Ashe had actually acquired ample funds for a card draw last night during his Robin Hood act at Sylin’s, but the situation was too perilous, and he had to prepare for a quick escape at any moment, which left no room for card draws.
Now, Ashe no longer had to worry about his safety because he was already in danger.
It was the perfect time for a card draw.
First, he checked in to receive the day’s Source Crystal bonus, then he accessed “Material Procurement.” Ashe had 232 points, enough to buy a “Bag of Source Crystals” worth 198 points.
Purchase successful!
He gained 40 Source Crystals!
Then, the first-time purchase bonus triggered, and he got another 40 Source Crystals!
With an accumulated 15 Source Crystals, Ashe now had a total of 95 Source Crystals, enough for 31 consecutive draws!
When Ashe opened “Operator Search,” he noticed a new change on the interface.
“Swords and Dragons Dance Limited Search (Please launch this event as soon as possible after three weeks if the expected monthly revenue target is not met)”“Increased probability↑↑ to obtain Limited Operators ‘Black-and-White Witch’ and ‘Enchanting Maiden’”
“Increased probability↑↑ to obtain Limited Costumes ‘Bride Swordswoman,’ ‘Blood-Sea Return Swordswoman,’ ‘Doomsday Afternoon Observer,’ ‘Swimsuit Observer’”
“Ends at 00:00 on May 15th”
Ashe was stunned by the numerous issues. He knew his company was ruthless, but he hadn’t anticipated this level of shamelessness—launching a Limited Search to lure players into pay-to-win schemes because the monthly revenue might not meet the target was downright disgraceful!
And that comment in the parentheses was clearly meant for the company’s leadership; someone had forgotten to delete it.
The so-called Limited Search meant that the mentioned costumes and operators could only be drawn from this event’s card pool. Once the event was over, players would have no chance to draw the above rewards from the public card pool unless the event was rerun in the future.
Therefore, players with even a hint of a collector’s instinct will spend as much as possible in the Card Pool to acquire key rewards. If a Limited Operator is particularly powerful, even those who usually don’t spend money might painfully delve into Pay-to-Win; and for those who aim for ‘complete collection’, the Pay-to-Win can become relentless until they’ve drawn every item from the Card Pool.
Limited Events are typically launched during anniversary celebrations or New Year festivities, when people are more likely to have disposable income and might get carried away with Pay-to-Win. Additionally, the festive atmosphere means players are less concerned about the distasteful nature of Limited Events.
But overall, Limited Events can almost be equated with ‘forcing you to spend money’ and are far from being considered benefits. To launch a Limited Event less than a month after the game’s release and describe it as ‘unsightly’ would be an understatement.
However…
Ashe tapped on the “Bride Swordswoman” in the event description and nothing popped up. Although there was an event description in the interface, there wasn’t even a thumbnail image—no new Operator information, let alone a new Costume Portrait, just a text-based lure to spend money on Pay-to-Win.
It was clear that the game system was functioning but not fully normal—everything seemed secondary to Pay-to-Win.
Despite grumbling internally, Ashe didn’t hesitate to spend all his Source Crystal reserves in this Limited Card Pool.
It had nothing to do with the Bride Swordswoman; he simply wanted to draw new Operators.
Wait, there was a Ritual to perform before drawing cards…
Ashe went to wash his hands, then crawled over to Igor: “Rock-paper-scissors.”
Interrupted from his thoughts, Igor’s face went from blank to unsightly to resigned, his expressions managing to be quite the spectacle.
Eventually, Igor extended his hand in defeat and quickly won two out of three rounds against Ashe, promptly telling Ashe to get lost with disdain.
Ashe crawled back and lay down, ready to draw cards!
“Confirm the use of 93 Source Crystals for 31 Searches?”
“Confirm!”
Out of 18 beams of white light, all were Energy Potions, Experience Potions, Primary Combat Cards, and other such common items that polluted the Card Pool. He would refine these potions later with the Refining Bottle.
Nine beams of purple light contained three Joy Potions, three bottles of Pure Radiance Special Drink, one Intermediate Trial Card, a new Item ‘Aurora Autonomous Car (Deluxe Edition)’, and a new Item ‘Training Gloves’.
And then, four beams of golden light!
“Black-and-White Witch”!
“Swimsuit Observer”!
“Doomsday Afternoon Observer”!
“Debauched Prince’s D20”!
Snap!
Suddenly, a noise echoed through the room, Harvey and Igor looked over to find Ashe relentlessly banging the back of his head against the padded wall.
Harvey, seemingly thoughtful, nodded and began to imitate Ashe by also banging his head against the padding.
It felt surprisingly effective and indeed seemed to invigorate them.
Igor, however, suddenly felt that compared to the drowsiness that plagued him, being in the company of these two with intelligence on par with that of adult Orcs seemed more detrimental to his well-being.
After venting his frustration on the padding, Ashe’s gaze returned to the game interface. People can be strange sometimes; even when it’s not their fault, they might instinctively punish themselves—almost as if they want to use a purer form of pain to fight against the onslaught of Destiny, just like…
But when Ashe saw the “Swimsuit Observer”, he felt like banging his head all over again.
What’s going wrong here? Not a single Costume for the Swordswoman, yet all the Observer’s Costumes come out?! If I wanted to see the Observer’s Costumes, I could just buy them myself. And it’s not just Costumes; I could even go for drag, plus I get to see the Observer’s bathing CG for free every day—but who wants to watch that?!
They must have secretly tweaked the drop rates, making it impossible to get the “Bride Swordswoman”!
It’s just like my company to have such an unseemly approach!
No wonder they pay us so well; it’s all from these shady practices. Disgusting!
When Ashe shifted from employee to player, he felt an overwhelming urge to write a lengthy post condemning his own company’s ‘Seven Deadly Sins’, but alas, it would be futile. After grumbling for a while, Ashe finally calmed down and inspected the newly acquired Operator Items:
“Training Gloves”: When equipped by an Operator, the experience gained from fist and claw training is increased by 15%.
“Intermediate Trial Card”: Provides an Operator with a trial to gain a moderate amount of experience and a slight increase in Bond. Each Operator can use this only once per week.
“Aurora Autonomous Car (Deluxe Edition)”: A vehicle for use on the lands of the Virtual Realm, capable of being outfitted with various functional accessories. Current accessories installed: none.
“Pure Radiance Special Drink”: Every wise Soul, upon dissolution, releases a bit of pure arcane energy. Consuming Pure Radiance can greatly accelerate the recovery speed of the Soul and increase the absorption rate of arcane energy by 5% in the Virtual Realm for seven days. What kind of person, what kind of place, could so easily collect a bottle of Pure Radiance Special Drink?
As for the gloves, needless to say, Ashe hasn’t drawn a Trial Card in a long time and didn’t expect to pull an Intermediate one this time.
The Pure Radiance Special Drink brought joy to Ashe’s heart; if the Swordswoman’s calculations were correct, their Soul injuries might need two more weeks for complete recovery, but with this drink, recovery could possibly be shortened to just a couple of days.
It’s the last sentence in the effect description that gives Ashe an odd feeling, as if this bottle of drink is some villain’s ill-gotten gains. But since it’s not explicitly stated, Ashe decides to turn a blind eye; now’s not the time to be squeamish.
As for the Aurora Autonomous Car, it’s undoubtedly meant for traversing the Time Continent.
After all, the Boat is only for the Sea of Knowledge, and Ashe was worried they’d have to travel on foot after their stealthy arrival on the Time Continent. Now with this mode of transportation, escaping can be one step ahead.
And as for the ‘Deluxe Edition’ that currently only offers mobility without any functional accessories, it’s really more of a ‘Beggar’s Edition’!
Unlike the Boat, the car itself is a large steel apparatus with potential lethality. Ashe speculates that in the future, he might be able to draw armaments for the car, such as machine guns, rocket launchers, bulletproof glass, vehicle-mounted chainsaws, and even skill cards for the car that enable the use of flashy abilities like ‘Whirlwind Charge Tornado’…
And then there’s the new Operator, “Black-and-White Witch”!
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