Once all the agreed-upon friends had arrived, and despite the somewhat subtle atmosphere lingering from the earlier commotion, Tian Zheng, serving as a natural intermediary, began introducing the two groups to each other.
First among them was the red-haired Qian Qiao, an undeniably cute girl whose bust size, however, was somewhat concerning. Her appearance initially suggested a docile and quiet demeanor, yet her recent outburst had unequivocally proven otherwise.
She had chosen the profession of a Fire Mage, a class renowned for its potent damage and wide-reaching area-of-effect spells, while also dabbling in Wind magic for auxiliary support. Her current level stood at 11.
Following her was Qian Zhong, the towering, burly man who was Qian Qiao’s real-life partner. To call him colossal would be no exaggeration; standing, he easily surpassed Tian Zheng, who measured well over 1.8 meters, by a good half a head. While his features weren’t conventionally handsome, his presence radiated an undeniable sense of security.
Qian Zhong, a Level 10 Shield Warrior, possessed an imposing stature that perfectly complemented the characteristics of his chosen profession. He had, in fact, initially intended to pursue a swordsman class; however, Qian Qiao’s simple plea—”During battle, I want to experience the feeling of being constantly protected by someone I care about”—had ultimately swayed him.
The final member introduced was Dream Butterfly, Qian Zhong’s real-life younger sister, affectionately known as Die Wu. Her chosen profession was a Junior Priest, a role that, rather amusingly, seemed perfectly matched by her formidable bust. Her level, too, stood at 10.
With her height of 1.75 meters and a terrifying, watermelon-like bust, she presented a paradox: though she was the youngest among the women gathered, she exuded the most mature and alluring aura.
Consequently, her figure frequently became the playful target of Qian Qiao’s teasing. Bai Xia, by contrast, remained rather indifferent to Dream Butterfly’s formidable bust, though she found herself harboring a touch of envy for her impressive height.
Even with some slight adjustments to her height within the game, Bai Xia remained, overall, the shortest of the group. Even Qian Qiao, standing at over 1.6 meters, surpassed her, to say nothing of the “giant” siblings, Qian Zhong and Dream Butterfly.
Yet, her lingering envy aside, Bai Xia found herself momentarily surprised by Dream Butterfly’s choice of the Priest profession.
After all, as had been discussed previously, healing and buff-focused professions like Priests typically struggled in the early game. Given their inherent attributes and skill sets, their meager offensive abilities inflicted negligible damage, while their healing spells offered only a rather modest amount of recovery.
That Die Wu, however, had managed to be among the very first players to emerge from the新手村 (TL Note: Newbie Village, the starting area for new players in an MMORPG) was a fact that naturally led to Bai Xia’s astonishment.
According to Dream Butterfly’s explanation, her rapid departure from the Newbie Village was entirely thanks to the good fortune of being assigned to the same starting area as Qian Qiao. Not only were they childhood friends in real life, having grown up playing together, but they also frequently delved into various games as a duo. When it came to teamwork, their synergy was so profound they could undoubtedly leave ordinary players far behind.
Under these favorable circumstances, the two girls, along with a few temporary teammates, deliberately ventured into dangerous zones where ordinary players dared not tread. This aggressive approach meant that even with a Priest, typically considered an early-game “burden,” their leveling speed was utterly incomparable to that of regular players.
****
Synthesizing her earlier observations with the self-introductions provided by Tian Zheng and the others, Bai Xia had now formed a comprehensive understanding of the entire team. Unsurprisingly, the conversation, having made a full circle, inevitably shifted its focus to her.
While the others had shown little overt reaction to her Assassin profession, and had merely expressed mild surprise upon learning of her top-tier level, the revelation of her true age caused even the usually composed Qian Zhong to display an utterly incredulous, “Are you kidding me?” expression.
“You must be joking, right? Little Bai Xia, you clearly look so much younger than me. How could you possibly be twenty years old already? Can the extent of modifications in this game really be that drastic?”
Qian Qiao was the first to blurt out her astonishment, and her reaction was entirely understandable. In *Otherworld*, while players were indeed permitted to artificially modify various aspects of their characters during creation, these alterations were strictly governed by certain upper and lower limits. Without such constraints, intentionally sculpted “abominations” would simply be unable to function properly within the game world.
Consequently, the permissible scope of modifications was intrinsically linked to the basic template derived from one’s real-life self. Generally, players were not allowed to deviate too drastically from this fundamental blueprint. While appearance had some flexibility, it was simply impossible, at least physically, to transform a twenty-something adult into a loli (TL Note: A Japanese slang term referring to a young, pre-pubescent girl, often used in anime/manga contexts) who appeared to be merely fourteen or fifteen.
This implied that such a situation could only arise if she were genuinely that petite in real life!
Qian Qiao’s astonishment left Bai Xia, who possessed scant knowledge of “character customization,” feeling rather perplexed. After all, standing right before them was Die Wu, the youngest of the group yet appearing most like an “older sister.” So, what was truly so extraordinary about her, the eldest, yet resembling a “little sister”? Besides, this was merely a game.
Reality, however, swiftly disproved such idealistic notions. Both Qian Qiao and Die Wu cast intensely interested gazes upon Bai Xia, this “older sister” who appeared so much like a “little sister.” In the depths of her being, Bai Xia even perceived an inexplicable, almost tangible “malice” emanating from them.
‘Hmm… malice?’
Just as Bai Xia felt her composed expression teetering on the brink of collapse, Qian Qiao suddenly declared, “Little Bai Xia, you really have it tough!”
Bai Xia, completely at a loss as to what Qian Qiao was trying to express, and utterly unaware of what made her own situation “tough,” merely tilted her head, returning a bewildered gaze.
It was then that Die Wu seemed to finally catch on, blurting out instinctively, “Huh? So, Little Sister Bai Xia is actually older than me?!”
‘If you know I’m older than you, then stop calling me “little sister”!’ Bai Xia fumed internally. She opened her mouth, yet found herself utterly at a loss for a suitable retort.
As per the earlier introductions, Die Wu had only just celebrated her eighteenth birthday this year, and Qian Qiao, merely a few months her senior, was also still a university student. Owing to the comparatively relaxed academic demands in this world’s universities, coupled with their affluent family backgrounds, they enjoyed ample time on weekdays to indulge in gaming.
Furthermore, they also knew Tian Zheng in real life. More precisely, Qian Zhong and Tian Zheng were, in fact, university friends, and through their subsequent interactions, the four of them had gradually become well-acquainted.
“By the way, Little Sister Bai Xia, are you truly this… hmm, petite in real life?”
After a spell of lively chatter, Die Wu posed a crucial question, immediately capturing Qian Qiao’s attention as well.
Under their expectant gazes, Bai Xia remained silent for a prolonged moment before finally nodding. Immediately, the eyes of both girls gleamed with even greater intensity.
“Wow, wow! Really? Are you this cute in real life too? And your skin is so incredibly soft—what skincare products do you use?”
‘Where would a game character even get skincare products?!’
Watching Die Wu’s playful, yet intrusive, antics on her face, Bai Xia felt a distinct pang of “egg pain” (TL Note: A Chinese slang term referring to a feeling of extreme exasperation or helplessness)—if, indeed, she still possessed the necessary anatomy for such a sensation.
Honestly, Bai Xia couldn’t quite discern if it was her deceptively youthful appearance or merely the group’s overly familiar nature, but she constantly felt as though the two girls opposite her were regarding her with the same fond curiosity one might reserve for a cherished mascot.
As the three girls launched into a spirited discussion about Bai Xia’s real-life appearance, Tian Zheng and Qian Zhong, standing to the side, found themselves utterly unable to interject.
Consequently, Qian Zhong, radiating the aura of a true strongman, endured a moment of silence. Observing that the three girls showed no sign of concluding their animated discussion anytime soon, he finally succumbed to his curiosity, leaning close to Tian Zheng’s ear to whisper, “I say, brother, it’s not real, is it?”
“What isn’t real? Are you referring to Bai Xia? While I confess I harbored some disbelief initially, her in-game character’s appearance truly doesn’t deviate much from her real-life looks. And yes, she is indeed already an adult.”
Tian Zheng offered a wry smile, not overly surprised by his friend’s astonishment; after all, he had experienced a similar sensation himself. Indeed, driven by a surge of curiosity, he had even conducted a brief real-life investigation, only to discover that the young woman appeared even more youthful in reality.
However, before he could even finish his sentence, he heard Qian Zhong continue, “No, no, I wasn’t asking about her true age or real-life appearance. What I mean is… brother, you’re not actually a loli-con (TL Note: A Japanese slang term for someone attracted to lolis), are you?”
At that, Tian Zheng’s smile utterly froze on his lips.