As an official employee, Lu Lin didn't need to be as forceful as last time when entering the game this time.

Back in the pure white employee room, in the bathroom was a device like a basin, officially called the “Network Entry Pool.”

Just press the “Water of Life” injection button, wait for the orange liquid to fill, then lie in it.

Finally, shout loudly:

“Lincoln Dead Head 'start connection'.”

Lu Lin's mind sank, connecting into the game, and in an instant he arrived in a primeval forest.

[Green Forest, No. 43, recommended level 1-15, wild monsters appear, non-PvP zone]

[In the non-PvP zone, red-name players cannot attack other players, but other players can attack red-name players]

'Note: All new terms will be explained once when they appear. If a player forgets, they can consult the “Think Tank.”'

Entering the game, the familiar pride once again stood tall on Lu Lin's chest.

‘It's still her body, the mole on the left chest is very obvious, and I'm still wearing the academy uniform. Although the company said that because of my obstruction of the system's operations, my game account was bound to the female killer Lu Lin, I was still expecting a miracle.’

The miracle, it seems, didn't happen.

Apart from Lu Lin, there were two players who had been waiting for a long time.

One was a muscular man carrying a large shield, who looked very reliable; the other was a cat-eared girl with a slender sword at her waist.

“Heh, you're really slow. Let me introduce myself, I'm Kailin Xi, class Swordsman, level 11.” The girl Xi seemed somewhat disdainful of Lu Lin's tardiness.

“Hello, I'm Ye Shenghua, class Knight, level 9. I'll protect everyone with my shield.” Ye Shenghua's lips always carried a faint smile, probably a sign of confidence.

“What are you standing there for? Tell us yours?” Xi frowned, a hint of suspicion in her eyes as she looked at Lu Lin.

Xi suddenly raised her head, one hand on her face, and said in an exaggerated tone: “Sis, don't tell me you just created an account, received a company test mission for the first time, and accepted without understanding anything!”

Lu Lin, called like this, felt bitter inside: ‘Sis... I really don't want to be a sis.’

Seeing Lu Lin not answer, Xi sighed, making a familiar gesture with her hands:

“Hey, big sis here will teach you step by step. Swipe like this and you can see your character panel. But for a newbie, it's probably meaningless to see it anyway; we still need to boost your levels before it matters. Damn it, what class did you pick when you created your account?”

She kept talking: “Which branch of the company did you receive the invitation from? I must complain about them; a veteran bringing a newbie should be worth more than this price!”

Xi rattled off a long string of words, and Lu Lin found it a bit noisy.

Moreover, ever since entering the game this time, her mood had been somewhat poor for some reason, not just because of continuing to exist as a girl, but some more specific factor.

This feeling was somewhat familiar.

‘When had it happened before…’

“Shut up.” Lu Lin emitted a somewhat fierce voice.

Her display made both of the others pause slightly.

Then, she skillfully gestured to bring up the panel:

[Name: Lu Lin]

[Class: Mage / Professional Killer]

[Level: 15 'has reached the current test version cap']

[Skills: “Holy Light Magic lv1”, “All Low-Level Magic Mastery lv10 'max level'”, “Assassination Techniques Complete lv10 'max level'”, “Stealth Magic lv10 'max level'”, “Saint White Enchantment Magic lv8”, “All Concealed Weapon Methods lv8”, “Magic Flash Step lv1”]

[Bag: Empty]

[Equipment: Empty]

[Key Attributes, Strength: 80 'S+', Spell Power: 100 'SS', Agility: 80 'S+']

'Note: S rating indicates that the player gains higher attribute points per level. Rating levels can be improved through later growth.'

'Key attributes do not represent all attributes.'

Compared to the simple panel during the NPC-AI test, the current panel information had much more detailed values.

After reading it, Lu Lin answered blandly: “I'm called Lu Lin, class Mage, level 15.” She hid the truth of her dual class.

Nevertheless, her answer stirred a small commotion.

“By the Holy Lord, sis, you actually managed to reach level 15? Did you snatch a GM 'Game Master' account?” Xi suddenly felt that this uniformed girl was a bit mysterious.

“Heh, a hidden class plus max level, somewhat interesting.”

‘Does hidden class refer to Mage?’

Lu Lin was somewhat uncertain; at least the beginner tutorials she'd seen didn't mention it.

After the three had compared class levels, the unstoppable Xi finally shut her mouth for a moment, and the party began to have an atmosphere where Lu Lin was the leader.

Might makes right, at least in a three-person in-game party, it's like that.

“Alright, since everyone has gotten to know each other, let's set off.”

Lu Lin naturally took on the role of captain.

The three traveled through Green Forest, heading toward the dungeon entrance indicated on the map.

Beneath their feet was sticky, damp soil, the chirping of insects played in their ears, the air in their nostrils was fresh, lifting their spirits a bit. Even though it was her second time entering the game, Lu Lin couldn't help but sigh:

‘It's really impossible to distinguish the game from reality.’

The entire journey passed without words and without encountering monsters. Lu Lin decided to liven things up and took the initiative to chat: “I used to do NPC role-playing, testing NPC-AI missions.”

Her topic piqued Xi's interest: “Role-playing NPCs? Was it fun?”

‘Was it fun?’

This question plunged Lu Lin into silence again. Last time's test experience was not at all related to fun. In fact, she was still role-playing right now... role-playing the female mage Lu Lin.

Seeing that Lu Lin didn't reply, Xi didn't feel awkward at all and continued on her own:

“The first time I was invited to test the game, I directly entered the character creation page. That's this current Xi. Are my cat ears cute? They're Maine Coon ears. After creating the character, I was born together with other test players in the [Starting Town]. Just like playing a normal RPG game, until I raised the account to level 5 and started taking missions issued by the game company. This time my mission reward is a rare-quality longsword. I'm so tempted!”

Xi's tone shifted: “Hua, what's the reward the company gave you?”

Hua naturally referred to Ye Shenghua. Xi seemed to like a lively atmosphere, and she deliberately called him out since Ye Shenghua had been silent all along.

“Heh, my reward isn't some in-game item, but a life-saving sum of cash.”

Ye Shenghua's statement left Xi awkward and speechless. This chattering girl might seem careless, but she was actually sensitive, and could naturally hear the edge in Ye Shenghua's words.

After a long while, the silent Ye Shenghua suddenly spoke up, drawing the attention of the two girls.

“Let's talk about the company's mission instead.”

He knew that the earlier awkward atmosphere was his own doing and intended to start a new topic, reaching into his trouser pocket to find something.

Realizing that there were no cigarettes in this world, and that his pantomime was being watched by two pretty girls, this muscular man blushed a little and laughed at himself angrily: “Sorry, force of habit.”

When doing manual labor part-time jobs, Lu Lin often saw fellow workers smoking, their actions exactly like Ye Shenghua's, so she naturally recognized it.

“It's okay, you must be under too much stress.” Lu Lin answered considerately.

“What, what?” Xi was completely out of the loop.

Hearing Lu Lin's comfort, Ye Shenghua's opinion of her rose in his heart.

He continued the topic: “This mission is to explore the 'Secret Realm'. The so-called 'Secret Realm' is the company's term, meaning a place of mixed fortune. In the official in-game organization 'Adventurer's Association', it has a more down-to-earth name, called 'Dungeon'. Our trip this time is to explore a 'Dungeon' in Green Forest. The exploration content includes the dungeon's ecology, species, environment, and monsters. The higher the exploration degree, the higher the score, and the better the rewards the company gives us.”