Global Mining.

Chapter 818 Old Arena

Zhou Qing laughed and said, "Brother Chun, don't be so polite. Moore only just realized it now. He thought he triggered this slime monster on his own."

Oh, how embarrassing! It's just that the first to fly helps the second to fly.

Da Chun still offered a word of advice: "And these two tatami mats, Xixi Mi's, have already fallen into the slime monster's trap. Just ignore them. If you can afford it, you should support them instead."

Zhou Qing: "Understood. Also, according to Moore's understanding, these two people are allowed to change their names. As a secret agent, Moore has the authority to change names, but only once a month. I estimate that it's about the same for these two. It's been almost a month now, and we will strictly investigate the ranking list to track their new names."

Da Chun was very satisfied: "Okay, let's do it this way."

Zhou Qing then remembered something else: "Right now, many players around the world have prepared more than a dozen bottles of wine each, and they've almost bought up all the cassava liquor in the Great City Tavern's stock. If Brother Chun encounters this during the competition, he'll have to be careful with his money."

Da Chun was genuinely surprised: "Definitely!"

So, not participating in the battle for over an hour had its advantages, namely, it gave players time to prepare their drinks. But since they managed to buy out the entire stock, who knows when the next batch of drinks will arrive? They needed to make the most of this opportunity to drink at the tournament.

The following time was a rare moment of leisure. While waiting for Yatnas to connect with him, Da Chun continued to send greetings and inquiries to Seraphim on the Chamber of Commerce channel.

System notification: The Lighthouse has detected the sleepwalker Daydream Vivian entering!
what!
Vivian is back again, and this time she called me out by name! Seriously, dreaming about me twice in the last hour must have been exhausting, right?
Da Chun immediately entered the third-level island of the Divine Realm to wait. The next moment, an even more blurred phantom appeared.

Da Chun felt a pang of heartache: "Darling, you—"

Vivian said, "It's urgent. I'll just say one thing: if my darling can unlock the old arena, then we'll go to the void arena. That's all. I'm really too tired. I'm going to sleep..."

After speaking, it blurred and disappeared.

Ah this?

Da Chun was a little confused. But it was clear that Vivian had relayed my message about me being at the old arena.

As for what can open the old arena? The Void? Why the Void? Because Tifa's clone soul is in the Void?
Speaking of which, Tifa might not know about the Dragon's Rest Temple, but Seria, who accompanies her, is the Earth Mother, so she might know about it.
In short, it seems like the matter is important despite the few words spoken. Obviously, the message must have gone through Vivian. The important thing is that the beginning and end were cut off, which allows me to guess the general idea. Vivian is probably confused as well.

Just as I was pondering this, what was bound to happen finally arrived:
— Yatenas 1.40Plus+ version notification: Data connection successful! Version password required.

Da Chun was bewildered: "Where did this password come from?"

Yatnas said, "It can be forcibly cracked; all the user needs to do is defeat the old version, which has a humanoid digital avatar. But once defeated, the consequences are unpredictable. Are users willing to fight?"

Forced breakthrough? So, you've finally learned to be self-reliant!
Da Chun asked, "Am I the only one going into battle? Can't the others help?"

Yatnas: "According to the rules of the arena, only the user and their equipment/pets can enter. I can also intervene to a certain extent."

Da Chun was astonished: "So, this is how the old arena is reopened?"

Yatnas: "That's one way to understand it. But it has no connection with the new arena and won't affect the new arena."

Could it be that Tifa knows all this too? Da Chun asked the most crucial question: "Can I beat the old version?"

Yatnas: "It would be difficult under normal circumstances. We could consider using similar administrator privileges."

Da Chun was stunned: "What administrator privileges do I have?"

Yatna: "You have 146 million."

Da Chun was stunned: "Does that mean my Dark Privilege value is administrator privileges?"

Yatnas: "Similar, but the permissions are far lower than the administrator password, so a battle is required. However, if you are willing to put in the effort, there is also a certain chance that you won't need to fight."

What the hell!

Da Chun suddenly realized why he'd always felt the Ten Elders' privileges were so overpowered—they were like an online GM in a traditional game. However, because this game was fully automated and didn't have a traditional GM, the Ten Elders had created a low-spec version of the privilege system during development. Since privileges are essentially backdoors, according to the logic of the intelligent system, they couldn't be exclusive to the Ten Elders. Other players and NPCs could also obtain privileges if they met the conditions—meaning the Dark Sage he'd spent so much effort to acquire!
However, under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for him to obtain the Dark Sage on his own! He got the game by intercepting the Ten Elders' backdoor at the start.

So, what is a backdoor?

The backdoor is the rule, the rule of circumventing the rules, and the rules in the game are regarded as the power of the creator god, so the essence of the backdoor is also the power of the creator god!
Da Chun instantly thought of his first time traveling through a century. The process involved the Sirens piloting the Obsidian to Spice Island via the underground dark sea. The Sirens then used the Imperial Gem to absorb all the energy of Spice Island. At the time, the Sirens' original words were that this energy was very rare.

Then, on her way back, she used the energy from Spice Island that she absorbed to unlock a map of Plague Island from a hundred years ago.

My initial thought was that I had accidentally opened the game's internal database, which now appears to be a privilege only administrators have. So, I must have used the power of the creator god!
Da Chun then thought of the six magic stones he always carried with him. These were also products of the back door, and they were probably also the power of the Creator God.

Then I thought of Southern Canyon Village. It was a mistake by the Ten Elders when they opened the back door to the Demon Gold, but it is still a back door! So Southern Canyon Village, and Plague Island, which also made a mistake when opening a back door, are all powered by the Creator God! And the mermaid! This is the biggest back door. Could it be that her growth prospects are also due to the Creator God?
And many of the Ten Elders' cronies got in through back channels; they're also potential creator gods, right? Holy crap, there's too much creator god power here. Does this mean the game is doomed?

In short, Da Chun's desire to explore far outweighed his fear and anxiety about forcibly cracking this old version; he had to go into battle!
Having figured things out, Da Chun asked a question: "Yatenas, why did you possess me? Is it because you think I look like the administrator?"

Yatna: "That's part of the reason."

So that's how it is! That's why not every player can find the wild system; the prerequisite is to become a privileged sage.

Da Chun asked about the details of the battle: "Besides using privilege points, what should we pay attention to when fighting the opponent?"

Yatnas: "Remember to use your privilege points promptly."

Lying...

Da Chun asked, "How many privileges are needed?"

Yatna: "The more the better."

Alright, anyway, there are plenty of Sand Demons in the city, so privilege points are easy to obtain. Before going into battle, I still need to say hello to the Ten Elders in the Merchant Guild channel.

"Elder, I'm going to rest and have a meal. You should also take care of yourself." Sheila replied gently, "Okay, President, don't worry about resting. I'll protect you at all times."

Hey, are you sure you didn't slam your fist on the table?

"Yatenas, I'm ready for battle!"

Yatnas: "Then, load the data!"

—Athena 1.40Plus+ version notification: Data loading, Arena is about to start!
Then, in the next moment, a blazing arena icon suddenly appeared on Da Chun's game interface. It looked very similar to the current match icon, but was rougher and had a slightly different color.

Da Chun immediately opened the mobile game guide Zhou Qing had given him, and lo and behold, it really was the same old game competition icon from over a decade ago! It really was the old arena that had been activated!

Da Chun immediately asked, "Yatenas, can I choose to enter the Void Arena?"

Yatna: "We must defeat the old version first!"

Ok.

Da Chun clicked on the old arena icon, and the scene changed. Da Chun, along with his wheelchair, appeared in the center of the dilapidated and collapsed arena. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and it could be seen that the yellow sand in the arena had already buried the audience seats.

There were no relevant match announcements, and no opponents were visible.

Have we arrived at the competition venue?
Da Chun immediately switched to the main game world, while he remained crouched in the house, AFK farming, while the sounds of Sheila's reaping and slashing could still be heard outside.

It was indeed in the arena, but the arena's time and environment were exactly the same as the main world's.

Da Chun immediately switched back to the arena interface: "Yatenas, are you there?"

no answer.

Holy crap, where's the opponent? What happened to the so-called anthropomorphic character from the old version?
Da Chun tried to push the wheelchair, but it was just spinning aimlessly in the sand.

Da Chun thought of what lay beneath the sand and immediately activated his earth vein perception; the terrain map was exactly the same as the one outside.

They're all exactly the same. Could they be under the arena? Activate Grandmaster-level Vine Technique!

A black and red vine stretched out from under Da Chun's feet, moving much faster than before.

Da Chun suddenly realized something. According to the competition rules, you can't bring anything into the arena unless it belongs to you. The vines laid out outside should be mine, so why can't I bring them in? And why do I have to grow the vines all over again?

However, this also confirms what Lao Cui said earlier: vines don't count. Therefore, expending mental energy on vines will lower one's ranking on the leaderboard…

Lost in thought, the vines reached the bottom of the arena and saw the crack!

—Astrologer's Profession Alert: Warning! Your Leyline Sense ability has detected an Arcane Barrier space!
The space is the same, but smaller than the outside, clearly due to my absorption. So, the old version is inside?

Da Chun immediately realized he was in trouble. He was able to pass through the barrier before because of the barrier that Yatnas had mastered on her own. But now that she wasn't there, he could only rely on the electric resistance that came with his Grandmaster Mutant Vine.

Just go for it.

As the vine reached the arc barrier, Da Chun became extremely nervous. He opened the option to use the Dark Privilege while gently touching it with the vine's head!
In that instant, a current of electricity surged along the vines straight into Da Chun's Nightmare God Realm. Da Chun's already lightning-filled sky became even more dazzling with white lightning!
System notification: Warning! Your divine realm has been invaded by a clone of Artenas!
What the hell!

Without a second thought, Da Chun threw all 146 million Dark Privilege Points at the whim, risking everything and going bankrupt!
The lightning in the divine realm suddenly dimmed!
—System notification: Your Dark Privilege value has suppressed the copy of Artenas to a certain extent!
success?

No! Even after spending over a million on privileges, it's just a suppression?
Just then, Yatenas's voice came: "Hold on, the enemy is about to appear!"

—Ayatnas 1.40Plus+ version notification: Version copying and updating in progress...

When I called you before and you didn't respond, your appearance now feels like... you're possessing the other person, right?
—Astrologer Profession Notice: Warning! Your Leyline Awareness skill has detected an unknown presence underground!
The sand in the entire area began to tremble.

There's not much to say. All I can use are the Divine Craftsman-level Hurricane Spell and the Divine Craftsman-level Astrology Spell for predicting bad luck. The Hurricane Spell is further enhanced by the Demon God Falgaro's artifact cloak and weapon. As for predicting bad luck, it's lost the boost from accumulating days, but today is still my lucky Saturn day, so it should have some effect...

As the skill was activated, a howling wind swept around Da Chun, swirling yellow sand to form a sand wall, but its power was far less than before.

Da Chun was sweating profusely. Was this his true strength when he couldn't rely on natural wind power?
But it doesn't matter; the longer the hurricane blows, the stronger it gets. The longer it lasts, the better. Besides, the arena is a circular, enclosed structure, which also helps the hurricane form faster. Speaking of which, the feeling of unleashing a hurricane in an arena where no one can see is truly…

The target underground was getting closer and closer, but its size was far beyond Da Chun's expectations! Could her anthropomorphic form be a female giant?

Da Chun kept casting bad luck into the ground, but the system kept prompting that it could not be selected because of the sand.
Just when it seemed the other party was about to emerge from the sand and cover for him, the divination of bad luck finally succeeded!
At the same time, Da Chun decisively activated the wheelchair's acceleration jet skill. With this jet, the whirlwind around Da Chun also moved, and the wind force increased instantly!
Da Chun was overjoyed. Yes, even without natural wind, as long as I move fast and walk with a breeze, it's the same as creating artificial wind, which will also accelerate and enhance the power of the hurricane!

So this is a new way to play!

At the same time, Da Chun immediately turned around to see how big the female giant was. The sand and dust made it impossible to see clearly, but the outline was quite wide and flat, and it was not human-shaped at all.
That's true. The sand demons here are all giant insect-scorpion-like creatures, and her form is probably similar. Well, there's nothing we can do about it. If she's ugly, we'll just bombard her to death!
No, that's not right. My goal is to hold out until Yatnas updates her body. The wheelchair's energy can't be wasted on firing cannons; I need to save it for the motorized jet!

But the next moment, a red light flashed on the other side, and then Da Chun's entire screen was filled with a red light!

Without a second thought, Da Chun activated the wheelchair energy shield and jet propulsion at full power once again!

Then Da Chun felt the whole screen spinning, and all he could see was a row of prompts:
—System notification: Your Divine Craftsman-level Spatial Technique has activated Anti-Space Interference, disrupting the opponent's Spatial Particle Cannon...

—System notification: Warning! Your Merchant Guild skill, Master Craftsman level, has been severely damaged.

—System notification: Your divination skill for bad luck has caused the target's attack to be affected by the deflection of sandstorms…

Holy crap!!!
Her cannon is more powerful than mine; even with the combined effects of three top-tier skills, it only managed to give me a dizzying spin! But the advantage is that this spin made the hurricane even bigger!
Da Chun thought about how he also had a divine domain skill, Cursed Crow, which could also bring bad luck to the opponent through divination, so he quickly used it...

(End of this chapter)