James was grinding monsters in the level 5 experience area. Although the experience gain here was far less than elite dungeons, the upside was that the monsters had relatively low defenses and low health pools, dealing low damage, so the efficiency was quite fast.
With his high stats, the level 4 James could easily tank and kill them one by one, using bandages to recover health after killing each monster. He also had 9 bottles of minor healing potions, sometimes chaining kills on two monsters before drinking a potion and using bandages to heal up.
Newbie Village Resurrection Zone
The priest killed by James was trembling all over, his hands still shaking. He sat on a rock nearby, his gaze carrying the relief of a narrow escape, but his heart was still gripped by immense terror. It was clear his mentality had not recovered from being killed by the player.
He still remembered that final merciless strike aimed at him, the other party's cold, unfeeling eyes devoid of any human emotions.
Especially at the moment of his death, he seemed to have experienced a strange sensation of losing his soul.
Michael also sat down beside the priest, his expression not much better.
"So this is what it feels like to be killed in this game. Truly harrowing," Michael muttered.
"But...at least we know the other party's name now." When James killed him, Michael saw in the info box that he was killed by malicious attack from a player named [ BladeRunner ].
Seeing the priest's expression, Michael showed a wry smile, "You okay?"
The priest didn't reply, only nodding slightly.
"Ah, our people are too scattered. Otherwise..."
"Vice President, forget it. I feel that player called [ BladeRunner ] is formidable, really. I've played games for so many years, and I can sense he is extraordinary, even terrifying." Recalling James's decisive and sharp killing, not dragging things out, especially his leaping across boulders to strike from mid-air, it all told him they had encountered a terrifying person.
Michael fell silent. The priest by his side was an old player who had followed him for many years. In judging some matters, this priest's sense was very accurate. Since he said so, it meant the [ BladeRunner ] player really was formidable.
"Let's listen to you for now..."
...
Just as James was halfway to level 5, a voice rang out.
[ Player have been in the game for 16 hours and in reality for 8 hours without any food intake. It is strongly recommended that player log off and replenish your energy. ]
The game pod then transmitted hunger signals to James, making him feel a pang of hunger. Apart from a simple breakfast, he hadn't eaten anything all day.
So James chose to log off.
It was already 6pm in the evening. After leaving the game pod, James's room was quite dark, the overcast sky hastening the night.
James went to the table and picked up his phone to see a flood of missed calls and messages, plus numerous friend mentions on social media. There was an overwhelming amount of information.
James stood there going through the messages one by one, calling back those he deemed necessary while ignoring those that weren't.
Actually, James's high-end game pod could link to his phone, transmitting any calls or messages directly to him in-game. However, he couldn't do anything about them, only receiving notifications.
James noticed one of the caller IDs and his eyes showed a hint of annoyance. Then seeing that person's social media mention, James felt helpless and had to call back.
[ Hello? James, you finally remembered me? ] An unsatisfied voice came through the phone.
"Sorry, Professor. What's the matter?" The caller was James's university advisor, though they called advisors "mentors" instead.
[ Come to university immediately, there's an important announcement. If you don't come, you can forget about graduating. ] With that, the caller hung up.
The corner of James's mouth twitched. He really didn't feel like going since he had already dismantled his parents' business empire. But after some thought, he decided to go check it out since it wasn't too far away. He could just grab a bite outside.
So once again, James drove his supercar with a roar towards the university.
Ten minutes later, James arrived at the university gates, showed his student ID to the security guard, and drove into the campus.
This university was one of the top universities in the nation. Even if James's admission scores were tripled, they would still fall short of the cutoff. His scores were too low.
However, one of James's former companies had sponsored a lot of research funding to this university every year, so James was admitted despite not meeting the requirements.
Farjon Royal University - that was the name of this prestigious institution in France.
After parking, James went to the second floor private dining area of the university cafeteria and sat down, ordering a few dishes to fill his stomach first.
It was another half hour before James finally arrived at his classroom building.
Turning the corner of the stairwell, James saw his grim-faced mentor standing outside the classroom door. The mentor was a middle-aged man who also served as a professor at this university.
"James, why are you only coming now?" The mentor asked this student, giving him a headache. The earlier phone threat was actually useless, as the mentor knew that even if he failed James, the student would still graduate smoothly since James's academics were now under the purview of the highest university administration.
"Traffic jam," James replied as he approached his mentor.
"But you live in that villa district, how could there be a jam?"
James looked at his mentor in puzzlement. "There was a jam."
The mentor's facial muscles twitched, and he waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, just get into the classroom quickly."
James entered the large classroom which only had twelve students - his entire university class. Including himself, there were only thirteen people in total.
"James, come sit here," an ordinary-looking female classmate called out to him.
Scanning the room, James decided to take the seat next to that female student.
Apart from James, the rest of the students here were either academic prodigies or geniuses, all having topped their respective regional university entrance exams with stellar scores to gain admission to this university.
After James took his seat, the mentor glanced at him and went to the office to retrieve some materials.
"James, what were you up to during the break?" The female student asked with a natural tone and expression, clearly sharing a close relationship with James.
"Megan, nothing much, just handling some company matters," James replied, not daring to admit he had been crazily recharging game currency these past few days.
"Oh, I called you today but you didn't pick up?"
"Heh, of course I was playing games."
" [ Celestial Realm ]?" The female student asked, and James nodded.
"I knew it. But you know, we're playing that game too," the female student said excitedly, having recently purchased a game helmet and experienced it firsthand in the dorm room. The experience was fantastic.
"You guys?" James's expression showed puzzlement. This female student was his high school classmate, consistently ranking first in their grade. In that year, only she and James were admitted to Farjon Royal University, and they even chose the same major, becoming classmates again. So their relationship ran deep.
James was puzzled by her phrasing, as if the "them" she referred to were all people he knew.
"Of course! All our high school classmates. Since you're playing too, then rich boy, we demand you sugar daddy us," the female student said spiritedly.
James nodded. "No problem, what are your in-game names? I'll add you all as friends."
At this moment, the mentor walked into the classroom with a serious expression, carrying some materials that he placed on the lectern. He glanced at his students, his gaze lingering on James for a moment, before announcing the important matters.
James and the female student's conversation became more hushed.
"By the way, who else is there?" James casually asked, feeling a tinge of nostalgia for his past acquaintances as a reincarnator.
"Why, afraid there won't be any beauties? You think they all look like me?" The female student joked about her own appearance.
James couldn't help but be amused by the female student's self-deprecating joke.
The mentor who was making the important announcement shot a sharp glance at James. His facial expression seemed to subtly change, becoming akin to a horse's face.
However, the mentor didn't stop speaking, that glance acting as a warning to James.
Shortly after, the female student tilted her head slightly. "Let me tell you, do you still remember Emma Xing?"
"Emma?" James's expression couldn't help but become dazed, a vague figure gradually appearing in his mind. As that figure solidified, James's eyes widened, staring at the female student with a look of shock.
The female student seemed rather proud of herself. "How about it? She was our high school's belle back then. I remember you even pursued her, right?"
James shook his head seriously, his gaze appearing dazed as he muttered, "I never pursued her." Indeed, James had not chased after the class beauty Emma Xing in high school, as he already had a girlfriend back then, even multiple ones. At that time, James only saw Emma as a beautiful vision and never actually tried to pursue her.
James reacted this way because he suddenly remembered that in his previous life, Emma would die suddenly a year from now. When he saw that news back then, James had lamented and expressed regret with his friends.
At this moment, James took out his phone and checked the calendar, confirming in his heart that Emma would indeed pass away in a year's time.
"You must have secretly admired her then," the female student said nosily.
James took a deep breath, pulling his thoughts back from afar. A sense of curiosity welled up in his heart, and he asked in a low voice, "By the way, what's Emma's in-game name?"
"Why, interested in her now?" the female student teased.
James remained silent, lowering his head slightly. His former playboy image was too deeply ingrained, causing any words from him to possibly be misunderstood.
"Alright, alright, since we'll all be playing together, I'll tell you."
"She's called: RadiantGirl."
As the final syllable of that name left the female student's mouth, James's heart skipped violently. Almost reflexively, he abruptly stood up, rudely interrupting the mentor's lengthy important announcement from the lectern.
"What did you say her name was?!!"