Inspired, Dragon Breath eagerly went off to find a place to farm some in-game currency.
The game had just launched, and he had to seize the early advantage.
Sooner or later, this method would be revealed. When everyone started doing it, the pawnshops would drastically drop their buy-back prices, and then all his invested money would be wasted.
Dragon Breath found a secluded spot and quietly committed suicide.
「...」
In a bustling corner of the night market, words were written on the ground with branches:
"Our hometown was flooded. Penniless, my sister and I have been stranded in a strange city. We haven't eaten for three days. We kindly ask good-hearted people to offer some food…"
Crispy Rice and Sticky Rice, in tattered clothes, crouched behind these words with a broken bowl in front of them.
There were a dozen or so Copper Coins in the bowl.
Occasionally, people passed by and tossed one or two Copper Coins into the bowl.
Crispy Rice would put his hands together, smile, and say, "Thank you, kind sir/madam. May you have peace all your life."
Sticky Rice's eyes darted through the crowd. "Crispy," she said, "are you really planning to beg here?"
Crispy Rice replied, "What else can we do? Jiamucheng is so large, and most people are asleep at night. If our little brother comes out for a stroll, this is the most likely place to run into him."
Sticky Rice said, "But I feel so ashamed playing the game like this."
Crispy Rice responded, "What's there to be ashamed about making money? Consider it life experience. I've observed that there are no beggars here at night, so we're the only ones in the night market. We can look for him and make money – it's a win-win."
He continued excitedly, "I've calculated the income. If we squat here all night, we can make at least thirty Copper Coins. I've already got a plan. When I have free time, I'll tear my clothes, find a spot, and squat there to beg…"
Sticky Rice was speechless.
Crispy Rice looked at Sticky Rice. "If you don't want to watch the stall, you can go offline and browse the forums to see if there are any useful guides."
"Okay," Sticky Rice responded. She then moved to an unoccupied corner, clicked the logout button, and quietly logged off.
「More than two hours passed.」
The crowd in the night market gradually dispersed.
Crispy Rice was tallying up his earnings.
Sticky Rice logged back on, her face full of excitement. "Crispy," she exclaimed, "a top Player has released a game guide!"
"What?" Crispy Rice didn't even look up.
"A profession!" Sticky Rice was incredibly animated. "That top Player is a metallurgist by training. He used his forging knowledge to win the Blacksmith's approval and was successfully taken on as an Apprentice by the Blacksmith, unlocking the Blacksmith profession. He's even staying at the Blacksmith's house tonight!"
Crispy Rice was stunned. "Real-world knowledge can interact with the game?" he asked.
"Clearly, it can," Sticky Rice said. "The top Player has already figured out a method. In this game, you have to forget the old playstyles. Instead of constantly thinking about leveling up and fighting monsters, you have to act like a real transmigrator. Try to integrate into this world, and you'll get better rewards."
"Integrate?" Crispy Rice mumbled. He subconsciously opened his character panel and, upon seeing it, was stunned again. His mouth twitched a few times.
"What's wrong?" Noticing his odd behavior, Sticky Rice asked, puzzled.
"I've also unlocked a profession," Crispy Rice said, showing his character panel to Sticky Rice.
Sticky Rice looked. Behind Crispy Rice's name, in the previously empty occupation column, two new words appeared: Beggar.
She couldn't help but widen her eyes. "This is possible?"
Crispy Rice looked at his newly unlocked profession, somewhat at a loss.
"I've been squatting here too. Why don't I have it?" Sticky Rice hurriedly opened her own panel, which was still empty.
Crispy Rice looked through his game log. "Earned thirty Copper Coins by begging, Beggar profession automatically unlocked."
Sticky Rice frowned. "What's the use of this profession? Are there any special bonuses?"
Crispy Rice shook his head. "No discernible benefits at the moment." Then, he grew excited again. "But having it is better than not having it! Who knows, this might be a hidden profession. Our little brother was right, I truly am a dragon among men..."
Glancing at her excited companion, Sticky Rice asked in a peculiar tone, "Crispy, have you considered a problem?"
"What?" asked Crispy Rice.
"The method for unlocking professions has been posted on the forums. Many Players will definitely unlock professions tomorrow," Sticky Rice said.
"So what?" Crispy Rice retorted. "They can unlock one, and so can we. There's no rule saying you can only have one profession. Being a Beggar can be a side gig!"
"We're red-named," Sticky Rice said calmly.
Like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, Crispy Rice froze. The joy of gaining a new profession instantly faded.
"As long as the wanted posters are still up at the city gate, we won't be able to unlock new professions," Sticky Rice said. "If your little brother is a real NPC, that's one thing. But if he's not, or if the reward is too small, we've wasted too much time on him. That will widen the gap between us and other Players. There are many hard-core gamers in this game; we have to consider this..."
After a long silence, Crispy Rice looked around the empty night market and took a deep breath. "Half a day," he declared. "We'll look for him for another half a day tomorrow. If we still can't find him, we'll go directly to the Government Office and turn ourselves in. We'll explain the situation to the City Lord. If the wanted posters can't be revoked, we'll delete our accounts and start over."
「...」
「The next day.」
Lin Bai woke up; it was late in the morning.
As soon as he opened his eyes, two new System prompts popped up in his mind.
[Big Brother must have strength. Let your Big Brother learn a special skill (Completed). Big Brother's profession confirmed as Beggar. Reward: Qi Yun 3.]
[A small step for Big Brother is a big step for you. An indecisive Big Brother will never achieve anything. As a younger brother, it is necessary to establish a firm conviction for Big Brother. Reward: Qi Yun 3.]
What the hell? The tasks completed themselves?
"But being a Beggar isn't a special skill!" Lin Bai instantly sobered up and sat up. "What was that guy up to? How did he suddenly become a Beggar? Is he planning to become the Beggar Gang Leader? Is the System implying I'm supposed to personally make him the Beggar Gang Leader, and then I become his deputy?"
This is such a damn setup!
What's the use of being a Beggar chief in this world full of Monsters? A person's dreams determine their limits; there's no future following this Big Brother!
The only comforting thing for Lin Bai was that the profession Big Brother found for himself also counted as Lin Bai completing the task, allowing him to get rewards without doing any work himself.
This aspect of the System is quite user-friendly.
Big Brother ventures out into the world while Second Brother enjoys a comfortable life—this is the correct way to use the Chief Supporting Role System!
Thinking this way, Lin Bai, who had been forced to become the deputy Beggar Gang Leader, immediately felt much better.
But as he carefully pondered the subsequent task, he frowned again. "Help Big Brother establish a firm conviction? Make him stay a Beggar forever? He can't change professions? What kind of joke is this? Players are fickle; they seek fun and achievement. Who wouldn't want to be a Sword Immortal, flying through the heavens? How could anyone stick to one path from beginning to end, especially if that path is being a Beggar?"
After pacing around the room for a while, Lin Bai couldn't think of any way to make Crispy Rice steadfast in being a Beggar.
Eventually, Lin Bai stopped walking, his eyes gradually hardening with resolve. "This is so troublesome. If it really doesn't work out, I'll have to force him to delete his account. Then I can see if I can find a new Big Brother who's easier to manage. It would be best if this Big Brother could show some initiative and develop on his own..."