Is anyone in this chaotic world thinking of taking advantage of Ethan?
Of course there were, but don't be fooled by the fact that he was wheelchair-bound. Ethan had consumed several Enhanced Gene Serums. Even sitting, it would take twenty or thirty ordinary people to handle him.
Moreover, he had over a hundred people under his command, and they were not to be trifled with.
Inside the restaurant, everyone was enjoying their meal.
"Brother Ethan, tomorrow Star Domain officially starts selling game helmets. Want me to get one for you?" Nina asked.
Two years ago, Ethan was living on welfare. Who would have imagined he'd have a day where he could spend 100,000 just to buy a gaming helmet?
He looked at Nina, puzzled.
"They start selling tomorrow? Hasn't the game been in open beta for almost a year? Why are helmets only being sold in Titan City tomorrow?"
Could the game company be discriminating against Titan City? That was the only explanation he could think of.
His question left everyone at the table choking on food. Coughing and spluttering filled the air.
Leo wiped rice grains off his face and looked at Ethan incredulously.
"Brother Ethan, Star Domain's open beta starts the day after tomorrow!" he said.
"What?"
Seeing everyone's reactions, Ethan realized they all agreed with Leo.
"But then, what game was I playing today?" he muttered.
He thought back. "I remember the advertisements starting a year ago, right?"
"Yes, Star Domain began its pre-launch a year ago. Brother Ethan, don't you remember? You even took a 10,000 credit contract to design their regional electronic ads," Nina reminded him.
Ethan nodded. "I remember. The open beta was supposed to be on June 15, 3120. I remember that date clearly."
Nina and Leo exchanged dumbfounded glances.
"The problem, Brother Ethan, is that the open beta is June 15, 3121," Nina said weakly.
Leo's face twitched. "No wonder their promo page always looked off. Brother Ethan, did you take the money and just delete it?"
Everyone at the table tried to stifle laughter.
Ethan recalled that the person in charge had later contacted him for changes. He had glanced at the request and thought, "10,000 credits for this? No way."
So he ignored it.
Turns out he had messed up the open beta date. But then he frowned. Was the game he played today really Star Domain?
"You guys keep eating. I'm heading back," Ethan said.
"Hey, Brother Ethan, buying the helmet or not?" Nina called after him.
"Buy one," Ethan's voice trailed off as he left.
Ethan rushed home and grabbed the game helmet he had tossed in the corner.
He put it on and entered the game.
The familiar scene appeared, and the Wild Wolf's attributes were unchanged. It was still the same unambitious creature.
Without hesitation, Ethan resumed his flower-biting endeavor.
Now that he knew the open beta would start the day after tomorrow, he had other plans. Perhaps this Parasite wasn't a bug after all. He wanted to see what it could ultimately become.
The long journey of monster hunting began again.
Ding. System. Your host has defeated the opponent. Parasite all attributes have increased to 0.025.
Ding. System. Your host has defeated the opponent. Parasite all attributes have increased to 0.031.
Ethan still didn't understand how the Wild Wolf's experience points were calculated. But under his guidance, it killed forty-two Wild Wolves, leveling from 4 to 5.
The Wild Wolf's Health increased to 40, Attack to 8, and Defense to 3. Self-Healing and Bite both leveled up.
A new line appeared under the wolf's level: "Reached limit level." Ethan didn't understand it yet.
He checked his own attributes: 0.068. Pitiful, but progress was progress.
Even though only forty-two monsters had been killed, it took hours. He had to teach the Wild Wolf step by step, and it was slow going. Still, he had progressed from randomly biting flowers to targeting specific spots based on direction.
"Forget it. I'll play again tomorrow," Ethan said, stretching and glancing at the sky. Sitting all day had left him stiff.
Logically, playing such a weak character shouldn't be fun. But knowing the open beta was so close, Ethan couldn't help but feel eager. He was curious to see other players' reactions to his Parasite.
Early the next morning, Ethan woke, completed his work for the day in an hour, and grabbed the worn helmet. Making money was still a priority.
Once everything was done, he entered the game again.
As expected, the Wild Wolf had stood idly through the night. Ethan's patience had paid off.
With more experience now, the monster hunts went faster. In just over three hours, the Wild Wolf defeated over a hundred monsters.
Ding. System. Your host has defeated the opponent. Parasite all attributes have increased to 0.181.
Ding. System. Congratulations. Your host's quality has improved. Parasite all attributes have increased to 0.281.
Ethan couldn't believe it. A direct 0.1 boost in one go! Even if small, it thrilled him.
He checked the Wild Wolf's attributes again.
Name: Elite Wild Wolf ★★★
Aptitude: D
Level: 1
Health Points: 50/50
Physical Attack: 10
Physical Defense: 4
Skill One: Bite Level 6. Each attack deals 210 percent of current attack damage. 11 percent chance to bleed for 3 seconds, losing 6 percent health per second. Cooldown 30 seconds.
Talent One: Self-Healing Level 4. After exiting combat, recovers 4 Health Points every 10 seconds until fully healed.
Description: Once ordinary, now elite. Given time, it could become the leader of surrounding Wild Wolves.
Level 1 Elite Wild Wolf stats were nearly double a normal level 1 Wild Wolf: Health from 20 to 50, Attack from 4 to 10, Defense from 1 to 4.
Ethan guessed "Reached limit level" meant the Wild Wolf had hit its level cap and would upgrade in quality if exceeded.
As for the stars, he didn't know yet. He'd have to wait for the open beta.