Chapter 07: Bonus Instance "Slot Machine"

Speaking of running dungeons, Xi Yan suddenly remembered there was a question he had always wanted to ask Qu Ya, but he hadn’t had the chance, being constantly on the run.

“Qu Ya, what’s the use of points?”

Qu Ya replied, “It’s all explained on your control panel. It should be relatively safe right now, so take a look.”

Xi Yan nodded and opened his control panel. Even now, he still felt as if the end of the world was unreal, and it was strange to think he could summon a game-like control panel from his own body.

It was unheard of. All he had wanted was to live quietly with Xi Lin, never imagining things would turn out this way.

He opened his control panel, and at once, a pale blue translucent box floated in front of him.

Only the user could see their own control panel.

At the bottom of the panel, Xi Yan saw “Rules,” and he tapped into the “Points System” under “Rules.”

Points System:
Points required to enter each of the nine major survival zones: 2000
Points required to enter the main city: 3000
Points required for other survival zones: 1000
Points required to participate in a dungeon: varies by dungeon level and difficulty (50–999 points)
When the shop is unlocked, points will also be needed to exchange for items
...

There were more places requiring points, but Xi Yan didn’t pay much attention. He understood clearly now: everything required points, and these points were as essential as money in daily life.

Given that, he would have to run dungeons to earn them. Was there any other way to get points besides dungeons?

He kept reading and found “Ways to Obtain Points” at the bottom.

Ways to Obtain Points:
1. Earned through dungeons
2. Earned by killing the Forsaken
3. Earned by defeating others (no points if you kill them)
4. By being gifted or gifting points through the Exchange
5. Each survivor receives 100 points every month

After reading the ways to earn points, Xi Yan felt a bit lost. Every survivor received points every month? Who was controlling all this? Was it really a god…

Seeing Xi Yan lost in thought, Qu Ya waved a hand in front of his face. “Xi Yan? What’s wrong?”

Qu Ya’s voice snapped him back to reality. He smiled faintly and replied, “It’s nothing. Let’s go run a dungeon.”

Qu Ya nodded, then pulled out a card. Xi Yan looked at him in confusion, not sure what he was up to.

The next moment, Qu Ya unlocked the card, and—quite suddenly—a wardrobe appeared right in front of Xi Yan. The corner of Xi Yan’s mouth twitched involuntarily as he blinked at Qu Ya.

“What are you… trying to do?” Xi Yan took a step back, genuinely curious.

“Change clothes, of course. Look at your tattered outfit. Your clothes can’t withstand harsh environments and will get damaged, but the clothes from this card are permanent and can adapt to tough conditions.”

After hearing the explanation, Xi Yan could only laugh helplessly. Still, under Qu Ya’s watchful gaze, he picked out a black shirt and black pants.

Qu Ya also changed into a set of gray clothes, looking very low-key, and even put on a baseball cap.

As Xi Yan glanced at his old, ragged clothes tossed aside, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed—it was barely enough to cover him anymore.

“There’s a C-level dungeon nearby, if I remember right. Let’s check it out,” Qu Ya said, putting the wardrobe away and looking at Xi Yan.

“Alright.”

Qu Ya led Xi Yan toward the dungeon. Since the survival zones had appeared, Xi Yan had never actually seen what a dungeon was like.

The journey went smoothly enough. Although there were Forsaken wandering about, their path kept them far enough away to avoid being noticed or attacked.

Eventually, Qu Ya stopped with Xi Yan in front of a vending machine.

There were no goods left inside, and the surface was pitted and dented—clear signs of a battle between someone and a Forsaken.

Qu Ya tapped the vending machine rhythmically. Immediately, the machine emitted a faint light, transforming into a brand-new slot machine before their eyes.

“A slot machine? Wasn’t this a vending machine?” Xi Yan’s mind was reeling with questions.

“That’s how this dungeon works. You can check it on your control panel. Some dungeons are recorded and cataloged. Don’t worry about it, just give it a try.”

Qu Ya grinned and stepped aside to let Xi Yan take the player’s seat. Xi Yan felt his worldview being upended yet again—another piece of bizarre knowledge added to the list.

He sat down before the slot machine. From behind him, Qu Ya added, “You can only play this slot machine once, and you don’t need any points to enter this dungeon. In other words, it’s more of a welfare bonus, so make the most of it!”

“Only once?” Xi Yan turned to look at Qu Ya. “You’ve already tried it?”

Qu Ya froze at the question, then scratched his head awkwardly. “Yeah, but I didn’t win anything special—just got 50 points.”

Xi Yan turned back to look at the slot machine’s buttons. On the side was a reward description:

C-Level Dungeon Slot Machine:
Three matching symbols: One S-rank card, 500 points
Two matching symbols: 200 points
Apple: 100 points
Orange or tangerine: 50 points

After reading the instructions, Xi Yan pressed the button without much thought.

The screen began to spin, but Xi Yan wasn’t expecting much—it was all a matter of luck, after all.

As the reels slowed, the first symbol stopped: an apple. Slowly, the second stopped—another apple.

Xi Yan raised an eyebrow, his hopes rising as he watched the third reel. Qu Ya leaned in, waiting for the last symbol to settle.

And the outcome didn’t disappoint them—the third was an apple as well.

The air suddenly grew still; even the whisper of the breeze through their hair was audible.

After a few seconds, Xi Yan tentatively asked, “Did I… win?”

Qu Ya, a little dazed, replied, “It seems… it seems so…”

Before they could question it further, a card and a green core crystal popped out of a slot on the side of the machine.

Core crystals could be used to raise the user’s level, usually dropped by dungeons or by killing Forsaken.

Their levels were denoted by color—red being the lowest, followed by orange, and so on. After purple came black, and the highest level was white and semi-transparent.

Staring at the card and the green core crystal in his hand, Xi Yan’s mind went blank. Qu Ya’s reaction was much the same.

The two of them stood there, as if turned to stone.