Bai Weishuang used to be a celebrated esports player. Now he was terminally ill, couldn't afford treatment, and had one foot in the grave.
The full-dive era had arrived, and the game he loved, Divine Relics, had launched its full-dive open beta.
Bai Weishuang thought he might as well get back to his old line of work, carry clients through dungeons for money, and experience having a healthy body in the game. It was the best of both worlds!
*
On launch day, Radiant Plaza was packed. The announcement above everyone's heads left them all dumbfounded:
“Congratulations to Frost (Lv. 5), the first player to defeat xx boss!”
Everyone: ??? The players haven't even left the beginner village, and someone already beat the boss?
On the seventh day after launch, a video of him soloing an elite boss shot to the top of the forum's trending list. From then on, the ID “Frost” became legendary overnight.
Bai Weishuang single-handedly sparked a server-wide grind, raking in money by the day. He could finally see a way to pay his medical bills.
Then he learned that his illness was already terminal and incurable.
*
Just as he was sinking into despair, a bug appeared.
Every nightfall, he would wake up as someone else.
He had become the ultimate boss, Lord of the Desolate Evil, who had appeared in the official teaser but had never been found by players.
Even more absurdly, whenever he defeated a player, a System notification would ring in his mind:
[Health +1. Current total: 1/10,000]
And so a strange post appeared on the forums:
“Serious question: How many times a day can you farm Lord of the Desolate Evil? Need an answer ASAP.”
*
From then on, Bai Weishuang lived a fulfilling life that would make capitalists weep, black-hearted merchants fall silent, and doctors cry out that it was scientifically impossible.
By day, he was Frost, the top player on the server, carrying clients through dungeons at lightning speed and raking in money.
By night, he was the ultimate boss, mobbed by players and earning health points by the day.
Until one day, a player noticed something:
“Wait, have you guys realized that Frost never fights Lord of the Desolate Evil?”
[Forum Skit]
“Frost Has Finally Started Studying Lord of the Desolate Evil's Mechanics!”
Ten days later
“How Does Lord of the Desolate Evil Have Another New Skill?!”
A month later
“I've noticed that ever since Frost started studying the boss's mechanics, its skill pool has gotten more ridiculous by the day...”
*
“May the radiance of victory shine upon you forever.”
[Reader's Guide]
① In short, the top earns money from both sides by moonlighting as a boss!
② There is a romantic pairing and a substantial romance storyline!
③ This game is a made-up setting. It's originally designed as a competitive mobile game, but is expanded into a vast open-world game in the novel, with not just dungeons but also competitive play and exploration, like an MMO.
④ The blurb has been saved.
Theme: When all seems lost, a way forward appears
