Chapter 3: A World Spiraling into Madness

“Regardless of everything else, let’s first open up this situation,” Lin Xia thought to himself. “Since online purchases are regulated by the Intelligence Network, I’ll just buy with cash offline.”

“I refuse to believe they can control even that.”

[After a moment of contemplation, you decide to seek out loan officers offline, hoping to take a cash route to purchase the divine crystals.]

[Unfortunately, such an obvious loophole is not overlooked by others.]

[The Intelligence Network monitors everything and has long blocked this predictable path.]

[Despite your efforts—treating them to meals and gifting shopping cards—the soul loan officers reveal to you that due to the strategic importance of the divine crystals, no major disruption in their market can be tolerated under any circumstances.]

[Therefore, strict official oversight of the divine crystal market is in place, with the Loan Regulation Bureau and Intelligence Network issuing regulations forbidding loan funds from flowing into the divine crystal market.]

[Upon realizing you cannot use loan money to buy divine crystals, you feel helpless.]

[There’s no choice now; you must follow the loan institution’s guidance and spend the funds at the designated Guangyun Mall.]

[As expected, when you present the loan funds for consumption, a sales clerk at Guangyun Mall quietly pulls out a special price list exclusively for loan users.]

[Right before your eyes, they openly replace the original low prices with several times higher loan prices.]

[Seeing this, you can’t help but laugh bitterly.]

[The sales clerk, no stranger to this scenario, calmly explains that loan consumers have always paid this premium.]

[The loan institutions designate Guangyun Mall as a partner, and both sides receive kickbacks and other cooperation benefits.]

[All your spending here will later be used as proof to offset your loan accounts.]

[On the loan side, while fiercely pressuring prices downward, they also demand at least a 40% commission.]

[Without this shadow pricing, they’d be losing their shirts!]

[So, she hopes you understand.]

[Three months from now, you face the major exam, which will decide your entire future.]

[With proper equipment and skills, you can obtain more materials and divine crystals from dungeons within the limited time.]

[All of these will contribute to your exam score!]

[Great achievements don’t fuss over small matters!]

[In light of your promising vocational university prospects, these minor price differences are insignificant.]

[Of course, if you truly cannot accept this, the door is right across; you may turn and leave.]

[They assure you they will never resort to coercive sales tactics.]

[As a Guangyun Mall employee, the clerk is professionally trained, bound by unbreakable principles and bottom lines, and would never do anything to mislead customers.]

Lin Xia: “...”

This salesperson’s words are contradictory and self-serving.

Threatening with the three-month exam—that’s coercion, isn’t it?

If given a choice, he wouldn’t step foot in Guangyun Mall under any circumstances.

And putting the shadow pricing out in the open like this—isn’t this blatant exploitation?

Moreover, hoping the customer understands this exploitative pricing—can a salesperson really say that to a client?

They’re completely confident in their position!

It makes sense; if no one spends at Guangyun Mall, then the loan funds they hold become worthless.

Besides the compounding debt, what purpose do they serve?

“In this extraordinary world where personal power is paramount, oppression is displayed starkly before everyone.”

Lin Xia took a deep breath. “When the oppressors wield overwhelming power, they couldn’t care less about the thoughts of the oppressed.”

“Perhaps to them, offering loans to the lower class and extracting their souls through ‘reasonable’ means is considered a blessing.”

“This world... is truly mad!”

[You scoff at the salesperson’s claim of no coercion.]

[But your power is weak now; facing these socially accepted loan rules, you have no choice but to adapt.]

[As a Level 1 professional, you only have one skill slot.]

[After careful consideration, you decide to pursue the warrior path and purchase a D-rank skill card: Block and Counterattack.]

[You also buy a basic Level 1 warrior gear set.]

[As the saying goes, clothes make the man.]

[Now fully equipped, you actually look the part.]

[The moment you enter the dungeon lobby, several teams notice you.]

[Having been scammed many times, you’ve learned from experience.]

[It’s common here for ruthless teams to collaborate with loan stores, luring newly equipped rookies into dungeons only to kill them and loot their gear.]

[Now you think: any seemingly good opportunity from someone who approaches you is definitely a trap!]

[Therefore, you trust no one.]

[Even though dungeons are limited to one entry per day per professional and have entry restrictions, you believe safety is paramount.]

[With this mindset, you buy the cheapest dungeon ticket and step into the Level 1 dungeon: Forest of the Wild Wolves.]

[Armed and fierce, the freshly spawned Level 1 wild wolves are no match for you.]

[Thus, you become a wolf slayer in this simplest dungeon, wreaking havoc.]

[Of course, you quickly collect the various materials dropped by the wolves.]

[After all, it’s money. Although loans can’t be used to buy divine crystals, the materials earned here can presumably be purchased.]

[However, your passionate dream is soon shattered by the appearance of Level 2 elite wolves.]

[Though you have skills and strong gear, confident you could single-handedly kill one elite wolf, the problem is that when Level 2 elites appear, they come in packs of three or four.]

[Worst of all, while two elite wolves keep you engaged in a frontal fight, the one behind targets a very vulnerable spot.]

[They want to... anally assault you!]

[Fortunately, you react quickly, activating Block and Counterattack to repel the rear wolf, or your delicate ‘rear’ would have suffered greatly.]

[Just as your skill effect ends, the elite wolf behind strikes again, aiming for the same spot.]

[After struggling several times and realizing you can't effectively harm this wolf pack, you quit the dungeon, ending the run.]

[No choice; if that happened, even with life potions, without a professional healer, you’d still have to go to a professional hospital outside.]

[Putting embarrassment aside, the medical bills would be exorbitant.]

[Though you have money, none of it can be used for medical expenses, so you decide not to gamble with your ‘rear end.’]

[After all, the attack methods of these elite wolves are rather sinister.]

Lin Xia: “...”

This isn’t just sinister.

Are these elite wolves?

They’re clearly hyenas!

A pack attacking your behind—who could endure that?