The scar-faced man gave a brief explanation of the Lord God's Space. It was pretty much the same as what the newbie guide from the chat group had outlined. He also mentioned that disclosing information about the Lord God's Space to outsiders would result in punishment a key point to keep in mind.
While the others were listening, Wenjian Qiu tested out his space backpack. He silently willed it, and sure enough, something appeared in his hand from behind him a bottle. Then, with another thought, it vanished. Gone without a trace.
Looks like it's all real the chat group, the Lord God's Space — every bit of it.
"Alright. Let me introduce myself. I'm Zhang Jie, the only survivor from the last mission. I'm currently the leader of this team. I've gone through two worlds so far. I hope you'll follow my instructions during the mission."
Zhang Jie narrowed his eyes slightly as he spoke.
"If you act on your own... you might die."
His cold words sent a visible shiver through the young recruits, including Wenjian.
"Alright, you should all introduce yourselves too. We're teammates now. Can't go in completely blind."
As soon as he finished speaking, a dark-skinned, stocky guy with squinted eyes stepped forward with a broad grin.
"Hey, Brother Jie! I'm Hongliang Xun, a university student majoring in computer science."
"Hello, Brother Jie! I share your surname. I'm Zicui Zhang, also a college student — accounting major."
Next came the bespectacled young man with a bit of an impatient vibe.
"Lou Yun, lit major."
The tall, composed girl who hadn't said much so far gave her intro as well.
"Zixuan Ye... education major..."
The last to speak was the timid girl who barely raised her voice.
"Wenjian Qiu. Telecommunications major."
Wenjian kept it simple, not wanting to stand out. At the same time, he kept observing both the people and the situation around him.
His clothes were still the same. The environment hadn't changed. Time itself seemed frozen, just like when his identity had been verified earlier.
Which meant the story of this world hadn't started yet.
"What do we do next?"
Zicui Zhang — true to Wenjian's impression of him — was the first to ask what was going on.
"You've all read novels like this, right? Even if you haven't, I'm sure you've heard of them. This is Lord God's Space. The plot hasn't kicked off yet. We wait. A mission will show up soon."
Not long after he said that, they all heard the same voice echoing in their minds.
"Reincarnation World: Overlord. Mission: Repel the undead army attacking E-Rantel. Primary objective: defeat at least one bone dragon. Failure to meet mission criteria will result in: termination."
The voice was mechanical, feminine, devoid of emotion. But that one word — "termination" — sent a chill down everyone's spine.
Zhang Jie's expression didn't change, but inside, his thoughts were racing. Kill a bone dragon? Are they kidding? This was only his third world. The previous missions had all involved small-time bosses — the kind that went down to bullets.
A dragon was on a whole other level! Expecting a team of rookies to slay one? The Lord God must be trying to get them killed.
No wonder people say anyone who's survived more than three missions is considered a veteran.
Is this where I meet my end? Right here in world number three?
Outwardly calm but inwardly despairing, Zhang Jie glanced at the nervous newcomers and felt a growing headache.
Then, suddenly, the stocky guy — Hongliang Xun — slapped his forehead and lit up with excitement.
"I get it now! Guys, don't panic. Based on my extensive novel-reading experience, the Lord God wouldn't assign a flat-out impossible mission. If we're newbies and the goal is slaying a dragon, what's the trick?"
Everyone turned to him. Hongliang smirked, full of confidence.
"There's only one answer!"
With a loud slap to his thigh, he exclaimed,
"We need to find a thigh to cling to!"
The others stared blankly at him. Wenjian's eyes lit up with a trace of insight, and Zhang Jie... finally caught on.
Of course! The mission only required them to kill a bone dragon — not to do it alone. Ainz Ooal Gown, the Bone Lord himself, would be fighting this battle too. All they had to do was tag along, cling to that massive thighbone of his, and land the finishing blow.
He had been too fixated on how hard the target was, and forgot to look at the bigger picture.
In the past, his missions had always required the team to operate independently, taking down bosses on their own. Rarely had he seen a quest that could be done alongside the main characters. This time, the fact that it was just a group of rookies said it all — the difficulty was lower than it looked.
Only those who stuck to rigid thinking would find it hard. What he needed to focus on now was making contact with the Bone King — and making sure any other teams failed their mission.
This little chubby guy might be a bit loud, but he's got brains. Potential strategist material. Every good team needs a tactician.
"We just need to cling to Brother Jie's thigh!" Hongliang added. "He didn't even flinch when he heard the mission. That kind of calm? He must've already planned it all out!"
Zicui jumped in eagerly. "Exactly! Brother Jie's the only one who made it through two missions alive. He's gotta be super strong. Who cares about some bone dragon? Even the Bone King himself wouldn't scare him!"
Zhang Jie's expression darkened.
He immediately regretted his earlier optimism. Hongliang was no strategist just an idiot.
But he couldn't let that show. His old team leader once told him: as the captain, you can never let people think you don't have it together. You need to look unshakable. If you panic, they panic. If the group loses faith, the team falls apart.
So he forced a nod and said, "Yes. I've already got a plan."
Wenjian, however, had already seen through him.
If he was really that strong, he would've noticed Wenjian was faking unconsciousness. He wouldn't have wasted all that time waiting for him to wake up.
Still, Hongliang had said one thing that made sense.
Find a thigh to cling to.
Wenjian's mind connected to the group chat.
Too Handsome to Handle:
First mission and I already have to slay a bone dragon... I'm dying here. Any veterans got tips or a guide? Much appreciated.