What a Ruthless Association

A full set of equipment cost 8,000 yuan.

And his subsidy was only 3,000 yuan.

He started doing the math in his head.

The three key pieces cost 2,500, but he already had a breastplate, so he only needed a helmet and leg guards.

Estimating by proportion, the two together would probably cost between 1,500 and 1,700 yuan.

After buying them, he would have just over a thousand left in his pocket.

"Can the key equipment pieces be bought separately?"

"Yes."

"Then let me look at the helmet and leg guards," Gan Ming said. "I just received my subsidy. I can't afford the full set."

The female staff member did not operate the machine immediately. Instead, she turned sideways and faced Gan Ming from a different angle.

"Mr. Gan Ming, if your funds are currently a little tight, I can recommend a New Awakened Support Loan for you."

Here it came.

"The credit limit is 10,000 yuan, repayable in three installments, with monthly interest of only 450 yuan. That works out to less than 15 yuan a day."

She spoke smoothly, rattling off every number with practiced ease. She had clearly said it hundreds of times, if not more.

"Make one trip to a Fallen Zone, and the rewards you exchange with your contribution points will cover both the principal and interest, with plenty left over."

Gan Ming smiled. "That good?"

He looked down at his tattered clothes, then raised his head again.

"Looking at how broke I am, do you really think I'd get approved?"

The female staff member's smile did not change.

"Of course. As long as you have a guarantor or a sponsoring guild, you may apply at any time."

She deliberately paused.

"However, you mentioned earlier that you don't have a guild..."

By then, Gan Ming had already guessed what she would say next.

Sure enough.

"If you are interested, I can recommend several guilds that are currently recruiting newcomers."

"Once you join a guild, it can serve as your guarantor, and the loan procedures can be completed that very day."

Gan Ming said nothing, and the smile on his face remained.

Well, damn.

He had finally managed to get a little money in hand, only to find one trap after another waiting for him.

Can't afford equipment → they recommend a loan → the loan requires a guarantor → the guarantor requires a guild → they recommend a guild.

It really was a one-stop service.

Every step sounded perfectly reasonable, and every step pushed him in the same direction.

In the end, he would voluntarily join a guild, voluntarily take out a loan, and voluntarily sign his name.

Even gyms on Earth could not pull off membership sales at this level.

Before crossing over, he had worked at an internet company for three years.

User acquisition, conversion, retention, funnel models—he had seen far too much of it all.

But the Awakened Association in this world had commercialized things to such an extent that it still opened his eyes.

Was it really that hard to be an unaffiliated lone wolf?

Before crossing over, I was a corporate slave. After crossing over, I risked my life to awaken, only to become an upgraded corporate slave. Did I fucking cross over for nothing?

"No need to recommend a guild for now." Gan Ming shook his head. "I'll look into them myself. Let me see the helmet and leg guards first."

The smile on the female staff member's face did not change at all.

But something flashed through her eyes in an instant.

"All right."

She turned back to the counter terminal screen and brought up the equipment selection list.

As she continued operating it, she explained how to use the terminal—how to filter equipment, check its stats, and confirm an order.

Gan Ming followed along and found that the process was actually not complicated. It was much like a self-service shopping terminal.

He selected a basic Standard-Issue Iron Helmet and a pair of basic Standard-Issue Leg Guards.

[Standard-Issue Iron Helmet (Common)]

[Type: Armor · Helmet]

[Physical Defense: +5]

[Durability: 30/30]

[Creator: Wang Shaohui (Production-Type Awakened)]

[Remarks: Basic standard-issue armor, suitable for early first-rank Awakened.]

[Standard-Issue Leg Guards (Common)]

[Type: Armor · Leg Armor]

[Physical Defense: +6]

[Durability: 30/30]

[Creator: Wang Shaohui (Production-Type Awakened)]

[Remarks: Basic standard-issue armor, suitable for early first-rank Awakened.]

The two items together cost 1,400 yuan.

A payment confirmation popped up on the terminal screen.

[Amount Deducted: 1400]

[Account Balance: 1600]

Gan Ming tapped confirm.

From the bottom of the terminal, it spat out receipts for the two pieces of equipment.

Less than thirty seconds later, a staff member delivered the equipment.

Gan Ming stored them in his ring and equipped them at once.

After the female staff member submitted the information she had entered, the terminal spat out another sheet of paper.

"This is an exploration guidance form generated based on your situation. It lists the Fallen Zones currently suitable for you."

Gan Ming accepted it and looked down.

[Exploration Guidance Form]

[Applicable Rank: First Rank, Recommended Level: 1–30, Combat Power Assessment: Beginner]

1. West City Outskirts Woodland

Distance: 8 km, Invasion Progress: 22%, Status: Open, Area Rating: Low Risk, Recommended Level: 1–15

2. Eastern Suburbs Ruins Zone

Distance: 12 km, Invasion Progress: 18%, Status: Open, Area Rating: Low Risk, Recommended Level: 1–20

3. Tunnel Zone No. 7

Distance: 15 km, Invasion Progress: 27%, Status: Temporarily Closed (Expected Opening: Tomorrow, 08:00), Area Rating: Low Risk, Recommended Level: 10–30

4. South District Old Industrial Park

Distance: 23 km, Invasion Progress: 31%, Status: Open, Area Rating: Low-Medium Risk, Recommended Level: 15–40

5. North Ridge Mining District

Distance: 35 km, Invasion Progress: 44%, Status: Opening Soon (Countdown: 2 days 14 hours), Area Rating: Medium Risk, Recommended Level: 25–50

The five areas ranged from near to far, and from low danger to high danger.

The first and second were places he could go right now.

The third would not open until tomorrow, while the fourth had a recommended starting level of fifteen.

As for the fifth, there was no need to even consider it. The level threshold started at twenty-five, and it was about to open.

When that time came, it would definitely be packed with high-level Awakened. A level-one like him would not even qualify to pick up scraps.

Gan Ming folded the guidance form, put it into his ring, and looked up to ask,

"Is there a more detailed version?"

"Like the types of monsters in each area, their strength distribution, respawn patterns, and so on?"

"Yes."

The female staff member had been waiting for those words.

Her expression was well controlled, and her smile did not change in the slightest.

"As long as you become a registered member of our association, you can obtain real-time, detailed intelligence on every Fallen Zone."

She pulled out a brochure from beside the terminal and unfolded it before Gan Ming.

"Membership services include a real-time Fallen Zone monster database, an Awakened team-matching platform, equipment recycling and consignment channels, advanced task-board filtering privileges, and a monthly fixed potion supply."

She pointed to the pricing section on the brochure.

"You have only just awakened, so I recommend the basic membership. The monthly fee is 750 yuan."

"If you pay annually, the first month is half price, and the annual fee receives another twenty percent discount."

"Once you accumulate more contribution points later on, there will also be membership value-added services and benefit returns."

Gan Ming did not answer right away.

He started doing the math again in his head.

With a balance of 1,600 yuan, after deducting the 750-yuan membership fee, he would have 850 left.

Eight hundred and fifty yuan probably would not even last him half a month for food and lodging in the proper city districts.

They were forcing him to risk his life in the Fallen Zones.

"Can this membership be used in other cities too?" Gan Ming asked.