A New Path and a Familiar Face

Phew…!

Logging out of the game, Bai Xia removed the device, carefully placing it on the nearby counter before stretching her body with a languid yawn.

What she had initially dismissed as a casual trial had unexpectedly blossomed into an engaging and utterly captivating experience.

Though she yearned to continue playing, the late hour of nine o’clock, which her former self would have considered merely the start of a vibrant night, now found her current body succumbing to an undeniable weariness.

For over half a month since her sudden transformation, Bai Xia had been constantly influenced by the myriad subtle habits inherited from the body’s original owner.

It was perhaps fortunate that, beyond the physical form, the original owner had left behind only rudimentary common sense and fragmented memories; otherwise, Bai Xia might truly have struggled to discern her own identity.

Even now, she frequently dreamt of waking up the next day, finding herself back in her original world and form, leaving her unsure whether to feel disappointment or resignation each time she truly awoke.

Initially, the thought had indeed crossed her mind: would taking her own life revert her to her former state? Yet, Bai Xia was, at her core, a coward, not only fearing pain but also possessing a distinct aversion to blood.

Thus, the moment this idea surfaced, she promptly banished it to some forgotten corner of her mind.

Unable to uncover the reason for her transformation, and with no path back to her original world, life, nonetheless, relentlessly pressed onward.

The world would not pause for her hesitation; Bai Xia had never believed it revolved around her. Consequently, she could only bury all her heavy burdens deep within her heart, and, inhabiting this unfamiliar vessel, continue to walk her path, step by arduous step.

It was also undeniable that humans possessed an astonishing capacity for adaptation. In just half a month, Bai Xia had almost grown accustomed to habitually standing on tiptoe to reach things, to tilting her head upwards when speaking to others, to the occasional gazes that likened her to some adorable small animal, and to the astonishment and disbelief that flickered across faces upon learning the truth of her situation.

Occasionally, a thought would surface—that perhaps this wasn’t so bad after all—though she knew it was nothing more than pure self-delusion.

Lately, she had been plagued by numerous nightmares. While the specific contents of these dreams eluded her, each abrupt awakening was marked not by fear, but by a profound sense of bewilderment—a pervasive uncertainty about her future.

Where, precisely, was her future headed?

Would she simply continue down this road? Or would she one day revert to her former self? What had become of her original body? And where had the true owner of this body gone?

Such thoughts frequently enveloped Bai Xia in a suffocating embrace, and even when she tried to habitually ignore them, they would inevitably resurface.

In those moments, she felt utterly estranged from the entire world.

A pervasive loneliness, a deep-seated pain, yet no one to confide in.

“Life truly is a rigged game, and one you can’t even pause.”

After lying in a daze for a while, Bai Xia slowly rose from the bed, having composed her turbulent emotions. She first went to the bathroom to splash water on her face, then retrieved a bottle of yogurt from the refrigerator.

She gulped down nearly half the bottle in one breath, feeling a significant surge of clarity.

The sweet and sour taste lingering in her mouth momentarily quelled the inner turmoil. Bai Xia took a deep breath, then returned to her room and retrieved her Skynote Glasses (TL Note: A futuristic device, similar to smart glasses, used for accessing the internet and virtual reality).

She had, in truth, grown somewhat weary of contemplating the future, for humans were, after all, creatures of the present moment.

And now, earning money was an absolute necessity.

How could she afford the luxury of melancholy if she couldn’t even fill her stomach?

Bai Xia, for her part, never considered herself overly sensitive. She firmly believed that her recent emotional state was entirely the world’s fault, with the remainder attributable to this new body.

Indeed, it was all the fault of the hour!

“…Why do I feel like I’m increasingly resembling an actual little girl?”

Shaking her head, Bai Xia swiftly cast aside all the jumbled thoughts in her mind, focusing instead on searching the internet for the information she needed.

If she intended to earn a living through the game ‘Otherworld,’ then a thorough understanding of it was, naturally, indispensable.

As a monumental work spanning eras, the wildfire of ‘Otherworld,’ though only just ignited, had already begun to exert significant influence.

Consequently, not only within the gaming sections but also across other content channels, related reports and information were readily visible.

As for the game sections and forums, they were, by this point, almost entirely flooded with ‘Otherworld’-related content.

Posts refreshed incessantly, minute by minute, a dense proliferation of them. The majority expressed sheer astonishment at the game’s exquisite quality, or shared gaming experiences and engaged in casual chat, while a smaller portion dealt with material acquisition, intelligence sales, and similar transactions.

Beyond these, there were also numerous guild recruitment notices. Although players could only form or join guilds after leaving the novice village, it was evident that many had already begun their preparations.

Some appeared perfectly legitimate, while others, with their suggestive profile pictures and ambiguous selfies, were clearly nothing more than fronts for illicit encounters.

“Gaming guilds, then?”

Bai Xia disregarded the assorted nonsense, her gaze instead settling on the pinned recruitment notices for large guilds, prompting her to ponder silently.

While she wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about online games, she understood that joining a guild was quite essential.

‘Otherworld’ was clearly not a solitary endeavor, as conquering the various mid-to-late game maps and formidable bosses alone would prove overwhelmingly difficult.

Furthermore, unlike traditional online games, ‘Otherworld’ boasted an immensely vast world map. Consequently, attempting comprehensive information recording and collection alone was nigh impossible, and much crucial intelligence often remained exclusively in the hands of major guilds.

Moreover, beyond combat teams and intelligence gathering, large guilds typically featured members dedicated to cultivating secondary professions. Leveraging guild resources, these individuals could often achieve levels of proficiency in the mid-to-late game that ordinary players could scarcely imagine; such resources were simply too valuable to overlook.

However…

“There’s no need to rush these matters,” she murmured to herself. “Slow and steady will suffice.”

After browsing information online with her Skynote Glasses for over an hour, Bai Xia, utterly overcome by drowsiness, finally removed them and prepared for sleep, mentally organizing the essential details before drifting off.

****

The next morning, despite having stayed up several hours later than usual, Bai Xia found herself unexpectedly sleeping soundly, perhaps because her mind had been preoccupied with other matters.

She neither suffered from strange nightmares nor jolted awake in the dead of night.

Having slept until past eight, nearly ten hours of sufficient rest, she felt completely refreshed after washing up and eating breakfast.

Her agreed-upon login time with Tian Zheng was ten in the morning, so instead of immediately entering the game, she continued to peruse information about ‘Otherworld’ online.

As expected, after a day of fervent discussion, all game forums, including the official websites of ‘Otherworld’ and Illusory Dream, had utterly exploded with activity, even more dramatically than the previous night.

After all, even in this highly developed world, many people approached games with a skeptical attitude. The majority believed ‘Otherworld’s’ various promotions were mere gimmicks, and that the game itself could never truly live up to the advertised claims.

Such tactics were exceedingly common; she recalled games that had touted the gimmick of ‘raising Kun’ (TL Note: A mythical giant fish in Chinese mythology) and evolving divine Kun by devouring others. Yet, upon actual download, one would invariably discover them to be nothing more than trashy games, where not only Kun, but even a single fish might be nowhere in sight.

As a major game, ‘Otherworld’ would naturally avoid sabotaging its own reputation. However, when it came to promotions… everyone understood: how else could one attract attention without a bit of exaggeration?

Many were willing to pay to experience the game purely because ‘Otherworld’ could genuinely be considered the first true virtual online game; that title alone was enough to draw a massive influx of players to try it out.

Yet, not playing was fine, but playing it was a revelation!

Initially, even if ‘Otherworld’ had been somewhat subpar, no one would have complained; it might even have garnered considerable encouragement and praise. But who could have foreseen that it was not merely good, but explosively brilliant, with a level of realism that was utterly off the charts!

Under such circumstances, the game hadn’t ‘blown up’ (TL Note: meaning failed), but the players certainly had, with excitement.

It was also from the official website that Bai Xia finally learned the distinction between the various login devices wasn’t in terms of special privileges. More accurately, the so-called privileges were merely an initial benefit granted to a small number of super fortunate players, bearing little actual relation to the login device itself.

Bai Xia had been designated a ‘special user’ and granted privileges purely because her luck was exceptionally good (TL Note: ‘脸比较白’ literally means ‘face is whiter,’ a Chinese idiom for being lucky).

What the quality of the login device truly determined were the game’s sensory experience and graphical fidelity.

The reason she had perceived such realism yesterday was because her initial experience was at the highest ‘graphics’ and sensory immersion. A standard login device, constrained by its own hardware limitations, simply couldn’t achieve that level of authenticity.

‘So I’m actually a European Emperor (TL Note: ‘欧皇,’ a Chinese internet slang term referring to someone with extremely good luck, often in gacha games or random drops)?’ she mused, a pang of regret still echoing within her. Sighing softly, Bai Xia noted the time was almost right, then returned to her bedroom and logged back into the game.

Compared to her first login, the second was far more convenient. She was directly presented with the login interface, offering a dual choice: to enter the game or the forum.

Bai Xia clicked ‘Game,’ and as her vision momentarily darkened, she found herself standing precisely where she had logged out the previous day.

“You’re here?”

She had assumed that by logging in a little early, she would be the first to arrive, yet to her surprise, Tian Zheng had already beaten her to it.

However, for some inexplicable reason, the man seemed to be in a rather foul mood today. Even within the game, Bai Xia sensed a palpable aura of gloom emanating from him.

Naturally, this wasn’t directed at her; he had likely encountered something unpleasant in reality. As someone who kept game and real life distinctly separate, Bai Xia had no intention of prying.

“Mhm. I thought I’d be the first to log in,” she replied softly.

Tian Zheng extended a team invitation as he greeted her. After accepting, Bai Xia quietly asked, “So, what are we doing today? Are we continuing to bully small monsters here?”

As she continued to level up, Bai Xia’s combat prowess gradually became more pronounced. Even under the pressure of being out-leveled by monsters, she could unleash high burst damage, and with the technically skilled Tian Zheng, bullying ordinary small monsters was akin to child’s play.

However, in response to her inquiry, Tian Zheng collected himself and shook his head.

“No, this area will soon be overrun by other players. It’s no longer suitable for leveling. Other places are too dangerous, and the rewards aren’t great, so… today, let’s do some quests.”