Doll Survival Game

Luo Yiran was starting to dislike the game.

With no access to any instance for now, his days were reduced to entering his personal space… studying, sleeping when tired, and waking up to yet another morning in the real world.

“How is this any different from not playing the game at all?” he muttered under his breath.

“Huh?” Xia Lang tilted his head, confused.

Luo Yiran explained what he had just been thinking.

Xia Lang absentmindedly clicked the top of his ballpoint pen. “But I always look forward to the downtime after an instance. Those instances are terrifying, after all.”

Luo Yiran gazed at the dormitory window, where the soft, golden sunset spilled onto the curtains. “But tonight, we have to join an instance.”

Today was June 20th, the last day of the week. If they didn’t participate in an instance by the end of the day, they’d be in violation and face immediate elimination.

Xia Lang, despite his aversion to instances, wasn’t procrastinating this time. The delay wasn’t his doing-it was the game’s.

Luo Yiran had wanted to join an instance as early as Monday, but the system had informed him that his assigned instance for the week was still being arranged, asking him to “please stay tuned.”

And so, they had been “staying tuned” from Monday all the way to Sunday.

By now, Luo Yiran had grown numb from waiting.

In the meantime, he had watched a live broadcast instance, which wasn’t bad. It was a supernatural-themed one he hadn’t participated in before. The only downside was Xia Lang screaming his head off in fright, which somewhat ruined the experience.

There was also another matter.

“Who would’ve thought we’d end up in the same instance tonight?” Xia Lang glanced at his teammate list. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have dissolved the team.”

That’s right. The “please stay tuned” notification had also appeared for Lin Ye, Li Qi Feng, and a few others. They had tried forming a team, and to their surprise, it worked-proof that they were indeed assigned to the same instance. If they weren’t, the system wouldn’t have allowed the team to form.

The team was reassembled on the condition that Luo Yiran shared his tips for scoring high in instances. Via had then suggested teaming up as a way to repay him.

The group had also agreed on one thing: if the instance required them to turn against each other, they would do so without hesitation. After all, survival came first.

Luo Yiran’s reason for sharing his scoring tips wasn’t to seek repayment, though. It was because of the average score ranking. He didn’t want to stay at the top. If he ever had the chance to meet Wei Lianlian, the second on the list, he’d tell her the same thing.

She was, after all, the person most likely to drag him down.

By now, he had already shared the tips with six people. Based on the “word-of-mouth effect,” he figured it wouldn’t take long for the information to reach Wei Lianlian.

What Luo Yiran failed to consider was that the people he had told, while not exactly saints, had their own principles. Moreover, while they knew plenty of people, they didn’t have many close connections outside their circle. As a result, they hadn’t passed the information along.

Unaware of this, Luo Yiran doodled absentmindedly on a piece of scrap paper, his thoughts serious: Someone, please knock me off the top spot already.

This is way too conspicuous.

“Tomorrow, the game updates,” Xia Lang said, finishing the last question in his workbook. He looked out at the orange-red sunset. “Feels like tomorrow’s going to be a nice day.”

Luo Yiran propped his chin on his hand, his clear, beautiful eyes also gazing out the window. “I’m more looking forward to tonight’s instance.”

Xia Lang looked uneasy. “Via mentioned that this instance will have at least a few dozen players. Won’t everyone target you?”

“Let them,” Luo Yiran replied nonchalantly. “At worst, I’ll just die.”

Xia Lang packed up his books and supplies, then suddenly thought of something. “What if it comes down to… having to kill someone?”

Luo Yiran clasped his hands together, his fingertips resting just below his lips. His expression took on a hint of solemnity as he said, “Then I’ll have to break my vow. Once I’m out of the instance, I’ll eat vegetarian for a week to atone.”

Xia Lang couldn’t help but laugh.

At precisely 9 PM, the doll opened its eyes in the shop window.

A breeze swept through, and the doll looked up to see a magician in a white shirt and tall hat sitting on the rooftop of the building across the street. Behind him, the enormous moon cast a bright, luminous glow.

The magician’s long gray hair billowed in the wind, catching faint silver highlights in the moonlight.

A sense of solitude filled the air.

The doll stood up from the red velvet bench. The reflection in the glass revealed that it had changed outfits again.

This time, it wore a simple white shirt paired with brown shorts, with an oversized fabric bag slung over its shoulder.

Outside the shop, a little girl in a blue dress waved at the doll with a cheerful smile.

To the eyes of those in this street, they were just two ordinary people.

The magician leapt down from the rooftop. This time, he was dressed plainly in a white shirt and black trousers. Compared to their first meeting, the only thing he had retained was the tall hat perched on his head.

He approached the shop window where the doll stood. “Young master, you’ve come.”

“I’ve missed you.”

He said this every day. The doll had grown numb to it. Pressing a hand against the bag, the doll replied, “I’m not doing homework today.”

The magician smiled. His bandaged hand rested against the shop window in front of the doll. “There’s no homework in the bag.”

The doll opened the bag and glanced inside, raising an eyebrow slightly.

The magician gazed at the small doll and suddenly said, “Young master, wouldn’t it be nice if days like this could go on forever?”

The doll looked up. “The game is updating. Nothing stays unchanged.”

The magician’s slender fingers traced the outline of the doll on the shop window. “As long as you don’t aim to clear the game completely, that’s all that matters.”

The doll chuckled softly.

A notification chimed on Luo Yiran’s phone. He pulled it out to see that the World Human app was open, and a new message had popped up at the top of the screen.

[Notification: The instance “Fairy Tale Forest” will officially begin in three minutes. Players receiving this notification, please prepare accordingly.]

[“Fairy Tale Forest” is a large instance with 150 participants. Upon successful login, players are advised to remain stationary until all participants have entered.]

As soon as the system notification ended, Lin Ye sent a message:

[Large instances are usually live-streamed, so be mindful. Also, make sure to bring all the items you can. This instance might… have very few restrictions.]

[By the way, aside from the usual weapons you carry, special items are stored under the “property” section. Put your most-used items in the top three slots. Generally, only items in the top three slots can be used.]

Luo Yiran forwarded the message to Xia Lang, then glanced at his own property list: [Pearl of Idia], [Revival Potion].

That was it.

“…” Luo Yiran touched the talisman in his bag. Should he put this in to make up the numbers?

Forget it. He decided to leave it in the bag. After all, it should still be allowed inside, right?

According to Lin Ye, any item that could be retrieved from the personal space should be permissible to carry into the instance.

Xia Lang replied promptly: [Got it!]

Luo Yiran slipped his phone into his pocket. The pants he wore had zippered pockets, so there was no risk of it falling out.

The magician must have received the notification as well. He walked in from outside, opened a cabinet, and took out a pack of small clothes, which he placed into a small suitcase.

The doll: “?”

The magician turned around and saw the doll’s puzzled expression. He chuckled, “Not sure how long we’ll be staying, so I prepared a few extra outfits for the young master.”

The doll paused, then looked down at the clothes he was wearing. His face gradually darkened.

A combination of the [large instance], the [live broadcast], and the magician dressing him in practical, easy-to-move-in attire.

“This instance… requires violence?”

The puppet smiled but said nothing.

The doll had already gotten his answer. He let out a deep sigh-honestly, he really didn’t want to resort to violence.

Three minutes passed quickly. The magician placed a black umbrella on top of the small suitcase he was carrying. His demeanor was relaxed, as if he were heading out on a vacation. With a cheerful smile, he lifted the doll and perched him atop his tall hat. “Young master, I’ll take good care of you.”

Darkness enveloped them. The doll couldn’t help but wonder-if the boss used to be a real person, surely the puppet wasn’t, right? After all, humans, by nature, are creatures brimming with emotions.

Whether good or bad.

But the puppet was too peculiar, like a hunter fostering a bond with its prey.

To kill him while still enjoying taking care of him… how bizarre.

Or perhaps it had something to do with his past…

[Ding-dong~]

A young girl’s crisp voice suddenly rang out: [Welcome, everyone, to the Fairy Tale Forest~ This is a paradise of imagination, home to werewolves, unicorns, serpent men, elves, vine monsters, and of course, me!]

[We’re all so happy to have you here!]

Luo Yiran slowly opened his eyes. The voice seemed to come from all directions, yet his vision remained pitch black. The puppet was nowhere to be seen. The doll reached out to feel his surroundings but found nothing.

The girl’s cheerful voice continued: [Now, let’s go over the game rules~]

[First, the conditions for clearing this game-]

[1: You must stay in the hospitable Fairy Tale Forest for three full days!]

[2: Collect five unique treasures from different lords as part of your faction.]

[3: Kill two lords!]

[You can choose to complete either condition 2 or condition 3, no need to do both!]

Luo Yiran froze.

The girl’s voice carried on: [Most players will receive invitations from the various lords of the forest. Please choose which lord’s faction you wish to join within the next eight hours.]

[Note that joining a lord’s faction requires offering the item specified by that lord. However, once you join, you’ll gain access to the faction’s unique abilities and restrictions, as well as ability bonuses while in your faction’s territory.]

[Finally.] The girl paused briefly, her tone brimming with anticipation: [Once you join a faction, all other factions become your enemies. If you encounter them at night… the battle mode will be triggered, and you must eliminate the opposing party to proceed~]

[Daytime is reserved for rest, so feel free to greet others warmly~]

[But remember, you must join a faction within eight hours! Otherwise, you’ll be elim-in-ated~]

As the girl’s voice faded, a holo-panel appeared beside the doll. On it, [task one] and [task two] were clearly listed, with a map of the forest displayed below task two. The map was divided into several colored sections.

The doll’s eyes immediately landed on the map. At the top, in an uncolored area, the words “no lord’s territory” were written.

He was about to examine the other colored sections when a mechanical system voice suddenly spoke in Luo Yiran’s ear-

[Due to player Luo Yiran being the Lifetime Enemy of the Forest, no factions have extended an invitation for you to join.]

The doll: “…”

[To ensure fairness, player Luo Yiran has been designated as the lord of the seventh faction, which has no territory. This faction possesses no special abilities or bonuses, but likewise, your abilities will not be weakened in any region.]

The doll’s expression remained blank.

The system voice continued: [It has been detected that player Luo Yiran is bound by teammate relationships. As a result, players Xia Lang, Lin Ye, Zhang Mimi, Li Qi Feng, Via, and Duan Miaomiao are automatically added to the seventh faction.]

The doll’s expression cracked-sorry, everyone.

But the system voice wasn’t done yet-

[To fulfill the requirements of task two, the seventh faction must have a treasure for players to compete over. Detecting player Luo Yiran’s most precious treasure-]

[The puppet.]

[Ding-“The Doll’s Puppet” has been designated as the seventh faction’s precious treasure.]