Chapter 2: The Unreliable Game
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[Due to an operational error, you have accidentally destroyed the world. As compensation, congratulations on obtaining the qualification for the game "Lord Era (Test Version)"]
[You will be deployed into various worlds along with players worldwide, become a player, and gain rewards by completing various tasks]
[Announcement: The old and the young have been moved to the new world, which is now very safe. You may bring close relatives to your side when you feel you have enough strength]
[Game Instructions: All participating players will be deployed into random worlds, becoming a Lord or a Free Player, and grow stronger amidst challenges and opportunities. However, before that, you need to first survive the challenges]
[Game Instructions: After territory binding, the first 7 days will be granted as an adaptation period with protection, during which Lords can develop freely. After the newbie protection period, Cycle Challenges and temporary challenges will commence, completing them will bring great rewards]
[Game Instructions: Strive to survive in the new world and become the strongest Lord]
[Attention: Challenges are inherently dangerous. If the territory falls and the Lord does not die, they will automatically become a Free Player and cannot obtain the qualification of Lord again]
[This test version is very unstable, lacks balanced difficulty, and has many problems, please use with caution (remember to delete this message when used)]
[You have been assigned to world 9805, Mutated Ruins—White Poplar City in Zone 33. This world has a total of 100,000 players, and this zone has been allocated 1,000 players]
[Announcement: Oh no, how do you cancel the game qualification? Where's the manual? Eh? I didn't turn off my mic? Whoa...]
[You have obtained a player panel and one opportunity to bind territory]
[Your Lord Talent has been detected and cancelled; awakening your personal Talent]
[Congratulations on obtaining the Superpower—Life Weaver (Gold)]
[Attention: Items have a rarity attribute, sorted from high to low as: Gold, Purple, Blue, Green, White, Grey, and the special Red]
[Attention: Territory binding chance can be forfeited and automatically converted into a Teleportation chance, becoming a Free Player, you may actively choose any area within the world as your landing point]
[Attention: Territory binding opportunity is limited to 24 hours, after which it will be considered forfeited and cannot be converted into a Teleportation chance, please use it as soon as possible]
[You have received 1 day of Newbie Protection, which will continue until territory binding, with remaining time 23 hours 59 minutes]
[A game guide has been sent to your player inventory, please check it on your own]
"Ah, I've transmigrated..."
Bai Yi opened her eyes and gazed at the grey sky, feeling neither grief nor joy.
I had just accepted reality and was ready to enjoy the life of a young lady, come on!
I was just saying it casually! How did it actually come to destroying the world?!
Now, look at what's happened!
Snap!
Gone!
"At least let me enjoy life! Even just for one day! I just wanted to slack off!"
Bai Yi wanted to cry but had no tears; she yelled out to vent her emotions, feeling somewhat heart-weary at that moment.
The announcement just now was also chock-full of information—
What kind of God can "accidentally" destroy the world?!
When Bai Yi first saw it, she thought it was just an excuse, but the subsequent information made her start to wonder.
It seemed like it might really be possible...
*Sigh...*
What can I do?
Now that I'm here, as the announcement said, it's impossible to go back. I can only try to follow this so-called game, secure my territory first, and find a way to survive.
Bai Yi still thought she had some talent for gaming.
Having faced reality, Bai Yi turned over and sat up from the ground, her eyes meeting another pair that were intently staring at her.
Stare—
It was a giant crocodile about five or six meters long, with jet-black scales that were ferocious and terrifying, emitting a fishy smell. Its mouth slightly opened, and it glared fiercely at Bai Yi.
"…?!"
It took her a full 3 seconds to realize what had happened.
I've been with a crocodile for so long?!
Swallowing hard due to nervousness, which made her throat feel manually controlled, Bai Yi felt her mind go blank with fear.
It looked like the crocodile did not desire to attack yet, and with its short legs, it probably couldn't run fast on land. Maybe I can run away?
Right! Run!
Her body reacted before her brain, pushing off with her hands, her feet springing up like a spring, rolling over to stand.
Bai Yi was extremely grateful that she was wearing a short skirt that was convenient for moving, not a long dress that accentuated a reserved temperament!
Turning around, starting off, sprinting!
Bai Yi felt that she was moving faster than she ever had before, much quicker than when she did physical education tests back in the day!
But soon after, infinite regret rose in her heart because there was another monster right in front of her—a big cat that was nearly her own height and had fierce-looking eyes.
It's over...
Her steps could not be stopped. The hope that had just arisen from her speed was now completely transformed into despair.
Puff
Although Bai Yi weighed just over forty kilograms, the sudden impact, enhanced by velocity, made even the big cat stunned for a moment, its body wobbling.
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It was just a conditioned reflex from her body, a subconscious swipe of her claw, striking through what felt like "air" in front of her.
But Bai Yi had no intention of paying attention to Big Cat's expression. As Big Cat's claws stretched out and seemed about to hit her waist, her heart nearly leapt to her throat, as if by doing so she could avoid the deadly swipe!
Such sharp claws, probably just one swipe would be enough to disembowel her...
Being killed right after transmigrating, I'm probably the weakest among this batch of Lords...
A series of thoughts flashed through her mind, and Bai Yi was ready to shut her eyes and wait for death, but the expected intense pain did not come.
Big Cat's paw, after touching Bai Yi's body, simply stopped there, making no further progress.
Bai Yi didn't feel any pain, nor could she sense any force at all.
This sudden turn of events was unexpected, obviously not only for Bai Yi but also for Big Cat, leaving both at an impasse.
The giant crocodile behind them, although it didn't understand what happened, saw only the quadruped stretching out its paw but stopping in mid-air; it was an excellent opportunity!
Its four sturdy, short legs exploded with tremendous strength, propelling its massive body forward, opening what seemed like a massive maw that could swallow Big Cat whole.
Although Bai Yi caught a glimpse of the crocodile's movement from the corner of her eye, her mind went blank. Fortunately, her body reacted in time, rolling away to the side.
Without Bai Yi in the middle, the clash between the two large creatures was imminent.
Scrambling up from the ground in a somewhat disheveled state, Bai Yi wasn't concerned about the mud on her clothes and struggled to get up, running away as fast as she could.
Only when the sound of the monsters' fighting had faded into faintness barely detectable did Bai Yi stop her feet, panting heavily.
"Huff, huff, huff...
It feels like I've run all the steps I needed to run for this lifetime... cough!"
After a severe cough, tasting a sweet tang in her mouth, Bai Yi tried to swallow down non-existent saliva while leaning against a nearby tree to calm her tumultuous emotions.
Bai Yi didn't dare to sit down, fearing encountering danger again. She leaned against the tree as the rationality she had lost to fear began to return.
Looking around, everything was unfamiliar.
Where she stood was the edge of a forest filled with particularly tall and lush unidentified trees that extended up a hillside, while on the other side lay a plain overgrown with weeds, with the sound of water faintly audible in the distance.
Ha, having just transmigrated, what isn't unfamiliar?
Chiding herself with that thought, the recent experience had Bai Yi feeling deeply afraid afterward.
"Were those mutant creatures just now? Is this the Mutated Ruins?"
The playful mindset that Bai Yi initially had completely disappeared, now replaced by the sole objective of wanting to live.
Having received a wake-up call from this world right after transmigration, Bai Yi could feel the profound malice of this world and sensed danger lurking everywhere.
No, I need to be calm!
According to the earlier prompts, I should still have a panel and a Lord opportunity to use.
What was said in the announcement has now become Bai Yi's only hope!
No sooner had this idea formed in her mind than a panel emitting a strong sci-fi aura and shimmering pale blue light materialized, semi-transparent:
Name: Bai Yi
Region ID: 0124
Territory: Not Applicable (Awaiting Binding)
Life Value: 80/80
Magic Power Value: 200/200
Level: lv.1 (First-tier)
Experience Points: 0/50
Talent: Life Weaver lv.1
Life Weaver: Capable of reading creatures' "entries" and endowing them to other creatures, or use them to create entirely new species, can consume resources to upgrade creatures, enhancing their tiers.
[Upgrade Prerequisite: Possession of Second Tier unit (0/1), Proactively create new species (0/5)]
Attributes:
[Note: Personal attributes only affect the player's Personal Combat Power, without specific Skills or Talents cannot impact the units under the Lord's command.]
Strength: 5 (Affects personal Attack Power, a healthy adult's norm is 8)
Spirit: 20 (Affects personal Magic Power Value and Spell potency, a healthy adult's norm is 10)
Agility: 15 (Affects personal casting speed and Attack speed, a healthy adult's norm is 12)
Constitution: 8 (Affects personal Life Value and physical value, a healthy adult's norm is 10)
Skills:
Plant Affinity lv.1: Passive skill, you will be friends with all plants, plants will not attack you proactively.
Gene Extraction lv.1: Consumes 50 Magic Power Value, extracts features from creatures (First-tier), current extracted: [None]
Genetic Fusion lv.1: Consumes 100 Magic Power Value, bestows creature features on creatures (First-tier), the lower the compatibility, the higher the Magic Power Value required.
Accelerated Growth lv.1: Consumes 10 Magic Power Value to grant plants (First-tier) one day of growth progression.
[Bug Submission]
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White Poplar City: A city located by the Red River, initially a city under development, but the sudden disaster froze everything as it was on that day. The remaining survivors formed the White Poplar Shelter, where under the rule of Superpower Users, they struggle against threats from Mutant Creatures...
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