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Chapter - 2
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"Continue introducing the next race." Ye Shi glanced at the cat, which had started licking its fur uncontrollably. He watched as the cat froze, as if triggered by some command, and unwillingly resumed the introduction.
"Next is the human race," the cat said, using its paw to point in the air. Ye Shi immediately noticed his appearance change once again. "The human race looks pretty much the same as you, nothing special, but you can choose to enhance your physique, making yourself taller and stronger, or the opposite."
Ye Shi looked at the model in front of him, which had no real changes compared to his real-life body, except for the face that had become extraordinarily ordinary. He coldly said, "Next."
The black cat, looking as if it dared not express its anger, extended its paw and pointed again. "Next..." The cat’s ears suddenly twitched, and its tail swayed with a slightly different rhythm, even its voice taking on a tone of smugness. "Next is the greatest race, the Spirit Cat Race! Tsk, look at this agile body, strong physique! And these incredibly beautiful ears and tail! Even on you, it makes you look more appealing… Of course, still nowhere near as great as mine!" The black cat excitedly circled the model, changing poses so Ye Shi could appreciate its appearance from every angle.
Ye Shi glanced at the model, which now had a pair of white cat ears sprouting from its head and a fluffy white tail flicking behind it. He almost couldn't stop the twitch at the corner of his mouth but eventually calmed himself and said, "Next."
"You’re not satisfied?!" The black cat cried in an incredulous tone, its voice rising in pitch. "What’s wrong with it? No race is stronger, more beautiful, or more mysterious than the Spirit Cat Race! What’s your problem with it—"
The cat continued to voice its complaints, but Ye Shi shot it a cold look, and the complaining gradually quieted.
"…Next is the Sea Demon Race." The black cat finally continued its “tour guide” role, but it seemed to have lost its enthusiasm. "The Sea Demon Race has fish-like tails, and their faces are covered with scales. They're monsters, but they smell delicious." The black cat's eyes lit up as it stared at the model’s tail, which was swishing occasionally.
Ye Shi examined the model in front of him. The randomly generated face now had pearlescent fish scales on the cheeks, and the lower body had transformed into a sea-blue fish tail.
Ye Shi showed no clear sign of preference, neither liking nor disliking the appearance, but simply nodded at the black cat, signaling it to continue.
"…No comment then." The black cat muttered, dissatisfied with his lack of respect, but it had no choice but to proceed with the introduction.
"Next, there’s the Phantom Race, Abyss Race, Winged Race, and Wood Spirit Race. Shall I show them to you one by one?" The cat looked at him with its blue eyes, and Ye Shi could almost sense a question coming from those feline eyes.
Ye Shi nodded, waiting for its explanation.
"The Phantom Race is more like a wandering spirit race. They always have a cold, eerie vibe, which I don’t like." The cat said while wrinkling its nose.
Ye Shi observed, noticing that the model in front of him now had a semi-transparent, almost ghost-like quality, with pale skin that gave an unsettling feeling.
"The Abyss Race, as the name suggests, is a race born from the abyss. Their features include red eyes, magical patterns, and a pair of horns on their heads, though it’s said they can hide them when not in use." Ye Shi glanced at the black cat's expression and noticed it seemed somewhat fearful.
"The Winged Race mostly has handsome appearances, but they’re all rather boring. Their distinguishing feature is a pair or several pairs of white wings, and the number of wings seems to be related to their power."
"The Wood Spirit Race is a race that’s close to plants and the earth. Their feature is that they can turn their fingers into tree branches, but they can hide that form, so they look pretty much like humans." The black cat finished its explanation and looked at Ye Shi with its bright blue eyes, no longer speaking.
"Is it over?" After receiving a positive response, Ye Shi nodded and began to consider his choices.
Actually, from the earlier introductions, he already had a preference, but he still needed some further confirmation.
"Is the only difference between races their appearance?"
"Meow. Not just that. Different races have traits and abilities they excel at, but those will be for you to explore freely later on." The black cat, which had been lazily stretching, was interrupted by Ye Shi's question and froze for a moment before answering.
Ye Shi nodded to show that he understood. After thinking for a moment, he stated his choice: "I choose the Wood Spirit Race."
The black cat immediately straightened up and asked once more, "Are you sure you want to choose the Wood Spirit Race?"
Ye Shi looked into its eyes and nodded again, saying, "I'm sure."
[Player race has been confirmed.]
The black cat’s expression suddenly became blank, and it spoke in a robotic tone, as if delivering a confirmation.
[Please enter player name.]
Ye Shi hesitated for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating smile and said, "Long Sleep, Never Awake."
[Player name: Long Sleep, Never Awake. Confirm? Yes/No]
He reached out and clicked "Yes."
Suddenly, Ye Shi felt his perspective shift. The scene where the models had been displayed vanished, and the light around him intensified, causing him to instinctively squint his eyes.
Ye Shi felt his body rise, and a gentle breeze flowed around him. The light outside his closed eyelids gradually dimmed, then brightened again. A mechanical voice echoed in his ears: "Welcome, Long Sleep, Never Awake, to 'Sidrella.' We hope you have a pleasant experience."
Slowly, he opened his eyes, squinting a little, and finally took in the scene before him.
He was in a vast town constructed with intertwining giant trees. The tree canopies sprawled across the sky, their branches and leaves entangled, but gaps between them allowed sunlight to filter through, creating scattered, round patches of light on the ground. It was as if the people walking there were stepping on the stars themselves.
There were more people around than he expected, probably because the game had just launched. Various races were either standing or sitting, and the air was filled with a noisy mix of conversations and calls.
"..." Ye Shi exhaled deeply and spotted a blue exclamation mark floating in the distance. He guessed that it marked the location of the beginner quest. As he navigated through the crowded scene, he tried to find a gap in the mass of people to reach the NPC guiding new players.
"..." After struggling through the dense crowd for fifteen minutes, Ye Shi finally managed to approach the NPC. Along the way, he’d thought countless times about logging off instead.
Stay calm. Working is like this, even in the game. As a reluctant "professional player," Ye Shi still pressed on, determined to fight for a chance to speak with the newbie NPC before the other players did.
The NPC finally turned to Ye Shi. The elderly man, who appeared kind and gentle, was dressed in a manner that blended perfectly with the green, tree-lined town. His loose robe draped over his slightly hunched back, and prominent embroidery of wheat stalks and tree leaves, symbols of crops, were visible, giving the impression of rough hemp fabric. He wore a comfortable-looking pair of grass sandals.
The elderly man leaned on a cane entwined with branches, smiling kindly as he addressed Ye Shi: "This town, the City of Tree Shade, hasn’t seen so many outsiders in a long time. Since ‘He’ disappeared, no one from the outside has come to this hidden town."
The old man looked at Ye Shi, as if waiting for a response. Ye Shi pressed his lips together and asked, "He?"
The old man nodded, clearly pleased that Ye Shi had asked, and continued, "Yes. Since the ancient and mysterious ruler ‘Sidrella’ disappeared suddenly before the creation of the world, this town has been essentially forgotten. We no longer know what happens outside."
"He was the most powerful ruler of ancient times. It's said that with a simple gesture, he could destroy an entire town. After he commanded his servant on the ground to create a new world, he suddenly vanished, and his presence has not been seen since."
"At first, people were terrified. They hid in their towns, afraid that this ruler might return and use this world as nourishment for his new world. But two thousand seven hundred years have passed, and his figure has never appeared again. So, various races became active once more—some worshipped that ruler and sought his whereabouts; some were curious about the truth and searched for answers; others believed he had fallen or disappeared and sought his trace in hopes of finding powerful treasures and abilities."
"These people call themselves 'Pursuers.' Young one, do you have the same goal?"
After listening to the old man's story, Ye Shi realized that this was likely the game's background lore, and he nodded in response.
"But the pursuit is dangerous. If you're not a strong enough 'Pursuer,' you might fall before reaching the end. As a beginner Pursuer, my advice is that you might want to focus on improving either your combat strength or your survival abilities. Which path do you lean towards?"
Ye Shi thought for a moment, understanding the old man's suggestion, and decisively answered: "I choose to improve my survival ability." This decision had already been made when he understood the old man's words. There were two reasons: first, many players would rush to level up combat professions at the start of the game, but as a rare crafting profession, materials for making and gathering items would undoubtedly give him numerous opportunities to earn money.
Second, he was afraid of pain.
Ye Shi frowned, thinking that since this was a full-dive game, combat would inevitably involve facing monster attacks. Even if the pain could be minimized, the sight of strange and grotesque creatures rushing at him would still be terrifying.
He wasn’t aiming to play the game at a high level; he just wanted to "stay alive" and pass the time, alone.
Given these thoughts, choosing to be a life skill player, gathering materials and wealth, was clearly a very good choice. Moreover, he enjoyed the process of crafting and gathering, allowing his mind to relax as he waited for the finished products.
Becoming a well-rounded life player, earning enough to make ends meet, and spending time idly alone—Ye Shi clenched his fists. That was his entire plan.
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