The black-haired girl cast them a cold glance, then quickly turned away, heading deeper into the crowd in search of her target.
From her actions, Ye Lian could see her urgency—she wasn’t hiding it at all.
It was as if that “target” meant everything to her.
Only after the girl disappeared into the crowd did Ye Lian look away.
He climbed onto a gray boulder behind him and looked ahead.
Beyond the barrier, in the distance, was a shadowy silhouette that resembled a city.
Even walking in a straight line, it would probably take an hour to reach it.
Surrounding the area were towering mountains, grassy plains, and dense forests.
“If that really is a city, there should be NPCs there.”
Ye Lian locked his sights on the shadow of the city.
This game had no guide, no instructions—everything had to be discovered by the players themselves.
You could say it was completely open-ended.
***
Ding!
A crisp sound rang out across the area.
[Nightmare Space closed beta has officially begun.]
A cold voice followed, and the barrier automatically lifted.
“Finally! I’ve been waiting forever!”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
A portion of the players, like caged beasts finally set free, charged out with excitement.
Most of the others were much more cautious, only moving after seeing the first group come to no harm.
Bai Xue glanced briefly at Ye Lian before looking away and heading off with her team.
Zhao Gang trailed at the very back, like a beaten dog.
No one noticed the vicious gleam in his pale eyes.
Nearly ninety percent of the players spread out in all directions like an open fan.
The only exception was the area behind them.
That was because the rear was nothing but an endless abyss of darkness.
It clearly wasn’t meant to be explored.
Gradually, the crowd thinned until only Ye Lian and the black-haired girl remained.
He looked at the girl—her entire body exuded a chilling aura, and her expression didn’t seem quite right.
He was curious about her, but had no intention of approaching.
She didn’t seem normal.
Like right now…
“Why isn’t the Moon Empress here… She has to be a beta tester. Something must be wrong…”
She hugged herself tightly, trembling as she muttered to herself.
It was as though she was scared of something—or maybe she was simply cold.
Considering the temperature here felt similar to the real world, Ye Lian ruled out the cold.
This girl, dressed in black leather from head to toe, was probably just mentally unstable.
So he chose to stay away.
***
After trembling for a while, the black-haired girl noticed Ye Lian’s gaze and slowly turned her head toward him.
Her icy eyes flickered with helplessness and confusion.
But that look vanished in an instant.
She quickly looked away and dashed forward.
She was unbelievably fast!
Soon, Ye Lian was the only one left in that area.
After glancing around and confirming that he was truly alone, he opened his game interface.
The panel had become more detailed now, with a 40-slot backpack and five skill slots.
Ye Lian’s gaze fell on the first slot in his backpack, where a black-covered book lay quietly.
It wasn’t a game manual or a map.
It was the hidden item from the white space—a secret reward.
His calm demeanor earlier had been because of this very easter egg.
“In the end, I did fall for it…”
Remembering the shameful moment when he had spun in circles meowing like a cat, Ye Lian couldn’t help the blush that rose to his face.
Still, it had all been worth it.
He lightly touched the book, and a set of data immediately appeared before him.
[Equipped Skill: Divine Alchemy]
[Level: Divine]
[Attribute: None]
[Level Requirement: None]
[Skill 1: ???]
[Skill 2: ???]
[Skill 3: ???]
[Description: A mysterious divine-grade tome with unknown origins and equally unknown effects.
Equipping it may cause anomalies—or it may not.]
[Please proceed with caution.]
***
After reading the skill info, Ye Lian blinked.
The excitement in his eyes instantly faded by half.
‘What the hell kind of description is this? It’s basically saying nothing.’
‘May or may not cause anomalies’? Just tell me straight up if it’s safe to use or not!’
Muttering complaints in his mind, he began to weigh the pros and cons.
The vague description was clearly designed to scare people off.
Even though this was a divine-grade item… who could guarantee the thing wouldn’t explode the moment he equipped it, or trigger some bizarre effect?
“Three unknown skills and the chance to get ahead of everyone else… It’s really hard to just let this go.”
If this were a normal game, Ye Lian would have equipped it without hesitation.
But this game could literally cause real-world death.
“Should I gamble on this… gamble that the devs aren’t evil, and that my luck holds up?”
Time kept slipping by.
The players who left earlier were already almost out of sight.
If he kept hesitating, he’d fall behind.
That would go against his original intent.
“To fight the nightmares… if I die, I die!”
Clenching his right hand tightly, Ye Lian made his decision.
He would take the risk!
If he succeeded, he’d gain a powerful card to play against the dream invasions.
If he failed… the worst case was real-world death.
His left index finger trembled as it slowly reached for the [Use] button on the skill book.
Once he pressed it, the skill would be equipped, granting him three abilities—
Or possibly a free death package.
He swallowed hard.
Then, gritting his teeth, he pressed down.
In the next moment, the black skill book disintegrated into particles of light and vanished.
Then came a searing pain in his brain.
It felt like his entire skull was about to explode!
But before he could even scream, the intense pain abruptly vanished.
Instead, his mind became unusually clear, as though someone had removed every limit.
His thoughts accelerated beyond anything he had ever experienced.
Even more shocking, his understanding of the “world” deepened.
It was as if all things in existence could now be deconstructed, reassembled, and even created from scratch.
Just then, the game system chimed in.
[You have unlocked the first skill of Divine Alchemy: Infinite Transmutation.]
The cold, robotic voice finished its announcement, leaving Ye Lian frozen in disbelief.
“I… I won the bet?”
No one answered.
The world around him was dead silent.
“Looks like equipping it was the right move.”
Once he calmed down a bit, he examined his body.
Besides his mind being crystal clear, as if freed from all restrictions, there was also a mysterious power stirring deep within him.
When his initial excitement finally settled, Ye Lian turned to face the looming black barrier that felt like it divided heaven and earth.
On the other side… something terrifying seemed to be waiting.
He approached and gently pressed a finger to the barrier.
Just as expected, a new message popped up.
[Absolute Barrier: Indestructible. Impenetrable.]
“Must be a protective barrier.”
Once he understood its function, Ye Lian felt a lot more at ease.
He really didn’t want some horrifying creature sneaking up behind him while he was out front exploring.
‘I’m already behind the others. It’s time to move.’
Casting one last glance at the black barrier, Ye Lian turned and walked away.
***
No one knew how much time passed before that “indestructible, impenetrable” barrier began to tremble eerily.
Then, golden slime began to seep in from the inside.
Tftc!
never mind the story, just tricked you, mc did it +1 for mc.