Chapter 19: Black Death and the Deity 001 Part 1

But before Jian Bumian could take even the first bite of the Malicious Ghost, his consciousness suddenly sank. Everything before his eyes instantly plunged into darkness!

Only a single blood-red text shot into his mind!

【Ding! Congratulations, Player Jian Bumian! You have successfully cleared the Novice Instance—“Death Acrobatic Troupe”!】

【Congratulations on obtaining the Item—■■■ Acrobatic Troupe Members’ Group Photo! You can check it in your personal Backpack!】

【Item Name: ■■■ Acrobatic Troupe Members’ Group Photo (■■■ Acrobatic Troupe’s Only Benevolence)】

【Item Function: ??? (Unlocked)】

【You have successfully left the Instance World. Transferring to the Instance Transit Zone!!】

【…Transferring…】

Huh????

Jian Bumian’s eyes widened. He stared at the blood-red text before him in disbelief.

Ah, this……

This…

Was this fake?

【Transfer complete.】

【You are now in the Infinite World Instance Transit Zone—Player Inn No. 1】

Splat!

Jian Bumian was tossed into the air by the Infinite World, and he couldn’t help but fall heavily.

Luckily, below wasn’t hard concrete or a high altitude.

He crashed into a long-missed bed. His body sank deeply into the excessively soft mattress.

Jian Bumian hadn’t reacted. His mind was full of the blood-red popup window from just before.

…He had completed the acrobatic performance, completed the Conquest Mission. It was indeed possible to clear this Instance.

But, why was he suddenly ejected right at the most important moment???

He was just a tiny bit away from eating the delicious Malicious Ghost!!

The meat right at his mouth… had flown away.

Jian Bumian felt extremely wronged. He curled up into a ball on the bed. His soft, fragmented hair was tousled into a mess. His head was buried fiercely into the pillow.

He rolled around on the bed, sulking, for a long time.

But because the blanket behind him was really too warm and soft, the fabric emitting a reassuring, faint scent of sunlight…

No longer the damp, musty smell of the Acrobat Dormitory.

He fell asleep without realizing it.

When Jian Bumian woke up, the room was very dim. Fumbling in the dark, he found the switch by the headboard.

Click.

The light turned on.

Jian Bumian clearly saw the surrounding scene.

The furnishings in the room were unfamiliar and simple. Apart from the wooden bed he was lying on, there was only a set of table and chairs, and a wardrobe.

This was a place called the “Player Inn” in the Infinite World.

To be specific, it was a transit stop for Players between finishing the last Instance and entering the next one. A place where Players could rest their feet.

The Player Inn Jian Bumian was assigned to wasn’t particularly luxurious. It was ordinary, small but complete.

The wooden floor was covered with a soft, thick cream-colored carpet. A fireplace was embedded in the center of the wall. Flames danced within the stone fireplace, emitting a warm, cozy light.

Jian Bumian got up from the bed and found disposable paper slippers placed on the floor. On the nightstand were disposable paper cups and a disposable Toothbrush and Toothpaste.

What attracted Jian Bumian’s attention most was the giant screen in the center of the wall.

A very futuristic, thin black screen, completely incongruous with the simple, rustic decor of the inn room.

Jian Bumian put on the paper slippers and came before the large screen.

The screen was like a dark mirror, reflecting Jian Bumian’s appearance.

He was still wearing the Tailcoat from the last Instance.

Because he had tangled with the Malicious Ghost, the Tailcoat was very messy. The collar was wide open, vaguely revealing white skin.

What caught his attention most…

The suit pants that originally wrapped his thighs had a tear cut into them by a blade.

The snow-white thigh, bound by the black Shirt Garter, was very prominently visible.

Jian Bumian: “…………”

He felt his head hurt even more.

So, he had been entangled with that piece of food while wearing these torn pants???

…This was too embarrassing.

He hoped the other party hadn’t seen his thigh chafed red by the Shirt Garter. He didn’t want the other to discover the fact that his body was sensitive and fragile.

He calmed himself down and picked up the remote control next to the screen.

Perfect timing.

He wanted to watch some food-related TV programs to ease the pain of not being able to eat that Malicious Ghost.

But before he could pick up the remote, the screen automatically lit up. The Infinite World’s customary blood-red text appeared before his eyes.

【Welcome, Jian Bumian, to the Instance Transit Station—Player Inn No. 1】

【I am your electronic butler. Through this screen, you can enjoy or request a variety of services.】

【Simultaneously, the Infinite World has placed the survival clue for your next Instance within your inn room.】

【You can use this free time in your inn room to search for the existence of the survival clue (Note: The clue might be a moving object. They might come to find you.)】

Immediately, the blood-red text disappeared, replaced by a large, colorful electronic menu.

【Watch other Players’ Live Streams】

【Leaderboard Summary】

【Player Forum】

【Personal Private Messages】

【…………】

Jian Bumian clicked the button ranked first on the menu.

【Watch other Players’ Live Streams.】

The next moment, what unfolded before Jian Bumian was a dense cluster of small video windows. Within each video window, there were figures of people moving about.

A bit like the monitor screen in a large-scale venue’s surveillance room.

They were System Players just like Jian Bumian, but they weren’t bound to a Strategy System, but rather to other, all sorts of strange Systems.

Their survival conditions weren’t as fortunate as Jian Bumian’s. Most of them were scared out of their wits, crying for their parents and howling like ghosts.

The most wretched, miserable appearances of their lives were completely displayed before others through the Livestream.

The Viewers in these Livestream Rooms were other Players resting in the Instance Transit Station.

They loved watching others on the brink of life and Death, breaking down. If the Death was more interesting, they would be even more excited.

Jian Bumian found these Live Streams very boring. After a rough glance, he exited the Livestream viewer page.

Following the order, he clicked on “Leaderboard Summary.”

After clicking into the Leaderboard Summary, many various sub-boards appeared.

Among them, the “Team Leaderboard” ranked at the very front caught Jian Bumian’s attention.

Jian Bumian, in the Acrobatic Troupe Instance, often heard Players and Livestream Room Viewers mention “Team,” “Guild”… terms like these.

It sounded like they were specific features within the Infinite World.

They could allow Players to form a small group, enjoy certain benefits, increase the survival rate of team members in Instances, or help them find what they wanted.

He clicked on the “Team Leaderboard.”

The Leaderboard only displayed Teams ranked in the top one hundred.

As for what criteria the rankings of these Teams were based on, Jian Bumian, still a Novice Player, was temporarily unaware.

The top three Teams on the Leaderboard, the Novice Player Jian Bumian temporarily didn’t have the privilege to view.

He could only see a long string of golden “※※※” asterisks.

Jian Bumian: “…………”

His gaze continued downwards and saw the name of the fourth-ranked Team.

Immediately, his entire person went completely rigid.

In the Infinite World, the team ranked fourth was called the Star Hunter Alliance.

The description for this team was just a few short, inexplicable lines.

【Forever love that NPC possessing a star-like radiance.】

Jian Bumian was truly somewhat baffled by this short description.

But to be able to rank as the fourth-best team in the cruel, cold Infinite World, the group of Players in this team was definitely not simple.

Jian Bumian suddenly recalled when he had first met Qin Yihan.

Qin Yihan had mentioned that an NPC with a star-like blue radiance was very famous in the Infinite World, to the point that many Players wanted to capture it alive.

Jian Bumian: “…………”

It seemed this team being called the Star Hunter Alliance wasn’t without reason.

Jian Bumian was a bit curious about what the NPC they wanted to capture alive was like.

Although Jian Bumian had, in a few moments, wondered if that NPC could be him.

After all, when he got excited, his eyes would uncontrollably flicker with a star-blue light. When trying to devour a Malicious Ghost, the star-blue light would cover his entire body.

But, he could absolutely be certain.

He was very obedient, very well-behaved, not the kind of NPC that casually provokes people.

Although after he turned back into a Living person, he had forgotten what he did when he was an NPC.

If, if, the NPC they wanted to capture alive really was him…

Actually, it wasn’t impossible.

He was even quite willing to be captured alive, to be taken care of by someone.

It’s just, just that he would eat a little much, and the food he needed was also a bit special.

Like ferocious, powerful Malicious Ghosts that smelled delicious.

Jian Bumian thought, a little embarrassed.

Jian Bumian looked at this team’s page a few more times, then backed out.

Hoping that one day he could meet members of this team, so he could find out for sure if that NPC was indeed him!

Jian Bumian returned to the Leaderboard Summary.

Besides the Team Leaderboard, another board caught Jian Bumian’s attention.

—Rookie Popularity Leaderboard.

Because…

Number one was him!

The name Jian Bumian was hanging high at the first place, his popularity far exceeding the second and third.

He clicked on his own name and saw his personal profile.

The content was very simple, nothing more than name, gender, nationality, and the System he was bound to.

Below the personal profile was the comment section.

【This Player is really amazing!! The most beautiful Player I’ve ever seen! Paying attention to this face-con won’t be a loss!!】

【Watched the recording of this Player’s first Instance. It’s very good. It’s just at the end, the Acrobats’ white Orbs of Light blocked it, so I couldn’t see what he did to the Malicious Ghost.】

【Want to see wifey adult and the Malicious Ghost getting intimate!!! =3=】

【Ahhh, when will this Novice Player’s Livestream Room unlock the Tipping Feature?? My Item gifts are already itching to move!】

The content of these comments was no different from the Bullet Comments, and they were even posted by the same group of people.

But Bullet Comments flashed by in an instant, while comments were permanently displayed on Jian Bumian’s personal page.

Plus, he was occupying the number one spot on the board.

Who knew how many people had seen these comments.

Jian Bumian: “…………”

A bit embarrassing.

Jian Bumian exited the Leaderboard Summary.

Simultaneously, he noticed a round red dot pop up in his Personal Private Messages.

This red dot was like the social media feeds in the Real World, tempting one to click on it.

Jian Bumian couldn’t help but click the red dot.

The next moment, the entire screen was flooded by the surging incoming private messages.

【Your number of private messages—999+】

Jian Bumian: “…………”

Why had so many people taken notice of him?

He remembered being quite low-key in the last Instance. No loud noises, and certainly no conspicuous cheats.

Just an ordinary Player who wanted to eat his fill.

These private messages were mostly from other Players, filled with rainbow farts and friend requests.