Newbie Weapon Cost

"I won't go to the hospital just yet. I've made it through all these years, so I'll be fine."

"An'an and Lele are about to start high school. Make sure the three kids get plenty of good food. Their physical condition in real life will affect their starting attributes when they enter Cloud Sea, so don't be too stingy."

The room fell quiet for a moment. Then Auntie's voice came from inside, thick with worry.

"But you can't put off getting treatment any longer. You were in pain all night and couldn't sleep."

"Don't worry. My body was strengthened in Cloud Sea, after all. I won't go down that easily. Let's put the kids first."

Uncle's voice paused, then a sigh followed.

"Xiao Fan will be entering Cloud Sea soon. He'll need to buy a beginner weapon then. How much money do we have left?"

"More than twenty thousand."

Silence.

"I'll borrow some more tomorrow. That should be enough. A beginner weapon is important for the kid's safety. We can't skimp on it."

"I know."

The conversation inside stopped. After a long while, Xiao Fan took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"Uncle, Auntie, I'm home."

In the cramped kitchen, Auntie was cooking while Uncle helped her.

When they saw Xiao Fan come in, smiles appeared on their faces.

"Xiao Fan's home." Uncle wiped his hands and walked out of the kitchen.

"By the way, Xiao Fan, have you decided which Skill Chain to choose after you enter Cloud Sea?"

Xiao Fan shook his head. "Not yet."

At that, Uncle frowned. "Choosing a Skill Chain is crucial. You're about to enter Cloud Sea, so you need to make up your mind quickly."

"I know. I'll choose one in the next couple of days." Xiao Fan could only nod.

"Let's eat first." Auntie came out carrying a dish.

After dinner, the family went their separate ways, and Xiao Fan returned to his room.

The house had three bedrooms. Uncle and Auntie shared one, his cousin Xiao An'an had one, and Xiao Fan shared the last with his younger cousin, Xiao Le.

His younger cousins had physical training and wouldn't get home until late.

As soon as Xiao Fan returned to his room, he picked up his phone and started searching. He had to learn as much as possible about Cloud Sea and Skill Chains.

He didn't know how long had passed before he put his phone down, a puzzled look on his face.

From what he had found, Cloud Sea was much like the online games of his previous life, except that all the items, equipment, and skills inside it had to be created by the players themselves.

If that had happened back on Earth in his previous life, it would have been absolutely mind-blowing.

But...

Xiao Fan looked at the Skill Chains.

Basic Blade Technique...

Basic Sword Technique...

Basic Spear Technique...

Basic Healing...

Then he looked at the skill descriptions.

Basic Blade Technique: A slash that dealt damage to monsters.

Basic Sword Technique: A thrust that dealt damage to monsters.

Basic Healing: Increased the speed at which bandages were applied.

Xiao Fan: ??????

Wait, if players could create their own skills, why were they all holding back so much?

"Could it be because of the limits imposed by attributes and traits?"

He wasn't sure. He'd better look into it.

Xiao Fan could hardly believe his eyes. He picked up his phone and kept searching.

A long while later...

Xiao Fan set his phone down, his eyes full of shock.

He had finally figured out what was wrong!

Blue Star's technology was about on par with Earth's, but its culture was vastly different.

There were no myths or legends here, no fantasy cultivation novels. Before Cloud Sea, people in this world hadn't even known what games were.

As a result, people across Blue Star had little imagination, and even the skills they created were limited to things they could see in everyday life.

"So it's not that Cloud Sea can't create the flashy skills from the games in my previous life. People here just can't imagine skills that go beyond reality."

Realizing this, Xiao Fan jumped to his feet, feeling his heart race.

With his memories of Earth, he could imagine and create tens of millions of skills.

It took Xiao Fan a while to force himself to calm down.

"I'll have to wait until I enter the game to know for sure."

At the thought, Xiao Fan could hardly wait to enter Cloud Sea.

Time flew by.

"Tomorrow is the day you enter Cloud Sea. Anyone who wants a beginner weapon needs to pay thirty thousand yuan for it tomorrow..." The teacher left after tossing out the announcement.

Xiao Fan left the campus in silence.

After overhearing Uncle and Auntie talking the other night, he knew what thirty thousand yuan meant to the family.

His excitement faded, replaced by a trace of worry.

In Cloud Sea, having a beginner weapon early on made a huge difference when it came to killing monsters and leveling up.

A beginner weapon took twenty Core Power to make, and thirty thousand yuan was already the price after the government subsidy.

Even so, he couldn't afford it.

He remembered the muffled sounds of pain coming from Uncle's room when he had gone to the bathroom last night, and Auntie's stifled sobs.

He truly didn't know how to bring up the thirty thousand yuan.

He had considered looking for a part-time job over the past couple of days, but nowadays, most places on Blue Star only hired players who had already been strengthened in Cloud Sea. It was difficult for a student like him, who had never entered the game, to find work.

"The fastest way to make money is still to enter Cloud Sea."

Xiao Fan pondered for a moment, then made up his mind. "Once I enter the game, I'll find a way to earn money for Uncle's treatment."

But plans couldn't keep up with changes. As Xiao Fan neared home...

The sound of glass shattering suddenly came from inside, followed by Auntie's startled cry. "Uncle Xiao!"

Realizing something had happened, Xiao Fan hurried home. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Uncle lying on the floor, his face twisted in pain. Auntie was supporting his head, her eyes red with worry.

Xiao Fan quickly called for an ambulance and helped Uncle up.

At the hospital...

The doctor's expression was grave. "His condition is already very serious. He needs treatment right away, or he may never be able to stand again."

Uncle struggled to sit up on the hospital bed. "It's fine. I can rest at home for a few days. We don't need to treat it yet."

"Uncle Xiao, please, I'm begging you. An'an and Lele are still young. What will happen to them if something happens to you?" Auntie wiped her tears as she spoke.

Uncle opened his mouth, then finally turned to Xiao Fan with an apologetic look. "Xiao Fan, I'm sorry I couldn't do more. Your beginner weapon..."

His treatment would cost money, so they couldn't afford the thirty thousand yuan for a beginner weapon.

"Uncle, your health is what matters most to me. Go ahead with the treatment. Even without a beginner weapon, I can still choose the Healer Class." Xiao Fan spoke with conviction.

At that, Xiao Yi turned his face away, his eyes reddening.

Since Xiao Fan would be entering Cloud Sea the next day, Auntie sent him home to rest after he had spent only a short while at the hospital.

On the way home, he passed a pharmacy and used the pocket money he had saved to buy some hemostatic medicine, alcohol, and bandages. Those things could be brought into the game, but metal weapons and ores couldn't.

When he got home, Xiao Fan packed the hemostatic medicine, bandages, and alcohol, along with the dry food, water, and two changes of clothes Auntie had prepared, into his backpack.

Then he went to bed to get a good night's rest.