Chapter 137: Survival Store

Chen Mo told Ning Xuan not to fret, as there would be plenty of opportunities in the future to buy whatever she wanted.

Chen Mo himself certainly didn't fret! He went on an absolute shopping spree!

200 attribute points were snapped up in an instant! Chen Mo didn't even blink as he spent 2 million points; he still had 97.8 million left.

He opened his Great Demon King attribute panel (excluding equipment).

[HP: 10,000]
[MP: 10,000]
[Physical Attack: 1,600]
[Magic Attack: 1,000]
[Constitution: 380 == Strength 160, Bone Quality 100, Agility 100, S-rank War God’s Fury talent]
[Spirit: 400 == Magic 100, Qi Sea 100, Meditation 200]

Among these, the Bard class added 100 points, the "Very Excellent Ordinary Person" title added 200 points, 220 points were purchased in the novice dungeon, 200 points were purchased during the Battle Royale, 20 points were gained from ten thousand challenges, and 40 points of Meditation were added from night study sessions—a total of 780 attribute points!

This was his raw physical data without any equipment! A single punch dealt 1,600 damage; just try to imagine the terror!

Therefore, who needed equipment? Spending money was enough. As long as your attributes were strong, everything else was just fleeting clouds.

Chen Mo tried switching his Sophon to buy more attribute points, but the system issued a warning that he had reached the purchase limit. It seemed Chen Mo had underestimated the Sophon system; there were no loopholes to exploit.

Damn it, he still had 99.8 million points left, and it seemed there was nothing left to buy. The equipment on sale was all D-rank trash that he wouldn't even take for free. However, if he really couldn't find a way to spend his points, Chen Mo would have to gamble; he would spend it all on equipment and hope he got lucky enough to pull something high-tier.

Wait!

Chen Mo discovered a second page in the equipment shop. He clicked on it and instantly opened a new world!

[Equipment Upgrade]
[Can upgrade equipment below A-rank to a higher tier, doubling attributes and effects.]
[F to E success rate: 50%; E to D: 20%; D to C: 10%; C to B: 5%; B to A: 1%]
[Cost per attempt: 10,000 points; 1 Crystal]
[Note: Each person is limited to 100 upgrades.]

This was great! This was fantastic!

Chen Mo’s Vampire set was only C-rank, with attributes only half as good as B-rank gear. His D-rank Annihilation set was even worse. If he could upgrade them, he could keep using them indefinitely without needing to replace them.

Chen Mo had killed over 100,000 A-rank zombies and had over 100,000 crystals, so he had more than enough! The only annoying thing was the 100-upgrade limit per person. This was a pure gamble on his luck!

So be it! Let’s gamble! Come on!

First, he would upgrade the [Vampire’s Claws]. It was his favorite piece of gear; even with the Phoenix Claws, he still preferred this one.

"Confirm upgrade for D-rank [Vampire’s Claws]? Consumes 10,000 points and 1 crystal."

[Confirm]

BOOM!

A massive furnace appeared out of thin air. Of course, only Chen Mo could see it; Ning Xuan could not. His Vampire’s Claws flew into the furnace.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The ear-piercing sound of a blacksmith’s hammer!

[Congratulations! Upgrade successful.]
[C-rank Vampire’s Claws] upgraded to [B-rank Vampire’s Claws]
[Attributes: Strength +20, inflicts Bleed] upgraded to [Attributes: Strength +40, inflicts double Bleed effect]

What the hell? Are you kidding me? What kind of luck was this! Success on the first try! Was he a child of fortune? A true winner!

Chen Mo’s scalp tingled! A 5% chance, and he succeeded on the first try!

Ning Xuan rolled her eyes at him: "Brother, why are you so excited?"

Chen Mo couldn't suppress his excitement: "Ning Xuan, open the equipment section in the shop. You can click inside to upgrade your gear. I just upgraded my Vampire... well, anyway, if you have spare points, you should try it. Maybe you'll get lucky!"

Ning Xuan’s eyes lit up: "I found it! I’m going to synthesize my Pride set and Prejudice set!"

If Ning Xuan hadn't mentioned it, Chen Mo wouldn't have realized that besides upgrading, one could also synthesize set items. For example, his Vampire set was part of the SS-rank Cain set. If he could collect the other pieces in the future, he could synthesize the full Cain set, though that felt like a distant dream.

Chen Mo continued to upgrade!

"Goddess Guanyin, Goddess Chang'e, Goddess Furong, bless me! Let the upgrade succeed!"

He clicked!
Consumes 10,000 points, 1 crystal.
[Regrettably, the upgrade failed.]

He clicked again!
Consumes 10,000 points, 1 crystal.
[Regrettably, the upgrade failed.]

The success rate for upgrading B-rank to A-rank was only 1%. Logically, there was no need for Chen Mo to keep trying; he should have just upgraded the rest of his Vampire gear to B-rank. But he was still young and hot-headed. He felt certain the next one would succeed, so he went on a clicking frenzy!

[Regrettably, the upgrade failed.]
[Regrettably, the upgrade failed.]
...
[Regrettably, the upgrade failed.]

He clicked 30 times in a row, and every single one failed!

Chen Mo collapsed. It wasn't the points or crystals he cared about—he had plenty of those—it was the upgrade limit! He only had 100 attempts total!

His mindset now was that if he gave up, those 30 attempts would have been for nothing. This was the so-called "sunk cost fallacy"—he felt like he had already invested so much that stopping would be a waste, thinking the next one might succeed. Yet, statistically, the probability remained the same every time.

Eventually, reason overcame impulse. Chen Mo decided to upgrade his other gear first.

He upgraded the [C-rank Vampire’s Mask].
The mask flew into the furnace.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew everywhere.
Consumes 10,000 points, 1 crystal.
[Regrettably, the upgrade failed.]

Whatever, go again!
[Regrettably, the upgrade failed.]

"You're a tough one, aren't you! I don't believe it!"
[Regrettably, the upgrade failed.]

"Dammit! My mental state is exploding!"
Click! I'll click again! And again!!!

Chen Mo clicked 50 more times, and it was still [Regrettably, the upgrade failed].

Chen Mo’s face turned grim. He thought he was a child of fortune, but it turned out he was a refugee of misfortune.

It was the last one. 100 attempts, only the final one left!

The Great Demon King ID had terrible luck. Chen Mo switched to his Little Prince ID, hoping it would bring him better fortune. If it didn't succeed this time, he would truly lose his mind.

Ding!

A pleasant sound chimed.
[Regrettably, the upgrade failed.]

"Ah—"
"I've gone autistic!"

Ning Xuan looked at Chen Mo’s expression of total despair and asked with concern: "Brother, what’s wrong? Are you okay?"

Chen Mo said expressionlessly: "I’m fine, I just want to be left alone!"

"Hm?!!"

Suddenly, Chen Mo’s eyes nearly popped out of his head!!

He saw that in the equipment upgrade section, the remaining attempts read: 99!

What was going on! 99 attempts? Shouldn't he have used them all up!

*Thump, thump, thump!*

Chen Mo’s heart raced wildly. Holy crap! Could it be... because he switched his Sophon, the attempts refreshed!

Chen Mo switched to his Kun Long ID; the equipment upgrade section clearly displayed: 100 remaining attempts.

"Holy mother of...!"

"Hahaha, hahahaha!!"

Chen Mo was ecstatic, laughing up at the sky.

Ning Xuan shook her head: "It's over. Another one has gone crazy."

Hahaha, the Sophon system really did have one oversight! All purchase attempts in the shop were strictly limited, and switching Sophons didn't help. He never imagined that equipment enhancement wouldn't be restricted.

In reality, this was a flaw in the Sophon system’s algorithm. It hadn't accounted for the existence of multiple Sophons. Otherwise, Chen Mo wouldn't have been able to switch between his alternate accounts infinitely in the novice dungeon. The attribute calculation wasn't based on the number of Sophons, but on the total attribute count, so no matter how Chen Mo switched, the total didn't change.

"Come on! You kept saying 'regrettably' didn't you? Today, I’ll make you regret enough!"

"I still have 81 Sophons; I'm not afraid of you!"

[Confirm upgrade?]
[Confirm]
[Confirm]
...
[Confirm]

He clicked frantically!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The flames in the furnace roared as if they were about to explode, unable to handle this nouveau-riche style of upgrading.