The BUG Deity

Chapter 4: Arcade Hall

Quotes from the Bug God, Chen Xingyu: "No game is perfect; there are always bugs and shortcuts, and what you lack is just a "No game is perfect; there are always bugs and shortcuts, and what you lack is just a pair of black eyes."

A frustrated young man who had just failed a challenge shouted angrily, "Just wait for me. I'm going to buy some game tokens and come back to continue this fight." He stormed off towards the front desk to purchase a hundred game tokens, ready to continue his feud with the current challenger.

In the noisy arcade, a young man with a refined appearance smiled smugly. The young man was indeed kind-hearted. Although he quickly cleared King of Fighters, the number of challengers was overwhelming. From morning until now, it had been over three hours, and he had only reached the second stage, having faced hundreds of challengers. Thanks to them, he had managed to stretch his single game token into a longer playtime. In the afternoon, he planned to play Three Kingdoms War with an unlimited Book of Heaven card to level up monsters. Using the Time Sandglass to extend playtime through self-destructing after upgrades and extra lives, he would dominate the game machine for hours. He was indeed a genius.

"Let me take my turn. I refuse to believe that no one can beat you," another person immediately grabbed the challenge seat as soon as the previous challenger left, quickly inserting a game token into the slot, eager to avoid being outpaced by others.

The young man shook his head helplessly. This guy was too stubborn. He had contributed over fifty game tokens himself. Aside from the earlier kid, he was the most generous. Well, this time he would let the player have a bit more fun.

After spending the morning in the arcade, the young man finally defeated the final boss, Orochi, in King of Fighters. He still had four game tokens left from the five he bought for five bucks. He walked skillfully to the slot machine, inserted a token, and tapped ten times on the smallest apple.

Ding ding ding!The red squares on the slot machine spun joyfully and stopped at the watermelon.

The young man showed no reaction and inserted another token, choosing five watermelons and five bells.

Ding ding…This time, it landed on an apple again.

Ding ding…Still not a win!

But the young man remained calm, as if he had anticipated this. He snapped his fingers and inserted the last token, selecting five bells and five Heaven Gates.

Lalalala…The slot machine vibrated sharply as he won the biggest jackpot. One Heaven Gate was worth a hundred game tokens, and just like that, he won five hundred game tokens, equivalent to five hundred bucks. Converting the tokens to five hundred yuan notes, the young man smugly walked out of the arcade. Such bugs couldn’t be exploited every day, so he planned to return only when he was short on cash.

“Chen Xingyu, the god of five-player battles, missing one for the five-man team. Wanna join?” Upon returning slowly to the game studio, the young man was immediately summoned by his company mates. With his hand speed and micro-control, Chen Xingyu was expected to be the strongest king. However, he didn’t have any divine airs. Not only did he have three top-ranked accounts in different regions, but he was also nicknamed "The Sneaky Master" by everyone. He preferred to use low-level accounts to crush opponents both tactically and mentally. Encountering such a sneaky expert, who wouldn’t be unlucky?

“Push the tower!” Chen Xingyu suddenly leapt from his seat. Looking at the pristine white metal walls around him, he realized he had been transported to another world. All that was left from Earth was his gaming knowledge and skills.

Life, indeed, felt lonely as snow. The previous Chen Xingyu was a sneaky expert, but now in a world where gaming determines status, he felt right at home. He wondered what changes this small butterfly would bring to the world. “Quick, I need to enter the game space.” Upon waking up, Chen Xingyu shouted, even though he knew it was a fully immersive virtual game unlike any Earth game. His enthusiasm and confidence were undiminished; he was determined to become the new generation’s gaming god.

“Sure thing, big brother.” The intelligent assistant guided Chen Xingyu into a game pod filled with energy radiation, activating the game for him. The school dorm also had game pods, but they were clearly not as advanced as the ones in the classroom. The high-level pods provided enhanced gameplay and system rewards, but the basic functions in the lower-tier pods were sufficient for Chen Xingyu, a player with no enhancements.

Soon, under the game pod’s hypnosis, Chen Xingyu entered another world. Holding a mere seven game tokens, he was frustrated. His predecessor had wasted eight tokens in just a few days of the previous month, contributing only a small amount of experience. Chen Xingyu couldn’t understand how someone could be so bad at games, wasting all those tokens. Did everyone look down on him?

Oh wow!A big light ball.

Seeing the familiar white egg, Chen Xingyu was thrilled, almost thinking he had entered the legendary main god space. It seemed the game system had indeed incorporated many classic games and novels from human history. This gave him more confidence. With familiar games, things would be easier. Chen Xingyu was back!

“Soul scan: Confirmed as human, soul power is strong, quality is excellent. Unknown energy detected in the soul, undetectable.” The system paused for a moment before continuing, “Hello, dear player. As this is your first time entering the game, please choose a nickname. This will be your only nickname in the game, and in some game worlds, your name will appear as your nickname.”

Chen Xingyu was taken aback. Although his appearance was the same as his predecessor’s, his soul was different. Maybe he had fused with or devoured his predecessor’s soul. The system’s advanced technology could detect soul existence and quality, which was quite impressive. It was good that the system didn’t care about these differences, as long as it confirmed he was human. Otherwise, his identity might have been exposed. But it was fine; the predecessor had left him no player experience. Starting over, he could choose the best path to strengthen himself.

The unexpected eight game tokens were a pleasant surprise. Each ordinary citizen received only fifteen game tokens per month, and everything in the game consumed system energy. Player rewards were also energy-intensive, and with a large population, the energy share was extremely scarce. Of course, the human alliance wouldn’t be so harsh as to deny ordinary players a chance to become stronger. To earn more game tokens, players had to demonstrate their value to the system, showing they were worth the alliance’s energy investment.

The game had a rating system. Based on player performance, they could receive corresponding enhancement rewards, including game tokens. As long as you showed enough potential, getting as many game tokens as you wanted wasn’t a problem!

Chen Xingyu knew that the fifteen game tokens in his pocket were his capital for becoming stronger. Games could only train combat awareness; they couldn’t immediately make players stronger. The real rewards came after clearing games, directly enhancing players and even materializing game skills and items. But the premise was that you had to clear the game with a high score. Without value, the human alliance wouldn’t spend energy on enhancements. That’s why the extra game slot in the classroom was so precious. Many believed Chen Xingyu wasted it. In this world, not knowing how to play games was as contemptible as being poor on Earth.

Of course, truly valuable players who could become advanced or even super players were extremely rare. But Chen Xingyu believed he would become one. Imagining the future where he could fly like Superman, he was thrilled. He composed himself and said to the system, “Call me Chen Daxian!”

“‘Call me Chen Daxian.’ Are you sure?”

“Uh, system, you’re clever.” Chen Xingyu was speechless. The system’s intelligence was such that it should know the first three words were redundant. He decided to be modest. Recovering from his excitement, Chen Xingyu chose the nickname “Lone Wanderer” and entered the game.

Chen Xingyu decided that he would always tackle the hardest games and follow the path of a lone player with the greatest personal strength. He wouldn’t stop until he became a top player! He had fallen behind other players for many years, and if he cooperated with others to reduce game difficulty, even with his gaming talent, he might never achieve greatness.

Yes!He was destined to become the gaming god!

In a flash of white light, Chen Xingyu found himself in a hall. His mind was filled with new knowledge of the game, thanks to the system’s advanced technology. The game hall, designed to resemble a vintage arcade, felt reassuring. Even though he tried to act nonchalant, the sudden change made him deeply anxious. That’s why he was eager to strengthen himself and find security.

The arcade hall was filled with various games like Three Kingdoms War, Western Cowboys, and Punishers, among others. Even games from the old Nintendo Entertainment System, such as Adventure Island, Thunder Fighter, and Wild West Playboy, were incorporated into the arcade. Players could choose from a multitude of options. Chen Xingyu took his time but couldn’t decide which game to play. After all, unlike remote control characters, real-life capabilities such as physical fitness and jumping ability were crucial. Games that seemed simple, like Mario, would be incredibly challenging without any enhancements.

“Hey, newcomer?” A middle-aged man with a robust figure approached Chen Xingyu. “You’re new here, right? You probably don’t know the ropes. How about this: give me three game tokens, and and I’ll share all the tips I know. I also have unique advice that guarantees you’ll get more game rewards.”

“No thanks.” Chen Xingyu glanced at the man. Three game tokens? He was daring to ask for that. A game token was a chance to improve his strength, and giving away even one-fifth of his tokens was too costly for an ordinary player. This man seemed like a scammer, only hanging around the first-level arcade to deceive newcomers.

Unfortunately, his player level was still at the lowest, and he didn’t have access to better game levels. He could only view the first level arcade. Player levels in this world were crucial, representing potential. Higher star ratings meant more benefits and status. However, Chen Xingyu believed that with time, he could surpass this level. As long as he had time to develop, no matter how difficult the games were, he would clear them.

The player star rating was a measure of potential. In this world, it was a mark of high status. Chen Xingyu had fallen behind many players by years, so he had to make up for lost time. He wouldn’t waste precious game tokens on scammers.

“Don’t be like that. Listen to my exclusive tips. Even though this is just the first level, there are thousands of games, and some are extremely difficult. We’ve spent countless hours and losses figuring them out.” The man continued, “The 21st century was the golden age of gaming, with classic storylines and playability. For instance, there’s a game called Contra. It’s great but very tough. Don’t be fooled by the rich rewards; it’s a trap for beginners. No amount of game tokens will be enough to beat it. Even upper-level players rarely clear it.”

“You don’t need to say more. I’m not interested in your so-called tips, and I won’t give you any game tokens.” Chen Xingyu interrupted, dismissing the man’s advice. Some of the information was useful, but asking experienced players would provide similar insights. As for understanding the 21st-century games, no one knew more than he did.

“Kid, remember this: no one dares to ignore me, Wang Daniu, in the first-level arcade.” The man, Wang Daniu, shouted angrily, clearly holding a grudge and likely waiting for an opportunity to sabotage Chen Xingyu.

Chen Xingyu ignored Wang Daniu’s glare. The name Wang Daniu was laughable. In his eyes, the man was a minor character. Within a few months, his strength would far surpass Wang Daniu’s. Once he reached a higher star level, he would tackle more challenging games in the second-level arcade and wouldn’t need to bother with such low-level figures.