Chapter 87: Kunkun
[Contact], F-level card, No. 1040.
Allows conversation with one player (limited to players encountered in the game) through the book. (Maximum duration of 3 minutes per communication; only the player initiating the communication can terminate it mid-way).
Range: Long-distance.
[Trace], E-level card, No. 1027.
Frequently reveals the opponent's current location (until the opponent leaves the game). Activation range: Close.
[Drift], F-level card, No. 1016.
Allows teleportation to an unvisited location. (If all locations have been visited, the user remains in place, and the card is destroyed). Activation range: Close.
[Return], G-level card, No. 1009.
Allows teleportation to a specified location. Range: Long-distance.
...
Mord casually flipped through the cards he had acquired as he walked forward.
The middle-aged man was clearly weak; otherwise, he wouldn't have stooped to ambushing novice players for a living. Most of the cards in his collection book were spell cards, and even then, they were common, low-level ones.
Then there were coin cards. In Greed Island, paper currency from the outside world was nothing but worthless paper. Only coin cards were valid for use on the island.
The rest were a jumble of miscellaneous cards—food, low-tier monsters, water, and so on.
Not a single designated card among them.
To play the game to this extent couldn't just be called failure.
Mord closed the book, looked up, and arrived at the island's first city.
Antokiba!
It was a city plastered with bounty posters everywhere, like the one right in front of him.
[Find the Beloved Dog! The dog's owner will reward the finder with the "Cursed Statue of Lady Luck"!]
Mord had no interest in these bounty tasks.
If he were to collect these cards step by step, it would take an unknown amount of time to complete. Mord didn't have that kind of time to waste.
In the game of Greed Island, there were three main methods to collect cards.
The first method is to search on one's own, gather clues through inquiry, discover the conditions for card transformation, and complete various tasks to execute them. This is the most fundamental collection method.
The second is exchange, which involves negotiating with other players and swapping a few cards in hand under mutual agreement. This becomes a common approach in the later stages of the game.
The last method, which Mord had already used when he first arrived in the game, is seizure—using offensive spells or direct combat to snatch cards from other players. Toward the end of the game, such incidents increase in frequency, as item card transformations often have quantity restrictions.
And right now happens to be the final phase of the game.
If Mord remembered correctly, Tsezguerra's team should have already collected eighty percent of the cards.
Mord casually entered a restaurant.
"Welcome! Our shop is running an eating challenge today. If you can finish the Super Invincible Egg Fried Rice within thirty minutes, it's free! Plus, there's an extra gift," the shop owner announced.
"Then I'll take one," Mord said with a smile.
The owner brought out a large plate piled high like a small mountain of egg fried rice and placed it in front of Mord.
From ordering to serving, it was almost instantaneous.
Mord picked up the spoon and took a bite. The realistic texture of the food, and after swallowing it, there was no unusual sensation...
Mord looked up at the shop owner and suddenly spoke, "Uncle, fried rice tastes better with overnight rice, and you've put too much salt."
"Why don't you try a bite yourself?"
As he said this, Mord scooped up a spoonful of fried rice and offered it to him.
But the shop owner showed no reaction, continuing to mutter to himself, "There are twenty-eight minutes left until the end of the Big Eater Challenge. Please be mindful of the time, customer."
Is it a dummy similar to a Nen beast?
Mord attempted to release killing intent toward the other party, but the shop owner still showed no reaction.
Only a simple operational logic—this person must be a product of Ging and his group's Nen ability.
Mord quickly ate a few more mouthfuls of rice, then stood up and left directly.
Most of the NPCs on Greed Island were likely like this, but it was surprising that they could make it undetectable as a product of Nen. The creator's skill was exceptionally high.
If Greed Island were a single-player game, it would be quite similar to that game Mord played in his previous life, where he was reborn into a game world full of NPCs.
There weren't many living people on the entire island.
Back then, Ging and the others produced only one hundred sets of the game, with eight save slots per game. Even at full capacity, there would only be 800 players "online" simultaneously.
That was the ideal scenario. In reality, many people bought the game consoles purely for collection purposes, meaning the actual number of players was even smaller.
After leaving the restaurant, Mord noticed that he had suddenly gained many tails.
For veteran players, they were already familiar with all the NPCs in the city. Someone like Mord, who appeared out of nowhere, was definitely a new player.
To lure them out, Mord deliberately walked toward more and more remote areas.
"Hand over the cards in your Collection Book obediently."
Just then, a bespectacled man who looked frail and weak blocked Mord's path.
"Darn, he beat us to it."
"Let's see how this plays out first."
...
Whispers arose from the dark corners.
Mord glanced at the man in front of him—he was so weak it was almost unbelievable. His body showed almost no signs of training, and his frail frame looked as if a gust of wind could knock him over.
The amount of aura he manifested was so faint that it was barely noticeable unless one paid close attention.
Hey, this guy probably used up all his Nen just to start the game, didn't he?
Although Kunkun wasn't as pathetic as Mord made him out to be, he wasn't much better off. After entering the game, he had never been able to leave and had spent seven years living in the game world.
To survive, he not only found a stable job in the game but also got married!
"Are you sure you're here to rob me?" Mord asked.
"I—I don't want any other cards. Just hand over the Money Card."
He had clearly seen Mord spending money in the restaurant earlier.
If Mord remembered correctly, in the manga or anime from his previous life, there was no instance of players robbing others for the Money Card.
This was just too low.
Mord began to feel a slight interest in this man named Kunkun.
He asked, "May I know the reason?"
"I need money." Kunkun clenched his fists and spoke.
"As far as I know, many rare cards can be sold to shops for a high price. You could have directly plundered cards from my collection book using something like the [Pickpocket] card."
Mord's figure flashed as he vanished from his original spot.
When he returned, his right hand was gripping an unconscious man who still held a card—exactly [Pickpocket]!
"Like this guy, for example."
Kunkun widened his eyes, staring at Mord with an expression full of disbelief.
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