Chapter 1: The Game Officially Begins

 

 

Her scattered thoughts gradually began to come together.

The eyelashes of an exceptionally beautiful young woman trembled slightly before she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was hazy and dreamlike, as though it contained the misty rain of Jiangnan.

“Welcome to the Death Game—”

Beneath the cold, mechanical voice, Ye Jiujiu slowly raised her eyes.

“You have died. However, after detecting that you possess certain traits highly compatible with this game, we have decided to select you. You will be granted a new life in the capacity of a dungeon NPC-Boss.”

“Would you like to give up this opportunity for a new life?”

Of course— Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Why would she give it up?

She smiled as harmlessly as she looked and shook her head.

“Response received—Identity generation successful.”

“Below is your personal status panel.”

Name: Ye Jiujiu

Background Classification: Modern World

Overall Personal Rating: A+

(You, whose appearance is more delicate than a flower, possess extraordinary beauty that could be used as a weapon… as well as the intelligence to bring out your rather unpleasant personality traits.) Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

All Dungeons: Not yet created

Dungeon Rank: Not yet evaluated

Skills (Trial Version; the full versions will be unlocked after your dungeon evaluation is completed):

Puppet Creation (Lv. 1): You can create any puppets you desire and grant them certain abilities. You can also transform any existence you have marked into one of your puppets. All puppets transformed by you will retain their original strength. If a puppet sustains damage, you may spend a corresponding amount of points to repair it.

P.S.: Direct or indirect contact involving you or your puppets can successfully establish a mark.

Example: If you or one of your puppets touches A, or B touches A, both A and B will be marked by you.

Paint and Powder (Lv. 1): You can freely alter the appearance of your puppets. Make them bigger or smaller, fatter or thinner, more beautiful or uglier. You can assign whatever brilliant colors you wish.

Silken Thread Manipulation (Lv. 1): You can control your puppets. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Traits: Automatically unlocked after dungeon evaluation.

Points: 1,000 (Gifted through the A+ Newbie Package)

“In consideration of your overall personal rating of A+, the maximum area you may construct for your personal dungeon is 1,000 cubic meters.”

“Please take note: Your overall personal rating is A+. Therefore, your dungeon evaluation must achieve a minimum rank of B+. Failure to meet this minimum requirement will affect your overall personal rating. Please proceed with caution.”

“P.S.: Points are the universal currency of the Death Game. They can be spent in the System Shop, used to conduct various transactions with other NPCs and entities, or invested in upgrading your skills and dungeons.”

“The current game time is 23:00. There is one hour remaining until the dungeon evaluation at 24:00. Please complete and submit your personal dungeon within the designated time.”

“Friendly reminder: Your attributes are severely unbalanced, with your combat abilities being particularly deficient. If you construct a combat-oriented dungeon, the effectiveness of all offensive effects you deploy will be reduced by 60%. We recommend constructing an intelligence-based dungeon instead.”

A 60% reduction in offensive effectiveness… Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Physical combat, huh?

As expected, she hated that sort of thing the most.

Even a dog wouldn’t bother setting up such a crude, brute-force combat dungeon.

After familiarizing herself with all her skills, Ye Jiujiu expressionlessly tilted her head. Looking at the pitch-black surroundings, she leisurely opened the System Shop.

As she browsed through the available items, her gaze eventually settled on a dark castle occupying an area of 950 square meters.

It came fully furnished, with complete amenities and an interior that was both vintage and dilapidated. Its atmosphere was so perfectly gloomy that it practically radiated an overwhelming sense of horror.

It cost 800 points…

That meant she would still have 200 points left after purchasing it? Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Without wasting another second, she deducted the 800 points.

In an instant, a magnificent castle bearing the unmistakable marks of time appeared, replacing the seemingly endless darkness around her.

As long as Ye Jiujiu wished, she could know everything that happened inside the castle.

The feeling of having absolutely everything under her control was truly…

Wonderful.

A barely perceptible trace of excitement quietly stirred within her.

Ye Jiujiu narrowed her eyes, already forming an outline of the dungeon’s storyline in her mind.

She casually spent 0.1 points each to purchase two of the cheapest, crudest dolls available. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Under Ye Jiujiu’s hands, the two crude dolls were gradually transformed into two identical, adorable little girls.

They had long golden hair and sapphire-blue eyes. Whenever their tiny lips curved into a smile, two delicate dimples appeared on their cheeks.

Watching the two puppets move under the combined effects of Puppet Creation and Silken Thread Manipulation, every gesture and movement following her wishes with lifelike precision…

Ye Jiujiu was still not satisfied.

No. Something wasn’t right—

It seemed like something was missing.

But what?

Ye Jiujiu leaned closer to the puppets, scrutinizing them almost face-to-face. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

They could blink, display all kinds of expressions, and perform various movements. They could sing and dance…

But—

They had no heartbeat or breathing. They couldn’t shed tears. When injured, they didn’t bleed. Although their skin felt exactly like that of a real person, they lacked even the slightest trace of warmth.

So that was the problem…

Having identified the missing elements, Ye Jiujiu finally relaxed.

Humming a little tune, she meticulously filled in every imperfection of the puppet on the left.

However, when it came to the puppet on the right, she deliberately left its heart motionless.

Finally— Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

“Lilith—”

Holding one doll in each hand, Ye Jiujiu gently cupped their cheeks. She gazed into their clear, sky-blue eyes, admiring them with tenderness.

“My dear, Lilith—”

…

It wasn’t long before the Death Game received Ye Jiujiu’s dungeon submission request.

“There are still thirty minutes remaining until 24:00. Are you certain you don’t need to check for any omissions or errors?”

“If I could identify the mistakes that are capable of being discovered, what right would I have to correct them?”

With that single sentence, Ye Jiujiu effectively left the Death Game with nothing to say. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

The system could only proceed with the dungeon evaluation.

“Your overall personal rating is A+. Therefore, your dungeon’s initial rank will provisionally be set at A+.”

“You will receive five B+-ranked players. Killing players or causing them to fail their assigned missions will result in their elimination.”

“If the number of players who successfully clear the dungeon is two or fewer, the dungeon will be considered to have met the B+ rank requirements. The fewer players who clear it, the higher its evaluation will be, with A+ being the maximum rank.”

“The dungeon you submitted is as follows:

Dungeon Name: Lilith’s Doll

Number of Dungeon NPCs: 1 [Ye Jiujiu]

Dungeon Duration: 6 hours Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Dungeon Background:

Lilith is an extremely adorable little girl. She owns a very beautiful doll.

However, just a few days ago, her doll mysteriously disappeared. Lilith was heartbroken. She thought about it day and night, until finally…

One night, she dreamed that her beloved doll had appeared inside a certain castle.

Determined to uncover the truth and rescue her precious doll, Lilith decided to visit that castle.

You happen to encounter Lilith while she is on her way there.

After hearing her story, driven by overwhelming curiosity, you decide to accompany Lilith into the castle.

Dungeon Clearance Prerequisite: Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Protect Lilith.

Dungeon Clearance Conditions (Complete and submit any ONE of the following):

1. Discover the complete truth behind the disappearance of Lilith’s doll.

2. Return Lilith’s most beloved doll to her.

3. Kill the doll. [Hidden Mission: This objective will not be displayed unless triggered.]

Notice: This dungeon contains a special hidden item reward. Upon completing the hidden mission, players may take the item out of the dungeon.

[Hidden Item Reward: Substitute Death Puppet]

(If the hidden mission is completed, 100 points will be deducted from the NPC’s account as payment.)” Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

“If everything is correct, please submit the main storyline of your dungeon.”

“Confirmed.”

Ye Jiujiu submitted the entire main storyline at once, her tone casual and unhurried.

Her slightly raised intonation was as alluring as the soft whispers exchanged between lovers.

Soon enough—

The Death Game completed its review of the dungeon’s main storyline logic and clearance conditions, successfully approving them.

“Selecting players—”

“Are there any stronger players?” Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Watching the selection progress bar move at its painfully leisurely pace, Ye Jiujiu asked sincerely.

It wasn’t that she looked down on other people, but…

B+?

What kind of caliber was that? And they thought they were qualified to participate in her dungeon evaluation?

Death Game: …

After a suspicious stretch of silence, the system finally responded.

“Your overall personal rating is A+. You are eligible to select up to five A+-ranked players. Under this arrangement, if three or fewer players successfully clear the dungeon, it will be considered to have met the B+ rank requirements. The fewer players who clear the dungeon and the greater the players’ negative emotions, the higher the dungeon’s evaluation will be. The highest possible evaluation is an S-rank dungeon.”

Wouldn’t it have been better to say that from the beginning? Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

However…

The players’ negative emotions?

Ye Jiujiu thoughtfully abandoned her previous plan of finishing everything as quickly as possible.

With a smile, she gave her final confirmation.

“Then I’ll take five A+-ranked players.”

“Selection completed. Re-selecting players—”

“Selection complete. NPC, please take your position!”

As soon as the system’s voice fell, Ye Jiujiu’s vision abruptly went black. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

When she opened her eyes again, she had already appeared inside the tower at the top of the castle’s attic, exactly as described in the main storyline she had submitted.

“The game officially begins!”

Footnotes:

1. 江南烟雨 (Jiangnan yan yu) – Literally, the misty rain of Jiangnan. Jiangnan is a region in southern China famous for its picturesque waterways, delicate scenery, and misty atmosphere. This expression evokes an elegant, hazy, and poetic beauty. Here, it describes Ye Jiujiu’s eyes.

2. 记仇腹黑 (Jichou fuhei) – Describes someone who holds grudges and is secretly calculating or scheming. 腹黑 literally means “black-hearted” or “dark-bellied,” referring to someone whose seemingly innocent exterior hides a manipulative personality.

3. 双标 (Shuangbiao) – Short for double standards. It describes someone who applies different rules to themselves and others, often conveniently judging situations according to their own interests.

4. 戏精 (Xijing) – Literally something like “drama essence.” An internet slang term for someone who is extremely theatrical, dramatic, and enjoys acting or exaggerating situations. It can also describe someone who treats everyday interactions like a performance.

5. 狗都不设置 (Gou dou bu shezhi) – A humorous exaggeration meaning that something is so undesirable that even a dog wouldn’t bother doing it. Ye Jiujiu is expressing her contempt for combat-oriented dungeons.

6. 栩栩如生 (Xuxu rusheng) – An idiom meaning so lifelike that it seems alive. It is commonly used to describe artwork, sculptures, or creations that look remarkably realistic. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

7. 以杀止杀 (Yi sha zhi sha) – Literally, using killing to stop killing. It describes the philosophy of ending violence through violence, often associated with ruthless justice or a willingness to use extreme measures.