Chapter 40: Player Count Exceeds One Hundred, Upgrading Meditation Technique!

As night deepened, the Mad King Dormitory Building saw an influx of new players, pushing the total population past one hundred.

Not everyone among them was a veteran. A significant portion were absolute newcomers—greener than Xu Lang and his group, having never participated in a single game. Unlike Xu Lang’s early days, however, each of these newcomers arrived with a starting capital of one thousand copper coins, a Level 1 dormitory, and two free attribute points.

This stirred the greed of some. They reasoned that if they could rob these newcomers, they would be wealthy indeed; ten newcomers meant ten thousand coins, and seventy would mean seventy thousand. However, this behavior was met with resistance from the new players and condemnation from many veterans. Setting aside questions of morality, these newcomers served as a buffer, much like an outer city wall. No one was about to let people dismantle these "walls" just to fatten themselves. Besides, if one were to accidentally kill someone and incur a blood debt, the entire floor would suffer the consequences.

Whatever the chaos outside, it was none of Xu Lang’s concern. Let them fight; he preferred to lie flat and stay out of it.

Evening was the family’s main mealtime. Tonight featured stir-fried dishes. Cao Yaxuan and the other two women each cooked a plate. Xu Lang ate with gusto, remaining silent throughout, eager to finish as quickly as possible. Eventually, Cao Yaxuan asked that most terrifying and unspeakable question: "Xu Lang, how would you rate these three dishes?"

It had finally come. Tong Qi looked at Xu Lang with sparkling eyes, while Wang Yazhi, though more reserved, pursed her lips in anticipation.

"Sister Cao, aren't you just inciting internal strife?" Xu Lang set down his bowl and chopsticks, looking directly at her with a stern expression. "If I say yours is the best, Tong Qi and Yazhi will surely be unhappy, and the same goes for the others. Don't ask such questions again!"

"Oh, alright," Cao Yaxuan felt he was right, yet she couldn't help but want to ask. It was, after all, an instinct.

"I still have over seven thousand copper coins," Xu Lang said with a smile. "Is there anything you want to buy? I can have Wu Huihui pick it up for us." Even though it was late, Wu Huihui and others were still out scavenging for supplies.

In truth, scavenging at this hour was risky. Several players had already been robbed; even if they weren't killed, getting their legs broken was a common outcome, so no one took unnecessary risks. These targeted robberies were hard to defend against, as there was little unity unless a collective was threatened.

"I don't think so," Wang Yazhi shook her head, unable to think of anything she needed. Cao Yaxuan and Tong Qi felt the same. At this stage, everyone was pinching their pennies.

"Actually, Xu Lang," Wang Yazhi suggested, biting her lip, "you should save your money to upgrade the main door. The facility area sells blueprints for Level 3 doors; we’d just need to gather a few more materials."

The Mad King Dormitory already had a few Level 3 doors—Xu Ruyan’s "Vermilion Gate," for instance, was rumored to have special defensive properties against ghost-type monsters.

"Haha, no need. I’ll just keep relying on my luck with upgrades," Xu Lang laughed. Since his ability to upgrade items was bound to be discovered eventually, he used the excuse of a "random item upgrade" skill to cover his tracks.

"Alright then," Wang Yazhi said, seeing his persistence. When the swift crossbow had been upgraded earlier, all three women had seen it with their own eyes. They knew his "skill" was likely not as simple as he claimed, but they didn't press him. Others in the hallway had noticed as well, assuming Xu Lang had simply purchased the blueprints at some point. Blueprints for a bronze crossbow sold for three thousand coins in the facility area, while a finished product cost seven thousand—hardly affordable for the average person.

After dinner, the women went to wash the dishes. Xu Lang pondered for a moment and then upgraded his Meditation skill.

Nightmare Coins -45.

[Meditation]
[Type: Active Skill]
[Level: 2]
[Upgrade Condition: 115 Nightmare Coins]
[Description: Enter a meditative state at will to accelerate spirit recovery. If spirit is at full capacity, slowly increase total spirit attribute.]

The description was much the same as before. After upgrading the two swift crossbows and the Meditation skill, Xu Lang was left with only 119 Nightmare Coins.

"Should I upgrade it again?" Xu Lang was torn. The next upgrade for his door would cost 300 Nightmare Coins. If he saved, he could upgrade it after tomorrow—undoubtedly the safest path. "The steel door plus two Level 2 defensive facilities should be enough, provided the veterans don't organize a collective attack... It’s better to wait until the game starts to upgrade the door so I can adjust it based on the game type. Right now, upgrading Meditation is the most cost-effective move; it might net me several more points in the Spirit attribute!"

With that thought, he stopped hesitating and upgraded Meditation. Items usually underwent special changes at Level 3, and skills were no exception.

[Please choose an upgrade path within one minute.]
[1. Holy Light Meditation: Meditation gains the ability to heal one's own wounds.]
[2. Natural Meditation: Increases perception of nature while in a meditative state.]
[3. Advanced Meditation: Meditation effect enhanced, spirit recovery speed increased, and higher probability of gaining additional spirit attributes.]

After only ten seconds of thought, Xu Lang chose Advanced Meditation. His original purpose for buying the skill was to increase his base attributes; he intended to see that path through to the end.

Looking at the remaining four Nightmare Coins, he silently reaffirmed his resolve: stay out of the chat room and keep a low profile. In fact, since the newcomers arrived, his presence had already waned. The center of conversation was now dominated by veterans pontificating on their wisdom or newcomers asking naive questions.

For instance, a veteran from the second floor was currently holding court, claiming he had a dozen ways to lead ninety percent of the players through a zombie-themed game. He was reaping the worship of many, hailed as a "great god." It was worth noting that the tenth floor was now full, meaning no new players would be arriving there.

Xu Lang paid little attention to the chat room. He glanced at Cao Yaxuan and the others, then settled into meditation. This time, the effect was extraordinary; his perception of himself was sharpened, as if he could hear the faint, wondrous hum of his own cells.