Chapter 10: Ten, Emperor Realm Chapter 10: Ten, Emperor Realm The night deepened, and the surroundings grew quiet, with only the occasional light chirp of insects from the bushes.
Song Yan Ning had just fallen asleep when she suddenly felt her consciousness sinking, and then she found herself in a dilapidated village.
She felt something on her face and reached out to touch it, discovering a mask that had appeared without her knowing, “Where is this? How did I get here?” she wondered, surveying her surroundings. Could this be related to the Peace Pendant that Xu Dongqing gave her?
“Welcome, player number 33003115, to the Emperor Realm. Please choose a code name to begin your adventure,” a robust voice, like an ancient bell, rang out from the heavens.
Song Yan Ning slightly furrowed her brow, “Emperor Realm? What is that?”
No sooner had she spoken than a fine white beam shot down from the sky at great speed, entering her brow before she could react, and a flood of information poured into her mind.
The Emperor Realm was a system designed to train the strong. Those who could enter were no ordinary people; they were either well-connected, influential, and prominent individuals, or they excelled in various fields, possessing outstanding abilities. Otherwise, even with a Jade Token, the system would not accept them.
This system was divided into six levels: Basic, Intermediate, Intermediate, Intermediate, Advanced, and top-level. However, reaching the top-level was not something ordinary people could achieve; those who reached that level had the power to control the world.
She was now a Basic player in the Emperor Realm. She had to accept various challenges from the system, and for each completed task, she could earn corresponding Merit Points and rewards. Failure meant death. Dying in this system meant also dying in the real world. However, entry into the Emperor Realm was only possible once she had fallen fully asleep.
After understanding the rules of the Emperor Realm, Song Yan Ning’s lips curved into an intrigued smile, and she said to the sky, “My code name is ‘Doctor.’”
“Doctor, I wish you all the best!” the robust voice resounded.
Then, Song Yan Ning was enveloped in a white light, feeling lightness beneath her feet.
When she felt solid ground under her feet again, Song Yan Ning looked up to see a massive city gate before her, clearly the entrance to a city.
“Are you new here?” came a slightly youthful voice behind Song Yan Ning.
She turned to look and saw three boys and one girl standing behind her, all wearing masks like hers, but from their stature, apart from one boy who appeared older, the others were about her age.
“Yeah,” Song Yan Ning nodded.
“Then you should follow us. We’ve got you covered,” said the girl as she stepped forward, introducing herself, “My code name is ‘Elf.’ I’m from Yang City, and my father is the chairman of the Yang Group. After you leave the Emperor Realm, you can come play with me.” Those who were acknowledged by the Emperor Realm were not ordinary individuals, and making more connections would benefit her future. That’s also why her father spared no expense to get her into this system.
“I’m ‘Sharpshooter,’ from Beijing.”
“My code name is ‘Ice Wolf,’ I’m a Yang City local.”
“Xue Yu, Yang City.”
“Nice to meet you all! I’m ‘Doctor,’ also from Yang City,” Song Yan Ning said after the other four introduced themselves.
“Why did you choose that code name?” Elf asked curiously.
“I like the doctor profession,” Song Yan Ning said with a smile.
Elf nodded and looked toward the city gates, “It’s almost time. Let’s enter the city and accept a task.” They had only been in the Emperor Realm for a few days.
“Okay,” the group agreed and proceeded toward the city.
“The rules of the Emperor Realm are very strict. If you fail your first mission or end up in last place, you will be eliminated from the system and never have the chance to enter again,” Elf explained while walking.
“Got it,” Song Yan Ning nodded.
“Also, if a powerful player tries to take your Merit Points, it’s best to give them up, or you might be killed by them, which would mean your real-life death as well,” Elf warned. Honestly, she was a bit frightened about entering this place, but she didn’t want to end up mediocre, so she had to improve herself.
“I understand, thank you!” Song Yan Ning said, smiling in gratitude.
As they talked, the group entered the city.
“Let’s go to the Task Hall to accept a task,” Elf suggested, pointing to a luxurious café not far away. It served as the Task Hall, where you could also rest and eat. However, meals required Merit Points, which newcomers typically lacked.
Entering the café, it bustled with people, many of them around their age, with the oldest being seventeen or eighteen.
No one found this odd, since the Emperor Realm system was incredibly user-friendly. It automatically placed players under eighteen in the same area, which explained the absence of adults here.
They approached a display screen continuously scrolling through tasks, ranging from easy to difficult, each followed by corresponding Merit Points and rewards.
“Let’s go for the second task. It looks easier,” Ice Wolf suggested, mindful that Doctor was new; having teamed up with her, they should pick an easier task to avoid failure.
“Sounds good.”
“No problem.”
Song Yan Ning smiled at them, clearly understanding the reason for their choice.
“Let’s go to the service desk to accept the task,” Elf said, taking Song Yan Ning’s hand and heading for the desk.
The second task was indeed simple; they needed to gather the items listed within a set time to complete the task, after which each would earn a Merit Point.
After processing, Song Yan Ning and the others arrived at a forest outside the city. They needed to find eighteen White Origin Fruits, as the system displayed what they looked like and their location.
However, once in the forest, everyone became confused because the woods were much larger than they had anticipated. A good sense of direction was essential to avoid getting lost, especially since they only had three hours to complete the task.
“Which way should we go? It all looks the same here; where is southeast supposed to be?” Elf said with a frown, looking towards Song Yan Ning and the others. She was only eight years old and didn’t have a strong sense of direction.
“How about we head that way?” suggested Xue Yu, checking the position of the sun and pointing in a direction.
“Let’s go!” the group was about to start off.
“Wait!” Song Yan Ning spoke up.