As a result, they followed through on their plan and sought a demotion after that world.

However, while they were settling with the demotion, they uncovered some unexpected news. It appears that in order to be demoted, a soul must pay double the credits of the role before it. Promoting from role-B to role-A, for example, needs around a hundred points. Anyone wishing to be downgraded from A to B must pay 200 points.

And it didn’t end there. The point compensation will continue to double. They must pay 400 points for the C-role and 800 points for the D-role.

In this situation, the protagonist’s role B requires about around 100 billion points to level up. Given how preposterous that amount is, cannon fodder transmigrators even surmised that the administration is operating a fraud. Reaching that amount is no way a joke!

The majority of the C-listers are assigned to the lower ranks of the Cannon Fodder job. A promotion's starting point system begins at one hundred and grows in increments as the role moves higher. This implies that in order to play the protagonist, players must go through millions upon millions of realms.

It didn't help that anytime someone is promoted; their points are reset to 1000. Which implies they couldn't build up points to skip through levels. Anyone can imagine the hard work these soul wanderers are doing just to acclaim their credit.

To avoid wasting their extra points, transmigrators frequently utilize them to purchase items for their systems, more land for their spaces, or equipment they may use on other realms. When Jin Wei has extra points, he frequently utilizes them to make arbitrary purchases from ShopMe.

ShopMe is the Ninth Heaven's authorized all-purpose store.

Anyway, the soul must spend double the amount of 100 billion points in order to be dropped from Protagonist Role B to C. Jin Wei questioned why they need twice as much if they intended to be demoted.

Shouldn't it be cut in half instead?

Or should there be no payment at all? The host and the system, not the management, are ultimately the ones who lose their positions. Why are they charging someone who sought a lesser position?

He was unable to secure a role demotion at that moment, so they went back to their Space. Jin Wei determined the number of points required to achieve the bottom rank. After that, he made another observation and notified the system.

“It was claimed that the Protagonist’s role was the greatest position and the most expensive advancement that one could acquire, but actually it would be the Mob Character Z in the last position. Let’s suppose I started as a cannon fodder, recall that cannon fodders are also subdivided by Cannon Fodder Z to Cannon Fodder A…”

“That’s already twenty-six levels, and Mob Characters also have twenty-six levels. If there is a state beyond the Protagonist Role, then there should be something before the Mob Character Z. Did you get my point?”

An opportunity for souls to become supreme beings arises on the level right next to the Protagonist’s role. The souls are also granted with three wishes that the Ninth Heaven has to satisfy no matter how difficult or morally questionable the wishes are.

Of course, it wasn’t done out of charity. All the points the transmigrators collected have been converted to make these wishes come true. In order to change fate or create a rule in the Universe, a great energy must be applied. The Universe was vast itself so one can easily imagine how much energy one needed to make such changes.

The Ninth Heaven is not making up nonsense. They are indeed helping these souls get their retribution by “legally” tampering the threads of the Universe.

Anyway, there are considerations whenever a transmigrator reaches the last level. The souls have traveled through worlds to alter their fate owing to various factors, such as remorse, retaliation, unfulfilled dreams, etc. But given how long they have been gone—likely over a hundred millennia—these strong emotions have significantly weakened.

Some of them may have already severed attachments from their origin worlds and no longer wanted to return. Transmigrating into different worlds had changed their views about life and death and don’t want to return to the state of “mortality”.

They have finally caught a glimpse of the secret of the Universe and could now travel between worlds in exchange of tasks. They have become strong, skilled, and wise. Nobody wanted to become a “weak human” again.

The Ninth Heavens understood this situation. In fact, they have already known this outcome. That’s why, at the finish line, they offer two choices to the transmigrated souls.  

The option is to stick with their original motive of transmigrating. They will return to their world with the three wishes that had been fulfilled, but their memories will be obliterated, and the grant of immortality will be taken away. They'll go back to the process of reincarnation.

Though, they would be given advantages since the merit brought from transmigration will be attached to their souls. In each world they will be reincarnated, they will be born with superb abilities that will automatically surpass the geniuses and would become the World’s Favorite. After all, they reached the highest form of being a “protagonist”.

The second choice is to attain divinity. Since they already have the ability to control fate, the three wishes won't be bestowed to them. The credits will be amended to provide them celestial abilities. They will continue to dwell in the Ninth Heaven and join the Higher Ups thereafter. Being immortals, they could go wherever and play any roles they choose.

The second choice could smell and sound quite appealing, but it is a trap. Greater duty comes with becoming a deity, which means the soul will spend all of eternity working in the Ninth Heaven.

To put it another way, becoming a transmigrator is not simple. The point system is completely absurd right off the bat. As a result, the Ninth Heaven compared it to rewards that at least balance out the impoverished souls' laborious efforts.

Since there is a level after the protagonist, Jin Wei assumed that there should be a level before the Mob Character Z.

「I just also realized it now. What you mean is quite logical.」

“In addition,” Jin Wei said. “They doubled the points when someone sought to be demoted because they wanted us to realize that going down is costly. There is no reassurance and nobody wanted to take the risk of failing.”

“There is the realm of the gods after the Protagonist’s Role, then there should also be something beyond the lowest level. For example, there should be a form before the Mob Character Z.”

“No one starts out as a Mob Character, then why is there a Mob Character role? Don’t you think that there is something more than what we all know? Perhaps, a different picture of reality from a unique perspective?”

In this world beyond the grasp of time, is there a treasure map hidden somewhere?

Since that day, Jin Wei and System 777 took the play of getting demoted until the last level. They have spent points more than anyone else. Since they started at the Protagonist Role B, the points they have needed to pay is more than the price for promoting to Protagonist role A. The required points keep on doubling since that demotion that there are not enough zeroes to accommodate him.

He is the reason for the Ninth Heaven's point system adjustments.

As they progressed, they acquired a ludicrous reputation, but the two chose to disregard it. They were curious to know the other end of the roles so they pursued the goal without negligence.

Also, Jin Wei's theory about task difficulty became true. If a protagonist needs to save this country, save that continent, sacrifice the world, and whatnot - his tasks now as a mob character become very trifling.

Since a mob character doesn't have a role in a play, Jin Wei then has the freedom to just recklessly act around as a background character without worrying about the results of his actions. Even if he becomes the president of the world, or have killed a thousand people, as long as he did not touch the world's protagonist's territory, it will not affect the setting of the world. It is a form of privilege where the individuals who are frequently overlooked are granted the most freedom.

It is as if he is the cap of a ballpoint pen. Needed but the presence will not affect the pen's writing.

"There is still a demotion after Mob Character Z. After that, we will see the truth," Jin Wei excitedly said, his eyes shining brighter than his sea of stars.

「I already prepared myself in case such an event wasn't true. But since the demotion stage is still possible, an existence beyond Mob Character is highly significant.」

"It would still take us a lot of time to reach it but I am optimistic," Jin Wei chuckled. “It feels like we are reaching the summit of our life.”

Jin Wei skipped down from the swing. He gazed up at the stars in the skies, his eyes carrying the same dazzling glint. This will become his greatest accomplishment - knowing the truth beyond reality.

The mystery of the existence of existence.

With confidence, the forever seventeen-year-old soul gave the system a knowing look. His smile never failed to show his childish sincerity yet the wisdom coming from his eyes is immeasurable.

"Let's start with our first world!" He announced. "Of course, as Mob Character Z!"

A/N: First Arc ends here!