Online: I Can See Health Bars Chapter 2: Entering the Game

Though cramped and outdated, the apartments in Qingshui District contained all the basics anyone could require.

From the bathroom through the compact living area to the minuscule kitchen, every necessity was present, just showing heavy wear. Moreover, Fang Yu hated cleaning, leaving the space in total chaos.

He stuffed the freshly bought groceries into the compact refrigerator, saving some ingredients for preparing dinner tonight.

Pan-fried pomfret, stir-fried pork with green peppers, followed by scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

This evening's meal turned out remarkably sumptuous.

He gobbled it all up like a storm, and Fang Yu released a contented belch.

This feast was solely for tonight's gaming marathon.

Fang Yu cast a look toward one corner of the room.

Piles of instant noodle boxes—flavors such as braised beef, spicy beef, and seafood shrimp—stacked high as his emergency rations.

He maintained a hidden stock of canned goods for crises, fully geared up to stay indoors indefinitely.

Following that shopping trip, his bank account had plummeted from five figures to four.

Thus, he managed to excuse the suited man who snatched his place so swiftly.

Nothing to be done; he remained desperately broke. Scoring a ten-thousand-yuan game helmet for nothing felt like manna from heaven!

Fang Yu clutched the game helmet onto his bed, rubbed his palms eagerly, and peeled off the packaging to uncover a helmet sporting a circuit board motif.

Crucially, it featured dazzling RGB lights!

Instant tech flair and immersive vibe hit peak levels!

Fine, the aesthetics earn my nod! It absolutely appears worth ten thousand!

He examined his phone's clock; only ten minutes remained until the game servers launched.

He browsed the game forum, buzzing with chatter about this brand-new title. Posts popped up every second in the frenzy, but nobody grasped the game's exact mechanics or genre.

The one certainty: Blue Sea Group crafted it, and their products always delivered elite quality.

The prior title that rallied the entire gaming community, sparking a 'one super, many strong' dominance players called a divine revelation, came from Blue Sea Group too.

Now, "Seeking Demon" marked their second offering, veiled in ironclad secrecy.

Excitement surged through everyone, Fang Yu very much included.

"Last time, as a professional gold farmer, I lost out picking the wrong game, not due to any flaw in me!"

"This round, 99% of gamers across the globe dive into this one. Barring some catastrophe, I'm going all-in! Not even Jesus could halt me!"

He checked the clock once more; 8:59 PM already.

Servers on the verge of activation!

Fang Yu swiftly donned the game helmet.

[Verifying identity...]

[Confirming information...]

[The game is about to start...]

...

[Welcome to the Seeking Demon Game.]

[Any player entering the game will automatically be matched with a corresponding body and identity in the Seeking Demon Continent.]

[Now, the system will match you with a suitable character.]

[Matching...]

[Match successful.]

[Character introduction will now begin.]

[Your name is Diao Deyi, from Tianyuan Town, orphaned at a young age, 16 years old, with three family members, an older brother, and a second sister; you are the youngest.]

[The older brother works as an assistant in a tea house, barely making enough to support the family, and is the primary source of household income.]

[The second sister works short-term at a cloth workshop, with limited income.]

[Five days ago, the older brother went missing. Several people from the Black Tiger Gang broke into the house, slamming down a huge gambling debt note signed by the brother.]

[Either your second sister is taken to Yanliu Lane to be sold, or you are dragged to work as an enforcer in the casino to pay off the debt with labor.]

[Without a choice, to prevent your sister from being sold, you are forced into committing evil.]

[Today is your first mission...]

[Character introduction complete.]

[A friendly reminder: From this moment on, you are Diao Deyi. Please play your role well, don’t reveal any flaws, and never tell anyone your real information, or you’ll bear the consequences.]

Huh?

No character creation???

Terrible!

Fang Yu felt dejected. So it's a full role-playing setup? They pick a random NPC from the world and hand it over to the player.

Judging by the backstory, this role hails from poverty, frequent starvation, likely feeble stats.

...I wanna reroll.

Unclear if rerolling demands waiting an hour or day post-deletion; that'd lag him badly behind others.

Anyway, can't die early, rough beginnings even out since everyone's starting equal—no huge leads at launch.

Amid these thoughts, the system's chime rang out anew.

[Ding!]

[Player detected with lucky helmet serial number; gift package reward incoming.]

In the total blackness, a lottery wheel materialized, spinning wildly.

Fang Yu jumped in shock.

Holy crap!

My helmet packs a lucky newbie gift?

Jackpot city!

Fang Yu instantly recalled the suited fellow; during the swap, he'd grabbed the helmet loaded with this bonus.

Hehehe! Kicking off with top-tier luck, victory's sealed!

He swiftly scanned the wheel's prizes...

[Token of Lord You Li], [Heavenly Yin Fire], [Sword Dao Enlightenment], [Blood of Stinging Scorpion]...

Weird treasures dotted the wheel.

Fang Yu tapped it gently.

The wheel whirled furiously, halting after tense moments.

[System Prompt: Congratulations to Diao Deyi for obtaining the human-level skill [Digital Life].]

[Digital Life: You can see health bars, damage numbers, and obtain a digitized body.]

What?

Just that?

Fang Yu stood stunned.

Isn't spotting health bars standard in every game? Rewarding it as a skill??

As disappointment sank in, faint voices emerged gradually.

Fang Yu perked up, focus sharpening; the game world was truly kicking off.

"Still out cold?"

"Poor brat can't take it. Faints from blood, how's he gonna roll with us?"

"Right, better fetch his sister, let the bros enjoy her a bit, way better than hauling deadweight."

"Tiger Bro gave the kid his shot; he blew it. Reporting back, think his sis dodges the fate?"

"Hahaha! Wang Er, you nailed it!"

Fang Yu forced his eyes open with effort, finally beholding the surroundings.

Four hulking thugs roared with laughter, clad in ancient garb, limbs bulkier than his thighs.

Key detail: health bars floated over each one's head.

[Wang Er:10/12.]

[Zhao Tian:12/15.]

[You Huo:7/10.]

[You Mu:6/9.]

That's all?

For real?

Pathetic weaklings!

Mere double-digit HP on beefy avatars. Ridiculous.

While inwardly mocking, Fang Yu glanced upward.

[Diao Deyi:7/7.]

Fang Yu: ...

Fang Yu: ???

When question marks fly from me, better the system glitches—not me!