Gambler's Route

"Enhancement Elements?"

As Xiao Xiao listened to Ruan Ruan's explanation, a lingering sense of strangeness persisted in his mind.

Were these really Enhancement Elements?

They looked more like... certain symptoms?

Although he hadn't gotten a doctor's note four years ago, he considered himself somewhat of a self-taught expert from prolonged illness, not entirely clueless...

But then he remembered the malicious gazes at the class reunion, the unsettling creepiness in the alley where his home was, the Rat-Men in the subway station, and the city's bloated body with its sticky tentacles. Thinking of these "Enhancement Elements" now, his resistance gradually faded. He slowly suppressed the strangeness and discomfort in his heart and asked in a low voice:

"So, how can I get these things?"

"..."

"Points!"

Seeing Xiao Xiao's quick grasp, Ruan Ruan smiled with satisfaction and said softly, "In this city, everything—people, buildings, monsters, and weapons—belongs to the city."

"And we can exchange anything with this city using Points."

"..."

"Then I..."

Xiao Xiao looked at the items on the tablet, his expression becoming conflicted.

He felt that every single one of these things sounded dangerous and abnormal.

Even if he accepted it mentally, he was still unsure which element to choose for himself.

"I know you must be troubled."

Ruan Ruan seemed quite pleased now. "Actually, new recruits usually don't know how to choose when faced with these dazzling elements."

"Of course, I'll help you."

"People like us are called Enhancement Designers because we have a thorough understanding of the world's Enhancement Elements, allowing us to better allocate Points and combine elements for you."

"..."

Xiao Xiao's heart stirred. He looked up at her and asked, "Then what do you think I should choose?"

"Actually..."

Ruan Ruan narrowed her eyes, then smiled. "You can't afford anything..."

"?"

Xiao Xiao was stunned, blinking.

"You're just a newcomer who recently signed a Pact. You've only eliminated one Rat-Man for the city..."

Ruan Ruan chuckled. "I estimate that Xiao-gege, you currently have at most thirty Points, and that includes the city's goodwill towards you as a newcomer..."

"And even the lowest-tier Violence Factor requires three units to be used together, which costs sixty Points. You only have half of that."

"So, you don't need to worry about what to choose right now..."

"..."

Xiao Xiao resigned himself to the fact. In reality, he did only have thirty Points.

It was a false alarm; he didn't need to overthink it.

Ruan Ruan, with a sweet smile, swiped a few times on the tablet. Just as she was about to speak, her expression suddenly froze.

Xiao Xiao quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Ruan Ruan turned the screen towards him, her expression surprised. "This is..."

[Name: Xiao Xiao]
[Age: 21]
[Points: 130]
[Pact: Low-level]
[...]

"Huh?"

Xiao Xiao was also surprised. "Why are there an extra hundred Points?"

Ruan Ruan checked and realized, "Jiajia-jie lent you a hundred Points. Didn't she tell you before?"

"No..."

Xiao Xiao was a bit taken aback.

Was Yang Jia really that good to him? A hundred Points, transferred without a word.

Of course, it seemed normal for acquaintances to help each other out.

In high school, Yang Jia lent him two coins for the bus, and he hadn't even thought about asking for them back.

He glanced down at the list Ruan Ruan had provided and couldn't help but frown. For some reason, he didn't like any of the abilities or substances mentioned.

Still, I felt these elements weren't quite normal.

Frowning, I looked at Ruan Ruan. "Then now..."

Ruan Ruan was also frowning. After a moment's thought, she said to Xiao Xiao, "You still have no choice..."

"?"

Xiao Xiao was confused. Weren't these 130 points enough to cover most of the items on the list?

"Xiao-gege, you think this world is too simple..."

Ruan Ruan smiled. "Indeed, we have many Enhancement Elements, which can easily overwhelm newcomers. Some combinations of different elements have even been explored by predecessors, leading to powerful paths."

"But that's a problem for when you have more points."

"Under any circumstances, physical fitness is paramount. So, no matter what path you choose for your future enhancements, for your very first one, I'll always recommend the Violence Factor."

"It can greatly improve your physical fitness, with the side effect of making you irritable."

"And the mandatory newcomer's detector costs another 30 points."

"Honestly, if Jiajia-jie hadn't lent you 100 points, just these essential items for newcomers would have taken you a long time to earn."

"..."

"...Alright!"

Perhaps accustomed to being poor, Xiao Xiao was surprisingly adaptable to his current situation.

But he still felt a pang of reluctance. "Do I need to buy all these things at once? Can't I buy them in installments?"

"Of course not."

Ruan Ruan smiled. "The low-grade gene potions made with the Violence Factor as the base element can each strengthen your body, but you need to use three of them to push your physical abilities to the limit."

"Only then will you have a chance to survive when facing those Aberrant Creatures."

"And the detector is even more important."

She explained seriously to Xiao Xiao, "This is used to detect the presence of Pain Substance. Moreover, it can help us monitor the malice of those around us, allowing us to know in advance when they will mutate."

"..."

Xiao Xiao understood and immediately stopped dwelling on the issue.

However, he still felt a bit resistant. He unconsciously swiped on the tablet, and beyond the basic Enhancement Elements at the top, he gradually saw more.

Bloodlust Pistol: Can inflict powerful damage on all sentient beings, no need to reload (it requires killing, not gunpowder).

Prisoner of Despair: Can trap any creature within sight, ignoring rank (I'm going to die here, and you won't leave either).

Ethereal Mist: Can etherealize the bodies of any creature within the mist, unaffected by physical rules (Heh, you can't hit me).

"There are actually things like this?"

Xiao Xiao was tempted. These items seemed very powerful, and they wouldn't require him to become so strange and twisted.

"Special objects, things that even this city can't easily decompose and integrate,"

Seeing Xiao Xiao's interest in these items, Ruan Ruan explained with a smile, "Xiao-gege, you really have a good eye. These things are indeed exceptionally powerful, but..."

"...Did you forget to look at the number of zeros after them?"

"..."

Xiao Xiao only glanced briefly and immediately understood the smile on Ruan Ruan's face. He easily gave up the idea.

The advantage of being poor was evident here! Never having to suffer from decision paralysis.

"Xiao-gege, don't worry..."

Ruan Ruan began to comfort him, smiling. "These things are not only expensive, but they often have big catches."

"For example, the Bloodlust Bullet. Its power is indeed strong, and it doesn't need reloading. However, using it requires enduring the killing desire it brings."

"If you have opponents or monsters to deal with, you can use it to kill people. If you don't, it will still kill people. If you can't find anyone to kill, it will even force you to commit suicide."

"But even we can't just kill people in this city, or we'll face severe Point deductions."

"...By the way, any illegal act we commit in this city will result in Point deductions, unless you accept the corresponding legal Sanction after breaking the law."

"..."

"Alright..."

Xiao Xiao nodded, indicating he understood, but he was still a bit curious. "Are they all that expensive?"

"Every Special Item is something extraordinary to this city, so of course they are exceptionally expensive."

Ruan Ruan casually explained, "Of course, if you explore on your own and find a Special Item with potential, then using Points to enhance it is much better."

Xiao Xiao was a little surprised. "You can explore for these yourself?"

"Of course."

Ruan Ruan smiled. "Just walk around the city more."

"Special items are things that even this city cannot integrate, possessing an essential similarity to Aberrant Creatures."

"As long as you can find a creature within the city that contains Pain Substance but hasn't undergone mutation, you can buy it, then spend your own Points, and with the city's will, enhance it."

"If it doesn't mutate, then you can obtain a special item at an extremely low price."

"Long ago, there was a group of Mysterious Outsiders who took this as their primary enhancement route. They possessed terrifying power and influence and were known as Collectors."

"..."

Xiao Xiao listened intently, his heart stirred slightly. "Doesn't this require incredible luck?"

"Quite the opposite..."

Ruan Ruan smiled. "Special items are often born in desperate and painful environments, and they always carry undiluted negative energy."

"Therefore, only the unluckiest people have a chance of encountering them..."

"..."

She spoke casually, then suddenly looked at Xiao Xiao. "But Xiao-gege, you wouldn't actually do that, would you?"

"Although theoretically it's like that, the success rate is so low it's outrageous. 99% of the units you detect will likely mutate after enhancement."

"This is also one of the reasons why the Collector route is called the 'gambler's route'."

"If you gamble a hundred times, it's good if you get it right once."

"No one does such a foolish thing anymore. If you truly need a special item, just save up Points and buy it. After all, there are a vast number of special items in this city..."

"..."

"I was just asking."

Xiao Xiao shook his head. He had always been very steady; of course, he wouldn't do something so reckless.

Gamblers, how many of them end up well?

There was a small bug in yesterday's draft; the unit numbers for Enhancement Elements were incorrect. It has been corrected.

A minor after-effect from adjusting the draft.