Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Luminous Jade

“Black Flame Dragon, thank you very much for your help. If you have any requests, please feel free to ask. We will do everything possible to meet your demands,” said the deputy officer of White Blade, her glasses still gleaming so brightly they were almost blinding.

Hao Ren handed over the corrupted Duel Gundam obtained from the high-level instance, fulfilling one of his promises.

Upon entering the mainframe space, Hao Ren noticed that quite a few people had successfully left the instance this time. Bobby Ai, Zong Shou Ai, and some unknown middle-aged men had all completed the main storyline quests on Earth and left the instance carrying various treasure chests. Hao Ren’s golden treasure chest still lay in his inventory. (For novice players, or lower-tier gamers, inventories consisted of 12 slots; each slot could hold only one type of item, and only items produced within the mainframe space could be stored. Identical items could stack up to 99 with no weight restrictions.)

There were nearly eighty to a hundred players who completed their missions, yet none managed to bring their Gundams out of the instance. All Gundams were reclaimed by the mainframe upon leaving and loading the instance.

Looking over at the Shrine Maiden No. 2, Sanae Higashikazetani, sprawled in the central plaza, a puddle of water beneath her suggested she had lost control of herself, apparently from crying non-stop for three days.

Not only had she failed to encounter any Gundams, only meeting ZAFT’s Gyan and the Desert Tiger’s Baku (dogs), but all the mobile suits she had snatched from other players had been mercilessly reclaimed by the mainframe as well.

The head maid’s gaze conveyed a clear message to Zong Shou: “You useless snack, your points are confiscated.” The cheongsam-clad Zong Shou could only scratch his head with a wry smile—he had long since grown accustomed to salary deductions.

Just as Hao Ren was making his travel vow, a firm grip suddenly clasped onto his thigh—it was Sanae, holding on tight.

With no other choice, Hao Ren handed over the captured, corrupted Rick Dias to the head maid. She, not wanting to owe a favor, forcefully handed Hao Ren 30,000 points, then disappeared along with Sanae, who seemed eager to share a bed with Zong Shou.

Zong Shou shook his head and vanished as well.

To be honest, this price was very reasonable.

Obtaining an S-rank unit was notoriously difficult. First, one had to achieve a high military rank within ZAFT, the Archangel, or the Earth Federation—at least a field officer level. Then, one had to participate in and win at least three large-scale storyline battles to earn the right to redeem an S-rank unit. Take this Rick Dias, for example: its official cost was 19,900 points. Considering its research value and dominance over tech instances and lower-tier players, 30,000 points was a bargain.

As for the Duel Gundam Hao Ren handed over to the deputy officer, its official price was 27,500 points and came with a PS system. Not paying at least 100,000 points would make the deputy feel like she was taking advantage of Hao Ren.

Reflecting on how the Unicorn and Black Destiny Gundams had been torn to pieces by Tia You, Hao Ren realized just how terrifying his passive skill truly was.

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“Knights Do Not Die Barehanded” allowed one to claim temporarily assigned system items as their own, and even worked on some storyline items.

Hao Ren had a strong feeling that this skill was not just the original ability but surely had some new twists yet to be discovered.

What exactly was the mainframe, or rather the organizer, thinking? Did they not expect any particular potential from him?

“Hmm, Sister Itakuya, do you have anything that can enhance personal combat awareness and ability?” After a brief thought, Hao Ren decisively spent 25,480 points to raise all attributes except charisma to 90.

Clenching his fist and sensing the change, he realized the power gained from the link was different. The advantage of digitization was the ability to instantly grasp the strength of attribute enhancement.

“Ah, um, are you planning to enter a primarily cold-weapon instance? Let me see...” Hao Ren’s calling her “sister” unexpectedly delighted Itakuya, who had just been caught off guard, though she maintained her aristocratic and cold demeanor like a black rose, her body trembling slightly.

“Huh?” Hao Ren’s use of “sister” wasn’t a calculated move, although she appeared to be in her twenties, she was actually older than his grandmother.

“Found it!” She pulled a white sphere from between the emblem nestled amid her D-cup curves. The orb emitted a gentle white light that felt incredibly warm.

“What’s this?” Hao Ren carefully poked the sphere with his finger. Suddenly, it released a lightning-like energy, but simultaneously, a black mist emerged from his fingertip, neutralizing the damage.

“Not fire, not frost—what is this?” Curious, he examined his finger. Neither the black mist nor the sphere’s energy matched anything he recognized.

“This is an item I won from a bet with Huan Hai. It seems she made it herself—a little gadget that enhances human physique and abilities. Consider this my personal sponsorship. After you complete the mandatory instance, if you need anything, feel free to seek me or the Chamberlain,” she said, casually tossing the glowing orb into Hao Ren’s hand and turning away.

This time, the orb in Hao Ren’s palm did not resist him.

Item: “Spirit Light Orb.” A highly concentrated physical manifestation of spiritual energy, containing numerous combat techniques, energy applications, and some moves from the Spirit Light Wave Fist school. Techniques embedded include Spirit Bullet, Spirit Light Projectile, Spirit Light Mirror Recoil, and Bright Purification Curse. Using the item requires no prerequisites. Press the orb against the chest and maintain contact for 24 to 48 hours for successful fusion. The user will acquire information and some moves from the orb based on personal aptitude. Failure results in a 50% permanent reduction in all attributes, loss of some original skills, or even death. This item is the sole creation of “Upper-Tier Player” Huan Hai. The user’s partial attributes and personal evaluations will be known to Huan Hai.

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“It seems I have a chance to survive,” Hao Ren solemnly stored the orb within the chain emblem etched in his left palm (the inventory was integrated into each person’s personal imprint).

It was time to enter the instance.

Returning to his room, Hao Ren stood beneath the white orb of light.

After a familiar dizziness, he opened his eyes.

Before him stretched a vast plaza crowded with people, yet at this moment, everyone was motionless, as if time itself had stopped.

No, not everyone—at least a few hundred could move freely.

Their outfits were strikingly diverse, and their ages varied greatly.

There were silver-haired gentlemen in suits, sunglasses-wearing men in board shorts with surfboards, muscular women clad in bright red capes, triangular shorts, and chest wraps wielding spear and shield, and the galaxy’s fiercest engineer in metallic combat armor.

An indescribable oddity.

In contrast, Hao Ren, dressed in sportswear with black-framed glasses, was perhaps the most conspicuous figure here.

…