Launch Player

The Skill Panel after the Attribute Panel was completely empty. After all, he had only just become a Player and had yet to obtain any Skills.

There were two Items in the Inventory Panel: the so-called [Shadow Realm Pass] and [Shadow Realm Permanent Deed]. Bai Zhi decided to put both of them aside for the time being.

Although he had no idea what kind of place the Shadow Realm was, it was definitely extremely dangerous. Entering it now as a newbie player who had just reached Lv1 would undoubtedly lead to a gruesome death.

—He could explore that place in the future, but definitely not now.

At the same time, Bai Zhi tested the Inventory's functions. For instance, he tried putting things from the Real World into it. The [Inventory Panel] had a total of thirty slots. After some experiments, Bai Zhi found that most things could be stored inside, but excessively large Items could not, such as a several-meter-wide Bed. Nor could it hold living creatures; even a live Ant could not be put inside.

"If I can't make a living in the future, maybe I can use this trick to pose as a Magician..."

As he repeatedly took various things out of the Inventory and put them back in, Bai Zhi wore a thoughtful expression.

The [Store] and [Auction House] interfaces were both grayed out and unavailable. The Store would unlock when a Player reached Lv2, while the [Auction House] required Lv5. It was quite user-friendly.

There was not much to say about the final section, the [Quest Log]. It was completely empty, save for a three-day Countdown displayed on it. That was probably the so-called Newbie Protection Countdown.

"Three days..."

Bai Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the so-called Countdown.

The forum on the Dark Web had introductions concerning newbie players. Becoming a Player did not mean it was necessarily a good thing. While it granted one an opportunity to transcend the ordinary, it also meant risking one's life.

There were no free lunches in the world, and the system would not hand out benefits for nothing.

After becoming a Player, the system would issue a Mandatory Quest at irregular intervals. These Quests came in all kinds, and completing them awarded rewards and Experience Points. Mandatory Quests had to be completed; no Player could escape them.

The first Mandatory Quest every Player experienced was more of a benefit. As long as one observed carefully, it was absolutely possible to clear it safely. Thus, Players generally jokingly called their first Mandatory Quest a Novice Quest.

Novice Quests came in all varieties. Some were solo, while others required teamwork, but there would never be identical cases, so forget about Walkthroughs.

Generally speaking, the system did not assign Mandatory Quests that guaranteed death. Quests were usually arranged based on an assessment of an individual's strength. Even so, quite a few Players still died every day because of Mandatory Quests.

"Because Mandatory Quests are so difficult, the forum does not recommend lone-wolf Players. Joining a large organization can help Players get through the difficult early period when they have neither Skills nor equipment... Although every country has established corresponding official organizations, there are also plenty of private organizations. It's a matter of choice..."

Bai Zhi tapped the table rhythmically with his knuckles as he pondered inwardly.

He had long since made up his mind about that choice. With his unruly, undisciplined personality, there was no way he could join any organization. He also hated being constrained. But since he had decided to go it alone, there were many things he needed to think through from the beginning.

...Perhaps he could establish an organization of his own someday?

Looking at the two Items lying in his Inventory, Bai Zhi fell into thought.

"Hello, fellow student. We would like to learn about the situation from you."

Pulling out a chair and sitting down at the table, Wu Hua smiled at the Young Girl seated across from him.

"May I ask if you know anything about Bai Zhi?"

"Um... let me ask first. You're Official Personnel, right?"

Perhaps because she was finally about to lift the mysterious veil concealing the truth, Lin Xiaoyi seemed somewhat excited.

"Yes, you can understand it that way."

After a moment of thought, Wu Hua nodded.

"We have reviewed the account you gave of that supernatural Anomaly. As someone who experienced it firsthand, you are qualified to know these things. But try not to spread them around everywhere. It would not be good if people became too panicked."

Wu Hua smiled at her.

"Um... are you people specifically here to deal with those strange things? Are there many people like you? Are those Urban Legends that spread wildly online but get deleted on a large scale real?"

"Yes. There are neither too many nor too few. Some are real, while others are fabricated to attract attention."

Wu Hua patiently answered her questions one by one.

"How much do you know about Bai Zhi? I heard he pursued you rather intensely before?"

After sending the unconscious students to the hospital and doing some cleanup at the school, Wu Hua had naturally looked into Bai Zhi's records. He had immediately been astonished by Bai Zhi's glorious achievement of changing seven Girlfriends within three months. As someone who had remained single until now, Wu Hua could not help feeling rather envious, jealous, and resentful.

"Ah... that did happen, but the reason he pursued me was only to deal with the things that had latched onto me..."

Lying sprawled across the table, Lin Xiaoyi sounded strangely listless.

"Bai Zhi is one of the same kind as you, but unlike you, who can act openly, he has been quietly protecting the students at this school alone in the darkness since three months ago... He is a Hero who guards the light from the darkness!!"

As she spoke those final words, Lin Xiaoyi lifted her head from the table. There seemed to be light flickering in her eyes.

"Three months ago..."

After hearing the Young Girl's words, Wu Hua was startled. Only four words remained in his mind.

—"Launch Player."

The significance of a Launch Player was not merely having a high Level ahead of others. It referred to someone who had survived from the opening of the server until now. The meaning behind that was enormous.

(So he really is a Big Shot? If we hadn't held him back, he probably would have dealt with that Anomaly long ago...)

Recalling how they had nearly been wiped out by that little boy earlier, Wu Hua felt lingering fear.