Chapter 252: Chapter 251: Divine Letters and Nen (Part 2)
"Rob me? Unlucky for you. But this game's design is quite considerate, no need to clean up the bodies."
Looking at the four corpses on the ground that immediately turned into four rays of light and vanished, along with the four divine character rings on his hand that also disappeared in an instant, Daniel sighed lightly.
In the game, if a player dies, their data is immediately reset. Their body and the divine character rings they carry are instantly transported out of the game. This is probably the reason why Greed Island continues to attract a steady stream of players.
Therefore, to rob someone of their cards in this game, aside from using spell cards, one could only resort to threats. If one encountered someone who would rather die than surrender, it would be a lose-lose situation. No matter how extraordinary the cards in the opponent's collection book were, they would reset upon death.
Daniel didn't know what Ging and his companions' original intention was in creating this game, but from the current state of Greed Island and its various settings, it was clear that this was a game that encouraged looting and trading.
Many spell cards could rob opponents of their cards, such as Theft, Pickpocket, Robbery, and Levy. Conversely, there were also spell cards for protecting one's cards, like Jail, City Gate, Reflection, and Barrier.
Perhaps Ging and his companions intended to make the game more enjoyable, but unfortunately, this was a real-world game where death meant no revival. Consequently, not everyone would follow the game's rules and use spell cards to steal; instead, they found it simpler to use force.
After all, cards required completing tasks or spending game currency to acquire, and they weren't cheap. Players naturally sought to save wherever they could.
The high death rate among Greed Island players was largely due to this, with only a small portion dying at the hands of monsters or enemy NPCs.
While the game had cards like Accompany, Magnetic Force, Drift, Leave, and Start, not every player owned such cards. As mentioned before, game cards weren't cheap. Hence, many players couldn't leave this real-world game and were stuck inside.
Players trapped in Greed Island couldn't obtain exit cards. Gradually saving money to buy them was difficult because players needed to eat and drink, all of which cost money. After all, this was a game where one couldn't log out.
Naturally, some people banded together to rob others. And it wasn't just those who wanted an easy way out; even those who sought to gain without effort did the same.
The hundred specified cards were particularly valuable within the game, especially those that were hard to obtain and limited in number, often fetching high prices from buyers.
Greed Island was a collection game. To pass, one needed to gather all hundred cards, strictly speaking, ninety-nine cards. Thus, if one monopolized a card that was scarce, even if others collected the remaining ninety-eight, they would still need to come to you.
It was like a treasure map; one didn't need the entire map, just a piece. Those with most of the map would naturally seek you out to negotiate.
Most players with ambitions to pass the game first aimed to monopolize a scarce card. This ensured others couldn't pass without their cooperation.
For example, Razor monopolized one card in the game, and Bomber's group did the same with another.
"Do you want to join us? Our team has already gathered over ninety cards. We just need to get card number seventeen, the Archangel's Breath. If you contribute to the team, you will be rewarded based on your contributions when we pass the game."
In the City of Prizes, Antokiba, after Daniel became the champion of the competitive tournament and obtained the Sword of Truth, he was approached by a young man named Puhat.
Initially uninterested, Daniel agreed after Puhat mentioned the Archangel's Breath. Acquiring this card required a complex process, extensive manpower, and time. So far, not a single one had appeared.
Puhat's team planned to obtain all three Archangel's Breath cards. Even without Battera's five hundred billion reward, items from the game could be exchanged for vast amounts of money outside.
For instance, the Witch's Youth Elixir, with a total of one hundred doses, could be sold individually.
No matter the world, there were always those willing to exchange money for life, and those willing to trade life for wealth.
Before his journey, Daniel would have been tempted if someone offered him billions in exchange for a year or a few years of his life.
For ordinary people, earning such wealth in a lifetime was impossible. To them, lifespan was just a concept. Like Mephistopheles and other hellish demons making contracts for souls in exchange for earthly pleasures, many couldn't refuse.
Likewise, wealthy individuals, especially those nearing the end of their lives, eagerly sought to trade wealth for longevity.
"Now we need to obtain the Jail spell card to protect the Archangel's Breath." In a secret valley outside the City of Prizes, Daniel followed Puhat to a gathering of about fifty players. This organization, led by a man named Nikens and several assistants, aimed to secure the Jail card.
Spell cards weren't always available in the magical city of Masadora. Only basic cards could be purchased there. The Jail card, an S-level difficulty to obtain, was not as hard as specified cards but still challenging, with only ten in existence.
The Jail card's effectiveness matched its difficulty, offering permanent protection for a card.
Nikens' speech was persuasive, capable of rallying so many players. Whether he genuinely intended to share rewards or take the cards and run was unknown.
"I heard Bomber reappeared, so be careful when going out on missions." After the meeting, as Daniel prepared to leave, he overheard a young man discussing Bomber with others. Puhat then introduced Daniel to this young man, Ganshu.
"Sorry, I don't like being touched." When Ganshu tried to pat Daniel's shoulder, he stepped back, avoiding the touch.
"Oh, my bad." Ganshu apologized with a warm smile.
"This guy is suspicious. Could he be Bomber?" Despite Ganshu's sincere apology, Daniel noticed something off in his eyes.
However, the name Ganshu didn't ring any bells for Daniel. Thanks to a certain someone who loved playing Mahjong, Daniel only remembered the main characters and some plot details from Hunter x Hunter.
He vaguely recalled Gon and Killua clearing the game and meeting Kite afterward. As for Bomber, a minor character, if not for constant mentions in the game, Daniel would have forgotten completely.
The frequent mentions of Bomber finally jogged Daniel's memory about the enemy in Greed Island, though he couldn't recall the name.
"If he's Bomber, this will be interesting." Suspecting Ganshu might be Bomber, Daniel didn't warn Nikens and his group.
Having Bomber around could be advantageous for Daniel. He was determined to get the Archangel's Breath.
"Divine characters are truly powerful, almost comparable to runes." Deep underground in the City of Prizes, Daniel discovered a large divine character in the magma. He finally understood that Greed Island's energy came from there.
Using divine characters to convert geothermal energy was a technology even the Marvel world hadn't achieved, yet it was practically applied in Greed Island.
"Someone has entered the underground." As Daniel explored the depths, a blonde boy playing a game in a huge castle put down his controller and opened a notebook, bringing up a large screen showing Daniel underground. This boy was Lister, one of the eleven creators of Greed Island.
"There's an issue here." Lister quickly contacted the others. Soon, three virtual screens appeared around him, showing a scruffy-looking man and two identical girls with different hair.
"He seems to be studying those divine characters."
This rare research opportunity was something Daniel wouldn't destroy. Ging might not be able to defeat him, but he had technology Daniel needed. Destroying it would mean closing Greed Island, which would make Daniel regret it.
Despite having the Arc Reactor, Daniel still sought new energy technologies. More energy sources were always welcome, especially ones that theoretically provided unlimited energy like geothermal conversion.
Studying divine characters himself wasn't impossible for Daniel, but it would be time-consuming. Supposedly ancient symbols in the Hunter world, divine characters could only be found in ruins, with some ruins containing just one.
This hinted at the divine characters' power. Riza had a subordinate who enhanced his strength using a divine character.
"Researching this thoroughly will take time." After photographing all the underground divine characters, Daniel began his research, knowing such a critical area was likely monitored. He took pictures to avoid being expelled.
Divine characters were essentially various patterns. Some ancient flags or symbols were divine characters in the past.
In essence, characters were also patterns. To utilize divine characters, the image had to be complete, like an alchemical array. Any damage rendered them useless, but divine characters were sturdier than arrays, hard to destroy, especially when intricately combined. The small iron box Ging left Gon was an example, even Killua couldn't break it.
"It seems he's not causing trouble. What should we do, ignore him or expel him?" As game administrators, they had means to deal with players, with banning being the most common. Complaints would only be heard if one found the right number to call.
"This isn't right. Ging said this is a free game. Maybe we should contact him," suggested one of the identical girls, either Elena or Ida.
"Alright." After a moment's consideration, the others agreed.
"Hey, you're contacting me? What's up?" Ging's voice, along with non-human roars, came through the phone.
"Someone's discovered the underground." Lister explained Daniel's actions and identity, easily found by matching his face and name to
the fake identity Daniel used in this world.
"A new Hunter? If he's not causing trouble, let it be. If he disrupts the game, expel him. I have to go." Ging hung up, and another roar followed.
"Wait, Ging, you..." Lister tried to continue, but Ging hung up, leaving the four with disgruntled expressions.
Ging's core team had eleven members, but only four guarded the game while the rest roamed the world.
"I wanted to tell him about his son Gon." When Gon appeared, the unique divine character ring immediately revealed his identity to the team.
"If I could get the full technology set, it'd be great to establish such an island in the Pirate World." A base for instant return was something Daniel hoped to build.
"Combining divine characters with Seastone could make sturdy handcuffs or armor." Geothermal energy conversion was complex, requiring slow research. However, Daniel had fully understood the small iron box from Gon and found new applications.
Sturdy divine characters were ideal for handcuffs and armor, like Vibranium armor enhanced with divine characters. This would increase its defense and counter special abilities like the Ope Ope no Mi.
Nen, derived from life's aura, was akin to Armament Haki, sharing its effect of attacking Logia Devil Fruits.
"Robin is curious about ancient scripts. I'll bring her and Ida here someday."
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