The Fairy’s Trial ended in a full team wipe at its final stage, a conclusion that surprised no one after experiencing the trial’s intense difficulty.
First and foremost, the lack of sufficient intelligence meant that reaching the final stage without any preparation was already remarkably impressive. Secondly, the level difference was truly significant; challenging a twenty-plus level dungeon immediately after leaving the Newbie Village (TL Note: The starting area for players in online games.) was indeed overly ambitious.
It was akin to playing League of Legends: no matter how skilled one might be, attempting to defeat an opponent’s Level 18 character with a Level 1 character was simply unthinkable.
Moreover, this trial was not the type where simply defeating the boss guaranteed success. Neither the ‘Serpent Formation’ in the second stage, nor the Elemental Golems in the third, nor the Frenzied Treants that followed, were stages that could be overcome with brute force alone.
As for the Level 22 elite monster, the Thunder Knight, it was utterly beyond the current capabilities of players at this stage.
Fortunately, failure was never truly terrifying; perhaps it was more accurate to say that success in many game dungeons was often built upon numerous prior failures.
The true path to victory lay in summarizing experiences after defeat and then formulating targeted plans and arrangements.
Of course, for Bai Xia and her companions, the immediate priority was not to plan for the Fairy’s Trial, but rather to quickly level up to Level 15.
Upon reaching Level 15, players would undergo their first class advancement, gaining stronger attributes, a more refined skill system, and clearer developmental paths.
****
Having emerged from the trial, Bai Xia and her group did not rush into grinding levels. Instead, they reconvened at the tavern they had visited earlier, seeking a brief respite.
While the others exchanged their post-battle gains and experiences, occasionally bantering, Bai Xia remained silent.
She poured drink after drink into her mouth, her thoughts a mystery, until Dream Butterfly, noticing her distracted state, could not help but ask, “Little sister Bai Xia, are you alright?”
Bai Xia paused, realizing that all eyes were now fixed upon her.
She gulped down the fruit wine in her cup, then shook her head.
“It’s nothing, just a bit tired.”
Naturally, it was not physical exhaustion; the chaotic scene of the dancing snakes still left her mind somewhat muddled.
“Is that so?” Dream Butterfly, clearly dissatisfied with such a perfunctory answer, furrowed her brows slightly. “If you’re tired, how about logging off to rest for today? We’re not pressed for time, and we’ll usually be online when we’re free, so little sister Bai Xia can always log on to find us… Oh, that’s right, I don’t think I’ve added you as a game friend yet!”
Halfway through her sentence, Dream Butterfly slapped her forehead with her hand, then promptly sent Bai Xia a friend request.
Bai Xia clicked to accept, subsequently receiving two more friend requests. Clearly, prompted by Dream Butterfly’s reminder, Qian Qiao and Qian Zhong had also realized the oversight.
Yet, even after accepting each friend request, Bai Xia had no real intention of logging off.
“I’m fine, no need to worry.”
After speaking, she fell into another inexplicable silence. Ultimately, it was Dream Butterfly who broke the quiet once more, suddenly pointing at Bai Xia’s sailor uniform and asking, “Um… I’ve been meaning to ask, little sister Bai Xia, are you wearing a sailor uniform?”
“Actually, I was just about to ask the same thing.”
Upon hearing a topic of interest, Qian Qiao immediately sidled closer. “What an adorable design! How did you get that outfit, little one? Have the in-game shops started selling these types of costumes now?”
Bai Xia glanced down, realizing she was still clad in the black sailor uniform. After a moment’s thought, she didn’t hesitate to display the attributes of Asura’s Doom before everyone, predictably eliciting a chorus of exclamations.
However, the content of their astonished cries seemed subtly different from what she had expected.
“Wow! Once these attributes grow, it could absolutely be considered a divine artifact! And it even allows for dress-up play (TL Note: Referring to costume changes or role-playing with outfits.)! The person who designed this equipment must be so creative!”
Qian Qiao’s reaction was somewhat exaggerated, yet the others nodded earnestly, their expressions all rather peculiar.
The immense power of Asura’s Doom was beyond doubt, but its activation conditions… were the developers of this game all Lolicon (TL Note: Short for ‘Lolita Complex’, referring to an attraction to young girls, often associated with anime/manga.)s?
“Dress-up play?” Bai Xia was momentarily stunned. ‘It’s just a sailor uniform, isn’t it? What kind of dress-up play is that?’
As this thought surfaced, she subconsciously glanced at Asura’s Doom’s current attributes once more, only then noticing that as the item grew in power and its stats changed, an additional line of small text had appeared at the very bottom.
It was a skill that had manifested at some unknown point, and being only a single short line, it was very easy to overlook without careful observation.
Bai Xia scanned it intently, and then… then she fell into a profound silence.
[Thousand Illusions]: Asura’s Doom exclusive skill. When activated, it can instantly transform Asura’s Doom’s appearance and posture, changing it into the desired form.
Currently unlocked outfits: Sailor Uniform, Maid Outfit.
Locked: Swimsuit, Gothic Lolita, Ancient-Style Long Dress, Miko (Shrine Maiden) Outfit… (Unlocks and increases with level).
“What… what the hell is this!?”
Bai Xia was grateful that she was currently maintaining a ‘wei sanwu’ (TL Note: A character who feigns or appears to be emotionless, taciturn, and indifferent, but is not truly so.) facade, otherwise her expression surely would have crumbled.
‘Seriously, what kind of bizarre skill is this? A sailor uniform is one thing, but how did a maid outfit suddenly pop up? And what about that long list of locked items? Damn it, is this a divine artifact or a dress-up prop?!’
Her poker face was evidently quite deceptive, as the others did not perceive Bai Xia’s furious inner turmoil. Qian Qiao even excitedly egged her on: “There’s even a maid outfit! Little one, quick, switch to it and let me see! You’d look absolutely adorable in a maid outfit!”
‘Adorable my foot!’
‘Seriously, there’s probably no more useless exclusive skill in all of ‘Another World’ than this, right? Other people’s exclusive skills are for killing enemies and self-protection; Asura’s Doom’s exclusive skill is for charming enemies and defensive cuteness.’
‘What’s the point of this skill? To suddenly change outfits in battle to charm enemies to death?’ Bai Xia suddenly felt utterly exhausted. ‘This rotten game is doomed to fail sooner or later!’
A maid outfit was absolutely out of the question. While, under normal circumstances, a standard maid outfit would likely have more fabric and coverage than a sailor uniform, the sailor uniform was already embarrassing enough! If she were to wear a maid outfit on top of that… she’d rather be cleaved in two!
Consequently, no matter how Qian Qiao and Dream Butterfly cajoled and enticed her, Bai Xia remained completely unmoved. She even actively canceled the equipment overlay of Asura’s Doom, reverting to her previous ordinary attire.
This left the two who wanted to play dress-up games sorely disappointed, but since Asura’s Doom could only be used by Bai Xia in the game, they were powerless.
Ultimately, seeing the girl completely unfazed, the two could only temporarily abandon the idea. The two silent men, though wisely refraining from speaking throughout, still felt a touch of regret.
Of course, there would be plenty more time to play games together in the future, so there was no need to rush this moment.
Bai Xia was naturally unaware of their thoughts, but even if she had known, it wouldn’t have mattered, as she would never wear such ridiculous clothes, not even in a game.
Subsequently, the group’s conversation gradually shifted away from Asura’s Doom. After discussing their thoughts on the Fairy’s Trial once more, they prepared to seek out quests for leveling while Forest City was still relatively uncrowded with players.
Although Bai Xia was not in the best state, she did not log off to rest alone as Dream Butterfly had suggested. Instead, she quickly adjusted from her distracted state and readily agreed.
While searching for quests, they also familiarized themselves with Forest City, as this city was the starting point for all players and would remain their central hub for a long time to come.
During this period, the originally somewhat quiet Forest City gradually grew lively. It was clear that as large numbers of players emerged from the Newbie Village, Forest City was about to experience its peak capacity.
However, none of this concerned Bai Xia and her companions. For even as countless players left the Newbie Village, truly embarking on their journey into the new world and eagerly exploring it, Bai Xia, Tian Zheng, and the others had already accepted quests and were venturing deeper into the boundless Forest Sea.
Ordinary quests presented no difficulty for the group; they were incomparably easier than the Fairy’s Trial. The girls even had the leisure to admire flowers and grasses while slaying monsters, given the abundance of strange and wonderful things in the game.
Bai Xia, too, found joy in it. Though she had only known Qian Qiao and the others for half a day, Tian Zheng’s friends were truly interesting people, and playing the game with them was indeed enjoyable.
Pleasant times often felt fleeting, so when Bai Xia finally realized it, she discovered she had spent almost the entire day in the game, only logging off briefly at noon for a meal.
Additionally, Qian Zhong had to log off midway due to real-world commitments, and later Qian Qiao also departed because of some matters.
Yet, even with only three members in the team that afternoon, their leveling speed remained undiminished.
In ‘Another World’, increasing one’s level was not easy; each level required vast amounts of experience. If this was true for the early stages, it would clearly be even more exaggerated later on.
However, this was still the very early stage of the game, so the leveling speed was relatively fast. Thus, after a full day, Bai Xia was not too far from her small goal of Level 15.
****
At five in the afternoon, after bidding farewell to Tian Zheng and Dream Butterfly, Bai Xia chose to log off.
Removing her helmet, she touched her stomach, realizing she wasn’t particularly hungry. So, with a hint of guilt, she drew the bedroom curtains and prepared to attend to some serious business.
What business? Naturally, it was about recovering her lost masculine vigor!
Even without the necessary equipment, Bai Xia was determined to do something, fearing that otherwise, she would truly transform into an authentic girl, both in mind and body.
Opening her SkyCom, Bai Xia quickly familiarized herself with it before entering a video website. Switching pages and completing authentication, she soon stepped into an entirely new world!
Here, one had to acknowledge the ‘convenience’ of this world: various videos, comics, novels, and animations were categorized into ‘overt’ and ‘covert’ search and browsing modes.
Thus, one could easily find 18X content on legitimate websites, and the variety was quite comprehensive.
Of course, there were still restrictions. For instance, although sixteen was considered adulthood in this world, only adults aged eighteen and above, after authentication, were qualified to experience the ‘covert world’s’ allure.
Although Bai Xia appeared young, her true age was indeed twenty, so after a round of authentication, she proceeded without any hindrance.
Using SkyCom to open the page, after a few seconds of waiting, a dazzling array of content began to flash before her eyes.
Yet, after a brief glance, she felt rather uninspired.
After all, when she was still a man, Bai Xia was an ‘old driver’ (TL Note: A slang term, ‘old driver,’ referring to someone highly experienced, especially in navigating adult content online, often referencing the racing manga/anime ‘Initial D’ and its Mount Akina.) who frequently ‘raced wildly on Mount Akina’ (TL Note: A Chinese internet slang phrase, implying extensive experience with explicit content or navigating complex online communities.). Consequently, after having ‘driven’ so much, she had pretty much seen everything, to the point of finding it tasteless.
Therefore, the content available on these legitimate websites held very limited appeal for her; she flipped through several pages without even a flicker of emotion.
Just as Bai Xia was feeling disappointed and about to give up, a cover image caught her eye.
“Legal Loli (TL Note: A term for a character who appears childlike but is legally an adult, often used in adult entertainment contexts.), 24-hour enclosed ‘training’ (TL Note: The character ‘调’ implies ‘adjusting’ or ‘training’, with ‘♀’ indicating a female-focused or sexual context in online slang.) plan in progress… And it’s a sailor uniform, wait! Why does this title feel so malicious?”
On the cover before her, there was a delicate-looking girl who indeed appeared quite young. Of course, since it could appear on a legitimate website, she was likely the type who simply looked very youthful.
The girl on the cover was disheveled, partially exposed, and bound to a frame with special red ropes.
The binding technique was exquisitely intricate, exuding a sensual aura that immediately captivated the viewer.
And though her small mouth was fitted with a gag, the girl on the cover still maintained a poker face, her eyes filled with an unyielding defiance.
The erotic binding combined with her emotionless expression created a subtle contrast that wasn’t uncomfortable; instead, it made one yearn even more to see her conquered.
Bai Xia and the girl on the cover silently gazed at each other for several minutes before Bai Xia finally swallowed and clicked on it.
Then…
“Why the hell do I need a membership!?”
Staring at the automatically appearing reminder page, Bai Xia’s expression stiffened. She couldn’t help but sigh, ‘This is just too realistic!’
Frustrated, but having already piqued her interest, she naturally couldn’t give up over a few dollars.
Bai Xia pondered for a moment, then went ahead and purchased a six-month membership, finally entering the video loading page. She then discovered that this absurd thing even allowed for comments (TL Note: Referring to ‘danmu’ or ‘bullet comments’, a feature in some video players where comments scroll across the screen.).
She decided against it, however, because anything with comments quickly devolved into silliness due to the interactions of trolling netizens, completely losing its viewing value. So, she resolved to calm down and appreciate it properly first.