Chapter 2: Players Arrive

Under the elegant, magnificent crystal chandelier, several people looked at each other.

Some faces displayed unconcealable fear, some wore tired expressions, and others revealed a hint of novelty in their eyes.

Even more eccentric, a man with dyed gray hair was already crouched on a chair, studying the Ruyi Wood Ornament on the table for quite some time.

After a while, he gave his conclusion: “Buried high-quality golden-thread nanmu wood. This grade… market value is at least 280,000.”

“That expensive! Something this small costs hundreds of thousands?!” The young man in a university graphic tee sitting next to him overheard and exclaimed in shock.

“What’s a few hundred thousand? Never mind the rosewood sofa you’re sitting on, that crystal chandelier above your head is probably close to seven figures.”

The young man in the cultural shirt instinctively looked up at the seven-figure chandelier.

The gray-haired man continued his appraisal tour. “Mm, this painting of pines and cypresses—a genuine piece. It would easily fetch tens of millions at auction. And this set of purple clay teapots—soft, fine clay, simple yet complex design. Also a treasure.”

The others, hearing this, also followed his gaze, touching and looking around, not as panicked as they were initially.

Sitting opposite them, a man in his early thirties wearing a black leather jacket had an expression that was difficult to describe.

He restrained himself, then finally couldn’t hold back. “Do you people have any idea how serious this situation is? Did you understand the game’s introductory pre-load information?!”

“This is an Instance World! It looks normal now, but who knows what will happen once the mission starts! Instead of worrying about this lamp or that ornament, why not worry about the heads attached to your necks!”

The others remained silent. The gray-haired man continued doing as he pleased.

Only the young man in the cultural shirt gulped, his expression stiffening again, perhaps thinking of the unknown fate awaiting him.

Seeing his intended effect was achieved, the man in black cleared his throat and said deeply, “There are ten minutes until the mission officially begins. Since everyone has already read the game’s introductory information, you should understand the situation we’re in.”

“To facilitate cooperation later, let’s each introduce ourselves first. I’ll start.”

“My surname is Qin, you can call me Qin Dan. I won’t say much about my real-life info; you wouldn’t believe it anyway. Anyway, I’ve been in the game for about three months, and this happens to be my fourth Instance.”

“Brother Qin.”

As soon as he finished, a man with a buzz cut, visibly anxious, asked, “Is this really just a game? There’s no difference from reality at all… Are we really going to experience those ghosts and monsters and stuff?”

“A word of advice: don’t casually mention those words in the game. Just keep them in your hearts.”

Qin Dan interrupted him. “Calling it a game is just for easier understanding. You only have one chance. Dying means ‘logging off.’ It’s just…”

“I think everyone sitting here knows in their hearts the reason you all appeared here.”

The man with the buzz cut fidgeted restlessly, as if bugs were crawling all over him. “You mean…”

Qin Dan nodded. “Exactly. We were all pulled into this game right before dying. If we fail a mission, ‘logging off’ back to the Real World means facing death all the same. In other words, that we’re sitting here now is a chance given by the game. So no matter what, we have to complete the missions.”

The man’s face grew even more grim. “Then I’ll introduce myself too. My name is Zou Zihao, and this is my first In… Instance game. In reality, I’m a very skilled chef, working at a five-star hotel. Many guests came specifically for my cooking. But because of one small mistake, I accidentally offended someone with a bit of money and lost my job. So now I have no choice but to apply as a family cook…”

“No wonder your arms are so strong. A chef, huh. That could be an advantage in this game.” Qin Dan interrupted his rambling again. “Little brother, you next.”

His eyes pointed to the most uneasy-looking young man in the cultural shirt.

“M-M-My name is Wei Congxin. I’m a junior in college. I got into a car accident on my way to a campus event and came to this game. This is my f-first game.”

The gray-haired man, who had been daydreaming the whole time, suddenly spoke up. “Oh—so your name is Wei Cong (Coward).”

“…?”

The young man in the cultural shirt froze, then raised his voice. “Not ‘Cong’ like coward! It’s Congxin, with ‘xin’ (heart)! Wei Congxin!”

“I heard ya, I heard ya. I’m still young, handsome, and in my prime. I ain’t deaf.” The gray-haired man yawned. “You’re Little Coward Wei.”

Wei Congxin was furious, seeing that he was doing this on purpose.

He couldn’t understand how someone could be so shamelessly familiar. He also felt an instinctive fear toward this unorthodox gray-haired man, leaving him at an impasse.

“Alright, alright, jokes like that can be said in private.” Qin Dan had to step in again to steer the conversation back. “This little… brother, how about you introduce yourself?”

This gray-haired man was very young, his behavior and words seemingly frivolous, but Qin Dan didn’t dare underestimate him at all.

After all, in this situation, this setting, he was acting far too calm.

“Me? My name is Lin Yujing.”

This man possessed a fine appearance completely at odds with his temperament: eyes dark as ink dotted with starlight, monolids with upturned corners, a high nose bridge, fair skin. Indeed, as clean and handsome as his name suggested.

Yet he also had dyed, unruly gray hair. His left ear cartilage was adorned with several exquisite, dazzling gemstone studs, while his right earlobe hung with a turquoise earring.

Under his black sweatshirt, one could vaguely glimpse red-and-green beaded bone tooth necklaces. Even his ten long, pale fingers wore four distinctly styled gemstone rings.

Fortuitously, he had extremely good looks, so he only seemed like a minor celebrity loaded with jewelry endorsements from head to toe, rather than a loan shark gang leader treading the illegal path.

Everyone had a very deep impression of him, so they all paid attention when he spoke.

Qin Dan even waited specifically for a moment. “That’s it?”

Lin Yujing shrugged. “That’s it.”

Zou Zihao was a bit dissatisfied. “You’re just going to say that much?”

“Or what? Should I reveal my age, my career path, my home address, or my criteria for a romantic partner to you?” The gray-haired man sneered.

Zou Zihao exclaimed, “You should at least say how many games you’ve played! We all did!”

“You have a point, but…”

Lin Yujing smiled brightly. “What makes you think I owe you an explanation? Who do you think you are? Are you worthy?”

“You!” Zou Zihao almost rushed forward to give his face two solid punches.

Qin Dan had a headache. The game hadn’t even started yet, and contradictions were already emerging. Whether this Lin Yujing was formidable or not was another matter, but he was definitely a troublemaker.

“Don’t argue! The Instance only gave us ten minutes to prepare. Next, young lady, you introduce yourself.” He pointed at the sole female present.

This was the only woman in the group. She wore black-framed glasses, her hair tied in a simple ponytail, and she didn’t look very old.

She carried a black messenger bag, her overall appearance rather unremarkable.

When Qin Dan suddenly called on her, she was quite nervous, her voice dry. “My name is Yan Shanque. I’m a sophomore in college. This is also my first game.”

Lin Yujing suddenly opened his mouth again. “How come you’re named both Swallow (Yan) and Sparrow (Que)? So what kind of bird are you exactly, after all?”

“Huh?” The girl with the black-framed glasses was dumbfounded, unsure for a moment whether he was being sarcastic and insulting her or genuinely asking.

“Man, could you say a few less words?” Wei Congxin wished he could cover that mouth of his.

“I didn’t say anything wrong.” Lin Yujing looked even more innocent.

Qin Dan tried hard to ignore the commotion on this side, calculating internally. “Another newbie, huh.”

Wei Congxin, Zou Zihao, plus this Yan Shanque—making four new players out of six, over half the group, clearly a Novice Instance.

As for Lin Yujing, who hadn’t revealed more information, Qin Dan had never considered him a newbie from the start.

“Brother Qin, what’s the difference between a Novice Instance and a Normal Instance?” Zou Zihao asked.

Qin Dan said, “There isn’t a huge fundamental difference. It’s just that when newbies—like you, first-timers—make up half or more of the total players in the Instance, we generally call it a Novice Instance.”

“Compared to Normal Instances, the mission difficulty is somewhat lower, and the Instance provides more hints.”

As a veteran player, Qin Dan naturally wouldn’t simply trust what others said at face value.

He merely deduced this was a Novice Instance based on the unusual ten-minute preparation time provided.

Saying this was just to confirm and gain trust.

“Then wouldn’t completing the mission be easier?” Zou Zihao was overjoyed.

Qin Dan also felt a faint sense of relief inside. “More or less, though the quest rewards will be correspondingly less.”

“Enough, why tell them so much? The more comfort you give them now, the more complacent they’ll be, and the faster they’ll die.” The last player to speak said coldly. “My name is Zhang Bing. This is my third mission.”

“Some advice: don’t underestimate any Instance and don’t underestimate any mission! No matter what Instance, for players, it’s gambling with their lives. One slight misstep means death!”

This was a man who didn’t look young, his temples already graying, an unlit cigarette held between two fingers.

Although his tone wasn’t pleasant, he didn’t harbor ill intentions.

The originally cowardly Wei Congxin suddenly gained some courage at this moment. “Then, Brother Zhang, what should we do when the time comes?”

“Do whatever the mission tells you to do.” Zhang Bing didn’t spare him a glance. “When the time comes, you newbies just follow behind us. Don’t get in the way. Anyone with other intentions, don’t blame me for being impolite!”

Yan Shanque and Wei Congxin immediately nodded like chicks pecking grain.

Qin Dan frowned, seeming somewhat disapproving, but before he could say anything, an androgynous mechanical voice sounded in everyone’s minds:

[Player protection time has ended. Game officially starts.]

[Instance Name: Pearl’s Bedroom]

[Instance Difficulty: Novice (Special)]

[Clear Condition (Choose One):

1. Complete all main missions.

2. Eliminate the Instance Boss.]

[Instance Hint 1: When visiting someone else’s home, you should naturally follow the master’s rules. Making the master angry will result in punishment~]

[Instance Hint 2: I really hate novice missions. A bunch of giant babies actually needing hints this disgusting. Vomit.]

As if perfectly timed, the moment the mechanical voice stopped, a woman wearing a French-style long dress, radiating an air of elegance, appeared at the door.

She spoke with refined grace, addressing the six people seated. “Guests, thank you for waiting. Breakfast is ready. Please follow me.”

“This is…?” Wei Congxin was like a student heading to an exam venue, panicking before even reaching the examination hall.

Qin Dan was the first to follow her. “An Instance character. You can also understand them as game NPCs. Don’t act rashly until we clarify their identities.”

He took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”