Chapter 88: Chapter 88

Hearing that, Wan Xin’s mouth twitched again.

But soon, he frowned and said, “Don’t tell me you don’t know?”

“Attribute Fruits of the same tier only work up to five. The sixth one does nothing.”

“If you want that many Silver-Tier Attribute Fruits, only the first five of each type will be effective.”

Jiang Ye had already prepared an explanation and looked straight at Cheng Qun:

“Of course I know that.”

“And I also know the High-End Mall in the Apartment only sells a limited number of Silver-Tier Attribute Fruits each day.”

“Normally, there’s no way you’d be able to come up with fifty of each kind at once.”

Cheng Qun was quick on the uptake and instantly understood:

“Silver-Tier Attribute Fruits are five million each.”

“Fifty each of Stamina and Energy makes a hundred total.”

“So you want five hundred million.”

Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow and smiled, “That’s right, five hundred million.”

“Game Coins are only valid in the Beginner Apartment. Compared to Survival Points, they’re much less valuable.”

“So this request isn’t too much, right?”

In fact, compared to an S-tier skill or Golden-Tier Attribute Fruits, this was actually a concession on Jiang Ye’s part.

But even so, five hundred million was not an amount Cheng Qun could cough up on the spot.

Tenants who owned their rooms could take out a mortgage loan from the Apartment Administrator,

and the loan amount could be quite large.

But five hundred million…

After thinking for a moment, Cheng Qun tried to negotiate: “How about I pay 250 million today and give you 300 million tomorrow?”

“No.” Jiang Ye rejected instantly without a second thought. “This is the Doomsday Apartment, not some law-abiding society.”

“Sure, you’re saying all the right things now, but what if you take my Enlightenment Fruit and back out, or worse—just kill me?”

“Even if you plan to keep your word, what if something happens to you and there is no tomorrow?”

“Then who am I supposed to chase down for that 300 million?”

“You’ll need to figure out a way to offer some kind of collateral.”

At that, Cheng Qun turned to look at Wan Xin. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novᴇlfire.net

Wan Xin glared at him and waved his hand repeatedly: “You kidding me? We’re just chat buddies! Why would I guarantee your 300 million?!”

Cheng Qun turned back to Jiang Ye. “Can I mortgage an item instead?”

“I have a Dice of Fate. It’s got six faces—Crown, Sword, Gold Coin, Holy Grail, Scepter, and Skull.”

“Roll it and you get different effects depending on the result—”

“Roll Crown, and it works like the Lucky Bracelet, boosting your Luck attribute;”

“Roll Sword, and you can summon a powerful weapon;”

“Roll Gold Coin, and you get a windfall;”

“Roll Holy Grail, and your injuries heal instantly;”

“Roll Scepter, and your attributes increase;”

“Roll Skull, and you die instantly.”

Jiang Ye was getting excited listening to the first part.

Such a great item—was he really willing to hand it over as collateral without worrying it might never be returned?

But that last line poured cold water on his excitement.

Who would dare roll the Dice of Fate? You’d have to be tired of living!

If someone were pushed to the brink of death, with nothing left to lose…

Then maybe the Dice of Fate could be a gamble worth taking.

So, the item wasn’t completely useless after all.

As Jiang Ye was thinking this, Cheng Qun added seriously:

“This item, sure, most people wouldn’t dare use it under normal circumstances.”

“But its value definitely exceeds 300 million.”

“So tomorrow, as long as I’m still alive, I will buy it back.”

“And if I die, you holding onto it definitely won’t be a loss.”

Jiang Ye thought about it—he wasn’t going to use the Dice of Fate himself.

But it was still a damn good item.

So he nodded in agreement.

Soon after, they agreed to complete the trade on the first floor of the Apartment.

During the actual transaction, Cheng Qun even drafted a contract.

Once both parties signed, they couldn’t go back on it.

Nor could they attack each other to break the deal.

All in all, the transaction was pretty formal.

But just as Jiang Ye was about to sign the contract, he couldn’t help but ask:

“The opening of Apartment 0000—did that affect your decision?”

Cheng Qun looked like the quiet, silent type—reminded Jiang Ye of Yang Wenchao back in school.

He paused, then nodded toward the contract: “Sign first, and I’ll tell you.”

Jiang Ye was already making a massive profit, so he didn’t mind. He signed his name.

Two copies—each party kept one once the contract was finalized.

Then, a rare smile appeared on Cheng Qun’s normally expressionless face:

“Just now, Wan Xin mentioned a term—enlightenment venue, which gamers usually call a ‘Dojo’.”

“Sure, every floor of a Beginner Apartment has Training Rooms and Enlightenment Rooms.”

“But those are the most basic kind. Using them to improve yourself is practically a waste of time.”

“Across Apartments 0000 to 9999, a few with special numbers have unique areas.”

“Training or comprehending skills in those places is way more effective than any so-called Training Room or Enlightenment Room.”

“And in the newly opened Apartment 0000, there are tons of Secret Realms and Dojos.”

“If the game’s system hasn’t changed much, one of those Dojos contains a type of butterfly called Zhuang Zhou Dreaming Butterfly.”

“Using the Bodhi Enlightenment Fruit together with the Zhuang Zhou Dreaming Butterfly significantly boosts the chance of awakening a new Ability!”

Cheng Qun’s voice had a note of excitement as he said this.

But Jiang Ye couldn’t help thinking—

Wasn’t this all a bit too coincidental?

He had just gotten the Bodhi Enlightenment Fruit, and now Apartment 0000 was opening?

If he were just an ordinary person, he probably would’ve done the same as Cheng Qun—try to awaken a new Ability, then bring the Enlightenment Fruit to Apartment 0000 in search of that Zhuang Zhou Dreaming Butterfly…

Thinking that, he was about to ask Cheng Qun for more details about Apartment 0000.

However, Cheng Qun waved his hand and said, “I’ve got things to do, so I won’t stay and chat.”

With that, he slipped away.

Jiang Ye stood silent for a moment, then quickly returned to his Room 2025.

What he didn’t know was…

That announcement about Apartment 0000 opening hadn’t just rung out in the Beginner Apartment.

At nearly the same moment, the same announcement had echoed through the faraway Doomsday Apartment.

And immediately after, the entire Doomsday Apartment player base began buzzing.

Especially on Floor 119, where spectators watched the progress of newcomers. Upon hearing the announcement, they were both thrilled and confused:

“Wasn’t Apartment 0000 supposed to open on Day 8? Why the sudden notice that it’s opening on Day 2?!”

“An access level like that—surely not something a regular VIP Player could trigger?”

“VIPs can trigger Apartment Fusion by linking into a veteran’s Duel Machine, sure. But early access to Apartment 0000… that’s at least a Apartment Boss level authority!”

“No! From what I know… opening Apartment 0000 early actually requires the unanimous agreement of all Apartment Bosses across zones A to Z! Miss even one, and it doesn’t work!”

“Holy sh*t? That means all 26 zones’ Apartment Bosses agreed to open 0000 early? What are they planning?”

“It might just be the opening, though. Maybe veterans still won’t be allowed in until Day 8 like usual!”

“Meh, why are we overthinking it? Just sit back and enjoy the show!”

The players of the Doomsday Apartment were mostly just entertained by the surprise.

Meanwhile, in the Beginner Apartment, many veteran players were also discussing the opening of Apartment 0000.

Most, like Cheng Qun, were planning to explore its Secret Realms and Dojos.

As soon as Jiang Ye returned to his room, the first thing he did was put the two Golden-Tier Skill Scrolls into the Replica Shared Space.

Then he used 250 million Game Coins to redeem 50 Silver-Tier Attribute Fruits.

Fifty was enough for five Replicas to max out their Silver-Tier limit!

But to keep power level low for matchmaking, Replica No. 2 would hold off for now.

Next, he examined the Dice of Fate that Cheng Qun had left as collateral.

But given that the Skull side meant instant death, there was no way he’d casually use it.

So he tossed the Dice of Fate into the Replica Shared Space as well.

After getting everything arranged, Replica No. 2 entered the Golden-Tier Duel Machine and sent a challenge request to Wan Xin.

Back in the main body, Jiang Ye consumed ten Silver-Tier Attribute Fruits.

Stamina and Energy each increased by 15 points!

Then he pulled out the two Golden-Tier Skill Scrolls, hesitating slightly.

If there are places that increase the chance of awakening an Ability with the Enlightenment Fruit,

then maybe there are places that boost the odds of learning a skill from a Skill Scroll?

But right now, he didn’t have that luxury. He couldn’t just let Skill Scrolls sit unused.

Jiang Ye quickly calmed his thoughts and tore open the first Golden-Tier Skill Scroll.

This time, as the radiant light enveloped him, he tried to stretch every pore wide open to fully absorb it.

When that comfortable, radiant sensation faded, he looked at his panel and found a new skill had appeared:

【Replica Coordinated Strike (B)】

[Up to 1000 supporting Replicas can channel their consciousness into the main Replica to assist its attacks. No cooldown, no restrictions.]

Jiang Ye only had four Replicas total right now!

This skill let him control up to 1000 Replicas? That’s finally starting to look like Infinite Replication!

At first glance, Replica Coordinated Strike seemed similar to Replica Fusion.

But after carefully feeling it out, he realized they were quite different—

In Replica Fusion, the fused Replicas vanish on the spot.

During the fusion, they lose consciousness and individuality, as if they cease to exist.

But Coordinated Strike was more like telepathic coordination.

Up to 1000 Replicas would provide mental support to the active fighting Replica.

Those 1000 Replicas wouldn’t disappear or lose self-awareness.

They remained aware of themselves.

And the so-called “support” didn’t mean full power transfer like with Fusion.

Each Replica provided about 10% attribute support.

But Talent Skills and the like couldn’t be shared this way.

For example, if Replica No. 3 supported Replica No. 2,

No. 2 wouldn’t gain No. 3’s Ice-type Abilities or skills,

just about 10% of No. 3’s stats.

This skill wasn’t as good as Replica Fusion early on.

After all, he only had four Replicas right now.

Three Replicas supporting one meant just a 30% stat boost.

But this B-tier skill fully deserved its rank.

First off, it had no cooldown.

As long as the other Replicas were free, they could lend support anytime, anywhere.

Second, in the future, when Jiang Ye had hundreds or even 1000 Replicas—

With 1000 Replicas assisting?

That’s basically a 100x attribute buff!

Now that was like a Small Fry being possessed by a god—

He’d basically go from ordinary human to full-on superhero!

Just thinking about it had Jiang Ye buzzing with excitement.

He almost wanted to summon 1000 Replicas on the spot and go full Superman Mode!

But he quickly calmed down.

Thinking further, maybe he shouldn’t aim too hard for an S-tier skill right now.

It wasn’t just about whether he could comprehend it.

Some skills might not even show their full power in the early stages.

Take this B-tier skill—

It was strong, yes, but with so few Replicas, he couldn’t unleash its true potential.

Having sorted out his thoughts on skill tiers, Jiang Ye refocused.

Feeling clear-headed and refreshed, he tore open the second Golden-Tier Skill Scroll.

He was already quite practiced by now.

Bathed in the radiant glow, he focused wholeheartedly on the experience.

And when it was over, he checked his Data Panel—and his eyes lit up with joy!

Two Golden-Tier Skill Scrolls, and he had learned two B-tier skills!

And the second one was incredibly important to him!

【Replica Substitution (B)】

[As long as a Replica exists, the Main Body will not die. If the Main Body is killed (Priority X), a surviving Replica will take the death in its place. (Defaults to the lowest Combat Power Replica.)]

This skill didn’t increase his combat power—

but it solved his biggest fear!

What was he most afraid of right now?

That his Main Body would die.

Even with all his Replicas, if the Main Body died, everything would vanish.

But now, as long as one Replica remained alive,

his Main Body wouldn’t die!

Of course, there were extreme scenarios—

like if some overpowered entity crushed all his Replicas instantly.

Then yeah, he’d still die.

So Jiang Ye immediately warned himself not to get too cocky.

Replica No. 1 turned to the Blackened Replica and asked:

“Hey, in the Apartment’s mechanics, does ‘death’ have priority levels?”

The Blackened Replica nodded: “Of course. Even hell has eighteen levels in the legends. So of course, death comes in grades too.”

“Like those Reincarnated Eerie, they rely on low-tier deaths to complete the cycle.”

“And that whole reincarnation process inside the Apartment relies on a similar concept—”

“Using a low-grade death, a fake death, and then resurrection.”

“My newly awakened fourth Glyph Pattern ability, Phantasm Parasitism, also requires a low-tier death to begin parasitizing a target.”

Jiang Ye had experienced this firsthand.

In his first fight with Wu Ying, he had clearly killed him—

but Wu Ying had parasitized his shadow.

In the third fight, he used the Blackened Replica’s ability and truly killed Wu Ying.

At that time, Wu Ying didn’t trigger Phantasm Parasitism.

What got Jiang Ye thinking was—

his new skill, Replica Substitution, included the phrase “Priority X” after “death.”

“So, are death grades ranked like Abilities—from F up to SSS?”

He deliberately didn’t mention “X-tier,” and then asked curiously:

“And that thing I keep hearing about—Erasure—what grade of death is that?”