A crisp black military uniform covered the newcomer's body. The man looked to be only in his twenties, but his abyss-like aura made people overlook his age.
As soon as he finished speaking, he spotted the glasses in Xie Qi's hand. As if seeing through his thoughts, he spoke in a low voice with a metallic quality. "You certainly live up to your reputation as someone who broke the rules the moment he arrived on the island. You've got some nerve. Have you already adjusted to life in your cell?"
Xie Qi was a little puzzled about the man's identity, unaware that the bullet comments above his head were flooding the screen like crazy.
[Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! Why would the warden come here looking for him? What makes a mere F-rank worthy of that?!]
[The warden is so hot! I want to have your babies!]
[He must be here to punish him. Everyone knows the warden hates people who break the rules most.]
[He's done for. The warden of Block E is known as the most cold-blooded, ruthless man in all five prisons. Once you're in his hands, even dying is hard.]
[But would an F-rank be that fast? Did they get his danger rating wrong?]
[%&##%Rsf...(This bullet comment contains spoilers. Please be careful what you say.)]
[What was that garbled comment? Feels like there's a big secret!]
[You must be new here. Watch more and you'll find out.]
"Hi! Are you the boss of this prison? Do you know what these glasses are?"
Xie Qi seemed oblivious to the other man's killing intent. Holding the glasses by one temple, he asked the question casually.
Only a small window separated them. The warden looked down and repeated with amusement, "Glasses? You want to take part in the game?"
"A game? I love playing games. This prison treats people pretty well—you even let the prisoners play games?"
Xie Qi grinned. He had already guessed that the glasses might be some kind of VR game, and he hadn't expected to be right.
"Haha, yes. If you're ready to play, I'll give you a big gift."
With that, the warden pressed something on his wrist. Xie Qi immediately felt a burning sensation on his neck and reached up to cover it, but he didn't notice a red flame symbol appear on the back of his neck like a tattoo.
[He's screwed. That's the Blazing Flame Demonic Rune. This kid is dead for sure!]
[What's that? Can someone explain?]
[In short, with that Magic Mark, his chances of drawing a good identity card when he enters a dungeon will plummet, and the dungeon's difficulty will rise by one level. For a newbie, it's practically certain death.]
[That's insane! Looks like this guy's done for. He was handsome, so I was going to keep watching him.]
[It's fine. There's a handsome newcomer in Block C too, and he's blond and blue-eyed. Anyone who likes a pretty face can go check him out.]
Xie Qi didn't know that the viewers behind the bullet comments had already sentenced him to death. He paid little attention to whatever had appeared on the back of his neck and kept asking about the glasses. "Boss, do I just put these on? Is there anything else I should know?"
The warden narrowed his eyes slightly and looked him up and down, then smiled with an inscrutable expression. "Just put them on. If you can clear the first dungeon, I'll cancel your sentence here, and you can go straight back to a cell aboveground."
"I see. In that case, I have to play."
Xie Qi sounded excited, but not because taking part in the game could get him out of here. Rather, from what the warden had said, he could tell the game's difficulty certainly wasn't low—it would be very high.
And he loved challenging things most of all. They made him feel alive.
Then, without waiting for the warden to leave, Xie Qi immediately put on the glasses.
Everything before his eyes suddenly went black, and a line of large, three-dimensional white text appeared:
[Welcome, prisoner number PIE897777, to the game. Scanning has begun. Please wait.] [Loading prisoner information... Loading complete—] [Prisoner name: Xie Qi] [Number: PIE897777] [Level: 0/500 (level 1)] [Points: 0] [Health: 100/100 (below 60, the prisoner is weakened. When health reaches 0, the prisoner dies] (Warning: If you die in the game, your real body will also die. Prisoners, please play with caution.) [Stamina: 90/100] [Strength: 30/100] [Agility: 45/100] [Intelligence: 85/100] [Luck: 0 (5) (currently under a debuff)] [Equipment: none] [Skills: none (you don't have any skills yet)] [Imprints: Blazing Flame Demonic Rune *1] (Effect: host's luck -5, dungeon difficulty increased by one level, card draw difficulty increased by one level. Duration depends on the provider of the Magic Mark.) [SAN Value (sanity): 50%] (Note: below 50% SAN Value, the prisoner enters a state of mental disorder. Below 10% SAN Value, the prisoner goes mad and may become a sacrifice to an evil god in a Cthulhu Mythos dungeon. If SAN Value reaches zero, the prisoner's existence will be erased, and they will become a dungeon monster.) [Overall prisoner assessment—F-rank prisoner (the lowest grade of trash)]
Xie Qi smiled as he looked over his stat panel. He didn't pause at all when he saw the words saying that dying in the game meant dying in reality, and simply read on.
His other basic stats were all more or less what he had estimated, but he sighed when he saw that his luck was zero.
When he saw that his SAN Value was only 50%, just a little short of falling into a state of mental disorder, he couldn't help rubbing his chin. He found it a little strange.
He felt his mental state was pretty good, and he hadn't lost his mind. Could the game have made a mistake when it measured his sanity at only 50%?
But there was no button to check it again, so he could only keep reading.
The white text continued.
[Because the prisoner has not completed the beginner tutorial, dungeons are not yet available... Beep—level 1 restriction lifted. Dungeons may now be entered.]
Xie Qi couldn't help smirking when he saw the words "level 1." It was obviously the work of the man from earlier, but he didn't care and kept reading.
[Game introduction: This game was developed by the government and sponsored by the Mysterious Bird Technology Company. It aims to enrich prisoners' inner lives and create a positive, people-oriented prison environment. All game dungeons have been certified by the AI court and do not violate any laws or regulations. Prisoners, please enjoy the game without worry.]
[Game objectives vary by dungeon. Players enter a dungeon, draw a card, and play a role. The more perfectly they play the role, the greater the rewards. Completing the main quest grants corresponding points and raises the prisoner's level. This level is linked to prison grade, so if you wish to improve your quality of life, please work hard to clear dungeons.]
Xie Qi merely glanced at the text, which resembled a disclaimer and quest introduction, before looking below the white words. There was a button to draw a dungeon, and he pressed it without hesitation.
[Randomly selecting a dungeon—]
[Selection complete. Dungeon information is as follows:]
[Dungeon name: Deserted Island Villa]
[Dungeon rank: E-rank (originally F-rank) (beginner trial; under normal circumstances, prisoner mortality is less than 50%)]
[Dungeon mode: single-player]
[Introduction: A romantic, luxurious sea voyage is interrupted by a sudden storm. A group of upper-class people drift at sea and finally come across a small island when they are nearly out of supplies. But on this island, a strange villa appears before them...]
[Note: This game has attracted the attention of many viewers with its unique combination of food and action gameplay and its tense, thrilling experience, but it seems less than friendly to beginners, whose mortality rate is extremely high.]
[Each dungeon may have hidden quests. Prisoners must discover them on their own.]
The dungeon had been drawn. When Xie Qi saw its introduction, he raised an eyebrow and tapped continue to draw an identity card.
[Drawing identity card—]
[Draw complete. Dungeon identity information: villa chef (draw probability: 5%, extremely difficult)]
[Main quest: survive in the villa for 7 days. Countdown: 168:00:00]
[Clearance rewards: points +500, any dungeon item *1, skill card *1]
[Warning: Don't let anyone know—you are not you.]