In Medicine King Valley, Gu Ding and Anthony had a very smooth conversation.
Anthony's request was simple. The Newcomer's Ranking Competition would start in three months. If Gu Ding got into the top fifty in the competition, the Hermean Alliance of Skyriver's division would issue a prize worth one hundred million Star Credits. If he could get into the top ten, the prize would be raised to be worth one billion Star Credits.
Naturally, Gu Ding would not refuse a win-win situation like this. Even if he could not make the top 50, it would make no difference to him. After all, all he needed to do was to wear a tag with Skyriver Sector's name on it when he participated in the competition that he already planned to join. Therefore, both sides were able to reach a consensus quickly.
After he finished the discussion with Anthony, Gu Ding strolled around a bit. Little did he know, he had managed to gather a large crowd because of his video that had been broadcasted in the public district. Naturally, the pharmacologists and temporary residents in Medicine King Valley knew of him; Even people who have never entered Medicine King Valley before were aware of him.
Out of desperation, Gu Ding had no choice but to log out of the system.
As he sat in the cockpit and stared out the window at the endless abyss of space, Gu Ding asked, "Neptune, any news today?"
"No major events," Neptune also seemed a little bored. "I just received the news that Cain also changed course. This time, he's returning to the Cosmic Sea. Kohld Blood's Punishers are also said to be rushing toward a new course. The opening of new routes has the Interstellar Pirates from Dragon Soar Cosmic Nation all excited, many of whom who were initially on their way to other cosmic nations now changing courses to head to the new route."
"I think it's good that it's going to get lively soon," Gu Ding grinned. He was the type of person that liked to be amongst the crowd. He really enjoyed working in Rose Tavern for all those years, with one of the main reasons being that he could meet all sorts of people. The stories he heard were the things that gave birth to his idea of being an Interstellar Pirate.
When he thought about Cain and Kohld Blood, Gu Ding realized that these guys who had hundreds of millions of Star Credits worth of bounty on their head were super strong and valiant. He had seen how Cain fought. His movements were so quick that his naked eyes were not able to see it. Kohld Blood's bounty was close to Cain's, and so was his strength.
"You really need to improve your strength quickly. If you enter the new route at your current level, you'll be eaten alive," Neptune gave his opinions without holding back.
"I understand. It's a new route, so there'll be many powerhouses as strong as Uncle Cain. Perhaps even stronger," Gu Ding nodded. He chose to take the new route not because he was naive and did not know any better. In truth, he did not overestimate his strength. He was well aware of what he could and could not do.
"Connect me to the Virtual Arena! First, I'll practice all the moves that can be learned with 100 points of Cell Index. That way, when my body strength is enough, I'll be able to use the moves the moment I'm familiar with them. It'll save me a lot of time practicing the moves," Gu Ding planned to enter the Virtual Arena to continue his practice of the Ultimate Arts.
"This is just a temporary solution. However, it seems that this is the only way for now," Neptune could not do much about Gu Ding's stats and immediately connected Gu Ding to the arena.
After Gu Ding entered the arena, he saw his latest information:
Alias: Lukewarm Assassin
Gender: Male
Age: 15 years old
Times fought: 10
Wins: 10
Losses: 0
Draws: 0
Win Rate: 100%
Total Points: 55
Honor: Ten consecutive wins
Honor Description: When one gets ten consecutive wins in the arena, points will be accumulated. 1 point for the first game, 2 points for the second game, 3 points for the third game... 10 points for the tenth game.
"Can I exchange my total points for items?" Gu Ding seemed to have seen the corresponding explanation somewhere in the past.
"Yes, you may. In the junior-level arena, the purchasing power of 1 point is equivalent to 100 Star Credits. This is why many people from poorer families come here to compete and sell their points, or purchase items directly with them," Neptune explained. "Of course, there are some rich people who accumulate points just to show how strong they are. That's why they will often buy points from people with high points."
"A direct transaction of points?" Gu Ding raised his eyebrow. "Doesn't the system prohibit it?"
"No, the system allows it, because, for every transaction, the system charges a 5% processing fee," Neptune explained.
"So, points can also be transferred from one person to another?" There were still many things Gu Ding did not understand as he had only been to the arena once.
"Of course it can be transferred. How else would they earn anything?"
"Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Can other people see the number of battles and win rate?" Gu Ding found it pointless that some people would just collect points just for the sake of it.
"If they paid, they could set permissions so that ordinary people won't be able to check their stats, and ensure that it only shows the total points," Neptune laughed and said, "And as far as I know, the rich can bribe their rivals to get points and higher win rates. If you offer enough money, the opponent will just admit defeat. In the arena, there are many people who are short of money and play to feed themselves."
"It seems that there are unwritten rules everywhere," Gu Ding shook his head and sighed.
"There are a lot of things that can't be completely eliminated, they can only be regulated and controlled. Overall, the arena's system is actually pretty good. The entire market is still very standardized, and the overall efficiency of the system is pretty much unaffected," Neptune stated.
"As long as I don't run into these kinds of problems, I'll be fine. Earning some pocket money from cultivating the Ultimate Arts will be my main goal in using the arena," Gu Ding was also aware that these kinds of things could not be completely avoided.
"Don't underestimate any opponent in the arena. Even though it's the junior-level arena, there will also be professionals. I just checked the battle video data. You're no match for the top one hundred ranks, and this is just Skyriver Sector's part of the arena." Neptune warned.
"It's okay, it won't be disgraceful to lose to a real powerhouse," Gu Ding grinned and pressed the random match battle button.
"Missy, that kid from last time came back." In the system operating room, a staff member dialed a number after he saw Gu Ding's request to find a new match.
"I see. I'll be right here. You guys go ahead and pair him with a person ranked around ten thousandth first," a female voice came from the opposite side of the communicator. Surprisingly, it was the woman who was eating the lollipop in the operating room last time out.
"They've matched you with a person ranked around ten thousandth. A person of this rank is basically a powerhouse that has just awakened their ability. Just be careful," Neptune disclosed the pairing information to Gu Ding in advance before the result came out.