Mu Yuan felt a pain in his heart. He had worked so hard to earn that bit of Soul Sand, this inter-realm tax was damn expensive!
In the real world, he couldn't check the item description, but he had already memorized the information about the Energy Potions and RedBlood Fruits from the game. He also learned about their uses, any potential side effects, etc. through the game forum.
"The Energy Potions could make one as vigorous as a dragon or a tiger, enough to last seven rounds in one night... they could let one experience the joy of working tirelessly, but I think I should sleep tonight. I'll save these potions for when I need to work hard, like the Novice Trial... I heard it might last one or two days, or even three. I'll probably need the Energy Potions to maintain my status."
Mu Yuan materialized three bottles and left three in the game.
As for the RedBlood Fruits, he extracted all into reality.
"RedBlood Fruits can stimulate blood circulation and strengthen the body. Perfect for someone like me to improve my physique. According to the forum, one shouldn't consume too many at once, just one a day for ten to fifteen days, and you will see significant improvements."
By then, defeating Goblins and stomping Slimes wouldn't be a problem.
Mu Yuan pondered and realized that his current combat power was even slightly lower than that of a level one Little Skeleton.
It was time to strengthen himself.
The RedBlood Fruit was smaller than an apple. Mu Yuan rinsified it and ate it, skin and all.
At first, he didn't feel anything, and thought he might have eaten a fake fruit.
But gradually, he started feeling hot, as if streams of heat were flowing and circulating inside his body. It was as if he had eaten a hundred pounds of spicy crayfish. Hot, unbearably hot!
"Ha!"
Mu Yuan opened his mouth, exhaling a puff of white mist.
He felt a little uncomfortable but endured it. At this point, taking a cold shower would relieve some discomfort but would interfere with the absorption of the RedBlood Fruit's effect.
Time ticked by.
He didn't have to withstand it for long. About half an hour later, the discomfort quickly subsided, and he felt clear-headed and strong.
Mu Yuan clenched his fists, clearly feeling the flow of power in his hands.
He felt he could kill a wolf with one punch!
Of course, this was an illusion. Even Skeleton Soldiers couldn't kill a Grey Wolf with a single punch, let alone an ordinary person like him.
But the increase in strength and the feeling of lightness in his body were not illusions.
Mu Yuan was a bit too energetic, so he did several sets of radio exercises before gradually cooling down.
He took a shower and went to bed.
"It's not even one o'clock yet, this lifestyle is too healthy and regular."
...
The next day, at seven o'clock in the morning, Mu Yuan woke up naturally. He jumped out of bed, looking incredibly energetic.
He went to his computer, which he never turned off, to check the situation from last night.
Last night was not peaceful. His weak territory was actually harassed by monsters, once at around two in the morning, and once at around four.
"These Grey Wolves, Goblins, have no respect for the code of martial arts."
"Oh, they were beheaded by the patrolling Dead Bone as soon as they entered the territory? That's fine then."
There were two Grey Wolves and three Goblins, all weaklings.
But according to the diary, Dead Bones still adopted a tactical... scratch that... a deceitful method of attack. Mu Yuan nodded in approval.
He chanted "Evolution Points," and a faint window appeared in front of him.
Let's skip the Falcon's Evolution Points. The Evolution Points of the Skeleton Series had grown overnight to "1.78," which was enough to evolve another Skeleton Soldier.
Mu Yuan had previously tried to continue evolving Dead Bone, and the feedback was that he needed 5 Evolution Points.
Pretty expensive.
At low levels, a Rare Rank Troop might not even be able to beat five regular Three-star Troops. But Rare Rank Troops have a higher maximum level, level up faster, and breakthrough major ranks easier, so this comparison isn't fair.
Mu Yuan was hesitating whether to evolve more Skeleton Soldiers or to save up and let Dead Bone advance to Rare Rank Troops.
"Let's wait."
"For now, let the Dead Bone continue their training. I'll step out... when I get back, Dead Bone should be able to level up to level three."
Mu Yuan brought the few precious Soul Sands and a bottle of the Energy Potion with him as he left his house.
And he transferred the Supernatural Game to his phone — yup, it's a multiplatform game. It doesn't matter whether you play it on a phone, computer or handheld console, they are all just mediums. So he didn't need to worry about not being able to keep an eye on the game while he was out.
Half an hour later, in the middle of the city.
The place is bustling.
Mu Yuan stands in front of a grand semi-spherical building looking at the eye-catching words "Players Association" on it. He feels like choking on his own words.
"This indeed is the city center, and indeed the address of the Players Association, but..."
He's passed the city center countless times, but how come he has no recollection of this grand building? It's not something you'd forget after one glance.
This is practically a landmark!
However, in the eyes of the passer-by, this seems just like an average building. It's strange, very strange.
It seems that only players can see this building.
The fact that he suddenly stopped, with a look of surprise, made some pedestrians cast their glances.
What's wrong with this kid?
Mu Yuan blushed slightly, his actions were unavoidable, you guys wouldn't understand!
Fortunately, he was not the only one to react this way. Three others had the same reaction, they were, like him, newcomers to Baijiang City.
When everyone makes a fool of themselves, it was like none did.
"Player?"
"Player!"
"Heaven covers, earth holds."
"Treasure…what? No, what's really going on with this Players Association?"
However, the presence of other newcomers eased the tension somewhat. Still, Mu Yuan couldn't help but chuckle.
One of them was wearing a frog costume, whether to hide his identity or just coming back from work was unknown;
Another was in a cos dress, cosplaying a Fox Lady troop, with a wiggly white fox tail, it was hard not to follow its movement with your eyes;
The last one seemed normal, except his hair was messily piled up like a bird's nest, the dark circles under his eyes were glaringly apparent, his face was deathly pale, which made people question if he would suddenly collapse.
They're all performance artists, huh.
Ahem, although Mu Yuan too had done a bit of disguise. Yep, just a bit.
After some interaction, they became slightly acquainted.
The guy in the frog costume was called "Selling Tadpoles Frog", older than Mu Yuan, hence the nickname "Old Brother Mai Wa"; the girl in the Fox Lady costume referred to herself as "White Fox Yingingying", Mu Yuan shortened it to "San Ying"; the young man with the 'soon to die' look had the username "Liver Emperor", Mu Yuan simply called him "Liver Emperor".
Mu Yuan also made up a previously-prepared 'player's nickname', which might make him fit in a bit more.
It's not that he doesn't want to be a decent person.
...
There are employees at the Players Association responsible for welcoming and explaining things to the players.
Under the guidance of the staff, Mu Yuan and the others quickly entered the Association.
As soon as they stepped in, it felt like stepping into a new world.
From the outside, the Players Association already looked grand. Only by stepping inside did they realize the interior was even more spacious, with not too few people coming and going.
That's because not only players were here, but also an equal number of staff members.
"Because many new players have joined lately, and many old players have returned, the Association is much busier than usual."
"Usually, those in strange costumes are new players, while those dressed casually and normally are old players."
The receptionist said so.
At this point, 'Old Brother Mai Wa' couldn't help but say, "But given how dangerous the Eternal World is, being cautious as a player is necessary, right?"
"Indeed caution is important."
Before the receptionist could answer, a bearded, old player passing by remarked, "In the old days, I too was like you guys, cautious. But over time, you'll find that all the old players here at the association are geniuses, and they're very nice to talk to. I love coming here very much.
"As for the dangers... indeed, occasionally monsters would stray into Lanxing, some black market criminals would act, then there are the dangerous border areas and those crazy cults, but this world is actually not that dangerous."
Mu Yuan: "..."
Three performance artists: "..."