“I’ll take you to complete your onboarding procedures now, and give you some basic training along the way. First, let me introduce myself: David Thompson, Level 3 Spirit Realm Walker, Five Elements Alliance Songhai Branch, Second Squad Leader of Kangyang District, profession: Scout.”

Scout? Are there other professions besides Night Wanderer? Michael Bolton put on a look of attentive listening.

Although he was puzzled, he didn’t interrupt.

As someone skilled in social interaction, Michael Bolton knew that it’s impolite to interrupt others, and he wouldn’t let himself lose points over such trivial matters.

David Thompson took a sip of his drink and said, “Let me first tell you what the Spirit Realm is!”

Michael Bolton immediately perked up.

……

Chapter 9: The Spirit Realm

David Thompson chose his words carefully and said:

“The Spirit Realm is a supernatural force that currently cannot be explained by science. Although we’ve been trying to analyze and understand it, we still don’t fully comprehend it. The Spirit Realm exists in reality, yet is detached from it. Only those who are chosen can enter the Spirit Realm.”

“And the way you’re chosen…” He took another sip of his drink, smiling, “You should have experienced it yourself.”

“That card?” Michael Bolton responded at the right moment.

David Thompson nodded slightly:

“It’s called a role card. Whoever obtains a role card will begin a trial mission. By completing the trial, you’ll receive a corresponding profession, along with that profession’s skills and traits.

“The mechanism by which the Spirit Realm selects its walkers is still unknown, and the way role cards are distributed isn’t fixed. Sometimes it appears directly inside your body; sometimes you pick it up by the roadside; sometimes you accidentally click a link online…

“Completing the trial mission is just the beginning. If a Spirit Realm Walker wants to level up and become stronger, they must keep accepting missions and entering the Spirit Realm. But don’t worry, the frequency of missions isn’t that high, and not every Spirit Realm scenario is life-threatening. On the contrary, some Spirit Realms are quite interesting.

“For example, I’m a Level 3 Scout. In the past two years, I’ve entered the Spirit Realm once a month, but only entered a solo scenario once every three months—and nearly died in there. The rest of the time, I entered multiplayer Spirit Realms, which are relatively safer and more interesting. Heh, if you want to gain superpowers, you always have to pay a price.”

David Thompson paused, giving Michael Bolton a chance to ask questions.

“So it’s kind of like a game dungeon?” Michael Bolton offered his understanding.

David Thompson smiled:

“I like talking to you young people, because you’re quick to understand and open to new things.”

After a word of praise, he nodded:

“That’s right, it’s like playing a game, and the Spirit Realm is the dungeon. Some dungeons are solo, some are multiplayer co-op, and some are multiplayer versus. The solo dungeons are the most dangerous, with the highest mortality rate.

“The multiplayer ones are relatively better. There are death-type and penalty-type; the latter just deducts a certain amount of experience points.”

Michael Bolton asked curiously, “Why is the mortality rate highest for solo dungeons?”

David Thompson pondered for a moment, “In multiplayer Spirit Realms, you’ll encounter Spirit Realm Walkers of other professions, but in solo ones, it’s a scenario tailored to your own profession. Take Scout for example: at the Transcendent stage, the abilities are insight, tracking, and analysis.

“So the three solo Spirit Realms I’ve experienced were: playing a detective solving a case; hunting down criminals in the jungle; and wilderness survival. Also, for every profession, the Spirit Realm dungeons at the Transcendent and Saint stages are different.”

My profession is Night Wanderer, so I enter supernatural dungeons. Whew, thank goodness there are multiplayer dungeons—otherwise I’d be scared out of my wits in the Spirit Realm. The dungeons change at the Saint stage? Michael Bolton listened while nodding.

“Did Brian Parker disappear because he entered the Spirit Realm?” Michael Bolton asked in a low voice.

He urgently needed confirmation from an official to verify his guess. If Brian had entered the Spirit Realm, then things weren’t so bad.

David Thompson thought for a moment and said:

“After Brian Parker’s mysterious disappearance, the official personnel from the Hangzhou police took over the case. Their judgment is that Brian Parker has already died in the Spirit Realm.”

Michael Bolton felt his heart stop for a moment, anxiety and panic surging uncontrollably. “Why?”

David Thompson explained, “Because it’s been too long. Normally, Spirit Realm dungeons—at least at the Transcendent stage—last from a few hours to a day or two. But Brian Parker has been missing for four days. The Transcendent stage covers levels 1 to 3.”

“What about above the Transcendent stage?”

“Not too sure, but the dungeons should last longer.”

Maybe Brian is a powerful Spirit Realm Walker… Michael Bolton could only comfort himself this way.

Regarding Brian’s disappearance, at this stage, he was destined to be of no help, whether in ability or experience.

By comparison, joining the official organization and saving himself was the most important thing right now.

“…By the way, before I introduce you to the official organization, there’s one more important thing.” David Thompson took a sip of his drink to moisten his throat. “What’s your morality score?”

“60 points, the initial value.” Michael Bolton answered honestly.

David Thompson nodded, “For a newbie like you, morality score is the biggest pitfall. You must remember this.”