[Welcome to "Boundless Endless"] [This is a boundless, endless world of vast expanses. Here, you can see elves, dwarves, and titans left behind by ancient times, as well as technology and the mighty power of photons left behind by even earlier ages.] [Everything here changes constantly with the passage of time. In other words, this is a real otherworld.] [But whatever sights await, they are yours to uncover and develop.] [You have obtained the "Boundless Endless" public log.] [You have obtained the progress chart for Boundless Endless's first expansion, "The Ancient Years."] [The Ancient Years] [Overall expansion progress: 80%] [Chapter one: An enduring ancient legend, "The rise of the Sakaste Empire": 100%] [Chapter two: A tragic ancient legend, "The fall of the Sakaste Empire": 100%] [Chapter three: A cry from ancient times, "The sacred sword of Hero King Karenna": 100%] [Chapter four: The eternal roar of an ancient mechanical deity, "Neutrino Submergence Cannon": 100%] [Chapter five: A clash of magic and mechs, "An elegy of mutual annihilation": 100%] [Chapter six: The rise of a new generation, "The players' disdain": 100%] [Chapter seven: The grandeur of a new empire, "The radiance of the Sakas Empire": 100%] [Chapter eight: An era of peace and tranquility, "Gilded Years": 100%] [???] [???] [You have spawned in Little Bird Town, on the frontier of the Sakas Empire.]
As the information finished compiling, the white light enveloping Zhou Heng dispersed, and he found himself standing in an overcrowded square.
"So this is an online game world that's been running for ten thousand years? It feels so real!"
"No shit. Apart from your initial three revives, dying means dying for real. What do you think?"
"Fuck, who grabbed my ass? Get out here! I'll fucking kill you!"
"So this is the starting speed of 1.2 m/s? It really is... pretty comical..."
"Where's Little Bird Town? The textbooks never mentioned it!"
"Move, move! Any fucker who gets in the way of my quests is losing all three revives."
Just then, a burly man walked onto a raised platform and looked down over all the newly logged-in players in "Little Bird Town." The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he said, "Hello, everyone. I'm a member of the Black Bear Guild, and I'm a player just like you."
"Little Bird Town has plenty of quests, but their rewards fall far short of what our Black Bear Guild offers.
Our Black Bear Guild needs vast quantities of blackwater grass. If you're willing to help our Black Bear Guild gather blackwater grass, you can exchange every 100 stalks with us for 500 copper coins and a set of basic starter gear.
So gather as much as you can. Those who gather enough will have a chance to join our Black Bear Guild."
"My God, didn't they say the starting quest only rewards you with 50 copper coins and a starter longsword? This really is much more generous."
"I remember the Black Bear Guild being a really powerful guild, too. I have to join them. This is my chance..."
Watching the surging crowd, Zhou Heng was tempted as well. After all, the money was a full ten times the starting quest's reward.
But just as Zhou Heng was about to follow the crowd forward to accept the quest, words suddenly appeared before his eyes that only he could see. It was the effect of his unique talent, "Fate Hint."
[You are a newcomer and know nothing about many things in the world of Boundless Endless, even though you possess a decent grasp of theory.] [Fate offers you a hint.] [Fate Hint one: Follow the crowd to the quest distribution point at the "Black Bear Guild" base and obtain the quest "Gather black water flowers." No one will tell you that the Black Bear Guild has already purchased Little Bird Town's quest system. Gathering more than a hundred black water flowers will trigger the special effect "Black water corrosion." Those with less than 100 health will die on the spot. Interestingly, however, this effect erupts after accumulating three times, almost as though it was designed specifically for the "three revival opportunities"... You do not value your life, ignore Fate Hint's warning, and follow the crowd to accept the quest.] [Fate Hint two: This is an "online game" world that is almost real. Everything changes in real time, and different fates will receive different responses. When the enemy advances, retreat. Head to Little Bird Town's livestock farm. There is a newly arrived farmer there, and she seems to be planning something. Go help the farmer pull weeds, and you may reap unexpected rewards.]
After reading every word of "Fate Hint," Zhou Heng's expression visibly chilled. Then he took a deep breath and headed toward Little Bird Town's livestock farm without looking back.
If Zhou Heng had initially harbored any illusions about the "Despair" difficulty, they all vanished at that moment.
He had only just set foot in "Boundless Endless" and begun experiencing it. He had not even had time to measure the vastness of its world, yet the enemy had already extended its grasp toward newly logged-in players.
Still, Zhou Heng did not panic. After his brief shock and horror, he quickly collected himself and strode away.
As someone who had transmigrated and possessed the unique-tier talent "Fate Hint," he felt that his struggle against the despairing world of "Boundless Endless" had only just begun. The "Black Bear Guild" was merely a little appetizer at the start...
Leaving the jostling crowd behind, Zhou Heng lowered his eyes slightly and soon disappeared from the noisy scene...
Before long, Zhou Heng learned about the farm and its newly arrived owner from an NPC.
He reached his destination, a farm that was not particularly large. Even from far away, he could see the pigs, sheep, cattle, and other livestock raised inside.
On the farm's grassland, an elderly woman was bent over, harvesting pasture grass.
"Hello, Granny. I'm a player who spawned here from another world. You can call me Zhou Heng. You look very tired. Is there anything I can help with?" Zhou Heng asked politely.
In "Boundless Endless," there was little difference between using an ID and using one's real name, because under its mechanics, killing had long since ceased across all of Blue Star. Whether imprisoning someone or cutting off one of their fingers, neither was possible.
So whether to use an ID or a real name was entirely a matter of personal preference.
The elderly woman pounded her aching lower back, straightened up, and looked at Zhou Heng with a kindly smile. "Young man, you're new here. Why did you come to my place instead of taking the Black Bear Guild's quest?"
Zhou Heng answered with a smile. "Granny, there were too many people over there, so I thought I'd look around somewhere else. I ended up here as I walked. You looked quite tired, so I thought I'd see if I could trigger a quest or something."
Zhou Heng made himself seem a little more honest, hoping there might be a pleasant surprise.
The elderly woman looked Zhou Heng up and down for a while. There was no telling what she was thinking, but eventually, she nodded and spoke.
"All right, then. Stay and help me harvest this patch of pasture grass. You're quite lucky, ho ho~"
With that, the elderly woman smiled and tossed the sickle in her hand to Zhou Heng. She put her hands behind her back and slowly walked away, hunched over...
[You have obtained the temporary item "Spiritglow Sickle."] Spiritglow Sickle Level: 10 Quality: Glorious (inferior, common, fine, exquisite, precious, radiant, glorious, enduring, legendary, ancient) When harvesting, there is a 2% chance to permanently gain +1 attack and a 10% chance to permanently gain +1 maximum health or maximum mana.
Zhou Heng's pupils contracted, and his grip on the "Spiritglow Sickle" involuntarily tightened.
He had never imagined that this slightly rusty-looking sickle would actually be of glorious quality, one grade higher than radiant.
Not only that, using it to harvest actually gave him a 2% and 10% chance each time to gain permanent stats.
And this is merely the "unexpected rewards" Fate Hint mentioned? Is this what a unique-tier talent can do? Zhou Heng took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, cleared his mind, and bent down to begin harvesting the pasture grass.
[You harvested a bundle of pasture grass.] [You harvested a bundle of pasture grass.]
[Spiritglow Sickle's effect triggered.] [Attack permanently +1]
Delight appeared on Zhou Heng's face, and his hands moved even faster.
What could be more enjoyable than gaining permanent stats right at the start?
The answer was nothing.
Zhou Heng had been busy ever since logging into the game. Only when the bright moon hung high, at around nine that night, did he finally finish harvesting all the grass in the pasture.
During that time, Zhou Heng triggered five attack increases and twenty increases each to health and mana.
In other words, he had gained 5 permanent attack, 20 permanent health, and 20 permanent mana, equivalent to triggering at rates of 1% and 5%.
According to the textbooks, from level 1 to level 11, each level only granted one random stat point, and one stat point equaled one attack or ten health or mana. Yet through the "Spiritglow Sickle," he had already gained 5 + 2 + 2, a total of 9 base stat points, equivalent to the random stat points a player gained going from level 1 to level 10.
"Granny, I've finished cutting the pasture grass. If there's nothing else, I'll return the sickle. It's time I got some rest, too." Zhou Heng came to the simple little wooden cabin where the elderly woman lived and returned the Spiritglow Sickle.
The elderly woman was fiddling with something, her head lowered. Without looking up, she said, "Young man, if you're free tomorrow, keep helping me cut the pasture grass~ There are two more fields."
Hearing this, Zhou Heng was delighted, and the corners of his mouth could not help lifting slightly.
Judging by today's gains, he could expect to obtain 10 permanent attack, 40 permanent health, and 40 permanent mana after harvesting the remaining two fields.
No one could turn down such generous rewards right after logging into the game, and Zhou Heng was no exception...
"All right, Granny. I'll come back tomorrow."
"Mm, go about your business."
Before you continue