Chapter 399 - 275: This Game is So Addictive

Chapter 399: Chapter 275: This Game is So Addictive

Bane Furnace was 343 years old. He was a married Dwarf living in Furnace Castle, a settlement just outside Twin Tower City. He technically worked for the Zog Group, but he never actually went to the office. He smoked and drank heavily.

He wouldn’t go to bed until 11 AM and slept for only three or four hours a day. Upon waking, he’d chug a bucket of iced cola, then head to the internet cafe to play games all night long. He’d leave all his fatigue and stress for the next day. Even his doctor said he was anything but normal.

All this to say, Bane was now an old Dwarf so bored he didn’t know what to do with himself.

Nowadays, he made more money than he could count just from his cut of the profits from auto chess and other similar games. This had completely stripped him of any motivation to work, leaving him in a state of semi-retirement.

The Zog Group would only call him out of retirement for critical projects that no one else could handle.

As a result, Bane spent his days doing nothing but drinking and gaming. That was it!

Ever since graduating from the Craftsmen Guild, Bane had never been short on cash. When home consoles were released, he immediately bought the most top-of-the-line model available.

Whether he used it or not was another story; buying it was a must.

But he still preferred to play at the internet cafe. The reason was simple: he loved seeing the shocked looks on people’s faces when they saw the lavish inventory on his account.

Every time he went to the cafe, he wouldn’t get a private room. Instead, he’d pick the most conspicuous seat out in the open. He rarely actually played the game, aside from a few matches at the start of a new season. The rest of the time, he would just endlessly fiddle with his inventory screen.

He’d wait for passersby to notice, to let out suppressed gasps of awe, or to awkwardly sidle up and ask if they could take a look at his inventory, after which they would exclaim in endless astonishment.

At times like these, Bane would feel a secret, satisfying thrill.

However, after pulling this stunt so many times, the thrill began to fade. He desperately needed a more exciting platform, but unfortunately, he couldn’t find one.

Bane walked into the internet cafe. It was one of his regular spots, famous for its complete lack of decorum.

Inside this cafe, you could smoke, shout as loud as you wanted, and order high-proof alcohol. If a conflict broke out, there was even a dedicated ring for brawling.

Other races might find it hard to stomach, but for a Dwarf, this internet cafe was just... perfect.

As soon as he stepped inside, he took a deep breath of the familiar scent—a mixture of tobacco and alcohol. A familiar feeling.

’No, wait. Something feels... unfamiliar.’

’The things this bunch of Dwarves in here are shouting about today... I don’t seem to understand any of it.’

"Quick, help me out! I’m surrounded by guys from the Redbeard Clan in the Shadowy Forest!"

"Whoa! I got a Dark Gold Warhammer to drop! Anyone want it? If not, I’m putting it on the auction house."

"Buying gold, buying gold! Who’s selling? I’m buying at a one-to-fifteen ratio! I’m just short of enough to buy an Enhanced Protection Talisman."

"Success! Success! Success! AHHH—How did it fail again?! This game is out to get me!"

"I told you, before you enhance, you need to pad your attempts by trying to enhance a few junk items first..."

’Is there some new game out?’

Bane stroked his beard. Usually, he could understand most of what the young Dwarves in the cafe were shouting about.

But today, with all this talk of "enhancing," "buying gold," and an "auction house," he had no idea what was going on.

He was too lazy to look into a new game. Just keeping up with the seasonal updates and various events in auto chess was enough for him. A brand-new game had too much to learn.

Take Red Alert, for example. He still hadn’t figured out how to play it properly and had never even finished the campaign missions.

He sat down at his dedicated "show-off" spot, skillfully launched his game, and put his inventory on display.

He even intentionally muttered aloud, "Oh, dear, which hero skin should I use today?"

In reality, his attention wasn’t on the game at all, but on the people passing by.

「Half an hour later.」

Bane realized that something was different today.

Usually, by this point, three to five people would have come over to admire his collection. But today, there wasn’t a single one.

Everyone who passed by was discussing some game called *Path of Conquest*.

It seemed like all the Dwarves in the cafe were playing it.

A moment ago, someone had shouted that they’d broken 100,000 combat power, attracting the attention of nearly half the people in the cafe.

A round of flattery followed: "What an expert!" "Such a pro!" "That’s incredible!"

’What’s so incredible about that?’

Bane secretly glanced at the screen of the person next to him. That player was probably on *Path of Conquest*.

’The graphics don’t look flashy at all. They can’t even compare to auto chess. How can you make cool skins with graphics that aren’t flashy? And without skins, how can I, Bane, show that I’m different from the average player?’

’Not playing it!’

Bane stood up and headed to the restroom. He’d had too much to drink and needed to take a leak.

He didn’t expect that as soon as he entered the restroom, he would be greeted by a massive advertisement for *Path of Conquest*. On it was written the strangest slogan Bane had ever seen in his life.

It didn’t mention the gameplay at all. Instead, it read: "Completely free to play! Register now and receive a lavish gift worth Ten Gold Coins! If you don’t enjoy the game, feel free to delete your account and receive One Silver Coin in compensation."

Hah. ’What big talk,’ he thought. ’What kind of respectable game advertises in a restroom?’

Bane curled his lip in disdain.

’And you get One Silver Coin in compensation just for deleting your account?’

’Aren’t they afraid people will organize just to register and delete accounts for the compensation?’

Bane failed to notice a line of small print in the bottom-right corner of the poster: "Note: Compensation for account deletion is only available after reaching account level Sixty."

Leaving the restroom, feeling much more comfortable, Bane thought for a moment and then walked over to the front desk.

The kid at the front desk always knew about all the new games.

Bane couldn’t help his curiosity. He wanted to ask what this *Path of Conquest* was all about.

"Master Bane." The young man at the desk noticed Bane and greeted him politely. This was one of the cafe’s most valued customers; no one else topped up their account with dozens of Gold Coins at once.

That was enough money to play here nonstop for several years.