Chapter 226: Item: Player Qualification Invitation Card

Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Item: Player Qualification Invitation Card

When Seraphina Sullivan stopped in front of Crystal Lynn’s stall, her gaze landed on the Dancing Grass. The female Player, Crystal Lynn, spoke up.

Her voice was a bit hoarse but very direct: "Want to trade for this Dancing Grass?"

Her eyes held a hint of hope, as if she was desperate to make the trade.

Seraphina gave her a friendly smile and gently shook her head. She had no intention of making a trade.

At her response, the faint glimmer in Crystal Lynn’s eyes quickly faded.

She stopped looking at Seraphina and lowered her head again. Her gaze fell on the few shabby "goods" before her, her brow furrowed as if she was troubled by something.

Seraphina could vaguely sense that the woman was under immense pressure to survive, perhaps even had a family to support. It made her seem a little out of place in the trading area.

Just then, Dexter Luther’s voice cut in from the side, shattering the somewhat somber atmosphere.

"Sullivan! Chandler! We’re here!"

Dexter Luther walked over, leading three other people.

Two men and a woman followed behind him. They all looked like his teammates and carried themselves with a capable air.

Seraphina’s gaze naturally shifted to the three people Dexter had brought with him.

Her Eye of Resume activated silently, and their basic information immediately appeared before her:

[Name: Matthew Dawson]

[Gender: Male]

[Level: 2]

[Professional Skills and Talents: Data Perception - Can perceive and analyze non-visual information like energy flows and structural weaknesses to a limited extent.]

[Skills: Heavy Punch Strike]

[Weaknesses: Slow movement speed.]

[Name: Chloe Lewis]

[Gender: Female]

[Level: 2]

[Professional Skills and Talents: Gale Step - Greatly increases movement speed and physical agility for a short period, producing a faint afterimage effect.]

[Skills: Dagger Mastery, Weakness Insight]

[Weaknesses: Low defense; weak in frontal combat.]

[Name: Morgan Brooks]

[Gender: Male]

[Level: 2]

[Professional Skills and Talents: Precise Throwing - Greatly increases the accuracy and effective range of thrown weapons (including but not limited to flying knives, stones, grenades, etc.).]

[Weaknesses: Extremely poor close-quarters combat ability; requires protection from teammates.]

This squad’s composition seemed quite reasonable.

They had Matthew Dawson for intelligence analysis and tactical command, Chloe Lewis as an assassin or scout, and Morgan Brooks as a ranged attacker.

Combined with Dexter Luther, a tank with some close-combat ability and a special defensive Talent, the squad’s composition was quite balanced and professional.

Seraphina’s estimation of them couldn’t help but rise.

"Sullivan, Chandler, these are the friends who wanted to trade."

Dexter introduced them enthusiastically, his expression filled with the hope of brokering a deal.

Matthew Dawson, from the team, took a step forward. He adjusted his glasses and looked at Sean Chandler with a steady gaze, getting straight to the point.

"Mr. Chandler, a pleasure to meet you. Dexter told us you have some special apples that increase Power. Our squad is very interested. Do you know how many you have left? If possible, we’d like to trade for all of them."

’Three would be perfect,’ he calculated. ’One for each of them. It would be an extra layer of security when things get critical.’

Listening from the side, Seraphina raised a silent eyebrow.

’I didn’t expect them to be so bold, wanting to buy out the entire stock right off the bat.’

She clearly remembered that to get just one Power Apple, Dexter had to practically empty his pockets of every useful little gadget he’d saved up.

"Are you sure you want to trade for all of them?"

An idea sparked in Seraphina’s mind. She gave Sean Chandler a look, signaling for him to ask the question with the right amount of skepticism.

"You should be aware that Dexter paid a steep price for a single Power Apple back then."

"I’m aware."

Matthew Dawson nodded, his expression unchanging. He was clearly prepared for this.

"If we’re asking, it’s because we’ve come with a serious offer."

As he spoke, he gestured to Chloe Lewis and Morgan Brooks behind him.

They, along with Matthew himself, began pulling items from their backpacks.

They weren’t pulling out ordinary food or daily necessities.

Instead, they produced gleaming cards and bizarrely shaped objects.

These were clearly items obtained from apocalyptic dungeons, meant for trading.

The commotion was significant enough to attract the attention of Forrest Sterling, who was standing nearby, especially when he saw the items Matthew Dawson’s squad was laying out.

As a competent information broker, he had an extremely keen nose for rare items and special trades.

He immediately abandoned his small stall—his brother could watch it, anyway.

He sidled over like a cat that had caught the scent of fish, curiously eyeing both parties and the items they had laid out.

Instead of first showing the items his teammates had produced, Matthew carefully took a card from his pocket. It was shimmering with a faint, blue, flowing light.

He glanced first at Seraphina Sullivan.

Then he turned to Sean Chandler. "Mr. Chandler, I heard from Dexter that your girlfriend... Miss Sullivan, isn’t a Player yet, is she?"

Seraphina played along, nodding to maintain her "ordinary person" persona.

’It was her cover story. For now, she was just a normal person.’

Matthew continued, "As we all know, for a normal person to become a Player right now, besides waiting for the system’s incredibly low-probability random selection, all other known methods involve extreme risk—some even cost you your life."

Then, he changed his tack. He held the card forward so Seraphina and Sean Chandler could see it clearly.

"However, I have an item right here that provides a relatively safe and convenient way."

Complex patterns, outlined in some unknown script, decorated the card. Clear text hovered in the center:

[Player Qualification Invitation Card]

Effect: When used on a non-Player individual, it grants them qualification to bind with and join the "Disaster Game" system, and awakens a random Talent.

"This Player Qualification Invitation Card can turn a normal person directly into a Player."

Dexter chimed in at the perfect moment, his face a mixture of pride and a "praise me, I’m so thoughtful" expression.

He looked at Seraphina. "Sullivan, I specifically told Matthew to hold onto this card for me. I was hoping for a chance to give it to you so you could become a Player too! That way, you’ll be able to protect yourself!"

Seraphina: "..."

She looked at Dexter’s "go on, thank me" expression, feeling a complicated mix of emotions. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’What could she possibly say?’

It was all a beautiful misunderstanding, but Dexter’s thoughtfulness genuinely touched her.

It made all their work collaborations before the apocalypse feel worthwhile.

Matthew Dawson retracted the card and said seriously, "Mr. Chandler, Miss Sullivan, a special item like the Player Qualification Invitation Card is incredibly difficult to acquire and extremely rare. How about we trade it for one Power Apple?"