Chapter 2: It's Important to Make Money at the Start

In the cramped room.

"Human, I need to remind you!" the dwarf sat at the table, fingers interlaced, expression extremely serious, looking at the human male opposite him, his voice earnest and profound.

"Magic..." he hadn't finished speaking when the man in front waved his hand, cutting off what he was about to say next.

"Skip that." Xi Mu, leaning his hands on the somewhat worn wooden table, looked at the white-bearded dwarf, saying quickly.

"Just give me the scroll for learning magic."

"No need for instruction?" the dwarf mage subconsciously pulled open a drawer, took out a tattered scroll, and handed it to the man in front of him.

In fact, it was common for normal people to spend two to three years on an introduction to magic, and professional guidance could drastically reduce this time.

However.

"No need." Xi Mu shook his head as he took the scroll and started to read with detail; the content was familiar, he could recite it without needing it in front of him.

The game was very meticulous, having its own independent script, not only spanning fifty thousand years of history but including its own theories of magic practice.

Of course, those were just theories—there were no environments like those in games in the real world, no star that corresponded to one's fate, no magic power medium that could interfere with the world.

"I suggest it's better to learn... at least a little." A female voice, as if it could faint at any moment, came through; Xi Mu looked in the direction of the voice and saw a dark-skinned female with her hands on her trembling knees, sweating profusely, catching her breath while she explained.

"Magic is very complex, even just the basics take a long time."

"No, there are more important things to do now." Xi Mu shook his head, returned the magic scroll to the dwarf, and explained to the dark-skinned woman.

"The equipment needs to be changed." He lifted up his long sword, rusty and stained with blood, addressing the most critical issue.

The dark-skinned woman took a good look at Xi Mu in front of her, noting that aside from wearing large shorts, he only had a rusted long sword worth hardly a dime.

She nodded in understanding.

"Putting on some clothes before coming would also do."

"Coming to learn magic in shorts does seem a bit odd." The dwarf agreed deeply, even though he was just a beginner mage, he held magic in extremely high regard.

Xi Mu nodded, grabbed the wrist of the dark-skinned woman, who looked unwell, and like a howling gale, vanished from the room.

The dwarf tugged at his beard, his expression slightly stunned for a moment; this human seemed so urgent, almost as if he wanted to compress a lifetime's worth of activities into one day.

Perhaps that man intended to continue duelling tomorrow.

…

...

Outside the duel arena.

The moment Xi Mu stepped out, it felt as though he was transported to the modern world, with high rises packed tightly together, resembling peaks that thrust into the high heavens, and the lavish attire of the passerby fully showcasing the city's wealth and vitality.

"Lord Ahtal, could you... not run so fast?" the scantily clad dark-skinned woman, hands on her knees, gasping for air, complained to the man in front.

"The prize money from the duel should be enough to support you for a quite a while."

"No, I plan to continue duelling tomorrow." Xi Mu shook his head, explaining to the astonished woman, "After we buy the equipment, remember to apply for the duel."

"..." The professional smile faded from the woman, and she looked at the man in front of her, seriously asking,

"Lord Ahtal, do you... wish to die?"

After achieving ten victories, the dueling arena rewards the victor with a substantial amount of money and the opportunity to learn magic, enough for an ordinary person to completely change their life.

In such circumstances, it's only natural for people to stop participating in duels, unless they are seeking death.

In this world, there exist gods, and the doctrine forbids suicide; otherwise, not only will the soul not ascend to the high heavens, but it also won't be able to reincarnate even in Hell.

However, being killed in a duel is another matter.

Therefore, many who seek death actively participate in duels, winning brings honor and wealth, while losing sends them to Hell.

Facing such a serious question,

"The NPC intelligence has also been optimized a lot." Xi Mu simply remarked, leaving the black-skinned woman bewildered.

"I wonder whether the storyline and side quests will undergo any changes." He lifted his hand to grasp the woman's wrist and, with a conflicted expression, quickly started running with her.

Near the dueling arena, there are shops that specialize in selling weapons at very affordable prices; you just need a little money to buy a weapon.

After all, the weapons can be recycled once the duelists die.

A few minutes later,

"Is this really okay?" asked the lightly dressed black-skinned lady, pulling a face, "Are you sure you don't want to buy a breastplate, greaves, or gauntlets?"

In front of her, the man was carrying an exaggeratedly large and heavy sword and wore a helmet, yet he was still dressed in his large underpants, shamelessly exposing his upper body.

Next to him, the shop clerk also seemed unable to bear looking, kindly suggesting, "Sir, I suggest buying a cheaper greatsword and switching to a better set of armor. It would be much safer that way."

"Wait till I earn enough money from my next duel, then I'll come buy the armor pieces," Xi Mu ignored the friendly advice of the clerk and left the shop with the heavy greatsword.

With his current equipment, he was ready for tomorrow's fight; winning just ten more times would easily earn him the money for the armor.

"That's not really the point, is it?" The black-skinned woman pursed her lips, realizing a fact: this man named Ahtal was not normal; his thought processes deviated from the ordinary.

However, considering a potential business deal involving billions with Ahtal, she followed him and asked as he looked around,

"What do you plan on doing next?"

"Go trigger a quest," Xi Mu replied offhandedly, almost immediately after which the black-skinned woman bit her lower lip and leaned close to his ear.

"How about going to my place? It'll be free of accommodation charges."

"I still have other things to do right now," Xi Mu shook his head, then as if recalling something, he asked her, "What's your name?"

"Norma," the woman replied, having given up on the idea of doing business with this man and planning to head home.

However,

"Do you want to make money?" Xi Mu asked the woman as she turned away, grinning at her surprised and delighted turnaround.

"You're interested now, right?"

"Of course, who wouldn't be interested in money?" Norma smiled seductively, contemplating how much to ask for tonight's business.

Seeing this, Xi Mu nodded and gestured to Norma: "Come with me, I'll take you to make big money."

"Actually, we could also go to my place, although the setting isn't that great." Norma caught up with him, moving toward a secluded noble manor.

It was possibly an illusion, but the man seemed to know the city better than she did.