Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Thinking about mecha manufacturing, Ruo Manni recalled last night. It was her first time assembling a mecha after her rebirth during the Level One Mecha Manufacturing exam in the war world, allowing her to truly feel the high level of virtual reality in this world.

In her previous life, her parents were factory workers, and growing up in the factory’s housing area, she was accustomed to the cold, lifeless machines. Last night, when she touched the chilling metal and personally assembled a mecha, it sent shivers through her soul.

She wondered if her parents were heartbroken after her untimely death in her past life, and what they might be like now… In this different world, was there any possibility of finding out information about them?

She suppressed the lump in her throat, feeling an intense fondness for the cold machinery, a feeling she truly cherished.

The players in the youth group were all students, mostly playing at night. Since they had fewer hours to play than adults, most players focused on leveling up by fighting monsters, except for Ruo Manni.

After most players vanished in a flurry, Ruo Manni went to the empty mission hall. She wanted to see if any tasks could help her earn gold coins while leveling up.

In the battle world, players could freely exchange game currency for credit points, but exchanging credit points for game currency had many restrictions and was not profitable; Ruo Manni didn’t want to be a rich target for exploitation.

Currently, the youth players were all low-level, grinding through monster-fighting tasks to improve their skills until they reached level ten, when they could start dungeon runs. Thus, youth players were still in the phase of solo grinding for upgrades.

Most descriptions in the novel are from the female protagonist’s perspective, focusing on the youth group, while only briefly mentioning the adult and middle-aged groups.

Unlike the youth group, which starts with basic attributes, the adult group begins with player cultivation as their base data.

Ruo Manni estimated that the war world is designed for young people to start fresh, tailoring suitable combat skills for them to level up and build a solid foundation. They are the future hope, and a strong foundation is essential for achieving greater heights.

For adults, the war world is about honing their skills, pushing their limits, and quickly improving their cultivation since they are the backbone of combat strength in the coming decades.

The mission hall was quiet and empty, with no other players besides Ruo Manni taking on tasks. The available missions were simple, involving killing Level One monsters, collecting materials, gathering herbs, and finding ores, with rewards of only one or two gold coins at most.

Ruo Manni checked the information and decided to take on twenty monster-slaying missions. This way, she could practice her mind techniques and sword skills, and upon completing all twenty tasks, she would earn at least over fifty gold coins.

In the war world, players couldn’t enjoy teleportation unless they were doing upgrade tasks. Remembering the 3D map she bought yesterday, Ruo Manni input the name of a monster, and a bright point appeared on the map along with the fastest route to it.

Excited, she entered all the monsters she needed to slay into the map, planning to find them in order to improve efficiency.

At this moment, she no longer thought the map was expensive; instead, it felt like a bargain.

Once she started, Ruo Manni felt grateful for her high mana and health, allowing her to efficiently slay monsters without needing to rest. Since the tasks involved Level One monsters, they were easy for a Level Two player, so she used this opportunity to hone her somewhat unrefined sword skills.

Initially, her sword technique was weak, dealing only ten points of damage. A monster with over a hundred health would take her multiple hits to kill, especially since they could dodge and counterattack.

Level One monsters in the battle world often appeared in large groups. While not overly dangerous, the sheer number made it tiring, especially as her health continuously dropped.

However, practical experience was the best teacher. Ruo Manni quickly learned how to maximize her damage output. As she became more skilled, her damage increased, making her monster-slaying more effective.

Before starting her tasks, she experimented with her telekinetic knife technique using leaves of similar weight. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the skills she learned in reality worked in the battle world as well, with comparable combat capabilities.

The system wouldn’t just grant her any weapon she desired, but the exchange shop had willow leaf flying knives available for a hundred gold coins, which she couldn’t afford, so she continued using her sword as her primary weapon.

After testing, Ruo Manni discovered that using her mind to “grasp” or “choke” a monster’s neck before striking with her sword minimized her mana and health consumption.

Thus, while slaying monsters efficiently, she completed the fifteen-hour task in just two hours, retaining over half her mana and only losing a third of her health.

The experience gained from killing monsters for gold coins was less than from upgrade tasks. However, these tasks were easier, and although the experience was lower, her skill proficiency progressed at the same rate as during upgrade tasks.

After her monster-slaying spree, her experience bar increased by one-third, and several skills improved significantly, with her sword technique’s damage rising to thirty points.

Ruo Manni’s telekinesis skill was becoming more refined with constant use. She learned to use her mind’s “hand” to “choke,” “cover,” and “restrain” in various ways, combined with her sword techniques, allowing her to strike the vital points of monsters accurately and increase her damage.

In the Gus Empire, there was a rule that, whether in reality or online, telekinetic practitioners could not use their powers to attack another human’s mind unless their lives were at risk.

However, if her telekinetic hand was strong enough, she could avoid attacking her opponent’s head and instead use it to block, trip, or push their body. This combination of telekinesis and swordsmanship greatly enhanced her overall combat effectiveness.