Ch. 6 - Newbie's Guide

"Holy hell! No way! Bro, did the game glitch out? This slum is for scrubs, normies, or fugitives—did the system lose its mind or something to dump you here?!" Cui Hao stared at the sign and then back at Fu Yan, his jaw hitting the floor.

On the other hand, Fu Yan was remarkably composed. He had already pegged this trash-tier game as a sore loser that couldn't handle him winning.

But what exactly were these 'guilds' and 'districts' the kid mentioned? This pathetic excuse for a game couldn't even be bothered to provide a basic tutorial.

"And what do you mean by guilds and districts?" Fu Yan asked.

Surprise flashed across Cui Hao's face. "Wait, you didn't get a mentor? Everyone gets a newbie guide when they first join the game."

Fu Yan took a long, steady breath, suppressing the violent urge to dismantle this trash game as he ground out the words, "I. Do. Now."

Everyone else had a guide, yet he was left in the dark. It was way too obvious that this wretched game was personally out to get him.

Sensing the simmering fury in Fu Yan's voice, Cui Hao wisely shifted the conversation.

"Guilds and districts are basically the same thing; it's all just about organizing the players."

He continued explaining, "Basically, this game world is divided into instance dungeons and residential districts. The dungeons are those nightmare pits you just escaped from, while the districts are the safe zones where everyone hangs out and rests between games."

"There are thousands of these communities, and each has its own guild to keep things running. They're ranked High, Mid, or Low based on how well the district has been developed."

He continued, "You're in Death District 13. It used to be a legendary High-tier guild, but for reasons unknown, every single player here died in a single night. Now, it's a leaderless ruin, worse than the lowest-tier guilds. It's considered a literal slum by everyone."

"Bro, for real, you shouldn't be here. Why not transfer to my guild? Sure, our district is tiny, our facilities are trash, and we have almost no members, but it's still better than this! Seeing u in dis godfowsaken dump makes my heawt ache so much me can't bweathe! Bwo..."*

*TL/N: Yes, he is speaking in 'uwu' speech to make himself endearing...

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a glob of bird droppings plummeted from the sky, narrowly missing his face.

The timing left the two standing in awkward silence.

"On second thought, I like it here." Fu Yan was past the age where he could tolerate such fake-cutesy, melodramatic performances without getting a headache.

Cui Hao hurried to protest. "Wait, no! This district is a damp, sunless icebox. You'll catch rheumatism in no time. You might be young enough to endure it now, but give it a few years, and you'll be riddled with aches and pains! And look at that white mist clinging to the edges of the district. It seems harmless enough by day, but come nightfall, the ghosts come out to play..."

"Ghosts?" Fu Yan perked up. "Tell me more."

Cui Hao cleared his throat, eager to share everything with his idol.

"Actually, every community starts as a barren wasteland. Players have to build them up piece by piece using their points, and the first order of business is always dispelling that white mist. It is safe by day, just a boundary between zones. But when it's dark, it turns into a black cloud that sweeps through the area, letting out the things that live within it."

"You're saying ghosts live in that mist?" Fu Yan asked.

"So I've heard," Cui Hao replied. "I've never seen them because my district is protected by the Solar-Lunar Wheel. But I did see a victim once. His bones and flesh were gone, leaving only a layer of skin. It was horrifying."

Fu Yan lost all interest in a heartbeat. He'd thought the mist would be more of a challenge, but it was just underwhelming.

"And what is this Solar-Lunar Wheel thing?"

"Seriously, Bro? You don't even know that? Open your control panel and go to the point shop in the top-left corner. See that item with the gray Taiji symbol? That's the Solar-Lunar Wheel. Every district has one. It hangs in the sky and acts as a sun during the day, giving off heat and light. At night, it glows white and keeps the black fog out."

As directed, Fu Yan opened the shop on his panel and found the device. He scrutinized the product, appearing hesitant.

"Wait... it isn't grayed out."

"Huh?" Cui Hao looked completely lost. What did he mean it wasn't grayed out?

Fu Yan scanned the items in the shop.

"I can use anything that isn't grayed out here, right?"

The realization of what "it isn't gray" meant hit Cui Hao like a freight train. He turned to Fu Yan, his eyes shining with intense curiosity.

"Bro... can I... can I see your... point shop...?"

Just like a player's personal stats, the point shop was strictly confidential. It was impossible for others to see it without the player's consent.

Regret washed over Cui Hao as soon as the question left his lips. It was incredibly rude to pry into a player's private inventory; his excitement had simply gotten the better of him.

"Bro, never mind! I don't need to see it. I just got a bit ahead of myself..."

"Go ahead."

Before Cui Hao could even finish his apology, Fu Yan had already opened his point shop and shared it with him.

"Holy crap!" Cui Hao gasped, eyes glued to the rows of shimmering, unlocked items in Fu Yan's shop. He was so worked up he was practically rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

Behold the difference between a god-tier player and a mere novice!

To think a god-tier player could earn three hundred million points in a dungeon when a commoner barely scraped together a hundred points!

Other districts needed millions of residents to chip in for a single Solar-Lunar Wheel, but a god-tier player could buy three on his own!

'Tears' of pure envy began to trickle embarrassingly from the corner of Cui Hao's mouth.

He couldn't believe he had actually dared to act all chummy with a god-tier player!

Fu Yan enthusiastically browsed through the point shop, marveling at the dazzling array of goods. From household items to high-level skill cards, everything one could possibly desire was available—for a steep price, of course.

But for a player like Fu Yan, those high prices were barely a concern.

Fu Yan navigated to the Buildings tab, his gaze lingering on a magnificent vampire castle.

It cost three hundred million points, exactly the amount he had on hand.

Let's go with this.

Fu Yan tapped the confirm button. Thinking about it, he had never played the part of a vampire before.

Cui Hao watched as Fu Yan's points plummeted to zero and gasped in shock.

"Bro! What did you just buy?!"

With his arms crossed, Fu Yan looked forward, prompting Cui Hao to do the same.

The dilapidated building had vanished, replaced in an instant by a grand, rose-entwined European castle that now stood majestically before them.

Cui Hao was so stunned by the sight that he was speechless for a long moment. A fortress of this magnitude was something he'd only ever seen in the elite High-tier communities.

Just then, a notification window popped up on Fu Yan's control panel:

[Item 'Decrepit Building'. Buyback Value: 1 point. Proceed?]

A single point? What a joke!

Without a moment's hesitation, Fu Yan tapped Confirm. It's just his nature to be so frugal.

"Bro, you spent all three hundred million on the castle?! What about the Solar-Lunar Wheel? You should have kept some emergency funds! You're famous now, and yet you don't have a guild to protect you! Who knows how many people will have their eyes on you in the next dungeon! You should have at least saved some for skill cards!"

Cui Hao stared at the zero balance in despair, the sense of loss in his heart similar to that of a weary father forced to watch his spendthrift son throw away his inheritance.

Fu Yan gave a dismissive wave.

"I don't need any of that. Is there anything else? If not, I'm going to bed."

Cui Hao was at a loss for words, feeling like a stepping stone that had just been discarded by his idol.