Mini World Game Console

Watching the "High Energy Ahead" app icon on his phone suddenly tremble and then shatter into data fragments before disappearing, Ren Suo let out a sigh of relief.

Although this game didn't consume much gaming time, it sure took up a lot of time outside the game... The Adventurer in the game had it easy because Ren Suo was bearing the burden for him in reality!

"Mission completed."

"Basic mission objective completed—60 points;"

"Enemy of the Animal Protection Association: Defeat all wild monsters Inside Peach Blossom Land—5 points;"

"Strike first, strike hardest: Defeated all challenge monsters, most of which were defeated head-on—4 points;"

"Refined Petit Bourgeois: Number of props less than or equal to 10, total prop value greater than 500—5 points;"

"You Cheated!: Defeated the Village Chief Phantom 'Immobilus Vajra'—10 points;"

"Total score is 84 points, rated as extraordinary."

"This mission's score: 84 points (extraordinary), Highest mission score: 84 points (extraordinary)."

"As the Player received an extraordinary rating and met the hidden requirements, you will receive hidden sub-mission information for this game."

"Sub-mission: A Gentleman Remains Unchanged. Successfully complete the game without engaging in any battles."

"Do you choose to upload this result as the final outcome? Upon successful upload, you will receive Merit Points and exclusive rewards according to the rating."

"This rating can only be preserved for seven days, after which it cannot be uploaded."

"Rating can only be uploaded once."

Ren Suo was slightly startled by the high score, which was beyond his expectations. But on second thought, it made sense. This game had no in-game purchases; there was only so much playable content. The only place for sneaky maneuvers was the Equipment Interface, where Players used their accumulated resources to arm the Adventurer.

If Ren Suo had been a Level 2 Player when playing this game, he would have barely passed.

Now that he was a Level 4 Player, even though the game's difficulty didn't decrease with his level, Ren Suo's accumulated resources were enough to let the Adventurer brute-force his way through many challenges. For example, the pack of dogs encountered just after crossing the cave typically required running away. However, after Ren Suo armed the Adventurer with Skills, the Adventurer managed to eliminate all the aggressive dogs.

Although, that was also when the Adventurer started shedding his little white rabbit disguise and began his path of showboating.

Every time Ren Suo thought about this, he regretted it but would still do the same if he had to do it over again.

It was precisely because the Adventurer accumulated energy points from the beginning that his power snowballed, allowing him to easily overcome later challenges with the addition of new props.

Not to mention "Rippling Spring Sounds." Of all the rewards provided by the Mini-World Game Console, whether it was the Bond System or various ability items, nothing could compare to "Rippling Spring Sounds," which allowed the summoning of game characters.

Even if it could only summon for a short duration, it was enough to blast through any game challenge. In reality, it was almost as if Ren Suo had a trump card—whenever he used it, no matter how great the life-threatening crisis, he could get through it.

The strength of a Level 4 Player was evident here. Only those who reached Level 4 could play Four-Star games, and obtaining high ratings in such games would definitely yield usage time for "Rippling Spring Sounds."

Games below Four-Star wouldn't even consider the impact of "Rippling Spring Sounds." Hence, when Ren Han, the Guardian from two millennia ago, was summoned by the Adventurer, Ren Han instantly shattered the combat power ceiling of "High Energy Ahead," easily defeating the final boss.

Although Ren Suo also expended 7 minutes of summoning time, overall, it was still worth it.

However, this sub-mission, "A Gentleman Remains Unchanged," slightly puzzled Ren Suo. How could one complete the game without fighting?

Ren Suo realized that those animal, plant, and inorganic aberrations attacked the Adventurer simply because he looked menacing—to them, the Adventurer was no different from a Butcher wielding a cleaver, so as Guardians, they naturally had to protect their master. Thus, the solution should be for the Adventurer to use various props to appeal to these entities, thereby completing the game without any battles.

Thinking of this, Ren Suo suddenly recalled that he had previously scanned food.

Indeed, it was the bowl of braised beef and fried sauce noodles he had made himself—

"Ren Suo's Braised Beef Noodles: Rare Level Item. This bowl of noodles is a terrible waste of good beef, good fried sauce, and good noodles. Can be given to others for consumption; depending on their taste, their affinity will change by -1 to +100 (median +2). It will also immediately restore all Physical Strength. Disappears after one use. Requires 10 energy points."

Because food props disappeared after one use and were quite expensive, and considering that the Adventurer had already become a Brute by then, Ren Suo hadn't thought of this. But recalling it now, Ren Suo realized there was another way to play the game: continuously scanning food or other small trinkets to appease the Guardians. Following this path, Ren Suo wouldn't even need to search for precious props; scanning everyday household goods might suffice to complete the game. Of course, this route would definitely not allow him to defeat the Village Chief Phantom. Then, the Adventurer would have to spend a huge amount of energy points to meet the completion requirements, and the nine props in the final prize pool would most likely only be Rare Level Items.

It seemed his trips to Anime Star City and temples in search of props with immense potential were actually misguided; the game hadn't anticipated that a Player would be a teen with delusions of grandeur. If Ren Suo's accumulated resources hadn't been so substantial, the Adventurer might not have fought his way through.

However, Ren Suo wasn't interested in trying that route. September was fast approaching, and he urgently needed to gather Merit Points to prepare for the Four-Star free game in September!

"Mission evaluation upload complete. You have earned 108 Merit Points. Please use them wisely."

"You have obtained a Two-Star Treasure Chest *1, which you can open in the Content Preservation Vault."

"Based on your gaming experience, you have received an exclusive reward: Listening Headphones."

"Based on your gaming experience, your game character 'Adventurer' has acquired an exclusive Ability (cannot be unequipped, cannot be changed, will always activate): 'High-Energy Alchemy Hand'."

"'High Energy Ahead' upload complete. Thanks for playing. Endless Fun in the Mini-World!"

Headphones, huh... Ren Suo felt a pang of frustration.

Although he had known that the chances of getting an Epic Item from a choice of ten were slim, the fact that he actually didn't get one still left him feeling a bit down—another failed attempt by an African to smuggle himself into Europe. However, when Ren Suo looked at the "Listening Headphones," his frustration lessened considerably.

"Listening Headphones"

"Quality Rank: Two-Star Item. Prerequisite: Must have ears, must possess a physical wireless over-ear headset."

"Effect: When equipped by the Player, provides 'Super Sonic Defense,' 'Charm Enhancement,' and 'Hearing Enhancement' effects.

Memory Enhancement Effect—Listening: The headphones will access more information about the Mini-World Game Console, allowing the Player to hear more detailed and secret game settings, system instructions, Ability activation timings, and various auxiliary cues."

"Note: You don't need to wear the headphones all the time; that would look really silly. Just hang them around your neck as an accessory."

Ren Suo wasn't too concerned about the headphones' primary effects anymore; what mattered was their ability to access more detailed Mini-World Game Console content!

He immediately put on his Noise-Canceling Headphones and then equipped the "Listening Headphones."

In an instant, the noise of the wind outside on the balcony seemed much reduced, the sound of the fridge in the living room was barely there, and even the sound of the toilet flushing diminished to almost nothing—the world became quiet and serene.

Ren Suo didn't actually wear the Listening Headphones over his ears, but the effects were already evident.

Exiting the Equipment Interface, Ren Suo used the controller to casually browse through the games on the main page. When he scrolled past 'High Energy Ahead,' he heard a distant voice:

"Uploading in progress, current progress 3%..."

Ren Suo blinked, looking at the spinning disc icon. So, uploading the game evaluation really wasn't an instantaneous process.

Then Ren Suo checked out the Adventurer's exclusive Ability, 'High-Energy Alchemy Hand'.

"High-Energy Alchemy Hand: The Adventurer, having returned from Peach Blossom Land to reality, possesses a mystical power to unlock the potential of items. Any physical item touched by the Adventurer will be enhanced, producing incredible power. The Strengthening effect lasts until the item is damaged or discarded by the Adventurer."

Just based on the description, it was hard to judge the true effect of this Ability. However, given the Adventurer's own combat power and the ten enhanced treasures he possessed, his actual combat power was probably no less than that of the Collector or the Fairy Palace Assassin, and perhaps even comparable to a Magician.

Sheesh, now that I realize how strong this guy is, what if I can't find an enemy who can beat him later... Wait, Ren Suo, you're a cold-hearted, emotionless Player. You shouldn't let your feelings harm your gaming interests. The Adventurer is your asset; he should be efficiently exploited, not targeted. Wouldn't it be more fun to wait until 'High Energy Ahead' is released, then use an 'Unnamed Account' to post photos of the Adventurer in women's clothes to boost his fame?

Having thought through his plan, Ren Suo felt much better.

Just as he was preparing to continue experimenting with the "Listening Headphones" to see if they could reveal more information, his phone rang.

"Ren Suo, are you free lately?" Zhao Huo's opening was as lacking in substance as ever.

Ren Suo could only reply, "Doing summer homework. No time."

"...Stop pretending to be a kid. You don't have any damn summer homework." Zhao Huo was speechless. "You're actually pretty free, right? Interested in making a cameo as a villain in a mysterious organization?"

"Mysterious organization? Villain? School has already started, are you still going to anime conventions to perform in stage plays?"

"It's not a stage play, and it won't take much of your time. We're just temporarily short one person and need a Cultivator to fill in." Zhao Huo chuckled. "Opportunities to play a villain are rare. If you hadn't advanced to the second turn, we wouldn't have even considered you."

"Tell me more." Ren Suo was intrigued. "What kind of villain from a mysterious organization are we talking about? Team Rocket? Someone from New Twilight City? Or perhaps the feudal landlord class?"

"Use your imagination, will you? We're Cultivators. Villains played by Cultivators naturally need some historical depth and gravitas. Speaking of which, you should have heard of it." Zhao Huo said, "Listen carefully. The mysterious organization we're going to make a cameo in is—"

"Necropolis Peach Blossom Land."