Matryoshka Off-Limits Chapter 26

Chapter 26 Virtual World

<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>

Exit to instance 1332.

Within a day, the list of players who went in turned gray, making many people feel numb. In this second-round endgame of all villains, only two players remained.

The green light above the gate blinked, showing that it was about to open. News about the completion of the【Night of the Horror Ancient Castle】instance spread quickly throughout the entire city. If it wasn’t for the fact that the exit at No. 1332 was near the city center, lower-level players wouldn’t dare to enter this area dominated by guilds, otherwise, more people would have come in.

All the curious eyes gathered on the figure walking out, as if wanting to understand everything.

After leaving the brightness, a graceful woman appeared first. A’Ling felt a bit weak. She suffered severe injuries in the instance and couldn’t fully recover right away.

Even though she knew many players were outside, being surrounded by major guilds and numerous players didn’t feel pleasant.

Before going out through the gate, A’Ling looked around. The system confirmed the victory of the real bride’s faction. Pei Wenwei definitely won, but why hadn’t she seen the other person’s figure yet?

……

In the dazzling bright light, Wen Shi had to tightly close his eyes.

He had stayed in a separate space for too long, even starting to doubt if the game was bugged, leaving him stranded.

“1, 2, 3… 69…” Silently counting to seventy seconds, the familiar mechanical voice finally appeared, carrying an unprecedented coldness and a hint of excitement.

—— “Player 460872, please note that the task you received earlier,【Delete File No. 82】, is a special and rare mission and will remain active.”

—— “Player 460872, please note that you have triggered the special 3S-level instance prerequisite【Big Factory】”

—— “Player 460872, please note that this instance is an A+ level team battle, so be prepared to join the match within a week.”

After the final announcement, the white light enveloping Wen Shi completely dissipated. He finally appeared at the exit gate.

He was still wearing the same outfit from the previous instance. The white coat he used to lure monsters on the first night mysteriously returned to him, covered in mottled bloodstains, with his glasses hanging around his collar.

Wen Shi remained silent. His light-colored thin lips were tightly pursed, and his naturally alluring peach blossom eyes gave him a magnetic aura, as if he had walked out of a horror movie as a lunatic doctor.

He didn’t know where this place was, but the world seemed excessively crowded. Looking up, countless figures stood outside the gate, many of them dressed strangely, such as a burly man carrying an axe on his back, a colorful-haired girl, and middle-aged people with tattoos on their faces making it hard to identify their genders… The common trait among them was that they were all staring at him.

Far behind stood dozens of tall buildings, and Wen Shi could vaguely see a functioning Ferris wheel. The sky was burdened with thick leaden clouds, seeming thousands of meters thick, as if they could collapse these structures at any moment.

His expression remained unchanged as he kept walking forward.

This attitude made those observing Wen Shi somewhat puzzled. Almost every player had a hint of confusion during their rookie period, especially after coming to the virtual world, the mixture of post-disaster survival joy interweaved into an undeniable sense of hesitation.

However, in this newbie, there was no sign of bewilderment at all.

While others hesitated, the members from the second largest guild had no such reservations. The burly ax-wielding man was about to speak out boldly but was stopped by a glance from the vice guild leader.

With this momentary pause, they missed the opportunity to approach Wen Shi. A member of the Seventh Commandment Guild was the first to reach Wen Shi. “Hello.”

Wen Shi didn’t reply to him.

People from the top ten guilds were used to being respected. They had never been neglected like this. The newcomer couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

Wen Shi suddenly asked, “If the number turns gray, does it mean they’re dead?”

In the huge projection, he accurately found the instance 【Night of the Horror Ancient Castle】 . Currently, it was the only one marked in red, followed by a status bar showing: 【Completed】

The newcomer nodded. “Yes.”

Wen Shi appeared thoughtful.

Only two numbers were still lit up, one was his, and the other undoubtedly belonged to A’Ling.

Zhao Sanjie died at the hands of Xie Tangyan, and the other two players who chose the Earl’s faction must have perished due to their faction’s defeat. Wen Shi immediately thought of the upcoming team battle instance. With team battles, there were factions, and based on the trend, once the faction you’re in loses, everyone in that team dies.

A’Ling was heavily injured and had already left earlier.

Lacking understanding of this world, Wen Shi began contemplating where to go next.

“Little Brother, how about I show you around?” The member of the Seventh Commandment Guild extended the invitation again.

Wen Shi finally looked at him directly. It was natural for people to be curious when a newbie emerges from a deadly endgame, but it shouldn’t lead to such persistence. If they were simply curious about the instance’s content, they could have stopped A’Ling and asked her as well.

Wen Shi: “What are you after?”

Never expecting such directness, the member of the Seventh Commandment Guild lowered his voice and spoke as gently as possible, “I’d like to ask you about things inside the game.”

After pondering for a few seconds, Wen Shi said with deliberation, “I’m afraid what you’re interested in is not the instance I just came out of.”

As soon as this statement came out, the member of the Seventh Commandment Guild first looked puzzled, then immediately said, “You…”

Judging from his reaction and the fleeting greed on the faces of the surrounding people, Wen Shi knew he hadn’t guessed wrong. He didn’t know what had happened, but these people must have already learned about the news regarding the clue to the special 3S-level instance.

“Excuse me.” Wen Shi didn’t want to engage in this conversation and walked past the member of the Seventh Commandment Guild.

This action visibly angered the guild member, who retorted, “You have no manners!”

Laughter, even more disrespectful, interrupted the threat from behind. A bespectacled man walked forward and said, “Why are you so worked up? Haven’t seen your guild being polite either.”

Seeing the approaching man, the member of the Seventh Commandment Guild’s expression changed multiple times but eventually remained silent.

Lean and ordinary-looking, yet possessing the most formidable presence Wen Shi had ever seen. While examining the bespectacled man, the man handed him a communicator. “My contact information is inside. Get in touch later.”

The communicator sold for a hundred points in the in-game store.

One couldn’t deny that this man had an excellent sense of propriety. Seeing the man who was scolded earlier unable to retort, Wen Shi could judge that the bespectacled man held a high status.

After giving him the item, the bespectacled man left with the burly ax-wielding man.

Before leaving, the burly man looked around. The First Commandment Guild had only sent one member who stayed at the outskirts, seemingly not intending to interfere for now. The only guild capable of restraining theirs didn’t appear. After this encounter, few would dare to openly approach the newbie to strike up conversations.

Wen Shi smoothly left the square and received a game notification sound.

“Reminder: Killing or causing harm is strictly forbidden in the virtual world. Once such behavior is detected, immediate elimination will occur before action.”

This rule was similar to the one in the instance and mainly applied to powerful figures, but for Wen Shi, it was fantastical.

Wen Shi entered the nearest hotel.

Buildings here were up for sale, and the top hotels in the city were almost all contracted by the top three guilds.

Staying in a hotel required points. The moment Wen Shi entered, everyone dining on the first floor turned to look at him. The hotel manager personally approached him, “The vice guild leader instructed that all your expenses here will be covered.”

Wen Shi: “Vice guild leader?”

“The person who provided you the contact information earlier.”

Wen Shi was someone who liked to get a free lunch before considering the cost, so he didn’t refuse this gesture of goodwill.

The manager led him to the guest room. While entering the elevator, Wen Shi asked curiously, “Do you have to go into the instance as well?”

“Of course.” The manager laughed. “I am also a player. There are ten managers who take turns in the hotel.”

The guest room was the standard of a presidential suite. The manager didn’t disturb him and left after showing him to the door.

Wen Shi pulled up a chair and sat down, opening the panel to find an automatically issued “Virtual World Guide” in his backpack. He quickly flipped through it and found the map most useful. The guide mentioned the ability to exchange tickets back to the real world in the in-game store, costing only a hundred points per trip, with a maximum duration of twenty-four hours each time.

He didn’t exchange them for now, as players in the real world probably were already investigating his identity. He might be caught if he went out.

The loyalty of the Wandering Corpse increased by five points.

【Loyalty: 10

You gave him a harp, and he was delighted?】

He merely asked the Wandering Corpse to help him out of the instance, not promised to give him anything!

Wasn’t this robbery?

Reasoning with a robber wouldn’t work, so Wen Shi could only take this silent loss and console himself that the Wandering Corpse was his ally, and in the end, the harp was still in his possession. What interested him the most now was the section on【My Home】.

“Reminder: Current home is in an unopened state.”

“Reminder: Home is a warm harbor. Please find a suitable location to construct your home soon. Homes can be established in the virtual world or within instances.”

“Reminder: Spend three hundred points to enjoy the beginner’s guide for home construction. Spend five thousand points to purchase a home guardian!”

Wen Shi: “Thanks for the invitation, but I won’t buy it.”

The notification sound abruptly stopped.

Finally, his ears were quiet. Wen Shi sneered, “You think I’m a fool?”

The home was currently at level 1, and upgrading it would undoubtedly require points. Even a beginner’s guide costs three hundred points, let alone the expenses for further upgrades and acquiring land.

Besides, building it in the virtual world would attract too much attention. There was a possibility that when he returned from the next instance, his home might be invaded. With numerous powerful players, relying solely on one home guardian wouldn’t suffice. If the game suffered any damage, what if the home guardian also needed to be upgraded?

Wen Shi had it all figured out. Once he inherited the position of the direcror, he’d place his home at Frank Hospital and freeload on a piece of land. There were also a bunch of lunatics in the ward, so he’d freeload on some guards too. Everything could be leveled up. Instances were upgraded, and maybe hospitals could be upgraded too. Whenever the hospital got upgraded, the home built inside it could enjoy a free upgrade as well.

This combination of moves was incredibly cost-effective.

“I feel like I’m about to succeed in my business venture.”

He would soon become a man who could balance both career and family.

If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))

<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>