"Boss, I'll have a fried dough stick and a bowl of soy milk, and two char siu buns,"
"Alright, find a place to sit, it'll be ready in a moment."
Lin Yi, dressed in beach shorts, a plain T-shirt, and flip-flops, casually found an empty table to sit at.
Soon after Lin Yi sat down, three young folks walked over, ordered some food, and sat down next to Lin Yi.
A blond guy, before even sitting properly, couldn't help but say eagerly:
"You should've seen it, the moment we heard the system alert, it was like everyone was frozen in time, not moving, several even got gored by deer, hahaha."
At this moment, a skinny guy couldn't help but marvel,
"If it weren't for the game's global monitoring by multiple countries, I would've doubted if that person is a GM."
Another spirited guy chimed in and complained,
"Yeah, exactly."
"I was just thrilled about reaching Level 2, and that guy was already soloing a Level 8 Boss. I even doubted if I was playing the same game as him."
"But watching him take down a Boss, that was truly thrilling! It gave me goosebumps."
"Yeah, yeah, man, there were several moments he was almost taken down. It gave me chills, so intense."
"But really, if it weren't for him, we'd probably still not know you could play the game like this."
"Who wouldn't agree?"
"He's now the first player to be deified in the game forum; those veteran Guild leaders are green with envy."
"There are now five veteran guilds on the game forum offering him a salary in the millions annually to recruit him, which is equivalent to the highest status among professional players!"
"Sigh, this must be what they call 'rising to the top' in one step."
"Who's to say otherwise? But it seems this expert doesn't care much, no word from him yet, and no one knows who he actually is."
Just then, the owner brought over their orders, and the blond guy immediately said:
"Enough talking, let's eat up, fill up, and continue leveling."
"They say you can exploit a bug by killing Slimes, who knows if it's true, let's try later."
"Eat, eat…"
Meanwhile, Lin Yi, already eating, was completely unaware that they were talking about him, instead immersed in the sudden huge shift in his body.
Do you believe there's a Mage in this world who can control magic?
Like the Mage in a game, effortlessly manipulating magic.
Most people hearing this would probably think I'm crazy.
A game is just a game, how could a flesh-and-blood person control magic in reality?
If someone had asked me this question before today, I would've thought they were insane too.
After all, for any resident of Earth, this is utterly incomprehensible.
But when Lin Yi was kicked out of the game and woke up, he was bewildered.
Feeling the magic power flowing within his body, Lin Yi began to doubt whether he was still in the game and hadn't actually logged out.
Because the feeling Lin Yi had now was indistinguishable from being in the game.
If there's a difference, it's releasing the Fireball Technique—in the game, it requires a casting time, but now it's… instant!
Though Lin Yi felt this defied logic and science, somewhat dreamlike and unrealistic.
But considering that such a thing as reincarnation had happened to him, adding this didn't seem so unusual?
When Lin Yi stopped dwelling on it, he thought of another possibility.
He wondered what would become of him in the real world after receiving the 'Spirit Summoner' inheritance in the game.
Thinking of this, Lin Yi couldn't help but smile.
Once Lin Yi accepted this reality from his heart, he actually found it quite nice.
At least now he needn't worry about his safety anymore.
Even if someone pointed a gun at him now, Lin Yi was absolutely confident that the attacker would never return.
Leisurely eating his breakfast, Lin Yi wasn't in a hurry to go back.
Generally, people like Lin Yi, when kicked out of the game, can only log back in after a four-hour interval, so there was no hurry going back.
The thought that killing a Red Pig led to this outcome left Lin Yi quite helpless.
When Lin Yi finished eating and got up to pay the bill, he unexpectedly saw a familiar figure.
......
"Glory of the Gods," as the most successful global first virtual online game in human history, where all players around the world could be online simultaneously, during the three-year operation in Lin Yi's previous life.
There were always people rising from the game, creating legends;
likewise, one legend after another fell during this time.
During this period, what left a deep impression on Lin Yi was someone known as the Shield of Rock: Steady Since Young.
He left such an impression not because of his extraordinary defense, but because his experiences caused a sensation in the gaming community at that time.
As a top-tier Shield Warrior of the game's first echelon, Steady Since Young did not receive the treatment matching his skills.
Lin Yi was impressed because he was the first and only top player to be deified across the web, yet he quit the game on the same day and never appeared again.
The reason was that Steady Since Young, for unknown reasons, offended the high-ups of a super guild in the Asian District.
These high-ups were so bent on killing him that they dispatched two Elite Corps to chase and corner him, finally trapping him in a canyon with no way out.
At that time, the nearby resurrection point had guild members stationed, ready to kill him again upon resurrection, until reducing him to level zero.
It's important to note that all members of the Elite Corps were equipped with top-notch equipment of the time.
His death seemed predetermined and impossible to change.
But what happened next shocked everyone.
Against the overwhelming bombardment from twenty Elite Corps Magic Professions, Steady Since Young relied on a shield and exquisite micro-maneuvers to hold out until all the Magic Professions exhausted their blue bars, forcing close-combat professions to engage him.
And against attacks from all directions, Steady Since Young not only blocked all assaults with almost perfect maneuvers but counterattacked unexpectedly, taking down several careless Assassins, scattering his foes.
When this video emerged, it caused an uproar online.
No one expected that a meat shield, usually overlooked, could perform such maneuvers, leaving everyone in awe and acknowledging that his combat awareness ranked with top players.
Although he ultimately died in that canyon due to the enemy's endless reinforcements, the amazing awareness and terrifying defense he exhibited during that battle led to his deification as the Shield of Rock on the following day, symbolizing "as solid as a rock."
And on that same day, when the other major guilds realized his talent and abilities and attempted to recruit him, he chose to leave the game on the brightest day of his gaming career, disappearing without a trace.
At this time, many rumors circulated online saying,
"He left the game disheartened after being pursued by that guild."
Some also said,
"Something happened to him in real life, so he stopped logging into the game."
Even more people speculated,
"The guild was worried he would one day rise in the game and retaliate, so they tracked him down in real life, severely injuring him, leading to his demise."
People couldn't differentiate between the truths and falsehoods of these rumors.
Yet, the rise and sudden disappearance of the strongest meat shield became a significant regret in the gaming scene of that time.
Back then, Lin Yi only read related reports on this news, never expecting that now, after being reborn, he would meet him in person here.
Was this destiny?
You might ask why Lin Yi would recognize him?
It was because he was one of the few in the game who did not adjust his appearance.
Reports from his past life often showed his in-game character.
And those images were identical to the middle-aged man Lin Yi saw at this moment.
"Brother Fang, have you considered it?"
At this time, a blonde man was speaking to him from across.
"You just retired from the military and haven't found work yet. Our guild is recruiting some strong members, and I think you're quite suitable."
"If you pass, not only will the guild cover the cost of the gaming helmet, but you'll also have a monthly salary of three thousand as a base pay. If you contribute to the guild in the game, bonuses are extra."
"This is good for both you and the sister-in-law, isn't it?"
Under the persistent persuasion, Fang Zhengrong finally showed some signs of softening and said,
"When can I start playing?"
"Brother Fang, you finally agreed? That's great."
"Let me tell you, Brother Fang, our guild is a top guild in the country named Divine Hall, you can check it online if you don't believe me."
"Divine Hall?"
Lin Yi, listening from the side, showed a reaction.
At that moment, the blonde took out a few contract-like documents and said,
"Here, Brother Fang, sign this letter of intent first, and I'll take you for an interview at the company tomorrow."
Just as Fang Zhengrong took up the pen to sign the so-called letter of intent, a hand suddenly appeared and pressed down on the contract,
"You can't sign this."