Internet Cafe Upgrade

In the dead of night, Origin Internet Cafe.

The last batch of customers reluctantly left, and the shop, which had been noisy all night, finally quieted down.

Yan Shaozhe had been forcibly dragged away by Zhou Yi.

The dean had still been clutching the mouse as he left, muttering, "Let me fly one more time, just once. I still haven't carved out that Barioth's fangs."

Only after Lu Yuan promised to reserve a Supreme VIP machine for him did he fly back to Shrek Academy, looking back every few steps and saying he would bring Ma Xiaotao over first thing tomorrow morning.

"Phew... Finally off work."

Lu Yuan stretched and walked to the entrance, hanging up a [Temporarily Closed] sign.

"Yuhao, stop mopping and come take a break." Lu Yuan waved to Huo Yuhao, who was mopping the floor.

Huo Yuhao wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave an honest smile. "Boss, I'm not tired! The tiles here are too clean. If I don't polish them until they shine, I won't feel at ease."

The corner of Lu Yuan's mouth curled up.

Even with cheats enabled, the diligence in this kid's bones was still impossible to change.

"Quit working. We're making a big move tonight." Lu Yuan glanced at the system panel.

[Conditions for store upgrade fulfilled.]

[Open the second-floor area?]

"Open it."

Rumble—

A muffled sound rang out, not harsh at all, like space itself was pulsing.

Huo Yuhao looked up to see that the stairway to the second floor had opened, glowing blue. A futuristic-looking spiral staircase descended from above.

"The second floor is the VIP private room area and the holographic simulation area." Lu Yuan led Huo Yuhao upstairs.

The first floor was a bustling internet cafe, but the second floor looked like the inside of a spaceship.

Rows of silvery-white egg-shaped pods lined the room. Their doors were translucent, offering privacy while looking high-end.

The air carried a faint scent of mint, refreshing and invigorating.

"From now on, this place is for high-end customers only."

Lu Yuan pointed to a luxurious pod at the very end. "That one is for Ma Xiaotao."

Huo Yuhao was still marveling at his boss's miraculous methods.

Buzz—

A cold, strange gray current suddenly emerged from Huo Yuhao's brow.

The surrounding temperature instantly plummeted, and the chill seemed capable of burrowing straight into one's soul.

"Holy crap, what is that?"

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm screamed in Huo Yuhao's mind, "This aura... is it a dead person? No, spiritual consciousness? Yuhao, why is there another old monster living in your head?"

The gray current ignored Tianmeng's shriek and slowly condensed in midair into the hazy phantom of an elderly man.

He wore a gray robe, his face aged yet imposing. His profound eyes seemed to see through the boundary between life and death.

The Necromancer Holy Mage, Calamity of the Undead—Elex!

Elex floated in the air without looking at Huo Yuhao. Instead, he stared at the gaming pods around him, his gaze filled with shock.

"Unbelievable..."

Elex's voice was hoarse and ancient.

"This is not an illusion, nor is it the Divine Realm... Is this a second world constructed from spiritual power and laws?"

"Whose handiwork is this? Could the creator of this world be an existence above even the God Kings?"

As a top-tier powerhouse who had once nearly become a god, Elex's perspective far surpassed that of the natives of Douluo Continent.

At a glance, he saw through the internet cafe's true nature—this was not merely a game, but an independent spiritual plane beyond reality, complete with its own rules!

In his former world, only a Creator God could accomplish such a thing.

"Oh, the old gentleman's awake?" A lazy voice interrupted Elex's thoughts.

Leaning against the railing, Lu Yuan swirled a cup of freshly poured iced Sprite in his hand and raised it toward the legendary undead master.

"Want a drink? It'll chill you to the core and stabilize your soul."

Elex abruptly turned, locking his gaze on Lu Yuan.

He had not sensed this young man's presence at all!

Within this space saturated with the power of laws, the young man seemed to be... the rules themselves.

"Who are you?" Elex asked in a deep voice. "Did you create this divine kingdom called an... internet cafe?"

"Divine kingdom?" Lu Yuan smiled. "Don't make it sound so impressive. I'm just a shop owner."

He walked forward and set the Sprite on the table.

"Elex, holding the sun and moon in your hand, plucking the stars from the sky—there is no one in this world like me! I've long admired your great name."

At those words, a fierce ripple passed through Elex's originally placid eyes.

"You... know my past?"

This fragment of his soul had crossed planes. Apart from himself, no one could possibly know his name.

Lu Yuan shrugged. "In this shop, there's nothing I don't know."

"Since you're awake, don't rush back to sleep. You're only a soul fragment right now and could dissipate at any moment, but my shop has high-purity spiritual energy!"

"As long as you stay and work for me... ahem, stay on as a technical consultant, I can let you use the equipment here to nourish your soul, and perhaps even... rebuild your divine position."

"Work?" Elex frowned, not understanding the term.

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm could not help but interject, "Old man, don't fail to appreciate kindness! The big shot is offering you a proper position! I begged forever just to get an assistant slot!"

Elex ignored the bug and floated over to a gaming pod, reaching out to touch its door.

"You mean... I can enter this spiritual world?"

"Of course." Lu Yuan nodded. "And I think you'll find certain things inside very interesting."

Lu Yuan snapped his fingers.

The screen of that machine lit up, freezing on a new game the system had previously rewarded him with—[Dark Souls 3].

The game's visuals were dark and oppressive, filled with the aura of death and revival. Elex was immediately drawn in.

"Lords of Cinder... linking the flame... the Undead..." Elex muttered as he read the description.

"In this world, death is not the end, but a cycle! This... this is exactly the embodiment of the necromancy I pursued!"

Even Elex's breathing became hurried.

He had studied necromancy his entire life in pursuit of immortality, yet this game's worldview aligned perfectly with his own ideals.

"Well?" Lu Yuan asked with a smile. "Want to try it? You don't have a body right now, but this game is meant for souls anyway. You can connect directly with your spiritual consciousness and guide Huo Yuhao as the spirit behind him."

"And while you're at it, teach this dumb kid how to use spiritual power for attacks."

Elex fell silent for a moment, then gave Lu Yuan a slight bow with his hazy figure.

"I am impressed by your abilities, sir! Since you have invited me so sincerely, I accept! I also wish to see what sort of necromantic profundity this linking of the flame truly is."

With that, the gray current shot back into Huo Yuhao's brow.

Then Elex's voice sounded in Huo Yuhao's mind. "Big bug, move over. Your spiritual power is too bloated. You're squeezing me."

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm: "??? Why should I? I was here first! Yuhao, do something about him!"

Huo Yuhao felt like crying.

He could not live like this anymore!

There was already a chatterbox bug in his head, and now there was an extra fierce old grandpa.

And this old grandpa seemed to be an internet-addicted senior, too?

"Enough, stop arguing." Lu Yuan patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.

"Yuhao, your setup is now number one on the entire server. A million-year soul beast as a mana potion, and a demigod-level necromancer as your strategy team."

"If you still can't improve your skills, I'll be embarrassed for you."

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, his gaze turning resolute.

"Don't worry, Boss. I'll work hard. Tonight, I'll stay up all night memorizing the Monster Hunter bestiary."

Early the next morning, sunlight had only just begun to shine into the Star Dou Great Forest.

Origin Internet Cafe welcomed its liveliest day since opening.

Though most soul masters still did not dare venture deep into the forest, Shrek Academy's death squad had arrived.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! It's right here!"

Xu Sanshi, sporting two dark circles under his eyes, dragged Jiang Nannan as he rushed ahead.

"Nannan, believe me. The games here can really make you stronger! Look, after I went back last night, I even figured out the principles behind Wyvernfire!"

Jiang Nannan let him drag her along, her face full of helplessness. "Xu Sanshi, do you have a fever? What Wyvernfire? Yours is the Xuan Ming Shield."

In the sky, a crimson streak cut across the horizon like a meteor, rapidly approaching with scorching waves of heat.

It was Yan Shaozhe.

In his arms, he carried a woman in red who was on the verge of losing consciousness, her entire body radiating terrifying heat—Ma Xiaotao!

"Boss, save her! No, wait... turn on the machine!"

Yan Shaozhe had not even arrived yet when his anxious voice carried over.

"Turn on your coldest machine for me, the top-spec one!"

Standing behind the counter, Lu Yuan listened to the commotion outside. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he picked up a prepared bottle of chilled Sprite and set it on the counter.

"A big customer has come knocking!"