NOVEL NEXT XIX – Public information update!
"Where am I?" Ye Lan wondered, glancing around in what felt like a dream. She observed her surroundings, noticing several members of the beastkin race walking nearby. Although she didn’t recognize any of them, a strange sense of familiarity washed over her.
She found herself dressed in a priestess outfit, standing before a massive shrine. But before she could make sense of it, the dream began to fade away.
When she opened her eyes, Ye Lan saw Mu Xuetong sitting beside her, smiling brightly at her awakening.
"Xiao Lan, you’re finally awake!" Mu Xuetong said cheerfully.
"Huh...? What happened? Oh, right... I win?" she murmured, touching her head as if trying to recall.
In front of her, a system window appeared. In her mail was the set she’d received as a reward for her victory. Despite all the experience she’d gained, her level had only gone up from 5 to 6.
Name: Ye Lan
Gender: Female
Race: Beastkin (feline subgroup)
Class: Priestess
Level: 6
Attack: 400
Defense: 300
Agility: 300
M. Defense: 100
M. Power: 6
Skills:
- Blood Armor
- Charm
- Sixth Sense
- Beastkin Never Be Slaves
Passive Skills:
- Loli Sanhao
She was so incredibly strong it almost seemed like a bug →_→. Even though she had only leveled up once, all her attributes received a massive boost. Her progress might be equivalent to five or six human levels, which would explain why leveling up was so challenging...
Suo Gang entered the room, holding a cup of coffee. He set it down beside the bed and looked at Ye Lan, who had just woken up, with a reproachful gaze.
"If you were this strong, why didn’t you say so earlier? We could have made a better plan."
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry!" Ye Lan clasped her hands together in apology. She’d assumed Mu Xuetong had factored her strength into the initial plan.
Suo Gang sighed, shrugged, and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV, which instantly displayed an image on the screen.
"Huh? The TV still works?" Ye Lan asked in surprise as the screen lit up.
Suo Gang smiled wryly.
"If this were a novel, it might be called a ‘gamified’ world. But the government hasn’t collapsed, and power and other services are still running"
Ordinary citizens had gained powers, but so had the government. While this would no doubt bring massive changes to society, a socialist country like theirs wouldn’t collapse so easily.
On the screen, a reporter stood beside a group of fully armed soldiers.
"I’m sure everyone is aware of the changes that have happened in the world" the reporter said gravely. "We ask everyone not to treat this as a game. The State has already taken measures, and troops will be deployed in each city to maintain order. Stay calm and do not panic"
As she finished speaking, explosions erupted in the background, and the screen shook before cutting to static.
Du Heng entered from outside with a sigh.
"The situation’s not good. A lot of people are starting to lose control. When humans gain power, it’s hard for them to control their desires. It’s best if we stay here; we’ve got enough food"
Everyone nodded. Fortunately, their base was a supermarket, so food wouldn’t be a concern for a while. With their small group, they could last nearly a year without any trouble.
"It’s frustrating, though. Yan Xi completely betrayed us. I’d love to give him a punch next time we see him" Mu Xuetong muttered, clenching her fist in frustration.
Ye Lan chuckled at her reaction, when suddenly, a new system interface popped up for everyone else.
[Public Information - Update]
"Whoa! A public update! Let’s see if there’s anything good" Suo Gang exclaimed, hurrying to check the contents.
Ye Lan, still lying in bed, felt a pang of frustration, she couldn’t access the interface herself. Turns out, this update was only for human players! How unfair! She really wanted to see it.
Noticing her expression, Mu Xuetong grinned mischievously and leaned closer, bringing the display into view.
"Xiao Lan, if you wanted to see it, all you had to do was ask~" she teased, brushing a playful finger under Ye Lan’s chin. Ye Lan blushed, quickly turning her head away.
"I-I don’t want to see it! It’s fine, I don’t care" she stammered, trying to hide her embarrassment.
Just then, Suo Gang and the others gasped, their faces filled with amazement.
“This is getting interesting!” someone murmured.
What’s so interesting? Ye Lan thought, curiosity getting the best of her. Finally, she gave in and leaned closer to peek at the interface.
[Public Information]
1. When a human player reaches level 40, they can undergo a profession change with a special item, which significantly upgrades their skills.
2. Equipment has rarity classifications: white (common), green (uncommon), blue (rare), purple (super rare), red (epic), orange (legendary), and gold (mythical). Higher rarity provides greater benefits.1Originally, it said: white (mortal), green (soldier), blue (general), purple (commander), red (supreme), orange (legendary), and gold (mythical).
3. The beginner protection phase in the human area will be disabled when the average human level reaches 20. Other race territories may then begin interacting with the human region, so caution is advised.
4. The current human ranking is 13th, the last place. Humans are encouraged to improve their skills and climb the ranks.
The room fell silent as everyone processed the information.
"Wait" Suo Gang said, breaking the silence. "So, equipment rarity affects how strong it is. That means Ye Lan’s purple grade set was the best reward from the battle. Ye Lan, put it on and let’s check out the boosts it gives you!" He grinned, his gamer instincts already evaluating the possibilities.
It was true, having strong base stats made all the difference. If the stat gap was too wide, no amount of strategy could bridge it. Just like in the last fight, where no amount of planning from those three level-20 players could make up for the overwhelming strength of two level-30 enemies.
Ye Lan blinked in surprise, pointing to herself with a timid expression.
"Put on the equipment? Right here?" she asked, hesitating.
Even though she now had the body of a woman, inside, she was still very much a guy, there was no way she’d be changing clothes in front of others!
Suo Gang and the others exchanged glances, then burst into laughter as they realized their oversight. The world might’ve turned into a game, but this was still reality; they couldn’t just click a button to change clothes like in a virtual world.
"We’ll head out so you can change in peace" Suo Gang said as everyone quickly left the room.
But to Ye Lan’s surprise, Mu Xuetong made no move to leave.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Ye Lan asked, alarmed.
Mu Xuetong grinned, leaning closer. "Oh, come on, Xiao Lan, we’re both girls. No need to be shy" she teased, her smile full of mischief.
Ye Lan’s eyes went wide as she stammered, finally shouting, "G-get out… right now!"
