"Looking for a Fusion card?"
Xue Lang found it a bit strange.
Usually, wouldn't the NPCs you encounter in a game's Newbie Village give some very simple tasks? Like asking players to move some bricks or bring a few loaves of bread.
Xue Lang had already automatically imagined the scene with the old man at the blacksmith's in the Newbie Village, waving and saying, "Hey young man, I see you have extraordinary talent, why not dig some minerals for me."
However, this NPC is asking for a Fusion card right off the bat... It's like the old man at the blacksmith's saying, "My brother, I lack a handy sword here. How about you get one for me?"
Why does it feel like this old man is a bit of a scam...
No, there must be something fishy going on.
Xue Lang quickly activated his well-read brain and soon felt he'd found the reason—
—the answer is, this is definitely not a newbie NPC!
This should be the NPC hiding a massive side quest—or possibly even a main quest, a key NPC very important in the mid-to-late game!
Imagine, once players level up and the game progresses, something like a "Fusion" card should be so common that you have a bunch as spares. Giving this NPC a Fusion card should be a very simple requirement, likely the key to triggering a series of chain missions!
But the problem now is, although later on in the game "Fusion" becomes a card so common it's worthless... he doesn't have one now in this initial account!
Xue Lang was so anxious he started scratching his head.
What should I do?
Leave this task for now and come back with a Fusion card once I've leveled up?
But what if other players get to this NPC first by then?
He thought this was highly likely. If this NPC is really hiding something important, it will certainly get noticed quickly.
Not to mention this NPC is so handsome it makes another guy question life; it's only a matter of time before other players notice him.
So handsome... No wait, such an important character getting snatched away would be a huge loss.
Clearly, I came here first.
Seeing Xue Lang sweating anxiously, Youyu seized the opportunity to "kindly" hint: "Oh, you're new around here and not familiar with the environment, don't know how to get cards, right?
If you want to buy cards, you can go to 'Dream Card Shop' two streets over and get what you're looking for. Some common cards you can buy directly, but most cards you'll get randomly from card packs."
That's right, he was advertising the shop he's working for.
Although players can't use the cards they buy from the card shop themselves... they can buy them back to give to Youyu for use!
Of course, Youyu wouldn't freeload on other people's cards; he'd allocate Crystal Stones, experience points, and currency (although he currently doesn't have any) as rewards for completing tasks.
Xue Lang's eyes lit up as if he'd found a way out. But then he thought of something and furrowed his brows again.
Because the currency in this game... he doesn't have a dime!
No money to open a card pack?
More fortunately, he met Youyu, the thoughtful and patient model NPC, who continued to "gently guide" him: "Or if it's during special events at some shops, they might randomly give out card coupons to some customers, which you can use to exchange for cards you usually can't buy."
Xue Lang continued to frown.
But even if you say that, how could I, an initial account, possibly have such a card coupon...
...Wait a minute, do I actually have one?
Xue Lang's eyes lit up, finally realizing this after the repeated hints from Youyu.
Every new account created by players comes with system-gifted card coupons.
As mentioned earlier, Youyu's NPC account also had gifted card coupons. However, he used his to get the Magic Card "Last Day of Witch," specifically to counter the Spellcaster-Type, which allowed him to not only earn the task reward of a "Black Magician" card but also swipe Pandora's entire Card Deck.
The gifted card coupon wasn't supposed to get anything useful, but Youyu's use of it was already worth it.
That's right, he's now got his eyes on the gifted card coupon included in the players' initial accounts...
Should he use the coupon to directly exchange for "Fusion"?
Xue Lang opened the list of cards exchangeable with coupons and checked it over and over again, starting to feel conflicted.
This coupon, even if kept... doesn't seem to exchange for anything useful?
So why not... just give it to this NPC?
But he's still hesitant because it's the only one gifted during the newbie period, and once given, it's gone...
He hesitated for a moment, then looked up to see the clear, bright eyes of the NPC in front of him and suddenly made up his mind in an instant.
Damn, a real man doesn't hesitate, just go for it!
Used it!
[Do you accept the task from Duelist Youyu?]
Youyu?
Upon seeing this name in the task pop-up, Xue Lang gasped.
Whoa, it's an NPC with "You" in the name!
The two major laws of the known game king; anyone with "You" in their name is a monster, and if their hairstyle looks like some animal or plant, they are a monster among monsters.
For example, Yugi, Yuki, Yusei, Yuma, and Yuya have hairstyles respectively resembling a starfish, jellyfish, crab, lobster, and tomato... (It seems like there's more seafood?)
It's settled, it's settled, an NPC handsome like a light novel illustration, using the famous Elemental Hero... and he's part of the You family! There's no way you can convince Xue Lang this isn't an important NPC, right?
Without hesitation, Xue Lang accepted the task. Then he immediately exchanged his only card coupon for the Magic Card – Polymerization and handed it over to Youyu as a quest item.
Youyu took the Fusion card and nodded slightly.
Good, this kid can be taught.
The system's initial account's gifted card coupon really didn't have any good cards to exchange for, Fusion was already the only card useful to Youyu.
Now, as long as he tricks... I mean, assigns another task to the next lucky player, he'll have three Fusions saved up.
For the first task, he didn't give any Crystal Stone rewards (since he was short of them himself), nor money because he hasn't even gotten his first month's salary yet. So, he awarded Xue Lang over three hundred experience points from his daily quota.
Of course, he couldn't cheat the players.
Business is all about reputation, and being an NPC is no different. Youyu knows the principle of sustainable development: if you exploit too hard and ruin your reputation among players, it'll be tough to make a profit in the future.
Benefits must still be given, only by letting players see the advantages of sticking with him can he keep these admirable duelists for the long term.
However, he's too lazy to return and open another card pack for now, so he might as well fill up the three Fusions first.
Though it's a worthless basic Magic Card, it's still quite important to the Hero Deck.
Then he casually pulled out a flyer with the "Dream Card Shop" address: "I need some help with something. Tomorrow morning at seven, if you're interested, bring as many friends as you can here to find me."
Sure enough, it's a chain quest!
Xue Lang was overjoyed, nodding repeatedly like a hen pecking at grain, continuing even after the NPC had left the venue and disappeared from view.