Chapter 1
Chapter 1
“Succubi are dropping in the village! Get back here, now!”
A notification suddenly popped up on Zhou Ming’s phone.
He opened it at once, only for the message to change before his eyes:
*Destiny* Launches Worldwide! Complete special quests in-game for a chance to obtain a powerful succubus pet!
“Pah!”
Zhou Ming’s face fell. “Disgusting. What kind of trashy ad is this?”
With the servers about to open, he put on the gaming helmet he had prepared beside him.
*Destiny*!
It was the first game jointly developed by governments across the globe after virtual reality technology had matured. Its potential was boundless.
He would have played even without that text.
But now that he had seen such a vulgar, shameless promotion…
Well, now he had to play it properly.
“Ding!”
[System: Welcome to *Destiny*. Would you like to create a character now?]
As the crisp system chime rang out, Zhou Ming opened his eyes again and found himself inside a magnificent golden hall.
“Yes!”
He accepted without hesitation.
Ten minutes remained until launch. Players could create their characters early, then wait for the servers to go live.
“Swoosh!”
The moment Zhou Ming spoke, a young man in gray-white robes appeared in the hall. He had regular features, a tall frame, and looked exactly like Zhou Ming.
Another pleasant chime sounded.
“Ding!”
[System: You may adjust your appearance, but your attractiveness cannot be raised or lowered by more than 10%!]
Zhou Ming understood immediately and made a few adjustments.
A young man had to know how to protect himself out there, after all.
Once he was done, he submitted the changes.
“Ding!”
[System: Character created. Please enter a character name!]
“Zhouyou Shijie!”
Zhou Ming entered the name he had prepared. Character creation succeeded, and all that remained was to wait for the game to open.
He brought up the clock and focused with absolute concentration. He had to enter the instant the servers went live.
In the early game, one step ahead meant staying ahead. Otherwise, the flood of incoming players would smother every important NPC.
When the countdown reached ten seconds, he hammered the [Enter Game] button hard enough to strike sparks.
“Ding!”
[System: The game is not yet open. Please wait patiently!]
“Ding!”
[System: The game is not yet open. Please wait patiently!]
“Ding!”
[System: Welcome to *Destiny*. You have entered Tutorial Village No. 1!]
…
Tutorial Village No. 1!
Zhou Ming knew he had made it in fairly quickly.
At the same time, white flashes erupted all around him as other players scrambled into the game. The once-deserted tutorial village became a deafening sea of people in the blink of an eye.
“I’m getting crushed!”
“Party up for monster grinding! Anyone interested, get over here!”
“Gentlemen, add me for some premium videos!”
…
Quest first!
The dilapidated village felt utterly real. Zhou Ming tested his virtual body as he hurried toward the nearby village chief, an old man leaning on a cane. Remembering the text he had just received, inspiration struck.
“Grandpa Chief, I’m back to claim my succubus!”
Clatter!
As if Zhou Ming’s astonishing declaration had scared the life out of him, the chief jolted so hard that his cane fell to the ground.
“How did you learn that our village holds an Ancient Succubus captive?” he demanded in horror.
Zhou Ming fell silent.
Wait. He was serious?
“Well…” Zhou Ming scratched his head. “I heard it somewhere.”
“Then you must be the chosen one I have been waiting for!” It took the chief a long moment to recover. He retrieved his cane, studied the young man intently, then spoke in a grave voice. “But that Ancient Succubus is extremely, extremely dangerous. Do you truly wish to approach it?”
The chief had barely finished when the system chimed at precisely the right moment.
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have activated the rare hidden quest [Ancient Succubus]. Accept?]
Something this exciting right after logging in?
Zhou Ming loved it.
“I’ll be fine!” Even as a brand-new player, Zhou Ming knew exactly how valuable the words “rare hidden quest” were. He thumped his chest with confidence. “I happen to love challenging my weaknesses!”
“What courage!” The chief’s face filled with admiration. “Follow me!”
“Ding!”
[System: You have obtained the rare hidden quest [Ancient Succubus]!]
[Ancient Succubus] (Difficulty: A)
[Description: This demon is beyond the abilities of ordinary people. You are still young. Do not stray down the wrong path.]
[Objective: Help her escape.]
[Quest Reward: Unknown]
…
After arranging for the other NPCs to speak with the adventurers, the chief led Zhou Ming to a nearby thatched hut. A teleportation array lay inside.
“Stand within the array, and I can take you to where the succubus is being held.” The chief’s expression was deadly serious. “Be careful. You may be ravaged beyond recognition!”
“Don’t worry!”
Zhou Ming puffed out his chest and strode into the array with powerful steps, determination filling his eyes. “I’m rock-solid all over. I can handle any kind of ravaging!”
“Such bravery!”
The chief found the young man more impressive by the second. Without further hesitation, he activated the teleportation array, and dazzling light engulfed Zhou Ming.
…
“Swoosh!”
When Zhou Ming looked up again, he found himself in a tunnel mottled with shifting light and shadow. A spacetime passage, most likely.
“Sshk!”
Silver light flashed in the distance. Before he could react, his vision blurred.
“Ding!”
[System: You have been struck by a restriction and lost ??? HP. You have died! (Note: As you are still under beginner protection, there is currently no resurrection cooldown.)]
“Hiss!”
Zhou Ming respawned in the tutorial village and sucked in a cold breath.
Damn it!
It was over the moment he went in?
The quest was still active. Refusing to accept defeat, Zhou Ming retraced his steps and entered the hut again.
“Why are you out here?” The chief stared at him in confusion. “Didn’t I just send you inside?”
“The teleportation array is old and poorly maintained. It must have malfunctioned.”
Zhou Ming stepped onto it again. “Let’s try that one more time.”
“…All right!”
The chief believed him. With his full attention on the task, he activated the array and sent Zhou Ming back to the succubus’s prison.
“Phew!”
The chief wiped the sweat from his brow, deeply relieved. “There shouldn’t be any problem this time!”
Creak.
The door swung open.
Under the chief’s dumbfounded stare, Zhou Ming walked in without a trace of emotion.
“Again.”
…
Again and again and again.
Zhou Ming’s death count climbed at terrifying speed.
He now possessed a much deeper understanding of this Difficulty A rare hidden quest.
The ravaging was so intense it had sent him straight to heaven. Repeatedly.
It was not until his twelfth trip into the spacetime passage that Zhou Ming finally stopped triggering the restriction.
This time, he made it through the tunnel and reached his destination.
It was a run-down village, clearly different from the tutorial village. The place was empty and deserted. The only things worth noticing were two trees in the distance.
One was a peach tree.
The other was also a peach tree.
“Ding!”
[System: You have entered [Taoyuan Village]!]
“Shing, shing, shing!”
The faint song of a sword drifted through the air.
Zhou Ming approached. Beneath one of the peach trees, a slender silver-haired girl was practicing with a sword. She wore a long snow-white dress. Her delicate brows and flawless, crystalline skin seemed to glow beneath the sun, giving her an ethereal purity untouched by the mortal world.
She was breathtaking. Zhou Ming studied her carefully and glimpsed a pair of long, elegant, pointed ears beneath her smooth curtain of hair.
As expected of a succubus!
His respect soared.
The girl had noticed his arrival long ago. One light step carried her instantly in front of him, as if she had teleported.
“Who are you?” Her voice flowed like a clear spring.
“I’m Zhouyou Shijie!” Zhou Ming kept a respectful distance. After introducing himself, he asked cautiously, “Are you the Ancient Succubus?”
As he spoke, he tried the universal skill every new player received: Inspect.
[???]
Excellent. Nothing but question marks.
“Ancient Succubus?” The girl shook her head in bewilderment.
“Is there anyone else here?”
“No.”
Zhou Ming fell silent.
In that case, she could only be the person he was looking for!
“If you find the Ancient Succubus, leave at once,” the girl warned him. “This place is dangerous.”
Then she resumed her sword practice.
Zhou Ming watched for a while. Once he was sure she had no plans to ravage him mercilessly, he tried making conversation.
“Have you always lived here alone?”
The girl did not answer.
“Doesn’t it get lonely?”
Still no answer.
Zhou Ming drew a deep breath and decided to get straight to the point.
“I want to take you away from here!”
…