Exploiting a Bug

"Could it be that I overdid it?"

Fang Zhen lowered his head to look at the shovel on the ground. He was initially bewildered, then a wave of regret hit him.

"My big mouth!"

After two thousand squats, he had clearly started to get a feel for things. He had never expected the NPC to be this intelligent, refusing to follow the usual script. Now he had no choice but to accumulate experience all over again.

However, Lin Qi had no intention of considering what Fang Zhen was thinking. His gaze swept directly toward the man and woman beside him.

"Your names and ages?"

"Twilight of the Gods, nineteen thousand years old this year."

"Wu Shang, eighteen."

"Mm, I like your honesty. Welcome to the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. I am Hall Master Lin Qi. According to the rules, if you wish to become glorious disciples of the martial arts hall, you must prove yourselves. You may now go over there and pick a shovel you like. Turn right when you leave, then head to the small storage room. You have two hours and twenty minutes to dig five meters underground and excavate a ten-cubic-meter space."

Lin Qi nodded and recorded their information in his little notebook.

As Lin Qi wrote, Fang Zhen, who had been about to leave the room, abruptly stopped. He stared at Twilight of the Gods and Wu Shang in stunned disbelief, his mouth hanging wide open as though he had discovered a new continent.

"You can play it like this?" Fang Zhen watched Lin Qi diligently taking notes, feeling as if his intelligence had been challenged.

Whether it was Twilight of the Gods or Wu Shang, they were obviously talking nonsense about their ages. Yet the intelligent NPC not only believed them, but even rewarded them by allowing them to choose their favorite little shovels for digging. That would be no small boost to their excavation efficiency.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something." Lin Qi watched the three heading for the small storage room, then paused before saying, "As the first batch of disciples recruited by the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, you will also be the inheritors who restore Obsidian's former glory in the future. Therefore, the first person to complete the trial will receive this hall's treasured artifact, the Soul Shocking Breathing Technique. It can help you achieve greater accomplishments on the path of martial arts!"

Who couldn't bluff like that?

As Lin Qi finished speaking, the already quiet corridor became even more silent.

"A treasured artifact of the hall? Could we have triggered some kind of special event?" Fang Zhen's breathing quickened slightly.

A treasured artifact of the hall!

Anyone could tell just from hearing that it was no ordinary thing. If he could obtain it, he would definitely be one step ahead of everyone else in High Martial Descent.

"Based on my many years of gaming experience, we probably did trigger a special event." Twilight of the Gods adjusted his nonexistent glasses and analyzed calmly. "But the chances of us completing it are very low."

"What do you mean, the chances are very low?" Wu Shang raised a brow. "Aren't only the three of us competing?"

"You don't know this, but the reason I say we can't complete it is entirely because this game is too realistic. Ever since I entered the game, I've been observing it. Whether it's the sensations of the body or the dust on the ground, clearly visible even to the naked eye, I can't find a single flaw or bug. If you two weren't here, I would've almost suspected that I'd transmigrated." Twilight of the Gods explained without holding anything back. "With physical abilities equal to ordinary people, let alone digging out a ten-cubic-meter space underground in two hours and twenty minutes—even if we had five or six hours, it would still be impossible."

"Then doesn't that mean we have no chance of getting the Soul Shocking Breathing Technique?" Wu Shang said regretfully.

"No! We have a chance!" Twilight of the Gods declared confidently.

"What chance?" Fang Zhen could not help pricking up his ears.

Digging out a ten-cubic-meter space underground in two hours and twenty minutes was clearly absurd. Unless he were given twice as much time, or his physical abilities suddenly skyrocketed.

But neither the first nor second possibility was feasible. Especially the second—there was not even a method to improve physical abilities yet. The only method required completing the mission first. It was simply an unsolvable deadlock.

"We join forces!" Twilight of the Gods glanced at Lin Qi behind them and smiled faintly. "This NPC is stupid as hell. He only follows preset procedures. He believed me when I said I was nineteen thousand years old, without even the slightest doubt or question. That proves what I said."

"Join forces? How?" Fang Zhen asked curiously. "This NPC told each of us to dig out a ten-cubic-meter space."

Twilight of the Gods shook his index finger, then pushed up his nonexistent glasses. "He said each of us has to dig out a ten-cubic-meter space, but how is that 'each of us' determined? I already said this game is extremely realistic. What if the three of us work together, taking turns digging in the same spot?"

"With the efficiency of the three of us working together, we can definitely dig out ten cubic meters in two hours and twenty minutes. As for the Soul Shocking Breathing Technique, that's even simpler. I already said this game is very realistic. Whoever gets it can teach the others after mastering it, and then all of us can learn the Soul Shocking Breathing Technique."

"Holy shit! I've never admired anyone in my life, little brother, but you're the first!" Fang Zhen was utterly shaken, as if the door to a new world had been thrown open. He had never imagined a 100% virtual reality game could be played like this.

"Fine! We'll join forces!" Wu Shang nodded as well, unable to stop herself from looking at Twilight of the Gods a little more. "Oh, right, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Wu Shang, vice president of the Heavenly Might Guild in the martial arts game Pilgrimage. If you're interested in joining a guild, come to Heavenly Might. I can guarantee you at least the treatment of a core member."

"The Heavenly Might Guild from Pilgrimage?" Fang Zhen was shocked by Wu Shang's introduction, his gaze full of disbelief.

In this era where virtual games flourished, the martial arts masterpiece Pilgrimage was a god-tier game with a global daily player count reaching one billion. Even a random second- or third-rate guild in Pilgrimage had a market value exceeding one billion and more than fifty thousand members.

As for the first-rate guilds, their market values were in the hundreds of billions, with over a million members—hardly inferior to some world-class corporations. There were five titan-level guilds in Pilgrimage, and Heavenly Might was one of them.

The treatment given to a core member of Heavenly Might was no worse than that of a top professional player in Mecha Continent.

"So it's Sister Wu. A pleasure to meet you. If I ever want to join a guild, Heavenly Might will definitely be my first choice." Twilight of the Gods looked at Wu Shang with considerable surprise, while forming a new assessment of High Martial Descent in his heart.

Pilgrimage was an emperor-like existence in the virtual gaming world. Yet Heavenly Might's vice president was not focusing on managing her guild; instead, she had come to this newly released game, High Martial Descent, and was even planning to recruit people within it. That was enough to show how highly Heavenly Might regarded High Martial Descent's future.

While Fang Zhen, Twilight of the Gods, and Wu Shang chatted back and forth, the people in the livestream had all been left dumbstruck.

"Combining forces to exploit a bug! They're going to fleece the NPC, that little leek, together!"

"Brother Gods! Please accept my kneecaps."

"Awesome! Only now, after all these years, do I realize games can be played like this!"

"Quick! Who can let me in? I want to go fleece that NPC."

As everyone descended into frenzied worship and discussion, Fang Zhen, Twilight of the Gods, and Wu Shang arrived at the small storage room. One shovel from you, one shovel from me—their work was merry without end, and the more they dug, the stronger they became.