Yashu, who was sitting opposite me, also stared at the screen and said to me anxiously:
-"This app... it actually knows your name. That's truly terrifying."
-"It's the same on my phone." - I replied to her in a low voice, then immediately turned to Xi Yong'an: "By the way, you mentioned 'Symbiotes' just now, could you explain more about them in detail?"
Xi Yong'an cleared his throat slightly, putting on a serious expression before resting his hands on the table, acting like a senior mentoring a newcomer:
-"Actually, the information I have isn't too profound. I only know roughly that they are players who fuse or combine with ghost creatures. Normally, this combination is divided into two main forms: Signing a contract and Being chosen by a ghost."
He raised a finger and continued to explain:
-"The 'Signing a contract' form is easier to understand, its essence is a direct, fair transaction with a ghost. But this form is extremely dangerous. If the ghost is not satisfied with the price paid, or the player cannot meet its conditions, it will immediately devour or tear that person apart on the spot."
Xi Yong'an lowered his finger, his voice dropping a tone full of mystery:
-"As for the 'Being chosen by a ghost' form, it's much rarer. It has to be a case where the ghost is genuinely interested in the player, or attracted by a specific special trait on their body, for it to voluntarily parasitize that person. This type of Symbiote has a huge advantage of consuming less mental power to suppress the ghost, simply because the ghost follows them willingly."
-"So... can a person's body coexist with two ghosts at the same time?" - I asked further out of curiosity.
Xi Yong'an nodded, answering my question:
-"It's possible, but in reality, it's extremely difficult. Because the player has to divide their attention to control both ghosts at the same time while ensuring they provide enough transaction conditions for them. Furthermore, when fighting, they must use their abilities moderately, otherwise, if their mental power is depleted, they will be corrupted and devoured by the ghosts immediately."
-"Thank you."
I looked down at the phone in my hand; by this time, the app had completed its setup process. "World Channel" along with other categories had finished loading. A large line of text with a bold red effect immediately caught my eye:
[ WELCOME TO THE WORLD CHANNEL! ]
Right below, a series of messages popped up continuously at a frantic speed. I remained silent, quietly reading each message to myself:
-Zhang Yu Hua: "Can anyone carry me through quest 8, please? I'll pay an extra 300 ghost currency/hour."
-Zhou Hao Ran: "Selling Self-Defense Gems for only 10,000 ghost currency! COME ON INFANTRY, BUY NOW BUY NOW!"
-Fang Ya Jing: "I wish I could be carried by the Top 1 guy just once in my life."
-Xiao Jia Yi: "Stop daydreaming, sis. The Top 1 Wu-ming has a hundred tasks and a thousand things to do, when would he be free to carry people like you?"
Reading the name "Wu-ming" proudly occupying the highest position, my curiosity was piqued. I immediately tapped to switch to the "Rankings" section.
Just looking at the first line of text, the palms of my hands broke out in a cold sweat once again. Earlier, when I snuck a peek at Xi Yong'an's phone, my view was obstructed so I didn't pay close attention, but now witnessing it myself, I could clearly see how terrifying this person's detailed stats regarding the number of quests and completion time were:
🏆 [ PLAYER RANKINGS ]
-Top 1: Wu-ming Number of completed quests: 14
-Completion time ( Excluding rest time ): 40 days
I shuddered slightly as I did the math. On average, every 2 to 3 days, this person had already finished grinding a survival quest. This speed... was absolutely not something an ordinary human could achieve.
I swallowed hard and continued to tap to switch to the "Personal Information" section. The interface immediately displayed a detailed profile board of mine. What was worth mentioning was that besides my full name, this app had already filled in everything accurately, from my age to my date of birth, since who knows when. This naked exposure couldn't help but make my skin crawl, feeling as though all of my most private secrets were being manipulated and seen through by some invisible entity.
Suppressing the unease in my heart, I continued to look down at the line displaying my rank:
👤 [ PLAYER PROFILE ]
-Full name: Zhao Tianxia
-World ranking: 4532
-Number of completed quests: 3
-Total completion time ( Excluding rest time ): 73 hours 50 minutes
Looking at these numbers, I could only remain silent. Compared to the monster "Wu-ming" standing at the peak of the tower with those 14 horrifying quests, I was clearly still just a novice, struggling to find a way to survive through every crack of this death game.