Chapter 224: Kill Qualification, Wanting to Trade for the [Power Apple] Again

Chapter 224: Chapter 224: Kill Qualification, Wanting to Trade for the [Power Apple] Again

Everyone had a clear objective.

Trade things they didn’t need for the survival supplies they desperately required.

Seraphina Sullivan’s gaze was drawn to a particular stall.

The vendor was a woman wrapped up tightly from head to toe.

On the ground in front of her, dozens of assorted bags were neatly arranged.

Seraphina recognized several of them at a glance.

They were limited-edition luxury brands that she couldn’t have afforded even after years of working and scrimping and saving before the apocalypse.

Now, however, these items that once symbolized status and wealth were laid out on the ground by their owner as if they were nothing more than junk.

The woman wanted to trade these luxury goods for daily necessities.

Seeing Seraphina’s gaze, the woman immediately shouted, "One bag for a case of food! These are limited-edition bags, they used to be worth over a million!"

Seraphina sighed at the sight.

"This way! The Player-exclusive zone is over there!"

Forrest Sterling, sharp-eyed as ever, immediately pointed to another area.

The crowd there was noticeably thinner, and most of the ordinary survivors subconsciously kept their distance from it.

Their eyes held a mixture of curiosity and a hint of fear.

It was the Player trading area.

Of course, quite a few people went over to see if they could learn how to become a Player.

Although the death rate for Players was high, people still clamored for the opportunity.

They wanted to use Power to change their current circumstances.

The four of them headed toward the Player-exclusive zone.

Just as they neared the entrance, Seraphina was surprised to see a familiar figure.

Dexter Luther was dressed in a slightly bulky but clearly marked official-issue combat uniform.

With a weapon at his waist, he was responsible for verifying the identities of those entering the Player-exclusive zone.

’Dexter Luther? That guy... he actually joined the officials?’

Seraphina was quite surprised.

She remembered Dexter seeming to prefer acting alone. It had only been a short while since she’d last seen him, yet he had already joined the official faction.

And almost as soon as Seraphina noticed Dexter, he felt her gaze and looked over.

He was a little surprised when he saw Seraphina Sullivan and Sean Chandler.

"Seraphina Sullivan! I didn’t expect you guys to make it to the safe zone!"

Forrest Sterling was a bit surprised that Seraphina and Sean Chandler knew this official.

"How did you end up joining the officials?"

Seraphina couldn’t help but ask, her curiosity piqued by Dexter’s standard-issue uniform.

She remembered him being quite the lone wolf before.

Hearing this, Dexter gave a wry smile, a mix of resignation and relief on his face. "What other reason could there be? It’s just too hard to survive on your own."

"After going through a few instances, I realized the Doomsday Game keeps throwing them at us one after another, and the difficulty is clearly increasing. If I keep going solo, I could kick the bucket in some random corner at any time.

"So... I figured it out. I needed to find some backing, to band together for survival. That’s why I joined the officials."

Seraphina recalled how he had awkwardly used the "I have a friend" excuse to trade for items before.

She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and ask, "Not hiding your Player identity anymore?"

Dexter Luther scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

It seemed he also remembered his previous, obviously fake excuse.

"Ah, don’t even mention it. At the beginning, wasn’t that rumor about ’killing a Player to gain Player status’ spreading everywhere? I was terrified back then, constantly afraid of being targeted."

"Later... reality hit me with a resounding slap in the face. I just couldn’t survive the increasingly difficult instances on my own. To stay alive, I had to rely on the power and resources of the officials. Hiding my identity was just holding me back."

Seraphina Sullivan nodded in understanding.

The reason she herself could continue to hide her Player identity was partly because she had the Scavenger’s Farm’s Space as her trump card and logistics base.

The other reason was Sean Chandler, her impressively strong and completely reliable puppet.

For most solo Players,

after realizing the limits of their individual strength, choosing to join an official organization was indeed the wiser survival strategy.

"However, that rumor about ’killing a Player to gain status’ isn’t entirely baseless."

Forrest Sterling suddenly interjected. His voice wasn’t loud, but it instantly captured everyone’s attention.

He looked at the group, an expression on his face like he was about to share a secret.

"Consider it a little welcome gift, since we’ve all just met. I’ll give you a piece of information for free."

"What Dexter Luther just said is right. There is indeed a certain probability that an ordinary person can become a Player by killing one. It’s actually happened before. I can guarantee it on my brother’s reputation."

River Sterling: ’?? You’re a real great brother, aren’t you!’

Seraphina suddenly thought of his Talent.

He had probably used that Talent to get this information.

Forrest Sterling paused, and seeing everyone’s solemn expressions, he continued.

"But don’t worry. There’s an extremely strict prerequisite. You can’t gain status by killing a Player just anytime. The kill has to be completed within a specific window of time. And that window is..."

Seraphina’s brows furrowed. Considering the traits of the Doomsday Game, a possibility flashed through her mind.

She blurted out, "Is it... the exact moment a new session of the Doomsday Game begins?"

Forrest was very surprised that Seraphina had figured it out.

He nodded solemnly. "That’s right! It’s in the extremely brief gap when the old instance has ended but the new one hasn’t officially begun—the moment the system’s rules are in transition. Only by killing a Player in that exact instant can an ordinary person possibly be ’captured’ by the system and granted Player status."

"Killing a Player at any other time is just murder. There are no additional Effects."

This news instantly made the atmosphere heavy and oppressive.

This meant that during the brief moments of instance rotation, Players not only had to face the unknown dangers of the next instance but could also become a "ticket" in the eyes of other covetous survivors.

Seeing the mood turn sour, River Sterling quickly spoke up to ease the tension. "Alright, since we’re already in the officials’ safe zone and the military is maintaining order, that kind of chaos probably won’t happen here. Let’s focus on seeing what’s worth trading for in the market area. Business first."

Everyone nodded, temporarily setting the topic aside.

Just as Seraphina was about to follow the Sterling brothers into the trading area, Dexter Luther suddenly stepped forward, stopping her and Sean Chandler.

He put on a somewhat fawning smile, rubbing his hands together as he lowered his voice and spoke to Seraphina:

"Um... Sullivan, can we discuss something? Does Chandler still have any more of those apples that increase Power, like the ones from our last trade? I’d like to get some more."

Seraphina’s interest was piqued, but her expression remained unchanged. "Oh? What do you have to trade for them?"

She did indeed have a few Power Apples left in her inventory.

Besides, she wasn’t worried about running out. The Power Apple Branches she had planted earlier had already successfully sprouted in her farm’s Space.

She also had the Growth Card she’d gotten from Neil Webb, which she could use to accelerate the Power Apple Tree’s growth and make it bear fruit quickly.

Although, she had originally planned to save that Growth Card for the Fiery Sunflowers, which required a more specific environment to grow.