After Starting Over From Scratch

Lin Zhusheng is an utterly ordinary, grind-happy, big-spending player of the game Life's a Dream. Life's a Dream is a massive online cultivation game with an ancient Chinese fantasy setting. Players start as menial disciples of a sect and work their way up. With its high degree of freedom, you can raise anyone's affection, from a lowly sweeper to the most beautiful woman in the world, and choose them as your cultivation partner. The game is all about immersion. After six months of nonstop grinding, he reached the highest level. With enough money spent, he earned an officially recognized title in the game. Once he maxed out the affection of every named NPC, he finally had nothing left to do and realized how bored he was. So he started a new account and began all over again. Then he closed his eyes and opened them to find himself transmigrated into the game, body and all. After transmigrating, caught between crashing and giving up, the hardcore grinder chose to open his eyes and get to work. First, he would max out everyone's affection. The elders, disciples, and sweepers of the Heavenly Sect soon noticed a strange new disciple among them. He always wore every single piece of clothing layered on top of the others. His tiny storage pouch could hold an entire giant beast, yet he was always complaining, “My inventory's full!” He would suddenly go broke and cry, “I'm never pulling again!” He seemed to have an endless list of things to do every day, but still found time to give them a flower, a pretty stone, or a little snack. They had no idea why, but they found themselves liking him more and more. ① From the NPCs' perspective: You're a talented young master from a prestigious family. During a martial arts competition, you swear to defeat your rival and mock him. Instead, he smiles at you and gives you a little present. You, blushing: I like him. You're the Demon Lord's trusted confidant, sent to spend years undercover at the Heavenly Sect and gather intelligence. One day, a disciple notices your demonic aura and uncovers your disguise. Just as you're about to kill him to silence him, he gives you a little snack unique to the demon clan. You, eating a big mouthful through your tears: The demonic flowers of my homeland are blooming. My lord, I'm bringing him home. You're the stern, impartial Grand Elder, above all worldly concerns. Every disciple fears you, but one keeps bringing you peach-flavored milk pudding, shaped like a peach blossom. You, swallowing it in one tearful bite: If I leave him, who else will treat me like a child? The senior disciple of the Heavenly Sect's leader peak is the hardest character to win over in Life's a Dream. No one has ever succeeded. He is the absolute pride of the heavens, noble and unblemished. Even after being framed and cast down into the mortal world, his sword-born spirit remains unbroken. Before his fall, he was the center of everyone's attention, and precious gifts arrived constantly at his door. One junior disciple came by every day in a flurry, handed him a flower, then hurried off again. He had no use for such things and never accepted a single one. Then one day, he was imprisoned on the Cold Heaven Cliff. The crowds abandoned him, and the flattery stopped. In the dead of winter, that same junior disciple came again, still wearing his strange, unchanged layers of clothes. With his nose red from the cold, he crossed mountains and valleys to reach the chilly cell, smiling as always as he offered a little blue flower, now wilted from the frost. “…” For the first time, the senior disciple, who never formed karmic ties with others, accepted a little flower. After his name was cleared and he left the Cold Heaven Cliff, the gifts kept coming. At last, the senior disciple tactfully asked his ever-busy junior disciple about cultivation partners. He knew how his junior felt, and he was willing to accept those feelings. Then the junior disciple, who had kept bringing him flowers every day, excitedly told him he had decided to become cultivation partners with a sweeper instead. “…” Senior Disciple: “?” Much later, the senior disciple finally learned that his junior didn't just remember his preferences, and that he wasn't the only one receiving daily gifts. His junior disciple simply wanted to max out everyone's affection equally. #Gamers are terrifying# #Rumor has it that becoming cultivation partners with a sweeper gives you an extra inventory slot# #No one can resist the temptation of one more inventory slot# ①: This saying comes from the internet, but I couldn't find its original source. ② The protagonist is the bottom; happy ending. The love interest is the beautiful, powerful, and tragic senior disciple. ③ The protagonist is actually very handsome, but carefully customized his character to have an average-looking face. Once his free appearance-change voucher expires, he'll return to his original looks. ④ A self-indulgent story written for my own enjoyment. It probably won't be very long. A lighthearted, everyday-life story with no angst. ⑤ Affection doesn't necessarily mean romantic love. It can also be friendship or family affection (?) Check out my profile for more completed stories and upcoming works! Theme: Wherever you are, keep doing your best to live.