26 Personal Skill

 

The suppressed madness and barely contained hysteria, the red eyes seemed to be radiating malice. The small body swayed slightly. After losing both his arms and friends, the weakened Weep leaned away from Han Fei.

“Hmm? Why did you move away?” Han Fei half squatted and studied Weep who stood by the corner. A trace of sadness appeared in his eyes. “Don’t you want to be my friend? We could play so many games together, we…” Before he finished, Han Fei heard a click come from behind him. He turned to look and saw the front door open. When he turned back, the shadow already disappeared, leaving behind only a shattered ceremonial urn. “You do not even wish to speak with me?”

Standing up, Han Fei's face colored with sorrow. He gathered the pieces of urn at one spot. “My name is Han Fei. I live just above you. When you feel like playing, feel free to come find me.” Han Fei did not leave immediately but searched through the house as if looking for Weep. Pushing open the doors, he eventually found the fainted Meng Si and Chen Chen beside the ruined bed. Picking up the two, Han Fei finally walked out from Room 1034.

He closed the door behind him and the chill caressed his face. Han Fei then realized how strenuous the whole affair was on his body. His body and mind had been stretched to the limit. He expected the worst but when that did not happen, it took all his acting training and mental constitution to not let any relief show. Han Fei was confident Weep could easily dispatch him even in his injured state should Han Fei show any weakness. The release from tension was so sharp that Han Fei’s body ached with pain.

Sucking in a deep breath, Han Fei found the key on Meng Si. He opened the door and dropped the two back in their house. Closing the front door, Han Fei switched on all the lights in the room. The robotic voice rang in his mind.

“Notification for Player 0000! You have completed Grade G Hidden Mission, Find Chen Chen! Friendliness with Meng Si increases by 30! Obtained basic reward—1 Free Skill Point!

“Warning! Obtaining different completion rates for hidden missions will give different rewards! You have not only found Chen Chen but also rescued him back to safety. Mission completion rate is 100 percent! You gained double the EXP! You also gained a unique skill—Personal Skill, Hide and Seek.

“Hide and Seek (Personal Passive Skill, cannot be upgraded): You are a master at hide and seek. When you are in hiding, your presence will be greatly lowered. Others will easily look over you; When you are looking for others, your senses will intensify and can more easily notice details that otherwise you’d miss.

“Notification for Player 0000, you have reached level 3! Obtained 1 Free Attribute Point!

“Notification for Player 0000, since you’ve reached level 3, the chat system has been unlocked!”

Looking at the mission interface, Han Fei finally calmed down. Even though the mission was incredibly dangerous, the reward was quite lucrative. His level increased and he even obtained a unique skill. The skill description might not look like much but it was incredibly useful to Han Fei, especially in his current stage. He could use it to avoid detection and increase the chance of finding useful clues, it was a godlike skill at early parts of the game. Han Fei allotted the Free Skill Point to Acting, making his Acting Skill Intermediate Level 3; and the free attribute points to stamina. He still believed his stamina was too low. He was too weak.

“I heard the system mention that the chat system has been unlocked. Does that mean there are other players in this hellish game?” Opening the menu, Han Fei found the option for the chat system at the lowest corner. After clicking it open, he was stunned. There were 999 chatrooms in this game and each of them had their own code. But the strange thing was all the chatroom was greyed out and he was denied entry.

“I’ve already reached level 3 so why can’t I join any of these chat rooms? Are none of these chat rooms meant for me? They are formed by other players? But are there really other players in this game?” Han Fei glanced at his Id—0000. That did make it seem like he was the only player in this game. After a brief rest, Han Fei climbed up from the ground, ‘Now that I’ve completed the mission, I only need to stay here for 3 hours and then I can explore the game freely.’

Han Fei picked up Meng Si’s keys. He used it to open the door earlier. He was about to return it when something stopped him.

‘There’s no telling when Meng Si or Chen Chen will wake up. This is the perfect opportunity for me to inspect their house.’ Han Fei glanced towards the locked bedroom. ‘Should I do this or not…?’

The key was in his hand. Han Fei looked at the door for a long time before he decided to return the key. Meng Si was his only trustworthy friend in the game at the moment, he did not wish for cracks to appear in this ‘friendly, neighbourly relationship’. Han Fei placed the keys back into the old lady’s pocket. When he pulled back his hand, the robotic voice in his mind said, “Notification for Player 0000! You did not violate Meng Si’s trust! Friendliness with Meng Si increases by 10! You have gained her complete trust! She now treats you like family!”

When Han Fei heard that, he immediately realized that Meng Si was already conscious. The lady was sneakier than she presented herself. After saving Chen Chen, his friendliness level with Meng Si increased by 30 and now it increased by another 10.

Han Fei who knew everything did not expose Meng Si. Looking like he was none the wiser, Han Fei picked up Meng Si and Chen Chen. He then went to the bathroom to grab a towel to wipe away the grime from Chen Chen’s face and arms. After half an hour, the old lady finally ‘awakened’. She groaned weakly. When she saw Chen Chen, she was very excited and she thanked Han Fei profusely. The sense of appreciation was not faked. That was affirmed by the fact that the mission reward was an increase of 30 points in her friendliness level.

“Han Fei, I really don’t know how to thank you. I really did not think someone would go through such big risks to help people they’ve just met a few times.”

“Granny, you’re the first person to welcome me when I moved into this building. You invited me to dinner and even warned me to be careful of the things inside Room 1044. I remember all that you’ve done for me.” Han Fei scratched his head with embarrassment. “I do not have much family and friends. When I first came to your house, it felt like home. You made you realize how warm a home can be.”

Han Fei helped the old lady back onto the couch. “Granny, you should rest and I’ll return to my house. If you need my help in the future, just go upstairs to get me. If possible, I do wish that we can be as close as family.”

Perhaps it was Han Fei’s final proclamation that struck the softest part in the old lady’s heart. When Han Fei prepared to leave, the old lady slowly stood up.

“Han Fei, actually I’m not as kind as you think I am. I have been hiding a horrible secret and it has been eating me alive” The old lady admitted with guilt. She took out her keys and wandered over to the locked bedroom. “I know you’re curious about this room. Come and follow me.”