chapter 14

Cheng Miao knew that she was just a rookie right now, and she was well aware that having less curiosity was the right choice if she wanted to survive.

But these questions lingered in Cheng Miao’s mind, refusing to go away. So when she was teleported into a new round of Instance, she was still a little dazed.

This time, unlike the Abandoned Courtyard, Cheng Miao immediately noticed that she was not alone-there were several other Players around her.

Seeing familiar faces, Cheng Miao raised her eyebrows in surprise. Was this what they called a narrow road for enemies?

The Little Girl also recognized Cheng Miao, squinting her eyes but saying nothing.

The Uncle who always tried to chat was there too, sticking close to the Little Girl. He wore a plain blue shirt and baggy suit pants, looking just like an ordinary office worker.

There was also a man and a woman-the man was tall and thin with slightly long hair, giving off a gloomy vibe. The woman was rather attractive, but her expression was worse than anyone else’s, glancing around nervously.

Cheng Miao withdrew her gaze and began to carefully observe the surroundings.

Everyone was in a gigantic Wooden House, where every item was magnified about ten times, making the group look like little dwarfs who had just arrived in the land of giants.

Three beds, each as big as a small car, were lined up against the wall, with three perfectly stacked tofu-shaped pillows on top.

Standing on tiptoe, you could see a Sewing Basket on the table, filled with balls of yarn as big as a person’s head.

Several Chairs were placed in the corner, their material unclear. The green plants that were meant as decoration looked to Cheng Miao as if someone had moved a few roadside banyan trees into the house.

This was a home-or rather, a giant’s home.

Although the house was huge, the furniture was also oversized, making the room feel packed and a bit messy. But for Cheng Miao and the others, there were plenty of places to hide.

The whole house was a riot of colors-one wall was yellow, another green-so dazzling it made your eyes spin.

A window was set into the wall, and outside was a Garden. The noon sun shone high over the yard, making the colors of the flowers and grass so vivid they seemed distorted. The flowers themselves looked odd, as if made by elementary schoolers for a craft project-very perfunctory.

Another room, judging by the absurdly large pots and pans, was the Kitchen. No one knew what was inside, but a strong fishy smell wafted out in waves.

No one spoke. This Wooden House, straight out of a fairy tale, made everyone uneasy. They all waited quietly for the prompt to sound.

“Ding~ Welcome Players to the Game: Three Little Bears’ Home. Please complete Baby Bear’s wish before sunset tomorrow to clear the Game.”

“Hint: Papa Bear loves to eat fish, Mama Bear can weave clothes, and Baby Bear’s toy is missing.”

As soon as the voice finished, everyone heard heavy footsteps coming from the Garden, and from the vibrations, it was clear that something big was approaching.

Connecting the dots with the story summary, everyone’s face turned grim.

Cheng Miao slowly stepped back until her back was against the wall, slowing her breathing and staring at the tightly closed wooden door.

The others followed Cheng Miao’s lead, spreading out and standing motionless, waiting for the next part of the story.

“Roar!” A huge beast’s roar echoed off the ceiling, and when the door opened, three enormous Brown Bears appeared before them. Their thick fur gleamed like steel needles, and their hook-like claws were embedded in their massive paws.
There was no doubt that if someone took a slap, their head would explode like a watermelon.

Looking at the cold, gleaming teeth of the Brown Bear exposed outside, Cheng Miao felt a chill in her heart. Even in the real world, Brown Bears were overwhelmingly powerful, let alone in this mutated fairy tale Instance.

Everyone held their breath, afraid that the three monsters would notice them, but the Three Bears seemed oblivious to the extra little creatures in the room.

The Three Bears entered the room, closed the door, busied themselves for a while, and then climbed onto the beds.

Cheng Miao glanced at the sun outside, shining high in the sky-these Three Bears were about to take a nap.

One of the bears let out a huge yawn, which quickly spread to the other two. The Three Bears, whose full forms could only be seen by looking up, lay neatly on the beds, covered with quilts, yawning one after another.

Cheng Miao: …Thank you, that hit a strange cute spot for me.

Soon, thunderous snoring erupted from the Three Bears.

The five people all breathed a slight sigh of relief. Knowing that the Death Condition hadn’t been triggered and that their lives weren’t in danger was one thing, but when faced with such unbeatable monsters, the human instinct was still to hide.

“Well then, let’s all introduce ourselves,” the tall, thin Man gathered everyone under the table and lowered his voice. “My name is Bai Jiang.”

“I… I’m Tong Qian,” the pretty woman shrank back, edging closer to Bai Jiang and speaking softly.

“Cheng Miao.” Cheng Miao nodded slightly to the group, her eyes never leaving the Three Bears who had fallen asleep.

“Qi Jiajia.” The Little Girl glanced inexplicably at Cheng Miao as she spoke. When Cheng Miao looked over, she lowered her head with a sullen face.

The Uncle, who had been trying to maintain a kindly expression, had it ruined by the appearance of the Three Bears. His greasy face forced out a strained smile, “I’m Zhao Liang.”

The Man named Bai Jiang seemed to be a Veteran Player. He quickly scanned this temporary team, mentally tagging Zhao Liang and Tong Qian as useless, not even sparing a glance for Qi Jiajia.

Such a young child in the Game was bound to die anyway, so there was no need to pay much attention.

Bai Jiang shifted his gaze to Cheng Miao, the only one in the team who, like him, had remained calm after entering the Game. “What Dormitory type are you?”

Cheng Miao: “…Intermediate Dormitory.” It seemed all Games were random mixes of Newcomers and Veterans; her Newcomer Game had just been a Solo Game.

Bai Jiang showed a somewhat smug smile. “I’m Advanced Dormitory. This is already my fourth Game. As long as I clear this Instance, I can be promoted to Guesthouse.”

“Oh, is that so.” Cheng Miao nodded coolly. The higher the room type, the more Travel Coins were needed to upgrade. This Newcomer named Bai Jiang had apparently only stayed in Advanced Dormitory for two Instances.

Bai Jiang didn’t get the admiration from the Newcomer he wanted and was slightly frustrated.

But he quickly adjusted his mood and looked at the others. “Are you all Intermediate Dormitory?”

Tong Qian raised her hand tremblingly. “I-I’m Basic Dormitory.”

Bai Jiang glanced at Qi Jiajia in surprise, not expecting the delicate Little Girl to not be a Newcomer-maybe she got lucky in her Newcomer Game.

“Even if you’re a Newcomer, the Front Desk must have explained the Instance rules to you. During the Game, don’t act on your own. If you drag me down, I won’t hesitate to kill you first.”