2: Chapter 2 The Descent of Myriad Realms

The rental room was small, only twelve square meters, containing a single bed, a folding table, and a chair, with several boxes of instant noodles stacked in the corner. The window faced north, so it never saw sunlight; it wasn't hot in the summer, just damp.

As soon as Fatty walked in, he flopped onto the bed, causing the bed frame to emit a worrying "creak".

"Take it easy, this bed can't handle you tossing around." Chen Ergou took the VR helmet out of the box and examined it back and forth.

The helmet was lighter than he had imagined, with a silver-white shell and soft padding on the inside; it felt quite comfortable to wear. Below the front display screen was a row of indicator lights, currently flickering with a faint blue glow.

"Just put it on?" Chen Ergou asked.

"Yeah, it connects automatically once you put it on, and then you can get in." Fatty rolled over. "Oh, right, once you're in, create a character first. Pick a decent-looking ID; don't embarrass your Fatty brother."

"Got it, got it."

Chen Ergou sat on the folding chair, took a deep breath, and put on the helmet.

Everything went black.

And then—

A blinding white light exploded, and Chen Ergou instinctively closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was stunned.

He was standing in a vast, empty white space, with a translucent floor beneath his feet and an endless starry sky above his head. Countless specks of light floated all around, flickering on and off like fireflies.

The air was filled with a faint, delicate fragrance. He couldn't quite describe the scent, but it smelled incredibly pleasant.

"Welcome to 'world descent'."

A gentle female voice came from all directions; it was neither too loud nor too soft, just clear enough to hear.

"I am your guide spirit; you may call me Xiao Yue. Next, I will assist you in completing your character creation."

Chen Ergou opened his mouth, and it took him a long while to squeeze out a sentence: "Isn't this a bit too real?"

He looked down at his hands—five fingers, fingernails, palm lines, the veins on the back of his hand—everything was crystal clear. He pinched his thigh; it hurt.

One hundred percent realism; it lived up to its reputation.

"Please name your character." Xiao Yue's voice rang out again.

Chen Ergou thought for a moment. He had originally wanted to call himself "Chen Yi," but then he thought, since he was here, he might as well go with a more down-to-earth name.

"Ergous Stall," he said.

"..." The air was silent for two seconds.

"Are you sure you want to use 'Ergous Stall' as your character name?" Xiao Yue's tone seemed to carry a hint of hesitation.

"Confirmed."

"Very well, character name confirmed: Ergous Stall."

Chen Ergou grinned. Ergous Stall, Ergou's stall—how great, it sounded like someone who did business.

"Next, please select your appearance template."

A dozen translucent humanoid silhouettes appeared out of thin air before Chen Ergou: tall and mighty warriors, slender and agile elves, burly and rugged orcs—all sorts, enough to dazzle anyone.

Chen Ergou scanned them and pointed to the most ordinary-looking figure—just a plain human male, not too tall or short, not too fat or thin, the kind you couldn't pick out of a crowd.

"Let's go with this one."

"Very well, appearance template selected: ordinary human male."

Xiao Yue paused, then added: "Friendly reminder: the appearance template only affects your initial image; it can be modified later using in-game items."

"No need, no need, this one is just fine."

Chen Ergou was a practical person. What was wrong with looking ordinary? Ordinary had its benefits; it didn't attract attention or trouble, allowing one to make a fortune in silence.

"Character creation complete. Preparing to teleport to Novice Village—Bluestone Town."

"Teleportation countdown: three, two, one—"

White light shone once again. When the light faded, Chen Ergou found himself standing on a street paved with bluestone slabs.

On both sides were antique wooden buildings: restaurants, blacksmith shops, pharmacies, and general stores—everything one would need. The street was bustling with people: novice players in cloth clothes, veterans in armor, and various NPCs busy with their work—a middle-aged woman selling steamed buns, a burly man forging iron, and city guards on patrol.

The sky above was a deep blue with a few drifting white clouds, and in the distance, one could see rolling mountains and dense forests. The air smelled of earth and vegetation, and as a gentle breeze blew by, he could even feel it brushing against his cheeks.

"Holy crap..."

Chen Ergou stood where he was and spun around, his mouth wide open. This was just too realistic.

He could smell the fragrance of meat buns wafting from the bun shop by the street—a hundred times better than the ones Fatty had bought him. He could hear the "ding-ding-dang-dang" of smithing from the blacksmith shop; it had a rhythm to it, as if playing a piece of music. He could even feel the texture of the bluestone slabs beneath his feet, some spots worn smooth, others a bit rough against his soles.

"Is this what they call one hundred percent realism?" Chen Ergou muttered to himself. "It's even more real than reality."

He looked around and found the streets filled with players. Some were chatting with NPCs to accept quests, some were running toward the city gates to fight monsters, some were crouching by the roadside studying maps, and others had already begun setting up stalls.

A player wearing ornate armor rode a tall horse through the street, drawing gazes of envy.

"See that? That guy is riding a White Dragon Horse; there are only a few of them in the entire server," a nearby player whispered.

"Tch, what's so great about that? It's just money," another player said sourly.

Chen Ergou wasn't interested in any of that. He had neither a horse nor armor; he was wearing the set of coarse cloth clothes provided by the system, and his pockets were cleaner than his face.

He opened his attribute panel.

[Character: Ergous Stall] [Level: LV.1] [Class: None (Unadvanced)] [Gold: 0 Copper Coins] [HP: 100] [Attack Power: 5] [Defense: 2]

Good grief, 5 Attack Power and 2 Defense. With these stats, he probably couldn't even beat the chickens at the village entrance.

Chen Ergou sighed, closed the panel, and wandered aimlessly through the streets.

Other players were excitedly rushing out of the city gates to fight slimes, kill wild chickens, chop wood, and gather herbs, busy and enjoying themselves. Chen Ergou followed the crowd for a while, but he stopped when he reached the city gate.

Outside the city gate was a vast grassland, and in the distance, one could see groups of low-level monsters wandering about. Players rushed forward in small groups, slashing, shooting, and smashing—it was quite lively.

Chen Ergou looked at his pitiful 5 Attack Power and silently retreated.

Fight monsters? Forget it.

A "scum with a combat power of five" like him would just be serving himself up on a platter.

It was more practical to think about how to make money.

Chen Ergou walked slowly along the streets of Bluestone Town, observing as he went. He noticed quite a few players setting up stalls in town, selling all sorts of things—potions, weapons, materials, ingredients; it was a motley assortment.

But most of the stalls were deserted, with no one buying anything.

"Everyone is busy fighting monsters and leveling up right now; who's going to buy your stuff?" Chen Ergou shook his head.

He continued walking deeper into the town, going further and further off the beaten path, where fewer and fewer people were around. He passed through a narrow alley, made a turn, and arrived at a place he had never seen on the map.

It was a dead-end alley with mottled dirt walls on both sides and a few crooked weeds growing on the ground. At the end of the alley, there was a small patch of open ground about the size of a palm.

On the open ground, there sat a stall. Calling it a stall was a stretch; it was actually just a dilapidated wooden frame covered with a drab, tattered cloth. It had three legs, one of which was propped up with a brick. Beside it lay a wooden board covered in dust, looking as if no one had touched it in a long time.

But this stall, as broken as it could possibly be, was glowing.

A faint, golden light was seeping out from the gaps in the wooden frame, flickering on and off, as if it were breathing.

Chen Ergou was stunned.

He looked around, confirming that no other players noticed this place. This dead-end alley was too remote; even the NPCs didn't walk this way.

He walked slowly to the front of the stall and crouched down to take a closer look.

The golden light was emanating from the surface of the wooden frame, as if something was hidden beneath the countertop.

"What is this? A hidden quest? An Easter egg?"

Chen Ergou hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently touched the glowing surface.

Hum— A golden pillar of light shot up into the sky, illuminating the entire dead-end alley as bright as day.

Chen Ergou was startled and plopped down onto the ground.

Then, a voice rang in his mind. It wasn't the gentle female voice of Xiao Yue, but a nonchalant, slightly rogue-ish male voice that sounded like an unscrupulous peddler.

"Yo, we got work?"

Chen Ergou: "..."