Chapter 1: Setting a Little Goal
In the bustling atmosphere of a beginner’s village in an otherworldly game, a little girl who looked to be just over ten strolled right down the center of the path.
Her right arm cradled a bamboo basket covered with a gray cloth, leaving just three little wildflowers peeking out as the simplest of decorations.
This ordinary scene stopped many players in their tracks.
You see, while her outfit was plain, her golden hair—half-hidden beneath a red hood—still radiated a magical allure all around her. Add her delicate features and porcelain-like skin, and it was clear she was the object of many gazes.
And then she spoke the words that would leave everyone reeling.
“Big brother, want to buy a nuclear bomb? Try one! If it doesn’t go off, you don’t have to pay! Mine are straight from the manufacturer—great quality, low price; you can’t lose!”
The angelic face uttered words of pure demonry, sending players, who had been initially entranced by her looks, scrambling away while clutching their wallets.
But the little girl didn’t let it get her down; these situations had happened countless times before. She was practically used to it. Just goes to show how cold-hearted the world can be, huh?
“Ugh, I have authentic nuclear bombs! Why won’t anyone buy them?!”
“Hey, little sister, how much for your nuclear bombs?”
A voice suddenly interrupted her lament, warm like a winter sun.
She looked up to see a gentle big brother, sporting a smile she didn’t quite understand.
She opened her mouth to introduce herself, but her eyes glimmered with gold as she caught a glimpse of the man’s info at his left bottom corner—Amount: 5132 copper coins. And then there were his clothes, courtesy of a new player gift pack.
This was her skill—Eye of Breaking Delusion, allowing her to see things normally hidden from view.
“Tsk, poor guy,” she thought bitterly. With just around fifty silver coins—half a gold coin, was he planning to throw coins at a beggar?
Not hearing her say anything, the man pondered for a moment and pulled a candy out of his pocket, offering it to her. “Hey, little sister, you’ve been busy here for ages, you must be tired. Why not come home with big brother for a rest? I have goldfish and a cat that can do flips!”
The little girl instantly frowned. Oh, I see what you want! You think I’ll do backflips for you!
She slapped away the outstretched hand and turned to leave, mumbling something under her breath.
The man, dejected, slouched back to his friends, venting his frustrations. “I’m so sunny! Why do girls always hate me? Even game NPCs don’t like me!”
“Before you say that, take a look in the mirror! Just because your game character has the looks doesn’t mean you do, you roasting goose heart!”
“Uh? By the way, have you heard that strange sound? Sounds like the candy in your hand?”
“Beep… beep beep… beep beep beep.”
Boom————
A little distance away, the small girl turned her head back to glance. “Hmph! You think one candy can trick me? Do I look like a child?!”
For some reason, though, her lips kept smacking together.
She reached back and pulled out a few small coin pouches that had fallen at the explosion site, though the amounts inside were pathetic even a dog would shake its head at.
“Tsk, even the d*ath drops are stingy!”
It was a common thing for NPCs to k*ll players in this game. After all, players were seen as outsiders, adventurers at a low status, and their goodwill rating often floated in the negatives.
This was part of the game’s protective mechanism for NPCs. If a player showed even a hint of malice towards an NPC, dying was just a fitting consequence, and the system wouldn’t hear their cries for justice.
After all, players could respawn, but once an NPC was dead, that was it.
But the little girl standing here was unique. She was both player and NPC.
【ID: Wind (Real Name: Xu Xiaofeng)
Class: NPC: Little Girl (Special Profession)
Identity: Golden Princess
Three-dimensional Data: d*ath Penalty Warning
Panel Data: Please Expand
Talent Skills: Character’s Personal Skill—Mastery of Space Attributes, Eye of Breaking Delusion; NPC Universal Talent—Automatic Experience Growth】
Xu Xiaofeng stared at her panel, sighing once again.
She was playing a fully immersive virtual reality game for the first time and had just earned a special profession. Two joyous events rolled into one, and these should’ve brought her happiness akin to a dream. So why had it become like this…?
She reminisced about three hours ago when the game officials had opened up registration just two hours before launch, allowing players to register their character details, including the very vital face-shaping step.
Excited, Xu Xiaofeng dove right into it.
According to the early guides released by the officials, there were five basic classes in the game: Warrior, Mage, Priest, Ranger, and Assassin. Players could also choose random, which had a minuscule chance of landing a hidden class.
As a seasoned pro who had conquered high-difficulty games like Minesweeper and Spider Solitaire and boasted a reputation in the gaming community, of course, Xu Xiaofeng went for that random option.
Wow! Golden Legend! She felt as if she had sacrificed a part of her happiness to some iron bro, spirit soaring!
And then… a little girl?
Sigh! Regardless, at least it was a golden class! Female character or not, as long as I mold my face a little to look more androgynous, and once I get into the game, I can hide my character info and wear stealth gear, I’m still a tough guy!
And then… Ding! Special Profession, image set as default!
D’oh! System bug, you want to play tricks with me, huh?!
Typically, face-molding allowed for slight adjustments to both face and body based on real-life appearances, just a bit of beautification.
But what in the world was up with a golden-haired loli under 140 cm as the default setting?!
This character is wasted; I need to re-level!
Before Xu Xiaofeng could contemplate further, a whirlwind surrounded her, sending her directly into the game…
Just over an hour before the game’s official launch, she found herself thrust into the action…
After the first ten minutes of staring into a mirror questioning her very existence, Xu Xiaofeng managed to reset her mindset.
It’s just a game! I’ve played female characters before, and it’s not as if I’ve never sweet-talked for some equipment while pretending to be cute!
This time, it’s just the game’s realism cranked up. Besides, it’s a golden class! Surely no one could say no to the Golden Legend, right?!
As she entered the game, she learned through the system that her class had the duality of being a player and NPC, blending perfectly into NPC crowds, enjoying benefits from both worlds—a truly unassailable cool factor!
And right away, the system issued her a special quest—
【Set a Little Goal.
Quest Details:
Unit: Gold Coins.—– (0/1)】
Xu Xiaofeng stared at the quest for ages before figuring out what it actually meant. She was convinced that Wang O-Lin must have shares in this game development company.
Moreover, according to the gold coin exchange rate with real money, this had to be a hundred little Wangs! This is asking for my life!
And looking at the rewards, although it was a pile of question marks, the rainbow radiance emanated from it, hinting at something glorious. Officially, the highest-level items were the Golden Legend grade, and this rainbow hue was clearly above that.
Oh, dear lord, I’ve got to do this!
Using every advantage I have to make some pocket change here! As for integrity, that can wait; it’s just a game! You can’t reach through the internet to do anything to me!
So, what’s the best way to make money? The answer is weapons!
Bring on the big deal!
Thus, the little girl began selling nuclear bombs.
Nuclear bombs were what Xu Xiaofeng had stumbled upon while organizing her info, pulled from her special default equipment—a little bamboo basket. Who cares how it even worked; it’s out on the market now!
Its essence, however, was merely the accumulation of magic power associated with space attributes. Once collected to a certain level, it could indeed create effects akin to nuclear bombs.
Xu Xiaofeng kept walking down the path, shouting her sales pitch. She occasionally eyed the players’ balances; most only had a few copper coins. A glimpse of some gold coins here and there, but no discussions about purchases.
Whenever someone lingered a bit too long, discovering that Xu Xiaofeng’s goods started at a few dozen gold coins, they promptly lost interest. And for those who approached, clearly, they had ulterior motives.
But Xu Xiaofeng didn’t sweat it; little goals take time.
“Hey little sister, what are you selling?”
Lo and behold! The golden pig has arrived! Xu Xiaofeng spotted a bunch of zeros above this guy’s balance from a distance.
She immediately broke into a bright smile. “Big brother, I’m selling nuclear bombs. Want to try one?”
The approaching player’s ID was Fiery Conflict Across the Sky, real name Liu Haotian—a well-known blogger and tycoon in the gaming sector. He had made his mark in several previously popular games due to his top-notch skills, vast network, and hefty cash flow.
For this game, developed in collaboration with five rational nations, he had been preparing for a long time. Though the guild system wasn’t open yet, he was already operating several.
A member reported there was a bizarre NPC in the 66th beginner’s village. With his keen gaming sense, he quickly realized this was likely tied to a special plot and immediately came to investigate.
“Selling nuclear bombs?”
Despite having received the reports, actually hearing the words come from such a small loli made his mouth twitch involuntarily.
“Can I ask what kind of nuclear bomb you have?”
“Nuclear bomb is just a general term! I actually have lots of varieties! There are round ones, long ones, and humanoid shapes; one-time use, reusable, consumable, equipment-type, skill-type. Big brother, what do you want?”
“Uh? Are you sure this is a legitimate nuclear bomb?”
“Of course! Let me show you two smaller ones!”
Saying this, Xu Xiaofeng reached into her bamboo basket and quickly pulled out two chubby items.
When Liu Haotian saw the oval shape with a pull-ring on it, he immediately jumped back a step.
“Whoa! Hand grenade!”
