Shu Tu stared blankly at the scene before her, unable to come back to her senses for a while.
At this moment, they were on a rooftop.
[Scorching Ray][Scorching Ray] followed by another [Scorching Ray].
Faint red rays danced through the air, chasing the big cat and singeing its butt. The cat, tail tucked, leaped around like a frantic tiger. It had never seen anything like this. The cat was terrified.
As a cantrip, [Scorching Ray]'s attack power was pitiful.
But.
It was perfect for scalding a big cat's butt!
This useless ray couldn't even ignite the cat's fur, only curling and charring the hair around its rear. Watching the big cat bound and leap out of the complex, Yu Yu confidently snapped her fingers. The big cat lost again.
She won again.
Even after following Yu Yu into the house, Shu Tu still felt somewhat dazed.
Yu Yu closed the door, "This is what I wanted to tell you today."
"Have you felt anything unusual about yourself recently?"
Shu Tu thought with a contemplative face, "I feel like Banban was a bit wronged."
Yu Yu: "…Do you call every golden tabby Banban?"
Shu Tu went quiet, too embarrassed to respond. She came to her senses, sat on the couch, and thought for a moment. "Lately, I feel close to animals I see, like I can sense their thoughts…"
"I thought something was wrong with me, but if you're saying this, it's probably the 'Animal Affinity' passive kicking in."
"Maybe I should bring my bow out," she said.
Yu Yu had grabbed an apple and was leaning back on the couch, munching. Noticing Shu Tu's gaze, she raised an eyebrow. "Eat more now. Who knows if we'll have food later?"
There hadn't been any changes in the game lately. Yu Yu's designated little guardian hadn't logged on for days, leaving her disappointed but helpless. In the past two days, she completed three quests and gained three 1st-level spells: [Sleep], [Animate Rope], and [Darkvision].
If spells could only be used in the game, Yu Yu would never have chosen these. But…
Since they worked in reality, Yu Yu had to think bigger, preparing for all scenarios. Versatility was key. Like transmutation spells such as [Spider Climb] or [Eagle's Sight], or summoning spells like [Summon Night Raven] for air units, or necromancy and enchantment spells that targeted life specifically…
Ahem, Yu Yu didn't choose those mainly because she wasn't sure if those things still counted as "life." For example, enchantment's [Sleep] or [Cause Fear]—what if the monsters didn't sleep or feel fear?
A wrong choice could slow her progress.
Elemental 1st-level spells were mostly straightforward attacks—fireballs, ice spikes, and the like. Yu Yu already had [Lightning Arrow] and [Force Missile], so getting more wasn't worth it.
Unless she reached 2nd-level spells like [Earth Tremor], [Wind Wall], or [Ice Thorns] for tactical utility, or [Lightning Bolt] or [Fireburst], which made her drool but she couldn't learn yet.
A 2nd-level spell cost 1,500 points. Unless Yu Yu had her 1st-level spell system solidified, she might save up for a 2nd-level attack spell as a trump card. Speaking of trump cards, Yu Yu thought of the scrolls in her game inventory.
So precious.
[Shadow Step], [Summon Wolf Pack], [Arcane Eavesdrop], [Wind Wall], [Minor Illusion]…
If she could bring them to reality, they'd be a huge safety net. What a pity.
Sigh.
No daydreaming. Casting spells in reality was already absurd. Bringing items over? Ha…
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
Yu Yu leisurely descended the stairs, still thinking about the game. Her good teammates had all joined the game. She needed to work harder and build an edge, or else…
Shang Wei would definitely pick a spellcaster. Yu Yu hoped her mental stats were too low. She mused about camping Shang Wei's corpse in the game. Shu Tu still seemed out of it. There were two guest rooms on the second floor. Yu Yu took the master bedroom and left the guest rooms for Shu Tu.
It was summer, so no fuss—just lay down a sheet and sleep.
Yu Yu brushed her teeth and washed her face slowly, but when she came out, Shu Tu still hadn't come downstairs. They'd logged off together. Where was Shu Tu?
Yu Yu suddenly looked out the window. On the small lawn outside, the big cat was lying on its back, purring loudly. Shu Tu was squatting beside it, petting its head.
Yu Yu: "?"
Yu Yu: "??"
Yu Yu: "???"
Was this reasonable?!
Yu Yu wasn't jealous.
Not jealous.
Yu Yu stood sourly by the window, watching, not daring to go out. When Shu Tu came back, she saw Yu Yu's expression.
Shutu: "Banban is adorable. I told you it's not malicious."
Yu Yu: "It's malicious toward me."
Seeing Yu Yu, the big cat immediately stood, swaggering to its familiar spot and growling through the fence. Shu Tu sensed its mood and fell silent.
Still by the window, Yu Yu threatened it. "I'll send you back to the zoo one day!"
Big cat: "Roar!"
Shu Tu glanced at the instant noodles on the table. "This is what you eat?"
Yu Yu: "What else?"
"What flavor do you like? I've got every kind you'd want!"
Yu Yu: "Did it tell you what happened at the zoo? Why does it keep running away?"
Shu Tu was opening the noodles and looked up. "You think I can talk to it?"
"You can't?"
Shu Tu: "…No."
"I can only sense its goodwill or malice, its emotional state, and…" Shu Tu paused, thinking, "I can make it not attack me. That's it. No other special functions."
Yu Yu was still envious. "That's already pretty special."
"And level up quickly. You might unlock advanced passives later," Yu Yu said. "The books say rangers are children of the forest. That's not just fluff."
"What book?"
Yu Yu: "The ones in the academy library. You have 'Language and Writing' too, don't you? Go check them out when you're free. It's not just spellcasters books—other classes' books have useful stuff too."
Shu Tu nodded thoughtfully. After eating, Yu Yu started her daily ritual.
Going online.
Shu Tu was a pretty aloof person, always quiet. As Yu Yu browsed news, the room fell silent.
#EmptyCity#
#MysteriousGirl#
#ThornWall#
Localized tags usually vanished within three seconds, but Yu Yu could still find traces in local forums. Oddly, tags with major implications somehow survived and stayed prominent.
Very strange.
For example, the "Strangle Disease"—Yu Yu hadn't found a single trace online. No clue how it spread or where it came from.
Clicking #EmptyCity#, she found it originated from an aerial photo. Clothes were scattered across the streets, but no people. Traffic lights blinked, cars sat at intersections, and a nearby billboard blared noise. Amid the clamor of traffic lights and ads, the city exuded a deathly stillness.
Yu Yu saw men's, women's, elderly, and children's clothes—even a dog leash on the ground. The entire city seemed frozen in a moment, as if an invisible hand had erased all life. Yu Yu scrolled for a while to piece it together. The photo was posted last night, initially dismissed as photoshopped, with people praising the editor's skill. Then someone realized they couldn't contact friends in that city.
Things escalated.
Now #EmptyCity# was pinned at the top of trending, unstoppable.
How many people lived in a city?
A hundred thousand? A million? Ten million?
No one knew.
Yu Yu clicked the #MysteriousGirl# tag, which was peculiar, tinged with horror, though most netizens didn't believe it. Some spoke convincingly, claiming that at night, when thick fog cleared, they saw a girl's silhouette gliding low in the sky. Those who saw her had frequent nightmares, unexplained weakness, and more.
Yu Yu clicked a user's Weibo who claimed to have seen the silhouette, only to find their account banned. And there was a strange red-text message left behind. The weird part? Yu Yu recognized every word, but together, they made no sense.
[Prohibited from spreading, restricted description, restricted sight and sound, B19]
Clicking further, Yu Yu found the entire tag gone. All posts about the mysterious girl's silhouette were deleted, and heavily involved accounts were banned. Even the ones begging for help. Yu Yu frowned.
"Prohibited from spreading" was clear, but what did "restricted description" or "restricted sight and sound" mean? And B19?
A code?
"What are you thinking?"
Yu Yu: "I'm wondering if I should do something."
"?"
Yu Yu: "I can use spells in reality, and your Animal Affinity works too. If everyone could…"
She muttered to herself, "Survival rates would skyrocket."
Shu Tu listened quietly, then said after a pause, "Why not try?"
Yu Yu tapped the table. "Can't just try like that."
"First, I don't know the deal with Eternal Darkness. If it's an anomaly itself, or even scarier than we think, people I influence to join the game might face worse corruption… I can't take that responsibility."
"Second, things are escalating. I suspect the Federation will go public eventually, but they haven't yet," Yu Yu mused. "You know how our district is—the stricter the times, the tighter the oversight. I don't want to end up in jail for 'endangering public safety.'"
"Third, it's just the two of us. Too small a sample size. So…"
Shu Tu: "Why not ask on the forums?"
Yu Yu was already typing. "For people already in the game, there's no harm in telling them."
They might've noticed something themselves. Still, Yu Yu decided to play it safe. She posted two threads at once.
[Want to shock your parents? Want your classmates' admiration? Want the adoration of hot guys/girls? Only 998, only 998, take home 18 basic cantrips! — 'Candlelight Spell: From Beginner to Buried']
Author: Boss
Link: …
The link was a photo of a hand holding a glowing orb. Yu Yu took it by the window, with burglar bars and the asphalt road in the background—oh, and the big cat photobombed it.
But Yu Yu added an invisible watermark: [Purely for entertainment, don't take it seriously], hoping to minimize her chances of going to jail.
Her ID was well-known on the forum, with many followers, so the post got instant replies.
1st reply: Boss's hands are so pretty, jealous.
2nd reply: Boss's photoshop skills are top-notch.
3rd reply: LOL, that golden tabby in the back is so fake! Boss you forgot to edit out the big cat!
4th reply: Why can't I buy the book! Fake link, bad review! (dog emoji)
5th reply [Crimson]: Candlelight spell? Looks pretty real.
6th reply: Holy crap! Crimson bigshot! Spotted! Front-row selfie!
Seeing the 5th reply, Yu Yu's mood soured instantly.
Bad luck.
She backed out and posted another thread.
[(Log Post) Allen Peninsula Language, Writing, and History Research, Recruiting Volunteer Translators, Unpaid.]
She attached her translation results. This post got less attention. People assumed it was just a lore nerd, shouted "666," and left. Yu Yu didn't mind and closed the forum.
"What are you doing?"
Shu Tu didn't look up. "Looking for a place."
Yu Yu's brow twitched. "?"
Shu Tu: "29th floor's too high, not safe. I'm checking."
Yu Yu: "…I'm going upstairs to meditate. No lunch. If you're hungry, rummage in the kitchen. Eat whatever's there."
Shu Tu hummed in acknowledgment. In the evening, Yu Yu woke up, feeling her mental focus slightly sharper but a bit fatigued. Not mentally—her butt hurt from sitting too long.
Maybe she needed a cushion?
The downstairs lights were off. Yu Yu went down and found a note on the table.
[They found a place. I'm heading back. Remember to eat on time.]
Twilight had settled, the last rays of sunlight spilling into the room, staining the floor a fading red. Living in a remote area meant desolation—no more city lights in the distance.
The faint sound of the nearby river rustled. Yu Yu pushed aside stray emotions, turned on the light, and curled up on the couch. She logged into the forum, and it was instantly buzzing.
[Guild (Canglan) Joins Eternal Darkness, Welcomes All Players to Join]
[Guild (Tianxia) Joins Eternal Darkness, Welcomes All Players to Join]
A slew of guild announcements followed. Yu Yu scrolled for a while to find real-time posts.
[I'm filing a complaint! Why does the NPC keep beating people up! Rogue mentor, does the dev team even care?!]
That rogue mentor sounded extra cranky.
[I finally reached Silvermoon City! But I'm locked out! You need a recommendation letter from Moonbay Town to enter!]
Yu Yu raised an eyebrow, surprised. That's a thing?
Could she not bring her little guardian into the city then?
Just then, she noticed a red dot on her avatar. Clicking it, she saw it was the little guardian who'd ghosted her for days.
[Changyu: Boss… do you believe in ghosts?]
Yu Yu: ?
I don't believe it! Take that back right now!!!