Chapter 22
Chapter 22
[Scenario completed. Calculating rewards...]
[Experience points earned: 450 | Game currency earned: 4,500]
[Items/Equipment obtained: Sleeping Tibetan macaque]
[Completed/Accepted quests: 0/0]
[Special hidden quests completed: 0 | Worldview puzzles solved: None]
[Terror Value surge: 0 times | Highest Terror Value: 0% | Average Terror Value: 0%]
[Your fear rating is "Fearless." You may claim an additional reward shortly.]
[Skill points earned: 100]
[Bonus from skill points: +100 experience | +1,000 game currency]
[Scenario clearance reward: Skill card ×1]
[Rewards finalized. Proceed.]
Feng Bu Jue reviewed the reward summary in the login space before hearing, [You have reached level 5. Stamina value cap increased. Current stamina: 500/500.] His experience now stood at 150/500.
Comparing experience gains, the difference between singleplayer survival mode (common) and training mode wasn’t significant. Feng Bu Jue and Wang Tan Zhi had entered a multiplayer training scenario at levels 1 and 2 respectively. Without considering their improbable boss-kill ending, completing that scenario would have earned at most 300 experience points—not the 500 they’d received. Now, as a level 4 player, this singleplayer survival mode scenario had awarded nearly 400 experience points.
This highlighted survival mode’s generous rewards. Unlike training mode’s experience-only payouts, Feng Bu Jue had gained skill points, bonus currency, and clearance rewards, plus the fear rating bonus.
Yet one detail puzzled him. Previously, he’d brought a disposable syringe from training mode, but the "items obtained" section had shown "none." This time, the macaque had been recorded.
He was certain game guides hadn’t mentioned this discrepancy. Official materials were promotional fluff, after all—rarely detailing mechanics.
The mystery gnawed at him. Minor as it seemed, unresolved questions always made him restless. He skipped forum checks—system mechanics there were often speculative—and messaged customer support.
The agent eventually replied: Consumables like medicines, bandages, materials, or parts rated "Common" or lower wouldn’t display in reward summaries. "Trash"-quality equipment followed the same rule.
Feng Bu Jue understood immediately. In team scenarios, players might hoard dozens of useless items during final countdowns—stones, sticks, bricks. Listing all would clutter the system.
Now curious, he tried retrieving the macaque from his satchel. It vanished, replaced by a Tarot-sized card glowing faintly at the edges. The system notified him:
[Players may obtain "story items" after scenarios. These typically relate to side quests or unused plot-critical objects. Upon entering the login space, these items transform into "puzzle cards", integrating into the (unavailable) deck system.]
The card felt rigid despite its paper-like texture. Both sides bore identical ink-wash style art of a monkey. The only inscription:
[Puzzle Card: Monkey]
Feng Bu Jue glanced at Wang Tan Zhi’s "in-game" status before contacting support again.
Let me explain the deck system...
First, equipment quality tiers (officially defined):
Trash: Barely functional junk.
Tattered: Flawed but better than nothing.
Common: Standard gear.
Fine: Reliable equipment with at least one stat or effect.
Flawless: Flawless rare gear with guaranteed effects.
Legendary: Coveted artifacts boosting power significantly.
Fine-tier gear would dominate mid-to-late game. But for players stuck in gear-starved loops—weakness preventing loot acquisition—the deck system offered an alternative. Collecting full card sets guaranteed at least Fine-tier equipment, possibly Flawless.
Sets were infinite and random. For example:
- Monk, White Horse, Pig, Cannibal, Monkey
- Rat, Ox, Tiger... up to Pig and Monkey (forming a zodiac set)
Any recognized set could be exchanged for gear. Even a single card might fit multiple sets. A brought-out grass sandal might become "Foot", "Straw", or "Emperor’s Relative" cards.
This system turned every story item into potential puzzle cards. Late-game players strong enough to brute-force challenges could manipulate scenario completion strategies by hoarding story items.
However, players couldn’t abuse the system by suiciding early. Clearing scenarios was mandatory. Dying forfeited only story items—not equipment. This prevented team failures from single deaths.
Feng Bu Jue stored the monkey card in the login space’s data bank, then headed to claim rewards.
He hadn’t expected high Terror Value—this scenario was tame—but the extra reward draw intrigued him. Clearance rewards guaranteed usable skills, likely Universal Proficiency or Mechanics Proficiency. The fear rating bonus required choosing new equipment. Still weaponless after this run, he needed options.
Exiting the elevator into the metallic chamber, he approached the two hollow glass pillars. At the clearance reward terminal, he selected the random skill. White light coalesced into a skill card.
He plucked it out, calm—until reading the description.
His scream shattered the room’s silence: "Are you kidding me?!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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