Absolute Death Game

Xiao Buli instinctively turned his head upon hearing that voice, only to find that it was the only female member of the newbie group, who was looking at him with an inquiring expression.

"Is there something you need?" he asked.

"It's mainly about the class change, I wanted to ask you about it. I was wondering if that's okay?"

Xiao Buli nodded. He had no problem with giving advice on this subject since it was part of his job. Even though he might switch sides soon, he figured he ought to still be professional.

"So, what type of class do you want to change to? I can give you some suggestions."

Situ Yu thought for a moment. She didn't plan on investing too much effort into this game, so naturally, she would choose whatever was convenient. Now that she already had the skill Grasping Enemy Fist, she might as well change her class to a Fighter or something similar.

"Can I change to a class that specializes in barehanded combat?"

"Of course, that type of class is not bad either; they can take and deliver hits." Xiao Buli said while flipping through the mentor's manual, which he had received just yesterday. The handbook described the features and specialized pathways for several popular classes, though it was limited to Dahuang Village.

Xiao Buli casually flipped through it and found the barehanded combat classes, from which he started to introduce the relevant information.

"Currently, there are three classes in this category: Martial Monk, Fighter, and Qigong Master."

"Qigong Masters primarily use Qigong with fist and foot techniques as secondary, capable of projecting Internal Energy to attack enemies, with 'Inner Strength' being the core skill."

"Fighters prioritize fist and foot techniques with Inner Strength as secondary, mainly dealing physical damage to enemies, while Internal Energy serves as an enhancement to increase the power of their punches and kicks, with 'Martial Soul' being the core skill."

"As for Martial Monks, they are a blend of both, cultivating both external and internal abilities. They can transform Inner Strength into positive energy to attack or purify Undead creatures. Overall, they are a versatile class, with 'Buddha Nature' as the core skill. So, which one would you like to change to?"

Situ Yu pondered for a while, "I want to become a Fighter."
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"Let me check," Xiao Buli flipped through the manual again, "to change to a Fighter, you need 15 points in Strength, 15 points in Agility, 15 points in Speed, and Barehanded Combat Specialization LV5. You can undergo the class change at any martial arts hall in various cities. The nearest one from here would be the Si Hai Martial Arts Hall in Nine Dragons City."

"You can improve your Basic Attributes through various Professional Skills. Barehanded Combat Specialization can also be learned and enhanced through Professional Skills. Available in Dahuang Village, the life classes where you can learn Barehanded Combat Specialization include Chef, Porter, and Gatherer."

"The types of fist techniques that can be learned in Newbie Village are—

Luohan Fist: Learn from the laborer, Luo Dagang.

Chain Kick: Learn from the scoundrel, Wang San Scabies.

Zhe Gu Shou: Learn from Doctor Ji of the medical hall."

Situ Yu said, "Zhe Gu Shou sounds pretty impressive. What are the requirements for learning it?"

Xiao Buli looked it up again, "First, you need to have a bone fracture. Then, you seek treatment from Doctor Ji, who will set your bone. After that, you can ask him to teach you the skill 'Zhe Gu Shou.' But if you want him to agree, it's best if your Affinity with him is at least at the level of Respect, and your Prestige in Dahuang Village has to be at least Friendly."

(This sounds quite complicated. Even knowing what to do, it would take some time to get it all sorted out.) Situ Yu couldn't help but feel a bit helpless, realizing that it would indeed take some effort.

She was planning to go back to work hard at the game, but then she noticed that Xiao Buli's screen looked different from hers. In the center of his screen was something that resembled a furnace.

Out of curiosity, Situ Yu asked, "Hey, what are you pondering over there? Why is there something like a kettle on your screen?"

"It's nothing," Xiao Buli hurriedly closed the interface of the Skill Furnace and said evasively.

However, Situ Yu instinctively sensed something. Based on her experience in solving cases, she could clearly feel that he seemed to be concealing something.

Seeing that Situ Yu had no intention of leaving, Xiao Buli deliberately changed the subject, "Have you heard about the newbie gambler theory?"

Situ Yu shook her head, having no recollection of it at all.

Xiao Buli then explained, "There is a theory that gamblers always have great luck when they're beginners. But once they become acquainted with the rules and pass that newbie stage, they can't seem to get that kind of luck anymore."

Situ Yu shook her head after listening, "I don't think so. I know what you're talking about, but this so-called 'newbie luck' actually has other reasons behind it."

Xiao Buli asked curiously, "Oh, why do you say that?"

Situ Yu then explained, "Generally, when people gamble, they tend to follow some kind of rational calculation unconsciously, which seems plausible on the surface, and in a sense, it's not wrong. However, to a true expert, such formulas are easy to grasp, and once the formula is cracked, victory comes easily.

Those who thought their calculations were foolproof would feel like they have bad luck after repeated defeats."

"Newbies, due to their unfamiliarity with the rules, often lack a specific formula when selecting their hands, making it harder for others to see through their choices. As a result, they might stumble upon wins against veterans during their early stage. Of course, these are just isolated cases and occasional victories.

Yet, as soon as they become familiar with the rules and devise their own calculations, they fall into the cycle again, ultimately losing repeatedly as veterans decode their formulas."

Xiao Buli was surprised after hearing this, not expecting the other party to have such insight. Could it be that he had also fallen into such a misconception, misled by seemingly rational formulas?

That's right! Xiao Buli thought. The so-called rational calculation formulas were clearly the fusion success rates provided by the system. Perhaps those success rates were not the real rational rules. Previously, when he had attempted to fuse four skills, the two with medium success rates failed, while the ones with the highest and lowest rates succeeded. How could that be explained?

It seemed like the success rates were not that important, and maybe there were other rules he hadn't discovered yet.

He took out those skills and studied them over and over again until he suddenly noticed something different.

Since he had a lot of experience, he had elevated many skills to LV5, including Burst Talisman and Ice Talisman. However, Thunder Talisman had not been upgraded due to its infrequent use, and Cloud Ascension Leap couldn't be leveled up as an extended skill, so these two remained at LV1. The fusions of the two LV5 skills had failed, while those of the two LV1 skills succeeded.

Could it be that the lower the skill level, the higher the chance of a successful fusion?

But that explanation didn't seem right either, because the skills he had used for fusions previously were all high level.

He thought back to those skills that had successfully fused and realized they had something in common: they were all max level.

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Xiao Buli's mind, and he exclaimed, "I've got it!"

Clearly, the chance of a successful fusion didn't depend on how high the skill level was but on the closeness of the two skills' levels used for fusion. If the gap was too large, the fusion would likely fail. If that was the case, it made sense.

Jingci, when she just advanced, would surely use her frequently employed skills for fusion, naturally leading to a high success rate. But as she continued, the skills she used for fusion became more and more random and patternless, leading to a lower success rate.

Having realized this, he couldn't help but feel excited. Perhaps this could solve the uncertainty problem with skill fusion.

With this thought, his gaze towards Situ Yu warmed considerably. Although the girl was just a newbie, she had helped him solve a major puzzle, an unexpected gain indeed.

Having resolved this issue that had troubled him for a while, his mood improved significantly. He said to Situ Yu, "If you have any questions, just ask. I'll do my best to help you."

Situ Yu was delighted upon hearing this, while the other newbies around them muttered jealously to themselves, 'Look at how generous he is towards the girl. The world is really so unfair.'

Xiao Buli didn't care about what the newcomers thought of him; he wasn't concerned with their opinions. Although he didn't have much money left, he was still considered wealthy compared to the newbies. Moreover, his prestige in Dahuang Village provided him with respect and convenience in getting things done.

With Xiao Buli's help, Situ Yu's leveling journey became much smoother. She easily accumulated enough prestige, and by around four in the afternoon, she had learned the Zhe Gu Shou skill, and also managed to elevate her Barehanded Combat Specialization to LV2 thanks to the Gatherer profession.

Zhe Gu Shou: A trigger-type skill. After initiating a grappling effect with a bare-handed attack, this skill can be used to cause a bone-breaking effect on the target, inflicting various negative impacts depending on the broken bone's location. It consumes 5 Stamina Points upon use.

Barehanded Combat Specialization: With a basic understanding of unarmed combat, you can fight more effectively with your bare hands. Learning such martial arts skills becomes more instinctive. This skill is also a prerequisite for other fighting skills like boxing and leg techniques.

Zhe Gu Shou was undoubtedly a very practical skill, nicely complementing Grasping Enemy Fist, and Barehanded Combat Specialization was extremely important as well.

Xiao Buli even gifted her a set of Leather Armor equipment that a newbie could wear. Although it wasn't anything spectacular, it was quite impressive among newbies, making Situ Yu extremely happy.

Before they knew it, evening arrived. Xiao Buli checked the time and then told everyone to log off and have dinner.

Xiao Buli finished his dinner quickly and didn't return to his room but went directly to the restroom. In a short while, Wu Min'er and Zhang Yaoyang also arrived there in succession.

"Hey, how does it feel to play the nanny?" Wu Min'er said half-jokingly.

"It's okay, they're all noobs. Let's not talk about that now. How did your scouting go?" Xiao Buli asked with concern.

Wu Min'er's face suddenly lit up with excitement, "I've found the destination. They're sending the blood drawn from the newbies to a heavily guarded room on the top floor. It feels like some kind of laboratory. I couldn't infiltrate due to the tight security, but I could try again tonight."

PS: There might be two updates tomorrow. (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)