I’m Really Scared
Chapter 61: Promotion?

Guan Shan leaned against the bathroom wall, thoughtfully staring at the store interface, pondering how to spend his currency.

“Let me think, I can hold off on the skills for now. I already have four skill slots filled, and although [Soul Burning Whistle] is a skill targeted at ghost-type enemies with dispel effects, I already have the [Strange Marking] from the Newbie Survival Kit with similar effects, so it's redundant.”

Guan Shan nodded. “Besides, buying it and not learning it would take up backpack space, so I can consider it later when the [Neural Magnetic Field] duration ends and I can replace it.”

The 3000 currency skill book was the first to be ruled out.

“Next are the various items. The most useless and absurd-looking one seems to be this [Toy Bear]...”

Guan Shan checked its details.

[Toy Bear]

[Effect: It feels fluffy and soft to the touch. Hugging it to sleep will probably be very cozy.]

[Description: Apart from being extremely cute, this really is just a regular toy bear.]

Guan Shan was speechless. It seemed like a joke.

Based on past experiences, he could guess that this item wasn't as simple as it seemed.

But 12000 currency! That's 12000 game coins! Wouldn't it be better to spend 10000 on the [Backpack Expansion Slotx5]?

Guan Shan didn't hesitate and bought the backpack slots, expanding his inventory to 16 slots, feeling quite pleased.

“Okay, now I can't afford the equipment slots.”

Calculating, the remaining three items totaled 9600. If he bought them all, he'd be left with 4109, unable to buy the [Sage's Pocket Watch].

“Although they're all useful, the lucky pot has a degree of randomness, so it's better to buy the necessary items first.”

Adding the [Bear Trap], [Mask of Agony], and [Sage's Pocket Watch] totaled 13600.

Guan Shan was left with a pitiful 109 game coins.

But seeing the effects of these items, he didn't feel too bad.

[Bear Trap]

[Effect: After placing, it automatically becomes invisible. It matches the player's health and causes 30% damage to the target's maximum health when triggered. It disappears after the health bar reaches zero or after 10 seconds.]

[Description: A large bear trap designed for catching deer, but it can also kill humans.]

Guan Shan felt his money was well spent. “High damage with control, just a shame it's a one-time use item.”

The [Mask of Agony] accessory, on the other hand, increased damage to the target by 2% every second up to 10% when taking damage, lasting for 200 seconds, then entering a three-day cooldown.

Paired with the [Demonic Markings] skill that previously killed the alien zombie with [Thorns], it could be quite formidable.

Thus, after buying the [Sage's Pocket Watch], the first thing Guan Shan did was to remove the cooldown of [Demonic Markings].

Guan Shan stroked his chin. “I also have 3 skill points. I'll add them to [Rotted Flesh Accumulation], [Gravity Control], and [Demonic Markings].”

At level 3, [Rotted Flesh Accumulation] now boosted his health by 20%, increasing it to 3607.

[Gravity Control] extended its range to 100 meters and duration to 20 seconds, with no change in weight.

[Demonic Markings] saw its various benefits slightly improved, extending the duration to 70 seconds.

Having allocated all the rewards, Guan Shan heard Shen Dinghua calling him for breakfast downstairs. He responded, got dressed, and noticed in the mirror that there was a large... “crack” on his back?

Guan Shan was startled, squinting and touching it to find that it seemed to be growing hard skin, resembling scales, but not layered. Instead, it was divided by dark red, irregular lines radiating outwards.

It spread from his spine and the back of his neck to near his shoulders. At the junction of his spine, there was a five-centimeter round mark where the red lines converged.

“What is this?”

Guan Shan frowned. It felt normal, no pain or itching, just like regular skin.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone through an entire shower without noticing it.

After pondering for a while, Guan Shan recalled that the [Damaged Blood Vial] had a line in its effect about “potential physical mutation,” which could be retained.

“I see. But what kind of mutation is this? I haven't even learned to shoot webs from my fingers.”

Guan Shan felt like he had undergone a fake mutation. The only change was slightly increased strength and a new tattoo on his back.

However, he felt the skin had not fully “awakened” yet. Maybe it would show more changes over time.

Guan Shan got dressed, put on a jacket, and went downstairs to eat the breakfast Shen Dinghua made. Though it was just simple noodles, he praised it highly.

After breakfast, on his way to the newspaper office, Guan Shan texted Li Zhiying, “Boss, how was the reaction to the news from the night before last?”

This was a clear attempt to take credit.

Guan Shan had already checked social media and various new media channels. The discussion about the juvenile offenders was still hot. The official account of “Hangzhou Evening News” had gained 30,000 followers, successfully entering the public eye.

Follow-up investigations by the police, based on provided leads, had found more evidence of Tian Bin and his accomplices' crimes, proving they were indeed the culprits. They had also exposed more despicable acts.

At the same time, it revealed some third-rate media outlets taking bribes or being threatened to avoid pursuing the case.

In such a context, the “anonymous reporter” who bravely exposed the truth and acted heroically was highly praised.

Unfortunately, the video at the time did not show the brave reporter's face. Otherwise, he might have gained a fanbase for his looks.

Li Zhiying quickly replied, “The reaction was very positive. You did a great job. The tasks I assigned to you were the right choice.”

“The remaining two, I'm looking forward to your performance. But even if you don't find anything, the current results are already sufficient.”

“There is no deputy head for the news department yet. You and Peng Fei get along well. Are you interested?”

Guan Shan was taken aback, then replied, “No, thank you for the offer, Boss. But I prefer being a field reporter. An administrative position doesn't suit me.”

Indeed, with his current situation, if he stayed in the office, he might end up in an embarrassing fight with the air in front of everyone every few days.

Not just unsuitable, it was practically life-threatening.

Li Zhiying didn't press the matter. After a while, she messaged again, “Come to my office directly. A few police officers are here to see you. They need your help.”

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