Chapter 1: The Ring of Seven Curses
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1: The Ring of Seven Curses
[His majesty is beyond the reach of the gods.]
[The Land of the End stands eternal because of Him.]
[The mention of His name strikes terror into the heavens and a myriad of worlds.]
[Every epic sings the praises of the Secret of the End.]
[Even His fall was not recorded by the world.]
[And now, He has finally awakened.]
[He reclaims the End, parts the Nihility, and conquers the ignorant gods.]
[Lord of the End and Nihility—Nyarlathotep.]
[We welcome your return.]
"Ugh."
Xie Bai’s head throbbed with a dizzying ache.
After giving her temples a brief rub, she realized she seemed to have transmigrated.
Before her eyes floated a game panel.
[Xie Bai Lv.1]
[Class: None]
[HP: 100/100]
[Mana: 50/50]
[Strength: 2]
[Constitution: 1]
[Intelligence: 5]
[Agility: 4]
[Charm: 99]
[Luck: -1]
[Talent: None]
[Skill: Acting Cute Lv.13]
[Equipment: None]
[Time until Closed Beta begins: 89d 23h 59min]
"So, I've transmigrated into a game? The closed beta hasn't even started yet, so I'm probably some kind of NPC or a Boss."
Xie Bai quickly analyzed her situation and reached a conclusion.
She had her past life to thank for this; she’d spent plenty of time reading webnovels and was well-acquainted with various transmigration tropes.
Among them were plenty of stories where the protagonist transmigrates into a game as an NPC or a Boss, levels up like crazy before the players arrive, and then dominates the player base once the beta starts.
"But what’s my 'Golden Finger'? My class and talent slots are empty, so it’s not a top-tier class or talent-type cheat."
"Is it a System-type novel? But usually, the System pops up the moment the story starts. Since it hasn't appeared yet, that's probably not it."
Even though Xie Bai hadn't discovered any cheats yet, it didn't dampen her optimism.
After all, few transmigrators were weak. No matter how they started, by the end of the novel, they were always beings who stood supreme over the ages.
In particular, Xie Bai’s absurd character panel and negative luck value made her believe she must have some kind of game-breaking cheat to compensate for those flaws.
"But what could it be? It can't seriously be 'Acting Cute,' right?"
Xie Bai suddenly felt a cold sweat break out.
After all, that 99-point Charm stat was staring her in the face.
Combined with a Level 13 "Acting Cute" skill, the words "Professional Adorable" were practically plastered across her forehead.
"No way. A grown man like me... how could I possibly go around acting cute..."
Suddenly, Xie Bai noticed something was off.
"Wait, why does my voice sound so pleasant?"
It was soft, sweet, and had a clear, melodic ring to it.
"Could... could it be?!"
Xie Bai looked down at her body in disbelief.
She was petite with slender limbs and porcelain-white skin. She was wearing a black lace dress, standing barefoot on the grass, and when she reached up, she felt silky white hair.
A nearby puddle happened to reflect her reflection.
It was the face of an exquisitely cute girl, leaning toward the younger side.
"I really turned into a white-haired, red-eyed loli?!"
Xie Bai stared at the reflection, stunned.
In her past life, she had often joked online about wanting to become a loli.
But now that it had actually happened, she found it a bit hard to process all at once.
I mean, suddenly turning into a white-haired, red-eyed loli... a person can't just accept that immediately, you know?
Struggling to handle the reality of the situation, Xie Bai pinched her own cheek.
It was delicate and smooth, feeling soft and squishy to the touch.
Excellent hand-feel.
Having accepted her circumstances in record time, Xie Bai scrambled up from the ground and brushed the dust off her dress.
A hint of indignation flickered across her adorable little face.
"Alright, at this point, it would be a crime not to give me a Golden Finger."
In novels where the protagonist was a cute loli, very few authors would skimp on the cheats.
Some particularly cautious authors would even set the loli protagonist as an invincible being from the start, allowing her to just coast through life and do whatever she wanted.
Though, those "invincible from the start" novels could be a bit boring.
Without the process of growing stronger, the story could easily lose its flavor.
"Hm?"
As her thoughts drifted, Xie Bai noticed an "Inventory" button next to her character on the game panel.
Her intuition told her there was likely something extraordinary inside.
Upon opening the inventory, Xie Bai found a primitive, jet-black ring lying quietly in one of the slots.
[Ring of Seven Curses]
[Quality: ■■]
[Type: Ring]
[Equip to reveal detailed information]
As if sensing someone’s gaze, the mysterious ring seemed to blink the moment Xie Bai discovered it.
The ring revealed a crimson gemstone eye, which stared back at Xie Bai in silence.
"There it is! The legendary 'glitched rarity' top-tier equipment!"
In Xie Bai’s experience, anything with garbled text or "■■" symbols was a "super-spec" existence that transcended the game's limits.
In novels, these were usually the hallmark of a protagonist destined to rise above the game itself!
Thus, without a second thought, Xie Bai pulled the ring from her inventory and slid it onto her finger.
Hum—
The moment she donned the Ring of Seven Curses, a piercing sound rang through her ears.
Beyond the physical sting in her eardrums, Xie Bai felt a wave of unease emanating from the noise.
A moment later, the Ring of Seven Curses fell silent. It retracted its crimson gaze and sat quietly on Xie Bai’s finger.
Xie Bai sensed the ring's intent—it had recognized her and accepted her as its master.
Simultaneously, the detailed information of the Ring of Seven Curses appeared before her eyes.
[Ring of Seven Curses]
[Quality: ■■]
[Type: Ring]
[When any greedy soul seeks power, they must pay the price. The wearer shall receive seven curses.]
[Pride's Curse: Starting Reputation with all factions is -1000.]
[Envy's Curse: All buffs cast by other units are ineffective on you.]
[Wrath's Curse: Damage received is increased tenfold.]
[Sloth's Curse: Mana consumption is increased tenfold.]
[Greed's Curse: Death penalties are increased tenfold.]
[Gluttony's Curse: You cannot gain buffs from food or items.]
[Lust's Curse: Debuff effects do not expire over time.]
[In exchange, those with unyielding perseverance shall be granted seven blessings.]
[Pride's Blessing: You may ignore any restrictions to forcibly obtain corresponding qualifications.]
[Envy's Blessing: You can ignore any damage reduction.]
[Wrath's Blessing: Damage dealt by you is increased tenfold.]
[Sloth's Blessing: Your EXP gain and level-up rewards are increased tenfold.]
[Greed's Blessing: Your gold gain is increased tenfold.]
[Gluttony's Blessing: Every time you kill a unit, you permanently seize 1% of the target's attributes.]
[Lust's Blessing: The loyalty of those who follow you will always remain at maximum.]
[One who wears the Ring of Seven Curses is worthy of praise for their courage. In addition to the above effects, the wearer gains the recognition of the Ring of Seven Curses, allowing contact with certain unique existences. Furthermore, the wearer's essence shall be altered. From this moment forth, you are the only Demigod walking the mortal realm.]
[*The wearer cannot remove the Ring of Seven Curses by any means.]
————
[Quality Overview]
[Common (White), Refined (Green), Enhanced (Blue), Fabled (Purple), Epic (Orange), Legendary (Red), Mythic (Prismatic), and Independent Special Quality: Divine Artifact (Unique)]
[Difficulty Overview]
[Easy, Normal, Hard, Hell, Disaster, Despair, Dusk]