Chapter 83: The First Steps into Blade Soul

The game, *Blade Soul*, had launched its open beta approximately three years prior, quickly becoming a popular role-playing online game, or MMORPG, as it was professionally known.

Lin Cheng had already immersed himself in the game even before Lin Duo ran away from home. Boys, after all, tended to gravitate towards such online games.

Given Lin Cheng’s consistently excellent academic performance, Lin Fu never imposed strict limits on his computer usage. Since Lin Duo and Lin Cheng had once shared a computer, she had occasionally watched him play, thus becoming privy to his in-game personal information.

Of course, two years had passed, making it uncertain if Lin Cheng still played *Blade Soul*. Lin Duo, however, decided to try her luck.

She selected the server Lin Cheng had played on, created an adorable loli character, chose an equally charming character name, and began her journey.

Surprisingly, Lin Duo’s laptop ran the game with exceptional smoothness. This was thanks to Little Wang from the computer repair shop across the street.

Typically, gaming laptops were considerably more expensive than basic netbooks or study-oriented models. Little Wang, exploiting her adoptive parents’ lack of computer knowledge, simply recommended the most expensive option.

After all, a name like ‘Ultra God Laptop’ practically screamed ‘gaming-exclusive,’ didn’t it? It was only because Lin Duo’s adoptive parents weren’t well-versed in digital trends that they missed the implied humor.

Nevertheless, the higher price came with its advantages. You truly got what you paid for, and this laptop had always performed flawlessly, offering a pleasant user experience.

And so, Lin Duo embarked on her very first online gaming adventure.

Being a 3D game, the constantly shifting camera as she moved the mouse made her quite dizzy at first. Thankfully, she gradually adapted, following the guidance in the starting village step by step, accepting quests, and leveling up.

Initial leveling was always swift. Soon, Lin Duo, clad in her newbie gear, entered the first dungeon. Alas, perhaps lacking any gaming talent, this supposedly simple dungeon repeatedly led to the poor Lin Duo’s demise.

Standing at the entrance, utterly clueless, she decisively sought help in the regional chat channel:

[Newbie can’t clear dungeon, seeking powerful player to carry me.]

Fortunately, the game seemed to be filled with kind-hearted players, as many soon messaged her privately. Lin Duo, habitually, clicked on each player’s profile page.

One particular player caught her eye. Their in-game name was [Bury Love, Tentacle].

That wasn’t the main point, however. The crucial detail was their guild: [Bury Love Guild].

Lin Duo was certain this was the very guild Lin Cheng had joined. While so much time had passed, and it was hard to say if Lin Cheng was still a member, it was certainly worth a try.

After they formed a party, the formidable Bury Love, Tentacle wasted no words. They swiftly guided Lin Duo through the dungeon, all while typing a taunt:

“You can’t even clear such a simple newbie dungeon? Are your hands crippled?”

Lin Duo quickly typed back:

[I just started playing this game, so I’m not very familiar with the skills yet.]

Bury Love, Tentacle:

“Alright, I’ve helped a newbie. You can play on your own now, right?”

Lin Duo felt a pang of bewilderment. Why were people so cold nowadays? Shouldn’t they be more enthusiastic towards a female character? Seeing the other party member had already left, Lin Duo quickly sent a private message:

[Big Brother, your guild name sounds so nice. Can I join?]

Bury Love, Tentacle quickly replied:

“We don’t accept newbies. If you want to join, you need to be max level, have good equipment, and not have crippled hands.”

‘Sigh,’ Lin Duo thought. ‘What a high-class guild.’ Undeterred, she persisted:

[But I’m a newbie and really don’t understand anything. This game feels so hard QAQ]

Perhaps the emoticon had an effect, as Bury Love, Tentacle finally replied:

“Are you… a girl?”

It was then that Lin Duo realized the other player hadn’t perceived her as a girl all along! Her character was so adorable, and her name was cute too. To still be mistaken for a boy only meant there were too many male players using female avatars these days.

Lin Duo, however, kept her response simple and understated:

[En~]

Soon, Bury Love, Tentacle reinvited Lin Duo to the party. This time, a male voice suddenly emanated from Lin Duo’s computer:

“It’s really a girl?”

It took Lin Duo a few seconds to process this. ‘Oh, it’s in-game voice chat!’ she realized. Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to activate her voice, so she typed instead:

[Newbie doesn’t know how to use mic. How do I set it up?]

This time, Bury Love, Tentacle was incredibly patient, providing detailed instructions.

Thus, Lin Duo connected her headset, enabled microphone boost in her computer settings, and activated in-game voice chat. Finally, for the first time, she spoke in the game:

“Hello, hello, can you hear me?”

“I can hear you! I can hear you! It really is a girl, and from your voice, a sweet, soft girl at that!” Bury Love, Tentacle’s voice sounded genuinely surprised. “You said you want to join the guild, right? Perfect, our guild loves taking in newbies. After all, who didn’t start as a newbie? Wait a moment, I’ll talk to the Guild Master right away.”

‘Why such a drastic change in attitude?’ Lin Duo wondered. ‘Are female players really that rare in this game?’

Of course, Lin Duo paid no mind to these details, instead confirming the guild invitation request. A moment later, she saw the chat messages in the guild channel:

[Bury Love, Demon King: Welcome, new girl!]

[Extreme Pink Loli: Yay, we finally have another girl in the guild!]

[So Handsome It Startled the UN: Your level is so low, girl. Just started playing? Don’t worry, Uncle will take you to level up and clear dungeons.]

[Strange Pervert Uncle: Girl, come to YY, we’re all hanging out there.]

[Bury Love, Night Emperor: I’m the Guild Master. Newbie, please log into YY channel xxxxxx immediately.]

[Cute Little Fish: Okay, I’ll be right there!]

And so, Lin Duo found herself having to install yet another software program on her computer. This involved registering a new account and familiarizing herself with the software interface and operation process. After a bit of time, she finally entered the guild’s voice channel.

Clearing her throat, she tried speaking into the microphone:

“Hello everyone, I’m Cute Little Fish. This is my first time playing *Blade Soul*, and there’s a lot I don’t understand. I hope the big brothers and sisters can help me out a lot.”

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