Blue Star, Jiangnan Prefecture.
In June, Yi City was saturated with the sweet fragrance of gardenias.
The college entrance examination had ended, and restless emotions fermented in the air.
At the school gate, Celeste leaned against a stone pillar. Despite her impressive height of 1.75 meters, she stood with a decadent air, as if she might slide down the pillar to the ground at any moment.
Her entire body was limp, as if her bones had been removed.
She wore a loose white shirt and a sea-blue ankle-length pleated skirt.
As a breeze blew past, her hem swayed gently, outlining the graceful curves hidden beneath her clothes.
She should have been the most beautiful scenery in the crowd.
Unfortunately, set into that exquisite 'big sister' face were a pair of'salted fish' eyes that screamed 'the world isn't worth it,' turning all her stunning beauty into sheer laziness.
Two buttons at her collar were undone, and when the wind brushed stray hairs against her cheek, she didn't even bother to lift her hand.
"Sis! If you keep standing here like a 'husband-waiting-stone,' my ice-cold Coke is going to sunbathe into herbal medicine!"
A crisp voice wrapped in the wind crashed over. Before Celeste could turn around, her waist was gently bumped.
She turned her body half a beat late. Her twin sister, Selene, was already holding two bottles of fizzing, steaming cold Coke, hopping in front of her like a little deer.
They had the same face and the same tall, outstanding build.
However, due to the difference in their classes, Selene's figure appeared more upright and athletic.
Wearing a short-sleeved shirt printed with a Paladin emblem, her whole being was like a fully drawn bow, bursting with vitality.
Selene's fingertips pressed lightly against her waist. With a flash of pale gold light, a pack of tissues appeared out of thin air.
"Wipe yourself,"
She stuffed the Coke and tissues into her sister's arms, then twisted open her own bottle cap and took a huge gulp with a 'glug-glug-glug' sound.
"Aren't your written exam scores guaranteed? Why the long face?"
Celeste bit her straw, her gaze drifting toward the distant combat training field.
The clashing of armor and the bursting of fireballs mingled with the vigorous shouts of youths, creating a noisy and passionate atmosphere.
She retracted her gaze. As the icy liquid slid down her throat, her voice carried a hint of half-awake raspiness and laziness.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking... was our future already nailed shut the day we awakened our classes at six years old?"
Two boys passing by paused upon hearing this, unable to resist stealing a glance at her.
After all, she was the only one in the whole school who could blend a 'big sister' face with a'salted fish' temperament so seamlessly.
Over thirty years ago, games invaded reality, and classes and status panels became the new rules of the world.
Celeste's class was Priest.
The rarest and most precious healing type.
It was just that Celeste's style was a bit... eccentrically rare.
Selene had long grown accustomed to her sister's intermittent bouts of melancholy. She grabbed her arm and started dragging her toward home.
"What do you mean 'nailed shut'! Priests are so precious! In the last simulated Domain, if you hadn't pulled us back from the brink of death with a Circle of Healing, would those brutes in the Warrior class be chasing you and calling you 'Sister Celeste, the Eternal Goddess'?"
She patted her waist, where the phantom image of a Knight's Shield flashed briefly in her equipment space.
"In the future, just relax and hide behind my shield to heal and buff me. I'll protect you; it'll be super stable!"
"Stable is stable..."
Celeste let herself be dragged along, her center of gravity leaning back like a giant pendant, relying entirely on Selene's superhuman strength to move.
"But it's also boring to death."
"Look at others: Charge, Whirlwind, Fireball, Ice Bolt—how cool is that? And me?"
She curled her lip and raised her hand exaggeratedly, drawing out her voice in an operatic tone.
"In Sister's eyes, you're just a life bar that never grows up..."
"And then: 'Veritas: Shield', 'Renew', 'Flash Heal', 'Prayer of Healing'!"
"For the next few decades, it'll just be this infinite loop, at most swapping in a few higher-level Healing Spells. I can calculate exactly how many merit points I'll get when I retire with my eyes closed."
Her laziness was the result of giving up after seeing through reality.
When she was fifteen, a segment of memory appeared in her mind out of nowhere.
Memories belonging to a stubborn, dark-hearted, and mechanically skilled male streamer from Earth.
He—a tough guy famous for extreme maneuvers and speedrun challenges, with a fanaticism for burst damage and dancing on the edge of a blade flowing in his bones—had now become 'her'.
When the memories first awakened, the biggest problem was her occasional habit of turning toward the men's restroom. Fortunately, her sister would pull her back...
By the time the memories awakened, her Priest level was already 16.
All her free attribute points had followed the 'meta' and were dumped into Intelligence and Faith to increase healing output.
Want to switch to DPS now?
She couldn't learn magic, her Strength and Agility were pitifully low, and she couldn't even beat a newly awakened Warrior Apprentice.
The flashy plays in her head were fully conceived, but her body was like rusted parts that simply wouldn't obey.
Her attacks couldn't break defense, and her dodging relied entirely on prediction.
The massive gap had ground away all her passion.
Her current panel clearly stated:
[Celeste - Priest Lv.20]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Constitution: 70]
[Intelligence: 70]
[Faith: 80]
[Free Attribute Points: 0]
(The initial value for each attribute of combat classes is 10 points. Every level grants 10 attribute points, with 8 points automatically assigned by class and 2 points as free attributes.)
A standard cloth-armor support. Her only attack skill, [Smite], dealt less DMG than Selene hitting someone with her shield.
The future was suffocatingly clear: get into a top university's healing department, join an official or freelance adventurer team after graduation, hide behind teammates, heal, shield, and dispel, day after day until retirement.
"Oh, don't think so much. Isn't the martial exam still coming up? Just coast through the arena tournament. The focus is the Domain point race. With us sisters working together, I'll protect you!"
Selene thumped her chest, radiating reliability like a solid rock.
When they got home, their parents were still on duty at a Domain.
Celeste threw herself onto the sofa. The soft cushions instantly swallowed her, fully demonstrating the excellent'shock absorption' performance provided by 70 points of Constitution.
Staring at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, the memories of her past life became increasingly vivid.
The crisp sound of the keyboard, the sudden stop of the mouse, the gorgeous special effects exploding on the screen, and the version of herself who would scream with excitement late at night over a perfect parry.
Then she looked at her current skill bar, which was so boring it was practically growing Mushrooms.
She rolled over irritably, burying her face in a cushion, her voice coming out muffled.
"Living two lives, I don't want to spend one so boringly..."
An absurd thought emerged without warning from the deepest corner of her heart.
It was about the followers of The Aeon of Elation from a certain game in her past life—those troublemakers who spared no effort in searching for fun.
She suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh.
In a tone that was half-joking and half-serious, she whispered to the empty living room:
"Life is so boring. Why not... praise Aha?"
As the words fell, the world remained as silent as ever.
The cicadas outside continued their chirping, and the refrigerator compressor hummed.
"As expected."
The curve of her mouth grew more self-mocking; it seemed she had overthought it.
Propping herself up, Celeste habitually reached into her equipment space for a piece of Chocolate, but found nothing.
The pitiful storage space of a cloth-armor class was already filled with robes, staves, and potions. The snacks she had squeezed in had long been eaten.
"Tsk."
She resignedly shuffled toward the kitchen in her slippers.
However, in the depths of the unobservable Void, a twisted, smirking red mask quietly coalesced.
It spun wildly, its very posture a hymn dedicated to chaos and elation.
「In a place Akivili never reached, someone actually praises Aha! Aha has so much face!」
「Let Aha see which little cutie... Oh? This little girl... the games she played in her past life actually had Aha in them... Ha! Interesting! Truly interesting!」
「A little Priest who finds the future boring? Craving the unexpected? Aha appreciates you! You've given Aha a brand new bit of fun!」
「Praise alone isn't enough... Aha must give you a red envelope! I hope you can bring Aha more joy, little girl...」
A wisp of formless, quality-less power, filled with extreme elation and chaotic intent, penetrated layers of barriers and silently merged into the soul of Celeste as she reached out to pull open the refrigerator door.
Celeste stopped abruptly, feeling a 'ding' in her head.
An auditory hallucination?
She shook her head, opened the fridge, and picked up a carton of Milk.
At that moment, an interface so gaudy it hurt her eyes exploded in front of her with a 'BOOM'!
The background of the interface was a kaleidoscopic black, decorated with tacky red masks and flying streamers on the edges, looking exactly like a discount flyer for a third-rate amusement park.
[Ding! Detected Host's strong desire to 'cause trouble' and call for 'Elation.' Elation System loading complete!]
Celeste's hand trembled, and the Milk carton almost flew out.
A system!?
[Welcome to the Hall of Elation, Host Celeste! This system is dedicated to collecting, creating, and spreading all forms of fun! As long as you create joyful events, you can obtain joy value!]
[joy value can be used for the Gacha! The prize pool is linked to worlds from your memory like 'Genshin Impact' and 'Honkai: Star Rail.' Wondrous rewards from thousands of worlds are all available!]
[Friendly tip: 160 joy value per pull, 1600 for a ten-pull! As for the pity system... hehe, how can the luck of someone who creates fun be bad? (Mask smirk.jpg)]
[Newbie task released. Come and claim your first bit of fun!]
Celeste was dumbfounded.
She stared fixedly at this strangely styled, snarky system interface, feeling like her CPU was about to burn out.
The vibe was too strong!
It felt like it was personally crafted by Aha, The Aeon of Elation from Star Rail.
She knew all too well about that cosmic-level stirrer who, for the sake of fun, could treat Aeons like jokes and use himself as a stepping stone.
If this system really was Aha's handiwork, the traps buried within probably outnumbered the smile lines on His face.
One day, just to watch a good show, He might push her, the Host, directly onto the center stage—the kind with the brightest spotlights and the most ridiculous costume.
But...
This salted-fish life, where she could see her end from the beginning...
Her fingertips curled unconsciously, and her heart thudded in her chest.
Half was the vigilance of facing unknown risks.
The other half was the burning expectation of finally seeing a spark of change after being suppressed by a boring routine for so long.
It was like seeing a treasure chest at the edge of a cliff; even knowing it might be rigged with a trap, one still couldn't help but want to open it to see if it held the key to escaping mediocrity.
She concentrated and used her intent to click on the newbie task icon, which was flashing with a ridiculous emoji.
[Newbie Task: First Taste of Elation]
[Task Description: Elation is hidden in every awkward twitch of the lips, every silence caused by a misunderstanding, and even a small social death scene! Please, Host, create a joyful event.]
[Task Reward: 100 joy value.]
Create a joyful event? How?
Rush to the balcony and shout "Ultraman Transformation" at the people below?
Or put a jack-o'-lantern that barks like a dog at a neighbor's door?
Just as Celeste was staring at the system interface in a daze, wondering if there was some deviation in her understanding of 'Elation,' the doorbell rang.
"Who is it?"
She called out habitually, her voice tinged with the annoyance of having her train of thought interrupted, as she walked over and turned the doorknob.
Standing outside was a boy from her class, his face flushed bright red, his fingers tightly clutching a pink envelope.
He was a Warrior. They had cooperated in group combat practice before; his mechanics were okay, but he was a bit quiet and didn't really dare to look at her.
"Cl-Classmate Lin Qingyue..."
The boy took a sharp breath as if summoning a lifetime's worth of courage. He handed over the letter, his voice stuttering from nervousness.
"P-Please accept this! I... I've liked you for a long time!"
The system interface in Celeste's mind hadn't fully faded yet, and the words 'Create Elation' were still flashing.
Faced with this classic confession scene worthy of the history books, her streamer mindset from her past life—with nerves thicker than steel bars—instantly took control of her body.
No blushing, no racing heart.
She instinctively reached out, but not to take the letter.
Instead, in a very 'bro-like' manner, she gave a solid slap to the boy's tense shoulder.
A crisp, loud'smack' rang out.
"I treat you like a brother, and you actually want to hit on me?"
She stared at him with a complex gaze mixed with shock, disbelief, and a 'how dare you betray the organization' look, her tone heartbroken.
Boy: "...???"
The flush on his face vanished instantly, turning deathly pale.
His eyes transitioned from initial nervous expectation to blankness in an instant, followed by a wave of embarrassment and shame massive enough to drown everything.
A 'Brother Zone' card—more abstract and destructive than any 'Good Person' card—struck his crown like a bolt of heavenly tribulation lightning.
He felt like his soul was about to be knocked out of his body.
[Ding! Detected a high-quality awkward/misunderstanding scene, causing intense emotional fluctuations in the target (Shame MAX)]
[The Spectator (Void Observer · Aha) feels extreme elation; laughter penetrates dimensions!]
[Newbie task 'First Taste of Elation' complete!]
[Reward issued: joy value +100!]
[Obtained extra newbie reward: Weapon [black tassel spear] ×1]
[Obtained special reward: [Millelith Soldier's Experience Book (Five Years)] ×1]
[Obtained special reward: [Glamour Charm - Elysia's Staff] ×1]
A series of notification tones exploded in Celeste's brain.
She looked at the boy in front of her, who seemed to have petrified, cracked, and was about to weather into dust, and blinked belatedly.
Did she just... instinctively complete a'social death' strike?
And the effect was outstanding, directly dropping equipment and an experience book?
"Uh... well..."
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something to patch things up.
But the boy had already given her one last look of despair that said 'my youth is over' and turned to run down the stairs with stiff, uncoordinated limbs.
The love letter lay lonely on the ground, like its owner's shattered adolescent heart.
Celeste bent down to pick up the letter.
Her mood was a bit subtle.
On one hand, there was a tiny bit of guilt toward the pure-hearted boy.
Probably... about the size of a fingernail.
On the other hand...
Her gaze fell on the system inventory:
100 points of sparkling joy value.
The phantom of a long spear that looked unadorned yet radiated a heavy sense of power.
An ancient-looking book whose cover seemed saturated with sweat and gunpowder.
And a pink-and-white charm with crystal petals floating on the edges, full of a dreamlike quality.
The mouth of the 'big sister'—which was usually tinged with laziness—uncontrollably and slowly curled into a dangerous yet charming arc.
The door to a new world seemed... to have opened?