Newbie's Quest: Awaiting Challenge
Chapter 2: I'm Lucky, I'll Go

Ethan Walker buzzed with excitement as he flitted around the new players, eagerly brushing against each one as if to mark his presence.

He began to draw them in with his charisma.

In the presence of the ladies, however, Ethan exhibited a certain decorum, maintaining a respectful distance of two steps while his eyes twinkled with a warm, inviting smile. The group consisted of nine individuals: seven men and two women. The men varied in age from 20 to 35, whereas the two women appeared to be in their early twenties. One of the ladies donned a smoky purple professional attire, giving off the vibe of a white-collar worker.

The other, who had first greeted Ethan, sported athletic wear and had the fresh-faced look of a college student.

The entire assembly was momentarily struck silent by Ethan's peculiar behavior until a braver soul stepped forward to inquire.

"Are you an NPC in this scenario?"

"Me? No, not at all," Ethan replied, his neck swiveling gracefully. Suddenly, his gaze fixed firmly behind them. "It is," he declared, pointing. Startled, the nine players instinctively parted, revealing a small girl in red who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

The girl bore the familiar traits of braided hair, little leather shoes, and a small bamboo basket hanging off her arm.

Her greeting was unexpectedly mundane.

"Hello, strange brothers and sisters, may I ask for your help? I'm Red from the Lucky District, my mother sent me to visit my grandmother in the Happiness District." Red's face was ashen as she managed a strained, sweet smile.

A young man in a hooded sweatshirt stepped forward, his curiosity piqued. "You're an NPC? This is my first time encountering a genuine White Tower NPC."

As he spoke, a black raven glided down from the sky, perching atop a barren tree above them.

The raven's arrival caught Ethan's attention. With his thousand-instance experience, he was acutely sensitive to sounds, sights, and scents.

He noticed the unnatural glint in the raven's eyes and the mechanical whir of electricity - was this a camera?

"It's a live broadcast," Emily revealed, having quietly approached Ethan. She seemed to mistake him for a fellow newcomer, whispering the explanation.

"A global live broadcast."

As Ethan looked on, still puzzled, Emily rolled up her sleeve to reveal a black smart bracelet.

"Apple Watch?" Ethan blurted out without thinking.

There was a moment of silence from Emily before she continued, "This is a player's bracelet, recording relevant player information and equipped with live streaming capabilities." She demonstrated, and soon a translucent virtual display emerged from the bracelet, showing an image of the ten of them at the entrance of the instance.

The upper left corner displayed the live audience count, while the upper right featured a black avatar, the ID reading "District 1089."

"1089? Such a large number, seems we're quite something," Ethan commented, naively confident despite his lack of understanding.

Emily's name briefly flashed during her demonstration. She was 19, a student at X University.

Shaking her head, Emily dismissed Ethan's speculation. "The higher the district number, the weaker its power. Any district over 1000 is at risk of being canceled." "Cancelled?"

"It means... the entire district could be completely erased."

Emily explained apprehensively.

Ethan nodded, understanding the gravity - a life-or-death game.

As they spoke, Emily's eyes reddened with unspoken fears.

"This instance is critical. If we fail, my family and I..."

But Ethan was preoccupied, his attention captured by the rapid stream of comments flying across the lower left corner of the screen.

"Can't believe it, this newbie doesn't even know about the bracelet!"

"Is this the rising star from District 1089? Looks like their district is doomed."

"Isn't this a life-or-death battle for the district? And they sent these rookies?"

"Rumor has it that districts ranked beyond 1000 are in utter chaos. All skilled players have moved up, leaving only the weak and infirm." "District 1089? Isn't that the one that has never participated in an instance before?"

"Yeah, and their first is a do-or-die battle. Can't tell if it's luck or misfortune."

"Someone give this newbie 'The Beginner's Guide'. It's so pitiful to watch."

'The Beginner's Guide' is an elementary manual issued by the White Tower, intended for novices akin to preschoolers learning phonetics.

The comments were mocking Ethan, but he was oblivious to their sarcasm.

He sincerely asked Emily, "Do you have 'The Beginner's Guide'?"

"Uh, you can replace it in any bookstore once you're out," Emily responded.

"Thank you," Ethan replied politely.

Ethan wasn't just idly watching the comments; he was gathering information.

"What does 'life-or-death battle for the district' mean?"

At this, Emily's eyes brimmed with tears again.

"This instance is a matter of life and death. It's not just about us but the entire district. If we fail, not only us ten but everyone in the district will be erased like data in a game." Emily explained that for top-ranked districts, such battles were trivial, but for their district, predominantly composed of the elderly, it was akin to a death sentence. The ten gathered here were considered the "elite" of their district.

Ethan surveyed the other nine "elites," noting their somber expressions.

They seemed like ordinary people who had stepped up for their families or loved ones.

Emily, sobbing quietly amidst the gloomy sky and mournful cawing of crows, added to the tragic air. The female white-collar worker couldn't help but wipe her eyes as well. Their sadness was palpable, but Ethan remained impassive, his gaze lingering on Emily's rosy cheeks rubbed raw by her arm.

The comments flew by rapidly:

"Is he hitting on the girl?"

"At a time like this?"

"The instance is scary, a bit of romance isn't bad!"

Ethan, not paying attention to the comments, made Emily uncomfortable with his frank gaze.

"Sir?"

Emily wondered if he truly had an interest in her.

"Yes," Ethan followed her gaze as she lowered her arm, "Your Little Genius is quite impressive. Where did you buy it?"

Emily's sorrow was momentarily disrupted by his obliviousness, almost choking her.

"You can replace the basic version in any supermarket."

"Alright."

Ethan smiled politely.

While they conversed, the NPC Red Riding Hood had finished introducing the story and mission.

Emily, having missed most of it, hit her head in frustration.

"Damn, I didn't hear anything. There must have been clues in what the NPC said."

Ethan glanced at her.

"It's okay, not listening doesn't matter."

He could recite it all backward.

Emily, seeing his calm demeanor despite also being a "newbie," was curious.

"Sir, you..."

"I'm Ethan."

"Alright, Ethan, aren't you afraid? Life-or-death instances have extremely difficult creatures. Total annihilation is a real possibility."

Ethan looked at her reproachfully.

"For a young lady like you, don't dwell on violence. It's a rare opportunity to breathe some fresh air, enjoy the scenery, and be a carefree tourist."

A chilling wind blew as they stood amidst half-fallen billboards, Emily's face aghast.

Unperturbed, Ethan rejoined the group.

What were they gathered around?

The others had reached the storage lockers, or rather the weapon racks.

This time, there was a rusty iron lottery machine adorned with colorful lights and a strange sequence of letters, starting with S, followed by ABCD... up to Z, right next to the initial S. What was this?

Ethan inquired with a look, and a straightforward young man in a suit explained.

"This determines the game's difficulty level. One of us needs to operate the lever."

"Oh, isn't the difficulty preset?" Ethan asked.

"It is," the man in the suit dryly explained, "This is just a formality."

Ethan understood.

Though the instance difficulty was pre-set, no one wanted to reveal it. If someone uncovered a hellish difficulty, they'd be blamed.

No wonder everyone was hesitant.

"I'll do it. I'm usually lucky."

Ethan stepped forward as the lottery machine's voice chirped.

"Welcome, welcome! Fresh players have arrived! Hehehe... The White Tower welcomes you! Please place your cute hands on the lever, gently shake it, and wait for fortune to arrive! Hehe... Fresh players... Hehe... Please ensure you have all your belongings, including your heart, stomach, arms, bones, hehe—"

The voice abruptly stopped.

It was Ethan; he had found and disconnected the player.

"What a nuisance," he muttered.

Then, following the instructions, he operated the lever.

Three orange balls successively rolled out of the machine. S, S, S...

A triple S-rated instance!