After some meticulous tweaking, Ji Luo finally finished customizing his face.
At that moment, the class selection popped up at the bottom of the interface.
[Currently available class: Ash Apostles] [Class introduction: We are the last ashes of the ancient gods, and the kindling that burns away the darkness.] [Holy pioneers awakened from ruin, all your power comes from the great Lord of Ashes. Though at present, aside from taking a beating and coming back to life, you're pretty much useless.]
"Why does the official flavor text come with its own roast?"
"This game company's mental state really is ahead of its time."
"But there's only one class right now? Guess the others will unlock in later updates."
Ji Luo didn't hesitate and clicked [Confirm Creation].
In an instant, the Sacred Hall dissolved into streams of light that enveloped him.
That familiar tumble-dryer sensation of weightlessness struck again, and the world before him was instantly swallowed by pure white light.
When [Ji Luo] opened his eyes again, the pure white radiance receded like a tide, and damp, rotten air flooded his nostrils once more.
It was the same familiar, ruined church, with the same shattered flagstones underfoot.
[Ji Luo] took a deep breath and was about to stretch, only to turn his head and find a blindingly white mass in his field of vision.
"Holy shit, what just flashed in my eyes?"
[Ji Luo] took a closer look and completely lost it.
The person standing beside him had the words [Passing Pure-Love Warrior] floating overhead.
Yesterday, he'd been sporting a slick, shiny bald head. Today, he'd undergone a complete transformation, giving himself silver-white spikes straight out of the standard anime protagonist starter pack!
And that wasn't all. The guy had cranked his muscle definition up to the maximum the creation panel allowed, with pecs big enough to crush walnuts.
On his sharply chiseled face, he'd even deliberately added a red battle scar running across the bridge of his nose, between his eyebrows.
Now he was standing shirtless in a bodybuilder pose, obsessively admiring his own biceps.
[Ji Luo]'s mouth twitched uncontrollably. "Dude, we're playing a dark, hardcore Cthulhu survival game. Why did you make yourself a hot-blooded, white-haired anime berserker?"
"You wandered onto the wrong set!"
[Passing Pure-Love Warrior] turned, tossing his sharply defined silver spikes, and shot Ji Luo an outrageously showy sidelong glance.
"You don't know shit!"
"Being strong only lasts one patch, and the devs call the shots on that! But looking cool is forever!"
"White hair, a battle scar, and all this shredded muscle! This is the ultimate form of an action-game heartthrob!"
"Now that's what I call peak anime wish fulfillment!"
While Lu Ziye was busy admiring himself, a steady cough suddenly sounded beside them.
Both turned to look, and both fell silent.
[Kindergarten Boss] had logged in too.
Unlike [Passing Pure-Love Warrior], whose appearance practically screamed "terminal anime delusions," Bossy Guy had taken a back-to-basics approach to character customization.
His face was as conventionally square as could be, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a flat-topped buzz cut.
His gaze held an honest warmth and wisdom, as though he'd seen all the ups and downs life had to offer.
He planted himself there with a commanding air, his back perfectly straight.
If he hadn't been wearing nothing but a pair of starter shorts, anyone would have assumed he was a neighborhood committee official visiting the countryside for an inspection, or a residential security captain who'd just come on shift.
[Passing Pure-Love Warrior] circled him twice and couldn't resist commenting.
"Bro, the system finally gives you all this freedom to customize your face, and you go straight for uploading your one-inch, bareheaded ID photo?"
"Standing in this ruined church, you look like you're about to ask us where our fire safety certificate is."
Bossy Guy rubbed his prickly flat top and smiled good-naturedly.
"Ah, I'm not much of an artist. I just tweaked my own face a little."
"I think it's pretty good. Dependable. Makes you feel safe."
Just then, a low, spine-chilling snicker came from the shadows nearby.
"Heh heh heh... you guys don't get it!"
"In a game with 100% full holographic simulation, the highest level of character customization is matching the expression!"
All three turned at once.
A scrawny figure slowly emerged from the shadows in the corner.
The ID floating above his head was unmistakably [Even Monkeys Have Dignity].
The guy's facial features were actually fairly normal. He had pale skin and could even be called somewhat handsome.
But he'd dragged his frame down to the skinniest setting and added a slight hunch.
The real masterpiece was his expression!
At that moment, Ma Lou had his eyes slightly narrowed, his eyeballs darting wildly in every direction.
A punchable smirk hung at the corner of his mouth, saying, "I know your secret, but I'm not telling."
With both hands tucked against his chest and a shifty gait to complement his frail little frame, he radiated an overwhelming aura of sneakiness.
If he walked down a real street looking that shifty, all he'd have to do was stand beside an electric scooter, and some concerned citizen would call the cops within three minutes.
"Holy shit!"
[Passing Pure-Love Warrior] recoiled a step. "Ma Lou, that look is downright criminal! Your face alone is worth at least three years, with no upper limit!"
Ma Lou lifted his chin smugly, only for the movement to make him look even more furtive.
"This is called hiding in plain sight!"
"But seriously, this game's eye tracking is insane. I just gave a casual sidelong glance in real life, and the system perfectly rendered that soul-deep sleaziness. Heh heh heh..."
"Would you shut up already?"
[Ji Luo] pressed a hand to his forehead. "That laugh makes me want to check whether I'm still wearing my shorts."
Once they finished teasing Ma Lou, the three finally turned their attention to Ji Luo.
Ma Lou glanced at the ID above his head, then looked his appearance up and down, his eyes suddenly widening.
"Holy shit, pro, you even changed your game ID?"
"[Ji Li] became [Ji Luo]?"
And what shocked Ma Lou even more was this.
The expert who'd directed their movements to trap monsters and analyzed the boss's recovery animations in the church last night had now created a face that looked eighteen at most!
He had neat, short black hair, sharp brows, bright eyes, and a sunny smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
That was clearly the face of an anime protagonist ready to save the world in episode one!
"Wait, bro, isn't this a bit too much of a contrast?"
[Passing Pure-Love Warrior] pointed at Ji Luo in dismay.
"You were so calm and experienced with your tactics yesterday, I figured you had to be well into your thirties in real life, some veteran hardcore gamer!"
Ma Lou leaned in too, eyeing Ji Luo shiftily. "I get it. I totally get it now."
"You're some foot-scratching slob in real life, but you made yourself a fresh-faced eighteen-year-old in the game. An old geezer pretending to be a young stud, ready to trick some innocent girls into online dating, huh?"
"Damn... bro, you're shameless!"
Even the good-natured Bossy Guy sighed and said earnestly, "Ji, it's all virtual online. Online dating is dangerous territory. You're out of your depth."
Before you continue