16: Second game update

“Boss, the usual,” Li Si said as he walked to an air vent and sat down.

The spot was right by the window; with a slight turn of his head, he could see the tall buildings in the distance.

“Alright, two beers, peanuts, and cucumber salad for table 16!” the restaurant owner yelled to the kitchen.

Under the night sky, Hai City was bustling.

A towering building soared into the clouds. Named Sea City First Grade, it housed the most expensive penthouses in Hai City, each selling for over 100 million RMB.

“One day, I’ll live in there too,” Li Si silently vowed at the age of twenty, setting a grand ambition.

Just then, a waitress approached table 16 with the beers.

What a… waitress…

Even though he had seen her many times, Li Si was still amazed. This waitress was the owner’s daughter, Lin Miaomiao. Her chest was extraordinarily grand, and her white T-shirt stretched to create a pristine white sky.

However, Li Si never quite dared to strike up a conversation with Lin Miaomiao.

“Have you heard? The ID of the first player to reach Level 10 is Endless Corpse Hand.”

The conversation drifted from table 17, immediately catching Li Si’s attention, and Lin Miaomiao also perked up her ears.

“Of course, I’ve heard! Endless Corpse Hand is truly awesome. I’m only Level 3, and he’s already Level 10.”

“God’s Light from Free Country is also impressive, only 25 minutes behind Endless Corpse Hand.”

“All Heavens Game is too popular, there are so many experts, and I heard there’s someone called Lawless Madman who’s also very awesome.”

“How awesome?”

“Lawless Madman’s level has always stayed at Level 1, but he’s very strong. Not long after All Heavens Game launched, he could solo farm Level 10 wild wolves.”

“…”

The few guys at table 17 chatted back and forth.

How did they start talking about me? A shiver ran down Li Si’s spine.

Then, he listened to the conversation at table 17 while eating. He just didn’t know what was up with Lin Miaomiao today; she kept leaning towards him.

Was it too hot? Did she want to feel the air conditioning?

Li Si could only think of this one possibility.

After dinner, he returned to his rented room. Thinking of his aging parents, he picked up his phone and transferred 50,000 RMB. Before he could put his phone down, his mother called back.

“Xiao Si, you’re still in school. Where did you get so much money? You haven’t broken any laws, have you? You haven’t been taken care of by a rich woman, have you?”

Li Si: “...Mom, how could you think of your son like that? Didn’t All Heavens Game launch today? I used my scholarship to buy a login bracelet. Hey, guess what? I got a top-tier equipment drop and sold it for over 70,000 RMB.”

“Seventy thousand!?”

Li Si could feel his mother’s shock through the phone screen just from her tone.

“The advertisements for this game are everywhere. Your dad and I have heard about it. Is it really that profitable?”

“I was lucky, but even if you’re not lucky, as long as you’re willing to work hard, you can still earn 10,000 a month.”

Li Si wasn’t lying about this. Hard grinding for game coins to sell could indeed yield about 10,000 in monthly income.

“Hiss…”

The sound of a sharp intake of breath came from the phone’s earpiece.

“How much is a login bracelet for All Heavens Game?”

“Ten thousand each. What’s wrong, Mom? Do you want to play too?”

Li Si was surprised. Usually, his mother hated games the most. Was she finally giving in now? Indeed, RMB could change a person’s views.

“Ten thousand each isn’t too expensive. I want to play this game too.”

“Bring your dad along too. You two can look out for each other.”

“Okay, son, but you must remember, you can play games, but you can’t neglect your studies, got it?” His mother’s stern voice came through the phone.

“Got it.”

Li Si’s mouth twitched. He had wanted to tell his mother that he had taken a leave of absence, but given her current attitude, it was better to keep it a secret for now.

...

[Ding!]

[Lawless Madman, welcome back to All Heavens World.]

The login bracelet glowed, and the scene before him shifted. Li Si returned to the blacksmith shop.

As soon as he logged in, a string of system prompts popped up.

[Ding!]

[Heaven Rewards Diligence, proper rest can lead to better cultivation and attribute enhancement.]

[Life permanently +50.]

[Mana permanently +25.]

“...Awesome!”

Li Si didn’t want to say much, only the word “awesome” for the Limiter.

The system prompts continued to pop up.

[Ding!]

[Lawless Madman, during your offline period, All Heavens Game underwent an offline update. You can view it in the message interface.]

The game updated?

Li Si quickly opened the message interface and found the game update prompt.

[Game Update]

One: Level Leaderboard. A level leaderboard is open for each region, listing the top ten players by level in that region.

Two: Main Quest. Hidden in Novice Village, the Main Quest is related to the barrier preventing departure from Novice Village. Completing the Main Quest will make the Novice Village barrier disappear. Players can only leave Novice Village after reaching Level 20.

Three: Skill Slots. Besides professional skills, players have 5 skill slots where they can learn skills. Skill slots can be obtained through quests, achievements, etc.

There were three updates in total.

“...What the f*ck.”

Li Si cursed aloud. The first update had nothing to do with him, but the second and third updates restricted him.

Was the idiotic designer not letting him live?

He couldn’t learn professional skills because he couldn’t level up, and now they were restricting skill slots. Didn’t that mean he could only learn 5 skills?

Also, he could only leave Novice Village after Level 20. If he couldn’t level up, didn’t that mean he would be stuck in Novice Village forever?

“Go to hell!”

These two updates made him extremely uncomfortable.

But life had to go on.

A moment later, Li Si calmed himself, a faint smile reappearing on his face, and he found his cheap master.

“Master, I’ve already upgraded Blazing Sky Craftsman to Lv2. What do you think… that thing you promised me? Isn’t it…?”

“You upgraded Blazing Sky Craftsman to Lv2 in less than a day. You truly are a one-in-a-million genius. I bestow this crystal upon you. I hope you will not forget your original intention and will bring glory to God Craftsman Valley,” Wang Shidao said, bare-chested.

Immediately, a crystal rose into the air and landed in Li Si’s hand.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations on obtaining item -- Skill Slot Expansion Crystal.]

“What the f*ck?”

Li Si was shocked.

He quickly checked the attributes of the crystal in his hand.

[Skill Slot Expansion Crystal]: Permanently increases one skill slot limit after use.

“...Unbelievable.”

It really was an item that increased skill slots.

Li Si decisively crushed it.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations on receiving reward -- Skill Slot Quantity +1.]

Current Skill Slots: 3/6.

“I’m rolling in it.”

At this moment, Li Si looked at Wang Shidao again, and his gaze changed. This wasn’t a cheap master; this was clearly a rich little lamb, his benefactor.

“Master, are there any more rewards for upgrading Blazing Sky Craftsman to Lv3?” Li Si’s eyes sparkled with gleaming light.

“Greedy little rascal, if you can upgrade Blazing Sky Craftsman to Lv3 within ten days, why wouldn’t I give you a reward?” Wang Shidao pondered.

“It’s a deal then.”

After speaking, Li Si dashed out of the blacksmith shop in a flash, his figure quickly disappearing.

“This kid runs so fast. Is he afraid I’ll go back on my word?” Wang Shidao shook his head and continued forging equipment.

...

“I forgot to ask Wang Shi about how a Level 1 player can leave Novice Village.”

Having already left Mingyue Village, Li Si suddenly remembered this question. Wang Shi was Level 99; perhaps he would know some way.

I’ll ask next time.

Li Si stopped thinking about it and walked towards the wilderness. He still had one purple, two gold, and three skills eagerly awaiting, all requiring a large amount of experience points.

Wild wolves.

Your daddy is here.

However, ten minutes later, when Li Si arrived at the Wild Wolf Forest, he was dumbfounded. The Wild Wolf Forest had been overrun by players; there were people everywhere.

“What the f*ck?”

Li Si was surprised by this. Were people leveling up so fast? He opened the Mingyue Village Level Leaderboard; the first place was Qian Miaomiao, Lv13.

“Qian Duoduo’s sister is really fierce!”

Was this from grinding for a day and a night?

Li Si just wanted to say, All Heavens Game is so fun, it can even make those evil capitalists so engrossed they forget about their own bodies.

He continued to explore further.

Level 11 area: Wild Tiger Jungle.

Level 12 area: Wild Lion Grassland.

Level 13 area: Wild Crocodile Swamp.

Level 14 area: Wild Turtle Basin.

Players were everywhere. Li Si sighed, the Fourth Calamity was terrifying. As long as monsters dared to show health bars, the speed of their advancement was absolutely astonishing.

He continued to explore.

Until he reached the Level 15 area, Silvermoon Forest, where the number of players finally decreased.

“This will do.”

Li Si moved like an arrow, pouncing on the monsters in Silvermoon Forest.