At this moment, the Internet Cafe was packed to the brim.
Players were engrossed in their games.
"Hey, where are you guys at?"
"Diablos, we need one more. Coming?"
"Alright, pull me in!"
"Has anyone beaten the Rathalos yet? Please carry me, it's too damn hard!"
"Sure, I need to farm Rathalos materials anyway. What's your link code? I'll add you!"
"Guys, look! There's a Game Store you can open in the game now. Is this the new feature the boss mentioned?"
"Must be!"
"Good heavens, there are so many good things inside! High-rank monster weapons and armor, talismans, decorations... Holy moly, there are even weapon skill books! Can I use these directly in the game after buying them?"
"Say no more! I just want to know how to buy them. Money is not an issue!"
"It seems like you can't use gold or in-game currency, but achievement points. I looked at my current achievement points, and I don't even have 100. I can't even afford the cheapest figurine model. How do I buy anything?"
"I just tried, and it seems you can get achievement points by killing Wild Beast!"
"Really? Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, let's go, let's farm!"
...
But precisely because of this...
Su Ran, sitting at the bar counter, had a look of utter despair.
It was for no other reason than he desperately wanted to play a game!
Su Ran had woken up, eaten, and felt refreshed and in prime condition. As the saying goes, when you're well-fed and warm, your thoughts turn to... games.
Especially with the current atmosphere in the Internet Cafe, seeing others play with such passion, as a seasoned gaming enthusiast, how could he not be tempted?
However, according to the system's boss guidelines: As the boss, the customer's needs are always paramount.
Not only were all the spots in the Internet Cafe full, but there were also many people without spots waiting for one while watching others play. In other words, even if someone finished their session, it wouldn't be his turn to play.
"Hmm, the top priority seems to be figuring out how to get more computers. Otherwise, as more and more customers come, the supply-demand imbalance will be troublesome."
"Of course, for me personally, it would be even better if I could save enough contribution points to directly buy a boss-exclusive computer."
Su Ran had already seen in the system's Game Store that there was a boss-exclusive computer that players couldn't use, but the price wasn't cheap: ten thousand contribution points, enough for him to buy five Golden Ascension Pills. He knew that since the store opened, he had only earned a little over a thousand contribution points.
Moreover, he didn't know how these contribution points were specifically obtained, because previously, the contribution point function was hidden, and the system hadn't made it available, so he couldn't inquire about the source.
Although he could inquire now, he still had to figure it out himself.
Currently, the stable source of contribution points seemed to be Internet Cafe fees. The gold coins the Internet Cafe received didn't go into Su Ran's pocket; they were all taken by the system. However, it seemed that a portion of them would be converted into contribution points for him.
But the conversion rate wasn't high; about 1 point for every 10 gold. This meant that currently, he could only get about twenty to thirty contribution points a day from Internet Cafe fees.
Of course, this was just his basic contribution point income. There were definitely other ways to earn more contribution points, and the more computers he had, the higher his basic contribution point income would be.
Thinking this, Su Ran forced himself to calm down, intending to study it properly. Just as he was about to call up the system page...
"Boss, may I ask you something?"
A player cautiously approached the counter and asked, "I just started playing not long ago, and when hunting the Wild Beast, I found their bodies too hard. The attacks were fine at first, but why does my weapon keep bouncing off after a while? What should I do?"
"Weapons have sharpness, which I usually call'sharpness level'. Generally, better weapons have higher sharpness levels, which can be judged by the color of the weapon's pattern, in order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, white!"
Su Ran looked up at the player and continued, "The higher the sharpness level, the higher the damage, and the less likely your weapon is to bounce. Of course, if you're just starting out and don't have materials, your weapon won't be too good. In that case, go to the Blacksmith and buy whetstones. Once your weapon becomes dull during combat and starts bouncing, just sharpen it with a whetstone, and it'll recover!"
"So that's how it is! I learned something new, thank you so much, Boss!"
The player's expression brightened. After gratefully thanking him with a look of enlightenment, he quickly turned and left.
Su Ran smiled faintly, not paying it much mind. He then called up the system page, just about to click on the quest list.
"Boss, excuse me!"
Unexpectedly, no sooner had the previous player left than another player came over: "I want to ask how to deal with the effluvium in the Effluvium Valley. I'm hunting the Great Girros, and the effluvium's poison is making me too miserable; I keep dying!"
Su Ran paused slightly.
"There are several ways. The first is to have the Blacksmith make a talisman called 'Inner Peace Brings Coolness'. The second is to farm decorations that grant immunity to effluvium environments. If those two aren't an option, the simplest is to use a torch to dispel it with fire, but it has a time limit, so just pay attention to that!"
Su Ran thought for a moment and then asked, "But are you sure you're suffering from effluvium poison? That poison is chronic and very slow, not much of a threat. However, the Great Girros's attacks cause bleeding, which is very deadly. If it's bleeding, you'll need to buy Astera Jerky from the Provisioner in the base camp!"
"Uh... is that so? I'm not entirely sure, but I've remembered everything. I'll try it later. Thanks, Boss!"
Saying this, the player also left happily.
Su Ran watched the player's retreating back, then clicked on the quest list and began to read it.
But he had barely read two lines...
"Boss, I want to ask, do you recommend any Felyne meals? I heard eating them can temporarily boost physical abilities!"
"Boss, the Scoutflies feel so hard to use! They never listen!"
"Boss..."
In a flash, he saw more people coming over, and not just one, but a group of people surrounding him, all coming to ask him for guidance.
Su Ran was a bit dumbfounded. What was going on?
No one had come for guidance before, so why were so many coming over in succession now?
But Su Ran didn't know that the first two people who had just asked him for game advice had no sooner returned than many people curiously gathered around them.
"I say, you guys actually dared to go ask the boss questions?"
"Huh? What's there to be afraid of?"
"The boss would even bother with you?"
"Haha, don't worry. Just like Brother Wu and Ouyang said, the boss is very friendly, easy to talk to, and perfectly answered my question."
"The boss also solved my problem. The boss isn't as scary as you think. Alright, if you really have questions, just go ask him!"
"Holy cow, really?"
The others exchanged glances upon hearing this, surprised but also with their eyes lighting up.
After seeing Su Ran defeat the Extinction Dragon without taking damage, they knew he was a gaming expert and must know a lot of game knowledge they didn't. If they could get his guidance, it would definitely greatly speed up their game progress and help them become stronger faster.
However, due to the boss's mysterious identity, they were still a bit hesitant.
But now that they saw someone had already paved the way, and heard them say the boss was very nice and friendly, they naturally couldn't sit still and rushed forward to ask for guidance.
This led to the current situation.
"Uh, don't rush, everyone, one by one, slowly!"
"You're asking too many questions; I really can't answer them all!"
Su Ran felt a bit dizzy with a group of people surrounding him, talking from all directions.
While he didn't mind guiding these players, and had even proactively guided some before, it was best if it was occasional, not a swarm like this.
Moreover, some of the questions were very basic, and even if it wasn't him, but those veteran players, like Wu Lei, would definitely know. So he was about to suggest that these people ask those veteran players.
"Boss, Boss!"
But suddenly, he heard the loudest and most anxious voice from behind the crowd, and then a figure squeezed through.
"How do you even beat the Extinction Dragon? It's too hard! Please guide me!"
Looking closely, it was none other than Wu Lei.
Su Ran was utterly speechless.
You could excuse the new players, as they hadn't adapted yet and needed guidance, but why was this veteran player joining the commotion?
In Su Ran's opinion, this game was only fun if you relied on yourself to defeat powerful enemies step by step, so he immediately prepared to refuse.
However, at this very moment...
"[Player has mastered weapon sharpness techniques and defeated the Barroth due to the host's guidance, Contribution Points +10]"
"[Player has defeated the Great Girros due to the host's guidance, Contribution Points +10]"
Su Ran was stunned, then showed a surprised expression.
If he guessed correctly, these two people should be the first two he guided, right?
In other words... guiding people in games could also increase contribution points?