Chapter 2 Useless New Skills
Is this a new add-on to Internal Power?
Elated, Dugu went onto the skills page and saw two big blinking words: “Inner Vision.” Note: Passive skill, could be used to examine reserve power during meditation to prevent loss of sanity.
He opened the player’s journal; there was only one line: “Congratulations, Player Dugu Hong, you’ve received Inner Consciousness + 2, Inner Understanding + 1, Adventure Value + 10, and Reputation Value + 50.”
His excitement dimmed. The journal was clear in that Inner Vision was useless, and as for the four rewards . . .
It could be said the game was pretty stingy.
He sighed at how cheap the game was and then turned on Inner Vision.
Light—something he hadn’t seen for three years—appeared. There was a human-shaped blue blob with something white and glowing moving inside, leaving dots in its path. The dots seemed to be glowing brighter . . .
Obviously, this was a picture of internal power moving inside the body: the dots were the power channels, and the white light streams were internal power.
This was the so-called Inner Vision? Dugu almost laughed.
But then he realized that there was more to the image. He needed to zoom in.
In the upper right-hand corner was a number: 42480/159882. The first number was his current Internal Power, but what did the second number mean?
Dugu also realized that for every glowing channel, no matter the color, there was also a small number. The numbers differed depending on their location; some were around 800, while the lowest was thirty or forty.
As the light streams cycled every ten minutes, at least one number changed—either the number on the power channel became bigger, or his Internal Power grew by one.
Every cycle meant at least one number grew bigger.
After half an hour, the number in the upper right-hand corner turned into 42481/159885.
What did it mean?
Dugu Hong didn’t understand.
He went from the game to the gaming forum and back again, but remained puzzled.
There was nothing about “Inner Vision,” “Power Channel,” etc. . . It looked like no other player had reached this level yet.
Dugu had no choice but to figure it out himself. He tried playing with the cycles, and watching the numbers change on the dots and streams.
Six in-game days passed quickly, and he finally figured out some rules of the game mechanics.
The Internal Power shown was not the Total Internal Power. It could be freely adjusted.The second number was the actual Total Internal Power.
Internal Power that couldn’t be adjusted was scattered throughout the various channels; their numbers added up equaled the difference between free Internal Power and Total Internal Power.
Dugu decided to call the number on each Power Channel the Pressure Point Number.
…………
However, these revelations didn’t seem to be very useful; his Internal Power still simply circulated in his body in a big or small cycle.
The skills merely gave him impractical hope, as if he was watching the stars with a telescope; though the stars seemed close enough to touch, he could not change them in any way.
As he was kicked out of the game, he thought that it was time to go to the library tomorrow to research Power Channels and Pressure Points.
****
When Dugu opened his eyes, his world woke up. The light came on in his room and the projector turned on to show the morning news, repeating those new yet old bits of information.
A buzz came on in the kitchen; it was the old-style microwave working. “Pfft,” the home robot sighed as it pushed open the door to pick up the day’s delivery of milk, paper, and mail.
The whole subdivision was filling with sounds and noises.
Everyone was used to this kind of life now.
Every night was known as the “eight hours which extended your life.” Others may not be playing games during those hours, but they definitely weren’t working. They could do anything they wanted—except of course, the workaholics.
No one complained about needing more downtime, since everyone rested six days a week and worked only one day.
“Your mail.” The robot heated up the milk, and seeing Dugu had finished getting ready, handed him various white envelopes.
Dugu wasn’t surprised; it was the May 10th—time to pay his monthly bills.
There was something from the bank, and the bills for water, electricity, gas, oil, phone, internet, gaming, robot maintenance, property management . . .
The bills that reminded you of the many services you had enjoyed over the past month.
“You can pay them.” Dugu didn’t want to torture himself, nor did he want to waste words.
“But, there’s not enough balance in the bank account, not enough for this month, and for next month . . .”
“Use my college tuition savings.” Dugu finished the bread in three bites.
“For that we need a higher-level permission.”
“Mine isn’t enough?” Dugu stared at the robot and gulped down the milk.
“No, it is, but . . .” The nanny-style robot liked to nag, so it didn’t stop talking. “If we used the funds now, what about your tuition? I did the calculations; we haven’t had income for more than six months . . .”
“Once I go to college, I could sell this apartment, and you. That should be enough.” Dugu picked up his backpack and started to walk out.
“Uh, yes, but . . . what if you don’t get into college?” The robot kept following him.
“Yeah, that may be an issue.” Dugu sighed as he got on the school bus, and the doors closed behind him.
He was finally free of the robot’s nagging. He relaxed and walked toward his seat but suddenly froze.
Inside the roomy vehicle, three men and a woman stood in the aisle, blocking his way. All four of them had their gazes fixed on him.
What are they doing here? Dugu made a fist.
Chapter 2 Useless New Skills
Is this a new add-on to Internal Power?
Elated, Dugu went onto the skills page and saw two big blinking words: “Inner Vision.” Note: Passive skill, could be used to examine reserve power during meditation to prevent loss of sanity.
He opened the player’s journal; there was only one line: “Congratulations, Player Dugu Hong, you’ve received Inner Consciousness + 2, Inner Understanding + 1, Adventure Value + 10, and Reputation Value + 50.”
His excitement dimmed. The journal was clear in that Inner Vision was useless, and as for the four rewards . . .
It could be said the game was pretty stingy.
He sighed at how cheap the game was and then turned on Inner Vision.
Light—something he hadn’t seen for three years—appeared. There was a human-shaped blue blob with something white and glowing moving inside, leaving dots in its path. The dots seemed to be glowing brighter . . .
Obviously, this was a picture of internal power moving inside the body: the dots were the power channels, and the white light streams were internal power.
This was the so-called Inner Vision? Dugu almost laughed.
But then he realized that there was more to the image. He needed to zoom in.
In the upper right-hand corner was a number: 42480/159882. The first number was his current Internal Power, but what did the second number mean?
Dugu also realized that for every glowing channel, no matter the color, there was also a small number. The numbers differed depending on their location; some were around 800, while the lowest was thirty or forty.
As the light streams cycled every ten minutes, at least one number changed—either the number on the power channel became bigger, or his Internal Power grew by one.
Every cycle meant at least one number grew bigger.
After half an hour, the number in the upper right-hand corner turned into 42481/159885.
What did it mean?
Dugu Hong didn’t understand.
He went from the game to the gaming forum and back again, but remained puzzled.
There was nothing about “Inner Vision,” “Power Channel,” etc. . . It looked like no other player had reached this level yet.
Dugu had no choice but to figure it out himself. He tried playing with the cycles, and watching the numbers change on the dots and streams.
Six in-game days passed quickly, and he finally figured out some rules of the game mechanics.
The Internal Power shown was not the Total Internal Power. It could be freely adjusted.The second number was the actual Total Internal Power.
Internal Power that couldn’t be adjusted was scattered throughout the various channels; their numbers added up equaled the difference between free Internal Power and Total Internal Power.
Dugu decided to call the number on each Power Channel the Pressure Point Number.
…………
However, these revelations didn’t seem to be very useful; his Internal Power still simply circulated in his body in a big or small cycle.
The skills merely gave him impractical hope, as if he was watching the stars with a telescope; though the stars seemed close enough to touch, he could not change them in any way.
As he was kicked out of the game, he thought that it was time to go to the library tomorrow to research Power Channels and Pressure Points.
****
When Dugu opened his eyes, his world woke up. The light came on in his room and the projector turned on to show the morning news, repeating those new yet old bits of information.
A buzz came on in the kitchen; it was the old-style microwave working. “Pfft,” the home robot sighed as it pushed open the door to pick up the day’s delivery of milk, paper, and mail.
The whole subdivision was filling with sounds and noises.
Everyone was used to this kind of life now.
Every night was known as the “eight hours which extended your life.” Others may not be playing games during those hours, but they definitely weren’t working. They could do anything they wanted—except of course, the workaholics.
No one complained about needing more downtime, since everyone rested six days a week and worked only one day.
“Your mail.” The robot heated up the milk, and seeing Dugu had finished getting ready, handed him various white envelopes.
Dugu wasn’t surprised; it was the May 10th—time to pay his monthly bills.
There was something from the bank, and the bills for water, electricity, gas, oil, phone, internet, gaming, robot maintenance, property management . . .
The bills that reminded you of the many services you had enjoyed over the past month.
“You can pay them.” Dugu didn’t want to torture himself, nor did he want to waste words.
“But, there’s not enough balance in the bank account, not enough for this month, and for next month . . .”
“Use my college tuition savings.” Dugu finished the bread in three bites.
“For that we need a higher-level permission.”
“Mine isn’t enough?” Dugu stared at the robot and gulped down the milk.
“No, it is, but . . .” The nanny-style robot liked to nag, so it didn’t stop talking. “If we used the funds now, what about your tuition? I did the calculations; we haven’t had income for more than six months . . .”
“Once I go to college, I could sell this apartment, and you. That should be enough.” Dugu picked up his backpack and started to walk out.
“Uh, yes, but . . . what if you don’t get into college?” The robot kept following him.
“Yeah, that may be an issue.” Dugu sighed as he got on the school bus, and the doors closed behind him.
He was finally free of the robot’s nagging. He relaxed and walked toward his seat but suddenly froze.
Inside the roomy vehicle, three men and a woman stood in the aisle, blocking his way. All four of them had their gazes fixed on him.
What are they doing here? Dugu made a fist.
