"Classmate Qin..."
When they met at the university gates, Qiao Ziruo was somewhat at a loss.
Qin Manjiang looked at her and offered her one of the steamed buns in his hand. "Want one?"
Qiao Ziruo shook her head and looked at him nervously. "Classmate Qin, did you ask to see me because of that game?"
Qin Manjiang ate the bun in one bite, then turned around. "Come with me."
Qiao Ziruo was visibly nervous. Presumably, she had already guessed something.
Qin Manjiang also intended to explain things clearly to her first. This was only a Beginner Level. With mental preparation, some courage, and care, it shouldn't be too difficult.
Finding a bench beside a nearby sidewalk, Qin Manjiang and Qiao Ziruo sat down.
"I know everything I'm about to say will sound hard to believe, but I can guarantee it's all true."
Qin Manjiang looked at her and said seriously, "There are ghosts in this world."
"At present, we don't know where the ghosts come from, or what's special about the people chosen. In short... we're the same. We're both people chosen by ghost stories."
Qiao Ziruo's eyes slowly widened. "Ghost... stories?"
"This is a game, but it's deeply connected to the real world. Once a game begins, that entire area will be sealed off. It won't open again until the Player dies or clears the level."
"You..." Qin Manjiang had intended to say that being chosen wasn't her fault, that she was simply unlucky. But then it suddenly occurred to him that Qiao Ziruo had only been dragged into this because of him.
So he changed what he was going to say. "You don't need to worry. I'll help you."
Qiao Ziruo listened in a daze, seemingly unable to fully digest so much information at once.
By then,