Death Game: Starting as a Trickster, Pretending to Be a God

Chapter 182: The Essence of Promotion

”Could it be... youʼre a player of the ʼDeath Gameʼ?”

Shen Bingmiaoʼs words felt like an ice cube suddenly pressed against the back of Lin Yuʼs neck, sending an involuntary shiver down his spine.

Is she a player?

No... he had tested this before. He clearly couldnʼt discuss such matters with Shen Bingmiao previously.

Has senior become a player recently then?

When? Yesterday? The day before? Last week? The week before last?

Did the Psychological Society do this?

No... just minutes ago, he had even considered testing the club president again!

Yet until Shen Bingmiao spoke those words—he couldnʼt confirm she was a player at all.

Looking at Shen Bingmiao before him, Lin Yuʼs thoughts tangled chaotically.
He instinctively stepped back until his back pressed against the hotelʼs floor-to-ceiling window, the cool glass helping him regain some clarity.

”Senior... when did you...?”

Lin Yu suppressed his turbulent emotions and asked calmly.

”About two weeks ago. You seemed distracted, so I grew suspicious.”

”Then when you asked me to investigate those people, it confirmed my doubts.”

Shen Bingmiao stepped back and sighed. ”I just couldnʼt believe it—that youʼre really a player.”

Seeing Shen Bingmiaoʼs regretful expression, Lin Yu froze momentarily before shaking his head.

”No, senior, you misunderstand.”

”What I mean is... when did you become a player?”

Shen Bingmiao chuckled softly, her tone suddenly turning gentle. ”A-Yu, do you know itʼs very rude to ask a girl about her age?”

”Iʼm not asking your age.”

Lin Yu responded seriously.

Shen Bingmiao pursed her lips. ”The ʼDeath Gameʼ gives people a second life. Asking when I became a player is like asking my age after rebirth.”

Lin Yu sighed in exasperation. ”What kind of twisted logic is that, President? Fine, donʼt tell me if you donʼt want to... But what puzzles me is why I couldnʼt discuss ʼDeath Gameʼ matters with you before.”

”Until now, I even thought you werenʼt a player.”

Lin Yu remarked thoughtfully.

”Oh, you read that ʼforumʼ guide about identifying players, didnʼt you?”

Shen Bingmiao realized suddenly.

Lin Yu nodded.

”Exactly, senior.”

Shen Bingmiao plopped onto the bed, stretching lazily like a cat.

”Donʼt believe everything on the forum. The operators deliberately filter content—some things apply to regular players but not to ʼhigh-tierʼ ones.”

”After all, the forum isnʼt completely neutral—it leans toward ʼOrderʼ.”

”That quick player identification method you mentioned doesnʼt work on high-tier players.”

Lin Yu pondered Shen Bingmiaoʼs words.

”So high-tier players can ʼavoidʼ such simple player detection tests?”

”Which means... President, youʼre a high-tier player. In other words, youʼve at least experienced...”

”Hey, if you keep counting weeks trying to deduce when I joined the game, Iʼll throw you out this window right now.”

Shen Bingmiao threatened bluntly.

Though Lin Yu knew she was joking, seeing her genuine discomfort made him drop the subject.

After all...

The moment one joins the ʼDeath Gameʼ is when theyʼve ”died once.”

Some unwillingness to recall those shadows is perfectly understandable.

”Leaving time aside, senior... what tier are you? Which organization did you join?”

Hearing this, Shen Bingmiao didnʼt evade.

”Third Tier. As for organization... you could say ʼOrder,ʼ though Iʼm not an official member—more like outsourced.”

She said nonchalantly.

”Third Tier?!”

Lin Yu was shocked.

Though he suspected Shen Bingmiao might be strong, he never imagined she was Third Tier!

Heʼd assumed she was just an experienced Second Tier at most.

This meant she was on par with those elite players he encountered in the last dungeon!

And...

She was actually affiliated with ʼOrderʼ!

Even as an ”outsourced” member, that was incredibly impressive.

Being accepted as a non-official member might even carry more weight than being a regular one!

Yet Lin Yu found this reasonable.

Given Shen Bingmiaoʼs talent and drive, of course she wouldnʼt be ordinary in the ʼDeath Game.ʼ

”So what method do high-tier players use to avoid detection during conversations?”

Shen Bingmiao hesitated before answering.

”This relates to the nature of ʼPromotionʼ... Honestly, I agree with the forumʼs approach.”

”Letting new players learn too much about ʼPromotionʼ and high-tier players isnʼt beneficial.”

Then she changed tack.

”But since youʼre my junior whom I know well, I can share a little.”

”Your question touches on the essence of ʼPromotion.ʼ”

Lin Yu looked puzzled. ”Essence?”

”Yes... how many dungeons have you completed? Have you promoted yet?”

Lin Yu hesitated at her question.

He debated whether to lie about his dungeon count or promotion status.

But considering his established identity as ”Lin Yu—a new ʼSoldierʼ whoʼs completed four dungeons,” he decided to maintain consistency.

”Iʼve done four dungeons. Havenʼt promoted yet.”

Shen Bingmiao nodded. ”No wonder youʼre so weak—a genuine rookie.”

”Getting serious now.”

She continued: ”When you eventually see the First-Tier promotion mission after more dungeons, youʼll realize...”

”First-Tier promotion missions are fundamentally different from all previous dungeon clearance tasks.”

”Dungeon tasks are usually things like ʼsurvive X time,ʼ ʼcomplete Y requirement,ʼ or ʼinvestigate Z truth.ʼ”

”They rarely require deep ʼinteractionʼ with the dungeon world.”

”But ʼPromotionʼ missions are different—even First-Tier missions specifically target something critically important within that world.”

”In other words, unless deliberately causing trouble, a player could complete dozens of dungeons while barely affecting those worlds.”

”But completing just one ʼPromotionʼ mission—”

”Leaves an indelible mark so profound that the world will remember that player forever!”

Pausing briefly, Shen Bingmiao concluded:

”This is the essence of ʼPromotion.ʼ Actually, it shares something with your beloved performances—”

”Promotion is the process of making another world remember you permanently.”