Wang Zhi was what many would call "lazy". He was enrolled in a top university, but he idled all his time away away reading webnovels and playing cultivation video games. Though his room was always clean, he didn't cook much, if ever. His cabinets were always filled with instant ramen, microwaveable rice, and shrimp chips (savory food was his vice; he'd never had a sweet tooth). His complexion was pale, and you couldn't say that he looked strong. But it really wasn't his fault; Wang Zhi had always been sick.
Ever since he was a little boy, he'd been prone to fainting fits and losing his sight during migraines. His wealthy parents had brought him to every specialist, but all the doctors would say was "exercise, drink water, eat salt." He exercised and drank water and ate salt, and salt, and more salt, but still he ended up on the floor after a simple walk. Eventually, his parents grew cold and told him to get over it--if the doctors said nothing was wrong, he really must be an ungrateful child, trying to get pity so they wouldn't weigh him down with ambition. So they enrolled him in basketball and tennis and advanced math classes and told him to be a doctor. What could Wang Zhi do? In this type of situation, a child has two choices: rebel and become a delinquent, or keep your head down and do what you're told. Wang Zhi wasn't the type to throw a fit or skip school, so he lowered his head and kept going to basketball practice even when it made him pass out. He graduated high school with top grades, and got into a top medical university. This was how Wang Zhi grew up--his parents had named him "ambition", after all. Of course they would expect everything from him.
Actually, Wang Zhi had found some comfort over the years. He had few friends, but he also had video games. He had brought his PC to college and played in every ounce of his free time. In a game, he could be someone else--unambitious, truly lazy, OP. There was always one game that stood out among all others to him:
Spring Blossoms, Autumn Fruits.
A xianxia game with questionable cultivation worldbuilding, Spring Blossoms, Autumn Fruits had grown globally famous because of its innovative AI technology. Not only did every NPC in the game possess a full being and memory, but the entire game was a solo AI-generated open world landscape. There were no known limits to its expansion; infinite bosses, infinite storylines, infinite NPCs. Sure, the creators had mixed up basic cultivation aspects like even the four beginning stages of cultivation, but the stunning graphics, unexpected plotlines, and atmosphere somewhat made up for it. It got under Wang Zhi's skin sometimes, being an avid reader of xianxia fiction, but he could turn a blind eye.
The one pitfall that nearly everyone agreed on was that there was a strict no-romance filter on the game. No matter how many times you tried to wheedle your way into a marriage with a pretty NPC lady, the AI wouldn't let you. It was said that it was because the company wanted to avoid lawsuits over potential sexual content that might arise--but everyone also suspected it was to generate incel outrage so that angry online posts would be made, giving the game even more screentime on social media.
To be honest, Wang Zhi didn't mind at all about this. He had never been that interested in romance--though he was a decent-looking guy, he'd never been that interested in starting a family. What was all the fuss? So he was content to slash monsters and upgrade his cultivation without seeking out beautiful ladies.
Wang Zhi had created many characters in this game over and over: a renowned sect master, a devious practitioner of demonic cultivation, a magical girl (there had been a DLC. There had been many DLCs). It didn't matter to him who he played as, just that he got to play.
Although, maybe sometimes he went overboard. It was true that he might have a problem--but who could really blame him? Wasn't this AI game designed to addict and grow forever? Wang Zhi sipped on some cola as he slashed through a series of corpses. His eyes were red and dry. He blinked over and over again, but his vision didn't grow clear. Wang Zhi sighed and put his controller down, rubbing his face. He should be studying for a final biology exam, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. His whole body felt too heavy, and his head had been spinning all day. He really shouldn't have played video games and should have probably just gone to sleep, but he'd been itching to play the new update all day. Wang Zhi picked up his phone, and his eyes bulged.
5 AM?
He really had overdone it this time. He had started playing at 7 PM! Where had the time gone? He had a problem, but it wasn't that bad!
Feeling his vertebrae cracking, Wang Zhi stood up and nearly fell right over. His legs were like jelly and stone at the same time. His vision blurred, and he grabbed the cola, chugging down the rest of it and hoping for the best. After a moment, things evened out, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He really needed to eat something.
Unfortunately, he had just run out of instant ramen. He didn't even have instant rice. He was out of instant-everything! Dejected, Wang Zhi zipped up his sweater and prepared to go down the dormitory stairs. As he stood at the top of the stairs, a notification dinged on his phone.
NEW DLC! Spring Blossoms, Autumn Fruits announces surprise DLC! Release date TBD!
Wang Zhi's interest was peaked. A surprise DLC? He clicked on the news link and scanned it. It seemed the topic of the DLC was still a secret...How interesting. Didn't companies usually announce the DLC theme when they'd agreed to announce it? He squinted at the rest of the article as he stepped onto the stairs...
And his sneaker slipped.
Someone had spilled their drink at the top of the stairs!
Wang Zhi was sent flailing. If he had been in a better state, he might have been able to catch the railing, or roll in such a way that his head and vital organs would be protected--but his head was still swimming, and his body still felt stiff and mushy at the same time. When his phone cracked on the ground and he saw the stone stairs flying towards his face, Wang Zhi knew that all he could do was pray, even though he didn't believe in any god.
You can't do this! I haven't seen the topic of the new DLC yet!
Unfortunately, there was no one to hear him. Everything went dark.