The evaluation for passing a stage is divided into 5 levels: Disembodied, Heart-stopping, Apprehensive, Composed, and Fearless. Players who achieve an evaluation of 'Apprehensive' or higher will receive a reward box. These boxes come in 3 tiers: Brave's Reward, Fearless's Reward, and Overlord's Reward. The higher the tier, the better the rewards that can be obtained.
Caleb once again earned the 'Fearless' evaluation in this game, so he wouldn't have his game rewards canceled like in the previous round. A golden treasure chest appeared before him. After choosing to open the treasure chest, golden light burst forth.
—You have obtained "Universal First Aid (Beginner's Edition)".
A small booklet with a white cover appeared before Caleb.
[Universal First Aid (Beginner's Edition)]
[Type: Rare Skill Instruction Manual]
[Effect: Read it, and you will learn a skill.]
[Weight: 5]
[Can it be taken out of the scene: Yes]
[Note: The author of this book is a master of first aid, who created a simpler and more effective set of first aid techniques...]
"The reward is actually a skill?" This was a bit different from Caleb's expectations; he had originally thought he would get some powerful rare item or equipment. Just by looking at the name, it was clear this skill was a recovery type. Such abilities are versatile and indispensable in any game, and their function and value should be considerable.
Caleb then checked the other reward from the clearance settlement. "Is it the Jaw Ripper?" This brutal death trap was still clamped on Caleb's head until he exited through the escape door, and it was eventually brought out of the game scene with him.
Caleb examined the Jaw Ripper and found that the [Lightweight Alloy Frame] that was stuck on it had disappeared, and from the description, the function presented by this item was also a bit special.
[JIGSAW's Jaw Ripper]
[Type: Rare Item]
[Effect: Life-or-Death Test. Place the Jaw Ripper on a target's head, forcing them into a 'Life-or-Death Test'. A target wearing the 'Jaw Ripper' cannot leave through the 'escape exit' and must find a key that randomly appears in the scene within a specified time to remove the device, otherwise, they will suffer a -100% health penalty.]
[Weight: 50]
[Can it be taken out of the scene: Yes]
[Note: This item is an early work of the famous Jigsaw Killer John Kramer. Because every 'Disciple' of John has been baptized by it, it later became a crucial test used by the 'Chainsaw Sect' to select new members.]
[Usage Condition: Dark Persona with 'Disciple' identity.]
This classic device of the 'Chainsaw Sect' naturally requires a 'Disciple' identity to be used. However, its usage conditions are stricter than those for the Pig Head Mask and the Sleeve Blade; it also requires the player to possess a 'Dark Persona'.
A player's Persona is formed by combining 'Personality' and 'Identity'. The Personality is generated based on the player's performance in the last 3 games. Caleb had already obtained an 'Explorer' identity, but his 'Personality' had not yet been evaluated and generated, so he couldn't have a Persona.
"It seems there will be different types of Personas?" This 'Dark Persona' looks like some kind of unusual variant. "I guess the difficulty of obtaining it won't be low either."
After returning to the preparation space from the settlement interface, Caleb threw the unusable Pig Head Mask, Sleeve Blade, and Jaw Ripper into the wooden box next to the workbench. Then he checked the mailbox on the workbench and found that he had received another letter.
Caleb initially thought the sender was Rick Jones, as he had only unlocked the Explorer's mailbox so far. But when he checked the content of the letter, he found it was an anonymous letter:
'Caleb. You don't know me, but I know you.In Andrew's test, I was the one who left you the survival clues, so you can trust what I'm about to say.You took something that doesn't belong to you—the Jaw Ripper.It is one of the symbols of our organization leader's authority.To retrieve this symbol, those twisted-soul traitors are searching for you everywhere. Their background forces are not to be underestimated; it's only a matter of time before they find you.Any form of hiding is futile. If you don't want to die, hurry to 146 Bell Road on Times Avenue. I've prepared some good things to give you...'
There was also an attachment at the bottom of the letter, and Caleb chose to claim it.
—You have obtained [The Key to 146 Bell Road]
[The Key to 146 Bell Road]
[Type: Rare positioning item, consumable]
[Effect: Positioning. After using it, your next game will be positioned.]
[Weight: 1]
[Note: The key to a house door.]
"What the heck? Even after returning to the preparation space, I can't escape the 'Chainsaw Sect's' pursuit?" This must be a cross-dimensional ability, right? This organization is truly formidable. "However, to obtain the 'Disciple' identity, don't I have to return to the derivative world of the previous game?" The three high-quality items Caleb possessed were all exclusive to the 'Disciple' identity. Even if he hadn't received this letter, he would have tried to find a way to return to the previous game's scene world.
Next, he used the "Universal First Aid (Beginner's Edition)" he had obtained from the clearance reward. The system prompted him that he needed to maintain a 'reading' posture until he learned the skill. So he sat motionless in front of the workbench, seemingly very seriously engaged in 'reading'. This process lasted about 30 minutes, just as Caleb, bored, began to yawn.
After a 'ding' sound, the system prompted him that he had learned the 'Emergency Treatment' skill. He quickly pulled up his attribute panel to check:
[Emergency Treatment]
[Type: General]
[Level: Mastered]
[Stance Requirement: Concentration LV1, Active LV1]
[Effect: When used in Concentration Stance, health can be restored to 50% within 15 seconds, but the rate of health loss will increase by 20% for the next 5 minutes. Skill cooldown 1 hour.]
[Note: "Darn it! Don't give up, as long as there's still a breath left, I can save you!" —A doctor of unknown name]
This skill is incredibly powerful! Even though Caleb had just started playing this game, it was not difficult to see this point. When a player's health drops to a dangerous range, it can temporarily pull the health line back to a safe level in a very short time, buying the player more survival time. Moreover, the usage threshold is quite low, requiring only Level 1 Concentration and Level 1 Active Stance to use.
Next, Caleb glanced at his points again: 20 points. He still hadn't made it onto the leaderboard; the top player's points had already reached 75, further widening the gap with Caleb. It seemed that while he was fighting late into the night, others were also constantly struggling to survive in the game scenes. The allure of the $100 million cash prize was indeed considerable.
"For the next game…" Caleb looked at the [The Key to 146 Bell Road] in his hand. "Should I use the positioning?" He thought of the three NPCs who were brutally executed by the traps in the previous game, their deaths extremely gruesome. And the holographic game presented those scenes with extreme realism; even though Caleb had a strong psychological tolerance, recalling them now still made his stomach churn slightly.
"Forget it, I'll play some other scenes to ease up first." He put away the key and directly selected 'Start Game' on the wooden door.