Chapter 7: End of the Beginner’s Tutorial

Ou Xiaolu’s face twitched out of habit. He ignored the novice guide and started fiddling with the card he had just obtained.

[Peripheral Number of the Holy Blood Council, Item Card, White, upon acquisition you automatically become a peripheral member of the Holy Blood Council and gain access to internal council websites and other privileges.]

When Ou Xiaolu took it out, it appeared as a keychain shaped like a droplet of blood. Held up to the sunlight, a string of numbers could be seen inside. He was unsure what use this thing had, or what kind of organization this mysterious Holy Blood Council really was.

At that moment, the novice guide’s voice finally sounded, “Stop looking at it. [World: Sunken Ship] search is complete. I'll explain the final rules, then I must leave.”

“Alright,” Ou Xiaolu replied, putting away the so-called Holy Blood Council peripheral number and entering the time-stop state.

Within this frozen space, the novice guide had already prepared several interfaces.

“After a search is finished, it doesn’t mean the world is over. Each world must use up all deployment attempts before it’s truly finished.”

As soon as Ou Xiaolu entered, the guide began explaining, “For worlds where the first search is done, you must move them to the ‘Worlds Pending Observation’ interface. Only then will the system monitor worlds you’ve already searched, so you’ll be notified promptly if anything unexpected happens.

Otherwise, searched worlds won’t be observed, and next time you deploy a projection, there will be a long blank period.”

With the novice guide’s serious explanation, Ou Xiaolu knew this was important. Even though he had taken all visible benefits from [World: Sunken Ship], it didn’t mean there was nothing left. With his luck, who knew what good things might turn up again?

Understanding this, Ou Xiaolu nodded emphatically and glanced at the ‘Worlds Pending Observation’ interface, noticing that [Minion: Lower Ninja] had also been moved to another screen.

The guide explained further, “This interface is for storing characters who can no longer be projected. You’re currently level 1, without a profession or your own space, so you can have up to 10 projectable characters. If you leave characters who’ve used up their projection attempts in the original interface, they’ll take up slots. So we’ve opened a separate storage interface for you, with unlimited capacity for unprojectable characters.”

Upon closer inspection, Ou Xiaolu saw it was true. Besides [Minion: Lower Ninja], [Minion: Giant Octopus] and [Minion: Clown Fish] were also stored there.

After placing the world and character cards in their proper places, the novice guide said, “Now you can click to complete this search. Remember, always put the cards away before finishing the search, or else both cards will likely end up in the reward card pack.”

This was crucial! Ou Xiaolu thought to himself. Even if he considered himself extraordinarily lucky, he couldn’t expect to draw anything good from just three cards.

After explaining how to finish a world search, it was Ou Xiaolu’s turn to act.

He selected the ‘Clear Settlement’ option on the interface. Instantly, the screen displayed the lower ninja’s actions in the submarine—especially the moment when countless gold bars turned to sludge. The effect was more spectacular than any blockbuster; Ou Xiaolu was transfixed.

Afterward, the system gave a corresponding evaluation. Since the lower ninja had only found two treasure chests and hadn’t encountered any battles—and given the world was just a micro-world—the rating wasn’t high. Ou Xiaolu received a D+.

Beneath the rating was a small x0.6, which reduced the original 50 experience points to 30. At the same time, [Minion: Lower Ninja] also gained 30 character experience, but since he could no longer enter the world, these points were useless to him.

Glancing at his 30/100 experience bar, Ou Xiaolu perked up and tapped the card pack in the center of the interface.

The moment his finger touched it, one blue, one green, and three white lights flashed across the screen.

“A rather ordinary performance,” the novice guide popped up to remind him of its presence. “It seems you still have some way to go to achieve the luck of a true champion.”

Ou Xiaolu didn’t mind. He carefully examined the five items he’d just received.

[Front Power Chamber, Space Card, White, power-type space card; ten cards of this type can be combined into a spatial power source (spiritual vein).]

[Sonar Locator, Tool Card, Green, performs sonar detection within 500 meters, searches for hidden items or characters.]

[Gold Bar, Item Card, White, equivalent to 300 ounces of gold, usable for currency transactions in various worlds.]

[Captain’s Log, Item Card, White, diary written by the submarine captain; one hour of reading grants some ship piloting experience.]

[Mysterious Potion, Tool Card, Blue, potion infused with mysterious power; drinking it restores 200 battle points.]

Once Ou Xiaolu had finished reviewing everything, the novice guide reappeared. “My task is complete. From here, it’s up to you. One thing to note: mysterious potions will appear more frequently later, but their uses will also multiply. Don’t waste them on useless characters.”

“You mean characters like the lower ninja?” Ou Xiaolu immediately understood.

“That’s right. Such characters have low combat strength and little potential. If you really need a ninja, investing in an upper ninja or elite upper ninja is the right choice.”

Ou Xiaolu nodded. Truth be told, he wasn’t fond of ninjas; he only used the lower ninja because he drew it at the start.

“Also, find ways to explore various worlds and raise your level. One thing you must understand: the Cross-World Game System—crossing worlds isn’t the essence. Player strength is. If you lack strength, nothing else matters.”

With the novice guide’s stern words, Ou Xiaolu’s expression grew serious. “Besides leveling up, what else can I do to improve myself?”

“Cultivation techniques, all kinds of equipment and tools—and World Children are valuable. If you encounter one, don’t let it go.”

“Alright,” Ou Xiaolu’s face began to twitch again, realizing the novice guide was less and less reliable.

“That’s all I can introduce. Here’s my contact info. If you have questions in the future, you can reach me this way—but there’s a fee. Farewell, my friend. May your luck be everlasting.”

With that, Ou Xiaolu felt countless interfaces popping up around him, like a desktop flooded with windows, beyond his control.

Thankfully, it lasted only a moment. Afterward, Ou Xiaolu felt the direct influence of the system—the Cross-World Game System now seemed to be part of him, fully under his command.

After briefly exploring the new interfaces, Ou Xiaolu prepared to leave. His plans for today were ruined; without his enrollment procedures complete, he needed to find somewhere to stay.

Just as Ou Xiaolu exited the time-stop state, the system sent a prompt.

“Someone has entered [World: Sunken Ship]. Would you like to access the surveillance feed?”