novelraw Chapter 104: Starting With a Bowl
Chapter 104: Starting With a Bowl
Since the game was called "Void Shattering", its name implied breaking the void.
The ultimate goal of the players was naturally to shatter the void.
To shatter nothingness and pulverize space itself.
Using the Physical Body of a Level 1 Planetary Lifeform to shatter the void?
Even if the spatial fabric of this game world was fragile, it was still an inconceivable feat.
But if one could truly achieve this, the tempering of their mind and Will, along with the practical combat experience gained...
...would provide tremendous benefits.
This was also one of the best methods provided by the gray mirror to significantly accelerate Su Yuan's comprehension of the power of Ultimate Yang and ultimate yin.
Furthermore, the game developers had left an easter egg: the first ten players to shatter the void would receive exclusive rewards.
Years later, the reason "Void Shattering" would sweep across the thirty-six great universal human empires......was precisely because the first player to shatter the void emerged and publicized their exclusive reward.
Even in the real world, this exclusive reward was an astonishing amount of resources, its value far exceeding a wealthy planet like Blue Star.
"The first ten spots to shatter the void..."
Su Yuan gathered his thoughts. Long before the Interstellar Colonial Ship was scheduled to arrive...
...he had already used the gray mirror to formulate a method to clear the Broken Void World.
"However... before entering the 'Void Shattering' world, I need to gather one hundred thousand Azure Surge Coins."
Su Yuan shook his head slightly.
The virtual world hosted countless games. Some were free to enter, while others required payment.
Among them, "Void Shattering" cost one hundred thousand Azure Surge Coins just to play.
And if the character created in the game died, it would cost another one hundred thousand Azure Surge Coins to re-enter.
After all, game development required capital, and building a game world capable of driving life evolution required an even more massive investment.
Even if the empire intended to subsidize them, most games still required Imperial Citizens to pay for access.
"One hundred thousand Azure Surge Coins..."
Su Yuan looked thoughtful. He possessed a vast amount of wealth; the Crystal of Eternal Darkness alone was worth hundreds of millions of Azure Surge Coins.
However, successfully liquidating the Crystal of Eternal Darkness was not something he could accomplish in a short time.
'I will play The Myriad Labyrinth first...'
Su Yuan thought to himself.
The gray mirror had provided many methods to earn hundreds of thousands or even millions of Azure Surge Coins in a short time without any hidden risks.
Among them, The Myriad Labyrinth was the simplest.
The Myriad Labyrinth was also a virtual game, designed to promote the evolution of a Life Form's Dimension of Wisdom.
Players would receive corresponding rewards for clearing a certain number of labyrinth levels.
For instance, clearing the tenth labyrinth level yielded a reward of one million Azure Surge Coins.
Countless citizens and factions across the Universe knew little about The Myriad Labyrinth, only that its publisher was extremely mysterious and that the rewards for clearing levels were always distributed on time.
But through the gray mirror, Su Yuan knew that the publisher of The Myriad Labyrinth was actually the official government of the Azure Surge Universal Human Empire.
The purpose of releasing The Myriad Labyrinth was to cultivate strategist-type cultivators and evolvers among the empire's populace.
Strategists relied too heavily on talent, and in their early stages, strategist-type cultivators and evolvers were practically useless.
Thus, the empire came up with this method, using The Myriad Labyrinth as a game to provide financial support to strategist-type cultivators and evolvers.
The more labyrinth levels one cleared, the richer the rewards. As long as one had talent, the rewards were more than enough to support a strategist-type cultivator's early-stage training.
"The Myriad Labyrinth."
Su Yuan directly selected to play it.
Because the game's purpose was to support strategist-type cultivators and evolvers, entering the game did not require payment. Anyone with the status of an Imperial Citizen was qualified to play.
Whoosh...
The scenery before Su Yuan's eyes shifted, and he appeared inside a classroom.
"Hmm?" Su Yuan looked at his surroundings. At this moment, his Physical Body was merely that of an ordinary person, lacking any supernatural power.
At the same time, a stream of information flooded into his mind.
"First Level of the Labyrinth—"
"Your name is Qian San. You are a senior at Sixth High School, and today is the day of the Joint Examination."
"Clearance Condition: Help Qian San achieve a good score on the Joint Examination."
Su Yuan surveyed his environment, immediately realizing that The Myriad Labyrinth game had already begun.
He was currently already inside the labyrinth.
"As long as I help Qian San get a good score, it counts as clearing the level?" Su Yuan raised an eyebrow.
This was far too simple.
The so-called high school Joint Examination questions were no different from one plus one for a Level 6 Life Form.
Thinking of this, Su Yuan looked down at the Examination Paper.
"Wait, something is wrong."
Su Yuan immediately sensed an anomaly.
Although he could clearly read every question on the Examination Paper, he simply could not bring himself to put pen to paper.
'I cannot help Qian San answer the questions directly?'
Su Yuan understood in his heart.
This made sense. If he could just answer the questions directly, the test would be too easy. Any Level 1 Life Form would be able to breeze through it.
'How should I help then?'
Sitting in his chair, Su Yuan cast his gaze around the classroom.
Just then, the proctor spoke up, "There are fifteen minutes left until the exam ends."
Hearing this, Su Yuan paused slightly.
He glanced at the Examination Paper.
Not a single question had been answered.
'Were you just waiting for me to help you?'
Su Yuan could not help but grumble inwardly.
'Forget it.'
After a moment of thought, Su Yuan reached deep into his sea of consciousness to consult the gray mirror.
Even within the game world, Su Yuan could still clearly sense the existence of the gray mirror.
After completely refining the gray mirror, the connection between them had ascended to the level of consciousness. Even if Su Yuan lost his Physical Body, he remained bound to the gray mirror.
"How do I clear this level of the labyrinth?"
Su Yuan asked the gray mirror.
The gray mirror's surface rippled hazily before providing an answer.
[Stand up and turn in the paper. After leaving the examination room, go to the sixth floor...]
The gray mirror provided detailed steps to clear the level.
"So that is how it is."
Su Yuan nodded slightly.
He immediately followed the instructions.
After handing in the Examination Paper, Su Yuan promptly headed to the sixth floor of the building.
He stopped outside a room in the corner of the sixth floor.
Standing there, he could faintly hear muffled groans and sighs coming from within.
Su Yuan waited for a moment before pushing the door open, revealing a panicked man and woman inside the room.
The man was corpulent with a fat head and large ears, while the woman had delicate and attractive features.
"Ah? Director Hao, why are you here? And Teacher Zhang..." A look of surprise appeared on Su Yuan's face as he simultaneously pulled out his Mobile Phone and began snapping photos of the room's interior.
"You?!"
The obese man known as Director Hao instantly grew anxious. "Which class are you from? Stop taking pictures, or I will have the school expel you!"
"Expel me?" Su Yuan looked at the Mobile Phone in his hand and shook his head. "Then I will have no choice but to post these photos online."
"Director Hao, I remember that you have been married for a long time and even have children. And Teacher Zhang, how could you do such a thing..."
Su Yuan put on a look of profound heartbreak and disappointment.
"Old Hao, you deal with this." Teacher Zhang quickly covered her face.
After Su Yuan's remarks, Director Hao managed to calm down.
He stood up, hastily put on his clothes, and looked at Su Yuan. "Student, do not act on impulse. You can state whatever demands you have, and I will satisfy them all..."
"It is very simple. I want a good score on this Joint Examination. My student ID number is..."
Su Yuan immediately stated.
"There is nothing I can do about the Joint Examination scores..." Director Hao looked troubled. But upon seeing Su Yuan unlock his Mobile Phone again, he quickly amended, "No problem, just go home and wait for the good news!"
"Congratulations, you have cleared the first level of the labyrinth."
The scenery before Su Yuan shifted continuously, indicating that the first labyrinth level had been cleared.
'The test of this labyrinth level was never about answering questions, but rather observing the outside world,'
Su Yuan thought to himself.
Shortly after he first entered the labyrinth, Director Hao had walked past the examination room. If one looked closely, they would have noticed a faint hickey on his neck.
Soon after, Teacher Zhang followed behind Director Hao, also walking past the room.
The two of them had gone up to the sixth floor one after the other.
Director Hao and Teacher Zhang were the keys to clearing this labyrinth level.
As long as a player gathered enough external information, they would discover the illicit affair between Director Hao and Teacher Zhang. Then, they could blackmail them to secure a good score.
'How devious...'
Su Yuan shook his head slightly.
The vast majority of players would be completely clueless when facing this labyrinth level, foolishly waiting until the exam ended only to fail the clearance condition.
'A so-called strategist must gather all available information and formulate plans based on it. Blackmailing Director Hao and Teacher Zhang over their Adultery is also a type of stratagem.'
Su Yuan mused inwardly.
'With my Wisdom, if I played a few more times, I probably would have figured out that the key to clearing the level lay with Director Hao and Teacher Zhang.'
Su Yuan thought to himself.
Consulting the gray mirror merely accelerated the process.
"Start the second level of the labyrinth!"
The scene before Su Yuan's eyes morphed once again.
"My name is Zhao Ming. My parents are elderly, my wife is shrewish, and we are currently going through a divorce. My child is in their rebellious phase and refuses to listen to anything I say. The company is implementing a Layoff plan, and I am likely to be the first one let go..."
Su Yuan was quite speechless; this was the definition of a Mid-Life Crisis.
The slightest misstep would result in a broken family.
"Clearance Condition: Help Zhao Ming successfully navigate his Mid-Life Crisis."
"Restrictions: Cannot use any methods that exceed this era, nor any skills that do not align with Zhao Ming's character."
Su Yuan furrowed his brows as he looked at the description of this labyrinth level.
Simply put, he could not utilize methods exclusive to him to gain any advantages for Zhao Ming.
For example, he could not write a piece of code that was centuries ahead of its time.
"Hubby, I will be back late tonight. We have a company gathering."
At that moment, his wife walked out of the bedroom, deliberately dressed up with full makeup, and spoke to Su Yuan.
"Understood."
Su Yuan's gaze remained calm.
From the labyrinth level's introduction, Su Yuan already knew that Zhao Ming's wife was rather intimate with a certain male colleague at her company.
If things continued this way, they would likely end up getting a divorce.
'The condition is to help Zhao Ming overcome his Mid-Life Crisis, which essentially means making money. If he earns a massive amount of money, his wife will naturally change her mind, his child will become obedient again, and the company Layoff? With money, why fear a Layoff?'
Su Yuan pondered.
But how was he supposed to make money?
Half an hour later.
Su Yuan arrived at the company.
Under the looming threat of the Layoff, relations between employees were extremely tense. No one even bothered to greet each other when they crossed paths.
"Zhao Ming, Manager Han wants to see you in her office."
A voice suddenly rang out.
'Manager Han?' Upon hearing this, information regarding Manager Han immediately surfaced in Su Yuan's mind.
Manager Han was a female executive at the company, over ten years older than Zhao Ming.
Su Yuan stood up and made his way to Manager Han's office.
"Little Zhao." Manager Han waved Su Yuan over.
Su Yuan leaned in closer.
"This PowerPoint Presentation should be revised like this..."
Although Manager Han wore makeup, faint wrinkles were visible at the corners of her eyes, betraying her age.
"Remember it for next time."
After finishing her sentence, Manager Han gently patted Su Yuan on the buttocks three times.
If it were the original Zhao Ming, he would naturally feel intense disgust and revulsion toward this; Manager Han was nearly a dozen years older than him.
However, Su Yuan acutely caught onto a crucial piece of information.
Manager Han definitely had her eyes on him.
'Let us ask.'
Su Yuan directly consulted the gray mirror.
'Just as I expected...'
Looking at the clearance steps provided by the gray mirror, a faint sense of realization dawned in Su Yuan's heart.
That night.
Su Yuan walked out of the hotel room Manager Han had booked.
With his newly established intimate relationship with Manager Han, Zhao Ming was not only spared from the Layoff but also received a promotion and a salary raise. With a stable career, his family naturally became harmonious again.
"Congratulations, you have cleared the second level of the labyrinth."
Su Yuan looked at the clearance notification.
The key to this labyrinth level lay in whether one could take that final step and trade their Physical Body for Manager Han's support.
As a qualified strategist, one not only had to be adept at gathering all information but also had to be capable of exploiting everything at their disposal.
One's own body? Naturally, it fell within the scope of exploitation.
As long as the desired goal could be achieved, anything could be discarded or used.
Moving forward.
Time flowed by.
With the help of the gray mirror, Su Yuan rapidly cleared ten levels of the labyrinth.
"Congratulations on clearing the tenth level of the labyrinth. Your reward of one million Azure Surge Coins has been transferred to your account."
Su Yuan looked at the extra million Azure Surge Coins in his account.
'It is a pity. To prevent players from over-consuming their intellect, The Myriad Labyrinth can only be challenged up to ten levels per day,'
Su Yuan thought to himself.
A "day" here was calculated according to the Azure Surge Universal Human Empire's standard, which was equivalent to two months on Blue Star.
For the vast majority of players, clearing every labyrinth level drained their intellect. Consuming too much intellect would adversely affect their Dimension of Wisdom.
Hence the restriction of a maximum of ten levels per day.
In any case, to a Planetary Lifeform or a Starry Sky Lifeform, a single day was nothing.
Having acquired one million Azure Surge Coins, Su Yuan was naturally able to enter the "Void Shattering" world directly.
'I just need to wait another two minutes and thirty-two seconds.'
Su Yuan glanced at the time, thinking to himself.
Every Player entering the "Void Shattering" world would be assigned a random lower-class identity and dropped at a random location within the world.
This so-called randomness was fundamentally calculated based on the exact time one entered the game.
Through the gray mirror, Su Yuan knew clearly that entering the "Void Shattering" world in exactly two minutes and thirty-two seconds would give him the most advantageous starting location.
Time ticked away.
In the blink of an eye, two minutes and thirty-two seconds had passed.
"Enter the game."
Su Yuan chose to enter the "Void Shattering" world, deducting one hundred thousand Azure Surge Coins from his account.
He instantly felt the scenery before his eyes shift and morph.
By the time his vision focused on his surroundings again, the sounds of shouting and hawking filled his ears.
As for Su Yuan...
He looked down at himself. He was kneeling on the ground in the guise of a Beggar, and placed right in front of him was a simple Bowl.