This System Won't Be Satisfied Until It Kills Me, Will It?

In the end, Fang Zheng only exchanged 30 Dimension Points and saved the rest of the Crystal Energy. In Dimensional Codex, Soul Stones were not permanent. Their usage limits made that clear—each Soul Stone had its own number of uses, and once those were used up, that was it. Of course, there were ways to change that. Players could draw Enhancement Stones and Recharge Stones. The former provided a full +1 enhancement to Soul Stones, while the latter replenished their expended uses.

Why specifically mention those two? Because Fang Zheng had just happened to draw both of them... Well, what a sad story.

Returning to the original topic, Dimensional Codex was a combat system centered around the character created by the player. It had actually moved beyond the scope of ordinary mobile games and was closer to the usual MMORPG model. What players needed to strengthen was always themselves. Equipment could be obtained through Dungeon drops and rewards, while skill upgrades could be acquired by completing quests. Crystal Energy, meanwhile, could be exchanged mostly for cosmetic enhancements, though there were also some rather rare items. For example, accessories that increased equipment drop rates, or consumable abilities that boosted player attributes.

Even within Dungeons, Crystal Energy could be used to unlock certain extremely rare functions.

What Fang Zheng had his eye on now was a ring in the store called the Ring of Souls. It granted the user an additional 30 inventory slots, +3% equipment drop rate, automatic pickup of dropped equipment, and a 5% chance to absorb Soul Power when defeating an enemy. The most important effect was the "5% chance to absorb Soul Power." According to the settings of Dimensional Codex, Soul Stones operated using Soul Power. Thus, every use of a Soul Stone consumed Soul Power. The Ring of Souls, however, could absorb Soul Power. As long as it absorbed enough, it could restore uses even without a Recharge Stone.

Of course, according to Fang Zheng's design, there were two ways to obtain this ring. One was to grind, grind, grind through Dungeons on Hard difficulty and pray for a lucky drop. The other was to buy it directly. Expensive? Not really... 520...

For players, it might have merely been the difference between grinding and paying. But as the designer, Fang Zheng knew perfectly well that every premium paid item had a hidden "Luck +1" setting. In other words, if a player decked out in paid gear and a player who had grinded out a full set fought the same boss, the former had a far higher chance of obtaining rare drops than the latter!

For a valuable item or piece of equipment with a 0.1% drop rate, the drop rate for paying players was 3%! Moreover, the points they paid for also gave them a slightly higher chance of drawing high-quality Soul Stones than hardcore players who saved up free points! What? Rigged rates? What kind of joke was that? The big spenders were willing to support the game with their money, so naturally they had to find ways to make their gameplay experience a little better, right? Only when the big spenders had fun would they keep putting money into the game.

As for free players? Weren't they just there to cling to big spenders and get harvested like crops? No money, yet you wanted to be a big shot? Not happening!

Of course, none of that mattered when they ran into someone from Europe.

This should be about enough...

Looking at the Recharge Stone and Enhancement Stone in his hand, Fang Zheng muttered softly. He still had a pretty good grasp of how deep the pool for those stones was. Paying players were certainly more likely to draw good things than non-paying players, but as a game designer, he naturally could not make it too obvious. Otherwise, if someone spent a thousand bucks and pulled five-stars in every ten-pull, anyone with eyes could see something was wrong. That was when a little technique was needed.

For example, ten sets of ten-pulls. A free player with no European luck might struggle desperately to get a single five-star—that was nothing Fang Zheng would care about. Money was king; no money, then go play something else. But for a paying big shot? You could not let him pull ten five-stars from ten ten-pulls. Instead, you could let him fail to get any five-stars in the first nine ten-pulls, then give him three five-stars in the final one... That kind of dramatic contrast was what drove big spenders wild with joy. Then, the delighted big spender would choose to put in more money, while ordinary players—the crops—would not think there was anything wrong with the fairness of the gacha system. Everyone was happy. What was wrong with that?

In Dimensional Codex, Soul Stones were divided into four quality tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Fantasy. Bronze and Silver were the homes of non-paying players and Africans, while Gold and Fantasy were exclusive to paying emperors and European emperors.

The Arthas Fang Zheng had drawn earlier was a Gold-tier Soul Stone, so he had been fairly lucky. Now, according to Fang Zheng's design, after a player's first purchase, there would be a high chance of drawing a Gold- or Fantasy-quality Soul Stone. His first two draws had both been consumables, so this final draw... should be it!

He had no idea what it would be, but Fang Zheng could only pray that it would be something presentable. Preferably some kind of Angel or deity. Even a mage or warrior would do. Just do not give me another Lich King! I don't even dare use my ultimate now!

Praying silently, Fang Zheng reached out again and placed his hand over the Dimensional Codex that only he could see. Soon, beneath his hand, the Dimensional Codex opened once more. The circular summoning formation beneath it began to rotate, gradually changing color from white to cyan, then to gold... Immediately afterward, light flared. Countless golden motes gathered at the center of the formation, taking the shape of a Soul Stone.

Done! A golden legend!

Looking at the golden Soul Stone shining before him, Fang Zheng took a deep breath. Then he reached out and grabbed it.

The next moment, all he saw was darkness.

Pitch-black, dense clouds blanketed the entire sky. Beneath them, the enormous city was unusually dim, resembling a lifeless graveyard. For a time, heaven and earth seemed to contain only black and white, nothing more.

Then, a voice rang out.

"I am the Swarm..."

The next moment, the scene suddenly brightened. A massive monster emerged from the clouds, and objects resembling Eggs fell from its body, smashing heavily into the ground and creating one dark Great Hole after another. Soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs and launched desperate attacks. But in the next instant, monsters emerging from the pits pierced straight through their bodies and tore them to pieces.

"The army turns to ash, and the world burns beneath my feet..."

Countless Swarm flowed through the city like an ocean formed from fused flesh and blood, destroying everything in sight. Humanity formed its final line of defense in the square. Countless soldiers stood in orderly ranks, gripping their weapons tightly, while behind them, steel Giant cannons slowly raised their barrels and unleashed earth-shaking roars.

Sparks exploded among the Swarm, then vanished, like tiny ripples kicked up by pebbles striking the sea—small, fragile, utterly meaningless.

"At last, I will complete my revenge on this planet."

The blazing fire gradually faded. Humanity's barrier shattered and split like foam beneath the Swarm's assault. At the far end of the square, a towering statue cracked apart and collapsed. Far beyond, at the edge of the clouds, massive warships fell from the sky, drowning heaven and earth in a deathly white radiance.

"Because I am the Queen of Blades!"

Fang Zheng opened his eyes. His entire face had gone dark as he stared at the Dimensional Codex before him, completely at a loss for words.

First Arthas, and now Kerrigan. Were you forcing me onto the path of some overpowered bastard who fucked the heavens, the earth, and even the air?

This system won't be satisfied until it kills me, will it?!