DADH Chapter 44

[Player: Huo Yi LV43]

[Class: None]

[Total Attack Power: 10,000,000]

[Magic Points: 1,000,000]

[Strength Points: 9,000,000]

…

Jing Nian hesitated for three seconds before accepting Huo Yi’s friend request. Then, unable to resist, he clicked on Huo Yi’s attributes, only to be blinded by a string of zeros.

Ten million attack power!!!

Not to mention that Jing Nian himself was not even at level 20 yet, but with the innate advantages derived from the Dragon Cub’s bloodline, his initial values were already much higher than those of ordinary players.

He hadn’t encountered a normal level 30 player yet, so he had no basis for comparison.

However, as Jing Nian quickly recalled, the comical status panel of the future desert boss didn’t seem to have a total attack power of even one million, right!?

And now, this guy named Huo Yi was only level 43 and had an attack power of ten million!?

This was too exaggerated!

As Jing Nian was thinking, he opened Huo Yi’s equipment screen, expecting to be surprised again.

However…

The surprise did come, but it was in a completely different direction from what Jing Nian had anticipated.

[Clothing: Plain Black Attire. Level: None. Effect: Makes you look ordinary.]

[Pants: Plain Black Trousers. Level: None. Effect: Makes you look ordinary.]

[Accessory 1: Black Mask. Level: None. Effect: Obscures your face, a must-have for assassins and rogues.]

[Weapon: Ordinary Iron Sword. Craziness Level: 10. Effect: None.]

[Accessories 2, 3, 4: None]

Jing Nian couldn’t believe his eyes as he shifted his gaze from the panel to Huo Yi’s face.

Originally, he had thought that Huo Yi’s exaggerated combat power was due to equipment bonuses. However, what did he see?

Huo Yi was wearing plain and ordinary clothes, not even considered equipment. The only item with an effect was a ridiculous mask, and even his weapon was just a level 10 iron sword.

So how did he manage to have such high combat power?

Most holographic online games had two types of initial player attributes: either matched to the player’s physical condition or randomized. Some games even allowed players to reroll for higher attributes by spending in-game currency. But Huo Yi’s level 43 stats far exceeded what should be possible at this stage.

Jing Nian looked at Huo Yi with even greater suspicion.

Sensing Jing Nian’s doubt, Huo Yi openly admitted, “Your suspicion is correct. This is my secret, so I won’t reveal yours.”

Jing Nian, taken off guard by the sudden confession, felt his mind go blank. He sensed that he was about to blurt out something he shouldn’t, and he panicked.

“What are you saying? I—I don’t have any secrets…”

After these stammered words, Jing Nian only wanted to cover his face and run away. His stuttering and guilty tone made it sound like he was confessing to something he shouldn’t have.

Seeing that the small figure was trying to explain rather than react aggressively or flee, Huo Yi smiled knowingly. He picked up Jing Nian, placed him in his arms, and walked out of the market.

It was only when they were outside that Huo Yi gently removed his mask.

At first, Jing Nian didn’t understand the significance of Huo Yi’s actions. However, when he finally saw the eyes that seemed oddly familiar and the nose and lips beneath them…

That’s when he recognized that familiar face.

Jing Nian stood stunned for a long while before he finally remembered why this face seemed so familiar!

Wasn’t this the mustachioed version of Uncle Pipilu, but without the stubble?!

Overwhelmed by surprise, Jing Nian took a subconscious step back and looked at Huo Yi with fear. “Who are you!?”

He couldn’t help but think that if he could enter the game, what if this person had somehow crossed from the game into reality?

Wait a minute!

Jing Nian’s mind was a bit muddled. While he wanted to save the NPCs in the holographic game, it didn’t mean he harbored ill intentions toward people in the real world.

Thinking about the jokes his teammates made about Uncle Pipilu having a grudge against players, Jing Nian suddenly felt a sense of dread.

From the perspective of the world, players and NPCs were naturally in adversarial positions. So, if this Uncle Pipilu had crossed into reality, would he still retain his combat power?

The small figure was frantically spinning around and casting even more vigilant glances, which made Huo Yi realize that the little guy might be having some misconceptions.

He also understood that the situation was developing differently from what he had imagined.

Originally, he thought that by revealing the fact that he was also an NPC, he could gain the trust of the other person and persuade them to agree to his proposal of forming a team. After all, they were different from regular players.

However, after learning about his other identity, the little guy seemed even more guarded, and the look in his eyes wasn’t just surprise but also fear.

Huo Yi furrowed his brow.

Outside the desolate and empty market, a tall figure and a short one, a big one and a small one, both frowned at each other, looking troubled.

Huo Yi was momentarily at a loss: What should we do?

Jing Nian was in a panic: What should we do?

—

The Dragon Slayer Studio had started another round of entertainment.

“Laughing so hard! The rich fool from last time actually gave that purple equipment to the warrior!!! Now the questline has completely changed!”

The data team played a video clip from the game, showing a scene by the stream in Little Fishing Village.

“When the warrior in purple knee guards passed by the river, he accidentally slipped into the water and stepped on something, then there was a ‘bang,’ and a splash of water exploded. After that, the warrior crawled out of the river in a hurry, patting his knee guards in gratitude and muttering to himself, ‘Thanks to my great master! I was so scared. I thought I was going to be eaten by something strange. Ever since I was eaten last time, I’ve been a little afraid of river water… Wait, what am I saying?'”

As the warrior’s face displayed a hint of confusion, he quickly disappeared, his expression returning to normal. He wrung the water out of his clothes and found a place to wait.

“Bang!”

The person in charge of the video playback pressed pause and stopped at the moment when the ‘bang’ happened in the water. Then, he began to speak.

“Starting from this point, this questline has encountered another problem… The ‘bang’ in the water that exploded was originally supposed to trap the warrior’s leg, but now, the warrior can save himself without any player’s intervention.”

The employees watching below recognized the pair of purple knee guards from the previous post and couldn’t help but feel a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Although the game had been running smoothly recently, they were getting a bit bored, almost wishing for another NPC mutation event to have some fun.

But… it was the same old river, the same old clamshell, and…

They were tired.

Seeing everyone’s expressions, the person in charge of the video playback was also at a loss. He continued to play the video while saying, “Here, I have to give a shoutout to the “World Rules” System. It’s probably the first time your “World Rules” System has come into play.”

In the video:

[The warrior, who had been sitting by the river waiting, finally saw the player who was supposed to come and rescue him. When the player realized that the warrior he was supposed to save didn’t need saving at all, he was bewildered, wondering where his quest had gone. The warrior, upon seeing the player, was even more excited than the player who came to complete the quest. He took a big step towards the player and suddenly asked, “Do you have pufferfish?]

The player who already knew that the pufferfish was the next quest item subconsciously nodded.

The warrior’s eyes lit up. He turned around and took out something, looked at it, and then looked at the player with even more excitement, taking out a silver coin.

His tanned cheeks, with white teeth, sparkled especially brightly. “One silver coin, would you sell it to me?”

The player: “Huh?… Uh, sure!”

The player, driven by the allure of money, instantly agreed to this profitable trade, completely forgetting about the quest. When he realized what had happened, he found that the quest was already completed.

After watching this video segment, the people in the studio fell silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“Haha, I knew something was odd about the warrior’s strange behavior earlier. It turns out his honest and straightforward traits disappeared, and he suddenly turned into a cunning merchant when he revealed those white teeth!”

“The “World Rules” System is amazing! Even with things going this wrong, the quest continued.”

“Damn, the player who gave the knee guards to the warrior is also a genius. This reflected attack is clearly designed for the warrior, and the clamshell in the river just happened not to break!”

The studio erupted in laughter.

Then, a voice of reason abruptly interrupted the merriment.

“You’re celebrating too early!” said the “World Rules” big shot, smoking a cigarette, and gesturing to a junior employee to display the latest trending topic on the screen.

#Black-hearted Game “Dragon Slayer,” Give Me Back My Honest and Straightforward Warrior!!!#

Clicking into it, the first top comment read:

[Once, there was an honest and straightforward warrior right in front of me, but I didn’t cherish him. Now he’s turned into a merchant who won’t even accept my pufferfish, even when I’m offering money! Now I regret not treasuring him back then.]

[If I were given another chance, I would rush to the riverbank as soon as the server opened, waiting for my poor warrior to appear, instead of thinking about wandering around!]

[Damn it! How the hell do you sell a pufferfish to the warrior!]

Some people who hadn’t been online yet were left puzzled.

On the other side of the data team playing the recorded videos, they also continued by opening the next segment of the recording.

The beginning of the video was identical to the previous scene where the warrior was trying to buy the pufferfish. However, it took a different turn when he turned around to look at something.

The warrior finished looking, disappointment crossed his eyes, and he politely apologized to the player, saying he wouldn’t buy the pufferfish.

As a result, the player’s quest became stuck at this point.

In an attempt to complete the quest, the player offered to give the pufferfish to the warrior. Our morally upright warrior repeatedly waved his hands, indicating that he didn’t want a reward for doing anything.

The player: “…”

Finally, the player, with no other option, gritted their teeth and said, “I’ll give you money; will you accept my pufferfish?”

The warrior vehemently refused the player’s insistence, even showing some anger. How could you try to taint my warrior spirit with money!

The player was left utterly speechless.

In the end, they could only… go back to the Star Network and express their frustration to the game’s planning team with a barrage of comments.

After watching this segment, the entire studio fell into an eerie silence. Everyone began to recall the warrior’s stubborn and intractable character and how to resolve the situation.

Now the problem was crystal clear.

The solution was simply to find a way to make the warrior accept the players’ pufferfish.

As they pondered this, a programmer suddenly spoke up, “We are the designers, but why do I feel like we’re the ones playing some kind of quest game now?”

Another data team member, who had a sudden revelation, said, “Exactly! Why don’t we leave it to the players? We can claim it’s a special event from our planning team.”

“Yeah!”

“We could even offer a reward, making it seem like our planning team has a heart, right?”

“Exactly, exactly!”

…The entire studio began to discuss this idea.

It was clear that collective brainstorming was quite effective.

Soon, the Dragon Slayers released the second large-scale adventure quest, also in purple.

 

Author’s note:

Nian Nian (nudging the nose): It smells like free money!