Key

Kirk looked around his room. From outside, the entire floor of the hotel covered only 200 square meters. But now, just his room alone was a spacious residence with three bedrooms and two living rooms, measuring around 300 square meters. Besides a bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, it had a separate library, a trophy room, and a training hall. He could arrange the space to serve any purpose he liked without changing its overall size. It seemed the Sword Bay Hotel possessed spatial magic, making its interior far larger than its exterior.

"If even the worst rooms are like this, then the high-end hotels must be able to open up pocket realms. There'd be enough space to cultivate and train in," Kirk thought.

He lay back comfortably on the plush sofa, feeling as though every bone in his body were melting. Remembering what the fat man had told him, he would return to the real world in 24 hours and see his beloved parents again. He wondered how worried his family must have been while he was gone for so long. But the fat man had said that the ten days he had spent here amounted to only one night in the real world. His parents probably wouldn't even notice.

He picked up the fat white man's Newbie Guide to Survival and flipped through it casually, finding plenty of interesting information. For instance, he was reading about keys.

"...After killing a Plot Character or Plot Monster, you may receive a key. Keys are classified according to the strength of the character or monster: White Keys, Light Blue Keys, Dark Blue Keys, Silver Keys, Gold Keys, Dark Gold Keys, and so on. Generally speaking, a key can only produce equipment of the same or lower color grade, though there is a tiny chance of getting equipment one grade higher.

"There are usually three ways to deal with keys dropped by Plot Characters or monsters. First, you can choose to open them directly. This creates a reward vortex matching the key's color, and the Contractor reaches inside to draw a prize. The number of draws is usually limited according to your contribution to the kill, with between one and five draws. Any associated Survival Points, Base Attribute Points, and Skill Potential Points are awarded directly to the Contractor according to a formula. Second, you can turn in the key. The Space will assess its value and calculate a weighted amount, then award the Contractor 90% of that value in Survival Points, Base Attribute Points, Skill Potential Points, Soul Crystals, and other rewards. This is a risk-free option with a guaranteed return. Third, you can take it to 'Las Vegas' and gamble with it.

"If you kill a Contractor, they will definitely drop a key, which will automatically enter the Contractor's Space Mark. Keys dropped by Contractors vary in color according to their level—Newbie, Contractor, Veteran, Reincarnator, and so on. They may be red, dark red, purple, and other colors.

"When you choose to use a Contractor's key, you're generally given three options:

"1. Choose [Tax] to take 50% of the other person's Survival Points, Base Attribute Points, and Skill Potential Points.

"2. Choose [Looting] to enter the slain Contractor's room in the Space for 5–10 seconds and loot their equipment to your heart's content.

"3. Choose [Extract] to randomly take one to three pieces of equipment from the other person. If their Bloodiness is high, the number of items may increase.

"Likewise, Contractors can go to Las Vegas to 'gamble with keys.' The Space will assess a key's value and provide a fair weighted estimate to serve as a reference. Contractors can name any price and bet against one another, or they can hold an auction. They can also turn the key in to the Space and exchange it for various rewards based on the Space's estimated value."

"Interesting." Kirk remembered the keys in his Space Mark and dumped them all out. Ma Ruiqi's, Blondie's, and Ranmaru's keys were a deep, blood-red, while the keys from a few of Blondie's ordinary lackeys were only pale red.

"The deeper the red, the more valuable the key, it seems." Kirk considered it carefully. He decided it was time to open them.

The fat man had said these 24 hours would determine whether he could survive the next Plot World. Kirk believed that an experienced broker like him wouldn't make such a claim without good reason. He needed to strengthen himself as quickly as possible.

Las Vegas seemed to have plenty of items, but they were expensive. Following the Newbie Guide's instructions, Kirk opened the Space Auction House, where all kinds of equipment and items were openly traded, and was immediately shocked!

A bottle of High Protein Potassium Injection, like the one Kirk had drunk while fighting the Walker King, was listed for 10,000 Survival Points, 3 Skill Potential Points, 3 Base Attribute Points, and even 1 Merit Point!

What's more, it was much weaker than the ones Kirk had drunk. After drinking it, you recovered 1,000 Health Points over 10 seconds—or were fully healed if your total Health Points were under 1,000. It had a 24-hour cooldown, which prevented someone from exploiting the same bug Kirk had when he chugged bottle after bottle during his fight with the Walker King.

More importantly, the Auction House didn't have any in stock! It constantly showed "Out of Stock." A Contractor had already offered 20,000 Survival Points, but even that was useless if there was nothing to buy.

It made sense. A bottle of High Protein Potassium Injection was practically a second life! Even a Light Blue piece of equipment like Gonzalez's Feather Boots could sell for 8,000 points on the Space Auction House. Surely a life was worth two or three pieces of equipment?

Looking back, the Space had clearly made a special exception that time. The Newbie Plot had triggered a Dark Gold Hidden Main Mission, and given those two's strength ratings, their chance of dying was practically 100%. To keep the assessed death rate below 95% and uphold the Newbie Protection principle, the Space had bent the rules, reluctantly opened up the exchange, and forcibly upgraded the items' quality. It had sold them to Kirk and the others at a ridiculously low 20% of their actual price! As for the Polymorph potion Kirk had searched for, the Auction House had no information on it at all. The only reason they'd gotten it for 500 Survival Points was that the Space had reluctantly lowered the price to move the plot along.

Still, he was unlikely to encounter such good fortune again outside of the Newbie Plot. (Space: If there's a way to live, you'll find it; if there isn't, you'll die.)

The Space's prices were outrageously high, rivaling property prices in the second ring road of the universe's capital where Kirk lived. No wonder the Space only let newbies with more than 10,000 points to their name enter Las Vegas. The poor couldn't even afford to stay in a hotel. Even after his Newbie Plot windfall, which had left Kirk ecstatic, his funds weren't exactly plentiful. He decided to save up a little more before going on a spending spree.

He picked up Ma Ruiqi's key and, after a moment's thought, chose [Tax].

Taxing the deceased Ma Ruiqi of 50% of her Survival Points, Base Attribute Points, and Skill Potential Points!

Kirk had thought his choice through carefully. Ma Ruiqi had been a team leader, and she was greedy, with a terrible reputation among her teammates. He'd heard that after every mission, she took at least 50% of the team's earnings. She hadn't had the chance to enter the Space, so she couldn't have spent any of it. It wasn't like certain women in big cities who lived paycheck to paycheck. (Ma Ruiqi beat her chest in frustration: "I want to go on a shopping spree too! You never gave me the chance!")

She must have piled up a huge stash!

After a flash of light, Kirk's lips curled upward. Just as he'd expected!

Ma Ruiqi had actually contributed a full 10,450 Survival Points, 10 Skill Potential Points, and 12 Base Attribute Points!

It seemed the woman had raked in a fortune during her few days as the leader of the Plot team. She really knew how to line her pockets.

Ma Ruiqi had been unlucky, too. With that kind of financial power, if she'd made it to Las Vegas alive, her combat abilities might have been weak, but she wasn't stupid. She could have seized her chance and risen to great heights, becoming a powerful woman who could call the shots.

What a shame. Now it had all become Kirk's savings. (The late Ma Ruiqi: "That old philosopher from the Northeast was wrong. The greatest pain in life is leaving this world before you've spent your money! And I even funded my enemy!")

Kirk smiled and picked up Blondie's key.

Blondie and Ma Ruiqi had one thing in common: they both bled their teammates dry. Most of his team's earnings had ended up in Blondie's hands, too. But Blondie had been even more unfortunate. Ma Ruiqi had only had 50% of her earnings taken, while Blondie had been stripped bare after his amazing Tyrannosaurus Glasses fell into Kirk's hands.

Blondie clearly had no Survival Points or Base Attribute Points left, and he'd never entered Las Vegas or opened a room. That left Kirk with no choice but to risk opening his equipment once.

Kirk used Blondie's key, creating a reward vortex. He reached inside, but there was very little. (The late Blondie: "Damn it, Blondie here only had this much buried with him, and now some tomb raider's come to rob the grave. What are you digging for? I'll turn into a zombie and bite you!")

Kirk found one item and pulled it out without hesitation. It was a Light Blue bracer.

[Giant Leather Bracer]

[Description] Rex, a seven-year-old boy from Waterdeep, was often bullied by children his age because he was small. He ran home in tears and complained to his mother. She said it was because he was still young, then gave him this bracer, saying it was from his father, who lived far away, and would protect him from bullies. After putting it on, Rex easily drove off the strong, rowdy boys. Only later did he learn that his father was a Hill Giant.

[Quality] Light Blue

[Equipment] Bracer

[Effect] Strength +2, Stamina +2

[Tip] This is a top-quality Light Blue item. Don't sell it for too little.

Next came Ranmaru, the sinister and formidable cross-dresser. His situation was rather unusual, and Kirk didn't know much about him. But since Ranmaru was also a newbie and had nowhere to spend his money, he probably had a huge stash. (Ranmaru shouted: "I truly have no money!") On the other hand, he had killed quite a few powerful Plot Characters and newbies, such as Michonne and Mori, so he might have had some good items on him.

In the end, Kirk played it safe. The powerful Plot weapons belonging to Michonne and Mori had already fallen into his hands, and judging by what they'd worn in the story, they probably wouldn't have dropped anything good.

As it turned out, Ranmaru didn't disappoint him. (Ranmaru wept bitterly.) He contributed a full 9,000 Survival Points, 2 Skill Potential Points, and 1 Base Attribute Point to Kirk. Ranmaru must have been clever enough to invest in Base Attributes early and spend a fair number of his points, which explained why he was so strong. At least Kirk hadn't taken everything. His low Skill Potential Points were probably because he'd been so busy infiltrating that he hadn't completed many missions.

Kirk couldn't be bothered to open the blood-red keys belonging to the other newbies. Blondie had already extorted everything from them, leaving them with nothing. He planned to take their keys to the casino and use them to bet against others! He kept all the other random Whiteboard keys dropped by Walkers, too, and planned to take those to the casino as well.

In the end, Kirk had 56,000 Survival Points, 52 Skill Potential Points, and 30 Base Attribute Points.

That looked like a lot, didn't it? But it wasn't as absurd as it seemed. Most of Kirk's wealth came from Ma Ruiqi, Blondie, and Ranmaru. Those three had extorted, exploited, robbed, and killed, hoarding most of the entire team's wealth. (The three dead teammates chorused: "Who's the one who killed and robbed people, exactly?") Their stash represented the combined efforts of more than a dozen newbies. That meant less than 10,000 Survival Points per person—hardly much in Las Vegas, where money flowed like water. The Newbie Plot itself came with a 50% reward bonus, and Kirk had another 50% bonus because of the huge gap between his overall strength rating and the Plot Difficulty. That was how the kid had ended up swimming in wealth, overjoyed.

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