Chapter 94: The Diamond Bus! (2)

Chapter 94: The Diamond Bus! (2) A Golden Large Loot Box. Unlike the usual loot boxes made out of wood and metal, this one seemed to be made purely of gold. Just the box itself looked expensive enough to make their jaws drop, so they could only look forward to its contents. "T-Then, I’ll open it..." Since she was the one who caused it to drop, it was only right Yifa opened it. The loot box was large enough that she had to stand on tiptoe just to reach the clasp keeping it shut. With some effort, she released the clasp with a loud clank, allowing the lid to fly backward and open wide. "Woah..." Yifa let out a soft gasp as a new notification popped up. At the same time, the golden loot box vanished, leaving behind three items—each one something Xu Tao had never seen before. "Can you read the notification again?" he quickly asked, holding back his curiosity. With a light nod, Yifa cleared her throat and read the words on the window before her. [Opening Golden Large Loot Box... You received Token of the Diamond Bus (Legendary Summon) x1, Origin Crest (L) x1, Unmarked Memory Cube (Ω) x1.] "Huh..." Xu Tao listened to the notification while inspecting the items. From their names, the translucent blue cube, about the size of a basketball, was clearly the Memory Cube. He tried to pull up a detailed description, but nothing was written on it—no hints at its use or function. The small accessory-like object, shaped like a medal that could be pinned to clothing, was unmistakably the Origin Crest. [ Item Name: Origin Crest Rarity: Legendary (L) Type: Consumable (Stackable) Effect: +1000 to a selected stat ] The explanation was bland—but the effect was beyond expectations. "Plus one thousand stats!" Xu Tao exclaimed in shock. Using this would be like instantly gaining the equivalent of 333 levels! ’If a Legendary is this strong, then...!’ He quickly turned to the last item. A simple strip of paper, resembling a concert ticket. On it was a cartoonish drawing of a bus, alongside bold letters that read, "Diamond Bus Service!" It, too, was marked Legendary. Fighting down his excitement, Xu Tao focused and checked the item’s details. But when he saw its effects, he couldn’t help but think the ranking felt... far too low for how powerful it seemed. [ Item Name: Token of the Diamond Bus Rarity: Legendary (L) Type: Consumable (Summon Tribute) Effect: Summons the Legendary Diamond Bus before the user. Can allow up to 50 passengers at once. 5 minutes after activation, will drive around hunting grounds, gaining experience that is distributed equally to all passengers. Note: Try your hand at the best Bus Experience! Diamond Bus (L) summon has a duration of 6 hours. The Token will be destroyed upon use. ] Even without knowing what the cube did, the other two alone were enough to make anyone drool. However, Xu Tao quickly reined in his greed, looking away as he spoke. "Y-You should pick these up, Yifa. They might get blown away by the wind if you dally." Although he tried to sound indifferent, the desire in his voice was obvious. Yifa, of course, noticed. And since she didn’t quite grasp the items’ value, she took an option that made Xu Tao doubt his ears. "Master Tao, please take the items instead," she said, wearing a sweet smile. "As I am right now, I doubt I can use them properly. Besides, I only dealt the last hit. The kill should still be considered yours." Rather than hoard items she didn’t understand, she figured she’d earn some brownie points with Xu Tao—who clearly did want them. It was a calculated move on her part... though based on a somewhat skewed perspective. If she knew the true value of the items she was giving up, she’d no doubt demand a lot more in return. "Are you... really sure?" Xu Tao asked to confirm. "I mean, I’m thankful, but these items are incredibly valuable. You sure you won’t regret it later?" "Yes, I’m sure~!" Yifa nodded, still smiling. "This place... it’s not just a game, is it? Dying here probably means real death. And you’ve already done so much to help me survive... this much isn’t even enough to repay that favor." "..." Xu Tao wanted to agree with her—but stopped himself. After all... he wasn’t sure. True, this place felt like a game—hell, it practically was one. But when it came to death, he didn’t have a clue. It wasn’t like he could test whether there was a respawn function. After all, if he killed himself and there turned out to be no revival system... he’d just become some clown who died to his own stupidity. He’d rather assume he only had one life—and live like it. "Well, if you insist..." After a brief moment of internal debate, he decided to keep all three items in the end. Of course, he didn’t plan to use them immediately. Especially the Bus Token—since it could carry up to 50 people, he wouldn’t activate it until he had a full party ready. "Alright then, let’s keep going!" He tucked the loot safely into his SSR Storage Ring, then turned to Yifa with a grin. "There’s still dozens of these left! Let’s chop them up and get more loot!" "Yes, Master Tao~!" Yifa responded energetically and followed his lead, continuing to stab the rest of the disabled Death Stingers. "..." However, none of the remaining kills yielded another golden loot box. Just the usual ones dropped. After wiping out the entire batch Xu Tao had captured, Yifa’s level did rise to 180—but the loot afterward wasn’t anything special. "...Guess that one was a fluke," Xu Tao muttered, reasoning aloud. "Or maybe that bonus only triggers when the enemy’s level is five times higher or more...?" Though a little disappointed, they’d still gained far more than they initially expected. Overall, this little side venture had been a net positive. CLAP! Xu Tao clapped his hands. "Alright! After you assign your free stats, we’ll move on." He announced. As for which stat Yifa should add to—Xu Tao chose not to interfere. Yifa, with her limited understanding of games, relied mostly on instinct. And as a cultivator, her first thought was... "I’ll put them all into Cultivation!" ...Exactly what Xu Tao would’ve done. As expected of cultivators—even their instincts are the same. Min-maxing? Stat optimization? Who gives a fuck? Cultivation all the way is the only way!