To live or to die.
The Pale Land.
Cheng Huan sat on a bench, watching the Taskers passing before her and the Assistant Systems flitting to and fro.
Her gaze was fixed on the face of every Tasker, trying to find some trace of familiarity.
[Host, you won’t find that person this way. After a Tasker enters a Mission World, their appearance, build, gender, and even memories can be altered.] Little Hedgehog said.
Ever since Cheng Huan had withdrawn from the first Retirement Experience World, she had been sitting in the Pale Land, watching the constant stream of Taskers, wondering if she might run into that “Tasker”.
Cheng Huan had stayed in that world for so long, and her time with Lu Qing’an hadn’t been short. Yet she hadn’t detected that Lu Qing’an was a Tasker; even Little Hedgehog had been unable to probe that fact.
Now, hearing Little Hedgehog’s words, Cheng Huan was puzzled. “Changing appearance, build, and gender, I know all about that. But how can memories be altered too?”
Cheng Huan had completed over a hundred missions, always carrying her original self’s memories into them. This allowed her to maintain her sense of self while doing the tasks, reducing the probability of losing herself and falling into a trap during the mission.
“Wait?” A flash of insight struck Cheng Huan. “She couldn’t have been on an Immersive Mission, right?”
Little Hedgehog: [Probably. Only in Immersive Mission Mode does a Tasker have their original memories sealed while doing the mission, beginning the task autonomously as a ‘native’ character within the Mission World.]
Cheng Huan let out a breath. “I didn’t expect to actually meet an Immersive Tasker. People who dare to take on that kind of insanely tricky and difficult mission mode all possess powerful wills and hearts like solid rock.”
There were many mission modes a Tasker could choose from. The points earned varied, as did the difficulties encountered.
Immersive Mission Mode was considered one of the most difficult among the numerous A-Grade missions.
The difficulty of this mode didn’t lie in mortal danger or an extremely low completion rate. Its greatest danger was that it was the most likely to cause a Tasker to sink into illusion, lose themselves, and finally, their emotions would become disordered and their soul would collapse.
Which was precisely why the points reward for Immersive Mission Mode was absurdly high, yet the Taskers who dared to undertake it were few and far between.
Cheng Huan opened her data panel and pulled up the Points Leaderboard currently displayed in the Mission Hall. Her gaze halted on the top ten Taskers.
“A Tasker who dares to do Immersive Missions must have their own abilities and skills. ‘She’ has to be among those who can rank in the top ten right now.” Cheng Huan clicked on each Tasker’s name, but the information she saw was minimal.
The Main System kept the personal information of all Taskers confidential. Outsiders could only see a Tasker’s points, mission mode, and mission success rate.
Currently, there were five Taskers listed with the Immersive Mission Mode tag, and only three of them had relatively high success rates.
Both men and women were among them.
Cheng Huan thought back to the moment Lu Qing’an vanished. The world hadn’t collapsed; it had merely stopped. That signified a mission success.
Little Hedgehog looked at the three Taskers with the high success rates and asked: [Host, are you going to go verify them one by one?]
Cheng Huan closed the data panel and shook her head. “No need.”
Little Hedgehog was confused. [Why not? Doesn’t Host want to go see her good friend?]
It had heard its host refer to “her” as a friend. Why avoid her now?
Cheng Huan gently rubbed the tips of her fingers together. “I’m about to retire. Different paths mean no common ground.”
Some feelings… she just needed to remember them herself. There was no need to burden others.
Little Hedgehog said nothing more.
Cheng Huan didn’t rush to select her next Retirement Experience World. Instead, she planned to rest in the Pale Land for a few days.
Every Tasker had their own personal space in the Pale Land, used for rest and recuperation.
After just two days of rest, Cheng Huan was about to go pick another Retirement Experience World. As she was passing by the Mission Hall, an old acquaintance called out to her.
“Cheng Huan?”
Cheng Huan turned around and looked at Yin Mu, who was running towards her. She smiled. “Just finished a mission?”
“Mm-hmm, this mission was simple. Didn’t take much time at all,” Yin Mu asked, “Are you heading to the Retirement Hall?”
Cheng Huan nodded. “Going to pick another Retirement Experience World. What about you? Got enough points saved up yet?”
Yin Mu: “Still short by over a hundred thousand.”
“That much?” Cheng Huan was puzzled. “Didn’t you do a few B and C-Grade missions? Why are your points decreasing instead of increasing?”
Yin Mu rubbed her nose. “The B-Grade mission before last… I accidentally killed the protagonist. The Mission World collapsed directly. Not only did I fail to earn points, I lost quite a few. Got whipped a few times in the Hall of Endless Sins, almost had to take a trip through Calamity Crossing Hall.”
“…” Cheng Huan laughed helplessly. “Alright then. A hundred thousand or so points… you’ll save enough after a few more B and C-Grade missions.”
She thought for a moment. “If you really can’t make it, you could try an Immersive Mission Mode. One success will probably net you a hundred thousand, maybe even more.”
Yin Mu waved her hand dismissively. “You think everyone is like those top rankers?”
“Recently, several Big Shots from the leaderboard have done Immersive Missions, and their points have just skyrocketed.”
Cheng Huan naturally knew who had been doing Immersive Missions, but she only smiled at this.
“But they’re still no match for Zhai Yi. Zhai Yi hasn’t done a single Immersive Mission, yet she maintains first place without dropping,” Yin Mu said, her eyes full of admiration and a sigh of envy in her voice.
Cheng Huan chuckled. “Zhai Yi’s very first mission was A-Grade. Not like us, muddling along in B and C-Grade missions every day, sometimes even clowning around in D-Grade ones. Just in terms of dedication, we can’t compare to a Big Shot like her.”
“I’m not saying I want to compare to Zhai Yi. Just expressing my inner appreciation and envy. Besides, the current second place, Zuo Le, is also very formidable.
If her points hadn’t been docked by a hundred thousand right before her last mission…
she really could have surpassed Zhai Yi this time to take first. But as it stands, the gap between them isn’t large. If Zuo Le does any random B or C-Grade mission, she can catch right back up.”
“Mm-hmm,” Cheng Huan agreed. “Work hard and earn points quickly. Retire early. Don’t keep loafing around.”
Yin Mu nodded and sighed. “Among all the current Taskers, the two of us have been around the longest. Points getting docked one moment, going up the next, back and forth. The Main System has flagged us both as troublemakers. Technically speaking, we should be considered the Seniors among many Taskers.”
“Alright, stop with the nostalgia,” Cheng Huan said. “I need to go pick a Retirement Experience World.”
“Okay, choose carefully.”
“Mm, bye-bye.”
Yin Mu raised a hand and watched Cheng Huan’s receding figure.
She had just finished a mission and was planning to head back to her personal space to rest. But as soon as she turned around, she ran right into Zuo Le, whom she and Cheng Huan had just been discussing.
Even though she hadn’t said anything bad about her, Yin Mu still felt a bit guilty. She was just about to pretend not to see Zuo Le and leave when Zuo Le called out to her.
Yin Mu’s heart skipped a beat. Her gaze wavered, but she feigned composure. “You called me?”
Zuo Le nodded. “Yes.”
Yin Mu: “Is something the matter?”
Zuo Le: “I’ve heard you are a First Generation Tasker with very senior experience in the Pale Land. I would like to consult you on a few matters. May I?”
Yin Mu raised an eyebrow, incredulous. “A Big Shot like you, ranked second on the leaderboard, is asking a slacker like me for advice?”
“Did you leave your brains behind in the Mission World when you did your task?”
Zuo Le lifted her gaze, her tone even. “Leaderboard rankings don’t necessarily prove much. You have been in the Pale Land for so long. You must know more people and have seen more things than many of those top-ranked Taskers. I see nothing wrong with seeking your advice.”
Yin Mu felt a bit light-headed from Zuo Le’s flattering words. A smile broke through, and she waved her hands sheepishly.
“Oh, it’s nothing, nothing. Just been loafing around for so long, the longer you stay, the more you pick up, hahaha.”
“What do you want to ask me?” she asked curiously.
Every Awakened individual who became a Tasker or Assistant System received a basic initiation by the Main System.
But the information they were given was limited. So they would use their points to purchase information from more experienced Taskers or Assistant Systems.
However, the more senior Taskers and Assistant Systems were shrewd and full of tricks. The information they provided was sometimes half-truths. And in those cases, even if you bought false information… “Goods sold are non-refundable,” and the buyer could only suffer in silence.
But Yin Mu was different. She was practically the Bai Xiaosheng [Know-It-All] of the Pale Land. The accuracy of her information was relatively high.
Thus, many Taskers and Assistant Systems bought information from her. She was very well-connected.
Zuo Le: “Can you tell me the specific details concerning the [World of Ten Collapses] incident back then?”
Yin Mu’s gaze sharpened, and she became guarded. “Why are you asking about that?”
“The causes and outcome of the [World of Ten Collapses] incident have already been recorded in the Heavenly History. You can go and check it yourself. The [World of Ten Collapses] has now been strictly forbidden by the Lord God from being discussed. Are you planning on knowingly violating a ban?”
Zuo Le: “I’m simply a little curious.”
Yin Mu was baffled. “What’s there to be curious about? The general cause and circumstances of the [World of Ten Collapses] incident have already been publicly announced to everyone. And the instigator who caused this heinous event has also been imprisoned in Calamity Crossing Hall.”
Zuo Le’s eyes were calm, but within those dark, clear depths, a hint of authority and coldness emerged. “I want to know about the Taskers and Assistant Systems who survived the [World of Ten Collapses] incident. Why did all of them choose retirement?”
“Even if you don’t know what others were thinking?” Zuo Le seemed to see through Yin Mu’s impending refusal and said bluntly, “You only need to tell me your thoughts, or the thoughts of those around you. That will suffice.”
“…” Yin Mu’s face tensed.
Zuo Le: “One hundred thousand points.”
Yin Mu’s eyes lit up instantly. She pressed her lips together. “You’d give me… a hundred thousand points?”
A hundred thousand points could plug the hole left by the deducted points from her collapsed world. It was practically a gift from heaven in her hour of need.
Zuo Le nodded. “Paid in one lump sum.”
Yin Mu looked conflicted. She paced in place a few times, then smacked her palm with her fist with an air of bravado, as if steeled for a great challenge. She lowered her voice. “Shall we go to your personal space, or mine?”
For these kinds of taboo subjects, it was best not to discuss them out in the open. Easy to be eavesdropped on.
Zuo Le: “Let’s go to mine.”
“Fine.”
Yin Mu waited for Zuo Le to send her the transfer link. But she saw Zuo Le glance backward, her gaze directed towards the Retirement Hall. A flash of white light had just streaked by – that was the activation glow emitted when a Retiree entered a Retirement Experience World.
She asked curiously, “What are you looking at?”
Zuo Le sent the link over and withdrew her gaze. “Nothing. Let’s go.”
Yin Mu tapped the encrypted link, and the two figures instantaneously vanished from the Pale Land.
At that very moment, Cheng Huan stared at her precarious wooden door and complained bitterly. “In my last Retirement Experience World, I at least had an island. How is it that after switching worlds, all I have left is a cave?”
During these days living in the mountains, the cave had been visited by frequent “guests”, who not only messed up her room but also smashed her wooden door.
“What about this being an Experience World? How come the more I experience, the poorer I get?”
Was the first Persona Card to blame for this?!
Cheng Huan was suspicious.
Little Hedgehog comforted her: [Host, don’t be unhappy. Although a cave isn’t as big as an island, it’s at least better at blocking the wind and rain.]
Cheng Huan chuckled dryly. “Excellent consolation. Next time, don’t console me.”
Sensing that Cheng Huan’s mood was still sour, Little Hedgehog continued to console her: [Would Host like to pet me, maybe? You always get happy after petting me.]
Cheng Huan raised a hand in refusal. “No!”
Cuddle ban enforced.
Little Hedgehog was covered in spines. Cheng Huan always, whether intentionally or not, ended up getting pricked by Little Hedgehog. Several times, Cheng Huan thought it did it on purpose, but then Little Hedgehog would start crying, even more aggrieved than her, saying Cheng Huan was disgusted by it. That only made Cheng Huan feel deeply guilty.
Cheng Huan sighed. Seeing that the sky had darkened, she looked at the starry canopy, so beautiful it made one’s breathing soften.
The night sky in the forest was so pure and beautiful. No clouds, no haze of war, just crashing directly into one’s heart.
Cheng Huan watched the twinkling stars, and suddenly an image of a certain someone’s eyes flashed through her mind. Her expression flickered almost imperceptibly.
She lowered her gaze and turned, ready to sleep. Just as she lay down on the mattress, a night breeze blew in, and the wooden door she had repaired for the eighteenth time was once again knocked down by an unknown animal.
“…” Cheng Huan drew her longsword, fury surging. “Tonight, absolutely NOBODY is getting any damn sleep!”
It was a wild boar, running wildly through the forest, perhaps because it sensed the thick killing intent.
One person and one boar ran riot in the deep night, carefree and unrestrained.
Until a “massive object” plummeted down from the heavens. The boar fled instantly. Cheng Huan was squarely smashed.
Cheng Huan: “…”
Little Hedgehog exclaimed in surprise: [Host, it’s the Female Lead, hey?!]
Cheng Huan: “…”
Little Hedgehog cried in alarm: [Host, the Female Lead is about to die!]
Cheng Huan: “?!”
She’d only just arrived a few days ago, hadn’t even left the great mountain to see the outside world properly, and she was about to be forcefully ejected?
