Learning to play games, a 40-year-old woman achieves a remarkable turnaround.

Chapter 301 Real Vision

"That's fantastic! Now we can absorb 65 and 45!" Yuan Bao said excitedly.

He first identified the demon associated with the number "65"—a slowly moving stone golem.

Just as they were about to touch, the stone golem suddenly accelerated and crashed heavily into Yuan Bao's chest.

Yuan Bao staggered back a few steps, almost falling off the platform, and Xiao Jiu was so frightened that she clung tightly to his leg.

"This...is this also part of the game mechanics?" Yuan Bao asked, rubbing his aching chest.

Xiao Jiu loosened its grip somewhat embarrassedly: "Sorry, Master, I forgot to remind you, high-level demons sometimes retaliate... Although it won't cause actual harm, it will affect your movements."

Yuan Bao took a deep breath and changed his strategy.

This time, he pretended to chase the demon of the number "45". When the stone man relaxed his guard, he suddenly turned and sprinted with Xiao Jiu's screams, and finally successfully absorbed it.

The number changed to 169.

The last target number, "45", was relatively easy; Yuan Bao's final number was "214".

"Trial period is over!" Xiao Jiu announced, waving a small flag that appeared out of nowhere. "Your final score is 214. Based on the 1:1 exchange rate for the trial level, you have earned 214 points!"

A system notification popped up in front of Yuan Bao's eyes:

[Demon Tower Trial Completed]

Final number: 214

Points earned: 214

Proceed to the official release? Yes/No

"What's the difference between the official copy and this?" Yuan Bao asked, casually picking up Xiao Jiu and placing her on his shoulder. Xiao Jiu curled up comfortably, like a warm scarf.

"The official dungeon has more levels, stricter time limits, and more complex demon behavior," Xiao Jiu explained, nuzzling Yuan Bao's cheek. "But the exchange rate is also higher. The trial level is 1:1, while the official dungeon's base ratio is 1:2, plus various bonuses."

Just as Yuan Bao was about to select "yes", he suddenly noticed a strange flash of light at the edge of the platform.

He walked over and found a semi-transparent panel floating in the darkness, covered with dense symbols.

"What is this?" Yuan Bao reached out and touched the panel.

Xiao Jiu suddenly felt a chill run down her spine: "Wait, Master, that's not part of the trial level!"

When the panel is touched, the symbols begin to recombine, eventually forming a line of text:

[The Eye of Truth: Seeing the Truth Behind the Numbers]

The text flashed three times and then disappeared, and Yuan Bao felt a stinging pain in his eyes.

When he looked at the platform again, he noticed that there were some small symbols next to the numbers above the demons' heads.

“Little Nine…” Yuan Bao squinted, “Why are there plus and minus signs next to the numbers I see now? For example, why does the remaining demon's head show '45+'?”

Xiao Jiu gripped Yuan Bao's clothes tightly with its claws, its dark eyes wide open: "This...this is impossible! Master, did you see the additional symbol?"

"Yes, some numbers have plus signs next to them, some have minus signs, and some have equal signs," Yuan Bao described the new information he had seen.

Xiao Jiu was silent for a few seconds, then her voice suddenly became serious, and her little paws unconsciously rubbed Yuan Bao's collar: "Master, you may have triggered the hidden mechanism of the Demon Tower."

According to system records, this situation is extremely rare.

"What's the meaning?"

“Those symbols represent the potential changes in the numbers,” Xiao Jiu explained, her ears twitching nervously. “A plus sign means the actual increase after absorption will be more than the displayed number, a minus sign means the opposite, and an equal sign means exact.”

Yuan Bao's eyes lit up: "So, if I absorb a demon marked '50-', the actual increase might only be around 40?"

"Theoretically, yes. But my lord, this ability should only exist for a few seconds in the official instance, how come you..."

Yuan Bao blinked and found that the symbols were still clearly visible: "They haven't disappeared. It seems I've permanently gained this 'Eye of Truth' ability."

Xiao Jiu's fur stood on end, making her look like a black and white fur ball: "This...this is incredible! Master, do you know what this means? You may have discovered the core secret of the Demon Tower!"

The system notification popped up again, but this time the content was unusual:

[Abnormal data detected]

Player Yuan Bao has obtained the permanent "Realistic Vision" buff.

This state is irreversible.

[Recommendation: Immediately enter the official instance to verify capabilities]

Yuan Bao and Xiao Jiu looked at each other in bewilderment.

“My lord,” Xiao Jiu’s voice was a mixture of excitement and worry, her little paws nervously gripping Yuan Bao’s shoulders, “you may have triggered some kind of hidden plot. Shall we continue?”

Yuan Bao took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with a sense of adventure: "Of course we must continue. But before that..." He pointed to the system notification, "I need to know the actual exchange rate for the official dungeon."

Xiao Jiu hesitated for a moment, her ears drooping: "Under normal circumstances, I can't disclose this, but given the current special circumstances... the basic ratio for the official copy is 1:2, but under certain conditions, it can reach up to 1:5."

Yuan Bao whistled: "So, that means if my final number reaches 1000..."

“You’ll get 5000 points.” Little Nine finished speaking, its tail wagging nervously. “But Master, with this ‘Eye of Truth,’ you might be able to do even better. It’s just…”

"Just what?"

"The system won't grant advantages without reason. This ability might mean that the difficulty of the actual dungeon will be increased accordingly," Xiao Jiu warned, her dark eyes filled with worry.

Yuan Bao pondered for a moment, a confident smile playing on his lips, as he gently stroked Xiao Jiu's hair with his fingers: "The greater the risk, the greater the reward. I'm ready."

He clicked the "Yes" option without hesitation.

Xiao Jiu quickly said, "The formal dungeon is about to begin! Remember, Master, the time limit is one hour in the real world, but the perception time inside the tower will be longer. Also..."

Before it could finish speaking, a burst of intense white light engulfed everything.

When Yuan Bao could see her surroundings again, she was standing on a huge circular platform, at least ten times larger than the trial level.

Xiao Jiu gripped his collar tightly. Dozens of demons roamed in the distance, each displaying numbers and...those mysterious symbols above its head.

A system notification appears:

[Demon Tower Official Dungeon Launched]

Current floor number: 1/100

Time remaining: 59:58

[Goal: To climb to the highest possible level]

[Special Note: Realistic Vision is now activated]

Yuan Bao clenched his fist, and Xiao Jiu whispered in his ear, "Go for it, Master!" His gaze locked onto a small demon marked "15+": "The game begins."

"This...this is the official copy?" Yuan Bao asked softly, his voice echoing slightly in the empty space.

Xiao Jiu's ears twitched: "Yes, Master. There are thirty demons on the first level alone, much more complicated than the trial level."

Yuan Bao looked around and indeed saw various demons wandering around the platform. The numbers above their heads ranged from 10 to 50, and each number was accompanied by a small symbol—this was the extra information that the "Eye of Truth" had shown him.

"The countdown has started," Xiao Jiu reminded her, pointing her little paw to the red number floating in the air—59:47. "Master, you'd better hurry..."