The Red Dragon Lord is OP, but Insists on a Pop Culture Invasion!

Chapter 245: Chapter 208: Zog, the Scourge of the Magic Academy (2)

Not only were there Repin Academy students in their standard Mage Robes, but also many people from outside the school. All of Repin’s campuses were open to the public; some didn’t even have outer walls, so anyone could just walk in.

This was a point of contention between the students and the public. The students felt the campuses shouldn’t be open, as too many outsiders disturbed their daily studies and lives.

Others, however, argued that Repin Academy enjoyed so much support and tax-exempt status from Twin Tower City, so on what grounds could they deny entry to its citizens.

But right now, the two intermingled groups couldn’t care less about that debate.

Every one of them held a Digital Monster Machine of a different model, shaking the devices frantically in hopes of triggering an encounter with the wild Shell Beast Digital Monster here.

The Shell Beast was a limited-time appearance. Unlike the permanent enemies in Zog’s Toy Store that you could fight anytime, it would stop spawning in three days, so everyone was in a hurry.

"I triggered it!"

Someone in a tree by the lake shouted.

The crowd immediately converged in his direction, hoping to trigger a battle there as well.

There were also players looking to team up.

"Hey, expert, carry me! My Badadon can heal!"

"Add me! My Gabumon can tank damage!"

"Everyone, make way. I’m at the Mature Stage. I’ll guarantee a clear."

Upon hearing this, everyone around gasped in amazement. A Mature Stage! How terrifying.

Wild enemies could be challenged in teams, a method Zog encouraged to increase the game’s social aspect.

Of course, players who had spent a lot of money to boost their power could also challenge them solo. Only a solo victory had a chance of dropping a Digital Egg; a team victory only awarded cultivation resources.

You had to give the big spenders some special privileges.

These Digital Eggs would eventually be obtainable for ordinary players to grind for in various events.

Either grind or pay. You had to choose one.

There was no shortage of players who didn’t want to spend money and insisted on trying the challenge anyway, like Galina.

In a shady spot, Galina clutched her Tyrannosaurus Machine, anxiously biting her nails. The weather wasn’t even hot, but her head was already covered in sweat.

She didn’t run with the crowd to wherever an encounter was triggered, because Uffie, an insider, had told her that location didn’t matter—it was all randomly triggered.

But encounter potions were useful, as they increased the probability of triggering a battle, so she did pay for those.

Now, on the screen of her Tyrannosaurus Machine, her Bichu Beast was down to one-third of its health, while the enemy Shell Beast still had nearly sixty percent.

She was out of Healing Potions. All she could do was go for broke.

The thinking time for each turn was limited, and her brain was spinning furiously. She’d never been this focused, not even during final exams.

Mainly because being focused during finals was useless. Aside from the Fire Element Spell Class, which she could pass on her own, she had to rely on the teachers going easy on her for everything else.

With a nervous heart and trembling hands, she first used Charming Enchanting Voice to confuse the enemy.

Bichu Beast sang out pink musical notes.

’Shell Beast has been confused.’

"Yes!" Galina cheered under her breath. Due to the level difference, the confusion status only had a 15% chance of landing. It seemed luck was on her side today.

She used Peck three times in a row, bringing the Shell Beast’s health down to twenty percent before it snapped out of its confusion.

’I can win.’

Galina calculated her remaining Skill Points. It was enough for her to land the finishing blow.

Health was at thirty percent versus twenty percent. The advantage was hers.

First, she used Phantom Guide to create a Flame Illusion, baiting an attack from the opponent while allowing her Bichu Beast to charge up and increase the damage of its next Skill.

The Shell Beast fired a High-pressure Water Cannon, which hit the Flame Illusion.

"It worked! I really am a gaming genius! I’m at least at eighty percent of Toto’s level."

Beside her, Uffie watched with pity. ’Setting aside whether she’s at eighty percent of anyone’s level, this battle has little to do with skill. It’s purely a numbers game.’

"Use Magic Flame! Hahaha—"

Galina’s laughter died in her throat as Bichu Beast’s ultimate move, Magic Flame, struck the Shell Beast.

’Resisted. HP -0.’

The notification that popped up pronounced Bichu Beast’s defeat.

The Shell Beast retaliated with a normal attack, taking away Galina’s last hope.

"No, why? There’s a problem with this enemy you guys made! It’s a design flaw! I want to report a design flaw!"

Galina grabbed Uffie in disbelief and shook her back and forth.

"It’s not a design flaw," Uffie explained. "The Shell Beast has a passive skill. It gets a Water Shield when it’s near death. Didn’t you already fight it once with a team?"

As a member of the stat-balancing team for the Digital Monster battle system, she was very familiar with the relatively few enemies in the game so far.

It was a strict requirement for members of the Zog Group’s game production team to fully play through the games they made. This was especially true for designers; designers not understanding their own work was strictly forbidden. Anyone caught would have their salary severely docked.

If you couldn’t even stand playing it yourself, who else could you hope to attract?

Besides, if you weren’t familiar with the gameplay experience, you couldn’t possibly create interesting follow-up content.

"Huh? It does? I didn’t notice. When we teamed up, a Mature Stage expert carried us through."

To get the cultivation resources, Galina had already put her social skills to use and found someone to carry her through the challenge.

And the Mature Stage experts were more than happy to carry people.

In pay-to-win games, ordinary players are part of the gaming experience for paying players. Besides dominating them in PvP, carrying them through challenges was another part of that experience.

What can you do? Some rich guys and gals just get a kick out of it.

Galina picked up her Tyrannosaurus Machine and started shaking it frantically again. She believed she knew the Shell Beast’s patterns now and was sure to win on the next try.

"Don’t challenge it again. You can’t win," Uffie said, trying to stop her friend’s pointless attempt. "You’ll need to at least evolve into a Badola Beast to beat it. I’m the one who set the stats; I know."

The stat system Joseph built was characterized by a strict hierarchy. You might have a chance to win if you were crossing minor level gaps, but crossing an entire evolution stage was basically hopeless.

"Huh? So I have no hope of getting this Digital Egg?"

"You can get it from an event later."

"I want to get it now! If I wait until everyone has one, what’s the point?"

"Then you can pay to win right now. Pay until you evolve."

"Wow, you’ve changed. You’re starting to trick your best friend out of her money for Zog’s sake."

Galina started to get theatrical. With teary eyes, she hugged Uffie and asked in a strained, whiny voice,

"You must know the secret to beating it, right?"

"I don’t. And stop talking like that," Uffie said, trying to shake Galina off in disgust, but failing. "When you talk like that, it makes me want to hit you."

"I want to spend the money, but my wallet won’t let me."

Because Galina had been too much of a spendthrift after starting school, her parents had sanctioned her, strictly limiting her monthly allowance.

It was only ’strict’ by her family’s standards. Her limited monthly allowance was enough for a normal student to live on for half a year.

But she still managed to perfectly execute the cycle of splurging at the beginning of the month, tightening her belt in the middle, and being flat broke by the end. Right now, it was the ’flat broke’ period.

"You could go teach Mage Apprentices."

With the Repin Academy name behind you, you could earn a lot by tutoring Mage Apprentices.

"But all I know is a big fireball. What would I even teach them?"

"Go take a quest from the Adventurer Guild. Your senior, Elsa, used to take quests all the time to earn money."

"That’s too dangerous! What if I get captured by goblins?"

Uffie wanted to hit her even more. Besides, from what she knew of goblins, they probably wouldn’t capture a silly schoolgirl.

If you put Galina and a machine in front of the goblins at the Group, they would absolutely choose the machine without a moment’s hesitation.

"Help me out! Or you could lend me some money. I’ll pay you back at the beginning of next month."

"’Spending beyond your means is a bad habit,’ Uffie replied calmly."

After a moment of thought, she suddenly suggested, "How about you enter the auditions for Feilin’s Best Songs? Aren’t you in a song and dance club? If you pass the audition, you’ll get an appearance fee."

"Huh?"

————————

"Class dismissed."

The old Mage announced. No one came up to ask questions, so he packed up his books and headed straight for the principal’s office.

The more he thought about it on the way, the more serious the problem seemed. Every student he saw on campus was holding a phone, or one of those... Tyrannosaurus Machines, without even looking up.

Where was the spirit and vitality of a Repin Academy Mage in any of this?

He hurried to the principal’s office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

He pushed the door open, ready to launch into a long lecture, but the words caught in his throat.

He saw the principal and Soron Mage huddled around an Agumon.

"How do you think this thing is made?"