Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Advancement Quest

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In the real world, inside Hao Ren’s home,
Rikka stood in the hallway like a lost kitten, unsure of what to do.
On the door of Hao Ren’s room hung a sign that read:
“Private Residence! No Entry for Unauthorized Persons! Especially those two little devils who can transform!”
When Nemesis and Yaya saw the sign, they both curled their lips in disdain and went off to rummage through the kitchen fridge.
Xiao An, who hadn’t been mentioned, calmly held a copy of the Six Codes of Law.
“Miss Rikka, has Lord Long encountered some trouble?” The newly joined member, the female spider princess Orihime, still didn’t quite understand her master’s situation. Did such things happen often?
“My master, he…” The expressionless Rikka stammered.
“Could it be that he was injured in a previous battle? Or perhaps contracted some sudden infectious disease?” Orihime’s imagination ran wild.
“My master, he…” After hesitating for a moment, Rikka cast her gaze toward Hao Ren’s door. “He’s been holed up inside for three days without coming out.”
…
Inside the dimly lit, cramped ten-square-meter room, countless items were scattered haphazardly.
A whole cabinet was filled with complete sets of manga, each volume accompanied by a corresponding ten-centimeter figurine. Beneath, the cabinet stored promotional items from a certain magazine collected over seven years—varied and plentiful.
The most expensive item was probably a 50-inch LCD TV, which someone used solely for playing PFP. Yes, you heard that right—specifically for PFP, with the dedicated PFPAV connection cable still plugged in.
Next to the bed sat a desktop computer assembled from cheap components costing under two thousand yuan, though its monitor alone was worth over two thousand. The familiar XP system desktop had many Gagae icons reappearing, once thought lost, filling the previously empty screen.
The 2x1 double bed was dwarfed by an enormous comforter bundled into a ball. Instead of a nightstand, a plastic box held game cartridge packaging, a half-bitten slice of whole wheat bread, scallion-flavored sweet bean paste used instead of jam, and a bowl of leftover tomato noodle soup.
The heater beside the bed blew hot, dry air. Hao Ren, who had been secluded for three days, lay curled up on the bed, holding a Game Boy Advance with a serious expression.
On the GBA screen, a little green-capped character fiercely waved a short sword. Although the protagonist of “The Legend of Zelda” was not named “Zelda,” the name “Link” seemed entirely unnecessary. Hao Ren felt the malice of the developers keenly.
Suddenly, Hao Ren seemed to sense something and turned his gaze toward a corner of the ceiling.

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The following is Hao Ren’s neurotic self-narration:
Hello, my name is Hao Ren, an extraordinarily ordinary college freshman.
Since joining the Dicos Fried Chicken Galaxy game and becoming a proud gamer, my life has changed dramatically.
I have a girl now—one that makes me bleed tears and pour gasoline.
I have money now, and I’ve even tasted the ultimate thrill of slapping cash in the principal’s face.
I have a house now. The previous villa fell through for some reason, so I just bought the entire floor of my old residence, knocking down walls for a space of about four to five hundred square meters. The girls are all very pleased.
I have special abilities now. After several incidents turning knives, forks, and chopsticks into treasured weapons, I finally learned to control the skill “The Knight Never Dies Barehanded.”
Everything seemed so perfect… but!
My gaming time has almost completely vanished.
As a shut-in who plays PFP while walking, takes PFP to the bathroom, and barely lets go of the game console, how long has it been since I truly immersed myself in gaming?
I haven’t even finished the entire storyline of the Love Hime Musou trilogy, I’m missing one “g” from the Crossdressing Mountain recovery, a friend sent me the Okinawa Slave Island game but I haven’t played it yet, and none of the characters in Musou Orochi 2 have acquired their celestial weapons…
I need space! I need freedom!
So after the last Gundam dungeon ended, I returned to the real world, released all the girls who might cause trouble at critical moments, and locked myself in a little black room. I refused to leave except for essential needs.
At least until I finish “The Legend of Zelda.”
…
Hao Ren talking to himself alone in the room had a certain horror-movie vibe, but this was just part of his otaku lifestyle.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Has my lord been infected by the evil bat clan? Why give up treatment?” Shirley, with no distinguishing features, lay sprawled on the sofa, her bright blue dragon tail flicking. In front of her was a thick, leather-bound book titled “The Legend of King Arthur.”
“Has Brother Ren always been like this?” Probably only the new girl in this world would address Hao Ren this way. The balance fox Hiiro rested her knees on the sofa but leaned her upper body on the floor, her elbows propping her up as she spread out Hao Ren’s collection of “Hell Teacher” manga, assuming a challenging reading posture.

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“God knows… just let him be,” Saya, who was gnawing on “World Economics,” threw a tsundere tantrum. “Though we’re on holiday, there’re still plenty of things to do in Crossbell. I wonder if the deputy can hold up…”
“How superficial,” Shiina said. “Dare you put down the broom?”
“Ren said that when summoned creatures aren’t in the dimensional space, their time can temporarily freeze. Saya, you don’t have to use it, just think of it as a holiday,” Two-Form calmly said as she leisurely ate strawberry-flavored Häagen-Dazs, her words sharp as a knife.
“Although I don’t know what our master was like before, after these few days of contact, I realize we are truly, truly fortunate,” still somewhat reserved, Orihime’s words captured the attention of all the girls.
“How so?” Saeko Dojima put down her “Japanese Sword Encyclopedia.”
“Whether it was my original master or other gamers, they never put us on the same level as themselves. To them, summoned creatures are slaves who should make sacrifices and endure oppression. Worse, they don’t even regard us as people; we are objects, tools to be bought and sold on a whim. So when I say you have decent living conditions and complete control over your own time and space, that is truly a stroke of luck.” These were Orihime’s heartfelt words.
Of course, Hao Ren’s kindness was reserved for those he liked. Once he recognized you as a comrade, no matter how heinous your sins, everything you did was right in his eyes.
After listening to Orihime, everyone fell into deep thought.
A few of the girls suddenly blushed, evidently thinking of something embarrassing—could it be they planned to repay with their bodies?
“Master! The Iron Fist EXP version you ordered is ready! Where are you… hmm?” After being shut inside for three days, Tia Yuxing burst out of the room holding a small USB drive, only to find the girls gathered in the hall, some blushing, others deep in thought, each wearing a different expression. “Ah, master!”
Hao Ren finally appeared after three days of seclusion, but his complexion was unusually pale.
“Master, what happened?” Saeko walked over and took his hand, only to find it icy cold and slightly trembling.
“The mainframe just sent a notification. A forced dungeon will open in one hour. It’s confirmed to be the dungeon where the [Lower-level Gamer] advances to [Mid-level Gamer],” Hao Ren lost his usual optimism.
“Does that mean this dungeon will be terrible?” Saya clasped his other hand, speaking with some concern. “Since it’s a promotion stage, there must be many restrictions and obstacles. Is there something really dangerous inside?”
More than dangerous—it’s practically a blatant death sentence.
Hao Ren finally understood: the mainframe, the aliens, truly control his fate. Killing himself probably wouldn’t be much harder than squashing an ant.