The screen shifted from bright to dim. Luna fell onto the tiled rooftop like a broken kite, her body covered in wounds that bled incessantly.

It was only then that Ren Suo saw who had attacked Luna: a Fairy dressed in white, barefoot and swift, with skin whiter than snow and a jade hairpin binding her blue-black hair.

The Fairy glanced at the seriously injured Luna but didn't deliver a finishing blow, instead drifting toward the silvery-white beam of light.

Ren Suo tried to control Luna to stand or heal herself, but the game prompted, "Luna has fallen into the Dream Death State."

"In the Dream Death State, an Apostle of the Moon God is unable to perform any actions. As time passes, all traces of the Apostle of the Moon God will gradually fade until they completely vanish. After one Full Moon, they will enter a True Death State."

"If an Apostle of the Moon God is struck by another fatal attack while in the Dream Death State, she will die."

"In the Dream Death State, an Apostle of the Moon God can be resurrected by drawing upon the power of longing from people within the dream."

"Current sources of longing for Luna: 2. Overall level of being missed: negligible. Estimated resurrection time: after seven Full Moons."

Ren Suo tried to control her again and confirmed that Luna indeed could not use "Saving Lives and Healing the Injured" on herself. He then seriously examined this Dream Death State.

The subject of the Dream Death State's description was 'Apostle of the Moon God,' meaning that all twenty-eight Apostles of the Moon God would fall into the Dream Death State upon suffering a fatal attack. This meant they appeared dead and were beyond saving, but they might still manage a resurrection once their bodies cooled.

In the Dream Death State, if someone in the dream strongly longed for an Apostle of the Moon God, the apostle could resurrect quickly—of course, the level of longing had to be sufficient. For someone like Luna, currently considered an unimportant passerby, she required seven days of exposure to the elements to meet the resurrection time requirement. By then, she would be long dead, not even a speck of her remaining.

Luna's two sources of longing were likely the doctor and the Little Nurse. It was surprising that the friendly NPCs in this game were so important they could hasten the resurrection process.

Of course, this setting didn't really mean much for Ren Suo. He could load a game save and was determined to have Luna clear the game in one life. He wouldn't really let the beautiful and captivating Luna become a helpless plaything, lying on the ground, unable to resist...

The thought is quite thrilling, but I can't go in and loot the body.

However, this setting once again highlighted the importance of an Apostle of the Moon God's companion of the opposite sex. It was imaginable that each apostle's companion would miss them profoundly, making it highly likely that any apostle who fell into the Dream Death State could resurrect quickly.

Accordingly, Ren Suo's gameplay strategy would also need to change. He would have to either deliver a finishing blow after defeating an Apostle of the Moon God or slaughter the apostle's companions as well; otherwise, the apostle would surely resurrect.

That said, Ren Suo guessed the game might have achievements like 'Kill all Apostles of the Moon God' and 'Do Not Kill Any Apostle of the Moon God.' If one wished to achieve the latter, it would be quite simple—just avoid delivering finishing blows to any of the Apostles of the Moon God.

Ren Suo loaded the game save "Luna - The First Waning Moon." At this point, Luna had just left the clinic. He chose an alternate route, guiding Luna to avoid the white-clad Fairy.

The Fairy was strong. Her long-range Moonlight Spells could kill Luna in one hit. But this game wasn't about grinding monsters, so there was no need to fight her.

Fighting was only for Victory, just as battles in MOBA games were for pushing towers. Letting Luna go after the second Silver Moon Crystal now was the wise choice.

A minute later, Luna arrived at a place resembling a city park. The silver-white column of light was inside, and from afar, she could see the flashes and sounds of Extraordinary Magic clashing. However, teams of Red-armored Warriors were stationed along all the main paths of the park, their blades pointed at any enemy trying to rush in.

When Luna charged in, one of the Red-armored Warriors shouted loudly, "The League of Legends is at work! Tourists, stay back!"

His response was an unstoppable Saichuan Glacier!

"The Demon King Returns" + "Ice Age"!

Sharp Ice Spires followed the glacier into the park's main path. Warriors who couldn't dodge in time were instantly impaled and hung high by the Ice Spires before being encased in the glacier, dead as if preserved in amber.

Suddenly, a speech bubble appeared over one warrior's head, "You don't have a mysterious illness..."

Ren Suo was taken aback for a moment. He took a careful look and felt this warrior might be one of the two who had searched the clinic not long ago—it was hard to remember the faces of passersby.

Meanwhile, a prompt appeared in the upper-left corner of the screen: "The 'Mysteriously Ill Patient' persona has been seen through by the dream."

Ren Suo opened Luna's personal profile and found that the character tag 'Mysteriously Ill Patient' had turned completely gray, indicating she could no longer gain dream-bestowed Experience Points by playing the role of a Mysteriously Ill Patient.

Once the native inhabitants of the dream see through an apostle's disguise, the apostle can no longer level up by playing that character... In other words, performing an action that gets one seen through before fully succeeding in the role-play results in losing that character tag. To level up through role-playing, one must act strictly according to the tag... Ren Suo pondered.

The ice-encased warriors blurred one by one and finally dissipated completely, not even leaving corpses behind. Ren Suo raised an eyebrow. Indeed, the natives of this Mask of the Moon were not True Humans. Perhaps in this dream, the only real humans were the Apostles of the Moon God and their companions.

Suddenly, the silvery-white beam that pierced the heavens seemed to flow inward, converging within the park, and the night sky instantly darkened.

There went 1,000 Experience Points!

But Luna's speed at killing NPC warriors was already very fast. Still, it wasn't fast enough; it seemed there was no way around it, no other choice.

At this moment, an idea struck Ren Suo, and he chose to load a save.

In the save library, there were three saves: Third Quarter Moon, Last Quarter Moon, and Waning Moon. Ren Suo chose to load the Last Quarter Moon save. The game shifted to the moment the Little Nurse had just opened the curtain, and Luna was about to shed tears of blood, playing the part of the Mysteriously Ill Patient.

After the two warriors left, Ren Suo had Luna pay immediately and leave without further questions—he had already obtained the information during the last load, so naturally, he skipped it this time.

The doctor didn't try to keep her. "It's good that there's no issue," he said. "Be careful not to get caught... I will always be your friend, Luna. If you need a place to hide or rest, feel free to come to me."

This time, as soon as Luna left the clinic, Ren Suo had her sprint away at top speed. Following his memory, she quickly reached the city park area. Ren Suo noticed that warriors were already rushing over to blockade the thoroughfare—even though the silver beam hadn't appeared yet!

Ren Suo had some suspicions. Luna clearly had to move faster, swiftly reaching the spot where the column of light was about to erupt.

Near the target location were lush shrubs and trees, looking just like a real park—yet in this world without sunlight, were these plants all spawned artificially?

Luna hid in the bushes, silently waiting for the next instantaneous change in the Moon Phase.

Just then, a man and a woman arrived, escorted by warriors. The woman said, "You don't need to follow. Guard the other thoroughfares; no one is to enter. If anyone dares, attack them on sight. This is a joint order from me and my sister. If any mistake leads to mission failure, you won't be able to bear the responsibility!"

"Understood!"

After the warriors dispersed, the man and woman walked to the predetermined location where the Silver Moon Crystal was expected to appear. Ren Suo could now see clearly that both appeared to be of East Asian descent, likely Flourishing Sakura People. The tall man wore Golden Armored Warrior's Armor, and the petite, slender girl wore a deep purple cherry blossom yukata, as if she were going to a fireworks festival.

Ren Suo paused the game for a moment to check the internal network but found no reference to Golden Armored Warrior's Armor among the Flourishing Sakura People. He wondered how the man had acquired such ostentatious armor.

The girl in the yukata suddenly said, "Once the Silver Moon Crystal appears, you're responsible for retrieving it. But only grab it when I say 'take it.'"

The Golden Armored Warrior asked in confusion, "Aren't we supposed to take it immediately? You're so lucky to have obtained this Miracle..."

The girl in the yukata nodded. "Precisely because I was so lucky to obtain this Miracle, I must make the most of it. By using my sister's name to command the warriors of the League of Legends, my aim is to draw out other Apostles of the Moon God, perhaps even eliminating them from the competition prematurely."

"Thus, we need to leave the Silver Moon Crystal in place to attract them. Only when someone engages the warriors will we take it and leave. One less competitor means a slightly higher chance of Victory."

"In this competition among Moon Chanters, being half a step ahead can create a huge advantage. Luckily, I have a wonderful sister. Not only did I inherit my real-world status in Mask of the Moon, but it seems the Moon God also favors me, granting me such a Miracle—a half-step lead—after just three hours of adaptation..."

"It's a pity," said the Golden Armored Warrior. "If you could bring your sister along, the struggle among the Moon Chanters would probably be effortless."

The girl in the yukata's expression seemed slightly displeased. "Even if... even without my sister, I can succeed... Besides, it's good I didn't bring her. The Miracles here are far too powerful. Even if she is a Four Clouds Warrior, she would face the possibility of defeat or even death here."

"Indeed. We can't allow your sister to take such a big risk. She is an indispensable force in the Martial Soul Hall," the Golden Armored Warrior agreed.

Ren Suo had pretty much figured it out. The girl in the yukata must be an Apostle of the Moon God vying for the position of Moon Chanter. The Miracle she obtained during the Last Quarter Moon was probably something like 'foreknowledge of the next Silver Moon Crystal's location,' and her cost might be 'unable to touch the Silver Moon Crystal for a certain period,' hence letting the Golden Armored Warrior fetch it.

Unlike Luna, who lacked household registration, identity, and relatives, and was even a wanted fugitive, the girl in the yukata held a high status in Moon Night Market, able to directly command warriors to work for her!

Thus, after obtaining this Miracle, she immediately devised this plan: surround the Silver Moon Crystal's appearance location beforehand to lure other Apostles of the Moon God. Even if she couldn't kill them, she could force them to reveal themselves.

And the girl in the yukata, being in a high position and with Insight into others' identities, had numerous tactics she could employ.

At that moment, Luna's thoughts emerged: Though power is straightforward, influence should not be underestimated. A role that can affect other natives is equivalent to wielding great power. Perhaps I could sleep before the Full Moon, striving to obtain a good identity in the second round of the Moonlit Night.

At this point, Ren Suo also faintly sensed the different approaches to the game:

You could rely on brute force to seize the Silver Moon Crystal, but it would inevitably attract the pursuit of other Apostles of the Moon God and persecution by NPCs.

You could rely on role-playing to increase your strength, secretly watching until the right opportunity arose to make your move.

You could also use the influence of your role to leverage NPC strengths to hinder other Apostles of the Moon God, creating a shortcut to obtaining the Silver Moon Crystal.

All three approaches were equally valid, depending on which the Player preferred, and could also be switched mid-game.

Although the gameplay was diverse and complex, the mission objective was straightforward and obvious—seize the Silver Moon Crystal!

Just then, the Last Quarter Moon suddenly lost a piece, turning into a Waning Moon. Invisible Moonlight flowed through Moon Night Market, refreshing all Apostles' Miracles. A silver pillar of light pierced the heavens and earth, and a Silver Moon Crystal, like a teardrop, spun and floated in the air.

As the girl in the yukata was browsing her new Miracle, Ren Suo, who already knew what it was, immediately had Luna bolt out and Teleport toward the Silver Moon Crystal!

But the Golden Armored Warrior was standing right next to the Silver Moon Crystal. Sensing something amiss, he was about to reach for and take the Silver Moon Crystal!

At that moment, Ren Suo immediately activated a Miracle—

"Your Miracle renders all living creatures within a 10-meter radius unable to act."

"But the price you pay is that you too are unable to act."

The yukata-clad girl and the Golden Armored Warrior were instantly immobilized. Before they could regain their senses, Ren Suo immediately dispelled the Miracle, letting Luna snatch the Silver Moon Crystal first!

At first glance, this Miracle seemed quite useless: if they can't move, and I can't move, then what's the point? It's utterly useless.

If the enemy were purely computer AI, this Miracle might indeed be meaningless. The response speed of computer AI is definitely faster than Ren Suo's brain.

But the Apostles of the Moon God and their companions acted no differently than True Humans, which was why this miraculous move was effective.

When people were suddenly immobilized, their actions interrupted, even if they didn't fall from losing balance, their minds would shift from mere reaction to contemplation: What Miracle has hit me? What am I supposed to do next? Who is she?

However, Luna, the caster of the Miracle, could choose when to end it. Therefore, the Miracle wasn't about controlling the process, but about controlling what happened after—Luna would gain at least a 0.2-second head start!

Ren Suo seized this moment of confusion to interrupt their actions and then immediately broke the Miracle, taking advantage of their slow reaction to let Luna steal the Silver Moon Crystal first!

"Luna has obtained the 'Silver Moon Crystal - Patron.'"

"Silver Moon Crystal - Patron: With this Silver Moon Crystal, any enhancement food you prepare will have its effects increased by 50%, all Supernatural Abilities will be 5% more powerful, and Moon-Related Supernatural Abilities will be additionally enhanced by 25%."

"Current Silver Moon Crystal count: 1/25."

The effect of this Silver Moon Crystal... was quite subtle.

However, foods consumed in the dream seemed to provide Attribute boosts, so it appeared to have some use... But did it require one's own preparation? Had Luna invested points in the Cooking Skill?

After obtaining the Silver Moon Crystal, Luna once again cast a Miracle to immobilize everyone. Then, after three seconds, she teleported away directly!

But Ren Suo overestimated Luna and underestimated the yukata-clad girl.

Luna's Miracle had updated, and so had the yukata-clad girl's! She merely pointed at Luna from afar, and Luna found herself frozen in mid-air!

Battle record: "Luna is imprisoned by solidified air!"

Ren Suo raised his eyebrows—the "Mage's Death-Defying Feather" looked like a Teleport but was actually high-speed movement. Now that the air had solidified into a wall, this Teleportation prop was no longer effective.

But the yukata-clad girl was also sitting on the ground in extreme pain, covering her mouth and pointing at Luna, the whites of her eyes showing.

Ren Suo's mind raced. He guessed the cost of this Miracle was not small. Miracles and their prices weren't necessarily equivalent. For example, the white woman previously only needed to bleat to turn others into sheep, while now the yukata-clad girl, who merely solidified the air, looked as if she were on the brink of death.

The Golden Armored Warrior didn't hesitate for a moment, charging forward and severing Luna's hand holding the Silver Moon Crystal with his sword. However, because the air had solidified, the hand didn't fall.

But at that very moment, the yukata-clad girl fainted. Luna's hand fell, and it looked as if the Silver Moon Crystal was about to be taken by the Golden Armored Warrior—

WHOOSH!

Ren Suo was stunned for a moment. He saw Luna herself shoot a beam of light at the Golden Armored Warrior, piercing right through his outstretched hand. Then, Luna promptly retrieved her severed hand.

But the problem was... Ren Suo hadn't made any moves.

Shooting the beam of light and retrieving the severed hand were all Luna's own actions!

"This is mine."

Luna raised her head defiantly, stared at the Golden Armored Warrior, and said calmly, "I was born with nothing. I will not allow you to steal what's mine!"

Ren Suo blinked in surprise.

He had thought a character he created would be without much personality... He hadn't expected Luna, usually silent, to suddenly erupt at such a critical moment.

It was as if she knew she was born from nothing, so her Desire was intensely strong—she already had nothing, so what she did have, absolutely could not be taken away!

If someone tried to steal her things, she would break free from the Player's control and retaliate with the most direct violence!

"She does have quite the personality..." Ren Suo muttered, but he didn't mind—it saved him a bit of effort in controlling her, at least.

Luna continued to flee. But due to her Serious Injuries, she could hardly fight back and could only evade the pursuing warriors directly.

After leaving the park, she scaled walls and rooftops, trying to shake off the warriors by using residential buildings as cover—

BANG!

A gunshot sounded behind her. Ren Suo then saw several blossoms of blood appear on Luna's body. Luna lost control completely and plummeted downward. The screen quickly darkened until all Ren Suo saw was Luna seemingly falling into a steamy hot spring...

"Luna is Stunned, falling into unconsciousness."

"Luna has lost the 'Silver Moon Crystal - Patron'."

"Current Silver Moon Crystal count: 0/25."

As the darkness faded slightly, a familiar white ceiling came into view.

As the blurry scene sharpened, Luna saw the familiar NPC doctor sitting beside her bed. She immediately sat up, grabbed the doctor's shoulders, and anxiously asked, "Where is my Silver Moon Crystal?!"

The Little Nurse behind the doctor was startled and asked in a trembling voice, "What-what do you want to do?"

However, the doctor didn't seem nervous at all. He tilted his head, looked at Luna, and asked, "Silver Moon Crystal? What's that? I have no idea."

"You were dropped off at the clinic's doorstep again. The nurse helped you change your clothes... Nurse, did you find anything while helping her change?"

The Little Nurse shook her head and firmly pushed Luna's hand off the doctor's shoulder.

Luna seemed to calm down as well. Right, I was shot while running away and then fell into something like a hot spring, far from the clinic... It seems someone was following me, took my Silver Moon Crystal, and then left me at the clinic's doorstep... she thought.

If I find out who did this...

Suddenly, Ren Suo got the feeling that in terms of strength, Luna might not be the strongest game character, but she was definitely the one with the biggest temper. Ren Suo had no doubt that when she saw the treasure thief, she would likely break free from his control as the joystick warrior and rush up to let the culprit feel the wrath of the proletariat.

But after Luna fell into the hot springs, who rescued her and took her Silver Moon Crystal...?

「...」

"Wake up! We have an early class today!"

Lin Xianyu turned over and pulled the blanket over her head. Gu Yueyan, as expected, climbed onto the bed, yanked away her blanket, and said grumpily, "Get up! If you're late again and get marked, your participation grade will be zero!"

"Wah wah wah..." Lin Xianyu, shivering from the cold morning air, curled up and hugged herself. "I'm freezing to death..."

"It's like this in December. Come on, brush your teeth and wash your face, or I'm going to the cafeteria for breakfast without you."

"Ugh..." Lin Xianyu sniffled, pursed her lips, and slowly got up. As she climbed down, she sang in a mournful voice, "The first thing I say when I get up every day, I'm freezing to death, oh what a pain..."

"Every time I'm a centimeter from the bed, it's like I'm on my last breath..."

"Blanket, oh blanket, look at me, where is my heater..."

"Oh what a pain, oh what a pain, where's the heater in this school..."

Gu Yueyan ignored her and took the opportunity to memorize a few more words. Although they were students at Supernatural University without much academic pressure, Gu Yueyan had still registered for the Level Six exam; after all, it didn't hurt to try since it was free.

By the time Lin Xianyu finished brushing her teeth, washing her face, and combing her hair, she came out and hugged Gu Yueyan. "Class President, Class President," she said, "let's invite Little Star and the others to eat hotpot and soak in the hot springs! When it comes to winter, that's definitely what we should do!"

"Eating hotpot is fine, but soaking in the hot springs... wait until after the final exams," Gu Yueyan said with a pout, turning off her word-learning app as she walked out.

"But that's another month away!" Lin Xianyu wailed. "I'm certain I'll even dream about soaking in the hot springs."

"Then dream about it."

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