Chapter 1 Script Completed, Rewards Being Calculated

[Experience gained: 5500, Game Coins: 55000]

[Obtained Items/Equipment: None]

[Completed Accepted Quests: 22]

[Special/Hidden Quests Completed: 0, Worldview Decryption: None]

[Sudden Surge in Fear Value: 0 times, Highest Fear Value: 0%, Average Fear Value: 0%]

[Your Fear Rating is "Brave as a Lion," and you will receive an additional reward. Please select it shortly.]

[Acquired Skill Points: 323]

[Skill Points Bonus Experience: 3230, Game Coins: 32300]

[Script Completion Bonus: 100% Base Experience Bonus: 5500]

[Calculation complete, please continue.]

When Twenty-Three bid farewell to Feng Bujue, he was passively teleported away. But a question was deeply planted in Feng Bujue's mind, and he couldn't help but ponder... As a group of data that possesses self-awareness and a certain level of intelligence from birth, should the Derivatives also be regarded as some form of "higher life" and be given a certain degree of respect, or at least... no longer be hunted down simply because of their "existence"?

The answer to this question cannot be solved by reasoning. Not everything in this world can be divided into right and wrong, should and shouldn't. So some things have no answer, only results. Feng Bujue is just an ordinary person, he has no ability or power to manage such things, all he can do is probably just think.

[You have leveled up to 13. Stamina cap increased. Current Stamina: 1300/1300]

The system notification pulled him back from his thoughts.

"Brother Jue, are you okay? Why did it take you several minutes to exit the script?" Wang Tanzhi's voice also rang out from the communication channel.

"Don't worry, I didn't hang up." Feng Bujue said, "Haven't I already reached level 13?"

Wang Tanzhi said, "Eh? I'm only level twelve with two thousand experience or so. I've played one more script than you. Is it really the difference in Skill Points?"

"The difference in Skill Points is actually not that big. Even if the total amount of Skill Points I got in several team survival modes is 300 or even 400 more than you, it's only a difference of 3000 to 4000 experience points. The main thing is that my hidden quest reward in the previous script was also experience. In addition, I also received a 40% experience bonus of my current level once, given by the Fear Rating." Feng Bujue explained.

"Hey... Brother Jue, if you keep playing single-player survival mode, guarantee a clear, and constantly get that 40% experience, wouldn't you level up super fast? It's even possible to strive for the server's first max level!" Wang Tanzhi said.

"I have indeed considered this. If I were determined to do it, I should succeed. However, I'm playing this game with some 'cheating' tendencies after all. Becoming the first max-level player is a high-profile thing that would make me a target of public criticism. Besides, there are no special rewards for being the first to reach max level. For a non-professional player like me who doesn't want to be famous, getting it would bring a lot of trouble." Feng Bujue replied.

Wang Tanzhi said, "The closed beta capped at twenty, so there might be some randomness, but the open beta has fifty levels, and account registration is open. Maybe the first max-level player will get some heaven-defying prize?"

Feng Bujue laughed, "Actually, there's no difference. This pattern won't change in the open beta. Game companies know very well that most of the players who are far ahead in level are basically the result of studio teams operating. Ordinary players simply can't participate in this kind of competition. After all, the available resources are different. Just the game time alone is incomparable between casual and professional players. So you see, that 'Yongzhe Wu Ju' (Fearless Warrior) who was the first to reach level twenty in the closed beta, didn't get any substantial rewards officially granted, except for an announcement on the forum."

Later facts also proved that Feng Bujue's guess was correct. Dream Inc. really didn't give any substantial rewards to the first max-level player. Of course, that player and the studio they were in got what they wanted, which was attention.

In fact, these days, as long as it's a technically strong and highly playable online game, the upper echelons are basically occupied by studios. It's not until the game has been operating for several years and is nearing its end that the studios withdraw one after another, and some individual or casual players may emerge. Of course, by then, there may not be many people playing. What follows is closing registration, merging servers, and finally closing the game.

As for some more "brain-dead" games, the overall structure is relatively clear. It's all about who has more money. Besides using scantily clad female characters to sell sex appeal and doing some vulgar promotion, the only redeeming quality is the game's graphics. The gameplay itself is really not worth mentioning. Studios in such games are instead at the grassroots level, playing the role of working for the rich, doing almost mindless repetitive assembly line operations, with a bit of a human bot flavor.

The lifespan of these kinds of games is often even shorter. Generally speaking, players who don't spend money can't continue playing by the mid-early stages, and the few who persevere to the later stages are also abused and defeated. And because the content of the game itself is empty and lacking, players who have spent money will gradually feel bored and tired after not too long, and eventually choose to leave.

Such online games emerged endlessly in 2055, like a consumable, first-class promotion, third-class games, and non-entry-level operators. However, these types of commodities were ultimately recognized by the market, because there is nothing wrong with consumables, people need such consumables. Players who don't want to spend money get a novelty, and players who spend money can better enjoy the game; the operators just want to make a quick buck and leave anyway, they don't plan to have a long-term business; the blue-collar workers and rookie players in the studios can also rely on services such as power leveling and farming to survive. Everyone gets what they need, and at most in half a year or so, new consumables will fill the gap.

"That's good, if you level up too fast, there will be no one to carry me." Xiao Tan replied, "By the way, Brother Jue, the Winchester is still with me. I'll give it to you in the next script." In fact, Xiao Tan had also picked up two pistols in the gun store earlier and kept them in his inventory, but in the basketball hall, using the Winchester was obviously more appropriate.

"You keep it for now, I'll sort out my things and go offline." Feng Bujue replied.

"Huh? It's only two-thirty now." Xiao Tan said.

What he meant was that it was still early. Even if he played until four o'clock and then went offline, there would still be one and a half hours of real-world time, which, when converted to game time under sleep mode, would be fifteen hours, enough to play another script of similar length to the previous one.

"You just said that you are level twelve with two thousand experience or so, right?" Feng Bujue said, "That means you are less than ten thousand away from leveling up to thirteen. Go play two more scripts in a while, and if possible, refresh a title or something." He paused for a second and continued, "As for me... I need to calm down and think about some things..." This reason was not very convincing.

But Xiao Tan accepted it. He knew Feng Bujue's temper. He would say what he wanted to say without reservation, and he would never open his mouth if he didn't want to say it, so it was useless to ask: "Okay, then I'm leaving the team."

"Yeah, bye." Feng Bujue said goodbye to him.

Xiao Tan responded and left the team.

When Feng Bujue opened the friend list again, three of the four names in it were already offline: Long Aotian, Si Yu Ruo Li, and Bei Ling Xiao Gu. The name "Wang Tanzhi" quickly changed from "idle" to "in game."

He consciously checked the "Recently Played With" section. In addition to a few friends, there were also Yongzhe Wu Di, Atobe-shonen, and NamesAreHard to Pick, whom he had encountered after logging into the game this time. The nicknames "Unmatched General Pan Feng" and "Thousand-Man Slayer Hua Xiong" were also listed, but they showed as offline. Feng Bujue strongly suspected that this was a kind of "invisible" disguise, but he didn't have the idea of sending an email to confirm. He estimated that even if he sent it, no one would reply, and accepting a friend invitation was even more impossible.

Feng Bujue was a little disturbed by Twenty-Three's matter, and he temporarily lost the mood to play the game. He didn't rush to collect the rewards, nor did he do any sorting. He directly opened the game menu and selected offline.

When going offline in sleep mode, the system also has an extra reminder for those players who don't want to continue sleeping: [Do you need to be awakened?]