"H-how much!?"
"A million? Did I hear that wrong?"
"It should be a hundred, right? Same as me!"
"Yeah! Everyone should have a hundred!"
"That's not right! My combat power is eight hundred! It's different!"
"My combat power is twelve hundred, and my talent is [Shock Point Allocation]. Whenever I shock someone, I gain shock points that I can allocate to combat power. Guys, what talents do you have?"
"My combat power is five thousand. My talent is called [Look to Me], with a letter K after it. Its effect is that when all eyes turn to me, I get a combat power bonus based on the number of creatures looking at me."
"Why is my combat power only fifty? That's unfair! I'm reporting this! There's definitely something shady going on!"
"Exactly! Why do I only have ten combat power? My talent is [Fart King], with a letter A after it. Its effect is that my farts stink incredibly badly, and whenever someone falls in love with my stinky farts, my combat power increases by 1. This... this is a net loss, okay!"
"With everyone's combat power so different, how are we supposed to play? I quit! I want to go home to Mommy!"
"Wait! Since everyone's combat power varies so much, couldn't that million combat power he mentioned actually be real?"
All sorts of emotions spread through the crowd as people involuntarily announced their combat power or talents.
The last person's words instantly turned the spotlight on Wu Renxin, who was still standing there, and everyone turned to look at him.
Wu Renxin instantly became flustered. He shook his head like a rattle-drum and hurriedly denied it:
"No, no, I misspoke just now."
"My combat power is a hundred... not a million."
At that, everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Phew! And here I thought!"
"Exactly! If someone started with a million combat power, what the hell would be the point of us playing?"
"But I don't like playing games. Say, can we really live for a hundred years? I figured I wouldn't live to a hundred before, so doesn't that mean I've come out ahead?"
"Yes, yes, you've come out ahead. Game companies lose money making games every day!"
"It's just a virtual reality online game! I've watched Sword Art Online. We can go back once we clear it!"
"Uh... is judging our current situation based on anime experience really a good idea?"
"Break it up! I'm going to look for goblins in the caves!"
"Dude, no need to go to all that trouble. My surname is Ge, and my name is Ge Bulin!"
Seeing that everyone had stopped questioning him, Wu Renxin looked again at the path Lin Yi had taken.
Suddenly, he began walking slowly toward that path. The innocence and awkwardness on his face vanished in an instant, and a crazed smile appeared at the corners of his mouth:
"Hee!"
"Interesting!"
Lin Yi walked toward a certain spot in Novice Village No. 4396.
The reason he had frozen earlier was not Wu Renxin's million combat power.
It was because he knew Wu Renxin. He simply had not expected to run into him right at the start.
Wu Renxin, the second-strongest on the Human Race Ranking in his previous life!
He possessed the three-star talent: Transcendent Evil!
Transcendent Evil's effect was: combat power +1 for every creature killed!
This second-strongest human was actually no decent person!
He seemed harmless on the surface, but he was ruthless in reality. Once he discovered he was the strongest person in Novice Village No. 4396, he began slaughtering those who left the novice village.
While earning lifespan, he prevented others from seeking their own opportunities. Even Lin Yi had been casually killed by him twice!
Only later, when he was frantically increasing his combat power at the novice village's ant nest, did everyone dare to leave the village.
That was right!
The ant nest was Wu Renxin's greatest opportunity!
Now, that opportunity might end up belonging to Lin!
But it was not time yet. He had to take it one step at a time.
This place was called Novice Village No. 4396, and it held ten thousand humans from different planets!
Lin Yi reckoned the game feared people would use personal connections to engage in favoritism and cheating early on.
It placed people among complete strangers, in unfamiliar environments, to fight for themselves.
Of course!
Some people would definitely form teams!
But!
Would anyone really feel safe entrusting their back to teammates they did not know?
The eighth rule, which the game guide had not mentioned:
If a player was killed by another player, the slain player would lose half their lifespan. That half would then be divided into two equal portions again, with one dissipating between heaven and earth and the other going to the killer!
Simply put, if A and B were both new players with 100 years of lifespan each, and A killed B, B's lifespan would become 50 years, while A's would become 125 years!
With this layer upon layer of exploitation, lifespan would keep dwindling, and the game's structure would become a triangle!
Those standing at the top would control the allocation of lifespan!
And gain eternal life!
As for why the game guide had not explicitly stated this eighth rule?
After all, if everyone was wary of those around them from the start, there would be no particularly good show with dramatic twists, nor would it leave much of an impression.
Only when the slain suffered losses and the killers profited...
Would they truly understand the cruelty and beauty of this world!
Sometimes, becoming stronger was not for anything else. Sometimes, it was merely to stay alive.
As in other online games, everyone would head to a town upon reaching level ten.
But that town still counted as a novice village, because all the players were still human. They had merely moved to a larger map!
Lin Yi glanced again at the four items he wore:
[A-grade longsword] Category: one-handed sword, equipment requirements: none. Grade: A, effect: combat power +0, attack range +0.5 m [A-grade cloth shirt] Category: upper-body clothing, equipment requirements: none. Grade: A, effect: covers your nakedness [A-grade cloth trousers] Category: lower-body clothing, equipment requirements: none. Grade: A, effect: covers your nakedness [A-grade straw sandals] Category: footwear, equipment requirements: none. Grade: A, effect: slightly protects your feet from uncomfortable stones
Combat power +0 meant... no boost!
Apart from a little extra attack range, there was basically no difference in combat power between holding a sword and being bare-handed!
As for the "covers your nakedness" and "slightly protects your feet from uncomfortable stones" below, he did not know whether it was an issue with the game's translation, but they were especially plain and easy to understand.
Without a doubt, all four were A-grade equipment!
They belonged to the worst tier of one-star equipment!
In "Zero Game," equipment, treasures, skills, talents, and monsters all shared the same ranking system.
From one star to three stars, from A to ZZZ, all had clearly defined ranking standards.
His own talent, [Zero's Charm], was an exception, of course.
"Oh? I'm here?"
Lin Yi stopped and looked at the clearing on the southern edge of Novice Village No. 4396, a smile appearing on his face.
Sunlight fell gently over this peaceful clearing, and a light breeze brought a hint of coolness.
A group of blue slimes wriggled leisurely across the ground. Their color resembled gemstones in the deep sea, exuding a tranquil, mysterious air.
These slimes had smooth, elastic surfaces. Their movements were slow and rhythmic, as though they rose and fell with the breathing of the earth.
They showed no aggression at all, simply existing and enjoying the caress of sunlight and breeze.
Lin Yi activated his talent, [Eye of Illusion Breaking], and glanced at a slime. Its stats immediately appeared before his eyes.
[Blue slime]; category: slime, grade: A, level: 0, HP: 100, combat power: 0 Description: a gentle A-grade creature, a decorative mascot on the outskirts of the novice village. It will not fight back even when attacked, but surely no one would actually be cruel enough to kill them to grind levels?
Swish!
Lin Yi brought his sword down, and green blood splattered out like jelly!
The blue slime's body shriveled for an instant before it resumed wriggling slowly across the ground, showing no intention of attacking.
Swish!
Another slash came down!
The corners of Lin Yi's mouth slowly rose, and he narrowed his eyes as he murmured:
"Don't blame me!"
"Even with all the information I have, something weaker than I am right now..."
"Might only be you!"