Chapter 38: Trial Predicament | Monsters Are Coming
"Can someone kindly report his location? I only managed to pick up three crystals last time before getting killed. I can't accept it!"
"Offering 1 sacrificial power for the God of Wealth's coordinates. Post the location first, then I'll transfer payment. I swear I won't cheat."
"The God of Wealth is insane. Some lucky players have already made several thousand sacrificial power points these past few days."
"Watched someone's stream yesterday, picked up enough black crystals to unlock a second Star Vein slot. I'm dying of envy. Please, I beg you, someone post his coordinates. I need to get rich too!"
—
The players' chatter flashed quickly through Qi Sheng's mind.
Since Broken Star had appeared, both the regional chat channel and the forum had become incredibly lively.
Everyone was discussing Broken Star's whereabouts, even giving him a new nickname: 'God of Wealth.'
Because many players had gotten rich simply by picking up black crystals.
Compared to grinding monsters for sacrificial power, picking up black crystals was clearly much easier and far more profitable.
Especially after one player posted his black crystal earnings on the forum and livestreamed himself using the sacrificial power to unlock a second vein slot, the enthusiasm for picking up crystals had completely exploded.
Some players even formed a 'Fortune Hunting Alliance,' scouring the mountains for any trace of Broken Star, hoping to strike it rich by following behind him.
Whenever they found any trace of Broken Star, they would post the coordinates in the regional channel, and massive groups of players would swarm in following the map.
These players believed that sharing the coordinates was the best way to maximize profit.
Going solo meant instant death. Only by moving in groups could they seize the opportunity to grab crystals amidst the chaos.
Finding Broken Star wasn't difficult.
Each time before he started a slaughter, he would ignite a smoke column that attracted Evil Entities. Even from afar, players could spot the smoke rising, and the subsequent movement of Evil Entities revealed his location.
The only complaint among players was that the God of Wealth's methods were far too brutal when they arrived.
He never gave them any chance to communicate.
But players didn't care whether they could talk to the God of Wealth. They only cared whether they could grab a share of the wealth he created.
Some players were also curious about the God of Wealth's behavior.
They didn't understand what Broken Star was doing or why he kept moving locations to slaughter Evil Entities.
No one had an answer.
During this time, one newly updated forum post made Qi Sheng laugh helplessly.
[Has anyone noticed? The God of Wealth's expressions have changed quite a bit.]
Poster: Paying to Get Strong.
Post: These past few days, I've been following everyone tracking the God of Wealth's whereabouts and made a decent profit, but that's not the point. The point is, the God of Wealth's mental state seems to have shifted. I've collected screenshots of his expressions from various livestreams since his appearance, take a look for yourselves.
(God of Wealth Expression Collection)
—
Each screenshot in the post was timestamped.
The first photo was taken during Broken Star's very first encounter with the players.
At that time, Broken Star was expressionless, stern, with visible confidence and pride in his brow.
The second photo, after multiple encounters, showed him frowning slightly, a faint red glow in his eyes, clearly growing irritated.
The third showed him after switching hunting locations, encountering players again, his expression had completely cracked, red light overflowing from his eyes, murderous intent radiating even through the image.
The fourth and fifth images captured him glancing back at players while mid-slaughter after changing locations again, at first briefly stunned, then entirely engulfed in red mist.
The sixth image showed him once again finding players after switching locations. His expression was now complex: anger, unwillingness, regret, frustration, and even a hint of despair… This one was hailed by players as a movie-level performance, fully displaying his emotional breakdown in a single frame.
The seventh image…
From indifference to despair, in the players' eyes, the God of Wealth was on the brink of a mental breakdown.
His once-flowing long hair had grown messy after repeated battles. His pure white eyes were fully dyed crimson, and the once-brilliant light of his rune armor had dimmed.
Comparing the first image to the tenth was enough to fully illustrate his collapse.
The player comments below the post were equally entertaining.
Is This a Beaver?: The God of Wealth doesn't seem happy. Maybe because he hasn't killed enough to his satisfaction?
Dark Land Is Fun: Maybe the God of Wealth is actually a special game mechanic. His endless Evil Entity hunts are like tossing out red envelopes, if you find him, you get free loot. The devs even added difficulty: he kills anyone who tries to grab the loot to make it more fun!
Humanity Rising (replying to Dark Land Is Fun): You know what? That actually makes a lot of sense. It might really be a game mechanic.
Rust Enchantment: The God of Wealth seems to have a deep hatred for Evil Entities. He's totally exhausted yet still roaming to slaughter them. I'm curious about his backstory, but unfortunately, this game relies on discovery, and there's no way to check character lore.
Fortune Turns: Brothers, the God of Wealth is at Blood-Soaked Plains (coordinates), charge!
—
Blood-Soaked Plains, Southern Zone.
The moon hung blood-red, staining the sky crimson, but unable to dispel the gloom blanketing the land. Once lush plains had turned desolate and bleak. Every inch of ground was soaked in blood and strewn with bones.
"This should be the place. Didn't they say the God of Wealth was here? Where is he?"
Two players pushed through a thicket of brambles, arriving at the coordinates posted in the regional channel.
But to their disappointment, there was no sign of the God of Wealth. There weren't even any Evil Entities nearby.
"Damn it, we must've been tricked by some troll spreading fake coordinates," the leading player said through gritted teeth.
"What now, bro?" asked the younger one beside him, around 18 years old.
"What else? We go back…" Just then, the leading player noticed what seemed like a large pit not far away.
Curious, he walked over and pulled away the brambles covering the hole, and both of them gasped sharply.
Inside the pit was a pile of black crystals, easily several hundred pieces.
"Holy crap! We're rich!"
—
An hour later.
A streak of blue light descended from the sky and landed beside the pit.
With a wave of his hand, Broken Star brushed the brambles aside.
But as he was about to throw in the black crystals he held, his expression froze instantly.
"Where are the crystals?"
"My black crystals, where are they?!"
Roar!
Broken Star howled at the sky, his disheveled hair swirling in the wind. His expression contorted, pure white eyes once again flooded with red light.
Yet his endless rage was quickly smothered by despair.
The trial had already lasted five days, but he had made no progress. If this continued, his trial ranking would plummet.
Slumping to the ground beside the pit, Broken Star's gaze grew vacant.
Before the trial began, he had anticipated countless dangers, but he had never imagined he would end up trapped in a deadlock during the Waning Moon scenario.
"I… refuse to accept this…"
With hollow eyes, Broken Star stared dumbly at the emptied pit, mumbling softly.