Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Rewards

【Scenario has been completed, calculating rewards.】

【Experience obtained: 1650; Game currency: 16,500】

【Items/Equipments obtained: none】

【Completed / Accepted mission(s): 2 / 2】

【Special: Hidden mission(s) completed: 2; deciphered Worldview: none】

【Terror Value Spikes: 0 times; highest Terror Value: 0%; average Terror Value: 0%】

【Your Terror Rating is: Completely Courageous; you have qualified for an additional reward; please choose it in a moment.】

【Skill Points obtained: 90】

【Bonus Experience from Skill Points: 900; Game Currency: 9000】

【Reward for clearing Scenario: Skill Card *1】

【Reward for Secondary Mission: additonal 1000 Experience】

【Reward for Hidden Mission: one random Superior equipment】

【Calculations completed; please continue】

Feng Bujue finished looking at the rundown of the Scenario Summary; he hadn’t leveled up and was still Level 11. His experience was only at 4900/11000 and his Game Currency at 77000. Apparently, his earlier concerns about leveling up too quickly were unnecessary. In fact, he wasn’t leveling fast enough.

The amount of Experience he got this time could be considered normal. The bonus Experience and bonus Game Currency are calculated based on the amount of Skill Points gained in Team Survival mode, ten times and hundred times respectively. In Single Player mode the multiplier is instead one and ten times respectively: an extreme difference. Another factor that determines the amount of experience gained is game duration, that is the longer the more obtained. Take this Scenario for instance, it took about an hour or so longer than the previous one–although this one wasn’t that difficult (Scenarios with little combat aren’t difficult to Feng Bujue at all)–the base experience received during this Scenario at the end was still a bit more than that from the previous Scenario.

Though that’s how things were, the Experience Feng Bujue gained was far from enough for him to level up.He would most likely have to go through another four or five Team Scenarios of similar difficulty before he could level up, assuming that no Worldviews was deciphered.

You can say that it wasn’t so easy for those Studio members to level up so quickly. From the moment closed beta started on April 4th, 8 a.m., until April 6th around midnight, only about forty hours of real time have passed. Now, convert this to the in-game time under both modes (Awake and Sleep) and subtract the compulsory time spent offline… and we see that they (the Studio members) struggled for five VR days before they finally charged into Level 20.

Now consider Feng Bujue. The total amount of time he spent in virtual reality hasn’t even added up to ten hours yet. Compared to the professionals, he was still just getting started.

“Hmm… the experience was better this time,” Feng Bujue muttered. “Lil’ Tan’s level will basically fall one or two level behind mine from now on… but after Open Beta, if he goes buy some Experience cards and other such card stuff, he should be able to quickly catch up.” He thought to himself, “Come to think of it…. Although leveling up after Level 11 is relatively slow, in closed beta a gap of five or less Levels doesn’t mean anything…. The only difference between a Level 10 and 15 player is a 500 difference in max Stamina. While it’s true that starting with equipment can significantly increase strength in the short term, leveling Proficiencies and increasing the number of Skills seems to be the way in the long term. Just like….” The image that appeared in his mind was that of Rain’s flying through the air slicing with her sword. “Her level shouldn’t be that much higher than mine, but that skill… her Fighting Proficiency is likely already Rank D.”

Having thought of that, Feng Bujue opened the game menu and looked at his Proficiencies. After the last Scenario, his Proficiencies leveled: General E, Equipment E, Investigation E, Fighting E, Shooting F. Medical was the only one still locked.

In short, he pretty much raised all his F rank Proficiencies, except for shooting, by one rank.

【Rank E: Poor, entry level. When this rank is achieved, skills in this category have a 40% activation success rate】

So far, it can be said that Feng Bujue has a slight grasp of all the Proficiencies–except for his locked Medical Proficiency–with none being more prominent of any of the others. This made it so his Fighting abilities needed a big fat question mark.

On the other hand, his title【Cold-Blooded Headshot Psychopath】did not change after the Scenario ended this time, so his special ability remained【Cerebral Concussion】.

After Feng Bujue finished looking at his stats in the calculations, he arrived at the metal room outside the elevator; this time, the metal room had three glass columns. They were: the random skill rewarded for passing, the optional rewards for his Terror Rating, and the random equipment for the Hidden mission.

This time he first walked over to the optional reward and immediately a notification pinged:【Please select your additional reward: One, randomly draw one equipment corresponding to your level; two, 50,000 Game Currency (Max Limit); three, 4400 Experience points】

“Seems like from Level 10 and after if you get the Completely Courageous rating, then the Game Currency (offered) is always 50,000….” said Feng Bujue aloud.

During this period where Game Currency is useless, the exchange rate for game currency and RMB is still unclear. So for the time being, he still passed over taking it; this time, he decisively chose Experience points. After receiving 40% of the current level (exp limit) worth of Experience, Feng Bujue’s Experience then came to 9300/11000. He should rise to Level 12 after passing another Scenario.

Following that, he arrived in front of the glass pillar with the reward for passing, took out a random Skill card, and examined it through his menu.

【Name: Devil Child’s Downward Lashing Leg】

【Skill Card Attribute: Active skill; disappears after three uses】

【Skill Type: Fighting】

【Effect: Ignore Proficiency Ranks, 100% chance to trip everything. Theoretically, it can even topple monsters, provoking the target to come attack you】

【Consumption: 100 Stamina】

【Learning Prerequisite: Fighting Proficiency Rank F or Level 10 and higher】

【Remark: This is Blue Cat’s Mischievous Three Thousand Kicks!】[1]

“What the hell….” Feng Bujue looked at the Skill card for quite a while. The name as well as the remark couldn’t be looked at directly as they were simply outrageous, but the Skill’s effect still seemed pretty powerful.

Feng Bujue thought about it and decided to get the equipment before anything else. This troll-like Skill didn’t seem like the type that you’d save until Open beta to sell, and gifting it to someone else… would seem to give off a “doing-as-one-pleases” and “stubbornly-imposing-on-others” sort of feeling.

After he properly equipped this, for the time being, it would also count as an active Skill that could be used during battle. Soon after, Feng Bujue arrive at the last glass pillar, hoping this scammy aspect would not continue.

But he already felt a premonition, a feeling in his mind. On the settlement screen earlier, the Hidden mission reward was described as “obtain one random Superior equipment” but did not include the words “according to your level”, which meant the equipment would at least be Superior, but not necessarily equipable for himself.

The white light began to take shape and formed into a belt. Feng Bujue’s first instinctual guess was… this was possibly Batman’s toolbelt. But he guess wrongly; this was even better.

【Name: Echo Armor】

【Type: Armor】

【Grade: Excellent】

【Defensive Power: Fairly Strong】

【Attributes: Shock Absorber】

【Special Effect: None】

【Equipment Prerequisites: General Proficiency C or Equipment Proficiency D】

【Remarks: After collecting a sample of Blackbolt’s mutters, Dr. Doom then employed an immense amount of energy to make this device. Switching on the belt gives the user a head-to-toe, invisible, “sound” armor.】

The equipment was very powerful; unfortunately, Feng Bujue couldn’t equip it at the moment. However, he still took it with him, placing it in his inventory. In any case, his Equipment Proficiency was currently at E and if he was able to raise it to rank D by the next Scenario, he’d be able to equip the armor immediately.

Right now his inventory capacity was at 7/10. The items inside were Mario’s Pipe Wrench, Eyes of Hatred, a chef’s knife, a baseball bat, a flashlight, an M1911A1 pistol, and Echo Armor.

In regards to his other possessions, Jazz Dance was directly equipped to his feet and not in his inventory. And the items he kept in the (login) Space had not changed: still one spare flashlight and the puzzle piece, Monkey.

After he finished claiming his rewards and checking that everything was in order, Feng Bujue then returned to the elevator and called Wang Tanzhi who handed over the group leader role to Feng Bujue; soon after, the two joined a new queue and would immediately be entering tonight’s second Team Survival Scenario.

Footnotes:

[1]Should be a reference to this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3000_Whys_of_Blue_Cat and that’s because the raw has one character difference. 藍貓淘氣三千踢 vs 藍貓淘氣三千問. The pinyin for the character in the pun is “ti” and for the reference it’s “wen”. The “ti” here means kick and the “wen” in the reference means why or to ask. But if you combine the pinyin its “wen ti” which also means question; it’s not the same “ti” 踢 vs. 題 but that explains why the pun works.