Chapter 1 Saint Lan Monastery 01
[We are about to enter the Rules of the Strange Dungeon, dungeon name: Saint Lan's Monastery.]
[Chosen One, please prepare yourself and remain clear-headed. Your conduct and survival time at the Saint Lan Monastery will affect the fate of your nation and whether strange tales will befall it.]
In the tall and narrow room 404, an iron bed took up almost half the room, and a person was lying on it.
The room was dimly lit, filled with dust, and the floor was damp.
After a dizzying sensation, Wen Qi coughed twice and slowly opened her eyes.
Her hair was a complete mess, and her clothes were so filthy they were practically dripping with dirt. Her once handsome face now looked like that of a beggar.
A strange tale of rules?
Is this some kind of eerie world?
I went to bed early last night, but I'm not in my room right now.
Was I really randomly chosen by this strange world?
...
A year ago, a strange world invaded Earth.
The only way to resist the supernatural is to enter the supernatural world, adventure in the rule-based supernatural tale dungeon, and obtain national fortune points and resource rewards upon completion, thus preventing the supernatural tales from descending.
If the mission fails, the nation's fortune will be deducted. Currently, the Dragon Kingdom has 60 points of national fortune remaining.
In the past, when Wen Qi watched others die in ghost stories, she always thought that if she became the chosen one, she would definitely be able to survive to the end, not only bringing the national fortune value of the Dragon Kingdom back to the initial 100 points, but also obtaining the materialization of resources.
And so, his wish came true, and he truly became the chosen one.
Having been reborn on Earth for nineteen years, with the combined experience of two lifetimes, she certainly wouldn't die too quickly.
The twin brother always says she has maximum fighting power, is cute but brainless, and that if she were chosen, she probably wouldn't last more than a few minutes.
But she never thought that way; she considered herself incredibly clever.
Wen Qi composed her facial expression and slowly forced a smile, trying to appear intelligent enough.
...
Real world
All actions of the chosen ones from various countries are broadcast live on the entire Blue Star platform, and people from different countries can freely switch between national live streams and send bullet comments to discuss.
At this moment, a billion people in the Dragon Kingdom were glued to their TV, computer, and mobile phone screens, watching Wen Qi's live stream.
"Why does this chosen one look like a beggar?"
"Her fake smile doesn't look very smart, *facepalm*!"
"So what if they're beggars? Even if they are beggars, they are still beggars from my Dragon Country. How dare you foreigners point fingers in front of your screens!"
"Why do I feel like she just has slightly frizzy hair, but actually looks like an adorable little girl? *facepalm*"
"Sukdad, our Korean oppa has found the rules."
"I really want to see how the chosen ones of the Dragon Kingdom die, and how many minutes they can live."
The live stream had viewers from all over the world, and the argument went on and on.
Some of these comments are made with the permission of the leaders and high-ranking officials of various countries, who then send comments during live streams in other countries, thus influencing the emotions and guiding public opinion in those countries.
...
Wen Qi slowly climbed out of bed and murmured, "Saint Lan Monastery, is this the strange tale I need to challenge?"
Suddenly, a memory that didn't belong to her rushed into her mind.
As she recalls, she was stabbed in the waist by a thug this morning and then sent to the convent.
Was this part of the initial experience settings? Then why was I sent to the monastery? Looking down, I saw that I was still wearing the same clothes I was wearing when I was stabbed.
While Wen Qi was still wondering, a system notification suddenly sounded in her mind.
[Ding! All chosen ones entering the Mysterious Rules for the first time will receive one chance to draw a talent.]
She had forgotten about this part and was a little confused.
The next moment, Wen Qi was immediately overjoyed. Everyone on Blue Star knew that all chosen ones who came to the strange world for the first time had the opportunity to draw talents.
The system is currently drawing a sample for you...
[Congratulations! You have randomly selected the Mind Simulator - Out-of-Body Experience. You start with 20 Strange Points.]
[The Chosen One] Wen Qi
Age: 19
[Strength] 70
[Speed] 50
[Strangeness Value] 20/20
[Endurance] 50
[Talent] Astral projection
[Strange Object] None
[Strange Coin] 0
[Out-of-body experience: The mind leaves the body and enters the four-dimensional folded inner world space, where the mind directs actions to make advanced choices and obtain the corresponding results in advance.]
[The four-dimensional space is a reflection of the Rules of the Strange Tales instance. Upon entering, time in the outer world pauses until one's consciousness shatters in the four-dimensional space, at which point it returns to the body, and time in the instance resumes. Each time one's consciousness leaves the body, it requires five points of Weirdness Value.]
[Note: The consumed Weird Points can only be replenished through sleep, with 5 Weird Points restored per hour. The mind cannot be separated from the body for too long.]
Astral projection? That's at least UR level!
These four seemingly ordinary words are actually quite valuable.
Talent levels are divided into: N (Normal), R (Rare), SR (Super Rare), SSR (Advanced Super Rare), and Mind Simulator is considered a higher UR level.
Wen Qi was so happy she wanted to pound the bed.
Then, she curiously looked around the room.
The room, tall and narrow, is in a medieval style, with only a tall, narrow stained-glass rose window letting in sunlight. The entire wall is made of neatly stacked, yellowish stone bricks.
The dim chandelier complements the pointed ribbed vaulted ceiling. In the distance, there is a wall table, a fireplace, and a trash can. A portrait painting hangs on the wall, next to which is a clock showing seven in the morning.
[Ding! Important information for the Chosen One.]
The dungeon's introduction notification echoed throughout the entire Blue Star livestream room, and also played in Wen Qi's mind.
The current mystery instance is: Saint Lan Monastery, a monastery in a wasteland world, with a danger level of 7 stars.
[Instance Background: A post-apocalyptic monastery where brightly dressed people in colorful cloaks visit daily to negotiate deals with the abbot. Originally a training ground for priests, the monastery hides a shocking business. You, concealing your identity as a newcomer, have been brought here as you wished, ready to experience its unique lifestyle and begin your challenge.]
[Chosen One, your identity in the convent is: a false believer, a nun.]
The requirements and rewards for passing the mission are as follows:
[Rating A: Survive until the monastery's Thanksgiving Day. Reward: +10 to your nation's luck value.]
[Rating S: Find the final boss of this ghost story instance, namely the Strange One. Reward: +20 to your nation's luck value, and a random resource reward.]
[SS Rating: Uncover all the shocking transactions at the monastery, obtain more clues about the strange events, Reward: +20 to the nation's luck value, two random resource rewards.]
[SSS Rating: Break free from the cage and defeat the mastermind behind it all. Rewards: +20 to the nation's luck value, and five random resource rewards.]
[Failure to clear the level: 10 points of luck will be deducted, and a random natural disaster will occur.]
【Wen Qi, the Chosen One of the Dragon Kingdom, please begin your challenge. Good luck!】
After the system finished speaking, Wen Qi felt immense pressure; the requirements for passing the level were quite difficult.
All the confidence and promises I made before might collapse at any moment.
In order to obtain clues and successfully pass the level, she immediately closed her eyes and began the simulation.
"Simulation begins, mind astral projection."
"A phantom identical to your original form appears in another space just like the real world. You are curious about your state and repeatedly sit up and lie down on the bed, the iron bed creaking."
"So this is the four-dimensional world space, which is almost no different from the real surface world."
"With this skill, you feel confident that you can definitely survive until Thanksgiving and earn your brother's respect."
"You have no shoes, so you have to walk barefoot on the wet ground, which is especially cold."
"The air was filled with dust, and you carefully approached the window."
"The sunlight shone in, but it wasn't warm; it felt just like winter. No wonder there was a fire in the fireplace."
"It's good that you used to watch ghost story live streams whenever you had free time, even though many chosen ones from various countries couldn't even clear the first dungeon."
"But through the live broadcasts of previous years, you know that you need to find the rules in order to avoid death."
"The room wasn't large, and many of the things that should have been made of wood were actually made of iron and glass."
"You start looking for the rules. The ground is slippery. Suddenly, you accidentally step on a rotten banana peel and fall flat on your back."
"It must have hurt quite a bit when you fell. You feel a strong sense of immersion in the story. You're already a mature Chosen One. But you don't feel any pain in your lower back."
"You stand up and go to the wall table, which is covered with bottles and jars, just like the tools used in chemistry experiments, and you can't understand the writing on them."
"Then, you glanced at the trash can next to the wall table and saw the mangled scalp and severed toes inside, which made your stomach churn instantly."
"You start vomiting violently into the trash can."
"After you vomited, you climbed back into bed and wrapped yourself in the blanket, and then you sneezed."
"You poked your head out, panting, trying to calm yourself down."
"Half a minute later, your will shatters and your consciousness returns."
"Simulation ended. Current weirdness level: 15 points. Survival time: 3 minutes."
"???"
Wen Qi opened her eyes in disbelief. She was going to die right at the start?
Just as my brother said, he wouldn't live more than a few minutes.
"Damn it—, how did I end up in the four-dimensional world???" Wen Qi was completely bewildered.
Luckily, I had a cheat code, which saved me from the risk of dying the first time; otherwise, I would have failed the level just now.
All of this was completely unexpected.
Wen Qi frowned and started the second simulation.
"Simulation begins, mind astral projection."
"You recall the bloody stuff in the trash can, but this time you deliberately avoid it."
"You've already turned the bed upside down; all that's left are the back of the painting, the area by the fireplace, and the bathroom."
You carefully searched inside the fireplace with your hands, but found nothing.
"You came to the oil painting and took it down."
"Behind the oil painting, a hole was found in the wall, inside which was a small box."
PS: This is a female-oriented novel about rules and strange tales. If you like to be a male reader, please turn left and don't bother me. The perspective during the simulation is similar to playing the first-person Sims game. The game has been around for many years. The first novel to incorporate simulation into rules and strange tales is not by Tomato.
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