At the moment the space shattered, the players felt a familiar force pulling at them.
They had cleared the level.
Realizing this, all the players breathed a sigh of relief. They relaxed their bodies and let the game system open a spatial teleportation channel, taking them away from the game world.
Before leaving, they seemed to see the eerie, dark-shrouded school’s spatial barrier break apart into countless fragments. Beyond the fragments was a normal campus. The bound dean, much like the shattered reincarnation school, screamed in despair as he dissolved into pieces. Meanwhile, the students and staff reverted to their human forms.
The students waved goodbye to the players, their faces lit with bright and cheerful smiles.
In the next instant, they were back in the gray mist space.
[“Congratulations, Young Miss, on successfully clearing the level.”]
A small metallic ball belonging to System Butler No. 387 floated over, orbiting around Gu Jiu while scattering colorful confetti and balloons. Fireworks even burst in the gray mist space, reflecting No. 387’s evident excitement.
Gu Jiu, in a good mood, grabbed No. 387 and gave it a playful squeeze. She chuckled, “This game field wasn’t bad.”
The reason for her remark lay in the fact that her doll companions, Lisa and the Mermaid Doll, had feasted well here. Their levels had risen, promoting them from ordinary B-level items to B-level horror items.
Spiritual items are categorized into three ranks within each level: Ordinary, Horror, and Hell.
Unsurprisingly, Hell-level entities are the most powerful. The principal’s strength was at the Hell level, making him untouchable for players or items of the same level.
No. 387 cheerfully said, [“Luck was on our side this time. For your first game world in the B-level fields, the danger wasn’t too severe. Otherwise, I’d have been really worried something might happen to you…”]
It hadn’t expected such favorable conditions. Clearly, the heavens were partial to Gu Jiu and itself.
No. 387 hoped the next game world wouldn’t be too dangerous either. It wanted Gu Jiu to adapt to a few rounds before gradually facing higher difficulties. Of course, this was merely wishful thinking. The game worlds players entered were determined by the main system of the Multiverse Games. System butlers could only assist by opening the channel to the game worlds but had no authority to choose which world a player entered—unless the butler was an S-level system.
The system butler’s rank corresponds to the player’s level. Now that Gu Jiu was a B-level player, No. 387 had also become a B-level butler.
Next, No. 387 began settling Gu Jiu’s points.
[“Player Gu Jiu, you earned 10,000 points in the ‘Reincarnation School’ and have met the conditions to purchase items from the ‘Reincarnation School’ sub-world.”]
[“Item 1: Death Music Box – A cursed object activated through music. Dance as the music plays. Requires 2,000 points.”]
[“Item 2: Portrait of a Maiden – Eyes within the painting, a soul within the object. Each piece costs 2,000 points.”]
[“Item 3: Ghost Silk – Spiritual power woven into thread, usable as a versatile weapon. Each strand costs 2,500 points.”]
[“Item 4: Water Ghost Corpse – A substitute item. Each body costs 3,000 points.”]
[“Item 5: …”]
…
[“Item 32: Time Clock – Capable of controlling time, both forward and backward. Maximum limit of 24 hours. Each clock costs 50,000 points, with a purchase limit of one per person.”]
Gu Jiu scrolled through the list, her emotions shifting slightly.
The variety of items generated in the B-level fields was staggering, and their practicality was undeniable. However, the cost was exorbitant. The 10,000 points she earned in this round were far from sufficient. The final item, the Time Clock, alone required 50,000 points—a sum out of reach for most B-level players.
Judging from this, the Heavens Game is indeed treacherous. The points required for rare items are exorbitant, making them practically unattainable for players.
“Why is there even a water ghost’s corpse?” Gu Jiu couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t think the water ghost’s corpse could hold such power that it could be turned into an item.
System No. 387: [Miss, this is also because of you all.]
“Us? Are you referring to how we snatched the water ghost’s corpse at that time?” Gu Jiu felt a bit speechless. “We took the corpse mainly to weaken its power and make it easier to explore the bottom of the lake.”
Unfortunately, there ended up being nothing at the bottom of the lake.
System No. 387: [Normally, after becoming a water ghost, the corpse ceases to exist. This time, the water ghost preserved its corpse at the bottom of the lake, and then you forcibly took it away, which might have triggered some kind of rule. That’s why it became an item.]
The system praised her: [This sort of thing isn’t actually uncommon. Sometimes, player actions trigger rules and generate items. It just proves how capable you are, Miss.]
“I’m so capable, yet I don’t see you rewarding me with any points.”
The system weakly defended itself: […The amount of points players earn is determined by the main system’s comprehensive evaluation. We system assistants have no say in it. We’re just here to settle the points for you.]
Gu Jiu rubbed the little metal ball in her hand, becoming increasingly convinced that these system assistants were mere workers stuck pitifully between the main system and the players.
Gu Jiu purchased three items: the Death Music Box, the Maiden’s Portrait, and Ghost Silk. After buying these, she had 5,300 points left.
Although she still had a fair amount of points, the remaining items—aside from the water ghost’s body—all cost over 4,000 points each, making it impossible for her to buy any more.
If even she felt this way, how much worse must it be for other players?
Those players likely couldn’t afford many items either. These 32 items displayed before them were nothing more than a taunt, tempting people to curse the Multiverse Game for its stinginess.
The main system of the Multiverse Game was just that miserly, always striving to squeeze every last point out of its players.
After purchasing the items, Gu Jiu left the gray fog space and arrived at Boundless City.
As soon as she arrived, she received a message from Chai Yingying: [Miss, where are you? Come to Gold and Glitter for a meetup!]
“Gold and Glitter” was the high-end venue where the players had gathered for a meal last time. The name was as straightforward as it was ostentatious, making it easy to remember.
Gu Jiu didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she looked around and soon spotted her boyfriend standing beneath a magnolia tree not far away.
Ever since discovering that Lu Ji was actually a man, Gu Jiu felt that magnolia flowers suited him well. Whenever he dressed as a girl and stood beneath the magnolia tree, with his long hair flowing and his garments fluttering, he looked like a youthful magnolia flower—tranquil and serene.
Thus, Gu Jiu chose this spot as her entry point into Boundless City.
Lu Ji walked toward her, his expression relaxed and his brows soft.
“Ah Jiu,” he called her softly, his slightly raspy voice making it hard to discern his gender.
Gu Jiu placed her hand on his shoulder, kissed his lips, and smiled as she asked, “There were so many items available this time. What did you buy?”
Lu Ji replied, “I didn’t buy anything.” His expression was somewhat embarrassed. “I saved all my points for you to use. I don’t really need anything…”
The truth was, he wasn’t an actual player and couldn’t purchase items like one. The items he used were all obtained from within the game world, and although he didn’t have many, they were sufficient for him.
Feeling guilty, he didn’t want to deceive her, but he also couldn’t tell her the truth.
The guilt weighed heavily on his heart, making him feel a bit downcast.
“It’s fine,” Gu Jiu said, planting a kiss on the corner of his mouth. “I’ll buy them. After all, you have paper objects, and they’re really powerful. If my awakened skill were as useful as your paper manipulation, I wouldn’t need to buy so many items either.”
Lu Ji quickly perked up. He felt that Gu Jiu was truly wonderful, always knowing exactly what to say to lift his spirits.
He truly adored her.
Gu Jiu’s smile remained bright, while she silently thought to herself how easy it was to coax her boyfriend. So simple and harmless—what kind of existence could possibly hold a grudge against someone like him?
Hmm, it must be that those enemies couldn’t handle their own problems and blamed him unfairly. Surely, none of it was her boyfriend’s fault.
“Actually, Ah Jiu, your Heavenly Demon Physique is also amazing,” Lu Ji said, his face turning red. “In the future, as more of its powers awaken, it won’t just be the Demoness Armor or heightened senses. There should be even more to come…”
To the uninformed players, Gu Jiu’s awakening appeared to be a “body-type awakening.” This kind of awakening enhanced physical capabilities such as sharper senses, greater strength, and faster speed. However, her current state was only a partial awakening. Once she reached S-class player status and fully awakened the Heavenly Demon Physique, she would gain semi-divine powers. This was the origin of the demigods who held the highest status in the Star Zone 0.
Not all S-class players became demigods, but all demigods were above S-class players.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, “Is that so? Then I’m really looking forward to it.”
The two of them strolled hand-in-hand out of the magnolia-filled alley and into the bustling streets.
Ahead, Ruan Yuan approached them. Upon seeing Gu Jiu, she said quickly, “Miss, Sister Chai has been looking for you. She sent you messages, but you didn’t respond, so she asked me to come find you.”
Ruan Yuan and the others knew Gu Jiu’s usual entry point into Boundless City. When Chai Yingying didn’t get a reply from Gu Jiu, she became worried that she wouldn’t show up. As a result, she enlisted Ruan Yuan and Wan Xingzhou to help track her down.
However, Wan Xingzhou was about to enter a game world and didn’t have time, so the relatively free Ruan Yuan came instead.
“I’m on my way,” Gu Jiu said lazily, her arm still linked with Lu Ji’s. She exuded a laid-back air in the night’s soft glow.
Ruan Yuan glanced at them and couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, how was the B-level field?”
“Pretty interesting.”
Just as Gu Jiu was about to explain what made it interesting, she pulled out two eerie dolls and tossed them over. Startled, Ruan Yuan almost dropped them but managed to hold on, trembling as she looked at the dolls.
The mermaid doll cast her a disdainful glance before wrapping an arm around Lisa’s neck.
Meanwhile, Lisa, the cloth doll, knelt obediently, looking up at her with her small eyes, mouth, and nose—features that were actually quite adorable.
To be fair, Gu Jiu’s two eerie dolls looked relatively normal when they weren’t manifesting their powers. They resembled ordinary dolls. As long as Lisa didn’t split her mouth to her ears, and the mermaid doll didn’t reveal a jaw full of shark teeth, they were genuinely cute.
Suddenly, Ruan Yuan felt that the aura emanating from the two dolls was much stronger than when she had last seen them. Her eyes widened in realization—this must be what Gu Jiu meant by “interesting.”
In just the first round of the B-level game world, Gu Jiu had already strengthened her two eerie dolls. No wonder she found it amusing.
This was classic Miss Gu Jiu behavior.
Ruan Yuan cautiously patted Lisa on the head—too intimidated to touch the fierce mermaid doll—and handed the two dolls back to Gu Jiu.
The three of them then walked into Gold and Glitter together.
Upon entering the private room, they found it already packed with people. Not only was Chai Yingying there, but also Ji Linfan, Pei Yongyong, and other players who had just returned from the game world.
“Miss, Lu Ji, you’re finally here! We were waiting for you!” Chai Yingying waved them over enthusiastically.
Gu Jiu and Lu Ji picked a seat and sat down, with Gu Jiu smiling as she said, “You all got here pretty quickly.”
It should be said, Chai Yingying truly lived up to her reputation as a game hunter. Every player was a potential client to her. Right after returning from a game world, she had already gathered the players from the last game round to relax and have fun together.
It was no surprise that she had earned the nickname “Point-Hoarding Witch.”
“Of course. We agreed to meet here as soon as we left the game world,” Chai Yingying said with a smile. A competent game hunter never misses an opportunity.
For players who had gone through the same game world and harbored no conflicts, she always made an effort to maintain good relations.
Ji Linfan, Pei Yongyong, and the others greeted Gu Jiu and her companions warmly.
Ruan Yuan sat quietly on the side, secretly observing the B-level players and listening intently as they chatted about their experiences in the game world. She was highly focused—this type of gathering with only B-level players was a rare opportunity for her. Chai Yingying had practically dragged her along as backup, but hearing them talk about the game world felt like valuable preparation for her eventual promotion to the B-level field.
“I never would’ve guessed that the dean was actually one of the ghosts native to the Reincarnation School. No wonder she was so terrifying,” Pei Yongyong said, downing drink after drink to relax.
Most players, upon returning safely from a game world, opted to get thoroughly drunk as a way to unwind.