Chapter 7: Player 07

Inventory Expansion Voucher?

It was the first time Ning Yun had heard of it. As she picked it up, a system notification immediately appeared before her eyes.

【Would the player like to use the Inventory Expansion Voucher?】

She had been worrying about her insufficient inventory space; this was a godsend.

Without hesitation, she used one. Her inventory expanded from 20 slots to 25 all at once, completely exceeding her expectations!

As for the remaining one, she didn't use it but tucked it away carefully.

To think that even a Bronze Chest could yield such a good item.

This made her look forward even more to what surprises higher-tier chests would bring later on.

Time passed much faster than Ning Yun had imagined, and soon it was 12:00 PM.

Just like yesterday, she found a tree, sat on a branch, and began to enjoy her lunch.

In today's chat channel, there were fewer people joking around; most were sharing how many chests they had opened.

Where there are lucky people, there are naturally unlucky ones.

Yang Baiwei was the unluckiest of the unlucky.

Her spawn point was on a deserted island.

When she first stepped out, she almost thought she was playing a marine survival game.

The result?

It turned out she was the only one assigned to a small island.

To make matters worse, the island was tiny; aside from a small patch of coconut trees, there wasn't a single other plant.

Her only source of food was to go to the seaside to scavenge, hoping to find fish, shrimp, or oysters—she didn't even mind seaweed.

Others had to search for chests in deep forests or snowy mountains and deserts.

She didn't have to; chests would drift in from the sea, and she just had to fish them out.

But no one told her that without a fishing net or a small boat, how was a landlubber like her supposed to swim out to retrieve the chests?

More painful than not finding chests was watching them drift right past her eyes while she remained powerless to do anything.

Today, she swore she would learn to swim—either learn or die!

There were many players like Yang Baiwei.

If they couldn't find a chest on the first day, they could barely manage, but if they didn't find a way by the second day, they would be left to die.

Watching these people complain in the chat channel, Ning Yun felt a pang of sympathy.

But she was powerless to help.

This damn system was clearly designed to let players fend for themselves without allowing mutual aid!

She jumped down from the tree, preparing to cosplay as "Woodcutter Qiang" for the afternoon.

Unexpectedly, a text box suddenly appeared in the empty space before her.

【Player 07 invites you to enter a dungeon. Yes or No?】

An invitation from someone else?

Was it random, or was it a specific target?

Ning Yun's mind raced, and her clenched fists betrayed her nervousness.

In a survival game, entering a dungeon with a stranger whose intentions were unknown seemed like a risky choice.

What if the person on the other side was a strong man who turned against her? She certainly wouldn't be able to fight him off.

But what if the person inviting her was Xiao Qichen?

Seeing that there was still some time left on the countdown, she asked the system.

"System, are you there? If players enter a dungeon together, can they exit midway?"

She was only asking tentatively; if the system didn't answer, she would refuse the invitation and absolutely not take the risk.

To her surprise, a line of yellow text quickly appeared in her chat channel.

【Within the dungeon, attacks between players are ineffective; individuals may choose to exit on their own.】

That single sentence calmed Ning Yun's heart.

In games, dungeons are a vital source of resources for players.

Dungeons during the beta testing phase would surely yield even greater rewards.

Ning Yun steeled her resolve—fortune favors the bold. Since there was no immediate mortal danger, she might as well try it. If she sensed something was wrong, she would exit immediately; survival was the priority.

Having made up her mind, she selected "Yes."

Her surroundings instantly became distorted, and Ning Yun clearly felt her head spinning.

Until everything before her turned white, she instinctively closed her eyes to avoid looking at the white light.

Her physical senses seemed to be magnified countless times. She didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps it was an instant, or perhaps it was an eternity.

Finally, her feet touched the ground, and that floating, weightless sensation finally vanished.

"Phew," Ning Yun exhaled, trying to ease her tension.

When she opened her eyes again, what lay before her completely exceeded her imagination.

A massive tree stood at the end of a winding path, its trunk unbelievably thick.

Most exaggerated was the canopy, which was as wide as an umbrella, blotting out the sky. Its purple leaves emitted a faint, ethereal glow under the sunlight.

Its drooping branches were like jellyfish in the sea, drifting and swaying, giving off an eerie feeling.

Such a tree did not exist on Earth.

So, where exactly was she?

Just as Ning Yun was being stunned by the giant tree, footsteps suddenly came from behind her.

Her hair stood on end. She immediately turned around in a defensive stance, only to see a tall man standing not far from her.

The space they were in was a winding cave, and they were not far from the entrance.

It was bright outside, but the man was standing in the shadows. The sunlight momentarily blinded Ning Yun, making it difficult to see his face clearly.

However, he held a long blade of extraordinary presence in his hand, which commanded awe and fear.

He stood there straight, radiating an aura of solitude. For some reason, Ning Yun felt as if an infinite sorrow was hidden in his heart; just sensing a fragment of it made her want to weep.

Ning Yun was very sensitive to the emotions of others.

This was her talent, which had helped her avoid bad people several times, but it had also brought her plenty of trouble.

Because her emotions were easily influenced by them.

Just like now, even though there was still a distance between her and the man, Ning Yun still felt uncomfortable and instinctively wanted to move away.

She knew the man was likely the player who had invited her.

Yet, she still couldn't stop her hands from trembling, her heart filled with lingering fear.

"You... are you Player 07?" She ultimately couldn't help but speak first.

Her voice wasn't loud, but due to the unique terrain, it echoed for a long time.

The man did not speak. Ning Yun couldn't help but frown. This person was so strange—was he deaf or mute?

"Can you... hear me?" she asked again, unable to resist taking a step forward.

This time, the man finally moved, his speed far beyond what anyone could react to.

Ning Yun thought, *Oh no, have I really run into a bad guy?*

She reacted, wanting to exit the dungeon, but at that moment, the man finally revealed his face.

His facial features were resolute and well-defined, his gaze sharp, giving off a sense of detachment.

But at this moment, he possessed the momentum of a volcano about to erupt beneath the deep sea.

The man was tall, very tall, standing as straight as a pine. He was broad-shouldered and well-built, with powerful, muscular forearms exposed.

That face was all too familiar to Ning Yun, yet it carried a hint of strangeness.

Or rather, she had never imagined a man would look like this.

"Xiao Qichen!"

(End of Chapter)