SWNOVELS Chapter 1 An Absolute Show-off
Clickety-clack.
“Oh yes, that's right...”
Guo Fan tapped away on the keyboard. He could not help but chuckle with pride. His face looked emaciated, dark circles were gouged under his eyes. The bleak light from the computer made him look uncanny.
On the screen was the discussion forum for a video game named Upper Center.
He was about to post his latest how-to game strategy.
‘Upper Center' was an MMORPG or a mass multi-player online role-playing game, in the Xianxia genre. ‘Heavenly Tao Games', a budding video game company, had produced it as its sole flagship game.
It was undisputedly the most popular online game in recent years. The highest number of simultaneous online players had exceeded ten million, thus setting a new record.
From adults in their forties to five-year-olds, everyone had been exposed to the game.
The game was not like the other mediocre MMORPGs or those games in which it cost money even to breathe. The developers had made it inclusive without compromising quality. The game design was really good and the graphics were excellent. The background score and art were beautiful. The game modeling was top-notch. Last but not the least, the NPCs' AI computing ability was path-breaking, never before seen. It presented the players with an almost perfect sandbox-style Xianxia world.
Moreover, the gameplay had exciting features. There was a card collection function similar to card draw games, including roleplay of gal games. There was a dedicated game guide system as well. In other words, Upper Center had succeeded in achieving a balance in the game system. No wonder it had reached its current heights of popularity.
Guo Fan was a battle-strategy maniac who had turned the Xianxia video game into a gal game.
He had just posted on the forum about the strongest, hottest, six-star female character in the game — Misty Flower the mistress of the Sea Slashing Tower. Guo Fan had also attached a strategy guide in the thread.
[Help] [Newbie seeking advice! I am confused. It seems like I got a CG character.]
A picture was attached — “Achievement: Embroidery of the Dragon.” In the picture, a beautiful woman with cascading white hair, dressed in black sheer satin robes. She reclined on a bed and under her disorderly clothes one could vaguely see her shapely, snow-white legs. Black iron cuffs hung on her slender ankles.
She bit her lower lip and there was a hint of shame and displeasure in her frigid expression. She sported dark green scales on her neck and collarbone. Her silver eyes looked troubled and misty.
Although it was just a 2D picture, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
Guo Fan added another comment, “Actually, this is the first among many. There is more where this came from, but for the reason everyone understands, I won't release them! ^▽^ Newbie here can't figure this out. I've come to seek help from the veterans! Thanks!”
“I got the front-row seat! Haha!”
“And I'm right behind you! So it's a newbie. He seems to be a young amateur. Let me tell you what to do... Wait, I'm sorry, my chest hurts a little. Perhaps jealousy has driven me crazy. Get me a few more fast-acting heart medicine.”
“Hahaha, that gamer is the newbie! I knew something was fishy when I saw the user ID. I have already prepared myself!”
“The big boss is pretending to be a newbie again. Damn it!”
“Motherfucker! This is the real deal! Ahhh! Misty Flower is my favorite female character! ”
“She is so ravishing! Even when she's lying in someone else's bed... I'm gonna cry!”
“Holy shit!! Guys, come out right now or you'll miss the six-stars!! God of Strategy! Fuck!! I don't even have a single four-star character in my game library. And yet, today, I actually witnessed the first six-star character strategy post in this game!”
“Junxuan... Hmm... this ID looks familiar.”
“Hold up, your instincts are right! The first player in the game to raid NPCs, the first to post how-to strategies. Every star character's has found its way into his strategy posts! He has a penchant to be the first at everything!”
“It's that Junxuan again. Hasn't he done enough? Where is the forum administrator? Why can't they just kick him out? I've had enough of him since the game started. Now this jealousy is killing me!”
“I remember now! The Strategy Maniac! I wondered why I hadn't seen him out here in the forums recently. It turns out that he has been working on this Six Star Character this whole time!”
“Oh my god! I can't believe it!”
“Hehe, so what if he's popular? It's really shameful of him to put on an act for others to see.”
“Don't be so sour, gamer. He must have worked really hard to come up with this strategy... Although I don't really approve of his style of luring in players and humiliating them on purpose.”
“He is just an absolute show-off! That's what he is.”
“Yeah! He's totally showing off!!!”
“You are right, gamer. Everyone knows how difficult it is to navigate the characters in Upper Center. Not only are there varied key options, but also character storyline, all sorts of puzzles, and battle segments. There are even questions that require players to input answers manually.”
“So that's how it is. Thank you for the detailed explanation. This is a new insight into the game!”
“Yeah, according to the official explanation of Heavenly Tao Games, these answers will be reviewed by AI, and the characters will respond with real-time reactions. Sometimes, giving the wrong answer means you have to start over. The higher the character's star rating, the more complex these segments would be. The longer the storyline, the more complicated the game becomes. The gameplay also involves a series of quests.”
“I have to say, Junxuan is a powerful gamer for sure!!”
...
Guo Fan hummed a song. He was in a jolly mood. His mouse clicks were lightning fast. He would refresh the thread every few seconds. The number of sub-threads and comments piled on ith blazing speed, exceeding 1,000 in no time.
And the forum lit up quickly as news traveled at light speed. Many players escalated the situation and started a cursing war on their own. The tense atmosphere was palpable.
When the forum administrators came online, they immediately deleted a wave of posts and sent a direct message to Guo Fan. They changed the post's title to a standard guide and the matter was laid to rest.
However, the spark that Guo Fan made persisted.
“Hehe... The first six-star character's appearance is only the beginning! The current version of Misty Flower is already the strongest. Let the game update through the next expansion pack. It will be a new journey!”
Guo Fan's eyes brimmed with confidence and ambition as he clenched his fists. He felt that even though he stayed up all night for an entire month, it was really worth it! His excitement had not diminished even a bit!
He was so thrilled that his heart raced wildly!
Then suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his heart.
“Shit... Why... What's... going on...”
Guo Fan clutched at his chest, ground his teeth, and mumbled a few inaudible words through his teeth. He convulsed, clenched his fists tightly, and fell onto the keyboard with a thump.
Darkness came over him. His consciousness was torn apart and then put together again.
“Waah...”
Guo Fan woke up to wailing. He opened his eyes with a scowl and his eyes were greeted by a bright red light. His vision was blurry.
He blinked several times and the scene gradually came into focus. He realized he was sitting up.
A young girl in her prime knelt in front of him. She was rubbing her eyes with her tender hands, as tears rolled down her fair and pretty cheeks. She was crying in sorrow. The red muslin cloth covering her slender body was splayed out like petals on the bed.
Why did he get the feeling that the girl looked familiar...?
Guo Fan looked around his surroundings, puzzled. The room had antique wooden furniture. The decorations were very feminine and there was a pearl curtain that hung like a boudoir.
‘What... what's going on?!'
Guo Fan's eyes spread wide in bewilderment. He raced his brain, sifting through a thousand possible explanations until he arrived at the most plausible one — ‘transmigration'!
He quickly turned his head towards the young girl. He stared at her face, trying to discern something. After a few rounds, Guo Fan's expression changed. His eyes spotted a tiny mole on her neck!
Suddenly, a conversation flashed through Guo Fan's head.
...
“You claim to like me a lot, right?”
“Yes.”
“Great! In that case, tell me, do you remember how many moles I have on my body?”
“Three. One on the face, one on the neck, and...”
...
She was the first NPC he had conquered in ‘Upper Center'. The youngest daughter of Gu Feidao, lord of the novice village, Pool Feather Mountain Manor!
He had transmigrated. Oh my, he had indeed transmigrated! And the most shocking thing was, that he had transmigrated into the game he was playing!
Guo Fan shivered in excitement and pinched his thigh, trying his best to collect himself. He had conflicting emotions — confusion, excitement, and fear. His heart hammered, and he felt like he had a lump in his throat.
Gu Siyin wept incessantly, failing to notice Guo Fan's unusual behavior. She looked up with teary eyes and said firmly, “Mr. Junxuan, I will not marry him. I wish to be with you for the rest of my life!”
Junxuan... Wasn't that his username in the game?
Guo Fan felt something stir within himself. He looked up and saw a progress bar above the girl's head.
The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)ebnov(e)lcontemporary romance