SWBG - Chapter 5

Volume 2: It's Fruit Harvesting Season Again

The items drawn from the pool automatically materialized around Gu Jing Sheng—in the form of cards.

Picking up the [Forest Clinic’s Special Sale Blood Bottle] card, the moment her fingers touched it, Gu Jing Sheng felt an unusual connection between herself and the card, as if a single thought could transform it from a card into a physical object.

"Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth." Thinking this, Gu Jing Sheng decided to give it a try. The subsequent test results mostly matched her expectations. Aside from the [Lottery Pool Freebie], which, after materializing, immediately merged with the room’s original layout, expanding the single room into a small one-bedroom apartment with a bathroom—and could no longer revert to its 2D form—everything else was a resounding success.

The freebie’s contents included not only the housing upgrade but also a backpack, a pair of hiking shoes, and a simple change of clothes.

The usage count for the [Free Stuff is the Most Expensive] lottery pool had already been exhausted and wouldn’t reset until the next game ended. However, the [Paying Doesn’t Guarantee Power] pool still had two draws left. Without hesitation, Gu Jing Sheng opened the pool and started drawing. Though she wanted to save up for a ten-draw, the ever-decreasing countdown reminded her—while it was fine to hoard resources when personal safety was assured, right now, it was best to improve her strength as quickly as possible.

In the last game, Lin Shen He had survived a round on his own without discovering the carrot. If he had been able to use items back then, he might very well have made it to the end.

[Growing Rabbit Card Slot Bag: Still worried about not being able to bring your cards into the game? Don’t fret—the Rabbit Card Slot Bag solves all these problems!

Dear participant, do you like the patterns on the card slot bag?

Slot count: 10

Special statuses: [Cannot be lost], [Growing]

Item rank: ★★★

Note: The card slot bag is a guaranteed item for all official members upon their first use of the [Paying Doesn’t Guarantee Power] lottery pool. You may not be the luckiest, but you’re not the unluckiest either :).]

The rabbit card slot bag could be worn on the wrist like a watch. Given its [Cannot be lost] property in the special status bar, Gu Jing Sheng figured even if she casually stuffed it into her pocket, it wouldn’t make much difference. The bag’s shell was shaped like a rabbit, its eyes a deep red bordering on black. Both its color and expression bore an uncanny resemblance to the one that had once appeared on the table.

Gu Jing Sheng’s thumb accidentally brushed against the rabbit’s mouth, and she felt a faint sting. When she looked back at the bag, the rabbit’s appearance hadn’t changed, but the deep red in its eyes seemed to swirl, exuding an indescribable mix of malice and delight.

After testing the bag’s functionality, aside from its appearance deserving a one-star review, there was nothing else to complain about. Gu Jing Sheng equipped all her current cards as a precaution—ever since the meteor strike, she’d been filled with a sense of crisis toward this seemingly peaceful world ==.

[Ordinary Board Game Invitation: Congratulations, you’ve received an additional board game invitation.

Since long breaks grow tedious, why not join this sudden surprise right away?

"It’s fruit-harvesting season again, and Old Ivan, overwhelmed and overworked, urgently needs help gathering the orchard’s fruits. Take your letter of recommendation and lend a hand! But be careful—don’t put fruits into the wrong baskets, lest he seize the chance to dock your hard-earned wages."

Item rank: ★★★★

Special status: [Mandatory Enforcement]

Notes: 1. Please enter the game as soon as possible. If the participant does not actively use this item, it will be enforced automatically 15 minutes after drawing. 2. The crows want to steal the fruits from the trees—they really are the most annoying birds, aren’t they? 3. This is a one-time-use item.]

"……"

A four-star item wasn’t a bad draw for a lottery pool with no lower limit, but compared to a forced board game session, Gu Jing Sheng would rather float in the sea of low-star blood bottles and bandages until the game servers shut down.

—She should’ve realized it earlier. After "getting crushed by a meteor," she might now unlock the "death by gacha" achievement TAT.

Time was tight. Gu Jing Sheng jumped off the bed and used the rewards she’d just drawn to switch her outfit from selfie-ready to work-friendly—her casual pants and canvas shoes didn’t need changing, but she took off the trench coat that had once held a carrot of unknown composition and threw on a jacket instead. Gu Jing Sheng swore to her own aesthetic sense that this emerald-green top, which evoked memories of the grasslands, was absolutely not her taste. But the damn system gave her little room for choice—unless someone was willing to go out wrapped in a bedsheet.

[From: Happy Board Game

Welcome, 08321-6, to the game [It’s Fruit-Harvesting Season Again]

Difficulty: Low

Player count: ?

Note: When outside, please follow the game rules.]

After slinging on her backpack and choosing to use the [Ordinary Board Game Invitation], her thick yet high-quality phone immediately received a new text message. The moment Gu Jing Sheng finished reading it, the scene before her eyes instantly turned black.

—It wasn’t just her phone screen, which she could’ve dismissed as "poor quality," but everything in sight. It was as if not only had the tech frozen, but her optic nerves had been severed along the way.

Gu Jing Sheng didn’t speak. She knew exactly what her current situation was—complete darkness was entirely expected. If she’d truly been crushed by a meteor, even her brain waves would’ve gone silent.

[Game environment loading…]

Against the black backdrop, a line of red text appeared.

[0%……32%……82%……]

[An unexpected error occurred while loading the game environment]

"=="

The loading bar, which should’ve smoothly progressed from zero to a hundred, suddenly froze. Staring at the latest red error message, Gu Jing Sheng deeply suspected she was a protagonist blessed (cursed) by a misfortune halo. Otherwise, how could an ordinary life have so many ups and downs—mostly downs?

[Due to special circumstances, the difficulty of the game instance entered by the participant has increased. After verification, 08321-6 is an independent player with no guide present. The system will additionally provide the assist item [Little Fool’s Bee Friend], which can be taken out of the instance upon meeting certain conditions.]

[Game environment loaded successfully]

Like dust on glass being washed away layer by layer, the colors before Gu Jing Sheng’s eyes gradually grew vivid.

She was now sitting inside a carriage, able to clearly feel the jostling of the seat cushions. Aside from herself, there were nine others in the same compartment—two women and seven men.

The scenery outside the window was rapidly receding.

After getting a clear look at her companions, Gu Jing Sheng’s first instinct was to glance at her card slot bag—she remembered there were no empty slots left, so where had the system placed the extra item?

"Bee?"

Before she could figure it out, the twenty-something girl in the carriage spotted the target for her with pinpoint accuracy.

Following the girl’s gaze, Gu Jing Sheng also caught sight of the little insect, famous for its diligent honey-gathering but currently slacking off, now taking a nap on another guy’s hand.

The words "That’s my item" reached her lips, but Gu Jing Sheng silently swallowed them back.

The bee lay quietly for a while until the carriage jolted sharply again, at which point it fluttered its wings and took off.

Then, under Gu Jing Sheng’s slightly worried yet somewhat expectant gaze, it buzzed its way out the window.

"……"

The faint connection between owner and item confirmed to Gu Jing Sheng that this was indeed her prop, but the bee’s behavior made her suspect the item’s name might have its words in the wrong order—this wasn’t a Little Fool’s Bee Friend, but a Friend’s Little Fool Bee TAT!

"Was there a bug on my hand just now?"

The guy who’d served as the bee’s resting area for half the trip finally noticed something amiss and spoke up. He had refined, fair features, wore a black top hat, a matching suit, gloves, and had a gentleman’s cane placed to his right. He introduced himself as He Suo Wen.

To Gu Jing Sheng’s surprise, she noticed his pupils lacked focus.

"You can’t see?"

The girl who’d first pointed out the bee’s whereabouts was the one who spoke.

He Suo Wen smiled and nodded, then added, "A game aftereffect. Temporary."

The girl stared at him for a moment, narrowed her eyes slightly, and after a pause said, "I’m Yao Ruo Ling, from Room 07796."

Gu Jing Sheng silently calculated in her head—from 07796 to 08321, that was a difference of 525 rooms. Just how many players were online simultaneously in the Happy Board Game?

With these two breaking the ice, the others gradually began to chat as well.

Translator's Notes

氪金 (kè jīn)

• Literal meaning: “spend money (on games)”

• Explanation: A slang term derived from "krypton gold" in gaming slang, it refers to spending real money in games, often for advantages or cosmetic items. 

New Arc... New Game... New Rules...

Enjoy Reading~~~