Chapter 5: Getting into the game
Blue Star Digital Plaza, the newly emerging digital business district in the area, had long been on my radar. The plaza was not far from my place—only a 20-minute jog!
So, I had no choice but to run there since my bike was confiscated by the city management.
By the time I reached Blue Star Digital Plaza, the sun was already high. The employees were all at work, and the plaza was bustling with people, mostly students.
I quickly headed to the back, asked where the Expansion Department was, and walked straight in.
The office was on the top floor of the mall. As soon as I saw the nameplate for the Expansion Department, I was taken aback by the sight in front of me.
In the small room, four stunning girls were sitting!
On two large sofas, several of them were happily chatting while holding a pile of miscellaneous things. What amazed me even more was how revealing they were dressed—low-cut tops showing off their ample chests, and their short skirts exposed their flawless, smooth legs. It was enough to make anyone's mouth dry!
At that moment, a girl wearing a formal suit with a tie walked over, glanced at me, and said, "Are you the one that Ling Xue recommended? The one with the scholar name?"
I nodded. "Yes, is this the Expansion Department that Ling Xue mentioned?"
The girl smiled and extended her hand. "Welcome to the Xueyue Studio! I'm Ice Tea, one of the members of this studio!"
Ice Tea had a graceful demeanor, and she looked quite elegant. I was momentarily stunned. "Xueyue Studio?"
She smiled. "Yes! Our studio was specifically formed for 'Ling Hong.' We're temporarily part of Blue Star Group's Expansion Department. In the future, we'll be the game elites that help Blue Star Group enter Ling Hong!"
I quickly realized that Ling Xue had introduced me to this studio!
Just then, the other girls approached. One girl in a blue miniskirt winked and smiled. "I'm Last Summer. Just call me Summer. What's your name, handsome?"
I glanced at her and noticed that although her chest wasn't very large, her smooth, slender legs under the short skirt were undeniably alluring. I said, "Uh... you can call me Scholar..."
Summer giggled. "Hello, Scholar!"
Next to Summer, a quiet girl looked at me and smiled. "My in-game name is Tentatively Silent Rain, just call me Rain."
I nodded, but then turned my gaze to a girl in a pink skirt next to Rain. She was looking at me with a slight smile and said, "I'm Purple Moon. Nice to meet you!"
I wasn't used to this kind of greeting, so I waved my hand. "No need to be formal!"
Ice Tea gestured to a nearby chair. "Please sit!"
Clearly, Ice Tea was the person in charge of the studio. The other girls seemed to respect her, so I sat down. However, I still didn't see Ling Xue.
Seeing my confused look, Ice Tea smiled and said, "Don't worry. We were all players of Yueheng before. Now that Ling Hong is about to open, Blue Star Group hired us as professional players. We'll also be the leaders of the company. If the company invests in the game, we'll each have our roles!"
I nodded and asked, "So, I'll be a member of Xueyue Studio now?"
Ice Tea smiled. "Of course! Currently, Xueyue Studio has six members, and with you, that makes seven!"
I counted the people in the room—five in total, all beautiful and sexy girls except for me. I couldn't help but feel a little pleased with myself: "The days ahead will definitely be spent in the company of beautiful women!"
But still, no sign of Ling Xue. I had dinner in the company cafeteria and even took some pastries for a late-night snack since Ling Hong was officially opening worldwide tonight. It was going to be an all-nighter!
Before leaving, Ice Tea slammed a stack of documents on the table and announced loudly, "Upper management's directive: All members of our studio must enter the Ling Hong game tonight. By tomorrow morning, each of you must reach level 10 and earn two gold coins, which you must hand over to the operations department!"
I said, "Two gold coins? I heard that earning money early in the game is pretty hard…"
Ice Tea laughed. "Even if it's hard, we have to do it. You don't know yet, but our boss, Mr. Wang, decided to seize this opportunity to develop a virtual industry in Ling Hong. We're going to make a fortune!"
I was taken aback. "Really? Mr. Wang really knows what he's doing…"
Ice Tea smiled knowingly. "You bet!"
As for how the operations in the company would go, I didn't bother to think too much. Leveling up to level 10 in one night wasn't too difficult, but earning two gold coins was going to be a challenge. Everyone knew that in the early stages of Ling Hong, low-level monsters only dropped copper coins. It took 100 copper coins to exchange for one silver coin, and 100 silver coins were needed for one gold coin. Two gold coins would mean 20,000 copper coins, which seemed like an eternity to gather!
But whatever, I trusted my years of experience as a seasoned player. I wouldn't be worse than the other girls in the studio!
I grabbed my late-night snack and headed home. The night was late, and with only half an hour left before Ling Hong opened, my excitement was through the roof!
Back in my room, I locked the door and carefully set up the game helmet. Heh, this helmet was a gift from Ling Xue, though the way I got it wasn't exactly grand.
I put on the helmet, and the system quickly scanned my iris. After confirming my identity, I entered the game's login screen!
In front of me, a tiny fairy girl flew gracefully and landed on a nearby branch, smiling as she said, "Hello! I'm the spirit guide of Ling Hong, and welcome to the game's login screen! Since you don't have a character yet, would you like to create one now?"
I froze for a second, almost forgetting that the character creation had already been available for the past hour before the game started!
I quickly confirmed and chose the standard human character. After scanning my face and making no adjustments, I confirmed the character appearance and entered the name: China Manufacturing!
Just kidding, I'm very patriotic!
Confirm!
Ding —
"Sorry, this game name has already been taken!"
"Night Visit to the Brothel!"
"Sorry, this game name has already been taken!"
"Pure and Innocent Little Duck!"
"Sorry, this game name has already been taken!"
Damn it! Taken again!
I focused and thought: I need a unique name!
Quickly, I typed: "The Handsomest Scholar Ever!"
Ding —
"Sorry, this game name has already been taken!"
Damn! Another one: "No Food for the Scholar Today!"
The system responded calmly: "Sorry, this game name has already been taken!"
Helpless, I gritted my teeth and typed: "Wild Scholar!"
Finally, after a Ding sound, the system announced —
"Congratulations, your game character has been successfully created! There are 21 minutes left before the game starts. Please be patient!"
Now came the tedious waiting. I had never felt time pass so slowly!
Back in school, we used to play together. Now, here I am, entering Ling Hong all alone. I wonder if I'll meet any old friends!
Twenty minutes later, a pleasant ringtone sounded in my ears. The countdown had finally started from 60 seconds!
Rumor has it that early players get some extra equipment and rewards, so I must seize this opportunity!
I stared at the countdown, ready to enter the game!
Ding!
"System notice: Dear player, please note that there are 10 seconds remaining until the game begins!"
"9!"
"8!"
"7!"
…
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
"System notice: The game is officially open!"
I had already tuned out the system's sound, and as the countdown hit zero, I mentally entered the game!
The world around me lit up. I appeared in a small village that looked like it was from the Stone Age, with buildings so primitive it was maddening!
Ding!
"System notice: Hello, you are the 6th player to enter the game. You've earned 100 experience points!"
I was stunned for a moment, then felt a warm sensation. Golden light enveloped me, and I leveled up directly to level 2!
I opened the character stats and saw my experience was at 0. It seemed that reaching level 2 took exactly 100 experience points!
A little disappointed, I realized there was no divine weapon or attribute bonuses. However, leveling up directly to level 2 wasn't bad at all, as it saved me a few minutes!
I checked my inventory, finding only a rough wooden stick and a piece of ragged cloth that barely covered me.
[Damaged Wooden Stick](Rough Quality)
Attack: 0-1
Required Level: 0
[Rough Cloth](Rough Quality)
Defense: +1
Required Level: 0
…
Well, two decent pieces of equipment. Might as well wear them!
With the wooden stick in hand and the ragged cloth on, I headed out to grind some levels. At the teleportation circle, bright white lights flashed, and a large group of new players appeared. I needed to leave the village quickly, or I might not even be able to fight any monsters!