Entering the Game

Ancient Moon Village.

Ancient Moon Temple.

Heavy rain poured down, accompanied by flashes of lightning and thunderclaps.

BOOM!!

The sound of thunder exploded in the sky, illuminating the entire ruined temple.

A dilapidated Buddha statue, covered in cobwebs, lay on the ground.

Beside the Buddha statue, a small bonfire was burning, with a large iron pot roasting over it.

Inside the iron pot, a thick soup bubbled, its aroma overflowing.

Beside the iron pot sat a little boy and a little girl. They looked somewhat similar, appearing to be siblings.

The little girl held a ladle, stirring the soup, while the older brother huddled by the bonfire to warm himself.

Behind the siblings, in a pile of straw in the corner of the ruined temple, lay a young man covered in wounds and filth.

The siblings did not seem to know the young man lying on the ground.

As the little girl stirred the soup, she would occasionally glance at the young man behind her with concern.

The brother beside her, however, kept his body stiff, staring at the small bonfire with a nervous expression.

A gust of wind blew through, causing the flames to shrink, flickering unsteadily like a candle in the wind.

The brother's expression immediately turned anxious and fearful.

BOOM!

Another thunderclap exploded.

The heavy rain lashed against the earth.

At this moment, the young man lying on the ground slowly opened his eyes.

Who am I?

Where am I?

What am I supposed to do?

After a moment of bewilderment, Fang Yue instantly remembered.

He had entered the Blue Sea game!

This is it, Blue Sea World!

Looking around...

The rotting wooden eaves overhead were dilapidated and old, the grain clearly visible.

The yellow mud on the ground was pitted and textured, with every detail rendered to the max.

Outside, the Heavy Rain was rapid and powerful, the wind howling, bringing with it a biting chill.

This modeling, this sensory simulation—it is truly a masterpiece that transcends its era! It surpasses every holographic simulation game currently on the market!

You've really done it, Tengli Group! This is the game I've been waiting for!

Fang Yue felt a surge of excitement and stepped forward.

Hiss—

It felt like an electric shock. Fang Yue instantly let out a miserable cry, his entire body burning with searing pain.

Wait!

Is the pain simulation this realistic too...

He gloomily checked his body and discovered that he was covered in lacerations, as if he had fallen off some cliff. He was covered in dirt and grime, looking absolutely wretched.

What... is going on?

Didn't I just enter the game?

Why am I covered in injuries?

"You're awake?"

Just then, a crisp voice rang out from ahead.

Only then did Fang Yue notice two people not far from him, a boy and a girl.

"...Don't pay attention to him!"

The young boy guarded the girl behind him in terror, his face drenched in cold sweat. He spoke with great difficulty, his voice hoarse and pained.

Am I that scary? Fang Yue touched his face, feeling a bit depressed.

It's all this game's fault for not having a character creation feature. Otherwise, I would have definitely sculpted a peerless hunk for you to see, the kind of handsome that would make you swing the other way!

When playing a game, the higher the aesthetic, the more pleasing it is to the eye, right? Who likes staring at ugly men or women?

Tengli Group really doesn't understand the hearts of players. Once I log out, I'm definitely going to the forums to leave feedback!

"It's okay, Brother. I was the one who saved Big Brother from the foot of the mountain, so Big Brother definitely won't hurt me."

So, it was that little girl who saved me.

No, I should say, she saved the me inside the game.

Is this a cutscene for the game?

Fang Yue is familiar with this trope.

So, all players were saved by this little girl? We're all the last disciples of the Hong Sect, then.

However... it really is so realistic!

The detailed expressions on the little girl's face are vivid and lifelike, as if she were a real human being.

The surrounding environment, the sound of the wind, the rain, and the thunderclaps—it all feels like I've traveled to another world. There isn't a single trace of it being a game.

Just as I was thinking this, a system notification rang in Fang Yue's ears.

"Welcome, player [Night Dawn], to the game Blue Sea."

"Detected that player [Night Dawn] is eligible for a Lucky Gift Pack. Would you like to claim it now?"

Lucky Gift Pack... that's right, I still have a Lucky Gift Pack!

The hyper-realistic sensory experience of the game almost made Fang Yue forget about the gift pack entirely.

He silently chanted "Claim" in his mind.

"Congratulations to player [Night Dawn] for obtaining the Lucky Gift Pack. Would you like to open it?"

Open!

"Congratulations to player [Night Dawn] for obtaining the Human-grade Low-tier skill [Analysis Pupil]."

"Name: Analysis Pupil."

"Grade: Human-grade Low-tier."

"Effect: Lock your gaze onto a target for a period of time to analyze some information. Depending on the target, the analysis requires different amounts of time. Some targets cannot be analyzed."

"Note: Uncle here, these eyes of mine have seen through everything."

Huh? Human-grade Low-tier?

Is that all the Lucky Gift Pack has to offer?

Fang Yue felt a bit disappointed. He silently chanted "Attributes," and a translucent window immediately popped up before his eyes.

Name: Night Dawn.

Realm: Mortal.

Status: Severely Wounded.

Health: 5/50 (Severely Wounded).

Force: 1 (Severely Wounded).

Deflection: 1 (Severely Wounded).

Talent: None.

Martial Arts: Analysis Pupil (Human-grade Low-tier).

Lifespan: 12 hours.

Lifespan?

Fang Yue was stunned. What kind of attribute was this?

His passive Analysis Pupil skill activated silently.

"Lifespan: Represents the character's remaining life."

Huh? 12 hours is just 24 hours—does that mean I can only live for one day?

Is this god-forsaken game a pay-to-play subscription model? The official website never mentioned this! Besides, where is the top-up portal? There's nowhere to even spend money!

Fang Yue suppressed his frustration and looked at the Severely Wounded status again.

"Severely Wounded: The body is seriously injured, reducing attributes, lowering the maximum Health cap, and causing continuous Health depletion."

Severely Wounded? Continuous blood loss?

What kind of hellish start is this?

Fang Yue felt a wave of gloom, but he quickly thought of something.

Wait, I'm a new player who just entered the game. The system should provide something to help me remove this status, otherwise, isn't it a dead end?

"Big Brother, are you still not feeling well?"

Just as Fang Yue was thinking, he saw the little girl suddenly turn around and scoop a bowl of thick soup from the iron pot with her delicate, fair hands.

Fang Yue noticed her slender fingers; she didn't look like someone who had done rough labor. Her identity might not be simple; she could even be some kind of young miss.

He looked at the thick soup again. It was overflowing with fragrance, making his mouth water.

Creak, creak.

As the Little Girl approached, holding the bowl, a strange friction sound emanated from her.

At the same time, the flames on the Bonfire seemed to shrink a little more.

"Big Brother, why don't you have some soup? This is a medicinal soup I brewed for you. Drink it, and your injuries will heal faster."

So that was it!

Fang Yue, a gaming expert, understood immediately.

This was a classic trope common in other games.

Using an NPC in the game to guide the player and familiarize them with the game's content.

This Little Girl was likely the NPC for the beginner tutorial.

And this bowl of soup was probably a health potion, capable of helping me recover health and treat my Severely Wounded status.

I knew it; starting a beginner off with a Severely Wounded status would be giving them no way to survive at all.

"Alright, thank you, little sister."

Smiling as he took the bowl, Fang Yue discovered that it was very hot—extremely hot. He had no idea how the Little Girl had managed to hand it to him so steadily.

Perhaps... her level is higher than mine?

No, it must be that my heat resistance is too low while in my Severely Wounded state.

I don't know if it was because I stared at the thick soup for too long.

Just as Fang Yue was about to drink it in one gulp, a line of text suddenly appeared.

Soul-devouring Poison Soup: A highly toxic thick soup brewed from dozens of poisonous mushrooms and secret methods. A single touch brings certain death; drink it, and your soul shall perish!

Note: Someone who drinks any soup offered to them like this will not survive!