Chapter 8

The beginning of the story is always so beautiful.

Gao Yang excitedly selected a server—yes, despite being a browser game, Dragon Slayer Blade boasted dozens of different realms. He casually clicked on one in the middle and entered the game.

The resources loaded quickly, and within seconds, an interface appeared before him, much like that of an ordinary RPG. At the bottom center of the screen were two rows of empty squares, while the lower left corner featured a chatbox where different channels could be selected.

At the moment, only a few system announcements filled this chatbox, making it seem rather deserted—probably because there weren’t many players yet. In the lower right was a row of icons—“Character,” “Inventory,” “Settings,” and so forth—each function self-explanatory.

The character he had just created stood at the very center of the screen. Next to his name, the LV1 shone starkly against the LV99 looming above the enormous Yamata no Orochi facing him.

No way, he thought. Am I supposed to fight a monster ninety-nine levels above me right from the start?

Gao Yang stared in disbelief. Fortunately, the beginner’s tutorial popped up just then. It was simple enough, introducing him to the character and the background story. Once that was done, he received a newcomer’s gift pack.

Inside was a set of purple gear and a golden weapon. Following the system’s cues, Gao Yang equipped these items. The system then prompted him again: [You now possess the combat power necessary for a challenge beyond your level. Please attempt to defeat the Yamata no Orochi!]

A friendly arrow accompanied by text showed him exactly what to do.

Gao Yang quickly got the hang of it, skillfully guiding his character to strike the Orochi. As his blade struck home, the sound effects of the game gave him a surprising sense of immersion.

This game isn’t bad at all, he thought, the controls feel great.

What pleased him even more was that with just that single strike, a -9999999 damage number floated up, and the monster collapsed with a crash, leaving behind a field of loot.

It really was exactly like the advertisements!

So many great items right from the start—what a conscientious game developer. And it didn’t even cost any money! How could they not be losing out?

These thoughts flashed through Gao Yang’s mind, but he was far more interested in the loot scattered on the ground. Following the prompt, he clicked “Pick Up All.” Instantly, his level skyrocketed to LV999.

His gear transformed into a dazzling array of rainbow-colored items. Once equipped, his character looked like a walking beacon.

Gao Yang was absolutely delighted by the effect.

So cool! Max level at the outset—what a rush!

He spun his character around with the mouse, admiring from every angle just how striking and imposing he looked.

Then, the system automatically issued a new quest and popped up a window: [Would you like to enable auto-pathfinding?]

It can even walk by itself? Gao Yang’s affection for the game soared.

What a godsend for those with no sense of direction! Of course he chose to accept.

Upon activating it, his character began walking on its own.

With no need to worry about navigation, Gao Yang found himself with leisure to admire the game’s environment.

The more he looked, the more satisfied he became. Even though the backgrounds were a bit compressed and not as crisp, it was clear that they were carefully designed—unlike other games that simply clone the same foliage everywhere or leave barren patches of earth.

The map’s edges were dotted with uniquely styled flowers and plants. As his character progressed, Gao Yang even spotted ponds and small animals along the way. The scenery never repeated, even up to the next quest marker.

How much must they have spent on art? Gao Yang marveled. The company’s boss must be a true philanthropist, willing to devote so much attention to creating a good player experience.

It completely outclassed those amateur browser games.

The system automatically stopped his character in front of a monster. This time, the monster’s name was in red above its head—an aggressive foe.

Gao Yang had been so absorbed in the scenery he hadn’t noticed his character had stopped. It wasn’t until he heard a roar from the game that he realized the monster was about to attack.

Oh no! Gao Yang hurriedly tried to move his character out of the way, but it was too late—he could only watch as the monster lunged, jaws wide.

Then a number appeared above his character.

-1

Huh?

Did I see that right?

Gao Yang widened his eyes, halted the mouse, and waited for the monster to strike again.

-1

He glanced at the massive, unmoving HP bar above his character’s head and broke into a grin.

Every time someone hits me, it’s only -1, but I land criticals every strike. This is exactly the game I’ve dreamed of!

Without hesitation, Gao Yang struck, and the monster immediately fell. This time, it only dropped a few green items.

Well, with this gear, he could one-shot anything—who cared what loot the monsters dropped?

He didn’t even bother picking up the items, heading straight to the next quest.

The next target was a phoenix with billions of HP, which made Gao Yang a little nervous.

Soon, though, he realized that no matter how much health a monster had, it was just a matter of one cut or a few more.

He dispatched the phoenix in no time, and among the loot, to his surprise, was a baby phoenix.

He clicked to pick it up, and the system prompted: Would you like to equip the battle pet: Fire Phoenix?

A battle pet? Does that mean it fights alongside me?

Gao Yang clicked “Yes.” Instantly, a small phoenix appeared, perching affectionately on his character’s shoulder and nuzzling his face from time to time.

Not only that, but the phoenix also attacked nearby monsters automatically, and its damage rivaled Gao Yang’s own.

Double the fun! I love it!

And so, Gao Yang’s monster-slaying journey gained a loyal little phoenix companion.

He became increasingly absorbed in the game.

Though the content was a bit repetitive, the thrill of starting at max level and mowing down enemies was incomparable! The tactile sensation of combat was so satisfying that Gao Yang wished for hordes of monsters to hack apart.

After all, no number of monsters could threaten him.

At one point, a real-name authentication form popped up. Not wanting to interrupt his gameplay, Gao Yang filled it out hastily.

Right now, he was wholly immersed in the game, caring for nothing else.

This blissful experience persisted for about five more minutes.

Just as he was rushing toward the next quest, he noticed the dazzling glow around his character had vanished, and even the little phoenix’s radiance had dimmed.

What’s going on?

Coincidentally, his character reached the quest target. Gao Yang swung his sword almost dismissively: Only six million HP? That’s nothing, not even enough for me to—wait, why isn’t this monster dying?

A bug? Disbelieving, Gao Yang struck again.

This time, he saw the damage numbers clearly.

-43999

His phoenix companion breathed fire.

-23333

But the monster’s health bar had barely budged.

Looking up, Gao Yang saw his own level had dropped to LV10.

What is happening?

A pop-up window quickly resolved his confusion.

[Your novice trial gear has expired and has been automatically replaced with the highest quality equipment from your inventory.]

If Gao Yang had hovered his mouse over the novice gear, he would have noticed, beneath the astonishing attack and defense stats, a line of tiny white text:

“This equipment is for trial use only, valid for eight minutes.”

Gao Yang struggled to process the implication.

So all that explosively fun experience was just a newbie trial?

From now on, his damage would drop from millions to tens of thousands?

To Gao Yang, this was like going from a gourmet feast to plain porridge.

Completely, utterly unacceptable!

As if sensing his dismay, the system thoughtfully popped open the lantern icon in the top right corner.

An array of enticing recharge events spread out before Gao Yang’s eyes.

Most prominent was a bold message in the center:

New Server Opening: Recharge any amount of Spirit Stones to receive overpowered equipment.

Spirit Stones were the in-game currency for this cultivation-themed world.

Gao Yang perked up.

Any amount? So even just one yuan would do? And after recharging, the Spirit Stones could still be spent, with the equipment given as a bonus.

That’s great.

All his earlier dissatisfaction vanished in a flash.

What a conscientious company, pricing their items so fairly.

One yuan? I’ll take it!

As Gao Yang thought this, he glanced at the other recharge deals.

And that’s when he couldn’t look away.

Growth Special: Recharge any amount for seven consecutive days to receive massive rewards, with an extra celestial artifact—the Xuanyuan Bow—on the seventh day.

A flaming bow stood beside the offer, with a list of gifts for the first six days: experience, equipment, weapons.

Seven days... just seven yuan.

Gao Yang started calculating in his mind and kept scrolling.

Super Value Spirit Stone Pack: Permanent double EXP item plus a full set of immortal-grade gear.

Immortal-grade gear? He hovered over the set.

Impressive—there were multiple attributes, each with stats far beyond his current ragged equipment.

The price was a bit steep, though, even at half-off it was still one hundred ninety-eight.

New Player Cumulative Rewards: Recharge up to X yuan to receive...

Another mountain of rewards. Minimum one yuan for a pair of immortal boots, then six, eighteen, thirty-two, sixty-four, ninety-nine... Each tier gave another piece of immortal gear, all the way up to six hundred forty-eight yuan for a full set.

First Recharge Bonus: First recharge grants double Spirit Stones; the more you spend, the more you get.

That’s essentially a fifty percent discount!

Gao Yang’s mind raced—if he combined that with the super value pack, wouldn’t that mean spending just ninety-nine for everything? Plus the cumulative rewards.

So much experience and gear!

The thrill of overwhelming power at the start was too intoxicating to lose. Gao Yang gritted his teeth.

Ninety-nine it is. Barely two digits. Not even enough for a AAA title, but here it bought him a treasure trove. Worth it!

After completing the payment, Gao Yang claimed each reward in turn.

Every time he clicked to claim, seeing a huge haul of items pour into his inventory, a wave of satisfaction washed over him.

So much for so little.

This was a win.

Clad in immortal-grade gear, Gao Yang resumed his smooth monster-slaying spree.

But soon, the little phoenix perched obediently on his shoulder curled up and stopped moving.

A prompt popped up at the center of the screen:

[Your pet’s stamina is now 1. Would you like to purchase feed to restore its energy?]

There are... pet items too?

Gao Yang sucked in a breath, a vague sense of unease creeping in.

Elsewhere, watching the revenue figures climb, Li, the data designer, voiced his curiosity despite his delight, “Boss, why don’t we make the rewards go straight into the player’s inventory after payment? Wouldn’t that be more convenient?”

Jiang Qiubai, who had streamlined every process except for combat to avoid inconveniencing players, only smiled mysteriously: “Because claiming rewards is, in itself, a wonderful part of the player experience.”

The sense of satisfaction from that can even surpass monster-slaying.