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

Chapter 307 The Year-End Bonus Given Ahead of Schedule

Yuan Bao stared at the black door that had suddenly appeared in her personal space, her throat tightening.

Fine red patterns, resembling blood vessels or electrical circuits, were wrapped around the door frame, gleaming ominously in the dim space.

"Little Nine..." she called softly, her fingers unconsciously stroking the furry little creature on her shoulder. "Did you see that?"

Xiao Jiu gripped Yuan Bao's collar tightly with its claws, its round ears perked up warily: "I saw it, Master. That wasn't generated by the normal system... I can't detect any data signal."

The system notification above Yuan Bao's head was still flashing: [The Demon Tower dungeon is temporarily closed due to technical issues].

She casually turned off the notification and cautiously approached the door.

As the distance closed, the Eye of Truth detected that the red patterns on the doorframe were actually countless tiny symbols flowing—similar to the code of the Demon Tower she had seen, but more primitive, more...hungry.

She stopped two meters from the black door, noticing that the doorknob was a twisted humanoid statue, its hands clutching its head in a gesture of agony. "Look at that handle, doesn't it resemble one of those faces we saw at the core of the Demon Tower?"

Little Nine bristled: "Master, don't touch it!"

But Yuan Bao had already reached out his hand.

Yuan Bao abruptly pulled his finger back when it was only an inch away from the doorknob, staggered back a few steps, and his heart pounded like a drum.

She stared at the black door with suspicion and uncertainty, and just then, a cold, electronic voice suddenly filled the space—

"Hehehe... The Number Devouring Game is over."

She and Xiao Jiu were both taken aback.

"Congratulations, host, for setting a new record in the game and winning a grand prize of 5 points."

The system's voice suddenly became relaxed and cheerful, even with a hint of teasing, "The Number Devouring Game will return to normal mode. Welcome to continue experiencing it."

As soon as the words were spoken, the red patterns on the black door quickly faded, and the tormented human-shaped statue on the doorknob returned to its normal metallic texture.

A few seconds later, the black door clicked open automatically, revealing a bright lounge with soft sofas, floating drink trays, and even a few players leisurely playing a game of chance.

Yuan Bao: "...?"

Xiao Jiu peeked out from her shoulder and blinked: "My lady, have we... been tricked?"

A new notification popped up:

[Digital Devouring Game - Casual Mode]

Rule adjustments:

The number of demons on each floor is fixed and no longer fluctuates.

Players only need to compare sizes; the larger value absorbs the smaller value, without needing to consider hidden attributes.

No time limit, no distractions, no special events.

The points redemption ratio has been adjusted to 1:1, making it a purely casual game.

Yuan Bao stared at the notification, his lips twitching: "So all those 'core secrets,' 'the Eye of Truth,' and 'the Worm Gate'... were just game plots?"

Xiao Jiu scratched his head: "It looks...like that?"

The system seemed to have heard her question and popped up another supplementary explanation:

【Kind tips】

The "Demon Tower" dungeon, previously a time-limited challenge mode, has now reverted to its basic gameplay. Thank you for your participation, and we wish you a pleasant gaming experience!

Yuan Bao: "..."

She took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and then rubbed her face vigorously: "Fine, at least I gained 5 points for free."

Now that the game has returned to casual mode, Yuan Bao decided to relax.

She stepped into the lounge and found that all the demons here had been transformed into chibi-style monsters, with numbers clearly visible above their heads, and they would even come closer to let her absorb them.

Little Mushroom Fairy (10)

Bubble Fish Demon (15)

Stone Monster (8)

Yuan Bao's initial number was 20. He easily absorbed all the demons smaller than himself, raising his number to 53, and successfully entered the next level.

Second layer:

Fire Spirit (40)

Wind Fairy (35)

Thunder Beast (60)

Her current number is 53. She can only absorb Fire Spirits and Wind Spirits. The number will rise to 128, and then she can absorb Thunder Beasts, eventually reaching a number of 188.

……

Tenth floor:

Starlight Dragon (1000)

Moonlight Fox (950)

Sunbird (1200)

Yuan Bao's number has accumulated to 1500, easily absorbing all targets, and the number has exceeded 3000.

The whole process was stress-free, even a bit boring.

Xiao Jiu yawned: "My lord, isn't this mode a bit too simple?"

Yuan Bao shrugged happily: "No way! This mode is great. It's a casual game, so just treat it as a way to earn points."

Just as she was about to continue climbing, a special notification suddenly popped up from the system:

[Player detected to have participated in high-difficulty challenges]

[Reward: Special Leisure Item - Lazy Person Absorber]

Effect: Automatically absorbs monsters smaller than itself, no manual operation required.

Yuan Bao raised an eyebrow: "That's not bad."

She clicked to use it, and the next second, a light blue halo appeared around her body, and all the demons smaller than her automatically floated over and were absorbed.

"Wow, this is practically an AFK mode!" Xiao Jiu exclaimed excitedly, bouncing on her shoulder.

Yuan Bao simply found a comfortable sofa and sat down, watching his numbers soar—5000, 8000, ...

Finally, her number stopped, and the system popped up another notification:

Congratulations! You have completed the Casual Mode!

[Gain bonus: Unlimited challenge access]

(Note: In this mode, there is no limit to the number of demons, and players can score infinitely, but the point exchange rate remains 1:1. This game is open for 7 days, and players can experience it once per day.)

Yuan Bao's eyes lit up instantly. She picked up Xiao Jiu and spun her around in the air: "Ahhh! This is wonderful! Xiao Jiu, this is a free gift from the system!"

Her voice rose eight octaves with excitement, echoing in her personal space.

Little Jiu was dizzy from being shaken around, her four short legs kicking wildly in the air: "Master...put me down...I'm going to throw up..."

Yuan Bao then realized his lapse in composure and quickly put the furry little friend back on his shoulder, but he couldn't stop smiling: "You can come and play every day for a week!"

She quickly counted on her fingers, "If I consistently earn points every day, it'll take seven days! Adding the new record of 50,000, I've earned a total of 155,000 points today! Ahhh!"

Xiao Jiu finally recovered and excitedly jumped up and down on Yuan Bao's shoulder: "If that's the case, then we're finally on track to reach the 50 points mark that Master wants!"

Its little tail almost turned into a propeller.

Qian Yuan replied happily, "Absolutely! And unlike before, there's no need for fighting and killing; you can earn points just by lying down!"

"Great!" Yuan Bao snapped his fingers, his eyes crinkling into crescents. "This is practically an early year-end bonus from the system!"

She suddenly remembered something and poked Xiao Jiu's round belly. "Oh, right, remember to set an alarm. We'll be here on time every day for the next seven days!"

For seven days, Yuan Bao enjoyed ordinary daily life with his family in the real world, and then logged into the game world at night to complete his daily tasks before spending another ordinary day with his family in the game world.

Seven days later, the day for university registration in the game world arrived quickly.