Ambushed Upon Leaving X Understanding the Game

An endless grassland stretched out before me, its edge invisible as far as the eye could see.

A gentle breeze carries the scent of grass and earth, wafting towards you.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

Kevin, standing by the pillar, turned his head and saw Pairo.

"Uncle."

Kevin nodded.

After walking over, Pairo looked around, surveying his surroundings.

"Is this the grassland?" an excited voice rang out.

Melusina jumped down the stairs, ran to Kevin, hung on his neck, and looked around excitedly.

"This is the first time I've ever seen such a vast and beautiful view."

A short while later, Nion and Kurapika also came down.

The group stood beside the round hut, not in a hurry to leave.

"It feels just like real life." Nion waved her hand at the air.

This looks exactly like reality; is it really a game?

Although she didn't know much about current technological advancements, she knew that such a realistic scenario was unlikely to exist in reality.

Could Nen ability really create such a game world?

"No, this isn't the game world; it must be somewhere in the real world," Kurapika said, gazing at the sky and judging by the direction of the sun.

Kevin also roughly figured out what was going on.

"Sigh, is this the real world?" Melusina, somewhat disappointed.

"Silly girl, you need to read more books. Look at the sky, and you'll understand why it's the real world." Kevin gently tapped her head.

Kurapika crouched down, touched the grass on the ground, and even picked up a handful of dirt and rubbed it.

"Although the exact location is uncertain, this is definitely in the real world, and its orientation should be east of the Yurubian Continent."

"Isn't that very close to our house?" Nion said.

They lived east of the Yurubian Continent, about two or three hundred kilometers from the sea.

The company's headquarters and Kevin's Pharmacy are both located in a coastal city.

"It should be an island, an island that isn't marked on a map. The so-called game world is probably constructed using Nen ability."

"I just don't know to what extent Kim and his team have perfected this game."

Kevin said, a hint of curiosity rising in his heart.

Kevin couldn't even imagine how difficult it would be to build a game world in the real world.

Of course, it also depends on the extent to which the game world is developed and how gamified it is.

If it's strong enough, then the Nen ability required to utilize it must be extremely powerful.

He couldn't help but recall the Notebook in his hand, which contained numerous advanced Nen ability techniques and Succession Ceremony construction methods.

There are even some methods of using the God Text.

"Let's go, the game has begun," Kevin said with a smile.

Whether this is the real world or not, you should always experience a game.

"Let's go!" Nion exclaimed excitedly, clenching her fist.

Although she was a little disappointed to learn that this was the real world, she was still very excited.

"But this place stretches to the horizon, which way should we go?" Melusina asked curiously.

"Look at the footprints on the ground; there's bound to be a clue. Just follow the direction we're being monitored," Kevin said, pointing in one direction.

"Someone has been watching us."

The three men present all sensed something was amiss.

Nion and Melusina do not yet possess such sensory abilities.

They participated in very few battles.

"I couldn't sense it at all. I thought it was some kind of animal. Looks like I'll have to try harder," Melusina said with a frown, feeling helpless.

This kind of perception requires long-term training and cannot be acquired simply by having strong Nen ability.

Of course, that's not entirely true, but it usually comes down to extensive experience.

Due to a leg ailment, Melusina spent most of her early life in the Village and Castle, and hardly ever experienced any danger.

Although she possesses powerful Nen ability, she does lack experience and combat skills.

They definitely need to train properly.

With Melusina's learning and comprehension abilities, she should be able to master it proficiently in no time.

The group had only walked a few steps on the grassland.

"The sky." Kevin looked up at the sky, then jumped back.

Everyone immediately became alert and distanced themselves from each other.

A ball of light fell from the sky, landing on the ground a man who looked quite ordinary.

He is a Nen user.

Come to think of it, everyone playing this game is Nen user.

"B0OK."

This unremarkable man immediately summoned a spellbook and spread it out in front of him.

He looked at the group of people in front of him.

"Hey! Who are you?" Pairo shouted, his eyes fixed on the other person.

Seeing this, the man turned his attention to Pairo, stared at him, and grinned.

"New players, and five of them at once."

Most of these people were hired by Batler.

In the past year or two, the number of players in the game has grown at a significantly faster rate.

Those entering the game in groups are almost certainly Batler's hired men.

Most players in the game are aware of this information.

"You opened your spellbook as soon as you appeared. Are you planning to use some skill from the game against us?" Pairo asked.

Hearing Pairo's words, the unremarkable man chuckled, "You're quite knowledgeable, kid."

"Let me see... Oh, are you Kurapika? Or Pairo? Or Kevin?"

He immediately named the three men present.

Kurapika and Pairo frowned slightly.

Kevin, however, wore a smile.

He speculated that the other party used a card to retrieve player information, but couldn't match names with players one-to-one. In other words, they didn't directly target a specific player, but rather obtained information through some method of querying records?

Are they players you've met before?

Of the five newest additions, Nion and Melusina's names are distinctly feminine.

That's why he asked about the other three names.

What an arrogant idiot.

"Fine, use [Tracking] to attack." The unremarkable man picked up a card, preparing to activate his skill.

"Who do you think we should attack?" Kevin's voice came from behind him.

The man's eyes widened immediately. He hurriedly stuffed the card back into his hand and quickly flipped through the pages of the book, seemingly trying to take out other cards.

A gust of wind swept past, and the card in his hand was snatched away instantly, while he was bound by a rope of Nen Aura.

"Uncle, you're too violent. I wanted to sneak a peek at his information," Pairo said helplessly, looking at the subdued man.

He had already marked the other person's eyes and was planning to secretly check the information in the magic book from the other person's perspective.

As a result, when this guy threatened to attack, Uncle Kevin subdued him immediately.

This person is too arrogant and too weak.

He didn't even notice Kevin appearing behind him.

Even he could detect Kevin's movements and there was no way Kevin could sneak up behind him silently.

This is clearly due to a huge difference in strength, which is enough to show that this man is very weak. It seems that he can only bully newbies like Nion.

"It's much faster to ask directly than to secretly gather information," Kevin said with a smile, taking out a vial.

That was a [Truth Serum] that he rarely used, and it was one of the few naturally produced potions.

He rarely had the chance to use it; this potion was usually given to Light and his men.

"Wait, I was wrong. You can ask me anything you want, and I'll give you all the cards." The man hadn't wanted to speak at first, but he quickly changed his attitude after seeing Kevin take out the potion.

Who knows what's in that potion?

"I thought you were a tough nut to crack, not saying a word." Kevin stared at him, a half-smile on his face, looking somewhat regretful.

However, he still slowly filled the syringe with the medicine.

"Wait, didn't I tell you? I'll cooperate!" the man cried out in terror when he saw that Kevin showed no sign of stopping.

Pairo walked over, squatted down next to him, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, this medicine won't harm you."

"If it won't hurt me, then don't use it on me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kevin injected the drug into his leg.

"See, I didn't make you drink it," Kevin said with a wicked grin.

The medicine took effect quickly.

Several people surrounded the man, curiously observing him.

"What medicine did you give me?" The medicine had already been injected, and resistance was futile. The man asked dejectedly and helplessly.

"May I have your name?"

"Andor, Andor Peck."

As soon as he finished speaking, Andor's eyes widened.

"Truth Serum?"

He wasn't sure if such a drug really existed, but at that moment he simply couldn't control his urge to answer the question.

The original Truth Serum wasn't this effective; it usually put the person in a semi-conscious state after injection, allowing for further questioning.

But how could Kevin not make improvements?

The materials he had were far superior to those in the original formula; he had already used those original potions for practice and improved them countless times.

"You're quite smart, so just answer the questions honestly."

Andor nodded helplessly.

They've already been given injections, what else can be done?

What a bad day!

I thought I could hunt down newcomers, but I ended up being "hunted" instead.

"What should we ask first?" Nion asked from the side.

"Of course, we should ask the Spell Card first," Andor suggested, almost uncontrollably.

Kevin was taken aback by the answer.

"Is this Truth Serum really that powerful?" Melusina asked in surprise.

She had seen similar things in comics, but never to the point where even a question like this could elicit an involuntary answer.

Kevin was also a little confused, and shrugged helplessly.

"I've improved this stuff, but I haven't tested the effects of the improved version. Besides, it's not completely ineffective; if your willpower is strong enough, even Truth Serum might not work."

It can only be said that this guy never really intended to resist from the beginning.

It's just a regular medicine, what more can you ask for?

"I'm really sorry there was no resistance," Andor said helplessly.

"Alright, let's talk about the Spell Card then. Tell us everything you know that you think is useful to us," Kevin said directly.

Since this potion is so effective, let's just get the other party to voluntarily reveal information that will be useful to the newcomer.

Wow, I'm such a genius!

In front of everyone, Andor really started talking non-stop.

"First of all, don't act like newbies, or it will be easy for people to tell."

"In this game, when I summon a spellbook, you should also summon your own spellbook accordingly."

"Because most Spell Card can only be blocked with Spell Card, methods like dodging are useless. But don't worry, none of the Spell Card have direct harmful effects."

After saying that, he glanced at Kevin and reminded him, "Just like before, it was mainly because I was too careless and treated you guys like newbies. And you could tell from my presence here that I'm not actually that strong."

"Your trick might not work against other players, so it's best to use spells to counter spells."

In this situation, he can still offer thoughtful advice.

Kevin nodded.

"This game has been online for several years, and recently some players have been having mental health issues."

"Players are increasingly competing for items, and sometimes even engaging in fights."

"This situation was originally rare because the Game Console meant that the rewards for players fighting each other were very low."

"However, you're newcomers and don't have any valuable cards, so don't worry too much."

He talked on and on about all sorts of useful information, the more he talked, the more varied and complex it became, as if he felt that a lot of the information was useful to the newcomers, and he just couldn't stop.

"Alright, alright, that's enough."

Before the effects of the drug had even worn off by half, this guy started telling stories, taking advantage of the Truth Serum's effects.

This left Kevin feeling helpless.

He removed the ropes formed by his Nen Aura, and Andor regained his freedom.

"Are you going to let me go?" Andor asked.

"I'll let you go in a bit. Now let me see your book."

Andor, with an "I knew it" expression, opened the magic book.

While the game rules discourage players from killing each other, looting is tacitly permitted.

After all, killing a player results in the loss of cards and data, yielding very little benefit.

However, cards can be obtained through fighting and then negotiating terms.

This is also the most common way players compete at this stage.

Andor was quite easygoing and simply spread the book out.

"I've only been playing this game for two years, and my skills aren't that great, so I only have twenty-one cards in my Designated Pocket, all of them are the ones with later numbers and in larger quantities."

At this point, he didn't want to resist anymore; the opponent's strength had already proven that resistance was pointless.

Several people curiously gathered around to look at his book.

The Designated Pocket were mostly empty, with only the occasional card inside.

His Free Pocket was crammed with about thirty cards.

The vast majority are Spell Card, and there are also some item cards with numbers.

The descriptions on these cards are quite interesting.

"What do these numbers mean?" Nion asked.

The drug was still in effect at this point, and even after its effects wore off, Andor probably wouldn't refuse to answer.

"On a card, the number in the top left corner is the serial number. For example, this card's serial number is 1478, which is far from being among the top 100."

The card name is in the middle, and the letter in the upper right corner represents the difficulty of obtaining the card. For example, my card is G, the lowest difficulty is H, and the highest is SS.

The number after the letter indicates the limit on the number of copies. For example, mine has a limit of three hundred, meaning almost everyone has one, so it's not very valuable.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

They then began discussing which cards to choose.

"We're not bad people. For the Specified Card, we'll choose the five with the fewest cards available. And for the Spell Card, give us all the defensive ones."

Hearing this, Andor breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

"That's fairly reasonable, I agree."

As he spoke, he began to take out cards and hand them to Kevin, Kevin then distributed the cards to Kurapika and Nion.

"Now, may I leave?"

Kevin nodded and waved.

Andor took out a card.

"Use [Rewind]"

He transformed into a shooting star enveloped by air currents, soaring into the sky and quickly disappearing into the horizon.

Kevin narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched this scene.

How did this game manage to be so amazing?