After the player left the game world, Herlan Castle visibly became more sinister and dilapidated.
A sudden storm descended, with lightning and thunder filling the sky. The entire castle was engulfed in torrential rain, appearing like a giant, gaping ghostly maw devouring all light and brilliance from the world under the darkened sky.
A paper frog leaped out of the castle.
Large raindrops pelted the ground but were halted by an invisible barrier a mere ten centimeters above the paper frog.
With an illogical leap, the paper frog bounced through the downpour, following the outer wall of the castle all the way to its highest point, then opened its mouth toward the castle.
In the deluge, the entire castle vanished without a trace, leaving only a steep, cliffside peak, cleansed of all dust and ashes by the rain.
×××
[Congratulations to player Gu Jiu for clearing the “Death Movie” instance.]
As soon as Gu Jiu returned to the gray mist space, System Steward No. 387, a small metallic orb, floated out with a cheerful, childlike voice echoing joyfully—a hint of the steward’s current excitement.
Gu Jiu raised an eyebrow and asked, “In such a good mood?”
[Of course, I’m happy!] No. 387 replied gleefully. [Because, Young Miss, you cleared another game world successfully! And your performance this time was exceptional, earning the highest points…]
The better the players performed, the more rewards the system steward could receive from the Multiverse Games.
In essence, for the system steward to upgrade and become an advanced system, it relied heavily on the players it managed. Strong players who excelled at clearing instances and earned high scores allowed the steward to grow as well.
Typically, when players were beginners, the system steward randomly selected them, leaving the player without a choice. However, once players leveled up and grew stronger, reaching the rank of advanced players, they could then choose their system steward.
Some advanced system stewards, unwilling to restart with low-level players after a player they managed died in the game world, would seek out high-level players instead.
If a high-level player was willing, this partnership was mutually beneficial.
An advanced player could even unbind from their original system steward and select a more advantageous, advanced system steward.
After hearing No. 387’s explanation, Gu Jiu asked, “What privileges do advanced system stewards have?”
[They can choose game worlds that favor the player. The Multiverse Games offer a variety of worlds: eerie horror worlds, full-strategy worlds, battle royale worlds, frontier-building worlds… Each game world emphasizes different aspects, and players have strengths and weaknesses in certain worlds. It’s much better if they go to a world that suits them…]
[Typically, players don’t have the right to choose their game world. However, if they reach the S-tier and have the help of an advanced system steward, they can filter worlds to their advantage. This is permitted.]
As the saying goes, “If no one complains, no one interferes.” Even if the Multiverse Games knew, they would pretend not to.
This was considered a benefit for high-level players.
This is also why so many players work tirelessly to climb the ranks and become advanced players.
Realization dawned on Gu Jiu as she continued, “Are D-level and C-level realms primarily horror worlds?”
[Of course… Actually, it’s because D-level and C-level realms are considered low-tier game realms. The game spaces are relatively small, making it easier for horror elements to form… Ah, I can’t say too much; it would be against the system steward’s guidelines.] No. 387 quickly shut up, too nervous to elaborate further.
But for Gu Jiu, it was enough.
The system steward’s words confirmed some of her suspicions. Low-level game worlds were predominantly horror-based because they occupied limited space and followed simpler rules. Even if they connected with the normal world, they could exist entirely outside of it, not disturbing its natural order.
Thus, the realms within the Multiverse Games actually existed in certain parts of the real world, merely isolated from reality by some unknown power.
When players entered the game world to complete missions, they were essentially safeguarding certain aspects of the real world that had started to exhibit problems.
Noticing her thoughtful look, No. 387 panicked slightly, fearing that this young lady would start probing further. It quickly suggested, [Shall I calculate your points for this game instance?]
Gu Jiu nodded in agreement.
[Player Gu Jiu earned 5000 points in the “Death Movie” instance, meeting the requirement to purchase items from the “Death Movie” instance store.]
[Item 1: Peering Doll – Monitors all movements within a kilometer radius; each costs 1500 points.]
[Item 2: Substitute Card – Shields the player from one instance of fatal damage; each costs 2000 points.]
[Item 3: Death’s Painting – Casts a one-time death curse on a target of choice; each costs 2200 points.]
[Item 4: Time Reversal Slip – Allows the player to reverse time by up to one hour; each costs 10,000 points, with a limit of one per person.]
…
Gu Jiu stared in surprise at the shop interface; this game instance had generated four items, each extremely useful.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have enough points.
In the “Seven Sheep” instance, she had earned 1500 points, but between treating Lu Ji to a meal and going to the bar, she’d spent nearly 200 points. She then used 1000 points to buy a Substitute Card for the “Death Movie” instance, leaving her with 300 points.
Adding the 5000 points earned this time, she now had 5300 points.
What Gu Jiu wanted most was the “Time Reversal Slip,” but it was far too expensive at 10,000 points—she simply couldn’t afford it.
Realizing once again how poor she was in the game world, the young lady couldn’t help but ask, “Is there no reward bonus this time?”
Even if it were only 300 points, every bit counted.
[There’s no bonus in the C-level realm. Since no newcomers enter the C-level, players aren’t required to ensure newcomers’ survival, so no extra rewards.]
As expected, Gu Jiu sighed, “It’s clearly a C-level game realm, so why are the items priced higher than the maximum points players can earn? It’s just a tease.”
If it had only required 5000 points, she would have gritted her teeth and bought it.
The Time Reversal Slip was clearly a valuable, highly useful item—what player wouldn’t want to buy it?
[You know it’s valuable, which is why it requires so many points, and it’s also limited.] No. 387 seemed somewhat surprised as well; it hadn’t expected such a precious item to appear in the “Death Movie” instance.
For advanced players, 10,000 points wasn’t too expensive.
In the past, no players had managed to… no, rather, most players had died within the “Death Movie” instance. Even if players had deduced that burning the fifth floor would open the way to the movie projection room, they were often misled by the castle’s resident couple into using the wrong method to destroy the film, which ultimately prevented them from successfully clearing the instance. In the end, they were trapped in the game world forever.
Rumor had it that many players had entered the “Death Movie” game world, but before Gu Jiu’s group, none had survived to clear it, so nobody knew what items might generate in this instance.
No. 387 felt a bit regretful, thinking that if Gu Jiu had more points, she could buy all these useful items.
Other advanced players might have plenty of points, but since Gu Jiu had successfully cleared the instance, even if future players followed the same method to complete it, these rare items would never appear again.
The rarer the item, the more unique it is. Generally, they only generate on the first clear of an instance.
Unwilling to give up, Gu Jiu asked, “If none of us buy it, will it be added to the game store?”
[It will, but the price will increase a hundredfold,] No. 387 replied honestly. [Those high-level elites in the advanced realms don’t lack points, and if they see it, they’ll definitely buy it. Even if they don’t use it themselves, they’ll give it to their subordinates.]
Gu Jiu finally gave up.
At that moment, she felt like someone watching a rare antique she could’ve bought for 10,000, only to see it placed on the market with a hundredfold price increase to a million, and then snapped up by a savvy buyer.
[Young Miss, which item would you like to purchase?] No. 387 inquired.
Gu Jiu’s gaze shifted over the four items before she settled on, “Death’s Painting.” It was the most powerful offensive item, and with no target restriction, it might come in handy someday.
After purchasing “Death’s Painting,” she had 3,100 points left—not much in the grand scheme of things.
If she wanted to buy a house in Boundless City, who knew when she’d ever have enough.
With a mix of regret and a slightly poor feeling, Gu Jiu arrived in Boundless City.
As soon as she entered the city, she noticed two unfamiliar player accounts flashing red in her friend list. These were Wan Xingzhou and Ruan Yuan’s accounts, which they had proactively sent to her, intelligently appearing in her list. As long as she didn’t respond, Wan Xingzhou and Ruan Yuan would never be able to contact her or learn her player ID.
Just as she was about to open it, Lu Ji’s voice interrupted her, “Ah Jiu.”
Looking up, she smiled. “Ah Ji, you came pretty quickly this time. Were you nearby?”
Lu Ji nodded lightly, taking her hand and leading her forward. “We’re going to buy medicine.”
Gu Jiu blinked, then quickly understood and chuckled. “If you hadn’t reminded me, I’d almost forgotten about my hand injury. Honestly, once the pain goes numb, it stops hurting.”
Lu Ji led her across the street to a pharmacy.
The pharmacy looked ordinary from the outside, but upon entering, Gu Jiu quickly realized that its inventory was anything but ordinary—in fact, the medicines were exceptionally advanced. They were products from the game marketplace, unavailable in the real world, with many offering instant effects and even some capable of regenerating limbs.
Even if a player lost an arm or leg in the game world, returning to Boundless City and taking one of these medicines would allow for full limb regeneration.
The effects of these medicines were akin to elixirs from a cultivation world; as long as there was a sliver of life, they could bring a person back from the brink.
[They were actually brought over from the cultivation worlds~] No. 387 explained to Gu Jiu. [The Multiverse Games encompass billions of worlds, with new ones being born every moment. These include cultivation worlds, and there are even top experts from those worlds living in the Star Zone 0. These medicines are their creations…]
Gu Jiu’s eyes glinted with interest. “So, does that mean there are also cures for cancer?”
[Yes, there are, but players can’t bring these items back to the real world to avoid disrupting its technological progress, as that would invoke punishment from world rules,] No. 387 said, worried she might unknowingly break the rules, and added quickly, [However, if you wish to use them for family or friends, that’s allowed—as long as it’s not for profit.]
“Oh.” Gu Jiu nodded, her gaze roaming over the names and prices of the medicines displayed in the store.
Beyond the basic wound ointments, most medicines were exorbitantly priced, with some reaching up to a million points.
Seeing the prices, Gu Jiu once again felt like a pauper in Boundless City.
Lu Ji bought a substantial amount of medicine, and when he went to pay, it cost nearly a thousand points.
“Why are you buying so much?” Gu Jiu asked curiously.
Lu Ji replied, “Better to be prepared.”
Remembering the earlier lesson, he bought a lot of medicine this time, determined never to watch Gu Jiu take another man’s medicine just because he didn’t have any to offer.
Gu Jiu nodded in understanding. Players were bound to get injured in the game worlds, so buying some medicine was definitely convenient.
Following her lead, she also spent two hundred points to buy some wound medicine and stored it in her inventory.
After their purchase, the two headed to a quiet resting area. Lu Ji helped her roll up her sleeve and gently applied a light green ointment to her wound.
A refreshing coolness spread from the wound, alleviating the pain, followed by a slightly tingly itch.
Within minutes, the wound had fully healed.
Despite already being familiar with the miraculous effects of game store medicines, Gu Jiu couldn’t help but marvel once again.
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