"Damn, why is leveling up in this damn game so hard?"
Beside the Resurrection Stone in the newbie village, a gaunt warrior player couldn't help but complain shortly after being resurrected.
Following that, four beams of light illuminated one after another around him.
Those resurrected were his teammates who had been pioneering the wilderness with him.
One of the magus players checked his Attribute Panel and lamented with tears welling up, "Big bro, I got demoted again. I'm only level 7 now."
The warrior responded irritably, "I know! I almost got demoted too!"
"We all lost half a bar of experience for a measly level 5 axe; we're at a staggering loss here!"
As he spoke, the warrior took out the unidentified level 5 axe from his inventory.
He examined it for a while and frowned, "Damn it, that was the only drop from that BOSS. It was so hard to kill, and it even self-destructed after we killed it! If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered with it."
"An unidentified axe... None of us have the appraisal skill either."
"Second bro, do you remember how much does the blacksmith shop in the newbie village charge for identifying equipment?"
One of the archers beside the warrior replied unhappily, "50 silver coins."
The warrior's eyes widened in shock, "I don't even have 50 silver coins in total! And considering the current exchange rate in this game, 50 silver coins equate to 500 dollars in the real world, right?"
The archer shrugged, "Can't help it, that's just the identification fee for equipment under level 10. If it's level 10 equipment, identification would cost at least one gold coin… Anyway, I have seen countless people go bankrupt gambling on equipment these past few days."
The group was conversing with distressed and somber faces.
At this moment, a male player dressed in a black robe and wearing a hood that concealed his ID (game name) passed by.
Upon seeing the axe in the warrior's hand, he stopped and expressed his interest to the leading warrior, "That axe looks pretty good. Although it's unidentified, it has a pretty cool design."
"How about selling it to me?"
"I'm planning to gift it to a friend who is a warrior class."
Among the five individuals, the lead warrior scrutinized the person from top to bottom and asked with uncertainty, "Are you sure you want it?"
The man in the black robe and hood smiled faintly, "So, you are not selling it?" "If not, then never mind." He said, ready to walk away.
The leading warrior immediately stopped him, offering a kind smile, "Brother, hold on, we can discuss this calmly. This weapon is a drop from the hardest to find boss, Sludge, in the southern part of the newbie village. Although it hasn't been appraised yet, it is undoubtedly valuable."
"How much are you willing to offer for it?"
The hooded man glanced at him and said indifferently, "One silver coin."
Hearing the hooded man's offer, the warrior shook his head instantly, "No, no. We all lost half a level for this equipment. One silver coin is definitely not enough."
The hooded man responded with a steadfast smile, "Big brother, there's a high probability that this weapon is just trash. It's only a level 5 equipment, and now the average player level is around seven or eight."
"I'm helping you cut your losses here. If I don't buy it and you try to sell it in the marketplace, there's a good chance you won't even get one silver coin for it. I just want to give a nice gift to my friend. If you find the price unsuitable, then never mind."
Seeing that the hooded man had no intention of raising the price, the warrior turned back to look at his four teammates.
The four hastily nodded, frantically signaling him to sell it quickly. After all, a small gain is still a gain!
Holding onto this level 5 weapon would only depreciate its value over time.
It was better to exchange it for a silver coin, which could help save up for potions for the next leveling up session.
The warrior sighed, a pained expression on his face, "Alright, since you sincerely want it, I won't be stubborn about it. One silver coin, take it."
Struggling to hold back a smile, the hooded man emotionlessly opened the trading interface.
After both parties had placed a coin and the unidentified axe in the interface, the trade was successful.
…
Watching the freshly resurrected group of five brothers walk away, Sebastian Hawk could no longer contain the smile on his face.
He looked at the axe in front of him, chuckling, "It truly came to me without any effort. Just one silver coin, it's practically given to me for free."
With a wave of his hand, he opened a "special" panel that only he could see. At the top of the panel, it displayed:
"Ultimate Intelligence System" in bold letters.
Sebastian then opened the game's built-in personal Attribute Panel:
[ID: ShepherdWind]
[Level: lv1]
[Class: magus]
[HP: 100]
[MP: 120]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Wisdom: 20]
[Endurance: 5]
[Spirit: 10]
…
Yes, he was just a level 1 player.
Although he was at level 1, Sebastian was no novice in the gaming world.
He was a veteran online gamer, well-versed with various gaming strategies and maneuvers.
The game he was playing now, named "Original Realm," was crafted by a collaboration of top five transnational gaming companies in the world.
Every aspect of the game was generated through calculations and simulations executed by high-end artificial intelligence, impervious to any intervention from any country, organization, or individual.
It was touted as a flawless game, completely devoid of bugs.
The game employed a fully immersive gameplay mode.
Players could enter the game using sensory helmets or immersion pods, experiencing feedback in the game as if it were the real world.
Before the launch of "Original Realm," players from all over the world were ready and eager to enter.
A week after the launch, a system was implemented allowing the exchange of in-game currency for real-world money.
Therefore, people could now "work" in the game, earning virtual currency to exchange for real currency.
Sebastian initially planned to enter the game just for fun, to earn some pocket money.
Little did he know, as soon as he entered the game, he was bound to a system called the "Ultimate Intelligence System."
The system informed him that with each level he attained, he would get a chance to pull from intelligence banner.
Intelligence was categorized into four levels based on rarity and importance: white, blue, purple, and gold, with the gold intelligence being the rarest and most valuable.
The intelligence he drew using the newbie reward was precisely what he was holding at the moment—"an unidentified axe."
Sebastian glanced again at the Ultimate Intelligence System's panel. It currently displayed the first intelligence he had obtained:
[Lost Axe (White): At 3:45 pm, the warrior player 'Fury of the World' will appear next to the newbie village Resurrection Stone, holding a level 5 unidentified axe. Once identified, this axe is approximately worth 50 gold coins.]
50 gold coins.
That equated to 5000 silver coins or 500,000 copper coins!
Converted to real-world universal currency, that was a full fifty thousand dollars.
While such a sum might be nothing to the wealthy and the rich second generation, for Sebastian, a recent college graduate, it was a considerable amount, enough to last him a very long time.
So, firstly, to verify the accuracy of the Ultimate Intelligence System, and secondly, to earn those fifty thousand dollars, Sebastian headed to the side of the newbie village Resurrection Stone without hesitation, all for this unidentified axe!