Chapter 74: Various News (Consider it a Two-in-One)

Chapter 74: Various News (Consider it a Two-in-One)

After choosing Interlude Growth, Liu Xing prepared to exit the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall. That's when he noticed a black star next to his gaming ID, a clear indication that he had passed a promotion game.

Just then, Liu Xing received a friend request from a player named "Perfect Future." Liu Xing, thinking this player was from his last promotion game, accepted the request, considering his only friend in the game was Chen Ling.

The rapid "metabolism" of the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall maintained a vast player base. With no team-up feature, players like Liu Xing never bothered adding friends, adhering to the "we'll meet again if fate allows" philosophy.

Upon accepting the request, Liu Xing received a message: "Hello, I am the administrator of the An Family in the Shoggoth area, Perfect Future. You can call me Future."

Surprised, Liu Xing realized this message was from the next area's An Family administrator. Wondering why Future contacted him, he asked what the matter was.

Half a minute later, Future replied, "Here's the thing: Du Liu, the robot managing the Ghoul area, recommended you. Your eligibility for a promotion game after just one official Cthulhu RPG Game proves your strength. I've also noted your success in your first promotion game. Representing the An Family, I invite you to join us upon advancing to the Shoggoth area. We'll focus on developing your skills."

Liu Xing was intrigued. The news was substantial, especially about Du Liu being a robot. His interactions with Du Liu, characterized by immediate, formulaic responses, now made sense. "So, Du Liu isn't human? And can I join other clubs after reaching the Shoggoth area?" he replied.

Future then explained in detail. Du Liu was indeed a robot, a special tool provided to club leaders in the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall for managing affairs. Depending on the price, their abilities varied, and Du Liu was top-tier, capable of independently managing a club with AI to answer most questions and identify promising newcomers.

Clubs in the Ghoul area didn't have human administrators but robots, as these clubs served mainly as message-sharing platforms and rarely invested in players who often didn't survive long enough to advance to the Shoggoth area.

The Shoggoth area was different, offering additional functions like item trading, enabling clubs to cultivate newcomers. Players like Liu Xing, entering the Shoggoth area, were considered true newcomers, unlike those in the Ghoul area, who were merely cannon fodder.

Indeed, as a game emphasizing "reality," Cthulhu RPG Game begins with actuality. When players descend into madness, they truly comprehend the sensation of insanity. Liu Xing had experienced this, having fallen into a state of mental chaos in the Castle Lord scenario, a memory still vivid and distressing.

As for death, it also starts from a place of reality. Although Liu Xing hadn't experienced it (and if he had, the book would have concluded), he could infer its horror - arguably more terrifying than madness.

In reality, an accident or tragedy can drastically alter a person's nature. Players who experienced madness or death in the game and returned to reality were often deeply affected. According to Future, about 30% of such players never logged back into the Cthulhu RPG Game, either committing suicide or being eliminated by the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall due to insufficient points. About 60% showed signs of mental issues. Those who had experienced death and returned were even more affected, with 70% never reappearing in the game hall, and the remaining 30% typically suffering mental issues.

Therefore, falling into madness or dying in the second promotion game, though not resulting in a card tear, would severely impact one's performance in the third game, leading to failure and, without a spare character card, elimination by the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall.

Hence, Future kindly reminded Liu Xing to prepare a spare character card, offering a chance for a redo in case of failure in advancing.

After reading Future's message, Liu Xing felt fortunate for having the ancestral green tea, which possibly saved him from madness in the Harvest Festival scenario.

So, Liu Xing resolved that in the second promotion game, he would find an opportunity to drop out if things went south, focusing on the third game instead. According to Future, the difficulty of this third game would be slightly lower than the first.

After ending his conversation with Future, Liu Xing opened the Shop to purchase a spare character card.

However, to Liu Xing's frustration, he was short by 15 points, with only 485 points, insufficient to buy even the lowest-level character card. He could only hope to earn enough points in the second promotion game, even if he failed.

Having closed the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall, Liu Xing planned to chat with Wu Lei, a Veteran Driver, to learn more about the Cthulhu RPG Game.