Chapter 21 New Terminal Functions
"I wonder what the difference is between excellent and ordinary?"
Guan Tong thought he'd have to check online later to see if the white paper on the rules of the apocalypse had been updated.
But right now, he still had things to study.
First, there were the new functions enabled on his personal terminal.
There were two: [Social] and [Trade].
The names were easy to understand, just the literal meaning, but upon closer inspection, he discovered some hidden mechanisms.
The [Social] function allowed duplicate nicknames.
That is, Guan Tong could be called "Shadow," and others could also use the nickname "Shadow."
The difference was distinguished by each person's unique "digital ID."
Guan Tong checked; his digital ID was 771539268.
To add friends, he could simply enter the digital ID, preventing him from adding the wrong person.
Besides adding friends, the [Social] function also had an option to add "enemies."
Guan Tong observed that if someone was added as an enemy, the added person would receive a notification. Once both were enemies, a notification would appear when their positions were within a certain distance.
Furthermore, the two enemies could not "team up."
Although Guan Tong didn't know what the "team-up" feature was for, he guessed it would be used in later rules.
Another new feature, "Trade," had a "Market" option.
Everyone could list tradable items on the market for sale.
Those who wanted to buy could use Ascension Coins.
However, currently the market showed zero items; no one had listed anything yet.
Guan Tong looked at it, remembering the Fire Thief's voice saying that the Ascension Shop had added more items.
He closed the Market function and opened the Ascension Shop.
Sure enough, the interface had changed.
Previously, the shop was empty except for a search bar; now, items appeared.
However, the quantity was limited; Guan Tong glanced at it—the list only had one page, and only a few items on that page.
[Basic Weapon Box - Bronze]: Allows you to choose one melee weapon after use.
[Price: 50 Ascendant Coins]
...
[Basic Medical Kit - Bronze]: Grants a random medical item after use.
[Price: 80 Ascendant Coins]
...
[Basic Food Kit - Bronze]: Grants 1 unit of basic food after use.
[Price: 20 Ascendant Coins]
...
There were three items for sale in total, which Guan Tong quickly scanned.
His first impression was two words: useless.
Take the weapon box, for example. Opening it allows you to choose one melee weapon, such as a dagger or machete.
The biggest advantage of choosing a dagger from the box compared to buying a knife from the supermarket is portability and concealment.
Because man-made items in reality cannot be stored in the personal terminal's storage box.
In other words, you can buy a box from the Ascendant Shop, open it, get a dagger, and store it in the storage box when not in use.
In case of danger, you can instantly retrieve the dagger from the terminal's storage box with a thought.
—That's about the advantage.
It's not bad, but would Guan Tong really spend 50 Ascension Coins to buy it? He wouldn't.
Firstly, he's poor, and he can't afford to waste Ascension Coins.
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On the other hand, rather than wielding cold weapons and engaging in hand-to-hand combat, he preferred to avoid putting himself in such a dangerous situation.
If he had to buy something, he would prefer the second medical kit.
If it contained any multi-functional medicine, it might come in handy someday.
As for the third food kit, it puzzled Guan Tong.
The first two had their own uses, so what was the food kit for?
"If there's a problem with the social environment and a famine breaks out, it's okay to buy this food kit with Ascended Coins as an emergency measure. Under normal circumstances, as long as there's still food, no one would buy it."
Everyone knows how hard it is to obtain Ascended Coins.
Currently, the only known way to obtain them is by successfully challenging the rules of the apocalypse, making them extremely scarce.
Guan Tong believed that now that the [Trading] function was open, including the new items in the Ascended Shop, the value of Ascended Coins would be terrifyingly high.
He estimated that those big shots in reality wouldn't even bat an eye if they were asked to exchange a pound of gold for one Ascended Coin.
Unfortunately, they couldn't exchange them even if they wanted to.
Even if someone wanted to give away their Ascended Coins, it wouldn't be easy!
Currently, there's no "gift" function in the terminal. To obtain someone else's Ascension Coins, you have to sell them items.
However, it seems no one possesses tradable items right now; at least, no one is listing them on the market.
The [Clarity Peppermint Candy] produced during the first apocalypse rule is completely untradeable.
The [Gene Optimization Essence] Guan Tong just opened from the box is tradable, but unless someone's brain-dead, no one would list such a precious item on the market.
Even if they did, who could afford it? Selling it cheaply is possible, but that would be incredibly foolish. Generally, people that foolish wouldn't be able to acquire such a valuable item anyway.
"I'll save my coins for now,"
Guan Tong said, closing the shop after checking.
He didn't plan to spend anything; there was no need.
Saving them up and buying better items later was the best option for Guan Tong.
Satisfied, Guan Tong went to his study and turned on his computer.
He originally wanted to check the white paper's update status online, but the internet was flooded with complaints from netizens.
"Holy crap! My mental strength has decreased by 15 points, and my maximum has dropped to over 30!"
"I decreased by 7 points, this is awful..."
"I'm dizzy! I was originally 80, barely getting a normal rating. Now it's decreased to 72, making me an inferior one again!"
"Why is the decrease in mental strength cap different for people who failed the challenge???"
"The white paper has been updated; it seems to be related to the completion rate of the rules. The closer you are to successfully completing the challenge, the less the decrease."
"I'm so upset! The shop has new items, but now I have 0 coins and can't buy anything!"
From the previous group's challenge success rate, it's clear that most people failed.
This means that while they won't get the Ascension Coin reward, their precious mental strength cap will also decrease.
In Guan Tong's view, this is the most fatal flaw.
"The further the rules progress, the more crucial mental strength will become. If you don't have enough, it will definitely be harder and harder to pass the challenge."
Guan Tong realized this and knew she couldn't be complacent. She
couldn't get cocky just because she got a bottle of gene optimization essence and used it to raise her cap by 20 points.
The daily cycle of relentlessly exploiting and restoring mental energy must not stop.
Guan Tong logged onto the official website of the Post-Apocalyptic Rules Countermeasures Research Lab, wanting to check the white paper's updates.
Unexpectedly, upon entering the website, a pop-up window appeared:
[Notice: The Mental Energy Development Academy is under construction. Those interested should call for details.]
Chapter 22, Page 2 of the Wordless Book
: A Mental Power Development Academy…
Guan Tong saw the website notification, and while he wasn't exactly surprised, he wasn't particularly surprised either.
Mental power was key to overcoming the challenges of the apocalypse rules, a fact many had surely discovered, making its improvement crucial.
The fact that the Apocalypse Rules Countermeasures Research Lab was establishing a dedicated academy was essentially the official effort to focus on this aspect.
But what would be the effect of an academy?
Guan Tong wasn't sure.
He felt this academy was more like an organization, a group of people with high mental power.
Whether this group could assist individuals in accelerating their development and raising their mental power ceiling remained to be seen.
Guan Tong himself had no intention of joining; since dropping out of high school, he had realized he preferred the freedom of being alone.
Closing the pop-up, Guan Tong continued reviewing the white paper.
The two updated features of the personal terminal were already included in the new version of the white paper.
To Guan Tong's surprise, the details of the three newly added purchasable items in the Ascension Shop were also included in the white paper.
[Basic Weapon Crate - Bronze Level]: Opening this crate allows you to choose one weapon from a total of 32 types of melee weapons. Tested by professionals in the Countermeasures Research Lab, the selected weapon can be stored and retrieved at any time using the storage box.
The weapon's material is unknown, but its sharpness is comparable to man-made weapons; it did not exhibit any particular strength in impact tests.
[Basic Medical Kit - Bronze Level]: The Countermeasures Research Lab conducted 21 opening experiments on this crate. Five times the same medical item was obtained, while the remaining 16 times yielded different items. The
five identical items were "Special Painkillers," which would prevent any pain for two hours after ingestion.
Other items included: fast-acting hemostatic spray, multi-functional antidote, single-person scanner, nerve accelerator, etc.
"There's quite a variety of things you can get from this crate..."
Guan Tong looked at the long list of medical items that could be obtained from the crates in the white paper and thought that the Countermeasures Research Lab, as an officially established institution, was indeed very wealthy.
These 21 openings represent a total cost of 1680 Ascension Coins. This is definitely not something one person could afford; it would require a large group of people.
Whether these people did it voluntarily is unclear. Guan Tong himself certainly wouldn't want to spend 80 Ascension Coins just to provide experimental data.
However, he certainly admires them. Without their contributions, he wouldn't be able to see this valuable information. So, if he has the opportunity in the future, he also wants to make some contribution to the public in any way he can.
He continued reading, and the opening results of the food boxes were also recorded.
[Basic Food Box - Bronze Level]: The Countermeasures Research Lab conducted a total of 12 opening experiments on this treasure chest, and the results of all 12 were completely consistent. It was initially determined that the treasure chest contained a fixed item.
The name of this fixed item is "All-Effect Vitamin Tablet". After medical analysis and testing, this food can provide approximately 24 hours of energy and various nutrients and trace elements needed by the human body.
"This is not bad."
Guan Tong's eyes lit up when he saw the effects of the "All-Effect Vitamin Tablet".
One of the daily worries for many people is what to eat, how much to eat, what foods are high in nutrients, what foods are low in nutrients, and how to eat for the most comprehensive and healthy nutrition.
Some people even get so anxious about these questions that it's unbearable.
Now, things are much better. Just buy a basic food box and open a "Comprehensive Vitamin" every day, and you won't have to worry about food and nutrition.
This plan is practically perfect, the only drawback is the lack of coins.
A basic food box costs 20 Ascension Coins, and Guan Tong currently only has 100 coins. If he buys one every day, it will be gone in less than a week.
"I have a feeling this will become a standard item for big shots in the future," Guan Tong thought. "If the production of Ascension Coins increases in the future, or if big shots can accumulate coins through some means, buying a Comprehensive Vitamin every day will be much more convenient than planning three meals a day."
After reviewing the details of the three items, Guan Tong scrolled down to check the second apocalyptic rule.
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This white paper didn't list the hidden rules, but it did suggest "flexibly utilizing mental power items to reduce the difficulty of the challenge," which is essentially the same idea as the hidden rule "Mental Victory."
Interestingly, Guan Tong discovered that the white paper also included the scores of the world's top three.
Seeing the record "World's No. 1, Shadow, 14 seconds," Guan Tong felt a little smug.
"I wonder what the third apocalyptic rule will be in a month,"
Guan Tong thought after closing the white paper.
There's a month until the third rule is released, and this time will definitely be used to improve mental power.
However, the method of improvement needs to change.
For the past twenty-odd days, Guan Tong has been tinkering with "Shadow," conducting various experiments.
As a result, he already knows enough about "Shadow," and there shouldn't be any new changes in the short term.
So...
"It's time to turn a new page."
Guan Tong took out the [Wordless Book] and turned to the second blank page.
After writing "Guan Tong" on the first page, a shadow with the same shape as him appeared, which could be controlled by his will.
"So what should I write on the second page?"
Guan Tong pondered, looking at the blank page.
Should he think of someone else's name? That seemed unnecessary…
Even if writing someone else's name had any effect, creating another shadow wouldn't make much sense.
One shadow was enough.
So what should he write?
Guan Tong hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "Thinking too much is useless. I'll just write down what I want most right now."
So the question was, what did he want most right now?
Needless to say!
Guan Tong picked up his pen, concentrated, and wrote.
Just like when he wrote his own name before, a strong air resistance appeared on the [Wordless Book], preventing him from writing.
Having gained experience from writing his name, Guan Tong this time effortlessly channeled his mental energy to overcome the air resistance.
Before long, he smoothly wrote a small "丿".
Last time, the first stroke he wrote was the first stroke of the character "关".
But this time, the first stroke of this small "丿" was the first stroke of the character "升".
That's right, when Guan Tong asked himself what he wanted most right now, the first thing that popped into his mind was three words: Ascension Coins!
So, he decided to try writing "Ascension Coins" on the second page of the [Wordless Book] within a month.
If he actually got Ascension Coins after writing them… Guan Tong couldn't even imagine how happy he would be.
If he didn't get them, it wouldn't matter.
Writing on the [Wordless Book] itself consumed mental energy, so even if he didn't get any in the end, he could still increase his mental energy's upper limit through the process of continuous consumption and recovery.
It wouldn't be a loss to give it a try.
Chapter 23 Shifting World Order
Over the next month, the world order was changing rapidly.
The effects of the first apocalyptic rule continued, not only not weakening but intensifying.
There was no way around it; the first apocalyptic rule was simply too ruthless, wiping out a massive amount of the world's population in one fell swoop.
Even in relatively stable countries like the Northern Star Kingdom, over a quarter of the population perished, not to mention smaller, already unstable nations.
In many countries, the proportion of the population killed by the rule alone exceeded 50%.
And that wasn't all.
The rule's power slashed the population by half or even more, and the subsequent riots further reduced the population significantly.
Many small countries even perished.
Now, more than a month after the first apocalyptic rule ended, the world order is gradually being reshaped from chaos.
The Northern Star Kingdom remains relatively stable because it was the first to implement policies of free food and free cultural entertainment. People have food, drink, and entertainment, which has played a significant role in maintaining order and preventing large-scale internal strife.
Another relatively stable country is the Soro Empire in the southern part of the planet. It initially experienced riots, but these were quickly quelled by the king's strong suppression.
In addition, a southern alliance called the "Tulip Federation" has emerged.
This alliance is a group pieced together from numerous collapsed small countries; scattered, they are like sand, but united, they form a pyramid, and their combined strength should not be underestimated.
Besides these three major powers, most other countries, large and small, are severely weakened. Forget about rising again; simply avoiding annihilation is a struggle.
Currently, the Northern Star Kingdom, the Soro Empire, and the Tulip Federation are all officially recruiting individuals with high mental strength. They
recruit from their own countries and from other countries, accepting anyone with high mental strength.
Especially since previously, it was impossible to verify whether someone had high mental strength, now with the "Friends" function, once friends are added, they can show each other their personal panels.
Mental strength values, titles, and nicknames are all visible to the other party.
It is precisely because of this function that a debate that had finally subsided has reignited:
the conflict between "Order Keepers" and "Order Breakers."
This is not simply a matter of two different titles, but a conflict about the behaviors and values that the titles represent.
Many people with the title "Order Keeper" believe that "Order Breakers" are all murderers.
Many people with the title "Order Breaker" believe that "Order Keepers" are talking nonsense. Even if many knew the hidden rule at the time, they were forced to do it for their own survival.
One of the "Order Breakers'" advantages is that it's not officially defined.
That's right, the official authorities haven't issued any statements saying that "Order Breakers" have broken the law or anything, not even a condemnation.
Therefore, the "Order Breakers" believe that since the authorities haven't investigated, what are the "Order Keepers" babbling about?
The two sides argue endlessly online, with a single post often generating tens of thousands of insults.
Previously, neither side could verify the other's identity; neither knew the other's title based on mere words.
Now, with the "Friends" feature, there's an immediate verification method.
I'm an "Order Keeper," and you're an "Order Keeper" too. Come on, send your numerical ID to the terminal to add each other as friends. It's immediately clear whether it's real or fake, since this thing can't be faked.
Many "disruptors" are also posting calls to form a "Disruptor Alliance," recruiting only "disruptors" and excluding the hypocritical "order keepers."
This kind of group division is certainly not something the authorities want to see, yet they can't say anything about it directly.
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Some rational analysts believe that the "Fire Stealers" may have chosen these two titles to incite and divide humanity. Therefore, they urge everyone to think calmly.
Besides the debate between the "Order Keepers" and the "Order Breakers," the "Psychic Power Development Academy" announced by the Countermeasures Research Office has also been hotly debated.
Many people are inquiring about the academy's location and admission requirements.
Clearly, the public believes that entering the academy will grant them national-level professional guidance, giving them a significant advantage over those outside.
The Countermeasures Research Office held a Q&A session to address these questions.
Firstly, the academy's sole purpose is to develop and enhance students' psychic power through all means to meet the challenges posed by the post-apocalyptic rules.
The academy will be located within a university in the capital, and not only the university itself but also several nearby large stadiums and parks will be requisitioned for its transformation.
Regarding the admission requirements, which are of utmost concern to the public, the only requirement is a psychic power cap of 80 points.
This means that only those with a comprehensive information evaluation reaching the "ordinary" level can apply.
Age, wealth, background, etc., are all disregarded; only psychic power is considered.
If you can't reach that level, you can first refer to the white paper for personal cultivation and improvement, and then enroll in school when you reach it.
This single requirement disappointed many people, as most people's mental strength level made enrollment impossible.
As a result, some non-governmental organizations took the opportunity to recruit members.
These non-governmental organizations had lower requirements than the official ones; the official requirement was 80, but they only needed 70, or even 60 or 50. As long as it wasn't too low. Although
the requirements of non-governmental organizations were low, the benefits were not bad; everyone who joined could receive a good reward.
For example, the Green Plum Society secretly established an organization, promising high rewards to recruit people with high mental strength.
However, all of this had little to do with Guan Tong.
During this period, he was "close to the internet and focused solely on writing his wordless book."
Every day, he used his mental strength to write, and when his mental strength recovered, he would read novels or play games. Once he recovered, he would continue writing.
He didn't look at online news much, feeling that the more he looked, the more confused his mind would become, and it was better to find something simple to do.
He spent half a month doing this monotonously.
After waking up the next day, Guan Tong glanced at his phone and found that Fang Qian had messaged him again.
He initially intended to delete it, but the message surprised him.
"Guan Tong, I know you don't want to forgive me… but I want you to know that I didn't use that hidden rule. If you don't believe me, you can add my numerical ID to see my title; my title is [The Guardian]."
"I messaged you just to thank you. After leaving your house, I realized I almost caused a disaster. If I had really done that, I might never have forgiven myself… Thank you for stopping me, for not making me a murderer."
Guan Tong read Fang Qian's message and didn't know what to say.
He had no intention of adding Fang Qian as a friend to verify her title; it was pointless.
From the moment Fang Qian threatened to attack him with a water glass, he saw her as a hostile stranger.
After a moment's thought, Guan Tong replied with a message: "I understand. Take care of yourself."
Chapter 24 The Third Rule of the Apocalypse
"Finally, the last stroke. I wonder what the result will be."
Guan Tong looked at the pages in front of him. After half a month, the three characters "Ascension Coin" were finally about to be written.
He calmed his tense mood, picked up the pen, and mobilized his mental power to resist the resistance of the [Wordless Book], slowly and precisely writing the last vertical stroke of the character "Coin".
After finishing, he put down the pen and watched the changes on the inner page.
Soon, this page began to flutter without wind.
Just like when he had just finished writing the two characters "Guan Tong" on the first page, the characters written on the inner page began to spread and detach from the page itself.
Guan Tong's eyes widened slightly at this sight, thinking, "Could it really work?"
He saw the three characters "Ascension Coin" detach from the page and become entangled, twisting and coiling like a pretzel, squeezing into something like a data stream.
The next moment, this "data stream" struck Guan Tong.
Empty!
Guan Tong watched as the black data stream "crashed" into his body, an indescribable feeling spreading through his brain, as if something had been modified.
Without hesitation, he immediately opened his personal terminal to check.
[Name: Guan Tong]
[Nickname: Shadow]
[Title: Guardian]
[Mental Power: 1]
[Ascension Coins: 110 (10)]
[Overall Bio-Information Evaluation: Excellent]
Guan Tong's gaze was focused on the number of Ascension Coins.
One glance made his breathing quicken.
"110... There really are 10 more coins, this is..."
Guan Tong couldn't believe that his far-fetched idea had actually succeeded.
The [Wordless Book] was so powerful that it could generate currency on its own by consuming mental power, this was really...
In his excitement, Guan Tong also noticed the number "10" in parentheses after the Ascension Coins.
He originally thought that this represented the number of Ascension Coins produced by the [Wordless Book], but after checking, he found that these 10 "self-made" Ascension Coins had limitations.
[Ascension Coins: 110 (10)]: The Ascension Coins in parentheses are personal bound coins, which can only be used to purchase items in the Ascension Shop and cannot be used in transactions with others.
"...So that's how it is."
After reading the information details, Guan Tong still smiled.
Although the coins produced by the [Book Without Words] are bound and can only be used in the terminal shop, even so, they are still powerful enough!
In this way, Guan Tong can use only the bound coins he produces to spend in the mall and save the other Ascension Coins for transactions with others.
"I didn't expect the power of the [Book Without Words] to be so strong." After the excitement, Guan Tong looked at the ordinary book on the table, "What is the origin of this thing..."
If he still couldn't see that his [Book Without Words] was extraordinary by now, he would be a fool.
Although he didn't know how effective the items that others bought at the beginning were, there were definitely not many that could compare to his [Book Without Words].
Now, with just two inner pages, it has produced the different powerful functions of "shadow" and "producing Ascension Coins". Who knows what other ideas can be developed from reusing the subsequent inner pages?
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"However… unlike 'Shadow,' the words on the second page are gone now."
Guan Tong looked at the second blank page. The three words "Ascension Coin" that were originally written on it had transformed into a data stream that flowed into his body, leaving the page blank again.
In other words, creating bound Ascension Coins is a one-time event. After creating one, to create another, he had to expend mental energy to write the three words "Ascension Coin" again.
"…Even so, it's worth it."
Guan Tong calculated that with his current mental energy limit and recovery speed, he could write the three words once every half month, obtaining 10 bound Ascension Coins. He could write it twice a month, obtaining 20.
It seemed like the output efficiency was very low, but this was because his mental energy limit was relatively low. If it increased in the future, the situation would improve significantly.
In this way, Guan Tong repeated the process again for the next half month.
On the last day, he successfully wrote the three words "Ascension Coin" again and obtained 10 bound coins in the same way.
Furthermore, a month of continuous recovery from his depletion increased his mental strength cap by 2 points, bringing it to 116 points.
This rate of increase was undoubtedly faster than before; previously, it took over twenty days to increase by 1 point. This time, the increase of 2 points in thirty days was a gradually accelerating process.
Guan Tong had seen online discussions speculating that the speed of increase in mental strength cap was related to an individual's overall bio-information evaluation.
The higher the evaluation, the faster the increase.
Although this speculation was not yet included in the white paper, Guan Tong felt it
made a lot of sense. After his evaluation was upgraded to "Excellent," he clearly felt much stronger than when he was "Ordinary."
Not only was the speed of increase in his mental strength cap increasing, but his body also seemed to be subtly strengthening.
This strengthening was not noticeable in a day or two, nor was it very obvious on a weekly basis, but if it was extended to a monthly scale, subtle changes could be felt in all aspects.
Guan Tong felt that currently, because the overall proportion of people with an "Excellent" evaluation was relatively small, there was not much discussion about this issue online.
But as the gap widened, this fact would gradually be recognized by the public.
Guan Tong thought to himself, "It seems that both the government and those powerful figures in the private sector have a rather forward-thinking mind. Their early investment of vast resources to recruit highly skilled individuals may seem like a high-investment, zero-return endeavor, but it will definitely be worthwhile in the long run."
However, this also inevitably caused concern. If the gap widened, would ordinary people eventually fall behind, while the top-tier highly skilled individuals would become a new class isolated from the general population?
On the last day before the arrival of the third apocalyptic rule, Guan Tong didn't expend any more mental energy. He slept until a little after eight the next morning, ate breakfast, and then quietly sat in the living room waiting.
At that moment, countless people around the world waited, filled with tension, fear, and even excitement.
Some even harbored unrealistic hopes that the rule might be suddenly suspended, or that the government might have secretly developed a countermeasure against the Fire Stealers.
But these were all wishful thinking. At 9 o'clock sharp, the Fire Stealers arrived as scheduled, carrying the new rule, without a second's delay.
[The Third Apocalyptic Rule Has Been Issued]
[Apocalyptic Rule Three: Fasting Therapy]
[Rule Content: From the date of this rule's issuance, you may only drink water for 15 days; you may not eat.]
[Success Reward: 150 Ascendancy Coins, Invitation to the First Ascendant Challenge]
[Failure Penalty: Decrease in maximum Mental Power]
[Note: If you wish to participate in the challenge, you must comply with this rule.]
Chapter 25 Hidden Rule Three:
Fasting Therapy…
Looking at the name of the third apocalyptic rule, Guan Tong was truly at a loss for words.
Half a month without food—it was practically designed to starve people to death and cause organ failure. What kind of "therapy" was that?
This reminded him of the first rule, sleep deprivation; one forbade sleep, the other forbade food.
Guan Tong didn't know whether going three days without sleep or fifteen days without food, only water, was more difficult in terms of difficulty, but in terms of the punishment, the former was definitely more terrifying.
"The punishment for failing this apocalyptic rule is the same as the second rule: a decrease in mental energy."
"This means that if someone doesn't intend to complete the challenge, they can completely ignore the rules from day one and eat and drink as usual."
However…
Guan Tong's gaze fell on the rewards.
Besides the fixed reward of 50 more Ascension Coins, there was also an "Invitation to the First Ascension Challenge."
Although the Firebringer hadn't explained the rules or rewards of the challenge, there was no doubt that this invitation was very important.
Guan Tong definitely wanted it, but even without it, he would still try his best to complete the challenge to maintain his mental strength.
"Let's see what the hidden rules are..."
Just like the previous two times, Guan Tong opened the rule details on his personal terminal and stared at them.
After a short while, the color particles of the rules reorganized and jumped, forming new content.
[Hidden Rule Three: Spend Money to Avoid Disaster]
[Hidden Rule Content: Spend Ascension Coins to purchase a Basic Food Box. You can use the food items in the box to assist in completing the challenge]
[Note: The number of items sold in the Ascension Shop is limited. If you don't buy in time, they may sell out]
Guan Tong looked at the hidden rule content and stood up abruptly.
He didn't expect that the [Basic Food Box] which was put on sale in the Ascension Shop after the second apocalypse rule ended could actually be used in this third apocalypse rule.
But what surprised him even more was that the items in the Ascension Shop were actually limited!
"I remember that the boxes in the shop didn't indicate how many there were... Could this also be part of the hidden rules?"
From a merchant's perspective, this discovery was crucial. For
a necessity, if people don't know that it's limited, it doesn't matter whether they buy it early or late, since the price won't change anyway.
But if everyone knows it's limited, they'll worry about missing out if they buy too late, so they'll rush to buy it in advance.
So, if the general public doesn't know it's limited, and only one person does, that person could easily stockpile a large quantity in advance and hoard it for profit.
Once the limited-edition item is sold out, this person with a large stockpile can undoubtedly resell it for a huge profit.
"Wait, something's not right," Guan Tong thought, "I remember several of the boxes in the store are non-tradable."
She could buy them, but couldn't resell them.
This meant she couldn't hoard them and resell them at a high price.
Even so, as long as it's limited, there will definitely be many people who can't buy it. Although
she didn't know the exact number of boxes limited, Guan Tong knew that if the quantity was large, the hidden rules wouldn't specifically include a warning in the notes.
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"Assuming that 'Basic Food Box' is limited to ten million... as long as the public knows they can survive the rules by eating the all-purpose vitamins from the boxes, those ten million boxes will sell out very quickly!"
No, I can't wait!
The situation is urgent, so Guan Tong immediately opened the Ascension Shop.
He currently has 120 Ascension Coins, 100 of which are circulating coins and 20 are bound coins.
A Basic Food Box costs 20 coins, and with his savings, he can only buy a maximum of six.
"No need to buy six... the white paper has tests showing that one all-purpose vitamin from the box can provide enough energy for a whole day."
Guan Tong pondered.
"The rules require a 15-day fast, and you can drink water during that time. Under these circumstances, an ordinary person wouldn't die even after three to five days of starvation, let alone someone with high mental strength... if you replenish enough energy for a whole day, you can definitely survive the next five days without food."
"So, if I buy three boxes, I can definitely survive the rule's time limit... just to be safe, I'll buy four."
Guan Tong spent 80 Ascension Coins to buy four Basic Food Boxes.
He kept 40 Ascension Coins, partly to save them, and partly because he knew the boxes were limited, and he wanted to leave some for others while ensuring his own survival.
If everyone spent all their coins on boxes, they might sell out quickly. Someone without a box might not be able to pass the challenge.
Although failing the challenge wouldn't kill him, Guan Tong still hoped more people could pass.
After all, faced with the inescapable rules of the apocalypse and the Firebringers, humanity was essentially a community of shared destiny.
If humanity couldn't unite in the face of this crisis and instead schemed against each other, everyone might perish in the end.
After buying the boxes, Guan Tong considered whether to publicize the limited quantity. But ultimately, he decided against it. The
fact that the food boxes could be used to assist in the challenge was obvious; people would discover it soon enough.
But the limited quantity of boxes—if he didn't mention it, very few people would think of it before they sold out.
The problem was, if he publicized this online, wouldn't it accelerate the scramble for boxes?
Originally, unaware of the limited quantity, people would have been more cautious in their purchases. They might have saved their coins until they were starving and couldn't wait any longer before entering the Ascended Shop. However,
once the limited quantity was known, everyone would rush to buy on the very first day of the rules, fearing they'd miss out.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Guan Tong decided not to disclose the news. He believed that doing so would do more harm than good, and it was better to let things take their natural course.
Meanwhile, online discussions about the third apocalyptic rule had already stirred up a huge wave.
Many people weren't focusing on the rules themselves, but rather on the "Invitation to the First Ascended Challenge" in the challenge rewards.
The focus was mainly on two things: one was the term "Ascended," which seemed to be the Firebringers' way of referring to humans, or more accurately, those with psychic powers.
Although some high-level psychics had previously begun calling themselves "Ascended," implying a sense of superiority like "evolving faster than others,"
the official departments, in order to avoid conflict between high and low-level psychics, had been suppressing such voices and hadn't differentiated the term in their address.
However, this time, the appearance of "Ascended Ones" within the post-apocalyptic rules was something the authorities couldn't suppress. As soon as the rules were released, a massive number of people online claimed to be "Ascended Ones," quickly creating an unstoppable trend.
The second point of focus was the challenge.
People speculated about the content and purpose of the challenge, with many feeling it might be some kind of opportunity, and posting messages expressing their determination to pass the challenge and obtain an invitation to participate.