Apocalypse: Everyone Levels Up, I Return to the Time Before the Server Opened

Chapter 2: Hidden Rewards

[Ye Qiu: @Class President Su Xintong, 10 days from now, make sure not to take a bath in the girls’ dormitory shower at school.].

Ye Qiu left this message in the group chat and tagged Su Xintong.

It was just a small gesture, nothing more.

Whether she believed him or not, whether she listened or not, it had nothing to do with him.

As for everyone else, Ye Qiu couldn’t care less.

He could never forget.

After the game servers shut down, the monsters descended into the real world. The ugliness of human nature was laid bare!

Between people, there was no longer “trust” or “cooperation.”

Greed, malice, filth, plundering…

Every terrible thing imaginable, Ye Qiu had seen it all!

Without hesitation, he closed the group chat. But what he didn’t know was, because of his message, the once mildly active chat exploded into chaos!

[Zhang Chao: What’s going on? What’s going on?]. [Ma Pengfei: @Ye Qiu, please elaborate. It’s not that I’m interested in Su Xintong taking a bath, I’m just interested in the act of bathing itself! [smirk.jpg]]. [Fang Yifei: ??! [confused.jpg]]. [Class President Su Xintong: @Ye Qiu, what do you mean? Are you trying to be a pervert? You better explain yourself clearly!]. [Class Rep Chen Ziheng: @Ye Qiu, are you sick? A grown man bringing up a girl’s showering habits in a group chat, don’t you find that disgusting and sleazy? As a fellow man, I feel ashamed for you!]. [Chen Ziheng: @Class Monitor Su Xintong, don’t even bother with this cowardly keyboard warrior. He’s just a typical internet troll. It’s not worth getting angry over someone like him. By the way, class monitor, where do we pay the registration fee? I’m planning to sign up and head to school soon! When we’re together, unity is strength!]. [Zhang Chao: I thought I was already the most carefree and reckless guy around, but damn, this guy just outdid me. He actually dared to tease the class monitor!].

Su Xintong wasn’t just the class monitor, she was also the school’s top beauty.

Among the entire student body, there were probably only three girls who could even come close to matching her looks and figure.

That’s why Ye Qiu’s words sent shockwaves through the group!

At the same time, many students were confused.

“Who even is this Ye Qiu?”

“Oh, that quiet guy in class. Pretty average in every way.”

“Probably got brainwashed by all those ‘apocalypse’ theories online and had a mental breakdown, which is why he’s saying stuff like this.”

“Bullshit. He’s just showing his true colors!”

“Saying something online suddenly means exposing your true self? I joke about eating poop all the time. Does that mean I’d actually do it?”

“I’ve tried it before. It’s not easy to swallow.”

“???!!!”

“Damn!”

“Bro, I was eating! What the hell!”

—

00:00:03.

00:00:02.

00:00:01.

Finally, the countdown hit zero.

At that exact moment…

All around the world, every single person heard a sudden mechanical voice echo in their minds.

Different countries.

Different languages.

Yet, in this instant, everyone understood it perfectly!

“The Trial City has been activated. Do you wish to enter?”

The voice fell silent.

Almost everyone’s first reaction was one of shock, confusion, and disbelief.

Except for one person.

Before the mechanical voice had even finished speaking, Ye Qiu had already responded instantly, “Enter the game. Confirm DNA. Bind identity information. Select the Swordsman class. Character name: ‘One Leaf Knows Autumn.’ Keep my appearance unchanged. Let the system allocate my attribute points freely!”

He was in a pitch-black space.

His consciousness condensed into a physical form.

Even before he finished speaking, The system’s voice finally caught up, stuttering:

“Confirming DNA… Binding identity… Entering the g—”

The system’s voice lagged for a moment.

Then, after a brief silence, it suddenly continued, now strangely filled with emotion, “The system has allocated your attribute points.”

At the start of the game, no matter the class, all players received the same base attribute points.

Strength, Agility, Constitution, Spirit, and Luck.

Each starting with 50 points.

Players could distribute them manually or let the system handle it.

Ye Qiu chose system allocation for a reason…

[Ding! Since you are the first player to let the system allocate attribute points, you have triggered a hidden reward.].

[Ding! Your initial attribute points have been doubled!].

Hearing this, Ye Qiu, who had been holding his breath, finally exhaled.

“It worked! The rumors from my past life were true!”

In his past life, someone had posted on the forums that if a player chose system allocation at the start, they would trigger a hidden reward.

Their initial attribute points would double from 50 to 100!

However, this hidden reward could only be triggered once.

Only the very first player to choose system allocation would receive this benefit!

Ye Qiu immediately checked his character panel:

[Character: One Leaf Knows Autumn].

[Class: Swordsman].

[Subclass: None].

[Level: 0].

[HP: 100].

[MP: 100].

[Attack: 20].

[Defense: 20].

[Movement Speed: 10].

[Attributes, Strength: 10 (Affects attack power)].

[Constitution: 10 (Affects HP)].

[Agility: 10 (Affects movement speed)].

[Spirit: 10 (Affects MP)].

[Luck: 10 (Special attribute)].

[Fame: 0 (Tied to world achievements)].

[Active Skill, Slash (Lv1): 0/500 EXP, increases attack power by 10 when used.].

[Special Skills: None].

[Pets: None].

[Guild: None].

[Available Stat Points: 50].

All stats were the same as his previous life. The only difference was the “Available Stat Points.”

This was the hidden reward!

His initial points had doubled!

The system had given him 50 extra points!

Ye Qiu’s face lit up with excitement.

For a moment, he felt like he was dreaming.

Just to make sure, he pinched himself. The game’s pain sensitivity was identical to real life.

So, it hurt! Not a dream!

“Allocate all 50 points into Luck!”

Ye Qiu wasn’t arrogant. Even with a second chance, the early game was nothing more than a warm-up. This reward alone wasn’t enough to change the future!

Soon, the extra points were used up. They were all added to “Luck.”

This stat could not be increased by leveling up or killing monsters.

The only ways to improve it were through free stat points or special encounters.

In short, it was extremely, extremely difficult to raise.

In his past life, no one ever paid attention to “Luck.”

Most dismissed it as useless, an unnecessary gimmick. Until, a casual player posted on the forums.

He had dumped most of his free stat points into “Luck” and what happened next shocked everyone. He would randomly stumble upon spirit beasts.

Fall off a cliff, only to discover an ancient tomb.

Go to sleep, only to wake up surrounded by rare equipment.

At first, no one believed him. They mocked and doubted. But then, more players followed his example and were stunned to realize that the stories were true!

But by then, it was too late.

Free stat points were incredibly hard to come by!

Just as Ye Qiu finished adding his points, his Luck stat reached 60.

And suddenly, the system’s alert rang out loudly!