After much deliberation, Bai Xia’s gaze finally settled upon the seemingly most unassuming figure: the assassin.
‘If one were to ask why, it was, of course, because compared to a backline mage, the true romance of a man lay in the rapid, forceful attacks of “砍砍砍欧拉欧拉” (TL Note: An onomatopoeic phrase for rapid, forceful attacks, often associated with a masculine fighting style, similar to ‘ORA ORA’ from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.)! Though she was no longer a man, she couldn’t lose a man’s ambition (TL Note: A crude but humorous Chinese slang expression implying that even after losing one’s male genitalia, one should still retain a man’s ambition and drive.) even without the “rooster.” Indeed, today, I, Bai Xia, shall either cut down everyone present, or… be cut down by them!’
‘Of course, a warrior would be more suitable for endless slashing, but having been born a loli (TL Note: A term referring to a young girl, often used in a fictional context for characters with a youthful appearance.), even with some internal struggles, one must learn to utilize their inherent advantages, mustn’t they?’
‘What are the characteristics of the loli profession? Naturally, it’s being light-bodied, soft-physiqued, and easily pushed over… No, I mean, being light and agile in movement, delicate, and easy to dodge with.’
This was precisely why Bai Xia believed the assassin class was more suitable for her current self, for this was the triumph of the loli! Tsk… what was this inexplicable sense of pathetic despair?
[Do you confirm your initial profession selection as ‘Assassin’?]
The system’s voice echoed in her ears, and Bai Xia no longer hesitated, nodding directly, “Confirm!”
[Profession selection successful.]
As the system’s voice faded, the other sculptures on the platform instantly shattered and dissipated, leaving only the assassin sculpture shimmering with a faint glow.
The colossal sculpture then began to shrink, quickly diminishing to human size, and in the process, transformed from a mere statue into a lifelike figure.
Bai Xia observed it for a while from a god’s-eye view, discovering that the hooded figure, entirely shrouded in shadow, bore a striking resemblance to her own current real-world appearance!
[Profession selection successful. Do you wish to proceed with race selection?]
However, the system’s voice immediately interrupted her thoughts, causing her to pause. “Race selection?”
[Answer: Login sequence level detected as ‘Special Grade.’ Therefore, the privilege of race selection is granted in addition to initial character creation. Do you wish to proceed with race selection?]
Special Grade? Was it because the login device she bought was the luxurious limited edition?
Bai Xia had previously wondered about the differences between the standard and luxury editions, and why the latter was so much more expensive. Now, this privilege had instantly materialized.
Indeed, money truly allowed one to do as they pleased, a truth that remained constant even in a different world.
After a brief sigh of感慨, Bai Xia did not immediately make a choice regarding this race selection. Instead, she patiently inquired, “Will different races affect the base profession?”
[Answer: Different races represent different developmental paths. Their inherent attributes and professional skills will undergo certain changes based on the original foundation.]
“I see.” The system’s answer was within her expectations. Bai Xia mused for a few seconds before asking again, “Then, can you list all available races?”
The system faithfully fulfilled her request. The next moment, her game avatar split as if by magic, arraying itself into three distinct figures, each transforming into a completely different appearance.
Bai Xia’s gaze swept over them, simultaneously receiving their respective information.
[Human Bloodline]: Humans pursue the perfect combination of speed and burst. All aspects are more balanced compared to other races.
The Human Bloodline was the original game avatar: hooded, with sharp eyes, and a flat physique—nothing particularly noteworthy.
[Shadowcat Bloodline]: Shadowcats possess higher movement speed and attack speed, capable of dazzlingly fast attack methods and close-quarters assassination techniques.
The Shadowcat, as its name suggested, was a cat-girl with a pair of feline ears on her head and a slender tail behind her. Her attire, unlike the human assassin’s almost entirely cloaked robe, was quite revealing, and her figure was significantly better. Her exposed skin was a healthy bronze, radiating vitality and vigor.
[Dark Elf Bloodline]: Dark Elves can convert physical attacks into magical damage. While relatively weaker in movement and attack speed, they possess extremely high burst potential, and selecting this bloodline will cause certain changes to basic professional skills.
The Dark Elf Bloodline was a pale-faced girl with pointed ears, appearing somewhat gloomy and sickly overall, shrouded by a faint, ethereal black mist.
Shadowcat, Dark Elf, and Human—while called ‘race selection,’ it was more accurate to consider them as different developmental paths within the game.
The Shadowcat leaned towards speed advantages, while the Dark Elf focused on burst damage. Although humans couldn’t match the Shadowcat’s speed or the Dark Elf’s burst, their burst was higher than the former, and their speed was faster than the latter, placing them in a balanced, middle position.
So, which to choose?
Bai Xia’s gaze flitted back and forth among the three figures. Although the system had explained that humans were not inferior to other races, given the special options, she naturally leaned more towards the Shadowcat and Dark Elf. After all, these were privileges earned, weren’t they?
This was just like the “Xin Yue 3” (TL Note: Refers to Tencent’s VIP membership system, ‘Xin Yue Club,’ where VIP3 is a high tier, often associated with affluent gamers or ‘whales’ in Chinese gaming culture.) tag, a symbol of the wealthy!
Yet, as she pondered, Bai Xia’s eyes involuntarily fell upon the Shadowcat’s soft, twitching cat ears and its swaying tail.
To be fair, the cat-girl’s character design was cuter than the other two, especially those twitching ears on her head, so soft that one couldn’t help but feel an urge to stroke them.
Most people found cute things hard to resist, but…
‘I still can’t accept it, after all.’
Cat ears were soft, and tails were cute.
However, seeing cat ears and tails on others was indeed lovely, perhaps even better paired with a maid outfit. But if it were herself, she couldn’t imagine it being a pleasant experience.
Moreover, during combat, wouldn’t that alluring tail truly become a weakness if someone grabbed it?
Imagining being grabbed by the tail during a fight, hoisted up, and then waving her limbs with teary eyes to act cute, Bai Xia couldn’t help but shiver slightly. Too, too terrifying.
“System, I choose the Dark Elf!”
[Bloodline selection successful.] The system’s voice faded, but it didn’t stop after the other bloodline character images dissipated. Instead, it continued, “Do you wish to modify your character’s appearance?”
Modify appearance? Gazing at the sole remaining, sickly-looking girl before her, Bai Xia decided it would be best to make some adjustments.
After all, this image didn’t quite resemble an elf; it looked more like an internet-addicted girl who had overdone her “cultivation” (TL Note: ‘Xiu Xian’ refers to cultivating immortality, but here it colloquially means staying up late, often gaming, akin to an immortal cultivator.) by staying up all night.
So, she first raised the height slightly and added a bit more color to the skin. Since the character’s image only bore a slight resemblance to herself, she didn’t make many changes to the face, merely tweaking some details.
As for the figure, Bai Xia left it completely untouched. She wasn’t a true maiden, after all, and what she lacked in reality didn’t necessarily need to be fulfilled in a game.
Moreover, ample breasts and hips felt even more unacceptable to Bai Xia than cat ears and tails.
Having only just managed to accept her loli figure, she wasn’t about to create an ‘older sister’ appearance in a game just to make herself uncomfortable.
Modifications complete, she clicked confirm.
Then, a sudden darkness enveloped her vision, and when clarity returned, she found herself in an entirely different perspective. Moments ago, she had viewed the entire platform from a god’s-eye view; now, she stood on a massive platform from a human perspective.
Regaining her own body, Bai Xia curiously clenched her fists and kicked her legs, finding the sensation surprisingly similar to reality.
[Please name your character.]
The system’s voice chimed in at just the right moment. Bai Xia didn’t overthink it, simply stating, “Hmm… Bai Xia. I’ll just call her Bai Xia.”
For someone who was terrible at naming (TL Note: A self-deprecating term for someone who is bad at coming up with names.), things like game names were simply too difficult. So, rather than wasting time pondering such troublesome matters, it was better to quickly begin the true game experience; she was already impatient.
[Naming successful. Do you wish to start the game?]
“Let’s start!”
****
‘Another World’—as its simple, blunt name suggested, the story of this game unfolded in an alternate realm teeming with epics and myths.
The tale originated thousands of years ago, when myriad races flourished, and diverse civilizations blossomed across the vast world map, shining as brightly as the stars in their prime.
However, as the major races developed, their territories and influence expanded, and beliefs and power clashed, conflict and friction naturally became inevitable.
These myriad contradictions accumulated for a very long time, until they reached a boiling point, finally erupting like a gushing volcano!
Like a prairie fire, a single spark was enough to ignite the entire grassland, let alone a world that was essentially a powder keg at the time.
Thus, from minor skirmishes to colossal wars, the situation spiraled out of control. Driven by those in power, endless warfare furiously swept across nearly half the world in a short span, rapidly spreading across the entire globe!
Innumerable races and countless beings were inevitably drawn into the vortex of war, attempting to break free, yet ultimately unable to escape.
The world-engulfing war raged for a full century. Countless civilizations were swallowed by flames, plummeting from brilliant stars into scattered ashes. Countless beings turned to white bones, sinking into eternal slumber under the iron hooves of fire and war, carrying their resentment and unwillingness!
Some became heroes, some degenerated into traitors, some ascended to kingship, and some plunged into the abyss.
It was the most chaotic and brutal era, with later wars growing increasingly uncontrollable, almost turning the entire age into their sacrifice.
After a hundred years of war, the surviving factions and races were all severely weakened. Some retreated into the shadows to recuperate, while others, despite their wounds, continued to stand firm amidst the ruins.
Past prosperity was buried deep underground. People could only lament the horror of war while praying for a beautiful tomorrow.
Fortunately, that was the end of one era, but also the beginning of another!
Time healed all wounds. A millennium later, prosperous homes were rebuilt upon the former ruins, and the bloody years had transformed into verses on paper.
This world continued to advance and develop, with only the ancient ruins buried underground or the indelible scars of war still witnessing an era’s journey from glory to demise.
And the players’ stage was built upon this very foundation. ‘Another World’ abandoned traditional ‘main story-driven’ MMORPGs, granting all players the highest degree of freedom.
Except in special circumstances, the system generally wouldn’t provide explicit main quests. Instead, it adopted a ‘trigger-based’ quest acceptance model.
This land, prosperous both in the past and present, concealed quests and treasures everywhere.
Players would continuously explore and seek out various quests and ruins like true adventurers, even personally uncovering the remnants left by fallen civilizations of old!
NPCs were all portrayed by special intelligent assistants, uniformly controlled and adjusted by the system’s main brain, also abandoning traditional MMORPG action patterns to maximize the sense of reality for players.
Furthermore, beyond adventure, ‘Another World’ also featured various gameplay elements such as housing, crafting, guilds, sub-professions, and even couple marriage. Whether for adventure or leisure, players could find their desired choices in this unique alternate world.
The promotional phrase ‘epoch-making’ was by no means mere advertising.