Early morning—
Xiao Jie sat in front of his computer, staring blankly at the game icon on the screen.
Bright sunlight streamed in through the window, bathing the living room that served as their studio in warm tones and making it feel especially cozy.
It was as though everything that had happened yesterday had only been a nightmare. But when Xiao Jie looked at Han Luo's empty room next door, he knew it had all been real.
The image of Han Luo's tragic death kept surfacing in his mind.
When Wuji Studio had disbanded, everyone else had left. Only Han Luo had stayed behind. He had been Xiao Jie's most loyal brother and best friend.
He had stuck with him through thick and thin, yet now he had been murdered. There was no way Xiao Jie could let this go.
Not to mention, the other side had clearly wanted to kill him as well.
"Liu Qiang! Just you wait, you bastard! I'll kill you myself!" Xiao Jie muttered. Taking revenge by killing someone in reality might indeed have been difficult, but killing someone in a game? He had never feared anyone.
He took a deep breath. It was time to start the game.
His gaze lingered on the game icon for a moment. Xiao Jie's expression gradually hardened, and he clicked it firmly.
As he entered the game, familiar music began to play, and the gloomy yet tranquil little village appeared before Xiao Jie once more.
Looking at the lifelike ancient village before him, Xiao Jie had once merely marveled at the game's realistic graphics. Now, however, everything before him seemed to carry an extra air of mystery and eeriness.
What exactly was this game? How could it interfere with reality? It could even cause death. What kind of truth was hidden behind all this?
He could not help thinking that.
But Xiao Jie knew perfectly well that this was not something he could figure out at the moment. His immediate priority was still finding a way to gain power from the game.
Level up, stockpile equipment, learn skills.
He looked at the desolate village around him, his eyes filled with gravity and determination.
He did not act immediately. Instead, he quietly began to think.
How was one supposed to play a game where you only had one life?
Xiao Jie was not unfamiliar with this kind of hardcore game mode. He had played games with similar modes before—Expert Mode, Hardcore Mode, Honor Mode. Essentially, they gave players no chance to start over. Once the game character died, the game was over.
But after thinking it over, Xiao Jie realized that none of those games could compare to the one before him.
No matter how harsh the death penalty was, at worst, he could create a new account and start a new save. Deleting an account was certainly a severe penalty, but compared to an actual person dying, it was nothing.
But this game was true "one-life mode." Once he died, it would not just be his game character that died—it would be him. He absolutely could not afford even the slightest bit of wishful thinking.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Xiao Jie first checked his character's attributes.
[Hidden Moon Follows Wind (Level 1) Experience: 30/300. (This should be the experience from killing that Mountain Bandit yesterday.) Money: 26 wen. Class: Returnee. (A Returnee from the Other Shore of the Starry Sky, once stranded beyond Old Earth, now returning in droves to their old homeland in answer to the summons of the Ancient Covenant.) Health: 90. Stamina: 400. Equipment Weight Limit: 80 jin. Base Attributes— Constitution: 9. Increases maximum Health, Health recovery speed, and base Toughness. Endurance: 8. Increases maximum Stamina, Stamina recovery speed, and carrying capacity. Strength: 8. Increases physical damage and the maximum weapon weight you can use. Agility: 12. Increases movement speed, attack speed, and the speed and distance of rolling and jumping. Advanced Attributes— Spirit: 12. Increases maximum mana, mana recovery speed, and your resistance to mental skills such as charm, fear, and hypnosis. Spirituality: 10. Increases your absorption efficiency of Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth and the essence of the sun and moon, as well as your ability to learn and use immortal arts and demon techniques. Perception: 9. Increases your alert range, your detection distance for monsters, and your ability to sense invisible things. Higher Perception may draw the attention of ghosts and gods. Faith: 7. Increases your ability to absorb the Power of Faith and your ability to learn and use divine powers. Special Attributes— Comprehension: 13. (This attribute cannot be increased with attribute points.) Allows you to learn deeper knowledge and techniques, with a greater chance of gaining Sudden Enlightenment. Luck: 12. (This attribute cannot be increased with attribute points.) Determines your loot drop rate and the probability of encountering Serendipitous Encounter events or disaster events. Skills: Kite Flip (Movement Technique). ------
Xiao Jie looked at his attribute panel. He had not paid much attention to it before, but now he noticed something strange. His attributes were uneven, some rounded and some not, rather than fixed values.
Clearly, these numbers had not been generated at random. They most likely reflected Xiao Jie himself.
Xiao Jie guessed that an ordinary person's average attributes should be around 10 points.
By that standard, his attributes were passable. His Agility at 12, Spirit at 12, Comprehension at 13, and Luck at 12 stood out. His other attributes were nothing special, especially Faith, which was a pitiful 7.
He pondered for a moment and quickly came up with the first rule of the game: play it safe.
He absolutely could not take any unnecessary risks. He had to prepare thoroughly before venturing out and only fight battles he was completely sure of winning. The game's difficulty was absurdly high, and even the minor monsters at the Village Entrance were so strong. Going out recklessly would be suicide.
He had to lie low and develop steadily, raising everything he could first. He needed to put together a set of beginner equipment, clear out every skill he could learn and every quest he could complete in the village, then go adventuring once he had a solid foundation.
And if the village had errands such as delivering letters, running messages, or gathering materials—quests that could grant experience and levels without fighting—that would be even better. If he could gain a few levels in the village and get himself a decent set of equipment, it would be much safer.
Once he made up his mind, Xiao Jie immediately began wandering around the village.
Though the village was small, it had everything it needed. Wooden walls protected it, watchtowers had been built atop those walls, and militiamen stood guard, giving it a slight sense of security.
At the very least, he should not have to worry about monsters while inside the village.
There was a Blacksmith Shop, a carpentry workshop, a general store run from carrying poles, and a food stall. Animal pelts hung all over a wooden rack outside one house, so that place was probably home to a Hunter.
After making a circuit of the village, Xiao Jie already had a plan.
The first thing he needed to do was check what equipment he could buy at the Blacksmith Shop.
The Blacksmith Shop's owner was a muscular, bearded man who was hammering a sword blank on an anvil.
A dark, stout man was smelting iron ingots nearby.
Xiao Jie walked straight up to the blacksmith.
"Brother, I want to pick out a handy weapon so I can leave the village and kill monsters. Do you have any recommendations?"
The bearded man put down his hammer and said in a gruff voice, "Heh, you've come to the right place. The weapons I sell are the best within ten li. What kind of weapon are you skilled with, young brother?"
Although it was not his first time speaking with an NPC in the game through a screen, Xiao Jie still found the feeling incredibly strange.
"I haven't fought much before, so I can't say I'm skilled with any kind of weapon."
"I see. Then take a look around, young brother."
A trade window popped up before him. Rows of dazzling swords, armor, and other equipment were displayed clearly, with prices listed below.
Iron Sword: 200 wen.
Iron-Inlaid Shield: 150 wen.
Fine Iron Spear: 240 wen.
Willow Leaf Saber: 180 wen.
Ghost-Head Broadsword: 300 wen.
Hunting Bow: 260 wen.
Serpent Spine Longbow: 680 wen.
Leather Armor: 300 wen.
Iron-Inlaid Leather Armor: 450 wen.
Iron Leaf Armor: 800 wen.
Iron Helmet: 600 wen.
Fine Steel Longsword (Excellent): 1,000 wen...
The selection was quite comprehensive. There were not only sabers, spears, bows, and arrows, but all sorts of armor for sale as well.
Xiao Jie did the math. To get a decent set of equipment and buy some health potions and supplies, he would need at least 1,000 wen as starting capital.
If he wanted a top-tier beginner set, he would need at least three or four thousand wen. He still had a long road ahead of him. First, he had to find a way to make money.
As for how to make money, Xiao Jie already had an idea. He would ask that Old Village Chief from yesterday.
Before you continue