Chapter 9 - 9 7 The Right Way to Play Hardcore Games

9: Chapter 7 The Right Way to Play Hardcore Games 9: Chapter 7 The Right Way to Play Hardcore Games Early morning— Xiao Jie sat in front of the computer, staring at the game icon on the screen, momentarily lost in thought. The bright sunlight streamed in from outside the window, casting a warm hue that made the living room, which doubled as a studio, appear especially cozy. It was as if everything that had happened yesterday was just a nightmare, but the empty look of Han Luo’s room next door told Xiao Jie that it was all real. The image of Han Luo’s tragic death flashed before his eyes from time to time. When Wuji Studio dissolved, everyone had left, except for Han Luo, who had stayed. He was his staunchest brother and best friend, who had stuck with him unwaveringly. Now, he had been killed—Xiao Jie could not let this go just like that. Not to mention, it was clear the other party also wanted to kill him. “Liu Qiang! You fucking wait! I’ll definitely kill you!” Xiao Jie muttered to himself. It might be hard to commit revenge murder in real life, but in the game, he had never been afraid of anyone! He took a deep breath. It was time to start the game. His gaze lingered on the game’s icon for a moment, and Xiao Jie’s expression gradually became resolute as he clicked with force. Upon entering the game, familiar music sounded, and once again, that gloomy yet peaceful little village appeared before Xiao Jie. Looking at the lifelike ancient village before him, Xiao Jie had initially marveled at the realism of the game’s graphics. Now, everything seemed to carry an extra touch of mystery and eeriness. What was really behind this game? How could it interfere with reality, even causing death? What truth was hidden behind it all? He could not help but think this in his heart. But Xiao Jie was well aware that this was not something he could figure out at the moment. The immediate priority was to gain power from the game. Level up, gather equipment, learn skills. He looked around the desolate village, his gaze filled with a gravity and solemnity. He did not rush into action, but silently pondered. How should one play a game where you only have one life? Xiao Jie was no stranger to such hardcore gaming modes; he had played similar games in the past—expert mode, hardcore mode, honor mode—all essentially gave no chance for players to restart. Once the game character died, the game was over. But upon closer consideration, Xiao Jie realized that these past games bore no comparison to the one in front of him. Even with the severest of death penalties, one could simply start over with a new account; while losing an account was severe, it was nothing compared to a real person’s death. The game before him was truly a ‘single-life’ mode. Once dead, it wasn’t just the game character that died, but the player as well. There was absolutely no room for wishful thinking. As the saying goes, know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. First and foremost, Xiao Jie checked the attributes of his character. [Hidden Moon Following Wind (Level 1) Experience Points: 30/300. (This should be the experience given by the mountain bandit I killed yesterday.) Money: 26 wen. Profession: Returnee. (A returnee from beyond the stars, who once wandered beyond Old Soil, now heeds the call of an ancient covenant and flocks back to his old homeland.) Life Value: 90. Physical Strength: 400. Equipment Carry Weight Limit: 80 jin. Basic Attributes— Constitution: 9. Increases maximum Life Value, increases Life Value recovery rate, and increases basic resilience value. Endurance: 8. Increases maximum Physical Strength, improves Physical Strength recovery rate, and increases carrying capacity. Strength: 8. Increases physical damage and the maximum weight of weapons you can use. Agility: 12. Increases movement speed, attack speed, and the speed and distance of rolling and jumping. Advanced Attributes— Spirit: 12. Increases Mana maximum, improves Mana recovery rate, and strengthens your resistance against charm, fear, hypnosis, and other mental attacks. Spirituality: 10. Improves your absorption efficiency of nature’s spiritual energy and Sun and Moon Essence, and enhances your ability to learn and use Immortal Laws and Demon Arts. Perception: 9. Increases your alert range, sensing distance for Monsters, and your sensing ability for invisible entities; a higher Perception may attract the attention of ghosts and deities. Faith: 7. Enhances your ability to absorb the power of offerings and your ability to learn and use Divine Skills. Special Attributes— Comprehension: 13. (This attribute cannot be increased with attribute points) Enables you to learn higher knowledge and skills, giving you a higher chance of achieving Satori. Luck: 12. (This attribute cannot be enhanced by attribute points.) It determines your loot drop rate as well as the probability of encountering fortunate/unfortunate events. Skill: Hawk Roll (movement technique). —————— Xiao Jie looked at his attribute panel. He hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but now he noticed something odd: his attributes were a mix of whole and fractional numbers, not a set of fixed values. Clearly, this data wasn’t random and was likely a reflection of him. Xiao Jie guessed that the average attributes for an ordinary person would be around 10 points. In contrast, his own attributes were decent but not impressive. The notable ones were Agility 12, Spirit 12, Comprehension 13, and Luck 12, while the rest were rather mundane, especially Faith at a mere 7 points. After pondering for a moment, he quickly summarized the first rule of the game: to survive cautiously. Never take any unnecessary risks, only venture when fully prepared, engage in battles only when there is full assurance. The game’s difficulty was outrageous, even the little monsters at the village entrance were so strong that venturing out recklessly was suicidal. He needed to develop defensively, enhancing all that he could, acquiring a set of beginner equipment, learning all the skills and completing all the tasks available in the village first. Once he had a solid foundation, then he could think of adventuring out. Moreover, if there were tasks like delivering messages or collecting items that could increase his experience and level up without fighting, that would be even better. Leveling up in the village and acquiring reasonably good equipment would make things safer. Deciding to act immediately, Xiao Jie started exploring the village. Although the village was small, it was well-equipped like a sparrow, which is small but has all its vital organs. It was protected by wooden walls with guard towers manned by militia, giving a slight sense of safety. At least inside the village, there should be no threat from monsters. The village had a blacksmith shop, a woodworking workshop, a grocery store where goods were hawked, a food shop, and a cabin with animal furs hung on a rack outside, likely belonging to a Hunter. Having walked around, Xiao Jie already had a plan in mind. The first thing he wanted to do was to check what equipment was available at the blacksmith shop. The owner of the blacksmith shop was a muscular man with a big beard, hammering a sword blank on an anvil. A chubby black man was smelting iron ingots nearby. Xiao Jie walked straight to the blacksmith. “Excuse me, I’m looking for a suitable weapon to venture out and fight monsters. Do you have any recommendations?” he asked. The big-bearded man put down his hammer and said in a coarse voice, “Hey, you’ve come to the right place. The weapons I sell are the best you’ll find for miles around. What type of weapon do you excel at, young man?” Although it wasn’t the first time Xiao Jie had spoken with an NPC through a screen, the feeling was still quite marvelous. “I haven’t really fought before, so I’m not particularly skilled with any type of weapons.” “I see, then feel free to browse,” the blacksmith replied. A trade window popped up in front of him displaying a range of visually appealing swords, armor, and other equipment along with their prices. Iron Sword: 200 wen. Iron Inlaid Shield: 150 wen. Fine Iron Spear: 240 wen. Willow Leaf Blade: 180 wen. Ghost Head Big Sword: 300 wen. Hunting Bow: 260 wen. Snake Spine Longbow: 680 wen. Leather Armor: 300 wen. Iron Inlaid Armor: 450 wen. Iron Leaf Armor: 800 wen. Iron Helmet: 600 wen. Fine Steel Long Sword (Excellent): 1,000 wen… The equipment was quite comprehensive. Not only were there swords, spears, bows, and arrows, but various types of armor were also for sale. Xiao Jie calculated that he needed at least 1,000 wen to get a decent set of equipment and some blood medicine for supplies. If he wanted a top-tier set of beginner equipment, he would need at least 3,400 wen. It seemed a long and daunting task lay ahead; he needed to find a way to make money first. As for how to earn money, Xiao Jie already had an idea and decided to inquire with the old village chief again.