BE YOU!! YOU MUST BE THE ONE WHO LAUNCHED AN INVASION TO MY PLANET!"

His voice echoed throughout the white space.

Liam remained still, watching the other player as though he had just witnessed an unexpected performance.

An invasion?

Well, that was certainly one way to begin a conversation.

Before he could respond, a notification suddenly appeared between them.

It was a translucent window, filled with unfamiliar symbols that continuously rearranged themselves. Liam stared at it for several seconds, attempting to determine whether the system had finally provided him with an explanation for this meeting.

Unfortunately, the symbols remained completely incomprehensible.

"...."

Liam said nothing.

Meanwhile, X_X seemed to have no difficulty reading the notification, although whatever he saw only made his expression worse. His eyes widened, and he stepped forward as though he wanted to grab the window itself, only to discover that his hand passed through it without resistance.

"WHAT?!! RED RISING? WHY DOES IT SAY WORLD CONVENTION ARRANGED: BETWEEN PLAYER X_X AND RED RISING?"

The other player looked back at Liam, his confusion growing more pronounced by the second.

"RED RISING? WHO THE HELL IS RED RISING?!"

Liam tilted his head slightly.

’Red Rising?’

He had heard plenty of strange names from the planetary chat, but he couldn’t recall anyone introducing themselves by that particular name. If anything, it sounded like the sort of title someone would choose after spending too much time thinking about how impressive they wanted to appear.

However, the notification had clearly identified the participants as X_X and Red Rising.

Since he was the only other person present, Liam could only assume that the system had assigned him that name for some reason.

’Is this another function of the World Convention?’

He examined the notification again, trying to determine whether the unfamiliar symbols concealed additional information. Unfortunately, the system didn’t seem interested in accommodating him, and the window remained just as incomprehensible as before.

X_X, on the other hand, appeared to have reached an entirely different conclusion.

"Wait..."

His expression suddenly changed.

He looked at Liam again, this time with an intensity that suggested he had finally connected several pieces of information that had previously made no sense. His shoulders stiffened, and he took a cautious step backward, as though the person standing before him had transformed into something dangerous.

"Don’t tell me..."

He swallowed before continuing.

"You are an Unorthodox Player!"

Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’Unorthodox Player?’

He remembered the designation well enough. It was the name associated with players who had somehow deviated from the expected course of planetary development, earning rewards and opportunities that ordinary players might never encounter.

He had already been labeled as one himself.

However, the fact that X_X had recognized him so quickly raised another question.

’What exactly did this guy see in that notification?’

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! I NEED TO INFORM THE OTHERS!"

X_X abruptly turned away, waving his hands in front of himself as though he were trying to open an interface that only he could see. He muttered several things under his breath, his expression growing increasingly frantic as he struggled with whatever information the system had provided him.

Liam watched without interrupting.

The other player was behaving as though the world were about to end, despite the fact that they were standing in a peaceful white space with nothing more threatening than a slowly rotating globe between them.

Then X_X suddenly froze.

His face drained of color.

"WHAT?! SKILLS DON’T WORK HERE?!"

He stared at the notification again, his entire body trembling as though he had just discovered something truly horrifying.

"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?!"

He looked toward Liam, then at the golden tables, and finally toward the endless white fog surrounding them. His gaze darted from one place to another, searching desperately for something that might help him escape the situation.

"IM DOOM!!" Liam continued staring at him.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Liam finally let out a quiet sigh. ’This is going to be troublesome.’

He had entered the World Convention expecting to learn something about the other players, perhaps exchange information, or at the very least discover how this strange function operated.

Instead, he had encountered someone who seemed to be having a complete breakdown.

And judging by the way X_X continued frantically examining his interface, the actual conversation hadn’t even begun yet.