So This Was How Side Quests Were Unlocked

Before he knew it, it was noon. Sunlight streamed through a gap overhead and fell on Xiahou in the corner.

"Why? Why isn't there an option to quit the game?! I still have to go home and feed my cat! What if my boss gets all skinny from hunger?"

"Come to think of it, this game and the game pod are both for testing, so they should have monitoring functions, right? If they notice something wrong, they'll come help me get out!"

"Right, that's it! How could they make something for testing without constantly monitoring the data? Maybe it's like those novels I used to read, and time in the game passes differently from time outside. After a while, the game company will notice something's wrong and come fix it!"

"I can't panic now! I need to distract myself. Someone will definitely come rescue me! Right! That's it! I can take my time experiencing and exploring how the game works first."

After a round of self-PUA, Xiahou regained a little motivation. He got up and started toward the mouth of the alley.

"But how am I supposed to play this game, anyway? I picked the Marvel Universe, so I should be in the United States right now. I just don't know where in the United States."

"I don't know exactly where I am in the timeline either, but judging by this run-down neighborhood and all these antique cars, it should be pretty early on. Come to think of it, is this the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the Marvel Comics Universe?"

As he talked to himself, he stepped back onto the street. It was just as desolate as before. There were only a few people around, and they were all hurrying along.

The only difference was that no one gave him strange looks anymore, but no one came up to talk to him either.

"So how am I supposed to play this game, anyway? I haven't got a clue! And none of these people have health bars over their heads. Do they only show up when they're hostile?" Xiahou complained, scratching his head.

"Forget it. I'll look around and get familiar with the area first." With that, he picked a direction at random and strode off.

"I don't know exactly how to play the game, but the modeling is really good. It's just like going on vacation! The kind where you get to go abroad without spending any money, too ψ(｀∇´)ψ"

Humming and looking around, Xiahou really did start wandering about like a tourist, touching things here and peering at things there as he went.

He looked thoroughly inexperienced.

But after he had walked for a while, his stomach suddenly let out a "Grrr~."

"Whoa! There's a hunger system too? And I actually feel hungry! Don't normal games just use a hunger meter? Or are virtual games supposed to be more realistic?"

"But I don't have anything to eat! Oh, right (๑•̀ω•́)ノ✧ I haven't really looked at the system shop I saw earlier!"

He reopened the panel and found the shop interface. Instantly, all kinds of images covered his vision, making it impossible for Xiahou to see the road.

He had no choice but to close the shop interface, then find a corner by the road and squat down.

He reopened the shop, and the images filled his vision again. Looking closely, he saw they were all kinds of merchandise!

There was everything from food and daily necessities to guns and other items. Most notably, nearly all of them were things that only appeared in games!

Take the first picture, for example: a plump, white steamed bun with wisps of steam rising from it. It looked delicious!

Then he checked the description and price: white flour steamed bun: an ordinary white flour steamed bun. It only fills your stomach. Price: 1 energy point.

"One energy point? Oh, that's just my game currency! What a fancy name for it. I think I started with a hundred energy points."

"But how do I get more energy points? (*￣rǒ￣) picking my nose"

"Forget it. I'd better conserve them for now. What if I really need them later, but they're too hard to get?"

With that, he bought one, but when he looked at his hand, it was empty! He checked his assets again, and there were only 99 left.

"What the hell! Where's my bun? You took my money but won't give me the item? Isn't that going too far?! Damn it! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"

Then he seemed to remember something and immediately opened his game inventory. An icon of a steamed bun sat quietly in the first slot.

"...So purchases go straight to the inventory? Hmm... that makes perfect sense. Don't things you buy in games always go straight into your inventory? 눈_눈"

Xiahou silently selected the bun, and a steaming bun appeared in his hand. He could even feel its warmth spreading into his hand.

"Nice, that makes perfect sense! If it were cold, it would ruin the atmosphere ←_←"

He began munching on the bun while continuing to browse the game shop. Although he had already gotten a rough look at many of the items, seeing them again was still a shock!

"So what the hell are they selling in here? Apart from the cheaper food, you actually dare charge 50 energy points for an ordinary little knife? Is this knife made of gold?"

"A 1911 costs 300 energy points?! Why don't you just rob me? No, wait, you are robbing me, aren't you?"

Xiahou began viciously tearing into the bun as though he had a deep grudge against it, venting all his thoughts about the game shop on it. (Bun: So it's my fault? ╮(╯_╰)╭)

But when Xiahou saw the items further down, he could no longer remain calm.

Nanosuit: 300,000

Star Wars lightsaber: 500,000

APU Individual Combat Mecha: 700,000

Mark III: 800,000

Ebony and Ivory: 2 million

First Gundam: 5 million

Sword of Promised Victory: 10 million

Black hole gun: 50 million

Superman Template: 100 million

Pangu Axe: 99999...

"(꒪⌓꒪) If I got all of these, couldn't I just steamroll Marvel?"

Xiahou was practically drooling onto the ground. But when he looked at the prices, then at his own lonely 99, he instantly felt wide awake.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from beside him.

"Hello, may I bother you for a moment? I was standing nearby just now, and a steamed bun suddenly appeared in your hand! How did you do that? Could you perform it again?"

A young white man was looking curiously at Xiahou and the bun in his hand.

At the same time, a notification suddenly popped up in Xiahou's field of vision:

Side quest triggered: Perform the trick of producing a steamed bun out of thin air once. Upon completion, you will receive 50 energy points and one chance at a random draw. Would you like to accept the quest?

Side quest! I knew it! Quests are triggered by NPCs!

"Hello, can you hear me, sir? I'm just really curious how you did it. If it's too much trouble, never mind."

The young man spoke again. Seeing that Xiahou was in a daze and wasn't responding to him, he prepared to say goodbye and leave.