https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-79-The-Seven-Campus-Mysteries-Part-One-/13511238/
Chapter 78
Chapter 78
The space before him was narrower than a storage room, barely larger than an elevator. The white ceiling emitted a soft, ambient glow, while the floor beneath his feet was a checkerboard of black and white squares, like a chessboard. Most peculiar were the walls—every surface except the elevator door was covered in warped, funhouse-style mirrors that twisted reflections into grotesque distortions.
Feng Bu Jue’s reflection multiplied across the mirrors, each warped version displaying bizarre variations. Not just their shapes, but expressions and even perceived personalities seemed altered. In one mirror, he looked joyous; in another, furious. Greed, hatred, delusion, and madness flickered across the glass like fragments of a fractured psyche.
"I thought it’d be a big public space, like a mall", Feng Bu Jue muttered, his gaze snapping to the room’s sole object—a massive, one-meter-square gift box in the center, its surface a riot of colors.
"So… if I open it, does a spring-loaded clown jump out to scare me?" He shrugged, walking closer.
A system prompt chimed: [Before the Scare Box, you may open the menu to browse its wares.]
"Tch. Just a display, huh?" With mild disappointment, Feng Bu Jue opened the interface.
The inventory stunned him—over four thousand items, all of Fine quality or higher.
The Closed Beta’s fifty-hour runtime (equivalent to two real-world days) had yielded significant gameplay time: 500 hours for Sleep Mode users, 100 for Non-Sleepers. Across these sessions, every randomly generated scenario had left behind one or two unobtainable items, plus countless undiscovered Fine-grade equipment. All had been adjusted for attributes and now filled the Scare Box.
The Open Beta had launched at 8 a.m., and since then, a countdown had begun for all Closed Beta items. Over six hours had passed, and now each displayed: [Remaining Existence Time: 6 Days 17 Hours 38 Minutes]. New Open Beta items had also been added, their countdowns starting from their scenario’s end time.
Out of curiosity, Feng Bu Jue searched for Blood Wraith Must Die, an old weapon he’d used once. He found it, though its stats had changed.
[Name: Blood Wraith Must Die]
[Type: Weapon]
[Quality: Fine]
[Attack Power: Strong]
[Attribute: None]
[Special Effect]
[Equipment Condition: Martial Arts Proficiency D, Level 18]
[Background: This blade was an early work by the legendary dwarf craftsman All-Get-Dead. A cunning goblin merchant acquired it from All-Get-Dead in exchange for several bottles of "Ergot Distilled Liquor." Half a month later, All-Get-Dead forged "Goblin Must Die."]
For a weapon with strong anti-blood wraith effects, this condition made sense. A Level 10 player with D-grade martial arts proficiency could solo a bloodless corpse, though not easily. With this weapon, however, the fight would be effortless.
Its price—300 skill points—aligned with Feng Bu Jue’s expectations for low-tier gear. He smirked smugly at the thought.
Still, he passed on buying it. Weapons with niche counters were risky. Bloodless corpses appeared in only 10% of scenarios, and reselling on the auction house would likely leave it unsold.
He sorted the menu by time, starting from the oldest listings. Soon, he was hooked. The Scare Box’s offerings outclassed the auction house—every item here was priced fairly, and he feared missing a gem.
The deeper he browsed, the more exhilarated he became. Legendary-grade items were absent, but a few Flawless-quality pieces glinted in the list. Their prices—thousands of skill points—were prohibitive, but he gawked anyway. These were treasures glimpsed only in scenario cutscenes or wielded by bosses, items like Blood Wraith Must Die that players used once before completing a mission. All eventually ended up here, in this "recycling bin", awaiting deletion.
Even the Xuan Yuan Sword or Asinus Blade might appear here. With enough skill points, players could buy them—though equipping them was another matter. Skill points were irreplaceable, earned only through combat skill or cunning in scenarios. Those hoarding thousands likely had the strength to wield such treasures.
Feng Bu Jue lingered for a full hour, abandoning any thought of reselling items for profit. "Who thought letting players exchange skill points for currency was a good idea?" he grumbled. The system’s 1:10 exchange rate was a scam—1,000 points netted only 10,000 game coins, worth about five yuan. Could 1,000 points even be bought with money? Even high-level players with surplus points would never trade them for coins. They’d rather auction gear.
He wasn’t alone in the complaint. Forums buzzed with criticism that morning, though the system ignored it. Players weren’t forced to trade, after all.
Dream Corporation stayed silent until the second Monday in May, after a month of fluctuating exchange rates. By then, the player base had stabilized: the elite upper echelons, the vast middle ranks, and the newbie-filled ground floor. Only then did the corporation adjust the exchange rate.
By then, Terrifying Paradise’s economy had found its rhythm.
The upper-tier player population had mostly reached level thirty, with clearly defined proficiency specializations. Their equipment and skill combinations were already at an advanced level. These players had developed their own unique strategies for mastering the game, each bearing titles befitting their strength. With their experience and capabilities, any of them could easily lead a mid-tier player group. Even if such a player remained silent in a team setting, simply fulfilling their role effectively could still turn the tide of battle.
Mid-tier players formed the mainstream gaming population, ranging from blue-collar class players to stable casual players. Some among them showed potential to challenge the upper tiers, but their understanding of the game mechanics lagged significantly behind the elites, which affected their character strength and scenario completion rates. These were the "players" in the general sense—sometimes capable of stunning achievements, sometimes making mistakes and exchanging complaints with teammates. Most considered themselves skilled, yet struggled to understand the gap between themselves and the top-tier players. Over time, common players developed a mindset: the strongest players succeeded simply because they were wealthier or had more playtime.
This belief held some truth, but only partially.
Feng Bu Jue had once analyzed what conditions were required to become a top-tier player in a technically demanding game, eventually listing seven key factors:
Knowledge, strategy, luck, fighting spirit, willpower, courage, and talent.
While some of these involved innate qualities and uncontrollable factors, this was simply reality. Games and sports shared many similarities—only those who combined effort with talent could become legends.
Finally, the lowest-tier players could be summarized in three categories: 1) recent newcomers; 2) unstable casual players; and 3) those with combat ratings of only five. This was the bottom rung, where strength was self-evident. The first two groups might eventually progress, but the third category was particularly unfortunate... Everyone had strengths and weaknesses, and this principle naturally applied to gaming as well.
One month later, the landscape of Terrifying Paradise had settled into this structure. This background was necessary to explain two upcoming events.
First, at the end of May, a tournament would be held in-game. With the player population so large, even qualifying required meeting specific criteria. The lowest-tier players would have no chance of participating.
Secondly, readers might naturally assume Feng Bu Jue belonged to the upper-tier group. However... this assumption was incorrect.
He belonged to a fourth category of players—so few in number they couldn't even be called a "group." In a game with millions of registered users, only dozens of such players existed. Their levels weren't necessarily top-tier, but they consistently appeared on the power rankings.
In the upcoming tournament, Dream Corporation went so far as to cancel their preliminary round qualification entirely, directly placing them into the finals bracket with automatic byes in the early rounds. While many disgruntled players called this favoritism or unfair competition, Dream Corporation was actually protecting the general player base... letting ordinary players face these individuals in early rounds would have been the real unfairness.
...
Returning to the story, Feng Bu Jue spent over an hour browsing equipment, finally satisfied after his shopping spree.
In the Scare Box menu, each page displayed one hundred items, showing only name, type, and price. Clicking an item revealed its full details.
Naturally, Feng Bu Jue didn't open every single item. He only examined those that interested him, skimming others rapidly—some pages passed in ten seconds. Despite this, the process still took so long because the available equipment was genuinely fascinating.
After finishing his review, he exhaled deeply, closed his eyes to organize his thoughts, then used the search function to locate a specific item he'd remembered:
[Name: Casey Jones Mask]
[Type: Armor]
[Quality: Fine]
[Defense: Medium]
[Attribute: None]
[Special Effect: When equipped, the player's martial arts proficiency is treated as one level higher (capped at C-rank)]
[Equipment Condition: Male players, Level 15, Soulbound upon equipping]
[Background: The mask's original owner spent his days with four mutant turtles who loved pizza and lived in sewers. As a normal human without superpowers, he remained passionate about fighting street crime, making this mask his symbol.]
Priced at 500 skill points, the mask's value lay in its low equipment requirements and universally applicable special effect. Before level twenty, players could rarely reach C-rank in martial arts proficiency. This mask could help break that barrier, making it an excellent transitional item for levels 15–20. Even after level twenty, it remained useful until the player's actual martial arts proficiency reached C-rank.
Feng Bu Jue's current proficiencies were: Universal E, Mechanics E, Scouting E, Martial Arts E, Shooting D, Medicine F. Additionally, after the open beta launch, the proficiency interface had changed—the original font had slightly shrunk, with new shadowed sections indicating two newly added, currently locked proficiencies.
Acquiring this high-value item offered significant benefits, so he purchased it without hesitation. Though currently level 13, reaching level 15 posed no difficulty. Theoretically, completing four scenarios would suffice.
After securing the mask, Feng Bu Jue stored it in his storage room. He then returned to the mall, listing the [Kenny's Hoodie] at 110,000 with a buyout price of 140,000. Paying 4,000 game currency as listing fee—a system-determined amount varying by item. The pricing reflected the item's non-quantifiable attributes, essentially indicating the system's valuation.
If no bids occurred within 24 real-world hours, the item would be delisted and returned via in-game mail. If sold, the system would transfer the funds.
After completing these tasks, Feng Bu Jue returned to the login space at 3 PM real-world time. With half a day and an entire night ahead, he set an ultra-short-term goal: reaching level 15 and upgrading his Mechanics proficiency to D-rank by morning. This would allow equipping both the Casey Jones Mask and [Echo Armor], finally enabling him to experience the "Kill Game Mode"...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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