Chapter 99

Chapter 99: Women Are Truly Complex Creatures

Once again, Yiwen awoke in the haystack—but this time, her mind was slightly clearer.  

At the very least, she could recognize that this dream was deeply unsettling, even if the sense of danger had been dulled countless times over.  

People are defenseless when they sleep—even in nightmares.  

She remembered repeatedly warning her family not to open the mysterious game that had appeared on their phones. She had deleted it herself, yet it returned—though she hadn’t touched it.  

And yet, here she was.  

Last time, she had fought monsters with every last drop of her HP, emerging victorious—only to die from stubbing her toe on a corner while picking up loot.  

So she couldn’t be sure if this dream world continued where the last one left off.  

But one thing was certain—the open world of this dream allowed encounters with other players. Last time, even in her muddled state, her subconscious had made her avoid them.  

Because personal information was visible to everyone.  

Meaning anyone could learn she was Silence.  

It felt like walking naked down the street—utterly exposed.  

Once more, she trudged down the village path and kicked open the village chief’s door.  

Her subconscious whispered that games must be played by their rules—so she followed the script.  

Before the village chief could speak, she cut in:  

“Your daughter was kidnapped by the Demon King’s army, so you want me to save her. To boost my combat power, you’ll give me your ancestral sword.”  

The chief blinked at her, then at his sword, before reluctantly handing it over—far more begrudgingly than before.  

No AI was this eerily lifelike—yet this was undeniably an NPC. How could she tell?  

Well… as mentioned before, Yiwen and the chief had completely different art styles.  

His crude model looked like it had been sculpted with feet.  

Following the routine—ambushing the juvenile troll, surviving the Gale Wolf ambush, and slaughtering the Cactus Beastman by backstabbing—she earned the title [You Absolute Scum].  

The Cactus Beastman’s shoulder pat was technically dodgeable, but if missed, he’d keep trying until it landed—a game mechanic (or bug?). Harmless on mobile, but in this dream, pain was real.  

And on mobile, you couldn’t even attack the cactus.  

Arriving in town, Yiwen recalled that the third house on the left hid a Blazing Rune—embedding it in a weapon added fire damage. Essential for defeating the first boss blocking the bridge outside town.  

Of course, shops sold it too—but thanks to her title, the merchant marked up prices a hundredfold.  

Still in early-game territory with slow progression, Yiwen encountered no other players. She entered the house and climbed to the second floor to search.  

“Who are you? Why are you ransacking my room?”  

An old woman—previously just set dressing—blocked her path.  

And now had a health bar.  

[Defenseless Old Woman] HP: 50  

Yiwen froze.  

Though just an NPC, though their art clashed, real-world morality stayed her hand.  

She wasn’t Arthur. Redemption wasn’t her theme.  

“Sorry, ma’a—”  

“BANDIT!” The old woman swung her cane.  

AGONY.  

HP -9999  

Yiwen Has Fallen. Level: 12.  

After hours of effort, she awoke in the haystack again.  

Now she understood why she’d felt so sick upon waking.  

Why isn’t this game called “Torture Simulator: Female Edition”?  

Kicking the door open once more, Yiwen glared at the sword-clutching chief.  

“Hand it over.” She snatched the blade without ceremony.  

Village Chief: “…”  

Rinse and repeat—reclaiming the sword, shield, and title—Yiwen returned to town.  

This time, she mentally prepared to stab the old woman.  

It’s just a game. I’d never think this in reality.  

But someone else was already there.  

Mi Xiaoliu  

Level: 12  

Gender: Male  

HP: 315/315  

ATK: 107  

…  

Title: [Good Kid] (NPCs adore you.)  

…  

Beneath, only sparse QQ and WeChat logs—mostly single dots. Compared to others (Yiwen included), his digital footprint was microscopic.  

Oddly, Yiwen hadn’t tried viewing his info—it auto-displayed upon proximity. Even weirder, the data rearranged itself—prioritizing content related to her.  

Their chats. Their gaming history. Even shared app usage…  

Meanwhile, spotting Yiwen, Mi Xiaoliu’s eyes flickered with her info—  

Which she promptly X’d out.  

The old woman leaned on her cane, making no move to attack.  

“Can I take this?” Mi Xiaoliu pointed at the Blazing Rune’s cabinet.  

“Of course! Young man, traveling alone is tough—take this for protection!” The woman gifted her cane.  

[Legendary Cane] ATK: 6666 | Armor Pen: 6666  

Yiwen: “…”  

Jealousy twisted her face.  

But she was more curious how Mi Xiaoliu had reached this point without earning a vile title.  

Thus, their party formed.  

Notably, even in-game, Mi Xiaoliu wore those thick glasses.  

Watching her one-shot the Storm Dragon with the cane, Yiwen felt… bizarrely proud.  

After looting the boss’s chest (A wind-blade sword, magic-resistant leather armor, and a one-use Gale Slash scroll), Yiwen finally asked:  

“Xiaoliu… did the Cactus Beastman not pat you?”  

At their level, one pat meant death.  

“It did.”  

But Mi Xiaoliu had listened to the village chief’s entire spiel, triggering a hidden quest where she helped him discipline his bandit grandson—earning [Good Kid] in the process.  

With that title, the Cactus Beastman plucked its own spines before patting her.  

Sasha could communicate in this dream (Discovered during a classroom nap), but she needed eight hours of rest—so nights were off-limits.  

Hearing this, Yiwen resolved to replicate the steps next time.  

Ahead lay the first multiplayer hub: Central Plaza, where an NPC unlocked double-jump.  

But Yiwen stopped.  

Even from a distance, players swarmed the streets.  

“Xiaoliu, you go unlock double-jump. I’ll loop around and meet you at the plaza’s back.”  

Mi Xiaoliu tilted her head.  

“Go on.” Yiwen nudged him (her) forward, watching him (her) enter the crowd.  

She really didn’t want to face others as Silence. 

Did Mi Xiaoliu check my info earlier? Probably not—otherwise, how could he (she) not be curious about “Silence”? 

Even if he (she) wasn’t interested in “Silence,” that glaring “Female” marker was right there…  

The info automatically popped up for me—it must have for him too. He probably just closed it to talk to the old lady.  

Even though I told him to go ahead, some part of me wished he hadn’t—that he’d stayed and avoided that place with me…  

Women are truly complex creatures.  

That was Yiwen’s self-assessment.