[12, Country L's Master, Lin Xiaoran!]
The moment her name appeared on the list, Lin Xiaoran jolted upright as though startled from a dying dream, springing off the sofa. Her little face visibly drained of color before the light screen.
"???"
Lin Xiaoran's eyes went wide!
"Me?!"
It couldn't be me, right? It had to be someone with the exact same name!
"This is a fresh account! Don't mess with me!"
[Lin Xiaoran of Country L, you have been selected to participate in the new round of the National Fortune Survival Game. Please prepare yourself. The game will begin punctually at noon tomorrow!]
Just then, the silvery-white ring mark on Lin Xiaoran's wrist projected another small light screen, clearly displaying the news that she had been selected.
This silvery-white ring mark, known as the [Silver Ring] for short, had automatically appeared on the wrists of every human aged eighteen to sixty on Sky Blue Star the day National Fortune appeared. It was the so-called [Master] mark, and everyone had a unique Master identification number.
It also featured livestreaming, messaging, and summoning functions, making it the equivalent of a smartwatch.
Through this Silver Ring mark, National Fortune could randomly select a [Challenger], then summon them into a National Fortune instance world to participate in the survival game.
No one could escape it!
And now, Lin Xiaoran, who had only arrived in this world a day ago, had been selected.
"I'm done for, I'm done for! It really is me!" Lin Xiaoran slumped limply onto the sofa.
Sure enough, good fortune never came, but bad fortune did. The more she feared something, the more likely it was to happen!
Lin Xiaoran had no idea how she was supposed to survive in that National Fortune instance!
After all, judging by her luck, even the Heroic Spirit she summoned would probably be ordinary!
In the instance, not only would she have to face ferocious beasts, mutant beasts, natural disasters, and more that could appear at any moment, but she would also have to face competitors from the other 199 countries!
That was the most dangerous part!
Every challenger had their country behind them, bearing a heavy responsibility and the hopes of their entire nation, so they would spare no effort and stop at nothing to find a way to win!
And Lin Xiaoran? In her previous life, she had just been an ordinary university student, a bookworm!
Not to mention that in this life, she was just a beautiful young girl! She truly lacked even the strength to truss a chicken!
"Quick, quick, quick! Look for a way to summon a specific Heroic Spirit!"
Lin Xiaoran rushed into the bedroom, turned on the computer, and began searching for every piece of news about the National Fortune Game.
[Compilation of ferocious beasts that have appeared in the National Fortune Game!]
[Compilation of Heroic Spirits that have appeared in the National Fortune Game!]
[Exciting battle highlights!]
[Speculation about National Fortune's origins!]
All sorts of posts and articles appeared one after another, but even after Lin Xiaoran stayed up so late that she fell asleep, she had not found any information related to Heroic Spirits.
Actually, this was only natural. If there really were a way to summon a specific Heroic Spirit, the country would have announced it long ago. It was precisely because there was no such method that the survival game was so full of uncertainty.
Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, it was noon. The Silver Ring's notifications sounded right on time:
[The time has come. The National Fortune Survival Game has officially begun!] [All challengers, please prepare yourselves. You are about to enter the game instance world!]
Still asleep after staying up late, worrying, and fretting, Lin Xiaoran did not wake up.
Then, as the Silver Ring on her wrist emitted a burst of white light, Lin Xiaoran vanished entirely from where she lay slumped over the desk.
Thud.
With a soft noise, Lin Xiaoran appeared in a clearing somewhere in the game instance world and fell straight onto the ground.
Outside the game, the people of Country L watching the livestream through their Silver Ring light screens could not help their expressions changing at the sight.
[Is this... the new challenger, Lin Xiaoran?!]
[Wait, is she not even awake?]
[We're doomed. She's a high school girl!]
[I'm not discriminating based on age, but... at her age, the Heroic Spirit she summons probably won't be very strong.]
After seeing Lin Xiaoran, no one held much hope of winning this game anymore. Based on the records of Country L's past challengers, younger people, especially eighteen-year-olds, summoned Heroic Spirits of extremely limited strength because they lacked life experience.
In Country R, on the other hand, for some unknown reason, the Heroic Spirits summoned by eighteen-year-olds and high school students were actually relatively strong.
Country R: [She's a high school girl, just like our challenger?]
Country R: [So what if she's a high school girl? She definitely won't be as strong as ours! Nothing to worry about!]
Country L: [Get lost! Go watch your own challenger!]
Every challenger's livestream was available worldwide, allowing viewers to choose freely, and bullet comments were automatically translated. This led to viewers from other countries coming over to provoke them, leaving them both angry and helpless.
Although the people of Country L no longer had much confidence in Lin Xiaoran, they still clung to a sliver of hope. What if the Heroic Spirit Lin Xiaoran summoned was really powerful?
Inside the game instance.
Sensing something amiss, Lin Xiaoran finally opened her eyes.
When she looked up, all she saw was murky gray.
"This is... oh no!"
After staring blankly for a few seconds, Lin Xiaoran finally came to her senses, remembered the National Fortune Game, and immediately stood up.
"I'm already inside the game!?"
Lin Xiaoran tapped the Silver Ring on her wrist, bringing up a light screen that displayed:
[Game start. Current instance world: Mist City.] [Survival duration: five days (if all but one challenger are eliminated, the game will end early).] [Survival mission: head to the city center (remaining in the same location beyond a certain amount of time will result in automatic elimination).]
Lin Xiaoran looked up ahead of her and discovered that she was surrounded by thick fog. She could only see clearly within a five-meter radius!
Beyond five meters, the gray fog was like a wall. Never mind seeing what was inside it-she could not even make out a blurry silhouette! Only by moving could she explore and see things clearly, bit by bit.
[This environment is absolutely lethal!]
[Yeah! If a ferocious beast came running toward her, by the time she saw it, she wouldn't have the chance or time to escape!]
Everyone was worried about Lin Xiaoran, while some cursed how vile the game was.
[Random Heroic Spirit Summoning in progress...]
Suddenly, the Silver Ring displayed a message.
Upon seeing it, Lin Xiaoran immediately pressed her palms together and began to pray. "Taishang Laojun, manifest now! Give me a powerful Heroic Spirit with superpowers! Pretty please!"
[Ding! Congratulations, host. Bound to the Strongest Summoning System!]
"Squawk! Taishang Laojun actually manifested!?" Lin Xiaoran looked utterly shocked!
[Ding! Heroic Spirit Summoning System detected. Beginning integration!] [Ding! Integration successful! Functions have been modified: 1. The Master can summon various characters from the two-dimensional world! 2. The Master can randomly draw one ability from a Heroic Spirit to retain and use!] [Ding! Host, would you like to begin summoning a Heroic Spirit?]
"Summon, summon!" Lin Xiaoran hurriedly said!
Well, damn! She knew she couldn't possibly stay unlucky forever! One day, her misfortune would turn to good fortune, and great luck would shine upon her!
[Ding! Heroic Spirit Summoning successful! Congratulations, host. You have obtained: Marine Admiral Fujitora Issho!]