Newcomer Blind Box

There had never been such a thing as indecisiveness in the world. There was only a common human affliction—poverty.

At that moment, Du Qifeng, whose jealousy was practically flaring up, keenly felt that truth, yet there was nothing he could do about it.

It was worth mentioning that the middle-aged man in a suit not far away, wearing a Windsor knot and with a tear along the side of his clothes, had been muttering at the air for quite some time. In the end, he revealed the respectful, deferential expression of someone facing a superior, though it also carried a trace of helplessness.

Clearly, his "proposal" had been rejected—or perhaps he had received no response at all—leaving him no choice but to abandon his earlier plans.

Seeing the man finally return to the crowd, the college student who had been quietly observing him all along—and had vaguely realized that if the man succeeded, he might be able to copy the approach—felt greatly disappointed. At the same time, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

—If possible, he truly did not want to have the slightest connection with something like "loans."

With the mindset of out of sight, out of mind, and under the influence of the little reason he had left, Du Qifeng barely forced his increasingly groggy mind to keep working. He pulled his gaze away from those incredibly tempting yet currently unrealistic exchange options.

Looking was enough.

Those things were good, but they were not where newcomers like them should waste too much time.

Very soon, following some of the "common knowledge" temporarily imparted by the [Main God], Du Qifeng found the exchange search and condition-filtering functions in the upper-left corner of the exchange panel.

—Manuals, weapons, armor, materials, curios, consumables, bloodlines...

Among the vast categories that expanded downward in dense rows with a single touch, the college student could not be bothered to examine them further. Based on the information he already knew, he mentally made a clear request of the filter: only display items that could be exchanged for with the Universal Points he currently possessed.

...Clearly, that worked!

In the blink of an eye, although the exchange page still stretched farther than the eye could see, most exchange options silently disappeared. In their place, simpler entries sprouted up like bamboo shoots after rain.

[Heavy Infantry Armor...]

[Plague Miasma Bag...]

[Luofu Introductory Mind-Calming Breath Cultivation Method...]

[Hand-Cannon-Type Automatic Prosthetic Limb Modification...]

[Magic Missile Scroll...]

[Basic Human Gene Enhancement Agent...]

...

[Name: Ten-Year Red Ginseng]

[Type: Consumable]

[Quality: Unranked]

[Description: After the ginseng plant sent out roots, it grew in the wilderness for ten years, acquiring a faint trace of spiritual energy. Its roots were light red. Consuming it directly nourished the body and foundation, replenished qi, and stabilized the spirit.]

[Exchange Requirement: 20 Universal Points]

Opening one or two entries at random was enough to leave him staring blankly, especially at the exchange prices following the listings. They no longer seemed so unattainably high, and Du Qifeng nearly felt like a tough man brought to tears.

It had not been easy. There were actually options he could afford.

Of course, the various exchange items that remained on the page after filtering were basically between "Unranked" and "First Tier." Occasionally, there might be a relatively rare "Second Tier" exchange. Some odd entries Du Qifeng had briefly noticed, such as [Evil-Warding Sword Manual—Kasaya Fragment Edition], [Blood-Burning Pill], and [Self-Destructing Voodoo Flesh-and-Blood Curse Solidification—Single Use], were obviously problematic at a glance—enough to make anyone wary.

But the college student's mind was fairly quick.

Perhaps inspired by that guy who had tried to "borrow money" earlier, after learning from the Main God's "common knowledge" of a mission rule—[Based on your current Level One user permissions, every seven days, numbered users may select a suitable mission world here and participate in it to obtain rewards. The interval between any two mission worlds may not exceed one month, or you will receive punishment from the Main God...]—he confirmed that time was not as tight as he had imagined.

Especially since, on this special platform, the duration had effectively been extended fourfold.

So he no longer hurried to continue filtering exchange options.

Instead, he asked the Main God in his mind questions such as, "Can the information from exchanged manuals and cultivation techniques be taught to others?" "Can someone else exchange an item for me, or can several people pool their funds to exchange for one item?" and "Can Universal Points and exchange cards be gifted or lent to others?" He received answers in turn: "You must additionally exchange for the secondary dissemination rights for the relevant cultivation technique information," "Others may exchange items for you voluntarily," "Joint funding for an exchange is not allowed," "Universal Points may be traded, gifted, lent, and otherwise handled as currency. Exchange cards obtained by Level One users cannot be handled in this manner"... and so on.

After roughly gaining a preliminary understanding of the restrictions governing the exchange rules in this "Main God Game," and realizing that so-called "exchange cards" roughly took the place of things like "purchase permissions" and "side quests"...

He quickly noticed several differences from his "preconceived impressions" and hurriedly turned to find a few other "acquaintances" nearby, intending to remind them and discuss things along the way.

At a time like this, they absolutely could not exchange something on impulse just because it looked flashy. It would be far too easy to fall into a trap.

After all, the group had gotten along reasonably well in the previous zombie world. They had faced the danger of death together, and there had been no situations like "slacking off at a life-or-death moment" or "you cheat me, I sell you out." They could be said to share a measure of life-and-death camaraderie.

But the moment he turned his head, he saw He Qiu two or three steps away, holding a grayish, palm-sized rectangular object in both hands. He kept rubbing and turning it over, his face wearing an indecipherably complex expression that shifted between light and dark.

...It was the vivid, solemn expression of someone who had desperately rushed into a hotel restroom due to a sudden urgent need, only to discover that every stall was occupied. That emotion repeatedly churned across the mere few inches of his face, making anyone watching instinctively feel that something was wrong.

"Uh... Brother He, did you already exchange something? What did you buy?"

Seeing that he looked as though he had swallowed an entire bitter melon and had no choice but to put on Liandry's Torment, Du Qifeng approached in confusion. Just as he was about to offer a few comforting words, He Qiu let out a faint sigh.

"I didn't buy it... I drew it from the box, and this was what I got... Forget it. See for yourself."

Looking utterly exhausted with life, and apparently unable to explain it in just a few words, he simply extended the item in his hand toward the curious college student and let him take a proper look.

Before he even understood what was going on, Du Qifeng's expression quickly became subtle as well.

[Name: Dwarven Ironwork (Total Weight: Ten Kilograms)]

[Type: Material]

[Quality: Third Tier]

[Description: From Middle-earth. An iron block formed alongside the Lonely Mountain Dwarves' attempts to smelt metal from lava. The material is sturdy and naturally possesses a small degree of fire resistance. It can be used to forge all manner of fine weapons and equipment.]

[Additional Notice: Items produced by this blind box may be sold to the Main God. Recovery price: 300 Universal Points. (Note: Recovery price is 20% of the original value.)]

???

After reading the scan information, the baffled young college student finally somewhat understood the reason behind He Qiu's complicated expression.

This inconspicuous rectangular chunk, no bigger than the large chocolate bars sold in supermarkets, had a dull gray surface that barely reflected any light. Yet merely holding it gave him a full ten kilograms of weight. Its density was self-evident.

Not to mention that, judging by the recovery price provided by the Main God, it was a... costly raw material worth a full 1,500 Universal Points?

All right. The word "material" explained everything.

Having just figured out the problem, and putting himself in the other man's shoes, Du Qifeng's face seemed to twitch as well.

He Qiu looked even more pained.

The item was indeed valuable.

But fundamentally, it was still an unprocessed piece of metal. For newcomers like them, who now wished they could split every penny in two, other than selling it to the Main God for recovery, there seemed to be no more direct or effective way to rapidly turn it into immediately usable resources.

After all, they obviously could not find a suitable dwarf, complete with a furnace and forge, to handle such a small metal ingot with a few extraordinary properties.

...But if they really sold it, it was painfully hard to let go. The recovery price was only twenty percent, practically a fire-sale price. It was simply too wasteful!

What an aggravating thing!

Even Du Qifeng nearly could not resist cursing a few times.

But at a time like this, it did not seem appropriate to advise someone whether to sell it or not. Du Qifeng could only briefly remind him about the exchanges, mention it to the other three people nearby, then turn back to browse through the information section of his personal panel, searching for certain important things he had accidentally missed after spending too much time in the exchange section.

...[Additional Newcomer Trial Clearance Reward (Available to Claim)]

Unlike the earlier newcomer trial clearance evaluation, this separately categorized notification quietly remained under unread messages.

If He Qiu had not reminded him, he still would not have noticed this thing!

Slapping his forehead, Du Qifeng learned his lesson this time. He did not rush to open it. Instead, he roughly went through the entire information section first, only turning his attention to this separate reward message after confirming that he had not missed anything important—

[Additional Newcomer Trial Clearance Reward: One Random Draw (Unique—Only obtainable when each visitor first clears the Newcomer Trial)]

[Quality: ???]

[Note: "Ahem, ahem. I suppose there's no need to say much. That's right, this is the random blind box included in the newcomer gift package. The time has come to test your luck. Whether you draw a treasure chest or a mimic, sneak into Europe or hunt with a spear, it all depends on whether this hand of yours has been blessed..."]

The young college student's eyes lit up.

If this place had allowed him to bathe, change clothes, and wash his hands, he would definitely have first performed the whole "mystical ritual" his roommate who loved mobile games always used before drawing cards.

—It was free, so he might as well believe in it a little!

Following the principle that too much was better than too little, Du Qifeng silently prayed with an earnestness far exceeding even the fervor with which he begged his professors to show mercy and pass him before final exams. He paid respects to Buddha, the Daoist Sovereign, Allah, God, Zeus...

After glancing around and confirming that no one should be able to disturb him, he endured the obvious weakness and soreness still lingering in his muscles. Following the customs of certain places, he clasped his palms together and began rubbing his hands fiercely.

His desperate posture was no less intense than drilling wood for fire. Only after the skin of his palms had visibly reddened from the burning heat did he seize that freshly forged "hot hand" and decisively grit his teeth as he selected the one-time lottery option.

Whether it was a mule or a horse, it would all be decided by this... Open!

But in that very instant, along with his clear selection, the personal interface before Du Qifeng's eyes vanished in the blink of an eye!

No, that was not quite right. The flat light screen, seemingly woven from halos of light, directly melted away before his eyes at a speed too fast to react to.

In the blink of an eye, all that remained in its place was a blurry, dark liquid halo!

Amid the hazy, dazzling light, the thing seemed to have no tangible outline. Or rather, the moment his gaze tried to focus, that outline quietly began to blur and melt, like a drop of paint falling into water, naturally producing a dizzying sense of motion.

...Like a tiny vortex.

No! What the hell was this?!?

Startled stiff by the sudden change, Du Qifeng remained frozen in place for a while. But when he noticed that the people around him seemed not to have noticed any of it...

As though he had suddenly realized something, the college student blinked a few times. After hesitating, he finally carefully extended one hand toward the blurry halo.

—And so, "it" blinked back at the unfortunate child who looked so eager, his gaze still carrying the clarity of innocence untainted by knowledge.

Within the hazy blur where endless lights and shadows flickered, a small sphere of light was gently "spat" out by the vortex. Like a snowflake, it drifted down into the waiting hand.

Then, the misty vortex that had briefly appeared quietly dispersed, and the personal interface woven from halos of light unfolded before the user once more.

The newcomer who had just received a "newcomer gift package" had no time to care about that. He stared in astonishment at the glimpse of the item that emerged from the silently shattering sphere of light in his hand—

What emerged from it was a small round shield, grayish brown and covered in dents and pits. It bore many obvious traces of damage and repair, and there was even a striking jagged crack along its rim. The crack extended from the center of the shield all the way to its edge, cutting deeply into the metal plating at its center and the incomplete crescent pattern upon it.

[Name: Poor Man's Shield]

[Type: Protective Gear/Item]

[Quality: Second Tier]

[Description: From the Dota-Derived World Setting. An old-fashioned shield that had endured countless battles and looked especially worn. Many heroes had relied on this inconspicuous old companion when first setting out on their own legendary paths...]

[Trait: Difficult to damage. The wearer has a chance to block a small amount of physical damage.]

[Note: "I heard this thing carries a trace of blessing from IceFrog, the legendary spirit of creation... Haha, I don't believe that drunken nonsense! Ymir, another drink! This round is on me!"]

[Additional Notice: Items produced by this blind box may be sold to the Main God. Recovery price: 120 Universal Points. (Note: Recovery price is 20% of the original value.)]

Looking at the old silver-brown round shield, barely half an arm in size, repeatedly reinforced with metal plating over wood, Du Qifeng fell completely silent. Beneath that scarred surface lay proof that it was undoubtedly a battle-hardened veteran.

For some reason, a faint sense of foreboding frantically warned this newcomer who had received such a practically perfect gift—perhaps from now on, he would never be able to shake off the words "poor man" again...