Chapter 8: Gathering Intelligence

Based on the experiences of other players on the forum, Qin Yuan began to synthesize the information he had gathered.

First, the items players receive from their starter packs vary widely, but they always align with their chosen class and are generally useful on the spot, much like the owl whistle he had received. Player spawn points appear to be randomized; as he scrolled through the threads, he saw mentions of deserts, snowfields, swamps, forests, and plains, suggesting a map of immense scale. Furthermore, most players find themselves spawning in the immediate vicinity of human villages or towns.

He also noted something peculiar: his status bar contained an ability called "Eye of Revelation," which had been immensely helpful during his journey. He had initially assumed most players would activate similar abilities, but after browsing for a while, he found no mention of anything of the sort in the players' casual chatter. This was strange... Qin Yuan keenly sensed that his situation seemed different from that of the majority.

Burying his questions for the time being, he continued to browse. As players exchanged information, those who had entered the forum later had, like him, figured out most of the basics, though some mechanics remained under exploration.

"Brothers, has anyone died yet?"
"Are you sick? How can a dead person talk?"
"No, listen, I ran into a grizzly bear in the game and got bitten to death. The system force-quit my game for the day and told me I have two resurrection chances left. I can log back in tomorrow after consuming one of them."
"For real? Holy crap! Does this mean we have three lives? Even if we accidentally die, we can come back!"
"Thanks for sharing, OP!"
...
"Anyone around? My spawn point is an area called Blue Sand Village. If anyone is nearby, let’s team up!"
...
"Buying gold and silver coins at a high price. Money is no object. (Attached image: Bank app showing 9-digit balance)"
"Damn, a whale!"

Qin Yuan devoured these posts, eager to piece together the mechanics. Most players spawned near towns, allowing them to reach safety quickly, which suggested a level of order and relative security. Those less fortunate spawned in the wilderness where monsters roamed; as they were all beginners, a moment of carelessness often led to immediate death. Of course, spawning in a town wasn't always a blessing; for instance, one player known as "Past Drifts with the Wind" had spawned in a Dark Elf town—a race hostile to humans. In the end... well, the methods those Dark Elves used were incredibly brutal.

Beyond this, the biggest takeaway was confirming that players had two resurrection chances, effectively granting everyone three lives. This discovery brought a wave of relief to Qin Yuan, as it meant he possessed a certain margin for error.

However, even with all this intelligence, many questions still lingered. After some thought, Qin Yuan posted a query asking how other players had acquired the game. He received nearly ten replies shortly after, and the answers left him deep in contemplation. According to these players, the software had simply appeared on their computers or phones one day. When they clicked on it, the server wasn't open yet. They had initially assumed it was a virus, but since it couldn't be deleted, they ignored it until the countdown ended and pulled them in.

This was completely different from his own experience. Qin Yuan remembered clearly that the game’s installation package had been sent to him by that netizen. This didn't add up. It seemed he would have to wait for that netizen to reply.

He splashed some water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. Yes, confirmed: a handsome young man who had just graduated from college. After tidying up, he looked at his empty living room, a sight he had long grown accustomed to. His parents were busy with work and traveled often, leaving him to live in the large house on his own for most of the year, which was quite comfortable and free.

Although he had been anxious about not finding a satisfactory job recently, he was no longer worried at all. On the forum, gold and silver coins were being traded at astronomical prices; some wealthy players were offering 250,000 yuan for a single gold coin. In an era where supernatural abilities were emerging, strengthening oneself was the priority. Everyone realized that a massive wave was sweeping through the era, and those whose wealth was growing exponentially would never hesitate to invest in this opportunity.

Qin Yuan remembered clearly that the bounty for the blood-sucking monster was two gold coins. Combined with the spoils he had collected... did that mean his current haul was worth nearly a million yuan? And this was only the beginning; as his level increased, his earning power would only grow. It was truly staggering. It would have taken him years of manual labor to earn that much as a college graduate from a non-prestigious university. And he had done it in just a day—or rather, a single night.

Of course, another reason for the high price was that a player whose family owned a jewelry store had taken the silver coins to be appraised and discovered that, aside from gold and silver, they contained unknown metals that current technology struggled to replicate.

Thinking of this, Qin Yuan felt his heart race. He couldn't wait for tomorrow afternoon to arrive so he could return to the game. He also noticed something odd: despite such a major event, there was no buzz about it online. Searching for related terms on browsers yielded nothing. However, this observation had been mentioned by a forum user named "Chicken Wings with Rice." After reading the post, Qin Yuan decided not to verify it himself; he sensed there was something fishy about it.

Checking the time, he realized he had spent two hours intensely browsing the forum. Since he had already slept in the Soul Realm, he felt no sleepiness and decided to play around for a bit longer.

The next day, Qin Yuan pulled back the curtains, bleary-eyed; the sky outside was still dim. Because he had slept in the Soul Realm, he had struggled to fall asleep until 2:00 AM, only to wake up early again. It was wreaking havoc on his sleep schedule. Still, according to the interface, the time spent in reality would be no less than 24 hours, which was manageable. If the cycle were any shorter, he would surely suffer a mental breakdown.

It was 7:00 AM. Having nothing better to do, he turned on his computer to browse the forum while waiting for the transfer. His social circle was narrow, and he didn't have many people to talk to. As for the forum, after his intense reading, there was hardly any new content to be found; most players were still in their first session, and their discoveries were limited.

Time slipped away until 8:00 AM. Prepared, Qin Yuan opened the interface and stared at the remaining time, counting down silently.

"4... 3... 2... 1."

As the countdown hit zero, Qin Yuan felt that familiar, dizzying sense of chaos engulf him once more. A moment later, the scene before him shifted, and he was back in the familiar wooden room of the tavern.