Chapter 83 Intermission 19

[Scenario completed. Calculating for rewards…]

[EXP received: 5,000]

[Game Coins received: 50,000]

[Items received: None]

[Completed/Received Quests: 2/2]

[Special/[Hidden Quest] completed: 0]

[Worldview Unlocked: None]

[Fear Value surged: 0 time]

[Highest Fear Value: 0%]

[Average Fear Value: 0%]

[Your Fear Rating: a whole sack of guts. This first rank grants you a bonus. Please select later.]

[Skill Value received: 317]

[EXP increased by Skill Value: 3,170.

Game Coins increased by Skill Value: 31,700]

[Rewards for completing the scenario: Skill Card x 1 pcs]

[Calculation completed. Please continue.]

Before they were teleported, Feng Bujue didn’t forget to hand back the portable lamp to Like Rain. Thus, it didn’t appear in his calculation.

The benefits he got from this scenario was relatively high. It took only two hours and a half in the game, but the EXP he received was almost the same with the scenario that had the Derivative he had experienced previously.

The difficulty level of the scenarios would increase along with players’ levels. As time went by, they could acc.u.mulate more experience.

However, after each scenario, Feng Bujue’s items became deficient. This could be said that his att.i.tude towards the game had directly led to this situation. To professional players or players who had OCD (Obsessive-compulsive Disorders), searching for items, side quests, and hidden quests were their top priorities. In his recent scenario, if it were another player, he wouldn’t come and rescue his teammate. In case he wasn't the caller, not to mention knowing that his teammate was blocked and about to die, he would seize the time and search the four floors of the second building, and perhaps he could find some items or the side quest.

It wasn’t like Feng Bujue couldn’t think about these. However, there were many things he was not going to consider.

Just like I’ve mentioned before. He had spent money to buy an expensive game cabin while he had to calculate precisely plain noodles broth for each meal every month.

This is quite contradictory. He had the ability to think carefully to make the best reasonable choice at each event, however, he often played the fool or made some impulsive moves.

There are many things that you can’t reason in this world. Here’s a cla.s.sic example: your wife and your mama have fallen into the river, who would you save first? The correct answer is to save the one who doesn’t know how to swim first, then the other. That’s how the two of them can have more chances to survive.

But then it comes with a tough question: What if both of them don’t know how to swim?

I’m going to tell you guys the correct answer: Find someone pa.s.sing by and jump into the river with you to rescue both of them.

If you still have another advanced question: What if there’s only you around?

Then you can answer the lady who has asked you the question like this: We are going to die together for sure.

In short, we are humans, and humans are not machines. Humans can’t always give a ‘precise’ choice, because for us, there are so many things that we can’t say whether they are right or wrong. With numerous choices in life, we determine which path we will go on, and it’s meaningless to regret after you have already chosen your way since such decisions in those short moments are truly the things that determine who you are.

[Player ‘Like Rain’ invites you to enter her Conference Room.]

Soon, the system notification popped up. Feng Bujue chose to accept and went to the elevator door, pressing [Conference Room] b.u.t.ton.

This time, when the door slid open, he entered Like Rain’s conference room.

Actually, all the conference rooms looked identical as currently, the game didn’t offer furniture or anything else to decorate the room. Anyway, it wasn’t clear that the game would or wouldn’t consider this feature later.

Like Rain had taken her seat already. As she saw Feng Bujue walking in, she said, "In the public areas, you can directly team up with me."

"Let me try it." Feng Bujue took his seat on the conference table, looked at his friend and said, "Team up!"

Like Rain burst out laughing. "Use your menu!"

"Argh." Feng Bujue smiled embarra.s.singly before finis.h.i.+ng teaming up with her.

"I need to thank you for the recent scenario," said Like Rain.

"In fact, I think that it was you who dealt with all the fighting. I couldn’t do that," answered Feng Bujue.

Like Rain didn’t want to say those ceremonial words further. If Feng Bujue said so, she should jump to the main business, "I’ve invited you here to discuss something."

"I’m not a professional gamer," said Feng Bujue promptly.

Like Rain said, "I didn’t want to ask you that."

"Wut?" Feng Bujue failed his joke as he couldn’t find a word to snap back, "Ah~~."

"Why did you think that I would ask if you were a professional player?" asked Like Rain.

"Oh because I thought that you might be a professional gamer and you wanted to recruit me to work for your studio," answered Feng Bujue.

"If I were a professional player, I would be over level 20 now." Like Rain was a bit arrogant, but it was objective. "Moreover, I felt that if you were a professional gamer, you wouldn’t be at this level after Close Beta," she paused for a while before continuing, "I just want to ask something. Last time, you said that you are a novelist in reality, is it true?"

"Yeah?" Feng Bujue was dumbfounded since he had never thought that she would ask him about this.

"Yes. Do you want to advise anything?"

"What is your pen name?" Like Rain wanted to hear Feng Bujue say that personally.

"My pen name is ‘Bujue’. What about it?" asked Feng Bujue.

Like Rain suddenly sped up, "What is the most terrible thing between a man and a woman?"

"Get the marriage certificate indignantly…" Feng Bujue felt really odd. Why would his friend suddenly ask him this? But he knew the ‘answer’ anyway.

"What is the favorite advice that the Great Detective White Kaz likes to give to the inmates?"

"Do not bend over to pick up the soap in jail…"

"What is the name of your last year’s unfinished novel?"

"Ouch, ‘Murder the Internet’. But it’s not unfinished."

"What are the last words of the main female character that tells the main character in the ‘Unreturned Time Travelling’?"

Feng Bujue interrupted, "She said, ‘I’ll be waiting for you in the future. You must remember me’," he sighed, "when I was talking with the editor, we decided to delete those words, but you are the first reader who ever asks me this. What else do you want to know?" Now, Feng Bujue knew that his friend wanted to see if he had impersonated ‘Bujue’ the novelist. What she was asking him were related to the details of his novels. Moreover, it wasn’t only one, but it also included his works before he was famous. Of course, something only his loyal fans could know.

"No need, I trust you," said Like Rain.

Feng Bujue smiled. "Hey, Like Rain…"

"What?"

"In fact, with my fame, people would rather impersonate a third-rate actress than act like me," Feng Bujue said, "anyway, you seem to be…" he really wanted to say, ‘my loyal fan’, however, Like Rain had interrupted him before he could finish, "No, I’m not."

"How do you know so many things…"

"I have a good memory."

"But it is…"

"I have a wide reading range."

"Yeah…" Feng Bujue embarra.s.singly smiled. "Okay."

Like Rain still maintained her cold tone as her countenance didn’t change a bit and her reflexes were fast.

As she was trying her best not to admit that she was his fan, Feng Bujue was floundered. He suddenly found that this girl was cute. Feng Bujue was excited knowing his friend in the game was a loyal fan of his. An extremely narcissistic expression appeared on his face.

Like Rain immediately changed the topic, "Hey, I want to ask if you are interested in establis.h.i.+ng a Union?"

"I’ve been busy these days, and I’ve not read the description of Open Beta yet," Feng Bujue answered, "besides the logo on clothes, are there any benefits with the union?"

"Your storage would have a new function of a public storage. In your communication menu, you can find the Union Tab. When teaming up, one member of the union can gain 1% increase in EXP received. A team of six can get a 5% increased in EXP. Moreover, based on the two ranking lists, the system will give all the member of the union two kinds of BUFF [1] that will be updated every week." Like Rain told him some key features. Of course, she wasn’t able to cite exactly what the system read. Regarding the detailed rules, he still needed to read the game’s description.

In short, building a Union could bring them hundreds of benefit without a single disadvantage.

"Yeah, having a union is not a bad idea," mused Feng Bujue.

"If you establish one, don’t forget to add me," Like Rain thought that Feng Bujue had made up his mind.

Feng Bujue contemplated then said, "Honestly, with your competence, why don’t you ask to join some big Unions? I think they would never reject you."

"Big Unions usually have Studios as their background, or they are opened by some rich players who have plenty of free time." In fact, Like Rain’s background also belonged to the group of ‘rich and have plenty of free time’; however, she didn’t mention this sort of stuff. "They recruit players, who don’t belong to their studios, just to expand their capacities. Outsiders basically can’t access the core resources. Players with abilities could only use their abilities to exchange for benefits. Just like they are doing a business affair. The others, if they aren’t the professional gamers, they just want fame and reputation or just to flirt with other female players. Recruiting some excellent players to polish their names, recruiting normal players to be their blue-collar workers, and recruiting beautiful female players, well, I can say they have bad conspiracies then."

While Feng Bujue was listening to her narration, he was amazed. This was the first time he had ever heard a lady using such a cold tone to explain this matter so clearly. Also, this was the first time he knew that there were heroines like her existing in this world, who was cool enough to say the word ‘flirting’.

"In simple words, I just want to play the game with some friends who have the same ideas. A small union is fine," Like Rain finished.

Feng Bujue smiled. "I have never thought about that. You and I are…" he paused because he wanted to say ‘birds of the same a feather’, but he came up with: "Yeah, heroes get together."

"I’m going to get the rewards and then visit the Mall." Like Rain didn’t bother with that as she stood up and said, "If there’s no special situation, I will be in section 10 of the Mall. Perhaps we will be meeting up again there."

Feng Bujue also stood up and said, "I’m going to read the game’s description and arrange my stuff. I will message you then."

They said goodbye, left the conference room one by one, and then returned to their own login s.p.a.ce.

...

The updated description of Open Beta wasn’t added up with many details, at least, not as much as the original description that Feng Bujue had read in Close Beta Version. He had spent more than 10 minutes to read it.

The Union in the game was exactly the same with the ‘Guild’ system in other online games. The conditions to establish one union weren’t too difficult. A level 10 player could submit 100,000 coins to the system and ask three more players to co-sign to form one.

Upon reading this condition, Feng Bujue guessed that the union of those Ice Emperor b.a.s.t.a.r.ds would only have the four of them there.

About the money, Feng Bujue was hesitating a little bit. He had 100,000 coins, but if he used all of them, he had to postpone his plan of buying costumes to enhance his attributes.

Like Rain seemed to take something for granted in this matter. To her, 100,000 coins wasn’t a pressure that she needed to mind. According to the exchange rate, it was not more than 50 RMB, and it was weird that players from Close Beta didn’t have more than 100,000 coins.

Anyway, Feng Bujue didn’t put it in his mind for a long time. He could always play the game without having good costumes. Moreover, he wasn’t in need of money. After the previous scenario, he had more than 80,000 coins. If things would go on his way, the [Kenny’s Parka] that he had put in the Auction House could bring him 140,000 coins more. In conclusion, he just needed to wait for one or two scenarios more to reach level 15, then he could have everything.

Currently, Feng Bujue was still at level 13. His general stats were as follows:

t.i.tle: [Mad Cold-blooded Headshot].

EXP: 8700/13000

Skill Value: 660

Game coins: 242000.

Specialties: Common E, Weapon E, Investigating E, Fighting E, Shooting D, Curing F, Spiritual Technique F and ??? [2]

Bag: 4/10, including Mario’s Pipe Wrench, the Eye of Hatred, M1191A1 Pistol, and the Echo Armor.

Footwear: Dance of the Knight.

Storage: 2/10, including Jigsaw Puzzle Card: Monkey, Casey Jones’ Mask.

Skills: [Perfunctory Maintenance], [Lower Side Kick of a Brat], and [Cerebral Concussion].

Feng Bujue had read about the last Specialty in the game’s description, which was called ‘Summon’. Skills under Summon Category were extremely rare. They didn’t consume Stamina Value, but they needed special items. About what items would be needed, it was random.

For example, if the skill could summon a horse, the remarks of the skill would describe the particular conditions, which was to sacrifice a spoon, a gla.s.s, a water bucket or even a flower petal, etc. Everything is possible. And, the requirement is random. If two players wanted to summon the same object, the sacrifice they needed to offer might be different.

Besides the sacrifice, the summon skills had many restrictions. Perhaps a player could use the summon skill once in a scenario; perhaps the cool-down time was lengthy; or perhaps they could only summon the objects in a very particular situation.

Currently, the discussion about Summon Specialty had just reached the stage of ‘players’ imagination’. It seemed no player had unlocked this Specialty yet. Perhaps this was the content that they could only approach at a later stage.

After he had read the description, Feng Bujue hadn’t received any mail yet, which meant the item he was selling was yet to be sold. He didn’t worry that his item would be returned though. Although the item seemed to be dangerous to normal players, to a professional team, such items with tauntingly unlimited pa.s.sive properties was not a bad choice for the ones who were in charge of luring mobs. If the player were from a Studio who understood the market well, certainly, he would buy it.

Afterwards, Feng Bujue had visited his storage. First, he received the reward from his Fear Rating. Since he wanted to reach level 15 as quick as possible to equip the [Casey Jones’ Mask], he had chosen EXP this time.

With 40% EXP of the current highest EXP required, Feng Bujue got 5,200 EXP. The system soon notified that he had reached level 14, and his Stamina Value had increased up to 1400. Now, his EXP was 900/14000. If he could increase 60% of the current highest EXP required in the next scenario, it would be 8400/14000. Thus, if he received the rewards one more time, he could reach level 15 directly.

Next, Feng Bujue came to another gla.s.s column to receive his reward for completing the scenario, which was a Skill Card that he was able to learn.

What he was expecting the most was a skill of ‘Spiritual Specialty’, and the second was a fighting skill. Honestly, his fighting ability was too deceptively cruel, but it didn’t contain any significant techniques. The only proactive fighting skill he had now was the [Lower Side Kick of a Brat]. Although he still didn’t know who the other two unlucky eggs to receive the last two strikes of this skill, with this only skill added up to his poor street-fighting techniques, which was using the weapon to pound on one’s head, he could never survive a proper fight at higher levels.

"Heaven Spirits and Earth Spirits…" Feng Bujue clapped his hands in front of his chest as if he was praying. He interlaced his fingers and rose his arms over his head, then he started to shake just like he was shaking the bamboo jar for sortilege while he was standing in front of the gla.s.s column. While watching it produce his skill card, he mumbled, "Woody bro, G.o.d of Deceptiveness, you should bless me with a good skill. It’s the best to be the earth-splitting meticulous palm. Once I have it, I need nothing more. If it’s impossible, at least give me the ghostly skill, etc. Breaking skill or tying skill is also okay. Only one number is fine though…"

No one knows whether Woody had heard the prayer from this atheist guy or not. Well, even if he heard that, it would be useless. Demons would never do charity. They only do business.

Feng Bujue acted like he was joking and finished his prayer. He then picked up the skill card and read its properties.

[Name: Body-Spirit Congregation Technique]

[Skill Card’s attributes: Active Skill, permanent control]

[Skill Category: Spiritual Technique]

[Effects: After using it, user’s body competence will generally be enhanced. However, it costs Survival Value. This skill will automatically stop when user’s Survival Value declines to 1%. It needs 30 seconds to be reactivated. When Survival Value is lower than 10%, this skill can’t be used.]

[Consumption: reduce 2% of user’s Survival Value every 2 seconds.]

[Learning Conditions: Spiritual Technique F]

[Remarks: This is the core skill in The Devil’s Subduing Journal of The Devil Ravine’s Seven Scripture series. The Devil Ravine School doesn’t concern emotions or virtues. Among the authentic mysterious schools, it’s considered to be a shortcut of cultivation, more like the evil way to dig for profits. Even the starter exercises could enhance the pract.i.tioner rapidly.]

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[1] Buff: a temporary beneficial status effect in some video games

[2] (his new specialty which was still locked – TL)