Two seconds later.
White light coalesced, and Lu Yuan appeared on the restored corridor as expected. He looked around once more, then stretched his body as if waking up in the early morning.
By now, he had basically confirmed that in the Tutorial Stage, death would not have any impact on him, other than the pain.
And for someone like him, whose head had been smashed in countless times, pain posed no threat whatsoever. In other words, Lu Yuan was now a guy with no scruples.
Since that was the case, Lu Yuan began his tedious journey of exploration: ramming the door, flipping over the carpet, lying on the ground to peek through the door crack, and even checking every trash can to see if there might be a paperclip or something to pick a lock. Of course, during this process, he also constantly tried to destroy the Game environment, experimenting with how various injuries affected his body, all while continuously cursing the Ark Game and the game designers he had never met, hoping to see if he would receive any unexpected punishment for using such foul language.
In the process, the price he paid was being smashed flat time and time again, along with screams of varying tones. Eventually, he couldn't even be bothered to scream anymore.
Just like that, after about an hour or so.
Lu Yuan restored his body once again, but this time, an electronic voice followed immediately.
【Respected Player, hello. Given that you have died 35 times consecutively in the Tutorial Stage, the system has identified you as a 'Vulnerable Group' and is now granting you the following items to help you successfully clear the Tutorial Stage.】
【1: Skateboard Shoes】
【2: Resurrection Cross Badge X5】
【3: Mysterious Letter】
This sudden development caught Lu Yuan off guard. Immediately after, he hurriedly pulled up his inventory. Sure enough, the three items were already lying there quietly.
He cast his gaze toward the shoes, and at the same time, a Skill called 【Investigate】 surfaced in his mind. This Skill was possessed by every Player. As a piece of former Game Data, Lu Yuan showed no discomfort with this strange experience; he directly used 【Investigate】 on the shoes.
【Foot Protection Gear: Skateboard Shoes】
【Equipment Requirement: None】
【Effect: Allows the wearer's running speed to increase by 10%】
【Postscript: One step, two steps, one step, two steps, one step, one step like claws and teeth, it is the devil's pace, friction~~ friction~~ friction on the smooth ground!】
Lu Yuan looked at the Skateboard Shoes, a very satisfied smile appearing on his face. Although the postscript at the end was a bit baffling, the effect of wearing them was written clearly: 10% speed. Although there was no defense or attribute bonus at all, running a bit faster was quite good.
Without a second word, Lu Yuan hurriedly equipped the shoes on his feet, while his eyes didn't stay idle, falling onto the second item.
【Disposable item: Resurrection Cross Badge】
【Quantity: 5】
【Usage Method: Automatically takes effect after being worn】
【Effect: Allows the wearer to resurrect on the spot and restore half of their Life.】
【Postscript: Don't be fooled by the name; in most cases, it just lets you stand up majestically, only to die again.】
【Can be taken out of the Instance】
"Whoa~" Lu Yuan let out a soft exclamation, wondering if the system was being a bit too friendly. He had only died about 30 times in the beginner tutorial; was it really necessary to give him 【Resurrection Cross Badge】 items like this, and five of them at once?
Uh, if the system could speak now, it would definitely reply without hesitation: "Yes, it is!"
Because in the long time since 'Ark' was released, there really weren't many people who could die more than thirty times in the beginner tutorial. Even those who were crippled from birth, unable to walk, or blind and deaf, basically cleared the level after a few failures. And those who died more than thirty times were, in the eyes of the system, basically synonymous with low-IQ, brain-damaged trash.
Lu Yuan naturally didn't know he had been labeled as trash. He was still pondering in his mind: "If I only died thirty times and they gave me 5 Resurrection Cross Badges, if I died a hundred or so times, wouldn't I be able to get even better things?"
Holding this thought, Lu Yuan clicked on the final 【Mysterious Letter】.
【Dear Player, hello. Based on the fact that the time you have spent in the Tutorial Stage has significantly exceeded the limit, the system has made the following changes to the stage.】
【1. Resurrection reset service will no longer be provided for free.】
【2. Player deaths will automatically consume Resurrection Cross Badges.】
【3. Once all Resurrection Cross Badges are consumed, the Player will automatically leave the Tutorial Stage and begin the normal Game process.】
Looking at the announcement in the letter, Lu Yuan's expression became a bit awkward. It was very clear that the Ark system had begun to issue its final ultimatum. Giving you a few Resurrection Cross Badges was indeed an encouragement for the Vulnerable Group, but it also meant that if you didn't hurry up and clear the level after 5 times, the system would give up on you, regardless of what happened. So, actions like "staying here and refusing to leave to grind the lower limit" were definitely not going to work.
Lu Yuan sighed helplessly: "Sure enough, it's impossible to take advantage of the system with these little tricks."
Thinking of this, "Clatter~ Clatter~ Boom!!!"
The ceiling behind him collapsed with a roar. The area of this collapse was much larger than before, and looking at the momentum, it wasn't prepared to give the Player any chance to hesitate. Either run or die.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan naturally didn't say a word, turned around, and started running for his life. The ceiling above his head followed behind with a "Ding~ Bang~" as it started smashing down wildly. Fortunately, there was the speed bonus from the 【Skateboard Shoes】; otherwise, with this otaku body, he probably would have lost all those Resurrection Cross Badges in his pocket.
This corridor was very long. Lu Yuan sprinted all the way, the room doors on both sides flashing past rapidly. He ran for a full minute before he finally saw a glass window at the end.
The collapse followed one after another behind him. Time waited for no one, and Lu Yuan didn't dare to delay. He hurriedly leaped up, shielding his head with his arms. Accompanied by the roar of fire and the sound of shattering glass, his thin body smashed through the glass and leaped out the window. The next second, the flames behind him surged fiercely out of the window, and the flying debris whipped against his back with a stinging pain.
Immediately after, with a muffled sound, Lu Yuan landed hard on the ground.
The height of two floors wasn't exactly high, but falling down certainly wasn't easy, especially since Lu Yuan's pain perception was at 100%. So, it took him ten seconds to struggle to his feet.
In pain, Lu Yuan looked around. He discovered that he was lying on a road, but it was filled with wrecked cars, and the Architecture along the road was also burning with raging flames. These things were piled one on top of another, completely sealing off the road, leaving only a small open space that could be considered safe. It looked like a coliseum built by chance.
Just then, several Quests suddenly popped up in his mind.
【Main Quest: Kill the enemy】
【Secondary Quest 1: Learn First Aid （No Reward）】
【Secondary Quest 2: Try using a Weapon （No Reward）】
Lu Yuan looked at these Quests. At the same time, he also discovered a scattered first aid kit in this open space surrounded by fire, and not far away, a baseball bat in the Trunk of a wrecked car.
Besides that, Lu Yuan also saw that at the other end of the open space, there was a Humanoid figure, twisting and swaying under the reflection of the firelight.
Lu Yuan thought to himself, this Tutorial Stage design looked very simple; it was just to let the Player get familiar with the Game's operations, and other than that, there was nothing extra. Even the 【enemy】 mentioned in the Quest was placed on the street like a clear sign, waiting for the Player to take it out.
So, Lu Yuan took two steps forward, first picking up the first aid kit not far from him. He didn't use it in a hurry, but stuffed it into his pocket, and then grabbed the baseball bat from the back of the car, carrying it on his shoulder.
Finally, he walked toward that obviously abnormal figure.
"Hi, fellow villager, hello~"
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