Even if she had opened the door and seen a giant dragon, Sheng Sheng's expression wouldn't have changed in the slightest.
—It's just a dragon. It's not like she hadn't fought one before.
But everything beyond the door was utterly ordinary.
There was no boss. No Goddess of Light. No room full of forbidden spells.
The legendary, mysterious third floor of the Priest Association was actually just a modest study.
The furnishings were simple: a desk, several bookshelves, a chandelier, two chairs, and—
An extremely old man.
When the old man saw Sheng Sheng, he even smiled and greeted her.
"[Song Unending], you're finally back!"
Sheng Sheng stared at the doddering old man in front of her, speechless.
—All those players who had speculated endlessly should be grateful they never got the chance to reach the third floor.
This felt like spotting a handsome man from behind—slim waist, long legs, upright posture—only to see his face and realize he looked like Guo Degang.
TL: Guo Degang is a Chinese comedian... Look him up.
Sheng Sheng: …Sorry to bother you.
Antonio had no idea what she was thinking. He motioned for her to sit across from him at the desk and said with a smile, "My dear child, I can sense that your control over power has improved. These past few days of training outside must have yielded good results?"
Sheng Sheng had no words.
If being forced to solo a thousand goblins counted as training, then yes—it had been very effective.
She replied succinctly, "Thanks to you."
Antonio smiled kindly and poured her a cup of black tea.
"This is the finest black tea the Association has. Try it."
Sheng Sheng scratched her head and gulped down more than half the cup in one go—she genuinely didn't know how to appreciate tea. If it wasn't sweet enough like milk tea, or fizzy enough like soda, what was the point?
But the moment the tea went down—
[System]: Congratulations on completing Antonio's Trial Quest (Part 1). Reward: Silver Coins x20.
[System]: Congratulations, player [Song Unending] has leveled up.
A flash of white light passed over Sheng Sheng as her level rose to 14.
Sheng Sheng: …
NPCs were giving quest rewards this subtly now?
That tea was ridiculous—one gulp gave her 20% experience. She quickly took another sip, this time much more delicately.
Sheng Sheng: I am an elegant person.
—Unfortunately, the system allowed no loopholes. Big gulps gave more experience; small sips gave less. Extremely strict. Very scientific.
Sheng Sheng: …
She angrily finished the rest of the tea in one go.
Checking her experience bar again—it was already at 60%.
All told, the quest had given her a full level and 20 silver coins.
One silver coin equaled ten copper coins. Converted to real money, that was 200 yuan.
In this world's prices, 200 yuan covered a normal person's food expenses for an entire week.
An incredibly generous reward.
Three straight days of goblin-grinding resentment instantly evaporated.
Sheng Sheng: Talking about quests hurts feelings—but if the money's good, please, let's talk more!
She never expected that thought to immediately come true.
Antonio said, "My dear [Song Unending], your abilities satisfy me greatly. But this alone is not enough to join the ranks of our priests. Are you willing to continue the trial?"
Sheng Sheng: …
What else could she do? Of course she agreed.
[System]: Go to Frostwind Forest and locate the hidden Dark Altar. Clear the altar dungeon and collect Dark Bat Wings (0/10).
PS: Dungeon difficulty is high. You may seek companions (0/1). This bat is highly poisonous. Do not consume.
After reading the quest description, Sheng Sheng looked disgusted.
Everything before was fine, but what was that last line about eating bats?
Earth Online did have a hunger system, but there were plenty of taverns and restaurants—tasty food, cheap prices.
After leaving Antonio, Sheng Sheng checked into an inn in Kaedelin City. The NPC service was impeccable—even hot pot and spicy skewers were available.
After washing up and eating a delicious meal, life felt perfect.
Sheng Sheng: Seriously, in this situation, what kind of idiot player would go eat a bat?
…
Meanwhile, in a nearby city, inside a villa.
The man leaned against the headboard. The room lights were off; only a massive wall-mounted screen emitted a dim blue glow, outlining his tall figure and the sharp, cold contours of half his face.
Images flickered across the screen. In the shifting light, the man's thin, well-shaped lips pressed together slightly—his mood clearly not great.
At that moment—
The half-closed door was shoved open. A young man rushed in, shouting, "Uncle! I heard you're going to play that full-dive game too?!"
When it came to full-dive games, there was only one in the world. No need to even mention the name.
Without waiting for a reply, the young man muttered, "I know the higher-ups are really pushing this game, but sending you in too is a bit much, isn't it? Killing a chicken with a butcher's knife!"
The man labeled a "butcher's knife": …
He put down the controller and said coldly, "Ling Xingxing, if you're done, you can leave."
TL: Xingxing like "Little Star". Usually a child's nickname.
"Uncle! I told you, my name is Ling Xing!" the youth wailed, rushing over. "I heard you wanted to play the game, so I came to give you some tips!"
The man didn't look away from the screen. "Not needed. Leave."
Ling Xingxing refused to listen. "An army marches on its stomach! If you're going to play, you should at least know the basics, right?"
Earth Online's official team guarded information tighter than hackers. Forget special treatment for tycoons—even basic guides had to be discovered in-game.
The man glanced at him and flicked the controller. The screen switched to a webpage.
Ling Xingxing looked closely—it was Earth Online's official forum.
"As expected of you, Uncle!" he exclaimed. "Way more thorough than a clueless kid like me."
He rolled his eyes. "I've been browsing the forum too. There's a lot of interesting stuff. Have you seen this post?"
Using a spare remote, he highlighted a pinned, red-hot thread.
Title — "Shocking! A beautiful woman does something unspeakable to a man in front of a crowd!"
The man: …
Ling Xingxing coughed. "Clickbait. Gotta keep it short or no one reads."
Opening the post revealed that the title had nothing to do with the content.
The main post contained only a video.
A PK video between a female priest and a male archer.
Their in-game names were blurred, but their faces were not. Combined with the shameful title, the poster's conscience was clearly Schrödinger's conscience.
The archer looked ordinary. The priest, however, was strikingly beautiful.
Skin like white jade. Her peach-blossom eyes—normally misty—were sharp during battle. Especially the faint tear mole at the corner of her eye, adding to her vivid allure.
When he saw her face, the man's pupils shrank slightly.
The video was short. It began with a standoff, then the priest charged. The archer retreated and landed one hit. Then he suddenly stopped—apparently hit by a skill. The priest followed up with two attacks. The archer was instantly killed.
In the darkness, Ling Xingxing failed to notice the subtle change in the man. He continued commenting, "This is pretty interesting—two skills to one-shot the archer. Holy Light Orb does garbage damage, so the other skill must be terrifying. Too bad the priest's mechanics are kinda average. Otherwise it'd be an even better clip…"
Who didn't love the thrill of an instant kill?
"Her mechanics aren't average," the man suddenly said.
Ling Xingxing: "…She just rushed in and cast skills."
The priest's short legs made her running look awkward—staff in hand—hardly impressive.
The man ignored him. "She had to make the archer move."
If the archer hadn't been moving, she couldn't have predicted his path to place the control skill.
He paused the video and slowed it to 0.5x. One could clearly see a lightning orb suddenly appear beneath the archer's feet—bright and anything but subtle.
If it hadn't been placed in advance while the archer was relaxed, anyone with normal eyesight would've noticed it.
"Her skill usage wasn't random either." The man resumed playback. "After the archer was controlled, she didn't immediately cast. She advanced two steps—she knows her skill ranges very well. And she only used one Holy Light Orb, meaning she'd already calculated his HP."
Ling Xingxing was stunned.
After a long pause, he blurted, "Uncle… haven't you never played games before?"
The uncle who used to focus solely on making money—and never touched games—was analyzing this like a pro, while he could only think "awkward."
The man glanced at him. "This doesn't require gaming experience. Anyone with a brain can see it."
Ling Xingxing: …
Ling Xingxing: Fine. I'll die quietly.
"Nothing else? Then leave."
Ling Xingxing hesitated. "One last question."
The man looked at him.
Backing toward the door, Ling Xingxing asked carefully, "Uncle… did you fall for that female priest?"
—He'd always been expressionless, even when beautiful socialites fake-fell in front of him. He'd just step over them. But now, after Ling Xingxing casually criticized the priest once, his uncle immediately jumped in to explain.
And she really was beautiful. A rare kind.
The more Ling Xingxing thought about it, the more certain he became. Based on over ten years of single experience, Uncle Ling Yu definitely had something going on.
But in reality, he didn't dare wait for an answer. After dropping that bomb, he bolted.
Ling Yu: …
Ling Xingxing: As long as I run fast enough, wounded Uncle can't hit me!