chapter 31

After a long string of rewards and titles that left everyone a little numb, the system finally bid a polite farewell, and Bai Liu's small television screen snapped off with a soft "pop." By then, however, a sizable crowd had gathered before his screen, marveling and discussing in awe:

"A newcomer? A true rookie? I'm stunned—he's so strong, the reward announcements alone lasted ten minutes…"

"And that's not even the most impressive part! Didn't you notice he completed the entire monster manual? Even many top players can't manage that while clearing the true end!"

"I've already bought his video—I bet it's amazing!"

"Me too, I was honestly shocked. That endless list of rewards, over ten thousand points in donations—how did he do it?"

"I'm more curious about those thousand-plus dislikes. With stats like his, who would downvote him?"

The purchase index for Bai Liu's 'Siren Town' video soared, with hundreds of copies sold in an instant.

This is why everyone covets a spot in the core area: the audience here is generous and discerning. Whether it's tipping or, as in Bai Liu's case, buying a video from a newly promoted player, most are willing to spend dozens of points just to see what kind of monster—or prodigy—you really are.

It's been calculated that a single core promotion slot can easily net a player thousands of points in donations.

Wang Shun gazed wistfully at Bai Liu's now-dark screen. "Shepherd God, when do you think Bai Liu will play again? Do you think he'll choose solo mode? I kind of want to camp out for his next stream."

"How should I know?" Mu Sicheng squinted. "Bai Liu probably logged out through the rookie area's exit. You'd best go there and catch him directly—ask him yourself. His sanity hasn't recovered yet, so he's probably not all there. If you can do him a favor now, maybe he'll be willing to team up with you in the future."

"Shepherd God, you're so… shameless," Wang Shun said, his expression complicated.

"Aren't you going?" Mu Sicheng was unfazed by the accusation, shrugging with a wicked grin—though the lollipop puffing out one cheek ruined the effect. "I'm very curious about his [newcomer skill]."

"The first-place rookie in each batch gets a [newcomer skill], and the system always keeps it secret. They say the skill is tied to the player's deepest desire. I'd love to know what someone like Bai Liu truly wants."

Wang Shun was curious too, but skeptical. "But everyone knows to keep that secret, right? Bai Liu probably won't tell us."

"But his sanity is only 0.1 right now. You think this is a normal situation? If he's not insane when he comes out, that's a miracle. We could just pretend to be system staff and get anything out of him."

Wang Shun: "…"

Mu Sicheng, you really are a scoundrel.

——————

Bai Liu emerged, drenched from head to toe, his vision hazy as if veiled by frosted glass. Even standing was dizzying; he had to brace himself against the wall to catch his breath. Feeling faint from low blood sugar, he crouched down, but his legs gave out and he slumped to the floor. After a few failed attempts to rise, he simply accepted his fate and sat there.

"I really am weak," Bai Liu sighed from the heart.

There was hardly anyone at the rookie exit—after all, no one else had cleared the game yet. Taking advantage of the quiet, Bai Liu sorted through his rewards and items, clicking his tongue as he did.

He'd guessed right: the monster manual's completion reward was indeed the "biggest."

But "biggest" didn't mean the items were overpowered. [Oceanic Stealth] and [Statue's Shell] were just standard attribute boosters—nothing special to a game designer like Bai Liu.

Yet he still considered them the greatest rewards.

Because these items couldn't be bought in the game shop for any amount of points.

He searched repeatedly, but found nothing in the shop that matched his rewards.

This meant the [Monster Manual] rewards were [non-tradable], or [limited items]—they could only be obtained by clearing the game or through player-to-player trades outside the system.

But the manual was clearly hard to complete, so these items were rare. Some players would surely try to acquire them through trades—and likely not a few.

In other words, Bai Liu realized he could sell these items for an astronomical price.

But he wouldn't—not while he still needed the basic stats. He wouldn't part with his [Monster Manual Items] lightly.

Of all his rewards, the [Mermaid's Talisman] was the most valuable—a true lifesaver.

[The Siren King's Reverse Scale] was simply labeled [Effect Unknown], and [The Siren's Fishbone] came with a cryptic, grandiose description about tearing through time and space, but no concrete function. The system didn't even rate these two, simply stating "unknown." When Bai Liu clicked for more info, it told him the system was unable to evaluate them.

"System unable to evaluate?" Bai Liu sighed. "This system is useless."

What he didn't know was that both items came from god-tier NPCs, whose data was so complex and anomalous that the system itself couldn't parse it. To expect it to explain a bone or a scale from such a being was simply too much.

At the end of his inventory, Bai Liu discovered a mysterious [Personal Skill Reward], marked [Locked]. Curious, he tapped it twice, and the interface faded, replaced by a new prompt: [Please close your eyes and imagine what you desire most.]

Bai Liu closed his eyes, pressed his palms together, and silently, devoutly, repeated three times in his heart—Money, money, money.

[You may now open your eyes and claim your skill.]

He opened his eyes to find, floating before him, a battered old leather wallet, worn at the edges, the stitching frayed and the hide faded—a wallet he'd used for years and never had the heart to throw away.

Was this his new skill?

[Player Bai Liu's Skill Item: The Empty Old Wallet (well-worn, but its owner cannot bear to part with it, a testament to his poverty)]

[Player Bai Liu's Skill Identity: Impoverished Wanderer (unemployed, penniless, your rent is nearly due, and the streets may soon be your only home)]

Bai Liu: "…"

Was this a skill for attacking others with his poverty?

[System: Of course not.]

[Player Bai Liu's skill: You may use anything in your possession to trade with others. Whatever the other party promises you, you may store in your wallet.]

[Their skills, points, items, lives, even souls and beliefs can be turned into coins and stored in your wallet, becoming tools at your disposal. You are the devil's broker, a beggar in appearance, but those who trade with you may forfeit everything.]

[Though you have nothing now, your boundless desire for wealth means you will one day possess the world's richest wallet, even if it is filled with the souls of the desperate.]

[Skill usage: Trade. Once both parties agree, neither can renege. You may not resell what you have taken from one person back to them. If either party dies before fulfilling the deal, the defaulter's soul is trapped in the wallet.]

"Wow," Bai Liu murmured, intrigued. "This skill sounds utterly inhuman."

[System: Do you dislike this skill?]

"On the contrary," Bai Liu replied with a bright smile. "I like it very much. It suits me. Tell me, if I make a deal with someone who doesn't know about my skill, does it still count?"

[System: As long as a (coin) relationship exists and at least one (coin) enters the wallet, the deal is sealed.]

"Coin relationship?" Bai Liu mused. "For example?"

[System: If you want someone's item and use points (coins) from your wallet to buy it, and they accept—regardless of whether they know about your skill or are sincere—the moment they take your points, the deal is done. Their item is yours.]

"Even if I buy a priceless item for a single point, as long as they agree, it's mine?" Bai Liu's smile grew ever more radiant.

[System: Yes.]

"Tsk, what a shameless skill," Bai Liu said with genuine admiration. "But I can't wait to try it."

[System: Your current balance is 15,781 points. Would you like to store them all in your wallet?]

Bai Liu nodded. "Do it."

After sorting his items, Bai Liu checked his attributes. Nearly all were deep in the red, ravaged by his exertions in the game:

[Player: Bai Liu]

[HP: 20 (A 200-pound man could crush you to death by sitting on you. Recovering slowly.)]

[Stamina: 7 (Unsteady on your feet. Recovering automatically.)]

[Agility: 7 (Body stiff and sore. Recovering automatically.)]

[Attack: 1 (Your strongest blow is like a two-month-old kitten's paw. Recovering automatically.)]

[Intelligence: 45 (Originally 89, halved due to critical sanity. Will return to normal as sanity recovers.)]

[Luck: 0 (You are preternaturally unlucky. If anyone is fated to meet a god-tier NPC, it's you.)]

[Skill: The Empty Old Wallet]

[Identity: Impoverished Wanderer]

[Sanity: 3 (By rights, you should be a raving monster. It's astonishing you remain lucid. Then again, perhaps your rationality is its own form of monstrosity. Whether mad or sane, your composure is monstrous. Recovering automatically.)]

Bai Liu ignored the lengthy commentary about his monstrous nature, and calmly asked, "How long will it take for these stats to recover?"

[System: At your current rate, you'll be fully recovered in three to five days after leaving the game.]

Bai Liu was never one to procrastinate. "Then I'll log—" out.

He hadn't finished when he saw two people approaching the exit.

Mu Sicheng and Wang Shun found Bai Liu slumped against the wall, head tipped back, looking both exasperated and amused. Clearly, his low sanity was taking a toll.

But as they drew near, Bai Liu lifted his head, met their eyes, and with his first words, changed their expressions entirely.

Bai Liu asked, "Are you here to probe for information about my personal skill?"

Mu Sicheng's smile froze. He crouched, hands on his knees, studying Bai Liu with interest. "How can you be sure we're here to ask about your skill? What if we're here to rob or kill you? You're rich now, and loaded with items."

Wang Shun was about to say that killing wasn't possible in the system hall, but seeing Bai Liu genuinely consider the question, he realized Bai Liu had just exited the game and didn't know.

"This hall should be a no-kill zone," Bai Liu concluded after a few seconds' thought.

Wang Shun blurted, "How did you know?"

Mu Sicheng's interest deepened. He was certain Bai Liu hadn't known about the no-kill rule—when he'd mentioned killing, Bai Liu instinctively drew his legs back, a reflexive response to danger. Yet within seconds, he'd deduced the truth.

"Reason?" Mu Sicheng prompted.

"If players could be robbed or killed upon logout, there'd be crowds waiting here. But I've been out for ten minutes and seen no one but you. If killing were allowed, this place would be swarming with thieves. Since it's not, I deduce killing—and probably robbery—are forbidden here."

Bai Liu had another reason: as a game designer, he knew that allowing players to be killed at a vulnerable exit would destroy game balance—like letting players camp respawn points in an MMO. It would ruin the experience and drive players away.

Mu Sicheng whistled, eyes full of admiration. "Bingo. Correct."

Wang Shun's gaze was complicated. Mu Sicheng had planned to trick Bai Liu into revealing his skill, but it was clear now that not a single lie would get past him. Outwitting Bai Liu was hopeless.

"I'm curious—what's your sanity right now?" Mu Sicheng marveled at Bai Liu's clear eyes and calm demeanor. "You don't look like someone who just had 0.1 sanity. Did you buy a sanity bleach to recover?"

Bai Liu seemed perfectly lucid, like any normal player. Aside from using a bleach, Mu Sicheng couldn't think of another explanation.

"My sanity is 3," Bai Liu replied calmly. "Still recovering."

Mu Sicheng: "…"

Wang Shun: "…"

Both men stared in stunned silence, until Wang Shun finally blurted, "Did you say your sanity is three?!"

"Three," Bai Liu replied matter-of-factly. "Why?"

"Three…" Wang Shun stammered, staring at Bai Liu as if he were some unnatural creature. "Do you know what that means? You should be hallucinating, your mind and body tormented…"

"I've never dropped below sixty, but even at sixty I could barely speak. Most players who fall below twenty go mad as soon as they exit. You're at three, and you're like this…"

He gestured helplessly at Bai Liu, at a loss for words. Bai Liu, however, was intrigued. Leaning against the wall, he lazily retorted, "Is there something wrong with me? I feel perfectly normal."

Indeed, he was normal—but Bai Liu's "normal" was itself an extreme abnormality. No one else could remain so composed at three sanity.

"How can you still think and answer us? Your mind should be a mess, your intelligence halved!"

"It is a bit muddled," Bai Liu agreed, nodding. "My intelligence is halved, but I can still think with 45 points. These questions aren't hard."

Wang Shun was speechless.

In truth, Bai Liu was tormented by a twisted consciousness, a voice whispering his darkest desires, urging him to become a monster. But ever since losing his job, he'd grown used to such temptations—urges to beat up his boss or the privileged Mu Ke. With his intelligence, he could easily get away with it.

But Bai Liu had always restrained himself with the law, memorizing legal tomes and setting his own bottom line: never violate the rules of the group he belonged to. As a member of humanity, he would not break its laws.

He was used to curbing his abnormal greed, so this level of torment was nothing to him.

…Though he did wonder what "sanity bleach" was. The name sounded like a blue potion for status recovery.

But he didn't ask directly, suspecting the two had already tried to trick him once. Instead, he turned to Mu Sicheng, sensing a more playful spirit.

Wang Shun asked, "How did you guess we came to ask about your [personal skill]?"

"If you're not here to kill me, you must want something—cooperation, or information. As a newcomer, I have little of value to you. My stats and rewards are public; only my [personal skill] is hidden."

He looked up at Mu Sicheng and Wang Shun. "So I guessed you came to ask about my [personal skill]. Normally, I wouldn't tell you, but you came anyway, thinking my low sanity would make me easy to trick. Am I right?"

Wang Shun could only sigh in defeat.

Bai Liu was right about everything—even their attempt to exploit him.

Mu Sicheng leaned in, scrutinizing Bai Liu. "Now I really doubt your sanity. I don't think I'll get your skill out of you today."

"Not necessarily." Bai Liu's lips curled in a slow smile. He looked at Mu Sicheng, utterly at ease. "How about we make a deal? I'll show you my skill, and you help me recover my sanity with a bleach."

"…Are you serious?" Mu Sicheng eyed him warily. "Don't try to trick me—I have items that can tell if you're lying."

Bai Liu spread his hands and smiled. "You're welcome to check."

"But why should I bleach your sanity for free?" Mu Sicheng reconsidered, grinning slyly. "Sanity bleach isn't cheap. I can just wait for your next game—you'll have to use your skill then, right?"

Bai Liu pulled a single point from his battered wallet, the coin turning silver in his fingers. "I'm not asking for charity. Here's one point."