Understanding Event Armaments and Sub-Talents

Since both ‘Event Armaments’ and ‘Sub-Talents’ have been mentioned, it would be best to offer a brief explanation here to avoid any misunderstandings.

First and foremost, the game’s core theme revolves around puzzle-solving. Anything that transcends natural laws is subject to significant limitations, ensuring it can never disrupt the game’s balance.

For instance, talents inherently come with a cost upon activation. Moreover, talents are never designed to possess overly disruptive powers; they primarily serve an auxiliary role.

The same applies to Event Armaments. They are merely tools with minor special effects, often offering very limited utility. An Event Armament like the blue-haired youth’s pistol is already considered an exceptionally potent type.

Their most significant advantage is likely their ability to be retrieved regardless of the game’s rules, free from any restrictions on item carrying.

As a player’s inherent qualities improve within the game, they can activate a maximum of two talents and bind one Event Armament. Acquiring these items also demands a significant price, making them virtually impossible to obtain during the novice stage.

Many players, despite reaching the purple card stage, still lack even a single talent. They are often left scrambling to acquire an Event Armament just to save face.

Generally speaking, talents are far rarer than Event Armaments. Activating a talent relies entirely on one’s innate qualities and abilities, often requiring a substantial amount of luck. Conversely, an Event Armament can be exchanged from the system store, provided one has enough points.

As for why Xiang Qi possessed a main talent from the outset, that delves into a later part of the main storyline, which we will address in due course.

While the blue-haired youth and Xiang Ke often jest about being ‘old hands,’ they actually represent mid-tier strength in regular gameplay. Completing a ‘second breakthrough’ is not an unimaginable feat for them.

Incidentally, ‘second breakthrough’ is a term players use in the game. It refers to acquiring two talents and one Event Armament, with each acquisition counting as a ‘breakthrough.’

The wondrous powers bestowed by talents and Event Armaments certainly warrant such a designation.

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Returning to the main point, the blue-haired youth initially believed his rare Event Armament was a sufficient trump card. He himself had only acquired such a powerful item through a stroke of luck, and naturally, he projected his own experience onto others, assuming they possessed a similar level of strength at most.

Combined with Xiang Ke’s performance throughout their journey, the blue-haired youth developed a condescending attitude towards her, leading to his downfall in this very situation.

‘Never underestimate anyone’ is a truth understood by anyone who has spent some time in the game. Yet, human nature is complex; much like how most people know junk food is harmful but still can’t resist it, this universal truth is often overlooked for various reasons.

This was the one thing the blue-haired youth could not have predicted. While Xiang Ke’s overall capabilities might only be considered passable, her unique talent had led to her being a 重点培养 (key focus of cultivation) by her team early on. Naturally, she was not comparable to players who had to struggle on their own.

In the purple card stage, many players, like the blue-haired youth, opted to dedicate their second breakthrough slot to an Event Armament. However, due to her team’s consideration, Xiang Ke had more choices, leaving the slot open for a Sub-Talent.

And then, she succeeded.

Such a development was indeed beyond human prediction.

The appearance of a Sub-Talent, which should only manifest during a ‘third breakthrough,’ caught the blue-haired youth completely off guard.

“Now, I am stronger.”

The blue-haired youth felt the pressure on him ease as Xiang Ke quietly withdrew her talent. She looked at him with a sigh.

Relying on rubbing her head to alleviate the intense discomfort, Xiang Ke had initially not intended to reveal her Sub-Talent here. However, she simply could not tolerate the blue-haired youth’s attitude and thus acted.

In necessary circumstances, she would not hesitate to kill, but she was unwilling to harm others unless the situation deteriorated to a certain extent.

Everyone had passed through this stage. The game’s rules were already so cruel; why should they inflict further harm upon each other?

Before an inevitable fatal outcome, one should at least leave others a chance to survive.

This was why she had merely left Chen Anhe outside the door earlier instead of delivering a killing blow—a nearly extravagant act of kindness in the game.

“Let’s just stop here. Don’t continue like this.” Xiang Ke lowered her gaze slightly. She knew letting the blue-haired youth go was a significant risk, yet she chose to act this way due to certain subtle emotions.

‘I can’t deal with the Pursuer on my own; I still need this guy’s help for now.’

“You will regret this.”

A look of surprise crossed the blue-haired youth’s face. Then, as if understanding something, he curled his lips into a silent smile.

“There’s a mole in the team. The Pursuer is hidden among us.”

“I know, but that’s no reason for you to randomly kill.” Xiang Ke frowned, glancing at the blue-haired youth. Although she lacked the most crucial information, she was not foolish. “Killing indiscriminately without concrete evidence only depletes our own manpower here.”

“You’ve killed at least four people, haven’t you? Was any of them the hidden Pursuer?”

So far, the death toll had reached eight: Yu Mingyuan, who died of a heart attack at the beginning; Wu Jiancheng, the driver, ambushed by the muscular man; the muscular man himself, killed by Xiang Ke and Ji Hua working together; an unnamed person taken out by Liu Zhengxuan; two bodies presumed to be a couple; Liang Qian, the man in the suit, who also died; and finally, Chen Anhe, the youth finished off by Liu Zhengxuan.

Eight people had already died, yet the Pursuer remained undiscovered. A casualty rate exceeding fifty percent was unacceptable.

However, something felt amiss. Xiang Ke strained to recall if she had missed anything.

“Wait, I only killed three.”

Now it was the blue-haired youth’s turn to look surprised. Although he had deactivated his talent when Xiang Ke did, the strain from using his talent multiple times in a short period was already becoming unbearable.

He believed Xiang Ke’s condition was undoubtedly worse than his; such immense power could not have a low consumption rate. This might be a point he could exploit.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m really not lying this time; I truly only killed three people.” Seeing Xiang Ke’s disbelief, the blue-haired youth couldn’t help but feel a little helpless. “Believe it or not, my gun only had three bullets. How could I possibly kill a fourth person?”