Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 2 – Chuunibyou

Nine Heavens was a PC game. It had broken many glorious records in the gaming industry, and was regarded as a classic by many players. After the age of mobile games, it gradually declined.

After ten years of silence, Nine Heavens made a triumphant return with all-new technology, becoming the first full dive virtual reality game in the world. It started an open beta after a massive advertising campaign.

Ye Zhou[1] had been a faithful fan since the PC days. He had bought a VR helmet ahead of time, and logged in immediately when the open beta started.

On the first day of release, everyone was still new, gradually figuring out the game in this whole new format.

This game company which had hibernated for so many years was very crafty. On top of drawing back old players, it wanted to attract as many new players as possible, so many changes had been made to the game in order to let everyone start off on level ground.

The meanest of these changes was hiding the IDs and names of the players, monsters, NPCs, and bosses in the game.

Nine Heavens’ design philosophy was focused on immersion, building the most vivid-feeling xianxia[2] world for its players. In this world where humans, immortals, demons, and yao[3] were all running amok, it was very difficult for most people to figure out anyone’s true identity.

Because of this design, Ye Zhou ran into quite a bit of misfortune.

For example, he took a beginner’s task to go out hunting, and as he was luring in a cute little white rabbit with a carrot, he was instantly killed by the rabbit breathing fire. The rabbit also yelled at him, “Are you blind? I’m a yao player!”

For another example, at night, he took a task to exorcise ghosts in a village, and a human-looking guy next to him also took the same task from the village elder. As they walked into the village, Ye Zhou extended a request to team up with the other player, who smiled wickedly and then pounced on Ye Zhou, opening a bloody mouth. This “player” was actually one of the ghosts lurking in the village.

Even when he was picking medicinal herbs, he got slapped by a ginseng’s roots as it yelled at the sky, “**** developers! You ********! How come, because I picked the spirit race, I rolled a ginseng?”

Ye Zhou could only pat it on the head comfortingly, smiling in relief that he had picked a human. At least he wasn’t in such a bad situation.

Nine Heavens had six races to pick from, human, yao, demon, ghost, spirit, and mythic[4]. In the announcement video, each race would have its own specialties. Humans were good-looking and heroic, yao were alluring, demons were powerful, ghosts were crafty, spirits were ethereal, and the mythic race was mysterious. Each of them came with their own benefits.

But who would’ve known that when the game came out, the yao would be animals who hadn’t gained human form yet, the spirits were just herbs like lingzhi mushrooms, ginseng, and snow lotuses, the ghosts would die in sunlight, and Ye Zhou hadn’t seen any demon or mythic players yet. He assumed they had their own problems to deal with, though.

Humans had it pretty good compared to the other races, though they had the most average stats. Other races would excel in some stats, but humans were jacks of all trades, as well as totally unexceptional.

After being trolled many times, Ye Zhou finally managed to find a forest filled with low-level monsters without any players, and set to work grinding levels.

After nearly poking these beasts to death, someone else had stolen them from him, so naturally he was furious.

He swung his sword at the other, but when the man’s bamboo hat was broken and his face revealed, Ye Zhou stopped his attack at once. He thought the man’s attractiveness rating was way too high.

Ye Zhou wouldn’t be moved by beauty, but at that moment, he was suspicious of the kill-stealer’s identity.

In Nine Heavens, when a player started a human character, their attractiveness rating would be 80% of the player’s original looks, and they could only increase it after they leveled up. Yao and spirits inherently had high attractiveness, but they weren’t even humans to start with, and would just be a rabbit with the smoothest fur or the highest quality of a bunch of herbs.

If his attractiveness rating was so high, there must be something strange going on. Either this kill-stealer’s original appearance put celebrities to shame, or he wasn’t a player at all!

After falling for too many traps, Ye Zhou had become vigilant. Instantly, he changed the arc of his sword, so that its tip stopped above the man’s shoulder.

With a twist of Ye Zhou’s wrist, the sword pressed against the man’s neck. “Who are you? A player? An NPC?”

The man didn’t respond, only looking steadily at Ye Zhou.

Dugu Zhuo wanted to tell this young Ye Zhou his name, but the blood in his chest was still roiling and he couldn’t speak. If he opened his mouth, he would probably spit blood on Ye Zhou’s snow-white robes, and Dugu Zhuo couldn’t let that happen.

He was still unsure whether this was an illusion or the afterlife. Being able to see Ye Zhou alive, he didn’t much care whether or not it was real.

Dugu Zhuo slowly lifted a hand and grabbed the tip of Ye Zhou’s sword. Fresh blood trickled down his palm. The pain was as real as Ye Zhou before him.

Ye Zhou looked alarmed and leapt several steps back, releasing his sword. After putting distance between them, he said in astonishment, “You’re even going to steal my equipment?”

Equipment? Player? NPC? Dugu Zhuo was met with a flurry of terms he was unfamiliar with. He looked at the sword that Ye Zhou had left behind, and at just a glance, saw it was a spiritual sword which could be further refined.

Dugu Zhuo looked to the Spirit Replenishing Herb that had fallen by his feet and knew it was an herb that could treat some simple injuries, as well as replenish spiritual energy.

It wouldn’t be able to repair his meridians, but it could stop the blood roiling within him.

Dugu Zhuo made his decision and swallowed the herb, absorbing the spiritual energy within it.

“Hey, humans can’t directly make use of medicinal herbs,” Ye Zhou warned. “You have to get it refined into an elixir in town, or it’ll be wasted.”

Instantly, the spiritual energy flowed through Dugu Zhuo’s meridians, temporarily stabilizing his internal injuries. He looked at Ye Zhou and slowly spoke, “My constitution is unusual. It’ll be fine.”

Of course Dugu Zhuo knew that herbs couldn’t be directly taken, or most of their medicinal properties would be lost. After he had become one with the Xuan Sword, though, he could no longer be considered human.

As they spoke, Dugu Zhuo wiped the blood from his palm over Ye Zhou’s sword. Even though the Xuan Sword was broken, its wielder’s blood was still beneficial to an ordinary magic weapon. The steel blade greedily absorbed his blood and the sword qi within it, its edge becoming sharper.

The mortal steel couldn’t take in that much sword qi, and only absorbed three drops of blood before stopping. Dugu Zhuo wiped away the rest of the blood on the blade and returned it to Ye Zhou.

Ye Zhou watched him guardedly and didn’t accept the blade.

He doesn’t remember me, Dugu Zhuo thought dully.

If he didn’t remember him, then Dugu Zhuo was even more sure that this place was real, and not an illusion.

If it was truly a dangerous illusion, Ye Zhou would certainly be like his memories, shaking his head at him with a slight frown on his face, remote and out of his reach.

Dugu Zhuo glanced at the several monster corpses on the ground and remembered Ye Zhou had accused him of stealing his monsters, as well as the messages which had told him he had received spirit stones, a technique, and an herb. He fell into consideration.

Could it be that Ye Zhou was not being attacked by the monsters, but had actively challenged them in order to obtain these items?

Behind the Canglan Mountains, was there really this kind of secret realm where you could obtain treasures by hunting monsters? Had Ye Zhou’s soul been sent beyond the mountain range when the Pillar of Heaven fell?

Dugu Zhuo pushed aside his doubts and greeted him with a cupped fist. “This one is Dugu Zhuo. I had not known that these beasts were your prey and acted impetuously. Please forgive me. As an apology, this one can only refine your sword in order to repay you.”

He offered the sword again, and at the same time took out the warm jade and handed it over together with the sword’s hilt.

“With how formal you talk, you either have middle-grader syndrome[5] or you’re an NPC, so which is it?” Ye Zhou asked, not taking the sword.

Middle-grader syndrome? NPC? Dugu Zhuo did his best to dissect these two completely unfamiliar words. He had no basis for figuring out the second word, but he could guess the first one was some kind of illness.

Dugu Zhuo could only reply cautiously, “This one is indeed unwell.”

“You admit you have a problem? You’re… really honest,” Ye Zhou said, surprise replacing the guarded expression on his face.

Through looking at Ye Zhou’s expression, Dugu Zhuo faintly felt that he might’ve admitted to some sort of unspeakable ailment, but they had already come to this point. He had no choice but to reply, “This one has nothing to hide and has never told lies.”

“Your literary knowledge must be really good.” Letting go of his concerns, Ye Zhou took back his newly retempered sword, and accidentally brushed his fingertips over that piece of jade.

In an instant, the jade levitated into the air, releasing brilliant light.