Macfarlene jumped to his feet immediately.
"Manager, Lin wasn't slacking off," he said quickly. "He watched the promotional video to properly understand the game systems!"
"And I made two silver coins today. I'll give one to Lin—how about that?"
"No."
Haitao's voice was flat, cold.
"If you fall behind early, you'll fall behind forever. This game rewards momentum. Weak links don't keep up."
Macfarlene opened his mouth to argue again—but Lin raised a hand.
"That's enough, Fatty."
Macfarlene froze.
"But your sister still needs the surgery. Without this job—"
"Don't worry," Lin said calmly. "I'll earn the money."
He stood up, picked up his jacket, and turned away.
Leaving Chasing Dreams
Stepping out of Chasing Dreams Club, Lin felt something unexpected.
Relief.
In his previous life, he'd wasted far too much time here—grinding coins, obeying orders, trading freedom for scraps.
This time, he wasn't staying in a cage.
Macfarlene ran after him, breathless, shoving a card into Lin's hand.
"There's twenty thousand on this," he said. "Use it for emergencies. When I make more, I'll send it to you. I swear—I'll help you get enough for Kara's surgery."
Lin's chest tightened.
Kratos.Mole Rat.Glasses.
The same three brothers who had stood beside him when he had nothing in his previous life.
"Kratos," Lin said quietly, "leave the club."
"Come work with me."
"We'll start our own studio."
Macfarlene stared at him. "Brother Lin… I won't hesitate. But your sister—"
"Three days," Lin said firmly. "That's all I need."
"Three days, and I'll earn the surgery fee from the game."
Even without a Transcendent God-tier talent—
With his memories alone, Lin already knew the path.
"…Alright," Macfarlene said at last. "I trust you."
"I'll call Mole Rat and Glasses."
Macfarlene walked straight back into the club and resigned on the spot.
No notice.No pay.Not a single coin.
He didn't care.
This was brotherhood.
Mole Rat and Glasses weren't in St. James at the moment, but when Macfarlene messaged them, both replied instantly.
No problem.We're in.
Back to the Game
At the Twilight of the Gods device outlet, Lin and Kratos spent the entire 20,000 to buy two private game pods.
Back at the rented apartment, Lin didn't go to the hospital.
Not because he didn't care.
But because right now—money mattered more than tears.
"Kratos," Lin said, sealing the pod, "focus on leveling. Once you hit Level 10, don't rush to the main city."
"Got it."
Twilight of the Gods bound accounts to iris and DNA. Changing pods didn't mean changing characters.
Lin logged back in as Snow Emperor.
Ten Thousand Red Eyes
Back in the fields.
Arrow after arrow.
Hours blurred.
"9,998."
"9,999."
Lin accepted the Red-Eye Rabbit quest—
Then immediately turned in ten thousand Red Eyes.
The old village chief stared at him, eyes wide, then broke into a delighted smile.
"Adventurer," he said warmly, "your perseverance is extraordinary. Few possess such will."
"I will grant you a special reward."
Ding!
Quest Complete: Red-Eye RabbitRewards:EXP +1000Silver Coins +5Skill Obtained: Normal Attack Amplification +1
"Learn."
Passive Skill Acquired
Normal Attack Amplification (Passive)Star Level: ★☆☆☆☆
Effect:• Normal attack range increased by 5%
Cooldown: NoneCost: NoneProficiency: 0 / 1000
Lin exhaled slowly.
"As expected."
Then the old village chief leaned closer, voice lowering.
"Adventurer… if you can slay ten bosses within the Novice Region, I will grant you a reward beyond expectation."
Lin blinked.
Ten bosses?
In the Novice Village?
This wasn't a quest—it was madness.
Ding!
Hidden Quest IssuedObjective: Defeat 10 Novice Region BossesPenalty: Skill [Normal Attack Amplification] removedReward: UnknownAccept?
"Accept."
Boss hunting aligned perfectly with his next plan.
And if he wanted real money—
Bosses were unavoidable.
First Boss Hunt
Lin left the village and headed straight toward the territory of a Level 10 Twisted Treant.
He needed levels.Attack speed.Momentum.
Twisted Treant (Normal)Level: 10HP: 1900Attack: 32Skills: Vine Spin, Regrowth
Thwip.
—424.
After hours of rabbit farming, Lin's max HP had exceeded 21,200.
Even though his physical attack couldn't pierce the Treant's defenses, the true damage from Hand of Divine Judgment was devastating.
Five arrows.
That was all.
Ding!
Twisted Treant defeatedEXP +90
Lin smiled.
Killing monsters above your level granted massive experience bonuses.
Normally, a Twisted Treant dropped 10 EXP.
Now?
Ninety.
With the earlier quest reward, Lin only needed about twenty Treants to level up.
And higher-level kills meant better drop rates.
Arrow after arrow.
Ding!Ding!Ding!
Level Up!Level 3Free Attribute Points +5
All five points went straight into Attack Speed.
0.73 → 0.83
Finally—
A drop.
Rare Drop
Revival Ring (Normal)Level Requirement: 10
Effect:• Restores 2 HP per second
Durability: 100
Lin froze.
"A ring?"
This was one of the hardest equipment types to drop in Twilight of the Gods.
The effect was useless to him.
Two HP per second meant nothing.
But to others?
This was a godsend in early-game grinding.
Lin didn't hesitate.
He listed it on the trading house.
Auction mode.Starting price: 500Duration: 5 minutes
If this were earlier in the launch cycle, he could've listed it for $10,000 easily.
Five minutes later—
Ding!
Your item has been purchased.Buyer: FloatingTower_ShieldMountain
Ding!
Friend request received from FloatingTower_ShieldMountain
Lin's eyes narrowed.
"Floating Tower Guild?"
That was one of the Top Ten guilds in Jamaica.
They shouldn't have been this late.
A message arrived immediately.
Snow Emperor,leave a friend slot open.May I ask—what quest did you obtain the Revival Ring from?I'll pay for the information.
Lin leaned back slowly.
The real game…
Had just begun.