Saving the World in an Apocalypse-Style Text Game

[Fallen Canine Shell: A canine tainted by corrupt forces, which causes it to grow abnormally large after mutation. The blood hole on its forehead and the shocked and unwilling look in its eyes reveal that it died from a surprise attack. Compatibility: 46 (+15%)]

The compatibility is too low, it can't be possessed...

Lin Xun fell into deep thought, the animal shells' compatibility he had seen in reality were also very low.

The humanoid shells he had possessed previously had comparatively high compatibility and could easily be possessed under the influence of the talent, Thousand Faces and Million Forms.

Considering the high and low compatibility of the young knight, the old priest, and the female nun, Lin Xun guessed that the more similar the shell was to him, the higher the compatibility would be.

[You ascend the spiral staircase leading to the second floor of the tower.]

[You climb up and reach the second floor of the tower.]

[In the spacious hall, the lights are bright. Under the orange light, the tall bookshelves are neatly arranged, stacked one after another, housing countless books. The unique smell of ink rushes into your nostrils. You faintly hear an old voice reciting softly.]

[You cross the rows of bookshelves, follow the sound, and find an old man in a black robe sitting on a rocking chair, silently reading a book with a monocle.]

[Do you want to greet him?]

[You step forward quickly, intending to talk to the old man.]

[The old man in the black robe lifts his head, his eyes playful. He shakes his head refusing to talk with you and hands you an item.]

[You obtained an "Invasion Bookmark"]

[Invasion Bookmark (Prop): Once used, you can invade the chapters of other apostles. Defeating that apostle will bring you unexpected benefits.]

???

Lin Xun was startled, this text game isn't a single-player game, it's a multiplayer one!

Doesn't that mean there are other players? Or even that, there's more than one person who gained incredible powers within the game...

As Lin Xun was still unable to regain his composure, the game text continued to display.

[The old man stands up, his eyes reflecting mockery. He silently casts a spell, slowly becoming semi-transparent.]

[The world is dimly trembling in front of your eyes with flashes of red.]

[You are invaded by an unknown apostle!]

Blood-red letters tremble, Lin Xun snaps back to reality.

[A figure glowing with red light appears in front of you, it's the invading apostle, he is holding a short gun and approaching you.]

[What should you do?]

[1. Beg for mercy, hoping the apostle, as a fellow favored by God, will show mercy and spare your life.]

[2. Raise your dagger, fight back, and make him understand that you can be killed, but not insulted.]

As a seasoned gamer, Lin Xun knows, those who dare to start PVP in the game are not weak.

So he decisively chose 2.

Joking! Even if I'm going to die, I will die with dignity.

[Brave apostle, you reveal a cruel smile, raise your weapon, and confront the invader...]

[You easily defeated the invading apostle "Big Bro", experience slightly increased.]

???

Lin Xun gently input three question marks, the expected "Death" did not appear. He counterattacked and killed the invader, and it was an easy defeat.

[You inherit the invading apostle's spirituality: 105]

[You obtained a Guardian Bookmark (Prop)]

[The old man in the black robe looked at you in astonishment, losing control of his expressions, even the monocle on his nose fell to the ground. He hastily muttered and disappeared while cursing... ]

[You obtained the Librarian's Monocle (Rare Prop)]

A series of unexpected plot twists give Lin Xun a smirk.

...

Xu Zhi is hunched over, holding his phone.

[You have defeated the 'Stranded Fishman', experience slightly increased.]

[You obtained a Bookmark of the Newcomer (Prop)]

"Holy smokes!" Xu Zhi nearly shouted, covered his mouth, forcefully suppressed his excitement, carefully raised his head to look at the teacher in front of the podium, seeing that he had not noticed, his eyes returned to the phone screen.

As a "veteran" player who just entered the second chapter, he deeply knew that "Bookmark of the Newcomer" is a beneficial prop.

When he entered the first chapter, he met the library administrator in a secret room and obtained an Invasion Bookmark, then... he died, killed by the invading apostle, losing all his spirituality.

In the mockery of the library administrator, he got a Revenge Bookmark.

The hateful black-robed old man told him, remember the apostle who invaded your chapter, when you become strong, you can use the Revenge Bookmark to take back what you lost.

If you're lucky enough, bookmark of The Newcomer might drop while farming mobs. This is a one-time prop that can invade newbie apostles; you can regard it as a bonus easter egg.

Newbie apostles often don't know how to reserve spiritual items. They usually use it as soon as they encounter a mob drop, so they tend to carry few on them.

Invading a newbie apostle is like beating up a kid and stealing his candies. It's just a gift of spirituality. What else could it be if not a bonus?

Xu Zhi quickly clicked to use it...

[Invading...]

[You have invaded an anonymous apostle's chapter.]

[The weak apostle shrouded in white light trembles in fear upon seeing you. How will the powerful apostle deal with him?]

[1. Force him to kneel. You, in a great mood, might choose to spare his life.]

[2. Raise your short gun and teach him what cruelty is!]

Xu Zhi selected the second choice, his eyes gleaming with delight, a savage smile exposed.

[You raise your short gun and mercilessly thrust it toward the weak apostle...]

[You are dead!]

???

Xu Zhi's smile froze.

[Invasion failed. The apostle 'Sword Casting Master' easily defeated you and took all your spiritual items.]

[You have returned to your chapter.]

What the hell? I'm already level 5. Why would I die by the hand of a newbie? There's definitely a bug in this game!

Xu Zhi couldn't believe his eyes.

"Forget it, forget it...guess I just ran into a bug." He comforted himself and started Shell Reshaping, "Luckily, I still have some spiritual items left. Let me go find an npc to buy some supplies, otherwise, I couldn't even beat a mini BOSS."

[You used Fading Dim Spirit*5.]

[You used Fading Small Spirit Chunk*3.]

[You used Fading Big Spirit Chunk*1.]

[You gained Spirituality: 75.]

But the text on the phone screen continued displaying.

[Your world is shaking subtly with a red light flashing in front of your eyes.]

[You are under invasion by an unidentified apostle...]

What the hell? I'm being invaded?

Xu Zhi was in a daze.

[A figure shrouded in red light appears in front of you. That familiar figure seems to be the newbie apostle from just now. He holds a dagger and approaches you.]

[What will you do?]

[1. Kneel down and beg, praying that the apostle, also a favored one of the gods, can show mercy and spare your life.]

[2. Raise your gun and fight back, letting him know that a true knight might be killed but never be humiliated.]

"Damn it! I just used all my spiritual items. These are my last 75 points of spirituality…" Xu Zhi cried silently, choosing the first option, "Big bro, spare me. I admit my mistake. If I'd known you were so powerful, I would haven't invaded you."

Xu Zhi prayed silently, hoping that the newbie apostle named 'Sword Casting Master' could spare him.

[The other party rejected your begging and stabbed you with his knife...]

[You are dead!]

[You dropped 75 points of spirituality.]

"Fuck!" Xu Zhi slammed his fist on the desk, making a loud noise and attracting all the classmates' attention.

"Xu Zhi! What are you doing? Playing with your phone during class? You'll be in your senior year next year; do you still have time to play with your phone? Hand over your mobile phone!"

The teacher on the podium scolded him in frustration.

...

[Invasion successful, you defeated the apostle 'Big Dick Bro'.]

[You gained 75 points of spirituality, and you are returning to your chapter.]

Lin Xun smirked; it's a shame he only had one invasion bookmark. The profit of PVP is clearly higher than that of PVE.

Battling against others is indeed thrilling.

He opened the item bar, checking the rare item he obtained earlier - the Librarian's Monocle.