Text Game: It All Began when a Cat-eared Girl Took Me In

Click-clack, clickety-clack. The sound of keyboards echoed intermittently around Luo Xi's ears.

Luo Xi rubbed his eyelids and glanced at the time on the bottom right of his computer screen.

5:26.

It was about time to clock out.

His colleagues nearby were still in a state of high-intensity work. Based on what Luo Xi had observed in the nearly three months since he joined, they wouldn't leave until after eight o'clock, each one of them a seasoned overworker.

As the time reached 5:28, Luo Xi followed procedure, closing various drafting software applications and clearing his computer's background processes.

At that moment, a cultured-looking man in his thirties ambled over and said languidly, "Luo Xi, don't rush off just yet. Can you take care of this bid proposal for me? I've already sent the document to you on WeChat."

Luo Xi's brow twitched as he replied, "Group Leader Chen Chen, it's almost time to get off work."

Chen Chen, with a smile, said, "I know it's almost time, but as a young man, you should be exercising your skills. You've only been here three months, and getting familiar with this kind of work is for your own good; it'll give you a broader perspective for future growth in the company."

"Oh."

Without looking up, Luo Xi asked, "So, is there overtime pay today?"

"What are you talking about?"

Chen Chen looked surprised as he said, "You're still within your probationary period, and you know how our industry works—flexible working hours. This counts as voluntary overtime, so there's no overtime pay."

"Heh."

Luo Xi nearly laughed out of frustration.

How can he say that with such confidence?

"I'll pass on that exercise; it's too much for me. Find someone else."

Luo Xi couldn't be bothered with the foolish group leader anymore. He simply and swiftly shut down his computer, packed his things, and left.

Thinking of exploiting his labor for free?

Not happening.

The company's compensation package was actually not bad, but the management was as senseless as a dodo. If you had tasks, why not assign them earlier? Instead, you shove them at me right at the end of the day without overtime pay. Isn't this just plain disgusting?

After Luo Xi left the company lobby, his WeChat group was constantly buzzing with new messages.

He glanced at it; in the work group chat, Chen Chen was incessantly tagging everyone and complaining.

— All the stuff about 'I'm assigning you tasks for your own good', 'young people don't know the meaning of hard work', 'not willing to put up with a bit of hardship', 'you'll just be a lifer as a wage earner' and so on.

The way he talks, anyone would think he's the company owner.

Now in the rush hour of leaving work, Luo Xi didn't wait for the elevator, instead taking the fire stairs next to him.

"Let's order some takeout... um, what should I get?"

Suddenly, a notification popped up at the top of his phone.

[Respected player, you have been awarded the opportunity to test the daily text game 'Dawn' (only 100,000 spots available worldwide). Would you like to download?]

A junk game at first glance.

Luo Xi casually swiped the notification away.

The notification popped up again.

[Handsome player, are you sure you don't want to download? This is a fun daily game, providing experiences you've never had before]

Swipe away x2.

[Game download successful. 'Dawn' is installing... Installation complete. Enjoy your game]

Within a few seconds, a grey app icon appeared on his phone screen.

Luo Xi: "???"

Forcefully downloaded and installed?

Game studios these days are really stooping to new lows.

He held down the app icon, trying to delete the game.

[Deletion failed]

After multiple attempts, Luo Xi found that he simply couldn't remove the thing; even obliterating the entire game file with his phone's security software still didn't erase the icon from the screen.

Fxxk, is this thing a game or a virus?

Hope it's not one of those prank apps that emit weird, high-pitched noises?

One time in his freshman year, one of Luo Xi's roommates fell for one during a core class and ended up with a Social Death, losing his dating prospects for all four years of college.

Luo Xi looked around before and behind him; the dark stairwell was empty. After a moment's hesitation, he still opened the app, while firmly covering the speaker.

A black background and white text appeared simultaneously.

[Respected player, no, Traveler from Otherworld, you should be addressed as now]

[Traveler, you are embarking on a journey into the unknown; what lies ahead is still a mystery. During the journey, you may pay unimaginable costs, even including your life]

[Of course, you will also receive ample rewards]

[In the Dream world, any changes and enhancements originating from the essence of your character's life will reflect equally upon your corresponding physical entity in the Otherworld]

[Do you wish to begin the journey to the Dream?]

[Yes/No]

[Note: Choosing 'No' will permanently delete this game, and it cannot be redownloaded. Please consider carefully]

So, it actually is a game?

Luo Xi clicked Yes.

Since he had already launched it and had nothing else to do, he might as well play for a bit.

[Traveler from the Otherworld, you have chosen to embark on this unknown journey. Regardless of what lies ahead, you are now a warrior worth praising]

[You have been granted the title: Traveler from the Otherworld]

[Initiating character creation...]

[Your character's appearance will use your current physical features as a template]

[The initial character's behavior style will be based on your subconscious as a reference.]

[Initial character creation complete.]

[The great will of the Dream world has given all Travelers from the Otherworld a selection of gifts to choose from.]

[Gifts can be good or bad, so please choose carefully, as the choice is irreversible.]

[Please select two of the following talents as your initial talents.]

[Friendly reminder: The color of the talent only represents the rarity of the talent.]

[Town Quizzer (White/Common)—Your speed of learning knowledge far exceeds that of ordinary people (limited to general knowledge only).]

[Poor Man (Green/Excellent)—Your money will always be lost for inexplicable reasons (so as long as you're broke, you won't lose any money~).]

[Same-Sex Repulsion (Blue/Rare)—All individuals of the same sex have a default -50 Favorability toward you (an essential talent to become the enemy of all males).]

[Animal Affinity (Blue/Rare)—All small animals have a default +50 Favorability toward you (an essential talent for luring various small animals).]

[Variant (Purple/Epic)—You have been infected by some unknown Mutant Factor (don't ask, asking means I don't know).]

[Many Misfortunes (Purple/Epic)—You always encounter many unfortunate events, and disasters will uncontrollably seek you out (disasters? They're just stepping stones for you to become stronger).]

[Immersion (Gold/Legend)—After completing certain conditions, you can fully synchronize with characters in the Dream world for a short time, and gain corresponding attribute buffs (usable without unlocking the Dreamland synchronization module).]

What a mess of talents...

This unscrupulous game developer definitely doesn't know how to make games, probably just got some temps to write this text.

Forget it, I'll just pick the two that look the best.

Just as Luo Xi was about to choose, another line of rainbow-colored text popped up.

[Lucky Traveler from the Otherworld, you have caught the attention of '???' and your talent options have increased by one.]

[Moonflow·Zero Point (Rainbow/Mythical)—After death, you can choose to revert back to zero o'clock of the current day (Note: Reverting will cause intense mental stress, please use with caution)

(??? has also given you a gift, after selecting this talent, the seven talents are all selected by default, and the player cannot choose.)]

Luo Xi was slightly startled.

Time reversal, huh?

Loser eating dust, is it?

Is this a random Easter egg triggered in the game?

Or is it a mandatory process?

However, the description of this talent is quite interesting.

A total of eight talents, some good, some bad, originally only two could be chosen, but if I choose the last one, then all those seemingly unfavorable talents would be chosen by default.

Luo Xi didn't think too much about it; since the best talent had appeared, it certainly had to be chosen.

The rest of the negative talents didn't matter, after all, it's just a game.

Luo Xi directly highlighted the newly appeared option.

[You have chosen the talent 'Moonflow·Zero Point,' please note that after choosing this talent, all available talents are automatically acquired by default, do you wish to proceed?]

[Yes]

[Selection successful.]

[Your chosen talents have all been loaded, Traveler from the Otherworld, you may begin your journey.]

"Uh..."

Luo Xi suddenly felt a needle-like pain in his head, as if something had been forcibly shoved inside, but the pain vanished in an instant.

Before he could react, the game had already begun, and new text appeared on the screen.

[Traveler from the Otherworld, you awaken in a pile of weeds, surrounded by rolling hills, and it's nearly dusk.]

[The cool evening breeze, carrying the chill of moisture, brushes against your body, making you feel somewhat cold, your Coldness +1 (temporary status).]

Hey, is this a text-based game?

Luo Xi immediately felt it was rather dull; he had always been disinterested in this type of game. Couldn't they at least provide some appealing images?

But since I've started playing, it wouldn't hurt to play a bit longer.

[You stand up and look ahead.]

[As a Traveler from the Otherworld, you are stunned by the first sight before you, you have never seen such things.]

[The silhouette of a giant tree piercing the sky is visible in the distance, clouded in mist, making it appear mysterious under the red sunset.]

[You feel an ebullient vitality coming from that direction, drawing you towards it.]

[Recorded Event: Giant Tree]

An icon appeared in the upper right corner of the screen.

Luo Xi clicked on it.

[Unlocked Module: Event Record Book]

[Giant Tree]

[Description: You have seen a sky-high giant tree with your own eyes, feeling the vitality it contains, perhaps you should move in that direction?]

A sky-high tree?

How big could it be, hundreds of meters tall?

Luo Xi played with his phone, walking down the stairs, leaning on the railing.

The issue with textual games is just this, all imagery needs to be conjured up in your own mind.

When Luo Xi reached the second floor, he failed to notice a soda can on the step below.

And then, as luck would have it, Luo Xi stepped right onto it.

"Fxxk!"—

Amidst the cursing and a loud crash against the wall, Luo Xi leaned against the stairwell wall, while the dropped phone screen next to him displayed two lines of text.

[Ding! Talent: Many Misfortunes has been triggered]

[Ding! Talent: Poor Man has been triggered]