455: Chapter 455 She could have easily stolen it

Chen You was stunned.

Hill pulled a snow-white handkerchief from her sleeve and gently pressed it to the corner of her eye.

"Do you think I have it easy in this position? I'm just a high-level wage slave at the bottom of the system."

She lifted her head, her stunningly beautiful face full of grievance, and tears actually welled up in her watery eyes.

"On call twenty-four hours a day, with no days off all year round."

"No holidays, no overtime pay, not even basic benefits."

"And I still have to deal with all kinds of KPIs pushed down from above."

Chen You opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Hill.

"What do other NPCs do every day? Hand out weeding quests, sell low-level potions, and refresh when their shift ends." Hill sniffled, looking pitiful.

"What about me? I have to deal with top-tier clients like you... who are powerful and demanding."

"Do you know what you've done? To reconcile your data, I have to verify accounts and anomaly logs every day, and my hair is falling out in clumps!"

As she spoke, she actually plucked a small tuft of blonde hair from her head and slapped it down in front of Chen You.

"Now, you want to blame me even for the disappearance of a monster's accompanying treasure?"

Hill slumped into her chair like a deflated balloon, covering her face with her hands, her voice filled with deep exhaustion and despair.

"Just kill me."

"Loot me, see how many gold coins drop, and consider it compensation for your heaven-swallowing bag."

"I'm sick of this lousy job anyway..."

Chen You froze in his chair.

The resentment was so authentic.

The smell of corporate slavery was so strong.

He recalled his own miserable days of pulling all-nighters in a cubicle working on PPTs, being fed empty promises by his balding boss, and having his performance bonuses docked.

He understood all too well that feeling of helplessness, being ground into the dirt by life.

Chen You stood up, pushed that tuft of blonde hair aside on the table, and reached out to slide the cyber merit wooden fish toward Hill.

"Alright, alright." Chen You's tone softened, tinged with helplessness. "Stop wailing."

"One wage slave shouldn't make things hard for another."

As soon as he finished speaking, the wailing behind the counter came to an abrupt halt.

Hill straightened up abruptly, wiped her face with both hands, and those data-stream tears vanished instantly.

She tucked away her handkerchief, straightened her back, and hung that impeccable, fake professional smile back on her face.

"Many thanks for your understanding, Boss." Hill crossed her hands on the counter, speaking at lightning speed. "Now, let's settle the quest."

Chen You was stunned.

He watched Hill's lightning-fast face-changing stunt, and only two words came to mind: "I was naive."

This acting skill—if she didn't win an Oscar, it would be an insult to her data code.

"Take it." Chen You said with a dark face, pushing the cyber merit wooden fish over.

"Eighty-one lords, not a single one missing."

Hill reached out and lightly tapped the wooden fish.

The dark gold wooden fish transformed into countless specks of data light, merging into the counter.

[Ding! Congratulations on completing the unique mythological-grade quest "Westland Demon Extermination".]

[Quest Rating: SSS-grade.]

[Distributing quest rewards...]

Hill bent down and retrieved a palm-sized sandalwood box from under the counter.

The surface of the wooden box was carved with intricate cloud patterns, exuding an air of antiquity and gravitas.

She pushed the wooden box toward Chen You and made a "please" gesture.

Chen You took a deep breath to calm his mood after being played, and reached out to open the box.

There was no dazzling light, nor any exaggerated phenomena.

In the center of the box lay a dark gold pill the size of a longan.

The surface of the pill was covered in natural Dao patterns, with faint streams of light flowing through them, emitting an energy fluctuation that made one's heart palpitate.

[Level-Up Pill (mythological-grade)]

[Type: Consumable]

[Effect: Consume to instantly level up to 50, with no side effects.]

[Note: Only usable by targets below level 50.]

Chen You picked up the dark gold pill.

Without hesitation, he tossed it directly into his mouth.

The pill melted upon contact, turning into a warm current that traveled down his throat to his abdomen.

The system notification sound rang out repeatedly.

[Ding! You have consumed the Level-Up Pill (mythological-grade).]

[Acquiring experience points...]

[Congratulations, your level has increased to 50, and you have gained 5 free attribute points.]

Chen You closed his eyes, waiting for that refreshing sensation of being reborn.

Three seconds passed.

Five seconds passed.

Chen You opened his eyes and clenched his fists.

Nothing special.

He opened his attribute panel; his stats had increased a tiny bit, but for his current values, it made little difference.

Chen You looked at Hill behind the counter.

"Is that it?"

Hill maintained her perfect professional smile: "Congratulations, Boss, on successfully crossing the level 50 threshold."

Chen You pointed at the panel.

"I spent so much money, traveled tens of thousands of kilometers, and smashed the heads of eighty-one lords."

"And this is all the base stats I get? What about the core rules you promised? Did you embezzle my attribute points?"

Hill rolled her eyes and sighed.

She reached under the counter and fumbled around, "Boss, do you think this is a novel? Embezzling attribute points, really."

"Level 50 is a watershed moment; the increase in base stats is just standard."

The system notification sound rang out again.

[Ding! Player detected reaching level 50, new system permissions unlocked.]

[Enhancement System has been enabled.]

A brand new translucent interface popped up before Chen You's eyes.

In the center of the interface was a huge anvil icon, with hammer and furnace patterns scattered nearby.

"Enhancement System?" Chen You clicked the icon.

The interface switched; on the left were the equipment and skill slots, and on the right was an empty enhancement slot.

Below, there were two lines of eye-catching small text: Enhancement carries risks, invest with caution.

Hill crossed her hands on the counter, her tone becoming exceptionally professional.

"Before level 50, player power relies mainly on equipment base stats and skill levels. Once you reach level 50, the rule layer begins to open up."

"The Enhancement System can allow your specific skills and equipment to undergo a qualitative leap."

Chen You, half-doubting, dragged the yuhuang sword into the enhancement slot.

The interface flickered.

[yuhuang sword (innate spiritual treasure)]

[Current enhancement level: +0]

[Enhancing to +1 requires: 100 gold coins, 10 enhancement stones.]

[Success rate: 100%]

Chen You stared at the requirement of one hundred gold coins, his eye twitching.

"It costs gold coins to enhance? Why don't you just rob me?"

Hill remained unflustered, "Enhancement costs are determined by the item's grade."

"And this is just the cost for +1. As the enhancement level increases, the consumption will grow exponentially, and the success rate will also decrease."

Chen You gasped.

This was just copying all the predatory monetization tactics from free-to-play games in reality.

"What if the enhancement fails?" Chen You asked.

Hill smiled slightly.

"If equipment enhancement fails, the enhancement level drops. If high-level enhancement fails, there is a chance the equipment will shatter."

"You can purchase an 'Anti-Explosion Charm'; each one costs only one thousand gold coins."