Reborn as the Vampire Prince at Server Start, I am Invincible

Chapter 1. The Game

At 4 o'clock in the morning, the city center of Xijiang was still brightly lit.

"Sorry, Little Chen, the main store just sent a notice. From now on, we're not allowed to hire students as summer workers anymore."

In a 24-hour convenience store on the street corner, Chen Zixuan greeted his own unemployment with a calm, expressionless face.

It had already been a week since the summer holiday began, and there were fewer and fewer places willing to hire students.

Just a few days ago, Chen Zixuan had run all over half of Xijiang City to finally find this convenience store that was willing to take on temp workers.

Yet, it had only been a few days and the hard-to-find job was now gone.

"Little Chen?"

The deep baritone sounded again.

Seeing that Chen Zixuan didn't respond, the uncle standing in front of him showed a trace of guilt on his face.

"It's fine, uncle Wang. Since it's the main store's rule, there's nothing to be done. So I'll leave after finishing the night shift, right?"

Chen Zixuan shook his head lightly and replied flatly.

Uncle Wang was the manager of this store. Seeing that Chen Zixuan was still young—only seventeen—he had always taken good care of him.

Even if Chen Zixuan had complaints in his heart, there was no need to blame this good-hearted middle-aged man.

He had enough trouble just supporting his family.

In the adult world, who has it easy? Wasn't everyone just carrying their burdens and moving forward?

"It's getting late, you can finish work now. Jobs aren't easy to find. Here's your pay for this week. I added an extra three hundred for you, consider it compensation from the store," the middle-aged man sighed, took a prepared red envelope from his pocket, and handed it to Chen Zixuan.

After a week with this composed young man, uncle Wang knew about Chen Zixuan's family situation.

The boy's parents had divorced when he was a child, neither willing to take in this burden.

Both had started new families, leaving him in the care of his grandparents in the countryside.

After his grandparents passed away one after another, Chen Zixuan didn't ask his parents for money anymore.

Instead, he supported his studies through odd jobs, scraping by the hard way.

Letting go such a hardworking and sensible employee made Uncle Wang feel deeply guilty.

Chen Zixuan didn't stand on ceremony, reaching out to take the envelope.

He opened it, glanced inside, and raised his eyebrows with a smile: "This extra three hundred must be your private stash, hidden from Auntie, right?"

"Get out of here! Take the money and get going, or it'll be daylight before you're home,"

Uncle Wang scolded, half-laughing as he lightly punched Chen Zixuan on the arm.

"Thank you, uncle Wang. I'll pay the three hundred yuan back to you,"

Chen Zixuan hesitated for a moment, but in the end, couldn't bring himself to refuse the store manager's kindness.

Is three hundred yuan a lot?

To most people, it might just be the cost of a meal with friends, but for Chen Zixuan right now, it was enough to buy groceries for two whole weeks.

"No need to thank me. The college entrance exams are coming up, right? You need to focus on your studies, get into a top university, and you'll make real money in the future. Don't end up like me—this old and still with no prospects, not even able to afford a place of my own."

Uncle Wang smiled, waved, and turned around to go back inside the store, closing the glass door behind him.

Under the pale lights, his figure looked more forlorn than ever.

Chen Zixuan gave a wry smile, gripped the red envelope in his hand, and turned to leave the street, disappearing into the boundless night.

Now there was barely over a thousand yuan on him. Until he found a new job, he'd have to budget carefully over the next month.

The city streets were ablaze with light in the early hours, but not a single pedestrian was in sight.

Only the huge billboard by the roadside was giving off fierce light pollution. Chen Zixuan glanced up.

Hmm, the Legend of Kaloran.

Even though Chen Zixuan never paid attention to this kind of thing normally, he still knew about this game—a testament to just how massive the publisher's marketing campaign was.

For the past few months, Players around the world had been eagerly awaiting this game.

It was said to use the most advanced virtual reality technology available—just one VR headset, and players could enjoy a truly immersive experience.

As a result, it had already gone viral online long before its official release.

Swords and magic, castles and dragons—the sort of world that once existed only in fantasy could now be personally experienced.

Who wouldn't be moved by that?

But a VR headset wasn't cheap. The official sale price was 29,999 yuan! Add in the game itself, and the total could easily exceed fifty thousand!

Tsk.

The kind of happiness only the rich could afford.

With Chen Zixuan's current savings, all he could probably buy was the VR headset's packaging box.

Still, he wasn't envious. Money could be earned with hard work, and it would come eventually.

But, wasn't today at noon the official launch of that game?

Shaking his head slightly, Chen Zixuan quickened his pace and headed towards home.

Of course, calling it "home" was just a formality—it was only a place Chen Zixuan was renting temporarily.

Half an hour later, he returned to his run-down, old apartment complex.

He stomped his feet to activate the voice-controlled lights in the corridor and walked into the low hallway, climbing the narrow stairs step by step.

In the dead of night, his footsteps echoed clearly, alone.

First floor, second floor—when he reached the third floor where his apartment was, Chen Zixuan's steps suddenly stopped.

Under the dim yellow light, a beautiful, slender figure was leaning against the door to the apartment he was renting.

It was a stunningly beautiful girl, wearing only a pure white lacy camisole nightdress.

The soft silk clung closely to her skin, outlining a graceful, enchanting curve.

At the moment, the girl seemed to be dozing off. Dim light spilled onto her slightly bowed face, her long eyelashes trembling gently.

Suddenly, a cool night breeze whistled in from a half-open window, lifting the black strands at her cheeks.

Her delicate lips parted slightly—with what looked like a tiny, sparkling thread of drool about to slip from the corner of her mouth.

Chen Zixuan felt his heart race suddenly, and his breath catch.

The girl had obviously just showered; her waist-length hair was a little damp, and the air still carried the fragrance of shower gel and shampoo, mingling with the rich scent of a young woman's body—almost impossible for any boy to resist, unless he was an old man.

"She... must be waiting for me, right...?"

Chen Zixuan wondered silently.

This girl was not a stranger to Chen Zixuan. Her name was Gu Yanxi, his neighbor and also his classmate—recognized as the school beauty at their school.

Incidentally, this building also belonged to the Gu family, which meant the girl sleepily standing out in the hallway at this hour was in a sense also Chen Zixuan's landlady.

But despite being neighbors, Chen Zixuan and Gu Yanxi weren't close. Their relationship didn't go beyond nodding acquaintances.

At school, if Gu Yanxi was the distant, untouchable 'Ice Queen', then Chen Zixuan was at best just another named extra.

He thought she might be here to collect the rent. Come to think of it, last month's rent payment—she hadn't asked about it yet.

Actually, Chen Zixuan had only managed to rent such a good place because of Gu Yanxi.

In the past two years, Xijiang's rental market had gotten tighter, with many landlords gouging prices.

But perhaps because they were classmates, Gu Yanxi had always kept his rent at the same low rate as years past.

Even during the time when he had no money and was behind on rent by over two months, she hadn't said much. On the contrary, she'd even brought him several bags of rice, which had got him through until payday.

"Other than her temper and her occasional blushing, miss Landlady's actually a good person..."

Remembering past events, the corners of Chen Zixuan's mouth rose in a faint smile.

At that moment, perhaps sensing something, the girl suddenly shivered and woke up.

She raised her head slowly, drowsily rubbing her eyes. Just as she was about to return to her room, she turned her head—and met Chen Zixuan's gaze.

An awkward atmosphere immediately filled the cramped corridor...

"Were you waiting for me?"

After a moment's silence, Chen Zixuan pointed at himself, quietly breaking the tension.

"Mm."

Noticing her inappropriate attire, a touch of redness appeared on the girl's cheeks, and she nodded lightly.

"You have a package."

A package? I don't think I've ordered anything recently...

A hint of confusion arose in Chen Zixuan's heart, but before he could ask, Gu Yanxi had already pressed a hand to her chest, bent down gingerly, retrieved a small carton from behind her, walked two steps forward, and handed it to Chen Zixuan with obvious annoyance.

Looking puzzled, Chen Zixuan accepted the box from the girl.

It was tightly sealed, its contents impossible to guess, and heavy to boot, weighing solidly in his hand.

"Don't overthink it. I just didn't have space at home, so I waited here for you. Next time let me know in advance if you're expecting something valuable. Don't make me worry," the girl said coldly before he could respond. Before he could raise his head, he heard the sound of an iron door closing.

"Wait, about last month's rent..."

Chen Zixuan wanted to say he had just received his wages.

"I didn't bring my phone. Wait until you have the money... no, next time."

After a moment's quiet, the girl's voice faded as she walked away behind the security door.

"Miss Landlady really is a good person,"

Chen Zixuan smiled, took out his key, opened his door, and went in.

With nobody home, there was no need to greet anyone. Chen Zixuan returned to his room, closed the door, and set the box down on his desk.

Now it was time to find out what this mysterious parcel contained.

One minute later, staring at the open box on the table, Chen Zixuan's eyes slowly widened.

He was no stranger to what lay within. In fact, he'd just seen it recently in an official ad for The Legend of Kaloran.

Yes, it was a brand-new VR headset, worth 29,999 yuan—the exclusive toy of the next generation.

(This story takes place in a parallel virtual world. Any resemblance to real persons or events is purely coincidental.)

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
It has a good feel...
I like that uncle Wang is a good person...
Also, talk about dense, emarayt?
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】