Chapter 480: Free Exploration Mode
“The scenario has been completed, calculating the reward.
“Obtained EXP: 340000. Game Coins: 100000.
“Obtained Equipment: Defence-Break Cleaver, Flashlight, Small Mirror
“Completed/ Accepted Quests: 6/6
“Completed Special/ Hidden Quests: 0. Unlocked Worldbuilding: None
“Time of Terror Points Increase: 0. High Terror Points: 0 %. Average Terror Points: 0 %
“Your Terror Rating is: Embodiment of Valour. Extra reward obtained, can be selected later.
“Obtained Skill Points: 1224
“Additional Reward from Skill Point Multiplier: EXP: 12240; Game Coins: 100000
“Scenario Cleared Reward: Puzzle Cards x2
…
“Calculation completed. Please continue.”
After returning to the log in lobby, the rating review swiftly appeared on the touch screen.
“Ah… this is just perfect… that saved me the trouble of having to figure out several hundred words…” Feng Bujue said something incognizant, we could ignore him.
“Fine… let’s go look at the reward first.” After reading through the rating review, Feng Bujue turned to the storage room. The two glass tubes were already there, waiting for him. Brother Jue went to grab his reward for clearing the scenario first, they were respectively Puzzle Card- Banana and Puzzle Card- Toilet Plunger. He gave them a try and could not form any set with his Puzzle Card- Strawberry so he placed both of them inside the storage for now. Then he walked to the second glass tube and the familiar window floated before him. “Please select your additional reward: 1, a random draw of equipment equivalent to your level; 2, 50000 Game Coins (max); 3, 17200000 EXP.”
“There’s 17200000 EXP…” Feng Bujue looked at the menu and said, “for those in the 30s, this exp should be enough for them to jump through 3 to 4 levels at one go…” As he said that, he chose the equipment… The white light gathered to form the item.
Name: Eros Mangaka’s Tux
Type: Armor
Quality: Normal
Defense Point: Slightly Weak
Element: None
Special Effect: No matter when it will look like you have just bought it
Equip Requirement: General Ability B, bound after use
Remark: Damn it, the sales for the manga was not bad and I got the serialization contract on Jump magazine, why wasn’t I invited to the yearly symposium? I even bought the tux! Later only found out they would never invite an Eros mangaka!
“What in the world…” Even Feng Bujue was shocked by the item description. “Can this be counted as an equipment? This is not something generated by the system right? It’s written by some programmer when they were too free, aren’t they? Is it the same person who designed the ‘rotten egg bullet’? PSA to the manager, it’s time to send this person to counselling!”
Definitely this thing was meant to be sold. Since it was just normal quality, even the disintegrator wouldn’t want it. Therefore, after his mocking, Brother Jue took a trip to the market. The current Feng Bujue was already a ‘superstar’. At least in the game, his popularity was no less than top tier celebrity player. Therefore, after discussing it with his guild mates, they changed their usual market server…
Before this, the members of Underworld Frontline used Market 10. But now they had moved to Market 101, this server that was relatively at the back had lowered number of player and thus could prevent the possibility of a mob. But even with the lesser ‘number’, that was only in relative to other more popular servers. Since the system would still split the playerbase as evenly as it could, as long as the server ‘existed’, there would be at least 100 players.
“Hey look! The one in the purple suit! Could it be…”
“OH! That’s Feng Bujue!”
“You better take a closer look. Recently so many players have gone to copy his style, some even went further to copy his hairstyle.”
“That’s really him, he looks just like the one we saw on the screen.”
“Oh? Is it? Let me see… Hmm… He does not look that impressive in person.”
“Shush, there are rumors that he is a real professional hitman in real life…”
“How come I hear other rumors that he is actually a mental patient at an asylum.”
Such words drifted into Feng Bujue’s ears from all sides. Under the blazing gaze of surrounding players and their whispering, Brother Jue hurried to the system shop. After taking out the tux, the flashlight and the small mirror and sold them, he hurried back the way he came as fast as possible…
“Sigh… what the hell…” After Feng Bujue returned to his log in lobby, he gave a long sigh. “Now a trip to the market makes me feel like a thief…” he scratched his head and then worked on the touch screen. “Hmm… But the number of harassment mail has lessened, looks like the new update has driven most of the attention away…” He paused. “Or perhaps there are too many people in my blacklist?” As he deleting the trash mail, he considered what mode he should play next.
“Another nightmare mode?” Feng Bujue mumbled, “or…” he finished cleaning the new mails and then pulled out the selection of modes. “Speaking of which… this new mode sure is interesting…” At that point, Brother Jue had made his mind. Since he was in sleeping mode and he had not played in the morning, he did not need to worry about overclocking in game. Therefore, it meant that he had more than enough time to wander around the free exploration mode.
“Feng Bujue, Level 43. Please select the game mode that you wish to join.
“You have chosen Free Exploration Mode.
“Every entry into this mode will exhaust 20000 Game Coins, please confirm.
“Confirmed…
“This is the first time you have entered this mode, so the system is searching for a random multiverse…
“Search completed, connecting to the multiverse…
“Downloading initiated, please wait.”
After that, the elevator started to move.
“Welcome to Thriller Paradise.” This time, it was the system itself that said this. Feng Bujue commented, “Isn’t this just the same as the start of every other scenario? What’s the difference?”
“Download completed, you are currently in Free Exploration Mode. This mode has no system quest and no time limit and no limitation to afk like behaviour.
“You can enter and leave this mode through the ‘safehouse’ that connected the log in lobby and the multiverse (every entry into this mode will cost 20000 Game Coins).
“The scenario has already started. Please leave the safehouse within 5 minutes.”
At that point, the system stopped and the elevator door opened…
Beyond the door was a cavern like space, the walls and ceiling were made from irregular rocks. There was a metallic door that was embedded into the rock wall that was opposite the elevator. At that moment, the door was closed. At the corner of the cave was a strange decoration. It was about the size of a fridge and it was clinking like an old machine would. This thing appeared to be a generator as multiple electrical wires extended out from it and connected to the simple lighting devices at the roof of the ceiling.
Feng Bujue walked out from the elevator and took a careful look around. There was nothing in this ‘safehouse’, this was truly a middle space between ‘the log in lobby’ and the ‘door to the outside world’. After officially entering the safehouse, a window filled with words popped up. The system announcement followed it as the words rolled forward. “Before entering the world of free exploration for the first time, please read the following.
“A. After you step out from the elevator, it means that you have officially entered the scenario world. From this moment onwards, returning to the elevator would be seen as ‘leaving the scenario normally’
“B. You have a 5 minute limit to stay inside the safehouse. Please leave the door or return to the log in lobby within these five minutes or lese you will be forcibly transported back into the log in lobby, that will be viewed as ‘leaving the scenario normally’
“C. If you leave the scenario anywhere else outside of the safehouse (including but not limited to being killed, forced to quit, disconnected and so on), punishment would be placed on your Game Coins, Skill Points and EXP respectively. When you reenter the world, you will return to your previously saved safehouse.
“D. Within one hour, you can only pass through the safehouse’s door once (be it entering or leaving); items and skills used inside the safehouse will not affect the people or object outside the safehouse.
“E. You can bring items ‘that can be taken out of the scenario’ into the safehouse in your inventory or holding them; if you need to bring a living creature into the safehouse, please ensure you have the ownership over said creature and have it inside your inventory.
“F. Every sentient creature in the scenario, including the player’s summoned creature cannot enter the safehouse, with exception due to Rule E.
“G. Whenever you enter the free exploration mode, it will exhaust 20000 Game Coins. If you are not satisfied with your arranged world or wish to have a new one arranged after you’re bored, you can pay 500000 Game Coins to have a new world assigned.”
“hmm… they have repeatedly stressed the payment of 20000 Game Coins, this is the third time already.” Feng Bujue used several seconds to scan the content of the window. Most of it he had read in the patch notes and the rest he had read in the small details so he only skimmed through them this time.
“But… if they didn’t do that, it will lead to tons of trouble…” he said as he walked to the door. He was not wrong about that. Take for example… a player might try to walk in and out of the elevator or train their skill repeatedly inside the safehouse… that would naturally lead to them being transported out. Then they would go and complain due to their loss of Game Coins. Even though… technically this was their fault for not reading the game manual but they would still stubbornly blame it on others. These days, there were many people like that, even if they were struck by lightning on the street, they would find some person or some organization to sue to get some repayment.
“So it is not locked…” Feng Bujue walked to the door that would lead him out to the world. He observed as he studied the thick metallic door. It only had a door handle, there was no keyhole and it would open with a turn.
“Not surprising… since the things outside cannot get in.” He twisted the doorknob and pulled open the door. Beyond it was a narrow corridor, it was carved out from a rock tunnel. But the corridor was not lit. One could not see down the end of the trail. Brother Jue took out the compound Anti Gravity Gun and moved forward after switching on the attached light. He just took a few steps when he heard ‘bang’. He turned back to look and saw the safehouse’s door closed on its own. The metallic door had a symbol on the side that faced outwards, it was painted right in the middle of the door. The symbol was simple, it was a circle with the word “Thriller” written inside it.
“Hmm… Sure why not…” Surprisingly Brother Jue had nothing to say about this. He turned back, walked towards the door and placed his hand on the doorknob.
“Sorry, you have just used this door recently, please try again after 59:34 seconds.” Both the system and the window popped up at the same time. The door remained unmoved.
“Fine…” Feng Bujue grumbled. Then, he placed the gun down and yelled into the air. He pushed out both arms and then punched them forward. After using his first Yakyuken, he started to contemplate. “Hmm… Since this mode has no limitation of time, how about I just stay here for an hour to practice this skill…” he calculated in his mind, [that way, I will level up in another 59 hours. That is about 5 hours and 54 minutes in real life, about 1 night of gaming. If I follow this schedule… after 10 nights of playing, I would be invincible…]
After that thought flashed across his mind, he quickly shook his head. “Qie… how is that possible.” Indeed for Feng Bujue, that was not possible. He was a born adventurer, or rather a person who couldn’t sit still; for him, ‘boredom’ was harsher than any punishment. Plus… if he did that, what was the point of even playing the game anymore. He was not a professional player, there was no need to do that.
“Aiz… now I pity them. Time to go.” Brother Jue mumbled to himself. He picked up the compound anti gravity gun and moved forward. The rocky tunnel curved complicatedly and it was longer than he thought. Thankfully he came prepared, he was not afraid of anything. Even if he ran into Predator, he had confidence he could win.
“Speaking of which… this mode sure is ‘free’…” Feng Bujue commented as he proceeded. “There is not even one word of explanation to this world… Theoretically speaking, I could have been shrunk and I am now moving through some kind of ant farm…” he paused. “Or… I’m at some kind of alien planet?”
While he was thinking, suddenly…