"Let's rest for now. This is a critical moment, and we can't let our guard down. We'll take turns on watch — each person takes four hours. From 0 to 4 AM, no one is allowed to go out to level up. The rest of the time, we can adjust based on the situation."
After saying that, Vale pointed at Victoria and Lora. "Ladies first. You two go and rest. I'll wake up Victoria at 4 AM."
Lora quickly shook her head. "Mr. Vale, you don't have to do this. I don't need your pity. I can work just like a man."
At that moment, Victoria saw the look in Vale's eyes and immediately took Lora's hand. "Come on, Lora, let's rest. You need to recover."
As Victoria and Lora entered the bedroom, Vale's warm smile gradually faded, replaced by a cold and serious expression.
"Midnight is the time for the admin panel check-in. It's the best time to improve myself, and also the safest time of the day. I don't want my secret to be discovered by the enemy. If that happens, my situation would be extremely dangerous — even life-threatening."
With that, Vale sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state.
Susan's cold voice echoed again in Vale's mind:
"System detected: Server has entered the second day's midnight. Would you like to perform the new check-in?"
"YES." Vale responded without hesitation.
[Congratulations! You have received 17 points (since your level is 7, you have been granted an additional 7 points matching your level.)]
Vale's eyes lit up. He immediately called up the game administrator panel. A massive screen now appeared in his vision:
<<**System Administrator Panel**>>
|[Talent Adjustment - Activated]|
|[Experience Multiplier Adjustment - Not Activated (Activated at 10th level)]|
|[Lock HP Bar: Not Activated (Activated at 20th level)]|
|[Game Drop Rate Adjustment - Not Activated (Activated at 30th level)]|
|[One-Hit Kill - Not Activated (Activated at 40th level)]|
|[Revive a Specific Game ID - Not Activated (Activated at 50th level)]|
|[Many more features are waiting for you to unlock after reaching level 50]
<<**Game Version V1.0.0**>>
Vale's expression turned serious. He quickly scanned through the options. The Talent Adjustment was already activated, which meant he could now reforge his abilities at will — a massive advantage.
He took a deep breath. This was just the beginning.
"Whoa, there's so much more! I mean, locking the HP bar and one-hit kill? And a function to revive a specific game ID? Does that mean I can bring back any player who dies?!" Vale was extremely excited, his heart pounding, pacing back and forth.
"This is amazing! This is a huge breakthrough! The admin panel features are all level-dependent, and I'm the best at leveling up — it's like a custom-made cheat for me! Now, there's no need to worry about anything else. "
"All my focus has to be on leveling up. Once I reach level 20, I'll have the ability to protect myself. At 40, I can one-shot everything — no more hiding in the shadows or playing the backstabber anymore!"
Vale immediately used the Talent Adjustment feature in the admin panel. A flash of thought passed through his mind, and Susan's cold voice echoed again:
"Detection: You are about to use the Talent Adjustment feature. Since you have reached level 7, you are granted an additional 7 hours of trial time. The total time you can use your modified talents is now 9 hours."
When Vale heard the word "cumulative", his eyes widened. He immediately caught on to the deeper meaning behind it.
"You mean... I can revert my talents back to their original state at any time, and then switch them back again — as long as the total time I've used the modified talents doesn't exceed 9 hours?"
Susan nodded.
"Yes, you've understood it perfectly."
"Great! This is really good news! That way, I can pretend to be a normal curse-type talent, and with a name-changing card, I can easily blend in and stay unnoticed!" Vale exclaimed excitedly.
Susan's voice echoed again, calm and precise:
"You don't need to use a name-changing card to disguise yourself. All you need to do is upgrade your Stealth Cloak to 3-star quality, which will unlock a new ability: Disguise. At level 1, this ability can last for 2 hours, during which you can impersonate anyone — even a completely new player."
Vale's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Disguise... that's perfect. No more being recognized as the 'unknown player' — I can now move freely, gather information, and stay under the radar. This is a game-changer."
He quickly focused, mentally preparing to upgrade his cloak. The battle for survival had just become much more flexible — and much more dangerous for his enemies.
"Three stars? I remember that upgrading equipment to this level requires defeating bosses in each level range. The [Wolf King] has already been defeated, and Lobin should have a [Sacred Beast Core]. Once my strength is sufficient, "
"I can go back and retrieve it. But for now, the only materials I can possibly obtain again — based on difficulty and level — are the [Lava Titan] at 20 levels and the [Shadow Queen] at 30 levels."
Vale's face twisted in frustration.
"Defeating bosses is extremely demanding. In a one-on-one fight, a single mistake could mean instant death — especially with the current rule that death is real. "
"Killing a boss should be a fully prepared operation. Even with my SSS-tier talent, that doesn't mean I can just go in blind. The higher the boss's level, the more secrets and tricks they have."
As Vale was deep in thought, a strange, childish voice echoed in his mind.
"Yup, yup. Every boss has a secret — even me, Alice."
Vale's entire body froze. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"...Alice?"
The voice giggled, soft and mocking.
"Still don't recognize me? How cute."
A chill ran down Vale's spine. His mind raced. This wasn't just a random system message. This was *her*. The one who had nearly killed him. The one who had left him with a wound that still burned in the dark.
And now, she was speaking to him — in his mind.
"Whoa, just a few hours apart, and you've already forgotten me? Your savior!" At that moment, a flash of light burst from Vale's backpack, and a little girl in a red cloak, her face as perfect as a Barbie doll, appeared before him.
"You're still alive!" Vale's pupils contracted. His hand instinctively reached for his Bone Corrosion ability. But Alice just waved her hand lazily.
"Human beings are so foolish. How could I, the ultimate boss of the late game, be so easily defeated by you? Not even Bone Corrosion could kill me."
Vale's heart pounded. He had seen her power up close — the way she had nearly crushed him with her Decay Bone and left him in a state of near-death. But now, she was standing in front of him, alive, and more importantly, unharmed.
"You're... not dead?" Vale's voice was low, almost a whisper.
Alice tilted her head, smiling with an eerie sweetness. "Of course not. I'm the Alice — the one who's going to make your life a living hell. You think you're the only one with secrets?"
Her eyes shimmered with a cold, mocking light.
"You're not the only one who can play the game."
Relax, little one. I won't eat you. I came here for a partnership. From now on, I'll be your summoned guardian — but there's a condition. You must unleash the entire Chaos World."
Alice's eyes sparkled with a hidden, cunning glint.
Vale forced himself to stay calm, but his heart was racing. "Why should I trust you? And why would you, someone so powerful, want to become my summoned guardian? Do you even know what that means?"
Alice nodded slowly, her smile widening. "Of course I do. A summoned guardian is bound by a contract — they must be completely loyal, unswerving in their devotion, and obey every command, even to the point of suicide. They must call you master, and serve you without question."
Vale's pupils shrunk. The girl before him, who looked so innocent and delicate, was actually a monster in disguise. Her words were honeyed, but their meaning was terrifying.
Was she lying? Was she trying to manipulate him?
But before he could think further, Alice cut in, her voice now cold and sharp.
"Let me tell you something — I have patience, but not much. I'll give you three seconds to decide. Three seconds. After that, I'll kill you right here. You can try your Bone Corrosion again — see if your casting speed is faster than my Crimson Sacrifice Blade."
Her eyes locked onto his, and in that moment, Vale knew — she wasn't bluffing.
And he had no time to think.
One.
Two.
Three.
The silence that followed was heavier than anything he had ever faced.
Vale knew that a sneak attack on Alice was completely useless — she had already proven that she could survive even his most powerful moves.
But he still didn't know the exact mechanics behind her revival. Was it a skill? A hidden system? Or something else entirely?