From Eden

Chapter 2 Schrödinger's cat

The Blue Star has already perished, and it is precisely because of the Gallaxi civilization's 'Ascension Games' that players have the opportunity to leave the surface and embark on a legendary journey of space adventure in the Eden Abyss.

However, now, the remains of a dead and destroyed civilization lie before him.

He carefully observes that the white bodies on the ground are not the common c3-'Luca' type extraterrestrial race, which, as a cosmic race, have flawless bodies, no freckles, small pores, and generally high attractiveness. However, the white person in front of him, "Lanny Johns", has a rough face, and skin that turns red after a while in the sun.

"This isn't an extraterrestrial race. It's a race from the Blue Star."

Joshua felt a headache, even as a seasoned senior player, he was confused in the face of this situation.

This is not a prank; something significant must have happened.

He thought of many possibilities, such as bugs in the game, a sudden large-scale rollback in the game, or even a bigger possibility that the recent network fluctuations caused him to load the wrong game version and enter offline mode.

But honestly, for a game like "Eden" that has been operated for over a decade and has a photon-intelligent computer, the above guesses can't be said to be impossible, at least they are absurd.

If even the photon brain responsible for handling all political affairs in the future can make mistakes, then what else is right?

Joshua calmed down, realizing that he probably logged into the wrong account, maybe due to the recent network fluctuations, which created a new account for him. But no matter what, he needed to activate the game system first, quickly log out, and contact the official for repairs.

"Players appear in the game as 'Descenders,' and to activate the game system, they must first understand the identity, appearance, and interpersonal relationships of their 'Descent'."

The simplest way is to find identification and a mirror, and then chat with someone to complete the Descent.

Joshua was familiar with this process, and he immediately started searching the pockets of the security uniform. But as soon as he lowered his head and found a bunch of keys, in that instant, a chilling sensation suddenly rose behind him.

"Danger!"

Years of gaming battles made him react immediately. He quickly crouched down under a counter, only then realizing that he seemed to be inside an old-fashioned bank.

Tap, tap...

From not far away came the sound of footsteps. The steps were light as if walking on water, making a crisp sound. Joshua held his breath, tightly gripping his baton, trying hard not to make a sound.

The footsteps grew closer as if something was approaching the counter. Joshua's heart pounded, the sound getting closer, as if just beyond the counter, separated by a thin wall.

Tap.

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. Joshua's heart seemed to skip a beat, and his exposed skin visibly became covered in a misty haze. As the icy chill pierced him, he faintly sensed that some gaze was attempting to peer at him.

"Dandelion!"

Joshua immediately realized. Version 0 had been too long ago, almost making him forget that the Blue Star wasn't just a purely technological planet. It had spiritual beings and extraordinary systems.

"I should have realized earlier... That white body had no external injuries, yet died suddenly. It bears a striking resemblance to Dandelion's work."

Dandelion is a basic spiritual monster that's immune to physical damage, can phase through walls, see through things, and spot stealth. For new players just starting the game, it's a stumbling block.

But for Joshua, an experienced player and streamer, even without the system activated, he doesn't know his current body attributes. But even if he has nothing in his hands, he knows how to deal with Dandelion.

The mist on his skin gradually cooled and solidified. His body temperature was dropping, and Blue Star humans were frail. Once their body temperature falls below 30 degrees, any impact can be fatal.

Time to act!

Joshua thought for a moment, recalling the method to drive away Dandelion. He bit his right index finger hard, blood gushing from the wound. The real pain brought him back to full alertness. Luckily, he never cared about pain feedback. Without making a sound, he tore open his clothes and quickly drew a spiral cross symbol with his blood over his heart.

His technique was quite standard. Activating the exclusive rune of the "Lord of Specters" was a great intimidation tactic against low-level Dandelions. After completing the rune, he felt Dandelion hesitating. The chill and mist on its body gradually receded until it finally retreated and disappeared.

Tap, tap...

The footsteps grew fainter. Joshua bandaged his wound, keeping his eyes closed and counting:

"1001, 1002, 1003..."

On average, a person speaks four words per second. Conversely, counting four numbers at once guarantees basic accuracy in timing.

"1025!"

After a full 25 seconds, Joshua immediately opened his eyes, darted out from under the counter, and a few seconds later, quickly turned his head. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a layer of bright white frost forming on the counter.

Time's up.

Now, he was just an ordinary Blue Star human, without any spiritual or extraordinary abilities. This blood-made rune can only intimidate a Dandelion for 25 seconds.

But that's enough for him to make his escape.

Escape from the spiritual entity. Avoid going to high places. Once possessed by the entity, Dandelion will control the body and make it jump off a building. The only way to escape is to run downwards, gradually reducing the entity's spiritual power by relying on complex and solid walls.

Joshua took out the keys he had just found and tried them one by one. He quickly opened the basement door, closed it behind him, and swiftly went underground. With his agility, he slid down the staircase railing, flipped over the fence, and calmly landed from a height of over three meters. He rolled on the ground to disperse the impact and then pushed himself up with his hands.

The Dandelion was intimidated by the rune he used and was already far away. With Joshua's exceptional parkour skills, the distance between them widened even further.

Hiding behind a fire cabinet in the basement, Josh quickly glanced at the map of the basement. Years of gaming experience made him sensitive to such maps, and he immediately remembered it well. If the Dandelion managed to reach this area, he could easily escape by taking a detour through the adjacent vault.

However, he had already descended three floors, and the novice Dandelion wouldn't likely be able to traverse such a deep place.

As expected, after waiting for a while, the Dandelion in the corridor became disoriented and circled before giving up the chase.

Dandelions didn't possess much intelligence. Once their hunt failed, they would quickly leave to avoid pursuit by extraordinary humans.

Tap, tap...

The sound of footsteps in the water grew fainter. Joshua calmed his breathing and checked his pockets. He found his identification documents and realized that all he needed now was to find a mirror and interact with a living NPC to activate the complete game system.

It didn't matter if he couldn't find a living person at the moment. Player births were randomized, and the game system had considered this aspect very well. As long as he met two out of the three conditions, he could unlock most of the game system.

Identification - unlocks the system toolbar

Appearance - unlocks the personal panel

Evaluation by others - unlocks the player function bar

The best birth condition, of course, would be in a civilized city. However, that would be less convenient for leveling up and team adventures.

Therefore, most players chose to unlock the system a bit later and be born in an environment close to the wilderness, suitable for venturing out of the city. For example, villages, mercenary groups, gathering places for wanderers, or military camps.

Joshua wasn't sure if his birth circumstance was good or bad, but since he was in a bank and wearing a security guard uniform, he probably had a high probability of being born in a rural area.

Dandelions wouldn't harass big cities where there was a high population and a gathering of extraordinary humans. Dandelions weren't foolish enough to make themselves uncomfortable.

"What's the matter? A task that would normally take less than 15 seconds took so long," Joshua grumbled. He returned to the surface, opened the counter door with the key, turned the valve, found the restroom, cleaned, and bandaged his wound with a strip of cloth. Then he looked into the mirror, held up his identification card, and carefully examined his appearance as a "descendant".

His facial features were well-defined, with obvious East Asian characteristics, but his body and skin displayed a sickly pale white color, a result of prolonged lack of sunlight.

"Frost-coated person," Joshua identified himself. "Based on the style and material of the security guard uniform, this is likely from the early testing phase."

This body had a well-proportioned build, standing at around 185 centimeters tall and weighing about 80 kilograms. It wasn't overly strong but not weak either, which reassured Joshua. In "Eden", it was better to be slightly overweight than underweight. On one hand, the development levels varied among different planets, and a chubby physique would be seen as a "dignitary" by those less advanced civilizations, earning more respect.

Well, on the other hand, plump individuals stored more energy and were more resistant to hunger, and the accumulated fat provided better protection.

The ideal physique was naturally a "muscular with a layer of fat" body type, resilient and sturdy. For players in the early stages without much equipment, having a better physique gave a significant advantage.

After escaping from the attack of the Dandelion, his body temperature began to rise, and the frozen white frost melted into water, dampening his black hair and causing it to obediently stick to his head. His gray eyes were as sharp as steel, full of vitality.

It was evident that his charm was not low, and Joshua immediately liked this body.

As he imprinted his appearance completely in his mind, a familiar light blue screen appeared on his retina:

-----------------------------------------

Name: Joshua

Title: None

Race: Carbon-based Lifeform - New Generation Homo sapiens

Gender: Male

Age: 22

Template: Ordinary Neutral NPC (10% increase in maximum health)

Faction: Abyss - Galaxy Nebula - Fenice Federation - Azure Star - Frost-Plated Republic

Total Level: 2

Main Profession: Civilian 1 (0/50)

Sub Profession: Security Guard 1 (0/100)

Health Points: 53/55 (Sub-healthy)

Mana Points: Not Awakened

Experience: 20

Strength: 4 (Physical strength and destructive power)

Dexterity: 5 (Agility and precision of movements)

Constitution: 5 (Ability to resist damage and convert to health points)

Charisma: 13 (Attractiveness to others)

Willpower: 6 (Mental resistance; if converted to a spellcaster profession, this attribute will be proportionally converted to "Intelligence")

Talents: Racial Talent． Team Collaboration - New Generation Homo sapiens have strong teamwork abilities. Experience gain is increased by 50% when in a team, but becomes ineffective when not in a team.

Expertise: None

Skills: "Common Knowledge," "Intermediate Professional Knowledge" - from the Civilian profession

"Berating," "Brawling," "Bullying the Weak" - from the Security Guard profession

Hierarchy: Mediocre

-----------------------------------------

Joshua didn't pay much attention to the other values and information. His gaze lingered on the "Template" section for a good ten seconds.

"Ordinary, neutral, NPC template??"

He was dumbfounded.

In a panic, he opened the system's toolbar, expecting to see options like "Game Settings," "Plugins," "Mailbox," "Videos," "Controls," "Graphics Optimization," "Exit," and so on.

However, all that remained was a solitary "Mailbox" option.

"What the hell?" Joshua was bewildered. "Did I disconnect? How do I exit the game?"