Mecha game
As soon as she returned to her room, Yuqing pulled out her smart device and excitedly called out to the system, "System bro, what fun thing did you find?!"
[It's a pretty popular mecha game in this world. Mechas require mental power to control. With your current mental power, host, you can treat sentinels without a problem, but you're still some way from being able to start a mecha. You can use this game to train and raise your mental power level.] As 01010 spoke, it switched on the game's 3D projection. [I've already downloaded it for you.]
A massive projection instantly covered most of the bedroom. The game lobby appeared before Yuqing, and rows of control panels materialized in midair, displaying the account information the system had registered in advance and an equipment panel.
"Whoa, it's so realistic?!" Yuqing exclaimed. This was indeed an interstellar civilization with highly advanced technology. The 3D projection was so clear that it was as if she were there in person. Even though she knew it was a projection, she couldn't see a single trace of the bedroom.
[Yes, I just learned a lot of common knowledge about this world.] 01010 had fed the vast amount of content it found after connecting to the internet into its CPU. After processing it all, it was now a "know-it-all":
[Host, once you get paid, you can buy a gaming pod. Then you'll be able to touch everything and smell every scent in the game world. You can even feel pain scaled down proportionally.]
"I'm already tempted." Yuqing wanted to buy one right away, but unfortunately, she was penniless.
[It's all right. You're a beginner now, so the 3D projection is enough to get you through the beginner village. It won't be too late to buy a gaming pod when you actually start playing ranked matches.]
"Mm-hmm." Yuqing nodded as she opened the beginner's guide.
A simulated "female guide" loaded in and began explaining:
Lily: Hello, user 07258. Welcome, and thank you for activating your Dark Night game account. I'm Lily, your beginner's guide.
Lily: You are currently in the game lobby. Here, you can open the control panel and click "avatar" to edit your personal information, or click "inventory and shop" to view and purchase game equipment.
Lily: Exit the control panel and return to the game lobby, then click the blue icon in the upper left corner to enter the chat room and game forum. You can speak freely with your teammates in the chat room, or discuss and share with other players on the forum.
Lily: Click the "map" icon in the upper left corner to officially enter the game.
Lily: Our game map currently has three sections available:
1. Bounty hunter.
2. Arena.
3. Ranked matches.
Lily: Bounty hunter is our main storyline. The first ten stages make up the beginner village. We will assign game identities at random, and the storyline is generated through simulations by the central smart system to ensure your gaming experience is unique. During the story, you must distinguish NPCs from other players for yourself. The game will not provide any hints.
Lily: After the first ten stages, you can team up with teammates or NPCs you know. Each time you clear a stage, we will award you a generous amount of points. Points can be exchanged directly for the currencies of various countries at the current exchange rate, or used to purchase equipment in the shop.
Lily: In the arena, you can choose from a wide variety of battle modes to improve your control skills.
Lily: Once you have a regular team, you can enter ranked matches together and compete against other teams, where you can also earn generous amounts of points.
Lily: "Game safety notice": If you experience symptoms such as headaches, a pulling sensation in your mental power, or loss of control over your Spirit Entity while playing, these may be signs that you have overused your mental power. Please stop playing immediately and visit a hospital's mental power department offline for an examination.
Lily: "Game notice": This is a real-name game subject to supervision by governments throughout the interstellar civilization. You cannot make extensive changes to your character model; you can only adjust your hair and eye colors. If you require privacy, you can claim or purchase items such as masks in the shop.
Lily: Now you can begin your gaming journey~
Following Lily's instructions, Yuqing clicked the first game icon: bounty hunter. After the 3D projection froze for a few seconds, a completely new rendered map appeared before her. Yuqing curiously surveyed the game scenery around her.
This seemed to be a quiet, peaceful little village. Most of the buildings in sight were low stone houses, with weeds and moss growing in the cracks. Only a few houses were slightly taller, like small castles. Nothing in the scenery had anything to do with this world's advanced technology; instead, it looked more like a medieval European village.
The game panel on the right also displayed an introduction to her identity and the game mission:
[Hello, player. Your current identity is: Aili Xiersen, the only daughter of the viscount of a border territory.]
[Condition for clearing instance 1-1: Kill at least 100 low-level mutants.]
The system had already read the database in the smart device, and it quickly analyzed the scene before them:
[This game setting was created with reference to interstellar history. Host, you can think of it as the time when the interstellar apocalypse had just broken out. Spirit Toxins had only just begun to appear and spread, and humanity had not yet been forced to migrate into space. The mutants that appeared at this stage were very weak, and likewise, the sentinels and guides who differentiated at this stage also had very weak abilities.]
"I see."
Yuqing looked down at the projected white empire-waist dress she wore and its elaborate pearl decorations. That explained them, too.
As Yuqing and the system talked, the game's story quietly progressed...
"Aili, my child, why did you come here alone? It's dangerous here. A mutant could spring out of the grass at any moment." A beautiful middle-aged woman came over, her face full of worry. When she saw Yuqing, she made a gesture of prayer across her chest with her right hand. "God of Light, thank goodness nothing happened."
"Mother, don't worry. I'm fine." Yuqing took the woman's hand and comforted her.
"Good child... Your father hasn't returned from reporting to the count yet, and there are only three low-level awakened knights in the territory. All the people are hiding in their homes. Come back with me, quickly." The woman took her hand and led her toward the "luxurious house" ahead, which appeared to have two stories. But they hadn't gone far when a man's alarmed cry came from a distance.
"Madam, Mrs. Xiersen! Terrible news! A pack of mutated beasts has launched a surprise attack!" The man wore armor and seemed to be a family knight, but the sword in his hand was broken in two, and several hideous mutant rabbits were chasing him. He looked utterly disheveled. "Some mutated beasts have broken through the damaged part of the city defenses!"
In his panic, the knight failed to notice a mutant rabbit behind him leap suddenly at his neck!
"Watch out!" Yuqing didn't even have time to look at the beginner's guide beside her. In the heat of the moment, she directly summoned her mental power and slashed fiercely at the rabbit.
"Squeak!" The mutant rabbit let out a miserable cry as the mental power struck it, then went completely still.
[Congratulations, user 07258, on completing your first kill. Reward: +10 points.]
[Mission progress: 1/100]