Wang Zhifan carefully observed the rare Brass Badge Pendant in his hand, noticing it indeed had an extraordinary appearance, with an inexplicable sinister aura.
The whole pendant could be divided into two parts: the slender copper chain and the old brass badge linked by the chain.
The brass badge was about the size of an adult's thumbnail, in a relatively regular round brass disk shape.
Embedded on one side of the brass disk was a negatively carved pentagram, with a circle of densely packed, unknown characters in the center of the pentagram, exuding an ancient, evil, and mysterious aura.
The other side of the brass disk featured two rows of prominently carved vicious sharp teeth. The design was not complex or ostentatious, but it was evident at a glance that it was not the shape of any known creature's teeth, giving an inexplicable sense of eeriness and horror.
"Although this pendant has a peculiar design, its function seems quite good, offering a stable 7% damage increase effect, and can be directly worn."
Most of Wang Zhifan's equipment, like the Wolf-Slaying Blade and wolf leather armor, he only took out from his portable space when needed, rarely taking them out otherwise as he needed to keep a low profile to avoid attracting attention due to having too many valuable items.
But this rare Chapter of Obscurity pendant was different. It was small in size, and as long as it was hung around the neck and hidden under the clothes, it was hard for others to notice. Even if seen, people would likely mistake it for a fake gold chain or some low-grade ornament, so Wang Zhifan planned to wear it as if it were part of his daily attire.
After pondering over the new rare acquisition, it was time to test his luck. Wang Zhifan nonchalantly picked up the pale yellow scroll and tore it open. As the Fine Layer Warrior Skill Upgrade Scroll rapidly turned to dust, a line of panel information flashed before his eyes:
[You used the Warrior Skill Upgrade Scroll (Fine Layer), your basic blade skill Lv3 upgrade failed.]
"As expected, it failed. I wasn't surprised in the least."
With a 10% skill upgrade success rate, Wang Zhifan never expected to succeed on his first attempt. He even felt he might fail ten times in a row, but he was still willing to try repeatedly. After all, having personally experienced the vast difference between Lv1 blade skill and Lv3, he was very curious about the scenery ahead, knowing that once he succeeded in upgrading, the rewards would be substantial.
After handling the two unexpected gains, Wang Zhifan checked his current personal panel.
[Name: Wang Zhifan.]
[Status: Normal.]
[Level: Lv1.]
[Experience: 98/100.]
[Profession: Knife Wielder.]
[Constitution: 18.]
[Strength: 19.]
[Agility: 17.]
[Spirit: 16.]
[Skill: Basic Blade Skill Lv3.]
[Equipped: Chapter of Obscurity (Rare).]
[Portable Space: Wolf-Slaying Blade (Rare), Wolf Leather Armor (Fine Layer).]
"My experience bar is almost full. I estimate that after finishing the dungeon tomorrow, I can advance to Lv2. I'm curious what kind of enhancements the Knife Wielder profession will gain upon leveling up."
Having merged all the original owner's memories, Wang Zhifan learned from information gathered by lurking in player forums over the years that each player would receive enhancements after leveling up. However, the specific enhancements were not uniform and were said to depend on the player's profession and specific level.
For instance, regarding the most popular Gunman profession on the forum, Wang Zhifan knew they would gain 1 agility attribute point when leveling up from Lv1 to Lv2 and unlock a profession skill called "Bullet Time" upon reaching Lv9 to Lv10. Mage professions generally increased spirit attributes upon leveling up, and at Lv3, they could independently choose a new magic.
As for the Knife Wielder profession Wang Zhifan was in, there wasn't much discussion on the forum. So he wasn't quite sure but estimated it would also involve attribute increases and unlocking new skills and the like.
Level, to players, was still quite important. Though it didn't entirely represent a player's strength, it at least reflected personal experience. Generally speaking, high-level players were mostly stronger than low-level players, but not absolutely.
Feeling a bit bored and expecting nothing important today, Wang Zhifan turned on his personal laptop in the rental house to surf the internet.
Initially, he intended to browse the player forum upon opening the browser but unexpectedly found an unread notification. Clicking on it, he saw someone had replied to his résumé sent out yesterday, inviting him for an interview.
"Dear applicant, I am the HR of Celestial Universe Dominance Game Company. After reading your résumé submitted to us, we invite you for a job interview, scheduled for eleven o'clock tomorrow morning..."
"There's actually a company inviting me for an interview? From the company profile, it's a newly established small workshop with a somewhat low salary..."
Wang Zhifan was a bit surprised that his résumé sent yesterday had garnered a response, but he had currently temporarily resolved his financial issues and wasn't in a hurry to work for money.
But after some thought, he decided to take some time to check it out tomorrow. After all, having an additional income source was better than being unemployed, and it would also help him maintain a low profile.
He promptly replied to the HR of the game company via email, indicating he would arrive on time tomorrow, and then he formally opened a dark web, rarely accessible to most citizens in Xia Country: the player forum, to start browsing the latest posts.
"The Special Administration Bureau is long-term recruiting elite players above Lv50, engaged personnel will enjoy official special allowances..."
"An Lv48 veteran shares insights on how to smoothly pass each dungeon."
"Beginner's profession recommendation guide."
"With more and more non-players flooding the forum, here are a few points non-players should note."
"As of early hours today, it's confirmed that 2139 players have died in dungeons this month, including a veteran at Lv43..."
"Dear bosses, I really want to become the player you mentioned. Where can I buy a Gunman Professional Card?"
"I almost died in a dungeon today. The rewards I received were pitiful, making me regret becoming a player and longing for the peaceful life before I became one."
"A personal speculation on the increasingly frequent Gray Realm invasion events recently."
"Let's chat about a few domestic player experts I know."
"Mysterious massacre case reappears in Ason State, Mei Country! Suspected to be the act of high-level players!"
"It's reported that India added twelve new permanent Gray Realm areas this month, but the country's officials denied this."
"Recent rampant cult activities in Han Country are speculated to be significantly linked to multinational player groups."