MMORPG: The Almighty Ring Chapter 5 - A Superman Dream
Previously on MMORPG: The Almighty Ring...
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After dashing through the village to finish all quests, Jiang Fei wrapped up his tasks. From the start, he had wandered around equipped with a complete set of the lowest-tier gear. The quests granted him several superior replacements. During his hunts, he snagged a pair of Gray grade lower pants. They provided scant benefit—more suited for the garbage than wear. By now, Jiang Fei sported a full White tier equipment set. It remained basic, yet vastly superior to any full Gray tier outfit.
Upon returning to the village to turn in quests, he reached Level 4. Once he cleared every available quest, experience points propelled him to Level 6. Still, “graduating” from the Beginner’s Village looked far off.
“Ding! Attention, players. The server will shut down in 30 minutes. Please prepare yourself before the allotted time. Today’s session is about to come to an end!”
Dawn Break shone by operating servers just 8 hours daily. Players gained a full 24 hours of in-game time alongside 8 hours of real sleep! It preserved normal daily routines, letting folks thrive in reality while immersing in this virtual paradise through deep rest! A transformed way of living!
“Time for me to return to the village and log out.”
Jiang Fei began heading back toward the Beginner’s Village. En route, he accessed his inventory and commenced sorting his belongings.
“Hmm... So let’s throw these to the ring as leveling fodder (TL NOTE: items to be sacrificed). It has to be food, or else it would not work. Random ETC items would be gone and still won’t contribute to the ring’s level. I should sell them to NPCs.”
Item by item, he sorted through them, inspecting closely. One specific item drew his notice: a bottle of transparent red liquid.
“Hey hey... There’s a red potion here. I don’t think I would be using them, anytime soon. Monsters in the Beginner’s Village are just too weak. Best put them in the blue slots. Don’t want the ring gulping them down!”
…
“Ding! Attention players. The server will shut down in 30 seconds. Please make proper preparations before the server disconnects! Today’s session is about to come to an end!”
Just as Jiang Fei finished arranging his inventory and selling junk to the NPC, the system announcement blared once more.
“*Shiiing*”
The familiar white light flashed past, and Jiang Fei suddenly lay sprawled on his bed. Reality had resumed.
“Was I dreaming, or was I really playing the game?”
Jiang Fei scratched his head, pondering the very question from his game debut. He raised his hands and stared at the silver band on his finger.
*Woosh*
A subtle white glow emanated from the ring.
“What the-!”
Jiang Fei shot up, instantly wide awake.
“It is a dream! It has to be!”
Stunned by the occurrence, Jiang Fei found no better rationale. During that glow, he distinctly sensed the ring’s inventory contents! It mirrored his in-game sensation perfectly!
Hesitantly, Jiang Fei touched his thigh.
“This better work!” Jiang Fei yelled, pinching fiercely.
“OWWWWWW!”
Pain confirmed it. No dream here. Absolutely not. The agony scorched like infernal fire. But why inflict such torment? Why that brutal grip...
“Sh*t! Damn! This is real! This is real!”
Reality slammed into him inescapably. The ring stayed on, its inventory undeniably genuine! Unlike the game’s split red-and-blue setup, real life limited him to 18 blue slots. One held that tiny red potion.
“Ah Fei? What’s wrong?”
A worried voice sounded from beyond his door. His mother.
“Nothing, mom! It’s just a bad dream.” Jiang Fei offered a weak alibi after his pained yells and wild flailing. It likely evoked every mom’s nightmare.
“If you say so. It’s time for you to get out of bed! Hurry up and eat your breakfast.”
His mother flipped to classic stern Asian mom scolding once assured he was fine.
“Yeah yeah...” Jiang Fei muttered casually. High school mornings dragged endlessly. But the game ensured 6am wake-ups refreshed from full sleep! No more sleeping in!
Curiosity about the ring surging, Jiang Fei rose from bed. Its game features worked here in reality! Could its items materialize for real too?
Having arrived at this idea, Jiang Fei fixed his attention on the ring, zeroing in on the small red potion within the inventory. Though it was just an ordinary Health Points Potion, how would it appear in reality?
“Come out!” Jiang Fei shouted, crossing his fingers desperately. His nerves were on edge, heart pounding like it might burst from his chest! Success here would end his days as a mere high school kid! Imagine pulling god-tier gear from the game into real life and using it—he'd outshine that ridiculous Superman, the one too dumb to wear his undies the right way!
*Woosh*
A soft blue glow flickered, and suddenly Jiang Fei sensed a chilly glass vial in his grasp.
“It worked! It's really here!” Thrilled beyond words, Jiang Fei grabbed his leg and pinched hard once more!
“WOAH! OW!”
“Brother Glider?! What happened?!”
“NOTHING MOM! I STUBBED MY TOE!”
“Ah Fei! You're in high school already! How can you still be so clumsy?”
“Won't happen again!”
His yells this time were loud enough to draw a fierce yell back from his mom. Yet, she accepted his handy but sloppy alibi with little complaint.
“I’m invincible! INVINCIBLE!” Jiang Fei buried his face in the pillow and roared.
“Okay! Okay! Time to store this away...” Jiang Fei attempted to call up the inventory interface, but it wouldn't appear. Reality made things far trickier than in-game. The ring's storage didn't work smoothly outside; items could only transfer to the game's inventory or be pulled out in the real world. Without the game open, depositing back was impossible!
“Darn... Guess I'll toss it in this bag for now.” Jiang Fei quit trying right away. The potion, palm-sized like a tiny women's perfume bottle, went straight into his school bag.
Following a speedy breakfast, Jiang Fei dressed up and headed off to school.
“Brother Fei! Dude, you totally missed the game action! Dawn Break feels insanely lifelike! Way too real! I swear, I can't separate game from reality anymore!”
“Yea-”
“Hold on! I played all night and woke up super energized! No more stressing about oversleeping!”
As soon as Jiang Fei stepped into the classroom, his best buddy Zhao Feng rushed over, boasting nonstop about the game.
“Too bad your dad bans you from gaming. Picture us teaming up... We'd crush the whole server! Bro! I hit Level 6 last night! Tonight, I'll grind hard and ditch Beginner’s Village fast...” Zhao Feng kept chattering away endlessly.
“Haha. Really...” Jiang Fei chuckled while hearing his pal out.
Though Zhao Feng was his closest friend, Jiang Fei held back from spilling about the enigmatic ring. The dude had a reputation for blabbing everything. No secret stayed safe with him; he'd spill every story. Word of the ring would spread globally fast. Jiang Fei grasped its might. He understood the chaos if news leaked. Alone, he couldn't guard it. No one else could ever find out.
Throughout the day, his body stayed planted in lessons, but his thoughts wandered endlessly to the ring. Excitement surged through him. In one night alone, it had materialized a video game potion! Just one night—what massive shifts awaited in his future?
“Brother Fei, try convincing your dad once more when you get home. Our families are basically identical... Money-wise, no reason for him to refuse. It's up to you now!”
Even after the school bell rang, Zhao Feng droned on about the game.