A ten-point tip made the male server chat with Gu Jiu for quite a while.
Of course, part of it was because Gu Jiu was beautiful—everyone enjoys speaking with an attractive person, and the server was more than happy to chat with her.
However, the server couldn’t shake off a chilling sensation, as if something terrifying was watching him. Gradually, he began to feel uneasy, almost itching to escape.
As a player close to reaching B-level, the male server had a natural instinct for danger, and he was certain this wasn’t his imagination.
In the end, he hastily wrapped up the conversation with Gu Jiu, making an excuse about being busy with work, and left.
Once he was away, the sense of danger faded, allowing him to let out a quiet sigh of relief.
It hadn’t been his imagination after all, but he couldn’t quite understand it. He hadn’t made any enemies recently, so why the sudden feeling of danger?
Puzzled, he went back to his duties.
After he left, Gu Jiu didn’t call anyone else for service.
When she finished her last drink, the two left the bar, walking through the city, glittering under the starlight.
In Boundless City, there was no division of day and night. However, many players were accustomed to viewing time as day and night, so some areas would adjust the lighting to simulate daytime and nighttime scenes to suit players’ preferences.
At night, Boundless City resembled a sleepless town, dazzlingly lit, with red lanterns hanging in the air like a winding river of red flowing across the sky, casting a dreamy hue over the city.
“Did you like that server?” Gu Jiu was a bit slow on the uptake and only realized the girl’s meaning afterward, laughing in amusement.
She wasn’t sure why Lu Ji was suddenly interested in this topic. Smiling, she said, “He’s quite good-looking—just based on appearance, I’d give him an eighty-five out of a hundred, which makes him an excellent man.”
A perfect score was one hundred, reserved for the finest men; ninety was for premium men; and eighty was for excellent men.
Lu Ji frowned, hesitantly saying, “So, you admire him?”
“I don’t know anything about his character; how could I admire him?” Gu Jiu hadn’t paid any particular attention to the server; the tip was merely a way to learn more about Boundless City from him.
Players who chose to work part-time in Boundless City were generally seasoned players of at least C-level, as D-level newcomers were usually focused on training to improve themselves and rarely chose to work on the side.
“So, is that the type you like?” Lu Ji asked.
Gu Jiu looked at her with a smile, her voice as soft as the starry night over Boundless City.
“Ah Ji, why are you asking this? Could it be that you have someone you like?”
She pondered in her heart. Although the two of them had teamed up in the game world and developed a certain level of trust, it was limited to the game world. They had never shared details of their real lives and didn’t even know if they came from the same world, both tacitly avoiding the topic of reality.
She knew nothing about Lu Ji’s real life, not even why a teenage girl like her could spend so much time in Boundless City, as if cut off from the real world.
Lu Ji frowned again. “No, I don’t like anyone.”
“She” didn’t know what liking was. Could someone like “her” ever like a human?
“Then why did you suddenly ask if I liked that server?” Gu Jiu asked with a smile.
Lu Ji was momentarily at a loss, finally saying, “I just asked randomly.”
In truth, he didn’t know why he’d asked, feeling a bit baffled himself.
Gu Jiu didn’t press her for an explanation, affectionately linking arms with her and laughing, “Let’s stroll around some more.”
After strolling for a while longer, Gu Jiu left Boundless City and returned to the real world to rest.
The next day was Sunday, and Gu Jiu got up early.
After breakfast, she accompanied her grandmother for a walk around the villa area, then returned to her room to rest. To prevent her family from worrying about her staying in her room all day, she came up with a study excuse.
“I’ve decided to learn two more foreign languages; lately, I’ve been listening to grammar lessons.”
Gu Jiu had always been an excellent student, admired by teachers and peers as a model child. Due to her poor eyesight, she skipped grades in elementary school and entered college a few years earlier than her peers. This summer, she had just graduated.
She majored in foreign languages, studying English and French. Unfortunately, her eyesight worsened this spring, and her family, the Gu family, became very concerned, discouraging her from seeking a job, so she ended up staying home.
Now, she mentioned learning other foreign languages. The Gu family didn’t suspect anything and were even supportive, feeling it was better for her to stay occupied rather than letting her mind wander at home.
After appeasing her family, Gu Jiu happily returned to her room and entered Boundless City.
After a day of training, Gu Jiu sat on the ground to rest and called the system butler.
“No. 387, what are you doing?”
No. 387 responded immediately, [“Miss, I’m communicating with other players. Do you need something?”]
Gu Jiu took a sip of water and dropped a bombshell, “For the next game, I want to enter the C-level game field.”
Although No. 387 didn’t explode, its reaction was intense. [“Miss, have you thought it through? The C-level game field is more dangerous than the D-level; you should consider it carefully.”]
“Do you think I currently have the strength to enter a C-level game field?”
No. 387 answered without hesitation, [“Of course, you’re fully capable of entering the C-level game field.”]
“Alright, let’s go to the C-level game field,” Gu Jiu said calmly.
No. 387 hesitated but ultimately didn’t try to dissuade her. As it had said, Gu Jiu indeed possessed the strength to enter the C-level game field. With her current skills, staying in the D-level game field was almost overkill; her performance was so outstanding that other players barely had room to show their abilities.
However, the C-level game field was indeed more dangerous than the D-level, and No. 387 was worried something might happen to Gu Jiu there. Initially, it had hoped she would continue accumulating experience in the D-level field.
Finally, 387 had a player in its hands with the potential to become a powerhouse in the advanced game fields. It wished nothing more than for her to level up steadily, so that one day she’d turn into a high-level boss and take it along for the ride.
In each level of game field, players are required to clear at least ten rounds to progress—this is the minimum requirement for regular players set by the Multiverse game system, though it doesn’t apply to players whose abilities have already reached a higher standard.
Once players successfully clear ten rounds, they can decide for themselves whether to advance to a higher-level game field or stay in their current field if they feel underpowered.
Just like some players, who are capable of advancing to the C-level game field but are too fearful of the dangers, choose to remain in the D-level field. As long as they follow the D-level game field’s rules, it’s allowed.
For D-level, the game requires players to enter the game once every three days.
[“When do you plan to enter the C-level field?”] 387 asked. [“Once you’re in the C-level field, you’ll get a ten-day rest period after each game clearance.”]
Each time a player clears a game instance, the Multiverse game grants them rest time to adjust their mental state, preventing excessive, frequent entries into the game world from overwhelming their spirits.
Despite this, many players still crumble under the pressure, either choosing to abandon life in the game world or opting for suicide in the real world. Those who make it through either possess strong mental resilience or have already become psychologically distorted.
Thus, the Multiverse game world’s players are all somewhat unusual.
Gu Jiu said, “Let’s do it in ten days. I want to spend this time working on my physical strength.”
Thinking of Gu Jiu’s frail physique, 387 was fully supportive of her decision and obediently said, [“Miss, take your time with your training. I’ll remind you when the time comes.”]
After talking with 387 about her plan, Gu Jiu went to find Lu Ji and informed her of her decision.
Lu Ji’s face didn’t show any surprise as she replied, “I’ll go with you to the C-level game field.”
Gu Jiu smiled, looking at her. “Ah Ji, have you already been capable of entering the C-level field for some time?”
She wasn’t oblivious; it was clear to her that Lu Ji possessed strength beyond her appearance. However, she couldn’t understand why Lu Ji would always downplay her presence in the game world, mainly acting in a supporting role.
Everyone has their own secrets, and Gu Jiu didn’t feel the need to pry into Lu Ji’s—that was her way of respecting Lu Ji.
Since Lu Ji had chosen her, and she had chosen Lu Ji, they could work together. So far, their partnership had been pleasant. Lu Ji preferred staying in the background to assist her, and Gu Jiu needed Lu Ji’s support to freely navigate the game world.
Lu Ji nodded and said openly, “I enter the game world whenever I have free time, so my level rises quickly.”
Gu Jiu studied her and chuckled, “Your mental resilience is impressive.”
If other players entered the game world as frequently as she did, their minds would have cracked by now—if not silent, then twisted. Lu Ji, this girl, was indeed remarkable.
Lu Ji remained silent.
His situation was different from that of ordinary players; he wasn’t truly a player at all but merely posing as one to enter the game world. If not for teaming up with Gu Jiu, his frequent entries into the game world would have long ago drawn the attention of the demigods in the Scattered Zone, leading them to intervene.
For now, he needed someone to cover for him to avoid detection by those demigods in the Scattered Zone.
Gu Jiu was indeed an ideal partner.
“Ten days from now, let’s head to the C-level game field together,” Gu Jiu said, slinging an arm around Lu Ji’s shoulder.
“Let’s keep up the teamwork!”
A faint smile appeared on Lu Ji’s face. On her pale, sickly complexion, it bloomed like a delicate snowflake.
“You should smile more, Ah Ji,” Gu Jiu said. “You look so adorable when you smile—so full of youthful energy.”
Lu Ji paused, thinking, “I don’t need youthful energy.”
Despite her thoughts, she still smiled honestly once more, making Gu Jiu laugh. Gu Jiu gently pinched her face.
“Alright, if you don’t like smiling, then don’t! Like I said, there’s no need to care about what others think.”
Lu Ji gazed at her soft and graceful expression and murmured, “If someone thinks I’m strange, would that affect you?”
He had never felt the need to worry about others’ opinions, always doing as he pleased. But he knew that his behavior often didn’t sit well with people. Gu Jiu was the first person to tell him such things.
“Affect me how?” Gu Jiu replied haughtily. “What other people think or do has nothing to do with me. We don’t live by their rules. Only the weak care about the opinions of the world.”
As she spoke, there was an undeniable arrogance and confidence in her tone—a radiant light that made her seem incredibly beautiful.
Dark eyes unconsciously locked onto her form.
This, “she” thought, was why she wanted to follow and watch her. This human was truly special, deeply captivating.
Perhaps there were other unique and charming humans, but what did that matter?
Because when “she” entered the game world, the one she happened to meet was Gu Jiu, so all “she” could see was Gu Jiu.
Time in Boundless City passed just as it did in the real world; however long one stayed there, the same amount of time passed outside.
In the evening, Gu Jiu returned to the real world.
Just then, her phone rang. Seeing an unmarked number, she didn’t hesitate to decline the call.
After ignoring the second call, a message arrived.
She caught a glimpse of the beginning: [“Why aren’t you answering? I managed to secure help for you…”]
She frowned with disinterest.
Whatever her father’s reasons for suddenly showing concern for her eyesight, she didn’t have the time to care right now. If the forces behind the Chen family tried to go up against the Gu family, she would not hold back.
In the Multiverse game world, players had many methods at their disposal. She only hoped that the player supporting the Chen family would refrain from using game-world tactics on regular people in reality. Otherwise, she would respond with game-world tactics of her own.
—
Next chapter: entering the C-level game instance.