Chapter 171: [Transplantation] A Lucky Star Shines Bright
As an element with an exceptionally long history in traditional folk culture, decorative lanterns boasted an equally long-standing legacy in horror instances.
Since ancient times, lanterns—representing light—were an indispensable element across works of every genre.
Inside this instance, decorative lanterns paired with young girls made for a chilling combination no matter how one looked at it.
A few male players returned from outside.
Noticing the presence of Bai Cha and Wen Xing, they greeted them friendly enough.
In an instance lacking competitive mechanics, apart from a few exceptional cases, most players preferred to avoid conflict.
Players earnestly trying to clear instances only wanted to survive; merely dealing with ghosts and monsters was already excruciating enough, so who had the luxury or patience to turn against the players around them?
Exercising basic caution was more than enough.
“How about we call the female players over as well?”
Since everyone was here anyway, gathering together for a chat felt like a solid idea.
There were likely no more clues to be found during the day.
This state of limbo was actually quite anxiety-inducing.
The more peaceful things seemed, the more one worried about the imminent dangers lurking ahead.
Before long, Zhang Jia-ning and her group arrived at the small courtyard as well.
All twelve players were accounted for.
Everyone exchanged brief name introductions.
“We have a newbie in this instance… which means there must be at least an A-rank powerhouse among us, right? Anyone willing to step forward and own up to it?”
Setting Bai Cha aside—she had a player rank regardless—Zhang Jia-ning was a complete newbie devoid of any rank.
If the instance pulled a newbie inside, it was bound to be balanced out by the presence of a far more formidable player.
Bai Cha was actually quite curious herself.
Wen Xing knitted her brows.
“It’s me.”
She appeared thoroughly annoyed.
Bai Cha immediately turned to look at her with wide, astonished eyes.
Her fever had broken by now, and her complexion looked considerably better. Her face beamed with pleasant surprise as she stared at Wen Xing, causing Wen Xing’s mood to grow all the more irritable.
“What are you staring at?”
“As expected of Sister Wen Xing! You’re amazing!” Bai Cha completely ignored her irritation, offering an immediate rainbow of praises.
Wen Xing shot her a thoroughly unamused roll of her eyes.
Didn’t I say I genuinely despise girls like this?!
“Ahem, well then, Taozi, I wanted to ask what rank you are? Could there be another A-rank player among us?”
Hearing the question, Bai Cha answered with open candor: “I’m C6!”
Everyone froze slightly.
“Didn’t you say you’ve only cleared five instances? How could you possibly be C6 already? Wait, hold on… how many S-rank evaluations do you have?”
“Three. I got a 0-score on one, a B-rank on another, and the rest were all S-ranks,” Bai Cha replied with a beaming smile.
The way everyone looked at her shifted instantly.
“Who would’ve thought you were actually this formidable! Forgive our lack of respect!”
S-rank evaluations were by no means easy to obtain.
An S-rank implied being the absolute top performer in an instance, holding the highest level of instance participation.
Of course, even achieving that didn’t guarantee an S-rank; it depended heavily on the situation, as different instances operated under different evaluation criteria.
The game never explicitly detailed these rules, but players could deduce them on their own after clearing enough games.
All in all, earning three S-ranks out of five instances was impressive. Ignoring the 0-score, even that single B-rank was quite solid for a newcomer.
As for the 0-score, it was likely due to failing to earn a score during her very first instance—a completely normal occurrence, given that many players received zero points in their debut run.
“May I ask about your skill? Is it convenient to share?”
It wasn’t that everyone questioned her, but Bai Cha truly appeared so naive, sweet, and harmless on the surface.
Moreover, she answered whatever was asked, which was honestly…
“My skill is called A Lucky Star Shines Bright,” Bai Cha lied without blinking an eye.
The look everyone cast toward her shifted once again, brimming with warmth and friendliness.
“Holy cow… so your skill is… luck-based?”
“Yup!” A bright, sincere smile bloomed across Bai Cha’s face.
“So that explains it! I was wondering…”
Not every player believed her entirely on the spot, but most bought into it to some degree.
The gazes directed at her grew significantly gentler.
Some players possessed luck-oriented skills as well, but those often applied strictly to the individual. A Lucky Star Shines Bright sounded at first glance like a skill capable of bringing auspiciousness to surrounding people, places, and things, signifying that the user was blessed with immense fortune.
Inside a game, following a person blessed with good fortune meant one was bound to rub off on some of that luck.
Bai Cha seemed to transform into the favored mascot of the group in an instant.
This seemed to further validate her image as someone immensely fortunate.
Even her naive actions and intentionally coquettish words resembled someone who had been pampered since childhood, having never suffered major setbacks—a luxury that naturally required good fortune to enjoy.
Bai Cha maintained a warm, beaming smile as she looked at everyone, appearing bright and adorable toward every single person.
Meanwhile, inside her livestream channel, the bullet chat was roasting her relentlessly:
[666]
[Are there any veteran fans watching her? If I remember correctly, isn’t her luck supposed to be notoriously terrible?]
[The streamer’s mouth is a lying ghost.]
[A Lucky Star Shines Bright? You really dare to utter that! Would someone with a lucky star enter this game in the first place?]
[The person above dropped the cold hard truth, HAHAAHA!]
[But the fact that they actually believed it makes it even funnier!]
[Thank you, I’m waiting to watch their reactions once they learn the truth.]
[Honestly, if I were in their shoes, I might have believed it too. Who would dare believe she has so many S-rank evaluations, and that 0-score was actually an S-rank too!]
[Wait, why did an S-rank get a 0-score? Did she destroy the instance?]
[Bingo! I’m a fan who followed her from that exact instance.]
[Holy crap! Beastly!]
[Emm, isn’t she turning into Xu Ming-wang 2.0? Sooner or later, she’s gonna get targeted by the game and run into trouble.]
[Even so, she’s way more formidable than you. You run into trouble without the game even needing to target you.]
[With all due respect, Xu Ming-wang can’t even compare to her. She destroyed other instances too, yet she still took home her points, while Xu Ming-wang hasn’t ranked up in a full year.]
[WHAT?! Subscribing right this instant!]
Inside the Grafting instance, the players shifted the topic back toward player ranks once again.
“If you’re C6, then the counterpart should be A1, right? Sister Wen, what rank are you?”
Wen Xing knitted her brows. “A1.”
Great—the counterpart to the newbie still hadn’t stepped forward to claim the identity.
“Wait a second, I did the math… if there’s a newbie, doesn’t that imply an S-rank powerhouse is present?” A player mulled it over.
S-rank players numbered fewer than a hundred in total.
Everyone exchanged cautious glances.
Bai Cha had recognized this mathematical anomaly from the very beginning. Those insensitive to numbers might not calculate it right away, assuming the counterpart corresponded to an A-rank player or so.
After all, this instance was merely a B-rank instance.
When Bai Cha was resting earlier with her eyes closed, however, she had casually run the math.
If Zhang Jia-ning were truly a newbie, then the corresponding powerhouse who entered would have to be an S2.
That was essentially on par with Xu Ming-wang’s tier—a top-twenty player.
This left only three possibilities.
The first was assuming Zhang Jia-ning hadn’t lied about being a newbie; the powerhouse who entered would naturally refrain from revealing their identity outright, given their rank upon entering this instance…
Bai Cha leaned toward the theory that the individual had entered voluntarily.
Otherwise, from the game’s balance perspective, Bai Cha doubted the system would casually throw an S-rank player into a mere B-rank instance.
Even if a newbie were present.
The second possibility was that Zhang Jia-ning was lying.
Bai Cha had observed her carefully; Zhang Jia-ning exhibited subtle micro-expressions and habits that didn’t quite resemble a genuine newbie.
Which was precisely why, when Zhang Jia-ning clearly displayed goodwill toward her and held a high probability of wanting to room together, Bai Cha had chosen Wen Xing directly.
Among all the players present, Wen Xing’s emotions were the most outward and transparent.
She was a player who could be read at a single glance.
That she turned out to be an A1 rank came as a slight surprise to Bai Cha, though it was the kind of pleasant surprise that served as icing on the cake.
