Long live the grinding kings!

"Over a hundred Ash Coins!!"

Ma Lou sprang up from the ground, his exhausted eyes instantly blazing with light. "That means each of us has enough revival money in our pockets for ten lives!"

"Hahahaha! We finally don't have to be afraid of dying!" [Kindergarten Boss] slapped his thigh excitedly.

"And that's not all. Look over there!"

[Ji Luo] pointed at the clearing directly in front of the Church.

After the enormous number of monsters they had killed throughout the day, the outline of the massive [Portal] formed from ashes was now halfway solidified.

Deep blue divine light had even begun flowing along its frame.

"Bros, the day those fifty newbies log in isn't far off!"

[Passing Pure-Love Warrior] rubbed his hands eagerly. "Once they get online, the five of us level-three veterans will be gods they look up to!"

Looking at the magnificent Portal, already halfway solidified, the five of them felt their exhaustion vanish, replaced by overwhelming excitement.

"Bros! Let's keep it up! Before it gets completely dark, let's sweep the woods one more time. We're getting that gate finished tonight, no matter what!"

Like a pyramid scheme ringleader pumped full of stimulants, [Passing Pure-Love Warrior] grabbed his crumbling spiked club and started charging out.

"Stop! Do you have a fucking death wish?!"

[Ji Luo] grabbed him and pointed at the sky.

The blood-red crescent moon had fully risen, and thick, spine-chilling black mist was beginning to spread from the depths of the Black Forest.

Amid the bursts of piercing howls, it felt as though something terrifying was awakening.

"Did you forget what happened to Ma Lou last night?"

[Ji Luo] looked dead serious. "At night, there aren't just caster Elite Monsters immune to physical damage. There's also an environmental mechanic that constantly drains your sanity."

"We might have ten Resurrection Coins each, but we can't afford to burn through them like that. Besides..."

[Ji Luo] rubbed his throbbing temples and smiled wryly. "You might not be tired, but my brain's about to burn out. Industrialized monster farming is efficient, sure, but the fatigue from this neural interface feels way too real."

"If I don't log out soon, I think the gaming pod will sound an alarm saying I'm brain-dead."

"Same here." Bossy Guy nodded earnestly and plopped onto the ground. "My arms and legs are all weak. I'm probably starving to death in real life."

Jiahao chimed in with a timely jab. "The primitive accumulation of capital has to follow sustainable development principles. Overworking the labor force only leads to diminishing marginal returns. So... you get it, right?"

"Fine, fine, let's log out and rest!"

Though [Passing Pure-Love Warrior] was reluctant, the increasingly sinister surroundings left him no choice but to play it safe.

"Everyone go have a hot meal and get a good night's sleep."

"We'll log in at seven sharp tomorrow morning. Let's try to grind out all the remaining progress tomorrow and welcome the Second Beta Test newbies!"

[Ji Luo] wrapped things up.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

With several successive flashes of white light, the five muscular men in boxer shorts turned to ashes and vanished from the Church's Resurrection Array.

Blue Star, late at night.

Ji Luo abruptly sat up in his gaming pod.

He panted heavily, his pajamas soaked through with sweat.

Although physical exertion in the game didn't carry over to reality, the mental exhaustion from prolonged, intense concentration left him seeing stars.

"Grrrrumble..."

His stomach issued a thunderous protest.

Ji Luo pushed open his bedroom door and shuffled toward the living room in his slippers.

It was an upscale duplex apartment in the city center, decorated in a thoroughly modern, minimalist style.

Even a random ornament in the living room cost a small fortune.

Ji Luo came from a wealthy family. His parents did business overseas year-round, so he usually shared the apartment with only his older sister, Ji Li.

As soon as he reached the stairs, Ji Luo caught the tempting aroma of instant noodles.

At the counter of the spacious open kitchen downstairs, Ji Li was wearing a silk nightdress with spaghetti straps, squatting on a chair without a shred of decorum.

Her long, fair legs were crossed, and she held a bowl of braised beef noodles, slurping away.

"Sis? You're eating instant noodles in the middle of the night? Aren't you always saying you have to watch your figure and won't eat at night?"

Ji Luo stared at his sister as though he'd seen a ghost.

In public, Ji Li was famous for being a cool, aloof beauty. Her suitors could have lined up from the entrance of their residential complex all the way to the next street.

At home, though, she transformed straight into an internet-addicted shut-in.

"Cut the chatter. There are frozen dumplings in the fridge. Cook them yourself."

Ji Li didn't even look up. Her eyes were fixed on the tablet propped up beside her, while the chopsticks in her hand gestured at something in midair.

Ji Luo leaned over for a look. Displayed on the tablet was the [Ninth Art] gaming forum.

By now, posts about "Awakening of the Old Gods" had practically taken over the entire forum!

The pinned hot post at the very top had a title in bold, blood-red lettering:

[Progress passes 50%!! Long live the grinding kings! Second Beta Test spots are within reach! Bros, get your asses to the official website and sign up!!]

Replies poured in beneath it so quickly they were dizzying:

"Bros, I've been watching the official website this whole time. That progress bar was moving like a rocket!"

"This definitely isn't some fake loading bar with hard-coded progress. Those five First Closed Beta veterans are seriously working their asses off in the game!"

"My benefactors! You're all my real dads! I just signed up on the official website, and it says registrations have already passed three hundred thousand! Three hundred thousand people fighting over fifty spots. Those odds are worse than winning the lottery!"

"Three hundred thousand is nothing. People overseas are already hopping the firewall to sign up! This game's opening cinematic is absolutely killing it on foreign sites!"

Watching the chaos on the forum, Ji Luo couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from climbing.

That was the progress bar we guys had built with handmade traps, smashing away one brick at a time!

"Sis, you're staying up this late just to look at this?"

Ji Luo took a bottle of cola from the fridge, swallowed a big mouthful, and leaned against the counter with a smug look.

"Obviously."

Ji Li finally looked away from the tablet and gave her little brother, whose face practically screamed "Praise me," a complicated look.

"Luo, tell me the truth."

Ji Li suddenly set down her chopsticks, her expression more serious than ever. "Is this 'Awakening of the Old Gods' really as incredible as everyone on the forum says?"

"One hundred percent full immersion, completely consistent with the underlying logic of its physics engine, and it can even simulate pain and taste?"

"It's way more than that!"

At that, Ji Luo wasn't sleepy anymore. He pulled up a chair, sat down, and began gesturing animatedly.

"Sis, I'm telling you, this game is absolutely revolutionary!"

"Today, the five of us dug a huge pit and set up a whole array of traps."

"I made a tripwire out of ashes and tripped a monster straight into the pit. The gravitational acceleration, plus the force feedback when the wooden stakes pierced its flesh, felt so real I thought I'd actually learned magic!"

"And the NPC intelligence in this game is ridiculously high. There are caster monsters at night, and even a mental corruption mechanic that drains your sanity!"

Seeing her brother's face flushed with excitement, Ji Li, an industry insider herself, was utterly stunned.

Ji Li murmured with a deep frown, "That doesn't even sound like something Blue Star's technology could pull off. Aren't you exaggerating a little too much?"

"It's true, Sis. You've got to believe me. I experienced all of it myself. Why would I go out of my way to lie to you?"

Ji Luo smugly flicked his bangs. "Besides, your little brother is now one of only five level-three veterans on the entire server! Once the progress bar fills up tomorrow and the Second Beta Test opens, I'll be the instructor for those fifty newbies!"