I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 72 - 69: Basic Class Composite Abilities_2

Chapter 72: Chapter 69: Basic Class Composite Abilities_2

"He must have realized that there’s something off about me, just didn’t say it out loud."

Gu Shanhai knew that his presence actually defied common sense, in the eyes of other original inhabitants, he might have some kind of special ability, and He Lingyun must know this, as he’s probably a player of sorts, an anomaly.

Without any form of data integration, he was an original inhabitant yet was able to bring out things that didn’t belong to this world; the other party simply hadn’t pierced through this layer of window paper.

"Forget it, no need to think too much about it, I didn’t owe him anything." Gu Shanhai had helped him establish such a large base and gathered players to assist him, so naturally, these were considered rewards.

Players were not part of the original plan, and if Gu Shanhai hadn’t driven Fengxue Pavilion away, they wouldn’t have exposed the situation on the forums and attracted many forces—it was an unintended but deliberate outcome.

He Lingyun also saw the potential in players, that’s why he gave Gu Shanhai an extra ability radiation crystal. This ability grafting technology itself was the reward, and the flesh and blood he provided was Gu Shanhai’s reward for saving him—there was an unspoken understanding between them.

"Tsk, players are getting harvested like leeks by the original inhabitants in the very first high-level world, it’s too sad." Gu Shanhai knew that the talent trading area in this life was probably gone.

...

During the ten or so days Gu Shanhai spent stealthily improving the ability grafting technique model, He Lingyun not only integrated survivors and players but also opened up the complete base system, which ranged from contribution to redemption and so on.

He also released awakening potions for abilities, which directly caused a huge stir among the players.

Numerous players flooded into such a high-level world, as this was about talents that were not available in mid-level areas.

He didn’t incentivize like previously discussed with the gacha and guaranteed draws but allowed for direct exchanges instead, and the direct exchange was priced the same as guaranteed draws. This made many people think about taking advantage of the system—since it was the same price anyway, drawing would not only get them other equipment and items, but they could still get the awakening potion for abilities in the end. It seemed like a better deal no matter how they looked at it.

Therefore, the awakening potions for abilities in the exchange list were just for comparison, and the prize pool also contained potions and materials for enhancing abilities. As long as players put effort into activities and accumulated Contribution Value, everyone could have an SSS-grade ability.

Gu Shanhai understood what He Lingyun was aiming to do; he wanted to kickstart an industrial revolution for the new era. Now that the population had dwindled and players provided both the benefits of leeks and a demographic dividend, it was natural for him to start working even harder.

He Lingyun wasn’t someone who would only make empty promises to players; in the process, he would also generate plenty of rewarding quests and open various forms of knowledge, which for players meant different skills. They could even advance in a sequence without the need for Game Coin or skill points—just using Contribution Value was enough.

Besides, various high-end pieces of equipment were also thrown into the mix, offering a plethora of benefits to motivate players.

Otherwise, would he really post a $5 quest for players to get him a million in cash? The players weren’t fools; if they had that kind of money, they would just keep it in their pockets.

Of course, these things wouldn’t have been possible without Gu Shanhai’s tactful suggestions, which He Lingyun acknowledged, and thus, he opened up the system to them.

Actually, the equipment that was released had already been outdated. Having achieved a perfect score on his exams, He Lingyun had started manufacturing robot production lines. They were aiming to enter the interstellar realm, and since the population was insufficient, why not replace it with artificial intelligence? Repetitive labor was easily replaceable.

For the players, He Lingyun naturally planned to train them, intending to develop them into combat troops, so in future battles, it would be the players who faced the gunfire.

He Lingyun learned from his exchange with Gu Shanhai that most players were of a combative disposition, and although they were currently laborers and leeks, it wasn’t feasible to use them like this forever; it would be such a waste, especially after he realized the rapid growth potential of the players, his considerations grew even heavier.

In the previous life, players had the same role in The Gods Among Men, but it was only after losing the awakening potions for abilities that they gradually gave up on this approach. However, back then, the population wasn’t as scant, and players were just the icing on the cake.

"Finally succeeded, Qi Refining Third Level, Spirit Root!"

Gu Shanhai looked at the perfectly completed model in his hand and heaved a sigh of relief.

He had constructed seven basic types of abilities into a composite ability, and it was even the third component of his system.

It may sound somewhat odd that he hadn’t yet maxed out Qi Refining Second Level before moving on to Qi Refining Third Level, but it didn’t matter; he was still cultivating even the first level. So the three realms of Qi Refinement could be shuffled around without much issue since they were simply three interrelated parts.

Thus, he decided to name it Spirit Root, for you can’t just call it a basic ability—that would be too strange.

It’s like naming your first son Daming, your second one Erming, and the third Nicholas Dog Egg—it has a certain ring to it, but it obviously doesn’t quite fit.

"Next is to find a suitable place to awaken my abilities, as they’re akin to a mutation after all. Although I’ve guided it towards a beneficial mutation, what if someone who’s out of their mind comes to kill me?"

"Find a place far from people, dig an underground shelter, and take it from there."

"Also need to set up some more trigger-type aura bombs."

This was a matter of life and death, and he couldn’t trust anyone. If it weren’t for the fear that leaving the Holy Federation World might cause problems with his ability core fragments and ability radiation crystals, Gu Shanhai would have liked to go home.

As for the task of saving the world... he would address that after successfully crafting the Qi Refining Third Level.

There was still some time left before the next two advanced worlds would open, and this place was suitable for cultivation. He hoped to get that blank invitation in this period.

Gu Shanhai left his room quietly; He Lingyun was probably the only one who knew.

He had considered asking He Lingyun for help, but in the end, he didn’t say anything. After all, owing favors was not a good thing.

Moreover, doing so would be too conspicuous. He wanted to keep a low profile; Gu Shanhai wasn’t a professional player seeking fame, nor an influencer seeking followers—the lower the profile, the better.

Being too high-profile was not conducive to his future schemes.

At this moment, he also missed the talent he had in his past life, a talent called "Perfectly Ordinary."

As long as there were more than one non-enemy units around, his presence would decrease by one point, hatred towards him would decrease by one point.

It might seem insignificant, but it was an excellent ability for staying under the radar. Enemies would always target his teammates or other people instead of him.

And his talent was improvable. With upgrades, his presence and the animosity it drew would diminish even more. For example, during ranged attacks, it would often be his teammates and not he who were hit.

Of course, there were many talents with the same name but different effects, and he had seen other talents called "Perfectly Ordinary" that decreased presence by two points or hostility by two points or just simply allowed one to escape being hunted in an instance. In short, there were many talents with the same name but different effects.

Therefore, it’s impossible to know the effects of someone’s talent just by its name; otherwise, one could be misled.

Most of the time, professional players would not disclose their talents voluntarily as it could serve as their trump card in leagues, teamplay, and so on.

"This should be about the right spot, scarcely trodden by humans, and the geology here is perfect for digging a hole," Gu Shanhai contemplated the underground shelter beneath this tall building.

Indeed, he had not headed for the wilderness but had instead entered the city. Now the city was left with desolate buildings. Anything that could be moved had already been cleansed, and no player would come near upon a brief glance.

He planned to dig a hole in the underground shelter and disguise it afterward, which would be akin to double insurance. Moreover, his Qi Refining Second Level perception hadn’t warned him of any danger, so it was relatively safe at the moment. The awakening was estimated to take about an hour, not a long time.