Chapter 60: The Infinite Hour and the Game’s Hidden Traps

I had long anticipated that my casual modifications would lead to numerous bugs, but I never imagined encountering such a colossal one!

By this time, Su Yingning had been offline for three hours.

Not only had I not been teleported back to the pet space, but I also hadn’t been kicked offline!

Given this, I could continue to speculate boldly.

Pets were not subject to online time restrictions; only players were. Since my primary identity was that of a pet, the player functions were merely supplementary.

This implied that I might not have any online time limit at all!

I could indulge myself and spend all twenty-four hours immersed in the game!

The last time, I had also voluntarily exited the game rather than being kicked out. Had I persevered a little longer then, I might have uncovered this astounding bug much sooner!

Having no online time limit meant that, aside from basic necessities like eating and sleeping, I possessed nearly twice the online time of other players! This was practically the lifelong dream of any professional gamer!

For me, it signified that beyond the twelve hours Su Yingning was online, I still had an additional twelve hours of free activity. I wouldn’t have to accompany her on adventures and could attend to many more matters!

For instance, a plan I had deliberated over for a long time could finally be put into motion!

A plan capable of making this game even more intriguing!

Just now, to test if I would be kicked offline, I had engaged in a three-hour war of attrition with the Red Water Dragon, chipping away at its health. Yet, I now abandoned it without a second thought, leaving the cave.

There was no need to worry about the Red Water Dragon regenerating its health. In “Pursuit II,” aside from high-level bosses with innate self-healing abilities or those possessing recovery skills, other bosses required slow replenishment through feeding. This particular Red Water Dragon, however, was trapped under rocks, leaving it no opportunity to eat.

After leaving the cave, I jogged all the way towards True New Village.

True New Village was a Human settlement, so its entire architectural style and the attire of its inhabitants were a blend of medieval European and Celtic influences. The streets teemed with wanderers playing massive Scottish bagpipes and noblewomen in Gothic attire driving horse-drawn carriages.

The Human settlements across the entire continent of Aethel generally shared this aesthetic, as it was intrinsic to the Human race’s design.

As for the other two races, the Demon race embodied ancient Eastern charm, centered around ancient Tang culture, supplemented by the ancient Asian civilizations of Fusang (TL Note: An ancient Chinese term for Japan), Tianzhu (TL Note: An ancient Chinese term for India), the Western Regions (TL Note: A historical term for Central Asia), and Mongolia.

The Divine Descendants, on the other hand, adopted an ancient Greek style, which could essentially be summarized in three words: Sparta!!!!!

Upon reaching the town, I bypassed the pet trainer to turn in my quest and instead sought out a clothing store.

“A veil?” The female shop assistant eyed me strangely. “…Is it because you’re too beautiful and wish to conceal your looks? Are you certain about this? Beauty is a woman’s sharpest weapon!”

‘Hearing those lines, I couldn’t help but marvel at the high intelligence of the game’s NPCs, or perhaps my charm stat had indeed soared through the roof.’

“However, beauty can also bring a lot of trouble… especially for a femme fatale like you. I’m truly envious~” The shop assistant smiled nonchalantly. “How about this? This veil is our store’s prized treasure, originally 10,000 gold coins, but I’ll give it to you as a gift.”

“…10,000 gold coins?! Just like that, you’ll give it to me?” Even with my usually unflappable composure, I couldn’t help but be utterly shocked at this moment.

Su Yingning and I had slain so many players and looted so much equipment, yet the total value estimated by the system based on average auction house prices was only 100 gold coins.

Could it be that simply talking to someone in a clothing store was enough to receive 10,000 gold coins for free?

“Of course, every adventurer who visits our store for the first time receives a treasured gift~ Please, don’t be shy. You are the 1,085th adventurer to grace our establishment. Here is your veil, take it! You’re welcome!”

Alright, so that’s how it was…

I took the veil, and indeed, it was nothing more than a ragged piece of black cloth.

[Item: Tattered Veil]

[Item Description: A gift from a black-hearted shop assistant, completely lacking sincerity. Its breathability is passable, but the material is poor and may cause allergies in those with sensitive skin — Character bound, cannot be discarded.]

It couldn’t even be discarded! I felt utterly scammed!

Never mind. At least it could cover my face.

“By the way, would you like to learn the Sewing skill?” the shop assistant suddenly asked.

[Do you accept the Life Skill Tutorial Quest?]

[√ ×]

In the last second before my fist slammed into the “x,” I pulled back my hand, a cold sweat breaking out.

‘Why throw a quest at me so abruptly!’

I pondered for a moment. That plan wasn’t urgent, and in reality, I had once promised Su Yingning that I would thoroughly research life skills to become a strong support for their guild.

In that case, I might as well delve into life skills first.

“Our manager is out and won’t be back for a while. You can start by studying this manual,” the assistant said.

The shop assistant handed me a book as thick as a Xinhua Dictionary (TL Note: A widely used Chinese dictionary), with “Beginner-level Sewing Techniques: Instant Mastery Edition” written on its cover.

…It truly was a book true to its name.

I tapped the book, and it dissolved into specks of starlight, seeping into my forehead. Soon, I found my mind imbued with sewing knowledge I had never possessed before.

What an incredible game; it actually allowed me to learn the Sewing skill instantly!

No wonder “Pursuit II” was hailed as humanity’s second world. If every skill could be acquired this way, then all schools in reality could simply shut down!

“Magic is truly convenient. Previously, one would need to apprentice for at least a few months to reach a beginner level,” the female shop assistant remarked, fittingly. “Well, now that you’ve learned Sewing, you can proceed to the jewelry store to learn the Fine Craftsmanship skill. However, I must warn you: a person’s energy is limited. It’s already difficult to master one craft, and if you try to learn too many, you might never become a Grandmaster. You must choose wisely.”

[Beginner-level Sewing skill acquired. Life Skill Tutorial Phase One — Tailoring, completed.]

[Automatically accepted Life Skill Tutorial Phase Two — Jeweler. Please visit the jewelry store to learn the Fine Craftsmanship skill.]

“Thank you!” I bowed politely to the shop assistant, then donned the tattered veil and hurried towards the jewelry store.

The jewelry store was right next door to the clothing store, very close.

The shop assistants here were all fashionably dressed young men, adorned with jewels, looking like a group of nouveau riche.

As expected, the manager was also out, and a shop assistant attended to me.

“Welcome! Here’s your complimentary gift! This is our store’s prized treasure, worth 10,000 gold!”

Without a word, the shop assistant handed me a gem. If I wasn’t mistaken, his waist pouch contained hundreds more such gems.

[You have obtained an Ultra-Inferior Magic Crystal.]

[Item: Ultra-Inferior Magic Crystal]

[Item Description: Originally a low-grade magic crystal of grey quality, it has been diluted tens of thousands of times by a black-hearted merchant. It is now merely a transparent stone, containing less magic than trash — Character bound, cannot be discarded.]

Undiscardable again! If this continued, my inventory would surely be filled with all this junk!

I had thought this was a fair online game; so, this was where the scam lay?

What a familiar trick! With a backpack full of undiscardable items, players would be forced to recharge to expand their inventory slots… This tactic was truly despicable!