Vol-2: 078. Before I joined the game, I had social anxiety. After joining the game, I still have social anxiety. So what was the point of coming here?
078. Before I joined the game, I had social anxiety. After joining the game, I still have social anxiety. So what was the point of coming here?
In the next moment, he struggled to open his eyes, the sharp pain on his face making him squint them shut again.
"Ugh—this hurts... this game is so realistic."
The young man slowly stood up, following the game's beginner prompts and searching for his ID. When he pulled out his terminal and saw his bruised and bloodied face reflected on the screen, a stream of data appeared in his retinas:
[Name]: Saga Ki
[Game Nickname]: Caramel Snail
[Title]: None
[Race]: Carbon-Based Lifeform – New Generation Homo Sapiens
[Gender]: Male
[Age]: 19 years old
[Template]: Ordinary Descendant (No bonuses)
[Faction]: Star Abyss—Galaxie Nebula—Fenian Federation—Azure Star—Tianhuan
[Total Level]: lv.2
——[Main Profession]: Civilian lv.1 (0/50)
——[Sub-Profession]: Street Kid lv.1 (13/100)
...............
The string of information made Caramel Snail's head spin. As a complete gaming novice, he found the sheer variety of stats overwhelming, though it was an exciting first experience in such a realistic game.
Most of the closed beta slots had been snatched up by big corporations, large guilds, professional players, and clubs. The few remaining spots were mostly bought by streamers.
As the only person who got in as a regular player, Caramel Snail was the envy of the forums, where everyone expressed jealousy and resentment. Here, however, he was an outcast. He lacked the confidence to hang out with the big-name players.
—Though, in his heart, he enjoyed the praise and envy on the forums. It gave him a little rush.
When some guy asked him, "Snail, Snail, I heard the professional team from Crispy Chicken landed in Nuliang City. What are you going to do?" Caramel Snail got a little heated and replied without thinking:
"Since we're in the same place, I'm going to see how strong the pros really are! Before the beta ends, I'll challenge them one-on-one!"
Less than half an hour later, a user with the ID 'XXG•Fried Chicken Cutlet' responded to the post: "Good! You've got guts. Let's see what you've got!"
Caramel Snail felt a sinking feeling in his heart.
'Oh no, I've attracted the real deal.'
Caramel Snail was feeling pretty down.
He had already bragged and couldn't back down now… What if they published a compilation of his failure? Where would he put his face then?
Online, he was a social terrorist, shorthand for socially anxious. But in real life, he was truly socially anxious, with full-blown social phobia!
The worst part was that Caramel Snail had no gaming experience. He had to quickly cram by repeatedly watching the trailers, introductions, data files, and profession guides released by Qiqiao Network to understand everything thoroughly.
Caramel Snail didn't ask for much; he just wanted to reach the beta's level cap by the time it ended.
After a short while of being in the game, Caramel Snail had figured out his identity: in Tianhuan, Nuliang City, he was an ordinary street punk named 'Saga Ki.'
Information in his terminal showed that Saga Ki's mother had been abducted from the Outlands by his father, who was a soldier. His childhood had been filled with beatings, domestic violence was common, and once, when drunk, his father even pulled out his sword and hacked his mother to death.
When Saga Ki, still an elementary school student, came home and opened the door, he saw his father kneeling beside his mother's corpse, meticulously cleaning his beloved sword, showing no concern for the dead woman on the floor.
According to Saga Ki's audio diary, he had been terrified of going home, yet his father placed high expectations on him as the eldest son, seeing him as a good candidate for a warrior. His father constantly beat and scolded him.
When he reached middle school, Saga Ki was bullied for his Outlander heritage, his pale skin, and his poor background by upperclassmen. Unable to endure the humiliation, he dropped out and fled to the streets, mixing with gangsters and becoming a lowly thug.
Fights, bootlegging, debt collection, smuggling—this life had no future, but Saga Ki, who had received some education, was inwardly tormented. In the end, he collapsed in a brutal brawl.
Despite the tragic backstory, Caramel Snail had chosen this identity with careful consideration.
Based on his knowledge of Tianhuan, the nation was divided into four distinct classes:
The traditional political group and the chosen heirs of the old era—the Royal Family.
The major conglomerates that controlled the nation's economic lifeblood—the Zong Family.
Mercenary warriors employed by the military and security companies—the Samurai.
The ordinary citizens engaged in production—the Peasants.
Among them, Peasants were not even worthy of having surnames.
For a Peasant to rise up, they either had to rely on education to become a laborer for the religious sector or join the military, working as mercenaries for security companies, becoming physical laborers.
Tianhuan didn't care whether Peasants lived or died. Even if a Samurai killed a Peasant, they only had to pay a fine. As for Outlanders—don't be ridiculous, they didn't even have citizenship, and the police wouldn't even file a report.
The military was strictly controlled by the corporations and the state, with extremely tight regulations.
To Caramel Snail, the most convenient way to fight and level up in the early stages was to play as a street punk.
After all, Saga Ki's father was a Samurai, which gave him a surname and a basic education, allowing him to qualify for martial arts training.
However, the quality of martial arts schools varied greatly, and the fees were high. Becoming a [Warrior] was still a long way off.
Caramel Snail cautiously crossed the street. He activated [Disguise Mode] and called Saga Ki's friends—those useless idiots. They had promised to help him deal with a rival gang, yet they all ran away, leaving Saga Ki to get beaten up.
"Hey, ah, it's Ki-kun. Sorry, there was an emergency at home, so I left."
"My sincerest apologies, Saga-san. You won't hold this against us, will you?"
"Oh, you're still alive? Wow, that's impressive. I thought you'd been killed."
The taunts from his so-called friends enraged the disguised Saga Ki personality, and even Caramel Snail couldn't hold back. He burst out cursing:
"Screw your damn apology! I nearly got beaten to death, and you're apologizing? You'd better watch out! I'm going to beat the crap out of you! Screw you, *&%￥%..."
Caramel Snail was supposed to be socially anxious, but he had no idea that when it came to swearing, players from Yanxia had an unexpected linguistic advantage and imagination.
The language of Tianhuan had very few curse words—insults were limited to things like 'idiot,' 'fool,' or 'bastard.' But Caramel Snail's colorful stream of Yanxia profanity, delivered with passion, left the gangsters on the other end of the call completely stunned.
What surprised Caramel Snail even more was that, after finishing his tirade and feeling refreshed, the system triggered a notification:
[You have triggered a side quest—"Teach the Cowards a Lesson"]
I saw an interesting comment: "Reading from Star Abyss feels like paying to browse a forum."
Crimson laughed like a pig.