Humans felt empathy for their own kind; no one’s mind could withstand repeated exposure to such relentless devastation but Ye Jinran had long realized he had lost that sense entirely. All those emotions were locked away somewhere unreachable, somewhere no one could find.
His psyche, reshaped by the Main God’s own hands, felt no pity, no madness. It was built sturdy enough to shoulder the eternal life of a shopkeeper but perhaps, for him, that was a kind of torture.
Just like how losing pain meant never noticing how deeply you were wounded, never recognizing hidden damage until the moment the injury became fatal, until it was too late.
The humans here could do anything, commit any desperate act, just to survive and he, too, had no choice but to survive in his own way.
Up ahead, a group of office workers were trapped inside a commercial building. They had evacuated to the first floor but the violent storm outside terrified them too much to step through the doors.
Some pressed their faces to the glass, scanning anxiously for rescue. Others were using brute force to try to break open the emergency access door, the only route to the underground parking lot but it had been locked by someone.
Despair was creeping into all their faces. Even sending a final message to loved ones was impossible; the network was completely dead.
Outside, everyone was struggling to survive. No rescue team could possibly come for them.
Ye Jinran stood not far away, debating whether to approach. He had equipped only a basic appearance disguise tool, not invisibility. If he revealed himself now, those people would almost certainly latch onto him as their final hope.
He didn’t like receiving that kind of heavy expectation.
The torrential rain obscured him, blurring his silhouette; even at less than two hundred meters away, the people inside the office building would not notice him at all.
Suddenly, he felt something, an instinctive tug. He opened the map interface and then, for the first time in a while, a genuine smile appeared on his face.
Saving the masses was not his job.But players could.
Using the name Black, Ye Jinran sent a private message to the player closest to him on the map, offering a tool trade. The price was fair and the item was exactly what the situation required.
[Player I Am Not a Medicine God has purchased C Rank Item <Brightflare Lantern>.]
Her glowing dot reappeared on the dungeon map. She had used one of her “self reset” revivals to return.
That S rank item had a cooldown, this would be the only time she could resurrect in this dungeon.
She had abandoned her guaranteed survival in order to come back and help her companions and also to uphold her own beliefs.
In the next instant, a blinding white light tore through the sheet of rain. Beneath a sky crushed under black clouds, it shone like a newly born sun.
“Please don’t panic! Follow me!”
The person holding the lantern shouted toward the trapped crowd, waving her free hand with all her strength, praying they would see her.
Rain and hail reversed course the moment they neared her, recoiling as if encountering some deadly force.
Around her formed a strange dry zone, untouched by wind or storm.
Someone inside the building noticed the glow and pointed frantically through the glass. “Look! Someone’s coming this way!”
“Is that the rescue team?!”
“No, wait, why is there only one person? That is…”
One person screamed, “It’s Miss I Am Not a Medicine God!”
“Oh my god! How is it her?! Wasn’t she already dead?!”
“Does that mean we’re already in hell…? No, even if she died, she should’ve gone to heaven.”
“She’s back! She came back to lead us out of this cursed place!”
The medic pushed her voice harder, speeding up. “Come to me! I know where the nearest basement entrance is!”
After entering the state of death, since she still had remaining revival uses, her soul had lingered around the place where she died.
She had seen many things, knew what was about to happen. The confrontation between her and Bai Yanzhou no longer mattered. Her conscience could not allow her to ignore the suffering of her fellow humans.
She was not truly a goddess of medicine but she was a medical student in real life and the reverence she held for life was heavy and unshakable.
If she chose to run, she knew she would regret it for the rest of her life. Clinging to that belief, I’m Not a Medical God threw herself back into the fray without hesitation.
The front doors of the office building were pushed open by someone and a crowd surged toward her in excitement, scrambling into the relatively safe, dry circle around her.
The lantern’s glow soothed frayed nerves; even their breathing grew steadier.
“That’s why I said we should’ve voted for you.” One of the rescued people was practically glowing with relief, enthusiastically preaching her philosophy and achievements to confused coworkers.
Ye Jinran lowered the brim of his cap and hid within the curtain of rain, silently following behind the fleeing group.
Some people possessed value even while alive.
Against the wind, the person walking upstream held a glowing lantern, like a lighthouse guiding lost ships toward the shore.
After following them for a while, Ye Jinran came to a stop. Someone had been approaching from behind, step by deliberate step, not even bothering to hide their footsteps.
“Surviving is the meaning of everything, isn’t it?”
Ye Jinran turned around and saw Bai Yanzhou casually toss aside his rain torn umbrella.
“I rather like this identity,” Bai Yanzhou tugged at his jacket, the system issued clothing that came with his in game role. “It’s not much different from what I usually do.”
Ye Jinran replied, his voice still and unwavering as a calm well: “You’re right. Once such a great being descends, the mere fact that ants manage to survive is already an immense stroke of luck.”
He lifted his gaze toward the sky. The Walker of Winds was drawing closer. Within the churning black tempest, a pair of bright eyes flickered faintly, accompanied by the distorted silhouette of a massive humanoid form.
Bai Yanzhou continued speaking to himself: “Everyone struggles to live, pouring everything they have into reaching tomorrow, whether in a game or in reality. The methods just differ a little but even if I say all that… someone like you probably can’t understand what that feels like.”
He tilted his head, a hint of curiosity glinting in his eyes. “How does it feel? Are you satisfied with this game?”
Ye Jinran faintly sensed that the question wasn’t directed at him and thus remained silent.
Fortunately, Bai Yanzhou didn’t expect an answer. He produced a pair of thick gloves from who knows where and pulled them on. “I’m heading underground too. Coming with me?”
Ye Jinran had no particular destination in mind, so he gave a small nod.
The two walked side by side as if the raging winds and pouring rain were nothing, Ye Jinran activating several protective items. He pretended not to notice the man beside him shamelessly benefiting from the overlapping effects for free.
“So let me guess, the story goes like this: Amanda tried to enter to snipe you, two of her students followed out of concern, your little buddy dragged his healer friend along and that’s how everything escalated, right?” Ye Jinran asked while they walked. He had no desire to let Bai Yanzhou reap benefits without giving something back.
Bai Yanzhou chuckled lightly. “Something like that. I’m not too sure myself. I started up this PVP dungeon specifically to lure Amanda into a trap so I could take care of her. Didn’t expect to come in and realize this wasn’t a proper PVP instance.”
To him, achieving a perfect clear of a dungeon mattered far more than settling personal grudges. Amanda could always be dealt with another time. A dungeon could only be entered once; the result would be permanently recorded in his profile.
“Is it fun?” Bai Yanzhou suddenly asked.
His tone was so casual that Ye Jinran answered without thinking, “It’s… acceptable, I suppose.”
“Play with me next time,” Bai Yanzhou said, barely suppressing a laugh. “You’re always staring longingly at us. It’s kind of pitiful.”
Ye Jinran: “???”
Excuse me, what exactly do you mean by that?
He did occasionally imagine what he would do if he entered dungeons the way players did and he did find certain player behaviors amusing.
But he only looked over out of curiosity while following behind them, how did that get twisted into pitiful?
“Let’s make a deal? I’ll support any reform you push for the system shop, no conditions. I’ll be the first to try new features and even promote them on the forum. All you need to do is accompany me into whichever dungeon I pick next time.”
Bai Yanzhou’s smile turned sly. “If you refuse, then once I get out of here, I’ll keep blowing up the portals to popular dungeons nonstop. That’ll force you to run back and forth between all sorts of instances. Oh, right, I forgot the great store owner won’t be troubled by such a tiny inconvenience.”
Ye Jinran: “……”
He managed to say both the threats and the cajoling in one breath.And it hit Ye Jinran right where it hurt. The reward was tempting and Bai Yanzhou held considerable influence among players, his call could gather crowds instantly.
Meanwhile, the chaos he’d create if he wanted to cause trouble would be unbearable.
Just imagining having to constantly open all sorts of bizarre temporary storefronts made Ye Jinran’s head throb faintly.
“…Fine. I’ll contact you on the forum. Wait for my message.” Ye Jinran finally relented. “But I might not be free.”
He would probably have to ask the Main God for leave just to spare the time to participate in a dungeon as a player.
Bai Yanzhou received the answer he wanted and immediately brightened, even humming a small tune. Before they noticed, they had arrived in the slums, standing before the fortress factory Bai Yanzhou had personally built. He led Ye Jinran around the back, found a small door and ducked down into a staircase leading underground.Ye Jinran ultimately chose not to follow.
Once Bai Yanzhou’s figure disappeared into the pitch black passageway, he shut the door without hesitation.
He had no desire to spend another minute with that lunatic.
At that moment, the earth sank into extreme cold. A thin sheet of ice coated every surface. Colors faded, everything washed into the pale white of snow and frost. A few minutes later, the temperature dropped to a level that could inflict frostbite on any human lacking sufficient protection.
Like a pack of wolves, the icy wind howled and wove between the buildings. Under the combined force of the bitter cold and natural pressure, the towering structures humanity once prided itself on began to collapse. All things leaned back toward the primal state, returning to nature.
Ye Jinran opened a portal and stepped into his shop. The plain looking automatic sensor glass door blocked out the terrifying cold and the raging wind, dividing the inside from the outside into two completely different worlds. Here, he was safe, at least for now.
The Death Walker swept across the sky, overlooking the empty earth below. It needed to take something with it yet the storm that served as its hands could only lift a few uninteresting roadside trees.
It noticed a shop by the street with warm yellow lights glowing through the storm, accompanied by an aura that felt unfavorable. That was not a domain it could step into.
The god that traveled with the wind felt no attachment to this dull and lifeless land. With a furious roar, it rode the hurricane and flew toward the next towering peak.
Even if it simply brushed past, for the people huddled underground around faint circles of light, the duration felt like an unbearably long torment.Fortunately, the wind finally passed.
The ruined city became the footprint left behind by the god’s passage but humanity still remained. In a few years, perhaps only months, they would once again rebuild their miraculous home.That was how people continued to live.
[Congratulations to the players for clearing the dungeon <Riding With the Wind> Happy End: Trace of the Wind]
[Natural disasters are ruthless, seeking to shatter the order of human society yet after the disaster order will always be rebuilt. Perhaps people will still one day raise blades against their own kind but right now, you help and support each other, all for the same shared vision, quietly awaiting the arrival of tomorrow.]
[Reward received: B Rank Item <Wind Sheltering Umbrella>, When activated, this item nullifies wind effects in the environment. Unlimited uses. No side effects.]
[Reward received: C Rank Item <Alert Horn>, After blowing this item and speaking any warning about imminent danger, listeners will immediately believe it.]
This was the first time every player survived in this dungeon. All participants received the same notifications and the reward items were automatically placed in their inventories.
Since this clear record was also the global first clear for one of the dungeon’s endings, the system issued a scrolling banner announcement.
The forum instantly exploded, discussion threads soaring like skyscrapers.
[What’s happening lately? Are all these long standing dungeon roadblocks getting cleared one after another?]
[Pretty sure I saw the True Ending of <Mist of Nanjin Village> get cleared by players from our Huaxia server a few days ago. The pros are terrifying!][Just checked this dungeon’s details, my god, it’s a PVP dungeon! And HE means the entire team survived! That’s the real hidden ending!]
[Yanzhou God! I saw the roster! He’s there, I knew it!]
[But what are those ridiculous names following his? I’m begging you all, as long as name change cards are cheap, can we at least pick something serious?]
[You’re wrong, because name change cards are cheap, that’s why everyone picks nonsense names.]
[You all underestimate ‘He Ran’s Dog’. He’s the best of the best, a god among gods, skillful, beautiful, dashing, charming. Not gonna lie… I am the dog of He ran’s Dog.]
[Fans of celebrity players, please enter in chaotic formation.]
[Honestly, Amanda and I’m Not a Medical God aren’t even famous players. I barely remember them. Anyone checked their rankings?]
[Replying above: ranking stats are average. He ran isn’t great either. Her dog is the impressive one.]
[Why would Yanzhou God team up with a random bunch like this… wait, was he queueing solo?]
[Of course he was! Have you ever seen Yanzhou God invite anyone to run a dungeon? He’s the textbook lone wolf.]
Ye Jinran returned to his warm little home in the real world.
Even though the Main God’s blessing allowed him to endure temperatures that could freeze a man to death, he still felt the cold while inside the dungeon. Now that he was back in his room, his pores and blood vessels finally relaxed and the tension left his body.
Because convenience was king, he had spent the past few days in the dungeon eating only instant convenience store meals, experiencing the pinnacle of pre packaged cuisine.
After coming home, he suddenly felt the urge to actually cook but once he stood in the kitchen and confirmed he had zero cooking skills, he silently returned to the sofa and ordered takeout on his phone.
Thanks to Bai Yanzhou’s generous “tip,” his account balance had grown significantly. Now he even felt comfortable ordering takeout with no discounts.
While waiting for his delivery to arrive, Ye Jinran opened the player forum and browsed the trending topics on the homepage.
[Title: 818 That Stunningly Alluring, Mysterious NPC Who Might Be the Sexiest in the Entire Game]
The top image of the post was a photo taken of him, he didn’t even know when.
Ye Jinran’s pupils tightened. Instinctively, he clicked on the thread.
[He ran Candy Gummies (OP): You’ve all probably seen it by now. I just cleared an A Country background dungeon and encountered the urban legend store, its physical storefront. There’s an NPC in the attached mini map named Black. As shown in the picture, isn’t this basically the peak of in game NPC appearance?]
[2F: Front row.]
[3F: Grabbing a seat, let the gossip begin.]
[He ran Candy Gummies (OP): I asked a friend who plays Western background dungeons a lot. She met the same NPC recently in <Blood Moon Town>. That means he really can travel between dungeons. Congrats, everyone, some of your theories were right.]
[5F: Black. More like Black hearted Shopkeeper.]
[6F: Not all of you are seeing the same shopkeeper. I’m lucky. I’ve met him several times across different dungeons and his appearance and personality change depending on the setting. He blends into each world perfectly. The ‘Black’ you all met might be the Western special edition.]
[He ran Candy Gummies (OP): Thanks for the supplement. Black’s outfit in <Blood Moon Town> and <Riding With the Wind> really are different, noble gentleman in the former, part time college boy in the latter.]
[8F: Agreed. When I cleared <Mist of Nanjin Village> earlier, I encountered a strange NPC who didn’t appear in any other team’s records. Didn’t think much of it at the time but reviewing later, I realized he was probably the shopkeeper. His name was Ye Jing, a man with an Eastern face. He felt like a fortune telling master or maybe a wandering Taoist priest.]
[9F: What kind of description is that?? I’m so curious now. If I could meet the shopkeeper even once, I’d give up meat and veggies for life, just mix them forever.]
Ye Jinran: ……
Why was Zhao Qian here too?!Watching the speculation spiral further and further out of control, Ye Jinran refused to read another word and exited the thread at lightspeed.
The imagination of this generation of players was truly bizarre. How had he become associated with words like “sexy” and “pitiful”?
The food delivery still hadn’t arrived. Abandoning his habit of scrolling through the day’s most popular threads, Ye Jinran closed the homepage and instead searched for Bai Yanzhou’s private message window. He intended to honor his promise, after all, a merchant valued his credibility above all else.
[A Salted Fish Without Ambition]: This is my player account. I can accompany you into the dungeon. Reply when you receive this.
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
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If you enjoyed their work, a little coffee is always appreciated.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Blood Moon Town: ShhhChapter 2 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (1)Chapter 3 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (2)Chapter 4 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (3)Chapter 5 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (4)Chapter 6 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (7)Chapter 7 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (6)Chapter 8 · The mist over Nanjin Village (7)Chapter 9 · The Mystery of Nanjin Village (The End)Chapter 10 · Real WorldChapter 11 · Riding The Wind (1)Chapter 12 · Riding The Wind (2)Chapter 13 · Riding The Wind (3)Chapter 14 · Riding The Wind (4)Chapter 15 · Riding The Wind (5)Chapter 16 · Riding The Wind (6)Chapter 17 · Riding The Wind (7)Chapter 18 · Riding The Wind (8)Chapter 19 · Riding The Wind (9)Chapter 20 · Riding The Wind (10)Chapter 21 Part 1 · Riding The Wind (11)Chapter 21 Part 2 · Riding The Wind (11)Chapter 22 · Real World (1)Chapter 23 · Real World (2)Chapter 24 · Golden Sands Fade Away (1)Chapter 25 · Golden Sands Fade Away (2)Chapter 26 · Golden Sands Fade Away (3)Chapter 27 · Golden Sands Fade Away (4)Chapter 28 · Golden Sands Fade Away (5)Chapter 29 · Golden Sands Fade Away (6)Chapter 30 · Golden Sands Fade Away (7)Chapter 31 · Golden Sands Fade Away (8)Chapter 32 · Golden Sands Fade Away (9)Chapter 33 · Golden Sands Fade Away (10)Chapter 34 · Golden Sands Fade Away (11)Chapter 35 · Golden Sands Fade Away (12)Chapter 36 · Golden Sands Fade Away (13)Chapter 37 · Golden Sands Fade Away (14)Chapter 38 · Golden Sands Fade Away (15)Chapter 39 · Golden Sands Fade Away (16)Chapter 40 · Golden Sands Fade Away (17)Chapter 41 · Golden Sands Fade Away (18)Chapter 42 · Golden Sands Fade Away (19)Chapter 43 · Golden Sands Fade Away (20)Chapter 44 · Golden Sands Fade Away (21)Chapter 45 · Golden Sands Fade Away (22)Chapter 46 · Golden Sands Fade Away (23)Chapter 47 · Golden Sands Fade Away (24)Chapter 48 · Golden Sands Fade Away (25) The EndChapter 49 · Main God’s DomainChapter 50 · Anomaly Investigation Bureau (1)Chapter 51 · Anomaly Investigation Bureau (2)Chapter 52 · Item FactoryChapter 53 · Defrosted Friendship (1)Chapter 54 · Defrosted Friendship (2)Chapter 55 · Defrosted Friendship (3)Chapter 56 · Defrosted Friendship (4)Chapter 57 · Defrosted Friendship (5)Chapter 58 · Defrosted Friendship (6)Chapter 59 · Defrosted Friendship (7)Chapter 60 · Defrosted Friendship (8)Chapter 61 · Defrosted Friendship (9)Chapter 62 · Defrosted Friendship (10)Chapter 63 · Defrosted Friendship (11)Chapter 64 · Defrosted Friendship (12)Chapter 65 · Defrosted Friendship (13)Chapter 66 · Defrosted Friendship (14)Chapter 67 · Defrosted Friendship (15)Chapter 68 · Defrosted Friendship (16)Chapter 69 · Defrosted Friendship (End)Chapter 70 · The Real WorldChapter 71 · Matching TimeChapter 72 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (1)Chapter 73 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (2)Chapter 74 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (3)Chapter 75 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (4)Chapter 76 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (5)Chapter 77 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (6)Chapter 78 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (7)Chapter 79 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (8)Chapter 80 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (9)Chapter 81 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (10)Chapter 82 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (11)Chapter 83 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (12)Chapter 84 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (13)Chapter 85 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (14)Chapter 86 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (15)Chapter 87 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (16)Chapter 88 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (17)Chapter 89 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (18)Chapter 90 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (19)Chapter 91 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (20)Chapter 92 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (21)Chapter 93 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (22)Chapter 94 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (23)Chapter 95 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (Complete)Chapter 96 · The Main God Invites You for TeaChapter 97 · The Player ForumChapter 98 · Training GroundChapter 99 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (1)Chapter 100 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (2)Chapter 101 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (3)Chapter 102 · Eternal Night · The One Who Strikes the Stone (Finale)