7: Chapter 7 Old Wei

The buzzing of the heat exhaust vent came through. The desk lamp was still on. He tilted his head to glance at the clock on the bedside table: 9:12 PM.

He had returned home from work a little after six. Trying out the ring, entering the Realm of Holy Light, and fighting a whole day's battle—less than three hours had passed since he came out.

His communicator buzzed.

He reached over to check it. A friend request; sender: Wei Guoliang. Message: "The pikeman from just now."

Zhen Lu tapped accept.

He stared at the chat interface for a few seconds, then typed a line: "Brother Wei, are you free? Want to go out for a drink?"

The reply came quickly.

"Sure. Where?"

"The intersection of Ring Road and Seventh Street, Old Xu's BBQ. Do you know it?"

"I know it. I'm not far from there. Twenty minutes."

The night on Ring Road was livelier than the day.

Radiance City's dome projection switched to "Night Mode" at 8:00 PM; the entire sky turned deep blue, and the floating holy light cross dimmed, like a streetlamp that would never extinguish. Shops along the street lit up with colorful signs. Heat exhaust pipes extended from the sides of buildings, puffing out white steam every few dozen meters, causing the light from the signs to flicker on and off.

Zhen Lu found a seat against the wall at Old Xu's BBQ. The tables and chairs were plastic, and a waiter brought over a pot of draft beer and two glass cups.

Wei Guoliang turned the corner. He was in his early forties with short-cropped hair, wearing a faded dark blue jumpsuit with "Ring Road Auto Repair" printed on the chest. He walked with a slight duck-footed gait, his shoulders uneven.

"Xiao Lu?" Wei Guoliang sat down opposite him and sized him up. "You're skinnier than in the game."

"You're shorter than in the game."

Wei Guoliang chuckled, poured himself a glass of beer, and downed half of it in one gulp. "This beer is still warm."

"That's how this place is. You have to pay extra for ice-cold beer."

"Pay it then, it's on me." Wei Guoliang waved at the waiter. "Bring two cold ones."

After the cold beer arrived, the two clinked glasses. Wei Guoliang took a big gulp and leaned back against the chair.

"Brother Wei, just call me Xiao Liu. All my friends call me that."

"Haha, alright, I'll call you Xiao Liu from now on."

"Was today your first time entering the game?" he asked.

"First time."

"How does it feel?"

Zhen Lu thought for a moment. "Towards the end of the fight, I didn't know what I was doing."

"Normal. I was like that the first time too. The skills carry you, but your brain can't keep up with your hands." Wei Guoliang shook his head. "The first time I entered, it was a Temporary Summoning task to repair a spaceship. I was given Basic Engine Maintenance."

"Do all Temporary Summoning tasks give skills?"

"Most do. For tasks issued by a Summoning Master using treasures, where the requirements say 'None,' they give you whatever skill you need for the job." Wei Guoliang counted on his fingers. "Battle types give combat skills like spear techniques, sword techniques, or formations. Technical types give maintenance or crafting. Exploration types give Reconnaissance or tracking."

Zhen Lu picked up his glass and took a sip. "How many types have you taken?"

"Seven or eight, I guess. Spaceship repairs, carrying, defending, driving." Wei Guoliang said. "Whatever pops up in the mission hall, I take it."

"So the skills given for each task are different?"

"Different. Spaceship repair gives maintenance, escort gives Reconnaissance, position defense gives combat." Wei Guoliang took a sip of beer. "But the skill disappears as soon as the task ends; you just keep a bit of the feel for it."

Zhen Lu looked at the cup in his hand and was silent for a moment.

"Brother Wei."

"Hm?"

"I want to experience more types of skills."

Wei Guoliang looked up at him.

"I got three combat skills when I went in today; even though they disappeared after I came out, that feeling was quite interesting." Zhen Lu said. "I want to try others. What does maintenance feel like? What does Reconnaissance feel like? Besides, Temporary Summoning doesn't drop items, so I might as well take a few more and experience more types."

Wei Guoliang chuckled. "Most people take Temporary Summoning to make quick money. Your idea of experiencing skills is quite novel."

"Is it not allowed?"

"It is. Why wouldn't it be?" Wei Guoliang said. "Temporary Summoning tasks are all sudden. A Summoning Master encounters an emergency in some world, uses a treasure to issue a task on the spot, and it instantly pops up in the mission hall on the Main Planet. Whatever refreshes, you take it—there are all sorts of types."

"Then how do you know what skill a refreshed task will give?"

"It's written in the task description. You can see the 'Attached Skill' column before entering." Wei Guoliang said. "Just pick the one you want to experience."

Zhen Lu nodded.

"But there is one thing." Wei Guoliang held up a finger. "The level of the skill given by Temporary Summoning is related to your own foundation. The three skills you were given for entering the battlefield today were all Basic, because you haven't trained in them. When I entered the maintenance task, I was given Proficient Engine Maintenance, because I've been fixing cars for twenty years in reality."

"So for skills I have no foundation in, I can only start from Basic?"

"Right. But Basic doesn't matter, it's just for the experience anyway." Wei Guoliang picked up his glass and took a sip. "And if you take the same type of task multiple times, the next time you get that type, the skill level given will be higher. Basic becomes Proficient, Proficient becomes Expert. Even though it disappears when the task ends, the starting point for the next time you receive it is different."

Zhen Lu committed this to memory.

Basic becomes Proficient, Proficient becomes Expert. His skills wouldn't disappear; as long as he used them enough, they would upgrade on their own.

But he didn't say that.

"Brother Wei, do you usually enter normally or by taking Temporary Summoning tasks?"

"Both." Wei Guoliang said. "Temporary Summoning earns credits; it's safe, and you don't lose items if you die. Entering normally means paying credits to enter a portal, using your own real skills to fight, and the rewards are greater. I once obtained a Skill Scroll in a normal world and learned Basic Block, the permanent kind."

Zhen Lu looked at him. "You have a skill?"

"Just one. Basic Block." Wei Guoliang patted his arm. "I've been learning it for over half a year and trained it to Proficient Block. It's what I rely on to save my life when I enter worlds normally."

Zhen Lu nodded.

So normal players could also learn permanent skills. Finding scrolls, learning from NPCs. There was a learning process.

He didn't have this process. Temporary skills became permanent the moment they reached him.

"Then how long do Temporary Summoning tasks usually last?" Zhen Lu asked.

"It depends on the Summoning Master. Short ones last an hour or two, long ones like today's last twenty-four hours." Wei Guoliang said. "However, time inside the Realm of Holy Light is ten times that of the outside. Twenty-four hours inside is only a little over two hours outside. We fought for a whole day inside today, and it was only past nine when we came out."

Zhen Lu glanced at the clock. Indeed, 9:12 PM.

It would only be past ten after eating. There would still be time when he got back.

Wei Guoliang finished the beer in his glass and leaned back against the chair. "Xiao Liu, I plan to enter a normal world when I go back later. There's a portal I've been eyeing for several days; the difficulty isn't high, so I'm going in to scout the path. Are you coming?"

Zhen Lu thought about it and shook his head.

"I won't go. I don't even have a permanent skill; I'd just be a burden if I went in."

Wei Guoliang nodded. "That's true. You should take more Temporary Summoning tasks first and build up some feel for it."

"Yeah. I'll go up in a bit and see what the mission hall has, then find a temporary task with a skill to enter."

"Alright." Wei Guoliang stood up and went to pay the bill. "I'll head off first. You take your time drinking."

"Brother Wei."

Wei Guoliang turned back.

"Thanks."

Wei Guoliang waved his hand and turned to leave. His shadow was stretched long by the streetlamp, his uneven shoulders swaying in the light until he turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

Zhen Lu sat there for a while.

The holy light cross projected on the dome rotated slowly overhead.

He looked down at the ring on the ring finger of his left hand.

He stood up and walked toward Beehive Apartment.

He returned to the apartment at 10:23 PM.

Zhen Lu closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed. The humming of the heat exhaust vent filled the room. He raised his left hand, looking at the silver-gray ring on his ring finger.

"Enter."

White light exploded.

The plaza of the Realm of Holy Light. Deep purple starry sky, glowing white stone. At this hour, there were fewer people in the plaza than in the evening, but there were still quite a few players moving in front of the various portals.

Xiao Guang floated out from behind his shoulder.

"Welcome back. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Mission hall." Zhen Lu said. "Only Temporary Summoning. The ones with attached skills."

Xiao Guang flickered, and a few lines of the task list appeared before his eyes.

[Temporary Summoning] World: Frostwhisper Fortress · Requirements: None · Number of People: 300 · Reward: 250 Credits/6 hours · Attached Skill: Basic Carrying

[Temporary Summoning] World: Red Cliffs Battlefield · Requirements: None · Number of People: 10,000 · Reward: 150 Credits/24 hours · Attached Skill: Basic Flag Signaling

[Temporary Summoning] World: Gray Mist Town · Requirements: None · Number of People: 8 · Reward: 300 Credits/4 hours · Attached Skill: Basic Reconnaissance

[Temporary Summoning] World: Ring Road Circuit · Requirements: None · Number of People: 5 · Reward: 200 Credits/8 hours · Attached Skill: Basic Automotive Maintenance

Zhen Lu looked through them one by one.

Frostwhisper Fortress, carrying. Red Cliffs Battlefield, flag signaling. Gray Mist Town, Reconnaissance. Ring Road Circuit, automotive maintenance.

He thought for a moment and tapped on Ring Road Circuit.

[World Name: Ring Road Circuit]

[World Type: Tech City]

[Summoning Mode: Temporary Summoning]

[Task Content: Assist the Summoning Master in repairing a broken-down race car]

[Attached Skill: Basic Automotive Maintenance]

[Remaining Slots: 2 / 5]

[Note: This task is a Temporary Summoning; there is no item drop upon death]

Maintenance skill. He hadn't experienced that yet.

Zhen Lu tapped accept.

[You have accepted the Temporary Summoning task]

[Mode: Temporary Summoning]

[Confirm entry?]

"Confirm."

White light flashed.

He disappeared from the plaza.