Chapter 4: Accepting the Quest
Finally confirming that he was unscathed, Zane let out a sigh of relief.
But what was that other perspective?
A familiar point of light appeared again and transformed into a chibi Little Spirit.
“Hey, Master, why are you back again? This place should only be entered once!” the Little Spirit exclaimed in surprise.
“…I want to ask you the same thing.” It felt strange the moment he spoke.
His voice… why did it sound so much like a woman’s?
Moreover, it had an oddly familiar feeling.
“Little Spirit, can you make me a mirror?” Zane asked.
“No problem, leave it to me!” The Little Spirit conjured a small staff and with a gentle shake, the scattered points of light converged into a mirror half the height of a person.
Zane stepped closer for a look, and he was startled.
Reflected in the mirror was a girl with purple hair and red eyes, sporting a simple ponytail held up by a silver hair tie, her bangs neatly arranged, a youthful oval face slightly frowning with dark, shiny eyebrows, and pink lips pressed together. Her ruby-like eyes showed a look of confusion.
Starry!?!
How could it be her?
What exactly was happening? Why was Starry appearing in a place like this? Wasn’t she just a character imagined in his dream?
No one could provide an answer.
“Master, after crossing the gate, you can proceed with character registration.” Although the Little Spirit didn’t understand why the Master was back here, it still fulfilled its duty to inform him.
“Ah! Oh, right.” Starry, lost in thought, was startled.
Wait, how did it recognize her? It mentioned “again,” indicating it must be the same Spirit as before.
Even though they looked completely different, even their genders were reversed.
“How… did you recognize me?” Starry asked cautiously.
The Little Spirit tilted its head, “A Master is a Master, of course I can recognize you.”
“…”
Forget it, “How can I log off?” Starry asked.
“Just call out the system menu and select the log-off command. Oh, by the way, you can’t log off while in combat~ Please be careful, Master.”
Starry didn’t reply but followed its instructions.
Log off!
Zane hurriedly took off his gaming helmet and looked around.
Everything was normal; Brother Shiu was lying on the sofa, probably engrossed in the game. His body felt fine, and looking around, there was no sign of Starry.
This was odd…
“Brother Shiu, did you have any issues logging in?” Zane asked after some thought.
“What issues could there be? What’s your Beginner Village number, Achen?” Brother Shiu asked while battling.
“Ah? There’s a number too? Hang on, I’ll log in and check.”
“Dude, why are you logging off for no reason? Hurry up! If you don’t take advantage of the server opening, how are you going to play later on!”
“Everyone has their urgencies.” Zane chuckled sheepishly.
Putting the helmet back on, Zane reappeared in the Beginner Village.
And Starry was actually still in that corridor!
…Am I not dreaming? Can this game run two instances??
His brain froze for a moment.
“Achen, why are you so slow to log in to a game?”
“Oh, coming, coming! Let me see.” Zane replied, then awkwardly asked, “Where do I check the number…?”
“I give up, just pull up the menu and check the map name!” If Brother Shiu wasn’t in a hurry to level up, he would have punched his friend. How could he be so clueless?
“Got it, the number is 00069,” Zane said.
“Ugh, I’m at 00035. Looks like I’ll have to rely on myself until I hit level 10. We should meet up after we’re out of the village at level 10. If you have any questions, feel free to ask directly. You can team up with some players to grind monsters together; that’s more efficient.”
“Okay!”
“Good luck, making a fortune depends on this game!”
“Don’t worry, I’m experienced.”
“…”
…
Zane was indeed experienced; he just wasn’t used to the immersive feeling of being within the game character.
Though he didn’t know why Starry was appearing here, since the official had provided two accounts, he certainly wouldn’t complain about having more.
The two perspectives were somewhat novel but surprisingly didn’t interfere with Zane’s normal actions; rather, he could now easily multitask.
Zane walked toward the few NPCs in the village.
On the other side, Starry crossed the gate, mirroring the previous registration.
Fluffing Starry
Originally a name for a set of clothes, now it perfectly suited Starry’s ID.
Confirm!
“Ding”
“This ID has not been used by anyone. Do you wish to confirm registration?”
Yes!
“Registration successful!”
Next was choosing a race, and three figures appeared, each representing three racial forms based on herself.
Each had its merits, but she still chose the human race. It’s worth mentioning that in beast form, Starry had a grayish skin tone and a pair of fluffy cat ears sprouting on her head, making her look incredibly cute.
Then came the long battlefield CG.
“Old man, you seem troubled. Is there anything I can help you with?” Zane politely asked.
“Sigh, the little rabbits in front of the village used to be very well-behaved, but recently, my granddaughter, Xiao Lian, was bitten by one. Can you help me deal with those savage rabbits?”
“Ding”
System Notification: He Dayu has issued you an F-grade quest “Teach the Rabbits a Lesson (0/10).” Do you accept?
Accept!
System Notification: Quest accepted successfully. After defeating 10 rabbits, He Dayu will reward you handsomely!
At this moment, Starry had also completed her registration and appeared in the square of the Beginner Village. She unconsciously opened the map to take a look.
“00069…” No way, such good luck?
Or is it because both are controlled by him…?
The truth remains unknown, but being able to level up together would definitely be more efficient.
First, let’s accept the quest. Starry hurriedly ran over and saw her other self standing in front of the old man with the ID “Fengchen Yanhua,” wearing tattered clothes. From Starry’s perspective, it was quite a strange sight…
Zane turned to leave, looking for places to accept quests, wanting Starry to take the kill-the-rabbits quest first.
Starry walked over, and the old man’s previously distant gaze suddenly became sharp.
This old man… he wouldn’t be…
“Heroine, I can tell you’re not an ordinary person. I have an unusual request, and I hope you can agree.” He Dayu lowered his head.
What kind of development is this? They’re both beginner accounts, why do the male and female accounts trigger different situations? Feeling aggrieved, when will the male account get its moment?!
“Old man, don’t be like this, I can’t handle it. Just tell me what it is.” Starry hurriedly helped him up.
He then raised his head, sighing deeply. “This village was once nearly isolated from the world. Until a month ago, in the cave to the north of the village, something unknown happened, and the local animals have become furious. The youths who went to investigate have all been scratched.”
This seemed just the beginning.
The old man continued, “Those who were scratched become confused and even attack those around them. Thankfully, there are herbs that can suppress the disease, but this isn’t a long-term solution. The furious animals have spread to the village entrance, and even my granddaughter… Xiao Lian…”
He Dayu was in tears.
“What can I do?”
“The source of it all lies in that cave. If you have the courage, go investigate the source of this chaos. If you return safely, I will… give you my family heirloom.”
“Ding”
System Notification: He Dayu has issued you an S-grade quest “Explore the Cave.” Do you accept?
Accept!
System Notification: Quest accepted successfully. Explore the cave to the north of the village and return safely. You will receive an extremely rare reward!
“Hmm.” Zane inhaled sharply, an S-grade quest!
Are you kidding me?
