Player Association

Mu Yuan's heart was bleeding. He had worked so hard to earn that little bit of Soul Sand—was it easy for him?

This Cross-Border Tax was ridiculously expensive!

In the real world, he couldn't view the item descriptions anymore, but he had already memorized the information for Energy Potions and Crimson Blood Fruits from the game world to the point of reciting it. He had also checked the game forums for specifics on usage and any potential side effects.

"Energy Potions can make a person full of vigor, seven times in one night... they let you experience the joy of burning the midnight oil. But today, I'm better off just sleeping. I'll save this potion for when I need to pull an all-nighter, like during the Novice Trial... There's word that the Novice Trial might last one or two days, maybe even two or three. Only an Energy Potion can keep me going then."

Mu Yuan manifested three bottles and left three bottles in the game.

As for the Crimson Blood Fruits, he extracted all of them into reality.

"Crimson Blood Fruits have the effect of invigorating blood flow and strengthening the body. They're perfect for someone ordinary like me to improve my physique. According to the forums, you shouldn't eat too many at once—one a day for ten days to half a month will bring significant gains."

By then, punching Goblins and kicking Slimes would be no problem at all.

Hmm, after careful thought, Mu Yuan realized his current combat power might still be slightly weaker than a Level 1 Little Skeleton.

It was time to strengthen himself.

The Crimson Blood Fruit was a bit smaller than an apple. Mu Yuan washed it and ate it whole, skin and all.

At first, he felt nothing at all and thought he might have gotten a fake fruit.

But gradually, his body began to heat up, as if streams of warmth were surging and flowing inside him. It was like eating a hundred pounds of Spicy Crayfish—hot, unbearable!

"Ha!"

Mu Yuan opened his mouth, exhaling puffs of white mist.

He was a bit uncomfortable, but he endured it. Taking a cold shower now might relieve some of the discomfort, but it would affect the absorption of the Crimson Blood Fruit's effects.

Time ticked by.

He didn't have to endure for long. After about half an hour, the discomfort quickly faded, replaced by a clear mind and a strong body.

Mu Yuan clenched his fist, clearly feeling the power flowing through his palm.

He felt like he could kill a wolf with one punch!

Of course, that was an illusion. Even a Skeleton Soldier couldn't kill a Gray Wolf with a single punch, let alone an ordinary person like him.

But the increase in strength and the lightness of his body—those were no illusion.

Mu Yuan was a bit too energetic now, so he did a few sets of Broadcast Gymnastics to cool down.

He took a shower and went to bed.

"It's not even one o'clock. This schedule is way too healthy and regular."

The next day, at exactly seven in the morning, Mu Yuan woke up naturally, jumped out of bed, and felt incredibly refreshed.

He first went to the computer, which was still on, to check what had happened overnight.

The night hadn't been peaceful. His weak territory had been harassed by monsters—once a little after two in the morning, and again a little after four.

"These Gray Wolves and Goblins have no martial virtue at all."

"Oh, they were cut down by the patrolling Deathbone as soon as they stepped into the territory? Then never mind."

Two Gray Wolves and three Goblins—all weaklings.

But from the log, Deathbone still used ambushes... scratch that, tactical methods. Mu Yuan nodded in approval.

He silently thought of Evolution Points, and a faint box unfolded before him.

The Falcon's Evolution Points weren't worth mentioning. The Skeleton-type Evolution Points had accumulated to "1.78" overnight, enough to evolve another Skeleton Soldier.

Mu Yuan had tried to evolve Deathbone further before, but the feedback was that it required 5 Evolution Points.

Pretty expensive.

At low levels, a Rare Troop probably couldn't beat five ordinary Three-Star Troops, but Rare Troops had higher potential, faster leveling, and easier breakthroughs to higher tiers—so it wasn't a fair comparison.

Mu Yuan hesitated between evolving more Skeleton Soldiers or saving up to promote Deathbone to a Rare Troop Type.

"I'll wait for now."

"For now, let Deathbone keep training. I'll go out for a bit... By the time I get back, Deathbone should be able to reach level three."

Mu Yuan brought the small amount of Soul Sand and one Energy Potion with him and headed out.

He also transferred the Transcendent Game to his phone—well, it was a multi-platform game. Whether on a phone, computer, or handheld, it was just a medium, so he didn't have to worry about missing in-game events while out.

Half an hour later, City Center.

People came and went.

Mu Yuan stood in front of a magnificent hemispherical building, staring at the glaringly obvious four characters "Player Association" above it. He had a "WTF" stuck in his throat but couldn't spit it out.

"This is definitely the City Center, and it's definitely the Player Association's address, but..."

He had passed through the City Center countless times. How could he have no memory of this magnificent building? It was clearly visible at a glance, and he definitely wouldn't have forgotten it.

It was practically a landmark!

Yet to the passersby around him, it seemed like just an ordinary building. Very abnormal. This was very abnormal.

It seemed that only players could see this building.

But his sudden stop here, face full of surprise, with an expression like he'd just grabbed a handful of grass, drew some sidelong glances from passersby.

This kid, what's wrong with him?

Mu Yuan's old face flushed slightly—he was just caught off guard, okay? What did they know!

Fortunately, he wasn't the only one going WTF on the scene; there were three others, clearly also newcomers to Baijiang City like him.

When everyone makes a fool of themselves, it's as good as no one did.

"Player?"

"Player!"

"Heavenly King covers the Earthly Tiger."

"Baby, what was it again? No, what's the deal with this Player Association?"

But being together with a few newcomers did ease some of the tension, though Mu Yuan felt a bit like laughing.

One of them was wearing a frog mascot costume—no idea if it was to hide their identity or if they'd just come back from a gig;

Another newcomer was in cosplay, dressed as a Fox Girl soldier class, a white fox tail swaying back and forth, making it hard not to follow it with your eyes;

The last one was a bit more normal, but his hair was a messy bird's nest, two dark circles under his eyes were painfully obvious, and his face was so haggard and lifeless you'd worry he might suddenly thud to the ground and drop dead.

All behavioral art talents, huh.

Cough, though Mu Yuan had done a little disguising himself. Just a little.

After some chatting, the few of them got a bit familiar.

The guy in the frog suit went by 'Sell-Cub Frog,' he was older, so Mu Yuan shortened it to 'Frog Seller Bro'; the cosplaying Miss called herself 'White Fox YinyinYin,' Mu Yuan called her 'San Ying'; the near-death young guy's screen name was 'Three AM Sleeper Seven AM Riser Liver Emperor,' so Mu Yuan called him 'San Qi' (strikethrough) 'Liver Emperor.'

Mu Yuan also made up a ready-prepared 'player screen name' to fit in better.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be a proper person.

The Player Association had staff responsible for receiving players and explaining things.

Under the staff's guidance, Mu Yuan and the other three quickly walked into the Association.

As soon as they entered, it felt like stepping into a whole new world.

From the outside, the Player Association already looked grand, but stepping inside revealed an even more spacious area, with no small number of people coming and going.

Because it wasn't just players here; there were also staff members, no fewer than the players.

"It's also because there are a lot of newcomers lately, plus many Old Players returning, so the Association is livelier than usual."

"Usually, those in weird outfits are newbie players, while those dressed casually and normally are mostly Old Players."

The reception Miss explained.

At this point, 'Frog Seller Bro' couldn't help but say, "But the Eternal World is so dangerous—shouldn't players be cautious?"

"Being cautious is right, no doubt."

Before the reception Miss could answer, a passing Old Player with a bushy beard spoke up, "Back in the day, I was just as careful as you all, but after a while, you'll find that the old-timers in this Association are all talented, talk nicely, and I really like coming here.

"As for danger... sure, occasionally some monsters wander into Blue Star, there are Black Player Fugitives committing crimes, and dangerous zones like the Borderland along with those crazy Cults, but this world isn't actually that dangerous."

Mu Yuan: "..."

The art trio: "..."