Chapter 5: Free lottery draws, better equipped
Sun Yuan smacked the vending machine a dozen times, but it did not react. He calmed down and began checking the vending machine carefully.
The mobile game was simpler, and one tap was all it took.
Despite thinking so, he soon found a green button the size of his fist.
This must be the switch.
He pressed the button.
As expected, the vending machine came to life.
The huge LCD screen lit up, exuding fluorescence. Countless black cubes the size of a fingernail appeared and gathered towards the center of the screen to form a large black cube.
This was the start-up screen.
“Welcome, vending machine YSMM9523 at your service. Please listen carefully to the following rules before browsing. Warning! Please refrain from acts of violence, destruction, and vandalism. Punishment will be meted out based on the degree of harm done. Death is an option.”
The vending machine articulated indifferently.
Sun Yuan listened before asking, “Does the first user of every vending machine get a free lottery draw?”
That was the setting in the game he played.
“Yes, player Sun Yuan. As the first user of this vending machine, you have one free lottery draw. Do you want to use it?”
The automated reply made Sun Yuan laugh.
This is the advantage of being a closed beta player.
“Yes.”
Sun Yuan looked at the screen displaying ‘YES’ and ‘NO’ and made his choice.
Treasure chests appear one after another as they start spinning like a slot machine.
Sun Yuan stared at the screen as he began counting in his head. Upon reaching eight, he slammed his palm onto the screen.
Bam!
A treasure chest stopped on the screen.
“The draw has ended. Please redeem your prize as soon as possible!”
Sun Yuan tapped the treasure chest.
Clink clink clink!
Following the jingles of coins hitting the ground, the chest opened and a baseball bat popped out.
Great!
Sun Yuan cheered.
[Congratulations, you have obtained an Explosive bat!]
Name: Explosive bat
Type: Offensive weapon
Rating: Rare
Effects: When attacking an intended target, the area hit by the bat would explode, dealing physical and fire damage.
Remarks: I am a cute baseball player. I like to sing, dance, rap, and explode!
“Haha, nice!”
Sun Yuan bumped his fist together in front of his chest when he read the item description.
Every piece of equipment in the game is rated based on its quality. The ratings are: common, elite, rare, unique, legendary, epic.
A rare piece of equipment would range from a couple of thousand to tens of thousands of points.
Take the Explosive bat as an example; it costs 6,000 points in the game store. Not to mention the explosive impact damages the spore monsters significantly.
The only downside was its short range. Close combat was much more dangerous as players are more likely to be injured and killed.
Sun Yuan pressed the button on the vending machine.
The baseball bat disintegrated into particles as they passed through the screen. The particles then gathered to form the baseball bat.
The whole process only took 3 seconds.
The bat was painted in bright red and gold, the colors of Ironman’s suit. It looked amazing.
Sun Yuan gripped it with both hands as he swung it around.
Hua! Hua!
The sound it made as it sliced through the air was pleasant to the ear, and it felt good in his hands. It was 110 centimeters long and weighed below 3 pounds, making it easy to wield.
Sun Yuan swung as he thought how good it would feel to blow the spore monsters’ heads off with the bat.
“I received a free lottery draw from the previous levels.”
Sun Yuan asked, “Can I use it now?”
The vending machine emitted a red beam scanning Sun yuan from head to toe.
“The biometrics of the organic being matches that of player Sun Yuan, usage of lottery draw is possible.”
The screen reverted to the lottery draw page.
The treasure chests started spinning.
Same as before, he smacked the screen when he counted to eight.
“The draw has ended. Please redeem your prize as soon as possible!”
Sun Yuan quickly tapped the chest.
Clink clink clink!
Following the jingles of coins hitting the ground, the chest opened and a pair of red leather gloves popped out.
[Congratulations, you have obtained a pair of street fighter gloves.]
Name: Street Fighter glove
Type: Offensive armor
Rarity: Rare
Effects: Your five main attributes will be multiplied three times during combat. The gloves will help you defeat all the enemies as you reigned as king of the streets.
Special Effects: While the gloves are equipped, you will occasionally lose control of your fist as it punches someone in the head.
Remarks: You wouldn’t believe me, but it wasn’t on purpose.
“Great stuff!”
His eyes lit up with joy. The glove would allow him to fend off multiple enemies at once.
It was priced above the Explosive bat, sitting at 9,000 points.
This pair of gloves was extremely powerful during the game’s early stages. It was a must-have.
Sun Yuan immediately put the gloves on and threw a few jabs as soon as the gloves materialized.
It was perfect in size, and it felt great.
He then exited the lottery page and entered the store.
There were countless items available for purchase.
[Imperial engine. Once equipped, your body will be filled with unlimited energy. It costs 1,000,000 points.]
[Starry sea cucumber. You will be energetic enough to stay awake for 72 hours upon consumption. It costs 1,000 points.]
[Rabbit star, your personal servant who adheres to your bidding. It costs 100,000 points.]
……
After looking around, Sun Yuan decided on attribute stones.
Attribute stones cost 1,000 points each. It is used to raise a player’s attributes.
As a closed beta player, he knew how to raise his attributes.
His lowest attribute was strength at 5. It stands to reason that strength should be improved to cover his weakness, but he had the Street Fighter glove, which tripled his attributes, bringing it up to 15.
To put it simply, he would be able to exert a force of 150 pounds during combat.
He was strong enough.
Dexterity was what he should add.
It enhances his reaction speed and increases his explosive power. It would allow him to dodge most attacks during combat and swiftly escape if needed.
The attribute stone was a round translucent stone, the size of a peanut.
Sun Yuan bought two attribute stones, stuffed them into his mouth, and swallowed them.
A sudden burst of warmth appears in his stomach. It then flowed through his blood vessels and meridians as it spread throughout his body.
Sun Yuan felt as though he was soaking in a hot spring; it felt warm and comfortable.
He took a deep breath as he bent his knees. He then jumped 120 centimeters into the air.
“Great!” laughed Sun Yuan.
Sun Yuan was 183 centimeters tall. It used to take some effort to perform a dunk, but he can easily do it now with his jumping prowess. He could probably perform all sorts of high-level maneuvers.
Sun Yuan checked his status page and saw that his dexterity increased from 8 to 10.
His dexterity had reached the peak of what humanity could achieve in the old world. If he participates in the Olympics, he can easily claim the gold medal for the 100 meters sprint and long jump.
“When I accumulate more points, I will raise my height by 5 centimeters,” thought Sun Yuan.
In the game store, you can not only undergo plastic surgery, but you can also raise your height without any repercussions.
Sun Yuan exited the store and walked over to the rooftop railings overlooking the school courtyard.
It was a chaotic scene. Students were madly escaping while the spore monsters were roaming about.
The world had really been gamified.
He turned around and went down the stairs.
In preparation for the tower of god, Sun Yuan would power himself by hunting the rare monsters for equipment.
Dadada!
Sun Yuan was light on his feet.
His attire consists of a pair of jeans and a cheap 20 yuan t-shirt, the kind that loses color after one wash.
He also wore a pair of 361° breathable mesh sneakers1, priced over 100 yuan after discounts. Even though it was pretty flimsy, it was much more comfortable than sandals.
Sun Yuan reached the second floor.
His nerves were taut as he reminded himself to be careful when he reached the first floor. Spore monsters could be lurking around every corner.
As he turned the corner on the stairwell, he unexpectedly came across a spore monster. Sun Yuan witnessed a female spore monster hugging a man, with its tongue down his throat laying eggs.
“F*ck me!”
Sun Yuan jumped in shock.
Even though he had experience killing spore monsters, it was just a game. Despite all the theatrics, it was all fake.
However, he was now a short distance away from a spore monster. He could see the swollen head, the green veins covering its body, and the long and thick tongue.
Not only was he afraid, but he also felt disgusted.
Moreover, a sour smell wafted over from the spore monster, giving him the urge to vomit.
What was there to hesitate about?
Sun Yuan held the Explosive bat with one hand as he bashed the back of the spore monster’s head.
Peng!
The spore monster’s head exploded like a grenade went off, splattering blood and flesh all over the wall. The body fell headlong onto the stairs as it slid down.
Urgh!
The male university student knelt on the floor with a look of discomfort as he emptied his stomach.
A putrid stench filled the air.
“Thank… Thank you.”
The student was polite, but he could no longer be saved.
Sun Yuan took a few steps back as he watched the student warily.
“I’m not a monster!”
The student shouted as Sun Yuan’s action agitated him.
“We will know in two minutes.”
Although he replied as such, he was still shocked by what he had witnessed. The monster discharged a bulge the size of an infant’s fist into the student’s mouth via the hollow tongue.
This bulge was naturally a monster egg.
Upon entering the stomach, it would embed itself onto the mucosa. How was it possible to spit it out?
At the very least, Sun Yuan had never seen it happen in the game.
“What… What should I do?”
The male student cried, “I haven’t even dated anyone!”
“Neither have I,” replied Sun Yuan. His reply calmed the student, for only those in the same situations knew how the other felt.
“I want to go and confess my love!”
The male student barely took two steps before falling and started giving off inhuman growls.
His transformation had begun.
Sun Yuan sighed as he dashed forward. He swung the bat towards the student’s head as he hit a home run.
Peng!
The student’s head exploded as blood and brain matter spurted.
[You have killed 2 spore monsters, + 15 points.]
“So stingy?”
Sun Yuan was speechless.
One kill was worth 10 points, but the male student was still transforming hence the 5 points.
Sun yuan then proceeded downstairs, where he saw a girl in a Japanese-styled high school uniform running for her life. Two spore monsters were chasing behind, only three meters away.
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1 It is a footwear brand in China
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