#12Chapter 12 Lin Qingyu and the Wilderness!
A successful dungeon run and smooth loot distribution are undoubtedly a significant step forward for a new team.
Since the dawn of the Awakened, countless hopeful adventurer teams have fallen apart over disputes about loot before they could even realize their ambitions.
Fortunately, thanks to your clone's concessions, Crimson Squad safely navigated this trial.
.....
Lin Ke didn't comment after reading this.
Even though Lin Ke scoffed at his clone's 'sacrificing the individual for the greater good' approach in the simulation, he wouldn't interfere with decisions his clone had already made.
Firstly, according to the clone's assessment, if Crimson Squad could maintain a system of absolute fair distribution, the clone himself would ultimately benefit the most.
Secondly, lessons like these are best learned firsthand to be truly memorable; otherwise, the clone would make similar choices when faced with similar situations in the future.
Indeed, Lin Ke didn't have much faith in the absolute fair distribution system proposed by Zhang Jingyi, the leader of Crimson Squad in the simulation.
In Lin Ke's view, Zhang Jingyi, who proposed this distribution system, was either a naive idealist or an ignorant idiot.
As the saying goes, people are not concerned about scarcity but about inequality.
If someone contributes more and plays a greater role, yet receives the same loot as the slackers in the team, wouldn't they feel resentful?
Once or twice might be acceptable, but if they never receive rewards commensurate with their contributions, regardless of their performance, why would they risk their lives for the team?
Perhaps it wouldn't be apparent usually, but once the team faces a major setback or internal conflicts erupt, the resentment accumulated under this absolute fairness system would explode, shattering the entire team!
Of course, there's also the saying that nothing is absolute.
What if everyone in Crimson Squad were selfless saints? What if everyone in the team treated each other like brothers and sisters, not caring about minor gains and losses?
These things are uncertain; even if the probability is low, it's still possible...
So, Lin Ke didn't comment to avoid being proven wrong later.
[Simulation continues...]
[With the successful Goblin Tribe subjugation! Your clone and his Crimson Squad stood out from their peers, becoming one of the few Bronze-ranked teams in Donghua University's freshman year to clear a Level 5 dungeon on their second attempt.]
[Even the Dean of Students, who had schemed to expel your clone in the previous simulation, no longer mentioned kicking him out of Donghua University this time. Instead, he encouraged your clone to strive hard and become a pillar of the nation in the future.]
[Although your clone inwardly despised the Dean's dog-like flip-flopping attitude, he put on an appearance of being greatly encouraged, pleasing the Dean.]
[Meanwhile, your goddess, Lin Qingyu, privately approached your clone, questioning why he had blocked her.
Her attitude was as arrogant and condescending as ever. After all, she was an 'elite seed' who awakened a Gold-ranked talent. Even though your clone awakened a Life Resistance talent in this simulation, becoming a popular choice for a warrior among ordinary students, he was still just a Bronze-ranked Awakened. In terms of status and potential, he was still far inferior to her.]
[If Lin Qingyu didn't need a useful pawn willing to die for her to ensure her safety, you, this good-for-nothing, wouldn't even qualify for her personal attention.]
[Fortunately, unlike you, who would wag your tail like a dog for a bone, the clone, lacking biological needs, had no feelings for Lin Qingyu.
Faced with Lin Qingyu's questioning, your clone simply said, "None of your business."]
["You!" Lin Qingyu looked at your clone in disbelief, seemingly unable to believe that you, the ultimate simp who didn't even dare to breathe loudly in front of her, would speak to her in such a way!]
"I need to clarify that the simp you're referring to is the Lin Ke of that world, not me, so could you change the reference in the simulation?" Lin Ke rubbed his nose and suggested, "I feel a bit offended by that."
[The clone stared at Lin Qingyu coldly, telling her to speak her mind or get lost.]
"....."
Lin Ke.
Was he being ignored?
[Lin Qingyu remembered her purpose and suppressed her anger, using an extremely weak expression to tell the clone that the Ironblood Society she had joined was conducting internal assessments. Teams that passed the assessment would become core teams of the Ironblood Society and receive focused training.]
"What does that have to do with me?" the clone asked, glancing sideways.
"Of course, it does!" Lin Qingyu couldn't help but raise her voice by three decibels.
But after glancing at the clone's cold expression, which was completely different from your usual self, Lin Qingyu, who needed your clone's help, had to lower her voice and say humbly, "The assessment involves venturing into the wilderness for training. I'm afraid to go alone and would like you to protect me."]
[Your clone found this utterly ridiculous, unable to understand how there could be such shameless people!
Putting aside Lin Qingyu's attitude towards the original body, the clone, who had personally struggled in the wilderness for several years in the previous simulation, was well aware of the dangers of the wilderness! This woman not only swindled the original body out of his assets in reality but also wanted to trick him into selling his life in the simulation?!
No way!]
[Just as your clone was about to ask Lin Qingyu to leave his dorm politely,
Lin Qingyu suddenly raised two fingers.
"I'll give you 20,000 Federation Credits!"
The clone stopped moving.
"You must be short on money, Lin Ke," Lin Qingyu said, as if she had him figured out. "After all, that's your background. 20,000 is not a small sum for you."
"..." The clone, who almost agreed, sneered.
As the saying goes, 'a man will fight for honor, not just for food.' Lin Qingyu's attitude made the clone extremely disgusted. He sneered and told Lin Qingyu that he wasn't the kind of person who would sell himself for money!
"50,000! If you don't agree, forget it." Lin Qingyu turned to leave.
"Wait!" The clone instantly blocked Lin Qingyu's path and said seriously, "Add another 10,000, just 60,000! No matter what monsters there are, they'll have to step over my dead body to touch you!!"]
"Wait, you agreed? Where's your dignity? You sold your dignity for 60,000?" Lin Ke almost choked.
Although 60,000 was indeed not a small number, almost equivalent to the income from five or six dungeon runs.
But what about a man's dignity? And didn't you say the wilderness was dangerous?
[A man's dignity?
The clone said that for a man, there is no dignity without money! Moreover, he only inherited the original body's appearance; he wasn't human, or even a living being. Gender didn't bind him.
Finally, the one who was tricked by Lin Qingyu was the original body, not him!
As for the dangers of the wilderness, it was indeed very dangerous, but Lin Qingyu did live to graduation in the previous simulation, meaning that Lin Qingyu's actions this time were unlikely to encounter life-threatening danger.
If Lin Qingyu wasn't in danger, what did he have to fear? Don't even mention 60,000; if Lin Qingyu's attitude had been better, the clone would have almost agreed to 20,000.]
[Faced with your clone's face-changing attitude,]
[Lin Qingyu was stunned but agreed to the price the clone offered. She told the clone that she would notify him to meet up in a month, then immediately transferred 60,000 Federation Credits to the clone, and took out an electronic contract, telling the clone that if he went back on his word, he would have to compensate her three times the amount as liquidated damages.]
[Your clone happily signed his name, saying that he would definitely serve the esteemed customer well.]
[In the following month, your clone and the members of Crimson Squad completed four consecutive dungeon runs, including three Goblin Tribe runs and one Level 6 new dungeon, the Beast Nest.]
[With the completion of the four dungeon runs, the levels of Crimson Squad's members rose to Level 7, but your clone was still stuck at Level 10 due to the high experience penalty.]
[As your clone had predicted, the advantage he could bring to Crimson Squad was slowly diminishing. Like now, facing the final BOSS at Level 12 in the Level 6 dungeon, even though your clone had obtained some new equipment and skills during this period, and his strength had improved significantly, your clone could no longer block the entire BOSS alone and allow his teammates to output freely from behind, as he had done against the Goblin dungeon BOSS.]
[Fortunately, with the income of 60,000 Federation Credits from Lin Qingyu, your clone's dominance was declining, but not too drastically. He was still the absolute core force in Crimson Squad, but he could no longer clear dungeons that exceeded the team's average level as he had done before.
In fact, this was the norm for most Bronze-ranked teams. Challenging Level 5 dungeons at Level 4 was purely a case of 'newborn calves are not afraid of tigers.' Generally speaking, Bronze-ranked teams only had the ability to challenge dungeons below their own team's average level; otherwise, injuries and deaths were very likely.]
[Of course, your clone didn't have the mind to consider clearing higher-level dungeons at this time... Because as the one-month period agreed upon with Lin Qingyu arrived, Lin Qingyu came to you as scheduled. With her were nine members of the Ironblood Society, all of whom were outstanding among the freshmen, at least 'geniuses' who had awakened Silver-ranked talents!]
[Under the gaze of these geniuses, Lin Qingyu introduced your clone to them, and with a look of disgust, as if she was very reluctant, told them that after hearing that she was going to the wilderness for the Ironblood Society's assessment, your clone insisted on protecting her safety during this assessment, and she couldn't refuse no matter how hard she tried.]
[Upon hearing Lin Qingyu's explanation, the Ironblood Society members present all cast surprised glances at your clone, obviously not expecting that your clone, who was somewhat famous among the freshmen, would willingly act as Lin Qingyu's 'protector'!]
[For the sake of Lin Qingyu's status as a financial backer, your clone didn't choose to expose her.
One of the leading Ironblood Society members couldn't bear to see your clone's miserable appearance of silently sacrificing for love and reminded him, "We do lack a front-liner in our team, but you must also know that the wilderness is a dangerous place full of unknowns. Venturing into the wilderness at our current level is quite dangerous. We are members of the Ironblood Society, and if we encounter danger, we can call for help via signal. The worst outcome is just failing the assessment and not being able to become core members of the Ironblood Society."
"But you're different. If you insist on participating in the assessment as an outsider, you can only participate as Lin Qingyu's servant. The Ironblood Society has no obligation to ensure your safety, and any loot obtained in the wilderness will not belong to you. Even the experience distribution ratio is 0."
"You still have time to regret it. Your love for Lin Qingyu doesn't have to be expressed in this way..."
"I've already said all of this," Lin Qingyu interrupted him before he could speak, and glared at the clone, who was about to speak, with a threatening look. She quickly said, "But he's worried about my safety no matter what and insists on personally protecting me to feel at ease... Honestly, I can't get rid of him, but although he's just a lower-level Awakened who awakened a Bronze-ranked talent, he awakened the Life Resistance talent that increases vitality and resists damage. He can still ensure his own safety while providing some help to our assessment."
"That's why I had to agree to let him come with me to participate in the assessment, and also to provide help to everyone."
"...."
Your clone smiled, indicating that since you were paying, you could say whatever you wanted.]
[That's how it was. Under Lin Qingyu's distorted words, your clone successfully infiltrated this team full of elite peers as Lin Qingyu's protector and began to set off into the dangerous wilderness.]
..
[Entering the wilderness again, your clone had a sense of déjà vu from Simulation S1.]
[This sense of tension, where even the weeds on the side of the road could turn into weed monsters screaming and attacking you at any moment, returned to your clone after a simulation time of 7 years.]
[Unlike your clone, who seemed to be in his element, the Ironblood Society elites all looked serious, as if facing a great enemy!]
[In this world, everyone knows the dangers of the wilderness! People who frequent the wilderness, whether they are independent Awakened, battle groups, or even armies driven by national power, have never been able to die peacefully. The only difference is the length of time before they crash.]
Although the wilderness chosen by the Iron Blood Society is close to the safe zone of human cities, and the monster levels are relatively controllable and have already been explored, the 'safety' here is only relative to warbands and armies. For the Iron Blood Society's newcomers, a group of college freshmen who have only awakened as professionals for a little over a month, it is still a cruel hell where they could lose their lives at any moment!
In less than two hours of entering the wilderness, the entire Iron Blood Society's assessment team encountered more than a dozen waves of wilderness monster attacks! Although these wilderness monsters were not high-level, averaging only around level 3 or 4, their attacks were unpredictable, and several times they almost caused harm to the members of the assessment team.
Reality is not like a dungeon. Everything in a dungeon is turned into numerical values under the effect of rules. As long as the health points are not cleared, the professionals will not suffer any substantial damage.
But reality is different. Once injured, the professionals lose more than just health points. They will also feel extreme pain, which in turn reduces their combat effectiveness, and may even lead to physical disabilities. Even if healing spells restore their health, it is useless. The restoration of health points in reality only manifests as rapid wound healing and no more blood loss, but severed limbs will not regenerate.
Of course, there are countless magical items and rare skills in dungeons and the wilderness, and there are also countless strange talents in the world. Limb regeneration is not an insurmountable problem for professionals, but the common flaw of these methods is that they are all expensive, far beyond what ordinary professionals can afford. In addition, disability greatly affects current combat effectiveness, which may lead to being abandoned by the team and becoming a pawn, or even dying directly in the wilderness.