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

In the end, Fang Zheng only chose to exchange for 30 Dimension Points, keeping the rest of his Crystal Energy. In the game "Dimensional Codex," Soul Stones aren't unique—you can tell from their usage counts. Each Soul Stone has its own number of uses, and once they're exhausted, that's it. Of course, that doesn't mean there's no way around it. Players can also draw Enhancement Stones and Recharge Stones; the former can boost a Soul Stone's overall stats by +1, while the latter can replenish the uses a Soul Stone has consumed.

Why specifically mention these two? Because right now, Fang Zheng had just drawn them both... Well, what a sad story.

So, back to the original topic. "Dimensional Codex" revolves around a combat system centered on the player's created character, which has already stepped beyond the bounds of typical mobile games and is closer to the style of an MMO. What players need to strengthen is always themselves; equipment can be obtained through dungeon drops and rewards, while skill enhancements can be gained by completing quests. As for Crystal Energy, what it can be exchanged for is mostly cosmetic upgrades, though it also includes some fairly rare items. For example, accessories that increase equipment drop rates, or consumables that boost player attributes.

Even inside dungeons, Crystal Energy can be used to unlock some quite rare functions.

Right now, Fang Zheng had his sights set on a ring in the shop called the "Ring of Souls." Its effects were: grants the user an extra 30 inventory slots, +3% equipment drop rate, automatic pickup of equipment drops, and a 5% chance to absorb Soul Power upon defeating an enemy. The most important part was the "5% chance to absorb Soul Power." According to the "Dimensional Codex" settings, Soul Stones use Soul Power. So consuming a Soul Stone once is equivalent to consuming Soul Power. The Ring of Souls' function was to absorb Soul Power; as long as enough Soul Power could be absorbed, the usage count could be restored even without a Recharge Stone.

Of course, according to Fang Zheng's design, this ring had two ways to obtain it: either grind away in hard-difficulty dungeons and rely on luck for a drop, or just buy it outright with money. It wasn't exactly expensive... 520...

For players, this might just be the difference between grinding and paying. But as the designer, Fang Zheng knew very well that every high-tier paid item had a hidden "Luck +1" setting. In other words, if a paying player and a grinding player both fought the same boss, the former's chance of getting rare drops was far higher than the latter's!

Take a valuable item or piece of equipment with a 0.1% drop rate—for a paying player, that drop rate was 3%! And on top of that, the points they spent gave them a slightly higher chance of drawing high-quality Soul Stones compared to free players who saved up their points! What? Rigged? Come on, if a big spender is willing to support us with their wallet, of course we have to find ways to make their gaming experience a little better, right? If the big spender has fun, they'll keep pouring money in.

As for free players? Aren't they just there to cling to the big spenders' coattails and be leeks? No money and you want to be a big shot? Not happening!

Of course, if you run into someone from Europe, none of that matters.

That should be about right...

Looking at the two Recharge Stones and Enhancement Stone in his hand, Fang Zheng muttered to himself. He had a pretty good idea of the depth of the stone pool he'd designed. While it was true that paying players had an easier time drawing than non-paying ones, as a game designer, he couldn't make it too obvious. Otherwise, if you recharge 1000 bucks and get a five-star on every ten-pull, anyone with eyes would know something was off. That's where a little technique came in.

For example, take ten ten-pulls. A free player without any luck might struggle to get a single five-star—Fang Zheng naturally didn't care about that. Money makes the world go round; no money, no play. But for a paying big spender? You couldn't give them ten five-stars out of ten ten-pulls, but you could make it so their first nine ten-pulls yielded nothing, and then on the last ten-pull, they'd get three five-stars... That kind of dramatic contrast would send the big spender into ecstasy. And then, happy and thrilled, they'd choose to keep recharging. As for the ordinary players acting as leeks, they wouldn't think the game's gacha fairness was an issue. Everyone's happy—what's wrong with that?

In "Dimensional Codex," the quality of Soul Stones was divided into four tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Fantasy. Bronze and Silver were the home turf for non-paying players and Africans, while Gold and Fantasy were exclusive to paying overlords and Europeans.

The [Arthas] Fang Zheng had drawn earlier was a Gold-tier Soul Stone, which was pretty lucky for him. Now, according to Fang Zheng's design, after the first recharge, there was a high probability of drawing a Gold or Fantasy-quality Soul Stone. His first two draws had both been consumables, so this last draw... it should be a hit!

He didn't know what it would be, but right now Fang Zheng was just praying for something decent—preferably an angel or a god-like being. At the very least, a mage or warrior would do. Just don't give me another Lich King! I can't even use my ultimate now!

Silently praying, Fang Zheng reached out his hand again, placing it on the Dimensional Codex that only he could see. Soon, beneath his hand, the Codex flipped open again. The circular summoning array beneath it began to slowly rotate, then gradually changed color—from white to cyan, and then to gold... Next, light blazed, and countless golden particles converged in the center of the array, forming the shape of a Soul Stone.

Got it! A golden legendary!

Staring at the gleaming golden Soul Stone before him, Fang Zheng took a deep breath, then reached out and grasped it.

The next moment, all he saw was darkness.

Thick, dense clouds blanketed the entire sky. Beneath them, the vast city was eerily dim, looking like a lifeless graveyard. For a moment, heaven and earth seemed reduced to only black and white, with nothing else.

Then, a voice rang out.

"I am the Swarm..."

The next moment, the scene opened up before him. A colossal monster emerged from the clouds, and egg-like objects fell from its body, crashing heavily to the ground, leaving black, gaping holes. Soldiers shouted loudly, launching attacks with all their might. But in the next instant, their bodies were pierced through by monsters surging from the pits, torn to shreds.

"My armies have laid waste to the worlds, and my power has consumed the heavens..."

Countless swarms flowed through the city like a tide of flesh and blood, destroying everything in sight. Humans formed a final line of defense in the square, countless soldiers standing in neat ranks, gripping their weapons. Behind them, a steel giant cannon slowly raised its barrel and let out an earth-shaking roar.

Sparks of fire bloomed among the swarm, then vanished, like tiny pebbles thrown into the sea—small, fragile, meaningless.

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

The blazing light gradually died out. The human barrier shattered like foam under the swarm's assault. At the end of the square, a towering statue broke and fell. And in the distant clouds, a massive warship plummeted from the sky, shrouding the entire world in a deathly white radiance.

"Because I am the Queen of Blades!"

Fang Zheng opened his eyes. His face was completely dark. He just stared at the Dimensional Codex in front of him, utterly at a loss for words.

First Arthas, now Kerrigan—are you forcing me down the path of dominating heaven, earth, and air?

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