System No. 387 carefully observed her expression and cautiously suggested: [“Miss, if you think the points are too few, you could go to a C-level game arena. The maximum points for a C-level arena are 5000.”]
It then explained to Gu Jiu the point limits for each difficulty level of the game arenas.
The difficulty levels of game arenas range from S, A, B, C, down to D, with S-level being the advanced arena.
– D-level arenas have a point limit of: 1200.
– C-level arenas have a point limit of: 5000.
– B-level arenas have a point limit of: 10000.
– A-level arenas have a point limit of: 50000.
– S-level arenas have a point limit of: 100000.
In other words, the advanced S-level arena offers the highest points, with each round having a maximum of 100,000 points, making the elites in the advanced arena incredibly rich in points.
Gu Jiu asked in confusion, “But I’m only on my second game. Didn’t they say each level requires passing ten rounds to level up?”
In fact, if a player lacks the strength, even passing ten rounds might not guarantee a level-up.
[“That’s for regular players,”] System No. 387 replied.
[“It’s also to protect ordinary players, so those who aren’t strong enough won’t rush ahead recklessly and end up wasting their lives. It’s better to train more in the lower-level arenas. If a player has the strength to level up beyond their rank, they don’t need to follow the rule; they can apply directly to advance. After all, rules are meant to be broken.”]
Gu Jiu smirked, “You sure know a lot.”
System No. 387 muttered: [“It’s not just me knowing this—many strong players in the past have done the same. They didn’t want to waste time in the low-level arenas, so they would apply to advance to mid or high-level arenas for the challenge.”]
It almost went on to say that only geniuses and thrill-seekers like challenges, gaining motivation from dangerous ones.
Though System No. 387 could see that Gu Jiu’s skills for clearing rounds were impressive, with only two games, it didn’t want her to take unnecessary risks. After all, having a promising player like her come along was rare, and it secretly hoped to ride on her coattails to higher levels.
Gu Jiu, however, didn’t immediately decide to go to a C-level game arena. She quickly changed the topic.
“Could you check if the wine I brought out from the game world is safe, along with those collectibles?”
Wine is meant to be consumed, and she intended to give it to family and friends. Though Gu Jiu spoke nonchalantly at the time, how could she possibly gift it without verifying its safety?
The best way to ensure that, of course, was by consulting the system’s butler.
System No. 387 replied: [“Don’t worry, Miss; the wine is all safe.”] After a pause, it added, [“In the future, you’ll come across many valuable items in the game world. If there’s any issue, we, as system butlers, will notify you. It’s part of the game’s compensation to players, and you’re free to bring them back to the real world. The Multiverse Game World will ensure a clean slate for you, so there’s no need to worry about inspections or getting flagged.”]
Gu Jiu smiled faintly, feeling that the system’s explanation aligned well with her own assumptions.
“Thank you, you’re pretty helpful,” she praised. The metallic sphere emitted a soft red glow, almost as if it were blushing. Its voice grew shy, [“Th-this is just my duty! After all, I’m your system butler now, Miss! As long as you become a big shot one day and don’t abandon me, I’ll be very happy…”]
It sounded as if the system were a neglected spouse, worried that its partner (the player) would cast it aside once they succeeded.
Gu Jiu patted the small metallic sphere and said, “Now, take me to Boundless City.”
“Miss, you want to go to Boundless City?”
“Yes, I have some time now to go check it out,” Gu Jiu replied calmly.
Time within the Gray Mist Space was frozen, meaning players could linger here without it impacting their own time. Thus, this space served as a communication hub between players and their systems.
As the gray mist cleared, a sprawling city, seemingly suspended in the void and stretching endlessly, materialized before her. Above was an infinite night sky, yet sunlight still bathed the scene, forming an unusual and surreal vista.
Gu Jiu stood on a broad, clean street amid bustling crowds. People passed by in an array of clothing and styles—some rushed, some glanced around curiously, some were indifferent, while others wore wicked smiles as they observed the throngs. A thousand faces and expressions seemed to reveal themselves here.
After a quick glance, Gu Jiu turned her attention to her player account interface.
Each player had a system butler and a player account. Before leaving the “Caged Bird” game world, Gu Jiu and Lu Ji had exchanged player account details. It was said that in the game world, only those with deep trust in each other would share such account information.
Currently, a new contact account was flashing red on her interface, almost as if it were trying to catch her attention.
Gu Jiu spoke to System No. 387, “Take me to the location of this player account.”
System No. 387 acknowledged her request, and a virtual map, like a radiating star chart, appeared before her, expanding outward. The map was vast, so only a portion was displayed, guiding her forward.
As she walked, Gu Jiu asked, “Just how large is Boundless City?”
[“According to current knowledge, it’s several times larger than Earth and divided into 3,530 sectors, each referred to as a Star Zone,”] System No. 387 explained, providing a brief overview of Boundless City and advising her to take the public bus to her destination.
The game account she was seeking was located in a different sector, quite far from her current location, requiring a bus ride.
Boundless City truly lived up to its name—boundless. It was said that every so often, it would expand further outward, making it nearly impossible to locate someone within the city without their precise game account details.
At the bus stop, Gu Jiu noticed the route board was blank, with no clear signs indicating bus numbers.
As she observed the station, a bus appeared, like a phantom emerging from the night. Its black body shimmered with tiny, starlike glints, reducing the eerie sensation somewhat.
She looked up at the bus’s route number: 0.
System 387 marveled, [“Miss, this is the bus to Star Zone 0. That’s where the big shots live—many of them have bought houses there, and their homes are as grand as castles or ancient royal palaces…”]
Gu Jiu responded with a simple, unaffected “Oh,” her calm expression showing no trace of surprise.
The doors of Bus 0 opened, and a masked man boarded gracefully. Inside, the bus was completely empty, as though it existed solely to transport this one man.
After Bus 0 departed, other buses pulled up, and players boarded them. Gu Jiu observed for a moment, understanding how players used the bus system.
The station had a blank destination board where players could input their desired destination, and within a minute, the corresponding bus would arrive—a service as swift as if it were tailor-made for each player.
“Surprising there are no private cars,” Gu Jiu commented with curiosity.
System 387 explained, [“Miss, actually, these buses are a kind of tool, just disguised as buses. They’re not private cars, but they’re much faster than one!”]
Boundless City didn’t operate on a hierarchy system—even the elites who dominated certain areas would take these buses, bringing a down-to-earth charm to the city.
Following the system’s directions, Gu Jiu entered an address on the board, and ten seconds later, Bus 98 pulled up and opened its doors, inviting her aboard.
Once on the bus, she glanced toward the driver’s seat and confirmed that, indeed, there was no driver.
The fare was ten points.
Gu Jiu thought to herself that the fare was surprisingly expensive, more than the cost of a piece of clothing. After all, even branded clothes from the game mall cost only one point.
System 387 promptly interjected, [“Miss, that’s not quite fair. Those branded clothes may be pricey in your world, but they’re still just clothes. Tools, like these buses, are in a different league, right?”]
Gu Jiu nodded slightly, agreeing with the system’s logic.
There were other players on the bus, too, all behaving like passengers in the real world, each keeping to themselves with complete indifference.
After a mere five minutes, they arrived at her destination.
As she stepped off, Gu Jiu felt that the ten points had been well spent. The journey from Star Zone 33 to her destination would have covered over half the Earth’s distance, and it only took five minutes—a testament to the bus’s impressive speed.
The moment she exited, Gu Jiu noticed a young woman in a white dress standing near the bus stop.
The girl wore a white dress, with dark, seaweed-like hair cascading down her shoulders. She stood quietly, like a lily blossoming in a secluded valley—a vision of innocent beauty that caught the attention of many, especially male players, who stared in awe at her ethereal presence.
Unfortunately, the sickly pallor of her face lent her a fragile quality, evoking an inexplicable sense of pity.
Gu Jiu smiled and greeted her, “Ah Ji.”
Lu Ji approached and asked, “Which star zone did you come from?”
“Star Zone 33.”
Lu Ji nodded. “Star Zone 33 is indeed where D-level arena players enter. It’s quite bustling over there.”
Gu Jiu stepped forward, taking Lu Ji’s hand with a cheerful smile. “Star Zone 98 is quite lively too! Ah Ji, let’s go buy a portable bag. I want one with a hundred slots.”
Lu Ji looked down at their hands, his fingers curling slightly but ultimately not pulling away.
Being familiar with Star Zone 98, Lu Ji led her to a shop specializing in portable bags. The store’s decor was quite plain, with no other customers around, as most players preferred to spend their points on more practical items rather than splurging on extra inventory space.
A young woman dressed in a cute JK uniform greeted them warmly, her voice sweet. “Welcome! How many slots would you like in your portable bag?”
“One with 100 slots, please,” Gu Jiu replied.
The clerk quickly fetched a portable bag with the requested 100 slots. Gu Jiu looked at the small box in her hand with curiosity; it seemed so ordinary. Her expression, rare in its childlike wonder, reminded onlookers of her young age—she was only twenty, after all.
The sales assistant patiently explained how to integrate the new bag with the system-provided one, expanding Gu Jiu’s inventory to 110 slots.
After understanding the process, Gu Jiu smiled at the assistant. “Thank you, I get it now.”
Lu Ji stood quietly by, observing without interrupting. Once Gu Jiu fused the two bags and paid the points, Lu Ji suddenly spoke up.
“Didn’t I say I’d buy it for you?”
“No need,” Gu Jiu replied, turning to her with a bright smile. “I just came out of the game world, and I have enough points for now. I’ll borrow from you next time if I need to.”
Lu Ji responded with a neutral “Oh,” but a faint sense of disappointment lingered in his heart.
“Although,” Gu Jiu added, “I’m low on points now, so you can treat me to a meal.” She patted her stomach.
“I saw lots of restaurants here in Boundless City. After seven days of bread and instant noodles in the game, I really need something better…”
Hearing her playful complaint, Lu Ji’s mood lifted inexplicably.
Lu Ji brought her to a nearby Chinese restaurant, and they ordered a full table of dishes, finishing every last bite. Their hearty appetites didn’t raise any eyebrows; other players there seemed equally voracious.
In the past, Gu Jiu couldn’t eat as much, but after enduring two game worlds, she noticed that her physical strength had increased, along with her appetite, pushing her out of the normal range for regular people.
After their meal, the server cleared the plates and brought over post-meal tea and snacks. The two sat quietly, savoring the tea, relishing a rare moment of relaxation.
Lu Ji took out a pair of matching rings, handing one to Gu Jiu.
“This is a team item. With it, we can enter the same game together.”
In the last two game worlds, they had entered the same world by chance, but that might not happen in the future. With team items, however, things would be different.
Gu Jiu examined the ring. It was a simple silver band with delicate engravings, giving it an understated elegance.
She laughed and asked, “Why does the team item look like a matching ring? Anyone who didn’t know better would think it was a couple’s or wedding ring.”
Lu Ji’s face flushed red, and he quickly explained, “There are many types of team items. Generally, the two-person team items are rings, while those for three or more people come in different forms…”
He needed a partner to enter the game worlds with, and Gu Jiu was the perfect choice.
When he saw the styles of the team items, he somehow found himself choosing the matching rings.
Gu Jiu didn’t think much of it; to her, it was just a tool, not a real ring. She accepted it without hesitation, saying softly, “Then let’s team up from now on. Thank you, Ah Ji, for being willing to team up with me.”
Lu Ji lifted his tea and took a sip to hide his flushed cheeks.
He realized he was becoming more and more affected by Gu Jiu’s playful charm and gentle demeanor. His heart would occasionally skip a beat because of her, slipping beyond his control.