“Game login successful. We wish you a pleasant game experience.”
The system’s voice slowly faded. Yet, before Bai Xia could even register what was happening, the tranquil world around her was abruptly replaced by a cacophony of noise.
She blinked, allowing her eyes to adjust to the sudden shift in her surroundings. Even as her vision sharpened, a sense of unreality still clung to her as she surveyed the scene.
This was the initial settlement of the game ‘Otherworld,’ also known as the newbie village. Players could only teleport to the main city once they reached level ten, utilizing a designated portal array.
The newbie phase primarily served to acclimate players to the new game mechanics, doubling as an optimal environment for mastering their skills and refining their techniques.
Furthermore, while dying during the newbie period would reset one’s experience bar, it would not result in the loss of levels, gold, or items.
In other words, if a player’s experience stood at 50% towards level three, death would reduce their experience bar to 0% at level three.
Although the experience required for leveling up in the newbie phase was minimal, this particular setup proved incredibly frustrating (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘keng die,’ literally meaning ‘to trap one’s father,’ used to describe something unfair, annoying, or a rip-off.).
Given that all players were experiencing this game for the first time, frequent early deaths were inevitable, which inadvertently slowed down their progression.
None of this, however, concerned Bai Xia. To be frank, her approach to the game was more akin to that of a tourist; otherwise, she wouldn’t have leisurely logged in four or five hours after the servers had already opened.
True players understood that an early start meant a continuous advantage, and they wouldn’t squander even a single moment.
Standing on the newbie village’s grassy expanse, observing the bustling crowds around her, Bai Xia didn’t rush to seek out quests. Instead, she crouched down, plucked a blade of grass, and held it before her eyes.
“This sensation… it’s surprisingly realistic,” she mused.
After a moment of hesitation, she couldn’t resist tearing off a piece of the grass and chewing it.
“Pah! How bitter!” she exclaimed.
The fact that taste existed within the game utterly astonished Bai Xia. Fortunately, she quickly realized the foolishness of her actions, promptly clapping her hands together before standing up once more.
Indeed, her presence had drawn considerable attention from those around her. The newbie village was already disproportionately male.
Given that ‘Otherworld’ also prevented the creation of opposite-gender characters, the ratio of female players in the entire newbie village was even more lamentable, especially when considering such an adorable loli.
With the servers having been open for four or five hours, Bai Xia, a level 0 newbie, quickly became a target of interest for some.
Thus, no sooner had she stood up than she found herself staring at a grotesque face.
While ‘grotesque’ might seem an unfitting descriptor for a human face, it was undeniably the only word that captured the essence of the visage before her: a chin as sharp as a 锥子 (TL Note: A cone-shaped awl, implying a very pointed chin.), a nose exaggeratedly prominent, and a wide grin revealing a row of large, flat teeth.
It sent a shiver down Bai Xia’s spine before she could even process it, causing her to stumble back several steps, nearly landing on the grass behind her. Her voice trembled as she spoke, “Uh, um, is there something you need?”
Unsure if her tremulous tone had been misinterpreted, the man, whose bizarre name ‘Triangle Underpants’ hovered above his head, gestured to his level 3 game status, flashing a smile that was clearly meant to be alluring.
“Little sister, are you new to this game? Would you like big brother to guide you? I’m very strong, you know!”
‘Your face shape certainly is ‘strong’ enough,’ Bai Xia thought, suppressing the urge to kick him. Taking a deep breath, she deliberately lowered her voice, making it rougher.
“…Brother, I’m a guy.”
The cone-chinned man’s smile froze for a moment.
In the game, the newbie cloth attire for both genders was largely indistinguishable, and a loli’s physique didn’t typically boast significant chest development. Thus, Bai Xia’s declaration carried a certain plausibility.
However, ‘Triangle Underpants” expression quickly became even more radiant, his gaze now so intense it seemed capable of devouring someone whole.
“Really? You’re truly a boy!?”
Bai Xia: “…”
‘Damn, this is utterly disgusting!’ she thought. Had this not been a game, Bai Xia might well have vomited. ‘Are all players in this game so peculiar?’ she wondered.
Evidently, however, there were still normal players.
For just as Bai Xia was contemplating whether to deliver a kick to the perverted man before her, ensuring he experienced a true ‘chicken flying and eggs broken’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘ji fei dan da,’ literally meaning ‘chickens flying and eggs breaking,’ used to describe utter chaos or a severe beating.) moment, a hand landed on ‘Triangle Underpants” shoulder.
“Hey, brother, can’t you see the lady looking at you like you’re trash? Lolis are only for the strong, and with your appearance, you’re purely disgusting people!”
“What the hell, you square-faced brute, how dare you look down on me!”
‘Triangle Underpants’ spun around, only to be met with a truly square face—the genuinely square kind.
He instantly erupted in rage; ‘We’re all freaks here, what right do you have to discriminate against me?!’
Incensed by the remark, the square-faced man also bristled; he detested anyone commenting on his facial shape.
With a loli present, and for the sake of face, dignity, and showing off, the two hot-headed men unhesitatingly drew their various weapons and began to fight.
One lunged with a sword, the other retaliated with a sweep, and due to the confined space yet numerous onlookers, the area instantly descended into utter pandemonium.
Bai Xia watched the scene unfold impassively, a corner of her mouth twitching. While most eyes were drawn to the two eccentric fighters, she turned and vanished into the crowd.
‘Goddamned idiots!’ she thought.
Having departed the chaotic epicenter, Bai Xia strolled through the village once more.
However, since she had entered the game sometime after its launch, the newbie village’s NPCs and shops were already swarming with layers upon layers of players.
Some sought quests, others turned them in, some bought items, and still others had set up stalls to sell materials on the spot.
Though the game had been live for less than half a day, the fervent activity was almost unbelievable.
‘Is this game truly that formidable?’ she wondered.
After standing rooted for a while, unable to find any clear entry point for progression, Bai Xia shook her head and walked directly out of the village.
Along the way, she encountered even more players with bizarre appearances. She had initially expected that most players would design their characters as handsome men and beautiful women, but after observing for a while, she realized that the people in this world must surely be mad!
‘Seriously, brother on the left, is your nose going to grow all the way to your eyes? Are you trying to aerate your brain? And my friend on the right, where’s your nose? Is that truly just a seam? Even if the game doesn’t strictly require it, you can’t just omit it for convenience!’ she thought.
Bai Xia rubbed her forehead, suddenly feeling utterly foolish for having held any expectations for this wretched game.
Fortunately, the population outside the village was significantly sparser, meaning she wouldn’t have to contend with those oddities anymore.
Of course, this was merely relative; her sight was still filled with groups of players, and newly spawned small monsters in the fields were cut down by a flurry of blades before they could even fully emerge, vanishing into white light with a final shriek.
‘Otherworld’ featured a gore-filtering system, preventing overly cruel scenes, yet Bai Xia couldn’t help but silently mourn for these pitiable little monsters for two seconds.
Finding no suitable leveling spots near the village entrance either, she hesitated briefly before heading deeper into a small grove.
Although called the newbie village, its area was quite substantial, likely out of consideration for players’ immersion.
To the left lay a forest, the domain of level 5 to 8 monsters, while to the right stretched a vast valley, teeming with creatures ranging from level 8 to 10.
In ‘Otherworld,’ monster ranks, from lowest to highest, were categorized as Normal, Enhanced, Elite, Lord, Monarch, and finally, Divine Beasts—which players were simply incapable of defeating!
According to official website information, a regular player capable of soloing an Elite-rank monster was already considered a master. True Lord-rank Bosses, however, necessitated meticulous team coordination to be vanquished, to say nothing of the even more formidable creatures.
Upon defeating monsters, there was a chance for various equipment, materials, and even items to drop. Much like in conventional online games, higher-level monsters yielded superior equipment and offered a greater probability of rare drops.
Equipment grades, from lowest to highest, were classified as Common, Fine, Excellent, Rare, and Divine.
As for whether more powerful equipment would be introduced or stronger Bosses would refresh in the future, it was certainly to be expected. However, these future developments held little immediate relevance for Bai Xia, who was, after all, merely a level 0 newbie.
En route to the forest, she took a moment to inspect her gear, unable to help but lament the system’s stinginess.
Her entire ensemble consisted only of a basic dagger, providing a mere +10 attack, while the rest of her newbie set offered no attributes whatsoever!
Bai Xia was speechless, silently flipping the sky a middle finger before finally examining her class and attributes.
Her chosen class was indeed Assassin, but possessing Dark Elf bloodline had granted her an additional skill called [Dark Manipulation] alongside the Assassin’s initial skill, [Backstab].
At level 1, Backstab dealt 110% damage when attacking from behind, while Dark Manipulation allowed her to alter a weapon’s appearance and attributes, imbuing it with dark-elemental magic damage.
Neither skill was particularly powerful in the early stages, but then again, a mere level 0 newbie had little room for demands.
As she stepped into the forest, Bai Xia predictably received a system warning.
The monsters within the forest were all at least level 5, and it was likely that a single claw swipe could instantly kill her several times over.
However, Bai Xia was already level 0 and had yet to gain any experience whatsoever; even if she were instantly killed, it would simply be a free trip back to town, incurring no loss.
Naturally, almost unconsciously, she drew the basic dagger provided by the system and gripped it in her hand.
Clutching the cold dagger, Bai Xia, seeing no one around, immediately adopted a cool, detached expression. Then, feeling rather pleased with herself, she vigorously swung it twice, striking a very dashing pose.
“Hmph, so my path to conquering ‘Otherworld’ begins in this humble little forest, does it? Then let me show you true assassination, monsters!”
Though brimming with chuunibyou (TL Note: A Japanese slang term for ‘eighth-grader syndrome,’ describing a phase where teenagers fantasize about having special powers, often leading to exaggerated mannerisms and delusions of grandeur.) flair, Bai Xia was utterly content, stepping into the forest filled with grand ambition.
‘Now, let our date…呸 (TL Note: A sound of spitting, used here to dismiss a thought or word.), let our battle begin!’ she thought.
And then…
And then, before Bai Xia, who felt as though she had stepped on something, could even look down, a blur of green flashed before her eyes. The very next moment, she found herself back before the milky-white resurrection rune stone in the center of the newbie village, having been prompted by the system.
“Eh?”
‘Wait, Coach, this isn’t right! How did I get back to the resurrection point?’ she wondered.
‘No, how exactly did I die?!’
In that instant, Bai Xia’s face was a mask of bewilderment, as she fell into a daze, asking herself, ‘Who did I kill, and who killed me?’
‘What happened to the first step of conquering the world? What the hell is it that I don’t even know how I died?’