Trial at an Impasse

"Could some kind soul share the coordinates? I only picked up three last time before getting killed. I just can't accept that."

"Offering 1 Sacrificial Power for the God of Wealth's location. Coordinates first, payment afterward. My integrity is guaranteed. Absolutely no scams."

"The God of Wealth is incredible. Lucky players have already earned several thousand Sacrificial Power these past few days."

"Yesterday, I watched someone livestream unlocking their second Star Meridian Slot just by picking up Evil Crystals. I'm green with envy. I'm begging for the God of Wealth's coordinates. I want to get rich too."

The players' exchanges flashed rapidly through Qi Sheng's mind.

Ever since Broken Star appeared, the Regional Chat Channel and the Forum had become especially lively.

All the players were discussing Broken Star's whereabouts and had even given him the title "God of Wealth."

That was because many players had made a fortune picking up Evil Crystals.

Compared to the Sacrificial Power earned through the hard work of fighting monsters, picking up Evil Crystals was clearly easier and far more lucrative.

In particular, after one player posted their earnings from collecting Evil Crystals on the Forum and livestreamed using that Sacrificial Power to unlock their second meridian slot, the players' enthusiasm for collecting Evil Crystals was fully ignited.

During this time, some players organized a "Fortune-Seeking Alliance," searching far and wide for traces of Broken Star, hoping to follow behind him and make a windfall.

Whenever they spotted Broken Star, they would report his coordinates in the regional channel, and large numbers of players would follow the map's directions and swarm over.

These players believed that sharing coordinates was the only way to maximize their gains.

Going alone would inevitably mean being killed instantly. Only by participating as a group could they seize opportunities to pick up Evil Crystals amid the chaos.

And finding traces of Broken Star was not difficult.

Before each slaughter, Broken Star would light something that produced a column of smoke to attract Evil Spirits. Even from far away, players could see the smoke rising and the nearby Evil Spirits stirring in response.

The only thing the players were unhappy about was how brutally the God of Wealth dealt with their arrival.

He gave them no chance to communicate at all.

But the players did not care whether they could communicate with the God of Wealth. All they cared about was whether they could get a share of the wealth he created.

Some players were also curious about the God of Wealth's behavior.

They did not understand what he was doing or why he kept changing locations to slaughter Evil Spirits.

No player could answer that question.

During this time, a new post on the Forum left Qi Sheng unsure whether to laugh or cry.

[Has anyone noticed how drastically the God of Wealth's expressions have changed?]

Poster: Pay-to-Win Makes You Stronger.

Content: I've been tracking the God of Wealth along with everyone else these past few days and made a small fortune, but that's not the point. The point is that some unknown changes seem to have occurred in his mental state. I've collected shots of his expressions from various livestreams since he first appeared. Take a look and compare them.

(A collection of the God of Wealth's expressions)

The poster had labeled every image in the post with its exact time.

The first image had been captured when Broken Star first encountered the players.

Back then, Broken Star's face was expressionless and cold, with confidence and arrogance visible in his bearing.

The second image showed Broken Star looking at the players after several encounters with them, his brow slightly furrowed. A faint trace of red could be seen in his eyes, and he looked extremely impatient.

The third image showed Broken Star encountering players again after changing his Evil Spirit hunting grounds. He could no longer maintain his composure as he looked at them. The red light in his eyes seemed about to spill out, and his killing intent surged through the image.

The fourth and fifth images showed Broken Star encountering players after changing locations again. While slaughtering Evil Spirits, he happened to turn his head. At the sight of the players, he was briefly stunned before red mist enveloped him.

In the sixth image, Broken Star, who had changed locations yet again, looked at the players who had suddenly appeared. His gaze was complicated, filled with anger, unwillingness, regret, frustration, and even a trace of despair... Players also hailed this image as the God of Wealth's award-winning performance, displaying a complex shift of emotions in a single photograph.

The seventh image...

From indifference to despair, the God of Wealth's emotional state, as seen by the players, was already close to collapse.

His flowing long hair had grown disheveled through the successive battles, his pure-white eyes had turned completely red, and even the light radiating from his Rune Battle Armor had dimmed.

Comparing the first image with the tenth showed the stark difference most clearly.

The player comments beneath the post were also very interesting.

Is This a Beaver: The God of Wealth seems unhappy. Could it be because he hasn't had his fill of killing?

Darklands Is So Fun: The God of Wealth might be a special game mechanic. Going around hunting Evil Spirits is like handing out cash gifts. As long as you find him, you can collect a nice payout. Did the developers even add a little difficulty to this mechanic on purpose, making him kill players who come to collect the gifts to make things more entertaining?

Rise of Humanity replied to Darklands Is So Fun: You know what? You really might be onto something. This could very well be a game mechanic.

Rust Enchantment: The God of Wealth and Evil Spirits seem to be mortal enemies. He looks completely exhausted, but he still keeps moving around to kill them. I'm really curious about his story. Too bad everything in this game has to be figured out through exploration, and there's no way to view a character's backstory.

Fortune Turns in Its Cycle: Guys, the God of Wealth is in the Blood Plains (coordinates). Hurry over!

Blood Plains, southern region.

The moon was like blood, staining the sky crimson, yet unable to dispel the gloom over the land. The once-lush plains had lost their greenery, replaced by desolation and bleakness. Every inch of soil was steeped in blood and bones.

"This is the place. Didn't they say the God of Wealth was here? Where is he?"

Two players passed through an area covered in thorns and arrived at the coordinates posted in the regional channel.

But to their disappointment, there was no sign of the God of Wealth. There was not even a single Evil Spirit anywhere nearby.

"Damn it. I'm afraid we've been tricked by some bastard spreading false information," the player in the lead said through gritted teeth.

"Bro, what do we do now?" asked the boy standing beside him, who looked about eighteen.

"What else can we do? Go ba-" Just then, the man in the lead noticed what seemed to be a large pit nearby.

Curious, he approached the pit and reached out to pull away the thorns covering its opening. The sight before them made them gasp.

A pile of Evil Crystals was actually hidden inside the pit, numbering in the hundreds by their estimate.

"Holy shit, we're rich!"

An hour later.

A streak of blue light descended from the sky and arrived before the pit.

He waved a hand, sweeping the thorns covering the opening aside.

But just as he was about to toss the Evil Crystals cradled in his hands into the pit, his expression froze.

"Where are the Evil Crystals?"

"Where are my Evil Crystals!"

Roar!

Broken Star threw back his head and roared, his disheveled hair dancing in the wind. His eyes bulged with fury, and red light once again filled his pure-white eyes.

But his boundless anger was soon overwhelmed by despair.

Five days had already passed since the trial began, yet he had made no progress whatsoever on his task. If this continued, his trial ranking would only fall further and further.

Broken Star slumped down beside the pit, his gaze gradually turning vacant.

Before the trial began, he had considered all sorts of dangers he might encounter, but he had never imagined that he would become stuck in the Waning Crescent scenario, unable to make any headway in the trial.

"I can't accept this..."

His gaze already vacant, Broken Star stared blankly into the emptied pit and murmured.