Chapter 264: The First Character Task
Chapter 264: The First Character Task
[Scenario completed, calculating rewards.]
[Gained experience points: 10,000, game currency: 100,000]
[Gained item/equipment: None]
[Completed/Accepted Tasks: 6/6]
[Special/Hidden Task Completed: 1, Unlocked World View: None]
[Terror Value Surge: 0 times, Maximum Terror Value: 0%, Average Terror Value: 0%]
[Your Fear Rating is Fearless. Eligible for an additional reward. Please select later.]
[Gained Skill Points: 450]
[Skill Points Bonus Experience: 4,500, Game Currency: 45,000]
[Scenario Clearance Reward: Puzzle Piece Card *1]
[Hidden Task Reward: Summoning Proficiency Task Chain Unlocked]
[Settlement complete. Proceed.]
"Hmm... that final ending..." Feng Bu Jue was still savoring the scene's closing moments. "It actually had an uplifting vibe, like the start of some grand adventure..." He paused. "But weren't those two protagonists kind of terrible people?"
[You have received a new Character Task.] A strange system prompt suddenly echoed in his ear.
Feng Bu Jue recalled hearing [Your Summoning Proficiency has been unlocked. Login Space has task updates] during the scenario. This must be what it referred to.
As someone who had thoroughly read the game manual and frequently browsed forums for information, Feng Bu Jue naturally understood the "Character Task" system.
In the mid-game phase, players could trigger "Character Tasks" under specific circumstances (not necessarily while inside a scenario). These tasks couldn't be abandoned or shared, and their progress wasn't visible in the task bar—only checkable via the touchscreen in Login Space.
Character Tasks functioned as a form of indirect reward mechanism. They couldn't be failed and had no time limits. For example, Feng Bu Jue's current task read: [Use Summoning Skills to successfully summon creatures 50 times. Current Progress: 0/50]
"Pity I can't use skills in Login Space... Otherwise I could grind this out in a day or two." Feng Bu Jue muttered, eyeing the task.
Readers might wonder—since he'd just unlocked Summoning Proficiency and had no actual summoning skills yet, how could he speak so confidently?
The answer was simple... [Here Comes a Move].
The skill description stated: Players could select any unlocked proficiency and randomly activate an active skill from that proficiency.
Nowhere did it say summoning was excluded.
Plus, Feng Bu Jue had another advantage. Legitimate summoning skill users knew many summons required specific conditions. Beyond stamina, spirit energy, or vitality values, countless skills demanded bizarre materials.
Take this example:
[Name: Summoning]
[Skill Card Attribute: Active Skill, Permanently Mastered]
[Skill Category: Summoning]
[Effect: Summons a strong sailor to fight for you (Cooldown 60 minutes, Duration 10 minutes, maximum 1 sailor present at any time)]
[Consumption: 10% Stamina Value, 20% Spirit Energy Value, 1 Can of Spinach]
[Learning Condition: Summoning Proficiency F]
[Background: This sailor has a bizarre appearance and his own unique philosophy on life. He's stubborn, childish, but has a strong sense of justice, always ready to leap into action. The kind of guy who'll rescue a damsel in distress through the simplest, most brutal methods. The most reliable partner in a fight.]
Two points here deserve emphasis. First, the "maximum number present at any time" concept.
While cooldowns longer than duration might inherently limit summons to one at a time, this was Terrifying Paradise—where countless skills and items existed to reduce cooldowns. With proper combinations, multiple summons could be sustained.
Thus, skills explicitly stated how many summons could coexist. Naturally, if two different players summoned the same creature, both could exist simultaneously.
Secondly, the "1 Can of Spinach" consumption requirement.
This wasn't something players could naturally produce. Without purchasing or searching for it, players would never activate the skill.
This summoning sailor was relatively easy—canned spinach was available in the system store. Many other summoning skills required materials that couldn't be bought at all, forcing players to hunt for them themselves.
Examples included rusty nails, empty mineral water bottles, holey socks, clock hands, used tissues, moldy bread—random, absurd items.
This system's frustrating depth had drawn countless player complaints. Yet, despite the grumbling, many players found themselves addicted—complaining bitterly while joyfully collecting consumption materials.
This could only mean one thing... while clearly designed with malice, the system was undeniably intriguing.
Of course, many summons required no specific consumption items—only the three core values (stamina, spirit energy, vitality).
Feng Bu Jue's [Here Comes a Move] would undoubtedly activate these types of skills, as he lacked any specific consumption items. The skill couldn't possibly activate abilities beyond its capacity.
Unless... he randomly triggered a summon requiring [Consumption of a Fine-Grade Equipment], [Consumption of Vitality Value Supplement (Middle)], or even [Consumption of Game Currency] or [Consumption of Skill Points]...
Well, that would just be his bad luck.
"Sacrificed six Puzzle Piece Cards to unlock Summoning Proficiency, and it even unlocked a task chain. Need to train hard now... From now on, as soon as I enter a scenario, I'll just randomly use a summoning skill whenever conditions allow." Muttering, Feng Bu Jue opened the door to the storage room.
He approached the first glass column and decisively selected the 40% experience bonus reward, instantly gaining 108,000 experience points.
[You have reached Level 28. Stamina Value maximum increased. Current: 2800/2800] the system announced.
"This 40% experience bonus gets more addictive every time I use it." He sighed, heading toward the second glass column.
This time, Feng Bu Jue's Puzzle Piece Card was [Puzzle Piece Card - Leather Jacket]. Following routine, he retrieved the other three cards from storage, selected the "Combination" option in the menu, but still received [Failed to Retrieve Valid Sequence].
After placing all Puzzle Piece Cards back into storage, he returned to the elevator. "Hmm... Dinner was early tonight. Real-world time is only around 7 PM. Too early to switch to sleep mode. With a few hours left..." His gaze drifted between available modes. "Maybe... try the free-for-all mode in Kill Game?"
(End of Chapter)
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