Chapter 93: Arch-nemesis

In this world, everyone is similarly divided into the Three Six Nine Rank; each person will have their own identity, and 'Player' is just one of them.

Besides that, there are also 'Commoners' (civilians) made up of most humans, 'Game Administrators' (Boss) who control part of a game's permissions, Dream Builders (programmers) who create and update the game world for the game company, and the Creator (Ultimate Player) who controls the entire Dream World.

Among those who choose to enter the Dream World game, only about 20% are qualified to become true Players, and likewise only Players can bear the duty of slaying 'Nightmares' and executing 'Blanks'.

Age three: Your parents did not choose to send you to kindergarten; in this world where the game is the main theme, kindergartens even have children's e-sports classes, and your parents did not want you to be exposed to these too early, so they educated you at home themselves.

Young you were forced to learn a lot of knowledge, but fortunately it was all within your capacity to bear; however, this also made you accustomed to the taste of staying at home.

Whenever you finished the homework assigned by your parents, you would pick up your phone to watch those interesting Dream World game livestreams; although you still couldn't fully understand what they were playing, you only felt it was fun and enjoyable.

Age four: You were still too young to enter the Dream World; your frail constitution, even if well protected, still inevitably got sick.

This serious illness came on suddenly; fortunately your parents noticed it in time, which saved your life.

This serious illness lasted a long time; it almost occupied half of your time at age four, and it permanently left a root of illness in your body, making your already frail constitution even worse.

The doctor suggested you have more contact with the outside world, more contact with the outdoors, which would help improve your immunity; your parents accepted his suggestion, and so they strongly demanded that you go out for a walk in your free time.

Thus, under your parents' strong insistence, you had no choice but to go out and face this somewhat unfamiliar world; of course, you didn't go out by yourself—each time your parents would watch you from not far away.

On the first day, because you were newly appeared, the kids playing outside didn't dare to approach you much.

On the second day, you became a little acquainted with some of the kids; they invited you to play together, but you were obviously no match for them, getting out of breath after just two steps, yet you still had fun playing.

By the third day, you had successfully integrated into the group, and you finally possessed some of the vitality appropriate for your age.

Age five: Although your body remained as weak as ever, your long-term outdoor play had brought about noticeable improvement; at least you no longer looked as bloodless as before.

You got along well with your little companions; they didn't sideline you because of your frail body. You played together, played mobile games together, teased cats and dogs together, and discussed the currently popular games in the world.

Whenever you guys caused trouble, your companions would loyally abandon you and run first, while you, due to your frail body, were always caught; they didn't discriminate against you, nor did they treat you as a person.

And then, during one gaming session, you unexpectedly displayed extraordinary gaming talent, and your status rose dramatically!

They gave you a new nickname: 'Jie Ge'; I don't know if it's because of some strange law's influence, but a week later you started wearing glasses early on....

The doctor's explanation for this was that it was an indirect result of the previous serious illness and your frail constitution; you didn't think it was due to that nickname's influence, and you still ate and drank as usual, but among the kids you played with, your status had quietly risen to a leader level.

You enjoyed being called 'Jie Ge' by others, but then one day a new guy suddenly appeared in your and your companions' group...

When she first appeared, she was just as shy as you were when you first arrived, but you didn't mind; you and your companions quickly accepted her and invited her over to play together.

Not long after, you faintly sensed something off; you always felt that this newly joined guy was somehow not right, for no reason you always felt this guy especially liked to oppose you, especially when she learned you were the highest-status person here, it became even more obvious.

You felt a bit confused; you didn't remember having offended her, the conflict built up, and eventually one day it completely erupted.

Hey! Big guy! Why are you targeting me!

Zhang Jie, wearing glasses, shouted angrily at the child in front of him who was a head taller than him.

All that could be seen was that the child in front of him had short hair, was two heads taller than the slender Zhang Jie, wore overalls, making it hard to tell whether the child was male or female.

Hmph! Give up the boss's position!

You! Never! Dream!

Zhang Jie had no good feeling toward this kid who had just arrived a few days ago and seemed to want to seize the boss's position; he wished he could beat the opponent senseless, but his physical condition simply wasn't up to it.

Great!

Then let's compete fairly!

From then on, you and she formed a complete rivalry; no matter what you did, she wanted to compare herself with you, whether it was a physical contest or a game showdown, she insisted on seeing who was superior.

But everyone has their own strengths; you never beat her in physical strength, and she never beat you in games, so you two remained constantly opposed, never communicating properly.

Age six: You inexplicably gained a mortal enemy; you don't know his name, you call her 'Blockhead', and she calls you 'Shorty', which makes you angry but you can't help it.

Having a mortal enemy is nothing to be happy about; from then on your life became dire, this is the real world, and besides being able to beat her by one move in games, your frail self could not match her in anything else, and your status kept declining.

Thus, your nicknames for each other gradually became aggressive, from 'Blockhead' to 'Big Loser', from 'Shorty' to 'Weak Chick', everyday bickering became the norm, and fighting each other became a regular occurrence.

And you, always the one getting beaten, how could your small frame shake a mountain-like 'Big Loser'? Fortunately the opponent's strikes were still somewhat restrained, not causing you real injury, but you were still very unconvinced.

Age seven: This is the age you are about to enter elementary school; upon reaching seven, you meet the basic age requirement to enter dreaming, and qualified families can already arrange for their children to undergo dream induction; since your parents are Dream Builders, they naturally have the ability to customize a nutrition pod for you.

Tonight, is the day you enter the dream...

(My mood is a bit off, so just one chapter today, foster fathers)