Absolute Death Game
Chapter 39 A Good Person

"So, he went to the home of a newbie who died before?" Qin Shimoon asked, gazing out of the window, her face devoid of expression.

"Exactly, and he even gave the family some money for their little girl's medical treatment. It may not be much to you or me, but for that kid, it must have been a considerable sum. I must say, Amanda, this youngster seems to have quite a bit of compassion." The man in the black trench coat sitting behind her sprawled casually in the chair opposite the desk, appearing very familiar with her.

"Whether he has compassion is not our concern. I only care if he's discovered the secrets of the game," Qin Shimoon said coldly, her voice devoid of any emotion.

The man in black shrugged, "Who knows? He must understand something by now, but what does it matter to us? As long as it doesn't interfere with our plans, it's fine. There are other employees who know the secrets, after all. Of course, if you think it's necessary, I can take him out anytime."

"Let's not, we might spook the others. You weren't seen coming in, were you?"

"Of course not, so you can leave now." After Qin Shimoon finished speaking, she didn't hear a response. Turning around, she saw the man in black had already disappeared, "Hmph, still loves to play the ghost, I see." Qin Shimoon snorted coldly, with a trace of scorn.

Meanwhile, Xiao Buli, who was blissfully unaware that he had narrowly escaped becoming someone's target, was munching on a hamburger provided by the restaurant while mulling over his situation.

All this time, although he was interested in the game, Xiao Buli had not used his full strength. He didn't want to stand out too much, nor did he want to exert himself excessively. So, he simply held the mentality of 'doing well enough,' without long-term planning or maxing out his analysis of the game. But now, everything had changed drastically.

Before, he thought that even if his game character died, the worst that could happen was losing a job with decent benefits. It would be regrettable but acceptable. Now, however, he had come to understand that if he died in the game, he might very well die in reality, too. At this moment, Xiao Buli had decided to release all his energy.

He quickly summarized the information he had about the game and planned his next moves.

It was undoubtable that the Newbie Village had limited content left to explore. There were still many basic skills and professions to learn, but he figured there would be opportunities to learn those in the bigger cities later on. There was no need to rush.

Besides, he only had one day left, and there wouldn't be enough time for a class change, so he decided it would be more worthwhile to gather as much information as possible before heading to Nine Dragons City.

Then, another thought struck him. If he could use the game's abilities (albeit inconsistently), then others must be able to as well. He looked up and observed the other players around him. He hadn't noticed before, but now it was clear that most didn't seem like professional gamers. They were exceptionally fit, far beyond ordinary people, and looked very vibrant.

It was one thing for a few to be like this, but a whole group? It likely had to do with attribute enhancements from the game.

It wasn't just others—his own physical fitness had also significantly improved, something he had only just realized. However, as for skills, he guessed that most people probably didn't know how to use them yet, or it would have definitely spread by now.

These were real-life strong individuals who were just unaware of their own strength. He felt a sense of superiority, as if he were the only sober person in a world of drunks. However, when his gaze fell on Li Jian, he noticed that Li Jian was looking in his direction. He couldn't see the other's eyes because of the sunglasses, but Xiao Buli suddenly remembered the red eyes hidden behind them.

He had always found it peculiar, but now he realized that Li Jian must know something, likely even more than he did.

Li Jian's silence was probably due to not wanting to attract the attention of the company's upper echelons, the classic 'play dumb to catch the wise,' and that's why he'd risk getting fired to do his own thing. So what about the other three people with Li Jian? The answer seemed quite obvious.

Xiao Buli thought quickly. It seemed best not to feel too superior. Although the changes brought by the game were subtle, there had to be many other observant people who had noticed. Since none of them had shown it, it was clear they all had the same idea of quietly making a fortune. He decided it was best to keep a low profile and not reveal his true thoughts.

With that in mind, he lowered his head and silently continued eating.

In the afternoon, the merchant caravan arrived just as Li Jian had said it would.

The caravan brought a large number of urgently needed supplies to the village and also purchased all of the furs and mountain goods the villagers had accumulated. Watching the NPCs bustling about, Xiao Buli's screen suddenly flashed with a golden light.

System Notification: You have completed the 'Lu Jiang's Final Wish' quest. Lu Jiang's resentful spirit has been put to rest, and your curse has been lifted.

System Notification: You have obtained 100 Merit Points. For completing a final wish quest, you have obtained the title 'A Good Person'.

System Notification: You have received Lu Jiang's Blessing.

Upon checking his avatar, indeed there was a new buff, Lu Jiang's Blessing,

Lu Jiang's Blessing: Under this status, your Luck Value is increased by 10 points for a duration of 7 days.

10 points of Luck! Xiao Buli was instantly delighted. After the unlucky events of yesterday, he knew just how important luck was. However, a duration of only seven days was still too short. It seemed he must make haste to do some important things while the buff was active.

He then looked at his attribute column, where a new Merit Points attribute had been added, showing a current total of 100 points. He read the description of the attribute,

Merit Points are a measure of one's contribution to the workings of the Heavenly Dao, achieved by slaying evil force monster leaders and completing tasks aligned with good factions. Merit Points can negate the Slaughter Points incurred by killing, and they can also be exchanged for corresponding skills and equipment in various temples, making them a very precious Hidden Currency.

It seemed to be quite important, Xiao Buli thought, although 100 points might not be a lot. Nevertheless, it was better than nothing.

He then looked at his title column, which now contained only one title.

(Title) A Good Person: While using this title, you automatically receive a 10-point favorability bonus when interacting with good-aligned characters (including Lawful Good, Neutral Good, Chaotic Good). You automatically receive a 10-point favorability penalty when interacting with evil-aligned characters (including Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Evil).

The favorability of the person you interact with will affect the outcome of your conversations and your chances of persuasion success. Players may activate only one title at a time.

This title was indeed useful, at least for now, as it seemed he had come into contact with more characters from the good factions than from the evil. Add to that the rewards of Luck Value, Merit Points, and the like, it appeared the three hundred thousand had not been spent in vain.

The title 'A Good Person' could come in handy right now, coupled with his now impressive 17 points of Luck, he should be able to replace out quite a bit of useful information.

PS: I inadvertently discovered a great book yesterday, and once I started reading, I lost track of time, which is why I didn't update last night. I'm making it up today with this and another update later.