Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 77: A Meeting in Reality

In essence, Liu Xing understood he was being timid, but sometimes timidity can carve out a new path in the skies.

Liu Xing agreed with Wu Lei's assessment, especially in the perilous realms of the Cthulhu RPG Game. It was only by being cautious that one could survive longer, possibly even completing the game without directly confronting any mythical creatures.

Reflecting on this, Liu Xing nodded thoughtfully. It seemed he too needed to adopt a more cautious approach. For instance, during the Castle Lord scenario, he shouldn't have been so impulsive as to jump straight to the second floor...

Now, whenever Liu Xing thought of Isabella, he felt an indescribable sense of powerlessness. After all, being manipulated by a centenarian was not a pleasant experience for anyone.

"By the way, Liu Xing, if you really want to write a novel, remember to set some 'village rules.' The official rulebook as it stands isn't really suitable for storytelling—it's too rigid. 'Village rules' make things more interesting," Wu Lei suggested, opening another beer with a chuckle.

'Village rules' in the Cthulhu RPG Game meant adding or modifying rules beyond the official rulebook. For example, while the official rules deemed only a roll of 1 as a critical success, most players preferred to consider 1-5 as such. Also, some skills in the official rules were too monotonous, like jumping being used solely as a movement skill and not for evasion...

Jumping was unbeatable! Liu Xing was grateful that the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall used these 'village rules' instead of the rigid official ones, which would have undoubtedly increased the death rate.

"Speaking of which, Wu Lei, what do you think a protagonist should do when facing a deadly module? After all, in the real Cthulhu RPG Game, sensations like pain are realistically simulated, making death even more unpleasant. I'm thinking of letting the protagonist find an opportunity to bail out," Liu Xing brought up the main question he had for Wu Lei.

Liu Xing had been pondering how to strategically withdraw from the game. Obviously, he would avoid Alger's method, which to him was worse than death.

However, Liu Xing was at a loss for a solution. After all, every action in the Cthulhu RPG Game had to be logical and realistic, especially fitting the character card. For instance, Liu Xing's character, a stable and respectable doctor, couldn't just engage in petty theft and end up in jail as a way to 'drop out.'

The idea of dropping out due to injury was even more complicated. Being a doctor, Liu Xing could easily treat minor injuries, making hospitalization—and thus dropping out—unlikely. Severe injuries were another matter: not only were they extremely painful, but they could also jeopardize his third promotion game. Unless he encountered the embarrassing Formless Offspring again, it would likely spell certain death.

Therefore, Liu Xing had no choice but to seek answers from Wu Lei, the Veteran Driver.

"Ah, if your protagonist is a doctor, that does indeed pose some challenges," Wu Lei mused after a moment of thought, offering his advice. "It's practically impossible for them to drop out due to injury or criminal acts. So, I think you should cleverly use the plot for dropping out. As you know, Liu Xing, the modules in the current Cthulhu RPG Game circle are mostly set against European, American, and Island Nation backdrops, often in cities or towns. This means there are plenty of NPCs. You can have your protagonist actively interact with these NPCs and use them for dropping out. For example, you could have your protagonist try to charm a female NPC, then find an excuse to slip away on a date; or make an enemy of a local gang NPC, using it as a pretext to lay low and leave; or even cause an internal dispute with teammates and leave abruptly. These methods of dropping out are still somewhat plausible."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement; the three methods suggested by Wu Lei indeed seemed viable and worth trying.

"Of course, if the module's setting is in a remote area or plunges directly into some strange places, then you won't have a way to drop out," Wu Lei added with a laugh, sipping his drink. "In such modules, there's no chance for dropping out."

After discussing his questions, Liu Xing spent another hour eating and drinking with Wu Lei before saying goodbye and heading home.

Having consumed a fair amount of beer, Liu Xing felt dizzy. He washed up briefly and then fell asleep on his bed, snoring loudly.

The next morning, he was awakened by the glaring sunlight.

"Headache..." Liu Xing rubbed his temples, threw on some clothes, and decided to go downstairs to buy some breakfast.

"Liu Xing?" While queuing at a familiar bun shop, Liu Xing suddenly heard a stranger calling his name.

Looking in the direction of the voice, he was surprised to see Wang Qi, a former teammate from the Castle lord game.

Liu Xing looked at Wang Qi in astonishment, marveling at how small the world was to encounter Wang Qi in the real world.

Having once shared life-and-death experiences as teammates, Liu Xing had a generally positive impression of Wang Qi. Despite Wang Qi's occasional impulsiveness, he was capable of listening to others and considering the bigger picture.

"Ha, I didn't expect to meet you here," Liu Xing chuckled, and they found a nearby Kending Chicken to sit down, eat, and chat.

Wang Qi, also from Rongcheng and a student at the Rongcheng Sports School, had been in Magic Capital on a trip when he entered the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall, hence his residence registration was in Magic Capital.

Unlike Liu Xing, Wang Qi hadn't yet qualified to start promotion games. During this period, he participated in a standard Cthulhu RPG Game, narrowly escaping being "card-torn" by a group of fanatical NPC believers. In a moment of crisis, surrounded and cornered, Wang Qi rolled a lucky critical success, reducing the number of fanatical NPCs chasing him to one, and an unarmed weakling at that. Wang Qi defeated this believer NPC in combat, successfully clearing the level.

Liu Xing, with a mindset of always being on guard, did not reveal to Wang Qi that he had started participating in promotion games.