"This is troublesome... The Tactical Bureau has assigned Yao Fei, the captain of the second team, to be my secretary. Do you remember Yao Fei?"

Ren Suo pondered over his phone for a while before replying, "Big chest, tiny waist, really pretty?"

The last time he had seen Yao Fei, the captain of the second team, was a long time ago. He hadn't seen her again after he left the Tactical Bureau. But the biggest difference between a great beauty and an average person is that one unforgettable glimpse is enough to be etched in memory. It's just like how one might forget ordinary classmates from elementary school but would often still remember the prettiest girl in class.

Xiao Qiao: "Is it her? (sends a picture)."

Ren Suo glanced at it, his lips quivering.

"Σ(°△°|||)︴Isn't this you?"

Xiao Qiao: "Yeah, big chest, tiny waist, really pretty. Does she not meet the criteria?"

Ren Suo: "…Fine, you're beautiful, so whatever you say goes. Aren't you happy with Yao Fei as your secretary, though? Now you can have your secretary do things for you..."

Xiao Qiao: "As if things are that easy. I wish my secretary could take care of things while I play with you... I was planning to take a couple of days off to go skating with you. But the higher-ups assigned me a secretary without me noticing, and now I have to work hard like Yu Kuangtu. Ah, the happy times always fly by so fast."

"I really hope December will treat me kindly, and that every day will be joyful."

Ren Suo: "It's still more than ten minutes until December, though."

Xiao Qiao: "Really? But I feel like the December that will treat me well has already arrived."

Ren Suo blinked and replied, "Your phone clock must be broken, right?"

"Negative emotions from Qiao Muyi, +233."

Although he didn't fully understand, scraping negative emotions off Qiao Muyi, the Great Demon King, unexpectedly gave Ren Suo a sense of triumph.

However, Qiao Muyi seemed angered and stopped the pointless conversation with him. Instead, on QQ, Gu Yueyan sent him a file. Ren Suo glanced at it and saw it was a research paper on Roaring Heaven Palace.

Ren Suo quickly skimmed the paper and found it to be mostly without issues, so he replied, "Okay, I'll put my name as the advising teacher for this paper. If the Tactical Bureau has any reward, I'll transfer it directly to you."

Gu Yueyan did not reply, but Ren Suo saw the "The other party is typing..." prompt, so he patiently waited a while.

However, since Gu Yueyan still didn't reply, he took the initiative to ask, "Is there something wrong?"

After a moment, Gu Yueyan replied, "My awakened spells seem to have become stronger."

Ren Suo perked up, "That's great news!"

Although it felt unfair, Awakeners possessed highly envied awakened spells from the start. As time passed and their strength increased, their spells would grow stronger and even develop additional effects.

Take Dong Chengling, for example. Whether it was long-distance teleportation with someone or a short-range flicker assault, she slowly researched and developed these powerful and unique techniques. While everyone else might seem merely envious on the surface, deep down, their envy was nearly explosive.

Most awakened spells don't help much with Cultivation, but humans are social animals—they need to make contributions to society to receive societal feedback.

Thanks to his Healing Magic, Ren Suo could brazenly be a tax dodger, escaping society's beatings and life's devastation. He could leap from adolescence straight to retirement, which truly said something.

Now that Gu Yueyan's awakened spells had become stronger, the greatest significance for Ren Suo was that his Bond Ability might be strengthened. Of course, he was also genuinely happy for her. Others might not be, but Gu Yueyan's diligence was no less than Dong Chengling's. She deserved this favor from destiny.

Gu Yueyan: "I want to practice my awakened spells."

Ren Suo: "Yeah, the combat training field should also be opening in a few days, right? You can practice well then."

After Ren Suo sent this message, Gu Yueyan didn't reply for a long stretch again, and then suddenly a message popped up.

"Negative emotions from Gu Yueyan, +100."

...Huh? Why did she suddenly get angry? Ren Suo frowned slightly. Could it be... Gu Yueyan... she... it couldn't be, right?

Ren Suo searched online and replied, "The weather has been cold recently. Drink more hot water, sleep with a hot water bottle. Do you want Cheng Ling to cook some ginger date brown sugar water for you?"

"Negative emotions from Gu Yueyan, +233."

Gu Yueyan: "Thanks."

Although you said thanks, you still seem a bit angry... But Ren Suo was very considerate. After all, it was that time of the month when blood is shed but no tears, and even for her, it's normal to be a bit moody.

Back when Ren Suo was young, his mom had a peculiar habit. When her period came every month, if there was an issue, she would hit him. If not, she'd hit him and then give him a candy. Ren Suo, always up to mischief back then, got used to the beatings. It wasn't until much later that he realized his mom would enter a state of bloody fury for a few days each month.

「In the girls' dormitory」

Gu Yueyan, curled up in her blanket, suddenly said, "Salted Fish!"

Lin Xianyu, who was playing on her phone, blinked. "Hmm?"

"I want a hot water bottle."

Lin Xianyu: "Σ(°△°|||)︴... I only have one, though."

"Then forget it."

Two seconds later, a fluffy hot water bottle flew in on a gentle breeze, landing on Gu Yueyan's bed. Gu Yueyan put the hot water bottle into her blanket and hugged it, huffing as she looked through her phone's photo album, grumbling to herself, "How did he know..."

"But he must have forgotten... He still owes me... The deadbeat."

However, the more Gu Yueyan looked at the photos, the more upset she became. Finally, she got out of bed and decided to do some indefinite integral problems to calm down.

「...」

CLICK.

When the time jumped from 23:59 to 0:00, Ren Suo's body involuntarily trembled with a peculiar sensation—the long-slumbering function for binge-gaming was awakening.

He had been sleeping more and staying awake less these past few days, all to game hard tonight!

December 1st, the free games had finally refreshed!

"Minor World, endless fun." This time, the console's startup sound was a playful and flirty male voice. It seemed even the Mini-World Game Console was looking forward to being played by Ren Suo for seven or eight hours straight!

Entering the "World Store," Ren Suo didn't see the "Free Games of the Month" section, but he wasn't surprised.

After all, it's December!

Instead of the "Free Games of the Month" section, there now appeared a brightly decorated and ornate section—"Christmas Exclusive・Night of the Hunt"!

The background featured a Sleepless City under a lone bright moon. Slender, elegant black silhouettes of a dozen women faced off against each other, while countless other figures battled throughout the city. The moon and darkness rendered the night sky desolate and cold, while blood and fire made the earth roar and bubble!

"Christmas Exclusive: Players can choose to use their 'Christmas Promotion' chance to play the exclusive game 'Night of the Hunt,' or use the holiday promotion chance to draw other free games (one or the other)."

"Christmas Exclusive: The playtime limit is set until Christmas Eve (up to December 24th, 23:59:59). Exceeding the time limit is considered a game-over."

"Night of the Hunt"

"This game is a role-playing strategy adventure action game. The distant God of Slaughter is on his way, and the Blood Moon is about to rise. The world is not always treated gently. Players will become Apostles of the Moon God, participating in the Night of the Hunt, competing for the throne of the one and only Moon Chanter."

"Completing this game can reward up to 350 Merit Points. The exclusive completion rewards are related to the player's chosen path in the game. There are in-app purchase options, only one chapter, no subsequent chapters, and the game difficulty is rated at 4 stars."

"Note: In the Christmas exclusive game, players can choose to use promotional activity counts for in-app purchases."

"Remaining promotional activity counts for this month: 2 (Heavy Snow, Winter Solstice)"

Not a 5-star game... which is fine.

Playing high star-level games certainly helps to quickly increase player experience and earn Merit Points. However, Ren Suo currently had no summoning time for 'Rippling Spring Sounds.' This meant he was very likely to get stuck on difficult levels with no ability to turn the tables.

As far as Ren Suo could tell, games above 5 stars seemed to automatically factor 'Rippling Spring Sounds' into their difficulty. For example, in 'Hand of Fate,' Ren Suo truly couldn't have passed certain levels without piggybacking on 'Rippling Spring Sounds.'

So, if Ren Suo dared to play a 5-star game now, he would likely get hopelessly stuck. He might even end up smashing the controller or having to exhaust all his Merit Points just to barely scrape through.

Moreover, the main benefits Ren Suo now gained from playing games had shifted from exclusive rewards and Merit Points to a combination of exclusive rewards, Merit Points, and game characters.

For Ren Suo, 5-star game characters were temporarily unusable combat power. His 'Rippling Spring Sounds' could currently only summon characters of 4-star level or below.

Therefore, Ren Suo had originally planned to play 4-star games this month to take it easy. And this 'Night of the Hunt' even allowed the use of promotional activity counts for Krypton Gold. This was very friendly to Ren Suo's wallet, so he was quite satisfied.

The only issue was that the exclusive completion rewards were unclear, and he didn't know what he would receive. But from Ren Suo's past gaming experience, whenever completion rewards were related to the game content, the rewards had been good. Examples included 'Mage Under the World Tree,' 'High Energy Ahead,' and 'My Life is Not Your Game.'

'Mage Under the World Tree' rewarded a Pure White Mini Holy Grail, and 'High Energy Ahead' rewarded Listening Headphones. Well, 'My Life is Not Your Game' was just annoying because it rewarded... Little Jiu.

Although Ren Suo was pretty much set on playing this game, he exited the "World Store" and clicked on the portal icon in the lower left corner, which had a 'Tavern' sign.

That's right, among the options for Level 5 Player's Privilege, Ren Suo ultimately couldn't resist his curiosity and selected "Mysterious Tavern Owner"!

The first two privileges were pretty straightforward, but this one seemed unclear. Perhaps choosing the first two privileges would have earned him more Merit Points, and his game characters would have become stronger. However, he would then certainly spend countless future nights pondering what 'Mysterious Tavern Owner' was for. It was just like how he had pined for the Hell 4PRO Gaming Console for a full two years after its release three years ago!

Was it to earn more Merit Points, become stronger, or to satisfy his curiosity? Ren Suo chose the third option.

Of course, he believed that a Player's Privilege could never be too poor a choice. Any selection he made would be a win.

However, compared to Player Privileges with obvious effects, the value of the tavern owner privilege was harder to realize... except when playing a new game.

The screen transitioned to a clean, medieval-style tavern. Flickering candlelight illuminated spotless wooden floors, with tables and stools scattered strategically. Behind the counter, shelves were filled with bottles of well-aged wine.

Ren Suo glanced over and suddenly let out a small "Huh?"

He had just chosen this privilege and arrived at the tavern. It was empty at the time. But now, a familiar figure had appeared: an adventurer dressed in unusual attire, wearing pink heart-shaped glasses and flying boots, with a string of prayer beads wound around his hand!

He clicked on the adventurer, who turned his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the screen, staring straight at Ren Suo.

"How is Lu Manman doing now?" the adventurer asked.

Ren Suo was stunned. Who is Lu Manman?

As he was caught off guard, a dialogue box suddenly popped up on the screen. It was accompanied by a grey microphone icon, indicating that he should type or speak directly into the microphone.

After thinking for a moment, Ren Suo said, "I don't know."

"What use are you?" the adventurer snorted, put down his glass, and strode off the screen, leaving the scene altogether.

Ren Suo was utterly baffled. Why was he being scolded by the adventurer!?

Wait, why were game characters appearing in the tavern? And Ren Suo could talk to them? Where did the adventurer go after he left the tavern?

He clicked on the tavern owner, who was enveloped in darkness, and chose the dialogue option, "Why did that man appear in the tavern just now?"

Wiping a glass behind the counter, the tavern owner, whose only exposed features were a pair of pristine white hands, replied, "Because he wanted a drink."

How incredibly insightful of you.

"Then, do you know who that man is?"

"I know him."

"So who is he?"

"A man."

Well, that's just blatantly obvious.

"..." Ren Suo continued to ask, "Do you know where he's from?"

"Outside."

Do you also have a skill called 'The Demon King Returns'? Why is talking to you even more stifling than with Qiao Muyi?

Ren Suo asked, "Then where is this tavern located?"

The tavern owner, his eyes hidden in the darkness, looked at Ren Suo outside the screen with an expression reserved for looking at an idiot, and said, "On the ground."

Ren Suo gave up on further inquiries. However, he found the surprise of game characters appearing in this tavern quite thrilling. Just for that, choosing the third privilege was already worth it!

Even if it might not be very useful, the ability to chat with game characters (without needing 'Rippling Spring Sounds') felt like a beautiful dream. It was a blend of fantasy and reality, enough to ignite Ren Suo's gamer soul.

Moreover, Ren Suo looked forward to when the adventurer and others would show up together. By then, he could probably convince Devouring the Spirit of the World, Truth Seeker, Ren Han, and the others to give the adventurer a sound thrashing.

Now Ren Suo pursued his true purpose for coming here: "How's the game 'Night of the Hunt'? (10 Merit Points)"

Asking about games—that's where the true value of the mysterious tavern owner lay!

In terms of the game setting, the tavern owner seemed to know all the ins and outs of every game. Before buying a game, Ren Suo could ask him for related information, enabling himself to make a more informed decision.

It was pointless to inquire about old games, so Ren Suo only used Krypton Gold for inquiries about new games.

Tavern Owner: "Ah, that game... It's super fun, very interesting. Trust me, you'll fall in love with it in just five minutes. The game's difficulty is average, and if you have the money, you can just breeze through it. Plus, the NPCs in this game are really great. You'll have a lot of help in the game. Remember to be nice to the friendly NPCs, okay?"

This tavern owner, he wouldn't happen to be a shill for the game, would he? Why is he all praises? He's selling it so hard that Ren Suo feels like diving right into the game this instant.

But NPCs that are 'really great' in a game called 'Night of the Hunt'?

Could that be sarcasm?

It was like the hardcore action game Ren Suo had previously recommended to Little Jiu. The most popular game reviews were all deceptive enticements, such as 'So much fun, I'm almost addicted,' 'A very fun dating simulation game,' and 'Special recommendation: Wake from a near-death dream just to start the journey all over again.' These were all phrases to trick people into getting tortured.

It seemed these words from the tavern owner weren't worth 10 Merit Points!

At this moment, the tavern owner seemed to remember something. He gently put down the glass and said, "Right, although this is part of the game content, since you've spent your Merit Points, I can tell you in advance..."

"After receiving a generous tip, the tavern owner whispers to you, 'You can create your own character in this game.'"

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