Blue Star, Great Xia, a certain city.
Inside a slightly ssy apartnt, 7:09 AM.
The curtains weren't drawn; only a desk lamp was lit, its dim yellow light shining on the 'magical tools' scattered across the floor.
A mini altar made of chopsticks, a few peacock feathers bought online stuck in a plastic cup, and a piece of red paper with 'Good Luck' written on it pasted on the wall, its edges already curling up.
There was also a bowl of white rice with three sticks of incense stuck in it. The incense had just been lit, and the smoke made Chen Hao cough repeatedly.
Chen Hao squatted on the ground, two peacock feathers stuck in his hair, holding a copper bell he'd scavenged from a street stall, muttering incantations.
He had spent all last night browsing forums and reading over thirty experience-sharing posts from 'Awakened,' concluding that a sense of ritual was very important.
Although so people replied 'pure taphysics' under those posts, Chen Hao felt it was better to believe it might be real—what if?
"Heaven is divine, Earth is divine, let the Supre Lord Laozi show his spirit..."
He rang the copper bell, then felt that just praying to local gods wasn't enough; he had to take care of the foreign gods too.
So he added, "An, Amitabha, Mani Mani Pad Hum, bless to be chosen..."
Today, at 7:20 AM Blue Star ti, the Nightmare World would randomly select Adventurers.
This was the first selection after the new rules took effect, and ordinary people across the entire Blue Star were watching closely.
Once selected, one would directly beco an Adventurer, starting at level five, with a full set of white equipnt /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ and a twenty percent attribute bonus.
It was practically equivalent to being half a Professional, and far stronger than those Awakened who had to work hard to level up from level one.
Chen Hao put down the copper bell and checked his phone.
7:15 AM. Five minutes left. He took a deep breath.
He prayed to all the gods once more, then sat cross-legged in front of the 'altar,' pressing his palms together and closing his eyes.
Exactly 7:20 AM.
On the apartnt's ceiling, a pale purple halo created by the overlap of the Nightmare World and Blue Star quietly erged.
A pale golden pillar of light descended from the halo, sweeping across the entire room.
When the pillar of light passed over Chen Hao, his whole body shivered, and he felt a chill pour from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, as if soone had poured a bucket of ice water over him.
Then, the pillar of light continued to move, sweeping over the sofa, the coffee table, and the pile of 'magical tools' before finally disappearing into the halo on the ceiling.
Chen Hao opened his eyes and looked down at his body; a blue halo ant he hadn't been selected.
"Bullshit luck-changing ritual! It's completely useless!"
Chen Hao ripped the peacock feathers from his head, threw them on the ground, and kicked the chopstick altar.
"I even wasted five hundred Credit Points on materials! I'll have to live on Energy Bars again this month!"
He stood up grumbling and carried the bowl of white rice to the kitchen, intending to save it for a al so it wouldn't go to waste.
The incense was extinguished, the copper bell put away, and the red paper torn down and folded.
After cleaning up the ss, he sat on the sofa, poured himself a glass of plain water, and took a sip. His mood cald down a bit.
It was fine; there was always next month. If it didn't work this ti, there was always a next ti.
Adventurer slots were available every month. As long as he was alive, there would always be a day he might be chosen.
Chen Hao took a deep breath, picked up the 'Phantom Generation 7' imrsive glasses from the table, and put them on.
The retinal display projected by the lenses lit up, and he skillfully opened the Dream Net live streaming platform, his fingers sliding quickly over the virtual keyboard.
The Nightmare Tide had disappeared, and those old city defense livestreams were gone. He hadn't known what to watch these past few days.
Territory construction? Boring. Territory daily life? Even more boring.
Suddenly, a new recomndation appeared on the live platform's hopage.
"Tieba Kingdom's Kara Holy City, Orc siege announcent. Broadcast ti: Nightmare ti tomorrow. Highlights: Tens of thousands of the Orc Army vs. Tieba Kingdom Great Xia reinforcents; a level forty War Lord's first appearance to attack a city-level territory."
Chen Hao's eyes lit up. An Orc siege? Tens of thousands in the army? A level forty War Lord?
This was much more exciting than the previous Nightmare Tides. He clicked into the livestream room without hesitation.
The scene cut in; the Nightmare ti was around 10:00 PM.
The walls of Kara Holy City were brightly lit with torches, their orange-red light flickering in the night wind.
The defenders were still on guard, and the sentries in the arrow towers were still gazing at the western horizon.
But on the open ground below the city walls, it was bustling with activity.
Two thousand newly arrived Adventurers were gathering there, being settled by the Kara Holy City's liaison personnel.
So were jumping up in excitent, while others giggled foolishly at the initial white equipnt they were wearing.
So high-fived strangers next to them, and others waved toward the direction of the livestream cara.
The bullet chat started flying.
"Arghhh, I wasn't chosen! Why!"
"Sa here, person above . My ntal state is collapsing."
"I specifically bought Luck Water to drink this morning and still didn't get in. The seller said it mainly provides a psychological effect. I'm going to leave a bad review!"
"Hahahaha, I'm in! I'm in Kara Holy City right now! This place is so cold!"
"Who are you kidding, upstairs? If you really got in, why are you still here sending bullet chats?"
The bullet chat was filled with netizens from various countries: Baixiang Kingdom, Russia, Sakura Country, USA, and Tieba Kingdom. It was as lively as a vegetable market.
Chen Hao watched the stream while scrolling through the chat, and his mood improved significantly.
Even though he wasn't chosen, watching others get picked was quite interesting.
Suddenly, a bullet chat from a Sakura Country netizen floated by, its tone quite strange.
"Kara Holy City is so pitiful. As soon as they enter the Nightmare World, they have to be Line-fillers. These Adventurers probably won't survive past tomorrow."
When Chen Hao saw this ssage, his anger flared up. His fingers tapped rapidly on the virtual keyboard, and his ssage was sent out.
"Line-fillers my foot! I heard you have an Orc Army within Sakura Country's borders too, and your war against the orcs isn't going well.
If you have ti to be all sarcastic and cynical here, why not go back and cheer for your own army? By the way, how many people have you lost? Was your family among them?"
The bullet chat section instantly beca heated. Tieba Kingdom netizens also joined the counterattack:
"Exactly! Even if we sacrifice ourselves, we are heroes. It's better than so people hiding behind a keyboard making snide remarks!"
"Sakura Country person, how did your Chidori County disappear? Do you want to help you rember?"
"Don't bother, person above. They're thick-skinned; it's useless to talk to them."
A Baixiang Kingdom netizen: "Even though my relationship with Tieba Kingdom is just average, I'm standing with Tieba Kingdom this ti. Orcs are the enemy of all humanity."
A USA netizen: "Just here to eat popcorn and watch the show."
The Sakura Country netizens couldn't hold their ground, and the chat section quieted down.
Those cynical people had either logged off or switched to alt accounts.
The bullet chat returned to normal, and they began discussing tomorrow's siege battle.
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