Chen Mo scrutinised his new body, his new skin, and his outfit. Pale skin, paler than that of a sickly man. Dark clothes, darker than anything Chen Mo would ever normally have in his wardrobe.
His thighs felt unnaturally exposed, as he was now wearing black denim shorts, paired with fishnet thigh-high stockings. His black T-shirt bore the image of a white skull, and an inky leather jacket was layered over it.
On the jacket, and on his own face, he found many, many piercings. Disgustingly many. Most of them were silver in colour. It was only now that he realised his hair had become ridiculously long as well.
Shoulder-length raven hair, dark eyes, black lips, and the fairest skin that skin could possibly achieve.
Chen Mo had just become a quintessential, edgy goth girl through random customisation.
Amelia didn't laugh, but she definitely stared in disbelief and utter confusion.
"Fuck you, system," Chen Mo cursed quietly under his breath, before deciding that his next priority would be to save up 500 Sapphires for the 'Switch Gender' option in the Store.
"Let's head out," Chen Mo suggested, wanting the two of them to spend as little time as possible dwelling on his new appearance. The neon-lime exit sign in the distance had been screaming for Chen Mo's attention for what felt like forever, and now, it was finally receiving it.
"Mm." Amelia hummed in agreement. Her blinking quickened rapidly after watching her master turn into a 148cm curvy goth girl. "Okay..."
The closer they approached the exit sign, the more distinct the outline of a neon-lime doorway became. Chen Mo wasn't very wary; it made no sense for there to be any dangers at all in simply exiting into what the system called the 'Game Lobby'.
It was just like walking through a regular doorway, except the plain white was painted with colours in a matter of seconds, crafting the grand sight of the Game Lobby itself for both Chen Mo and Amelia.
They stepped onto glass floors. Beneath their feet, and through the transparent panels, were clouds, and through those compact clusters of greyish white was a city they couldn't recognise.
Lifting their heads brought them into a futuristic mall, with colourful, holographic screens hovering everywhere in this five-storey or taller hall.
Chen Mo described the sight as similar to a mega shopping mall due to its sectioning. Each screen on display was a different minigame, screaming for players to select and enter, and they were organised into sections by difficulty.
Players, there were plenty of those too, practically swarmed the hall and the several corridors connected to this main lobby.
Those corridors didn't seem to have an end.
Some players weren't walking. Some were levitating, some were flying, but all of them had one thing in common: their profile in the form of an arrow pointed downwards next to their foreheads.
Each player had their own distinct appearance, and subsequently, personality. The cosmetics section of the Store was very effective in conveying every player's character.
Then, three approached Chen Mo, all with puzzled expressions.
One of them was an average-looking, brown-haired young man, donning a varsity jacket; a pair of sunglasses rested in its pocket. "Interesting cosmetic choices, Xiao Bai."
How did he know who I am? Chen Mo wondered, but didn't allow panic to surface. He turned back, looking past Amelia, then to the completely white doorway he had just emerged from.
On top of that doorway: XiaoBai.
Tch. Chen Mo cursed the system before the doorway shrank and disappeared.
Next to it, other similar doorways opened up, with the names of their corresponding players hovering above.
Chen Mo's disguise was redundant. "Can I undo my appearance?" Chen Mo thought to himself, asking the system.
[No.]
Tch.
"Your first game was fuckin' dope, bro," the young man complimented.
"No drama. It was one of the best newbie POVs I've watched," the teenage girl behind him, with pink hair tied up into two high buns, added.
"Who are you?" Chen Mo asked simply, instinctively putting Amelia behind himself as he did so.
"Oh. Our names are up here." The young man accurately pointed to the arrow next to his forehead — his profile. Nonetheless, he still elaborated, "Name's Sean, so call me Sean."
"Eleanor." The pink-haired girl also introduced herself, with a more aloof demeanour compared to the enthusiastic Sean. She unwrapped bubblegum and began chewing as the conversation continued.
"And why are you here?" Chen Mo pressed.
"We're like... sort of your fans," Sean explained. "I really liked your gameplay. It could've absolutely have been a fluke, but, mm, I don't like to think so."
"He speaks for himself, by the way." Eleanor accusingly jabbed a finger at Sean. "I'm not a fan of anyone."
"Tch. Shut up." Sean shot back with a frown. "Why'd you come here then?"
"I like his slave. Maybe he'll trade," Eleanor answered simply, before her finger found Amelia as her next target. "How about I give you a buff man in exchange for that silver-haired chick?"
"Impossible." Chen Mo denied it almost immediately. A faint frown etched onto his face as he suddenly realised: no other player seemed to be leading their slaves like him.
"I'm joking, I'm straight." Eleanor puffed a cheek, then glared at Sean. "See, blockhead? He's not all that genius shit. Or... 'she' now."
"You're calling me a blockhead?" Sean was visibly offended.
The arguing pair closed the distance between their glares; the heat produced between them could ignite a roaring fire.
"Yes, because you are. But I'm also calling emo gal over here a blockhead for taking her slave on a walk." Eleanor pointed at Chen Mo, who still held Amelia on a leash.
"You are both very dumb." The third, quieter, bespectacled Theodon Willow finally spoke. "Xiao Bai is a new player. He mustn't understand how dangerous it is to have slaves out in the open like this."
Chen Mo didn't bother asking for his name; he had already extended his profile and learnt it. "Mr. Willow, may I ask why that is?"
"Slaves can be traded amongst players. And objectively, you have a very physically attractive slave, Xiao Bai," Theodon explained in a monotone voice. Then, he suddenly felt the need to clarify, "I'm not your fan either. I simply believe you have more stories for my articles. I'm following you for the sake of my own career in-game."
"You two are sooooo..." Sean squeezed his temples with a sigh. "I don't even have the word for it. Urgh... Just admit his game was quite damn cool."
"No, just you, dumbass." Eleanor blew a bubble until it popped and stuck onto her lips.
Chen Mo scratched his head. "I thought the Glass Queen had ruined my reputation."
"I like thinking critically," Sean replied flatly at first, then his tone turned wobbly. "Uh... Uhhhh... In-game politics are quite similar to real life. You're not familiar with this, sorry. But it's like, umm... a big influencer calling out a smaller one. Not the entire world will turn against you, just... most."
Sean shrugged helplessly.
Chen Mo understood it quickly, but didn't bother inquiring further regarding the Glass Queen. Instead, he thought it appropriate to ask, "Why are you here, then?"
"New players get lost in the sea of information," Sean justified. "As someone who believes you have the potential to be one of the best players, mm, I wouldn't want you getting lost. So... treat me as... your guide?"
"Oh... Thanks." Chen Mo nodded lightly, before turning his gaze to Eleanor beside Sean, who had supposedly come to trade slaves, except that wasn't the case; she was joking.
Then why is she here?
As for Theodon, it was self-explanatory; he was just a desperate journalist searching for an obscure yet spicy story. A new player getting trampled on by someone equivalent to a 'big influencer' in the game was certainly something that could attract clicks.
"And as your in-game guide slash fan," Sean continued, "my first advice to you: teleport your slave back to your Personal World."
"How do I do that?" Chen Mo softened his voice to show more politeness than hostility. "Where's my Personal World?"
Before Sean could explain, a voice disturbed their conversation.
It was a whistle from someone behind Chen Mo.
He peeked an eye behind him and noticed a rough, wrinkled, large, dark-skinned palm approaching. It wasn't aiming for Chen Mo, it was aiming for Amelia instead. Specifically, Amelia's ass.
Chen Mo, even as a comically short goth girl, reacted fast enough. He grasped Amelia by her shoulder, then yanked her away from the approaching palm.
Chen Mo placed Amelia, who was taller than him, behind himself, while his 148cm goth girl self faced the towering figure that now confronted them.
He was a man with any teenager's dream physique, at a height of 178cm. He wore only a wife-beater, as his real outfit was his tattoos, adorning almost every inch of his exposed skin.
He was bald, but that only accentuated his overly masculine facial features, giving him an intimidating, fierce look. On his right cheekbone: the tattoo of a swastika.
He grinned smugly, his eyes almost never leaving Amelia's body. "Nice... You a new guy, I'll presume?"
Chen Mo extended his profile to find his username and character title:
[Username: Mikkel_Meinhof_MM]
[CT: Lawless Executioner (Tank-Class)]