Intermission Growth

First time is strange, second time is familiar.

Liu Xing returned to reality once more. He first stretched, feeling good to be alive.

The computer screen displayed the current data of the Character Card Liu Xing was using.

Name: Liu Xing

Occupation: Doctor

Education: Graduate Student

Birthplace: China, Shu Region, Rong City

Gender: Male

Age: 23

Background: An ordinary doctor. While traveling in England, he helped the police solve over a hundred unresolved missing person cases. Not only did he receive a reward, but he was also reported on by domestic media, making him quite famous in China today.

Strength: 55

Constitution: 40

Willpower: 80

Luck: 80

Agility: 50

Appearance: 70

Body Shape: 45

Intelligence: 85

Inspiration: 90

Education: 87

Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge: 1

Sanity Value: 78/80

HP: 8

MP: 16

Damage Bonus: None

Credit: 50+10 (Temporary buff from completing a hidden ending, lasts for three The Real Cthulhu TRPG games)

Skills: Medical 78, First Aid 80, Psychology 71, Psychoanalysis 70, Jump 70, Investigation 40, Persuade 60, Lockpicking 11.

Carried Items: Mobile phone, a bottle of Ancestral Green Tea, candy from Cthulhu.

Interpersonal Relationships: Isabella (20), Chris (50)

Assets: 500,000

Cash: 50,000+10,000 (Manchester Police reward)

Points: 139

Liu Xing looked at his Character Card. It wasn't much different from when he first started, except for a two-point decrease in his SAN Value, the addition of a Lockpicking skill, and a one-point increase in Psychology.

Of course, because Liu Xing had achieved a hidden ending—helping Isabella kill Gary and regain her freedom, then pinning all the blame for the hundreds of disappearances, or perhaps now murders, on Gary—"he" had received a reward from the Manchester Police and domestic media coverage. His reputation had soared, earning him a temporary +10 buff to his Credit.

As for the 139 points, Liu Xing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and breathe a sigh of relief. After all, this meant he could stay in real-world time for over four months before coming back to this damned The Real Cthulhu TRPG game to court death.

However, Liu Xing suddenly remembered something. What about the promised Intermission Growth? Liu Xing had thought it would happen within the game.

But after closing the Character Card, a new window popped up, filled with dense options. It seemed this was the interface for Intermission Growth.

Liu Xing had a total of three Intermission Growth opportunities. Therefore, he could choose three options from this messy list for his Intermission Growth.

Liu Xing gave the options a cursory glance and found that, as expected of The Real Cthulhu TRPG game, which prided itself on realism, nine out of ten options for Intermission Growth were tied to money...

Participate in an English Training Class, requires 5,000 Cash, gain skill Other Languages: English, value 5d6, chance of accident 10%.

Participate in Driving Training, requires 10,000 Cash, gain skill Driving, value 5d8, chance of accident 20%.

Attend New Western Culinary School, requires 3,000 Cash, gain Cooking Skill, value 6d6, chance of accident 20%.

This type of Intermission Growth belonged to the "Gain Skill" category. To put it bluntly, it was spending a large amount of the Character Card's cash to acquire skills, somewhat similar to learning from skill books in other games.

In addition to these, there were also "Advanced Study" Intermission Growths. These required less cash from the Character Card but had prerequisites that, if met, could increase the values of existing skills. For example:

Participate in Hospital Overseas Training, requires 1,000 Cash, prerequisite Medical 70, Medical skill increases by 1d6, chance of accident 25%.

Enter First Aid Department, prerequisite First Aid 70, First Aid skill increases by 1d6, chance of accident 20%.

Self-Study Public Speaking, requires 500 Cash, prerequisite Persuade 40, Persuade skill increases by 1d4, chance of accident 5%.

Besides the two types of Intermission Growth mentioned above, there was another category: Special Type Intermission Growth, which left Liu Xing speechless...

Blind Date Marriage, requires 50,000 Cash, prerequisite Assets 500,000, possess a Legitimate Occupation, can gain one Spouse, chance of accident 50%.

Inherit Foreign Legacy, requires 10,000 Cash, the next The Real Cthulhu TRPG game will be held abroad, gain Assets 1d1,000,000, chance of accident 50%.

Changing Profession requires 20000 Cash, and all other profession skill values must be above 50. This allows for job transfer with a 0% accident rate.

Accepting Psychological Therapy requires 10000 Cash, and SAN Value must be above 50. This can restore 2d3 SAN Value with a 0% accident rate.

Although the Special Type Intermission Growth of Blind Date Marriage seems very unreliable, according to the help section, Liu Xing discovered that a Spouse is very important for a Player. This is because Players with a Spouse can directly restore 1d3 SAN Value during each Intermission Growth, randomly increase one skill value by 1 point, and in certain special modules, Players can choose to bring their Spouse along for the game, which is equivalent to having an extra helper. However, when the Spouse dies, the Player will also lose 2d6 SAN Value.

Of course, besides the Special Type Intermission Growth of Blind Date Marriage, Players can also fall in love and marry NPCs in the game to obtain a Spouse.

As for Inherit Foreign Legacy, it's essentially gambling. However, as a price, besides the possibility of losing money, one must also play a Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG in a foreign country. Moreover, it seems to be a random country. If one is sent to a remote African country like Equatorial Guinea, or a war-torn country like Syria, the fun will be immense.

As for the accident rate mentioned at the end of each Intermission Growth, it's simply the possibility of triggering an unexpected event, which can be good or bad. For example, when attending an English Training Class, a good unexpected event might be that you are exceptionally talented and learn English rapidly, resulting in your Other Language: English value becoming 10d6. A bad unexpected event could be that you enrolled in a fake English Training Class, and the training center disappeared the next day, so you didn't gain any Other Language: English.

Therefore, after thinking for a moment, Liu Xing decided to play it safe and chose the three Intermission Growths: "Enter First Aid Department," "Attend English Training Class," and "Attend Driving Training." After all, Liu Xing's main profession is still Doctor, and First Aid is his primary skill, so he wants to raise it as high as possible. Moreover, if his First Aid reaches 90 points, he can even receive a SAN Value reward.

According to the most widely accepted theory in the Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG community today, when any of your skills reaches 90 points, it signifies that you have reached the level of a grandmaster in that field. This naturally boosts your confidence, and your SAN Value increases accordingly.

Although Liu Xing has always felt this theory was a bit unreliable, since everyone says so, Liu Xing accepts it.

PS: Today's second update time is uncertain.