C1 Reveler World

"The Whale has been defeated."

At the stroke of midnight, this announcement echoed throughout the entire gaming universe, reaching the ears of every player.

"Alright, time to get in line. Let's form a team, quick."

"Every single day, those few seconds of waiting drive me nuts."

Voices erupted from every corner of the game, their owners swiftly vanishing as they entered the instance.

Reveler World, the latest gaming craze, stood out with its ironclad rule.

Each day at midnight, an NPC, nameless and known simply as "Whale," would spawn in the game lobbies of all online players. Defeating this NPC was the only way to earn weapon points upon clearing a game instance.

Fail to take down the Whale, and even a flawless run wouldn't yield the coveted weapon points, leaving players unable to upgrade their weapons.

Thus, each morning, players would pause for those crucial seconds, awaiting the system's cue before diving into the dungeon queue.

The rationale behind the game company's decision to include such an NPC was a mystery, and frankly, no one seemed to care.

After all, the Whale had but a single hit point—a target so fragile that even the greenest of newcomers could dispatch it with ease.

Day in, day out, the Whale would perish the instant it appeared.

Xie Yu lay in bed, donned his gaming helmet, closed his eyes, and entered the game.

This new release from a venerable company had taken the masses by storm with cutting-edge technology, captivating even those who had previously shown no interest in gaming, and reshaping perceptions of the entire industry.

The latest in tech delivered near-tangible experiences and unparalleled freedom within the game, proving irresistibly addictive.

In the wake of the old world's cataclysm, society had been reborn in the digital realm. From birth, every individual existed as data, their life's trajectory—birth, aging, sickness, and death—governed by the system. Random diseases, random deaths; the world's system dictated the fate of all.

Often, Xie Yu would gaze at the wisteria vine outside his window, lost in thought. In this world of ones and zeroes, he could never be certain whether the vine was a genuine remnant of nature or just another piece of fabricated data.

But it no longer mattered. Having lived in this digital domain for so long, he had all but forgotten what life was like in the time before.

He let out a sigh, refocusing his mind on the one constant challenge he couldn't escape in his lifetime: finding a way to survive.

In this world, he had his own life and academic pursuits. He had already selected his research topic in front of his mentor: to explore whether the gaming environment could significantly influence personality development. This game, Reveler World, was the perfect place for his study.

On a personal note, the game was under the direct control of the world system, serving as a vital source for collecting emotional data. It was likely linked to the core of the main system, and Xie Yu couldn't help but think that he might seize some opportunities through the game.

The computational power required to digitize the entire world was immense, so vast that even the elusive overseer couldn't fully master it.

This was his only chance.

Even in his rare dreams, he yearned to return to bygone days.

He was still a newcomer, having registered his account not long ago and barely passing the beginner's tutorial.

The game offered countless dungeons to choose from, with the simplest being a duo dungeon and the most complex accommodating a five-player team. Each dungeon came in two difficulty levels: normal and challenge.

The game developers had thoughtfully catered to the solitary players by introducing single-player dungeons. However, since Reveler World encouraged teamwork, these dungeons were available only at the challenge level, with no normal difficulty option.

For now, he had no choice but to opt for the multi-player dungeons and form a team. The single-player challenge dungeons were beyond his current level.

Xie Yu stood in his personal game lobby. Disliking the term "lobby," he had affectionately renamed it his "living room."

Here, players could customize their space, and the comprehensive skin system was a standout feature of the game.

Within the living room, he could access the game menu, and it was the only place to use his backpack and the marketplace.

There were other features he had yet to delve into.

Sitting on the living room bench, Xie Yu swiped his right hand to open the team queue. His eyes quickly scanned the options before settling on a five-person dungeon.

Forming a team was swift, thanks to the game's vast player base. In the blink of an eye, his team was assembled.

"Welcome to the new world."

Following his bold entrance declaration, Xie Yu's world went black as the living room lights flickered off. The space around him plunged into darkness. After a three-second countdown, a burst of color, like oil paint, splashed before his eyes, signaling his arrival inside the dungeon.

He swept his gaze around and realized he was standing on the edge of a street, with four others nearby.

It dawned on him that these were likely his teammates for this run—a five-person dungeon. He wondered about the skill level of the four players.

Two men and two women stood close by, and it was clear that they were two separate teams, with him being the only solo player.

The group of five lingered at the roadside, where only a handful of pedestrians wandered, no cars in sight, and newspapers scattered about, giving the place a desolate air.

Directly across from them stood a striking red house that didn't quite fit in with the other buildings. Xie Yu didn't need to guess; it was obvious that the Redhouse was the true dungeon map.

The surroundings were merely a detailed addition to the main map.

Xie Yu quickly took in the scene, then turned his attention to his teammates.

In a five-person dungeon, if his teammates were all novices, he wasn't confident he could lead them all to a successful completion.

"I'm new here and still getting the hang of things, so I'm counting on your support," Xie Yu said with a slight squint, addressing the two couples with a steady voice. "There's nothing of value around here. Our actual map for this mission is likely inside the Redhouse over there."

The four split off naturally into their pairs, and Xie Yu felt a bead of cold sweat form on his brow.

Glancing at the white ID hovering above his head, his sweat broke out anew.

Their IDs read "Love me, are you scared?" and "Love you, I'm not scared," "Be good," and "Make a fuss."

He was done for. He had encountered something far worse than newbie players.

Couple gamers.

They were the ultimate adversaries in any game.

Each girl clung to her boyfriend's arm, leaving Xie Yu awkwardly in the middle. But he wasn't bothered. Since they seemed indifferent to him, he decided to approach this as if it were a solo dungeon.

If he just considered them as NPCs, he could still make it through.

"Hey, why are you wandering off?"

The male gamer on the left broke the silence first.

Xie Yu paused and turned around, a hint of surprise on his face.

"Just now, I was trying to talk to you all, and you completely ignored me." There was a touch of innocence in Xie Yu's eyes as he waved the newspaper he was holding. "See, that Redhouse over there stands out from everything else, and all the background details are connected to it."

Strutting with a bravado that screamed "I'm not afraid to love you," it was unclear where his confidence stemmed from—perhaps it was the support from his girlfriend standing next to him.

"You know, barging in there might set off some trap and get us all in trouble," he cautioned.

While speaking, he glanced at the name floating above Xie Yu's head. It was plain, the kind that suggested a casual player who took a laid-back approach to the game.

Xie Yu's ID read "Resignation."

"The newspaper on the ground contains the game instance's background and mission objectives. You should pick it up and give it a read—it's pretty helpful," Xie Yu advised.

Don't Be Foolish glanced at the newspaper by his feet. Meanwhile, Widget and Noisy, who were rather inconspicuous, had already picked up their copies. Though it was their first time tackling this dungeon, they had done their homework on the basic strategies and understood the game's mechanics.

In Reveler World, each game instance was unique, with background narratives randomly placed anywhere—a bus stop sign, a flyer on a telephone pole at the entrance of the game lobby, or like this instance, written on a newspaper.

"Welcome to the Redhouse."