Chapter 156 : Hidden NPC?
Hidden NPC?
Soon, it was already lunchtime.
Curled up in the room, Chen Zixuan hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he still couldn't muster the courage to step out the door.
The game had only been live for a week. The fashion feature wasn't open yet, and to walk around the streets wearing this... What kind of humiliation play was this supposed to be?
Being mistaken for an NPC by other players would be the least of it; if his real identity got exposed, Chen Zixuan could even already guess the headline from UC's shock section tomorrow.
"Disgraceful! Legendary player Cecilia actually walks the streets dressed like this!"
At this point, he finally understood how cosplayers must feel.
If you wanted to wear something like this as casual clothes, it really did take some courage to step outside.
Glancing at the time, Chen Zixuan decided to drag it out for as long as he could and, in a fit of pique, sat down on the edge of the bed.
As long as he didn't go out, no one would see him wearing a maid outfit.
However, that peace didn't last long before it was broken.
A system notification sounded, and a private message popped up in the bottom right corner. Curious, Chen Zixuan clicked it open.
[Dawn's Light: The player arena is open now. The entire eastern district is packed. Aren't you coming to check it out?]
An arena?
Chen Zixuan was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly pulled up the map. Sure enough, there was a brand new landmark in the previously blank eastern part of the Main City—
["Windmill Meat Grinder"
Arena]
That name was really enough to make anyone feel uncomfortable.
While gazing at the map, a thought suddenly struck Chen Zixuan. He remembered something.
Wasn't the location on that deed Gu Yanxi held right in the eastern district of Main City? And it seemed not far from this arena, too.
Maybe that's what luck looked like—a life destined for wealth. No matter where they went, they would never suffer.
He heaved such a sigh in his heart, but Chen Zixuan was genuinely happy for the girl. In real life, she already had a building. Now in the game, she owned prime real estate. Gu Yanxi would never have to know hardship—for her, it was the best possible outcome.
Of course, the premise for this ending was that the threat from those four Angels would have to be resolved first.
Shifting his focus back to the arena, Chen Zixuan thought for a moment, then quickly typed a reply:
[Cecilia: What's it for? Are there any rewards?]
Humans are creatures who act in pursuit of profit, and Chen Zixuan was no exception. In this respect, he was even more extreme than the average person.
If it was an arena, winners definitely had to get rewards. If the system couldn't offer something he found interesting enough, Chen Zixuan wouldn't lower himself to go out in public.
Very soon, Dawn's Light sent a long reply.
[Dawn's Light: Of course there are, otherwise I wouldn't call you over. Every player who's registered here gets a points ranking—defeat another player, get 5 points. Points can be exchanged for prizes: blueprints, materials, all kinds of stuff. Yuewu is here, too, and she's already won a dozen matches in a row.]
Ever since Chen Zixuan had carried them last time, both Dawn's Light and Yuewu's levels had completely crushed the rest of the playerbase. With a full set of fresh level 5 blue gear, their combat strength had made a breakthrough, and stringing together win after win was simply a breeze.
Of course, compared to the current Chen Zixuan, they were worlds apart.
The rewards Dawn's Light mentioned piqued Chen Zixuan's curiosity. He knew that, while this game was difficult, it had always been generous with rewards, never disappointing the players.
It was precisely because of the rich rewards, plus the incredibly realistic game experience, that kept most players from being discouraged by the difficulty—they chose to stick around.
In any case, sooner or later, he'd have to go out wearing this outfit. Why not...
Hiding all the time was exhausting. It wasn't like he'd done anything wrong, yet he had to constantly avoid people. Who would want to keep living like that?
In the end, under the temptation of the rewards, Chen Zixuan held out for less than half a minute before completely surrendering to reality.
He pushed open the door and, gritting his teeth, buried all his panic and tension deep inside. Straightening the two long silver ponytails behind him, Chen Zixuan expressionlessly left the room.
His little Shoes tapped out a rhythmic beat on the stairs as the noise from outside grew louder and louder. The twenty-odd steps of the stairway felt, to him, like a road to heaven—unending.
At last, he reached the first floor of the inn, and the sight of throngs of people streaming along the street outside entered his view.
Damn, how had there gotten to be so many people outside again, after just one morning?
At that moment, Chen Zixuan had second thoughts again—he really didn't want to go out now.
But life rarely goes as you wish. Just then, a player planning to log off for lunch happened to come inside the inn.
Scanning the room, this player's gaze landed on the girl quietly standing beside the stairs, and it was as if fate's red string had ensnared him—he couldn't look away.
The modeling in this game was superb!
Even a random NPC maid in a tiny inn was this beautiful. White stockings, too? Top notch!
Indeed, the girl before him was petite, her features beautiful enough to take one's breath away, especially those two fluffy, soft silver ponytails—straight to the heart.
More importantly, she seemed to radiate a sharp aura, clearly the result of professional training—a maid standing upright by the stairs, face expressionless, like a sword waiting to be drawn: sharp, restrained, and as if, in the next instant, she would suddenly strike.
In fact, the player wasn't wrong. At that moment, Chen Zixuan really did want to kill him with a single stroke.
What the hell are you staring at?
A few seconds later, Chen Zixuan slowly lowered his gaze. Having someone stare at you so brazenly—it was too much for anyone.
Honestly, he would rather face the savage Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile alone than deal with a bunch of horny beasts, even if they weren't any threat to him.
Just as he was about to leave, the player, oblivious, came right up to block his way.
"Maid miss, hello, the weather's nice today, isn't it?"
So this was how he was going to hit on him? He really was being treated as an NPC.
Maybe...he should play along?
In a mischievous mood, Chen Zixuan lifted his head, looking the player in the eye, then curved his lips into that trademark professional smile: "Yes, adventurer, the weather is indeed lovely today."
As soon as he finished, the male player's face flushed red in an instant.
Contrary to her cute appearance, the maid's voice was cold and crisp like spring water trickling through mountain rocks—not syrupy sweet like other girls' affected voices.
Not only beautiful, but even her voice was this nice.
Damn, had domestic voice actresses reached this level?
Being looked at by the maid like this, the player's brain turned to mush.
But then he thought, no matter how pretty she was—even if her voice was this good—she was just an NPC without feelings.
So doing something a little excessive...wasn't really a problem, right?
In this game, harassing other players did get you punished, but he'd never heard what happened if you harassed an NPC.
At worst, maybe he'd be beaten up by guards and kicked out of Main City, but just a couple hours killing monsters in the wild and the yellow name goes away—he could come back in no time.
He could do this.
Go all out!
With that in mind, and in a rush of bravado, the player's hand slid downward toward the petite maid's slender, shapely legs.
Today, he'd put on a performance: hands-on with white stockings!
But before he could get what he wanted, he suddenly felt something flash before his eyes.
Weird...was that his imagination?
By the time he came to, his palm felt nothing at all. He had grabbed nothing but air.
The NPC maid had, in an instant, retreated a step back, easily dodging the lecherous hand, and was now staring at him coldly with a vigilant expression as she asked:
"What do you think you're doing?"
That was the look of utter disdain, but at this moment, for whatever reason, seeing this expression on the maid's face only made the man even more excited.
He swallowed hard, a foolish grin creeping across his lips, and reflexively moved a step closer.
At that moment, there was another barely perceptible blur and an icy chill ran down from his neck through his entire body. The player instantly shivered and snapped back to reality.
In that instant, without any warning, a silver dining knife, as perfect as a work of art, was pressed to his throat.
Every hair on his body stood on end, and he froze.
When—
When did she draw the knife and get it to my throat?
Why did I not sense a thing?
Staring blankly at the maid, he saw her lips curve in a half-smile, mouthing two words silently:
"Idiot~"
Since donning the [Rose Maid] set, this was the first time Chen Zixuan had taken action. With nearly 2000 Agility, once he entered combat mode, everyone else's movements seemed as slow as turtles to him.
Wasn't this 100 times more fun than seamless E?
For a moment, Chen Zixuan even felt himself nearly intoxicated by the feeling of power.
I've changed my mind—maid outfit, number one in the world!
The male player opened his mouth slightly. Only now did he begin to realize that the flawless little maid in front of him wasn't at all as simple as he'd thought.
She even knew standard curses—could she actually be...
A hidden NPC?!!!