Starting the Game with Godlike Vision

The scrambled code weapon might be valued at 120 credits, but that worth only mattered if it could be sold. Otherwise, it was just a worthless trinket.

The Swift Rat Dagger, however, was a different story. Its sleek, compact design made it easy to hide and highly appealing. Players with assassination skills or those who needed agility in cramped spaces often favored such a weapon, making it a quick sell.

After all, in the dungeons, weapons and items were consumables.

No one could guarantee that their weapon would survive a dungeon unscathed. Hence, it was wise to carry backups, backups for the backups, and even backups for those backups—just in case of unexpected mishaps.

When it came to items, more was always better.

The stall owner hesitated for a moment before agreeing to the trade.

With the game maintaining order, once a deal was struck, there was no need to worry about reneging.

This was why players in the market boldly displayed their items without any protective measures, unconcerned about theft.

The transaction was simple: one hand exchanged credits; the other handed over the goods.

Zuo Chengan parted with 100 credits and the Swift Rat Dagger, acquiring Flying Pebble and *&·#* in return.

Gripping the wrapped, non-slip handle, he gave it a few experimental swings.

The weapon had a hefty feel, and if not for his recent strength upgrade to 20 points, even wielding it might have been a challenge.

As he ran his fingers over the metallic body, he found himself growing fonder of it. Calling it the garbled item didn't seem right.

And calling it an iron piece wasn't entirely accurate either—it was over a finger thick and blunt-edged, more like a ruler than a blade.

It deserved a proper name.

Since it came from 7-015 Godforge, then… let's call it Little Seven.

After settling the bill with Tian Wenliang, who had accompanied him on his shopping spree, Zuo Chengan returned home.

He diluted his homemade tomato paste with water and poured it into the Insufferable Thermos.

Dilution was a plan he'd conceived before buying the flask. Solid tomato paste was difficult to pour out, but thinning it made it easier to handle.

The trade-off was a reduced healing effect. To achieve the same recovery, he'd have to consume more of the diluted paste.

It was hard to say whether this was an improvement or a deterioration.

…

In the days that followed, Zuo Chengan spent most of his time resting in his room, striving to recover his mental strength.

Occasionally, he ventured out to buy ingredients for tomato sauce or strolled through the marketplace.

With only 90 credits left, all he could afford were disposable items—an air capsule with just two pills remaining, a mist spray at 34% capacity, or a stamina drink half-consumed.

Such items had niche uses: they were lifesaving in specific dungeons but often gathered dust in others. Most players bought them only as needed and quickly resold any leftovers after clearing a dungeon.

During this time, Zuo Chengan also heard some news about the major guilds from Yu Le.

Rumor had it that after emerging from the No Escape dungeon, the recently reconciled Dawnmoon Guild and Tidal Surge Guild had fallen out once again, even scheduling a duel in the arena to settle their personal grudges.

Zuo Chengan wasn't surprised. Both guilds had entered the dungeon hoping for substantial rewards, only to suffer heavy losses in resources and personnel.

In Safe Zone 7, a relatively new area, players were generally weaker than those from other safe zones.

A 2nd or 3rd Heavenly Ascension player might be considered ordinary in Safe Zone 1—commonplace and unremarkable.

But in Safe Zone 7, 2nd Heavenly Ascension players were the elite of major guilds, and 3rd Heavenly Ascension players were core members.

The loss of so many in a level-three dungeon naturally led to finger-pointing.

This uproar caused quite a stir, but it had little to do with the average players.

…

On this particular day, just as Zuo Chengan finished making a fresh batch of tomato sauce, he received an invite from Li Yueqiu:

Li Yueqiu: [Brother Zuo! Wanna hit a dungeon today?]

Zuo Chengan glanced at his stats panel. His Mind had climbed back to 83 points. It had been four days since his last dungeon, so the timing seemed right.

He checked the time—8:30, either in the morning or evening. The clock wasn't digital.

Zuo Chengan: [Sure, see you in the dungeon lobby in half an hour.]

Li Yueqiu: [Got it!]

Li Yueqiu: [Oh, by the way, Brother Zuo, Zheng Ren came out of the dungeon yesterday. Should we bring him along?]

Li Yueqiu always deferred to Zuo Chengan for decisions, knowing the importance of sticking with a strong ally.

Zuo Chengan pondered for a moment. Among the players he knew, although Zheng Ren lacked skills, he had gone through two dungeons. By now, he must have accumulated more Attribute Points than Li Yueqiu. Trustworthy and reliable, he was a solid addition.

Zuo Chengan: [Bring him too.]

…

At the small square in Safe Zone 7's park, two figures sat on roll mats. One looked tense, anxiously waiting, while the other stared blankly at her personal panel.

Suddenly, her blank stare turned into focus. She spoke to the other. "He agreed."

Zheng Ren sighed in relief. "Phew~ That's great. Having a top-tier player lead us will make the next dungeon a breeze."

Li Yueqiu patted her chest. "You said it!"

"We're all new to the game, so how come he's already a top-tier player while we're still stuck spinning our wheels?"

The two exchanged a glance and sighed.

…

Envy aside, the half-hour deadline was tight, so they quickly began packing.

Both rolled up the mats they had been sleeping on for the past few days and covered them with dust covers.

Li Yueqiu then turned to a dozing woman nearby. "Aunt Xu, we'll leave our mats with you."

Li Yueqiu's sweet demeanor and sincere eyes had quickly won over the players in the area. She had even helped out Zheng Ren, who had spent all his credits on healing and was left penniless.

Still wearing the bloodstained shirt from his beginner dungeon, Zheng Ren couldn't afford a change of clothes.

Li Yueqiu had lent him credit to buy the Wanderer's Kit—a ground mat, a mini pot, and a box of ten assorted instant noodles, all for just one credit after rounding down.

Compared to clothes, securing food and shelter came first.

As for water, they could fetch it from the park's central fountain. The game didn't prohibit it.

…

On their way to the dungeon lobby, Li Yueqiu couldn't hold back her curiosity. "What exactly happened in your last dungeon? How did you end up spending over 40 credits on recovery?"

Zheng Ren fumbled for words.

Li Yueqiu pressed, "I had sinusitis, malnutrition, hormonal imbalance, cavities, mild myopia, and more, yet it only cost me 15 credits to recover. What on earth did you do to rack up 40?"

Zheng Ren avoided her gaze. "It's... a long story."

"Ahhh…" Li Yueqiu dragged out her sigh. "Then make it short! But you really had it rough—thinking you'd earn more points, only to end up back at square one."

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