Chapter 74: A Real Game!

Tall, handsome, with a smile full of charm, and armor as white as holy light…

He rode a white horse.

He was both a prince and a knight.

In the streets of a medieval fairy tale, under the gaze of thousands, he led an army forward. As they passed, the people on both sides made way, bowing to him in respect.

“He is the most perfect knight in a hundred years!”

“Oh my god… he’s so handsome!”

“I heard he’s going to fight demons… he’s already slain so many of them!”

“He’s going to save his princess!”

“…”

Liu Ruohan watched as the crowd of NPCs discussed the scene.

Subconsciously, she closed the game.

For some reason, she felt an indescribable sense of awkwardness.

When she looked at the game icon and saw that it was the headshot of that very knight, Liu Ruohan’s heart suddenly fluttered!

Even though!

Yes!

Even though everything was exactly as she had fantasized as a child, and the game scenes were crafted with such meticulous detail and care, perfectly recreating everything she had once imagined!

But…

“How could my prince be Zhang Yang!”

“Why is it like this? Couldn’t it be someone else!”

“Ah, how am I supposed to play this!”

Liu Ruohan’s face turned bright red. She grabbed a pillow and immediately buried her head in it.

She felt her face burning. The harder she tried not to think about it, the more speechless she became!

She simply turned off the computer and went to bed.

However…

She lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep!

Her mind was filled with various scenes from the game…

This was the perfect dream she’d had since she was a little girl!

“I hate this!”

“No, I’m playing the game to see what kind of game Zhang Yang actually made…”

“I won’t be influenced…”

“…”

Liu Ruohan turned the computer back on and logged into the game again.

Actually…

The game’s introduction was roughly the same as the other version.

It was the year 2012¹, and the gates of hell had swung open…

The only difference was that she was a traveler from another world. She had crossed over into this realm and, as the princess of a fallen kingdom, she followed the knight to rebuild the kingdom and save the world.

She entered the game once more…

She walked down a different street.

She saw various billboards along the way.

“Milaia Wedding Dresses!”

“Wolong Villa² Hot Spring Resort Hotel.”

“…”

These brands were all real-world brands.

Not long after she started walking, a system prompt appeared.

Ding!

“You have encountered an enemy spy. You have been killed by the enemy spy. Game Over!”

“???”

She stared blankly as the game screen turned black and white.

She was stunned.

What was the meaning of this?

After dying several times in a row, just as she was falling into despair, she saw the prince descend from the sky…

In a full-scale cinematic close-up, he dispatched the spies in a few swift strokes. The visuals were incredibly cool…

Specifically, the way his muscles were subtly revealed at the edges of his armor…

It made Liu Ruohan’s face flush deep red…

How could they make it so detailed?

“Ah, noble lady, I have frightened you. Are you alright…?”

“…”

In front of the computer.

Liu Ruohan heard a voice that was incredibly gentle, gentle to the very bone.

She felt as if her heart was about to melt!

But when she saw the subsequent quest, she shook her head violently!

“What! The goal is to romance this knight?”

“I’m not doing it…”

“This is too disgusting, isn’t it? I can’t do this…”

“…”

Her face grew even redder, her expression a complex mix of emotions.

Though her mouth said she was unwilling…

But!

But somehow, her hand still clicked “Next,” and her eyes remained glued to that handsome, charming face…

Heavens!

Why can’t I control this hand?

This face was absolutely Zhang Yang’s face, just given a high-end, perfected adjustment!

Absolutely!

……………………….

“What’s going on with Paladin?”

“Wasn’t he supposed to be live-streaming? Why did he stop?”

“Is this game even worth downloading!”

“Yeah, is it worth it or not? Did he tell the truth and get taken out by a sniper sent by Zhang Yang?”

“Or maybe he was assassinated by Mumaen?”

“It’s possible!”

“Hey, stop sleeping! Give us a text and image live-stream of the game…”

“It’s three in the morning now. Why hasn’t there been a response? Give us something!”

“Even a donkey at a production commune³ doesn’t rest this much.”

“…”

On the Tieba forum.

Sun Jian’s username on the forum was Paladin.

In the past, when he started a live-stream game thread, this “Paladin” would begin updating content within ten minutes.

But now…

The netizens had waited for over two hours, and the thread remained stagnant.

If they hadn’t been bumping it with their comments, the thread would have sunk into obscurity.

Seeing that Sun Jian hadn’t updated the live-stream content, the group of netizens grew anxious.

Finally, at three in the morning…

Sun Jian’s thread was finally updated.

However, the content of this update was…

“I’m sorry!”

“I apologize for my previous article…”

“The biggest flaw of this game isn’t paid items. On the contrary, the items in here aren’t for sale with real money at all; they’re bought with in-game virtual gold!”

“The biggest flaw of this game is that you want to spend money, but you simply cannot find a way to top up…”

“I think this guy Zhang Yang has lost his mind. He’s started tormenting the players!”

“Does anyone want to join me in lodging a complaint? Personally, I feel that spending a reasonable amount of money really doesn’t hurt the game experience…”

“Zhang Yang can’t just mess with people like this just for the sake of making it completely free, right?”

“This is no fun! It’s not like I’m unwilling to spend a hundred bucks or so!”

“…”

The netizens didn’t get the live-stream they were waiting for.

Instead, they got this uncharacteristic outburst from Sun Jian.

They were stunned!

What was wrong with this guy? Hadn’t he always been the one most opposed to pay-to-win mechanics and microtransactions?

What was going on…

Why were people suddenly starting to oppose the fact that there were no microtransactions and everything was free?

Had Sun Jian been bought off?

Netizens were as confused as a monk scratching his bald head.

“This game… it really seems to be completely free?”

“Should I download it and give it a try?”

“The group chat next door is exploding. Everyone is asking how to top up their accounts. They’re actually begging for a recharge portal!”

“My god, what’s happening? Did those people get paid off too?”

“This…”

“It doesn’t seem like it…”

………………………………

In the early hours of the morning.

Sun Jian had completely forgotten he was supposed to be livestreaming.

He was suffering.

This game…

He didn’t know how it felt for others, but for him, it was filled with an overwhelming sense of immersion.

You could find many real-world brands in the game. You couldn’t even say they were similar; they were identical!

Even the wages were the same as in reality. If he had to nitpick a flaw, it was that his real-world wage was eighty yuan a day, while the game paid slightly better at a hundred yuan a day.

Half a day in the real world was equivalent to one full day in the game.

At first, Sun Jian wasn’t in any hurry. He played the game at a relaxed pace.

However…

Once he visited a clothing store to dress himself up and let the staff style him in the latest “Amayi” outfit, he realized his in-game savings had been completely wiped out.

When he returned to the company and saw the beautiful female CEO, her expression showed great satisfaction. She nodded, and his favorability rating⁴ increased by 1 point.

Though he was still just at the level of an ordinary employee…

But!

Wooing a beautiful CEO like this, especially one who was his dream ideal type.

Just think about it!

In reality, where could Sun Jian ever find such a perfect woman?

Even if he did, where would he get the courage to pursue her?

But…

This virtual world was different!

As long as you had the ability, you could completely win her over…

There were movie theaters with layouts almost identical to real ones, and milk tea shops that were virtually the same…

If you were capable enough!

You could take her to the movies…

The game even had certain physical interactions developed!

Aside from prohibited, illicit actions!

You could hold hands, gently stroke her skin, and even kiss her hair, her waist, cough, cough…

The limit was kissing and touching; anything beyond that was strictly forbidden!

You could attempt these interactions, and the character would react based on their favorability level. Consequences included “getting slapped,” “calling the police to have you locked up,” or an immediate “Game Over”!

The female CEO even exhibited intelligent behaviors!

For a hot-blooded guy like Sun Jian, who could possibly resist this?

This was basically a virtual girlfriend!

After being thrown in jail twice, Sun Jian realized this game was incredibly addictive. His mind was completely consumed by it!

He went to the “Huaxia Bookstore” in the game and bought a romance guide…

According to the guide…

Step one: Improve your appearance to win favor.

Step two: Enhance your taste and refinement…

Step three: Work hard to do things that increase the character’s favorability…

And every single one of these favor-boosting things required virtual currency!

Some items were cheap, but others were expensive. For instance, an “Amayi” outfit cost a thousand yuan!

Damn it!

That was actually a hundred yuan more expensive than in real life!

And his starting capital was pathetic…

After boosting favorability, his money was gone.

Aside from earning a salary, there were other part-time jobs available, but they consumed energy. Once his base energy of one hundred was depleted, he had to end his day early…

Otherwise, if he worked too many part-time jobs, his character would drop dead from exhaustion⁵!

Of course…

There was also a daily login bonus of gold coins!

But the login bonus was very limited, only ten yuan a day. Although there were rewards for consecutive logins, Sun Jian’s analysis showed that even if he logged in for an entire month, he wouldn’t be able to afford a single “Amayi” outfit.

This was such a scam!

So, Sun Jian wanted to take a shortcut. He wanted to find the recharge interface⁶. If it wasn’t too expensive, he’d just pay his way through. After all, the interactions available between an employee and a CEO were far too limited!

If he promoted from an ordinary employee to an outstanding employee, there might be more…

If he went up another level to team leader or management, there would surely be even more…

In the end…

He searched for ages only to find that there was no recharge interface at all!

Dammit!

You had to honestly complete tasks and earn money just like in real life!

How am I supposed to enjoy myself like this?

Sun Jian’s mental state was on the verge of collapsing!

He was anxious; he wanted to become an outstanding employee as soon as possible.

But he was forced to go to work day after day…

For the first time in his life, he desperately wanted to spend real money to buy things, please the CEO, and unlock some new moves.

………………………………

In truth…

Human existence boils down to four things: wealth, love, power, and fame.

“God of Conquest” had taken a firm grip on one of those: “Love.”

On the morning of September 1st.

Most players who had entered the download page through the questionnaire, with a few exceptions, suddenly realized that the “male characters” and “female characters” in the game seemed to be their exact ideal types.

The female characters included the domineering CEO, the refined lady, the ditzy and cute loli, the gentle and kind senior, and the busy, capable career woman. The male characters included knights, princes, handsome and charming rich heirs, domineering CEOs, stern bosses, and the boy next door…

Countless characters were paired with corresponding scenarios!

And these scenarios…

Turned out to be real-life settings!

For example…

If the system determined you met the criteria for a milk tea shop employee based on your questionnaire, it would generate a shop called Ice and Snow World. You would work there, and the object of your affection would be the beautiful or handsome shop manager…

In an environment almost identical to reality, you had to figure out how to win the manager’s heart!

There would be plenty of quests for you to choose from…

At the same time, the Huaxia Bookstore that existed in reality also appeared in the game. However, most of what they sold here were strategy guides for various professions…

They were called strategy guides, but in truth, they were just tips on how to increase favorability. Essentially, it was the same set of self-improvement methods used in the real world.

This game was incredibly realistic.

Characters would get hungry over time and consume energy. If their energy dropped to zero, they would die…

If you didn’t manually control them, the game characters would automatically go to a restaurant to eat!

The food in the restaurants was exactly the same as in reality…

As you played along, you would find your money disappearing…

Because it was so realistic!

Consequently, some people felt an instant sense of immersion the moment they touched the game.

They pursued their ideal partners with reckless abandon…

Just like Sun Jian, they were desperate to unlock some other jobs, or perhaps some other positions!

Furthermore, the level of detail on the character models was borderline pathological. Not only could you see every lifelike strand of hair, you could even see the texture on a character’s glasses…

“Holy crap…”

“This game is actually pretty interesting!”

“Everyone, look, this is my future wife. Beautiful, right? I’m about to conquer her heart, just give me three days!”

“What do you mean, beautiful?”

“Look at my future husband!”

“Wow…”

“…”

In the morning.

Many people began showing off the characters they intended to woo in the game.

Many of them lived miserable lives in reality.

The people they liked wouldn’t even spare them a glance…

But the path of conquest in this game!

It happened to satisfy their most beautiful fantasies…

……………………….

At noon.

Exactly one day had passed in the game, and the character was resting.

Sun Jian left his house feeling a sense of regret.

He planned to go grab some lunch.

When he passed by Amayi, he stopped instinctively.

Recalling all the questions and issues from the game, he took another look at his own outfit.

Then…

He walked inside.

Once inside, he found the Amayi store exceptionally lively today…

Many people were lining up to buy clothes.

He suddenly realized that many of the styles in the store actually existed in the game as well!

He was shocked!

“Hello…”

“Are you here because of the God of Conquest game?”

“Ah, I just came to take a look. All these clothes from the game exist in reality?”

“Yes, sir. By the way, when you filled out the survey, were you serious about all the data you entered?”

“Yeah…”

“Then you can choose based on the clothes recommended by the in-game clerk…”

“What? They are…”

“Yes! Our customer service manager is actually a character in the game. He participated in the game’s development and recorded the data parameters for many of the clothes into the game…”

“Heavens!”

Sun Jian’s eyes widened!

Was this still a damn single-player game?

Half an hour later, Sun Jian walked out carrying a set of new clothes.

Thinking back to his reflection in the mirror…

He realized he actually looked quite a bit more handsome!

These clothes…

Were cheaper than in the game!

It seemed…

Like quite a good deal?

Wait, why do I feel like it’s a good deal?

Holy crap!

“Wait a minute!”

“This game is free!”

“Could it be…”

“Damn!”

“This Zhang Yang is a freaking genius! Oh my god!”

“…”

(End of Chapter)

Translator’s Notes