In the game, once a friend was added, players could mark them for ‘special attention.’ This feature ensured the system would notify them immediately upon the friend’s login, and any messages from that contact would automatically be pinned to the top.
As Tian Zheng was her sole in-game friend, and also her ‘boss,’ it was only natural for Bai Xia to add him to her list of specially monitored contacts.
Upon receiving the system notification, Bai Xia paused for a moment. She promptly canceled her plans to browse further and sent Tian Zheng a direct message, inquiring about his current location.
A mere second later, a map pinpoint arrived from him. To her surprise, the distance was not merely close, but rather, it was *too* close.
Indeed, the moment she turned, she spotted the man walking towards her on a nearby street, a faint smile gracing his lips.
“Why are you online so early today?” Tian Zheng asked. “I thought you’d still be a while before logging in.”
Most of Tian Zheng’s equipment had been replaced. Were it not for the still somewhat familiar ice-blue armor and his uncovered face, Bai Xia might not have recognized him at all.
“Sleeping early naturally means waking early,” Bai Xia replied languidly.
Her lazy reply barely left her lips when Bai Xia noticed the man’s gaze lingering on her, his expression peculiar. Her brow involuntarily arched. “Is there something odd about me? And even as my boss, you can’t just casually ogle your subordinate, can you? Are you inviting me to accuse you of impropriety?”
“Where did you get the idea I was ogling you?”
“Your gaze,” she retorted, “it’s utterly lewd.”
Tian Zheng, caught between amusement and exasperation, wisely chose not to pursue the topic. With a touch of helplessness, he offered, “I was merely curious why the sailor uniform you wore last time has vanished. Was it recalled?”
In stark contrast to the black and red sailor uniform she had previously worn, the young woman was now clad in a standard assassin’s ensemble: form-fitting, supple leather armor, complete with gloves, and topped by a remarkably stylish black trench coat.
Having previously seen the formidable attributes of Shura’s Demise, Tian Zheng naturally found it odd that she wasn’t wearing it.
In response to his query, Bai Xia narrowed her eyes, her tone taking on a dangerously sharp edge. “What, Great God, are you terribly disappointed that I’m not wearing a sailor uniform?”
“…Disappointment isn’t quite the right word,” he stammered, “but it is a bit strange. And I must admit, that sailor uniform truly suited you, Bai Xia.”
Bai Xia merely snorted in response to the man’s words, too disinclined to offer a proper reply.
In truth, she had only recently grasped the unique characteristics of what was termed ‘soul equipment,’ prompting her to immediately acquire a full set of ordinary gear.
So-called soul equipment was a special category, more accurately described as an ‘additional’ layer of gear.
This meant that the presence of Shura’s Demise would not negate the effects of other equipment. It functioned much like a cosmetic item in traditional online games, capable of imbuing various attributes; while its activation would overwrite her outward appearance, it would never override the stats of her other equipped items.
Furthermore, once it had fully bonded with Bai Xia, she no longer needed to worry about each ‘transformation’ destroying her other equipment. Being soul-bound, Shura’s Demise’s usage requirements had even been altered to become Bai Xia-exclusive, imbued with special attributes like being undroppable, unstealable, and indestructible.
For now, the outward manifestation of Shura’s Demise remained deliberately concealed. Of course, she could activate it at any moment, and should she choose to, the sailor uniform representing Shura’s Demise would instantly overlay her current assassin attire, much like a magical girl’s transformation.
As for why its outward appearance was hidden?
Simply put, it was too embarrassing.
While the undeniable power of Shura’s Demise, even in its unfully matured state, was unquestionably on par with a divine artifact, Bai Xia, despite her typically thick skin, still found herself unable to accept prancing around the entire city in a short skirt and stockings. It was even worse to imagine other players scrutinizing her with strange gazes, or worse, fantasizing about her.
Nonetheless, business was business. Since Shura’s Demise’s special attributes only took effect when fully manifested, she would not hesitate to deploy it when the situation demanded. Yet, whenever possible, she found it far more suitable to simply wear her ordinary attire.
Bai Xia truly wished to avoid discussing such matters further, and Tian Zheng, likely discerning her reluctance, refrained from pressing for more details.
After their reunion, the two wandered around for a while longer. As the time approached, Tian Zheng’s friends also appeared to have logged in, prompting the man to lead them towards their pre-arranged meeting spot.
****
Tian Zheng and his friends had arranged to meet at a tavern within Forest City. As the city was not yet bustling with many players, the establishment was sparsely populated, with only a few human and demi-human NPCs visible.
Tian Zheng had clearly made prior arrangements, for after a brief exchange with a fox-girl waitress, she promptly led them towards a private room on the second floor.
Bai Xia, it must be said, was quite curious about the true purpose of taverns in the game. While they did offer a slight attribute boost, that negligible advantage, though perhaps decent now, would inevitably become increasingly trivial as players’ levels rose.
Perhaps in the future, dishes or fine wines capable of permanently enhancing attributes might emerge, but such luxuries would undoubtedly remain beyond the reach of the average player.
If the appeal was merely taste, surely reality surpassed the game in that regard?
Yet, facts would soon prove her assumption entirely mistaken, as in-game restaurants and hotels would later become some of the most sought-after locations by players.
Firstly, there were the myriad restaurants. Many players, not being affluent in reality, found themselves eager to indulge in lavish meals within the game for a mere pittance.
Though entirely simulated, the mental gratification they offered was undeniably real.
Then came the hotels… well, perhaps that didn’t require much explanation. After all, a far greater number of players than anticipated yearned to explore the various positions and sensations of ‘spiritual intimacy.’
Naturally, due to system protections, unless both parties were entirely willing, not even their equipped gear could be removed; severe infractions would even incur penalties, let alone the act of ‘clapping for love’ (TL Note: A humorous euphemism for sexual intercourse).
One had to concede, however, that ‘Otherworld’ (TL Note: The name of the game, ‘Yì Jiè’) was, in some respects, quite ‘H’ (TL Note: A common internet slang term, originating from Japanese, meaning ‘hentai’ or ‘erotic’). To truly cultivate a ‘realistic’ experience, the game went so far as to include such risqué elements.
This, of course, was also a consequence of shifting to a different world. This new reality, while highly developed, also boasted a more open societal atmosphere. Had this game been released in her original world, where even a kiss couldn’t be explicitly written in a novel, whether such a ‘broken’ game could even pass censorship would have been a monumental issue.
In this world, however, ‘Otherworld,’ while seemingly a creation of Phantom Dream (TL Note: The game development company), clearly had the backing of powerful figures. It was precisely because of this that the online gaming phenomenon could spread unrestrainedly across the nation, and even the entire world, creating wave after wave of upheaval in a remarkably short span.
Naturally, none of these grander implications concerned Bai Xia. What piqued her curiosity far more was the identity of the friends her boss knew.
Lost in thought, she followed the fox-girl as they eventually stopped before the innermost private room door on the second floor. The fox-girl then gestured for them to enter before respectfully retreating.
Before the fox-girl had even fully departed, Tian Zheng, without a hint of hesitation or a knock, simply pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Bai Xia blinked, then followed closely behind him.
The private room was quite spacious. Though intended for dining and drinking, its decor was remarkably fresh and natural, and the air carried a pleasant, faint floral fragrance.
Inside the room, two figures were already present: a man and a woman.
The moment Tian Zheng ushered Bai Xia into the private room, the two occupants instinctively glanced over, and then… an eerie silence descended, lasting for a full two seconds.
“Hm!?”
Bai Xia hadn’t even fully registered what was happening when the man’s hand abruptly covered her eyes. Despite this, her only reaction was utter speechlessness; after all, she had already seen everything, so what was the point of blocking her view now?
With an indignant flick, she slapped Tian Zheng’s hand away. Her gaze immediately fell upon the two individuals who had been engaged in an intimate act on a single chair. Although their heads were now separated, the red-haired young woman remained perched on the burly man’s lap, showing no inclination to move.
The man, exuding an aura of rugged masculinity, appeared somewhat abashed. Yet, the young woman, straddling him in a decidedly ambiguous pose, seemed utterly unfazed. A slight wiggle of her hips and a shift in her position only served to deepen the discomfort etched on the man’s face beneath her.
Just as Bai Xia was about to utter something to shatter the awkward silence, the ‘Great God’ beside her abruptly scooped up her petite form, turned on his heel, and began striding back out.
“My apologies,” he declared, “wrong room.”