Chapter 162: Entries and Potential Pills?

A full seven days have passed.

On the first floor, the specters at the edge of Death Island could no longer satisfy the players' hunting progress, and they began to push deeper.

More and more players began to encounter red-clothed specters.

"Rubber Rubber Idea Drive!"

Luffy shook his arms, took the straw hat off his head, and slammed it straight onto the ground.

A slight tremor spread out.

Centered on the straw hat, a special green energy formation spread across the ground within a five-meter radius.

All the specters were frozen in place by the force of the tremor.

Under the enhancement of the green energy formation, Luffy's fists became even more fierce and swift, continuously pounding on the specters until their HP was depleted.

"What a powerful move!"

Zoro opened his eyes and stared intently at the Captain who was hunting the specters.

This was a drop they had just obtained from hunting a red specter, a blue skill called 【Idea Drive】.

It allows one to plunge their own Giant Soldier Power into the earth, creating the effect of 【Giant Soldier Power】 in the surrounding area, slightly increasing critical damage, and after being activated by Idea Drive, it provides an intuition boost as if one had a sixth sense, allowing for more precise hits on enemies.

But upon second thought,

Zoro felt that 【Idea Drive】 didn't really suit him; he was a man who wanted to become the world's greatest Sword Master, so he couldn't be like that brute Luffy, directly stabbing 【Wado Ichimonji】 into the ground and then engaging in close-quarters combat with people, right?

"If I continue to advance, I should be getting close to the center of the island. I wonder how strong the tower-guarding boss is, and if it's worth me drawing my blade!"

Zoro's gaze was sharp.

A surge of pitch-black mist rose behind him, and the phantom of a ghost god gradually solidified and descended.

This was a new skill that appeared after 【Ghost Qi Affinity】 was upgraded to Lv. 5.

The system prompted that he could consume 8,000 Reward Points to upgrade the skill's quality. After Zoro signed a Debt Bond in a daze, 【Ghost Qi Affinity】 upgraded into a new skill.

【Afterimage of Kaja】: Borrowing the power of the ghost god to wrap around one's body, enhancing critical damage and movement speed, with attacks carrying Ghost Qi.

"The power of the afterimage!"

Zoro bit the hilt of his sword, held his blades with both hands, stomped his right foot hard on the ground, and swept past several specters at extreme speed.

The specters' sharp claws descended, but they were blocked by the afterimage on Zoro's body, as if passing through a phantom shadow, causing him no damage at all.

Slash.

A purple-black Ghost Qi slash tore open the chests of the specters.

This ghost god originated from a guardian of the Shadow Labyrinth on the Arad Continent; he was a Shadow Sword Master in life, and after death, he refused to dissipate due to his powerful will and spirit, eventually transforming into a ghost god.

"If I fall on the road to becoming the world's greatest Sword Master, I fear my own unwilling resentment would also turn me into a ghost god wandering the world."

Sheathing his sword and feeling the afterimage ghost god surrounding him, Zoro thought silently.

Whether it be specters or Pirates, no one can stop me from becoming the strongest Sword Master; I will cut down every obstacle in my path!

"That idiot Smoker, is he actually poaching the Navy's talent so blatantly?"

Marine Admiral Akainu, Sakazuki, who had never been able to tolerate sand in his eyes, slapped the conference table repeatedly and scolded angrily: "He actually used Navy funds to upgrade and handed them over to a game merchant who poses a huge threat to the Navy. Does he want to betray the Navy?"

Inside the Image Den Den Mushi,

Smoker had not yet signed a Debt Bond, but was very generously taking out Navy funds to upgrade the quality of his Lv. 5 Poison Attack Mastery.

【Poisonous Blood】: A Street Fighter, through the cultivation of deadly poisons, makes their blood contain highly lethal toxins.

This is the core ability of a Street Fighter.

Aokiji spoke in a calm tone: "Smoker is also doing this for the Navy. The stronger he is, the better he can investigate the game merchant's intelligence, and the better he can protect the World Nobles."

Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Sengoku hurriedly stopped them.

These days,

All high-ranking Navy officers were required to attend meetings after finishing their work, the content of which was to analyze and observe the game content transmitted back by the Image Den Den Mushi.

There were two goals.

First was to uncover the secrets of the game merchant's abilities so that Vice Admiral Tsuru could better deal with them.

Then, it was to try to help the Navy personnel who had landed on the first floor of the Trial Tower to find the weak points of Death Island, so that the Navy could, as much as possible, become the victors who kill the tower-guarding boss.

Sengoku said with a headache: "There are already Navy personnel who have signed Debt Bonds and obtained Reward Points from the game merchant."

Debt Bond.

It didn't sound like a good thing; it meant that the Navy personnel who signed the Debt Bond needed to continuously hunt these specter monsters to repay the Reward Points to the game merchant.

No one knew what the consequences of defaulting would be.

If the consequences were severe enough to endanger their lives, it would be like a chain, binding the Navy personnel who signed the Debt Bond; it wouldn't be strange for those with weak wills to betray the Navy to save their lives.

A note was handed to Sengoku by a Navy soldier.

After reading it, Sengoku's face changed drastically, and he cursed: "That idiot Garp, I clearly told him not to act rashly, yet this guy dared to directly become a contracted player and even snuck onto the island?"

"Vice Admiral Garp has also become a contracted player?"

"Absurd!"

The Navy generals were suddenly in an uproar.

A Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral is a top-tier combat force of the Navy, not to mention 【Hero Garp】, who had refused promotion for some reason and whose true combat power had long been that of a Marine Admiral.

The man who once chased the Pirate King's ship, forced Roger into desperate situations several times, and was already regarded by the common people as the face of the Navy.

Once something happens to him, the Navy will suffer a huge loss.

This is not something that can be compared to the defection of a few small-fry Navy from the East Blue Branch, or the death of a Smoker.

The Image Den Den Mushi's snail eyes rotated frantically, and after a few minutes, it finally located Garp.

"Koby, with your cowardice, you can never become a Navy!"

Garp slammed his fist onto the head of the pink-haired runt, looking at Koby, who was scurrying about in fear of the specters, angry at his lack of resolve.

He received instructions from Sengoku and arrived at the East Blue Trial Tower area.

On the way, he encountered Koby rowing a boat alone; feeling that he was a good prospect, he prepared to recruit him into the Navy.

Only after a few days of contact did he discover that Koby was far too weak-willed.

Perhaps it would be better to hand him over to Sakazuki for a period of training to temper the other's willpower?

Bang.

The fist Garp swung was as hard as steel, smashing into the vengeful spirits as if tearing through cotton.

He was a man standing at the near-pinnacle of the Pirate World; without any Devil Fruit ability, his pure Haki and combat techniques had not weakened due to age, but had instead become increasingly tempered.

He had not brought much capital on this trip to the East Blue.

But it was enough to unseal his real-world abilities; although his Lv. 5 Armament Haki was only judged by the Samsara Game as a Blue Potential skill, it was bolstered by his combat techniques, making his speed at hunting vengeful spirits fast enough.

"What a satisfying battle!"

Garp laughed heartily, his fists swinging in succession, each strike heavy and powerful.

The figure wearing the dog-head hat wove back and forth among the vengeful spirits, taking down one with every punch.

"How is this possible? We all have Lv. 5 Armament Haki, so why are Vice Admiral Garp's fists so much stronger?"

The Navy soldiers following Garp wore expressions of disbelief.

They were all capable of fighting alongside Garp and were not weak in combat power; Armament Haki was an essential skill for traversing the Grand Line and the New World.

To keep pace with Garp and Bogart, they had all signed Debt Bonds and used the Reward Points they received to unseal their Armament Haki.

Yet, despite having the same Lv. level, they lacked the power Garp possessed.

"Perhaps it is because I have comprehended a Skill Entry for my Armament Haki skill?"

"An Entry?"

The Navy soldiers all wore looks of confusion.

Garp directly displayed his skill interface, where an extra line of text had appeared at the bottom of his 【Armament Haki】 skill.

【Armament Haki Lv. 5 (Blue)】: A special ability of the Pirate World; once released, it can greatly increase defense and attack power.

Lv. 5 Entry: Increases fist penetration by 15%.

The Navy soldiers looked at each other in dismay and hurriedly opened their own skill interfaces.

After some research,

they discovered that Skill Entries needed to be comprehended personally, or by purchasing an Insight Pill from the Game Mall.

A single Insight Pill cost five thousand Reward Points, and there was no guarantee of successful comprehension.

A Fu looked at the newly listed item and asked in confusion: "Master, will anyone really buy an Insight Pill?"

An Entry.

To put it bluntly, it was the different effects extended from the same skill based on each player's different level of comprehension.

Just like the divine arts and secret manuals in a martial arts world, or the secret techniques and Battle Qi in a magical world, the results cultivated by each person were different.

The higher a player's Soul Potential, the deeper their insight and understanding of a skill; even at the same level, they could unleash greater power.

And these subtle differences were presented by the Master entirely in the form of a game.

"Of course they will buy it."

Fang Yi's mouth curled up slightly as he said: "Can't you see the envy in those Navy soldiers' eyes? Everyone's skill level is the same, so why is yours more powerful?"

A Fu said as if it were a matter of course: "That is because Garp's comprehension and understanding of Armament Haki are stronger, and he has incorporated his own methods, causing his Armament Haki to have greater power in terms of fist penetration."

This had a lot to do with Soul Potential.

Although everything in the Samsara Game was structured as a game, its essence remained the real world; innate advantages could not be completely ignored.

Just like Mihawk and Zoro; their Soul Potential was strong enough that they were born with a unique aptitude for Jiangdian.

Even in a world without magic, some people could apply the same knowledge flexibly, while others could not draw inferences even after rote memorization.

"Therefore, this is the reason for the existence of the Insight Pill."

Fang Yi looked down from above at the players continuously pouring into the first floor of the Trial Tower and said: "The purpose of the Samsara Game is to be able to change everyone's destiny and realize all wishes."

"Players with high Soul Potential are indeed the vanguard and the elite force for hunting Pollution Sources, but we cannot ignore our largest base."

"And that is the ordinary players."

"Why is it that even though we are all Reincarnation Game Players, I cannot have the ability to change my destiny? With the same level and equipment, Mihawk can reach Lord-level strength, while I, Pirate Pulu, can only be an Elite monster?"

"The appearance of the Insight Pill is to tell ordinary players that as long as they have enough willpower and can hunt pollution with all their might to obtain Reward Points, they can catch up to those heaven-gifted geniuses and Children of Prophecy, and even trample them underfoot!"

"This is the true meaning of the Samsara Game."

After hearing this, even A Fu felt her blood boiling.

She couldn't help but clench her small fists; destiny was in her own hands!

Immediately after, she felt something was wrong and asked: "But Master, isn't the price of the Insight Pill too high? The same Reward Points are enough to upgrade a skill, wouldn't that make one even stronger?"

That was the problem.

The attribute increase from a skill upgrade far exceeded the small amount of attributes from an Entry.

But the Insight Pill, which could comprehend or change an Entry, was actually sold for more Reward Points than a skill upgrade; would any fool really buy it?

Fang Yi showed a look of reassurance and said: "The Pirate players might need to wait a while, but the players from the Ninja world are already unable to resist; never mind five thousand Reward Points, even if it were fifty thousand, some would still try."

"How is that possible? If it were me, I definitely wouldn't buy it!"

A Fu simply did not believe that any player would be foolish enough to spend a large amount of Reward Points to buy an Insight Pill.

Just for that tiny bit of attribute bonus?

Take Garp's 【Lv. 5 Entry】 for example; 15% fist penetration is indeed stronger than the Armament Haki of ordinary Navy soldiers.

But rather than spending five thousand Reward Points to buy an Insight Pill to gamble for a Lv. 5 fist penetration Entry, it would be better to just upgrade the skill.

Even a Lv. 10 Armament Haki without an Entry could easily crush Garp's Lv. 5 Armament Haki with an Entry.

This is the power of levels.

Even the power unleashed by a Level 1 Purple Skill cannot be greater than a Level 10 White Skill.

Fang Yi sneered, "That is because you underestimate the players' demand for Perfect Crafting."

Back when he was a game designer,

he had seen too many players who, despite already being fully equipped with top-tier gear, would still spend money like crazy for a single-digit increase in stats.

Equipment Grade Adjustment Boxes, Entry Reroll Books, and Refined Attribute Correction Pens—all just to pursue the limit.

"Perfect Crafting?"

A Fu did not quite understand this term.

After pondering for a moment, Fang Yi asked, "What is the maximum attribute for a Level 5 Skill Entry?"

A Fu thought for a moment and replied, "Twenty percent, or twenty points of an attribute."

Fist penetration, Sword Skill critical damage, break-attack power, Shadow attack power, physical evasion, defense power.

The attributes that an Entry can provide are strange and varied.

But they all have an attribute limit.

Just like how no matter how fierce a sword technique in a martial arts world is, or how strong the wielder's comprehension is, it is impossible to exceed the limit of that sword art.

20%.

That is the attribute limit that a Level 5 Skill Entry can boost.

Fang Yi smiled and said, "Do you believe me? Even if someone reaches a 19.9% attribute bonus, they will still be unable to resist continuing to buy Insight Pills to pursue the 20% limit."

"Impossible!"

A Fu shook his head repeatedly.

Although the players were usually led around by the nose by his master, it was impossible for them to be stupid to that extent.

"Then let us wait and see."

Of course, not right now.

The Pirate players' equipment and skills have not yet been upgraded to their optimal state, but when they are like the Ninja World players, preparing to start their assault on the New World.

Insight Pills will start selling like hotcakes.

Fang Yi looked at the players inside the Trial Tower as if he were looking at a new crop of golden leeks, about to ripen and waiting to be harvested.

(End of this chapter)