Chapter 1-Sacrifice in the Terrifying Temple
"Ugh, my headโฆ.That's hurt..."
"Damn, the pain feedback is so real in this game"
John Foster struggled to get up from the cold stone floor, experiencing a sharp pain throughout his body.
He glanced at his attire...
Tattered clothes, iron chains around his wrists and ankles, it was clear that his status was very low.
John looked around and found himself in a grand yet eerie temple, surrounded by no less than a thousand players from various races.
There were Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, and even Dragonborn...
These players, just like John, were dressed in tattered clothes with their hands and feet locked in iron chains.
Their faces looked extremely bewildered, seemingly unaware of how they ended up in this place.
"What's going on? Shouldn't I have been born in the Elf newbie village? Why am I here?"
"What kind of place is this? It looks so eerie."
"GODSLAYER, the game feels incredibly immersive and realistic. I can even feel the coldness of the iron chains... Wait, how could I be born with iron chains? That doesn't make sense!"
...
The players discussed amongst themselves, but no one knew what was really going on.
A bad feeling arose in John's heart.
Suppressing his anxiety, he calmly opened his personal attribute panel:
[Player: Galewind]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Assassin]
[Level: 1]
[Attributes: ...]
...
John quickly scanned the panel and noticed a line of text at the bottom:
[Innate Talent: 'Sacrifice']
[Sacrifice: To appease the anger of Devils deep within the continent, various races offered a portion of their people to please the Devils, and you are the poor guy who has been sacrificed to them.]
[Talent Attributes: Max HP -100, Max Stamina -50, Pain Feedback 100%, Unable to leave 'Temple of Godslayer' before the death of Devils.]
"What kind of talent is this?!"
"I have so much less HP and stamina than other players from the very beginning!"
After seeing the talent description, John stood there, stunned.
In the game Godslayer, a level 1 human character only has a total of 150 HP... Now he's down by 100 HP right from the beginning, how is he supposed to play in the future?!
Not long after John discovered this talent, wailing cries emerged from the group of players.
Obviously, they also realized how cheating the "Sacrifice" talent was.
"What? Why did my max HP reduce so much?"
"Why me? Other people's talents increase their attributes, but mine reduces them?"
"How could it exist a game with 100% pain feedback... Isn't that illegal?!"
"Screw this! I'm deleting my character!"
"Yeah, I'd rather create a new character, this talent is just too deceiving!"
...
In a short while, more than a dozen players logged out and disappeared on the spot.
However, some players who had declared their intention to delete their characters were still hesitating.
"What's wrong, what are you waiting for?"
"I just opened the character deletion interface, and it said that if we delete this character, our new character will permanently lose the chance to obtain rare talents..."
"What's there to be afraid of? Even a normal talent is much better than this 'Sacrifice' talent, right?"
"Besides, the probability of getting a rare talent is extremely low anyway, it's one in ten thousand. Do you really think you'll get a rare talent just by creating a new character?"
"You have a point."
The two players no longer hesitated and directly clicked on the option to delete their characters.
The next second, both players disappeared at the same time.
In "Godslayer," each player can only bind their personal information to create an account and character.
In other words, each player can only have one account and one character.
If they want to play a new character, they must choose to completely delete their previous character.
Generally, very few players would delete their characters at the beginning, but this time their innate talent was too terrible, causing hundreds of players here quickly choose to delete their characters.
The remaining players were also feeling extremely conflicted.
According to the game's official information, in "Godslayer," players can get one roll in talents banner every fifty levels.
These talents are very important, directly determining whether a player's character is powerful.
If they were lucky enough to pull a legendary "rare talent," they would immediately take off and become a big shot that everyone envied.
But this time, when they were about to delete their characters, they were reminded by the system that if they give up this character, their future characters will never be able to pull any "rare talent" again.
This result made them quite hesitant.
If they don't delete, they might still pull top-notch talents when they level up every fifty levels.
But if they delete, even if the new character's initial talent is better than "Sacrifice," they won't be able to pull top-notch talents in the future...
At this moment, one of the players in the crowd stood up.
He was a Dragonborn player, looking strong and tall, standing out among the crowd.
He said loudly, "Everyone, don't panic. I am the Vice Leader of Unrivaled Warriors Guild. It is indeed a bit unfortunate that we all got sent here at the beginning, but I think you don't need to be impatient. If you delete your characters now, you will never become a bigwig in the future!"
"Let's unite and break out of the temple together... I've seen it; our initial talent is trash, but it only deducts 100 points of health and 50 points of stamina. As long as we draw a rare talent later, this attribute difference won't matter at all!"
Inspired by him,
Many players' eyes reignited the flame of hope.
So, hundreds of players gathered around the Vice Leader of Unrivaled Warriors Guild, clamoring to break out of the temple.
Seeing so many people responding, the vice leader became a bit excited, his face turning red.
"Great! Since everyone trusts me, I will lead you all out!"
"After we get out, we are all brothers, and you can join our guild together!"
"Our Unrivaled Warriors guild has also been a top 100 guild in all previous popular games, guaranteeing to be a strong backing for everyone!"
"As long as we unite, we can dominate any game!"
He was about to continue speaking.
John, who had been sitting and watching from the side, frowned.
It wasn't because of the vice leader's words.
It was because John had an extremely ominous premonition...
In the temple, it seemed that a powerful force was rapidly gathering.
Soon after, a strange wail came from above their heads.
John sensed something was wrong, quickly looked around, and found a huge statue not far away. He pushed through the crowd and ran over, hiding under the statue's wings.
Quickly, a terrifying black smoke fell from the sky, rapidly enveloping the vice leader of Unrivaled Warriors Guild.
He didn't even have time to scream before being sucked dry!
And those players who were closer to the vice leader were also instantly sucked dry, leaving behind a pile of mummified corpses...
After the black smoke passed, hundreds of players died on the spot!
The remaining players, seeing this scene, were all terrified and instantly, hundreds of players immediately chose to delete their characters, disappearing in place.
The dead players all turned into light blue soul forms, not knowing what had killed them until their deaths.
"Damn! My HP limit has dropped by another 10 points! Does dying in this temple cause our HP limit to decrease every time?"
"I've lost quite a few points of strength... It seems that dying here really causes a loss of attributes..."
"Damn it, my intelligence has dropped to negative values! Even if I resurrect now, I can only continue to die, and my attributes will keep dropping!"
"Mom, I don't want to play anymore, it's too scary! I want to log off!"
"Forget it, I won't be able to pull rare talents anymore, but since this game is so popular, there will definitely be a need for many characters with life skills. I might as well not fight and focus on leveling up life skills to make money!"
...
These hundreds of soul-form players no longer dared to talk about breaking out of the temple.
Even the once ambitious vice leader was now full of fear, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying.
He didn't say another word, quickly choosing to exit and delete his character.
Perhaps, even if he had ten times the courage, he would never dare to return to this temple again...
Chapter2-The One and Only Hidden Class! God Slayer!
The game "Godslayer" was co-developed by the top eight gaming companies globally.
Once the game was completed, its operations were handed over to the most advanced AI, ensuring that no human or organization could interfere with the game data.
This guaranteed the fairness of the game and the value of all in-game items and currencies.
As the most popular game in the world, "Godslayer" had already attracted the attention of all players even before its launch.
The official release was supposed to be at noon, but character creation was opened at 11 a.m., allowing players to enter the game one hour earlier to choose their characters and pull their initial talents.
To encourage in-game trading, the game even allowed players to trade initial talents before officially entering the game.
This Game setting excited countless wealthy and powerful players who could use their real-world resources to obtain the most potent initial talents.
John was waiting at his computer at 11 a.m. as well. He was lucky enough to get a "Defense Bonus" talent. Although not a rare one, John was confident that he could become a top player in this popular game with his gaming skills.
However, as he waited for the game to officially launch, he was deceived by a long-time colleague and friend.
This friend, a former guild leader, claimed to have obtained an agility-related talent but preferred defense talents, so he wanted to trade with John.
As a professional assassin player, John naturally preferred agility talents, so he immediately agreed to trade initial talents with his friend.
Unbeknownst to John, his friend had been bought off by the leader of a rival guild, a rich kid.
John had once offended this rich kid by single-handedly challenging his guild's top ten players and reducing him to level 0 to save his friend's guild.
John never expected that his old friend would betray him for money.
To sabotage John and prevent him from becoming a top player in the globally popular game "Godslayer," the rich kid spent a fortune bribing John's friend, who swapped John's initial talent with a lousy "Sacrifice" talent.
...
At this moment, there were about 300 players left in the temple square.
These veteran gamers knew the importance of rare talents for their future strength and refused to leave until the last moment.
As for John, he would never give up easily.
If he deleted his character and started over with a new character, he would never become a top player in this game and have no potential for growth.
Undoubtedly, the rich kid would lead his followers to hunt John down.
If John's talents remained average, he would be left at their mercy.
John's competitive nature could not accept becoming so ordinary.
Moreover, as a professional gamer, John could not give up on the world's most popular game, "Godslayer."
John walked out from under the statue's wing and glanced around.
The players were now dispersed, with no one wanting to gather with others anymore.
Unfortunately, the peace didn't last long.
The temple shook, and the ground split open, revealing a massive stone statue emerging from below.
John looked at the colossal statue in astonishment:
[Rare Boss: Devil Colossus]
[Level: ?]
[HP: ?]
[Skills: ?]
...
No more information was revealed except for the name.
Without hesitation, John ran towards the shadows in the distance.
Thankfully, the temple square was vast enough for John to find hiding places from the enormous Devil Colossus.
As John hid, he heard the horrifying screams of players who were too slow to find cover, getting crushed by the giant Colossus.
You should know that these "Sacrifice" players experienced pain feedback at 100%!
Even John, with his mature mind, felt chills down his spine as he listened to the screams.
John discovered that several players hiding not far from him, upon hearing the screams, hesitated no more and chose to exit the game and delete their characters.
It seemed that they were all afraid of this place...
John sighed helplessly as he watched more and more players die in the square, feeling increasingly conflicted.
Would he be able to keep going with this character if he experienced this kind of pain?
Most importantly, John couldn't see any chance of escaping the temple.
If there really were so-called "Devils" here...
How could he, a level 1 character, escape in front of the Devils?
There was no more time for John to think.
As he pondered, over two hundred of the remaining three hundred players had been crushed to pulp by the Devil Colossus.
Not one of those who died chose to persist; they all opted to delete their characters and start over.
They had endured so much pain that none of them wanted to try a second time.
If they were to be resurrected within this temple, facing the giant statue again, they'd rather start a new character.
The Devil Colossus seemed to have radar; it knew where every player was hiding.
Soon, the remaining players were found one by one. Either crushed underfoot or ground to mush by its hand, they all met a horrifying end.
Another group of players couldn't bear the psychological pressure and chose to quit and delete their characters.
At this point, John was the only player left alive in the temple.
And the giant statue slowly turned its enormous head towards where John was hiding. Then it slowly moved towards him. Each step it took on the ground made the earth tremble and made John feel increasingly desperate. ๐ทโฏ๐น๐๐ธ๐ฟโฏ๐.๐ธโด๐ถ
Just as the statue reached John and reached out its hand to pull him out of hiding...
[Ding, congratulations on being the only survivor among the sacrificed in the temple.]
[Devils have absorbed enough fear and souls, feeling very pleased, so they have decided not to harm you for the time being and have recalled their giant Colossus.]
[Congratulations on obtaining the title 'The Only Surviving Sacrifice,' with +1000 max HP and +100 Stamina.]
[Congratulations on activating the unique hidden class 'God Slayer.']
[God Slayer: Unique hidden class, with the professional trait of not losing any exp, gold coins, or items when killed by gods, gaining extra exp when being killed by gods, and having a very small chance to comprehend divine skills. Also, pain feedback is reduced to 0%.]
A series of system prompts appeared in front of John.
"What?!"
Seeing the Pop-ups, John completely forgot that he had just been on the brink of life and death, and even the departure of the giant Colossus in front of him did not catch his attention.
At this moment, all his attention was focused on the description of his class.
God Slayer?!
What an amazing class!
He never thought that the trash talent 'Sacrifice' would activate such an incredible unique hidden class after all other sacrifices deleted their characters!
After a while, John came back to his senses.
He found that the boss that had killed many players had returned to the crevice in the ground.
Was it really like the system pop-up said, the Devils were satisfied and recalled the statue?
If so, he wasn't in danger now. He simply walked out of his hiding spot and looked around again.
After he was the only one left, the temple became eerily quiet, so quiet that it induced an unbearable fear.
At that moment, a loud rumble sounded.
A massive stone archway rose in front of the temple square. Inside the arch, light and space were bizarrely distorted.
And intuition told John...
As long as he passed through this strange giant stone gate, he would encounter the legendary Devils in this game!
Chapter3-Endless battles! Gradually grow stronger!
On the other side.
In a certain human newbie village, a knight with the ID "Darklord" sat atop a tall and majestic horse.
He had spent a thousand dollars to purchase this horse.
Although it didn't add much to his attributes, it was extremely valuable as the game had just started, and any horse was considered precious.
As he passed by on the streets, other players looked at him with envious expressions.
This was precisely the publicity effect that "Darklord" wanted.
Once the players generally reached level 20, he could start recruiting for his guild. The more experts who came to join because of his reputation, the stronger his guild would be.
At his side, a fully armored warrior asked, "Young master, where are we going?"
"To level up," Darklord replied. "In the last game, we suffered a lot at the hands of 'Galewind'... This time, it absolutely cannot happen again!"
"No matter what, our guild must be the strongest in 'Godslayer'!"
The warrior looked surprised and said, "But young master, wasn't 'Galewind' sent to be sacrificed by us? He's now among the most miserable players in the server, and he can't escape unless he deletes his character... Why should we fear him?"
"Besides, if he really deletes his character and starts over, he'll never be able to obtain a rare talent again. Maybe there is no need for us to worry about him anymore."
Darklord sneered and said, "That's true, but we can't underestimate Galewind. What if he really deletes his character and starts over, and then gets a decent character? Although he won't be able to obtain a rare talent again, what if he gets lucky and acquires some top equipment?"
"In any case, we must be well prepared for the worst!"
"As long as we're strong enough, the next time we meet him..."
At this point, Darklord's eyes turned extremely piercing.
"We'll hunt him down and kill him until he's back to level 0!"
...
Back in the temple.
John didn't hesitate for too long and walked straight towards the twisted stone gate.
At this moment, he was wearing nothing but a tattered prisoner's suit and iron chains binding his hands.
That's right, these two items were also "equipment."
The iron chains gave +5 attack but -20 agility.
The prisoner's suit gave +1 defense but -20 max HP.
Wearing these two pieces of Equip was worse than not wearing them at all.
If it weren't for the fact that John didn't like being naked, he would have already taken off the prisoner's suit.
Upon entering the stone gate,
John found a long tunnel in front of him.
On both sides of the walls, every similar distance apart, there was a stone statue emitting blue flames, illuminating the entire tunnel and making it appear even more gloomy.
After a short while, John arrived in a spacious hall.
In the center of the hall on a huge stone throne, there was a terrifying figure shrouded in black smoke, staring straight at him.
John knew that this was the legendary "Devil".
Without any hesitation or fear, John remained calm. He knew that his only advantage was to constantly fight with The Devil...
According to the system's description of his class, even if he died at the hands of The Devil, it would only bring benefits and no harm.
With this in mind, he believed that through persistence, he would eventually wear down and kill The Devil!
Even if The Devil's level and HP were terrifyingly high.
As long as he could inflict damage on him...
John was confident that sooner or later, he would wear down this BOSS!
He charged directly at him.
A black mist passed by, and he died instantly.
[Ding, you have been killed, losing 10 points of weapon and Equip durability.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
[Exp Points +10000]
[Gold Coins +10]
...
With a swoosh, John found himself back at the temple's spawn point.
He looked at the durability of the iron chains and tattered prisoner clothes he was wearing, and laughed mockingly: "These two pieces of trash Equip, I wouldn't care if they lost all their durability."
"Gaining over 10,000 Exp points and 10 gold coins, leveling up to level 5, not bad at all."
"I just don't know how fast other players in the outside world are gaining Exp and gold coins..."
"I need to speed up. It wouldn't be good if I fell too far behind the others when I leave the temple."
With that thought, John didn't have any intention of resting.
Since his pain feedback was set to 0, he wouldn't feel any pain from injuries or death, so he had no psychological burden in fighting The Devil.
He went through the stone door once again and faced The Devil.
...
At the same time, in a valley outside a newbie village, human players had completely occupied the area as it was home to many level 2 monsters called "Bamboo Rats," perfect for newbie players to level up.
Player "Darklord" led a group of followers, driving out all the players who originally leveling up in the valley and completely monopolizing the Spawn.
Although the players were extremely dissatisfied, no one dared to defy Darklord.
Everyone who played games knew how rich this kid was in the real world.
In the previous games, he was the leader of several high-ranking guilds, leading numerous elite players.
If they offended Darklord, they might as well give up on this game.
And since Godslayer had the potential to be the most popular game in the future, these players were not willing to give it up easily.
So, they could only leave with resentment.
Despite occupying the entire valley, the leveling speed of Darklord's guild members was not fast.
[Ding, you killed a Bamboo Rat, gaining 5 Exp points.]
[Ding, you killed a Bamboo Rat, gaining 5 Exp points.]
[Ding, you killed an elite Bamboo Rat, gaining 10 Exp points and 1 copper coin.]
...
After a busy afternoon, Darklord had just barely reached level 3 and saved up 98 copper coins.
It takes 100 copper coins to exchange for a silver coin, and 100 silver coins to exchange for a gold coin.
In other words, after working hard all afternoon, he hadn't even earned a single silver coin yet.
This leveling speed made Darklord speechless.
"It's no wonder this is the most popular game nowadays; leveling up and earning money is so difficult..."
"Even though we have already occupied the best leveling spot near the newbie village, we're still leveling up so slowly... I wonder if other players have reached level 2 yet."
"It takes 3,000 Exp points to level up from 3 to 4. It's unlikely we'll make it today. Everyone, take a good rest after logging off today, and meet at the newbie village at 8 a.m. tomorrow!"
Hearing Darklord's command, his followers responded in unison:
"Yessir!"
...
Inside the temple.
[Ding, you have been killed, losing 10 points of weapon and equipment durability.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will gain additional rewards.]
[Exp Points +50000]
[Gold Coins +50]
[Ding! Congratulations on comprehending a new Divine Skill - 'Divine Blade' after being killed by a god-level BOSS!]
[Divine Blade (Divine Skill) (Level 1): Use this skill to create a weapon out of thin air based on your mental strength. The weapon's attributes are determined by the skill level, character level, and character's mental strength. The initial attributes of Divine Blade are +500 damage and a 1% critical hit rate.]
...
Upon resurrecting this time, John was surprised to find that not only had he gained more Exp points and gold coins after being killed, but he had also learned a new skill.
"Not bad, this skill seems perfectly suited for me to use now."
John closed his eyes and activated the skill secretly.
The next second, a long sword made of blue light appeared in his right hand.
The sword was incredibly sharp, capable of easily cutting through even rock.
"Already starting with 500 points of damage and a 1% critical hit rate..."
"When my level is higher, it'll probably be even more."
"Great."
"Now let's see if I can break through The Devil's defenses!"
...
[Ding, you have been killed, losing 10 points of weapon and equipment durability.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
[Exp points +50,000]
[Gold Coins +50]
[Ding, congratulations, you have leveled up to level 12!]
Soon, John found himself back at the spawn point once again.
However, this time, his expression was noticeably more excited.
"Great, even though I was still instantly killed, I could clearly feel that The Devil's attitude towards me has changed."
"Before, I only saw contempt in its eyes, as if it regarded me as nothing more than dust or an ant..."
"But this time, I could clearly see a hint of surprise in that guy's eyes!"
"As long as I keep going, one day I'll be able to defeat it!"
Chapter4-The Beautiful Delivery Girl
John rushed into the stone gate once again.
Determined to become stronger, he didn't feel any fatigue and even forgot about the passage of time in the real world.
[Ding, you have been killed, losing 10 points of weapon and equipment durability.]
[Your equipment 'Iron Chain' and 'Prisoner's Clothes' durability have reached 0, please repair them as soon as possible.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
[Exp points +50000]
[Gold Coins +50]
[Ding, congratulations, you have leveled up to level 13!]
...
[Ding, you have been killed...]
...
Unbeknownst to himself, it was already midnight.
John got up from the ground once again.
At this point, his prisoner clothes were already in pieces, and the iron chains on his wrists and ankles had long fallen off since rotted.
But John didn't mind that.
In the midst of being repeatedly killed by The Devil in an instant, John was gradually able to see the opponent's skills more clearly.
This was a remarkable improvement.
John opened his attribute panel.
[Player: Galewind]
[Race: Human]
[Class: God Slayer (Unique Hidden Class)]
[Level: 21]
[Attributes...]
...
[Innate Talent: The Only Surviving Sacrifice]
[The Only Surviving Sacrifice: In order to appease the wrath of Devils deep within the continent, various races have offered a portion of their people to please Devils, and you are the poor guy sacrificed to Devils. All the creatures who became sacrifices with you chose to give up their souls, and you became the only survivor who persisted.]
[Talent Attributes: Max HP +1000, Stamina +100, Pain Feedback 0%, unable to leave 'Temple of Godslayer' until Devils is dead.]
"Already level 21, I feel like my leveling progress is pretty fast."
John reviewed his attribute panel and was quite satisfied with his progress from the afternoon and evening.
However, when he noticed the system time, he realized it was already 2 a.m.
Although staying up late or all night was routine for John, he knew there was no need to rush now, as he had such a rare class and talent.
A good rest would give him more energy to level up the next day.
So, John didn't keep staying up and chose to log out of the game.
...
In the real world.
In an ordinary apartment.
The holographic chamber slowly opened, and John who was lying inside finally woke up.
Although his body was lying down while in the game, it couldn't count as rest since playing the game required players to focus their mental strength intensely.
Playing the game was actually a mentally draining activity.
Only completely logging out of the game and lying down on the bed could be considered genuine rest.
John rubbed his hungry stomach, ordered some takeout with his phone, and sat on the sofa browsing his phone while waiting for the delivery. ๐ทโฏ๐ญ๐ทโด๐๐ฎ๐ต.๐ธโด๐ถ
As he browsed, the posts he saw in the "Godslayer" game forum were filled with "lamentations".
"Guys, what level are you? I've been leveling up like crazy since the server opened, never daring to stop. I spent the whole afternoon and just leveled up to level 2..."
"You're too weak, man. I reached level 3 in less than two hours!"
"Cut that out! In this game, killing level 1 and 2 monsters only gives 3 to 5 Exp points! To level up from level 1 to level 2, you need 500 Exp points. Even if you start killing monsters from the first second of the server, it's impossible to get 500 Exp points in an afternoon! Unless you have a whole team of players working for you!"
"Don't mention it, guys, this game is too crazy. I was killing 'Demon Rabbits' just fine today, and suddenly an 'Elite Demon Rabbit King' appeared, and that guy was actually level 10! Instantly killed me on the spot... Causing me to lose a lot of Exp points and copper coins!"
"Where is the 'Demon Rabbit King'? Tell me the address! I'll help you get revenge!"
"Don't listen to the nonsense, the intelligence about every wild BOSS in this game is super valuable! Just knowing where the BOSS appears is enough to sell for a lot of gold coins!"
John took a rough look for about ten minutes and found that his leveling speed compared to other players was not fast, but swift!
It was as fast as taking off in a rocket!
Seeing that everyone was struggling to level up just two or three levels, John became even more satisfied with his own talent and profession.
"It seems I was overthinking. These players outside the temple level up much slower than me."
"All I need to do is find a way conquering The Devil and then leave the temple."
"The day I leave the temple will be the time I dominate the entire game!"
He browsed the game forum for a while.
Most of it was about low-level items and equipment seeking trade, as well as various posts looking for CP and opposite-sex friends.
John found it boring, so he closed the forum.
Just then, his doorbell rang.
John remembered that his takeaway should have arrived, so he got up to open the door.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw a cute girl with a duckbill cap and a ponytail standing at the door.
She was wearing the exclusive work clothes of the takeaway platform, and her curvy figure couldn't be concealed even in the uniform.
"Are you... Mr. Foster from room 306?" The girl looked at the takeaway order in her hand and then looked up to ask.
Seeing such a cute girl with a great figure appear in front of him, John was stunned for a moment.
He wasn't the kind of person who couldn't speak when he saw a beautiful woman.
On the contrary, his previous girlfriends were all top beauties, but it was unexpected to see a beautiful woman delivering takeaway so late at night.
Although the area he lived in had good security, it was already past 2 a.m.
"Yes, it's me."
John took the bag of food from the girl, was about to close the door, and suddenly heard the girl exclaim, "Wow! The latest holographic chamber!"
John turned his head and saw the girl staring at the holographic chamber he had placed in his living room.
He said, "You have a good eyesight. It is indeed the latest model."
The girl looked envious and said, "It's expensive, right? How much does it cost? I've always wanted one, but I need to save up a lot of money to buy it... I heard that playing games with this latest model is an amazing experience!"
John scratched his head, he really didn't know how much this brand-new holographic chamber cost.
It was a prize from a national gaming championship he had participated in.
The girl noticed John wasn't responding and chuckled, "I remember the cheapest one on the official website is more than 80,000 dollars! And that's just for the lowest configuration..."
John replied, "I know about the configuration, mine should be the top-of-the-line."
"Really?!" The girl's eyes widened as she looked at John and pleaded with her hands together, "Big brother, can I try out this machine? I won't use it for long, just half an hour!"
As she brought her arms together, her upper body curves became even more "prominent," making John feel like he was about to have a nosebleed.
He wondered if it was because he'd been staying up late.
However, John didn't immediately agree but asked instead, "Aren't you supposed to be delivering food? Are you not in a hurry?"
The girl replied with a grin, "This is my last delivery for today, and I'm about to clock off."
John thought about it and realized there was no need to refuse her anymore.
Since he wasn't using it now, lending it to her for a while wouldn't be a problem.
So, John nodded, "Alright, you can use it for a while, but please hurry up. I'll be going to bed soon."
The girl entered John's room with a bright smile, eager to try out the holographic chamber.
She began taking off her jacket.
Just as she was about to continue undressing, John quickly asked, "Hey, hey, what are you doing?"
The girl looked back at him with a puzzled expression, "When entering the holographic chamber, you can only wear underwear, isn't that common sense? Wearing too much will affect the sensory feedback." Her words did make sense.
However, John's latest holographic chamber was no longer the type that required users to be nearly naked to receive sensory feedback.
Even wearing normal clothes and lying inside would not affect the immersion.
But, John didn't tell her these things.
Watching her retreating figure, John remembered how excited he was when he got his first holographic chamber.
Enjoy this moment, dear.
After all, how many times in our life can we experience such pure joy?
It's better not to disturb her now.
Chapter5- Can it actually be traded?
John stood outside the holographic chamber, waiting for entirely two hours.
Finally, the chamber door slowly opened, and the pretty delivery girl rubbed her eyes, looking at John with a smile: "Sorry, the Godslayer world was so interesting that I ended up playing for two hours instead of the half-hour I promised."
As she stretched, her curves were particularly prominent, and John struggled to keep his eyes away.
"That's all right'," John said nonchalantly, "I'm used to staying up late."
To be honest, he was exhausted, but he couldn't resist watching her play in the chamber with so little clothing. The time flew by for him.
She got out of the chamber, got dressed, and left John's house.
As soon as she was gone, John felt overwhelmingly sleepy and went to take a shower.
About ten minutes later, while he was humming a tune and enjoying the hot water, the bathroom door suddenly burst open.
John, completely naked, was stunned.
The delivery girl had returned, her eyes wide as she stared at him.
John quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and asked,
"Why are you back?"
The young beauty blushed and shyly explained, "I... I just recalled that in a little over an hour, the first bus will arrive, so I thought I could save some taxi fare by coming back now."
"I heard you singing inside and wanted to knock on your bathroom door, but the door wasn't locked, so I just pushed it open, Errโฆ.that's an accident, I promise..."
"Can I stay here a little longer? I have nowhere else to go," she asked.
John was at a loss for words.
"Um..."
"To apologize and thank you for letting me try the holographic chamber, I also bought some barbecue and beer!"
The young beauty quickly lifted the plastic bag she was carrying, which was filled with plenty of food and drinks.
John had no choice at this point. He couldn't possibly kick out such a beautiful girl before dawn, could he?
He shrugged and said, "Alright, you can stay for a while."
"But I'm warning you, I don't have a great alcohol tolerance. If I end up doing something to you after drinking too much, don't say I didn't warn you."
The young beauty laughed and confidently patted her impressive chest, saying, "Don't worry, I can handle my alcohol!"
...
A few hours passed.
John opened his eyes and found himself lying naked on his own bed.
His right hand felt incredibly soft, as if it was touching...
He turned his head and,
What?
Well, well.
The young beauty from last night hadn't left and was now lying in bed with him in the same state.
The two of them were both naked.
It seemed that they had done everything they should have done, and everything they shouldn't have done.
John vaguely remembered that they had drunk a lot of beer last night, and eventually, both of them had plunged into "madness."
John was stunned, his mind completely blank.
As an upright man, he would never take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state, but the situation had spiraled beyond his expectations.
What should I do? What should I do?
He decided to tidy up while she was still asleep.
He awkwardly withdrew his hand.
This abrupt movement made the young beauty on the other side of the bed frown slightly, waking her up.
"Good...morning..."
"Ah!"
She screamed when she realized her current state and immediately started shrieking.
"We...we..."
John's ears hurt from her sudden scream, and he quickly motioned for her to stop, saying, "Alright, alright, as you can see, we both had too much to drink last night... But it was a wonderful night...Maybe?"
The young beauty said anxiously, "But, it's my first time..."
John nodded, "Well, me tooโฆ"
The young beauty looked at John, her face full of confusion, "So...what should we do from now on?"
John scratched his head, feeling that things had become complicated.
After thinking for a moment, he said:
"If you don't mind, you can come over to play games with me from now on."
"Um, I can buy another holographic chamber."
The young beauty lowered her head, thought for a while, and then looked up at John and said, "My name is Emma Williams, what about you?"
"John Foster."
John introduced himself.
Emma nodded, then quietly put on her clothes.
Unfortunately, the clothes from last night had been torn to shreds by John.
John looked at her awkwardly and said: ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ท๐๐๏ผ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ
"Maybe you can wear my T-shirt then?"
Emma glanced at him, then at her obviously unwearable clothes, and nodded:
"Alright... I'll return your clothes next time I come over."
...
In the afternoon.
John casually ate some food to fill his stomach, and then opened the holographic chamber again.
Time waits for no one, and he had to level up quickly.
He logged into the game.
John first checked his personal attribute panel, then continued toward the twisted stone door.
Others leveled up by killing monsters.
He leveled up by being killed by Devils.
But this was temporary.
John was determined in his heart to defeat The Devil sooner or later!
...
[Ding, you have been killed.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
[Exp Points +100,000]
[Gold Coins+55]
...
[Ding, you have been killed.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
[Exp Points +110,000]
[Gold Coins+60]
...
Another afternoon of hard work.
Today's leveling speed has slowed down a lot.
Because John had already reached level 27, since leveling up to 25, the Exp required for each level up had become very terrifying.
Now, for John to level up to 28, he needed more than 1.3 million Exp points.
If he relied solely on being killed by The Devil.
He would have to be killed 13 times to level up.
Even though John had become very proficient at dying, dying 13 times still took about an hour.
This made John very distressed.
If this continued, wouldn't he be caught up by other players soon?
Although the Exp and Gold Coins he gained each time he was killed by Devils increased.
But this efficiency was still not enough to satisfy John.
"Although there isn't much Exp, I've already saved up more than ten thousand gold coins."
"If only I could exchange these gold coins for Exp..."
At this point, John thought of the player forum.
He opened the system's official forum page and found that he could log in normally.
It seemed that even posting and commenting were not restricted.
Moreover, he could even spend HP to shout in the global channel.
Could it be... even though his character was trapped in the temple, he could still interact with other players?
In that case, trading wasn't impossible, right?!
Just as John was thinking about this,
he noticed that a stone statue on the right side of the temple began to glow.
The statue was a stone-carved humanoid demon, holding a plate respectfully with both hands.
There was nothing on the plate.
John tentatively placed his tattered iron chain on it.
[Ding, you have put an item up for sale in the official store. Other players can purchase your item in the trade associations of various towns.]
[Item for sale: Tattered Iron Chain (Poor)]
[Please set the sale price:]
This excited John greatly!
If he could sell items through this plate, he could naturally buy items as well!
In other words,
he could trade with players outside without leaving the temple!
"System, I want to buy items from the trade association."
John spoke to his system interface.
The next second,
The eyes of the statue in front of him emitted a beam of light, which converged in mid-air and formed a projection...
And the projection interface was the trade association's item list!
...
Chapter6-Wild exchange rate!
"Young Master! Look what I found!"
In a certain newbie village trade association.
A dwarf hunter was browsing the list of items for sale when he suddenly seemed to have found something interesting and called out to "Darklord" not far away.
Darklord was hesitating whether or not to buy the most powerful weapon for sale in the trade association when he heard his subordinate calling him, and said impatiently, "What is it?"
He looked at the item the dwarf was pointing at and couldn't help but burst into laughter:
"What a piece of garbage! A Poor iron chain? Someone is actually selling this thing here? And they dare to sell it for 1 gold coin? This person really has thick skin!"
The dwarf also laughed heartily, almost in tears, and said,
"He put it up for sale worldwide, I don't know what he's trying to do, make players all over the world laugh at him?"
In the game "Godslayer", the system charges a certain fee for any items or gold coins that players sell to the trade association.
If the sale is only in the local town or nearby towns, the fee is very low, about 5%.
But if you want to sell in a larger region or nationwide, the fee goes up to 10%.
The most expensive is worldwide sale.
This means that players all over the world can buy this item through their local trade associations, with a 30% fee.
And for worldwide sales, the minimum fee starts at 100 gold coins.
This means that if this broken iron chain is really sold, the seller still owes the system 99 gold coins.
As far as Darklord knew, at this point in time, no player or organization had reached 100 gold coins.
Even the top ten guilds in the world ranking couldn't do it.
Darklord's own guild had been working hard for nearly two days and had only saved up over thirty silver coins, not even one gold coin.
The powerful weapon he was just browsing was only priced at 20 silver coins, and even that was enough to make him hesitate.
He didn't expect someone to sell a broken iron chain worldwide for one gold coin, which made him find it really amusing.
"What a pity, this guy chose to sell anonymously, otherwise, I guess he would have received countless messages mocking him by now... Hahaha."
The dwarf, seeing his boss so happy, also mocked:
"This guy must be crazy, if someone really wanted to mess with him, they could just buy this thing... then he would owe the system 99 gold coins, I don't think he'll ever be able to pay it off in his lifetime!"
The two laughed at the iron chain on sale again.
Darklord said, "Alright, there's all kinds of people out there, let's not waste our time on this idiotic trash."
The dwarf nodded and asked, "Okay, Young Master, have you found a weapon you like?"
Darklord sent a picture of a long sword he had his eye on to the dwarf, who exclaimed,
"This is great! Not only does it add a lot of attack power, but it also increases the coin drop rate by 1%!"
"Although 1% doesn't seem like much, but over time, it will definitely add up to a considerable amount!"
Darklord nodded and then hesitated:
"It's true, but this weapon can only be used up to level 10, and then the attributes won't be enough."
"I'm level 4 now, although it will take some time to reach level 10, spending 20 silver coins on it still seems a bit extravagant..."
"Hey, if only we could buy gold coins with real money!"
The dwarf knew about his boss's financial strength, and if in-game gold coins could be purchased with real money, their guild would immediately develop and outpace other players by a large margin.
However, among the many items, no one was selling gold coins.
Understandably, as the game had just entered its second day since the server opened.
Every player's coins were not enough for their own use, so how could they sell gold coins?
Just as the two were feeling troubled, suddenly, the dwarf player saw a flash of gold on his item page!
[Consigned item: Gold coins * 100]
[Item price: 100,000 dollars]
[Consigning player: Anonymous]
"Young Master!"
"What's the matter now?"
"Take a look at this!" The dwarf player pointed at the item in front of him, his finger trembling.
Darklord glanced at it indifferently, thinking it was another item worthy of ridicule discovered by the dwarf.
However, when he saw the 100 gold coins at that moment, his eyes widened, and his mouth gaped open, unable to close.
Speak of the devil, someone was really selling gold coins!
Darklord reacted quickly; his years of business experience told him that he needed to secure these gold coins as soon as possible, or someone else might snatch them!
Because he saw that this time, the consignor chose regional consignment, meaning...
All players in the entire region could buy these gold coins through the local newbie village trade associations!
At present, there must be at least several million players in a single region!
"Send him a private message, ask him to sell it to us at a lower price, and we'll take it all!" Darklord immediately told the dwarf.
The dwarf looked puzzled, "Young Master, this person chose anonymous consignment, so we can't send him a private message!"
Darklord hesitated, unsure if it was worth spending 100,000 dollars for 100 gold coins.
As players leveled up and monsters dropped more coins, gold coins would surely depreciate and then reach equilibrium.
Was he paying too much now?
However, during his half-minute of hesitation, the gold coins was instantly bought! The buyer didn't hesitate at all and purchased it directly!
At that moment, Darklord was dumbfounded, as was the dwarf player beside him.
"Damn, there are so many rich guys out there!" Darklord gritted his teeth, filled with resentment.
If he hadn't hesitated earlier, those 100 gold coins would have been his!
With that startup capital, his guild and core players would undoubtedly become stronger quickly!
Hesitation indeed leads to failure!
...
Inside the temple, John looked at the gold coins he had just consigned, which were instantly bought, and he was filled with regret.
He regretted that, despite all his calculations, he had still underestimated the price of gold coins!
Just now, after browsing for a long time, he found that no one was selling in-game currency in the trade association.
During his browsing, John discovered that there were even copper and silver coins in the game.
However, that wasn't the key issue.
The key was that figuring out the price at which to sell his more than ten thousand gold coins, with no reference items in the trade association.
John was in a dilemma, but fortunately, he had plenty of gaming experience and knew how to estimate the value of his gold coins based on other players' consigned items.
Unfortunately, after all his calculations, he still underestimated the purchasing power of these players nowadays.
One hundred thousand dollars!
Gone in a flash, without mercy!
In this case, being killed by The Devil once would earn him tens of gold coins, which was truly a stroke of luck.
[XX Bank reminder: Your cash of 90,000 dollars has been deposited, please check.]
"After deducting the handling fee, there's still 90,000 dollars."
"I didn't expect it to arrive so quickly..."
He touched his chin and began to think about how to deal with the remaining gold coins.
At that moment, he noticed that many new posts suddenly appeared in the game forum.
"Wow, who was the big shot that just sold 100 gold coins in one go? Please let me know you, you can be my sugar daddy!"
"Where is the big shot? I'm an internet celebrity with perky buttocks, a thin waist, and long legs, with a 36E figure! If you need, you can contact me, and I can fly directly to you! Screenshot and DM me for pictures."
"No matter who put up the gold coins, if you still have some, I am willing to pay a high price! I can offer 120,000 dollars for 100 gold coins! Please contact me quickly!"
"I am the president of XX Guild. I will pay 150,000 dollars for 100 gold coins. Please contact me if you see this."
"I am the president of a certain group, and I want to buy 1,000 gold coins now. If you sell them in bulk, I can pay you 2 million cash!"
"You call yourself a president, but I think you don't know anything. This is 1,000 gold coins! Do you really think a player can come up with that now? I guess those 100 gold coins were already all his possessions!"
"Yeah, it seems there won't be any more gold coins for sale. Let's disperse, everyone."
"Don't try to control the narrative! You want everyone to disperse, and then you guys go squat and wait for the big shot to sell gold coins, right? I won't sleep tonight! Hit me with more gold coins! The price is negotiable!" ๏ฝ๏ฝ ๐๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ ๐๏ผ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ
...
For a time, the price of gold coins skyrocketed in the forum.
These real-world tycoons didn't treat money as anything at all.
If John were to put all his remaining gold coins up for sale...
The frenzy would undoubtedly be spectacular!
Chapter7-The Loss-making Darklord
John pondered for a long time in the temple.
In real life, he was not poor, but still far from wealthy.
Nowadays, he is basically living off the savings he made from playing games before.
That clearly wouldn't work in the long run.
His original intention was to use his gaming talent to make some money in the most popular new game, "Godslayer."
Now it seemed that this goal could be easily achieved.
He tried to consign three sets of 100 gold coins each at 120,000 dollars, 150,000 dollars, and 180,000 dollars in the trade association and observed the reactions of other players.
...
Soon, the players noticed that another three sets of gold coins had been consigned in the trade association.
And they were all sets of 100, consigned by an anonymous player.
This immediately caused a stir among the other players.
In the public chat channel, various comments were flying.
"Oh my God! A full 300 gold coins! Whose handiwork is this?"
"I don't think it's consigned by one person. The game just launched the day before yesterday, how could anyone accumulate 400 gold coins at once? It must be other big shots who saw the first person consign and make so much money, so they took out their own saved gold coins to consign!"
"Damn it, why are these gold coins bound and sold in sets? I just want to buy a few gold coins... I can't afford 100 at once!"
"Looking for a group purchase of a set of gold coins! We have already raised money for 36 gold coins! Players in need, please contact me quickly! Time waits for no one!"
...
People were discussing it, and many players were pooling money to buy a set, but they clearly underestimated the purchasing power of the other players. ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ป๐ผ๐๐๐ฅ.๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฆ
In no time, the 100 gold coins priced at 120,000 dollars were snapped up.
Before people could react...
The 150,000 dollars gold coins were also instantly bought.
Now, the public chat room was even more explosive.
"Who?! Who bought it so quickly?! I hesitated for a few seconds and you bought it?!"
"Hey, there are still many rich guys. The remaining set is too expensive for me. Will someone really spend 180,000 dollars on 100 gold coins?"
...
Meanwhile, Darklord, standing in the trade association, looked extremely pale and upset.
His dwarf subordinate didn't dare to breathe, fearing that they might say something to upset his boss.
Just a moment ago, Darklord had wanted to buy the 120,000-dollars gold coins but hesitated, then someone else snapped them up.
When he was about to buy the second set, the noise of his subordinates distracted him, causing him to enter the wrong payment password and miss out on the second set of gold coins.
"Forget it! Buy the 180,000-dollars ones!"
Darklord clenched his teeth, even though he really thought these gold coins weren't worth 180,000 dollars and the exchange rate would eventually drop.
But at this moment, he really needed this startup capital to give his guild a head start.
But just as he made up his mind.
That set of 180,000-dollars gold coins was also snapped up.
From being listed for consignment to being bought, it took less than a minute.
This infuriated Darklord.
He vented all his anger on his subordinates.
"You're all useless! A bunch of useless trash!"
"What were you babbling about just now?! It made me enter the wrong password! Just one wrong number, and those 100 gold coins are gone!"
Just as he couldn't help but scold his subordinates, ten sets of 100 gold coins appeared in the list. All of these ten sets were priced at 200,000 dollars!
"Damn, if I don't buy it now, the price will probably go up again... Buy it!"
Darklord gritted his teeth and quickly selected one set to place an order.
Soon, 100 gold coins were credited to his account.
And from his bank card, he lost 200,000 dollars in cash.
Although it was painful, it was necessary for Darklord.
"Originally it only needed 100,000 dollars, but I ended up paying double the price to get it, such a loss..."
"Never mind, this amount of money is not much compared to the pocket money my dad gives me."
"At worst, I'll just ask my dad for more money."
"Let's go, little ones, we have money now!"
"We've bought all the necessary items, let's continue leveling up!"
The subordinates around him responded in unison: "Yes! Young Master!"
...
Half an hour later.
John looked at the extra 2.55 million dollars in his account, not knowing whether he should be excited or not.
When money comes easily and in large amounts, it's just a string of numbers.
John didn't waste too much time on this matter.
He also didn't continue to list more gold coins for sale, because he knew that too much of anything is not good.
If he were to list tens of thousands of gold coins... It would inevitably cause the early price of gold coins to fluctuate too much, which would not be conducive to the subsequent sale of gold coins.
It's better to have a steady stream of income.
John no longer focused on the gold coins he listed for sale, but turned his attention to the items listed by other players:
[Silver Tear (Common): Holy water of the Silver Church, said to be the divine tear bestowed by the Silver Angel, extremely precious. Apply a drop to your forehead to temporarily increase your spiritual power and intelligence by 5% (lasting 1 hour), and gain +10% Exp points.]
This item was listed by a player with the ID "White Feather," and each drop was priced at one silver coin.
However, this player only listed ten drops, a total of only 10 silver coins.
John directly sent him a private message, asking if he could sell more.
He wasn't trying to buy it cheap; he just didn't want to spend the gold coins in smaller denominations. If he could buy more, he would buy more, and it would be best to buy in whole gold coins.
Soon, the other party replied: "Yes, I can. My Class is the hidden class 'Silver Knight', and now I am the only player in the Silver Church, so basically only I can get 'Silver Tear'."
"But even if you buy a lot, I can't offer a lower price, because obtaining Tears is really troublesome, and the material and time costs are high. This price is already very cheap."
John didn't expect this person to be so naive, even telling him about his hidden profession and how he obtained the item.
To know that this kind of rare intelligence is worth more than gold in the early stages of the game!
The other party misunderstood that he was trying to buy more to bargain and sincerely told him that the cost was high, which made John think that this person was too naive.
"I'm not trying to bargain, just give me 100 drops at one silver coin per drop." The other party obviously didn't expect John to be so generous and sent a somewhat incredulous message:
"Really? Many people have complained that my price is too high, saying that no one would buy this for one silver coin. If you think the price is acceptable, I can send it to you immediately, as I have some stock on hand."
Both parties felt the sincerity from each other, and the deal was swiftly agreed upon.
John handed over a gold coin to the stone statue plate, and after the gold coin disappeared, a wooden cup appeared on the plate.
It was filled with a silvery liquid.
Without a doubt, this was the "Silver Tear."
Upon system inspection, there were 101 drops inside.
To thank John for his generosity, the other party even gave an extra drop.
John dipped his finger in, took out a drop, and applied it to his forehead.
Soon, his mind became crystal clear, and all traces of fatigue were swept away.
John had never felt so refreshed and energized.
"It seems that the item description is true... This would be really helpful for leveling up!"
"Although players are currently unwilling to spend a silver coin, it's only because silver coins are too valuable now. In comparison, an additional 10% experience gain for an hour doesn't seem worth it."
However, John believed that the price of this item would eventually soar.
Because levels and Exp were the core of this game.
Moreover, John speculated that with proper refinement, the Tear's effects could be improved!
John made another round of purchases at the trade association, buying a complete set of basic distillation equipment โ something that could be found in any alchemist's general store in every town, nothing unusual.
Then, John began distilling the small cup of Silver Tear on the spot, refining it down to just a single drop.
This drop was worth one gold coin of Silver Tear!
John carefully examined the remaining drop of "Silver Tear" in the container...
[Silver Tear (Uncommon): Sacred water of the Silver Church, said to be the divine tear bestowed by the Silver Angel, extremely precious. This sacred water has been refined from one hundred ordinary Tears and, when a drop is applied to the forehead, temporarily increases spiritual power and intelligence by 10% (lasting 1 hour) while granting +200% experience gain.]
As expected!
John excitedly clenched his fist.
His speculation was correct โ after refinement, the Exp gain efficiency would be tripled!
...
Chapter8-I Want Ten Thousand of These Items!
John didn't use the Uncommon-tier Tear right away but instead contacted the player called "White Feather" again.
"Hey, buddy, I just tried it out, and this stuff is really useful! Can you help me get some more 'Silver Tear'? I need a large amount, as much as you can get!"
It didn't take long for White Feather to reply: "Boss, it's not that I don't want to, but it's really troublesome to obtain this stuff. I have to complete a series of tasks given by the priest to get just ten drops."
John didn't give up and continued to inquire: "How long would it take for you to get 100 drops?"
White Feather replied: "100 drops? Probably three to four hours... That's if I do nothing else and just complete the priest's quests, but..."
Seeing this message, John's heart sank. If it took three to four hours for 100 drops, the efficiency was too slow...
However, John noticed the last two words "but..." from White Feather, and hope reignited in his heart.
He quickly asked: "But what?"
"But if you're willing to spend money, I can significantly increase efficiency because many of the priest's quests can be completed quickly just by spending money," the other party replied.
Then, the other party added: "If there's no limit to the amount of money provided, I could probably complete a round of quests in about ten minutes and obtain 100 drops of Tears... But in this case, it would cost about 2 to 3 gold coins just to complete a round of quests. It's not worth it!"
After hearing this message, John's eyes lit up.
"Money is not a problem as long as you can provide me with enough Tear."
John had observed that, in the early stages of the game, only "Silver Tear" was available as an item to enhance experience gain efficiency.
If he could get enough Tear, his leveling efficiency would increase significantly! ๐ทโฏ๐น๐๐ธ๐ฟโฏ๐.๐ธโด๐ถ
"Ten minutes for 100 drops, that's 600 drops per hour. Can you give me 10,000 drops in three days?"
"10,000 drops? Are you going to drink it?" White Feather was shocked.
"I have a use for it. Don't worry, I'll cover all your expenses for completing the quests, at the rate of 3 gold coins per 100 drops. So, for 10,000 drops, it's a total of 400 gold coins, right?"
"I'll pay you a 300 gold coins deposit for you to do the tasks. When you deliver the 10,000 drops to me, I'll give you the remaining 100 gold coins."
John's words left White Feather on the other side stunned for a long time.
According to the exchange rate of 200,000 real-world currency per 100 gold coins, this boss had just spent a whopping 800,000 dollars in cash! What a purchasing power!
John saw that the other party hadn't replied and thought he might have pushed too hard.
So, he sent a message asking: "What's wrong? Is three days not enough?"
White Feather snapped out of it and quickly replied: "No, no, no, three days is enough. Since you've already given the money for the quests, it's doable."
"Good."
Without hesitation, John immediately signed a contract with White Feather.
In the game, contracts can be signed through the trade association.
In large transactions, both parties can pay a small fee to sign a contract.
If either party breaches the contract, they will be punished by the game's trade association.
So, unless someone doesn't want to play the game anymore, no one will break the contract.
After finishing the communication with White Feather, John closed the trading interface and applied the Uncommon-tier "Silver Tear" he had refined to his forehead.
Although the effects of the items didn't stack and the Uncommon-tier instantly replaced the Common-tier effect, John didn't mind.
What he wanted was efficiency.
After applying it, John felt even more relaxed and walked straight into the twisted stone door.
...
After a while...
[Ding, you have been killed.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
[Exp Points +130,000]
[Gold Coins+60]
[Due to the effect of Silver Tear (Uncommon grade), the experience you gain is increased.]
[Exp Points +260,000]
...
Today's first death.
John looked at his attribute panel with satisfaction, confirming that his current Exp gain rate was three times the original.
Now, he could more confidently "go die"... oh, no, more confidently challenge The Devil.
...
[Ding, you have been killed.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
[Exp Points +140,000]
[Gold Coins+60]
[Due to the effect of Silver Tear (Uncommon grade), the experience you gain is increased.]
[Exp Points +280,000]
...
[Ding, you have been killed.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
[Exp Points +150,000]
[Gold Coins+65]
[Due to the effect of Silver Tear (Uncommon grade), the experience you gain is increased.]
[Exp Points +300,000]
...
An hour later, the bonus effect of Silver Tear wore off.
John had reached level 30.
If he had been leveling up at his previous rate, he probably would have had to work for several hours to reach level 30. This made John very satisfied.
He was looking forward to having 10,000 "Silver Tears" in three days. If they were all condensed into one drop, what would the leveling speed be like then?
But having White Feather alone help him get "Silver Tears" was still a bit slow in terms of efficiency. If only there were a way to find more "Silver Knights" to help him get Silver Tears, that would be great.
...
After fighting until evening, John had reached level 32.
At this point, he saw his attribute panel showing that he had a visitor in the real world. This made him temporarily give up on leveling up and log out of the game.
The holographic chamber opened, and John went to the front door. Through the peephole, he saw it was the delivery girl who came to meet him.
He opened the door, and Emma excitedly raised the food in her hand, smiling, "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? I brought you something to eat!"
John glanced at it and asked, "Where did you buy it... no beer tonight?"
Emma entered the room and said, "I didn't buy it, I made it myself! No more beer tonight, I drank too much last night, and I haven't recovered yet... I didn't even work today because of it! It's all your fault! I couldn't even stand straight today!"
John looked at Emma.
The weather was getting warmer, and the curvy beauty in front of him was wearing very light clothing.
This made John feel a bit excited.
He grinned wickedly, "I still have plenty of wine in my fridge... are you sure you don't want any?"
Seeing John's expression, Emma was scared and quickly covered her chest.
This action made her key areas in the tank top she was wearing even more gathered.
She nervously said, "I-I didn't come here for that... Didn't you say I could come here to play games?"
This reminded John.
He touched his chin and said, "Oh, I forgot to buy you a holographic chamber today."
"How about this, we'll go buy one tomorrow during the day, and you can pick one you like."
Emma lowered her fair-skinned arm and asked, "Really? Isn't this stuff expensive? I can choose the model I like?"
John remembered that he still had over two million dollars in his bank account and laughed, "Of course, I always keep my word."
Emma asked again, "Don't you need to level up? I know other professional players in this game are always in the game day and night... How come you seem so relaxed?"
John smiled and said, "Anyway, I need to wait for an item, and that item won't be available until three days later, so it's fine to take a break now."
"Oh, I see," Emma nodded, seemingly understanding. Then she timidly said, "If you really want to drink... we can... drink a little? But I absolutely, absolutely won't drink too much tonight!"
Chapter9- Bring out your most expensive holographic chamber!
Another night passed.
John and Emma woke up in bed together.
Needless to say.
These two had drunk too much again last night.
Emma, with a face of shame, wrapped her body in the quilt, and said, "Why did you get me drunk again! You made me drink too much!"
John laughed and said, "Not my fault, weren't you the one who kept drinking glass after glass last night? Moreover, it was you who pulled me to the bed."
These words made Emma even more shy.
She quickly got up and started throwing soft punches at John.
These punches were weak and didn't hurt John at all.
John grabbed her wrists, and the quilt that was covering Emma's chest slid down, revealing her enticing curves entirely to John's eyes.
At this point, he couldn't stand it anymore and quickly rolled over to press Emma onto the bed again.
...
Two hours later.
John, drenched in sweat, reached out to check his phone and realized it was already 10 in the morning.
He nudged Emma with his elbow and asked, " Lazy bug, wake up."
Emma's lazy voice came from the quilt, "No way, let me sleep a bit more, you're too exhausting."
"Really?" John smirked, "Then we won't go buy you the holographic chamber today?"
With a splash.
Emma quickly jumped out of the quilt.
"Let's go, now!"
"Wait for me to put on some makeup."
John laughed and said, "You look good even without makeup, quite pure."
Emma gave him a disdainful look and said, "No, I must be in my best state whenever I go out!"
John shrugged his shoulders and said, "Alright, as long as you are happy."
...
At 12 noon.
John and Emma left the apartment, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the holographic chamber store in the downtown.
Although the city they lived in was not an international metropolis, it had all the shops and brands one could wish for.
Arriving downtown, John looked around.
The passing men were either trendy or well-dressed with a striking demeanor, and the women were all young girls with great figures and charming visage.
Not to mention, if not for dressing up properly, there would be quite a bit of psychological pressure coming here.
"I can see why you put on makeup, you really can't come here looking unkempt," John said to Emma beside him.
Emma, unashamedly wrapping her arms around John's and said, "Yeah, who comes to this CBD dressed casually like you, in a plain t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops?"
John laughed, "We're here to buy items, not to strut our stuff. Let's go, the specialty store is up there."
In today's gaming world, there are two hardware manufacturers whose products are globally recognized as the best gaming devices:
Company B and Company O.
Company B's gaming holographic chamber performs better, with extremely realistic graphics.
Company O's gaming holographic chamber is more ergonomic.
It's extremely comfortable to use. In this device, even if you play continuously for a day and night, it will not make you feel tired. Moreover, its touch feedback is also more realistic.
The gaming competition that John previously participated in was sponsored by Company O, so the latest holographic chamber he received was this model from Company O.
Entering the mall.
John turned his head to look at Emma and asked, "Do you prefer the style of Company B or Company O? It seems like this mall has specialty stores for both."
Emma obediently looked at John and said, "I prefer the style of Company O! It's said to be more comfortable inside, and it doesn't burden the body..."
John nodded and led Emma to the Company O specialty store.
Not to mention, Company O truly deserves its reputation as one of the top gaming peripheral companies in the world.
With the rapid development of the gaming industry in recent years, Company O has made a fortune, so its store in the mall occupied a huge area and possessed a very good location.
The specialty store was beautifully decorated.
As soon as John and Emma arrived at the entrance, they saw the futuristic decorations inside, and the sales ladies in professional suits, tight skirts, black stockings, and high heels.
These sales ladies were all very attractive, it's clear that Company O was willing to spend money on marketing.
As soon as John and Emma entered the store, a tall, long-legged sales lady, clicking her heels, walked over.
She had a very good demeanor, excellent temperament.
After she came to John and Emma, she smiled and said, "Welcome, how may I help you two today?"
Emma looked at her own legs, then at the other's slender, black stocking-clad legs, she suddenly felt a bit deflated.
However, she also had her strengths, deliberately sticking out her chest, as if competing with the other.
John didn't pay attention to these and asked directly, "We want to buy a holographic chamber, the one with the best configuration from your store..."
Upon hearing this, the sales lady politely nodded and then said, "Alright, do you two want the latest Future 2 model? Please follow me."
She had just walked a couple of steps towards the interior with John and Emma when an obviously older female supervisor walked over and said in a displeased tone, "Sophia Rosewood! What are you doing!"
The tall, leggy beauty called Sophia, startled by the supervisor's call, quickly straightened up and bowed, "Manager Brown, there are customers who want to buy the latest Future 2 model, I was about to take them to see it..."
Manager Brown walked up to Sophia, ignoring the presence of John and Emma, and directly pointed at Sophia's shoulder and said, "Don't you know how to work? Didn't I just ask you to clean all the machines on the display stand?
Sophia looked puzzled: "But I just cleaned them..."
"I didn't see it! If I didn't see you clean them, then you didn't!" Manager Brown was quite intimidating, continually pointing her finger at Sophia, showing no basic respect for her.
At this point, John couldn't just stand by.
He spoke up: "Isn't her primary job as a sales assistant to attend to customers? The cleaning you mentioned should be the responsibility of the cleaning staff, isn't it?"
Upon hearing John defending her, Sophia turned around and gave John a grateful look.
Hearing what John said, the female manager frowned, and after sizing up John who was dressed casually, she glared at him: "Who are you guys? Do you know that the machines here can't be afforded by poor guys like you?"
Then she scolded Sophia: "Don't bring everyone to the display! If these poor men damage the latest model, can you afford to pay for it?"
Sophia couldn't help but say: "But Manager, they are our customers..."
"Customers? Have you ever seen a customer come into our store dressed like this? Clearly they are poor students!"
With that, Manager Brown looked at Sophia and frowned, "Aren't they your classmates? Do you want to give them a free trial of our latest model in the store? Really... I told the BOSS long ago not to hire poor students like you to work part-time, you guys are just trouble, but he wouldn't listen!"
Upon hearing this, John was not happy.
"How much is your latest model?"
He didn't want to waste his breath arguing with this annoying women.
He directly asked for the price.
The female manager looked at John and scoffed: "Don't pretend to be more than you are. The cheapest model here costs 30,000 dollars! The latest model with the lowest specifications costs over 80,000 dollars! Can you afford it?" ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ป๐จ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น.๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ
"Moreover, we don't accept installment payments here!"
John just smiled.
He smiled very confidently.
"I thought it was going to be millions, but it turns out it's just over eighty thousand."
The female manager sensed something was off and quickly added: "That's just the price for the lowest specifications. If you want the fully equipped version, it'll be over 200,000 dollars!"
However,
John was not fazed at all.
He simply tossed out a bank card and said:
"Go ahead, bring out the most expensive equipment here and set me up with a set."
The female manager picked up the bank card and was about to mock him when she was pushed aside by a man who rushed over from behind.
The man was in his thirties and looked very gentlemanly.
He quickly apologized to John: "I am the store owner here, really sorry for the problem with our service. I will definitely scold them afterwards and make them understand that the customer is always right!"
Behind him, the female manager still said with a defiant face:
"Boss, why do you have to be so humble to him? Which of our customers isn't either rich or noble? Besides, there might not even be any money in his card!"
The store owner looked quite upset.
He first smiled apologetically at John, then turned back and scolded the female manager:
"Enough! shut up! You've served a few rich people and you think you're one of them? You dare to be so rude to customers... Go and check out for the customer!"
Seeing that the BOSS had said so, the female manager had no choice but to shut up, preparing to go to the checkout with the bank card that John had thrown out.
"I'll see what you'll do if there isn't that much money in your card!"
At this moment.
John called out:
"Hold."
When the female manager halted and turned back, John pointed at Sophia and said:
"Give the card to her, let her check me out... I know your sales assistants get a commission. This transaction has nothing to do with you, all the commission goes to her."
Chapter 10- Continue Refining, Rare Tear!
The store manager was the quickest to react, stepping forward to take the bank card from the female manager's hand and handed it to Sophia.
Then, he said with a smile, "Congratulations on your first sale. Since the customer specifically asked for you to handle the payment, you should do it."
Sophia was taken aback when accepting the card.
It was hard for her to believe.
Selling a top-tier model of the latest Holographic Chamber would earn her a commission of over 30,000 dollars!
Normally, this kind of opportunity wouldn't come to her.
Even if she closed a deal, the female manager would quickly swoop in and snatch the customer from her.
This windfall was like a pie falling from the sky for a part-time working college student like her.
"Thank...thank you!" Sophia bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle to John, then happily went to process the payment.
In no time, Sophia returned with the receipt.
Seeing such a large bill, the female manager's face turned extremely ugly.
She hadn't expected that the young man in front of her could afford the latest machine.
If he wasn't wealthy, then what was he? Most people wouldn't splurge so much on equipment!
Just as John took the receipt and glanced at it, he expressed dissatisfaction, "Why is it only a couple hundred thousand dollars? I remember your top configuration isn't like this..."
Upon hearing this, the female manager was even more shocked.
Only a couple hundred thousand dollars? Did he think that was cheap?! How much did he plan to spend on equipment?!
The store manager, with sharp intuition, realized that John was interested in the future 2plus model and quickly explained, "Sir, the plus version is currently in the trial phase and is not for sale yet. I'm really sorry for that."
Emma, standing beside John, also said, "John, I think this model is enough. I don't need something that good..."
John shook his head and said to her, "If you're going to use it, you should use the best one. I'm not short on money."
Then, he turned to the store owner and said, "I'm currently using the plus version, and it's a machine I got three months ago... Why could I use it before, but I can't buy it now?"
Upon hearing this, the store manager quickly understood.
Because three months ago, the only people who could use the future 2plus version were the directors of the 'O' company and...
"Could you be... the champion of the national gaming competition held by our company?"
John crossed his arms and nodded, "That's me."
The store manager's attitude became even more respectful, and he hurriedly said, "Please wait a moment, sir. I'll contact the headquarter to see if I can arrange a unit for you."
John nodded, "Then hurry up."
The store owner returned only two minutes later with a positive response from the headquarter.
"Sir, A latest Plus version has been arranged for you. You are our company's top-tier member, and it's an honor to serve you!"
John nodded, "How much is this Plus version?"
"It's a total of 500,000 dollars..." The store manager's voice lacked confidence when he said this.
After all, the price was quite astronomical.
Without any hesitation, John nodded and said, "Good, then I'll take this one. Please deliver it to my apartment within a week."
Sophia, who was standing by the side, was completely stunned.
If the machine was priced at five 500,000 dollars, wouldn't her commission more than double?
The store owner quickly gestured for Sophia to process the payment.
Sophia felt as if she was sleepwalking.
She didn't know how she went to the cash register, nor how she returned.
All she knew was that this man named John was an extremely generous wealthy man.
As for the female manager who was left aside, she was so regretful that she was almost tearing her hair out.
How could she be so unlucky today to offend such a big spender, who was also a high-level VIP of the headquarter?
But there's no use crying over spilled milk.
After John left with Emma, the store owner sought out the female manager and gave her the news of her dismissal.
She was stunned and quickly said, "You don't have the authority to fire me!"
The store owner shook his head helplessly and said, "This decision was made by the headquarter. When they found out that you offended Mr. Foster, they thought you were no longer suitable to be a service staff member in our company."
"You should leave."
The female manager was as shocked as if she had been struck by lightning, slumping to the ground.
After being swept out, she probably wouldn't be able to find another job as good as this one at a company like 'O'.
...
After leaving the specialty store, John took Emma to eat some delicious food and bought her a few expensive clothes.
After all, the girl had given her first night to him, and he couldn't be too stingy.
In the evening, they took a cab home.
John first sent Emma back to her house, then returned to his rented apartment.
The reason he didn't keep Emma overnight was because he decided to level up.
Although Silver Tear wouldn't be available until three days later, if everyone else was leveling up and he being lazy, he would feel guilty.
So, even without an Exp bonus, he wanted to practice more in the game.
After entering the game, John didn't waste any time and directly stepped into the twisted stone gate.
His all-night leveling journey began.
...
Three days later.
During these three days, except for the occasional visit from Emma when they would "spar" with each other, John spent the rest of his time leveling up at home.
Unconsciously, John had reached level 49.
He was just one level away from pulling his next random talent!
But to his surprise, advancing from level 49 to level 50 required a whopping 50,000,000 Exp points!
Although he was getting four to five million Exp points each time he was killed, 50,000,000 was still a huge number for him.
Just as John was preparing to make a push to level 50, a private message popped up in the lower right corner of the interface.
John opened it and found that it was a private message from a player named "White Feather".
"Hello, I have fulfilled our contract and collected 10,000 drops of Silver Tear. Can we trade now?"
Upon seeing this message, John was immediately excited.
With the blessing of Silver Tear, his leveling speed would definitely be faster!
He hurriedly replied, "Good! Let's do it."
John walked over to the statue and placed the remaining one hundred gold coins on it.
The gold coins disappeared, and in their place, a silver basin filled with Tear appeared in front of John.
White Feather sent a message, "OK, transaction successful! If you need more in the future, boss, you can DM me anytime... Oh, by the way, we now have six new 'Silver Knight' players and three 'Silver Priests' in our church, and they all want to cooperate with you."
"If you want to purchase a large amount of Silver Tear in the future, we can help you get it, at the same price as before."
This was another piece of good news.
What John was most worried about was that relying solely on White Feather, it would be difficult to scale up the production of Silver Tear.
But now there were a full ten people. That meant the production of Silver Tear was ten times what it was before!
He immediately replied, "Great, Pleasure working with you! You can quickly gather Silver Tear in the way I previously requested, and I'll provide you with enough gold coins."
"Now, can prepare 100,000 drops of Silver Tear for me? I'll send you the deposit soon, and you deliver it to me in three days, just as before."
Both parties quickly signed the contract, and then John sent over the sufficient amount of gold coins, completing the initial transaction.
For him now, gold coins were just a number.
After all, he could get dozens of gold coins every time he died.
As long as it could help him level up quickly, any spending of gold coins was worth it!
After closing the chat channel, John focused all his attention on the "Silver Tear" in front of him.
Although there were 10,000 drops of Silver Tear here, they were all of normal grade.
If he wanted to level up quickly, he had to refine it. ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ง๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฅ๏ผ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฆ
Fortunately, he had long prepared the necessary equipment, and refining didn't require a high proficiency in alchemy.
Therefore, John quickly started the refining.
After being busy for a while, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the droplet of Tear in front of him, which glowing with a radiant light.
[Silver Tear (Rare): Holy water of the Silver Church, said to be the divine tear bestowed by the Silver Angel, extremely precious. This holy water has been refined from one hundred drops of Uncommon Tear. Apply a drop to your forehead to temporarily increase your spiritual power and intelligence by 25% (lasting 3 hour), and gain +1000% Exp points.]
Chapter 11-Level 50! Unlocking new talent!
John was quite satisfied with this result.
Although it was costly, being able to refine Rare Silver Tear would definitely be very beneficial for his leveling.
"So, my current leveling speed is 11 times the usual?"
John did not dare to slack off.
This was an item worth 400 Gold Coins.
Although getting Gold Coins was extremely easy for him, that didn't mean the value of this item was low.
He rubbed the Tear on his forehead and without wasting a second, he rushed directly into the stone gate.
...
[Ding, you have been killed.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
[Exp points +450000]
[Gold Coins +85]
[Due to the effect of Silver Tear (Rare), your Exp gain has increased.] ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ๐ท๐๐ญ.๐๐ฐ๐
[Exp points+4500000]
...
Just by being killed by The Devil once, he gained nearly 5 million Exp!
This is the terrifying power of Rare Silver Dew!
"In this way, I only need to do this ten more times, and I can level up to 50."
The Rare Silver Tear only lasted for three hours, so time was precious.
John didn't waste a single second and rushed into the stone gate once again.
...
An hour later.
[Ding! Congratulations, you have successfully leveled up to 50!]
[Congratulations on becoming the first player in the world to reach level 50. The global level ranking will be activated, and you will be ranked first on the list. Do you want to remain anonymous?]
"Yes."
John didn't hesitate.
After understanding the average level of other players, he knew that most players were still struggling below level 10.
His level was too outrageous, and if it were really exposed, it would definitely cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.
The saying goes " The tall poppy gets cut down."
It is better to keep a low profile for better development.
When he is strong enough, he can make a high-profile appearance!
As for those who caused him to become a sacrificial victim... John didn't plan to let any of them go!
...
[World Notification: 'Anonymous Player' has worked hard to level up to 50, becoming the first player in the entire server to reach level 50!]
['Server Level Leaderboard' activated!]
[Current rankings:]
[First place: 'Anonymous Player', Level 50]
[Second place: None]
[Third place: None]
...
This leaderboard only displayed the top ten, and besides the first place "Anonymous Player," all the others were "None."
It seemed that players who hadn't reached level 50 didn't even qualify to be on the leaderboard.
Here in the temple, John didn't care much about it, after all, he had chosen to be anonymous.
On the other hand, the players were in total chaos.
In the public chat channel, countless messages about the "Server Level Leaderboard" were being refreshed.
"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! Did my eyes deceive me? Level 50!"
"My God, I just leveled up to 8, and someone is already at level 50?"
"Who is this dude? Does anyone know who this person is! Please tell me quickly, there's a reward for providing important intelligence!"
"No way, this person is outrageous, leveling up 40 levels faster than ordinary players! If this kind of person joins any guild, that guild would immediately become the NO.1 guild in the world!"
"Hey, level 50 guy, please add me! There are photos of me on my profile, I'm pretty and have a sweet voice. As long as you help me level up, I can fulfill any request you have!"
...
The discussions among ordinary players were in full swing.
And the elite players from various top guilds were also not idle.
Whether they were leveling up or fighting bosses, the first reaction of these expert players when they saw this news was...
"Impossible!"
They all thought they were seeing things.
As experts who were well-versed in the game, they had been leveling up desperately every day since the game launched, and they had just barely reached level 10.
How could this "Anonymous Player" be at level 50?!
If it weren't for the fact that the data in "Godslayer" couldn't be tampered with and it was impossible for anyone to cheat, they would have thought someone was leveling up by illegal means.
The reason why these experts could become top players was not just luck.
They were only shocked for a moment, and quickly composed themselves and started leveling up again.
If they stayed still, shocked and complaining, they would only fall further behind!
...
Frost Valley.
"Phew, finally leveled up to 10!"
Darklord, after killing a small monster on the outskirts of Frost Valley, excitedly opened his own attribute panel.
Beside him, dozens of his rookies were also excitedly gathered around.
Most of them were level 8 to 9, and some were only level 7.
After several days of hardworking, these people had finally managed to raise their boss, Darklord, to level 10.
It should be noted that their original levels were not high.
It was very difficult to precisely control the monster's HP to leave just enough for the final blow.
Often, someone would carelessly finish off the last bit of the monster's HP.
Then that guy would immediately be scolded by Darklord.
However, it seems that Darklord's mood is pretty good right now.
"You guys have worked hard," Darklord stretched lazily, very satisfied with his leveling progress, "This way, my level can keep up with the first group in the game."
"Tonight, I'm treating everyone to a feast! Then we'll head to the bathhouse to unwind!"
"For those who are from out of town, I'll be sending you all a bonus later, you've all worked hard!"
Everyone was excited, shouting "Long live the young master".
But, just at this moment.
[World Notification: 'Anonymous Player' has worked hard to level up to 50, becoming the first player in the entire server to reach level 50!]
...
A series of system pop-ups caught everyone off guard.
They never thought that while they were celebrating their boss leveling up to 10, there were other players who had quietly reached level 50!
What kind of concept is this?
This guy's leveling speed completely crushed their team!
Everyone suddenly fell silent, all looking cautiously at Darklord.
Sure enough.
Darklord's face turned ashen.
He could accept that some experts had a slightly higher level than him.
But he could not accept that someone had outpaced him by 40 levels!
This was not a slight gap, but an insurmountable chasm for ordinary people!
"Damn it! Who the hell is it?!"
Darklord slammed his fist into a nearby rock, causing it to crack.
His rookies looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
"No, I'm not logging out! Keep leveling!"
"Damn it, I've already been left so far behind by others, if I don't level up, I'm finished!"
At this moment, a bold rooky dared to ask:
"Young Master, what about our feast tonight..."
"Eat, eat, eat, is that all you think about?! It's canceled!"
Darklord roared, scaring the man into stepping back, "This time, if we don't reach level 20, none of you are allowed to log out!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.
It had taken them a full five days to help Darklord level up from 1 to 10.
To level up from 10 to 20 would undoubtedly take even longer... who knows how much time they would need!
But they didn't dare to defy Darklord.
They could only lower their heads and continue to lure monsters for their boss to brush.
...
Inside the temple.
John immediately opened his personal interface and clicked on the "Talents Banner" option that had lit up again.
This option only lights up each time a player levels up to 50.
The talent is directly bound to the character and cannot be traded.
In other words.
Apart from the Innate Talent, all other talents cannot be traded.
This was also why the other "sacrifices" in the temple were so hesitant to delete their accounts and start over.
If later talents could also be traded, they could simply delete their characters.
After all, even if they didn't pull a rare talent, they could still buy one.
After John clicked on the option, a purple light poured down from the temple ceiling and directly into him.
He felt a powerful force filling his entire body!
Chapter 12- New talent! "Eye of Artemis"!
[Ding! Congratulations on acquiring a new talent - Eye of Artemis!]
[Eye of Artemis (Divine): You are favored by the Goddess of Night and have gained the Eye of Artemis. With this talent, you can stare into darkness and abyss, revealing all truths hidden in the darkness and abyss, and any illusion will be ineffective against you. You can see the truth of any matter. With this talent, you can gaze upon the gods.]
Upon seeing the introduction to his new talent, John was dumbfounded.
Especially the last line of the talent description: "You can gaze upon the gods."
What a badass ability! And it's a Divine talent!
To John's knowledge, the talent tier system in "Godslayer" is divided into seven levels, the same as the item ranking system.
From lowest to highest, these are:
Grey(Poor) Talent, White(Common) Talent, Green(Uncommon) Talent, Blue(Rare) Talent, Purple(Epic) Talent, Orange(Legendary) Talent, and Gold(Divine) Talent.
Among these, anything above a Blue Talent can be collectively referred to as "Rare Talents".
And Gold Talents are unique and incredibly difficult to obtain.
John was certain.
The effects of his Divine Talent were absolutely worthy of the word "Divine"! Just then, he already had an idea of how to use this talent.
John had been slain many times in this temple by The Devil, never once seeing The Devil's face clearly or discerning its attribute data.
If he could utilize the "Eye of Artemis", would he be able to obtain some information about The Devil?
If he could, John would have even more confidence in defeating The Devil and escaping the temple!
No sooner said than done.
He immediately got up and charged back into the stone gate.
He still had nearly two hours of "Silver Tear" Exp boost time, which he absolutely could not waste.
...
[Ding, you have been killed.]
...
[Ding, you have been killed.]
...
[Ding, you have been killed.]
...
After another resurrection, John was panting and terrified.
Just before his last death, he used his "Eye of Artemis" talent and finally glimpsed The Devil's face.
But his memory seemed to have been blocked, and he could no longer recall what The Devil looked like, only that The Devil was hideous and its name was...
Demon God "Azazel"!
All other information was unattainable, even using the "Eye of Artemis".
No doubt, it was because his own level was too low.
Even though the talent Eye of Artemis was incredibly powerful, a level 50 character, even with such a strong talent, couldn't see The Devil's information clearly.
John wasn't disappointed.
Not being able to see was the norm.
After all, that was a Devil, on the same level as the Goddess of Night, both were god-level existences.
He couldn't possibly just have a basic grasp of "Eye of Artemis" and be able to see all of The Devil "Azazel's" information clearly.
John didn't dwell on this too much and rushed back into the stone gate.
...
So, three more days passed.
John took the 100,000 drops of Silver Tear collected by "White Feather" and paid the Gold Coins in full.
Then, he opened the Trade Association interface.
At this point, a small number of players had started to sell Gold Coins.
However, most were selling a few Gold Coins at a time, and a set of 5 Gold Coins was considered a large transaction.
Players knew that earning Gold Coins in the game was not easy, they barely had enough for themselves, few were willing to sell them.
For instance, "White Feather" and those Silver Knights and Silver Priests who traded with John actually earned quite a few Gold Coins.
But at the same time, they had to spend a lot of Gold Coins to practice the skills of the Silver Church.
So, none of them put their earned Gold Coins up for sale, instead, they kept them all for their own use.
"Hmm, it's about time to sell some Gold Coins," John thought for a bit, then once again put up sets of 100 Gold Coins for sale, each set at a price of 200,000 dollars, and he put up 10 sets.
This time, the Gold Coins sold smoothly once again.
Soon, the 10 sets of Gold Coins he had put up for sale were all sold out.
2 million dollars instantly credited to his account.
This smooth sale made John feel somewhat surreal.
Could he be dreaming, earning money so easily?
But John quickly dismissed such a pointless idea and got up again.
He was preparing to refine all 100,000 drops of "Silver Tear" into Rare Silver Tear.
Although it wasn't a difficult task, it still required his full attention.
...
While John was refining the Silver Tear, Players in various guilds were once again making quite a stir.
"Is it the 'Anonymous Player' selling Gold Coins again? Where the heck does this guy get his Gold Coins from?"
"This time he put up ten sets, that's a whole thousand Gold Coins... Is there some quick money-making method in this game that we haven't discovered yet?"
"I guess so, some people's luck really does make you envious."
"Luck? I think it's their skill! If you can't do it, don't always blame it on luck!"
"Do you think... this 'Anonymous Player' who keeps selling large amounts of Gold Coins, and the level 50 'Anonymous Player' on the leaderboard, could they be the same person?"
Once this message was posted by a player in the public chat channel, Instantly, it stirred up a lot of discussion.
"Yeah, this guy on the leaderboard levels up so quickly, he can't just be getting Exp, right?"
"I don't think it's possible, he levels up so quickly, he must have spent a huge amount of money that ordinary people can't imagine... How could someone level up so quickly and get this amount of Gold Coins? 'Godslayer' isn't a game that can be manipulated by people, it's impossible!"
People were buzzing, all guessing whether the person selling a large amount of Gold Coins had anything to do with the person on the leaderboard.
Such discussions naturally drew some high-level players to participate.
"Does anyone know who this person selling Gold Coins is? Can you introduce him to our Blue Sea Guild?"
This comment immediately caught many players' attention.
"Oh my God! It's 'Blue Sea', the guild leader of Blue Sea Guild! This is really something!"
"What? What's the Blue Sea Guild?"
"The guy just now, are you even from Earth, not knowing the Blue Sea Guild? It's one of the top ten guilds recognized worldwide! Guild leader Blue Sea has led its members to dominate many games! I didn't expect them to play 'Godslayer' as well."
"'Godslayer' is after all the most popular game in the world right now, it's not surprising that the top ten guilds worldwide have come... but it's the first time I've seen the real Blue Sea comment, we're really lucky!" ...
After the comment from the guild leader of Blue Sea Guild, The entire chat channel's comments exploded with activity.
Countless people wanted to strike up a conversation with Blue Sea.
However, unfortunately, after making that one comment, Blue Sea didn't say anything else.
It seemed he was really just interested in getting to know the player selling the Gold Coins. ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐๐.๐๐๐
Meanwhile, John, who had just refined ten drops of Rare Silver Tear and happened to open the chat channel interface, suddenly saw what Blue Sea had said.
He couldn't help but feel amused.
He knew this Blue Sea.
The two of them had already crossed swords in a previous game, fighting to a standstill, a true case of a hero recognizing another hero.
Right before 'Godslayer' officially launched, Blue Sea even invited him to join the Blue Sea Guild to level up together.
Unfortunately, John had already made up his mind to go solo in this game and not join any guilds.
John could guarantee, if Blue Sea found out that the person selling Gold Coins like water and the first place on the leaderboard was him, he would definitely try his hardest to recruit him.
Blue Sea's greatest wish in life was to lead the Blue Sea Guild to become the number one guild in the world.
To this end, he had recruited many domestic experts to join 'Godslayer'.
While John was observing the chat channel, a freight truck parked downstairs from John's apartment.
Then a black sedan followed behind the big truck and parked.
The door of the sedan opened.
A pair of slender and beautiful legs in black stockings emerged from the passenger seat.
Sophia then got out of the car.
The back door of the sedan opened and the store owner of Company O's local store also got out.
He straightened his clothes and then looked at Sophia, saying with heavy emphasis:
"Sophia, remember what I told you earlier, right?"
"Whether or not you can transition from an intern to a regular employee of our company depends on your performance from now on."
"Our headquarter takes this member very seriously. He is a formidable player and his financial power is even better than expected... If you can win him over and get him to agree to endorse our company in the future, then you can directly become a regular employee of the company."
Sophia nodded to indicate she understood.
"By the way, BOSS, can I ask why the headquarter values him so much?" Sophia asked hesitantly, "I've searched online, this Mr. Foster is indeed a top player and he's won national championships, but he's actually not very famous, and not many people know about him..."
The manager shook his head, looking clueless as he replied: "I'm not sure either."
"But I do know that in our headquarter, there is a major shareholder who values him highly, and that shareholder... his surname is Blue."
Chapter 13- You Have to Compensate Me for This!
"Ding-dong."
The doorbell rang.
Upon hearing the system prompt, John exited the game.
Then he left his holographic chamber and went to the front door.
As he opened the door.
John saw a familiar face, it was Sophia, the saleswoman he met at the company O's store last time.
The beauty in front of him was still dressed in a professional suit, with long legs in black stockings and high heels.
Seeing her from such a close distance, her aura was even more stunning.
"You are... Ms. Rosewood from the specialty store?" John asked.
Sophia nodded.
She had put a lot of effort into her appearance today, even applying a delicate makeup, which made her look even more beautiful than the first time John saw her.
Sophia smiled sweetly, nodded and said, "Yes, Mr. Foster, according to the contract, we are delivering the latest model of the holographic chamber to you today."
Only then did John remember this matter, and said, "Okay, come in."
Sophia nodded to the installers behind her.
They quickly moved the chamber into John's house and started installing enthusiastically.
About half an hour later.
A brand-new holographic chamber was installed and placed next to John's.
"Mr. Foster, you're really nice to your girlfriend, willing to buy her such a great holographic chamber." After all the installers left, Sophia sat next to John and said.
The two sat on the sofa, neither too close nor too far apart.
John laughed and replied, "Uhh, well, we are not dating yet."
Hearing this, Sophia was taken aback, then asked, "You are not? Last time I saw you two were very close, I thought..."
John touched his nose and shrugged, "We are good friends at the moment. Buying this holographic chamber is not a gift for her, but for us to play games together when she comes over."
"Oh," Sophia responded and then asked carefully:
"So... Mr. Foster, you're still single?"
John laughed awkwardly, "That's a bit hard to explain."
"Well, that's fine. A charming man like you will never have to worry about dating a girl," Sophia flattered, then subtly moved closer to John.
He couldn't help but admit that Sophia's long, black silk legs were a feast for the eyes. It was rare to see such long and elegant legs in real life.
They sat for a while, and as their bodies got closer, the vibe gradually became ambiguous.
Sophia seemed a bit shy, after all, she was still an ungraduated college student, currently in her internship.
Even though she had some feelings for John, she didn't dare to be too forward.
He smiled at Sophia and asked, "How about we have a drink? I have some beer in the fridge."
"I... I don't really drink," Sophia initially wanted to refuse, but on second thought, she nodded and agreed, "Okay, let's have a little together?"
John got up and brought some beer from the fridge and put it on the coffee table.
They chatted and drank, and soon, Sophia started to feel a bit tipsy.
Alcohol made people braver.
After Sophia had drunk quite a bit, she was no longer restrained.
She not only took off her blazer but also got closer to John.
Despite her awkwardness, she knew where her advantage was.
I have to say, Sophia wasn't noticeably attractive until she took off her blazer, revealing her curvaceous figure.
Her white blouse was being stretched quite dramatically by her chest.
Just as Sophia was preparing to throw herself into John's arms.
The doorbell rang again at home.
This startled Sophia, who quickly retreated.
At this point, John was almost carried away, but the sound of the bell brought him back to his senses.
He got up and opened the door.
It was Emma who standing at the door.
She had her hair tied up in a ponytail, carrying a backpack, wearing a sailor uniform on the top, a short skirt on the bottom with white knee-high socks, looking youthful and lively like a student.
If it wasn't for her overly "mature" aspect making the sailor suit look too tight, her outfit would be quite innocent.
"How did you get here?" John was a bit surprised, wasn't it agreed that she would come over tomorrow?
Emma laughed, "Our school gave us a day off in advance! I also quit my part-time job at the delivery place, so I wanted to come see you."
Soon, Emma noticed the disheveled Sophia in the sitting room and the newly installed holographic chamber.
This excited her greatly. She quickly walked into the apartment and said, "The holographic chamber is installed so quickly! Cheers mate! I can play tonight!"
After saying this, she sat down next to Sophia and asked with concern, "Are you the saleswoman sister from last time? After we left, did that manager give you any more trouble?"
Sophia, who was initially shy as if caught in a compromising situation, heard Emma say this and knew that the younger girl hadn't noticed anything.
So she lifted her head and smiled, "Don't worry, no, that manager has been fired by Boss."
At this point, Sophia looked at John and said, "I have to thank Mr. Foster for this. It was because of his prestige that our Boss decided to stand up for me."
John waved his hand, as if it was nothing.
Then.
Emma said to Sophia again, "Sister, your makeup looks so good today! I'm totally mesmerized, especially your eyes, they look like they can talk. If I were a man, I would definitely want to kiss your eyes."
This made Sophia a little shy, and she said, "It's not really that good, I just put it on casually..."
"No, no, no, sister, you teach me how to do makeup next time!" Emma winked at Sophia and laughed, "I'm going to stay here, so you can come find me anytime!"
John on the side was a bit confused.
When did he agree to let Emma stay at his place?
Sophia smiled at Emma and said, "Okay, if I have the chance, I will come to visit again."
With that, she got up, picked up her coat, and said to John:
"Sorry for the disturbance today, if there's any problem with this machine, Mr. Foster, you can contact me anytime, this is my phone number."
John looked at her long, beautiful legs, and couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.
The desire that Sophia had stirred up today...
He might have to rely on Emma to extinguish it later.
"Okay, you're also welcome to visit my apartment anytime." John said in a steady voice, very gentlemanly.
...
After Sophia left.
Only he and Emma were left in John's apartment.
Emma sat cross-legged on the sofa, not caring that she was wearing a short skirt, which made it easy to expose herself.
She held a pillow, winked at John, and laughed, "Did I... interrupt something?"
John was speechless, "You know and you're still laughing."
Emma pretended to be upset and said, "You just did THAT to me a few days ago, how come you've switched targets so quickly? Are you tired of me?"
John laughed and said, "Of course not, Miss Rosewood came today to install the holographic chamber for us, don't get it wrong."
"Humph, I didn't get it wrong!" Emma said while adjusting her white knee-high socks, deliberately showcasing her feminine curves to John, "If I had come a bit later, I guess Miss Sophia would have taken you to bed, wouldn't she? You badass! All Men are indeed fickle!"
John didn't deny it, "I never claimed to be a good man... But you interrupted this, so you have to take responsibility for what comes next."
With that, he approached Emma.
"What...what are you going to do?!"
Emma pretended to be very scared, hugging the pillow to her chest and said, "At worst, I won't interrupt you next time. I'm still young, please spare me!"
John gave a mischievous grin, picked her up, and as he walked towards the bedroom, he said:
"Whether I spare you...depends on your performance from now on."
With a click.
The bedroom door was closed.
Soon, pleas for mercy from Emma could be heard from within the room...
Chapter 14-Seductive Mage, Igniting Fireballs Online
It was 10 pm.
John logged into the game, and soon, a friend request popped up at the bottom right corner of his screen.
John clicked accept.
This mage with the ID "Emma" was none other than Emma Williams.
She was playing the game in the holographic chamber right next to John.
At this moment, Emma had just reached level 2.
"Brother John, where are you? I want to level up with you," Emma sent a message.
John replied, "Just join some group and level up. I can't team up with you right now."
Emma sent a puzzled emoji, "Is it because my level is too low and it will slow you down?"
John responded, "No, it's just that I really can't go out now... How about this, I'll find someone to help you level up."
After sending this message.
John DM "White Feather", "Are you busy?"
Soon, White Feather replied, "I'm here, boss, completing a Silver Tear quest. What's up?"
John asked, "What level are you now?"
White Feather replied, "Level 9."
John: "You're leveling up so fast!"
Such a rate of leveling was indeed beyond White Feather's expectations.
It's important to know that only top players have reached level 10, and most ordinary players are struggling at level 5 to 6.
As for John, he's a bug, not considered an ordinary player.
White Feather: "Yes, with the blessings of Silver Knight and Silver Angel, plus Silver Tear, leveling up is easy."
John: "Good, I have a friend here who wants to level up. She's a newbie, can you take her to level up with you?"
White Feather quickly replied, "No problem! Where is she now?"
John sent a message ask Emma to wait at the church in the newbie village, then told White Feather, "She's at the church in the newbie village. She's a redhead female mage, you should be able to find her quickly."
White Feather: "Okay, boss, leave it to me!"
...
After a while, John was killed by The Devil again and had just revived.
A private message popped up.
White Feather: "Boss, I've picked up the lady. Don't worry... But this girl is really popular. Just now at the church, there were many high-level male mages courting her and wanting to help her level up. If I hadn't arrived in time, I guess those male mages would have started fighting over her."
John wasn't surprised by this.
"Godslayer", this game, has a basic setting.
That is, players can change their appearance, hairstyle, hair color, skin color in the game, but their original body shape cannot be changed.
In other words.
In the game, if someone has a good figure, then their real-life figure must be good too.
Unless they use special skills and items in the game to change their figure, like the druid's animal form change, the body shape cannot be changed.
It's said that this setting is to prevent online fraud.
Previously, there were often men pretending to be girls in games to defraud male players of money.
If the figure data cannot be easily changed, the deceived player can immediately tell if the other party is a scammer.
In that case.
With Emma's amazing figure, it would be strange if she didn't attract any men in the game.
It's normal that male mages would fight over her.
John replied to White Feather, "Good that you've picked her up, go level up. Thanks for the hard work."
He was just about to send a message to Emma, but this little girl sent a message first:
"Brother John! Where did you meet such a beautiful woman? She's a gorgeous lady with long white hair! She's so pretty! And she has a great figure, her legs are as long as Miss Rosewood's!"
John was puzzled.
Where did this beautiful woman with long white hair come from?
Now all around him were hideous monster statues...
"Which lady are you talking about?"
Emma: "White Feather of course! the knight you called to help me level up... She's super pretty! Haven't you seen her before?"
This made John a bit baffled.
A beautiful, long-legged lady? White Feather?
He had always thought that White Feather was a hard-working man, an honest and upright man.
John opened his friend panel again.
He found that in the gender section of White Feather's profile, it was marked as "Confidential".
Come to think of it, he really hadn't seen what White Feather looked like, let alone her gender...
He only knew her as a laborer, providing him with "Silver Tear".
John thought about it, and decided it was better this way.
He originally thought that White Feather was an honest person and wouldn't do anything harmful to Emma.
Now that White Feather is a girl, there's even less reason for him to worry.
John sent Emma a message: "Then you should just follow White Feather and level up. Don't waste her goodwill." Then, he continued to level up.
...
On the other side.
White Feather, with Emma, arrived at a deserted abandoned mine.
"This is a leveling spot only we, the Silver Knights, know about. Follow me."
After saying that to Emma, White Feather led her into the mine.
The two were walking and chatting at the same time.
"By the way, you're a mage, right?" White Feather casually asked.
Emma: "Yes, but my class seems a bit special, it has only one word."
"Only one word?" White Feather paused, "Isn't 'mage' just one word..."
"I think mine is called 'Pyromancer', it's a special class." Emma replied.
Hearing this, White Feather was surprised: "You also have a special class? And you have already changed jobs right from the beginning?"
Emma shrugged and said, "Yes, when I was just born at level 1, our church mentor told me a lot of things I didn't understand..."
"He said something like I'm the 'child chosen by the God of Fire', and that my fire element affinity is very strong."
White Feather looked at Emma in front of her, too shocked to speak.
This girl... was chosen by the God of Fire?
The Silver Church she worshipped only served the Silver Angel.
As one of the archangels, the Silver Angel's divine status is not as high as the true gods, which means the Silver Angel is under the God of Fire.
Even so, when she joined the Silver Church and changed her class to become a Silver Knight, she hadn't heard the priest say anything about her being noticed by the Silver Angel.
How could this girl who just joined the game get the attention of a God so quickly?
If she really becomes a follower of a God, her future possibilities in this game will be limitless!
Could it be... that all the friends around the big shot are also big shots?
Now, White Feather didn't dare to treat Emma with negligence.
After walking for a while and passing through several intersections, they finally arrived at an open space.
Here, many level 2 and 3 Zombies were wandering.
"This place is perfect for you to level up," White Feather said to Emma, "I'll lure the monsters, and then get them down to a sliver of health, and you finish them off." Emma nodded, half-understanding.
White Feather first applied several buffs to herself, and then rushed towards the nearest Zombie.
As a Silver Knight, White Feather's defense was extremely high, and the Zombie couldn't break through it at all.
Just as White Feather was about to cut the Zombie with her longsword...
Suddenly. She felt a burst of heat from behind.
She turned her head and saw a watermelon-sized fireball whizzing past her ear, instantly hitting the Zombie in front of her!
-100!
Instant kill!
The Zombie instantly turned into charcoal!
This left White Feather standing in place, stunned.
She looked back at Emma in disbelief, then asked: "Are you really... only level 2?"
Emma nodded, "Yes, you just told me to remember to last hit, I saw this monster's health reach my execute line, so I directly attacked... Did I do something wrong?"
White Feather thought to herself: Yes, but I didn't expect your kill-line to be full HP...
Now, White Feather knew the gap between people.
Although she was already level 9, it took at least two or three hits to kill a level 3 Zombie.
But Emma, who was only level 2, could kill them instantly with one hit.
Did she still need her to help level up?
Emma could totally walk sideways in this mine on her own!
Chapter 15- Legendary Item, Ancient Parchment
John didn't know anything about White Feather and Emma's leveling up in the mine.
He was now desperately using his "Rare Silver Tear" to gain Exp and Gold Coins.
At this point, he was already level 52.
Since leveling up to 50, the Exp required has become increasingly terrifying.
This made John very doubtful...
How do normal players level up after reaching this level?
Perhaps when players generally reach level 50, more experience-boosting items will appear. ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐๐.๐๐๐
John shook his head, no longer thinking about these things.
If he wanted to leave the temple, he had to kill The Devil "Azazel".
Otherwise, it wouldn't matter how far ahead his level was compared to other players.
From multiple "encounters", John had understood a truth.
That was, The Devil, as one of Gods, was extremely formidable.
Up to now, John had been unable to block any of his attacks.
Of course.
John was a highly talented player, and he was also growing.
He was constantly summarizing and thinking about how to counterattack once he could block the opponent's attacks.
Now, The Devil "Azazel" had shown three methods of instantly killing him.
The first was a direct rush of black smoke, in which his HP dropped drastically.
The second was direct eye contact with Azazel, resulting in his spirit being directly wiped out by its powerful divine consciousness.
The third was a powerful sonic attack, causing his body to shatter directly.
The Devil didn't make any movements for these three types of attacks.
One could say, from beginning to end Azazel never truly attacked, yet managed to kill him.
But John had a strength in his character, that was, he never got discouraged, otherwise, he wouldn't have been the last "Sacrifice" player who didn't delete his character.
"One day, I'll make you move, Azazel."
After saying these words, John chuckled coldly, stretched a bit, and then continued to walk into the stone gate.
...
A month later.
By this time, the average level of players had reached 20 to 30.
And on the level leaderboard, there was still only one "Anonymous Player".
In other words, no one else had reached level 50 yet.
But what puzzled other players was that this "Anonymous Player" had already reached level 50 a month ago.
A month had passed, and the Anonymous Player's level hadn't changed at all, still at level 50.
Not even one level up.
What was going on?
Had this player never logged in again?
Posts about this matter remained hot on the game forum.
People speculated about what had happened to this "Anonymous Player".
Some people posted, claiming that this player was their friend, and because they were too powerful and leveled up too quickly, they found the game uninteresting and gave up.
Others said that the reason this person could level up so fast was because they activated a hidden talent, but the side effect of the talent was that subsequent leveling up was very slow...
In short, there were various speculations.
Those guilds that had been trying to contact this Anonymous Player gradually stopped posting search queries.
For them, it was only a matter of time before their own experts reached level 50.
This Anonymous Player had been hovering at level 50 for a reason.
So, there was no need to recruit so actively anymore.
...
Outside a certain abandoned human camp.
Two beauties were leveling up here.
White Feather and Emma had reached levels 37 and 38 respectively, which could be considered far ahead of most players.
Of course, the effect of the Silver Tear played a part.
White Feather and Emma coordinated well, with one responsible for luring and tanking the mobs while the other continuously cast "Fireball" and "Rain of Fire", instantly killing all the bandits in the camp.
The moment the bandit leader fell.
A golden light flashed on Emma, indicating her leveling.
At this point, her level had risen to the same as White Feather's, level 38.
"Wow! Finally, some equip dropped!"
Emma, with her sharp eyes, instantly noticed the items shining with light dropped by the bandit leader not far in front.
White Feather nodded, walked over, and counted the loot.
"A two-handed weapon, a piece of heavy armor, 7 silver coins..."
"Wait, what is this?"
White Feather picked up one of the loots.
The item was emitting a golden glow different from the other items.
"What is this?"
Emma came over and asked.
It was a piece of parchment that looked old and greasy, with something written in a strange language.
The golden glow emanating from the parchment told White Feather and Emma that this was definitely not an ordinary item!
[Ancient Parchment (Legendary): An ancient and mysterious parchment, written in a strange language with some important information.]
The description was very brief.
But both of them knew that this thing must be very valuable!
Emma and White Feather looked at each other, then White Feather said:
"You killed the leader, so it has to be you to decide how to deal with it."
Emma immediately said: "We killed them together, not just me. Without you tanking in front, how could I, a squishy mage, kill these bandits?"
"You decide how to deal with it, you've always been the one to distribute our loot."
White Feather hesitated for a moment, then said: "Although this item looks good, with such a brief introduction, we can't see its value..."
"How about this, we take it to the auction house, and split the auction money fifty-fifty?"
Emma nodded: "I second that."
White Feather nodded, then said: "Alright, it's getting late, I'll keep this item for now, and we'll take it to the auction house next time we log in."
Emma agreed.
Then, both of them logged off at the same spot.
Not long after they logged off.
A group of players found their way here, and the one leading them was a familiar face to John - the Darklord.
"Young Master, this is the place." a dwarf hunter player pointed at the abandoned camp in front of them.
The Darklord nodded, looking joyfully in the direction the dwarf player was pointing at.
The next second, his smile froze on his face.
"Why is there nothing left here!" the Darklord raged.
The dwarf player didn't expect this either, he had bought this information about a bandit camp from another player for a hefty price.
In the game "Godslayer", a bandit camp basically meant the presence of treasure.
As long as you killed all the bandits, the bandits' treasure would belong to the player.
However.
Eliminating bandits is not an easy task.
The bandits were very strong, and they were used to committing crimes in groups.
Unless players could form a strong team, it was quite possible that their efforts would be in vain.
"Boss, it's possible that other players got here first..." a rooky suggested.
"Nonsense!" The Darklord slapped the man's face angrily, "Can't I see that? Damn it, who stole my treasure!"
...
White Feather and Emma were naturally unaware of the Darklord's impotent rage.
It was nearly midnight, and Emma had logged off.
She opened her holographic chamber and saw that John was still engrossed in the game, so she didn't disturb him.
She stretched, straightened her pajamas, then went into the kitchen to prepare a late-night meal for John.
Just after she finished making the noodles.
John's holographic chamber opened.
He rubbed his eyes, looking a bit tired.
John saw that Emma had prepared food, and as he walked out of the holographic chamber, he smiled and said:
"Thanks, I'm just hungry."
"And there's a fried egg, nice."
Emma watched John wolf down his food at the dining table. She said with a smile, "White Feather and I have already rushed to level 38!"
John looked at her, ruffled her hair, and complimented, "Well done, you're leveling up quickly, almost catching up with the top players."
Emma then asked, "John, what level are you at?"
Faced with this question.
John chose to evade it, and even changed the subject:
"You know, I've been leveling up in the secret realm all the time, and I haven't really paid attention to my own level... By the way, what are the popular topics in the game recently?"
Emma seemed to be used to John changing the subject, and went along with John's topic:
"It seems like a lot of people are curious about the person on the level leaderboard, wondering why the level is always displayed at 50? Do you know what's going on?"
Hearing this, John almost choked on his noodles.
As the person involved, of course, he knew what was going on.
Chapter 16- Treasure of Erebus (God of Chaos)
Ever since John climbed up to the top of the ranking leaderboard, he had been looking for a way to hide his information.
Finally, during a trial use of the "Eye of Artemis," he suddenly discovered... this skill not only could reveal the truth about other objects but also could conceal his own information!
This was one of the many mysterious powers of the Eye of Artemis talent.
Artemis, the God of Hunt, represents the moon, hunt, insight...
Thus, hiding information is exactly Artemis's field of expertise!
That is to say, when he activates the "Eye of Artemis," his personal information can be completely hidden!
So, later on, John completely hid his information on the leaderboard, and it became normal that other players couldn't see the level of the "Anonymous Player" being updated.
Of course, John did not intend to explain this to Emma.
After all, she didn't know about it was he on the ranking leaderboard.
He coughed lightly to alleviate the awkwardness, then continued, "There's nothing much to say about this, maybe that player just didn't want to play anymore, right? Any other interesting things?"
Emma propped her chin with her hand, thought for a moment, then said, "Oh yes! Today, White Feather and I wiped out a bandit camp!"
"Is that so, that's great," John started sipping his soup, casually responding.
"We also got a really nice item, probably a Legendary item," Emma added.
At this, John put down his bowl and looked at her in surprise.
As far as John knew, none of the players outside the temple had ever gotten a Legendary item.
Given the almost 0 drop rate of Legendary items... It was clear that Emma and White Feather had obtained a highly valuable item!
John was intrigued and asked, "Really? What kind of item? What does it do?"
Emma shook her head, "I don't know. It was described as an old and mysterious parchment, written in a strange language with important information... I don't know anything beyond that."
Hearing Emma say this, John became even more interested.
According to his past gaming experience, the items that have fewer introductions and are more mysterious often turn out to be more valuable in the end.
It's very possible that there's some secret hidden behind this parchment!
John couldn't leave the temple in the game at the moment, but he still wanted to gather as much information about the world outside the temple as possible.
That way, when he's able to leave the temple, he won't be completely ignorant and have trouble integrating into other player groups.
John asked, "Do you have that Legendary item with you? Can you send it to me through the trading system? I wanna check this item"
Emma shook her head, "No, it's with White Feather."
"What do you plan to do with this item?" John asked again.
Emma replied, "We discussed and thought that neither of us could use it, so we decided to auction it off at the newbie village auction house next time we log in... We might get a lot of Gold Coins for it, after all, this is the first Legendary item I've ever seen."
John immediately shook his head, "Tell White Feather not to auction this item. No matter what price you eventually get, with the current purchasing power of players, the Gold Coins you get will definitely be far less than the value of the parchment itself."
"Next time you log on, send this thing to me to have a look."
"I might be able to see some clues from it."
Emma always listened to John, hearing him say this, she nodded repeatedly, "Okay, I'll listen to you. White Feather will definitely have no objections to your suggestion."
Over the past month, John has been a major customer of White Feather.
She has made a lot of Gold Coins from selling Silver Tear to John.
Therefore, White Feather has always respected John, calling him the big boss.
Because of John, she would call Emma "My lady".
In White Feather's view, John must be a very wealthy person in reality, otherwise, he couldn't possibly afford to spend so many Gold Coins.
Therefore, Emma, who lives with John, must be a "Lady".
"Very good," John finished discussing this matter and then felt a bit sleepy.
He glanced at Emma, giving her a suggestive look.
Emma knew exactly what he was thinking upon seeing this look.
She quickly covered her proud chest and said, "No! It's too late today, it's already midnight! How about... tomorrow? I'm off tomorrow, and there are no classes at school."
Regardless of what she said, John just smiled and calmly said, "Okay, then tomorrow."
Emma was stunned. This was the first time she had seen John being so obedient.
"What... what's going on with you?"
"What do you mean?"
Emma pouted, "Usually, if I say something like this, you'd immediately pounce on me without a word, or directly carry me to the bedroom... Why are you so calm today?"
Seeing John agree so readily to not do it, Emma felt a little disappointed.
She couldn't help but doubt if she wasn't attractive to John anymore.
John laughed out loud and pointed at the time on his phone.
At that moment, the time was exactly 23:59:56.
In other words, in four seconds, it would be "tomorrow".
Seeing the time, Emma immediately understood John's meaning, and said in realization, "I knew it!"
Four seconds later, without any hesitation, John directly picked up Emma and said, "See, I acted according to your words, not until 'tomorrow'."
After saying this, he carried Emma back into the bedroom.
...
The next day.
Not long after John and Emma logged on, Emma contacted John and said, "Brother John, White Feather is already online. I've told her about your request. Shall we send the item to you now for review?"
"Sure", John replied.
Soon, the glowing golden item appeared before John.
He picked it up and was instantly stunned.
The strange characters on this parchment, he seemed to have seen them before!
He turned his head to look at the twisted stone gate he had entered countless times. ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐๏ผ๐๐๐ฎ
Then, he looked at the walls around the temple...
That's right.
The language on this parchment was the same as the language inside this Godslayer temple!
John tried to use the "Eye of Artemis" to look at the parchment.
Unfortunately, while the "Eye of Artemis" could see the essence of things, it did not have a translation function.
However, John still made progress.
With the help of the Eye of Artemis, he at least knew what the item in front of him was...
"Treasure of Erebus"?!
Was this a God's treasure map?
From a literal understanding, this "God of Chaos" should be a god in charge of chaos and ambiguity... It seemed to have some relation to "Azazel"?
What would happen if he brought this parchment to Azazel?
While John was examining the parchment, White Feather sent a message: "Boss, I've sent you the item. Emma and I have discussed it. If you like it, we'll give it to you."
John thought for a moment and did not reject outright.
If this item really had something to do with The Devil he needed to defeat, it would be a very valuable tool for him.
But if this parchment was unrelated to Azazel, there was no need for him to hoard it.
After all, it was the result of the two girls' hard work fighting monsters.
So, John replied: "Okay, I'll try to see if this item is useful to me. If it is, I will buy it from you with enough Gold Coins. If it's not, I'll return it to you."
After a while, White Feather replied: "Okay, we have no problem with that."
Then, curiously, she sent another message: "By the way, Boss, I always see that you hide your personal information... Emma and I are already at level 38. Can you tell me what level you are?" The message was accompanied by a cute emoji.
Asked by White Feather, John looked at his attribute interface... and the number "586" displayed on his level.
He couldn't help but give a wry smile.
He felt that if he really told them his actual level, they might think he had gone mad.
Chapter 17-A Conversation with Azazel
?After a month of hard work.
John had successfully broken through the lv500 and reached level 586.
This level, for ordinary players, was quite outrageous.
If word got out, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation.
John decided to keep this completely secret, not even tell his close friend Emma.
So he wouldn't tell White Feather either.
"I'm probably...a bit higher than you," John replied.
White Feather was a little confused, how much was "a bit higher"?
40 levels more?
But White Feather didn't ask more.
Since John didn't want to give a detailed answer, it would be pointless to keep asking.
White Feather believed that John must be a very powerful player, with a level definitely higher than hers.
As for how much higher...she didn't need to know the specifics.
"Alright, I got it. We will wait for your message, boss," White Feather replied.
John closed the chat interface.
Holding the golden parchment, he walked towards the twisted stone gate.
Passing through the long corridor, John again faced The Devil "Azazel".
Unexpectedly, Azazel, in the black mist, didn't instantly kill John.
Instead, his gaze shifted to the parchment in John's hand.
A dull sound echoed from all directions into John's mind.
The voice seemed ancient, instilling endless fear and chaos.
For an instant, John felt like his soul was being torn apart, divided into countless selves.
But John quickly recovered. Among his many talents, he just happened to have the ability to resist chaos.
When he calmed down, he realized that the voice was not an attack from The Devil.
It was just a sentence The Devil said to him.
Just one sentence had almost torn the soul of a nearly level 600 player!
"Where did you get this thing?" Azazel asked.
Facing the powerful Devil's questioning, John straightened up and retorted, "Is this yours?"
Seeing him daring not to answer his question, The Devil was instantly enraged.
A cloud of black smoke swept over, and John's health quickly dropped to the bottom.
He was utterly defenseless!
...
[Ding, you have been killed.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
...
"Huh."
John took a deep breath, his heart still pounding.
It truly deserved of being The Devil.
Once angry, the damage caused was something he couldn't contend with, even though he was already level 586.
In the eyes of the gods, he was still as insignificant as a bug!
However, this death was not entirely without gains for John.
At least, he proved one thing...The Devil "Azazel" indeed recognized the parchment, and seemed very familiar with it.
He took out the parchment, sneered, and thought to himself: "In that case, things will be simpler from now on."
John stood up again and rushed into the stone gate.
This time, when he stood in front of The Devil, he didn't wait for Azazel to ask.
He directly took out the parchment and asked, "TELL ME, is this yours?"
Facing the always "resurrecting" John, The Devil Azazel was truly at a loss.
He had been sealed in the underground temple by powerful gods, his strength suppressed to one-tenth of its original, and now he had to deal with this tenacious bug.
Despite his reduced power, he was still capable of instantly killing this bug.
But bizarrely, this bug could resurrect infinitely... and even continuously grow stronger.
This left The Devil Azazel with no way to deal with him.
With a hum, Azazel said to John, "This item, it is mine. Mortal, how did you get it?"
John, resisting the erosion of the ancient voice and watching his HP continuously drop, quickly asked, "Does it record your treasure? What is it?"
Although Azazel was very displeased with John's irreverent attitude, it seemed that aside from killing John, he had no other options.
He had tried to torment this human before, but each torture seemed useless.
The man didn't even scream in pain, let alone beg for mercy.
This made Azazel extremely frustrated.
He guessed that this human was likely intentionally placed here by the gods who had sealed him.
Not only could this human resurrect infinitely, but he also seemed to have completely blocked out pain.
In this way, Azazel was left with no way to deal with him.
After a long while, Azazel said, "Actually, it's not really a treasure. It's just an abandoned shell that I used before becoming a god. Those gods fear my ability to create chaos, so naturally, they wouldn't allow my shell to exist freely, hehe... But even my pre-godhood shell couldn't be destroyed in a short time, so those gods arranged many guards to prevent my shell from reappearing in the world before it completely disappeared!"
Upon hearing this, John finally understood the value of this parchment.
"So if it's where your pre-godhood shell was, there must be a lot of powerful treasures along with it, right?"
Azazel scoffed, "Mortal, if you think there are, then there are. No matter what they are, to me, they have no value... Perhaps those things would seem valuable to you humans. In my eyes, you humans are but a bunch of bugs that I can crush at will, just adding a bit of fun to the chaos..."
John didn't listen to the rest of what Azazel was saying.
Because at this moment, his HP had completely depleted.
Facing a god, even if the god had no intention of attacking, just conversing would be a deadly blow to ordinary creatures.
Having returned to the outer part of the temple, John walked up to the tray statue and then contacted White Feather.
White Feather: "Galewind (John's ID), boss? What can I do for you?"
John: "This Legendary parchment is of no use to me, I'll send it back to you. But don't investigate what's inside, whatever it is, it's a power beyond the reach of current players, and it's very dangerous."
White Feather: "So how should we do to this parchment? Just throw it away?"
John thought for a while, then replied:
"Don't throw it away, it would be too wasteful, after all, it's the first 'Legendary' item in the entire server. Here's what you do, take it to the auction house. The auction house has its own appraisers, they will appraise this item."
White Feather: "Alright, boss, we'll do as you say."
After giving instructions, John placed the parchment back on the plate.
The item was transported back to White Feather.
Following John's instructions, she and Emma went to the largest Dawn Breeze Auction House in the city where Silver Church was located.
In this Dawn Breeze Auction House, there were not only many NPCs, but also many players working.
In the game "Godslayer", every profession in the world can be tried by players.
Players are not outsiders in the world, but truly live within it.
For example, the resident host of this auction house was a player, a somewhat famous internet celebrity, with the ID "Isabella Jones".
Coincidentally, White Feather knew this "Isabella" in real life, so she directly found her and entrusted her to help auction this "ancient parchment".
After the three met, "Isabella" couldn't wait to ask, "White Feather, did you say you got a 'Legendary' item? This is the first Legendary item in the entire server!"
"Quick, show me!"
Chapter 18- Let Me Show You the True Meaning of Despair!
Seeing the passers-by coming and going behind her, White Feather said to Isabella,
"There are too many people here, we should go somewhere private to talk."
Isabella nodded and said, "The auction house has a special reception room that I can use. Let me invite Master Reo over and we can talk in the reception room."
Master Reo, an elderly NPC, is the chief treasure appraisal master at Dawn Breeze Auction House.
It is said that he is over 200 years old, a long-lived and wise human.
Players can trigger a quest to find Master Reo after completing certain special quests.
As long as they pass Master Reo's test, they can change their class to "appraiser".
Although this class is not strong in combat, it has a strong ability to appraise various items, so its ability to make money is quite impressive.
And Isabella, she is Master Reo's disciple, also an "Appraiser".
Under Isabella's guidance, White Feather and Emma arrived at the auction house's special reception room.
After waiting for a few minutes, an old man wearing a light purple robe, who looked very knowledgeable, walked in.
Isabella quickly introduced, "This is the Chief Appraiser of Dawn Breeze Auction House, and also my mentor, Master Reo."
White Feather and Emma greeted him with great respect.
The old man greeted them amicably and then sat down on the sofa.
"You two say you've found a 'Legendary' item? This is rare, I haven't seen it in a long time..." Master Reo said straight to the point, "Can you take it out now and let me have a look?"
White Feather didn't hesitate. After all, John had already told her that this item was extremely dangerous, so there was no need to treasure and hide it like a precious jewel.
She directly took out the parchment radiating a faint golden glow from her backpack and handed it to Master Reo.
Isabella also rushed to look at it.
As a player, it was the first time she had seen a real "Legendary" item.
But her appraisal level was too low, she couldn't see the secret of the item at all.
But Master Reo, the moment he touched the parchment, his eyes, which were originally squinted, suddenly widened.
Even his hands holding the parchment were trembling uncontrollably.
"This... this is..."
Seeing Master Reo so excited, Isabella quickly asked, "What's the matter, mentor?"
Master Reo rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, then took out a monocle from his bosom and put it on his right eye.
At this time, everyone could see Master Reo's seriousness towards the item in his hand.
Isabella was wondering in her heart. She had been at the auction house for more than half a month and had handled countless treasures, but it was the first time she had seen Master Reo so excited.
It took Master Reo a while to come back to his senses.
He pointed to the parchment in his hand and said, "This is the treasure of the ancient Devil... The text recorded on it is in Demon language!"
"If I'm not wrong, this parchment records the treasure map of the Devil who governs the 'chaos', 'Azazel'!"
"The words on it that records the specific address, you need to find a master proficient in Demon language to translate, I can't translate it all."
Upon hearing this, everyone present took a deep breath.
A treasure map of a Devil?!
How terrifying must the treasures buried on it be!
White Feather now understood why John didn't let them use this item, but wanted to auction it off.
With her and Emma's strength, it's impossible to get the Devil's treasure!
Just as everyone was silent.
Isabella looked at White Feather seriously and said, "White Feather, this is a big deal. This item is not only a 'Legendary' item, but also a Devil's treasure... Once the word gets out, it will definitely cause a sensation among players worldwide!"
"Do you... really want to auction this item here?"
Master Reo returned the parchment to White Feather, adding, "This item is extremely dangerous, but human greed is endless. As long as there is profit to be made, they will flock to it no matter how dangerous it is... If you auction it here, we can guarantee you a good price, but because this item is the Devil's, we have to charge a high handling fee, about 20%... you should think about it."
White Feather looked at Emma, as if asking for her opinion.
Emma was very straightforward: "What did Galewind say?"
White Feather: "He said to auction it off."
Emma laughed, "Then just auction it off."
White Feather nodded, handed the parchment back to Master Reo, and said, "Then let's auction it at Dawn Breeze Auction House. As for the handling fee, that's not a problem."
Seeing Master Reo take the parchment, Isabella couldn't help but ask White Feather, "Who is this 'Galewind' you two talking about? Is he also a player?"
White Feather nodded and laughed, "Yes, he's a very powerful player. Both Emma and I owe our smooth leveling to his guidance."
A curious look appeared on Isabella's sweet face, she propped her chin with her hand and said, "Really? There aren't many men that can earn your praise, White Feather!"
"I'm really interested in this 'Galewind' now."
White Feather hurriedly said, "Don't talk nonsense, I haven't officially met him yet, and besides, appearances in the game can be changed, even if I've met him, he doesn't know what I look like in reality."
Isabella deliberately laughed, "What a pity, not being able to see the real appearance of our beautiful White Feather is a man's loss!"
Seeing Isabella say this, Emma couldn't help but be on alert.
How come there are always so many beautiful women interested in John wherever he goes?
It's really dangerous!
...
On the other side.
John, who was pretending to be profound in front of The Devil Azazel, suddenly felt his nose itch, followed by a sneeze.
Suddenly, the aura of a strong guy he was trying to create was completely gone.
"Darn it, who's talking behind my back?"
John rubbed his nose, then looked at Azazel again.
"Devil, have you thought about it? Will you let me out or not?!"
Azazel looked at the creature in front of him, who was like a bug, and said coldly:
"If I could get out, do you think I would be sitting here playing with you, a bug?"
John looked at his rapidly decreasing HP and thought:
Talking with a God is troublesome, even just hearing their voice makes my HP keep dropping... It's difficult to even have a proper conversation.
He already knew that The Devil in front of him was sealed here by other Gods.
Even The Devil itself couldn't leave this underground temple.
This made John very disappointed.
Do I really have to defeat Azazel to get out?
But he was almost level 600 now, and still couldn't handle a single attack from Azazel, he didn't know when he could defeat him...
Forget it.
Stop thinking about it.
Negotiating with it is a waste of time, better to keep leveling up!
Only when I'm strong can I do anything I want to do!
John didn't waste any more words, and drew out his "Divine Blade".
At this point, he had leveled this skill up to level 7, making it extremely destructive.
[Divine Blade (Divine Skill) (Level 7): Use this skill to create a weapon out of thin air based on your mental strength. The weapon's attributes are determined by the skill level, character level, and character's mental strength. The initial attributes of Divine Blade are +800,000 damage and a 25% critical hit rate.]
Seeing John draw out his "Divine Blade", Azazel knew what he was going to do.
Although for all this time, this "bug" hadn't been able to attack his real body, but his persistence was really annoying to Azazel.
It was as if this bug truly believed he could kill a God.
This made Azazel, who had always been lackadaisical and didn't take John seriously, think for the first time that he should really let John experience the gap between a bug and a god.
He let out a cold laugh, and actually stood up from his high seat.
John was also stunned.
This was the first time he had seen the Devil stand up from within the black mist.
Azazel looked down at John, raising his hands.
With that voice from ancient times that pierced through time and space, he warned John:
"Then I will show you..."
Chapter 19- Global Sensation! The First "Legendary" Item Up for Auction!
After Azazel finished speaking, John suddenly felt a void beneath his feet.
Then, he was infinitely falling, plunging into an abyss. ๐๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ท๐๐๏ผ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ
The strange sensation of weightlessness, along with the surrounding Black Mist, was continuously invading his brain and psyche.
Although there was no physical pain, John could clearly feel his mind slowly disintegrating.
It was as if he had fallen into a world of endless reincarnation, where every life he experienced was chaotic, disordered, and painful.
In the end, John even found it difficult to discern what was real.
If such an experience continued, he might indeed be brainwashed by Azazel, unable to tell which is his true self.
The Devil's power was terrifying.
Fortunately, John had one last resort.
Once he used it, no matter how powerful the Devil was, it would have no effect on his mind. That wasโlogging out!
"Are you sure you want to log out?"
"Yes," John chose without hesitation.
The next second, he was back in the interior of the holographic chamber.
"That was close. If I had been tortured like that, I might have gone crazy," John sighed in relief.
Once his mind had recovered and stabilized, he restarted the game.
In Azazel's view, John was under his mental control.
Then suddenly, this bug just disappeared.
Completely vanished, as if he had torn through space, completely gone.
This left Azazel quite puzzled.
Shortly after, John reappeared in front of him.
This shocked the Devil greatly, and he asked, "Did you just escape the temple?"
The moment John heard The Devil's voice, his HP plummeted.
But he had no choice, knowing the gap between himself and The Devil was still great.
The Devil could kill him just by looking at him.
Upon hearing Azazel's words, John remembered that this guy was sealed here by other gods and must long for freedom, so he deliberately said, "Yeah, what's the matter? I come and go as I please!"
Sure enough, Azazel visibly became furious.
A powerful Black Mist swept over, and John was instantly disintegrated.
โฆ
[Ding, you have been killed.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
[Exp Points +5,900,000,000]
[Gold Coins +500]
[Due to the effect of Silver Tear (Rare), the Exp you gain is increased.]
[Experience +59,000,000,000]
...
"What a temperamental Devil."
When John resurrected again, he found that he had leveled up.
And he had actually gained 15 levels!
[Player: Galewind]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Assassin]
[Level: 601]
[Attributes...]
...
He had to check the Exp gain prompt just now.
Since leveling up to 100, because the Exp gain was too much, it was just a string of numbers for John, so he hadn't paid much attention to the specific Exp number.
But now that he saw it, he was stunned.
Dying once, he actually gained 5.9 billion Exp! And another 59 billion Exp from the Silver Tear...
This allowed him to gain more than 10 levels!
John had to carefully consider why he gained so much Exp from that death.
Could it be... because The Devil Azazel was furious?
As long as he truly angered him, he could gain a lot of Exp bonus?
The more John thought about it, the more he felt that was the reason.
He charged into the twisted stone gate again.
To test his hypothesis, John stormed towards Azazel, shouting:
"What a Devil, you're nothing special!"
"I'm standing in front of you again... what can you do to me?"
Seeing John appear before him again and hearing his taunts, Azazel's anger intensified.
The wrath of The Devil shook the entire temple.
...
[Ding, you have been killed.]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
[Exp Points+6,000,000,000]
[Gold Coins+500]
[Due to the effect of Silver Tear (Rare), the Exp points you gain have been increased.]
[Exp Points+60,000,000,000] ...
After John resurrected, he couldn't hide the excitement on his face.
"That's it!"
"The angrier The Devil Azazel gets, the more Exp I gain!"
...
Meanwhile, in the underground temple, John was leveling up continuously.
With the agreement of White Feather and Emma, Dawn Breeze Auction House displayed the legendary item "Ancient Parchment" on the auction house's bulletin board.
To build momentum for the next auction, Master Reo even had the auctioneers go to nearby towns for promotion.
The NPCs carrying out such a grand promotion naturally caught the attention of the players.
Plus, there were players in Dawn Breeze Auction House who, in order to make the auction house famous, promoted it fervently on forums, posts, and any place where comments could be made...
News of the appearance of a legendary item quickly spread like wildfire.
In an instant, the entire in-game chat channel erupted in excitement.
"What? A legendary item has appeared!? If I recall correctly, this is the first legendary item since the game launched!"
"Does anyone know what this item is? Please DM me, I have a big reward!"
"No matter what this item is, our Egle Guild is willing to pay a high price for it!"
"What the hell is Egle Guild? I've never heard of it. This legendary item will inevitably be a target for the top guilds. If you're not prepared to spend millions, don't even think about it."
...
Players were passionately discussing what the item could be, trying to dig out any information about this legendary item from any source.
The well-known guild leaders were also shocked by the news, each reaching out to their networks to figure out what the legendary item was.
This news caught the attention of not only domestic players, but also those abroad.
Since this was the first time a legendary item appeared in the game, it was global news.
Many international players left messages in the chatroom claiming they would definitely attend the auction.
Those who couldn't make it in time said they would commission local players to bid on their behalf and use the Global Trade Guild to transport the item back.
In short, even before the auction started, there were undercurrents around the Dawn Breeze Auction House.
Countless internet celebrities started live broadcasts around the auction house, preparing to stream the entire auction process.
Gradually...
The number of players gathering in the town was increasing.
Dawn Breeze Auction House and Silver Church were located in a city called Silverglow.
This city was under the jurisdiction of Silver Church, so security was excellent and few players dared to stir up trouble nearby.
If you were caught doing something bad by the Silver Knights, the consequences would not be pleasant.
Despite the large number of players in the town, the order was still good.
There were three days left before the auction officially started.
These players seemed tireless, rushing to Silverglow and crowding the town.
The town's gates were constantly admitting players, and the teleportation array was operating at full capacity.
The town was instantly packed with people, and the area outside the auction house was so crowded that it was impassable.
Seeing such a scene, all players knew in their hearts.
The first major event that would go down in history in the "Godslayer" game was about to happen.
Chapter20- The Auction Begins
Three days later.
John revived once again in the temple.
At this point, he was already at level 667.
In his battle with The Devil Azazel, he was no longer instantly killed by The Devil.
Instead, he could now withstand one or two attacks from The Devil and even fight back.
Although he still couldn't break Azazel's defense, such progress was a tremendous encouragement for him.
"I still can't cause any damage to Azazel. My attacks are always blocked by the Black Mist swirling around Azazel... What skill is that?"
John began to summarize his combat experience, something he excelled at.
In past games, John was able to derive a lot of information from each battle and analyze it, so he could handle similar enemies more effectively in the future.
In "Godslayer", because his opponent was too strong, and he couldn't withstand the opponent's first attack at all, there was no opportunity to analyze the battle.
Now that he could withstand a few attacks, it was time to learn from his experiences and constantly hone his combat skills.
What he didn't know was that while he was quietly isolated in the temple, the world outside was already bustling with excitement and noise.
Silverglow was nearly bursting with players.
Even outside the city, numerous guilds had set up their marching tents.
If players who didn't know the situation passed by, they might even think that many guilds were uniting to siege Silverglow.
In the city, White Feather, a Silver Knight, was also overwhelmed.
Although she was one of the owners of the legendary item, she didn't have time to think about the auction.
She and her fellow players were ordered by the Silver Bishop to maintain the security of Silverglow and prevent the new "players" from causing any trouble in the city.
In the past two days, White Feather has hardly logged out.
If she doesn't complete the bishop's quest, a significant amount of her "Church Contribution Points" would be deducted.
This would not bode well for the future development of her character.
However, fortunately, despite her busyness over the past two days, she has made considerable gains.
She has earned a substantial amount of " Church Contribution Points" from the Silver Church alone, which has balanced her feelings a lot.
She considers it as overtime pay.
On the other hand, inside the auction house.
Emma looked down from the window of a high-rise building and felt her scalp tingle at the sight of the crowded players in the city.
She never thought that auctioning a piece of parchment would cause such a commotion.
Isabella, the auctioneer in the room, saw her look of fear and comforted her,
"You don't have to worry about all this. As the owner of the legendary auction item, you don't need to speak when the auction starts. Leave everything to us, we're professionals."
Emma nodded awkwardly and then asked,
"Isabella... How much do you think this parchment can sell for?"
Isabella sighed, shook her head and replied honestly, "To be honest, even as a professional auctioneer, this is the first time I've seen such a spectacle. I estimate... this legendary item might fetch no less than 10 million dollars..."
"10 million?!" Emma was stunned.
Even after deducting the auction house's commission and the money she had to split with White Feather, she would still net nearly 4 million.
That's 4 million in cash!
Emma, who used to have to work as a delivery guy to supplement her tuition, was at a loss for words.
Isabella saw Emma's stunned expression and thought she found the price too low, so she quickly added, "This price is just my conservative estimate. No one knows the final price... Don't worry too much, our auction house's mission is to help the original owner sell at a high price. If possible, we'll push the price as high as we can."
Emma quickly shook her head and said, "That's not necessary, I'm just afraid that if we sell it for so much money... White Feather and I might attract the attention of criminals. After all, it's so much money..."
Seeing Emma looking so scared, Isabella laughed.
She reassured her, "Forget about it, throughout the auction process, we will not reveal any personal information about the original owner of the auction item... So far, the only people who know that you and White Feather own the parchment are Master Reo and me."
Hearing what Isabella said, Emma felt a little relieved.
As a simple freshman in college, she didn't want to attract the attention of any bad guys.
At that moment, Isabella glanced at the time and said, "It's time to go to the venue now, you can just go and sit in the VIP section."
Emma asked, "What about you?"
Isabella winked and replied, "Master said that I would be the host of this auction, so I can't accompany you. You just watch from the audience and see how I sell that parchment for a good price!"
...
Half an hour later, Emma arrived alone at the VIP section of the auction venue.
It must be said that the auction venue of the Dawn Breeze Auction House is quite magnificent and impressive.
The interior alone can accommodate thousands of people.
But the volume of this auction clearly exceeds a few thousand people.
Outside the auction venue, countless players were begging for a ticket to the auction.
However, those who could get tickets were all powerful figures, so why would they easily give up their tickets?
Soon, in the system market, the tickets for this auction were hyped up to 10,000 dollars each.
And that's the price for seats in the far corners.
There were no VIP tickets available at all.
Those who could get VIP tickets were either industry leaders, guild leaders, or extremely wealthy or powerful people in reality.
In short, the VIP section was for the rich or powerful.
Emma sat alone in a seat, looking out of place with the people around her.
This made Emma feel uncomfortable.
Fortunately, after waiting for ten minutes, the auction officially began.
All eyes were on the stage.
There, people would see the first legendary item in this game!
In people's eyes, there was nothing but desire and greed.
This was not just an item.
With so much attention, anyone who bought this item could instantly gain a lot of attention and become the topic of conversation among gamers and influencers.
Such a large amount of attention is valuable in itself. ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ป๐จ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น.๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ
In the eyes of some people, even if this legendary item is not very useful, it is worth spending a lot of money to buy!
On the stage, Isabella appeared stunningly in a pure white fitted dress.
Her exquisite appearance and curvaceous figure instantly amazed many players.
There were many live-streaming influencers in the audience, and at this moment, the bullet screens in their live broadcast rooms were all:
"Wow! The host of this auction is so beautiful!"
"Yes, she's a beauty!"
"Even if we don't buy anything at this auction, just enjoying the beautiful host is a win!"
...
On the stage, Isabella gave a slight smile and professionally addressed the guests with the opening remarks of the auction.
As the vibe gradually heated up, she announced to the crowd in her voice as pleasant as a lark:
"Now, I declare that the auction officially begins!"
"Please bring out the first auction item."
A hostess walked up with a box and placed it on the central podium.
Under Isabella's introduction, the hostess opened the box, revealing a gleaming dagger.
"This is our first auction item, a Rare dagger! Suitable for players above level 35!"
"Its attribute enhancements are very excellent, and it even has 'Backstab Enhancement', 'Poison Enhancement', and a series of features that enhance the characteristics of assassin players!"
"This item starts at 35 Gold Coins!"
Many in the audience who initially thought they would see the legendary item lost interest when they saw it was just a dagger.
However, they also understood that the legendary item, being the grand finale of this auction, wouldn't be brought out until the end.
So, they could only wait patiently.
Although almost all the players came for the legendary item, there were still quite a few assassin players at the scene who were very interested in this dagger.
Therefore, the bids began to come in one after another...
"I bid 40 Gold Coins!"
"I bid 45 Gold Coins!"
"I bid 55 Gold Coins!"
...
Chapter21-Starting Bid of 1 Million for A Consumable Item? Are you guys crazy?
The game "Godslayer" had been launched for a month now, and the value of Gold Coins was not the same as it was.
The exchange rate between Gold Coins in the game and real-world currency had roughly stabilized at 1:500.
This meant that the starting price for this dagger, converted into real-world currency, was about 17,000 dollars.
As a temporary transitional equip, this price was already a bit high.
Emma watched as the players below kept raising their bids, her heart pounding wildly.
Is this what an auction is like?
It's indeed a game for the rich!
...
Meanwhile, in the temple.
John knew that the auction had begun, but he wasn't particularly interested.
He had already seen that legendary item, and it was nothing but a harmful thing. Whoever bought it would be throwing their money away.
The Devil's discarded husk before becoming a god, what good could come out of it?
Not to mention there were other gods' guardians set up.
This was not a treasure, but a death trap!
So he didn't bother watching the live broadcast of the auction and was instead trying to figure out how to deal with the Black Mist around The Devil Azazel.
If John guessed correctly, the Black Mist concealed divinity, a manifestation of a certain order.
To break this Black Mist... either find a loophole in the order, or master another power of an order.
Otherwise, the Black Mist would be an insurmountable barrier.
Only by breaking the Black Mist could he attack The Devil Azazel's true body.
"Mastering the power of an order, huh." John thought to himself.
Although the game world was not the real world, mastering its orders was no easy task.
Possessing the power of orders meant one was at least a demigod.
It seemed more likely to find a loophole in the laws of Black Mist.
John had no idea how to solve the Black Mist problem for the time being, so he decided not to think about it.
"No matter what, continuing to level up is definitely not a problem... as the saying goes, Where there's a will, there's a way."
"Maybe when my level is higher, there will be a way to deal with that Black Mist."
So he continued to charge into the Stone Gate to deal with "trouble" from The Devil Azazel.
...
Silverglow.
Inside the Dawn Breeze Auction House, the hostess Isabella continued to introduce one auction item after another.
The items for this auction were all carefully selected, with various rare equipment and items, all of them high quality.
Combined with Isabella's professional presentation and persuasive words, the bidding was incessant.
"The next item is the penultimate one in this auction."
"This is a potion created by a mysterious alchemy master. It's very rare, and no words from me can describe its preciousness..."
"So, I suggest you all to see it for yourself." Isabella's introduction drew everyone's attention to the small box in the center of the stage.
Those watching the live broadcast kept updating their comments:
"Is it really that amazing? Is the host exaggerating?"
"I think this item should be good, after all, it's the second to last item in the auction. We all know that the last one is that legendary item, and the auction items are presented in order of importance from low to high, so this thing must be good! Even if it's not a legendary item... it's definitely a strong one!"
"Agree!"
"Agree!"
"Agree! That bro makes sense."
"That dude earlier can't be wrong, I'm growing more curious about what this item actually is!"
On stage, the host, Isabella, noticed that everyone's attention was drawn to the box.
She knew the item had piqued everyone's interest.
She continued, "This item is a consumable, so the auction starting price won't be too high..."
"At the request of the original owner, we do not accept game Gold Coins, only real currency. The starting price is... 1 million dollars!"
The scene was suddenly silent.
Even the chat room on the internet was silent for a moment, with no one sending any bullet comments.
The first player to react couldn't help but type a string of exclamation marks in the chat channel: "!"
"Did I hear that wrong?"
"A consumable item actually dares to ask for a starting price of 1 million?!"
Soon, numerous bullet comments followed.
"Yes, you heard right, I also heard it's 1 million!"
"A 1 million consumable... isn't that just a disposable item? What kind of thing dares to sell so expensive?"
"Who knows, maybe someone thinks these rich people are fools, their money is too easy to earn."
"Rich people can't just waste money, spending 1 million on a consumable game item is like throwing money in the water, isn't it?"
Internet users started to comment one after another.
The players at the auction site also seemed somewhat unsettled.
Off stage, a few people from the Hegemony Guild were the loudest.
A player with the ID "World Conqueror" stood up and shouted, "What kind of damn thing dares to call this price? You auction house better stop wasting our time! Hurry up and bring out the legendary items for everyone!"
Several members from the same guild also angrily shouted, "Host! Who is the one dares to call this price? Give us his ID, we guild will teach him a good lesson!"
Hegemony Guild is a well-known guild in the gaming world, even once selected as one of the top 500 guilds worldwide.
It is said that the members of this guild are all involved in the underworld in reality, but it's not clear if this is true.
In general, most players in the game will choose to avoid any trouble with Hegemony Guild.
Isabella looked at the group of people from Hegemony Guild offstage, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes.
However, she quickly hid her expression.
As a professional auctioneer, she was able to control her emotions well.
"Sorry, our auction house will not disclose any information about the seller."
"World Conqueror" snorted and said, "Whatever, only a fool would buy this thing!"
If not for the presence of so many experts, he would have rushed onto the stage to force the auction house to give up the legendary items.
After all, in the game, power is supreme.
Many others in the room also had words of disapproval.
They looked at the small box with disdain and indifference.
It seemed they all thought that calling a starting price of 1 million for this item was a pipe dream.
The truly powerful people came here for the legendary items, and those without power could not afford items worth more than a million dollars.
Meanwhile, Emma, who was present, saw this and became anxious.
She quickly sent a message to John: "John, the item you asked us to bring to the auction seems to be having some problems."
...
In the temple.
John, who had just resurrected, was about to enter the Stone Gate again when he noticed the message from Emma.
He opened the friend chat interface and replied, "What's wrong? I thought the item I provided was pretty good, how did it become a problem?"
Soon, Emma replied, "I can't explain it in detail... it seems they are all very dissatisfied with your item. There are also a lot of people cursing the seller on the live streaming room. Bro, you better check out the auction live stream yourself."
John was left completely bewildered by what was said.
He had only heard that Emma and White Feather were going to auction the ancient parchment and asked them to auction something for him as well, hoping to make some money.
He never expected it to cause such an uproar online.
John logged onto the forum and opened the auction house's live streaming room.
After watching for a while, he understood why people were cursing.
"Is a starting price of 1 million dollars expensive?"
John rubbed his chin, wondering if he had set the starting price too high.
However, after thinking for a while, he quickly came to the conclusion: 1 million was not expensive at all.
In fact, it was a bargain.
The person who really bought this item would certainly gain great benefits!
Meanwhile, at the auction.
Isabella managed to calm down the noisy customers in the room, then continued,
"As for whether it's worth it..."
"I invite everyone to see what kind of item this is before making a judgment."
Having said that, she stepped forward and opened the delicate small wooden box.
A glass bottle shining with dazzling light appeared before everyone's eyes.
Chapter22- Rare Item! Bidding Frenzy!
As the glass bottle appeared, the name and effects of the item were also displayed on the big screen behind the stage:
[Silver Tear (Legendary): Holy water of the Silver Church, said to be the divine tear bestowed by the Silver Angel, extremely precious. Apply a drop to your forehead to temporarily increase your spiritual power and intelligence by 100% (lasting 12 hours), and gain +100,000% Exp points.]
[Additional Effect: This item is extremely rare and has certain divinity of the Silver Angel. Each drop can instantly kill any Undead monster below level 100.]
Silence.
A deathly silence.
It was as if all the players in the large auction house of thousands had suddenly vanished.
There wasn't a sound to be heard.
It was so quiet that it seemed as if you could hear a pin drop.
In the live streaming room of the auction, all the viewers were stunned.
"What is this?!"
"Is this item... something a player could bring out?!"
"Oh my God!"
The big shots who were originally aiming for legendary gear couldn't sit still anymore.
Although this wasn't the first legendary item to appear among players, the effect of this item was simply too terrifying!
Not to mention the already frightening attribute bonuses.
Even if it only had an Exp bonus, it would still be an extremely terrifying item! ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ง๐จ๐๐ฒ๐น.๐๐จ๐ฆ
This is a full twelve hours of thousand-times Exp!
With it, half a day's worth of leveling equals 500 days of leveling for others!
The level gap would be widened in an instant.
In this game where level can almost decide everything, such a terrifying Exp-boosting item is bound to be extremely valuable!
But.
Just the Exp bonus alone is not enough to shock everyone to this extent.
What shocked people most was the "additional effect" of this itemโit could instantly kill any Undead monster below level 100!
This is not an ordinary effect, you should know that among the players now, except for that one monster who was ranked at level 50 a month ago, no one else has even reached level 50!
Those who could reach level 40 are already considered top players at this stage.
Not to mention after level 40, each level requires a terrifying amount of Exp, even between level 41 and 40, there's a huge gap.
And Undead monsters are a type of frequently appearing creature in "Godslayer". Players often receive missions to exterminate the Undead and have encountered many powerful Undead elite monsters.
The "Harvesting Set" currently owned by the famous assassin player "White Reaper" was obtained from a level 45 Undead Lord.
It is said that "White Reaper" hired hundreds of hitmen and spent hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins on items and equip to successfully take down this level 45 boss.
Now this auction item, not only has many attribute and Exp bonuses...
It can directly kill any Undead monster below level 100!
Since there is no special mention of excluding elite monsters and boss-level monsters, it means that this so-called "Silver Tear" can kill any Undead monster below level 100!
Even when encountering a level 99 Undead BOSS monster, a drop of this can kill it instantly!
Anyone in the caution house, no matter how foolish, could figure out in a short time just how valuable this bottle was.
What does the equip dropped by a level 99 Undead BOSS mean for players who are currently at most in their forties?
It means that whoever gets it can dominate the entire game!
Just as everyone's gaze at the glass bottle became increasingly fervent, the auctioneer, Isabella, timely added:
"Ladies and gentlemen, this glass bottle contains a total of ten drops of the epic 'Silver Tear'."
"For a price of 1 million dollars, you can take all ten drops away!"
As soon as her words fell, many people couldn't help but gasp.
The silence in the room did not last long.
Soon, the first bid came.
"I'll take it for 1.2 million!"
Upon hearing this, Emma in the VIP seat was shocked and thought, "Is there a way to increase the bid by two hundred thousand directly? This guy is too rich!"
Isabella smiled faintly.
She was used to such scenes and naturally wouldn't be as surprised as Emma.
She nodded and announced to the crowd, "Guest number 73 bids 1.2 million, does anyone offer a higher bid?"
Before she had finished speaking, a warrior player stood up and called out, "I bid 1.25 million!"
Immediately someone followed with a bid, "I bid 1.3 million!"
"I bid 1.35 million!"
At this moment, a player stood up.
He adjusted his hairstyle in a showy manner and shouted, "What's the point of increasing the bid by 50,000 each time?"
"I bid 1.5 million!"
...
At the edge of the auction, Darklord watched the bidding players with a cold face, feeling very annoyed.
He also wanted this Silver Tear, but judging by the bidding situation, this auction item would not be sold for less than 2 million.
Darklord came here today, even spending a lot of money to buy auction tickets from scalpers, in order to secure the first legendary item among players.
If he now spends part of his money on buying the "Silver Tear", he will have much less money to buy the legendary item.
What if he is short of these 2 million when buying the legendary item?
Penny wise, pound foolish.
Darklord was deeply troubled.
"Screw it!"
He gritted his teeth and said to his rookies,
"Go summon all the members of the guild, let them contribute as much as they can, and transfer all the money to this account..."
"I want to give it a shot! If we can get this Silver Tear, we will absolutely dominate this game in the future!"
"Tell them, no matter how much money they contribute, as long as we can get both the Silver Tear and the final legendary item..."
"I, Darklord, will definitely return double in the future!"
Upon hearing Darklord saying such things, one of his rookies was somewhat worried and said, "Young master, maybe you should consider it a bit more?"
"Consider what?"
Darklord's eyes were red, and he said unhappily,
"Do you think I can't afford it? If I hadn't spent too much money on this game this month, my dad wouldn't have frozen my card... next month I can definitely get a lot of money!"
Seeing Darklord so angry, the rooky quickly explained,
"Young master, we know you have the power and money, but our goal today is the legendary item, we can't lose sight of the bigger picture!"
"Even if we brothers put all our money together, we can't guarantee we'll be able to buy both items... young master, we should focus all our efforts on the legendary item."
Upon hearing the advice of his subordinate, Darklord gritted his teeth.
Reason told him that his rooky was right.
However, his personality was competitive, and he always wanted to get what he set his eyes on.
Therefore, he stubbornly shouted, "I bid 1.6 million!"
However, this price was quickly surpassed.
"I bid 1.65 million!"
"1.7 million!"
"1.85 million!"
...
"2 million!"
As expected, the price quickly inflated to 2 million.
At such a price, even if Darklord was reluctant, he had to temporarily give up.
"Damn, if I can't use money..."
"Tell the brothers to gather outside Silverglow! No matter who buys it, we just need to block his way out..."
"Once you leave Silverglow, even if someone is robbed, the Silver Church can't intervene!"
"Understood, young master!"
Darklord's orders were quickly conveyed by his subordinates.
Although they couldn't contribute money, these subordinates were always enthusiastic about the benefits of a free grab.
Isabella seemed very satisfied with the current bidding.
She scanned the entire venue with her eyes and then said, "2 million for the first time!"
...
"2 million for the second time!"
...
Suddenly, a familiar face stood up.
"Our Hegemony Guild... bids 2.05 million!"
The one who made the bid was none other than "World Conqueror", who had previously complained about the high price of the Silver Tear!
Chapter23- The Formidable Blue Sea
Inside the Live Stream:
"Hahaha, why is this guy saying one thing and doing another? Wasn't it him who just said that only a fool would buy this?"
"This World Conqueror is such a joke, he really has a thick face!"
"I swear, if I ever join a guild in the future, I'll never consider Hegemony Guild, these guys are too low."
...
The chatter in the Live Stream didn't affect World Conqueror at all.
But in the crowd, many players cast disdainful glances at him.
World Conqueror didn't care at all.
As long as there were tangible benefits, he didn't mind shooting himself in the foot.
After all, Hegemony Guild didn't need to recruit newbies in the game, they mostly recruited members from their real-life society.
Isabella didn't have any affection for these Hegemony Guild guys either.
However, her professional attitude allowed her to treat all buyers impartially, so she continued to announce:
"A buyer has bid 2.05 million dollars!"
"Any other bids?"
...
"2.05 million dollars for the first time."
...
Soon, someone outbid the 2.05 million dollars.
"I bid 2.2 million dollars."
World Conqueror immediately followed:
"2.25 million dollars!"
Another person raised the bid to 2.3 million dollars.
World Conqueror seemed determined to win this item, and he roared:
"2.35 million dollars!"
At this moment, from the VIP seats, a deep voice sounded:
"3 million dollars."
A surge of astonishment echoed through the entire auction hall.
Everyone was shocked - who was this badass, raised the bid directly from 2.35 million to 3 million dollars?
World Conqueror couldn't hold back anymore.
He turned around in a rage, yelling towards the source of the voice:
"Who the hell is so audacious as to dare to find fault with Hegemony Guild?!"
As he prepared to continue cursing.
He saw the person who had just bid 3 million dollars.
All his prepared insults got stuck in his throat...
The crowd also followed the source of the sound out of curiosity.
Immediately, an eagle-eyed player exclaimed in surprise, "That's the Leader of Blue Sea Guild, Blue Sea!"
"I didn't expect him to be here in person..."
"Yeah, such a high-level figure, actually appearing here."
"Oh my god! What a handsome! No wonder he is the guild leader, he's my idol!"
...
Inside the auction house, exclamations of surprise came from the players in waves.
The viewers in the Live Stream were also not idle, they were frantically updating their comments, expressing their excitement:
"Now we have a good show to watch!"
"Blue Sea Guild Leader is famous for always getting what he wants. I'm afraid no one can compete with him now."
"Not necessarily, right? Although Blue Sea is indeed famous, isn't everyone who can attend this auction house rich and powerful? I think someone might still offer a higher bid."
"Anyway, this guy from Hegemony Guild is headed for a fall, hahaha... He dared to offend Blue Sea, he's f*cked."
"Yeah, look at how scared he looks, I bet he's regretting it now! Hahaha."
...
Inside the temple, John, who was watching the live broadcast, saw that familiar face and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.
"Blue Sea has made a move..."
"But making some money from him could also be interesting, hehe."
...
Inside the auction house,
World Conqueror, who was just being extremely arrogant and disrespectful, suddenly cowered.
He knew that he couldn't afford to offend the person who just raised the price.
Not to mention himself, Even the entire Hegemony Guild couldn't afford to offend him.
Although everyone in the Hegemony Guild is well-known and influential,
But Blue Sea is the eldest son of the famous Blue House!
Those deep and profound families are not something they can mess with!
So, World Conqueror swallowed nervously, fell silent, and sat back down.
At his submissive attitude, many people at the scene started laughing.
Of course, they laughed, but if they were asked to provoke Blue Sea, they wouldn't dare either.
After Blue Sea made a bid, the people in the hall suddenly fell silent.
It seemed that no one dared to challenge him anymore.
In a VIP seat at the auction house, a mage asked the knight sitting next to him:
"Boss, aren't we making a bid?"
This knight, with the ID "Adam", is the Leader of the famous "Genesis Guild".
Genesis Guild, like Blue Sea Guild, is one of the top 10 guilds in the world and is a top entity in the gaming world.
In the past, Adam would definitely bid.
But today, Adam shook his head and said:
"Blue Sea may look calm, but he is very stubborn. He must have what he wants."
"If he has made a bid, it's not much use for us to bid too, and we might offend him, it's not worth it."
"The price of 3 million dollars is decent for this item."
The mage was a little unwilling,
"But Boss, if we fall behind in this game, we will always be behind... Have you forgotten the level 60 elite skeleton monster we discovered by chance? With this item, we can totally design a way to instantly kill that elite monster!"
"Even if the level 60 monster only drops common equip, its attributes must be very outstanding!"
Adam looked at the mage, smiled very calmly:
"That's why I say, we better not offend Blue Sea."
"Blue Sea is the type of person who, if you give him a bit of respect, he'll give you a lot in return. He values respect," Adam explained.
"If I bid now, it will undoubtedly end up in a mutually destructive battle, and whoever ends up with the item will have to pay a hefty price."
"If I give up, Blue Sea will understand, and I can just buy a portion from him after the auction."
"Isn't there a total of ten drops? We only need one to deal with the level 60 skeleton elite."
Only then did the mage understand the wise intentions of his guild leader.
Yes, bidding like this would only make both sides uncomfortable.
It would be a better plan to let Blue Sea win this round, and then purchase some from him afterward.
He nodded and said, "Alright, I'll follow your lead, Boss."
...
"Is there anyone else who wants to bid higher than 3 million dollars?"
Isabella raised her voice.
"3 million dollars for the first time!"
"3 million dollars for the second time!"
"3 million dollars for the third time... Sold!"
As the gavel sounded, Blue Sea successfully won John's "Legendary Silver Tear" for a price of 3 million dollars.
Of course, other than Isabella and Emma, no one else in the audience knew that the item belonged to John.
Blue Sea looked very satisfied, with a smile on his face.
He raised his glass in a toast to Adam, who was a few seats away.
Adam reciprocated the gesture.
The two gaming titans shared a moment of tacit understanding and exchanged glances filled with mutual respect.
This scene was broadcasted by many Live Streams.
"Wow! Both of them are big shots! I just noticed that Guild Leader Adam is also here!"
"Two of the top 10 guild leaders in the world... The quality of this auction is incredible!"
"They seem to have a great understanding. Have they reached some agreement?"
"Could it be? If they have reached an agreement, does it mean that Blue Sea Guild and Genesis Guild will cooperate? With that combined strength, they could easily contend with the top 3 guilds in the world!"
...
In the temple.
Watching this, John's lips curled into a slight smile.
"I didn't expect Adam to be here."
"It seems that the legendary items Emma and White Feather brought to the auction are quite attractive..."
"I wish I could auction off a legendary item, I'd earn a lot of money."
Thinking this, John shook his head again.
"Forget it, be content with what you have. I've already made 3 million dollars today, minus the fees it's still 2.8 million. Pretty good already."
With that, John, feeling that there wasn't much left to see, and closed the Live Stream.
He couldn't afford to waste his time on leisure.
Other players had been playing this game for over a month already.
And aside from the temple, he hadn't been anywhere else.
If he remained stuck here for a year or more, he would fall far behind the other players...
Thinking about this,
He rallied his spirits, walked into the twisting stone door, and continued leveling up.
Chapter24-The Legendary Item
In the auction hall.
Everyone held their breaths.
They all knew that the grand finale of the day was coming.
Almost everyone present came for that legendary item, now that the auction was finally moving on to the final part, they naturally took it very seriously.
The auctioneer, Isabella, knew what everyone was expecting and did not beat around the bush, addressing everyone:
"Now that the 'Silver Tear' auction has ended, finally, let us move on to the final part of this auction..."
"I suppose you are all here for this, so I won't keep you in suspense. Please have our etiquette lady bring our final item up."
After Isabella finished speaking.
An etiquette lady came forward with a tray.
Although the etiquette lady had a great figure, not a single one in the hall was paying attention to her.
Everyone was straining their eyes to see what was on the tray.
It was another wooden box.
However, this wooden box was rectangular and didn't seem very large.
"Could it be some kind of dagger weapon?"
In the crowd, some assassin players were extremely excited.
They were eager and had made up their minds that if this legendary item was a dagger, they would spare no expense to secure it!
Isabella took the long box, placed it on the center display stand, and opened the box.
In the box, there was a worn-out parchment.
Isabella took it out and showed it to everyone:
"This is the final item of this auction."
"The item is called 'Ancient Parchment'."
"According to Master Reo of our auction house's personal appraisal..."
"This parchment contains an ancient treasure of The Devil, recorded in the Demon language. Master Reo believes that The Devil mentioned here refers to 'Azazel', the Devil who controls the 'chaos'."
"In other words, this legendary parchment is a treasure map of The Devil. As long as we invite a master proficient in the Demon language to translate, we can use it to find a treasure of the God level!"
After Isabella finished her introduction, the people on the scene collectively gasped.
"A treasure of The Devil?"
In the VIP seat, Blue Sea's eyebrows furrowed slightly, seemingly surprised at the function of this item.
"I didn't expect it to involve The Devil... I must get this item."
On the other side.
The leader of Genesis Guild, Adam, was also staring hard at the parchment on stage.
He took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice to the mage next to him:
"We must win this item!"
"The Devil's treasure is no small matter. If we can get it... then in the game 'Godslayer', our guild will call the shots from now on!"
"Looking at it now, the money I've prepared might not be enough. You go to the group's finance department to arrange for more money, it's better to be safe than sorry."
The mage was taken aback and turned to ask Adam:
"Boss... how much money should I transfer?"
Adam pondered for a moment, thought about it, and then said:
"Let me think..."
"Thirty million dollars."
"Thirty million dollars?!" The mage's expression was full of shock.
That amount of money would be enough to equip their core members to the teeth.
Adam said to him: ๏ฝ๏ฝ ๐๐๐๏ฝ๏ฝ ๐๏ผ๏ฝ๐๐
"You should know what the game 'Godslayer' represents... It represents the future of humanity! If we can dominate the game, the benefits we gain in the future can definitely exceed our imagination!"
"Consider this as an investment."
The mage nodded.
In his eyes, Adam was a figure with a godlike strategic vision.
His investments have always paid off in spades.
All he had to do was to believe in him.
The VIPs were restless.
Players in other seats were also clearly not giving up.
Although they knew they might not be able to compete with the VIPs in terms of financial power.
So, many players in the regular seats began to band together.
"Brother K, you know, we are small guilds, none of us can win this bid alone. Why don't we join forces, pool our money to bid, and share the treasure evenly, what do you think?"
"Sure, if we join forces, we really have a hope of getting it! The Devil's treasure must be substantial, enough for us to share!"
"Anyone wants to join us in the OUR Guild for the auction? We can contribute a large amount of money, only requiring 60% of the final treasure!"
"We already have 3 guilds together, with a total of 8 million dollars! Anyone else wants to join us?!"
For a while, various discussions continued in the auction hall.
Isabella didn't interrupt them.
She knew that this item was very valuable and it was very likely to set a record for auction items in the game.
Letting participants prepare ample auction funds is beneficial to the item's auction.
At this time, many players in the Live Stream chat room were also pooling money together, they wanted to participate in the auction.
Even if the part they ended up with was small, they would still be very happy.
That's a treasure of The Devil!
Just a little bit of godly power or item would be a big win!
After about 10 minutes.
Isabella saw that the players were more or less done discussing, she announced:
"Alright, let's start the formal bidding for the last item."
"The starting bid for this 'Ancient Parchment' is... 5 million dollars in cash!"
Such a starting bid was not surprising.
After all, everyone felt that if the final price of such a thing was less than 10 million dollars, it would be unreasonable.
All of a sudden, someone made the first bid:
"I bid 6 million dollars!"
It must be said, this person was very generous, directly raising the bid by one million.
Unfortunately, in such a situation, wanting to take The Devil's treasure home for 6 million was just wishful thinking.
Someone immediately raised the price:
"6.1 million."
"6.3 million!"
"I bid 6.5 million!"
"Here's 7 million."
...
Isabella even had no time to speak.
The price was raised to 7 million dollars in an instant.
And still, countless people wanted to raise the price.
When the price was raised to 9 million, the number of people bidding finally decreased, and the speed of bidding also slowed down.
"I bid... 9.05 million!"
In the crowd, a player shouted through gritted teeth.
Though he only increased by 50,000 dollars, this was already his limit.
Even for this 9.05 million dollars, he would have to find a way to borrow several hundred thousand.
At this point, some of the less capable buyers had basically dropped out.
Those left were all big shots.
Darklord, having held back until now, saw the right moment, sneered: "You dare to participate in the auction without even preparing 10 million dollars?"
After saying that, he raised his voice and shouted:
"I bid 9.2 million!"
Hearing him shouting like this.
The one who bid 9.05 million looked as pale as death.
It was impossible for him to raise his bid anymore... so, he had to accept the fact that he was out of the competition.
Darklord, on the other hand, was very excited.
After he shouted his bid, no one followed up in a short time.
This made him impatiently yell at Isabella:
"Host, why aren't you counting yet?"
Isabella glanced at him, thinking: why are you in such a hurry, you don't really think you can take this parchment home for just 9.2 million dollars, do you?
Sure enough, before Isabella could even open her mouth.
Someone immediately shouted: "I bid 9.3 million dollars."
Darklord frowned, feeling very upset.
But he knew it was almost impossible to secure it at this price.
So, he immediately shouted: "9.35 million!"
"9.5 million."
This time, a proxy bidder placed a bid.
Proxy bidders mainly serve bosses who have not yet arrived, those who are watching the live broadcast but are not on site and want to participate in the auction, the best way is to find a proxy bidder, give them a commission, and have them bid on their behalf.
No one knows who the boss behind the proxy bidder is, whether it's one person or a group of people.
That's also the second advantage of using a proxy bidder... it can keep one's identity secret.
Darklord glared at the proxy bidder and raised his hand to shout:
"9.55 million!"
"10 million."
Another proxy bidder, a bespectacled man, pushed up his glasses and said calmly.
He didn't even wait for Darklord to finish his bid before raising the price.
Darklord snorted coldly, deciding to hold back for now.
It's not that he didn't have money, but seeing that Blue Sea and others hadn't bid yet, he knew it would be meaningless to bid now.
It would only make sense to bid when these big shots really make their move.
Chapter25-Crazy!Totally Crazy!
The price reached 10 million dollars, and some subtle changes occurred in the hall.
Bidders who had prepared several million looked frustrated and had to hurriedly look for potential partners to collaborate with.
Those who had already grouped together to pool money for the auction had an expression of confidence in their faces.
"10.5 million dollars!"
Someone shouted.
"10.6 million dollars."
"11 million dollars!"
This time, it was World Conqueror from the Hegemony Guild who placed the bid.
Though they didn't manage to secure the Silver Tear, they were determined to acquire this Ancient Parchment.
"11.05 million."
"11.2 million!" World Conqueror continued to chase the price.
Then, there was another wave of bidding.
Including proxy bidders, at least twenty to thirty people in the hall started bidding.
The price was instantly raised to 13 million.
By this time, Emma in the VIP seat had become numb.
She didn't bother calculating how much she could get, it was meaningless.
Seeing the continually rising price, Emma had a sense of unreality, as if she were dreaming.
Not far from her, Blue Sea saw the price rise to 13 million and thought it was about time.
Sure enough, the hall became noticeably quieter when the price reached 13 million.
Many groups participating in the auction had to give up in the face of such a high price.
So.
Blue Sea spoke up:
"15 million dollars."
This struck like a bolt out of the blue.
Most players were shocked:
True to his reputation, Blue Sea just raised the bid by 2 million!
Seeing Blue Sea making his move, Darklord knew that the bidding had reached a fever pitch.
He immediately shouted:
"I bid 15.2 million!"
This bid drew Blue Sea's gaze towards Darklord.
He smiled slightly, didn't say much, and didn't seem to have the intention to continue bidding.
This made Darklord even more excited.
Could it be... Blue Sea has given up on the auction?
Great!
It was fortunate that he had held onto the money he had prepared to buy Silver Tear, otherwise, he really wouldn't be able to afford over 15 million dollars!
As Darklord was fantasizing about securing this legendary item.
The bespectacled proxy bidder shouted:
"15.3 million."
Darklord, unwilling to give in, continued to raise his bid:
"15.35 million!"
The bespectacled proxy bidder:
"15.4 million."
"15.45 million!"
"15.5 million."
...
After a few rounds of bidding, Darklord was about to blow a fuse.
He glared at the proxy bidder, his molars almost ground to dust.
"Damn it, who the hell keeps challenging me!"
A rooky next to Darklord hurriedly asked, "Should we give up then?"
This touched Darklord's sore spot, and he pointed at his rooky and cursed out loud:
"Damn itโฆI would never give up this item even if your old lady does!"
"16 million!"
Darklord had prepared around 20 million in dollar.
That is to say,beyond this price, he would no longer be able to afford it on his own.
So the price gradually approaching his limit was causing him such a breakdown.
If he failed to win the bid for Silver Tear today and also failed in the bid for the Ancient Parchment, then all his preparations would have been wasted!
What's more,
That Silver Tear was purchased by the leader of the Blue Sea Guild, Blue Sea.
So Darklord, who had planned to snatch the item, didn't dare to aim for the Silver Tear anymore.
Even with ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to make a move on Blue Sea!
Finally, the proxy bidder stopped raising the bid.
He was seen continuously checking his chat window, seemingly communicating with his boss behind the scenes.
"Heh, already at your limit?"
Seeing this, Darklord cracked a grin.
A price of 16 million dollars was already an outrageous amount.
Even for the first legendary item in the game, even if "Godslayer" is the No.1 game today, very few people would be willing to spend so much on it.
After all,
Not many people understand the significance of this game.
Seeing the bespectacled proxy bidder fall silent, Isabella said,
"16 million dollars for the first time."
"Does anyone want to raise the price?"
โฆ
"16 million, the second time!"
Before the words had fully left her mouth,
Adam in the VIP seat raised his hand.
This move immediately caught Blue Sea's attention.
He sneered, thinking to himself: "Finally willing to make a move, are you?"
"18 million."
Adam, expressionless, raised the bid by 2 million directly, bringing it to a staggering 18 million.
Darklord, who had been feeling triumphant, had his face change dramatically.
He quickly bid,
"18.1 million!"
"19 million." Adam remained expressionless, as if the 19 million was only worth 19 dollars in his eyes.
Darklord was stunned.
He was raising the bid by 50,000 and 100,000.
While the other party was raising by one million and two million.
How could he compete with that?
Yet, he still refused to give up, thinking to himself that the other party must be close to their limit.
"19.2 million!"
Adam gave him a sidelong glance.
His face showed no emotion.
It was as if he hadn't considered Darklord a threat at all.
He continued to look at the hostess Isabella, and said,
"20 million dollars."
Darklord felt an unprecedented humiliation.
The other party didn't even consider him as competition.
This attitude drove Darklord into madness!
"21 million!"
Darklord roared.
He thought that by raising the bid by one million all at once, he would at least make the other party take him seriously.
But this time, Adam didn't even look at him.
"22 million."
Darklord wanted to raise the bid, but one of his rookies couldn't help but remind him:
"Young master, we don't have any more money..."
"Nonsense! If there's not enough, I'll borrow!" Darklord completely ignored the advice and continued to shout:
"23 million!"
Before his words had even fully left his mouth,
This time, it was Blue Sea who raised the bid.
"25 million."
After calling out his bid, Blue Sea looked at Adam, seemingly in a show of defiance.
Adam also returned the glance, smiling faintly, and continued to bid:
"26 million."
From beginning to end, neither of them gave Darklord another look.
This made the prideful Darklord furious, his forehead vein bulging.
He was already in a frenzy and now he completely tossed rationality aside.
No matter how much it cost, he had to win it!
"28 million!"
Darklord's loud shout immediately caught everyone's attention.
Blue Sea and Adam both turned to look at him simultaneously.
"This guy is interesting, it seems he really wants this parchment." Adam couldn't help but remark.
Remark as he may,
Bidding still needed to continue.
"29 million." Adam raised by another million.
Blue Sea looked at Adam, wondering how this guy was so rich.
But Blue Sea still didn't give up, bidding,
"30 million."
At this point, Darklord was in a frenzy, to him money was just a number.
Anyway, he was determined to buy it.
As long as he obtained The Devil's Treasure, all the investments would be worth it!
Panting heavily, he shouted, "31 million!"
This price was already more than ten million over his budget.
Blue Sea frowned.
He found that the guy in front of him seemed a bit abnormal.
Continuing to bid with a lunatic was meaningless.
Moreover, he had already acquired the Silver Tear today and had spent quite a bit of money, so he decided to temporarily stop bidding.
Adam also clearly felt something was wrong.
Darklord in front of him seemed to have fallen into a state of madness, a state that couldn't possibly appear in a normal person.
He said to the mage beside him:
"This guy seems to have a problem, it seems no matter how much we bid, he will raise it."
The mage couldn't help but say:
"Does he have that much money?"
"Whether he does or not, it's unwise to bid against a madman..."
As Adam said this, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a mischievous smile.
"But to let him easily get the item is impossible."
"Let me add fuel to his fire."
Saying this, Adam raised his hand and shouted loudly:
"I bid 38 million."
In the venue, many players couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
"Wow!"
As Adam had predicted, Darklord was now a madman, he didn't hesitate and directly raised the bid:
"I bid 40 million dollars!"
40 million dollars.
That was enough to bankrupt a small tycoon.
The moment he shouted out the price.
Darklord himself realized something was wrong.
His rookies around him all turned pale.
But he had already shouted out the price, there was no room for regret.
Adam saw that he actually followed his bid, he couldn't help but sneer, and said no more.
From his stance, it seemed he wouldn't raise the bid anymore.
On the stage, the voice of the hostess Isabella came:
"This buyer bids 40 million, 40 million for the first time!"
...
"40 million for the second time!"
...
"40 million for the third time!"
"Sold!"
"Let's congratulate the buyer, Darklord!"
Chapter26- Still Owing 20 million, Darklord Starting Selling Shares
"40 million for the third time!"
"Sold!"
"Let's congratulate the buyer!"
Isabella slammed the gavel down, confirming Darklord as the buyer of the Ancient Parchment.
A whopping 40 million dollars.
Such a price, enough to buy a small company.
Darklord had finally regained some rationality at this moment.
His teeth were trembling.
He didn't know why he would shout out a price of 40 million...
He had only prepared 20 million!
How would he pay the remaining 20 million?
If he gave up the purchase, he would be giving up the deposit, which was also a large sum, and Darklord would be marked as a "dishonest person" in the game.
With such a label, he couldn't keep footing in "Godslayer" anymore, no one would trade with him.
Darklord's rookies also knew that their boss had overbid, but no one dared to speak up due to Darklord's unpredictable mood.
Darklord hesitated for a moment, then said to his rookies:
"Worst comes to worst, I'll just sell some of my dad's company shares!"
"After all, those shares are useless, and I don't care about them!"
Hearing this, all of Darklord's rookies were shocked.
"Young master, you really shouldn't do this!"
"The shares your father gave you are very important! You still have to take over the company in the future! These shares are the foundation for you to take over the company!"
Darklord snorted coldly, his eyes bloodshot.
"Taking over the company? Nonsense, that old man has always said I am not capable of taking over anything. He has mentioned something about hiring a professional manager!"
"What's the point of holding shares of a company that's not mine? It's better to sell them out!"
The more he talked about it, the more furious Darklord felt.
His father's words belittling him over the years kept repeating in his head.
He increasingly felt that selling shares to exchange for this Ancient Parchment was the right decision.
"Once I get this legendary item, I can dominate 'Godslayer'!"
"By then, why should I care about that old man's crappy company?"
With this in mind, Darklord made up his mind.
He quickly contacted his assistant to sell his shares as soon as possible.
Darklord's assistant was stunned when he first heard the order.
He never thought that Darklord would actually sell the company shares his father had given him.
You should know that, Darklord's father's company performance is very good! Both the current income and future prospects are immeasurable!
He wanted to persuade Darklord to think twice.
But was directly scolded by Darklord.
"What a crappy company, do you think I really care? I've had enough of acting on that old man's cues!"
"Go and sell shares worth of 20 million dollars for me now! I need it today!"
When the assistant saw Darklord's message, his face was very ugly.
He said with difficulty:
"Young Master, that's not a small amount... If you really want to sell in a hurry, you're definitely going to lose out. According to the market, you originally only needed to sell 7% of the shares to get 20 million, but now you have to sell 10% of the shares to get 20 million dollars in a rush sale today!"
Darklord didn't consider any of these, he replied directly:
"I don't care, I have 35% of the shares anyway."
"Can't do anything with these shares, might as well change them into some cash to spend."
The assistant sighed, he knew he couldn't stop Darklord anymore.
After all, he worked for Darklord, and naturally had to follow whatever the boss said.
...
The auction was over.
The people in the field gradually dispersed.
Darklord followed the auctioneer backstage, paid half the amount, and got his long-desired legendary item - the Ancient Parchment.
He knew he was the target of public criticism now, and didn't dare to walk out of Silverglow swaggeringly.
So, he made a request to the auction house:
"You need to find some people to escort me out of Silverglow."
"If I just bought something from you, and got robbed as soon as I left Silverglow, it wouldn't be good for your auction house, would it?"
Isabella, who was in charge of this matter, didn't like Darklord, but her excellent professionalism didn't allow her to refuse.
"Okay, our auction house will contact the Silver Knight Order. Them will send their best knights to escort you out of the city."
"But this protection can only last until 30 kilometers outside of Silverglow, any further and it's not our responsibility."
Darklord nodded with satisfaction:
"That's enough."
"Next, I'm going to a place no one knows about, to study this treasure!"
Then, Isabella reminded: "According to the rules of the auction house, you have paid half the amount, which is 20 million dollars, we will deliver the item to you, when are you planning to pay the remaining 20 million? Only after full payment will we agree to let you leave Silverglow."
Darklord swaggered over to the sofa in the reception room, sat down, crossed his legs, and said to Isabella:
"Don't worry."
"I have asked my assistant to prepare the money."
"I will definitely settle the balance today."
Isabella nodded and said:
"You have 24 hours."
"When the time is up, if you still can't pay the balance, we will take back your item according to the agreement, and trade it with the second highest bidder."
After speaking, Isabella ignored him and left the room.
At the entrance of the reception room, two high-level NPCs were guarding.
Without the permission of the auction house, no player could take Darklord out from them.
...
On the other hand.
Darklord's assistant knew he couldn't just blatantly list Darklord's shares on the trading platform.
If he did, Darklord's father would definitely find out.
So, he had to use his own connections to see if there were any tycoon willing to buy.
Soon, someone contacted him.
"I have a boss here who is very interested in these shares, I am his authorized agent, when can we sign the contract?"
Darklord's assistant was naturally overjoyed when someone appeared so quickly.
As long as he could complete the task given by Darklord, other things were be none of his business.
"As long as you can pay in cash, we can trade and sign the contract now!"
"Good, then I'll send you the electronic contract, please confirm it..."
...
Inside the temple.
John, seeing the "transaction successful" message from his agent, had a slight smile on his face.
Just now, he had heard from a former friend that Darklord was selling his father's company shares cheaply.
After a brief thought, John realized it was because Darklord had insufficient funds after the auction, which led to him selling his shares.
So.
John, who already had some savings, did not hesitate at all, immediately contacted his friend to act as his agent and sign a contract with Darklord's assistant.
With this, he spent only 20 million dollars and own 10% of Darklord's family company.
The key point was, Darklord didn't know about this at all.
He would only know that some "boss" took advantage and bought the shares he sold... If Darklord knew that the one buying the shares was John, he probably wouldn't sell even if it meant his death.
The entire transaction process went very smoothly and was completed in about two hours.
Darklord also received that 20 million dollars.
He handed over this money to the auction house as soon as he got it.
After the payment and delivery was settled, the auction house contacted the Silver Church.
They arranged a team of Silver Knights to escort Darklord and his rookies out of the city.
At this time, in a private room of a tavern in Silverglow.
Blue Sea and Adam sat at the table, each with a glass in hand.
Adam first finished his beer, took a satisfying breath, and said: "This game is perfectly made, I can even feel the malt aroma in the beer very clearly."
"At this rate, there's no need for the real-world gourmet food and wine to exist."
Blue Sea did not drain his glass like him, but took a small sip and asked: "Why did you call me here?"
Adam smiled slightly and said, "I want to make a deal with Brother Blue Sea."
Blue Sea, being smart, immediately retorted: "You want the Silver Tear?"
Adam nodded: "Speaking with a wise man is easy... I only need one drop, you name your price."
Blue Sea shook his head.
Adam was puzzled: "What, Brother Blue Sea doesn't want to sell? You haven't even heard my price yet."
Blue Sea said: "It's not that I don't want to sell..."
"But rather than have you pay, I have a better proposal."
"As long as you are willing to help me... I would give you a drop of Silver Tear for free."
Chapter27- The No.1 Player of Darklord's Guild
Hearing Blue Sea's words, Adam immediately expressed interest.
"Interesting, for you, Blue Sea, to actively extend such an olive branch, it mustn't be a small favor." "Let's hear it, if I can help, I might lend you a hand."
Blue Sea got straight to the point:
"According to the auction house's practice, they provide certain protection to the customer who buys the most valuable item."
"I just found out that the Silver Knight Order personally escorted that 'Darklord' out of Silverglow."
Adam laughed.
"So, Guild Leader Blue Sea wants to snatch that item? That's unexpected."
"I'm very interested in the treasure of the ancient Devil recorded in that Ancient Parchment."
Blue Sea shook his head again, "No, not to rob him, I want to make a deal with him."
This made Adam a bit confused.
"Deal? What deal?"
"That guy may have some money, but it's clear his strength is not up to par. If he tries to unearth The Devil's treasure on his own, he's sure to die, the risk is incredibly high..."
"Without a powerful player around, he will not be able to safely retrieve the treasure."
Adam understood Blue Sea's point.
He crossed his arms, shook his head and said, "Although you make sense... I noticed at the auction that this guy named Darklord is a bit off in the head, are you sure he would agree to cooperate with you?"
"In my opinion, it would be better to just snatch it directly. I can dispatch our guild's best scouts, they will definitely find out Darklord's whereabouts."
Blue Sea decisively refused, "Robbery is not something that a guild ranked in the top ten worldwide can do."
"Also, if we're only talking about cooperation, we don't need to know his whereabouts, we just need to post a message on the public screen or forum, he will see it."
Adam still wasn't optimistic about this deal.
He said, "Someone spent a whole 40 million dollars to buy this treasure information, do you think he would willingly share it with you?" ๐ท๐ฎ๐น๐โด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐.๐ฌ๐ธ๐
Blue Sea put down his glass and said, "I didn't say I was going to take advantage of him for free... I'll offer a reasonable price."
"Plus with your and my strength assisting, I can't see why he would refuse."
Adam laughed, "It seems you don't understand human nature enough, you can't use rationality and logic to analyze every person... That guy is quite crazy, I still suggest you and I team up to snatch that parchment."
"Even if we don't snatch it, he's definitely being targeted by many large guilds."
"That's exactly my point," Blue Sea remained graceful and composed, not at all affected by Adam's negation of his judgment. "
"He also knows he's the target of public criticism, otherwise he wouldn't have asked the auction house to arrange for the Silver Knight Order to protect him. "
"If he wants to safely get that treasure, he must have a strong enough backing."
"That's the greatest value we can provide in this deal."
"The Blue Sea Guild plus the Genesis Guild, with such a powerful lineup, who would dare to target this parchment?"
Adam, who was originally not very interested, was somewhat swayed by Blue Sea's words.
He stood up, threw down a gold coin as payment for the drinks, and then said: "If you can really convince him, I don't mind cooperating with you."
"After all, it's The Devil's treasure."
"However, if you want to get me involved throughout the process, and use the Genesis Guild's reputation as a shield... I should get a share of that treasure."
Blue Sea smiled and said, "No problem, leave the convincing to me."
...
In the game, due to the legendary item being bought, all factions were stirring.
Everyone was trying to find out the whereabouts of Darklord and the core players in his guild.
Strangely, these people seemed to have evaporated in the game world and completely disappeared.
Even the best scouts in the major guilds couldn't find their traces.
This became a mystery.
In the public chat channel, every minute someone was calling out to Darklord.
Some were making requests.
Some were threatening.
Some were seeking cooperation.
Anyway, all sorts of people were there.
And the joint statement of Blue Sea and Adam, the two major guild leaders, shocked all the players.
They didn't expect these two outstanding figures in the gaming world to team up and seek cooperation with Darklord.
As a result, the voices threatening Darklord became much less.
If they offended the Blue Sea Guild or the Genesis Guild, they would definitely lose more than they could gain.
In a sparsely populated valley to the north of Silverglow, Darklord was tightly holding the parchment in his hand, constantly browsing the forum and chat room.
A rooky said to him, "Young Master, I didn't expect the Blue Sea Guild and the Genesis Guild to issue a joint statement..."
"With these two major guilds in place, we don't have to hide anymore!"
Another immediately echoed, "Yes, yes."
"Young Master, although it's safe here, it's not good for us to keep hiding..."
"I see Blue Sea also said that he and Adam are willing to compensate you 20 million dollars, when we get the treasure, we can still get 50%, and in addition to that, they can guarantee our safety in the game... these terms are really great!"
Darklord was indecisive in the face of the persuasion of his two rookies.
He spent so much money to buy the Ancient Parchment, just to monopolize The Devil's treasure and dominate the game.
But things are not as simple as he thought.
He thought that after he got the parchment, as long as he hid for a while, the players would forget about him.
However, since he hid, the topic of finding him in the forum and in-game chat room has never stopped.
This made Darklord feel a bit scared.
Although he has some money in reality, in the game, he is far from being a top player.
Before finding The Devil's treasure and becoming stronger, if he was really robbed, then the 40 million dollars would be wasted, and his shares would be sold for nothing.
Every time he thought about this, Darklord was extremely torn...
"Get 'SoulSong' online!"
Darklord thought of the strongest player in his guild and quickly told his rookies.
Before long, SoulSong logged in.
He used the guild's teleportation stone to teleport directly to the valley and was brought to Darklord by his rookies.
This "SoulSong" was a warrior dressed in black heavy armor, who was arrogant, taciturn, and looked very strong.
If John were here, he could definitely recognize his identity.
This person was the one who had harmed him and switched his talent to the garbage "Sacrifice" - the previous guild leader!
"What's the matter, Darklord? Someone's bothering you?"
SoulSong's voice was cold.
He had received quite a bit of money from Darklord in reality and was about to go out and have a good time at the bar.
Suddenly he received a message from Darklord and logged in somewhat impatiently.
After all, when Darklord bought him with a lot of money, besides asking him to frame John, he also asked him to be on standby at all times and to help him out whenever Darklord was in trouble.
SoulSong was a very talented player.
Although he spent half his time in real life going in and out of various bars and clubs, this did not hinder his leveling up and getting stronger.
At this point, he was already at level 40, and was the top fighter in Darklord's guild.
Darklord was slightly relieved when he saw SoulSong appear before him.
He said, "You know, don't you? I've spent quite a bit of money to buy this legendary item."
SoulSong looked at the parchment in Darklord's hand, and a barely noticeable greed flashed in his eyes.
However, he quickly withdrew this greed and asked Darklord, "I know. I also know that Blue Sea and Adam are both looking for you."
Darklord kept nodding, asking, "SoulSong, you're also a famous top player in the gaming world. Do you think it's possible to cooperate with Blue Sea and Adam?"
SoulSong thought for a moment and said, "Blue Sea is fine, he is trustworthy. It's better not to work with Adam; he only cares about profits."
Then he added, "But if Blue Sea is leading this and wants to cooperate with you, then it is feasible. To my knowledge, Blue Sea wouldn't stab someone in the back."
"But..."
Darklord quickly asked, "But what?"
SoulSong's expression became extremely intriguing, and he smiled slightly, saying, "But this Blue Sea, he has a good relationship with 'Galewind'."
Chapter28- Breaking the Order! The Strike that Wounds The Devil!
"I heard from 'Galewind' before that Blue Sea once invited him to join the Blue Sea guild, but Galewind refused."
At the mention of "Galewind", Darklord was infuriated.
He vividly remembered the last game where Galewind had relentlessly hunted him, reducing his level to 0.
For a long time, Galewind had been his nightmare.
"Damn, I can't believe I'm hearing that name again... If I meet him again in this game, I swear I will kill him hundreds of times!"
SoulSong snorted, "Hasn't he already been done for? We're not going to meet him anymore."
SoulSong seemed to feel no remorse for betraying his friend.
Instead, his tone was full of mockery when he mentioned Galewind.
It seemed like betraying Galewind was just a normal thing for him.
Darklord shook his head, tossing the nightmare-like memories Galewind had given him aside, and then said, "Forget about that Galewind, the good relationship between Blue Sea and Galewind has nothing to do with this. Now it's Blue Sea and Adam who need me, they have to play by my rules."
"By your tone... It seems like Blue Sea is someone I could work with?"
"In that case, I'll cooperate with Blue Sea this time. It's also a good opportunity to recover some funds."
SoulSong asked, "Then I don't need to be involved anymore, right? I need to log off to the bar. I've arranged to meet a girl with a good figure tonight, I can't keep her waiting."
Darklord looked at SoulSong and said, "Alright, go ahead."
Just as SoulSong was about to leave and log out, Darklord suddenly laughed and said, "By the way, if you still have contact with Galewind, send him my regards. I'm quite curious about what this trash has become in this game, hahaha..."
Listening to Darklord's laughter, SoulSong also laughed coldly, "This guy's initial talent was 'Sacrifice', he probably gave up and restarted the game... Who knows where he's struggling now!"
After he finished speaking, SoulSong's figure disappeared in front of Darklord.
He logged off. ๐๐๏ฝ๐๏ฝ๏ฝ๐๐๏ผ๏ฝ๏ฝ๐
Watching SoulSong leave, Darklord told his rookies, "Alright then, I'll contact Blue Sea."
"Once I truly get The Devil's treasure..."
"I'm going to become a top ten guild leader in the world!"
...
Inside the temple, John once again stood in front of The Devil "Azazel".
Amidst the Dark Mist, The Devil didn't waste words with John, lifting his hand.
Swirls of powerful Dark Mist immediately surrounded John.
Seeing his HP continuously dropping, John quickly activated all his survival skills.
Under the enhancement of powerful skills, his HP dropping speed significantly slowed down.
"I'm almost level 700, why is my health dropping so drastically?"
Counting the time, John, with a sword formed of mental power in his hand, charged forward.
He struck out with a sword.
A large amount of Dark Mist condensed in front of The Devil, blocking John's sword.
The Dark Mist was filled with the power of ORDER, which instantly shattered John's Divine Blade.
Then, the Dark Mist formed hundreds of sharp spears, all aiming at John's chest.
Seeing this, John knew he had failed again.
In the last second, he couldn't help but laugh bitterly,
"This Dark Mist really is hard to break..."
As he finished, countless black spears pierced his heart, and his HP hit rock bottom.
...
After resurrection, John saw himself leveling up once more.
His level finally reached 700.
[Ding, you've reached level 700.]
[New talent activated, congratulations on acquiring the new talent โ 'Unrivaled Strike'!]
[Unrivaled Strike (Divine): You have trained your martial arts day and night, and finally comprehended the lethal strike after reaching the pinnacle of skill. When activated in battle, this strike contains the power of natural ORDER, capable of breaking shackles, and even gods find it difficult to resist.]
Normally, leveling up wasn't something worth celebrating for John.
But when he saw the introduction of this new talent, he was completely astonished.
"This strike contains the power of natural ORDER, capable of breaking shackles, and even gods find it difficult to resist."
What he needed came at just the right time!
His biggest headache was The Devil Azazel's Dark Mist.
Now with the "Unrivaled Strike" talent, he could try to break through the defense of the Dark Mist!
...
The Devil "Azazel" saw John appear in front of him again and frowned.
He said impatiently, "Even if you are immortal, couldn't you feel boring?"
"What's the point of dying each time you come in?"
"Did the gods give you this bug-like immortality just to annoy me?"
John laughed, "Of course there's a point."
As he spoke, he extended his hand and a Divine Blade, glowing with a faint blue light, appeared in his hand.
"Even if I'm just a bug in your eyes, even bugs find a way to evolve from each failure!"
As soon as his words fell, John charged forward like a thunderbolt.
To other players, his speed had reached an inconceivable level at this point.
But in The Devil's eyes, this was just a bug that could fly a bit faster.
"Heh, having you, this unkillable bug, does add some fun to my sealed existence," he said, "Since you like throwing your life away, then die!"
Dark Mist poured out, attempting to trap John as it had before.
But this time, John was noticeably different.
The Dark Mist could no longer instantly kill John, nor could it trap him for long.
Quickly, John broke free and swung his sword towards Azazel's neck.
Azazel sat on his throne, unmoving.
In his view, this was just another futile attempt by John.
Endless Dark Mist surged up, forming a terrifying barrier in front of John.
"Break!"
This time, John's Divine Blade wasn't instantly shattered by the Dark Mist.
The power of the "chaos" ORDER contained in the Dark Mist didn't have much effect.
John's sword swung, cutting through the Dark Mist that was enveloping him!
"Unrivaled Strike!"
John roared, striking Azazel directly with his sword.
-3692!
It broke the defense, and it was a critical hit!
The number wasn't high, but a wildly joyous expression spread across John's face...
He had finally broken through the laws and struck The Devil!
Although it only caused Azazel to lose over 3000 HP, this progress was a qualitative leap!
Azazel obviously didn't expect this outcome.
For the first time, his face showed extreme anger and a hint of fear.
The human in front of him could actually harm his true form!
And what Azazel feared the most was... this guy was visibly getting stronger at a rapid pace!
Originally, it was fine that the human couldn't break the power of the Dark Mist.
No matter how strong his attack, it wouldn't harm him...
But now, this human's attack showed the ability to ignore the ORDER, which was truly terrifying!
"Die!"
Upon landing a hit, John immediately launched a flurry of attacks.
His talents and skills allowed him to strike extremely quickly.
Unfortunately, the previous strike had been boosted by the "Unrivaled Strike" talent, which is why it had broken through the defense.
Subsequent attacks were all blocked by the Dark Mist and no longer inflicted any damage.
"Go to hell!"
Azazel roared in anger, pointing a finger at John's forehead.
Instantly, John's body became twisted and chaotic, and he was obliterated in the next second, dying on the spot!
"Boom!"
With The Devil's fury, a huge shock echoed throughout the temple!
...
[Ding, your holographic chamber has malfunctioned. To ensure your life and property safety, you have been forcibly logged out of the game. Please contact our after-sales service to repair the holographic chamber before resuming the game.]
"Huh? What's going on?"
John woke up from the holographic chamber, finding visible white smoke coming out from the outside of the chamber.
He quickly opened the holographic chamber and stepped out.
At this point, the system interface of the holographic chamber displayed the words "Error" in large letters, clearly indicating that it could no longer be used to access the game.
John looked at his now broken holographic chamber and couldn't help but sigh.
He wanted to see how much Exp reward he would get after being killed for thoroughly provoking The Devil.
But this had happened.
"Did The Devil's furious blow actually break my machine?" he wondered aloud.
"Well, I'll get someone to fix it tomorrow."
John checked it over.
Although he knew a lot about games, he was not skilled at repairing equipment.
At this point, Emma came out from the bedroom.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes, surprised at the sight of the smoke-filled living room.
"John, what happened?"
"It's nothing, just a small malfunction. I'll get someone to check it out tomorrow and see if it can be fixed... though it's made a mess of the living room. The landlord will definitely curse me for this."
Emma came over, grabbing John's arm.
"John, why don't we stop renting this apartment?"
"I've made money, a lot of money... I can buy a house for us to live in together!"
Chapter29-New Holographic Chamber!
John knew that Emma's Legendary Item must have sold for a good amount of money.
He asked curiously, "The Dawn Breeze Auction House must have made quite a lot of money from this auction, didn't they?"
Emma nodded, "They took a 20% commission, about 8 million dollars."
"White Feather and I each received 16 million dollars..."
"With this money, we could buy a nice house in the affluent district downtown!"
John thought about it, he indeed found living in this rented house quite inconvenient.
Besides, he had saved a lot of money through the sale of gold coins recently.
The balance in his bank account had already become so inflated that it was just a number to him.
John said to Emma:
"Okay, but don't waste your money, 16 million dollars may seem like a lot, but it will be gone quickly if you spend it lavishly."
"Many people who get rich quickly don't know how to manage their money, and they soon spend all their savings and live even worse than before."
Half of what John said was true, and the other half was to scare her.
The main point was that Emma was still too young, and John didn't want her to spend money recklessly without limits.
If Emma could develop a habit of managing money, this money would be enough for her to live happily for a lifetime.
However, John was very grateful that Emma was thinking about buying a house for them to live together, so he added:
"Since we're are going to buy a new house, I suggest let me do it."
"Anyway, I need to buy a house of my own."
After he finished speaking, John looked at his smoking holographic chamber and said:
"Before buying a new house, I need to replace this scrap metal, it seems completely unusable now."
Emma nodded.
Then she said, "I have to go back to school for a while, final exams are coming, I might not be able to accompany you for the next half month." ๐๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ท๐๐๏ผ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ
John hugged her waist and said, "It's okay, your studies are the most important."
"By the time you come back, I might be able to come out of the underground secret realm."
Because John couldn't leave the temple,
Every time Emma asked, John would use the excuse that he was exploring the underground secret realm, if he gave up halfway, he would not get any rewards, and the game progress would be much slower than other players.
Emma was looking forward to John being able to come out of the secret realm every day, so they could level up and defeat bosses together.
Hearing what John said, Emma said excitedly,
"That's great! When I come back, we'll go on an adventure together! There are many places that White Feather and I can't handle alone, we're waiting for you!"
Before Emma could finish,
John picked her up.
Then walked towards the bathroom.
"Eh? John, what are you doing?"
John gave a devilish smile, "Didn't you just wake up and haven't washed yet? I also need to freshen up, so we can take a bath together, and then I'll take you to school."
Emma struggled, but couldn't get away.
She could only close her eyes and let John do as he pleased.
...
More than an hour later, they both came out of the bathroom.
After changing clothes, John called a cab and took Emma to her university.
Then, he took a cab to the COMPANY O's holographic chamber store downtown.
When the manager saw that it was John who had come, he immediately arranged for Sophia Rosewood to come and greet him.
They even specifically cleared out a VIP reception room for John.
In the VIP reception room,
Sophia Rosewood was still in her blue-black professional suit, with a tight skirt on the lower body and black stockings high heels.
Her hair was tied up, revealing her fair and long neck.
Anyone who saw her would have to praise her for being a beautiful woman.
John felt that Sophia Rosewood had become more and more good at dressing and more and more attractive after not seeing her for many days.
But he was not here to see a beauty today.
John looked at Sophia Rosewood and got straight to the point:
"The latest holographic chamber sent by you is broken, today I saw white smoke coming out of the vent, what's going on?"
This was the first time Sophia had encountered such a situation, she was puzzled,
"Mr. Foster, I'm really sorry, but the configuration used by our latest holographic chamber is the best, and we have achieved the lowest failure rate in the world... This is the first time I've heard of something like white smoke, it shouldn't happen in theory."
John took out his phone and said, "I know you might not believe me, I took pictures and videos, you can take a look."
Hearing John say this, Sophia Rosewood hurried over, sat next to John, and began to check his phone.
The two were sitting very close at this point, and John could smell Sophia Rosewood's body scent.
Thinking of the close encounter he almost had with Sophia Rosewood last time, which was interrupted by Emma's sudden appearance, John felt it was a great pity.
Just as John was being carried away by the fragrance,
Sophia Rosewood said, "Okay, could you please send me this video and photos? I will send them to our repair department so they can see what's wrong with your machine."
John nodded and said, "That would be good. I hope it can be repaired quickly, I really need it."
He was just killed by The Devil Azazel who was extremely furious and then, was forcibly logged out of the game.
This made John extremely curious about how much Exp he had gained this time.
Last time after The Devil Azazel got furious, he gained a huge amount of Exp and leveled up a lot.
This time The Devil was so furious that he even broke his holographic chamber, he should be able to level up a few more times, right?
Soon, the repair department of COMPANY O replied.
Sophia put down her phone and said to John, "Mr. Foster, they said this is the first time they have encountered such a situation."
"To ensure your personal safety, the repair department wants to replace your machine with a brand new one of the same model, and then send your broken one back to the head office. The repair department at the head office wants to study what exactly went wrong."
John asked, "How many days will it take?"
"Considering your usage needs, we will expedite the arrangement...it should be possible to come tomorrow..."
Before Sophia Rosewood could finish, John interrupted her, "No, it's best to replace it for me today. I have to log into the game tonight."
Sophia Rosewood hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay Mr. Foster, I'll contact them, we'll deliver a brand new machine to you this afternoon."
She knew that the company really valued John as a VIP.
If it's John's request, the headquarter won't refuse.
At worst, they could just give John the brand new machine in the store first.
Seeing that she agreed, John said satisfyingly:
"Alright, I'll be waiting at home this afternoon."
...
Time flies quickly.
John took a nap at home and was then awakened by the doorbell.
He opened the door and found Sophia Rosewood and a few installers standing at the entrance.
"You're here." John glanced at the time, found it was almost the agreed upon time, and stepped aside.
Soon, the workers who came with Sophia unloaded John's broken holographic chamber and installed a new one.
After the workers left, John looked at Sophia Rosewood with a smile and asked, "Would you like to stay for a drink?"
Sophia Rosewood was initially worried about disturbing John, but hearing his invitation, she quickly asked, "Can I? Won't I disturb your gaming?"
John shook his head with a smile, "You are my honored guest, you won't."
Somewhat apprehensive, Sophia Rosewood asked again:
"What about Emma? Doesn't she live with you?"
It seemed that the interruption of their previous encounter by Emma had left quite an impression on Sophia Rosewood.
John corrected her, "Actually, we don't exactly live together, she's a student, she still has to go to school."
"Now she's back at school, so I'm alone."
The two sat on the sofa, getting closer and closer.
This time, no one could disturb John anymore.
Sophia Rosewood didn't resist, as she had always had a good impression of John.
After learning last time that Emma was not John's girlfriend, she had let go of her concerns.
What's so strange about having something happen between a single, excellent man?
Not to mention John is so charming...
Sophia Rosewood felt that it was a fortunate thing to be with such a mature and charming man for the first night.
Chapter30- Passionate Entanglement of A Man and A Woman
In the bedroom.
This was the first time John had seen a woman with such a stunning figure.
Sophia, clad in a tight-fitting dress, revealed her elegant curves.
Her black stockings closely fit on her slender legs, and the high heels further enhanced her seductive demeanor.
John was drawn in by her allure, a sense of heat stirring within him.
He led Sophia to sit on the edge of the bed.
Their conversation grew more personal as the night went on.
"You must work out often?" John surveyed Sophia's body, her long beautiful legs, his eyes filled with fervor. "Even female celebrities do not have such a figure."
John's words made Sophia blush, her smile growing increasingly captivating.
She gently touched John's hand, softly saying, "No, I don't specifically work out, I am just always busy with work and don't have the time..."
"But your body, it's quite sturdy. If you didn't tell me you were a professional player, I would have assumed you were an athlete or something."
Faced with Sophia's "provocation", John felt his heartbeat quicken, slightly losing his composure.
Their fingers intertwined, the touch between them transmitting ambiguous currents.
Their eyes met, as if in an unspoken understanding-an understanding all adults are privy to.
Their lips slowly neared each other, their breaths intermingling.
Lips finally met, a strong current passing between them.
John's hand slowly moved to Sophia's waist, gently embracing her, feeling her softness and warmth.
Sophia's hand reached into John's hair, lightly touching his neck, stirring all his senses.
Sophia's hand gradually explored John's body, sliding down his chest.
She softly touched his stomach, feeling his firm skin and abs.
John's breath became hurried.
He tightly gripped Sophia's waist and said with a hint of desire in his low voice, "Your hand is so soft, it's making me burn..."
"You'll have to help me extinguish this fire."
Upon saying this, John's hand began to wander over Sophia's body.
Both of their hands began to explore each other's bodies, tongues entwined, their breaths creating a symphony of passion.
John's hand wandered between Sophia's thighs, gently touching her legs wrapped in black stockings, and the soft skin underneath, feeling her inner desires gradually rise.
Compared to John's expertise, Sophia was a bit unsteady, being her first time.
His touch soon made Sophia let out soft gasps.
Sophia's body slightly trembled as she twisted her waist, her contact with John growing more intimate.
"John, help me take off my jacket," she said in a seductive voice. "At your service, my little princess."
John expertly began to remove Sophia's jacket, but his actions did not stop once it was off.
He gently pushed Sophia down onto the bed.
Sophia laid down playfully on the soft bed, her eyes filled with deep desire.
John slowly undressed, lifting Sophia's tight dress, gently touching her smooth thigh, carefully removing her black stockings.
Their bodies pressed closely together, passion and tenderness weaving a splendid picture.
They entered a fervently passionate world, thoroughly exploring each other's bodies.
John's lips tenderly moved down from Sophia's neck, his tongue gently playing with her sensitive areas, making her tremble and gasp.
Sophia's fingertips lightly touched John's chest, gradually moving down, slowly undoing his pants, revealing his already burning desire.
She encased him in her soft hand, gently gripping and stirring a deeper desire and pleasure in him.
Their bodies were like dancing flames, intertwined on the bed, passionately releasing their mutual desires.
Their breaths intertwined tightly, their intense coupling was like a mesmerizing dance, connecting their souls tightly.
John's strong and experienced body controlled the delicate Sophia.
Sophia obediently let out a moan, a sound that was both painful and pleasant.
John continuously played with Sophia's beautiful legs, as if no position could fully satisfy him.
The intense entanglement lasted a full hour.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment, with only their panting and passionate moans intertwining in the air.
They forgot everything, immersed in this passionate ambiguity, each becoming the ultimate satisfaction of the other's body and soul.
When the last wave of pleasure spread throughout their bodies, they embraced tightly, feeling each other's warmth and the resonance of their heartbeats.
They stared at each other, their eyes full of love and satisfaction.
...
In the evening, John woke up.
After the intense entanglement in the afternoon, John felt incredibly refreshed.
It was a feeling completely different from that with Emma.
Even though both women were their first time, Sophia's body was more mature, and she was more obedient and cooperative.
John licked his lips, feeling somewhat unsatisfied.
His body was very strong, and even after intense exercise, he could recover after just a sleep.
He looked at the sleeping Sophia next to him and saw the bright red color on the bed sheet.
He thought he could do it again, but considering Sophia's first time today, and such an intense first time at that, she seemed exhausted.
It wouldn't be right to demand too much.
There will be more opportunities in the future, better to wait until next time.
John covered Sophia's body with the quilt, then got up and freshened up a bit, ready to try out the brand new holographic chamber.
The brand new holographic chamber wasn't much different from the broken model, all the buttons and screens were exactly the same.
John skillfully opened the holographic chamber and lay down inside.
Logging into the game, John found that his system notification bar was constantly popping up various notifications:
[Ding, you have been killed]
[Due to your 'God Slayer' class feature, being killed by a god-level BOSS will grant additional rewards.]
...
As for Exp...
John had lost count of the zeros behind the number.
All he knew was that he had gained a full 20 levels from being killed this time!
He jumped straight from level 700 to level 720!
This made John extremely excited.
In the game "Godslayer," according to the official announcement, the highest level a player could reach was 999.
And those who reached level 900 were collectively referred to as "Demigods."
The announcement also stated that after reaching level 700, each level up was extremely difficult, possibly even harder than going from level 600 to 700...
But each level up meant a significant leap in strength!
John simply couldn't figure out how other players could level up without being killed by The Devil, which gave a huge amount of Exp.
After reaching level 700, the experience needed to level up was astronomical.
John took another look at his various attributes.
Although he didn't have much concept of other players' attributes, he felt that his own attributes must be considered strong.
Just as John was preparing to continue leveling up, he suddenly found a new skill in his skill bar.
John quickly scrolled the skill bar to the bottom...
[Summon of the Chaos God (Divine) (Lv1): You were killed by the power of the Chaos God, and gained a trace of the authority of the 'Chaos' ORDER. ]
[You can use The Devil's power to summon chaotic beings from other worlds. The level, attributes, and function of the summoned item or creature are random. ]
[Duration of summoning: 10 minutes. ]
[Skill CD: 24 hours.]
Chapter31-New Skill๏ผSummon of the Chaos God
"A summoning skill?"
John was a bit surprised.
He had reached over lv 700, but it was the first time he had got a summoning skill.
As a pro assassin player, John preferred stealth assassination skills, which were very cool with a one-hit kill.
As for summoning skills... he really hadn't studied them ever before.
"The level, attributes, and function of the summoned items or creatures are random?"
John knew that this game had some summoning classes, but it was the first time he had seen such an unclear summoning skill...
He even didn't know what he was going to summon?
So what's the point of this skill?
After thinking about it, John decided to try it out now.
As for whether this skill was powerful... well, he would know after trying it out.
John stretched out his left hand to the open space in front of him and activated the skill.
The next second. John's MP rapidly decreased.
He felt as if a powerful invisible force was drawing his MP through his left hand madly.
John didn't have much MP at the beginning, he was already over lv 700, so he had a considerable amount of MP.
However, just using this skill once drained three-quarters of his MP.
"Damn, it consumed so much MP? This skill is a bit too useless."
"If the summoned thing is not powerful, I..."
Before John finished his sentence, a twisted magical door opened in front of him.
A huge, robust, charred arm protruded from the door.
That arm looked extremely terrifying, with countless pairs of white eyes on it.
The eyes suddenly opened.
All those eyes were staring at John.
If there were people with a fear of crowded things here, they would definitely find it disgusting.
Then. A giant, black, hairy monster crawled out of the twisted magic door.
This monster had three heads but no eyes, and the faces were full of sharp teeth.
There were six arms on the monster's body, and each arm was full of eyes.
Its legs looked very strong, but this monster still chose to crawl forward, exuding a frightening aura.
Although this aura was aggressive, John, standing in front of this monster, didn't feel any danger.
The monster crawled in front of John, laying down on the ground, looking quite docile.
If it weren't for its ugly appearance, John would think it was a puppy.
"It looks pretty tough, I hope the monster that cost so much MP of mine is powerful."
John calculated the remaining summoning time, and then, with the twisted Chaos monster, he entered the twisted stone gate.
He wanted to use The Devil Azazel to test how powerful the monster he summoned was.
When he arrived in front of Azazel.
Upon seeing John and the creature he brought, Azazel showed a clear expression of surprise and doubt.
The creature, seeing Azazel, also appeared terrified.
It lay on the ground, seemingly frightened into immobility, as if a breath from Azazel would obliterate it entirely. ๏ฝ๐๏ฝ๏ฝ๐๏ฝ๐๏ฝ.๐๐๏ฝ
This reaction from his summon was not surprising to John.
After all, he had gained this summoning skill by grasping a fraction of the "Chaos" authority, so the monster he summoned was naturally subservient to the "Chaos" authority and was inherently suppressed by the God of Chaos.
John was initially worried that the monster he summoned might rebel.
But what happened next was completely unexpected to John.
The trembling monster, seemingly petrified with fear, slowly stood up.
It placed itself between John and the God of Chaos, Azazel, using its body to protect John.
Clearly, it had sensed Azazel's hostility towards John.
"Will it actually choose to confront the Chaos Devil for my sake?"
"It seems that this summoning spell is quite powerful! At least I don't have to worry about the summoned monster being disloyal to me," thought John.
Azazel was also clearly surprised that a creature from the Chaotic Abyss would choose to confront him.
This was a tremendous disrespect to a god!
"Interesting," Azazel said.
"How did you summon a demon from the abyss in this sealed place?"
This time, Azazel didn't immediately kill John, but asked him a question instead.
John smiled slightly, as a player, he was of course different from the NPCs in this game.
Even if you were a god, you were still just a more powerful NPC.
But John couldn't answer so bluntly.
Even if he told the truth, the NPCs in this game wouldn't understand his so-called "player" status.
So, John said,
"There are many secrets about me that you can't understand."
"I can resurrect infinitely. "
"I can break your ORDERs. "
"I can even usurp your 'Chaos' authority..."
"As for summoning a demon from the Abyss, it's a piece of cake for me."
"As a god, you can't understand me, what do you have to be arrogant about in front of me?"
Azazel fell silent.
After a moment, he suddenly asked,
"The gods have cast you into this place where I am sealed, what is your true purpose?"
John, trying to provoke him as much as possible, replied directly,
"My purpose has always been only one... That is to kill you and then get out of this hellhole!"
Unexpectedly, this time, Azazel didn't get angry.
Instead, he replied seriously,
"Gods cannot be killed."
"Unless you can completely strip away what is mine."
At this point, Azazel suddenly asked with a teasing tone,
"If I give you all the 'Chaos' authority, would you agree to help me kill the gods who sealed me and spread the ORDER of Chaos in the world?"
John couldn't believe that the other party didn't get angry at all, but instead asked him such a question.
Frowning, he replied,
"Why should I help you fight against the gods who sealed you? What good does that do me?"
"Even if I really obtain the 'Chaos' authority, I won't promise you anything, I do things according to my own liking, I do as I please, nobody can command me or constrain me!"
Azazel laughed,
"Very well, just by what you just said, you are very suitable to inherit the 'Chaos' authority and become a god. "
"As for the benefits of killing other gods, once you truly grasp some power of the ORDER, you will naturally know."
After speaking, Azazel rose from his throne.
He spread his arms, and his body surged from behind.
Following this, two additional heads and four arms sprouted from his back!
This form bore some similar to the creature John had summoned!
Except that Azazel appeared more human-like.
"You have merely grasped a bit of the power of 'Chaos', and yet you can summon the most powerful species from the Chaotic Abyss as your creature. I must admit I am quite impressed,"
Azazel said.
"Before I ascended to godhood, I was also a part of this species."
"Now, I will use my full strength against you, and you may try any means to kill me..."
"If one day, you can truly replace me... Hehe, that would be rather interesting. Come, origin of Chaos, witness us!"
After saying this, Azazel let out a terrifying laugh.
He seemed extremely excited, and one of his six arms transformed into a strangely shaped long spear.
Then, he hurled it towards John!
John tried to dodge, but he felt that he couldn't avoid it...
The spear seemed to have a locking ability and was firmly targeting his chest!
The monster standing in front of John didn't retreat.
It charged directly at the incoming spear.
The monster tried to catch the flying spear with its arms.
But with its strength, it couldn't catch it at all.
"Thud!"
The strange spear pierced directly through its body.
But surprisingly, the monster was still alive.
Its six arms firmly held the spear impaled in its body, preventing it from advancing even a millimeter further!
John was also completely shocked.
That attack from the Devil just now, if it had hit him, would have certainly been fatal!
He didn't expect that the creature he summoned would have such a formidable life force!
Chapter32-Treasure of the Devil
Azazel did notice John's expression.
He scoffed, "What, is this your first time witnessing the robustness of a 'Chaos Clan'? My pre-ascension clan doesn't perish that easily."
"Even gods will find it challenging to obliterate it in an instant!"
With that, he threw another peculiar weapon.
Without pause, he manipulated countless Dark Mist, simultaneously attacking John's summoned creature.
The dreadful power constantly attacked the summoned creature.
John was hearing the title 'Chaos Clan' for the first time, this race seemingly originated from the ancient era.
His summon continuously roared terrifyingly, but its body showed no signs of decay under The Devil's attackโฆ
Its regenerative ability was truly astonishing!
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However, it was, after all, the full force of a Devil.
Unable to withstand the second wave of attacks, the summon fell to the ground, becoming a corpse.
John was quite satisfied with the creature he'd summoned this time.
At over level 700, he could already summon such powerful creaturesโฆ
By level 900, summoning a demigod wouldn't be impossible!
He drew out the Divine Blade, and said to Azazel:
"Indeed, the 'Chaos' authority seems quite useful..."
"Now I understand why the other gods fear you so much, why they sealed you here."
"Someday..."
"I'll slay you here, and seize your authority!"
Azazel's three heads showed distinct expressions.
Sorrow, anger, and excitement.
With a soul-shaking voice, he replied:
"Very well."
"Then you're welcome to try!"
โฆ
Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, two more months had passed.
At this point, frontline players in the 'Godslayer' game had all reached level 45 or higher.
Even though the leveling progress these two months couldn't compare with that of the first month after the server's launch.
Players weren't disheartened.
They knew well that leveling was extremely difficult now.
Reaching level 45 within three months was already a feat.
At this moment,
Both Blue Sea and Adam had reached level 49.
A little more Exp, and they could break through to level 50, gaining new talents!
Many other high-level players, belonging to different factions, were in a similar situation.
Everyone was waiting.
Except for one anonymous player on the leaderboard who hadn't leveled up.
Who would be the first to reach level 50?!
โฆ
In a mysterious ancient ruin.
Over a hundred players from Blue Sea Guild, Genesis Guild, and Darklord's Guild gathered.
After two months of tireless efforts, they finally found the location mentioned in the Ancient Parchment.
Darklord, standing at the forefront of the crowd, squinted at the ruins in front of him,
"Here it is, the Ancient Devil Ruins mentioned in the Parchment."
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They had spent a lot of time and energy consulting numerous NPCs proficient in Demon language to decode the language and symbols on the Parchment.
Once they found the corresponding location, Blue Sea and Adam immediately called over all the top players in their guilds.
Darklord also summoned his best subordinates.
If they could succeed this time, the strength of these three major guilds would make a qualitative leap.
"When we unlock the treasure, we'll split it fifty-fifty, as we agreed at the start,"
Darklord reminded Blue Sea, then turned to Adam, adding,
"As for how you two split it, that's none of my business."
Adam gave a slight smile, paying no heed to Darklord.
Instead, he turned to Blue Sea, joking,
"What do you think, Blue Sea, we're here now. Have you decided? Our two guilds could easily team up and wipe out this arrogant small guild, then split the treasure fifty-fifty?"
Darklord was startled by his words.
Although he was arrogant and haughty, he knew his guild couldn't match Blue Sea and Adam's.
He feared what could happen if the two major guilds teamed up against his guild.
Inwardly panicking, he tried to maintain a calm fa?ade, questioning Blue Sea,
"Blue Sea! Were your words all lies? Doesn't the reputation of your Blue Sea Guild matter to you?!"
Blue Sea glanced at him, somewhat speechless. "Did I ever say I'd take you down?"
Darklord was left speechless.
Indeed, Blue Sea hadn't committed to any action.
Darklord secretly vowed: If he obtained the Treasure of the Devil, he would stand at the pinnacle of this game, making all top players submit to him!
Just then, a loud boom interrupted Darklord's thoughts.
Everyone looked towards the source of the sound...
It was the mages and engineers of the three guilds, who had finally blasted an entrance to the underground tomb in the ruins.
"Excellent, the path is cleared. I'll send scouts to investigate," Blue Sea said, excitement evident in his voice.
"Wait!" Darklord interrupted.
"Waiting for what?" Adam asked impatiently.
"I didn't agree to let your people go in first!" Darklord responded, "Who knows if they might pocket something from the Treasure of the Devil?"
Blue Sea frowned, his patience with Darklord running thin.
If it weren't for the Treasure of the Devil, he wouldn't want to waste a word with him.
"Think clearly. This level of treasure is incredibly important. If anything goes wrong, no one can afford the consequences!" Blue Sea warned.
Darklord confidently responded, "Hmph, I have full confidence in my scouts! They won't mess up." He clapped his hands after finishing his words.
Immediately, five scout players came up to Darklord.
They were all level 40, pretty pro players.
"You guys go scout the underground tunnel first, see if there are any traps or monsters..."
"Remember, no matter what situation you encounter, you need to report back, you can't just charge in!"
The scouts replied in unison, "Yes, young master!"
Then they turned and headed towards the blasted entrance.
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Seeing this, Adam suddenly spoke up,
"Since you're worried about Blue Sea's people taking something privately... we should also be concerned about your subordinates doing the same."
"Let's do this, I'll also send a few scouts down to check. They can look out for each other."
As he spoke, two scouts stepped forward from behind Adam.
They were both level 45 players, definitely top players.
Given the difference between level 40 and 45, even if all five of Darklord's subordinates went together, they would be no match for these two level 45 players.
So, with these two joining, it would be nearly impossible for Darklord's subordinates to do anything underhanded in the underground tunnel.
Darklord's expression indicated that he was clearly displeased.
But he couldn't say anything, after all, it wasn't an unreasonable request for both sides to send people down to check.
Just as Darklord and Adam's subordinates entered the underground tunnel together, two cloaked female players appeared on a hillside in the distance.
Chapter33-The Rain Full of Evil
The two female players that appeared were none other than White Feather and Emma, who had been leveling together all along.
At this point, both women had reached level 49 and were top players among the top players.
They didn't purposely intend to follow here.
However, the news that Blue Sea and Adam's two major guilds were cooperating with the first legendary item holder in the game had spread all over the place.
Countless players trailed behind the three guilds, hoping to pick up some leftovers.
White Feather and Emma weren't looking to pick up the leftovers.
They were just curious about what the legendary Treasure of the Devil actually was.
Plus, they happened to run into the large guild forces while leveling up.
So they decided to follow along and satisfy their curiosity.
Not far from them, various player forces were stirring.
They greedily stared at the three guilds at the abandoned ruins in the distance, wishing they could rush over and wipe out all the members of these three guilds, then swallow the Treasure of the Devil themselves.
Unfortunately, they knew they didn't have that strength, although they had the numbers, they were from different forces and it was impossible to cooperate to besiege the three guilds.
Emma observed the surroundings and turned to White Feather, saying,
"Sister White Feather, there are so many players coming around now, it seems that there really are many players aiming for the leftovers!"
White Feather nodded,
"Anyway, we're just here for fun. It's none of our business even if these people really start to fight."
"If the Treasure of the Devil really appears, we must have a good look... right, is your camera ready?"
Emma replied,
"Of course, I bought it from the goblin engineering master, I won't forget it!"
As she spoke, Emma pulled out a precisely made recording device from her pocket.
In the game "Godslayer", players can't just screenshot, they have to use tools to take pictures.
A good "Gremlin Camera" can often sell for a hefty price.
"Okay, put it away for now." White Feather reminded her,
"The Gremlin Camera is selling for so much now, it's better for us to take it out less, what if the greedy players nearby see it?"
Emma put away the camera, then raised her staff and said, "Then let them try! I'll make them all burn!"
White Feather gently smiled, saying, "Better safe than sorry, we are not yet so strong that we can ignore a large number of players' siege."
At this point, Emma asked curiously,
"Sis, there must be at least a thousand players hiding around this ruin, right? Since they all want the Treasure of the Devil... why don't they join forces to besiege those three guilds?"
White Feather shook her head,
"You don't understand, these people are very selfish. They only hope for someone to make trouble, preferably to fight with those three treasure hunting guilds until both sides are hurt, so they can take advantage of it."
"If they have to confront guilds like Blue Sea and Genesis themselves, they'll just keep backing down," White Feather explained.
"Why do you think those three guilds let these guys follow them? Blue Sea and Adam have seen plenty of this before. They don't care what these small guilds think."
"In the face of absolute power, any desire must first measure whether one is up to the task."
Emma nodded, only half understanding.
Suddenly, she felt a chill on the tip of her nose.
She reached out and touched it, finding it wet.
"Is it raining?"
Emma looked up at the sky in surprise.
Large patches of dark clouds were gathering, blanketing the sky near the ruins.
White Feather also noticed something was wrong.
They were currently in a desert.
The ruins were in the middle of it.
The area was barren, even water was rare.
Logically, it shouldn't rain here... let alone such a large cloud.
"This cloud is definitely not natural."
White Feather looked at the sky, her eyebrows furrowed.
Soon, the rain started to pour heavily.
Emma quickly held out both hands, summoning a magical barrier to cover them, so they wouldn't get drenched.
"It's strange, I can feel a hint of magical energy in this rain, but it's different from the magic we mages usually come into contact with..." Emma said, looking up.
White Feather also looked puzzled.
She turned to look at the players being soaked in the rain, noticing that those players who didn't care about the rain seemed to have dark energy entering their bodies.
Other players couldn't feel it.
But White Feather, being a Silver Knight, a special class, was extremely sensitive to evil.
She said to Emma, "There's evil in this rain, it might affect our attributes. Luckily, you were smart enough to set up a barrier in time..."
Emma, flattered, responded, "I'm not that clever... I just didn't want to get wet."
Meanwhile, Blue Sea and Adam, who were deep inside the ruins, also noticed the strangeness of the rain.
They exchanged a glance and activated their protective skills to ensure the rain did not fall on them.
At the same time, they sent private messages to their subordinates instructing them to turn on their protective skills if they had.
If not, they should seek out the guild's mage or priest to turn on their protective skills.
Their sole purpose was... to avoid getting wet.
As for Darklord and his guild, they seemed indifferent.
Darklord didn't notice anything unusual about the rain, he just cursed,
"Fuck, this shitty weather, it's a desert and it has to rain right. We're doing our thing, god damn it!"
Since it was in the game, Darklord didn't care about getting wet, letting the rain fall on him.
All he cared about now was the Treasure of the Devil.
Adam opened a private chat and sent a message to Blue Sea:
"This guy is really dumb, can't even tell there's something wrong with the rain."
"Should we warn him?" Blue Sea responded.
"Why would we warn him? He doesn't deserve to share the treasure with us... I can't wait to see the miserable scene when the evil in his body erupts," Adam immediately replied.
"We should not take this lightly. This evil rain is very unusual," Blue Sea responded with a straight face. "I suspect it has something to do with the explosion that opened the entrance to the underground ruins."
"After all, this is a relic left by the ancient Devil 'Azazel.' It can't possibly be without danger!"
Adam nodded in agreement, "That makes sense. If the Treasure of the Devil was so easy to get, it wouldn't be worthy of the name."
"Anyway, it's good that this evil rain is falling. At least it can help us get rid of those sycophants..."
"If all these people are killed, it would actually benefit our exploration of the Treasure of the Devil."
Blue Sea didn't respond anymore. He just nodded slightly.
Suddenly, a cheer came from the entrance to the underground ruins.
Two scouts ran out, each holding a piece of equipment that glowed purple.
One was a long sword and the other was a helmet.
Seeing this glow, Blue Sea knew they were Legendary Equip, very rare.
Darklord seemed even more excited.
He ran up and questioned the two scouts:
"Where did you find this equipment?"
One of the scouts, who was under Adam, ignored Darklord.
The other, a member of Darklord's guild, excitedly replied,
"Boss, not long after we went down, we found more than a dozen humanoid statues in the tunnel."
"These Legendary Equips were scattered around the humanoid statues, probably dozens of them..."
"The other scouts are counting the equipment. They should be able to bring everything up soon!"
Hearing these words, everyone present gasped.
Dozens of Legendary Equips!
And these were just scattered in the tunnel of the underground ruins!
If they really found the Treasure of the Devil, how rich the treasure would be!
Chapter34-Stone Statues in the Underground Tunnel
"Hurry!"
"Everyone, get down into the tunnel!"
"Move all the good equipment out!"
Upon hearing about the numerous Legendary Items in the underground tunnel, Darklord was driven into a frenzy.
Not only were these Legendary Items of excellent quality, but they were also of a high level. ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐๏ผ๐๐๐ข
Just one of them could fetch a hefty price in the auction house!
Blue Sea, upon hearing Darklord's words, quickly stepped up to stop him.
"No! The scouts have only explored the first half of the tunnel. No one knows what dangers lie ahead! It's too dangerous to let a large force in right now!"
Darklord glanced at Blue Sea and disdainfully retorted,
"I didn't expect that Blue Sea, the leader of the NO.1 guilds in the world, would be such a timid and cautious person. Fine, if you don't send your people, I'll send mine!"
After speaking, he ordered his subordinates to enter the tunnel.
The members of Darklord's guild, following his instructions, all poured into the tunnel.
Blue Sea and Adam watched them, speechless.
"This guy really isn't afraid of death," Adam commented, crossing his arms.
Blue Sea was somewhat helpless, saying,
"He might be affected by the rain's Evil. He can't listen to reason right now... But it's not our problem. If he's courting death, I don't need to stop him."
In the underground tunnel.
Darklord and his men walked for a while and quickly found the humanoid stone statues that the scouts had mentioned earlier.
These statues, resembling real people, were diverse and lifelike.
Each statue had a different pose, but all of them looked like they were defending themselves against an attack, their faces full of surprise and fear.
"Young Master, these statues seem like petrified humans."
"We suspect there are mechanisms here that can petrify people."
A scout walked up to Darklord, cautiously reminding him.
Darklord waved his hand dismissively, a careless expression on his face.
"This is The Devil's relic, it's normal to have some unusual residual power. We just need to be more careful... You all hurry up and move! Take all the glowing equipment and items on the ground!"
His subordinates promptly responded, "Yes, Young Master!"
Due to the sudden influx of people from Darklord's guild into the tunnel, the two scouts Adam had sent were unable to prevent them from taking the equipment on the ground.
"We can't just take these! It's too reckless! What if we trigger a mechanism..."
Just as one of the scouts from the Genesis Guild was about to warn them, a rumbling noise echoed throughout the area.
The entire underground relic began to tremble.
The eyes of the stone statues, which had been petrified, suddenly emitted a strange red glow!
The next second, all of the statues began to move.
The players closest to the statues were instantly pierced by the statues' arms.
They died without even having time to scream.
"Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!"
One of the more rational players in the group quickly realized the problem with the statues and shouted out loud.
Darklord was also taken aback.
He knew that the treasures of The Devil wouldn't come easily, and there were bound to be surprises.
However, he didn't expect that they hadn't really entered the underground relics yet, only wandering around the periphery, and had already encountered an accident.
"Counterattack!"
Darklord's class was a knight, a type that could tank and attack, but as the leader, he had no intention of leading by example.
Instead, he hid behind his many subordinates, watching his guild members rush to confront the statues.
These statues had unknown levels and attributes.
The average player level in their forties couldn't even withstand a round in front of these statues, they were essentially killed by one-hit.
The statues behaved like wild beasts, ruthlessly tearing the players apart without a shred of hesitation.
The tunnel echoed with the terrified screams of the players and the sound of bodies being ripped apart.
Darklord watched the statues, his heart filled with fear, anger, despair, and a variety of emotions.
His breathing became rapid, and his eyes gradually turned red.
The Evil that had entered his body when rainwater fell on him earlier was taking effect at this moment.
However, Darklord himself was not aware of this.
Meanwhile, above ground.
Blue Sea and Adam also noticed that something was wrong.
"It seems like there are screams coming from below?" Adam turned to Blue Sea and said.
Blue Sea nodded.
He had heard it very clearly:
"It seems that Darklord's team has encountered an accident... We need to go down and help them. We can't let his entire guild be annihilated."
Adam laughed nonchalantly, "Why should we bother? Let them all die; it will make things easier for us."
Blue Sea shook his head,
"They have already learned their lesson, completely ignoring them wouldn't be good for us either. Everyone knows our two guilds are cooperating with him. If we sit by and watch them die, it will definitely damage our guilds' reputation in the future."
"Moreover, the Ancient Parchment is still in Darklord's hands. If we really push him to the edge and he refuses to give it up, we won't be able to open The Devil's treasure."
After thinking for a while, Adam felt that Blue Sea had a point.
Therefore, the two of them each led their guild members into the tunnel.
Although the statues in the tunnel were very formidable, they were gradually defeated by the high-level players from the two guilds and reduced to dust.
The red glow in Darklord's eyes gradually dimmed and returned to normal.
Adam, who hadn't seen his red eyes earlier, scolded Darklord,
"I told you not to come down casually. If we waited for the scouts to figure out the situation below, then sent people down to defeat them one by one, we wouldn't have lost so many people."
In Adam's heart, his disdain for Darklord only grew.
Darklord was impatient and lacked the strength to achieve great things.
Unusually, Darklord didn't retort.
He just glared at Adam threateningly without saying much.
He didn't even bother to check the casualty count of his subordinates and moved forward like a walking corpse.
This situation left Blue Sea and Adam somewhat perplexed.
"What's going on?" Blue Sea asked, looking puzzled.
"Did he get scared silly? Really? It's just a game..." Adam was also very curious.
Darklord completely ignored the others' gazes.
He pushed through the crowd and headed towards the interior of the tunnel.
This was somewhat unexpected for Blue Sea and Adam.
Seeing they couldn't stop Darklord, Blue Sea furrowed his eyebrows.
After much hesitation, he still gave an order to his guild members:
"Go, follow him! We must not let him out of our sight... If the Ancient Parchment on him gets lost, then all our efforts in the past two months would be in vain!"
Chapter35- The Devil's Corpse, The Mutated Darklord!
After both the Blue Sea Guild and the Genesis Guild had entered the underground ruins.
Those players who had initially been hiding on the outskirts began to gradually approach and enter the ruins.
Among the crowd, White Feather and Emma, with their figures and appearances concealed under cloaks, also moved in.
Everyone stopped about dozens of meters from the entrance of the ruins' tunnel.
At the entrance of the tunnel, two high-level players were standing guard.
It was clear that they were left behind by the Blue Sea Guild and Genesis Guild to keep watch.
Emma looked around.
There were at least a thousand players here, each eyeing the entrance of the ruins hungrily.
She couldn't help but admire the two players guarding the entrance, for they were able to stay calm in the face of so many fierce figures.
White Feather seemed to understand her thoughts, and sent her a private message, saying,
"These two guards are not just two players, they represent the Blue Sea Guild and the Genesis Guild... There's no such thing as silencing people by killing them in the game. "
"Whoever kills them, they can report to the Blue Sea and Adam after they resurrect. Then, the player who killed them will face the wrath of the two guilds."
"So these players are just watching and no one is foolish enough to really rush forward and wipe them out."
Emma nodded in agreement.
In truth, she understood that these people were all holding a desire.
It just depended on who would be bold enough to spark the fire.
If there really was someone who wasn't afraid to start trouble...
These players would certainly rush forward and overwhelm the two guards at the entrance.
Just then, a tall player carrying giant twin axes on his back took a few steps forward.
Everyone's gaze turned to him.
The two guards at the entrance of the tunnel also became alert.
One was a mage and the other a knight.
The mage raised his staff and the knight drew his sword from his back.
"Halt!"
The knight roared angrily, pointing his sword at the approaching warrior.
The warrior laughed, saying, "What, isn't this a public area? Do I need your permission to pass by? Since when can the people of Blue Sea Guild and Genesis Guild be so domineering?"
As his voice echoed, countless spectators joined in the uproar, shouting,
"Exactly! You didn't buy this place! On what grounds are you stopping people from walking by?"
"Even if both of your guilds are in the top ten globally, you can't bully people like this!"
"Top ten guilds should pay more attention to their reputation! What's so great about bullying solo players like us?"
"We would like to see what you can do to so many of us!"
As they spoke, these shouting players started gathering behind the warrior, shortening the original distance of dozens of meters to just over ten.
The mage guarding the entrance became angry.
He raised his hands, and a hot fireball immediately appeared above his head.
"Don't be rash. They're trying to provoke us. If we attack first, they'll have an excuse!"
The knight hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Don't act yet, let me handle this."
Having said that, the knight also stepped forward and loudly admonished,
"You all really have leisure time, following our two major guilds for so long, coming from afar here, surely it's not just a coincidence? I urge you all, the Blue Sea Guild and Genesis Guild are currently working together to treasure hunt here, if you approach another step, it would be declaring enmity with our two major guilds! If a conflict truly arises, don't blame us for not warning you in advance!"
The knight's words were neither humble nor arrogant, leaving those trouble-making players without an excuse to pick a fight.
Seeing his plan to provoke them fail, the warrior's face turned somewhat unpleasant.
Now, he was the closest to the tunnel entrance, stuck in a position where it was inappropriate to move forward or retreat.
Just as the players above ground were locked in a stalemate.
In the underground tunnel.
Darklord was sprinting forward alone, followed closely by the members of the Blue Sea Guild and the Genesis Guild.
The remaining survivors in the Darklord Guild were also following behind.
"Why the hell can a knight run so fast? Is he a hidden or rare class?" Adam complained while chasing.
Blue Sea kept a close watch on Darklord's figure, without saying a word.
He had a feeling that something was amiss but couldn't put his finger on what it was.
In the tunnel, faint fire dots were seen everywhere.
No one knew where these eerie floating blue fires came from.
Fortunately, these blue fires did not attack players and even provided some illumination.
Although the visibility was average, it was better than nothing.
After running for a while, the tunnel finally came to an end.
What appeared in front of everyone was a huge stone door.
On the stone door, a peculiar language was engraved with many strange traces.
Blue Sea and Adam recognized it as the Demon language.
"It seems this is the place." Blue Sea said with a serious face.
Adam also nodded.
Although he seemed expressionless, his eyes revealed an excitement that he couldn't hide.
There might be countless treasures of The Devil behind this giant stone door!
No one could remain completely calm at this thought.
At this moment, Darklord took out the Ancient Parchment that was gleaming with golden light from his pocket.
He read out a hard-to-understand language according to the words on the parchment.
Just listening to this language made people feel extremely uncomfortable, as if claws were scratching their hearts.
Then, after Darklord finished a long passage of the Demon language, he pasted the Ancient Parchment on the stone door.
In an instant, a large amount of black fog seeped out from the cracks of the stone door, staining the parchment completely black.
Then, a ball of black flame ignited, burning the parchment into ashes...
The earth shook with a rumble, and the stone door slowly opened.
Blue Sea was extremely cautious and ordered loudly,
"Everyone step back! Activate all defense skills!"
Players followed Blue Sea's orders, mages activated magic barriers, knights turned on various aura skills, and priests kept blessing their teammates...
Everyone was cautiously dealing with the possible upcoming situation.
But Darklord, who opened the door, laughed wildly like a madman and rushed into the stone door.
Behind the stone door was a huge tomb.
Inside, besides a giant stone coffin, there was nothing else.
It was empty, devoid of any treasure.
Then, Darklord, who had stepped over the stone door, suddenly turned around.
His eyes were filled with frightening red light, and he roared at Adam and Blue Sea, "Ha-ha-ha! You've fallen into my trap!"
"Until now, I've been using all of you!"
"I spent so much money and even sold my shares, all for this treasure! You actually thought you could share it equally with me? Dream on!"
"There was another sentence in Demon language on that parchment, which I purposely didn't tell you... 'The first one to step into The Devil's tomb will receive all of The Devil's inheritance and has the right to merge with The Devil's body, becoming The Devil's representative in the world!'"
"Now, I am the first person to enter!"
"I am the chosen one by The Devil!"
"Don't think you can benefit from this!"
After finishing his speech, Darklord laughed manically and rushed towards a stone coffin in the tomb.
His body was emitting black smoke, which seeped into the stone coffin...
Then, a dark hand broke the stone coffin and directly grabbed Darklord, who was rushing madly.
Darklord didn't avoid it, let it grab him, and even laughed loudly,
"Blue Sea, Adam!"
"I am about to become one with The Devil's body!"
"From today, I am The Devil!"
"All you humans, bow down to me!"
"If you dare disobey... when I completely merge with The Devil, I will exterminate you all here!"
Outside the stone door.
Blue Sea and Adam watched in horror as the huge black monster crawled out of the stone coffin.
It had three heads and six arms, each arm filled with eyes, and each head had a mouth full of sharp teeth.
This sight sent chills down Blue Sea's spine.
"It's bad, The Devil's treasure is a hoax! The Devil deliberately lured us here to use the power of living beings to revive its body!"
At this point, Blue Sea finally realized what he had been sensing was amiss.
There were no treasures here! ๏ฝ๏ฝ ๏ฝ๐๏ฝ๐๐๐.๐๐๏ฝ
What existed here was just a corpse of The Devil waiting for a sacrifice!
Just as everyone was watching Darklord gradually being devoured by The Devil's corpse and about to merge into one.
A system notification sound threw everyone into chaos...
[Ding, 'Anonymous Player' has successfully killed the world BOSS - The Devil 'Azazel'! First kill reward obtained!]
Chapter36-The Devil Corpse's Pursuit
[Ding, 'Anonymous Player' has successfully killed the world BOSS - The Devil 'Azazel'! First kill reward obtained!]
At the same time.
All players in the game almost noticed the system prompt.
There was no choice, this notification was simply too conspicuous, it scrolled directly in front of everyone in an extremely dazzling manner.
It was hard for players not to notice.
In an instant.
All chat channels in the game boiled.
"What's happening?! Someone killed The Devil?!"
"Did I read that wrong? Was it The Devil's first kill?"
"Can a player actually kill a Devil? Who exactly is it! Why didn't we hear any news before!"
...
Ordinary players were incessantly asking in the chat channel, wanting to know who was so amazing that could even defeat a god.
While some expert players or wealthy players were plunged into deep shock.
"Is there such a person? Impossible, right?"
"Quickly find him or her out, who is so amazing, try to get that guy to join our guild!"
"An anonymous player? Could it be... that guy on the level leaderboard?"
"No way, he has been maintaining level 50 for three months without leveling up, it can't be him!"
"No matter who he is, this person must be the top player in the game! Find him for me!"
...
Inside the underground ruins.
Blue Sea, Adam, even Darklord, were all momentarily stunned.
Seeing this kind of information, they thought it had something to do with them.
After all, the tomb they were in at this moment was the tomb of The Devil Azazel.
Darklord was extremely excited, he roared loudly:
"It seems I have completely killed The Devil 'Azazel'! I took his body, making him completely fall!"
"I am the real God Slayer!"
"The system is about to give me the first kill reward!"
"The rewards for God Slayer are bound to be unimaginably generous! Just wait, I will become the No.1 player in the whole game!"
Darklord's mad shouting made the monster that was absorbing him even more excited.
Countless black hairs attached to Darklord's body, constantly absorbing him into its body.
Finally, the two became one.
One of the monster's three heads became Darklord's face.
It used Darklord's sharp voice, laughing loudly, saying: "Very good, very good! Is this the power of The Devil? I feel so strong!"
Opposite him.
Blue Sea and Adam were deeply frowning.
Because at this moment, Darklord had transformed into a monster, and a name appeared above the monster's head:
[The Devil's Corpse (Rare BOSS)]
[Level: ?]
...
Adam looked at Blue Sea with a bit of despair, sighing:
"It seems we have gained nothing but lost everything... old friend, it looks like we will meet at the resurrection pool."
Blue Sea also felt very desperate, because this monster in front of them was obviously not something they could provoke at their current level.
But soon, Blue Sea noticed something was wrong.
"Wait, this system prompt has nothing to do with us!" he said to Adam.
Adam looked puzzled: "Why do you say that?"
Blue Sea stared at the monster, explaining:
"We roughly know the language on that parchment, and this treasure is clearly left by The Devil 'Azazel' before he became a god, how could there be a true god's corpse hidden in the tomb?"
"This monster isn't The Devil at all, just a product of The Devil's Ascending."
"Darklord merely fused with this Corpse... So the prompt just now has nothing to do with Darklord at all!"
Adam's face showed a complex expression:
"You mean... there's someone else who killed The Devil? A player killed a god through his own power? That's impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible. In this game, anything can happen!" Blue Sea reminded him, "Don't you remember, just after the game opened, an 'anonymous player' reached level 50?"
Adam was somewhat at a loss for words, could only say in disbelief: "But after he reached level 50, he didn't level up anymore..."
Despite his words, Adam began to have doubts in his heart.
At this moment.
Darklord noticed that the two were ignoring him and let out a roar.
Just this ear-piercing scream alone caused several nearby scouts to vomit blood and die instantly.
"We can't handle this Corpse he fused with, even if it's not a real god!"
Blue Sea shouted, "Everyone! Retreat from the underground ruins immediately! Whoever can escape, RUN! Don't worry about others, don't look back!"
In the game "Godslayer," the penalty for death is rather horrifying.
You basically have to drop in levels.
For players over level 40, leveling up is extremely difficult.
If they drop a level now, they don't know how long it will take to catch up again.
That's why Blue Sea would issue such an order.
Whether it's Blue Sea guild or Genesis Guild, as many members as can survive, survive! Each less death stops a huge loss!
"Wanna run?"
"You're all going to die here!"
Darklord's voice echoed throughout the entire underground ruin, as the monster he was possessing crawled on the ground in a strange posture, moving very quickly.
It quickly caught up with a slower-running mage.
The monster directly stretched out its black arm, holding the mage in its palm, and then directly crushing him!
The mage didn't even have a chance to scream!
Seeing this scene, Adam was enraged.
That mage was one of the mages Genesis Guild had been focusing on developing, with a lot of resources invested in him...
He didn't expect him to be killed like this!
This death will result in a massive loss of experience for the mage, and he is likely to fall out of the top tier!
"Bastard!"
Adam cursed loudly, but he knew he was no match for the monster in front of him and could only choose to run.
As the leader of Genesis Guild, his death here would undoubtedly be a huge blow to the guild!
...
Hundreds of players from the two guilds were running while releasing various skills at The Devil Corpse chasing them from behind, trying to slow down its pursuit.
Unfortunately, their attacks didn't hurt The Devil Corpse at all.
By the time they escaped to the surface, only Blue Sea, Adam, and a dozen guild members were left.
Everyone else had been sent to the resurrection pool.
On the surface.
The two sides, who were still in a standoff, suddenly saw the two guild leaders rush out of the tunnel looking disheveled, and everyone was stunned.
The mages and knights responsible for guarding the entrance to the tunnel hurried forward, but before they could get close, Blue Sea shouted:
"Run!"
"Don't look back!"
"Run in different directions!"
Players on the surface looked at each other in confusion.
What happened?
What could have possibly happened to make the leaders of two of the top ten guilds in the world look so disheveled?
However, their confusion didn't last long.
Soon, they found out why the two were so disheveled.
Just as the last two players running out, barely catching their breath.
An arm that would send chills down anyone's spine emerged from the entrance of the tunnel.
The arm, wrapped in a bizarre Dark Mist, was raised high.
Then it slapped down.
The two players instantly turned into a pile of meat, leaving two pools of blood on the ground.
Players who were thinking of rushing into the underground ruins were all dumbfounded.
What kind of monster did these people bring out!
Now, even a fool would know to run for their lives.
If they were killed here... no one could bear such a loss!
People scattered in all directions, each fleeing.
White Feather and Emma glanced at each other, ready to run as well.
Emma even added various BUFFs to both of them, making it more conducive to moving.
The Devil Corpse crawled out from the ground, wantonly hunting down each player.
After easily killing dozens of players...
It locked onto Emma and White Feather, who were the closest.
Seeing this, White Feather decided not to run either.
She said to Emma, "I'll hold him off, you go first!"
After that, she turned around, drew her sword, and a silver light BUFF was immediately added to her sword.
"I can handle dropping a level, come on!"
Seeing this, Emma said, "No, I won't go alone!"
"If it really comes down to it, we can level up together."
The monster's head bore Darklord's face, who was laughing maniacally:
"Hehe, mere bugs, dare to resist? Go to hell!"
The monster raised its arm high, preparing to kill the two women with one hit.
White Feather and Emma knew they couldn't resist the monster in front of them and closed their eyes in despair.
But just then.
A scream came from the monster's mouth!
Emma opened her eyes and looked up...
Only to see a familiar figure in a black cloak descending from the sky, landing gracefully in front of them.
And he was standing right between them and the monster.
One of the monster's six arms was cut off at the root and fell to the ground!
"What a coincidence, I just came out and saw you guys being chased..."
The man turned around with a smile.
Seeing him, Emma shouted excitedly.
The man was John!
Chapter37- Slaying The Devil Corpse in an Instant!
"Johnny? What are you doing here!"
Emma was excited to see John, but she found it strange upon further thought.
"Didn't you say you were Meditation Retreating in a secret realm?"
John gave a slight smile and said,
"The secret realm I mentioned is around here."
Darklord, who had lost an arm, screamed in pain.
It took him a while to calm down, and then he realized that the one standing in front of him was a familiar face!
"Galewind! It's you!"
"Weren't you 'Sacrifice'? How could you get here?"
Hearing this, John turned around.
Noticeing Darklord's face on the monster's skull, John laughed,
"So it's you... you're still as ugly as ever. I can't help but want to punch your face."
John's mockery was highly effective.
Darklord immediately flew into a rage, shouting,
"I am the God Slayer! Who are you to dare provoke me!"
"Good, let's settle our old and new scores. The fact that you've been hunting me down to level0 in the previous game, I've never forgotten!"
"Let me show you the power of The Devil!"
Upon saying this, Darklord let out a loud shout, and a massive amount of Dark Mist burst out from him.
The Dark Mist was terrifying.
Ordinary players would die instantly upon contact, with no chance to resist.
Emma and White Feather also looked terrified.
They knew that Darklord was now extremely powerful.
After merging with The Devil Corpse, killing players like them would be effortless.
"Johnny, run! We are no match for him!" Emma reminded.
John smiled faintly and said,
"It's okay, you don't have to be afraid, just stand here and watch."
With that, John took a step forward, completely ignoring the raging Dark Mist.
"Go to hell!"
Darklord shouted.
Countless Dark Mists gathered in his palm, forming a pitch-black spear.
The Dark Mist spear was emitting a strong death aura.
Ordinary players would be terrified and desperate just by looking at it.
However, John, as if nothing was wrong, remained unaffected by the Dark Mist's death aura.
"We'll see who's going to hell."
John pointed out a finger, and the Dark Mist, which was originally attacking him, strangely stopped mid-air. ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ง๐จ๐๐ฒ๐น.๐๐จ๐ฆ
"Do you really not know who cut off that severed hand just now?"
He sneered and grabbed in the air.
The next moment, a long sword emitting a blue light appeared in his hand.
"It was you?"
Darklord showed a hint of horror on his face, which was soon overwhelmed by his arrogance.
"No way! Absolutely impossible!"
"This body of mine is The Devil's body. How could you, a piece of trash, possibly harm me?!"
As he spoke, he swung down his palm.
John just stood there, unmoving, and swung the long sword in his hand.
An invisible sword aura tore through the sky.
Four of Darklord's remaining five arms were cut off by this sword, leaving only the arm holding the spear.
Darklord's face was extremely distorted from the pain.
Enduring the severe pain, he aimed the Dark Mist Spear at John and stabbed!
"Die!"
With this strike, the earth itself was trembling.
Emma and White Feather turned pale with fright.
Even though they weren't directly facing the Dark Mist Spear, they could still feel the power of the attack just by standing to the side!
After all, this was a full-blown attack by The Devil Corpse!
John still stood unmoving in his spot.
The reason he cut off four of Darklord's arms with his sword, instead of all five, wasn't because he couldn't.
It was because he intentionally left the arm Darklord was using to hold the weapon, intending to show Darklord what true despair was.
The spear, made of Dark Mist, was thrusting toward John's skull.
Seeing it was about to hit, Darklord screamed excitedly,
"What if you can hurt me? You can't resist The Devil's full power strike!"
John said calmly,
"A cast-off Corpse of The Devil before becoming a god, is also called The Devil's full power?"
Before his voice fell, the Dark Mist Spear instantly disintegrated, returning to a large mass of Dark Mist.
However, this Dark Mist, originally summoned by Darklord, was no longer under his control.
Instead, it floated around John as if he were the one who had summoned it.
"Impossible, this Dark Mist is The Devil's authority, how can you control it!"
Darklord refused to believe what was happening before his eyes, roaring.
He had made so many efforts, from initially buying SoulSong to plot against John, to spending so much money in the game, even selling his own shares to obtain the ancient parchment, all to become stronger and avenge his disgrace!
In the end, he finally obtained the power of The Devil, but was defeated before John, who was supposed to be "Sacrifice"
This shouldn't be happening!
Looking at Darklord, who was almost going mad, John didn't feel any sympathy.
This guy got what he deserved!
"You should know what happens to people who offend me, right?" John said coldly,
"You made me suffer in The Devil's temple, now that you're in my hands, you should be prepared."
As he spoke, John held the "Divine Blade", and his figure instantly disappeared from the spot.
The next second, John returned to the original spot, the long sword in his hand dissipated.
He walked towards White Feather and Emma, saying, "Let's go. This place is too chaotic. We should leave this contentious place sooner."
Emma pointed at the huge The Devil Corpse behind John and asked, "Shouldn't we deal with... that thing?"
Without turning his head, John said with a smile, "It's just a corpse, what's there to deal with?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the giant The Devil Corpse was cut into dozens of pieces!
This scene left Emma and White Feather speechless for a long time.
Was all this done by John in an instant?
"Is... is he dead?"
White Feather pointed at the dismembered The Devil Corpse and asked.
John replied, "Not really, The Devil Corpse was defeated, but Darklord is a player after all. Even though I killed him, he can still return to the respawn pool..."
"But this guy better pray he never runs into me again, or I'll kill him every time I see him."
White Feather nodded in a bit of fright.
She looked John up and down and then asked, "You... you are Galewind?"
John's lips curved into a smile, saying, "Guaranteed."
"How are you so strong that even The Devil Corpse is no match for you?"
White Feather asked with an incredulous expression, "What level are you, exactly?"
John pulled the hood on his cloak a bit further down, perfectly concealing his face.
It was necessary to keep a low profile.
There were still many surviving players nearby, and if his appearance was seen, it would only bring trouble.
John didn't like being on too many people's minds, so he said to White Feather,
"Levels are all illusory, just remember that I'm very powerful."
Then, John turned to Emma and said,
"If there's nothing else, let's leave here quickly."
Emma nodded in agreement, she almost unconditionally complied with John's words.
Seeing Emma agree, John grabbed Emma and White Feather's wrists with each hand, then with a thought...
The three of them were surrounded by Dark Mist, and when the Dark Mist dissipated, all three had disappeared from the spot.
Chapter38- You're Leveling a Bit Slowly
Silverglow,
In a room of a certain inn.
John tried on the robe and trousers Emma and White Feather had bought for him.
"Hmm, not bad, they fit pretty well."
White Feather looked him, remarked, "It's a pity that both of these are newbie Equip, only level 1, without attribute bonuses... But you can wear them for now, later we will take you to the Trade Association for a proper one."
John chuckled, "There's no need for all that, level 1 Equip is pretty good. At least it covers me, hahaha."
An hour ago, the three of them arrived at this inn in Silverglow.
It was only after they arrived here that the two ladys discovered that beneath John's cloak, he wore only a ragged prisoner's uniform, leaving him nearly naked.
This caused John quite a bit of embarrassment, but the two girls didn't say anything and directly bought him a set of newbie Equip, avoiding the embarrassment of John accidentally exposing himself.
White Feather crossed her arms, saying pensively,
"I still can't believe that you, without a single piece of Equip on, could defeat The Devil Corpse. It's just unreasonable."
Emma nodded in agreement,
"Yeah, normally powerful players either rely on rare talents or skills, or powerful weapons and Equip... John, you don't have any Equip, could it be that your attributes are already that powerful?"
John chuckled and said to them,
"I have to keep that a secret. If you knew too much about me, it would only be detrimental and bring no benefit to you at your current level..."
Upon thinking it over, John felt that he indeed should get some suitable Equip.
After all, in this game, Equip provided a significant boost to a character.
If he managed to get some, his strength would undoubtedly increase significantly.
The urgency to improve his strength came from his knowledge of a major secret about this gaming event after successfully defeating The Devil and escaping the temple.
This secret involved gods, implicated entities of very high rank, and even determined the future of the real world...
Just learning of this secret could cause a normal player to drop dead instantly.
Therefore, John had to find a way to investigate this secret, he still had many things to do.
Enhancing his own strength was also because John wanted to have everything within his control.
As long as he was strong enough, he could prevent anything bad from happening!
John looked at White Feather and Emma and suddenly spoke,
"Both of you are at level 49 now? It seems you'll reach level 50 soon."
Upon hearing John say this, Emma responded with a mixture of pride and excitement,
"Yeah, Johnny, White Feather and I have been working hard at leveling up!"
"I've heard that many expert players haven't reached our level yet!"
John patted Emma's head, smiling,
"Very impressive. But you're right, even a top player like Blue Sea or Adam is only at level 49, there's hardly anyone in the game above level 50..."
Emma cut him off, correcting him with a serious look,
"Johnny, you're wrong, it's not that there aren't any players above level 50, the 'Anonymous Player' on the leaderboard has already reached level 50 a while ago."
John laughed, "Right, right, you're correct, I misspoke."
At this point, White Feather spoke up,
"Thanks to Emma, our leveling journey has been very smooth. I'm just riding on her coattails... her ability as a Hellfire Mage for leveling up is just too strong, especially for grinding mobs."
Emma said, "Sis, you don't need to be so modest. If it weren't for your class as a Silver Knight, we wouldn't have been able to get so many suitable leveling quests! Not to mention the amount of Silver Tears you've provided..."
John watched the two women praising each other and spoke,
"I know both of you are great, really great... Then, I'll take you two for leveling up, with the aim to get you both to level 50 by the end of the day!"
White Feather and Emma were both taken aback.
White Feather said, "Boss, you're not joking with us, are you?"
"What do you mean?" John was a little confused.
Why would him offering to level them up sound like a joke?
Emma explained, "Johnny, we know you're amazing, but even you can't just make up stuff!"
"To level up from 49 to 50, we need a total of 50 million Exp points! White Feather and I only recently reached level 49, and we have about 1 million Exp points each. No matter how hard we farm today, we can't possibly reach level 50!"
White Feather also chimed in,
"Yeah, Galewind, even with the boost from Silver Tears and hunting the highest XP monsters, we only get 5,000 XP per monster... We've calculated that if we level up diligently, we might reach level 50 within a week..."
"This pace is already very fast, possibly even faster than some full-time expert players."
Hearing White Feather's explanation, John chuckled and shook his head.
"You're saying it's fast, but that's only relatively fast compared to regular players."
"With me, leveling up won't be a problem. Although I can't guarantee that I can always assist you, getting you both to level 50 as soon as possible is quite important..."
"Your leveling up is slow now because the 'Silver Tears' you're using aren't good enough."
"White Feather, take out the 'Silver Tears' you're currently using and let me have a look."
White Feather and Emma exchanged glances.
It was the first time they had heard someone say they were leveling slowly.
But both of them trusted John implicitly, so if he asked them to take out the Silver Tears, they would do so.
White Feather took out a bottle of "Silver Tears" from her inventory and placed it on the table.
John picked it up and looked at it, shaking his head and saying,
"These are all Uncommon 'Silver Tears', they only grant 3 times the original XP. No wonder your leveling up is somewhat slow..."
This left White Feather and Emma a bit surprised.
White Feather smiled wryly, "Boss, these Uncommon 'Silver Tears' are already hard for us to come by, we can't afford any higher quality for now."
John asked, "Didn't you make a lot of money from auctioning the 'Ancient Parchment'? Why are you short on money?"
Faced with John's question, White Feather stammered, seemingly finding it hard to speak.
Seeing this, Emma stepped in, "White Feather has her own needs for money, Johnny, we can't spend all our money in the game, right?"
John nodded.
He didn't care about how White Feather and Emma spent their money.
After all, it was their private property and none of his business.
"Well then, use this for your next leveling up."
With that, John took out a bottle of "Silver Tears" from his inventory.
Upon seeing this "Silver Tears", both women couldn't help but scream.
Because what was in front of them was a Legendary "Silver Tear"!
...
Outside a room in the inn, a couple happened to be passing by.
They clearly heard the screams of two young girls coming from the room.
Immediately after, a man's voice came from inside the room:
"Shh! Keep it down, don't let others hear."
The couple was instantly stunned.
The male player looked at his girlfriend and commented, "Wow, that's a guy with two girls, a real player! Impressive!"
The female player gave him a look and said, ๐ฏ๐๐ฑ๐ง๐ผ๐ฏ๐๐น.๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ
"What they do in their own room and with how many girls is none of your business. What, are you envious of him?"
The male player chuckled, "Of course not, I have you and that's enough."
Having said that, he hugged his girlfriend and they continued up the stairs.
...
Inside the room.
"I've seen this before, at the auction!" Emma covered her mouth, lowering her voice in astonishment.
Of course, Emma remembered this item.
Back then, Blue Sea had spent a lot of money to buy just ten drops.
It's worth quite a fortune!
Chapter39- Inherited Memories of The Devil
"This item is too precious...we can't simply use it to level up!"
Emma shook her head repeatedly.
"Johnny, you should keep this for yourself! As long as you're strong, you can protect us!"
John laughed,
"Me? I don't need to level up anymore. This is a gift for you two, just take it. I'm counting on both of you to become stronger and support me."
With a helpless look on her face, Emma turned to White Feather.
White Feather nodded and said, "Emma, I know this is valuable, but if we can quickly level up, then we wouldn't be letting down Galewind's expectations."
John said, "Ah, that's right, see, White Feather is sensible."
Hearing this, Emma pouted a bit and said,
"Johnny, are you saying I'm not sensible?"
As she spoke, she deliberately made a mischievous face, then put the Legendary "Silver Tear" from the table into her robe.
"Alright, since you said it's a gift, I'll accept it, and you're not allowed to take it back!"
John looked indifferent, "Of course I won't take it back."
...
Meanwhile, at the Respawn Pool in Westwind City.
Many players had surrounded Darklord and his rookies.
"You, the one who fused with The Devil's body and killed so many of our brothers, right?"
"Today you have to give an explanation, or you can't leave!"
"Yeah, yeah, all of us have lost a level, and we can't recover the Exp points without spending at least a few weeks! How are you going to compensate us for all these?"
"I think we should simply kill him once per person and downgrade him!"
"Killing him and downgrading him won't help. We won't be able to recover our losses. Let him compensate us!"
"Right, let him compensate us!"
Although the players were born in different places, in the Godslayer game, players would respawn at the nearest Respawn Point after death.
Westwind was the nearest city to the underground ruins, so all the players who died near the ruins respawned in the Respawn Pool in Westwind.
Darklord and his guild members were no exception.
Darklord looked very haggard, his face full of fear and disbelief as he looked at his attribute panel.
This time he was killed by John and lost 3 levels!
"Gale...Wind!" Darklord gritted his teeth with anger, wishing he could tear John apart.
These 3 levels were hard-earned for him!
Now, just being killed by John this once, had made him fall out of the top players of his own guild!
The players surrounding Darklord heard him muttering a name to himself and thought he had lost his mind.
"Is he crazy after being possessed by The Devil?"
"I don't care if he's crazy or not, even if he's crazy he needs to compensate us!"
"Hey, Darklord, don't play dumb! Don't think you can end this by acting like this, you have to give us an explanation!"
In the crowd, the shouts got louder.
Just as things were about to get out of hand, the NPC guards of Westwind arrived.
These NPCs were all over level 100 and could instantly kill the current players.
Therefore, no players dared to misbehave in front of them.
"No gathering and causing trouble in Westwind!"
"If anyone attacks others unprovoked, we will arrest the attacker!"
The captain of the Westwind Guard shouted at the players.
Seeing that they could not do anything to Darklord in the city, the players left threatening words:
"Kid, remember this! Don't let me catch you outside the city!"
"Once we see you, our 'Dragonfall Guild' will definitely degrade your level again!"
"Yeah, we 'Night Bat Guild' won't let you off either!"
"Once we see you outside, you're going to regret it!" ...
After saying all this, these players reluctantly withdrew.
At this point, only Darklord and his guild members were left near the Respawn Pool.
"Damn, a bunch of opportunists," Darklord cursed,
"If I still had the power of The Devil, would these guys dare to be so arrogant in front of me? When I had the power of The Devil, they were so scared they didn't know where to run!"
Several of Darklord's trusted lieutenants tried to comfort him,
"Young master, shouldn't we just use the Westwind Teleportation Array to leave? It's too dangerous outside the city..."
Darklord cursed a few more times, then stubbornly said,
"I? afraid of them? Just a bunch of rabble! Go, call Soulsong and the other elite guild members over, I want to see who kills who!"
At this point, one of his subordinates came over and whispered to Darklord,
"Young master, Soulsong has already taken a leave of absence, he won't be online this week... After this incident, many members in our guild couldn't stand being targeted by other players. Seven out of our top ten elites have quit the guild."
Upon hearing this, Darklord froze for a moment.
Then he said, "A wise man knows when to retreat. Let's go to the teleportation array!"
"Worst case scenario... I'll just spend some more money and hire some even stronger players to join our guild!"
Darklord grumbled all the way to the city's teleportation array, leading his remaining rookies.
At this point, his resentment towards John had reached its peak.
Next...
He was going to get his revenge on John at any cost!
...
As Darklord and his members entered the teleportation array and left Westwind.
John, Emma, and White Feather also left Westwind.
The three of them each rode on horses purchased from the Trade Association, heading deep into the desert.
Emma, riding on her horse, asked John,
"Johnny, where are we going?"
John replied,
"To level you guys up."
White Feather said,
"I know of a Sandworm Lair nearby. It's not far and suitable for players above level 40... but it's close enough that we could just walk there. Why did we need to buy three horses?"
John smiled and said,
"We're not going there, the monsters there are too weak and the Exp gain is too little."
"The place I'm taking you to is a great place for leveling."
"Although the monsters there might be a little tough for you guys... but don't worry, I'm here, you guys will be fine."
Looking at John's confident face.
White Feather, for some reason, felt a sudden sense of unease.
An hour later.
The three of them finally stopped in the middle of the desert.
In front of them was an ancient and dilapidated building with strange words written in Demon Language.
There was a stone gate at the base of the building.
Though it's called a gate, you could see the desert on the other side of it, nothing else.
John got off his horse, led it to a shaded spot, then walked up to the stone door and said to the two ladies,
"The horses can stay here, when we come out after leveling, it will be more convenient to return with them."
"There's no teleportation array nearby, and without the horses, we wouldn't know how long we'd have to walk to find a town," John said.
White Feather and Emma nodded, dismounted their horses, and led them to a shaded area.
The game "Godslayer" can be said to simulate the real world 99.99%.
Even though these horses are just game data, if not taken care of properly and left in the sun, there's a high chance that when they come out.
There would only be three horse corpses left.
Both girls stood behind John, Emma, unable to suppress her curiosity, asked,
"Johnny, what place is this? How come we've never heard of such a place in the desert?"
John smiled slightly and said,
"Of course, you wouldn't know. The information that players can uncover in this game might not even amount to one in a million..."
"As for how I know, well, I have to keep that a secret."
The reason he chose to keep it a secret was not because he wanted to be pretentious, but because he couldn't tell them.
When he killed The Devil "Azazel" and escaped from the underground temple, John accidentally inherited some memories of this world from The Devil.
In the memories, a multitude of secrets were deeply etched into John's mind, making them impossible to forget.
Much of the information in itself was immensely valuable, each piece of data could sell for an astronomical price if auctioned in the auction house.
But at the same time, this knowledge itself had destructive power.
If regular players knew these secrets, they could at least suffer a sudden death and level downgrade.
Or at worst have their souls contaminated by the deep rules of this world, leading them on a path of no return.
Therefore, John was not planning to tell the two women any secret information until they were ready.
Chapter40- Exiled Mummy
Emma asked,
"Why keep secrets? Johnny, I've noticed that ever since you emerged from that secret realm, you've become increasingly mysterious..."
White Feather came to John's defense, saying,
"Actually, I understand. Sometimes it's better not to say anything. Everyone has their own secrets, after all."
John gratefully nodded at White Feather.
Just as White Feather had said, everyone has secrets.
Emma sighed a little dejectedly,
"Alright then, White Feather has her secrets, Johnny has his, and I'm the only one without secrets. You both know everything about me."
John playfully flicked her nose and chuckled,
"Isn't it good not to have secrets? Having too many secrets can be burdensome. It's wonderful to be carefree."
After saying this, John looked at the stone gate in front of them and began to recite the Demon Language inscribed on the structure.
The language was not only hard to understand but also unbearable to human ears.
Emma even had to cover her ears with her hands.
Luckily, the passage wasn't long, and John finished reciting it quickly.
As his voice fell, a ripple of purple light emanated from the center of the stone gate, revealing a portal in front of them.
White Feather looked at John in astonishment, asking, ๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐.๐๐๐
"Boss, you understand Demon Language?! I thought you were a human?"
"There are more humans who understand Demon Language than just me," John replied.
"I know," White Feather nodded,
"But the humans who understand Demon Language are respected master NPCs. I've never heard of a player who can speak Demon Language."
John smiled and said,
"Because the secret realm I was in before had something to do with Demons, I taught myself some Demon Language. Let's go. The portal is open. Let's enter."
He was the first to walk into the portal.
Seeing John go in, White Feather and Emma didn't hesitate and quickly followed.
They arrived at an underground tomb.
"Why is it a tomb again?" Emma frowned, "Does all the good stuff in this game lie in tombs?"
"This desert used to be the territory of Demons," John explained as he walked forward.
"After The Devil Azazel was sealed by the gods and the demons were driven out by humans, many underground relics and tombs were left... so it's quite normal to find many tombs around here."
White Feather, sensing something unusual about this place, drew her glowing sword and asked, "Galewind, do you know whose tomb this is?"
John nodded,
"Of course I do. This is the tomb of 'Baron Tutank', the Demon Noble. This was his domain when he was alive."
"The Baron's favorite pastime was eating humans alive. So there are many human sacrifices among his burial items."
Hearing this, White Feather's face became a little harder.
Even though she knew this was just a game and the characters and settings were just data, she couldn't suppress the feeling of disgust in her heart.
John continued,
"Demons are in hostile relations with all beings on this continent. In ancient times, humans, elves, dwarfs, and orcs had teamed up against the Demons."
"So, if you encounter Demons in the future, don't hesitate, just attack. Demons have no guilt about killing humans, and we can't show them any mercy."
By the time he had finished speaking, they had completely entered the tunnel of the tomb.
The path before them was pitch black.
John turned to Emma and said, "Emma, light a fire for us."
John actually had a talent that enhanced night vision in his skill set, and his perception was extremely strong.
He asked Emma to light a fire for illumination because he was worried that the two girls wouldn't be able to see the path ahead clearly.
"Alright," Emma snapped her fingers.
Sparks flew and the next second a bright red flame appeared at her fingertips.
Instantly, the tunnel lit up.
It was then that the two girls noticed that the stone walls on both sides of the tunnel were covered with murals and Demon text.
"What does it say?" Emma touched the inscriptions with curiosity.
John glanced at them and replied,
"Some Demon sacrificial rituals and procedures... things you probably wouldn't want to hear."
They continued on for about ten minutes, and then a spacious tomb chamber appeared before them.
Although it was a burial chamber, there were no coffins set up inside.
The walls of the chamber were adorned with skulls, both human and otherwise.
On top of the skulls were blue long-lasting candles.
Seeing this, White Feather and Emma furrowed their brows.
The sight was unnerving for the two girls, seeing not only human skulls, but also those of orcs, dwarfs... even elves.
"Johnny, do we really have to level up here?" Emma looked around, suppressing her inner fear and revulsion, "I don't even see any monsters..."
John pointed to a dark entrance in front and said,
"There will be monsters once we get out of this chamber.
Their levels are a bit high, so I'll lure them and tank them, then you two can finish them off."
White Feather stepped forward,
"Galewind, I'm a Silver Knight, I naturally have resistance to Demons, let me tank."
Emma agreed,
"Yeah, Johnny, White Feather's defense is really high! Whenever we level up together, she's always the one to tank. She's never made a mistake!"
John shook his head,
"No, I'll tank. You two remember to use ranged skills and don't get within 500 yards of those monsters. These monsters are mummified corpses, they aren't very smart. As long as you don't get close, they'll only attack me."
Seeing John's insistence, the two women agreed.
They passed through the chamber and entered a relatively wider tunnel.
The smell in this tunnel was terrible.
Not far ahead of them, two mummified corpses were wandering around.
These corpses had greyish-white skin and looked as shriveled as skeletons.
Their faces were covered with bugs, and their eyes were completely white.
White Feather immediately opened her detection panel and saw:
[Exiled Mummy (Common)
Level: 60
Description: A cursed human that, after death, cannot rest. Wanders in the underground tomb.]
Both White Feather and Emma's eyes widened.
A level 60 monster!
This was the first time they had encountered monsters above level 50!
"Galewind, can we really defeat monsters of such high level?" White Feather now understood why John didn't want her to tank.
She was somewhat anxious, "Is it too soon for us to fight these types of monsters for leveling up?"
John turned around, with a puzzled look,
"What? These monsters? No, no, no, I didn't bring you here to level up with these monsters."
Hearing John say this, both girls secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But then John continued,
"These monsters are too low level. Even if you killed them all day long, you wouldn't reach level 50. Our real target is further in. There's a mummy of a demon wizard in the tunnel ahead. That guy is level 80 and an elite monster..."
"Killing it, you two can probably level up to 50."
At this point, the expression on White Feather and Emma's faces was quite shocked.
"A level 80 elite monster?" White Feather repeated.
John nodded.
"Can our attack... break its defense?" Emma expressed doubt.
John reassured them, "As I said, with me here, you have nothing to worry about."
"Let's go, let's start leveling up officially!"
Just as he finished speaking, John charged ahead, regardless of whether White Feather and Emma were ready, he began to pull the monsters.
At least a dozen Exiled Mummies were wandering in the tunnel, and John drew them all together at once.
Their venomous claws couldn't penetrate John's defense, only making a clanging sound as if striking metal.
John dealt with them carefully - not because he was afraid of dying, but because he was worried that if he accidentally activated his reflective damage skill, these monsters would instantly be killed by him.
Otherwise, White Feather and Emma would have nothing left to gain.
Chapter41- Mummified Demon Wizard
Upon seeing John rush in like that, White Feather and Emma started to add various attack BUFFs to themselves in a hurry.
By the time they finished, more than a minute had passed.
John was surrounded by many Exiled Mummies, being attacked incessantly.
-0
-0
-1!
-0
-0
...
A series of "0s" bounced above John's head.
These Exiled Mummies simply could not break through his defense.
The "-1" was a damage inflicted by the monsters after John had purposely lowered all defenses for fear that they would not be able to penetrate, revealing a flaw.
If the monsters can't break through a player's defense for a long time, they might switch targets.
John had gone through great lengths to firmly attract these monsters.
Finally, Emma and White Feather made their move.
Hot fireball spells were constantly crashing down.
Brilliant holy light kept falling.
-526!
-799!
-498!
-1036!
...
Countless damage numbers sprung from the heads of those Exiled Mummies.
Even though Emma and White Feather were rare classes, with Emma being a high-damage Pyromancer, it took them a while to kill just one Exiled Mummy.
But after killing just one, Emma and White Feather were excited to find their Exp points had greatly increased.
At this rate, just as John had said, they would indeed reach level 50 after killing these Exiled Mummies and the Mummified Demon Wizards!
About half an hour later, the last Exiled Mummy surrounding John finally fell.
John breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he wouldn't be hurt by these monsters, they were quite a nuisance.
Being close to these monsters gave him a feeling of being stuck in mud.
John returned to the two ladies.
White Feather was clenching her fists and murmuring a spell, then a pure white holy light descended from the sky, enveloping John.
Instantly, all the filth and stench brought by the Exiled Mummies were completely eliminated.
John felt as comfortable as if he had taken a fragrant hot bath and put on a set of clean clothes.
"This skill is pretty good!"
John couldn't help but praise White Feather,
"Is this a unique skill of the Silver Knight?"
White Feather put down her hands and shook her head:
"No, this skill is called 'Cleanse'. Most Priest and Paladin players can learn it." "However, it is troublesome to learn this skill. You need to find a special church and pay enough Gold Coins to learn it. "
"The skill only serves to cleanse, so many players did not bother to learn it."
With that, White Feather lowered her head a bit embarrassingly:
"I learned it because I have some cleanliness obsession. I spent many Gold Coins to learn this skillโฆ" ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ.๐ค๐ฐ๐
John nodded while saying:
"I think this skill is very practical! Feeling in the game is also very important. Who would be happy covered in filth? It's good that you learned this."
"Yeah, I also told Sister White Feather that there is absolutely nothing wrong with learning this skill, it seems that Johnny and I think alike!" Emma said from the side.
The three rested for a while.
Mainly White Feather and Emma needed to rest.
They had exhausted their mana killing the Exiled Mummies.
John, being the one to tank the damage, looked like he was fine, watching the two women recover on the spot.
After a while, White Feather and Emma had both adjusted themselves to their best state.
The three of them continued to walk into the passage, entering a new tomb.
In the center of the tomb chamber, there was a mummified demon mummy, holding a staff and seated on the ground.
The mummy was exceptionally tall, even while seated it was twice the height of an average man.
White Feather and Emma involuntarily held their breath, as if afraid their noise would awaken this colossal being.
"Don't worry, it won't revive unless we touch it."
John explained as he pointed towards the Demon's neck,
"Do you see the pendant around its neck? It's a high-level Legendary Equip. Most players can't resist grabbing it when they see it.
"The moment a player touches the mummy, it senses life and revives.
This level 80 Elite monster cannot be defeated unless there are more than10 level 80 players.
Any player less powerful than that would simply be instant killed."
Emma nodded then asked,
"But Johnny, we're only level 49. Even if you're with us, there are only three of us... Didn't you just say it would take 10 level 80 players to defeat it?"
John grinned,
"Yes, it would either take10 level 80 players," he pointed at himself, "Or, it would need a powerful player like me to hold the front line."
With that said, he strode forward and without any hesitation, yanked the pendant from the mummy's neck.
The next second, the Demon mummy's eyes glowed bright red.
It roared and stood up.
Although it was a Demon, its form was very similar to that of a human.
However, its skin was black and rotting, two red horns protruded from its head, and its face was twisted, with a protruding mouth full of sharp teeth - the sight of it made one uncomfortable.
"Roar!"
The Demon let out a loud roar that shook the entire underground tomb.
"Bugs, dare you infringe on my territory!"
White Feather and Emma simultaneously opened their system interface to check the attributes of the monster before them.
[Mummified Demon Wizard (Rare Boss)
Level: 80
Introduction: A former Demon Priest, who maintained its power by absorbing the blood of other beings during its long life. After death, it was besieged by countless resentful spirits and turned into a mummy.
Attributes: ?]
As the monster's level was much higher, the two couldn't discern its attributes.
John didn't back down, standing his ground with hands on his hips, and said to the Demon Wizard,
"Enough chatter. Just a mummy and you dare call me a bug?"
This was merely for the two ladies to level up.
Otherwise, if John were to demonstrate his power, the Demon Wizard before him would likely kneel and beg for mercy out of fear.
John's words infuriated the Demon Wizard.
It bellowed and summoned countless ugly black bugs from its staff, directing them towards John.
These bugs were the size of a palm, and when combined, they formed a dark cloud.
Yet, John remained unscathed.
"Pitiful tricks, laughable."
John chuckled and snapped his fingers.
All bugs approaching him instantly dropped dead to the ground.
He could not directly attack the Boss, for fear that he might kill it instantly if he didn't control his power.
But killing these summoned bugs was permissible.
Seeing all the bugs it summoned got killed, the Demon Wizard's face displayed fear.
It then put some distance between John and itself, vigilantly watching him.
Seeing that he had drawn the boss's full attention, John shouted, "You can attack now!"
Upon receiving John's command, White Feather and Emma unleashed their most proficient attack methods.
Of course, following John's instructions, they both stood far away, employing their ranged abilities to attack.
Fireball spells and holy light continuously struck the Demon Wizard.
-56!
-72!
-34!
-63!
...
The damage they caused was as if they were merely scratching an itch.
The Demon Wizard did not even bother to pay attention to White Feather and Emma.
The one it was most wary of at this moment was still John, who remained stationary in his position.
Chapter42-Both Level UP to 50!
John looked at the Demon Wizard in front of him, which had over 700,000 HP.
At this rate, it could take till tomorrow to kill it.
Furthermore, John knew that the Demon Wizard definitely had a powerful HP recovery skill.
If they fought for half the day and the Demon Wizard used its healing skill, wouldn't all their efforts have been wasted?
"Stop using these common skills, use your ultimates!"
"But our ultimates have a long CD... we have to wait for 10 or so minutes before we can use them again, and it also consumes a lot of MP," Emma questioned.
"Have you used the 'Silver Tear' I gave you?" John reminded.
The two girls exchanged glances, then Emma took out the Silver Tear that John had given them:
[Silver Tear (Legendary): Holy water of the Silver Church, said to be the divine tear bestowed by the Silver Angel, extremely precious. Apply a drop to your forehead to temporarily increase your spiritual power and intelligence by 100% (lasting 12 hours), and gain +100000% Exp points.]
[Extra effect: This item is extremely cherished, possesses a certain divinity of the Silver Angel, each drop can instantly slay undead monsters below level 100.]
This item could increase 100% of mental power and 100% of intelligence, effectively doubling the upper limit of MP and the recovery speed of MP, making it very useful.
Unfortunately, Demons were not the Undead, otherwise a single drop of Silver Tear would be enough to instantly kill it.
After reading the item's description, White Feather called out to John,
"But the Legendary Silver Tear can only last for 12 hours. Should we really use it now? What if we can't kill this monster within the time limit and fail to gain Exp points? Wouldn't it be wasted?"
White Feather's concerns were valid.
They had already released several rounds of skills, but the damage inflicted on the Demon Wizard never exceeded beyond 100.
If this continues, they definitely won't be able to kill the Demon Wizard within twelve hours.
John blocked the blood spikes summoned by the Demon Wizard with his body, then reassured the girls,
"That's fine, just use it. There won't be any overtime, and even if there is, there are dozens of drops in that bottle, feel free to use it."
Hearing John's 'extravagant' words, White Feather was speechless.
She knew how rare and precious this item was and had heard about the high prices it fetched at auction.
Now John was telling them to 'just use it'.
This was simply absurd...
Even with money, one shouldn't be so wasteful!
But White Feather and Emma shared a similar virtue - they both trusted and listened to John.
If John said so, then it must be right.
Each of them applied a drop on their foreheads.
In an instant, a refreshing sensation permeated their brains.
White Feather and Emma's eyes suddenly became brighter.
They had never felt their minds so clear.
It felt as though an ocean-like energy was surging from within them, and they couldn't help but unleash their most powerful skills...
"Phoenix Inferno Curse!"
"Silver Radiance!"
Emma, holding her staff, completed her incantation, and immediately, a red flame rose from the ground.
The flame continued to morph, eventually transforming into a colossal Immortal Phoenix, charging towards the Demon Wizard!
White Feather was not to be outdone.
Although her class was Silver Knight and she wasn't particularly proficient in ranged attacks, as a rare class, the Silver Knight had a powerful ranged attack.
A strong white light fell, directly enveloping the top of the Demon Wizard.
Within that intense white light, one could even vaguely see an archangel waving six wings!
"Boom!"
-57839!
-36584!
Two outrageously high damage numbers appeared above the Demon Wizard's head.
Emma and White Feather couldn't quite believe their own hands... could they really deal that much damage?
Especially to an level 80 elite boss!
The Legendary Silver Tear gave them a massive boost, but could it have boosted them this much?
The women's doubts didn't last long.
They knew this wasn't the time to fret over this.
"Good, my 'Phoenix Inferno Curse' has a CD of 15 minutes, during this time I..." Emma stopped mid-sentence.
"What's wrong?" White Feather asked with concern.
Looking at her skill panel, Emma exclaimed, "My skill CD, it's... something's off!"
This prompted White Feather to quickly check her own status panel.
Good grief, she had received a "Blessing of Nyx" buff, granting 100 times spell damage and -99% CD!
That meant a skill that originally took over 10 minutes to cast could now be cast on average every 20 seconds!
The women quickly realized, simultaneously looking over at John.
He was still standing in place, constantly taunting the Demon Wizard, keeping its aggression focused on him.
Without a doubt, the buff was added by John!
"This Galewind... is truly mysterious..."
White Feather had newfound respect for John.
To cast such a powerful buff, it only demonstrated the vast power John himself commanded.
Emma immediately cast "Phoenix Inferno Curse" again, striking over 60,000 damage onto the Demon Wizard.
"White Feather, stop dawdling, we can quickly kill it this way!" Emma advised.
White Feather quickly got the hint and began to use her ultimate skill as well.
After several rounds of bombardment...
The Demon Wizard finally realized something was amiss.
Its HP had fallen by over half, and the vast majority of the lost HP was inflicted by the two female players in the distance!
This enraged it immensely, yelling, "Bugs! You daring to ambush me! Go to hell!"
"Blood Mist!"
The staff swung out.
A large amount of blood was released from it.
The Demon Wizard's HP dropped significantly.
However, the blood instantly turned into a red mist, rushing towards White Feather and Emma!
With quick reflexes, John used another buff on the girls in the nick of time.
These protective skills were ones John had understood during his battle with Azazel.
They weren't usually required, but were very useful for leveling up others.
The Blood Mist was entirely neutralized by John's skills, not a single drop of blood was lost by the girls.
Seeing this, the Demon Wizard was completely frantic.
The "Blood Mist" skill was one of its ultimates.
If it were regular players, it would be enough to kill the squishy mages and shooters in the backline instantly.
With the backline damage dealers gone, any team would be left with nothing but a total wipeout.
Who would have known that such a powerful backup move would be easily neutralized by the man before them?
At this moment, the Demon Wizard only had one-third of its HP left.
As a level 80 elite boss, the Demon Wizard had a certain level of intelligence.
John's unorthodox appearance had ensured that it had no chance of defeating these humans today.
Therefore, it began to contemplate how to escape.
Unfortunately for it, its pursuer was John.
There was no chance to run away.
The Demon Wizard recited a complex incantation, transforming its entire body into Blood Mist, intending to flee beyond the tomb.
But with a roar from John, the Blood Mist was dispersed instantly.
The Demon Wizard's body fell from the Blood Mist, crashing hard onto the ground.
John had not directly attacked just now; his roar was more like a control skill.
Seeing the Demon Wizard fall, he immediately said to the women, "Now's the chance, kill it!"
White Feather and Emma saw the words "Stunned" appear above the Demon Wizard's head and were immediately invigorated.
Attacking a stunned monster has damage bonuses!
Hence, their ultimate skills came crashing down immediately.
"Phoenix Inferno Curse!"
"Silver Radiance!"
-89865!
-75368!
Over 160,000 damage instantly popped out from above the Demon Wizard's head!
The Demon Wizard's HP plummeted to 0, and the mummy was completely reduced to ashes.
Simultaneously, they heard 2 clear ding sounds...
White Feather and Emma had both leveled up to 50!
Chapter43-Harvesting Loot& Level Leaderboard Updated
"Johnny! We leveled up!" Emma exclaimed excitedly to John.
John nodded, then found three more pieces of Equip in the ashes of the Demon Wizard.
Combined with the pendant he'd already yanked from the Demon Wizard, there were a total of four pieces of Equip.
He brought these four items before the girls, laying them out and saying, "Take a look, these are the spoils of your battle this time."
White Feather and Emma seemed incredibly excited, apparently the feeling of defeating such a formidable monster for the first time had given them a great sense of achievement.
They looked over the spoils of their battle, seeing four pieces of Equip:
[Wizard Pendant (Legendary): The favorite pendant of the demonic wizards. Using it, you can summon powerful demon magic in a short time.]
[Level: 80. Can be worn at level 80 or with 300 intelligence.]
[Stats: +200 intelligence, +100 spirit power.]
[Set Effect: Wizard Set (1/4). Equip all four pieces to increase intelligence and spirit power by 20%.]
[Attached Skill: Bloody Mist (Tier-1). Summons a powerful mist of blood to attack enemies, can attack any unit within 1000 yards directly, dealing arts damage equal to your intelligence + spirit power.]
...
[Wizard Staff (Legendary): A staff commonly used by demonic wizards, made from the bones of some mysterious creature, very durable.]
[Level: 80. Can be worn at level 80 or with 260 spirit power.]
[Stats: +300 intelligence.]
[Set Effect: Wizard Set (1/4). Equip all four pieces to increase intelligence and spirit power by 20%.]
...
[Wizard Robe (Legendary): The robe worn by demonic wizards. Soaked in the blood of various creatures, it has an extremely powerful grudge.]
[Level: 80. Can be worn at level 80 or with a maximum health of 3000.]
[Stats: +2000 maximum HP, +1000 maximum MP, +100 Armor Points.]
[Set Effect: Wizard Set (1/4). Equip all four pieces to increase intelligence and spirit power by 20%.]
...
[Wizard Ring (Legendary): A ring cherished by demonic wizards. A gift awarded to the Demon Wizard by high-ranking demons, to reward him for his achievements in slaughter.]
[Level: 80. Can be worn at level 80 or with 200 intelligence.]
[Stats: +50 armor, +100 poison resistance, +100 paralysis resistance.]
[Set Effect: Wizard Set (1/4). Equip all four pieces to increase intelligence and spirit power by 20%.]
...
"Wow! What amazing stats!"
After viewing these four pieces of Equip, both White Feather and Emma couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.
John, however, seemed indifferent.
He shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, all four pieces are mage Equip. There's nothing suitable for White Feather."
White Feather, however, didn't show any signs of disappointment.
She laughed and said, "That's okay. They can all be used by Emma. If she becomes stronger, it's also good for me. We work together, so her strength is my strength."
Seeing White Feather's good nature, John couldn't help but look at her with newfound respect.
Emma patted her chest and said,
"No worries, White Feather. Next time we'll find a monster that drops knight Equip... oh right, Johnny, do you know where we can find powerful monsters that can drop knight Equip?"
John nodded and said, "I do, of course. I'll take you guys there tomorrow."
At this point, John said curiously, "But it looks like you're both tired today. Let's tally up the loot and then log off and take some rest. The game isn't everything in life..."
"Oh, by the way, you get a new talent every 50 levels. Why don't you both check out what new talents you've received?"
At John's reminder, the two girls eagerly opened their attribute panels.
Upon seeing their newly acquired talents, both White Feather and Emma wore expressions of shock.
Especially White Feather, her beautiful eyes opened wide and she couldn't help but cover her open mouth with her hand.
Looking at her expression, John knew that her talent must be quite powerful.
On the other side, Emma excitedly said to John:
"Johnny!"
"My talent is so cool!"
...
Meanwhile, another player, bored and aimless, was drinking beer in a tavern while scrolling through various system interfaces.
When he opened the level leaderboard, he suddenly froze, and the beer he was drinking choked him, making him spray it out.
It happened to spray onto the back of the head of a bald Berserker sitting across the table.
That was a problem.
The bald Berserker, with a disgruntled expression, walked over and grabbed the player by his collar, lifting him up.
"Kid, looking for trouble, are you?"
"Go! We're going outside the city for a practice round!"
The player who had sprayed beer waved his hands frantically, apologizing:
"No, no, no, I'm sorry, big brother. I was startled by what I just saw on the level leaderboard, and that's why I couldn't help but spray... I've soiled your clothes, how about I compensate you with a gold coin?"
Upon hearing of compensation, the bald Berserker's expression softened somewhat.
He put the player down, brushed off the beer from his body, and said discontentedly,
"At least five gold coins! Otherwise, you're not leaving this tavern today!"
The player who sprayed beer nodded repeatedly.
At this point, the satisfied Berserker also opened the level leaderboard.
He was curious to see what this guy had discovered that had caused him to spray his beer.
When he saw the refreshed information on the level leaderboard, he froze as well.
At this moment, all the players in the tavern turned their attention to him.
"What's up?"
"These two guys are interesting, one sprays beer on others, and the other freezes in place after opening the system interface."
"Could he have disconnected?"
"How could that be possible? Does any game equipment still get disconnected these days? That would have to be some antique device from years ago!"
"Say, is there an issue with the level leaderboard?"
As people were discussing, someone in the tavern suddenly made such a suggestion.
This reminded everyone.
They quickly opened their system interface to check the "Level Leaderboard".
Not to worry about not looking, once they saw it, everyone was taken aback!
Two players had suddenly leveled up to 50, respectively reaching the second and third place on the leaderboard!
This was simply too surprising!
Although these two newly listed players chose to remain anonymous...
From the gender, it could be seen that both of these players were female!
"Wow! More people are on the leaderboard! And two at once!"
"And both of them are female players! Who could they be? They level up even faster than those high-level pros!"
Soon. ๐๐๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๐๐๏ผ๐๏ฝ๏ฝ
The players in the tavern logged into different forums and chat channels, starting to share this news.
One stone stirred up a thousand waves.
Instantly, this topic began to circulate in the chat channels and forums.
"Breaking news! Two anonymous female players surpassed the experts of all the major guilds, becoming the second and third players in the world to reach level 50!"
"Does anyone know these two pros? Can you tell us? Our 'Rose Guild' is specifically recruiting female players! If they're willing to join, I can even give them the position of guild leader!"
"I wonder what these two female players look like, I'm really curious!"
"I bet they're both gorgeous!"
"No matter what they look like, one thing's for sure, they're both definitely high-level experts! I really hope to meet them! They make us female players proud!"
Everyone was in awe of the strength of these two players.
At this point.
Adam, who was leveling up and only a little bit of Exp away from level 50, clenched his fist tightly.
"Darn! They're even faster than me!"
Adam looked at the leaderboard in disbelief, his heart filled with bitterness.
Just a little bit more, just a little bit.
He could have been the second player to reach level 50!
On the other side.
Blue Sea, who had just killed a monster, couldn't help but sigh.
He estimated that if he killed a dozen more monsters, he could level up to 50.
But he didn't expect to be surpassed by two unknown female players...
This was even after he had used "Silver Tear".
It made Blue Sea realize there were always people better than him, mountains beyond mountains.
"Never mind, let's keep leveling up. It's just the beginning."
Blue Sea thought, "Once I get on the leaderboard, I just need to surpass them!"
So.
Blue Sea's monster-killing movements became even more swift and efficient.
Chapter44- New Talent!Blessing of Flame and Holy Light
The reactions of other players were unknown to John at this moment.
They were not paying attention to the Chat Channel, instead focusing all their attention on the new talents the two girls had just obtained.
"Emma, why don't you tell us about your talent first?" John asked.
Emma nodded, then showed John and White Feather her new talent:
[Fire God's Anthem (Legendary): You have grasped the secrets of fire in combat with powerful enemies. As a proficient user of fire magic, you have comprehended a powerful method of controlling fire elements. With this talent, when using fire skills, you have a 15% chance to instantly recover skill CD and increase your fire spell crit rate by 15%.]
Upon seeing Emma's new talent, White Feather couldn't help but exclaim:
"That's amazing! Fire spells are known for their power, but they have long CD... this talent seems tailor-made for your 'Pyromancer' class!"
Emma also looked very satisfied:
"Mmm, increasing the crit rate of fire spells by 15% is already quite good, and there's also a 15% chance to reset skill CD! Most of my skills are fire spells, so this talent suits me perfectly!"
John also thought Emma's talent was good and patted her head with a smile:
"Good job, you're getting stronger and stronger!"
He then turned to White Feather and asked,
"And what about you, White Feather?"
White Feather showed her own talent panel to the two of them.
This time, not only Emma, but even John was shocked.
[Devotees of the Holy Light (Divine): You have killed the evil Demon Wizard and earned the recognition of the Holy Light. The Silver Angel has personally blessed you with the Holy Light, granting you unprecedented power. With this talent, all your Holy Light skills cause double damage to Demons and Undead, your Holy Light protective skills increase defense attributes by 100%, and you have become a Devotee of the Silver Angel, holding great prestige within the Silver Church and a position second only to the Silver Pontiff. You can issue orders to NPCs below the Pontiff in the Silver Church.]
The attribute bonuses of this talent were good enough, but being a "Devotee of the Silver Angel" was incredibly useful.
The Silver Church was a massive organization with followers across the entire continent.
The Silver Angel was an embodiment of love and salvation.
Being her Devotee and holding authority second only to the Silver Pontiff... this talent had numerous hidden benefits!
It would earn great respect from many NPCs and even allow for commanding many high-level NPCs in the Silver Church!
No wonder White Feather was completely stunned when she first saw this talent.
"I didn't realize there was a Divine Talent!" Emma exclaimed,
"I thought Legendary Talent was already the best talent! Compared to that, Divine Talent is just too powerful!"
John nodded.
He had long known about the existence of Divine Talents.
Rather...
All his talents now were Divine Talents.
However, he hadn't expected that White Feather would also acquire a Divine Talent.
He wasn't sure whether to attribute it to good luck or something else.
After all, Divine Talent was no commonplace thing.
In the official introduction of the game 'Godslayer', talents were divided into gray(poor), white(common), green(uncommon), blue(Rare), purple(Epic), orange(Unique), and Golden(Legendary) Talent.
Above these was the Divine Talent, which the officials never explicitly mentioned.
But now, only the three of them, John and the 2 girls, knew of the existence of "Divine Talent" among all players worldwide.
Among all talents, those above blue could be collectively referred to as "rare talents".
These were few and far between.
The odds of getting a purple talent were roughly one in a hundred thousand.
For orange talents, it was about one in a million.
The odds for a Legendary Talent were probably around one in ten million.
Going by this calculation, the odds of obtaining a Divine Talent were at least one in a hundred million.
It had to be said that White Feather and Emma were very lucky in acquiring their talents this time.
John said to White Feather, "Your Divine Talent is very useful. If used properly, it could have a powerful effect."
White Feather nodded and said,
"So can I have higher-level NPCs in our church help me fight monsters? I know we have an NPC over level 100 in Silver City. He's the captain of the Silver Guard and is very powerful."
John chuckled and said,
"Over level 100 is nothing. You can command anyone below the Silver Pontiff! I don't believe that the Silver Church has stood for so long with only a level100 NPC..."
White Feather was somewhat stunned.
"Galewind, are you saying... I could command even higher level NPCs to serve me?"
"Of course," John affirmed, "as long as you can find them."
Having said that, John stretched lazily and looked at the time on the system interface.
"It's getting late. Let's all log off and get some rest..."
The two girls nodded in agreement.
They had gained so much today that they were too excited to feel tired.
But it was nearing midnight and it was time to rest.
The three said their goodbyes and logged off.
In John's home, he stepped out of his chamber, yawned, and glanced at the empty capsule next to him.
It was meant for Emma, but since it was summer vacation from college, Emma had returned to her hometown and wasn't in the city.
This left John feeling a bit lonely. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก.๐๐ค๐
He had thought about inviting Sophia over for a drink at his place.
But considering how late it was, he decided against it.
John had logged off because he was tired, but once he returned to the real world, he found himself unable to sleep.
He sat on the sofa, turned on the TV for background noise, and started browsing his phone.
He didn't actually want to watch TV, he just felt too lonely in the quiet house and needed some noise to create the illusion of company.
After browsing the game forum for a while, John suddenly came across an interesting post:
"Seeking experts who can help us defeat 'Wolf Guild'! Anyone who can help us defeat Wolf Guild will be rewarded with 500 Gold Coins!"
Now, as the game has been running for some time, Gold Coins are not as valuable as they were in the beginning.
However, 500 Gold Coins is still no small amount.
To be willing to pay so much just to defeat another guild?
John became interested in the post and clicked on it.
He wasn't short of the 500 Gold Coins.
Over the past few months, he had made a fortune selling Gold Coins in the game and still had countless more in his game account.
Money, to him now, was just a number.
He could easily amass a large amount whenever he wanted. He clicked on the post purely out of curiosity. However, upon opening the post, John realized that the ID of the person who posted it seemed very familiar...
He closed his eyes and tried to recall.
"'Riverlo', yes, that's him!"
John opened his eyes.
He remembered meeting a player named "Riverlo" in a previous game.
This player was very friendly.
At the time, John was a newbie and Riverlo was the guild leader of a major guild.
They had a dispute over a wild boss by chance.
Riverlo didn't use his status to bully John, but instead reasoned with him, stating that he discovered the boss first.
However, John ignored him, insisting the boss belonged to him.
At that time, Riverlo's subordinates, who were all higher level than John, were about to gang up on him.
Riverlo, however, stopped them and said to John, "If you really want it, you can have it."
Then, he led his subordinates away.
From that point on, they became acquainted.
In the previous game, Riverlo had helped John a lot and likewise, when John became powerful, he helped Riverlo quite a bit in return.
The days when they leveled up and fought bosses together were still fresh in John's mind.
"How nostalgic, those carefree days when I played the game just for the sake of playing. Those were good times,"
John mused as he reclined on the sofa, "I wonder if this Riverlo is the same one I know."
He lifted his phone and began to read the post...
Chapter45- Riverlo Who Seek for Help
John quickly skimmed through the post and roughly understood what had transpired.
The more he read, the angrier he became.
Simply put, Riverlo and his guildmates were in the wilderness killing a boss.
Just when they were about to finish it off, a group of players appeared out of nowhere.
Not only did they steal the last hit on the boss, but they also killed off the already weakened team of Riverlo.
Under normal circumstances, this wasn't a major issue.
Things like mob-stealing, player-killing, and loot-grabbing happened regularly in the game.
After all, this is a game, and you can't expect every player to have high integrity.
It's normal for some to have questionable behavior.
According to the usual game etiquette, as long as the group that stole the wild boss apologized and compensated Riverlo's team, the issue could have been minimized.
But, shockingly, these guys were extremely aggressive.
Not only did they refuse to compensate, but they also camped outside the city, attacking and killing any players from Riverlo's guild who entered or exited the city.
Generally, when such arrogant players emerge, there are usually high-level players who cannot stand by and teach them a lesson.
Unfortunately, no one dared to provoke them.
Because these guys were from the "Wolf Guild."
Wolf Guild was a newly risen guild in the game "Godslayer."
The entire guild was filled with hooligans with bad behavior, rampant with lowlifes who believed in the rule of "Survival of the fittest, power is everything" while playing the game.
Due to their lack of moral compass, they have been causing all sorts of troubles since the game launched three months ago.
Killing newbie players, bullying newbie players, harassing female players, stealing items and last hit on bosses were all common occurrences.
Several major guilds have tried to challenge Wolf Guild, but the guild leader and deputy of Wolf Guild were overwhelmingly powerful.
Even when they were lower level, they could easily dominate their opponents.
In the end, the major guild that tried to stand up for justice was entirely wiped out by Wolf Guild.
After this battle, Wolf Guild quickly gained infamy, attracting more rogue players to join, looking to partake in the thrill of bullying the weak.
Over the past few months, any players who had offended Wolf Guild members were harassed endlessly.
Many players were forced to delete their accounts and quit the game due to their bullying.
This time, after Riverlo was targeted, even a personal apology from the Guild Leader didn't help.
Those ruffians even demanded Riverlo to crawl and apologize in the city, or they would continue slaughtering members of their guild.
Their actions were simply outrageous.
John knew that Riverlo was a nice person with a good temperament.
Even when people upset him, he would often let it go with a smile unless it was excessive.
The fact that even Riverlo was driven to the point of posting for help revealed just how outrageous Wolf Guild's actions were!
John huffed coldly, closed his eyes, and thought for a while on the sofa.
Then, he opened his eyes and left a comment on the post.
"Riverlo? This is Galewind. Are you the Riverlo I know?"
He thought the post's author wouldn't reply so quickly, so he took the opportunity to take a bath.
After his bath, he picked up his phone again.
To his surprise, the post's author had already replied to his comment.
"Galewind! I remember you! It's been a long time, are you playing 'Godslayer' now? Let's add each other."
Following that was the numeric ID left by Riverlo.
John thought for a moment, then replied,
"Alright, it's too late today, I'll add you when I get online tomorrow." Then he left it at that.
He wasn't in a rush, going online right now wouldn't make much difference, it would be better to get a good night's sleep, and deal with it tomorrow with full energy.
...
The next morning, John got up at 6 am.
Coming out of the temple, John was surprised to find himself feeling more energetic than ever, as if a short sleep was enough to bring him to his best state.
This condition wasn't present before playing 'Godslayer'.
"Could it be, can this game really influence reality?" John pondered while brushing his teeth.
After washing up, John went online and found his friend list continuously blinking.
He knew it was Riverlo sending him a friend request.
Opening his friends list, sure enough, it was Riverlo, his avatar was the same as the one from the last game.
John accepted the friend request and sent over a message.
Soon, Riverlo replied.
John couldn't resist joking with him, "You stayed up all night online, aren't you afraid of sudden death?"
Riverlo: "If I don't die suddenly, I'll be pissed to death. You saw the post I made, right?"
John: "I did, what's the story with this Wolf Guild? I've never heard of them."
Riverlo: "Nothing much, just a newly formed guild in this game. But they're very ruthless and don't leave any face for others, so no one wants to provoke them."
John: "Do you need me to help you deal with them?"
Riverlo: "They're powerful, I know you're strong too, but this game is a bit different from the ones we've played before, the operation technique doesn't decide everything... By the way, what's your level now? Why are you hiding your level?"
John thought for a moment and replied, "My level is not high, I'm hiding it so people won't laugh."
Riverlo: "In that case, you better not get involved in this mess. These people don't make sense, and once you get involved, they will surely not give up until they get you. It wouldn't be good if you were implicated."
John laughed and replied, "You've known me for quite a long time. Do you think I'm a person who's afraid of trouble?"
Riverlo quickly replied, "No, but I know you're a very stubborn person... Listen to me, there's no benefit for you in getting involved in this. I don't want to drag you down."
John: "Who says there's no benefit? Didn't you offer a reward of 500 Gold Coins for help in your post? Are you backing out now?"
Riverlo sent an speechless emoji and then said, "I know you're not greedy. You value loyalty, but if I cause trouble for you, I would feel very guilty."
John: "Alright, stop being so reluctant. We don't need to be so polite with each other. Where are you now? I'll come for you."
Riverlo then sent over a coordinate.
John found out that Riverlo was in a place called Northwood, so he messaged, "I'm heading to the teleport portal, I'll be there soon."
At this moment, John's friend list blinked with a new message.
He thought it was Riverlo sending another message, but upon checking, he found it was Emma.
"Johnny, how did you get up so early? We didn't log off until 1 am last night!"
John: "Aren't you also up this early?"
Emma: "I'm fine, I slept a lot in the afternoon. When I woke up in the morning, I couldn't fall back asleep, so I thought I'd go online... I'm going to Nightglow Lake to fish, do you want to come?"
John: "No, you go fishing first, I have something else to deal with."
Emma: "Okay, Johnny, do as you wish."
After replying to Emma, John walked to the town's teleportation portal, selected the place, and began the teleportation.
Soon, he arrived at Brambleburg, not far from Northwood.
The reason he couldn't teleport directly to Northwood was because Northwood and the town where John was before belonged to different imperial forces.
Although they were both human territories, there was no direct teleportation between the two nations.
So, John had to first teleport to Brambleburg, which was closest to Northwood, and then walk the rest of the way.
Chapter46- The Arrogant Wolf Guild
John had not been out of Brambleburg for long.
And Riverlo ran into trouble.
Just after leaving the tavern, he was cornered in a small alley by several thug-like members of the Wolf Guild.
"You can't fight in Northwood, don't you know that?"
Riverlo, seeing himself surrounded from the front and back, regretted not informing his guild members in the city to act together.
The Wolf Guild leader, whose player ID was "Starving Wolf," was a lean tall man.
He grinned at Riverlo and said, "Kid, rules are of no use to us Wolf Guild folks, you must know this, right?"
After speaking, the followers behind him all burst out laughing.
Another player ID named "Grey Wolf" drew a dagger, sneering:
"As long as the patrolling guards in the city don't see us, we're good, right?"
Riverlo calmly said:
"Do you think I will sit and wait for death? Once I fight back, it will inevitably cause a lot of commotion, and the patrolling guards will surely notice the abnormality here!"
Starving Wolf shrugged indifferently:
"Fight back? How do you fight back if we don't make a move? If you attack us first, the patrolling guards will be the ones to catch you."
Riverlo looked disgustedly at him and frowned: "What do you want?"
"No big deal, it's just that we, the Wolf Guild, have a tradition," Starving Wolf sneered, "that is, whoever offends our guild, we must torment him until he completely submits!"
Grey Wolf added: "Our Guild Leader said you must crawl on your knees all the way from Northwood to apologize to him, aren't you hurrying to do it? How long do you want our leader to wait for you?"
Riverlo was so angry that his hands began to shake.
He gritted his teeth and said: "Your leader led people to snatch our wild BOSS, killed our entire team, and now wants me to apologize to him?"
"Heh," Grey Wolf said,
"because you dared to 'fight back'. For us in the Wolf Guild, anyone who dares to fight back must be punished! Otherwise, others won't fear us, what then?"
Riverlo was encountering such shameless guys for the first time, any reason was useless against them.
"Then make your move. I want to see what you can do to me in Northwood!"
Originally, Riverlo had been prepared to deal with the siege of the Wolf Guild.
At worst, he would just die and lose some Exp.
But if they thought he, Riverlo, would lose his dignity, kneel and beg for mercy, they were dreaming!
Starving Wolf pursed his lips and said,
"We gave you a chance, heh... we heard that your guild is arranging people to challenge the Treant BOSS in a forest east of Northwood, aren't they?"
"We also heard... your sister is among those people?"
On hearing this, Riverlo became furious instantly.
"How dare you!"
His eyes were filled with bloodshot veins.
If it weren't for being in Northwood, he would have already lunged at them.
Grey Wolf laughed loudly with his gang: "We are the Wolf Guild, is there anything we dare not do?"
"I've heard that your sister is quite the looker, tsk tsk... It's a pity that we can't meet her in real life, but it would be quite interesting to have some 'fun' with her in the game, wouldn't it? Hahaha..." Grey Wolf laughed lasciviously.
Unable to bear it any longer, Riverlo drew his bow and arrow from behind, preparing to shoot.
As a hunter, he couldn't summon his pets in town, so he had to fight on his own.
Just as Riverlo was about to take action, a voice interrupted him.
"What are you doing?!" The source of the voice was a guard NPC who happened to be patrolling the area.
This guard was level 65, and no one present was a match for him.
Starving Wolf smiled at the guard, pointing at Riverlo:
"Officer, this guy wanted to shoot us in the city, aren't you going to arrest him?"
The NPC guard glanced at Starving Wolf and then walked into the alley, looking around.
From the looks of it, it was clear that Starving Wolf and his group were the ones stirring trouble, deliberately provoking Riverlo.
The NPC guard, although an AI, wasn't stupid.
He could tell at a glance who the root of the problem was.
"Did he shoot you? Hasn't he not yet? If there's nothing going on, leave immediately! Don't cause trouble in Northwood!"
The NPC guard warned the members of the Wolf Guild.
Starving Wolf shrugged:
"Well, okay, you're the guard, you're the boss."
After saying that, he waved his hand.
The people from the Wolf Guild followed Starving Wolf and left.
As they left, they glared maliciously at Riverlo and the NPC guard.
In their view, once their levels rise higher than the guards in the city, they would surely get their payback.
By then, they would make this guard regret his actions today!
After watching the members of the Wolf Guild leave, the NPC guard said to Riverlo: "They've all left, you can put your bow and arrow down."
Breathing heavily, his face filled with anger, Riverlo closed his eyes to calm down before finally lowering his bow.
He knew that even if he had shot the arrow at the Wolf Guild, it would be of no use.
On the contrary, he might have been arrested by the guard, confined at best, or sentenced to be expelled from the city and labeled an "unwelcome person" at worst.
The loss would be too great.
The most urgent thing now was to save his sister and those uninformed guild members!
He nodded at the NPC guard and said, "Thank you."
Then he prepared to leave.
He went to the pet care center and collected his war beastโa large white dog that had accompanied him since the game began, very loyal.
"Let's go, Whitty, we have to save them!"
The dog barked excitedly, Whitty was its name, it could sense the anger of its master, and it had confidence in defeating any enemy.
A man and a dog arrived at the entrance of Northwood.
Riverlo waited for five minutes, only to find that none of the guild members he had contacted had arrived.
He didn't have the patience to wait any longer.
Every minute he lingered, the greater the danger his sister might be in.
Although the game had provided female players the right to log out immediately when in danger, to take care of them, Riverlo was still very worried.
Because the forest where the Treant was located had the ability to block communication, Riverlo could not notify her in advance.
He was now afraid of the unscrupulous members of the Wolf Guild launching a surprise attack, which would have unimaginable consequences.
When he left the city gate, Riverlo was extremely careful.
He was mentally prepared for an ambush at the gate.
Unexpectedly, nobody attacked him at the gate...
This was not like the Wolf Guild's style.
Just as Riverlo was puzzled, the appearance of a person surprised him greatly.
"Galewind? Is that you?"
John walked in front of Riverlo, dusted off his hands, and said with his hands on his hips, "There were a few people from the Wolf Guild lurking at the city gate as if they were waiting for someone. They even dared to taunt me as I was passing by, so I took care of all of them..."
"Right now, I guess all of them are stunned in the respawn pool."
John's casual words shocked Riverlo greatly.
Having dealt with the Wolf Guild over the past few days, Riverlo knew very well that although these people were bastards, they were extremely strong.
Otherwise, no one would have been able to deal with their arrogance.
The members of the Wolf Guild were all top players, and the weakest among them had to be at least level 40.
And now...
John had taken them all out all by himself?
Seeing Riverlo in a daze, John laughed and said, "What's up? Network lag?"
Riverlo shook his head and said, "You... how are you so strong?"
John said, "I never said I was weak."
"But didn't you say your level was low..."
"Having a low level doesn't mean you're weak."
John argued, and then changed the subject, "Looking at you rushing out, do you have something urgent to do?"
John's words immediately reminded Riverlo.
He slapped his forehead and said anxiously:
"I almost forgot because of you! Let's go! We have to save my sister!"
Chapter47-Raging Forest
"Your sister?" John asked with a hint of surprise, "What happened to her?"
Riverlo said, "Let's walk and talk."
With that, he dashed toward the city exit, with Whitty closely behind him, also running towards the outskirts of the city.
"Wait, where is your sister now?" John shouted.
Riverlo turned his head back and said,
"My sister and our guild members are fighting a BOSS in the Raging Forest to the east... It's about an hour's walk from here."
John frowned and said, "An hour, by the time we get there, it'll be too late."
"Let's go back to the city, buy a couple of mounts first, then we'll go."
"With horses, we should be able to get there quickly."
John's words seemed to remind Riverlo, he nodded repeatedly, "Clever enough, let's hurry and buy two mounts!"
A few minutes later.
John and Riverlo, each riding a swift horse, burst out of the city gate.
Whitty was following closely behind.
As an excellent hunting dog, its speed and stamina were not inferior to those of the horses, and it had no pressure keeping up.
About ten or so minutes later.
John and Riverlo arrived at the outskirts of the Raging Forest.
This place is the border between the Human Empire and the Elven Empire.
To the west lies the Northern Myst Empire of the humans, in the middle is the Raging Forest.
Crossing the Raging Forest and the Darknight Canyon, you enter the realm of the elves.
The Raging Forest was originally called Gloomy Forest.
To prevent humans from sneaking into elven territory, the elves planted forbidden seeds cultivated by their elders in the Gloomy Forest.
After growing for decades, these forbidden seeds would turn into Raging Treants.
Usually, Raging Treants do not leave the forest.
However, if a human enters the Raging Forest, these Raging Treants would not be hospitable.
If lucky, a human can escape, if not, they can only remain in the forest forever, becoming fertilizer for the Raging Treants.
After dismounting, Riverlo explained to John:
"The depths of the Raging Forest are too dangerous. My sister and guild members should be exploring the outskirts. The Raging Treant BOSS they found this time is an elite monster that has survived for 200 years..."
"Originally, this was a secret within our guild, I don't know how the Wolf Guild found out about their whereabouts, it's really strange."
John nodded after listening, then tethered the horses to a tree.
"So it's very possible that the people from the Wolf Guild have already entered the Raging Forest," John said, "Let's hurry up and go in as well."
Riverlo reminded him,
"Right...if you have anyone you need to contact, it's best to let them know before entering the forest. The Raging Forest has a powerful magic barrier, once inside, it's impossible to communicate with the outside."
John looked up.
Indeed, there was a hint of law power covering the sky above the Raging Forest.
Of course, ordinary people wouldn't be able to detect this.
Only someone at his level could possibly see it.
"Alright, but I don't really have anyone to contact," John thought for a moment, it was still early, and he probably wouldn't be delayed for too long after dealing with things, "Let's make this quick."
The two men and a dog then entered the forest.
...
Inside the Raging Forest.
Seven adventurers lay on the ground, panting heavily with injuries all over their bodies.
They were 3 men and 4 women, all from the same guild as Riverlo.
In front of them, the vice leader of the Wolf Guild, 'Wolf Howl', stared at them coldly, constantly playing with two short swords in his hands.
Behind Wolf Howl, more than a dozen members of the Wolf Guild were laughing uproariously.
"Hehehe, Vice Leader, I didn't expect this guild to have so many beautiful ladies!"
Grey Wolf walked out laughing.
He blatantly scrutinized the figures of the female players on the ground, almost drooling.
On the other side, Starving Wolf also came out from the shadows and warned a female player who was preparing to log off,
"I would advise you not to forcibly log off. After all, we still have Riverlo!"
The female player who had just opened the system interface froze.
Her name was Lolo, Riverlo's younger sister.
Hearing that her brother was in the hands of the Wolf Guild, she stopped her hand which was about to log off.
Although 'Godslayer' had a special feature allowing female players to forcibly log out to ensure their safety and mental health, male players did not have this function.
If they were involved in a battle or restrained, they could not log off.
They would have to quit the game entirely.
Lolo of course knew that her brother would not simply abandon the game.
Therefore, he was likely in a dangerous situation, at the mercy of the Wolf Guild.
This caused Lolo great turmoil.
If she were to log off now, there would be no one to save her brother.
Seeing that his threat was effective, Starving Wolf proudly said,
"Right, don't panic. We won't do anything to you. You are all so adorable, how could we destroy flowers like you?"
Grey Wolf laughed even more obscenely.
He said to Lolo, "I didn't expect Riverlo to have such a beautiful sister. That's really great... How about this? You take good care of us right now, and we'll go back and plead with the Guild Leader to spare your brother. What do you think?"
At this suggestion, the members of the Wolf Guild became very excited, some even howled with joy.
This made Lolo blush.
She was a girl who had never even held a man's hand, how could she withstand this kind of harassment?
Lolo turned her head back and told the remaining three female players,
"You three log off first. They are targeting my brother and me. We can't drag you down."
As for the remaining three male players... they had been locked into a combat state by the Wolf Guild and could not quit the game at all.
The three female players hesitated for a moment.
One of them, worried for Lolo, said,
"But... what will you do? These guys are obviously not good people. Why don't you log off with us?"
Lolo shook her head,
"No, you go first. If I go, my brother will surely be tortured to death by them... Don't worry, I have the right to forcibly quit the game. They can't harm me."
At this moment, Grey Wolf shouted,
"No, don't go! If these girls leave, you'll be left alone. We men will not have enough to go around!"
Immediately, others in the Wolf Guild echoed,
"Exactly! One girl to serve so many of us, by the time it's my turn, who knows how long it will be!"
Hearing these words, Lolo was furious.
But she couldn't do anything, as the other party was too powerful.
Particularly the vice leader, Wolf Howl, who was at level 49 and had outstanding abilities.
Even when the seven of them teamed up, they were no match for him.
"Get out of here now!"
Lolo shouted to the female players.
The three female players, frightened by these lecherous thugs, dared not say more and chose to log off one after another.
At this moment, Grey Wolf saw the three female players logging off, he stomped his foot in frustration.
"Fuck, these were three live beauties, and we let them get away! So unlucky!"
Saying this, Grey Wolf turned his greedy eyes onto Lolo... "Vice Leader, only this one girl remains. Should we..."
Wolf Howl, his face calm, said, "Whatever you want."
With the Vice Leader's permission, Grey Wolf immediately led several of the Wolf Guild guys to surround her.
"I warn you, don't log off!"
"We just want to get to know you and make friends, you don't have to be afraid."
"If you log off now, we'll cripple your brother!"
Faced with these threats, Lolo was shaking with anger.
At this point, a male player behind her stood up, exclaiming,
"You can't touch her! We had a deal, I give you information, you stage a show where I save the day and leave with Lolo!"
Hearing this, Lolo turned around in shock.
The one speaking was an unassuming male player in the guild, who was always attentive to her, always insisting on following her on any mission.
"You betrayed us!" Lolo, who was very clever, immediately understood how their team's location had been leaked.
The male player couldn't meet Lolo's eyes, saying, "Who... who told you to act so high and mighty every day, you knew I liked you, but you never paid attention to me! I... I just wanted you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Grey Wolf charged up and struck the traitor's face with a large hammer.
Almost instantly, the traitor was killed, sent back to the respawn point.
Looking at the corpse, Grey Wolf spat and grinned, "What a nuisance, he was just being used by us, but he really thought he was important?"
Chapter48-You are Surrounded by me now!
After killing the traitor, Grey Wolf, holding his hammer, squatted beside Lolo.
With a debauched smile on his face, he said,
"Little beauty, you see, I helped you clear out the traitor in your team...how about giving me a kiss as a reward?"
Lolo glared at him fiercely, wishing she could tear him apart.
She kept her system interface open, ready to log off as soon as this bastard dared to touch her.
Lolo was very smart, she knew that even if her brother was willing to delete his account, he wouldn't want to see her being bullied.
The only reason she remained in the game was to fight for a chance for her brother.
At this point, Starving Wolf spoke up,
"You are quite a gutsy woman, I like that."
"However, your brother has offended our leader, and this matter certainly can't end peacefully."
"How about we make a bet?"
Lolo frowned, "Bet on what?"
Starving Wolf chuckled and said,
"Bet on whether the two male players behind you can withstand my attacks."
Saying that, he took out his large cleaver, his expression sinister, and he laughed sinisterly,
"If the two of them together can withstand three of my blows without dying... then I'll let you all go, and we'll also plead with the guild leader to release your brother."
"If they can't withstand it... well, you will stay and accompany us to the tavern for some drinks, how about it?"
Upon hearing this bet, Lolo's eyes lit up.
She turned back and saw that the two male players also nodded to her, seeming very confident in their defensive capabilities.
These two were the main tank players in the guild, a knight and a warrior.
They were responsible for tanking the monsters when they came to Raging Forest to fight the BOSS.
The damage inflicted by the current players can't be compared with the damage inflicted by the BOSS.
They were very confident that they could withstand Starving Wolf's three attacks!
"Fine! Let's bet!"
Lolo immediately agreed, "Will you keep your word?"
Starving Wolf looked at the vice guild leader, Wolf Howl.
Wolf Howl simply nodded in a cold manner.
"You see that? Our vice guild leader has agreed," Starving Wolf laughed, "Then I shall begin!"
The two male players stepped forward, activating their defense skills one after another.
Starving Wolf walked up, gripping his large cleaver with both hands, aiming at the knight's chest and slashed!
-2325!
Critical hit!
The knight had a total of only 3,000 HP.
He had already lost a third of his HP due to the previous fight with the Wolf Guild, leaving him with just over 2,000 HP.
Now, Starving Wolf's slash took his life instantly!
This scene stunned the warrior and Lolo.
They could never have imagined that the highly defensive knight could not even withstand a single blow from Starving Wolf!
Was this guy stronger than the Treant BOSS?!
Seeing their astonishment, Starving Wolf laughed triumphantly, "Sorry, I forgot to tell you... this blade of mine is a legendary Equip, which I snatched from a minor player. It not only inflicts high damage, it also has a special attribute..."
"That is, when dealing damage to a new target, the first attack ignores defense and guarantees a critical hit!"
After saying that, he pointed his blade at the second warrior and laughed, "Now I've switched to a new target. Can you guess if I can also kill him in one blow?"
The members of the Wolf Guild behind him immediately started cheering.
Lolo, however, looked desperate.
Knights are usually more defensive than warriors and can withstand more damage...
Now that the knight was killed in a single blow.
How could the warrior possibly withstand a hit?
No, it should be two hits!
Knowing that he wouldn't survive the next attack, the warrior turned to Lolo and said, "Don't worry about the bet anymore, just log off..."
Before he could finish, Starving Wolf slashed at him.
The warrior player was instantly killed.
"Why do people who are about to die talk so much?"
Starving Wolf casually picked his ear, then wiped the filth onto the warrior player's corpse.
Then, he turned to Lolo and said, "Little girl, you have to accept your loss. Let's go and have a drink!"
As he spoke, he reached out to grab Lolo.
Lolo was completely stunned, frozen in place.
For a moment, she didn't know what to do.
Just then...
A flying arrow suddenly came from nowhere!
Starving Wolf's extended hand barely missed being hit and quickly retracted.
The arrow almost hit his hand, pinning itself into a tree beside him!
"Lolo!"
"I'm here to save you!"
Upon hearing the voice, Lolo immediately snapped back to reality, her face lighting up with joy.
"Bro?"
"Bro, I'm here! Are you alright?"
Riverlo appeared in the distance of the forest, he yelled out, "I'm fine! These people are tricking you!"
With that, he directed Whitty to charge in, and he himself fired off a triple-shot.
Whitty instantly took down one of the Wolf Guild's players, and Riverlo's triple-shot hit a Wolf Guild mage between the eyebrows, scoring a critical hit!
-367!
-492!
-961!
The three arrows not only all hit the weak spot, the final one even scored a critical hit, instantly killing the fragile mage!
"We're under attack! Warriors and knights, block the front!"
"Mages and priests, buff up and get ready for battle!"
Although he was almost hit, Starving Wolf quickly reacted.
He temporarily let go of Lolo, and instead directed his commands to the rest of the Wolf Guild.
The guild's vice Leader, Wolf Howl, didn't utter a word.
He took a few steps back and instantly disappeared into the shadows.
As an assassin, he was very adept at concealing his figure.
At this point, the members of Wolf Guild had formed a battle formation, watching Riverlo with a cautious demeanor.
Riverlo's pet Whitty single-handedly took down a member of the Wolf Guild.
The duo watched the dozen or so enemies in front of them with serious expressions.
Riverlo had his bow drawn and an arrow notched, but he didn't fire.
The enemy had taken precautions, and the warriors and knights had raised their shields.
Attacking now wouldn't be of much use.
After a standoff between the two sides, Starving Wolf and Grey Wolf noticed something odd.
"So it turns out it's just him!"
Grey Wolf laughed coldly because he noticed that no one else had appeared in the forest.
That is to say, Riverlo had come alone.
This made Grey Wolf scoff.
He couldn't help shouting,
"Riverlo, didn't you have a good team in your guild? Why did you come alone to save your sister?"
"Are the members of your guild scared of our Wolf Guild?"
"Haha, let me tell you, when you go back, tell your guild leader to let all the girls in your guild come out and form a friendship with our Wolf Guild. As long as they make our guild members comfortable, our Wolf Guild could also protect your guild! Hahaha..."
Grey Wolf's words incited laughter from all the Wolf Guild members present.
Lolo, trapped behind the Wolf Guild members, couldn't help but mutter,
"Shameless!"
Facing Grey Wolf's provocation, Riverlo wasn't furious.
On the contrary, he was very calm.
"Who said I came alone?"
"You're already surrounded by the backup I brought!"
"Wolf Guild, you've been up to no good for so long, you really think there's no one who can stop you?"
"Today is the day your guild gets annihilated!"
Grey Wolf didn't believe Riverlo's words.
He had excellent perception abilities, with his initial talent being an enhanced perception ability.
He couldn't sense anyone else in the nearby forest at all.
"Oh, who are you trying to scare? Do you think our Wolf Guild is so easily intimidated?"
Grey Wolf laughed maliciously, "Surrounded us, huh? Well, that's quite a big talk!"
"You said the backup you brought has surrounded us, then let them come out!"
"I want to see how you're planning to surround us!"
The members of the Wolf Guild also started making a ruckus, spewing out all sorts of derogatory remarks.
Seeing this, Riverlo put down his bow and arrow, "Alright, he's right behind you now."
Upon hearing this, Grey Wolf started laughing even more raucously.
He was in the middle of numerous warriors and knights, how could anyone silently sneak up behind him? Even their vice Leader wouldn't be able to do that!
However, in the next second, he stopped laughing.
A sharp sword, emanating a faint blue light, was placed against his throat.
Chapter49- One Punch Slay
"He already told you someone was behind you, why didn't you believe him?"
John's voice was indifferent, and he seemed extremely relaxed.
His words sent the members of the Wolf Guild scattering in all directions.
Grey Wolf, who was being held at sword point by John, was stunned as well.
What was happening?!
How could anyone silently infiltrate behind him, in front of dozens of people?
He had a powerful perception talent, yet he didn't detect anything!
At this moment, Grey Wolf forced himself to stay calm.
He tightly gripped his hammer and asked,
"Who are you? Daring to provoke us Wolf Guild? I warn you, anyone who messes with us doesn't end up well..."
But before he could finish his sentence,
John, tired of his jabbering, simply cut him down with a single sword stroke.
Critical hit!
-9999999...99999!
A string of eye-popping numbers exploded above Grey Wolf's head.
He was instantly killed on the spot.
All the spectators, including Starving Wolf, were stunned.
Even John was taken aback by the numbers...
Good bless me, did I forget to turn off damage number display?
He hastily opened the system settings interface as quick as a flash and then turned off the damage number display.
Now, whenever he attacked players or monsters, no numerical value would be shown, only the victims would know how much HP they've lost.
"Brother Starving Wolf, that damage number just now... I didn't see it wrong, did I? How can it possibly be that high!"
"That string of numbers must have been a system BUG!"
"It must be, I must have been seeing things!"
The members of the Wolf Guild simply refused to believe what they had just witnessed.
Not just them.
Even Riverlo didn't believe it, he stood still, muttering in his heart:
Was that a system BUG?
Seeing their morale plummet, Starving Wolf immediately stepped forward,
"Don't be afraid! This person must have used some kind of item, that's why the damage number displayed was so high!"
Hearing these words, John couldn't help but think:
That's a good excuse!
If he accidentally revealed some of his true power in the future, he could totally use this excuse to cover it up!
Seeing that John was standing still and not saying anything. ๐๐๐๐ป๐จ๐๐ฒ๐น.๐๐จ๐บ
Starving Wolf also felt a bit nervous.
He said,
"Kid, we don't know you, and we have no grievances with you, let's keep to our own paths... I would advise you not to make an enemy of our Wolf Guild, or you'll regret it!"
John's instantaneous kill of Grey Wolf just now had greatly shocked Starving Wolf.
As a fellow guild member, Starving Wolf knew Grey Wolf well, who was known in the guild with impressive defense and a high HP.
Even the guild leader couldn't kill him with one blow.
Now this man in front of him could instantly kill Grey Wolf, at least it indicated this man's attack power was extremely strong!
While the Wolf Guild was known for their vindictiveness, they also knew who they could mess with, and who they couldn't.
John looked at Starving Wolf, then pointed to Lolo sitting on the ground, and said, "This lady is under my protection."
Starving Wolf took a deep breath, then said with some difficulty,
" It seems like you're choosing to face the penalty rather than accept the toast..."
He said to the people around him,
"This guy just killed Grey Wolf in one hit. Either he used a powerful skill with a long cooldown time, or he used some extremely rare consumable item! He definitely can't use that move just now!"
"Attack!"
With Starving Wolf's words,
The remaining members of the Wolf Guild regained their calm.
"Yeah, who are we, the Wolf Guild, afraid of!"
"Even if he has that one-shot item from before, it couldn't possibly kill us all!"
"Let's get him together!"
They became arrogant again, with the warriors and knights charging in front, and the mages and archers behind them unleashing their skills.
Seeing their stubbornness, John shook his head.
"They really do ask for it."
He shook his hand and dispersed his Divine Blade.
Leaving himself barehanded.
Then, with a single step forward, his figure flashed like a ghost to the front of a member of the Wolf Guild, and landed a punch on his face!
"Boom!"
The person hit by John was instantly sent flying, smashing into a thick tree tens of meters away, directly breaking the tree in half.
Instant kill!
Then, John flashed again to another warrior.
The warrior reacted quickly and tried to use his huge axe to block his front.
Unfortunately, John didn't care about that, he threw another punch directly at him.
"Boom!"
The huge axe was pierced through, and the warrior was instantly killed!
Starving Wolf, watching from the side, opened his mouth wide in shock:
"No, this is impossible! It's unreasonable!"
"How could a player have such a powerful attack!"
But he soon didn't have time to be shocked.
Because in just a few seconds.
A dozen members of the Wolf Guild, all were killed by John's punches.
Now only Starving Wolf was left, standing there dumbfounded.
Since John started his action, his wide-open mouth hadn't closed.
In the end.
John came in front of him, looked at him, and asked,
"You just... said who choosing to face the penalty rather than accept the toast.?"
Starving Wolf stared, full of fear.
Even though death in the game isn't real death.
John in front of him, really gave him the fear of death.
He stammered, "I, I, I... you..."
"What 'I', what 'you'?" John was somewhat impatient, rubbing his hands together, then said,
"Remember, when you respawn, go find your guild leader... tell him Riverlo and his sister are under my protection, you Wolf Guild better keep your eyes open, don't provoke anyone, if you continue to bring trouble, I don't mind making a trip myself, and disband your guild through massacre, got it?"
Starving Wolf nodded blankly, no longer arrogant.
John didn't care whether he got it or not, he directly punched him back to the respawn pool.
Once everything was done.
John dusted off his hands, went over to Lolo, and helped her up.
"Who are you? Why haven't I seen you in our guild?" Lolo's big eyes stared at John, full of curiosity.
John helped her to Riverlo's side, and then said, "I'm your brother's friend, when your brother is in trouble, of course I come to help."
Whitty immediately came up, wagging its tail and licking Lolo, Lolo seeing her brother was alright, laughed happily.
"I was so scared, brother, I thought you really fell into the hands of the Wolf Guild!"
Riverlo shook his head:
"These guys, using you to threaten me, and using me to threaten you, it's just despicable! Thanks to Galewind this time."
Lolo quickly looked up at John, said: "Thank you, Galewind!"
John smiled, said:
"No need to thank, it's normal for friends to help each other."
Riverlo also didn't act overly polite with John, laughing:
"This time I owe you one, if you need anything in the future, just say it!"
After speaking, Riverlo again said to Lolo:
"This time was too dangerous, why didn't you just log off? You should know that those people from the Wolf Guild have no moral compass, they are all scum, if you fell into their hands and were bullied, I would regret it for the rest of my life!"
Lolo lowered her head and said:
"Because they said you were in their hands, if I logged off, they definitely wouldn't let you go... and I couldn't contact the others in Raging Forest, so I had to stay."
"Next time in this situation, you must log off first, I'll be okay, it's just a game, if it really doesn't work, I just won't play it anymore!" Riverlo said firmly.
Lolo nodded quickly, understanding that her brother was worried about her.
But then, as if remembering something, she said, "Brother, there's a traitor in our guild..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a mysterious dark figure darted out from deep within the forest.
The shadow was headed straight for Lolo's throat!
Chapter50- Utterly Crushing Wolf Howl
At that moment.
Neither Riverlo nor Lolo noticed anything wrong.
The shadow moved extremely fast, it was too eerie and concealed, impossible for an average person to notice.
"Thud!"
John casually blocked it, making a loud collision sound.
The shadow was pulled out by John and nailed to a big tree nearby.
At this point, Riverlo and Lolo just reacted.
On the tree, there was a jet-black dagger nailed into the trunk, appearing extremely sharp.
In a while.
The trunk began to turn black, and the entire tree began to wither.
"What a powerful poison!"
Riverlo exclaimed with an after-fright look, sternly asking, "Who's there?"
In the forest, there were only the sounds of rustling leaves.
No one responded.
Lolo immediately said,
"Brother! Galewind! Be careful!"
"Before you guys came here, there was another vice guild leader in the Wolf Guild called Wolf Howl... he's a formidable assassin, definitely still hiding nearby!"
John glanced in the direction where the shadow had come from, saying,
"Hmm, this is getting interesting."
Riverlo immediately took out his bow and arrow, and Whitty also entered a state of alert, barking towards the surroundings.
John patted Riverlo's shoulder, saying,
"Don't worry too much, leave this guy to me."
Riverlo warned,
"John, you absolutely cannot underestimate this Wolf Howl. The reason why their Wolf Guild can be so arrogant, making enemies everywhere without fear, is because their guild leader and vice guild leader are both extremely powerful!"
"I heard they specialize in killing higher level players with lower levels, possessing a lot of weird Equip and items. If one is not careful, they could be killed by these two!"
John appeared nonchalant:
"Specialize in killing higher-level players with lower levels?"
"Yes."
"No matter how strange the method is, it's useless in front of absolute strength."
With that, he extended a finger.
Then, pointing towards a direction in the forest, he gently tapped.
"Ah!"
A painful scream subsequently echoed from the forest.
The corners of John's confident face rose slightly: "Got him."
With that, he chased after him.
Into the shadows of the forest.
The shadow of a large tree gradually transformed into a human shape.
It was Wolf Howl.
His initial talent was extremely powerful, allowing him to conceal himself in the shadow of any object.
Moreover, he was lucky to have met a legendary assassin, becoming the disciple of that assassin and unlocking the hidden profession โ Shadow Killer.
All along, Wolf Howl relied on his powerful initial talents and skills, always winning in various battles.
Even if there were some extremely powerful opponents, Wolf Howl didn't need to confront them head-on.
All he had to do was hide in the shadows and find ways to ambush.
As an assassin, aim for the enemy's vital point, kill in one hit!
This was a phrase often said by Wolf Howl's NPC teacher.
But today.
This phrase seemed to have lost its efficacy.
Wolf Howl had hidden in the shadows, timing his fatal strike.
Why did it fail this time?
"This talent is not bad, a pity it's been obtained by someone like you."
John's voice came from ahead of Wolf Howl.
Wolf Howl glared at him, asking,
"How did you find me? My talent's concealment ability is the strongest, never been discovered by anyone!"
John pointed to his own eyes and said, "Very simple, any illusions or blinding techniques can't escape these eyes."
With the "Eyes of Artemis", what he was best at was dealing with stealth skills.
Wolf Howl drew his dagger, told John,
"Don't think you can defeat me just by seeing through my shadow hiding skill! To become the vice guild leader of the Wolf Guild, I rely on more than just ambushing!"
"Shadow Flash Kill!"
Upon Wolf Howl's roar, he transformed into dozens of rapidly moving shadows.
The dark and quiet forest provided him with many hiding places for this skill, making his figure even more elusive and difficult to grasp!
John smirked, saying,
"Boring."
He didn't even look at those rapidly moving shadows, swinging a punch at a particular spot!
Just the gust from the punch sent Wolf Howl's real body flying!
John purposely restrained his power this time, so the punch didn't kill Wolf Howl instantly.
He immediately followed, moving even faster than Wolf Howl who was thrown away by him!
He caught Wolf Howl from mid-air before he hit a tree, then forcefully pressed him to the ground.
"In my eyes, you're no different from an ant."
"The skills you're proud of are useless to me, they're like the pathetic tricks of a foolish clown."
"Do you understand the gap between you and me now?"
Without waiting for his answer, John picked him up and brought him directly to Riverlo and Lolo.
John threw him to the ground, stepping on his chest, and said to Riverlo,
"This is the vice guild leader of the Wolf Guild."
"Using stealth skills in front of me, it's like a novice trying to teach an expert."
Seeing how strong John was, Riverlo laughed and said,
"Yeah, you've always been excellent at the assassinating in previous games. You're still an assassin in 'Godslayer', right? In front of an assassin like you, this guy is indeed a novice trying to teach an expert."
Wolf Howl, who was stepped on the ground, felt humiliated.
His anger surged, veins bulging out, but he was utterly powerless against John's strength.
"I'll leave this one to you," John said to Riverlo, "Didn't these Wolf Guild guys say they wanted to torture you properly? Now that I've locked this guy, he can't forcefully exit the game, how you deal with him is up to you." ๐๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ท๐๐๏ผ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ
Lolo also looked at Riverlo, saying, "Brother, I know you have a good temperament, but these people are utterly wicked! You can't just let them go like this!"
Riverlo gave Lolo a reassuring look.
Then, Riverlo looked down at Wolf Howl who couldn't move, saying, "Your Wolf Guild is filled with evildoers, and you and your guild leader are even more so... I'm not planning to let you go."
Hearing these words.
Wolf Howl on the ground laughed.
Riverlo frowned, "Why are you laughing?"
"I laugh at your overconfidence!"
Knowing he had no way out, Wolf Howl let loose, "You think by capturing me, you can stand against the Wolf Guild? Our guild leader is the true powerhouse!"
He turned his head towards John, his eyes full of hatred and killing intent.
"You're Galewind, right? I'll remember that! Enjoy your days of arrogance while you can! Next, you will face the boundless fury of our guild leader!"
This piqued John's interest.
He smirked, "So, your guild leader is much stronger than you? Enough to make you confident he can defeat me?"
"Heh, of course!" Wolf Howl sneered, "There's a huge gap between me and our guild leader! Don't think you're invincible because you're fast and can see through my stealth... our guild leader is a counter to assassins!"
"Wait for it, wait until our guild leader comes, and see how he will slaughter you!"
John's eyes narrowed, his gaze becoming colder.
Seeing John's displeasure, Riverlo quickly said,
"Just kill him. This guy is all bark and no bite!"
John shook his head, telling Riverlo,
"Don't worry, I'm not angry. He's just trash, not worth my anger."
"Well then, I might as well clean up a mess for once," John said, cracking his neck and speaking coldly,
"The Wolf Guild, right? Normally, I wouldn't bother with your messy affairs, if it weren't for Riverlo being an old friend, your arrogance would be none of my business..."
"But now, I do find it quite interesting, to kill your entire guild down to level 0."
John's tone grew increasingly icy.
Even Riverlo and Lolo felt a shiver down their spines.
Wolf Howl on the ground was completely intimidated by John's imposing aura.
He dared not utter another word.
Chapter51- Raging Treant King
After John finished speaking to Wolf Howl.
Suddenly, Wolf Howl rolled his eyes and turned into a wisp of black smoke before disappearing.
This left Riverlo and Lolo quite surprised.
"What happened, we didn't do anything to him!" Lolo said, "Could he also forcibly log off?"
John shook his head, "He committed suicide."
In the game "Godslayer", there is a specific option left for players to commit suicide.
After suicide, the player will be directly teleported to the respawn pool in the nearest city.
Correspondingly, if a player commits suicide, the character's loss will be very high.
Not only will they lose more Exp, but also randomly drop a piece of Equip and an item.
Therefore, even if a player is killed by a monster or another player, they usually wouldn't choose to commit suicide.
Wolf Howl's suicide this time clearly demonstrated the psychological damage John's intimidation had inflicted.
He would rather commit suicide and drop Equip than stay here any longer.
At this point, Riverlo noticed a black cloak that Wolf Howl had dropped upon death.
He picked it up to take a look:
[Shadow Cloak (Uncommon): Once belonged to a distinguished assassin, it can help the owner hide their figure in the shadows.]
[Level: 40. Can be equipped when the level reaches 40 or agility reaches 80.]
[Attributes: +20 armor, +12 agility]
[Set Effect: Shadow Set (1/2), when two pieces of this set are equipped, the skill 'Shadow Assassination' can be used.]
[Shadow Assassination (Special Skill): Allows the wearer to throw their equipped weapon, dealing three times the weapon's attack power + three times the agility value in damage, and inducing 'Shadow Poison' effect on the hit enemy. 'Shadow Poison' causes the target to lose 2% of their HP per second, lasting for 8 seconds. If the poisoned target's HP falls below 10% during the duration of 'Shadow Poison', they will be killed instantly.]
โฆ
"Amazing!"
After reading the attributes, both Riverlo and Lolo couldn't help but exclaim.
The attributes of this Equip were quite good.
Moreover, the additional skill from the set was even more fearsome.
Lolo recalled the dagger Wolf Howl had thrown at her from the shadows, it was likely a skill like this!
"No wonder the Wolf Guild is so arrogant, the Equip of their vice guild leader is already so powerful!" Lolo couldn't help but sigh,
"I really don't know where they get so many good Equip from."
Riverlo picked up the cloak and handed it to John, "Galewind, this is an assassin's Equip, you can have it."
John laughed and shook his head, "I don't need it. Didn't you see I didn't have any trouble defeating Wolf Howl?"
Riverlo looked at John and said, "But I don't see you wearing any good cloak either, did you beat Wolf Howl without any Equip?"
John replied, "I did want to get a good set of Equip, wearing novice Equip all the time does indeed look bad. Once the Wolf Guild matter is settled, I'll go get some decent Equip."
Riverlo said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry for troubling you, for delaying your own matters because of me..."
"No, I'm not fond of the Wolf Guild either, it's not just for you, so don't feel bad," said John, "It's a pity that you're a hunter, this cloak won't help you..."
At this moment, as if remembering something, John looked at the well-behaved Lolo standing on the side and asked:
"By the way, what's your sister's class?"
Before Riverlo could answer, Lolo responded herself, "Brother Galewind, I'm an assassin too!"
John handed the cloak to her, "That's perfect, here you go, you can make use of it."
Lolo said with some embarrassment, "But I haven't reached level 40 yet, and my agility isn't 80 either..."
John looked surprised, "What? I thought by level 35, an assassin's agility should be around 80?"
Lolo scratched her head, "My assassin class is a bit unique..."
"She's a 'Mage Assassin'," Riverlo explained on behalf of his sister, "A hidden class that assassins can advance into, excelling at stealth and casting powerful spells to assassinate. This class doesn't have as high agility as a typical assassin, but their mental and intellectual abilities are much higher."
John nodded.
That made sense why her agility wasn't up to 80.
Seeing that Lolo was at level 37, John said,
"That's okay, you can still take it. You'll reach level 40 sooner or later, and you can put it on then."
Seeing John's insistence, Riverlo smiled at his sister, "Just take it, Lolo. Shouldn't you thank Galewind?"
"Thank you, Galewind brother!"
Lolo happily accepted the cloak, she truly loved this Equip.
"What a pity, a pair is needed to activate the special skill."
John smiled, "Isn't that easy? Wolf Howl can use this skill, which means he definitely has the other piece of this set."
"Once we leave the Raging Forest, I'll find him and get the other piece from him."
John's tone was extremely relaxed, as if he was talking about what to have for dinner that night, completely disregarding Wolf Howl.
As they were talking, something strange happened in the forest.
Numerous birds flew into the sky, something fearsome seemed to be moving in the forest.
Riverlo's companion, Whitty, was frantically barking at the depths of the forest, its fur standing on end.
John also noticed the anomaly, he turned around, looking at the ground.
Beneath the surface, where Riverlo and Lolo couldn't see, horrifying roots were spreading, quickly reaching under their feet.
John turned back and asked the clueless Lolo,
"By the way, didn't your brother say you guys came to defeat a boss? A Treant Elite Boss?"
Lolo nodded, then said regretfully,
"It's all Wolf Guild's fault! We were about to take down the boss, and then those guys suddenly ambushed us... and the elite treant boss, that we had whittled down to only one-tenth of its HP, ran away."
"Ran away?!" Riverlo was shocked when he heard this.
"Yeah, why? What's wrong?"
Lolo didn't understand why her brother was so nervous.
John looked back towards the depths of the forest and said,
"I guess, that treant that ran away, has probably gone to get reinforcements. It's coming back for revenge."
Riverlo nodded,
"The treants in the Raging Forest are all connected. This boss surely knows even stronger treants deep within the forest! You letting it escape will definitely draw a more formidable boss!"
He then turned to John, "Brother Galewind! We need to get out of here!"
John shook his head, "We can't run anymore."
Riverlo looked confused, "Why? Treants are slow, as long as we move fast we can..."
Before he could finish speaking, the ground beneath them suddenly burst open.
Numerous vines shot out, aiming directly for them!
John snorted coldly, and the Divine Blade appeared in his hand.
Then, countless flashes of sword light swept across.
All the vines that had burst out were sliced into pieces by John!
Although they were safe for now,
their retreat had been cut off.
Around them, countless vines sprouted from the ground, blocking all the paths.
Overhead, various vines obscured the sky.
Even if they could fly, they would find it hard to escape today.
"What is this?!"
Riverlo stood stunned, finally understanding what John meant by not being able to run anymore.
Lolo was also shocked, she had never seen such a scene.
Whitty, however, was very brave.
It stood protectively in front of its master, ready to charge and attack at any time.
John said, "This is probably another elite Treant boss, stronger than the former one ."
Just as he finished speaking, the ground shook in the depths of the forest.
A nearly thirty-foot-tall tree slowly walked towards them.
The tree was lush with leaves and branches, and above it displayed:
[Raging Treant King (Elite Boss)]
[Level: 100]
[Attributes: ...]
...
Chapter52- Raging Seed
"Such... such a giant treant!" Lolo covered her mouth, exclaiming in shock.
Riverlo's face turned extremely grim as he hurriedly spoke,
"A...a level 100 elite boss? My god, we've attracted such a powerful monster!"
The towering treant, with its glowing green eyes set in its massive trunk, opened its dry bark-like mouth slowly, saying,
"You... dare... invade... Raging... Forest...!"
"Are... you... ready... to... die... humans?"
John, observing the encroaching tree branches and vines around him, looked up at the treant and said,
"I suggest you calm down. It would be a pity if you, who has lived for three hundred years, were to die here."
The treant boss roared in response,
"It's been... a while... since I've seen... a human... daring to... provoke... me like this."
Following that, it extended a branch-like arm.
Countless roots sprouted from the ground, entwining to form a huge whip.
With a "swoosh," it whipped towards John and the others.
The power of the whip was terrifying, the sound of it cutting through the air was deafening.
Generally speaking, for players like Riverlo and Lolo, encountering a level 100 elite boss would result in one outcome - instant death.
Any struggle was futile.
So, both of them had already closed their eyes in despair.
But after more than 10 seconds of silence, they didn't find themselves killed.
The treant boss's attack couldn't possibly be this slow...
Riverlo cautiously opened his eyes.
He saw John calmly holding the huge whip with one hand, and a nonchalant expression on his face.
He said to the treant, "Since you attacked first, don't blame me."
John slightly exerted force, and the whip broke with a snap.
"I initially felt it was impressive that you lived for over three hundred years, and didn't want to kill you, but it seems that we can't leave without doing so..."
Riverlo trusted John's strength, but facing a level 100 monster, he couldn't help saying,
"John, this is a level 100 elite boss. Maybe my sister and I can hold it off, you have a better chance of escaping!"
"We can afford to drop levels, but you've become so strong. You can't afford to!"
John looked back and smiled at him, "Don't worry, none of us will drop levels today."
He suddenly dashed out like a shadow.
Wielding the Divine Blade, he easily cut through all the roots and vines, standing right in front of the treant boss.
"You... dare..."
"Talk too much, and so slowly."
John didn't wait for it to finish, and immediately swung his sword.
"Boom!"
A powerful sword aura caused all the trees within a hundred meters to fall outward.
The level 100 treant boss was split in half by John!
Riverlo and Lolo were shocked to their core, their jaws almost hitting the ground!
"Just how high-level is he? Why can he even one-shot a level 100 elite boss?" Lolo couldn't help but murmur.
...
Outside the Raging Forest, John placed a chest on the ground and sat down cross-legged.
This wooden chest, looking quite old, was the loot that John had obtained after killing the level 100 Treant Boss.
Riverlo and Lolo also sat down.
Now that they had left the Raging Forest, they naturally wouldn't be frightened anymore.
"Being outside is so much better, full of sunlight, with a clear view," Lolo stretched lazily and said.
"The Raging Forest was just too unsettling. It was gloomy and eerie, it felt like every tree behind me was going to hit me, and being on edge all the time was just too exhausting."
Riverlo said, "Next time there's a secret area where you can't contact the outside world, you should stay out. It's too dangerous."
Lolo pouted, unsatisfied, "But most of the rare bosses are in these secret areas. How am I going to get stronger if I don't go to such places?"
Riverlo said, "It's okay, I'll get stronger to protect you."
Lolo scoffed, "Forget it, you can't even protect yourself. It would be nice if you were as strong as Galewind."
Riverlo was left speechless by her rebuttal.
John laughed, watching the sibling's banter, he could tell that Riverlo really had lost all credibility in front of his little sister.
"Alright, both of you will get stronger."
"This is the chest dropped by the Treant Boss, you can open it and take a look."
Hearing John say this, Riverlo said with surprise, "Really, you'll let us open it?" ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก.๐๐๐
A high-level rare elite boss's drop like this must have something good in it, nobody wouldn't be curious.
Moreover, no player would dislike the fun of opening chests.
John nodded, "Anyway, I won't be surprised by what comes out, so I might as well leave this surprise to you."
Upon hearing this, Lolo eagerly said, "Okay! Then I'll open it!"
Without waiting for her brother's response, she opened the chest.
Although Riverlo also wanted to open it, Lolo was his sister, so he didn't argue.
With a creak, the chest opened.
It was filled with Gold Coins, on top of which were two items, one glowing blue and the other purple.
"Wow! How many Gold Coins are these!"
"And there are rare and legendary items!"
"Galewind, I'm lucky, right? You're rich now!" Lolo said proudly.
John leaned over to take a look.
Inside the chest, the two items were:
[Crown of the Tree King (Rare): A wooden crown condensed from the energy essence of the Tree King Boss. When worn, it can borrow the aura of the surrounding vegetation to add powerful poison damage to your attacks.]
[Level: 100. Can be worn when level reaches 100 or agility reaches 200.]
[Attributes: +80 Armor, +100 Agility, +50 Intelligence]
[No set effect]
[Additional Skill: Spirit of Plants.]
[Spirit of Plants (Rare Skill): Can borrow the power of all plants within 1000 yards to add poison damage to your weapon. The stronger the life force of the surrounding plants, the higher the poison damage added.]
...
"Wow, this equipment directly adds 100 points to agility!" Lolo couldn't help but exclaim.
Riverlo also seriously analyzed, "It's a really good piece of Equip, but you need to reach level 100 or have 200 agility to wear it. John, you should have reached this attribute, right?"
John shook his head.
"You haven't reached it?" Riverlo asked in surprise.
"Not that, this equipment is more suitable for you as a hunter than for me," John told Riverlo.
Riverlo quickly shook his head, "No, no, no, this is your loot, how can I take it?"
John smiled, "I can sell it to you."
Riverlo was stunned, then smiled wryly, "But I don't have that much money. This equipment could sell for at least 200,000 dollars in the auction house..."
John said, "The auction house has one price, and selling to friends naturally has another price. I'll sell this to you for 10,000 dollars."
Hearing John's words, Riverlo was surprised.
This top equipment, John was only selling to him for 10,000?
How is this different from giving it away?
If Riverlo were to resell it, he could easily make nearly 200,000!
This made Riverlo feel a bit embarrassed.
John didn't mind that much, directly took the Crown of the Tree King and shoved it into Riverlo's arms, then looked at the second item:
[Raging Seed (Legendary): A seed left by the Tree King Boss after death. With careful cultivation, you might be able to get a powerful little treant.]
This line of text was all the information about this item.
John stared at the seed and said, "This thing is amazing."
The Riverlo siblings also understood its value.
Lolo said, "An legendary item, and after planting, it's very likely to get a powerful treant. No matter how you look at it, it's impressive!"
"Yeah, if it's well cultivated and a treant is really grown,"
Riverlo mused, "I estimate that the combat power of this treant will be extremely impressive!"
Chapter53-The Response of Wolf Guild
Northwood, the respawn pool.
Freshly resurrected, Wolf Howl was in a mix of anger and frustration.
He looked at the weapon in his hand; only one of his pair of daggers was left.
He initially thought the equipment he lost upon suicide was that single dagger.
But that's really a pity, and he could do nothing but accept it.
It was still better than losing pieces from his "Shadow Set".
That gear was his foundation in this game!
At this point, Wolf Howl exited the respawn pool.
He found all of his guild members waiting at the entrance of the Respawn Temple.
Other players, seeing so many from the Wolf Guild there, dared not approach.
However, there were always those who loved gossip.
Whispers reached Wolf Howl's ears:
"These people look so familiar. Aren't they all from the Wolf Guild?"
"No way, I've never seen Wolf Guild's people around the Respawn Temple. It's them who often send people back to the respawn pool."
"Do you think some big guild couldn't stand it any longer and decided to take them out?"
"That would be divine justice! These people deserved to be killed!"
"Hush, keep it down! If someone from the Wolf Guild hears you, knowing their vindictive nature, they won't let you off!"
"What's there to fear? You can't attack others around the Respawn Temple. Even the mighty Wolf Guild wouldn't dare to act here."
...
These words were particularly grating to Wolf Howl's ears.
But he had no intention or time to bicker with these insignificant players. ๐๐๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๐๐๏ผ๐๏ฝ๏ฝ
Wolf Howl walked to the front of his Wolf Guild members without uttering a word.
On seeing him approach, Starving Wolf, Grey Wolf and the other juniors perked up, shouting, "Vice Guild Leader!"
Wolf Howl nodded.
At this point, the faces of Starving Wolf and Grey Wolf were very gloomy.
They had initially hoped that the Vice Guild Leader could help them take revenge.
Now, it seemed that even their Vice Guild Leader wasn't a match for that guy...
"What do we do next, Vice Guild Leader?" Starving Wolf asked.
Wolf Howl looked at him, then said, "You all go back and report this to the Guild Leader."
"Then what about you, Vice Guild Leader? Aren't you coming back with us?" Grey Wolf asked.
"That guy is not an ordinary player. I need to find some reinforcements," Wolf Howl said expressionlessly,
"To ensure that when we find him again, we can thoroughly defeat him!"
Starving Wolf nodded, "Alright, we must make this person realize the consequences of offending our Wolf Guild!"
Wolf Howl said no more, merely gesturing with his hand.
The remaining members immediately understood.
Led by Starving Wolf, they all departed, leaving Wolf Howl alone.
He reached behind to pull his cloak, only to find nothing there.
Suddenly, Wolf Howl's eyes widened in surprise as he nervously opened his system item list.
"Nothing? How can there be nothing?"
A bead of sweat slid down Wolf Howl's forehead.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing, murmuring to himself,
"Impossible, the equipment I lost when I killed myself was clearly the dagger, it can't be!"
Suddenly, he remembered something.
That dagger was not lost upon his death but had been thrown during battle when he released skills.
Usually, this skill was foolproof.
He could easily pick up his thrown weapon after defeating his enemies, so he never paid it much mind.
Only now did he realize that the equipment he lost upon suicide wasn't the dagger, but a piece from his vital "Shadow Set"!
"No, I must find that 'Galewind', kill him, and force him to return my equipment!"
Wolf Howl made up his mind.
He was no longer calm, nearly running madly, soon disappearing from everyone's sight.
...
Wolf Guild's Camp.
In the game "Godslayer", once the guild leader reaches level 30, they can apply for a "Guild Camp Establishment Order" from the city lords.
With this item, the guild leader can construct their guild camp outside the city.
However, the "Guild Camp Establishment Order" is only a permit to ensure that the guild's camp is not attacked by city guards.
These camps do not receive protection from the city guards.
Therefore, players must protect their guild camps.
If the guild camp is captured by other players or NPC monsters, the guild will automatically disband until the guild leader obtains another "Guild Camp Establishment Order".
At this moment, the construction in Wolf Guild's camp was in full swing.
Many NPC craftsmen were invited from the city to help the Wolf Guild upgrade the camp.
The guild leader, "Wolf Prime", stood on a high platform, watching his guild camp gradually level up with immense satisfaction.
His guild had been created less than a month ago, and it was already being upgraded to level 2.
This progress exceeded many well-known game guilds, making his guild stand out.
For reference, the largest guild in the entire game had just reached level 3.
The rest of the big guilds were all at level 2.
For Wolf Guild, a newly established guild in this game, to achieve such results was indeed a matter of pride.
Just as Wolf Prime was fantasizing about dominating the game in the future, a shout interrupted his thoughts.
"Guild Leader! We're in trouble!"
Wolf Prime's brows furrowed upon hearing this.
"What's with the screaming? Cut it off!" Wolf Prime, standing on the high platform, looked down at the subordinate below and barked angrily.
Seeing the guild leader get angry, the rooky dared not shout anymore and whispered, "Guild leader... the vice guild leader, Starving Wolf and Grey Wolf, they were all killed by a player and lost a level."
Due to the strong wind on the platform, Wolf Prime didn't hear clearly what the rooky was saying.
"What did you say?! Speak up!"
The rooky was at a loss.
Should he speak louder or not?
Helpless, he had no choice but to raise his voice and repeat what he just said.
This time, Wolf Prime heard it.
Though he did hear it, his first reaction was โ what nonsense is this kid talking about?
Frustrated, he stopped daydreaming about the future, came down from the platform, and directly kicked the rooky who was relaying the message.
"Damn it, having members like you in our Wolf Guild is really bad luck! Who could single-handedly beat the vice guild leader ,Starving Wolf and Grey Wolf? Do you think they are good-for-nothing?"
The kicked rooky looked wronged and could only explain, "Guild leader, it's true... Starving Wolf just sent a message to me..."
Wolf Prime snorted, questioning, "Then why didn't Starving Wolf send the message directly to me instead of sending it to you to relay to me?"
The rooky was helpless, he didn't know why either.
He was just the messenger.
In the end, it was Wolf Prime who opened the messaging interface.
He found dozens of unread messages in his friend information column.
It was then that he remembered that he had turned off the friend message notifications today to concentrate on designing the new guild layout.
He casually opened a message to check.
It was indeed from Starving Wolf.
The content of the message was almost the same as what the rooky had just relayed to him.
This was embarrassing.
Wolf Prime frowned but didn't intend to apologize to the wrongly accused rooky.
What he cared more about was that his subordinates and the vice guild leader had been killed!
Someone dared to kill the members of the Wolf Guild!
He, Wolf Prime, couldn't tolerate this.
Since he started playing "Godslayer", Wolf Prime had been domineering.
He was always bullying others, and no one dared to offend him.
Even those big guilds didn't dare to provoke him.
The guild leaders of those big guilds even gave him a nickname โ "Mad Wolf".
The meaning was that you shouldn't bother arguing with a madman, or else you would be the one to suffer.
Wolf Prime punched a nearby pillar with a "thud", instantly breaking the one-person-thick pillar.
This frightened the passing NPC craftsmen, who scattered far away.
"Go investigate who has the guts to mess with our Wolf Guild!"
When Wolf Prime said these words, his voice was cold and murderous.
The rooky who was reporting saw this and quickly said,
"Yes, guild leader! I will immediately investigate that person's information for you!"
Chapter54-Wolf Prime's Unique Talent
As for what was going on with the Wolf Guild, John didn't know about it.
At this moment, he had already returned to Northwood with the Riverlo siblings.
Riverlo enthusiastically said to John,
"Brother John, I really don't know how to thank you for coming to help me this time. How about this, I'll treat you to a meal offline!"
Lolo immediately raised her hand, "Is there be a feast? I want to go too! I want to go too!"
John laughed, "Aren't we in different cities?"
"No problem, I can come to visit you, or you can visit me," Riverlo patted his chest and said, "We're in X city, there are many famous mountains and rivers, it's also a great place for tourism."
John thought for a moment.
X city was more than 400 kilometers away from him, which wasn't exactly nearby.
But Riverlo was insistent, so he said, "Well, maybe when we have a chance."
John currently didn't have any plans to go on a trip.
After all, he had a lot of things to do later.
If he went traveling now, he wouldn't be able to rest well with so much on his mind.
At this moment.
Riverlo received a phone call, then told John,
"Brother Galewind, I've transferred your reward directly to your account, a total of 500 Gold Coins. I have to take care of some things in the real world, so my sister and I are going to log out."
John said, "Huh? Didn't you post that you'd pay these Gold Coins after we've dealt with the Wolf Guild's trouble? The problem with the Wolf Guild has not been fully resolved, I can't accept this money temporarily."
Riverlo shook his head, "That's ok, you've already helped me a lot and even gave me and my sister a piece of equipment each. If you don't accept this, then you're not considering me as a friend!"
Hearing him say this, and thinking that it wouldn't be good to keep refusing, John nodded and said, "In that case, fine."
"But don't worry about the Wolf Guild, I've taken the money, I'll definitely help you solve the problem."
Riverlo laughed, "I trust you, of course."
After saying goodbye, Riverlo and Lolo disappeared from John's sight.
John looked at the legendary item "Raging Seed" in his hand, wondering how to deal with it.
Should he use it?
No, he didn't need it at all.
Even if John was to tame a pet, it wouldn't be something dropped by a level 100 Treant. ๐๐๐ฑ๐ป๐จ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น.๐๐จ๐ฆ
At the very least, it would have to be a demi-god level.
"Then let's auction it."
With this thought, John opened his friend list, finding White Feather offline.
He looked at Emma's avatar and noticed she was still online.
So, John sent her a message:
"Still fishing? I got something nice here. Do you have the contact info for the auction house?"
Soon, Emma replied:
"Yeah, Johnny, I'm having a good catch! I found that fishing in this game is quite fun."
"You want to auction something? Wait a second, let me contact an auctioneer I know."
After waiting a few seconds, Emma sent another message:
"Johnny, here is the info, you can just add her."
"Oh, by the way, this auctioneer is also a player, and she's a beauty."
John shook his head helplessly.
This girl, why did she have to add that the other party is a beauty?
Does she think of me as some lecherous person in her mind?
John added the auctioneer "Isabella" through Emma's recommendation.
Before he could send a message, Isabella had already sent him one.
John clicked on it to see that it was an emoticon, along with a sentence:
"Hello, I've heard about you from Emma. Do you have anything to auction?"
John thought for a moment and replied:
"Yes, I do have something nice to auction. Last time the 'Silver Tear' was handled by you guys quite well, so this time I want to entrust it fully to you."
Upon hearing "Silver Tear", Isabella showed interest:
"Right, Emma told me that the 'Silver Tear' was auctioned by you last time. That item was very good, many players contacted us after the auction, wanting to buy it at a higher price! Do you have more of it? It would be perfect for this auction!"
John replied, "I do have more, but I need to keep it for my friends, so I won't sell it for now."
Isabella didn't insist and replied, "Alright, if you change your mind, feel free to DM me. Is it convenient to discuss the item you're auctioning this time in person?"
John replied, "Sure, I'll teleport to Silverglow to meet you."
Isabella responded, "Okay, I'll be waiting for you at Dawn Breeze Auction House."
After closing the chat interface, John suddenly realized that he was surrounded.
Passers-by on the street, seeing this situation, ran far away.
Because John was surrounded by members of the Wolf Guild!
John saw a few familiar faces and laughed:
"Oh? Came to revenge? You brought quite a lot of people this time."
He looked around and roughly counted.
There were at least 40 to 50 members of the Wolf Guild.
Starving Wolf and Grey Wolf were annoyed at the sight of John, but they managed to restrain themselves.
Because among the people present, there was one person who held the highest position in their guild - the guild leader.
The crowd surrounding John opened a path.
Wolf Prime walked out, glanced at John, and asked Starving Wolf:
"Is he the one who killed you guys?"
Starving Wolf nodded.
Wolf Prime looked at John and said,
"Kid, you've got guts, daring to mess with members of our Wolf Guild. Do you know what the consequences will be?"
John pointed at those familiar faces without expression and said,
"I know, the consequences are that all these guys were killed by me."
Wolf Prime was left speechless by the retort.
After saying that, John added,
"You're the guild leader of this guild?"
Wolf Prime nodded subconsciously.
"Then you're pretty poor, with a bunch of rubbish under your command."
Wolf Prime's eyes almost bulged out,
"You dare to insult me?"
John sneered, "And what if I do?"
Wolf Prime glared at him menacingly,
"I can make it impossible for you to continue playing this game! Every time I see you, I'll kill you, making you quit and abandon your account!"
With that, Wolf Prime added, "Don't expect the guards in this city to come to your rescue. Do you know why so many people are afraid of our Wolf Guild?"
John had indeed noticed that the NPC guards who had passed by before, when they saw Wolf Prime, they would pretend not to see anything and then detour away.
This behavior among NPC guards was indeed very strange.
Seeing that John seemed to understand what he meant, Wolf Prime sneered,
"I'm not good at much, but one thing, my talent allows me to kill people freely in human cities, and no NPC dares to interfere!"
Hearing this, John slightly furrowed his brows.
There's such a talent?
He immediately used "Eye of Artemis" to check Wolf Prime's attribute panel...
[Player: Wolf Prime
Race: Human
Class: Berserker
Attributes: ...]
When John saw the end, he found that this guy's initial talent was actually an orange talent?!
[Innate Talent: 'Imperial Noble' (Unique Talent)
Imperial Noble: You were born into extreme nobility. Your father is a duke of the East Dawn Empire, and your mother is a princess of the Northern Myst Empire. You have been jointly granted noble status by both empires since childhood.
Talent Attributes: Maximum HP +500, Strength +100, Stamina +50, Pain Feedback 10%, you can act recklessly in the towns of East Dawn Empire and Northern Myst Empire, ignoring the town rules. Your attacks on other players will not be stopped by any guards.]
Seeing these attributes, John couldn't help but twitch his lips.
This talent is outrageous.
How can such scum get such a talent?
John took a deep breath and said, "Interesting, your talent is not bad."
"Unfortunately, it was drawn by someone like you, which is a waste of this talent."
Hearing John's words, Wolf Prime sneered,
"How do you know what my talent is? Even our guild's vice leader doesn't know! Who do you think you are to see through others' cards?"
"Enough with the nonsense, just tell me how you want to die!"
Chapter 55-Let's Go to save John!
John was not in a hurry, he crossed his arms ,looked around and asked:
"Your rookiesโฆ are they with you, or you face me alone?"
Wolf Prime looked like he heard something funny and shouted: "Of course, I can deal with you alone, these people can do nothing but dragging me down."
The Wolf Guild's rookies heard this and their expressions were very bitter.
But they didn't refute, after all, the difference in strength between them and Wolf Prime the guild leader was too big, even if they went up together, they wouldn't have any good effect.
It would be better to let the guild leader do this alone.
The Wolf Guild's rookies gradually gave way, leaving a large space in the middle.
It seemed that they had defaulted that their guild leader could easily solve John.
Wolf Prime looked at John with a smug face, then took out his pair of red-glowing giant axes.
He stared at John and said: "Kid, you have offended our Wolf Guild, you have no way to left but delete your account and quit the game. But I'll offer you one last chance, if you kneel down and kowtow to me ten times, I will only kill you once, and let you go of this."
After Wolf Prime finishing, Starving Wolf stepped out and said: "You have to kowtow to me ten more times."
Grey Wolf also followed up and said: "And me! You have to kowtow to me ten more times!"
Immediately there were other Wolf Guild's rookies who also clamored to make John kowtow to them.
Seeing the scene so noisy, Wolf Prime stretched out his hand and signaled his rookies to be quiet.
Then he pointed at John and said: "Did you hear that? You owe our Wolf Guild ten kowtows for each person. You hurry up and kowtow to us now, and I won't bother you anymore in the future."
In Northwood, more and more players passed by.
They didn't know what was going on, but when they saw that it was Wolf Guild surrounding a solo player, they basically guessed it.
It must be Wolf Guild's people causing trouble, deliberately looking for this guy's trouble.
The passing players were also very indignant about Wolf Guild's behavior, but they didn't want to cause trouble for themselves, so they could only choose to temporarily ignore it.
Some of them who were bolder only dared to stop and watch from the periphery, but didn't dare to approach.
At this time, in the game public chat channel, someone had already broadcasted the situation on Northwood's main street live.
Anonymous player 1: "Did you see that? In Northwood, that Wolf Guild is bullying people again."
Orchid Gentleman: "Huh? Really? Are you on the scene?"
Anonymous player 1: "Of course I'm on the scene, but I can't expose my identity. What if I'm hated by Wolf Guild's people? Who doesn't know that Wolf Guild's people are the most petty and vengeful?"
Orchid Gentleman: "Awesome bro, you dare to say that. Anyway, I don't dare. I'm leaving first."
Anonymous player 2: "What's the situation? I'm also on the scene. I just saw a guy wearing newbie equipment being surrounded by Wolf Guild's guys. How come they're bullying newbie players now?"
Anonymous player 1: "That's very normal. This is Wolf Guild's routine operation. No matter what level you are, whether you are a newbie or not, as long as you make them unhappy, you will be chased by Wolf Guild."
Anonymous player 3: "What's the ID of the surrounded new player? Poor guy."
Anonymous player 1: "It seems to be called somethingโฆ 'Galewind'?"
โฆ
The players' discussion continued.
No one paid attention to this ID name.
The person who asked for the ID was just casually asking.
But this chat record was seen by some people later.
โฆ
Blue Sea who was grinding for EXP saw this message by chance and immediately frowned.
"Galewind? Is it him?" He pondered for a moment and then ordered his subordinates: "Stop grinding now. Follow me to rescue someone."
Blue Sea Guild's members heard what Blue Sea said and were all stunned.
"Did I hear that wrong? There is actually someone who can make guild leader personally lead a team to save?"
"Yeah, isn't guild leader famous for only wanting to become stronger and not caring about anything else? How come he would personally go to save someoneโฆ"
"Who is the person we are going to save? Is he trapped by monsters in a secret realm?"
"Lift your spirits up! The person guild leader is going to save must have an extraordinary identity! Everyone has to take it seriously!"
At this time, one of Blue Sea's confidants walked up and asked: "Guild leader, who are we going to save?"
Blue Sea didn't answer directly, but said:
"That person is in Northwood. Everyone go to the nearest teleportation array. We will go to Northwood as fast as possible!"
"Northwood?" Immediately a smart player noticed the key information and quickly said in the crowd: "Guys, we might be going to trouble Wolf Guild!"
"Wolf Guild?!" The rest of them were all surprised.
Their Blue Sea Guild and Wolf Guild had always been in a state of not interfering with each other.
Wolf Guild was arrogant, but they also feared Blue Sea guild's reputation as one of the top ten guilds in the world.
They never provoked Blue Sea Guild's people.
Now guild leader actually wanted to take the initiative to fight Wolf Guild?
But this was exactly what they wanted!
"Good! I've long been displeased with those Wolf Guild guys! A bunch of scum, only know how to bully the weak!"
"Yes, let's teach them a good lesson!"
"Don't touch me stuff, I want to kill three Wolf Guild people by myself!"
"Three? You wish, get one and you'll be lucky!"
"I'm going first, whoever runs slow won't get any!"
Blue Sea guild's members rushed to the teleportation array, afraid that if they were too slow, there would be no Wolf Guild people left to kill.
โฆ
At Nightglow Lake.
Emma who was fishing was chatting with White Feather who had just logged on.
At this time, the two of them suddenly received a message.
The two of them looked at each other and were very surprised.
They had a good relationship with Isabella, but they rarely saw Isabella contact them both at the same time.
It seemed that there was something urgent.
They opened the message and saw that it was from Dawn Breeze Auction House's Isabella.
They looked at each other and said in unison: "Johnny (Galewind) is in trouble! We have to save him!"
After that, the two girls didn't say much.
Emma immediately put away her fishing rod.
White Feather immediately brought two horses and said to Emma:
"Northwood is not far from here. We'll get there as fast as we can!"
Emma worriedly said: "This Wolf Guild is notorious and very arrogant. They also have a lot of people. Is it enough for us two to save Johnny?"
White Feather thought for a while and felt that Emma was right.
She then said: "I'll go to Silverglow and find Silver Church's people to save him. He is our Silver Church member's big patron all along. We have received so much grace from him and have always wanted to repay him! This time I can at least find dozens of Silver Church players to help."
Emma nodded and said: "Then I'll go with you to get reinforcements. I can open a portal."
White Feather added: "Isabella also told me that Dawn Breeze Auction House will also send some guards over. Galewind is their auction house's important customer. He can't have an accident."
Emma smiled happily and said: "That's great. The more people the better! This time we can definitely rescue Johnny from Wolf Guild's hands!"
Chapter 56-A noble? I'll beat you up anyway!
At this moment, John didn't know that many people were setting off to save him.
He faced the people of Wolf Guild alone, but his expression was very calm.
The other players who were watching around were more nervous than John.
Wolf Prime seemed to deliberately wait for all the players' attention to focus on this side, and then he was ready to start.
He did this to make an example out of John.
Let all the players know that Wolf Guild is not something anyone can mess with!
"Still not kneeling?"
Wolf Prime saw that the atmosphere was almost set, and now what he had to do was to establish his prestige, so he said to John aggressively:
"I'll count to three. If I count to three and you still don't kneel, I'll chop you with an axe."
"After you resurrect, I'll chop you again until you kneel and admit your mistake or delete your account."
"One!"
After speaking, Wolf Prime couldn't wait to start counting.
John stood still and wanted to see what this guy could do to him when he counted to three.
Unfortunately, John's calmness was seen as weakness and panic by Wolf Prime.
He raised his voice and shouted:
"Two!"
At this time, Wolf Guild's people continued to make noise and wanted John to kneel down for them.
John still didn't change his expression.
"Three!"
"Good, very good. If you really knelt down, I wouldn't know whether to spare you or not. Since that's the case, it's just what I want! Die!"
Wolf Prime sneered and raised an axe in each hand and rushed towards John.
The axes chopped down at the same time, with an amazing momentum.
It was as if the axes had locked on John when they chopped out, making him unable to dodge.
John didn't intend to dodge either.
He just stood there and didn't move at all.
"Clang!"
Sparks flew.
The axes stopped at a place about ten centimeters away from John.
It was as if they had hit an invisible barrier.
Wolf Prime's face changed slightly and he frowned: "You actually have such a defensive skill?"
He withdrew his axes and then activated his berserker skill.
"Massacre!"
Wolf Prime roared and his axes rained down on John like a storm.
Unfortunately, none of those red-glowing axes could touch John.
This scene directly stunned Wolf Guild's people.
The players who were watching were also dumbfounded, and even thought that the game had a bug.
"Why can't Wolf Prime hit that Galewind? That shouldn't be possible!"
"Could it be some special defensive skill?"
"No way, I know Wolf Prime's axe, it has a very strong defense-breaking effect, how could there be a defense that he can't break?"
โฆ
People were talking about it.
Wolf Prime became more and more angry, he felt that John's standing still was an insult to him.
He cursed loudly, using all kinds of nasty words.
John seemed to have not heard it at all, he just yawned and then said:
"Are you done?"
"Then, it's my turn."
John finished speaking and his mouth curled slightly.
He controlled his strength and punched Wolf Prime in the cheek!
-397!
"Boom!"
Wolf Prime was instantly punched out by John for ten meters!
John looked at his fist with a surprised expression.
Others thought he was surprised that he could hit such a high damage against a strong opponent like Wolf Prime.
Only John himself knew that he was surprised that he had controlled his own strength and didn't directly kill him!
Killing him with one punch would be too boring!
John slowly walked forward, with a lot of pressure:
"You just said you wanted me to kneel for you?"
"How about this, I'm always the most reasonable personโฆ You kneel for me a hundred times, I can let you go today, how about it?"
John's words made everyone present shocked.
What's going on here?
Turning the tables?
Could Wolf Prime stand this?
Sure enough, Wolf Prime got up from the ground right away.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked ferocious:
"Damn it, I didn't expect you to be a tough nutโฆ"
"But you probably forgot one thingโฆ I'm a berserker!"
"The more HP I lose, the higher my damage will be!"
After speaking, Wolf Prime swung an axe at John's head again.
This time it was completely different from before, not only was his momentum stronger, but even the blood-red light on his axe was more intense!
"Clang!"
An axe hit John's front, making a sound of metal clashing.
Wolf Prime's face changed instantly.
His tiger's mouth was numb from the shock, and even a "-159" number popped up above his head!
He hit John, but John not only didn't lose HP, but also hurt him back!
"Clang" With a sound, Wolf Prime's axe fell to the ground, and his face became very ugly.
"Didn't you say that the more HP you lose, the higher your damage?"
John said with a smile, and then punched Wolf Prime in the face again.
-466!
"It seems that your HP hasn't bottomed out yet," John's smile looked particularly terrifying at this time,
"then I'll beat you until you have only a trace of HP left, and then you can try to attack me again?"
"I'm very interested in what your strongest attack is like."
After speaking. John hit him three times in a row.
-342!
-535!
-789!
Seeing such numbers, everyone was shocked.
"Thisโฆ This is the damage done to Wolf Prime? I heard that Wolf Prime has good equipment, even powerful experts can hardly break his defense, right?"
"Did I see it wrong? Is this damage number real?"
"Can this damage number be made by someone wearing newbie equipment?"
"This guy is too strong! He must be a high-level expert!"
"If he hits a few more punches like this, Wolf Prime will die!"
โฆ
John was a bit embarrassed at this time.
He was too excited just now and almost didn't control his strength well.
As the numbers got higher and higher, John realized that Wolf Prime was about to die.
At this moment. Wolf Prime, who had been hit by John for nearly 3,000 points of HP, finally exploded.
He slowly stood up from the ground, with a strong blood-colored aura covering his body.
That aura was like a burning flame, making people feel afraid.
Wolf Prime's eyes were red and his muscles bulged.
He waved his hands and the axes that had been knocked away flew back to his handsโฆ
Everyone knew that Wolf Prime had entered the "Blood Rage" form.
The so-called "Blood Rage" form was the final form of the berserker before death, and also the strongest form.
This state could only be triggered by berserkers when they had only 5% of their HP left.
Berserkers who successfully entered the "Blood Rage" form had three times the speed and agility of their original form, and their damage was more than ten times their original form!
The most terrifying thing was that in the "Blood Rage" form, all the damage caused by berserkers would add their own HP!
Expert players knew that the best way to defeat berserkers was to control their HP volume and try to kill them with one move when they had 10% of their HP left.
Once berserkers entered the "Blood Rage" form, the situation would not be optimistic!
Wolf Prime roared angrily at John:
"I am a marquis of East Dawn Empire! A duke of Northern Myst Empire! I am a noble recognized by both empires!"
"You bug-like thing, how dare you hurt me?!"
"Dieโฆ"
Before he finished speaking.
John sneered and punched through his chest in an instant!
Blood splashed and the flame-like aura that had just ignited was extinguished by John!
"A noble?"
"I'll beat you up anyway!"
Chapter57-Blue Sea Guild Comes to the Rescue
On the main street of Northwood, all the onlookers were silent.
John had easily killed the guild leader of Wolf Guild, which was unbelievable to them.
The guild leader of Wolf Guild was a powerful player who had killed many experts in a joint siege.
With the death of Wolf Prime, the remaining members of Wolf Guild were also stunned.
Starving Wolf and Grey Wolf had ugly faces, they didn't expect their guild leader to lose to such an unknown player.
After killing Wolf Prime, John looked around.
Those members of Wolf Guild who had just shouted for John to kneel down and kowtow were all embarrassed, and didn't know what to say.
It was too late for them to escape now.
The crowd of onlookers grew more and more, blocking all the roads around them.
The space in the middle of the road also became smaller and smaller.
Because of the crowding, those members of Wolf Guild were being unwillingly squeezed towards John's direction.
John clenched his fists, and his smile was very scary.
"You guys just said wanted me to kowtow to you, right?"
Grey Wolf saw this and smiled awkwardly, he didn't want to provoke John anymore.
He originally thought that his guild leader could handle this guy.
He didn't expect that his guild leader would be instant killed by him.
This made Grey Wolf completely lose the idea of confronting John.
He just wanted to run away.
"We were wrong, we shouldn't have provoked you, big brother,"
Grey Wolf was good at being flexible, facing John who was clearly much stronger than them, he quickly chose to surrender, ๐๐ฒ๐๐ง๐ผ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๏ผ๐๐จ๐บ
"How about you spare us, big brother?"
Starving Wolf looked a bit more stubborn, but he didn't dare to speak either, just glared at John.
John had no intention of sparing them:
"You two should be more arrogant, I'm not used to your wimpy look."
Although the members of Wolf Guild were no longer arrogant,
John didn't want to play with them anymore either.
He was in a hurry to go to Silverglow's Dawn Breeze Auction House.
So,
John acted decisively, and killed all the members of Wolf Guild in the scene with thunderous force.
This scene shocked the onlookers even more.
After getting rid of all the troublemakers, John pushed through the crowd and walked straight towards the teleportation array.
Looking at John's departing back, the onlookers couldn't help but sigh:
"This bigshot is so cool, even his back looks so handsome."
"This guy is too strong, he can solo Wolf Guild... This kind of strength is probably not even possessed by the guild leaders of the top 10 guilds in the world, right?"
"There is always a bigger fish. It seems that there are still many hidden experts in this game. We have to work hard."
...
Not long after John left,
the players who were about to disperse saw a group of people rushing in from outside the city.
These people were furious, their levels were very high, they looked more imposing than Wolf Guild, and no player dared to stop them.
"That's Blue Sea! The guild leader of Blue Sea Guild!"
"I've seen those players behind him. They are all members of Blue Sea Guild!"
"Oh my god, these are all Blue Sea Guild's people? Are all the main members of Blue Sea Guild here?"
"What are they going to do? Attack Northwood?"
...
People were surprised to see these people walk onto the street.
The leader was Blue Sea himself.
He gave a wink to his subordinate next to him.
The subordinate immediately understood and walked up to an onlooker and asked:
"Hello, can I ask you something? Was there a player being besieged by Wolf Guild here before?"
The onlooker nodded woodenly.
"Where are they now?" The subordinate continued to ask.
"Are you asking about Wolf Guild or the one who was besieged?" The onlooker asked back.
The subordinate was stunned for a moment and then said: "Both."
The onlooker replied: "Wolf Guild are all dead, I don't know where they are now, maybe in the respawn pool."
"As for the one who was besieged..."
"We saw him go in the direction of the teleportation array."
This answer made the subordinate confused.
Wolf Guild were all killed?
Who killed them?
Their Blue Sea Guild hadn't made a move yet!
"Wolf Guild are all dead? Who killed them?" The subordinate asked again.
The onlooker said: "The one who was besieged by Wolf Guild, what's his name... Galewind? Yes, he killed them."
"What?!"
"You mean... he killed all of Wolf Guild by himself."
The onlooker nodded firmly.
The subordinate knew that his answer was a bit absurd, but he still ran back and reported it to Blue Sea truthfully.
Sure enough, Blue Sea heard this answer and was obviously incredulous.
He frowned slightly and said: "The level gap between players and players in this game hasn't widened yet, how could there be someone who can wipe out a whole guild?"
The subordinate agreed and said: "I think so too, maybe that guy was lying."
So, Blue Sea let other subordinates go out and ask people separately.
Surprisingly, their answers were all the same.
This made Blue Sea very puzzled.
He rubbed his chin and then analyzed:
"Wolf Guild has been arrogant for a long time, without any morality, most players know that they are not easy to mess with, so they are afraid of their revenge and dare not tell the truth, that's possible..."
"Maybe these onlookers were threatened by some members of Wolf Guild, and didn't dare to tell us anything about Wolf Guild?"
Hearing Blue Sea's analysis, his subordinates nodded in agreement, thinking that their guild leader's analysis was right.
One of them slapped his thigh and said: "Then in this case, did Wolf Guild hear something on the grapevine, knowing that guild leader you were going to personally lead our guild to rescue that player, so they took him away in advance? And before they left, they threatened these onlookers not to reveal this matter?"
Blue Sea Guild's people gathered together and analyzed, and the more they analyzed, the more they felt this was the most possible reason.
So,
Blue Sea made a decision: "That person is an old friend of mine, since he is in trouble, I can't ignore it... Everyone, buy the necessary potions and items, let's go to Wolf Guild's camp and meet these guys!"
Hearing Blue Sea's words,
all the members of Blue Sea Guild were pumped up as if they had been given adrenaline shots, ready to attack Wolf Guild's camp.
A Guild attacking another guild's camp, this was no joke!
Generally speaking, there were some small frictions and conflicts between two guilds in the game, which were common things.
These small conflicts were mostly resolved by two guilds agreeing to fight in a place and then ending it.
They rarely escalated to the point of attacking each other's camps.
You have to know that the camp was the foundation of a guild!
Once something like attacking a camp happened, it was a life-and-death situation between two guilds!
But wasn't playing games for this moment of passion?
"Charge! Rescue guild leader's old friend!"
"Charge! Rescue guild leader's old friend!"
...
These members of Blue Sea Guild shouted slogans while rushing towards the outside of the city.
Seeing this scene, the onlookers didn't want to leave either.
Their intuition told them that something big was coming!
Chapter58-Three Reinforcements Converge!
?
Wolf Guild camp.
Wolf Prime sat in his seat with a dull look, looking very depressed.
He kept recalling in his mind how he was killed by John in a second, but he couldn't figure it out no matter how he thought about it.
This made Wolf Prime, who prided himself as one of the top players in this game, very unacceptable.
"It's impossible! My equipment, skills are all the best, even the 'Blood Rage' state was triggered, but I was still killed by him..."
"Could it be that the gap between me and this guy is really that big?"
At this time, a Wolf Guild member brought a glass of beer and handed it to Wolf Prime, saying:
"Guild leader, don't be angry, this guy must have used some powerful items to kill us, this game is so big, there are all kinds of strange and weird items and skills, it's not surprising, if we face him head-on, he won't be your opponent!"
Wolf Prime took the beer and drank it all, then felt that his subordinate was right.
When Galewind killed him, he was obviously wearing a novice suit.
How could a guy wearing a novice suit have such powerful attributes that he could kill him barehanded?
He must have used some extremely rare items!
Wolf Prime became more and more convinced of this conclusion, and the gloom in his heart was swept away.
"Damn it,"
Wolf Prime stood up and threw the glass aside,
"That's it! This kid actually used this way to despise me! This kind of item that can kill people instantly must have a limit on the number of times it can be used, I want to see how many times he can use it! I must find him and kill him!"
Wolf Prime had just made this declaration, when he saw a rooky running in panic.
He looked flustered and even rolled and crawled in the last few steps.
"Guild leader! There is something wrong! There is something wrong!"
Seeing the little brother so embarrassed, Wolf Prime kicked him directly and scolded:
What are you panicking for? This is our base camp. Look at you, what a coward. How disgraceful!
The rooky felt wronged but didn't dare to say anything.
He could only say:
"Guild leader, there are dozens of people outside. They say they are from Blue Sea Guild. They look like they are going to attack our guild camp!"
"What?!"
Hearing this, Wolf Prime was shocked and said:
"What did you just say?!"
"Blue Sea Guild is here to attack us? Are you crazy? Did you see wrong?"
"We have no grudge or feud with Blue Sea Guild normally. Why do they want to attack our camp? Don't they know that attacking other guilds' camps is a life-and-death situation?"
The rooky smiled bitterly:
"I... I don't know either. But I saw it very clearly. They are indeed from Blue Sea Guild. They have surrounded our guild's camp. Guild leader, what should we do?"
Wolf Prime bit his teeth.
He couldn't deny the reality even if he didn't want to.
He opened the public chat channel and checked it out...
Sure enough, most of the players were discussing Blue Sea Guild's impending crusade against Wolf Guild's camp!
"Is it true... Blue Sea has gone crazy?"
Wolf Prime frowned.
He really didn't know why Blue Sea, such a big shot, came to find his trouble.
At this time, Starving Wolf and Grey Wolf ran to Wolf Prime's side at the same time.
They both looked very panicked.
Starving Wolf: "Guild leader, what should we do now?" ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ.๐ค๐ฐ๐
Grey Wolf: "Guild leader, if we can't do it, let's retreat first! We still have a chance as long as we have our base. The other side is Blue Sea Guild. Their strength is too strong. We are not their opponents!"
Wolf Prime glared at him.
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about!"
"You know you're going to lose before you even fight?"
"I haven't been afraid of anyone since I played this game!"
Grey Wolf didn't dare to speak anymore.
Starving Wolf asked: "Do you need to call back the vice guild leader?"
"No, Wolf Howl has something to do. Don't call him back," Wolf Prime waved his hand and said.
"Besides, he can't make it back now... Go find a rooky and help me send a letter out."
Starving Wolf immediately understood what Wolf Prime meant and nodded: "Okay, guild leader. I'll arrange it right away."
...
Outside Wolf Guild's camp.
Leading many members, Blue Sea here signaled everyone to stop first.
Blue Sea Guild's members were very obedient to Blue Sea's orders.
Everyone moved neatly and uniformly.
No one had any extra movements or noises.
How could Blue Sea Guild be one of the top 10 guilds in the world?
Their discipline was almost comparable to a regular army.
"Guild leader, the Wolf Guild's camp is ahead. Do we attack now?"
A warrior holding a heavy hammer asked Blue Sea.
Blue Sea observed for a while and then closed his eyes.
This was the first time he led the guild to a guild-level battle after he came to this game of "Godslayer", so he couldn't afford to lose.
If something unexpected happened, Blue Sea Guild's reputation would be ruined.
He said calmly: "Let the stealth team go and check the situation first. The mage team and the priest team prepare to enchant and buff. The archer and hunter team prepare to support the stealth team at any time."
The warrior with the hammer was puzzled: "Guild leader, do we need to be so careful to deal with such a guild?"
Blue Sea looked at him and said: "Seth, even a lion has to do its best to catch a rabbit. If we lose to such a small guild, we will definitely be laughed at by other top 10 guilds."
The one called Seth nodded and said: "Okay, guild leader. I understand."
As soon as Blue Sea's order was issued, Blue Sea Guild's stealth team set off, another team appear on Blue Sea Guild's left side.
Blue Sea quickly got the news.
He looked far away and found that the people who came were all knights wearing silver armor and riding horses.
There were about seventy or eighty people in total.
At the head of the team, there were two heroic female players leading the team.
They looked very formidable.
This quickly made Blue Sea alert.
Could this be reinforcements from the Wolf Guild?
He quickly sent someone to find out.
Soon, the scout brought back the news...
This team was also here to save Galewind!
This surprised Blue Sea very much, but since they had the same goal, it was easy to talk.
He rode his horse forward and came to White Feather and Emma's side.
White Feather and Emma saw a man with an extraordinary temperament, wearing a blue robe approaching.
They were a little wary at first.
But when they got closer, they found out that it was someone they knew.
They recognized Blue Sea, so they greeted him: " Guild leader Blue Sea, what are you doing here?"
Blue Sea didn't think there was anything to hide, so he replied truthfully:
"I have a friend who was caught by Wolf Guild. I brought some people to save him..."
As he said that, Blue Sea smiled and added: "It seems that my old friend is popular with women. You two are also here to save him?"
Emma nodded repeatedly: "We got the news that Johnny was surrounded by Wolf Guild's people in Northwood, so we wanted to come and support him... Blue Sea guild leader, are you also Johnny's friend?"
Blue Sea thought for a while and said: "I guess... you could say that. We fought a lot before."
This made Emma feel awkward.
They fought a lot?
Was their relationship good or bad?
Blue Sea wasn't here to kick John when he was down, was he?
Seeing Emma's weird expression, Blue Sea laughed and said: "I'm not enemies with him. We're just rivals. Don't worry, I'm here to save him."
The two sides were talking.
Not far away, another team of people came over.
This team had players of various classes.
The leader was Isabella, the auctioneer of Dawn Breeze Auction House.
Since most of the players recognized Isabella, Blue Sea and his group didn't treat this team as Wolf Guild's reinforcements this time.
Isabella arrived here and rushed to Blue Sea's side and asked:
"You're all here to save Galewind, right? I also brought some guards from Dawn Breeze Auction House. If you need anything, just let me know..."
White Feather and Emma nodded at the same time.
Blue Sea looked a little weird.
The three girls in front of him were all beauties. It would be very lucky for ordinary people to know one of them...
How could John know all three of them?
And make them rush over to save him?
This was too enviable!
Even though Blue Sea had a calm personality and temper, he couldn't help feeling annoyed inside.
Blue Sea still suppressed his jealousy and thought that he would have to make Galewind treat him well after saving him.
Then he asked Isabella: "You also know Galewind?"
Isabella nodded decisively and said:
"He's my auction house's big customer! I can't let such an important customer have an accident!"
Chapter59-Guild War, Imperial Guard Arrives
Three reinforcements converged, forming a warband of hundreds of players.
These player surrounded Wolf Guild's camp, looking like they could take it down at any time. ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐๐.๐๐๐
Inside the camp.
Wolf Guild's players were in a mess.
They only knew how to bully the weak normally.
How could they have seen such a big scene?
Not to mention that these players were all here to crusade against them!
Fortunately, Starving Wolf and Grey Wolf, as small cadres, had accumulated a lot of prestige normally.
They were directing their rookies to build defensive fortifications.
Now that the players' levels were generally low, the defensive effects of items and buildings were still very important.
Starving Wolf ordered a rooky:
"Count the number of guild members in the camp and see how many we have to stop them."
"Yes!"
"Archer team, all go to the watchtower! Mage team on the high ground, prepare to chant long-range AOE spells!"
"Yes!"
"Knight and warrior team, get ready for defense, prepare for close combat!"
"Yes!"
...
After issuing several orders, the rooky who counted the number ran over and said to Starving Wolf:
"Captain! There are 47 guild members in the camp now. We also called 17 offline players online. The defense force can be more than 60 people!"
Hearing this, Starving Wolf frowned and said: "Not enough... still far from enough..."
He turned around and walked to guild leader Wolf Prime's side and said:
"Guild leader, we are very short of manpower. The other side has nearly ten times as many people as we do. Do we really have to hold on?"
Wolf Prime snorted and said confidently: "As long as we can hold on for a while, we don't have to worry about the cost... These people can't take down our camp!"
Starving Wolf nodded and said: "The other side's main force is Blue Sea Guild. I think we can hold on for an hour at most..."
"An hour is enough."
Wolf Prime interrupted him, carrying his double axes on his shoulders, laughing very coldly:
"After an hour, I will make these mobs regret daring to provoke me Wolf Prime!"
...
Outside Wolf Guild's camp.
Blue Sea, White Feather, Emma and Isabella discussed for a while and decided to start the attack.
They shouted for a long time, but there was no sign of releasing John from the camp.
It seemed that Wolf Guild's people were not going to let John go.
In this case, launching an attack as soon as possible became a must-do thing.
Blue Sea, as the guild leader with the most command experience of a large guild, naturally took over the task of overall command:
"White Feather and Emma, you lead Silver Knight Order from the west. Isabella, your auction house has mostly mages and prophets. These professions are suitable for long-range attacks and support. Just follow Silver Knight Order behind and support them..."
"We will attack from the south front. We will attract enough firepower. If you have a chance, rush in and save him."
The three ladies listened to Blue Sea's arrangement and nodded at the same time.
Soon, Silver Knight Order moved to the west under White Feather and Emma's leadership.
The battle started in an instant.
It was a hunter with the "Hawkeye" skill in Wolf Guild's camp who first discovered Blue Sea Guild's stealthers.
He didn't hesitate and immediately warned and launched an attack.
Blue Sea Guild's stealthers who hadn't stealthed to their designated positions no longer concealed themselves and rushed out, launching assassination skills at the nearest enemies!
The second-level guild's camp had no walls, not even wooden walls.
They were still under construction and couldn't stop these agile stealthers at all.
In no time, two or three knights and warriors fell down.
But you should know that Wolf Guild could dominate for so long.
They were absolutely not pushovers either.
They quickly reacted and launched a counterattack.
Knights and warriors activated their defensive skills one after another.
After strengthening their weapons, they chopped at the stealthers!
Blue Sea Guild's stealthers had strong attack power, but this kind of class had no defense power at all.
Once they were discovered and engaged in close combat, they would soon suffer losses.
Plus this was Wolf Guild's base camp.
Wolf Guild's players could use the advantages of terrain, buildings, and defensive facilities to fight.
Those stealthers soon lost more than half of their members.
This situation made Blue Sea a little surprised.
He sent out stealthers and assassins to surprise attack when the main force was attacking.
He didn't expect them to be discovered so soon.
"It seems that Wolf Guild is indeed not to be underestimated. They actually have rare skills that can see through invisibility."
Blue Sea immediately ordered the warriors and knights in front to speed up.
Now in this situation, only by letting the two sides fall into a melee as soon as possible can they save the lives of most of the guild's stealthers.
After the close combat.
Blue Sea Guild's warriors and knights, relying on their numerical advantage, quickly pushed Wolf Guild's people back step by step.
At this time, the reinforcements from Silver Knight Order and the auction house also launched an attack on the other side.
The two sides' attacks formed a pincer movement.
Wolf Guild's camp was in a desperate situation!
"Go to hell!"
A loud shout came from the camp.
Only to see Wolf Prime holding his double axes, like a war god, slashing at the enemies in front of him.
Blue Sea Guild's warriors and knights in front were not Wolf Prime's opponents at all.
Wolf Prime killed happily, and the depression in his heart was gone.
He was killed by John in a second before.
He was still doubting his strength.
Now it seems that he is still very strong!
Suddenly, a warrior holding a heavy hammer rushed out of the crowd.
It was Seth, Blue Sea's powerful warrior.
The two fought with axes and hammers, flying various skills, and they were evenly matched for a short time.
When Blue Sea personally joined the battle, the situation instantly became one-sided.
After the "Ancient Parchment" and The Devil Corpse incident, Blue Sea used the Silver Tear from the auction to defeat a very powerful undead BOSS, completed a quest of a NPC grand mage, and was appreciated by that NPC.
He helped him change his class to a rare class "Sea Mage".
This class was much more powerful than ordinary mages who specialized in water magic. He could learn all water magic and control the power of the sea.
He was invincible on the sea.
Although Blue Sea's power was greatly reduced on land, he was still very strong.
"Tsunami Sky."
"Sea Element.
"Sea Wind Assault."
"Sea Cloud Possession."
...
A series of powerful sea magic were used by Blue Sea casually.
Compared with ordinary mages, Sea Mage's biggest advantage was his upper limit of mana and his mana recovery speed.
Sea Mage's mana seemed inexhaustible and could always release various powerful skills without any signs of exhaustion.
How could Wolf Guild's people resist such a powerful force?
Just as Wolf Guild's people were retreating steadily.
A low horn sound came from afar.
Blue Sea felt something wrong as soon as he heard it.
He stopped and looked back.
He saw a flag on the horizon.
That flag did not belong to any player or any guild.
And Wolf Prime, who was fighting with Seth, also laughed crazily.
"Hahaha... Do you know who you are messing with?"
"I am a dual-nation noble of East Dawn Empire and Northern Myst Empire!"
"As long as I send out a message saying that I am in danger, all the guard teams in the towns within East Dawn Empire and Northern Myst Empire will come to save me!"
"You messed with the wrong person!"
Hearing Wolf Prime say this, Blue Sea's face became slightly ugly.
He didn't expect Wolf Prime to have this identity.
The town guard NPCs were not something they could fight against now!
Wolf Prime pulled away from Seth and pointed at Blue Sea and shouted:
"Now, you have to face the guard team of Northwood, NPCs with an average level of 100!"
"Today, you will all gonna die here!"
Chapter 60-A Deal with the NPC Guard
Northwood guard captain Brain was riding on a horse, looking unhappy.
After receiving the order from the city lord, knowing that he had to save the "hated by everyone" noble, Brain's face never eased.
Wolf Guild's guild leader had been running roughshod over towns for a long time, bullying others.
As guardians, they wanted to keep the city safe, but because of Wolf Prime's noble status, they were afraid to stop him.
Now, not only they cannot stop him, but also have to save this scum?
This made Brain, who had a strong sense of justice, very unacceptable in his heart.
But there was no other way.
The city lord's order was absolute, and the city lord could not disobey the emperor, nor could he ignore the death of a big noble in his jurisdiction.
In order to keep his position, Brain had to bring the guards to Wolf Guild's camp.
This time, in order to ensure that nothing went wrong, the city lord let Brain bring a full 100 guards!
Although these guards were low-level guards, they were all level 100.
Not to mention, Brain himself was a level 120 elite guard captain!
Therefore, Brain was confident that no matter what kind of guy invaded Wolf Guild, his reinforcements could easily take them down.
...
Inside Wolf Guild's camp.
Hundreds of players surrounded Wolf Guild's people in the middle, and neither side continued to fight for the time being.
At this time, there were only more than 20 people left in Wolf Guild, and the rest were all sent to the respawn pool.
Blue Sea walked out of the crowd and shout to Wolf Prime:
"Wolf Prime, you know the situation yourself now."
"Even though you have reinforcements, we can easily kill you all and destroy your camp before they arrive."
"A second-level guild camp is not easy to rebuild. I think you must have spent a lot of effort to build this place, right?"
"You hand over the person we want and we will leave immediately."
After discovering the NPC army, Blue Sea immediately called back the guild members who were attacking and met with White Feather Emma and Isabella.
Then they surrounded Wolf Guild's people in the middle.
He was always calm and knew that it was meaningless to kill all Wolf Guild's people now.
Instead, he would be attacked by Northwood's guards for killing a noble.
He had no confidence in beating those hundred guards.
The only way out was to trade with Wolf Prime.
Wolf Prime heard what Blue Sea said and was puzzled:
"Hand over? Hand over who?"
Wolf Prime always thought that Blue Sea just wanted to destroy Wolf Guild.
He didn't expect them to come for someone...
This was too outrageous, right?
Why didn't they say it at first?
Blue Sea saw Wolf Prime looking weird and frowned:
"We shouted outside for half a day asking you to hand over the person. Don't you know?"
Wolf Prime really didn't know about this.
When Blue Sea Guild's people shouted outside before, because they were too far away, Wolf Prime didn't know what they were shouting at all.
He thought they were just calling the battle.
It turned out that they came for someone...
Until this moment, Wolf Prime still thought that it was one of his rookies who provoked Blue Sea.
So he said:
"Hehe, you want me to hand over my rooky to you. Isn't that making me lose face?"
Blue Sea saw that he misunderstood his meaning and said:
"What do I want your subordinate for? I'm here to save someone... You hand over Galewind."
Wolf Prime, who was still confused, was stunned when he heard Galewind's name.
"Galewind?!"
"He's not with me. How could I hand over him?!"
As soon as he heard Galewind's ID, Wolf Prime felt a fire burning in his heart.
Good guy, he killed our whole guild and that wasn't enough.
He also called so many people to trouble us?
What kind of background does this Galewind have?
How can he be so strong and have such a wide network of contacts?
Wolf Prime's eyes became fierce and he said angrily: "But if I meet him again, I will kill him to level0!"
Wolf Prime's words were naturally unbelievable to Blue Sea and others.
Emma saw the guards approaching in the distance and was anxious.
She condensed a big fireball with her flame magic and said to Wolf Prime: "If you don't hand him over, we will really do it!"
Wolf Prime sneered.
"Do you still not understand the situation? Now it's you who are in danger, not me!"
"When Northwood's guards arrive later, I'll give an order and you'll all die here!"
"As for that Galewind... Haha, I won't let him go either!"
Blue Sea frowned.
He found that this Wolf Prime was a madman and couldn't be reasoned with at all.
So, Blue Sea ordered his men:
"Send some people to watch these Wolf Guild guys."
"I'll go talk to the NPC guards."
After saying that, he turned and left.
After receiving the order, the subordinate immediately arranged a group of people to keep an eye on Wolf Guild's people.
Now most of Wolf Guild's players were bloodied and in bad condition.
It was hard for them to make any trouble.
Blue Sea rode his horse and brought a dozen confidants to the outside of the camp.
About a hundred meters away, Brain's team stopped.
Blue Sea signaled his men to wait for him here.
One of his confidants was very worried and said:
"Guild leader,... It's too dangerous. What if these NPCs suddenly attack you?"
Blue Sea shook his head:
"I know this guard captain Brain. Although he is an NPC, he is a very righteous person. This time he came to save Wolf Prime, I'm afraid it's not his own intention."
He signaled his men to stop, and then rode his horse closer to Brain.
Sure enough, when Brain saw Blue Sea coming alone, he also told his guards not to act rashly.
Then he rode his horse forward a few steps.
The two were about ten meters apart and start talking.
NPC guard captain Brain asked first:
"Why did you attack Wolf Guild? Do you know the identity of this guild's leader?"
Blue Sea nodded: "I didn't know before, but I know now... Looking at your posture, it seems that this Wolf Prime has a high status in the empire..."
"Not only high, even our Northwood city lord has to give in to him," Brain said to Blue Sea like chatting with an old friend.
"It's a pity, I received the task to save the noble 'Wolf Prime', so even if you are the opponent, I won't show mercy."
Brain had known Blue Sea for a long time and had personally issued some rare tasks to him.
Although he was an NPC, he also had his own emotions and preferences.
He had a good impression of Blue Sea himself.
But this good impression was useless for the current situation.
Blue Sea nodded.
He knew Brain's difficulties.
Facing the order issued by the city lord himself, he couldn't disobey at all.
At this time, Brain suggested:
"How about this, you hand over Wolf Prime to me and I'll take him back to the city."
Blue Sea said: "Wolf Prime won't let us go easily. After I hand him over, he will ask you to continue to attack us. What will you do then?" ๐๐๐๐๐๐๏ฝ ๏ฝ.๏ฝ๐๐
Brain smiled: "I'm a subordinate of Northwood city lord, not his Wolf Prime's subordinate... I only received the order to take him back to the city. The rest doesn't matter."
Blue Sea knew that this was the most concession that Brain could offer to help him.
He thought for a while, although he didn't save Galewind in this attack on Wolf Guild, he had tried his best, and he couldn't sacrifice all the members of Blue Sea Guild for this.
After all, their guild still had to compete for the top 10 guilds in this game.
So, Blue Sea said: "Okay, I'll hand over all the people from Wolf Guild to you."
"And then you let my people go."
Brain nodded, this was also a good choice for him.
After all, he didn't want to have a conflict with someone like Blue Sea, although Blue Sea and his people were not high-level now, but they had huge potential in the future.
If he offended Blue Sea, Northwood would never have peace.
The two sides quickly reached an agreement.
After Blue Sea returned to the camp, he ordered his people to release Wolf Prime.
Emma and White Feather were unhappy, but they knew that there was no better way at this time.
They could only watch the people from Wolf Guild walk out of the camp arrogantly.
These guys from Wolf Guild saw that they had reinforcements to save them, and also made Blue Sea Guild suffer a loss.
They immediately regained their arrogance.
Especially Wolf Prime, he walked swaggeringly, and also gave Blue Sea the finger.
The rest of the members of Wolf Guild also gave the fingers.
Some even said dirty words to White Feather and Emma, these two girls:
"These two chicks have nice figures. Guild leader, why don't we grab them and have some fun?"
"Yeah, anyway we have high-level NPCs as backers. What are we afraid of?"
"Boss, after you're done enjoying them, leave the one with big breasts to me, I just like big breasts with a childlike face!"
"Then I want the one with long legs. I like female knights who are ascetic, hahahaha..."
Those Wolf Guild players laughed so lewdly that both White Feather and Emma clenched their fists.
If it weren't for the high-level NPCs here.
They would definitely take action and kill them all in seconds!
Just as these people were laughing wildly and walking towards the guard team.
A meteor fell from the sky!
No, that was not a meteor...
That was a person with a glow all over his body!
"Boom!"
The light hit the ground, directly smashing into several Wolf Guild members who had just been spewing dirty words, leaving a big pit on the ground!
This sudden change shocked everyone present.
When the smoke cleared...
A player who has a familiar face appeared in front of everyone!
"Johnny!" Emma had sharp eyes and immediately waved her hands excitedly and shouted.
"Galewind?!" Blue Sea was also stunned.
He really didn't expect Galewind to appear in such a way.
Chapter61-I, the Captain of the Guards, Will Execute You!
John dusted off his body and hands, and walked out of the big pit he had smashed.
He looked at the few people he had killed in the pit, and said coldly:
"You bunch of trash, don't say anything filthy ever, understand?"
Then, John said to the remaining Wolf Guild members who were still alive but had been scared silly:
"Those over there are my woman and friends. If I find out that you are still so dirty-mouthed next time, no matter where you run, no matter who protects you, I will find you and slaughter you."
He said this very domineeringly.
So domineering that even Wolf Prime was startled by John's murderous eyes, and involuntarily took a small step back.
Hearing John's words, Emma and White Feather on this side both blushed.
White Feather was even more shy. John's words were unclear.
People who didn't know would think that Emma and she were both John's women.
But White Feather didn't say anything to explain.
This situation was not the time to say this.
John's appearance instantly killed several members of Wolf Guild, which made Brain very dissatisfied.
After all, these people were the ones he wanted to take away.
They were all subordinates of the noble Wolf Prime.
Now John appeared and killed several of them, and also uttered such harsh words.
If he didn't take some actions, it would definitely be inappropriate.
He saw Brain step forward, frowning and saying to John: "This matter was already settled. Why did you kill them?!"
Seeing Brain stand up and speak, Wolf Prime immediately gained confidence.
This was a level 120 elite NPC!
How strong could Galewind be?
Could he be stronger than Captain Brain?
Wolf Prime pointed at John and said to Brain: "This kid is too arrogant. Captain Brain, I order you to kill him immediately!"
Brain glanced at Wolf Prime and frowned slightly.
But he knew Wolf Prime's noble status and didn't dare to say much.
He just whispered: "Duke Wolf Prime, don't be impatient. Leave this matter to me."
Blue Sea saw this situation from a distance and was also anxious.
John came up and killed several of members of Wolf Guild.
This would be hard to end well!
He hurriedly stepped forward, blocking John's front, and said to Brain: "I'm afraid this is a misunderstanding. Captain Brain, you should take the duke back to report first. Don't worry about this matter anymore."
Brain squinted his eyes and then looked at John:
"This person killed someone in public. If I just leave like this, I can't explain it to Duke Wolf Prime..."
John looked indifferent.
He shrugged and asked Brain:
"Then what do you want to explain?"
Brain looked at John.
He had never seen such an arrogant person before.
Ordinary people facing Brain who was high-level would always speak carefully.
Even someone like Blue Sea who had many followers as a guild leader would respect him greatly.
How come this Galewind be so arrogant?
Brain laughed and then said:
"It's very simple. You just have to apologize and get Duke Wolf Prime's forgiveness. This matter will be over. I won't interfere anymore."
John glanced at Wolf Prime who was relieved by Brain's power and smiled:
"How about this?"
"Let this trash duke apologize to my women and friends. I will let you go today."
John's words made Wolf Prime and Brain's faces change.
Blue Sea was also shocked and couldn't help but lean over and whisper:
"I know you are stubborn, but this is a level 120 elite NPC. What's the point of provoking him?"
John looked unconcerned and said: "It's not me who provoked him... It's these people who provoked me and my friends first."
"Those guys who just spewed filthy words, I'm not done enough to kill them just once. I'll go to the respawn pool later and wait for them to come out and kill them again until they drop to level 0."
Blue Sea was very embarrassed because he knew John always kept his word.
Seeing this, he could only say:
"Brother, if you really want to clash with Brain, I might not be able to help you..."
John smiled at him, patted his shoulder and said: "You don't have to. You led the whole guild to fight with Wolf Guild for me. I'm very grateful."
"I recognize you as my true friend."
"From now on, whatever difficulties you encounter in, feel free to come to me. I will help you with all my strength."
"Now, this matter has nothing to do with you. You take your guild members and leave now."
"The rest, leave it to me."
Blue Sea sighed.
Then he said to Brain: "Captain Brain, this person is my friend. He is actually a good person, just a bit stubborn. I hope you can spare him."
Brain hadn't answered yet, but Wolf Prime shouted:
"No way! This guy has a grudge with me and killed my men in public. Brain, you have to kill him today!"
Wolf Prime wouldn't let go of this opportunity to have such a strong person as Brain as his backer.
Brain looked helpless and said to Blue Sea:
"You see."
"Although Duke Wolf Prime is not my direct boss... But I have a duty to protect him and his subordinates."
"So I'm sorry Blue Sea, this Galewind, I have to teach him a lesson."
Blue Sea felt helpless and could only say to John: "There's no way. If you get killed, I'll go to the respawn pool to pick you up. Then you can follow our guild and level up together."
After that, Blue Sea knew that he couldn't solve this matter by himself, so he turned around and left.
In his opinion, John was bound to suffer today.
And he had done everything he could.
Seeing Blue Sea leave.
Brain ordered his two soldiers next to him:
"You two, go and tie him up."
The soldiers obeyed, drew their swords, and slowly approached John.
Seeing this situation, White Feather and Emma immediately wanted to rush up to help John.
But they had just walked halfway when they were blocked by a blue water prison.
The magic didn't hurt them, it just stopped their way.
The one who released the magic was Blue Sea.
He looked at the two girls and said: "I can understand your feelings, but in this, none of us can save Galewind."
"Doing this is just sending yourselves to death. It's meaningless."
"Calm down, both of you."
White Feather thought for a moment and felt that Blue Sea was right.
But Emma didn't want to care so much.
She picked up her staff and prepared to release flame magic to break free from the water prison magic.
White Feather persuaded:
"Emma, don't be impulsive. We can't help Galewind now. Those NPC guards are all above level 100. Our attacks won't do much damage to them."
Emma also knew that her actions were meaningless, but she really didn't want to watch John get killed.
She said: "At least... At least we can hold them back and help Johnny escape!"
White Feather shook her head.
She didn't want to say pessimistic words, but the fact was that they couldn't stop those high-level NPCs for now.
While the two girls were talking.
An unexpected situation happened.
The two soldiers who rushed towards John and tried to grab him were all thrown out.
As if they were hit by a galloping horse.
The soldiers fell to the ground, obviously seriously injured, and couldn't get up at all.
Seeing this scene, Wolf Prime's eyes widened.
This Galewind guy...
Could he actually knock down 100-level NPC guards in an instant?!
Brain didn't expect that his two 100-level soldiers would not be able to catch the guy in front of him.
He immediately put on a stern face and then drew his own Greatsword.
John looked innocent.
He spread his hands and said:
"You can see clearly. I didn't do anything."
"It was these two guys who came close and suddenly flew out by themselves. It has nothing to do with me!"
John's words were not wrong.
Everyone could see that he had no action just now.
But precisely because of this, it showed how terrifying John's strength was.
Brain didn't dare to look down on John anymore.
He rode on his horse and pointed his Greatsword at John:
"Since you resist arrest, then I'm sorry."
"According to the law of Northwood..."
"I, Brain, the captain of the Northwood Guards, will execute you!"
Chapter62-You Can Repay Me Now
"I, Brain, the captain of the Northwood Guard, will execute you!"
Brain said this solemnly to John, and everyone in their hearts gave John a death sentence.
You have to know that Brain, this elite warrior, was not on the same level as the ordinary NPC soldier.
Although Brain was only 20 levels higher than the ordinary soldiers, the gap between the elites and the ordinary NPCs was simply incomparable.
"Execute me?" John smiled faintly, still very calm.
He stood in place and looked at Brain, nodding and saying, "Then you try it."
Brain did not underestimate John, and quickly used his Aura to buff his weapons and equipment, then spurred his warhorse and rushed towards John!
The warrior's charge skill, plus the warhorse's gallop skill.
The power of this attack was unbearable for anyone, and would definitely kill anyone instantly!
John did not dodge, but just snapped his fingers at the front.
A faint black smoke penetrated into the nose of Brain's warhorse under his crotch.
In an instant, the warhorse's eyes turned red.
The warhorse that was halfway through its charge suddenly went berserk, and directly raised its front hoofs, trying to throw Brain off its back.
Brain did not expect his loyal steed to suddenly turn against him in battle, and did not react for a while.
He was actually thrown off by the warhorse.
-91!
Although he didn't lose much HP.
But Brain was very unlucky and fell into a "Stun" state.
Then the warhorse turned its head and stared at its original owner Brain with a pair of blood eyes, and rushed straight at him!
Brain in the "Stun" state could not stop it at all, and was directly hit by the warhorse and flew out!
-1897!
This time, the HP loss was quite considerable.
Before Brain could stand still, the red-eyed warhorse rushed at him again.
Fortunately, Brain endured this hit and regained his senses, breaking free from the "Stun" state.
He threw away his greatsword, shouted loudly, then dodged the warhorse's charge sideways, then grabbed the reins with both hands and flipped back onto the horse!
It had to be said that Brain was truly worthy of being Northwood's guard captain.
He was bold and careful in his actions, and his riding skills were also astonishingโฆ
If he had been even a little bit off when he pulled the reins just now, he would have been sent flying again!
Being ridden by Brain again, the horse completely fell into madness.
Every jump made people watching feel frightened.
On the other side, John no longer bothered with Brain, but walked towards Wolf Guild.
Wolf Prime noticed John's movement and was shocked.
He quickly retreated back.
At this moment, he had no idea of fighting against John. ๐๐๐๐๐ค๐๐๐๏ผ๐๐ค๐ข
He just wanted to run away as soon as possible.
Wolf Guild's players had also lost their temper with John.
Although they didn't know how strong John was, they didn't dare to think that John could do so many things just by relying on equipment or items. They could only watch John approach them with bated breath.
"Who said something they shouldn't have just now? Stand out." John looked at those guys and said coldly.
Wolf Guild's players looked at each other and no one stood out.
John snorted and said: "No one? Then I'll kill you all... Remember, don't mess with my people."
After that, John didn't bother to talk nonsense with these bullies.
He summoned Divine Blade in his hand.
He swung his sword and unleashed sword Aura.
Those Wolf Guild players were killed by John in an instant.
This was their second time being killed by John today.
In the end, only Wolf Prime was left.
Wolf Prime saw John approaching him and was almost scared silly.
He quickly pushed all his guards forward:
"Quick! Stop him from getting close to me!"
"I'm a duke! You have to protect me!"
The guards had no choice but to bite the bullet and go up.
John knocked them out one by one with his sword - he didn't kill them because these NPCs were different from players.
Players could resurrect after death, but NPCs would really die if they died.
These guards didn't do anything heinous, so John didn't want to kill them.
And besides, after John glimpsed some of the truths of this game world... he felt that killing indiscriminately in this game world was not a good thing at all.
Seeing those level 100 guards being knocked down by John one by one,
Wolf Prime's face became uglier and uglier.
He found that his identity as a double imperial nobleman seemed to be unable to save him...
The John in front of him was so strong that he was like a ghost, and he didn't fear any opponent at all!
Just like that.
John once again came to Wolf Prime's face in front of everyone.
This time, he didn't say a word to Wolf Prime, and directly sent him to the respawn pool with one hit.
At the same time.
Brain on the warhorse finally couldn't hold on.
He was thrown off by his horse again, and when he saw John daring to kill Wolf Prime, he no longer cared about his horse, but picked up the greatsword on the ground and charged at John!
"How dare you kill a duke of your own country! Do you know what the consequences will be?"
Brain's powerful sword aura came, John dodged sideways, and the sword aura grazed John's nose and hit the ground behind him.
For a moment, dust flew up, and a few meters deep cut was made on the land behind John, showing how powerful the sword aura was.
John shook his head and said: "He was just a bastard. Killing him was no big dealโฆ But I advise you not to attack me again. My patience has its limits."
Brain didn't listen to John's words.
He only knew that he hadn't completed the city lord's task.
Even if he went back, he would be punished.
Now he could only fight John hard and take John back to have an explanation.
But John obviously didn't want to go with him.
Brain attacked like a storm, and anyone else would have been defeated countless times by now.
But John looked effortless and dodged calmly.
None of those sword aura hit John.
Only left countless "Miss" words over John's head.
This scene also shocked Blue Sea who was watching the battle from afar.
He was more curious about John's strength... Even facing level 120 elite warrior, he was so calm and composed.
How strong was he!
This made Blue Sea's heart produce a bold idea.
John here, he saw Brain entangled endlessly, shook his head helplessly:
"I didn't want to attack you, but since you are so stubborn, don't blame me."
After that, he snapped his fingers at Brain again.
This snap caused a violent air vibration, which directly blew Brain who was rushing up.
When Brain fell to the ground again, a large number appeared above his head:
-28976!
Nearly 30,000 damage, which directly drained Brain's HP volume.
Only a trace of HP left, Brain struggled to get up, but found that he couldn't use any strength at all.
In the end, he just fainted like that.
John breathed a sigh of relief.
He was afraid that he would accidentally kill the other party.
To be honest, he didn't want to kill Brain like this.
This guy was annoying, but his character was not bad.
He didn't want to kill indiscriminately.
knocking him down so that he couldn't stand up and bother himself was the best choice.
After doing all this, John watched the remaining Northwood soldiers take away the injured guards and Brain, and did not stop them.
He returned to Blue Sea and Emma White Feather's side, and did not forget to greet Isabella after seeing her:
"I wanted to go to Silverglow to find you, but I heard someone say that you led a team to save me here. It's really unlucky."
"Then I looked at the chat channel and found out that you guys actually came to Wolf Guild's camp to save me... So I hurried over to find you."
"Anyway, thank you very much. I owe you guys a favor for this."
"If you need anything in the future, just come to me. I will definitely help you."
John said halfway.
Blue Sea suddenly smiled and said:
"You can repay me if you want."
"I just have something for you to help me with right now. You can repay me now."
Chapter63-Help Me Auction These Off
Blue Sea's words sounded like a joke, but John didn't take them lightly.
He nodded and said: "In that case, just say it. As long as I can help, I will."
Blue Sea didn't rush to say, but said to John:
"Don't worry, wait until you finish your own business, then come to me. This matter is very important and must be discussed in a private place."
John nodded, since Blue Sea said so, he understood.
In the game, any information or intelligence was also a very valuable asset.
Blue Sea didn't want to say it in front of everyone, and he wouldn't force him to.
"Okay, I'll come to you when I finish." John said.
Blue Sea said: "Okay, then I'll wait for you at the Glorious Bar in Silverglow."
After that, Blue Sea said goodbye to everyone and left with his guild members.
White Feather saw that John was fine and also came forward: "Big brother, I have to take the Silver Knight team back too."
John smiled at her: "I owe Silver Church a favor this time."
White Feather waved her hand and said: "No, you weren't caught by Wolf Guild's people at all. Even if we didn't come to save you, you would be fine. This can't be counted as us helping."
John shook his head and said: "No, you were willing to bring reinforcements to save me. I owe you for that. Anyway, I will repay you when I have a chance."
White Feather saw John insist and could only accept his kindness.
She knew that with John's ability, his repayment would definitely benefit the Silver Knights who participated in the rescue today.
After White Feather and the Silver Knight team left, Isabella looked at John and smiled:
"Since I'm here already, could please give me the items you want to auction directly, Galewind?"
John nodded and took out the "Raging Seed" from his inventory and handed it to Isabella.
Isabella was a very good auctioneer with a keen eye.
She only took a glance and knew the value of this legendary item.
She immediately exclaimed: "This is really rare. It should be similar to a 'rare pet egg' type of item. And treants are rare pets. Plus this is a legendary item. I estimate that I can sell it for a very good price!"
Seeing Isabella so excited, Emma couldn't help but ask:
"How much can this sell for?"
Isabella thought carefully and then said: "About 3,000 gold coins."
It's been almost four months since the game started, and the gold coin price has stabilized completely. It's still 1:500 exchange rate.
That is to say, this Raging Seed can sell for 1.5 million dollars.
It's not bad either.
Emma sighed: "This game... really only rich people can afford to play..."
Isabella smiled and said: "Poor people can also play. This game is full of opportunities. Even if you are poor, as long as you are lucky enough to get some good items or talents, you can turn over right away! It's more exciting than winning the lottery... I've seen countless players who were originally poor in real life become rich overnight because of getting rare items."
"How much do you charge for commission?" John asked Isabella.
Isabella smiled and said: "Usually five percent."
John nodded and said: "No matter how much this sells for, I'll give you twenty percent commission..."
As he said that, John took out five bottles of legendary Silver Tear from his backpack.
Isabella saw this item and her eyes lit up.
"This... this is legendary Silver Tear!" Isabella said with obvious surprise in her tone.
The last time at Dawn Breeze Auction House, this kind of Silver Tear sold for 3 million dollars for a bottle of ten drops. Isabella still remembered it clearly.
She didn't expect John to take out five bottles directly this time.
Isn't this item supposed to be very precious? ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ.๐ค๐๐
How come John just takes it out like it's nothing?
John nodded and stuffed all five bottles of Silver Tear into Isabella's hands.
Isabella was a bit flustered and caught them. She was afraid that she would drop those five bottles of Silver Tear on the ground.
"There are fifty drops in each bottle. You can sell them as you see fit." John said casually. "The commission is still twenty percent for you."
John said it lightly, but Isabella was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth.
"Fifty... fifty drops?!"
She thought for a moment, five bottles of fifty drops, that's a total of two hundred and fifty drops of legendary Silver Tear!
This kind of item, only ten drops were sold at the last auction!
Isabella couldn't imagine how much inventory John had left to be able to take out so many Silver Tears easily.
"Okay, I'll try to sell them at the highest price." Isabella nodded in a daze.
She was just too shocked by what John gave her.
John smiled and said: "Don't feel pressured. I don't care how much money they sell for... I'll sell you more good things for your guild later."
Isabella knew that John's guarantee was equivalent to giving money to Dawn Breeze Auction House.
And customers who are willing to accept a twenty percent commission are rare.
She immediately put on a very enthusiastic smile and assured John: "Thank you for choosing Dawn Breeze Auction House. We will treat you with the highest standard of courtesy in the future..."
After that, Isabella put everything back into her inventory and said to John: "Then I'll leave."
John nodded and watched Isabella and Dawn Breeze Auction House's people leave.
After everyone left, John turned to look at Emma, pinched her soft and fair face, and smiled:
"And my Emma, you came to save me regardless of your own safety. What reward do you want me to give you?"
Emma smiled silly and hugged John's arm and said: "Johnny, I'm relieved that you are safe. You don't have to give me any reward... Just accompany me well when I come back."
John held Emma in his arms.
In Godslayer game, if a female player is willing, male players can touch their bodies.
The feedback of the contact will also be transmitted to the player's own body through the neural link unit of the holographic chamber.
He stroked Emma's long hair and joked: "Then when you come back from summer vacation, I'll 'reward' you well."
Emma knew what John meant by "reward" here.
This was a code word between the two of them.
She immediately blushed.
"Johnny, be serious. You're still like this in the game..."
John laughed and then said:
"Okay, don't say it. We will talk about it when you come back."
"Let's go to Glorious Bar to find Blue Sea first. Judging from his appearance, he probably has something very important to tell me."
"Since I promised to help him, I can't go back on my word."
Emma nodded obediently.
John was about to leave with Emma when Emma smiled at him and chanted a spell.
The air in front of her sparkled with sparks, and then a dazzling red portal opened up.
"Johnny, did you forget? I'm a mage, opening portals is a basic skill for mages!" Emma said.
"I remember the teleportation point in Silverglow very well. We can get to Silverglow by going through this portal!"
John looked at the portal and forgot that there was such a convenient way of moving.
He nodded and said:
"Okay, let's go."
Chapter64-Level 4 Guild Establishment Order
After passing through the portal, the two quickly arrived at the teleportation point of Silverglow.
They walked for a while and reached the "Glorious Bar" that Blue Sea had mentioned.
There were not many people in the bar, and as soon as they entered, someone led John and Emma to a private room on the second floor.
At this time, Blue Sea was waiting for John inside.
When John walked into the private room, he found that there was a human warrior standing next to Blue Sea, who looked like an expert.
John sat down in front of Blue Sea, then dragged a chair and let Emma sit down too.
He looked as if he was at home.
"You're here." Blue Sea smiled at John, then signaled his subordinate who had led them to leave and close the door of the private room.
The wooden door closed, John nodded and said:
"Yeah, I'm here. You said you have something very important that you need my help, I always keep my word. So just tell me what it is, I can help you solve any problem in this game."
Blue Sea was not impatient, but waved his hand to Seth.
Seth immediately understood, took out a treasure map from his pocket, and spread it on the table.
"This is one of our guild's elite warriors, his ID is Seth," Blue Sea introduced,
"He triggered a rare class change quest when he accepted a warrior quest. As long as he completes this quest, he can change his class to a rare one called 'Sea Warrior'..."
Hearing Blue Sea's introduction, John understood:
"I see. So what you want me to do is to help him complete this rare class change quest?"
Blue Sea shook his head:
"This class change quest can be completed by our guild internally. If it was just this kind of quest, I wouldn't have bothered you to come here personally."
Now in Blue Sea's mind, John was very powerful, at least he had crushed an elite warrior over level 100.
Although he didn't know how John did it, his strength was there.
He could definitely help him.
Blue Sea continued to say:
"What I need your help with is another thing."
As he said that, he pointed to the treasure map on the table.
"What, help you dig up treasure?" John looked at the treasure map and said.
Blue Sea said: "This treasure map is something I bought from a merchant for a big price. I'm very interested in what's written on it..."
He pointed to a line of text on the treasure map.
"Dark Spirit Realm..."
John frowned and said: "It seems that this place hasn't been opened by any player yet. It's an unknown realm."
Blue Sea nodded: "Yes, this place is in a secluded valley in the north of Northern Myst Empire. To enter this realm, you have to defeat a level 75 elite BOSS. So, no player can enter this place yet."
John asked again: "Do you want me to kill this BOSS?"
"No, this is an undead BOSS. I can kill it with the Silver Tear I bought." Blue Sea put a delicate bottle on the table.
There was only one drop of Silver Tear left in the bottle.
John glanced at the bottle of Silver Tear he had sold out.
He wondered if he should tell Blue Sea that this thing was sold to him by himself.
But later John thought it would be better not to.
After all, he had sold it for so much money.
If Blue Sea knew that he had spent three million to buy an old friend's item that could be made casually, he would definitely feel awkward.
John spread his hands and said: "Then what do you need me to do?"
"Dark Spirit Realm, we haven't been there yet," Blue Sea said calmly.
"Just guarding the entrance is a level75 elite BOSS. No one knows what kind of powerful monsters are inside... So, I need your assistance."
John agreed without hesitation:
"That's easy. I can help you guys. But how long are you planning to stay in this Dark Spirit Realm? This place is huge. You could explore it for decades before and not finish..."
As soon as he said this,
Blue Sea and Seth both looked at him with puzzled expressions.
Blue Sea even asked:
"Why do I hear from your tone... that you seem very familiar with this place?"
John thought to himself that of course he knew, but he couldn't tell the truth.
He just said:
"I just have some general knowledge about it."
Blue Sea said:
"I see. Well, it seems that this Dark Spirit Realm is really big... We don't plan to explore it for a long time. We just want to get a legendary item. This treasure map is very clear. That item is on a BOSS in the Dark Spirit Realm."
John was curious: "What item?"
Seth answered:
"A key. This key is a legacy of a famous human explorer named Ethan. He died in the Dark Spirit Realm, and his golden key became a trophy of a BOSS."
"And that key can open Ethan's treasure chest in the bank of the capital of Northern Myst Empire," Blue Sea continued.
"We don't know what kind of treasure that great explorer left in his chest, but we can be sure that there is a 'Level 4 Guild Establishment Order' in it."
At this point, Blue Sea looked at John with a serious expression:
"This 'Level 4 Guild Establishment Order' is a necessary item for building a level 4 guild camp. If we can get it, Blue Sea Guild will become the first guild in the whole game to reach level 4 camp. This will greatly increase our guild's reputation and strength."
John crossed his arms and after listening to Blue Sea, he was puzzled:
"Why do you need this 'Level 4 Guild Establishment Order' to expand your guild camp? Can't you just expand your territory directly?"
Blue Sea shook his head: "That's not according to the rules. The empire won't allow guilds that don't follow the rules to be established in its territory. And the most important function of level 4 guilds is many privileges in human society. Without the empire's recognition, these privileges will be gone too. Then there will be no meaning to upgrade to level 4 guild."
John asked again: "Can't you get a new 'Level 4 Guild Establishment Order' from the officials of Northern Myst Empire? Use some money to bribe them or something. The order should not be a rare item, right?"
Hearing John say this, Blue Sea couldn't help but smile bitterly:
"If it was the first three levels of Guild Establishment Order, we could find a way to make the empire's NPC officials approve it."
"But this 'Level 4 Guild Establishment Order' is very special. Level 4 guilds have a core building called 'Guild Respawn Pool'. With this, guild members can choose to respawn in the 'Guild Respawn Pool' after death... And the most important material for building the 'Guild Respawn Pool' is 'Respawn Stone', which is a very rare material even for the entire human empire. Only humans who have made great contributions can get approval to use it..."
Blue Sea explained this, and John understood.
"So, this dead explorer Ethan had made great contributions to the human empire, right? That's why he had this 'Level 4 Guild Establishment Order'."
Blue Sea nodded: "You guessed right."
John put down his arms and picked up the wine glass prepared in front of him and asked:
"I'm curious, if this respawn pool is built directly in the guild, wouldn't level 4 guilds be invincible in guild defense wars? No matter how many people the enemy guild kills, these people can respawn in their own guild..."
Blue Sea smiled and replied: "It's not that simple. If guild members want to respawn in their guild's respawn pool, they will lose some attributes for a short time after respawning. And if they keep respawning in their guild, the probability of losing and dying again will also be higher. It's easy to cause a situation where they die too many times and lose too much experience and too many levels..."
"But you're right. Guilds with 'Guild Respawn Pool' will be very powerful in guild defense wars. Generally, enemy guilds won't dare to attack guilds with 'Guild Respawn Pool' easily. This is why many people say that level 4 guilds are qualitatively different from level 3 guilds."
"So, we Blue Sea Guild must enter level 4 guild as soon as possible!"
John finished drinking a sip of beer and said:
"This setting is quite reasonable."
"The greater the risk, the greater the reward."
"Alright then, when are you going to leave for the Dark Spirit Realm?"
Blue Sea and Seth looked at each other, and then Blue Sea said to John:
"We'll leave tomorrow. I'll spend the rest of today selecting all the elite players from our guild and buying enough potions and items to prevent any accidents after entering the Dark Spirit Realm."
John was curious: "You're taking all the elite players away. Aren't you afraid that someone will take advantage of it and attack your base?"
Blue Sea said confidently: "No, at least not during this period of time. No one will dare to mess with me."
"Why?"
Blue Sea said: "Because in half a month, it will be the annual guild ranking war of the four human empires... Those guys are busy leveling up and improving their strength as soon as possible. No one will attack my base at this time and waste their own power."
John put down his wine glass and asked puzzledly:
"Won't you participate in this guild ranking war? It sounds like a very important competition."
Blue Sea shook his head, his azure eyes revealing a wise look:
"No, as long as we Blue Sea Guild can become the first level 4 guild, this ranking will have no meaning for me... Because many high-level quests issued by the empire can only be accepted by level 4 guilds."
"A temporary ranking is not important. What I care about is the future!"
"As long as we Blue Sea Guild keep getting stronger, we will surely win the next ranking war!"
Chapter65-Saving People from the River
Blue Sea's eyes were full of expectation and longing when he talked about his guild's future plans.
It was obvious that he really cared about his guild's future development.
John agreed with him on the time to meet tomorrow, and then left Glorious Bar with Emma.
"A lot of things happened today," John said to Emma as they walked,
"There's nothing else to do, Emma, I'm going to log off. Do you want to keep playing?"
Emma nodded and said,
"I still want to go fishing. Fishing is so fun in this game. Johnny, you can come and fish with me when you have time."
John smiled, he didn't expect Emma to like fishing in the game, which was beyond his expectation.
But this kind of leisure play was indeed popular among many players.
Not every player liked PVP, some people liked peaceful games.
He touched Emma's head and said:
"Okay, you can continue fishing."
"But don't stay in the game all the time, even though it's summer vacation, you should also go out more, don't immerse yourself in the virtual world."
Emma pouted and said, "Johnny, why do you talk like my dad? I know, I will pay attention to the game time."
John chuckled and said goodbye to Emma.
After he logged off, he opened the door of the holographic chamber.
He first found some food in the fridge, then exercised for a while in the living room.
After sweating profusely, he took a shower, changed his clothes, and left home feeling refreshed.
Although it was night, John wanted to go out for a walk.
He always felt suffocated staying in the holographic chamber at home.
He went out mainly to take a walk and enjoy the evening breeze of summer.
There was a river not far from John's home in a newly built park.
The park was well landscaped and had a fountain and light show.
Many couples came here for a walk at night.
John walked with his hands in his pockets for a while and saw at least a dozen couples.
Suddenly, a sharp scream came from the shore not far away.
"Oh no! A child fell into the water!"
Hearing such a shout, John reacted quickly and ran towards the source of the sound.
When he got there, there were already many people around the river.
But because it was summer, the river rose and the current was rapid.
No one dared to go into the water to save people.
John looked far away and saw a small head popping out of the water from time to time.
The child kept flapping his hands in the water, showing a strong desire to survive.
He was about to die.
"Alas, this child is drifting farther and farther away... It will be too late when the firemen arrive!"
"Who can save her? I can't swim!"
"Even if you can swim, you don't dare to go into the water. Don't you see how fast the river is flowing? People will be swept away once they go down!"
"Who can find a rope quickly and tie it to someone who can swim? So people on shore can pull them back safely!"
"Where can we find such a long rope..."
...
People were anxiously discussing, but no one dared to go into the water to save people in front of such a turbulent river.
John could swim and was good at it.
He didn't hesitate like others.
He took off his shoes and socks and plunged into the river.
Although it was summer, he felt cold to the bone when he entered the river.
John felt his limbs stiffen.
But he clenched his teeth and started swimming quickly towards the girl who fell into the water.
The people on shore saw John go into the water and exclaimed.
"Look! Someone went into the water!"
"This young man is really reckless! He dares to go into such a rapid river?"
"It's over, it's over. I'm afraid both of them are doomed."
"Are the firemen here yet? How long will it take..."
...
John could hear the shouts from shore, but he only had eyes for the girl who fell into the water.
He could feel his strength draining rapidly as he fought against the river.
But he didn't get any closer to the girl who fell into the water.
Instead, they were getting farther apart.
Seeing that girl had no strength to struggle anymore and was about to sink into the water, John's eyes turned red with anxiety.
His strength in reality was too weak.
In front of nature, what a human could do by himself was really insignificant.
Now there was a living life in front of him that was dying, but John can't do anything.
If only he had some of his power in Goldslayer, even if it was only one tenth...
He could also save that girl!
At this moment, John suddenly felt a powerful force surge from inside.
It was like a warm current that flowed to his limbs in an instant.
At this moment, he felt he was full of strength!
This familiar power made John look at his palm in astonishment.
He had a hunch that with his current strength, he could even control the flow of the river!
Life was at stake, John didn't hesitate at all.
He stretched out his palm and grabbed towards the direction of the girl.
In an instant, the river reversed.
Countless undercurrents converged together, defying the force of nature, and slowly lifted the girl who had sunk to the bottom.
John kicked his feet, as if kicking on something solid, and shot towards the girl like a cannonball.
...
On shore.
Many onlookers were sighing.
"He seems to have sunk too."
"Hey, a good young man, just gone like that."
"He shouldn't have been so impulsive. This kind of river is not something that human power can resist."
"Let's wait for the firemen to come and see how to deal with it."
"I hope they can salvage their bodies."
"I doubt it. The river is so fast, their bodies must have been washed away..."
People were pessimistically discussing, and no one thought that John and the girl could come back alive.
At this moment.
A little boy on the shore pointed to the middle of the river and said to the woman next to him:
"Mom, look! What a big whirlpool!"
The woman looked in the direction of the boy's finger and was surprised to cover her mouth.
She saw that in the middle of the river, the water actually swirled and formed a large whirlpool.
The other onlookers also noticed the whirlpool and were all stunned.
Then.
The whirlpool gradually dissipated.
The water seemed to return to normal.
People hadn't recovered from the surprise of seeing the whirlpool when suddenly the little boy who had found the whirlpool pointed to another shore and said:
"Look! That uncle saved someone!"
The onlookers looked incredulously...
Sure enough.
They saw John, who was soaked, holding a little girl and sitting on the shore.
Then he put her on the ground and started doing artificial respiration.
People were completely shocked.
Many people had been holding their phones and filming since the beginning.
Now they pointed their phones at John and kept filming, wanting to capture the hero who saved people.
John didn't care about these.
He cared more about the life of the girl on the ground.
But after doing artificial respiration, the little girl still showed no signs of waking up.
This made John's face very ugly.
At this time, a very pure-looking girl ran out from the crowd and squatted beside the little girl.
She said to John: "I'm a nurse. Let me do it."
John nodded and withdrew his trembling hands.
If he couldn't save that girl in the end, he would be very sad.
People were also anxiously waiting.
The nurse was professional, but after rescuing for a while, her face became worse and worse.
"It's useless. She... she's been in the water for too long..."
She looked at John as if she was explaining something.
Someone in the crowd had already called 120 for emergency, but it was obviously too late.
The oppressive atmosphere hung over them.
Those who had been holding their phones lowered them.
At this moment.
John squatted down again and put his hand on the little girl's forehead.
"What are you doing?" The nurse asked in confusion.
John didn't explain.
His intuition told him that he should do this.
A powerful and warm force came from John's palm and covered the little girl's forehead.
John could feel his breath leaving his body.
And that breath seemed to have life, it was squeezing out all the water in the little girl's lungs.
The next second.
The little girl lying on the ground suddenly coughed violently and spat out water from her mouth.
This scene made the nurse overjoyed.
People also cheered.
This meant that the little girl was saved!
John smiled with satisfaction and took his hand back.
He breathed a sigh of relief with some fatigue.
He looked at the little girl who came back to life on the ground and was happy from his heart.
Chapter66-Game? Reality?
When the little girl woke up, all the attention shifted to her.
John quietly put on his shoes and socks and left the crowd, walking away from the shore.
Now that the girl had been saved, it was time for him to step back.
The nurse, who had helped the girl recover, excitedly turned around to thank John for his heroic act, but only to be surprised that he had vanished.
"Strange, where's the man who just saved the girl?"
The nurse stood up and looked around, but there was no sign of John in the crowd.
The onlookers suddenly realized the hero was gone.
"Well done, that's doing a good deed without leaving a name."
"This is a life-saving act! He should be praised. Why did he just leave like that?"
" ?Perhaps he likes to keep a low profile," someone suggested.
However, another person raised his phone and said to the nurse,
"Don't worry, I've got it all on tape. You can see what he looks like in my video."
The nurse nodded and said, "Could you do me a favor and send me that video?"
...
John left the park and quickly returned home.
Soaked through, he felt no discomfort.
He showered quickly, changed clothes, and sat down on the sofa to meditate.
When he was under the water saving the girl, a burst of energy had emerged from within him.
This energy was very special.
Now, he needed to recall it to prevent himself from forgetting how to use it.
John opened his eyes, raised his hand, and made a grasping gesture towards a cup on the table.
The cup immediately moved, flying into John's hand.
This shocked him.
It was exactly like the skill he mastered in the game - "Absolute Control".
It wasn't purely an offensive skill, more like a practical control skill.
John had gained this divine skill at level 800, after being killed by Azazel.
"Absolute Control" was a very practical skill for John.
He had already mastered it in the game.
It was quite magical that he could use it in real life too.
John had sensed a long time ago that he seemed to be able to use some of the powers from the game in reality.
Every time he logged out of the game, his body felt like it was brimming with unlimited energy, and his vigor was never depleted.
"Are the game and reality overlapping at an accelerated rate?"
Realizing this, John's brows furrowed.
Since defeating Azazel, John had learned many secrets of the game.
"Godslayer" wasn't just a game.
It was closely linked with reality, and it was developed by a consortium of large companies with the support of various governments.
The purpose of the game was to help humans adapt to the future world.
While John didn't know all the secrets, he knew that Earth seemed to have caught the eye of some mysterious, great existence.
This being was like a god, capable of overlaying two worlds.
When the time comes, no one would know what kind of monsters would suddenly appear on Earth.
To prevent that day from coming, John must help the players in the game grow as fast as possible, otherwise human civilization would suffer a major blow.
But all of this was still early.
John understood that only when his real-life self possessed the same strength as his in-game self, the two worlds would be truly overlapped.
He put down the cup and opened a forum on his phone, hoping to catch some game news.
Suddenly, a pinned post caught his attention.
"Seeking the unnamed hero, who saved a little girl and left quietly. Society needs more positive energy like this!"
Without even reading the content, John knew the post was about him.
But he didn't expect the news to spread so quickly.
It had been about an hour, and even the "Godslayer" forum was discussing the matter.
"Parents of the girl give an interview, hoping to personally thank the unnamed hero."
"Shocking! The man who saved the girl is a 'Godslayer' player? XX News brings you the scoop!"
Upon seeing these posts, John immediately sat up straight.
Could someone has figured out his identity so quickly?
He clicked on the post.
It turned out that the whole post was just clickbait, with no key information about John.
The news was just riding on the heat of the incident, claiming that whoever could show such kindness must be a "Godslayer" gamer, and the rest of the article was just clickbait.
There was no substance to these marketing news.
However, there was another interesting post.
A female player claimed to be a local TV reporter and wanted to interview the unnamed hero in the game.
What were these people thinking, just assuming that the hero must be a "Godslayer" player?
Just because most young people play it doesn't mean everyone does...
The female reporter's post also mentioned that since the hero left so quickly, he probably didn't want anyone to know his true identity.
The game was a perfect place to hide one's real identity, so interviewing in the game was an excellent idea.
John had no intention of paying attention to her.
But soon, he received a text from Emma.
Emma: Johnny! I saw the news, was the one who saved the drowning little girl you?
John: How did you figure it out?
Emma: The video's gone viral on the internet. Even though the footage is blurry and there's no clear face, I recognized you at a glance!
John: Shush, don't tell anyone. I don't like to draw attention.
Emma: Oh? I can't tell anyone? ๐ทโฏ๐น๐๐ธ๐ฟโฏ๐.๐ธโด๐ถ
John: Right.
Emma: But I... already told my college club senior. She's doing an internship at the TV station, and she wants to interview you!
John: ...
Emma: Johnny, are you mad at me?
John: I can manage.
Emma: Johnny, please don't be mad. I'll make it up to you when I get back...
John: Then I won't be mad.
Emma: Good! I knew Johnny would treat me the best!
John: As long as you know.
Emma: Can I let my senior interview you in the game then?
John: No.
Emma: Why not? My senior is very pretty and she's the campus belle. Do you know how many pursuers she has?
John: What's that got to do with me?
Emma: But I already promised her, and she's been very good to me when we were in college. Could you do me a favor?
Seeing Emma pleading like this, John finally gave in.
John: Fine, I'm only agreeing for your sake.
Emma: Great! Thank you, Johnny! I'll tell my senior to add you in the game.
John: Okay, but I won't be online for now. Let's talk about it tomorrow.
After finishing the text with Emma, John put down his phone and prepared to go to bed.
Today was full of events, and thinking about leading the Blue Sea team into the Spirit Realm tomorrow, he felt like there was a ton of stuff to handle.
Although he was energized, he should get some sleep.
He returned to his bedroom, closed the door, and quickly fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.
Meanwhile, in the VIP ward of the city's best hospital...
The little girl whom John had saved was lying in bed, with a look of annoyance on her face.
"Mummy, Daddy, I've told you I'm fine. Have you found the big brother who saved me yet?" she asked.
In front of her stood a well-dressed man and woman.
The woman gently stroked the girl's face, reprimanding with a hint of lingering fear, "When we allow you to go out and play, how could you run off like that? You even fell into the water. Next time, you can't stray from the nanny and bodyguard's sight, alright?"
The man was none other than the city's wealthiest man, Benjamin Taylor.
He looked at his daughter with doting eyes and said, "Daddy has already sent people to look for him, so don't worry. No matter what, I have to express my gratitude to the person who saved my precious little girl!"
Chapter67-Accepting the Interview
The little girl sat up in bed, looking up at her father curiously. "Dad, when we find the big brother, how do you plan on thanking him?" she asked.
Benjamin Taylor, looking at his daughter with a smile, replied, "He saved my precious baby girl. Of course, I have to thank him properly... I've decided to give him one of the best villas in our city. What do you think?"
The little girl pouted, shaking her head, "Not enough, not enough. Is my life only worth a house?"
Benjamin Taylor laughed, adding, "How about I give him a car, too? You really liked that new sports car I just bought, right? It's one of only ten in the world, I'll give it to him."
The little girl pondered and still shook her head. "It's still not enough. Without big brother, I wouldn't have a life. I want to thank him, too... I still have the Christmas cash dad gave me last time, I'll give it all to him!"
Her mother was shocked. "That's tens of millions, Mia. You want to give it all to him?"
The little girl nodded, "Yes, I don't have anywhere I need to spend money anyways."
Benjamin Taylor nonchalantly agreed, "Yeah, if Mia likes it, let her do it. It's just ten million. He saved Mia's life, he deserves it."
The girl's mother gave him a glance, "You are so generous. Then don't let your daughter spend her Christmas cash."
Benjamin Taylor laughed, "I never intended for Mia to spend her money. I'll pay for it."
After comforting their daughter for a while, the man left the ward.
At the ward's door, four strong men in suits were standing.
Seeing Benjamin Taylor come out, the lead man hurried up to him, "Boss, is the young lady okay?"
Benjamin Taylor put on his executive face and replied, "She's fine, thanks to the hero... Have you found the person I asked you to search for?"
His subordinate bowed his head, saying, "Not yet, boss."
Frowning, Benjamin Taylor said, "What's going on with you guys? Didn't you brag that it's impossible not to find someone in this city? How come it's so hard to find this person now?"
His subordinate made a bitter face, "Boss, this time we're searching for a benefactor, not causing trouble. We can't use many of our underworld connections... what if we offend our young lady's savior?"
Hearing this, Benjamin Taylor nodded, agreeing, "Then deploy more people to search. There are videos of the savior online. How can it be so hard?"
His subordinate replied, "We can't help it, boss. Those videos aren't clear, and we don't have a clear front face of the savior. It's really too hard to find him with this."
"Do your best. Hire more people if necessary. Money isn't an issue for me," Benjamin Taylor ordered, "You must find this person within three days! Otherwise, I won't be able to explain to my precious daughter."
His subordinate immediately responded, "Yes, boss!"
...
The next day, early in the morning.
John woke up in his bed at home, rubbed his eyes, and found that it was already eight o'clock.
"Wow, that was a really good sleep."
He felt refreshed all over and had seemingly endless energy.
Saving a person in the river yesterday had drained John of much energy, but he didn't expect to recover after just one sleep.
He even felt more energetic than the day before.
This feeling was indeed a bit wonderful.
John didn't even know if he should look forward to the overlapping of the two worlds or not.
With the increase in the overlap, his power has been getting stronger and stronger, until he is on par with the gods.
But at that time, humans will surely face great difficulties.
John certainly wouldn't stand to see monsters wreaking havoc and creatures dying.
He was sitting on the bed in a daze.
Suddenly, he received a message on his phone.
It was from Emma.
Emma: Johnny, can you log in now? My senior sister is waiting for you in the game!
John thought for a moment, then replied: Wait for me ten minutes.
Then he got up, cleaned up casually, and logged into the holographic chamber.
After entering the game, John sent a message to Emma: I'll be waiting for her in the private room on the second floor of the Glorious Bar in Silver City.
Soon, Emma replied: Alright bro, my senior sister is on her way!
John entered the bar, which was quite empty since it was still early.
The night owls had just gone to sleep, and the day players hadn't gotten up yet.
When the NPC bar owner saw John, he greeted him.
John nodded in acknowledgment and asked for a private room on the second floor.
In the private room, John couldn't help but wonder, if the two worlds overlapped, would these so-called "virtual characters" or NPCs become real?
Then the conversation he just had wasn't with a virtual character, but a possibly real person from the future?
John shook his head and cast these weird thoughts out of his mind.
It was too early to think about this, he should focus on enhancing the power of his friends and family.
As long as the people he cares about become stronger before the "Overlap Day" and can protect themselves, he wouldn't have much to worry about.
After sitting for a while, he heard a knock on the door.
John said, "Come in."
Then the door opened.
A girl in a dark green robe with beautiful features and long hair entered.
"Hello, are you... Galewind?"
John nodded and motioned for her to sit and talk, "I am, you're Emma's senior sister?" ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐๏ผ๐๐๐ฎ
At this time, John could clearly see the ID of the person across from him, "Smirk", with the occupation of "Watcher".
Smirk sat down with a smile, "Yes, you can call me Smirk. I'm from the same university as Emma, just graduated this year, and I'm currently in my internship period."
With that, she pulled out a recording disc she had prepared in advance, excitedly saying, "Shall we get straight to the point?"
John replied, "Sure."
He didn't want to waste time.
After this interview, he still had to go find Blue Sea and take them to the Dark Spirit Realm.
Smirk began to ask, "How did you spot the child in the water?"
John replied, "I heard screams from the shore, so I went to check it out."
Smirk continued, "Did you hesitate when you saw the child?"
John replied, "No hesitation, I jumped right in to save him."
With a surprised expression, Smirk asked, "Really? The river was so turbulent, from the records I saw, people nearly drown in that river every year, even those who know how to swim. Facing such danger, you really didn't hesitate at all?"
John frowned, wondering what kind of question this was.
Was he supposed to say that he hesitated?
If it weren't for the fact that Smirk just started working, John really didn't want to deal with her.
"No hesitation, I just jumped in," John repeated, "A person's life couldn't wait for my hesitation."
Smirk seemed to sense the displeasure in John's words and quickly changed the subject, "So, how did you save the person in the water? Do you have any good experiences to share? That way, if someone else encounters a similar situation in the future, the chances of saving someone would be higher."
John thought for a moment, then said seriously, "There's no particular experience to share. If someone encounters a similar situation in the future, if the water is turbulent, don't try to save the person by yourself. Leave it to professionals."
Smirk was surprised by John's answer, she asked incredulously, "Don't you encourage people to save others?"
John responded, "I just don't encourage people to throw their lives away. This kind of thing is too dangerous, jumping in to save someone might very well cost your own life... I just got lucky. In front of natural forces, human effort is insignificant."
Smirk continued, "So, do you regret jumping in to save the child? If you had another chance, would you do it again?"
John replied, "I don't regret it, if given another chance, I'd do it again. But I am me, others are others, I don't encourage others to do the same, my advice remains... leave such dangerous tasks to professionals."
Chapter68-Opening the Dark Spirit Realm Gate
Smirk nodded, carefully noting down everything John said.
"You're not going to twist my words in your report, are you?" John asked, still a bit worried.a
Smirk laughed, "Absolutely not! Trust my professionalism, I'll only report the truth."
John nodded, "Good. Nowadays, all sorts of reporters will say anything for views. I don't want my intentions to be distorted."
"I definitely won't let that happen. I take the authenticity of the news very seriously," assured Smirk.
They continued their chat for a while, mainly Smirk asking questions and John providing answers.
About half an hour later, Smirk checked the time and said to John, "Thank you for stepping in to save that girl. Your brave act showed me that there really are heroes in this world who will risk their own safety to save others... And thank you for accepting my interview."
John replied with a smile, "You're welcome, it was the right thing to do."
Smirk stood up and walked over to John.
As she bent down, her perfect curves were accentuated under her robe.
She leaned into John and whispered in his ear, "Just a side note, from my perspective, you're incredibly charming."
"I hope we can meet again in the future."
Without waiting for John's response, she stepped away and left.
Only a refreshing, enticing fragrance lingered in the air.
John was left a bit stunned, unsure why Smirk would say something like that to him.
However, he quickly shook it off and regained his composure.
He laughed and shook his head; this girl was quite something.
John sat in the tavern for a while.
Suddenly, a message popped up in his friend listโ
Blue Sea: You online?
John: Been online.
Blue Sea: So early? Don't expect overtime pay from me.
John: Fair enough, I'll draw a big monster in the Dark Spirit Realm for you to practice on.
Blue Sea: I was joking, whenever you log in, that's when we start counting overtime.
John: I was joking too, do you think I need money?
Blue Sea: You're not short on cash now? That's good. Of course, you wouldn't be, considering how successful you are at "GodSlayer".
John: Enough chat, where are we meeting?
Blue Sea: I'm bringing people to the Glorious Bar in ten minutes, wait for me there.
John: Okay, I'm already here.
Blue Sea: On my way.
...
After closing the chat window, John waited for about ten minutes in a private room in the bar before Blue Sea walked in.
It's fair to say, the guy was punctual.
"So eager? Looks like you guys can't wait to explore the Dark Spirit Realm." John slid a beer in front of Blue Sea, teasing him with a grin.
Blue Sea downed the beer, wiped the foam from his lips, and said, "Can't help it, I dream about getting that Level 4 Guild Establishment Order!"
John patted Blue Sea's shoulder.
As friends, he knew how stubborn Blue Sea could be.
Unlike him, a lone wolf, Blue Sea's greatest dream was to build the number one guild in the world.
To achieve this dream, he'd sacrifice anything.
"In that case, let's not waste any more time. Let's take a trip to the Dark Spirit Realm now!"
John, Blue Sea, and the rest of the guild members left the tavern and headed north, out of the city.
As they traveled, members of Blue Sea's guild kept stealing glances at John.
These folks hadn't participated in the attack on the Wolf guild, and they weren't familiar with John's identity.
So, they were curious.
Just who was this guy who managed to treat their seemingly unreachable guild leader, Blue Sea, as an equal, and even command a hint of respect?
A few members covertly cast detect spells on John, only to get the name "Galewind", with all other data reading: ?.
John's identity seemed even more mysterious in their eyes!
They rode at a gallop, crossing vast grasslands.
The team reached a quiet valley in the north.
The valley, unlike the surrounding vibrant grasslands, experienced a drastic environmental shift as they entered.
It was utterly desolate.
All plants were dead, and flocks of black crows circled the sky.
There were no other living creatures in sight!
"There's a level 75 elite boss hiding at the very bottom of this valley. As long as we defeat it, we can open the entrance to the Dark Spirit Realm!" Blue Sea walked at the front with John, quietly explaining.
"Luckily, we still have one drop of Silver Tear left. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to challenge such a high-level elite boss lightly."
John glanced at him nonchalantly, "Is a level 75 elite boss that strong?"
Blue Sea replied with a bitter smile, "For a freak like you, it's nothing. But we don't have that kind of power."
John sighed, "It seems like you guys really don't know anything about the Dark Spirit Realm. Any random minor boss in there won't be weaker than this one guarding the entrance. Elite bosses of level 100 and above are all over the place in the Dark Spirit Realm!"
Blue Sea's confident expression froze. "How can it be so brutal?"
"You think? That's heaven for the undead and spirits," John said casually, waving his hand.
Blue Sea's face was uncertain, caught in a dilemma.
He unconditionally believed John's explanation.
If John said there were bosses of level 100 and above in the Dark Spirit Realm, then it must be true.
"Maybe we shouldn't bring so many people. Just you, me, and Seth sneak in, get it done quickly. If we can't get Ethan's key, we pull out and come back when we're higher level!"
Blue Sea gritted his teeth, making a decision.
In his view, if the Dark Spirit Realm was truly as John described, this treasure hunt was almost hopeless.
Blue Sea had brought nearly all of the top players from his guild in hopes of obtaining the tool to open the treasure chest.
Among the twenty or so people behind him, there were tanks, warriors, priests, assassins, archers, and more.
From tanks to DPS, healers to crowd control, they had it all - a perfect line-up.
Originally, they thought that after entering the Dark Spirit Realm, their exploration team could plow through to their destination.
But now, it seemed bringing a large group would only attract more boss aggro.
The chances of failure were even higher.
Just as Blue Sea was about to turn back and arrange for the other members to withdraw, John waved his hand dismissively, "No worries, let's all go in together."
Surprised, Blue Sea asked, "But won't we be attacked by more high-level bosses that way?"
John replied casually, "So what? If any boss dares to attack us, we'll kill them all."
Blue Sea was at a loss for words.
Such a casual 'we'll kill them all'.
How powerful must you be to make such a statement?
Those are level 100 and above elite bosses, not some low-level monsters!
Seeing John so confident, Blue Sea felt a lot more reassured.
"It's a good thing we asked you for help. If we had rushed into the Dark Spirit Realm recklessly, we'd probably have been annihilated without getting the key," Blue Sea said, filled with emotion.
John smiled slightly, "Enough, there's no need for us to be so formal. Let's deal with the boss guarding the entrance quickly."
Without any further ado, Blue Sea led his team deeper into the valley.
Shortly after, a deafening roar echoed from the depths of the valley.
A gigantic black spider, two to three meters tall and covered in spikes, rushed out.
Its eight legs were covered in green pustules, with bones spurs protruding in all directions.
It seemed rather imposing.
Above its head, the information displayed:
[Klark Spider Demon (Elite Boss)]
[Race: Undead]
[Level: 75]
[Attributes: ...]
Blue Sea had previously stated that they could handle the entrance boss themselves, so John crossed his arms and showed no intention of stepping in.
Blue Sea, meanwhile, directed his team members to first firmly draw the boss's aggro.
Then, he took out the last drop of Silver Tear with a pained expression and threw it at the Klark Spider Demon.
This single drop of Silver Tear was worth 300,000!
Even for a spendthrift like Blue Sea, it was a bit painful.
Fortunately, the Silver Tear's execution effect was as powerful as ever.
It could one-shot any undead boss below level 100.
The moment the Silver Tear hit the Klark Spider Demon, terrifying damage values popped up:
-100000!
The spider demon's angry roar abruptly ended.
The next second, its massive body crashed to the ground.
It then turned into a beam of light and vanished, leaving only a glittering chest in its place.
Blue Sea sighed, "As expected of the Silver Tear's execution effect. It's just a shame that this was the last drop. Otherwise, entering the Dark Spirit Realm this time would be much easier."
"You're overthinking it. The majority of bosses in the Dark Spirit Realm exceed the Silver Tear's execution level," John chuckled beside him, "Don't worry, I'm here."
As they spoke, a faint light lit up the deepest part of the valley.
The light gradually spun and eventually turned into a green gate.
A rotten smell emanated from behind the gate.
The crows above immediately flew away, restlessly circling, driven by instinct to stay away from this place!
The entrance to the Dark Spirit Realm had been opened!
Chapter69-Black Venom Croclord, First Encounter with an Elite Boss
"This is the entrance to the Dark Spirit Realm?"
Standing before the portal, members of Blue Sea's team peeked around curiously from behind him.
Some of them, impatient, were eager to charge right in.
But they were all stopped by Blue Sea.
Blue Sea turned his head towards John, who wore a calm expression, "Bro, it's your turn."
John nodded, stepping forward without hesitation.
As his figure disappeared into the portal.
[You have entered the Dark Spirit Realm]
John looked around, finding nothing but desolation!
The environment of the Dark Spirit Realm was akin to a scorched earth.
The desolate land was filled with poisonous marshes and a murky, gray fog of death.
Above, the sky was always gloomy, with no sunlight in sight.
"So this is the Dark Spirit Realm, devoid of any signs of life!"
Blue Sea, who followed closely behind, glanced at the surroundings and frowned immediately.
John replied calmly, "It's a sanctuary for the undead and Wraith, it's normal for the environment to be harsh."
"What's that smell? It's awful!"
"Ugh! I think I'm going to puke!"
"No wonder there are no natives here. This smell alone is unbearable!"
Members of Blue Sea's Guild covered their noses and complained as they entered the Dark Spirit Realm.
The accompanying priests quickly cast group purifying buffs.
Barely managing to dispel the putrid smell in the air.
"Seth..."
Blue Sea waved his hand, and Seth, a towering human warrior, stepped forward.
He took out a treasure map from his pocket.
"Hurry up and cross-reference the map, let's figure out our current location!" Blue Sea commanded in an orderly manner: "The Dark Spirit Realm is a high-level secret realm, full of dangers. We must avoid unnecessary fights!"
"Once the target location is determined, choose the safest path and head straight for it to minimize uncertainty!"
Seth infused fighting spirit into the treasure map, activating it and a blue light lit up on the map.
After determining their direction, the group headed east.
"Exploring such a high-level unknown area now is still too risky."
Blue Sea voiced his concerns along the way. ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ.๐ค๐ฐ๐
John merely smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Indeed, for the current players, the Dark Spirit Realm was an extremely dangerous place.
After all, the game "Godslayer" had only been launched for a few months.
Player levels were generally not high.
They were unable to cope with the high-level elite bosses scattered throughout the Dark Spirit Realm.
Even a top-tier power like Blue Sea Guild would risk annihilation if they rashly ventured in!
But for John, there were no bosses in the Dark Spirit Realm that were worth his serious attention.
For him, venturing here was as casual as strolling in his backyard.
In fact, if John hadn't hidden his aura the moment he entered the Dark Spirit Realm, countless Lord-level bosses would probably have come to pay homage by now.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
John's words undoubtedly reassured Blue Sea.
At the same time, Blue Sea couldn't help feeling fortunate.
It was a good thing he had invited John to his team.
Otherwise, if he had rashly led the team in himself, let alone finding the desired item key, it would have been difficult to retreat in one piece.
The group headed east.
At first, they didn't encounter any dangerous elite bosses.
However, the ordinary undead monsters and Wraiths roaming throughout the Dark Spirit Realm were already causing significant trouble for the team.
The undead and Wraiths were incredibly sensitive to the presence of the living.
Despite the mages in the team casting a group invisibility spell, the undead creatures with their keen senses rendered the invisibility practically useless.
As soon as they entered these creatures' field of vision, they charged like sharks that had sensed blood in the water!
Luckily, these small mobs weren't very high-level and didn't have any special skills.
They only knew how to fight instinctively.
So, the Blue Sea Guild team was still able to handle them.
"Damn, these guys really are tough!" Seth swung his hammer hard, shattering the skull of a Wraith minion.
He couldn't help but complain afterward.
Although his scouting showed that the incoming Wraith creatures weren't very high level, their HP was at least twice that of the same-level minions outside!
"The undead and Wraiths are notorious for their high defense and thick HP, so it's normal that they're tough to kill!" Behind Seth, a white-robed priest shook his head with a wry smile.
The faint light on his staff quietly faded away.
After entering the Dark Spirit Realm, these priests, who were originally healers, seemed to be more comfortable in combat.
Their holy power was the natural nemesis of the undead and Wraith creatures!
In contrast, the mages were naturally suppressed here.
The elements in the Dark Spirit Realm were extremely chaotic, not suitable for mages to fight.
Each skill chant required more mana than outside, and the damage was less than half of that outside!
This caused the mages in the team to complain.
"Don't even get me started, we've only just started and I've already used up half my mana, and there's no way to meditate here, I can only rely on potions to recover!" The mages couldn't help but complain.
"Stop chit-chatting about this useless stuff, everywhere here is dangerous, everyone stay alert!" Blue Sea couldn't help but turn around and scold.
His output capability was also limited in the Dark Spirit Realm, but his rare "Sea Mage" profession came in handy!
So, he was much more at ease than the other mages in the team.
"This place isn't suitable for mages to fight, so you've made a bit of a blunder this time," John joked on the side.
" It's pointless to work in isolation. Your team is well-organized, with all classes represented, but you completely overlooked the characteristics of the Dark Spirit Realm."
Blue Sea could only shake his head with a bitter smile.
They continued to move forward until they came to a vast swamp.
[You have entered the Dark Spirit Realm - Dark Venom Swamp]
[Be cautious, some powerful swamp creatures have noticed you. They are the natives here, lurking beneath the swamp mire, specializing in hunting passers-byโฆ]
The system's warning instantly put everyone on alert.
Blue Sea gripped his staff tightly, his eyes scanning the surroundings: "It looks like we've wandered into a rather dangerous place..."
The Dark Venom Swamp was vast, with soft black mud pits everywhere.
There was only a narrow path in the middle, leading straight ahead.
This was their only way to the destination, and there was no way to bypass it!
Walking along the narrow path, big black bubbles occasionally rose from the mud pits on both sides, bursting under the pressure of swamp gas, releasing green toxic fumes.
The whole area was filled with a pungent smell.
Just a whiff of it could make one dizzy!
"Not good, this swamp gas is poisonous. Priests, quickly cast purification spells!" Blue Sea quickly covered his mouth and nose, shouting orders.
The priests in the team raised their staves and began to chant purification spells.
Just then, the mud pits started to change, with bubbles rising one after another, like a boiling pot of water.
The disturbance grew louder and larger.
Then, a massive shadow surged out from the mud pit.
"Roar!"
A deafening roar echoed, splashing mud everywhere.
Everyone quickly dodged in a hurry, knowing full well that getting splashed by this highly toxic mud would end poorly!
Once the mud settled, they finally had a chance to take a good look.
Lying in the swamp mud was a gigantic creature nearly ten meters long!
It was a colossal crocodile covered in green toxic bumps.
It had a sharp horn on its head, the tip glowing faintly.
Its teal eyes were full of brutality!
Above the crocodile's head was displayed:
[Black Venom Croclord (Elite boss)]
[Race: Undead]
[Level: 110]
[Attributes: ...]
"Damn it, it's a level 110 elite boss!" Blue Sea's face turned sour!
The elite boss had locked onto them.
It was too late to run now!
"Prepare for battle! Tanks, move to the front, support classes, add buffs, mages and archers, long-range poke!" Blue Sea's commanding voice had just sounded.
The Black Venom Croclord couldn't restrain its predatory instincts and charged with a roar!
The tanks responsible for defense quickly raised their giant shields, trying to block the first wave of the Croclord 's attack.
But the toxic gas in the air greatly weakened their defenses!
The priests' first wave of purification spells was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the elite boss and entered a cooldown period.
They couldn't detoxify, so they could only fight head-on.
The Black Venom Croclord was about to break through the frontline of tanks, putting the entire team in imminent danger!
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared at the very front of the team.
With just one hand, he stopped the full-on charge of this massive creature!
A visible shockwave spread out.
The Black Venom Croclord's roar was still deafening, but it couldn't move forward an inch!
"Shut up, or I'll rip you apart!"
John, somewhat annoyed, casually cleaned his ears, speaking nonchalantly.
The hand resting on the Black Venom Croclord's head remained firm as a rock!
Chapter70-Double Kill with One Stroke!
Using just one hand to completely suppress a Level 110 Elite Boss?
Everyone at the scene was stunned at the sight.
Even Blue Sea himself couldn't quite believe his own eyes.
He knew Galewind was incredibly skilled at gaming.
His participation in the previous Wolf Guild battle had given Blue Sea a taste of Galewind's current strength.
But he never imagined Galewind could be this powerful.
This was an Elite Boss over Level 100!
Not some random street mob.
Considering the current average level of players, this level of boss could easily wipe out an entire elite team.
Yet, against Galewind, it seemed exceptionally weak.
Still, Blue Sea, being one of the top 10 guild leaders worldwide, quickly snapped out of his shock.
He shouted, "Stop gawking, get in there and help!"
The rest of the team finally came to their senses.
They were about to move in and add to the damage, but John waved them off, "No need, this big guy won't be escaping from me."
John continued to withstand Black Venom Croclord's savage onslaught single-handedly, even finding the time to turn around and smile. "Besides, your levels are too low. Your attacks may not even penetrate this beast's defense."
Blue Sea: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Even though they knew John was telling the truth, it was still irritating to hear it.
One guild member refused to accept this.
As an archer, he raised his bow towards the massive figure of Black Venom Croclord and released his most potent skill.
[Fallen Triple Arrow (Legendary skill) - Exclusive skill for the special class "Magic Archer". Upon casting, three arrows are shot in succession; the first arrow has armor-piercing effects, dealing 500% armor-piercing damage, the second causes severe wounds, causing 100% ongoing damage for 30 seconds, the third has a killing effect, directly killing enemies with less than 30% health. If the enemy's health is above 30%, it can still cause double damage!]
On description, this skill indeed packs a punch.
No wonder this archer was discontented.
His bow glowed subtly.
Three energy arrows gathered and were fired one after another, each hitting the same spot on Black Venom Croclord's neck.
In the archer's view, the Black Venom Croclord's entire body was covered in thick scales, with the neck area seeming to be the weakest.
By aiming his skill at that spot, he believed he could deal considerable damage.
But the next second, he was dumbfounded.
A single digit floated above Black Venom Croclord's head.
-1
...
It wasn't so much that there was no damage; it was more like tickling through a boot.
Even when hitting Black Venom Croclord's weakest spot, the damage was ultimately insufficient to break through its defense.
Black Venom Croclord seemed to feel a slight pain.
As a result, it became even more enraged!
It roared towards the sky, its lantern-sized eyes turning bright red.
The tension escalated.
"Galewind, be careful!" Blue Sea hastily warned.
Everyone noticed that Black Venom Croclord seemed about to go berserk.
A faint light began to shine on the horn on its forehead.
However, John merely glanced at it and delivered another slap.
"Why can't you behave when I ask you to?"
It was a plain, energy-free slap, yet the horn on Black Venom Croclord's head broke off with a crack.
The impending Ultimate was abruptly interrupted by the slap.
Everyone fell into another stupor...
"Roar!"
The intense pain made Black Venom Croclord, the Level 110 Elite Boss, absolutely furious.
It violently twisted its massive body and opened its huge mouth, intending to rip the human who had humiliated it into pieces.
John, without a second thought, slapped it again, landing a heavy blow on Black Venom Croclord's head.
"Shut up! Don't you know you have bad breath?"
Black Venom Croclord was left dazed by the two consecutive slaps.
If it were not for its low intelligence, it would probably be in tears right now.
This was too much.
It had been dominating the Black Venom Swamp for so long; when had it ever been so humiliated?
John seemed to get a little bored.
Against such a weak boss, he couldn't muster any interest.
Thus, he stopped toying with Black Venom Croclord and prepared to finish it quickly.
However, just then, a sudden change occurred.
From the swamp next to Black Venom Croclord, a huge shadow suddenly jumped out, and an energy sphere full of deathly aura slammed straight towards John.
This was beyond everyone's expectations.
No one had imagined that there would be not one, but two Black Venom Croclords - a male and a female - in this black swamp.
Facing the sudden attack, John seemed to have anticipated it.
He chuckled and said, "I thought you were going to hide under the swamp and watch as your companion gets killed by me..."
"I can only say, you undead, are always so unintelligent. A little provocation and you can't help but jump out."
With a wave of his right hand, an energy long sword materialized out of thin air.
[Divine Blade (Divine Skill) (Level 7): This skill allows the user to create a weapon out of thin air based on their spiritual power. The weapon's attributes are determined by the skill level, character level, and character's spiritual power. The initial Divine Blade adds +800,000 points of damage and has a 25% critical hit rate.]
This was a divine skill capable of injuring The Devil.
Could two elite bosses possibly block it?
The Divine Blade traced a graceful arc in the air.
Like a knife slicing through pie, the blade of the sword instantly pierced through the heads of the two Black Venom Croclords.
Their huge heads fell heavily into the swamp.
Instant kill!
The two headless corpses turned into white light and vanished, leaving only two treasure chests emitting a faint light on the ground.
John walked over and casually opened the chests.
The two Level 110 Elite Bosses only dropped a total of three items. ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ.๐ค๐ฐ๐
They were:
[Black Venom Ring (Legendary): Once owned by a powerful human mage. When the mage was exploring the Black Venom Swamp, he was attacked and killed by Black Venom Croclord. The ring became the Croclord's trophy. After being imbued with the energy of the Black Venom Swamp for a long time, it transformed into the Black Venom Ring.]
[Level: 110. Can be equipped if level 110 or Intelligence is above 450.]
[Attributes: +300 Spiritual Power, +150 Magic Power.]
[Attached skill: Black Poison Gas (Intermediate). When released, it causes 300 continuous damage per second to all enemies within a 1000-distance range, weakens the enemy's poison resistance by 20%, and applies a continuous severe injury effect. Cooldown: 180 seconds.]
...
[Black Venom Horn (Legendary): Transformed from the Black Venom Croclord's horn. When blown, it can summon a Black Venom Croclord to fight. The summoned Black Venom Croclord's level is determined by the summoner's level.]
[Level: 110. Can be equipped if level 118 or Spiritual Power is above 240.]
[Attributes: +480 Intelligence, +80 Poison Resistance.]
[Attached skill: Dark Fog (Middle-level). When released, it creates a two-meter radius of black fog to hide oneself. When the summoner is in the black fog, Magic Power increases by 100 points, and Mana recovery increases by 20%.]
...
[Black Venom Blood Bead (Legendary): A precious bead formed from the fresh blood of the Black Venom Croclord, can be embedded.]
[Attributes: Can enhance weapon equipment, but only suitable for Necromancer class equipment.]
John checked the attributes of the three items and then shook his head with a hint of resignation.
He casually tossed the items to Blue Sea behind him, and said dismissively, "All trash. No wonder these two Black Venom Croclords were so weak. The drops are just rubbish!"
Blue Sea fumbled to catch the items.
After checking the attributes, he froze.
Wait, you call these top-tier items trash?
If these three items were placed on the market, all the Necromancers in the server would go crazy.
These were three Epic items!
And they were high-level Level 110 Epic items, no less.
Yet they were described so poorly by John?
Blue Sea thought for a moment, then handed the items back: "Galewind, these are your spoils of war. I can't take them."
John didn't reach out to take them but smiled and said, "I'm not a mage. What's the use of these items for me? Just take them. Your guild is big, and I'm sure there's someone in the Blue Sea Guild who can use them."
However, Blue Sea shook his head and insisted, "These three items are too valuable. They could cause a bidding war in any auction house. Even if you, Galewind, don't mind, I, Blue Sea, can't accept them with a clear conscience."
John scratched his head.
He knew that Blue Sea had always been like this, extremely principled.
So John said, "How about this? I'll sell you these three items, and you just pay me market price. It saves me the trouble of auctioning them off. Is that okay?"
It was only then that Blue Sea agreed.
This scene left the onlookers dumbfounded.
Although they hadn't seen the specific attributes of the three items.
But considering they were dropped by a Level 110 Elite Boss, they could hardly be trash.
In fact, there's a high chance they could be top-tier gear.
Why are both their guild leader and this powerhouse acting as if they were displeased?
Chapter71-The Eye of Medusa!
In fact, Blue Sea wasn't a fool.
His repeated refusals were partly due to his nature; he didn't like to take advantage of others.
But more importantly, Blue Sea wanted to seize this opportunity to get closer to John.
Before exploring the Dark Spirit Realm, Blue Sea thought he had overestimated John's strength.
But to his surprise, John's performance exceeded his expectations.
Killing two Elite Bosses above level 100 in one hit.
Such terrifying strength, it's likely to be unique and unmatched in the whole game.
For such a master, Blue Sea naturally didn't want a few items to affect their relationship.
After instructing the guild's finance officer to start collecting gold, Blue Sea put the items in his backpack.
The group continued their journey along the silent path in the middle of the Black Soil Swamp.
As they walked side by side, Blue Sea asked John tentatively, "Galewind, what level are you now?"
John responded with a slight smile, "Should be pretty high."
Blue Sea probed further, "You haven't surpassed level 100, have you?"
"Almost..."
Blue Sea was at a loss for words.
After grinding for months with the backing of a whole guild's power, he had just crossed the threshold of level 50.
Meanwhile, Galewind had leveled up so fast by solo grinding.
That was terrifying.
It's a good thing that Blue Sea didn't know John's actual level.
Otherwise, he would have doubted his perception!
After a moment, Blue Sea seemed to recall something and mused, "That reminds me, a while ago, an anonymous player suddenly shot up to level 50 when everyone else was still around level 10. This player topped the level leaderboard. That was you, wasn't it?"
John smiled calmly, not giving a direct answer.
But in this case, no response was as good as a yes.
Blue Sea got the message.
However, Blue Sea wasn't too surprised about John's high level.
Top gamers like John could always come up with more advanced techniques.
It was their unique edge.
As long as it didn't affect others' interests, nobody would delve into the reasons.
Soon they crossed the Black Venom Swamp and arrived at their destination, a barren hillock.
There wasn't a single tree, flower, or even the usual undead creatures.
In the center of the hillock was a cave that seemed to lead to the center of the earth, exuding an aura of great danger.
[You have entered the Dark Spirit Realm, Death Hillock]
The system prompt sounded.
John quirked an eyebrow and chuckled, "Seems like our target this time is no ordinary creature, even the undead and wraith beings dare not tread here."
Blue Sea nodded and replied, "The treasure map doesn't specifically show the boss's info, but whatever killed the famous explorer Ethan must be no small fry."
"I spent 5 gold coins to research in the Silverglow library before we set off. Ethan was a renowned master in the Northern Myst Empire before he entered the Dark Spirit Realm. I guess he had at least the strength of a Level 150 Legendary Mage."
John, with a curious expression, said, "So, the boss we're after is at least level 150?"
"Seems about right."
Blue Sea looked at the deep, dark cavern, his face growing serious.
John shook his head helplessly, "If that's the case, why seek out this boss so soon? The level gap is huge. Encountering a boss of this level usually means a total wipeout."
John paused, then added, "Why not wait a little longer, until everyone's overall level increases, and then explore here?"
Blue Sea replied with a wry smile, "We can't afford to wait, brother. Even though the treasure map is with Seth, we don't know if other guilds will find out."
"If Ethan's key ends up in another guild's hands, I'll be full of regret."
John remained noncommittal.
He knew Blue Sea's biggest obsession was the strength of his own guild.
Now that they had a chance to significantly advance their guild's standing, even if they knew the risks, they wouldn't give up easily.
"Besides," Blue Sea suddenly grinned, "We still have you, don't we? Seeing you kill those two Black Venom Croclords back in the swamp, I suddenly feel like there's a good chance we could succeed."
John smiled wryly, "You really have a lot of faith in me. A boss over level 150 and those garbage Black Venom Croclords aren't on the same level."
"We're here now, we have to give it a shot."
Blue Sea was rather nonchalant.
Perhaps it was his mood that infected the whole team.
In an instant, everyone was filled with determination.
"The Guild leader is right, we've come this far, how can we back down?"
"I want to see what a level 150 boss looks like!"
"We have the bigshot leading, we must get it!"
Everyone turned to John, their passionate gaze almost too much for him to bear.
He waved his hand and announced boldly, "Since everyone is so confident, let's have a look inside the cave."
The heavily armed warriors in the group raised their shields and moved to the front.
Priests followed closely behind, raining a torrent of buffs on the frontline as if they were free.
Mages and archers were at the rear.
Some people rushed into the cave.
[Warning, you have entered an extremely dangerous area]
Upon entering the cave, a warning in bright red flashed up.
The temperature in the cave was extremely low, and the air reeked of a foul smell.
Everyone shivered involuntarily.
Whether it was an illusion or something else, they could faintly hear a strange sound deep inside the cave.
It sounded like the heavy breathing of some gigantic creature.
As they ventured deeper into the cave, the surroundings became darker.
After turning a corner, the last bit of light disappeared.
Everyone plunged into complete darkness.
However, those who came with Blue Sea were the elite players of their guild.
Faced with this situation, they remained composed.
A few Light and Fire mages stepped forward, raised their staffs, and cast an illumination spell.
A gentle light lit up in the darkness.
Only then did everyone notice that the stone walls of the cave were carved with all sorts of patterns.
These patterns looked incredibly bizarre, some depicted endless wars of the undead, others were weird graffiti that made no sense.
But most of all, there were figures resembling eyes.
Almost every pattern had one to several vertically oriented, blood-red eyes.
"What are these things?"
A team member curiously leaned in for a closer look, and the next second, his whole body stiffened on the spot, unable to move. ๐๐ฒ๐๐ง๐ผ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๏ผ๐๐จ๐บ
"Watch out!"
John yelled and flashed in front of that team member, blocking his sight.
"Don't look at the eyes on the wall!" John warned, then looked down.
Sure enough, that team member's legs had started to petrify, and this petrification effect was spreading towards his upper body.
"Priests come over, your holy light can counter this petrification effect."
At John's command, a priest from the middle of the team stepped forward and cast a Holy Light Blessing on the affected member.
The petrification was finally interrupted, and the team member's legs started to slowly return to normal.
Blue Sea, frowning, walked up to John.
Forcing himself to avoid the patterns on the stele, he asked curiously, "What are these things?"
John answered gravely, "The Eyes of Medusa. I finally know what we are after this time..."
Medusa, a fallen deity corrupted by manipulation in legends.
In the game of Godslayer, Medusa was not as insane as in the myths but was definitely not something an ordinary player could handle.
John frowned, looking deeper into the cave.
Vaguely, it seemed as if an enchanting snake woman, a woman's head on a snake's body, was quietly waiting for their arrival.
"Holy crap! That's terrifying!"
The team member who had just been petrified jumped up in shock.
He had thought for a moment that he was done for.
The instant he saw the eye patterns on the wall, he lost all ability to move without warning.
Although his brain was still functioning, his body couldn't respond, as if his soul had been severed from his body.
This terrifying feeling was something he never wanted to experience again in his life.
Blue Sea wasn't clear about what level of boss Medusa was.
But he had some knowledge of the Medusa from myths.
So, when John uttered the words "Eyes of Medusa", Blue Sea's face grew serious.
"Is it a powerful boss?"
John nodded, "Powerful, very formidable. At least your whole team has no chance of resisting Medusa... Even if you brought all the members of your guild, it would still be a total wipeout!"
Chapter72-The Nude Beauty on the Altar
"What do we do then? Just give up?"
Blue Sea clenched his fists, reluctant to let it go.
However, at that moment, John suddenly chuckled, "What's the rush? Just because you guys can't handle it doesn't mean I can't!"
Blue Sea looked surprised, "So, you can take care of it?"
John clapped him on the shoulder and solemnly said, "We've known each other for so long, when have you ever seen me bluff?"
Hearing John's words, Blue Sea felt a great weight lifted off his chest.
Indeed, throughout their acquaintance, he never recalled John boasting.
John always delivered on his promises.
That was the key reason why Blue Sea wanted to maintain a good relationship with him.
As the leader of a top 10 guild worldwide, Blue Sea wasn't interested in a professional player's skills.
What mattered was whether the player had an appealing trait.
After experiencing the mishap with a team member earlier, the rest of the team dared not overlook any detail in this eerie cavern.
They all kept their eyes straight ahead, not daring to glance at the cave walls again.
However, John seemed to be fascinated by the murals on the walls, admiring them as he walked along.
Blue Sea, growing curious, asked, "Strange, why aren't you affected by The Eye of Medusa?"
John smiled faintly, saying lightly, "Do you really need to ask? Of course, it's because my resistance can counteract The Eye of Medusa's petrification effect."
Blue Sea gaped, surprised, "Your resistance is that high? The one who got caught earlier was our guild's heavy armored warrior with maxed out resistance of all sorts, and he couldn't withstand it for even a second! You've managed to hold out this long?"
Facing Blue Sea's astonishment, John merely smiled, not giving a direct response.
In reality, the petrification effect of The Eye of Medusa was continuously at work on him.
However, with John's current attributes, this petrification was as inconsequential as a mosquito bite, incapable of breaking his defense.
In fact, even John wasn't sure of his exact resistance level against control effects.
But at the very least, bosses below the god tier, regardless of how bizarre their control abilities might be, should not be able to affect him!
As they proceeded, John found himself increasingly captivated by the content of the murals.
They depicted intriguing stories, recounting Medusa's past experiences.
In this game, Medusa was not as outrageous as in real-world mythology, where she was a demon fallen from godhood due to a curse.
The Medusa in game was originally a lord of the undead from the abyss, her power fairly moderate.
During an internal battle among demigods in the abyss, Medusa, having backed the wrong side, was punished after her defeat by being banished to the Dark Spirit Realm.
These scattered fragments corroborated with the memories John inherited from The Devil in his mind, deepening his understanding of the Abyss. ๐๐๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๐๐๏ผ๐๏ฝ๏ฝ
He had been curious because, according to his memory, Medusa shouldn't appear in the Dark Spirit Realm but should reside in the Abyss, with a higher level and greater strength.
Now he had found the reason.
...
The team continued downwards, not knowing how long they had been traveling underground.
Finally, a weathered stone gate appeared ahead.
"It seems we've finally reached our destination. Behind this door, we should meet the legendary Queen Medusa," John's nonchalant voice immediately put everyone on high alert.
They unconsciously gripped their weapons tighter, fully on guard.
The strange incidents they had experienced along the way had made them all jumpy.
Just the images on the murals were enough to catch off guard a high-level, heavily-armored warrior.
It was imaginable how formidable Queen Medusa's strength must be.
Blue Sea raised his staff, secretly accumulating magical power, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, be on your guard, maintain battle formation. We are about to enter the boss's detection range."
John added quietly, "In fact, since the moment we entered the cave, we've been discovered by Medusa. The eyes on the murals are her warning to us."
These words made everyone even more nervous.
Their stealthy infiltration had been under the boss's watchful eyes all along.
This fact cast a shadow over their hearts.
The sense of oppression was too strong!
John, however, remained quite calm.
Looking at the closed stone door, he wondered, "What puzzles me is, why hasn't Queen Medusa appeared when we've come this far? It's not like her. She should prefer to hunt actively."
Blue Sea said somewhat helplessly, "Bro, if you have any information, please spill it. Hearing what you just said, I'm getting cold feet."
John chuckled, and shared his guess, "If I'm not mistaken, Medusa must be preoccupied with something more urgent, so she doesn't have time to deal with us uninvited guests."
"What could it be?" Blue Sea looked puzzled.
John slowly shook his head, then boldly stepped forward and pushed open the heavy stone door, "We'll know what it is once we go inside."
With a creak, the door opened, seemingly untouched for a long time.
As a crack appeared, a faint mist wafted out.
A thick, bloody smell immediately filled everyone's nostrils.
Without needing Blue Sea's reminder, the priests and paladins in the team proactively cast a purification effect on everyone in case the mist was toxic.
John continued to push until the door was wide enough for a person to pass, then swiftly stepped inside.
To his surprise, the space inside the door was incredibly spacious.
The floor was paved with blue stone slabs.
It was devoid of skeletons and bloodstains, and was instead rather clean.
This was a hemispherical space, with thick stone walls covered in serpent carvings that spread up to the domed ceiling.
In the very center of the space was a high altar.
A stunningly beautiful, naked woman lay leisurely on the altar, looking at the group entering the room with a playful gaze.
"Mortal, daring to disturb the rest of the great Queen Medusa, are you prepared to die?"
The enchanting woman opened her lips slightly, and her naturally seductive voice echoed in the air, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
At this moment, almost everyone's gaze became increasingly vacant.
They stupidly stared at the alluring woman on the altar, their eyes filled with primal desire.
[Soul Rip: Queen Medusa's exclusive skill. It uses the voice as a medium to interfere with enemy cognition, delivering a charming mental attack that subdues all enemies beneath her beauty.]
This high-level mental attack was not something Blue Sea and his guild members could resist.
Just a single sentence had them all spellbound.
Only John remained expressionless, looking over Queen Medusa's enticing body with interest.
This game, "God Slayer," is a real masterpiece.
Look at this beautifully rendered woman - so lifelike! John marveled inwardly.
The alluring woman on the altar had a slender figure with perfect curves.
Her bare chest featured two rosy points that stood tall atop her tender breasts, making one yearn to play with them.
Down from her full chest, her waist was slim and easy to hold.
Further down was a delicate, hairless area.
Her long, flawless legs were gently crossed.
Along with her face that could overthrow nations, it was no wonder that men around the world fell for her.
However, when John's gaze fell on Queen Medusa's abdomen, he quietly furrowed his brows.
Seeing her pronounced belly, he finally understood why they had only encountered Medusa upon reaching this point.
This snake like woman was pregnant!
"I was wondering why you didn't show up even though you knew we were here. Turns out you're with child," John's joking voice rang out, instantly drawing Medusa's attention.
The enchanting gaze that could topple beings fell on John.
Her arched eyebrows subtly furrowed, "Human, you seem to be different from the others..."
John's smile was playful as he said lightly, "Of course, your mental attack seems unable to affect me. So put away these tiresome tricks. As long as I'm here, you won't be able to fully control my companions."
Queen Medusa snorted lightly.
Whether out of apprehension of John, she obediently dispelled the Soul Rip.
Blue Sea and the guild members suddenly snapped back to reality.
Afterward, when they looked at Medusa on the altar, there was no more lust or obsession, just pure apprehension.
That was terrifying!
For a moment, everyone's consciousness seemed to no longer belong to them, and they became like dazed puppets.
Everyone cast a detection spell at Medusa.
[Queen Medusa (Lord-level boss)]
[Race: Undead]
[Level: 200]
[Attributes: ?]
Everyone immediately drew a sharp breath.
Good heavens, it was a Lord-level boss!
And, terrifyingly, at level 200.
How were they supposed to fight this boss?
Chapter73-Beheading with a Single Sword
Due to the massive level gap, the members of the Blue Sea Guild couldn't even detect the true attribute information of Queen Medusa.
All the results were question marks.
Blue Sea was in a state of chaos, instinctively turning to look at John.
Only after seeing John's calm demeanor did he somewhat relax.
"Humans, why have you trespassed on Queen Medusa's territory?" Medusa's alluring voice rang out again.
But this time, as she hadn't applied the Soul Rip effect, it didn't have much impact on everyone's mental state.
Still, everyone's eyes couldn't help but steal glances at Medusa's tempting body.
It was normal.
After all, which man could resist such a naked beauty?
For a moment, everyone praised the game "Godslayer" in their hearts.
It was like welfare for the male players!
Under everyone's heated gaze, Medusa didn't show any signs of shyness.
As an Undead Lord, she couldn't understand humans' concepts about sexuality.
The reason for maintaining a human form was merely for hunting.
"How is it? Does she look tempting? Can't you help but want to pounce on her?"
John turned to Blue Sea and jokingly asked in a low voice.
Blue Sea nodded seriously, "Of course, I can't believe that you have no desire for such a naked beauty."
John slightly smiled, "My sexual orientation is very normal. Of course, I can't be without reaction. But I suggest you not be too engrossed. After all, this is just a game. Also, what you see now isn't the real Medusa."
Blue Sea was taken aback, asking subconsciously, "What do you mean?"
John rolled his eyes and replied irritably, "She's a Lord of the Abyss, an undead boss. You can't really think she looks exactly like a human woman, right?"
After that, John turned to Medusa, "How about it, isn't it time to show your real face? With your current look, there isn't any advantage in fighting."
The Queen Medusa on the altar became more curious about John.
Her vertical, snake-like pupils fixated on John, "Human, who are you really? How do you know me so well?"
John shrugged, stretching out his slender right hand.
Energy instantly gathered in his hand, coalescing into a long sword.
"Divine Blade..."
Seemingly perceiving the threat of the Divine Blade, Queen Medusa finally showed a change.
A dazzling, colorful mist surged from the altar, instantly enveloping Medusa's enchanting body.
The mist gradually spread, until it shrouded the entire altar.
Unable to see Medusa's naked figure anymore, everyone felt a twinge of regret.
But then, a terrifying hiss echoed.
The next second, the colorful mist slowly dissipated, revealing a monstrous serpent tens of meters long on the altar.
Its body coiled around the altar, with its head held high.
What was more terrifying was that the face of the serpent was that of a beautiful woman.
However, the previously flowing long hair had all turned into hissing small snakes.
"Everyone, close your eyes, don't look directly at her!" John ordered sternly, simultaneously waving his hand to cast a simple illumination spell.
The blinding white light caused everyone to instinctively close their eyes.
With his eyes shut and tears pricking his eyes, Blue Sea quickly asked, "Why can't we look directly at the boss?"
John calmly replied, "Remember the Eyes of Medusa on the cave walls after we entered? That's Medusa's inherent ability. Once she returns to her original form, the Eyes of Medusa will be activated. Anyone looking directly at Medusa will be turned into stone."
John paused before continuing, "It's not like those eyes in the mural. If you had looked directly at Medusa, by now, all of you would've respawned at the fountain!"
On hearing this, Blue Sea shivered with fear.
Then, another problem struck him, "But if we all close our eyes, how are we supposed to fight the boss in front of us?"
John was momentarily speechless.
Big brother, you can't seriously think that keeping your eyes open will help you defeat a level 200 Lord-level boss, right?
"I'll handle Medusa. You guys aren't ready to fight her at your current levels. Step back."
On hearing this, Blue Sea's expression turned a bit sour.
As the guild leader of a top 10 global guild, he had his pride.
John's blunt words somewhat hurt his ego.
However, he knew John was telling the truth.
His team's average level wasn't even 50. ๏ฝ๏ฝ ๐๐๐๏ฝ๏ฝ ๐๏ผ๏ฝ๐๐
Against a level 200 Lord-level boss, they had no chance of winning.
They couldn't even break through Medusa's defense.
Reluctantly, Blue Sea led his team to retreat to the edge of the stone door.
After his companions had retreated, John calmly raised his head.
He actually looked directly into Medusa's eyes, curiosity filling his gaze.
So, the legendary Queen Medusa looked like this in her original form.
"Human, you really are special. Why doesn't my ability affect you?" The incredible snake with a woman's face slowly coiled around the altar, moving slowly. Finally, she bent down to stare face-to-face with John, seeming quite surprised that John wasn't turned into stone.
John smiled slightly, "I don't know, I've always been a bit of an oddball. Quite a few control effects don't work on me."
Unexpectedly, Queen Medusa slowly shook her head, "That's not right. I can feel that my ability has been activated... strange..."
"Human, while I still have no interest in hunting, state your purpose. Why have you intruded my territory?" Medusa demanded.
John tilted his head slightly, replying nonchalantly, "We came here for something from you."
"What is it?"
"A key," John continued, "You may remember a human adventurer you once hunted, named Ethan. Among his possessions was a key, which I believe you claimed as your trophy."
Medusa pondered for a moment, then nodded.
She opened her mouth and gently spat out a finely-crafted golden key.
"You mean this? I vaguely remember that human, a competent mage. Pity that he was so weak in front of the magnificent Queen Medusa. Why should I give you what is now my trophy?"
John arched an eyebrow, a grin spreading across his face. "Did you think I came here to negotiate?"
This remark instantly infuriated Medusa.
"Prepare to be sacrificed to the abyss, you damned human!" She roared, rearing up and readying herself for attack.
[Warning, you have been targeted by a Lord-level boss! Warning, you have been targeted by a Lord-level boss!]
Despite the sharp warning sounds of the system, John remained unfazed, his smile unchanged. "Are you sure you want to do this? With your intellect, you shouldn't make such a foolish move."
Even though John's voice was calm, the underlying threat was clear.
This further infuriated Medusa, who was of higher intelligence.
She opened her mouth and swiftly spat out a multi-colored poisonous dart, which darted towards John like a lightning bolt.
Simultaneously, Medusa's gigantic body started moving, her tail sweeping in the air like a whip towards John.
The attack from a level 200 Lord-level boss was quite formidable.
The entire space shook violently, with rocks from the ceiling falling due to the tremors.
Despite having their eyes closed, Blue Sea and his guild members were frightened by Medusa's roar.
That's a huge commotion.
Blue Sea was shocked, and he was also worried about John.
Can he really handle such a terrifying boss on his own?
Not that he doubted John's power, but he didn't expect Medusa's attack to be this powerful.
Blue Sea speculated that if they were to face this level of attack, they wouldn't be able to survive even one round.
Back at the battlefield, John stared at the fast-approaching poisonous dart without any intention of dodging it.
He wasn't even bothered by the incoming tail.
He sighed softly, "Already pregnant and still courting deathโฆ Well, I guess I'll just have to oblige."
Just as the dart and tail were about to hit him, John's body flickered and he disappeared from the spot.
The dart hit the ground, corroding a large hole instantly.
The tail swiped through empty air, leaving Medusa surprised.
She then began scanning the surroundings warily, looking for John.
But the next moment, a tremor rippled through the air behind her, revealing John's voice.
The Divine Blade materialized once more, and from John's body, devoid of any energy fluctuations, a terrifying aura as vast as a sea of smoke suddenly erupted.
"This is... The Devil's aura..."
Medusa instantly sensed the energy far surpassing her rank, her captivating vertical pupils filled with horror.
Before she could finish her exclamation, John had already swung his sword.
As casually as one would chop vegetables, he beheaded Medusa in one fell swoop.
Queen Medusa's beguiling voice abruptly ended!
Chapter74-An Egg Dropped!
Another effortless one-shot kill.
The seemingly oppressive level 200 Lord-level boss, Medusa, couldn't even withstand a single strike from John's Divine Blade.
Even John himself hadn't expected such a casual swing to possess such immense power.
Hovering in midair, he stroked his chin and mused aloud, "This Queen Medusa is all show and no substance. She's so fragile?"
In his memory, Queen Medusa, while not a top contender in the abyss, was still a mid-tier entity among the Lord-level bosses.
Why did she seem so pitifully weak?
John himself was oblivious to the fact that his current power far surpassed his own expectations.
Not to mention mid-tier abyssal lords, even the mightiest of them would struggle to resist the power of his two strokes.
The hierarchy of power in the game Godslayer is quite explicit.
Those beneath god-level are mere bugs.
Medusa's head hit the ground with a thud, her eyes still filled with terror and confusion until the moment of her death.
The once infamous "beauty snake" didn't understand why a human could possess the aura of The Devil.
"Thud!"
As Medusa's head fell, her massive body followed.
It quickly turned into a faint light and disappeared.
Only a pile of ashes and a treasure chest were left behind.
[You have killed the Lord-level boss Queen Medusa (Unique)]
The system prompt appeared in the air.
Not far away, Blue Sea and the others still had their eyes tightly shut.
They had no idea what had actually transpired at the scene.
They felt something was off, wondering why everything had suddenly become silent.
In the aftermath of Queen Medusa's fury, the entire area had shaken violently.
But now, everything had inexplicably quieted down.
Blue Sea was tempted to open his eyes and check the situation.
But he was afraid of Medusa's inherent ability to petrify indiscriminately.
He could only suppress his curiosity, praying in his heart that John could handle this powerful Lord-level boss.
"Job done, you guys can come over now," John's nonchalant voice echoed out.
However, after waiting for a while, he realized that Blue Sea and the others were still motionless.
Shaking his head with slight frustration, he repeated, "The boss has been dealt with. What are you guys doing standing there with your eyes closed? You didn't fall asleep, did you?"
Only then did Blue Sea and the others cautiously open their eyes.
"Seriously? You took care of it so quickly?" Their first reaction was disbelief.
They even suspected that John's voice was just an illusion created by Medusa's mental attack, which is why they didn't dare to come over when John first called them.
How much time had passed?
Half a minute?
A minute?
Even against an ordinary level 200 monster, it couldn't be killed so quickly, right?
It wasn't until they saw the pile of ashes and the glowing treasure chest on the ground that Blue Sea finally accepted the truth, which was followed by profound shock.
"Youโฆ you really killed Medusa? That's a level 200 Lord-level big boss!" Blue Sea, his eyes widened, rushed over to John.
In his excitement, he even forgot to check whether the treasure chest contained the key he desired.
John rolled his eyes and replied somewhat irritably, "I already told you, I could handle it. Do you really need to be this surprised?"
Blue Sea looked flabbergasted, "Galewind, I knew you were strong, but I didn't expect you to be this insane. This isn't some ordinary mob, this was Queen Medusa!"
John gave him a sidelong glance.
In his memory, Blue Sea was always calm and composed, a person who could maintain his composure even if the sky fell.
Now, why was he acting so hysterical, exhibiting such a range of body language?
John hadn't realized just how astounding his accomplishment was.
In his mind, it was a foregone conclusion that he would defeat Queen Medusa, it was merely a matter of how many strokes it would take.
Aside from Blue Sea, the expressions of the others were even worse.
They stared wide-eyed, looking stupefied.
They would glance at the pile of ashes on the ground and then back at John, as if they had seen a ghost.
"I mean, you guys are part of the Blue Sea guild, a top-tier guild ranked in the top 10 globally. How come you're acting like country bumpkins who have never seen the world?" John shook his head somewhat speechlessly, "It's just the defeat of a Lord-level boss, you guys are overreacting."
His words left everyone speechless.
After a moment, Blue Sea finally regained his usual composure.
The shock on his face gradually faded.
After some thought, he said to John, "Galewind, since you single-handedly defeated the boss, you should open the treasure chest."
John didn't decline, stepping forward to open the chest.
A few dazzling orange rays of light flashed and vanished, nearly blinding everyone.
Four quite decent pieces of equipment burst out of the chest.
Among them was the key item that Blue Sea had been longing for.
The moment the orange light shone, everyone on the scene excitedly gathered around.
Some players' eyes were even shining, as if a glutton had encountered a world-class delicacy.
In Godslayer, orange symbolizes legendary equipment.
This is second only to high-level weapons and equipment at the divine level.
So far, only a few pieces have been dropped server-wide.
And now, there were four pieces right in front of them.
How could they not be tempted?
Fortunately, these players were core members of the Blue Sea guild and had experienced big scenes before.
If they were independent players, they might be fighting over the equipment by now.
John inspected the attributes of the equipment one by one, nodding his head in satisfaction: "The properties of these pieces of equipment are quite good, at least it wasn't a wasted trip."
The equipment was:
[Medusa's Tears (Legendary Necklace)]: Formed from the despairing tears that Queen Medusa shed when she left the abyss. Legend has it that within the endless abyss, Queen Medusa once bore the important mission of revitalizing the Medusa race, but because she chose the wrong side, she was forced to leave the abyss and was exiled to the lower-level Dark Spirit Realm. Knowing that she could no longer revitalize her race, Queen Medusa shed tears of sorrow.
[Level: 200, wearable when reaching level 200 or Intelligence 800 and above.]
[Attributes: +1000 HP, +600 Intelligence, +150 Magic Resistance, +150 Physical Resistance, +20% True Damage.]
[Attached Skill: Soul Rip (Advanced), Queen Medusa's famous skill. When released, it can temporarily disturb the minds of all enemies within 500 yards, making the enemies lose their ability to fight for two minutes. If the skill is used on a boss or regular monster below this level, it can control them to fight for the user for 30 minutes. Cooldown: Three hours.]
...
[Serpent King's Blade (Legendary Weapon)]: The inherited weapon of the Medusa race. The legendary first Queen Medusa's spine bone was used to make it, and it has since become the symbol of each generation of Medusa Queens.]
[Level: 200, usable when reaching level 200 or Speed 1000 and above.]
[Attributes: +500 Speed, +300 Stamina, +450 Attack, +25% Armor Penetration.]
[Attached Skill 1: Fang of the Giant Serpent (Passive), the weapon comes with a strong poison effect. Each attack hit can cause 250 points of severe bleeding per second, lasting for 30 seconds, and cannot be removed.]
[Attached Skill 2: Ultimate Petrification (Advanced), each attack hit on the enemy will cause a rapid petrification effect. The speed of petrification spread will decrease successively according to the enemy's resistance. During petrification, Defense is reduced by 80%, and Armor Penetration is increased by 40%.]
...
[Ethan's Key (Legendary Item)]: The mysterious key that famous human explorer Ethan carried with him. It later became a trophy of Queen Medusa and is said to open Ethan's treasure trove left in the human world.]
John carefully played with the golden key in his hand.
The intricate and beautiful patterns on it were full of a sense of mystery.
This was Blue Sea's biggest goal for this trip.
Seeing Blue Sea's eager gaze next to him, John smiled slightly and casually threw the key over.
"Here, the key you've been dying to find."
Blue Sea quickly caught it and after examining the key's properties, he sighed, "Finally got it, this risky trip was worth it after all."
Before John could say a word, Seth muttered from the side, "Boss, doesn't it seem like we didn't run into much danger on our way here? Feels easier than our usual dungeon raids." ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ป๐จ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น.๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ
Blue Sea shot him a displeased look, "That's because we had Galewind with us. If we were on our own, it's hard to say if we could even get here."
Everyone else agreed wholeheartedly with Blue Sea's words.
However, at this moment, John paid no heed to their praises.
His attention was wholly focused on the last piece of loot in the chest.
Calling it 'loot' didn't feel quite right.
Because the last item was an oval-shaped, white, giant egg.
Chapter75-Return to Silverglow
[Medusa's Egg (Legendary): An egg of a certain creature that requires strict conditions to hatch. Trust me, the moment the shell breaks, you'll be in for a big surprise.]
John fell into deep thought.
Isn't this supposedly the child Medusa was carrying?
In other words, the next Medusa Queen should be inside this white, giant egg.
The question is, Medusa has been killed by him.
Why would the child in her belly drop out like loot?
John was utterly puzzled.
Meanwhile, Blue Sea had carefully stowed the key in his bag.
Seeing the giant egg in the chest, he was stunned, "Is this... a pet egg?"
John nodded, "Apparently, you have seen it."
Blue Sea exclaimed in surprise, "But the Pet System hasn't been opened yet, has it? How could an egg of a pet drop?"
John didn't reply, but he already had the answer in his mind.
The game Godslayer had been launched for several months.
But, in fact, it was still in the open beta stage.
Many features in the game weren't complete yet, including the Pet System.
Now it was giving players ample time to explore various gameplay in the game.
Only after the open beta ends, would the Pet System be officially launched.
Normally, no players should be able to catch pets, let alone high-level pet eggs dropping after defeating a boss.
But a boss like Medusa Queen obviously couldn't be judged by common sense.
John still remembers the system's introduction about Medusa Queen, which specifically noted her uniqueness.
That is, in the game Godslayer, there was only one Medusa Queen, not like other bosses who respawn.
Killing this Medusa meant there wouldn't be a new one appearing here. Instead, other Lord-level bosses would come to rule over this cave territory.
This was consistent with John's memory of the Medusa Queen.
In the legend of the Abyss, there could only be one queen in the Medusa race.
The only condition for the birth of a new queen was the death of the previous one.
Even in the real world, nature is fair.
Much more so in a game world controlled by a main server.
To ensure the succession of Medusa Queen, when the previous queen died...
The system would arrange for the birth of a new queen.
If John was not mistaken, the hatchling from this egg in front of him would be the new Medusa Queen.
After John shared his speculation with Blue Sea, Blue Sea immediately took a keen interest in the white egg in the chest.
This could potentially be the Medusa Queen, a level 200 Lord-level boss!
If they could acquire such a pet, it would undoubtedly boost the guild's overall strength significantly.
Blue Sea tentatively asked, "Galewind, are you planning to keep this pet egg, or are you going to auction it?"
John glanced at him, "Why, are you interested in this?"
Blue Sea didn't hesitate to answer, "Of course, it's a legendary level pet, with unlimited potential for growth. Who could resist such a temptation?"
John fell silent.
Honestly, he wasn't that interested in this egg.
The Medusa Queen's power may be daunting in the early and middle stages of the game.
But in the late stages, such a level pet wouldn't be that impressive.
After the Abyss opened, there would be countless Lord-level bosses stronger than the Medusa Queen.
Plus, John's own strength was considerable; he didn't need a powerful pet to assist him in battle.
So, for John, this pet egg was just a trifle.
After some thought, John said lightly, "If you're interested, you can have it. But have you seen the hatching conditions of the pet egg?"
Only then did Blue Sea notice that at the bottom of the system's description of the pet egg, there was a note on the hatching conditions.
[Hatching conditions: 30 liters of Abyssal Mire, 10 liters of essence blood each from seven kinds of undead, Lord-level snake species. The pet egg needs to be soaked in this mixture for 49 days to hatch.]
Blue Sea: "..."
His heart, which had been ablaze, suddenly cooled down.
These conditions were too strict, weren't they?
Not to mention how hard it would be to find seven kinds of undead, Lord-level snake species.
Even if found, obtaining their essence blood would be a complicated matter.
The game Godslayer wasn't like other games.
To collect materials from a monster, you couldn't just kill it.
You had to weaken the monster until it couldn't fight back, then extract the materials while it was still alive.
It was much harder to cripple than to kill.
As for the Abyssal Mire?
What was that?
He'd never even heard of it.
The official information about the Abyss hadn't been released yet, so Blue Sea had no idea of its existence.
Blue Sea looked up and chuckled dryly, "Let's forget it, our guild doesn't have the ability to hatch this thing. You'd better keep it for yourself."
John shrugged, made no objections.
He reached out and took the white egg from the chest into his backpack.
Then, John suggested, "The remaining two items have decent attributes, how about we each take one?" ๐ซ๐ฎ๐น๐ทโด๐ฟโฏ๐ต.๐ฌโด๐ถ
Surprisingly, Blue Sea decisively shook his head and declined, "No, no, no, these two items belong to you. You single-handedly killed the Medusa Queen, we didn't help at all, why should we share the loot? I'm already more than satisfied with having the key of Ethan."
To say that Blue Sea had no desire for the two legendary items in the chest would be impossible.
These high-level items were beneficial to any guild.
But Blue Sea deeply understood one principle: no reward without effort. It was also one of his life's mottos.
Seeing Blue Sea's resolved face, John nodded slightly, "Well, if you say so, I won't be polite."
Blue Sea gave a carefree smile and then started instructing everyone to clean up the aftermath.
Some people soon left the cave, retracing their steps.
Having found the key item, the exploration mission of the Dark Spirit Realm was considered successfully completed.
The return journey was uneventful.
Once the group arrived back at Silverglow, John and Blue Sea parted ways.
Blue Sea hurried back to his guild, probably planning to open the treasure of the explorer Ethan, looking for his coveted "Lv4 Guild Establishment Order".
Meanwhile, John opened his chat channel.
While he was exploring the Dark Spirit Realm, he had received many messages.
Most of them were from Emma.
But due to the high-level secrecy of the Dark Spirit Realm, he couldn't connect with the outside world.
Emma: What are you up to, Johnny? I miss you.
Emma: Why are you ignoring me, Johnny? Have you gone to the dungeon with Blue Sea already?
Emma: Safe journey, be careful.
Emma: Still not out? I'm going to level up with White Feather.
Emma: Johnny, I'm going back to school in a few days, I can see you then. โฆ
John chuckled, picturing the sweet and innocent face of Emma in his mind.
It had indeed been some time since they last met.
Remembering Emma's provocative appearance in bed, his heart started to warm up.
John sent a message back to Emma: Back in Silverglow, mission accomplished, don't worry.
Soon, Emma replied.
Emma: Johnny, you're back so soon, truly a master.
John: It was just a quest to find an item, a small task.
Emma: I'm leveling up with White Feather, see you later at the Silverglow tavern.
John: Alright.
Emma: It's unfair, you haven't seen me for so long but you didn't say if you missed me.
John: Of course, I missed you, especially missing you naked in bed.
Emma: Stop it, Johnny, you're being inappropriate again.
John: Hehe, don't you miss it?
Emma: (Blushing) I'm not telling you.
John: When are you going back to school? I'll come to pick you up.
Emma: (Sticking out her tongue) Naughty, I'll go straight back to school, won't go to your place.
John: That won't do, I bought you a pretty nightdress, waiting for you to wear it.
Emma: Oh my, Johnny, you're so bad!
โฆ
John was joking with Emma while heading towards the Dawn Breeze Auction House.
By the time he reached the auction house, their conversation ended.
Isabella, the familiar beautiful auctioneer, was currently standing idly in the auction hall.
As soon as she saw John, her eyes lit up, "Wow, Galewind, you're here?"
John nodded, then followed Isabella to a private room on the second floor of the auction house.
"What good stuff are you going to auction this time?"
John casually said, "I have two nice pieces of equipment that don't fit my profession, so I want to list them in your auction house."
Isabella's eyes shone even brighter, her smile rippling, "If Galewind says it's good, it must be top-notch. Can I take a look?"
John took the two items out of his backpack and put them on the table.
Despite her expectations, when the orange glow lit up , Isabella was still stunned on the spot.
"Can you tell me more about these items?" She finally found her voice, still staring at the equipment with wide eyes.
John chuckled, briefly explaining the details and functions of the items.
Isabella listened carefully, her eyes sparkling with fascination and excitement.
"That's... amazing!" She exclaimed once John finished, "These are indeed top-tier items. They'll definitely cause a stir at the auction."
John shrugged, nonchalantly saying, "Well, let's hope they find a good owner then."
They discussed a bit more about the auction details before John left the auction house.
On his way out, he couldn't help but smile at Isabella's excitement.
He knew he'd made the right choice.
After all, every player loves good equipment, and these two items were no exception.
He looked forward to seeing what kind of storm they would stir up in the auction.
But for now, he had a date to get to at the Silverglow tavern.
With Emma's image on his mind, he quickened his pace, eager to meet her again after so long.
Chapter76-The Auction Announcement that Shook the World
"...Is this... a Legendary equipment?"
Isabella's beautiful eyes widened, filled with astonishment.
As a lifestyle player, she has been working at the Dawn Breeze Auction House since she started playing this game.
In all this time, she had never seen a legendary equip up for auction.
Even epic equipment, a tier lower, was incredibly rare.
It should be noted that legendary equipment is not the same as legendary items.
Many items have a limit on how many times they can be used, while equipment directly boosts a character's strength!
Each time a epic equipment piece was up for auction, it caused a frenzy among all the guilds.
After all, Godslayer had only been launched for a few months, and the vast majority of players were still at a relatively low level.
Standard and superior equipment were the norm, and possessing a full set of rare gear was already considered top-tier.
John casually waved his hand, and the glow around the two items faded, revealing their true forms.
Even without the dazzling orange light, the designs of "Medusa's Tears" and the "Serpent King's Blade" were quite distinctive.
Isabella's gaze oscillated between the two pieces, still entranced by the flash of the gear's illumination, even if it was just a fleeting glimpse.
After a moment, Isabella finally regained her composure and asked, "Boss, are you sure you want to consign these two items to our auction house?"
John nodded calmly, "Yes, these two pieces are of no use to me. It's better to sell them to someone who needs them."
Isabella rubbed her eyes, her expression playful as if she was questioning whether this was a dream.
Her cute reaction drew a chuckle from John, "Come on, you're not that surprised, are you? It's just two pieces of gear, after all." ๐ทโฏ๐ญ๐ทโด๐๐ฎ๐ต.๐ธโด๐ถ
"Just two pieces of gear?" Isabella felt as though her worldview had been shattered, and she exclaimed, "Boss, do you know what legendary gear means? It's the top-tier equipment, second only to divine-level! At least for now, I haven't heard of any legendary gear in the entire server."
John laughed, "That must be because those who got the legendary gear are keeping them for their own use, right?"
Isabella shook her head resolutely, "No, I believe it's more likely that current players simply aren't capable of obtaining such high-level gear. Of course, except for you, Boss!"
John raised an eyebrow, "What makes you so sure?"
Isabella was at a loss for words, "Boss, don't you know that such high-level gear is listed on the Equipment Rankings?"
John suddenly realized.
Ever since he hid his own level, he had not been paying attention to the various leaderboards in Godslayer.
There was something like an Equipment Rankings?
With a thought, he commanded the system to pull up the Equipment Rankings.
Sure enough, he found the two pieces of equipment in his hands currently ranked first and second.
[1st in Equipment Rankings: Serpent King's Blade (Legendary), Level: 200, Owner: Anonymous Player]
[2nd in Equipment Rankings: Medusa's Tears (Legendary), Level: 200, Owner: Anonymous Player]
[3rd in Equipment Rankings: Sword of Damocles (Epic), Level: 80, Owner:...]
...
Aside from the two pieces of equipment that John just revealed, which were top of the rankings, there were no other legendary pieces on the Equipment Rankings.
Not even epic equipment, of which only nine pieces existed, ranked from the third to the eleventh on the list.
Everything that followed was a sea of blue rare gear.
John stroked his chin thoughtfully, "No wonder Blue Sea seemed a little on edge when I revealed these pieces. Turns out, this is the first legendary equipment to be found in the whole server."
Isabella nodded eagerly, "Exactly, the value of these two items is immeasurable and they have such good stats. It's a pity to sell them."
John shook his head, "But they're of no use to me. Better to sell them."
Isabella was speechless.
She knew the mysterious Galewind before her was incredibly powerful, but she didn't expect him to have such audacity.
To say he'd sell two pieces of such valuable legendary equipment... truly a display of extravagance.
"Boss, are you sure? You really want to auction off these two items?"
John nodded, affirming, "Yes, as for the auction house's cut, we can stick to the previous rate."
Isabella immediately lit up.
Although the value of these two pieces wasn't entirely clear yet, she was confident they would fetch a fortune at auction.
That would mean the auction house's cut would be a staggering amount.
And so would her commission.
It was almost like hitting the jackpot overnight!
In her excitement, Isabella threw caution to the wind and threw her arms around John in a tight hug.
"Thank you, Boss, for your generosity. I feel one step closer to financial freedom!"
Caught off guard by Isabella's sudden enthusiasm, John took a moment to react.
He was left reminiscing the softness of the embrace, and rubbed his chin, "You sneaky girl, ambushing me like that. But I won't mind more benefits like this in the future."
Isabella's face turned beet-red, looking as tempting as a red apple.
She quickly began to register the two legendary items, trying to distract herself from the chaos of her emotions.
Unbeknownst to John in the auction house, the outside world was in an uproar over the two legendary pieces of equipment.
He rarely paid attention to the various system leaderboards, but most players did care about this official information.
Hence, when the two legendary pieces of equipment topped the Equipment Rankings, they caused quite a stir.
"Holy cow, what's happening? Am I seeing things? Why are there two legendary pieces of equipment in the Equipment Rankings?"
"Medusa's Tears? Serpent King's Blade? Feels like they came from the same boss."
"Who's the godlike player who did this?"
"I don't know, but 'Anonymous Player' sounds familiar."
"Isn't that the name of the top player in the Level Rankings?"
"Maybe, but not necessarily. Any player who hides their name is listed as 'Anonymous Player' on the rankings."
"But honestly, even though that Anonymous player has hidden his level, he's still ranked first on the Level Rankings, which proves his power," someone added. "Those two legendary pieces might just be his."
The forums were in chaos, as were the major pubs in all the newbie towns.
After all, the game had just started and legendary equipment was rare as hen's teeth.
So, the appearance of two even higher-grade pieces of legendary equipment was earth-shattering news.
Inside the Silverglow pub, amidst the bubbling chatter, a human mage opened up the Equipment Rankings again.
Suddenly, his drink dropped from his hands and shattered on the floor, splashing beer all over a heavily-armored warrior nearby.
The warrior, known for his hot temper, was about to burst out in anger when the mage stuttered, "Holy crap, check the Equipment Rankings. The owners of the two legendary pieces have become unowned!"
At first, no one believed him. "How could this happen? Can such high-grade gear be lost?"
But after checking the rankings themselves, they found the two top legendary pieces had indeed become unowned.
"What's going on here?"
"Did this boss get ambushed, and his gear stolen?"
"How is that possible? Could such high-level players be ambushed? Think before you speak!"
"Well, you never know. After all, four hands can do more than two. What if he was ambushed by a group?"
"I think it's more likely that the boss has decided to auction the gear," a rogue class player speculated. "As we all know, when gear is consigned to the auction house, the owner becomes unowned!"
This statement was immediately met with disdain. "That's even more unlikely. Who would be willing to auction off such gear?"
The rogue held his ground, "Why not? What if the gear doesn't match the boss's class?"
This argument struck a chord, and for a moment everyone was stunned.
After a brief pause, they rushed out of the pub, heading straight for the only auction house in Silverglow - the Dawn Breeze Auction House!
This scene was playing out in every newbie town.
After all, there were plenty of players who came to this conclusion.
Every player in each town was hoping they could see the two legendary pieces at the auction house in their town.
Although they knew they couldn't afford them, it would be good to at least see them.
Before the players could reach the auction house, Silverglow's Dawn Breeze Auction House announced in the world channel:
[Dawn Breeze Auction House: Our house will be hosting a new auction in three days. We will be auctioning the world's only two pieces of legendary equipment. The auction will be held in Auction Hall #1 at Silverglow's Dawn Breeze Auction House. Interested parties, please prepare!]
The announcement was repeated three times, setting the entire world ablaze.
Chapter77-Date with Sophia
The Dawn Breeze Auction House released three public announcements in the world channel, highlighting the gravity of the upcoming auction.
Most players immediately guessed the reason.
The two recently ownerless legendary equip were undoubtedly consigned to the Dawn Breeze Auction House and were very likely to appear in this auction.
"Let's go to Silverglow!"
"We have to see those legendary equip."
"That anonymous big shot is really generous to auction off such high-level gear."
"Who has an invitation to the Dawn Breeze Auction House? I'll pay a high price for it."
In an instant, the entire Godslayer was in an uproar.
Inside a private room of a small tavern in Silverglow, Darklord was living it up with a woman on each arm, listening to the reports of his rookies.
"Darklord, our guild's top players are all going to out of dungeon tomorrow, so we can continue to carry you leveling up," a rooky reported, occasionally sneaking peeks at the two voluptuous beauties by Darklord's side.
The women with sultry eyes allowed Darklord's wandering hands to roam freely inside their clothing.
They were both D-list models who had fallen to the allure of Darklord's wealth and eventually became members of his guild.
But they were more playthings to Darklord than guild members.
"Good, once I level up, I'll make sure that bastard Galewind pays the price!" Darklord's face darkened at the mention of Galewind. He couldn't help but grind his teeth in anger.
He paused, then suddenly asked, "What's the status of the investigation into Galewind's current situation?"
The rooky's face turned awkward.
He nodded and said hesitantly, "Darklord, we couldn't find any specific information about Galewind's whereabouts. He seldom interacts with the outside world, and we don't know where he's leveling up."
Darklord was instantly engulfed in rage and cursed, "Useless! You lot are absolutely useless! I'm paying you all so much and you can't even find the person I want!"
The rooky didn't dare to lift his head, feeling resentful.
Truth be told, tracking someone in the Godslayer world was virtually impossible, unless you staked out their location day and night.
Because the game simply didn't have a tracking feature.
As Darklord was still fuming, the rooky glanced at the communication channel and suddenly said, "Boss, no need for cursing now, take a look."
Annoyed, Darklord asked, "Look at what?"
The rooky opened his own message channel, "The Dawn Breeze Auction House just made three announcements, it seems to be about the two top-ranked legendary equip on the equipment leaderboard."
"What?" Darklord could no longer sit still.
He pushed away the two women beside him and opened the message channel.
Sure enough, he saw everyone's conjecture.
"These two legendary equip are actually being auctioned off?" Darklord's eyes widened and his breathing became short, "Quick, inform the guild to gather funds. We must at least get one of these legendary equip."
The rooky nervously replied, "That's impossible, Boss. The purchase of The Devil's Corpse last time completely drained the guild's treasury. We've replenished some since, but it's still far from enough to buy a legendary item."
Darklord roared in rage, "Then find a way to raise the funds. I guess gold coins are useless; the final auction will still require cash payment. And since when is cash an issue for me?"
The rooky's face turned increasingly ugly, he cautiously reminded, "Have you forgotten, boss? Last time, to raise funds, you sold off a part of your shares. What can we do this time?"
Darklord waved his hand without hesitation, "Then continue selling. Didn't we not sell all the shares last time? Just sell them off this time. Anyway, I must have this equipment!"
The thought of owning one of the only two legendary equip in the whole server ignited a fire in Darklord's heart.
The last time he obtained The Devil's Corpse, he thought he would become the most powerful player in Godslayer, only to have Galewind disrupt his plans.
Now the opportunity to rise again was right before his eyes, how could he let it slip?
Once he equips the legendary gear, who could be his match when everyone else is at a similar level?
Then, those so-called top ten guild leaders and top players globally, all of them will be under his feet.
The more Darklord thought about it, the more excited he got, completely unaware that his rooky's face had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"What are you still waiting for, hurry up and arrange the sale of the shares."
The rooky sighed quietly.
Suddenly, he felt that his future following such a boss was bleak.
...
In Silverglow, inside the Dawn Breeze Auction House.
John handed over the two legendary equip to Isabella, then prepared to log out for a rest.
He was completely unaware of the storm he had stirred up in the outside world.
Therefore, he had no idea what kind of bloody war his two legendary equip would incite.
Before he could log out, a notification from the communication channel suddenly rang out.
Blue Sea: Galewind bro, did you put up the two legendary equip you got for auction?
John: Yeah, they're no use to me.
Blue Sea: ...Boy, you really don't realize how valuable these pieces of equipment are, do you? They're the only two legendary equip that have ever dropped.
John: So what? If I can't use it, it's trash no matter how valuable it is.
Blue Sea: ...
Blue Sea seemed particularly speechless at the moment.
John: I asked you before if you wanted them, and you didn't.
Blue Sea: They were your spoils of war, I couldn't just take them. But since they're on the auction, I'll have a shot at getting them.
John: ...Aren't you making things unnecessarily complicated? If you had said so, I would've sold them to you directly.
Blue Sea: Hahaha, I appreciate your good intentions, Galewind bro.
John: I'm going to log out and rest now. See you at the auction.
Blue Sea: Alright, see you then.
Upon logging out, John stood up from his Chamber.
He stretched leisurely, enjoying the cracking sounds of his bones.
To his surprise, after such a long gaming session, he didn't feel tired at all.
Closing his eyes, he felt the mysterious energy flowing within his body.
A flash of confusion appeared in John's eyes.
Was the energy stronger than before?
It seemed that the more he explored in the world of Godslayer, the quicker his real-world body would awaken.
John checked his phone, all the messages were from Emma.
Apparently, she had not only messaged him in the game but also missed him enough to reach out before he had even started playing.
John smiled to himself.
Just as he was about to put his phone away, it buzzed again. ๐ท๐ฎ๐น๐โด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐.๐ฌ๐ธ๐
This time, it was from Sophia, the beautiful saleswoman.
Sophia: What are you up to? Are you in the game?
John replied: Just left the game, what's up?
Sophia's message came back quickly: Nothing much, just got off work and feeling a bit bored. Do you want to grab dinner and watch a movie?
John: Sure, and what after the movie? (grinning)
Sophia: Stop it! After dinner and a movie, of course, we go our separate ways.
John: Oh, then I'm not going.
Sophia: ...You're bad! Let's just have dinner and watch a movie first, okay?
John smirked slightly, freshened up, and stepped out of his apartment in the glow of the setting sun.
They agreed to meet at the mall.
From a distance, John spotted a slim figure standing at the mall entrance.
Sophia's figure was beautifully outlined in a black professional dress.
Her breasts were perky, almost popping the buttons off her white blouse.
John walked up quickly and greeted her with a teasing smile, "I spotted a beautiful woman from far away and was about to hit on her when I realized she looked familiar. How's that for a coincidence?"
Sophia playfully rolled her eyes and complained, "Johnny, you're such a busy man. You haven't thought to contact me for such a long time."
John immediately scratched his nose in embarrassment, "Well, things have been hectic lately. Between moving houses and helping friends explore dungeons in the game, I've been swamped."
Sophia broke into a smile, her delicate features like a blooming orchid in a quiet valley, "I know you've been busy, which is why I didn't dare to bother you. I just got incredibly bored today."
John promptly raised his hand in assurance, "No worries, feel free to reach out whenever you're bored. I'm at your beck and call."
They walked side by side into the mall, first grabbing hot pot for dinner, then heading to the movie theatre.
Intentionally or not, Sophia, after careful consideration, chose a newly released romance film.
Sitting in the dimly lit cinema box, John found his nose teased by the faint scent of Sophia's perfume.
He paid no attention to the actual content of the movie.
He never really took an interest in these romance films.
The plots were always too melodramatic, with the love stories of the main characters full of twists and turns.
He couldn't comprehend how the screenwriters' minds worked.
Chapter78-Midnight Passion
However, it wasn't long before John was captivated by the film.
On the screen, the male and female leads were passionately kissing, with their clothes disappearing piece by piece.
"Well, this plot is quite something," John whispered in Sophia's ear, teasing her with a grin, "Did you pick this movie on purpose?"
John's hot breath made Sophia blush instantly.
The seductive scenes on the screen didn't help either.
Sophia started to tremble slightly, her gaze becoming more and more blurry.
John, who was enjoying the movie, suddenly noticed something amiss.
Looking down, he saw a soft, delicate hand resting on his thigh, subtly rubbing and moving upwards...
A smirk appeared on John's face.
He reached out and grabbed the mischievous hand, "What's going on? Getting a bit worked up, are we?"
Sophia didn't reply, but her flirtatious eyes said it all.
She moved closer to John, their bodies pressing against each other.
She leaned into his ear, her breath as sweet as orchids, "Let's go to your place..."
Taken aback, John responded, "But we haven't finished the movie."
"I don't care!"
Like a pair of lovers stealing a secret moment, they quietly rose from their seats and left the theater box, leaving the other audience members with puzzled expressions.
...
At John's place.
The front door was swung open hastily, and before John even had a chance to close it, the hot and eager body was already pressed against him.
The heavy panting was as intoxicating as opium, impossible to resist.
"Hold on, let me close the door..."
Before John could finish his sentence, his mouth was sealed with a soft kiss.
A gentle scent filled his nostrils, and waves of sensation surged through him.
A spark ignited in John's lower belly, shooting straight into his mind.
He could no longer suppress his body's instincts.
His arms tightly encircled Sophia's waist, with his palms naturally moving downwards until they rested on Sophia's curvaceous backside.
"Phew...it's even better than a few days ago..." John gasped out, teasing her.
Her response was a sultry purr, like a cat in heat.
John's hands didn't stop exploring, they continued to roam over Sophia's smooth, creamy, and slender legs.
Their lips remained entwined, each clash of their tongues sending shockwaves through their last coherent thoughts, until all thought ceased and their primal urges took over.
John's hands, which were wandering over Sophia's legs, suddenly jerked upwards, bypassing her skirt and clutching at her firm backside.
Sophia let out a soft gasp, like alcohol thrown into a fire, instantly igniting John's desires.
He fervently began to tear at the girl's clothes in his arms, his hands exploring her as if uncovering a hidden paradise.
Meanwhile, he was becoming increasingly aroused, his manhood hardening and pressing firmly against Sophia's lower belly.
Although they were still dressed, the flames of their passion were rapidly escalating.
Sophia's face was a beautiful apple-red, a mix of desire and shyness.
She glanced downwards, her eyes a mix of surprise and shyness.
Even though they had been intimate before, she was still astonished at the sight of John's manhood.
Its size... Its hardness... It was the ultimate toy that no woman could resist!
Sophia's soft, fair hand reached out to touch him, her fingers gently circling him through his clothes.
Each tease was a direct assault on John's senses.
John couldn't hold back any longer.
With a growl, he scooped up the gorgeous woman and kicked open the door to his bedroom.
On the bed, John straddled Sophia's curvaceous body, his hands constantly moving, her clothes disappearing piece by piece.
He tugged off her jacket and threw it aside, then began to unbutton her white blouse.
And then, with a sudden swoosh, her ample bosom sprung free.
Atop the majestic mountains, two grapes stood proudly, gently swaying with the tremble of the peaks.
The sight was visually staggering.
"You little tease... not even wearing underwear?"
John's eyes widened, bloodshot from shock.
He felt like he was witnessing the most wonderful painting in existence.
Sophia, with her seductive eyes, giggled and licked her lips, "Actually, I was wearing them earlier, but I took them off and put them in my bag before our date tonight."
John was dumbfounded. What man could resist such a test?
Without hesitation, he leaned in to taste the feast in front of him. ๐๐๐๐ง๐ผ๐๐๐ฅ๏ผ๐ฐ๐จ๐บ
One tantalizing grape was drawn into his mouth while the other was kneaded between his fingers.
The faint sweet taste left John barely capable of coherent thought.
Under his tease, Sophia was gradually becoming unable to bear it.
Her pretty face flushed, her hands fervently tearing at John's clothes, and soft moans escaped from her parted lips.
John's clothes, too, began to disappear one by one, until he was completely naked.
His manhood stood tall, like a dragon rising from the water, pressed just between Sophia's majestic peaks.
The woman, now in the throes of desire, had completely forgotten her usual shyness.
Her hands firmly gripped John's shaft, stroking it up and down.
"Ah~" John hissed.
This sensory stimulation was akin to a nuclear explosion.
He thrust his hips, and his manhood slid right through Sophia's cleavage, reaching up to her chin.
Sophia, with half-closed eyes, opened them wide, looking down with a mix of lustful curiosity.
John's voice was a little hoarse as he gritted out, "I showered before I came out. I'm clean!" Sophia instantly understood, her smile radiating seduction.
She bent her head and opened her small mouth, taking in the sensitive head of his manhood, then began to gently bob her head...
John's head tilted back, the warmth below washing over him like waves, vigorously crashing against his senses.
This sensation was intoxicating.
After a moment, Sophia stopped her actions.
Her face was flushed as she spat out, "Yuck, it doesn't taste good at all."
John laughed, but before he could respond, he was pushed onto the bed by Sophia.
With her seductive eyes, Sophia herself pulled off her tiny undergarment.
Her hands guided the exaggeratedly large manhood, aimed it at the right spot, and without hesitation, sat down.
"Squelch~" The dull sound began to establish a rhythm.
The collision of flesh against flesh composed the most enchanting and beautiful sound in the world.
Mixed within the cacophony were the moans of a woman and the deep breaths of a man.
John was half-lying on the bed, looking at Sophia straddling him.
His eyes were narrowed in pure bliss โ a word that could hardly encapsulate his current feelings.
What an astonishing picture it was!
Sophia's two plump bunnies bounced in time with her movements.
Her cascading hair intermingled with her naked porcelain skin, a sight that was both tantalizing and surprisingly dignified.
"Ah~ hmm~... darling... take me... harder..."
"Baby... I want to merge into you..."
"Amazing... I love you so much..."
Sophia was losing herself, her coherency breaking down into incoherent fragments amidst the pleasure.
Perhaps the position was a bit tiring, Sophia's movements gradually slowed until John took over the pace.
After enduring this for more than ten minutes, John abruptly sat up.
Holding Sophia's limp, tender body in his arms, he said with a mischievous smile, "Got any energy left? Let's switch positions."
Sophia managed to open her beautiful eyes and pouted, "Johnny, you're too good... I'm completely spent..."
John patted her butt, flipping her over and assuming the doggy position.
His hands grasped Sophia's delicate waist, each impact between her round buttocks and his abdomen creating a wave.
This visual stimulation was the greatest visual enjoyment.
In the fire of passion, waves of climax left Sophia thoroughly dazed, and her moans eventually turned into melodious chants.
After what felt like an eternity, John let out a low roar as they simultaneously peaked.
Their naked bodies clung to each other, falling onto the soft bed.
Sophia, like an octopus, clung to John.
Her face was flushed from the lingering high, and she murmured, "You're too much, making me lose myself every time."
John laughed, holding the beautiful woman in his arms.
"I have bad news... I got too excited and came inside."
Chapter79-Suddenly Busy in Silverglow
"You dare to say that?" Sophia glared at John, "Hmph! You only think about your own pleasure."
"I just don't like condoms. They affect my performance," John explained somewhat awkwardly, rubbing his nose. "So, I never keep them around."
Sophia turned her head, looking satisfied. "Don't worry, I'm in my safe period."
Hearing that, John chuckled, "Is that so... then let's continue."
Looking down, Sophia noticed that the previously flaccid manhood was again standing proudly.
Before she could let out a gasp, his strong body was already pressing down on her.
The room once again filled with boundless spring light.
The next day.
Sophia, lying in the master bedroom's bed, opened her eyes, feeling a soreness in her body as if it wasn't her own.
She peeled back the sheets that covered her.
Her body was covered in the marks of last night's heated encounters.
As her mind gradually regained clarity, the memories from last night came flooding back.
Sitting up on the bed, Sophia blushed inexplicably.
Good heavens, what exactly had she been doing last night?
The thought of the wanton night made her body heat up.
She was usually quite prim and proper, so why had she acted like a nymphomaniac last night?
Sophia was puzzled but thinking about John's handsome face and muscular body, she couldn't help but respond instinctively.
What a seductive man.
Unfortunately, such a man wasn't hers alone.
Sophia sighed but suddenly, she had a strange thought.
Given this man's prowess, she alone might not be able to handle him.
After all, by the end of last night, she had almost gone numb.
Even now, her body was still somewhat sore...
Maybe it would be best to find a few more women to share his vigor.
Sophia shook her head, blushing at her own idea.
Just then, John walked in, "Awake yet? Let's have breakfast."
Looking up, he saw Sophia sitting on the bed, the upper half of her bare body displayed openly.
The woman seemed lost in thought, a dreamy look on her face.
John's interest was piqued, "What's up? Still not enough from last night? Want to go for another round?"
Sophia snapped back to reality and quickly wrapped herself up in the sheets, "No way, you'll wear me out!"
John chuckled and joked, "You're not so easy to wear out. Wasn't I the one doing all the work last night? What's that saying, 'there is no such thing as a bad land, only a tired ox '?"
Sophia buried her head into the quilt, her muffled voice saying, "Johnny, you're too much. I admit defeat, okay?"
John laughed out loud, "As long as you know I'm tough. I won't tease you anymore, let's eat."
Sophia got dressed and tidied up her hair and makeup.
When she finally left the bedroom, she found the dining table covered with food - all light and delicious breakfast to soothe the stomach.
Sophia's eyes widened in surprise, "Wow, Johnny, did you make all of this?"
John nodded, "Even though it's already noon, you just woke up. I figured you wouldn't be able to handle anything too greasy. Let's have some light breakfast to settle the stomach."
Sophia sat at the dining table and took a taste.
The food was surprisingly delicious.
She mumbled her praises while eating, "You're incredible. I can't believe a perfect man like you will end up with just any girl."
John laughed, "That's why you have to work hard to be the one."
Sophia snorted, "Dream on. With all the women around you, when would it be my turn?"
"I better finish up and get to work. I missed the morning shift, they're going to dock my pay again."
John chuckled, "Don't worry, I've already asked for half-day leave for you. I know your boss, they won't dock your pay."
Sophia relaxed.
After breakfast, John dropped Sophia off at her workplace and then returned home to continue his adventure in the Godslayer.
He climbed into the chamber and initiated the neural link.
"Welcome back, the world of Godslayer is pleased to meet you again," the system prompted.
As the message ended, the scenery before John abruptly switched. ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐๏ผ๐๐๐ฎ
He found himself in Silverglow once again.
As soon as he entered the game, his communication channel was bombarded with various messages.
A small portion of these were invitations to join teams or guilds.
Since he had left the game in Silverglow, his name would appear in the list of solo players in the safe zone.
John had hidden his level, class, and a series of personal identity information.
All that others could see was his name.
However, as Godslayer was gradually moving past its public test phase and into a period of rapid development, all the major guilds were recruiting to strengthen their forces.
Some smaller solo player teams would temporarily invite strangers to join them on quests.
These people would look for targets in the list of solo players.
In addition to these messages, the majority of the messages were from familiar names, including Blue Sea and Isabella.
Blue Sea had sent only one message: "Brother Galewind, thank you for your help. Our guild has successfully upgraded to a level 4 guild."
After pondering for a moment, John replied with a simple "Congrats."
Isabella's messages were more numerous, primarily coordinating auction times and invitations.
Because John had put 1 legendary items and 2 equip up for auction, Isabella had specifically requested an advanced VIP status for him from Master Leon.
Now, John was a top-tier VIP customer at the Dawn Breeze Auction House.
On his way to the Dawn Breeze Auction House, John was surprised to find that the number of players in Silverglow seemed to have increased overnight.
The previously spacious main roads of the city were somewhat congested.
These newly-arrived players were of various races.
John even spotted some Demon players in the crowd, which was quite rare.
Silverglow is located in the east of the Northern Myst Empire and is considered human territory.
The majority of players here are humans, or races allied with the human faction such as elves and dwarves.
Demon players, belonging to an evil faction, rarely venture here as their faction is in conflict with the human faction and they are not protected by the town's NPCs.
Instead, they face various restrictions.
For some reason, these Demon players had appeared here this time.
Until now, John had no idea how much of a sensation the two legendary equip he had put up for auction had caused.
Only when he overheard players' discussions did he gradually realize.
The surge of players and power congregating in Silverglow had been caused by him.
On his way, the topic most discussed by players was the two legendary items he had auctioned.
In addition to this, another frequent topic of discussion among players was the successful promotion of the Blue Sea Guild to a level 4 guild.
"Hey guys, anyone successfully applied to join the Blue Sea Guild?"
"Well, they're a level 4 guild now. We're just small fries; we're not even qualified to join."
"I'm so envious of the guys in the Blue Sea Guild. Being in a level 4 guild, they don't have to worry about being camped at the respawn points by their enemies."
"Not only that, the higher the guild level, the better the benefits, and the faster you can level up."
"But I'm really curious. How did the Blue Sea Guild manage to advance to a level 4 guild in such a short period of time? I heard that the difficulty of promoting to a level 4 guild is extremely high. Even though the Blue Sea Guild is one of the top 10 guilds globally, those ranked higher than them haven't been promoted yet."
"I heard that the Guild Leader of the Blue Sea Guild invited a mysterious big shot who helped them get the most important Lv4 Guild Establishment Order."
John, draped in a black cloak and wearing the most basic newbie gear, walked past this group of players discussing.
Little did they know that the mysterious big shot who had helped the Blue Sea Guild was the "newbie" player who had just walked past them.
When he arrived at the auction house, Isabella, who had received the news, was already waiting at the entrance.
John got straight to the point, "When does the auction start?"
Isabella replied, "At five in the afternoon."
John nodded, "There's still time, I'll come back in the afternoon."
Before he left the Dawn Breeze Auction House, Isabella gave him two things.
They were two card-like gold-stamped items.
One was a VIP card, and the other was an invitation to the auction in the evening.
Only players who had an invitation were eligible to enter the auction venue.
John left the auction house and then sent a message to Emma, "Where are you?"
Emma responded almost instantly, indicating she was also online in the game, "Johnny, I'm fishing..."
John was rendered speechless.
This girl was on her way to becoming a fishing enthusiast in Godslayer.
John originally wanted to visit Emma, but he really had no interest in fishing.
If that's the case, he might as well take care of some errands...
John opened his backpack and looked at the white snake egg inside.
He had originally planned to auction this egg as well.
But at the last minute, he decided to keep this giant egg from Queen Medusa.
Chapter80-The Hunt of Darklord
The reason John kept the queen Medusa's egg wasn't because he needed a pet for assistance in battles, but because he suddenly thought of something...
The ultimate development of Godslayer would likely involve a final showdown between the camps of righteousness and evil.
Despite having received The Devil's inheritance, John essentially still belonged to the race of human players.
In case of large-scale battles between the two factions in the later stages, he needed to gain more information about the enemy.
If the queen Medusa inside the egg could be hatched, it would serve as an excellent source of information.
Being an undead boss of the abyss, it was undoubtedly more capable than John himself.
However, the hatching conditions for the queen Medusa were quite stringent.
Abyssal Mire, which John couldn't access at present, since the game had not yet opened the entrance to the abyss.
He guessed that it might become accessible only after several updates.
The other condition was to collect the essence blood of seven snake-type undead lords.
Coincidentally, if John remembered correctly, there was a mini secret realm near Silverglow where a snake-type boss, which happened to be of the undead lord level, slumbered.
Wasn't this like a pillow arriving just as sleepiness took hold?
John rented a horse as his mount and galloped out of the city gate.
He brushed past two warrior players whose eyes suddenly lit up upon seeing him.
Once John was out of sight, one of them whispered to his companion, "Wait a minute, isn't that Galewind, the one our boss asked us to find?"
His companion nodded, "Indeed, he looks a lot like the man in the photo."
"Let's go, we have to report back to the boss quickly, we've found Galewind's tracks."
"And you?"
"Of course, I have to follow him, otherwise, what if he escapes again?"
The two men split up, and the first warrior player summoned his mount and started chasing John.
His companion galloped back to the guild headquarters at full speed.
Unaware of the ripples he had caused, John, after leaving the city, galloped northward.
Initially, there were quite a few tents along the road, set up by those bustling around Silverglow's Dawn Breeze Auction House.
However, as John moved further north, the number of players gradually thinned.
Upon entering the grassland, there were only a few lone players looking for low-level monsters to level up.
While on the move, John suddenly furrowed his eyebrows - it seemed like he had a tail following him.
Sitting on his horseback, he slowed down and glanced back from the corner of his eye.
Indeed, the figure on the horse in the distance had also slowed down.
So, he was really coming for him?
John was slightly taken aback.
He didn't know whether it was someone from the Wolf Guild or Darklord Guild, but whoever it was, they weren't here with good intentions.
So, John turned his horse around and dashed into a valley.
Upon seeing John disappear from his line of sight, the warrior player who was following him grew anxious and hurriedly chased after him.
As soon as he entered the valley, he saw John standing beside his mount, watching him expressionlessly.
"You've been tailing me for a while now, anything you want?"
The warrior player, recovering quickly, put on a casual smile and replied, "Brother, I think you misunderstood. I'm not tailing you."
John scoffed and pointed above his head, "Next time you lie, remember to hide your guild name first."
The name over the warrior player's head read clearly: "Darklord Guild โ EverFlow".
Unable to conceal his identity, EverFlow instantly put on a new face.
He spat out maliciously, "That's right, I'm part of the Darklord Guild. Our guild leader has been looking for you. You thought you could cross the Darklord and then just hide?"
John was somewhat speechless, he shook his head and said, "The lot of you from your guild, top to bottom, are just a bunch of idiots. Is this what they mean when they say, 'a foolish leader only raises foolish subordinates'?"
EverFlow was instantly furious, and barked out, "How dare you insult our guild! You're just asking for it, punk!"
John was directly amused by the player's stupidity.
He casually strolled towards EverFlow, muttering, "I shouldn't have bothered talking to an idiot like you. Didn't your guild leader, Darklord, tell you to run when you see me?"
EverFlow tried to retort, but found John waving at him dismissively, as if swatting a fly.
The next moment, he blacked out.
[You have been slain by Galewind!] ๐๐ฒ๐๐ง๐ผ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๏ผ๐๐จ๐บ
When he came to, he found himself back at the respawn pool in Silverglow.
"Was I just one-shot?"
EverFlow stood at the entrance of the pool, disbelief written all over his face.
His strength wasn't the top tier in the guild, but he was far from the weakest.
Approaching the level 50 and equipped with decent gear, he found it inconceivable that he had been taken out in one strike.
He scratched his head, baffled.
The scariest part was that he didn't even see how Galewind attacked.
Could their guild even handle such a formidable player?
A shiver of fear ran down EverFlow's spine.
He dashed towards the guild's headquarters, intent on convincing the guild leader to drop the grudge against such a formidable foe.
However, when he returned to the guild, he was taken aback.
Darklord had dispatched most of the guild's top players, led by the guild's ace, SoulSong, on a mission to take down Galewind.
If it weren't for the imminent auction, Darklord might have even joined them himself, such was his enmity towards John.
"EverFlow? How are you back so soon? Did you lose Galewind?"
Seeing EverFlow rush into the guild headquarters, Darklord, who was busy raising funds, frowned.
He had been on the brink of revenge, and losing Galewind's trail now would mean not knowing when he might get another chance.
EverFlow, with fear written all over his face, shook his head, "Boss, Galewind found me."
"And then? He shook you off? So, you did lose him, didn't you?" Darklord roared in fury.
"Worthless! The guild has spent so much money on you lot, and you can't even track someone!"
EverFlow shook his head again, looking even more terrified, "Not lost, boss. I was one-shot by him!"
"What? One-shot?!" Darklord's expression of rage froze on his face.
"Boss, should we really be making an enemy of such a fearsome player?"
EverFlow said, still terrified.
"You didn't see it, that guy is just...inhuman. I didn't even see how he attacked."
Darklord, clearly impatient, snapped, "That's because you're useless, not a pro at all! Galewind has been suppressed by me ever since he joined the game. He ruined my plans last time, and I've sworn revenge. SoulSong, who knows him best, is leading the hunt this time. There's no way he'll escape!"
Although surprised by John's strength, Darklord didn't worry too much.
"Alright, our primary task now is to secure those two legendary equip at the auction. SoulSong can handle tracking Galewind."
...
In the Great Northern Plains, an unknown small valley.
John slowly retracted his hand, a fleeting spark at his fingertips.
"These insignificant bugs dare to track me alone? Seems they value gold over life." John shook his head in resignation, turning to continue towards his destination.
Not long after he left, a group of people arrived in haste.
"Is this where EverFlow was last killed?" SoulSong looked around, then his eyes brightened slightly.
He spotted EverFlow's steed, wandering aimlessly, munching on grass due to the death of its owner.
After ordering his men to bring the horse back, SoulSong fell into silence.
He had already heard through the communication channel about EverFlow being one-shot and resurrecting back, which made him even more alert.
Darklord's judgment was clouded by his burning desire for revenge against Galewind, but SoulSong remained cool-headed.
He had never underestimated Galewind, his former friend, fully aware of his formidable strength.
At the very inception of the game "Godslayer", Darklord had exploited a significant amount of resources to undercut Galewind.
Any other player would have had to delete their account and start over, but Galewind, against all odds, fought back from the abyss.
SoulSong had to admit to himself, he probably couldn't have done the same.
"Captain, we've lost the enemy's tracks. What do we do next?" The voice of a guild member interrupted SoulSong's thoughts.
SoulSong thought for a moment, then responded, "Since Galewind left from here, there's a good chance he'll pass through here again on his way back to Silverglow."
"We'll wait here, notify everyone to prepare for battle!" As a former guild leader, SoulSong naturally knew how to manage a team in a large-scale fight.
He quickly spread his group out, setting up an ambush in the valley.
Meanwhile, John had arrived at his destination.
[You have entered Dark Cavern]
Looking at the bottomless cavern in front of him, John mused, "These serpents really do act like their real-life counterparts, always favoring these dark and damp caves."
He took a leap of faith and plunged into the cavern.
Chapter81-Yggdrasil, the Abyss Serpent
The Dark Cavern was a high-level area that had not yet been explored.
To get here, one had to pass through many boss territories, which is why no players had been here before.
Had John not intentionally released a trace of his aura to intimidate the minor bosses along the way, he wouldn't have been able to arrive here unimpeded.
The inside of the Dark Cavern wasn't like the realm of the Medusa Queen, marked by long underground passages.
After jumping into the cavern, John found himself in a vast space filled with a death-representing black gas, its stench almost making him want to throw up.
John casually cast a purification spell on himself.
It was strange, considering he was the inheritor of The Devil.
But he had naturally learned such a holy-light minor spell during his time leveling up in the Godslayer Temple.
In fact, John had mastery over more than just holy-light skills.
He knew a couple of skills from various classes.
He guessed it might have something to do with The Devil Azazel.
The cavern was pitch dark, devoid of any light.
But that wasn't a problem for John.
He promptly activated his Eye of Artemis.
[Eye of Artemis (Divine Talent): You are blessed by the moon god and possess the Eye of Artemis. With this talent, you can gaze directly into the darkness and abyss, seeing through all illusions. You can discern the truth of any matter and have many mysterious abilities. With this talent, you can stare straight at gods.]
Using this divine talent, which could see through all illusions, to navigate in the dark, felt like using a cannon to kill a mosquito.
But John was able to see the entire cavern clearly.
The ground was littered with rotting flesh and dry bones.
Oddly shaped plants rooted themselves within these remains.
Small groups of undead monsters roamed aimlessly.
These monsters had the bodies of men, but the heads of snakes, covered in scales.
Their appearance was far from pleasing to the human eye.
"Jeez, these things are just abstract art." John rolled his eyes and looked away.
The appearance of these small monsters was somewhat offensive to his sight.
But evidently, John's arrival had drawn the attention of these snake-headed beasts.
They sniffed the air, catching the scent of a living human, and began to converge on John.
Although John had concealed his aura, these snake-headed beasts seemed to share abilities with real-world snakes.
Their forked tongues, flicking out of their mouths, were clearly equipped with infrared-like detection.
So, they were rushing in to meet their maker?
John chuckled coldly. The Eye of Artemis had already analyzed the basic information about these creatures.
[Underworld Serpent Minion (Elite Level)]
[Level: 145]
[Race: Undead]
[Attributes: ...]
Were these level 145 elite minions?
John was surprised, but only for a moment.
As the underworld serpent minions gathered and prepared to attack, John simply lifted his hand and swept it through the air.
A blue wave of light emanated from his hand.
Just like a sweeping autumn wind clearing fallen leaves, the moving Underworld Serpent Minions all froze in place.
The next second, they dissipated into puffs of green smoke.
[Ocean Fury (Divine skill) (Level 8): You've been observed by Poseidon, the Ocean God, and received his favor, enabling you to briefly wield the authority of the ocean, unleashing a godlike surge of energy that deals true, indiscriminate damage to enemies within a 3000-yard radius. Damage value: 100,000.]
If Blue Sea saw the skill John just used, he'd probably faint on the spot.
This was the divine skill that all sea mages dream of.
Although every water mage takes a different skill path, they ultimately converge on the favor of the Ocean God.
They have been given magical powers by worshiping the Ocean God.
But John gained this skill merely through awakening amidst repeated death experiences.
With a single Ocean Fury, he instantly cleared all the elite-level minions in this space.
There was no ripple in John's eyes, as calm as a placid lake.
Killing these over-100-level elite minions held no sense of accomplishment for him.
His gaze turned to the deepest part of the cavern.
There was a deeper darkness there, as if leading straight to the heart of the earth.
Just then, dark smoke began to roll at the entrance.
The heavy panting sound got louder and louder.
John raised an eyebrow.
There seemed to be more than one source of that breathing.
As he wondered, a huge figure that blocked out the sky shot out from the swirling darkness.
"I smell the nauseating scent of those godly creatures."
"It must be that old man, the Ocean God's energy. There's too much moisture in the air; it's making me uncomfortable."
"How peculiar it is that the Ocean God would come to the mortal world."
"This divine power isn't pure; it must just be one of his believers..."
"How dare an insignificant being like you disturb the rest of the great Abyss Lord?"
...
Three piercing voices rang out, deafening.
John looked up.
A massive python at least 50 meters long was coiled around the entrance.
Its body was covered with black scales, with tumorous growths resembling human heads.
What surprised John the most was that this python had three heads, each sporting a sharp, single horn.
Even in the darkness, one could feel the dreadful aura emanating from this creature.
The conversation just now was between the three heads.
John, expressionless, activated his Eye of Artemis to look:
[Abyssal Serpent Yggdrasil (Lord-level boss): From the unknown depths of the abyss...]
[Level: 220]
[Race: Undead]
[Attributes: โฆ]
John was somewhat taken aback.
This level was even higher than Medusa's.
He stroked his chin, considering, "Seems like this fellow's essence blood should be of high enough quality to hatch the Medusa Queen's egg in my bag."
"Lowly creature, your gaze displeases me. How dare you look directly at the great Abyssal Serpent? Are you prepared to meet your death?"
The central head among the three seemed to notice John's gaze and instantly became enraged.
With its roar, the entire space started to tremble violently.
John stood there calmly, expressionless, and retorted, "Great? Just a guard dog daring to call itself great?"
Yggdrasil suddenly fell silent, its six lantern-sized eyes filled with confusion and apprehension.
It was the middle head that broke the silence, "Human, what exactly is your identity? How come you know about my past?"
John raised his eyebrows slightly, appearing utterly nonchalant, "Is your past a great secret? Running away from the Demon's tomb for fear of punishment for your mistakes, hiding here trembling every day. Isn't this common knowledge in the abyss?"
Yggdrasil's anger flared up again, "But you're a human, not a creature of the abyss. How would you know these secrets?"
John suddenly revealed a mysterious smile, his voice faint, "The secrets I know are far more than you could imagine... like what mistake you made..."
Yggdrasil's fury intensified, it roared, "No matter who you are, since you've found my hiding place, I will not let you leave alive!"
"You will die in the fury of the great Abyssal Lord, Yggdrasil! I will skin you, extract your soul, and ensure you'll never escape for eternity!"
John let out a dismissive smile, "You're welcome to try."
Such a contemptuous attitude instantly robbed Yggdrasil of its sanity.
"Kill him! He dares to ignore the wrath of the Abyssal Serpent!" This was the enraged shout from the left head.
The right head quickly echoed, "Yes, we must extract his soul. I want to burn it daily with fire, let him taste the pain worse than death!"
The single horns on each of the three heads started to emit black light.
Black smoke started to surge out from the python's body. ๐๐๐๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ก.๐๐ค๐
The smoke didn't scatter, instead, it gathered and started to churn and burn in the air.
The black flame morphed into a black python head, roaring and lunging at John.
Faced with the furious attack, John reacted as if he hadn't seen it at all.
He didn't even bother to make a move to dodge.
All three of Yggdrasil's snake heads wore teasing smiles.
How could such an insignificant creature be so presumptuous?
To face its full-on attack without even a hint of evasion?
Then the next moment, the expressions on the three snake heads froze.
They saw John, bathed in the serpent's flame, not only was he not melted, he even appeared to be enjoying it!
Chapter82-The Abyss's Secret, Embers of Shadowflame
"This... This can't be possible!"
The Abyss Serpent Yggdrasil was utterly flabbergasted at this moment.
Its limited cognitive capacity was simply insufficient to reason out the cause of the scene before it.
That was the Shadowflame, a flame from the deepest abyss, capable of incinerating souls.
Why couldn't it inflict even the slightest harm on the human standing before it?
"Oh, wondering why I'm completely unscathed?"
John curved the corners of his mouth, sketching out a smirk tinged with mockery.
For the first time, Yggdrasil showed a look of deep concern.
The three serpent heads looked at each other, and the one in the middle tentatively asked,
"Who on earth are you? How can you disregard the damage of the Shadowflame?"
John cocked his head, teasing, "Why don't you take a wild guess?"
That comment left Yggdrasil in a stunned silence.
John's casual demeanor infuriated Yggdrasil.
But it no longer dared to attack John recklessly.
Black flames still encircled John's body, yet completely reined in their explosive energy.
They acted like a docile kitten, playfully circling its owner.
John stretched out his hand, casually stirring through the Shadowflame.
He molded the Shadowflame into a ball, playfully juggling it in his hand.
The sight terrified Yggdrasil and only deepened its incredulity.
"This is impossible! The Shadowflame is the endless fire from the deepest abyss, capable of hurting all races except the royals. Why is it so submissive before you?"
John lifted his hand, treating the Shadowflame as a little toy, tossing it up and down.
Curiously, he said, "Since you've mentioned it, I have a question for you. To my knowledge, only the Demon race can manipulate the energy of the Shadowflame. So, how can you release it?"
Yggdrasil's three snake heads immediately showed an embarrassed expression, and it remained silent for a while.
John already had his answer and snickered, "So, it looks like you turned thief while fleeing from the abyss."
Yggdrasil roared again, "Shut up! What do you take yourself for, daring to disrespect the great abyssal serpent?"
"I only took the Embers of Shadowflame from the abyss. How could the great abyssal serpent stoop to thievery?"
John realized, "No wonder I detected impurities in the Shadowflame. It seems you've been trying to control the Embers of Shadowflame over these endless ages... What a pity. Such a high-level energy is not something a watchdog like you can control. Instead, you've tainted the purity of the Shadowflame."
John's words cut deep, sending Yggdrasil into a frenzied state.
If it weren't for fear of John's true identity, it would have pounced already.
John casually extinguished the flame in his hand and said expressionlessly, "Hand over the Embers of Shadowflame, and I won't kill you today."
Yggdrasil rose tall, its snake tail swept towards John in agitation, "You insignificant bug, you're courting death! The Embers of Shadowflame is not something a puny human like you can covet!"
The snake tail whipped through the air, stirring up gusts of wind.
Any other player, when faced with Yggdrasil's enraged strike, could only choose to dodge or face being flattened on the spot.
But unfortunately for Yggdrasil, the person standing in front of it was John.
John merely extended a hand, leisurely meeting it head-on.
On one side was a snake tail as fast as lightning, with the momentum of a thunderstorm.
On the other was a tardy human.
Logically, the outcome should be lopsided.
But to everyone's surprise, a massive boom echoed...
With a casual palm, John astonishingly blocked Yggdrasil's powerful tail sweep.
All along, he didn't even step back.
Yggdrasil was more enraged, all three heads opening their huge mouths.
A tri-colored energy, red, black, and green, was spewed out directly towards John.
[Trichromatic Glare: the innate ability of the abyssal serpent Yggdrasil. Red signifies flames that burn enemies to ashes, black represents corrosion capable of turning steel to pus, and green signifies deadly poison that could kill with a single touch.]
John, with his Eye of Artemis, had long seen through Yggdrasil's abilities.
Yet, he remained stationary, unwavering and unflinching.
A joke, really - even the Shadowflame couldn't harm him a bit, let alone this Trichromatic Glare!
Indeed, when the smoke cleared, John was unscathed.
Finally, Yggdrasil was entirely out of steam.
There was no way - its proud innate abilities couldn't even break the defense of this diminutive human.
Its mighty physical prowess couldn't compete with this human.
The last resort, Shadowflame, was even obedient to this human's words.
Having exhausted all its tactics, it hadn't even managed to scratch this human's clothing.
"Human, state your true intention. What do you really want?"
John was impassive, casually stating, "I've already said it. Hand over the Embers of Shadowflame."
Yggdrasil snorted heavily, a sound as thunderous as a thunderstorm echoing in the air, "Wishful thinking! Even if I die, I won't hand over the Shadowflame to a human."
John fell silent for a moment, then suddenly broke into a mysterious smile, "What is it that makes you so sure of my identity?"
"?"
All three heads of Yggdrasil simultaneously displayed confused expressions.
John took a deep breath, and said lightly, "In that case, allow me to show you my true identity."
He removed the suppression effect on his aura.
An overwhelming aura, as deep and dark as the abyss itself, silently emerged from his body.
A whirlwind spontaneously rose in the air, growing stronger and stronger.
Gradually, everything on the ground was swept up.
Behind John, a massive phantom slowly emerged.
"This aura... This is... the King's aura?"
Yggdrasil opened its mouth wide, completely dumbstruck on the spot.
The oppressive aura from a superior being made it fall to the ground, not daring to move.
Yet, its three heads simultaneously showed an excited expression, "It turns out you are a minion of the King. The King is indeed still alive. I knew the King wouldn't perish easily in the hands of those petty gods."
Yggdrasil chanted "Long live the King" in its mouth, willingly lowering its formerly proud head.
A strange expression flashed across John's face.
It seems this stupid serpent had misunderstood something.
However, he had no interest in explaining.
He only withdrew his enormous aura, saying indifferently, "Now you know my identity, don't you? Still dare to call me a bug?"
Yggdrasil kept kowtowing, "Since you're a minion of the King, naturally you're of noble status. I was the one who offended you earlier."
John waved his hand, "Quit the nonsense. Hurry up and hand over the Embers of Shadowflame."
All three heads of Yggdrasil simultaneously showed a pained expression, but dared not defy John's order.
They activated their single horn on the top of their heads, flickering with a black mysterious light.
Afterwards, it solidified into a black seed, slowly drifting into John's hand.
John looked down:
[Embers of Shadowflame (Divine Item): A spark naturally condensed from the deepest part of the abyss, a symbol of the Demon race. When equipped, it enables the wielder to control Shadowflame, incinerating everything.]
A rare smile of happiness crossed John's face.
He hadn't expected this at all.
He only came to Yggdrasil for a bit of essence blood, and unexpectedly found this additional surprise.
This wasn't a common item.
Just being a symbol of the Demon race was enough to prove its value.
Not to mention the Shadowflame's innate attack power, which was quite formidable.
John believed that even in the late stages of Godslayer, this item would still be a highly sought-after top-tier treasure, hard to come by.
Equipping the ember, the system attribute changed again:
[Embers of Shadowflame (Divine Item): ...]
[Current Level: One]
[Attributes: Rough control of Shadowflame, can perform single-target attacks or AoE damage. For single-target attacks, deals 30% true physical damage and 35% true magical damage in a single instance. For AoE, deals 15% true physical damage and 20% true magical damage to enemies within 1500 yards.]
[Mana Consumption: None]
[Cooldown: 30 minutes]
John frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with this data.
If other players knew John's thoughts, they'd probably be thinking about knocking him off right there and then.
Such an outrageous ability, and he was still not satisfied?
This was true damage!
That meant all defensive measures were ineffective against the Shadowflame's damage.
John then thought about it, the Shadowflame's current attributes weren't actually that peculiar.
Though the Shadowflame was high-level energy from the abyss, it was currently only level one.
Having such damage effect was already pretty good.
As it levels up, the values should increase.
Chapter83-Valley Ambush, Old Friends Meet
After equipping Shadowflame, John turned his gaze back to Yggdrasil lying on the ground. ๏ฝ๏ฝ ๏ฝ๐๏ฝ๐๐๐.๐๐๏ฝ
His eyes were calm as water, showing no signs of agitation.
Although he didn't speak, John's eyes had already put considerable pressure on Yggdrasil.
Yggdrasil didn't dare to lift its head, and tentatively asked, "Mighty minion of the King, is there anything else that the loyal servant Yggdrasil can do for you?"
John frowned, snorting lightly, "Weren't you just calling yourself the great abyssal serpent? Now you're saying 'great King.' Are you implying you and the King are on equal footing?"
With these words, Yggdrasil's massive body trembled continuously.
All three heads were pressed directly against the ground, not daring to move.
Seeing such a gigantic undead Boss acting so timid, John found it a little amusing for a moment.
Yggdrasil shook its head like a rattle-drum, frantically explaining, "Not at all, not at all. Your Majesty is as noble as the heavens, and I'm merely a loyal servant."
"Whatever you ask of me, I'm willing to give my life for you, Your Majesty."
John chuckled, "Don't worry, I don't plan on taking your life. I just need something else from you."
Yggdrasil quietly breathed a sigh of relief, hastily declaring its loyalty, "Please, speak freely. Anything you need, it's yours."
John stroked his chin, "In that case, I'll have a bit of your essence blood. Not much, a few hundred liters will do."
Yggdrasil had barely caught its breath when it nearly fainted at the words.
It laughed bitterly in response, "Sir, you must be joking. Even if you killed me, you couldn't extract that much essence blood."
Essence blood, in fact, was the fundamental energy of these lord-level bosses, and the basis of their growth.
Normal lord-level bosses would only possess about a hundred liters of essence blood.
John's request for several hundred was just him speaking off the cuff.
Seeing Yggdrasil being so earnest, John waved his hand, "I'm just messing with you. I don't need much, just twenty liters."
Naturally, Yggdrasil was reluctant to give away such a large amount of its essence blood.
That's basically one-fifth of its original energy.
It was about to negotiate when it saw John's eyes, smiling but not smiling.
Yggdrasil immediately shivered, its newfound courage evaporating instantly.
Dejected, it bowed its head, lightly blowing at the center of its chest.
The air was like a blade, cutting through flesh and forcing out a ball of dark red blood. The blood floated in mid-air, slowly flying towards John.
John, without being polite, waved his hand to put the essence blood into his bag.
[You've obtained Yggdrasil's essence blood, Quantity: 19.5 liters]
Although it was short of 0.5 liters, John didn't quibble.
After all, Yggdrasil had been pretty cooperative.
Otherwise, it would have cost it more than just twenty liters of essence blood.
Seeing the noticeably deflated Yggdrasil, John waved his hand in satisfaction, "Thank you for your generous assistance and congratulations on earning the right to keep living."
"I'll be leaving now. We'll see each other again if fate permits."
Yggdrasil's three heads looked respectful, but inside, it was cursing John to high heaven.
It never wanted to see John again in this lifetime.
Thinking about the essence blood it had handed over, Yggdrasil couldn't help but want to fight John to the death.
This was one-fifth of its original energy!
It would take hundreds of years to recover.
At this moment, Yggdrasil's status had significantly changed.
[Abyssal serpent Yggdrasil (Lord-level boss) (Weakened): From the unknown depths of the abyss... Due to unknown reasons, it has suffered severe damage and its strength is less than a tenth of its peak.]
[Level: 150]
[Race: Undead]
[Attributes: ...]
"So, essence blood can make these bosses drop in level... No wonder this stupid snake looked so pained," John noted the changes and mumbled to himself.
But these details weren't his concern.
John nodded at Yggdrasil, crushed the teleportation scroll, and disappeared right before Yggdrasil's eyes.
When he reappeared, he was outside the Dark Cavern.
Doing some mental calculations, John figured that the auction should be starting soon.
Mounting his swift steed, he began to race towards Silverglow.
...
By this point, it was approaching evening, and the fiery sunset painted the vast grassland a vibrant crimson.
A gentle breeze blew over, carrying with it a refreshing coolness.
The feeling was incredibly pleasant.
Humming a little tune, John was in high spirits.
After all, his search for the abyssal serpent Yggdrasil had not only yielded a sufficient amount of essence blood but also the unexpected Embers of Shadowflame.
It was essentially hitting two birds with one stone.
He galloped across the grassland, easily shaking off the small monsters drawn by his movement.
Speeding along, he arrived once again at the valley.
Suddenly, John reined in his steed and dismounted, promptly stowing his mount away.
The smile on his face was now completely gone.
The warning effect of the Eye of Artemis was triggered, automatically activating his skills.
Within his line of sight, more than a dozen shadowy figures were seen lurking in the valley.
"Really, who taught you how to lay an ambush? Leaving your tail exposed like that," John retorted, his mood plummeting from the constant targeting.
Realizing they'd been spotted, the figures hiding in the valley sprang out, surrounding John in the middle.
A cold voice echoed from the back of the crowd, "Galewind, long time no see."
John's eyebrows furrowed, recognizing the familiar voice and his mood worsened.
Seeing the burly figure stepping through the crowd to stand in front of him, he scoffed, "If it isn't SoulSong, the ex-guild leader who climbed up by clinging to someone's coattails. Oh, my mistake, you're not the guild leader anymore. I heard you're doing pretty well in your new guild, even became their top player. Congratulations."
SoulSong frowned, his face expressionless, "We may not be friends anymore, but there's no need for such sarcasm, is there?"
John sneered, "Sarcasm? You think too highly of yourself. I have no intention of belittling you. Ever since you betrayed me, we have no connection whatsoever. Now! Move aside!"
SoulSong stood there in silence.
John didn't want to waste any more words and strode forward.
Seeing him approach, SoulSong's followers quickly gathered.
"What, you plan on fighting me? Seems like you're short on manpower," John tilted his head, his tone casual.
SoulSong sighed and lifted his silvery greatsword, "Galewind, we were once brothers. I didn't want to cross swords with you, but you've offended the young master, and I have no choice."
John was getting tired of SoulSong's pretense and said mockingly, "If you want to fight, then let's fight. Stop trying to act innocent and virtuous. There's no audience here, who are you trying to impress?"
Seeing SoulSong's face darken, John continued, "Back in the day, you betrayed me, you betrayed our whole guild, just so you could suck up to the young master. Now that you've got what you wanted, do you ever think about the brothers you betrayed?"
John's voice wasn't loud, but each word was a stab in SoulSong's heart.
SoulSong's face changed several times, then he gritted his teeth and said, "People strive to reach higher, just like water naturally flows downward, that's how society is. You, Galewind, have extraordinary gaming talents, and you can always maintain your pride, looking down on everyone else. But I can't, I'm just average, and all I want is to earn enough for my retirement while I'm still able. What's wrong with that?"
John waved dismissively, saying impatiently, "Spare me your excuses, they hold no merit to me, and I frankly don't care."
"You want to kill me? Well, come on then."
Once again, John stepped forward, moving closer one step at a time.
Watching John approach, SoulSong's face gradually regained its calm, his gaze becoming icy once more, "Attack."
As his command fell, his followers launched their attack on John.
The heavily armored soldiers took the front, backed by mages and support classes.
Two assassins vanished, ready to strike a lethal blow when the opportunity arose.
SoulSong had expected John to strike first, but even as they arranged their formation, John made no extra movements.
His face was expressionless as he continued to walk forward.
The heavy shield of a soldier was about to hit John.
The mages had finished chanting, their spells ready to be unleashed.
The assassins skulked at the edge of the battlefield, their dark daggers edging ever closer to John.
John's stride didn't falter, his gaze didn't waver.
He just kept looking at the silent SoulSong.
His eyes were filled with a mix of sorrow and mockery.
In the next second, a pale blue glow burst from John, sweeping across the entire valley.
Chapter84-The Spotlighted Auction
A pale blue wave of light swept across the entire valley in an instant.
In that moment, every mage's incantation was abruptly disrupted.
The heavy shield of the armored warriors shattered into pieces under the impact.
An assassin, who was on the brink of successfully landing a sneak attack, came to a sudden halt.
More than twenty high-level players.
The strongest battle power of the Darklord Guild.
They couldn't even withstand a casual skill unleashed by John!
They turned into a ray of white light, returning directly to the Respawn Pool of Silverglow.
A one-hit-kill, swift and decisive.
In the narrow valley, only the expressionless John remained.
And SoulSong, standing motionless on the spot for a long time, stunned.
"No, impossible... Your power... How could you have become so strong now?"
"You were clearly trapped by my scheme and sacrificed to The Devil. How come you emerged unscathed and even more powerful?"
SoulSong looked at John in shock, his eyes filled with dread and resentment.
John didn't speak, only gazing at him silently.
SoulSong's mouth hung open slightly, as if wanting to say something else.
But the words lingered on the tip of his tongue, unable to be voiced.
He had never doubted John's abilities.
His ill-advised decision to conspire with Darklord against John was, in large part, due to jealousy that brewed in his heart.
SoulSong resented it.
Why, despite his earnest efforts and struggles in the game, he always seemed to fall behind John, be it in terms of development or skills.
Back in the guild, most members acknowledged John's abilities.
John's reputation was even higher than his, the guild leader.
It was this jealousy that led SoulSong to turn his gun against his once good brother, almost without hesitation, after Darklord reached out to him.
When Godslayer, the game, was launched, Darklord had made solemn promises that he could bring John down in the game through internal channels.
Yet, all were disappointed by the outcome.
Not only did John manage to grow, but his strength surpassed what it was before!
The faint blue wave of light just now, containing such immense energy, still sent shivers down SoulSong's spine when he thought about it.
He had managed to withstand it, but his condition was severely compromised.
Opening his status panel, SoulSong saw his HP had dropped by a whopping three-quarters, with various negative statuses displayed: fatigue, severe injuries, extreme danger, and so forth.
SoulSong hastily gulped down a large bottle of healing potion to barely halt the continuous deterioration of his condition.
John retracted his hand, with no intention to strike again.
He walked past SoulSong towards the outside of the valley, not uttering a single word.
"Halt! Are you pitying me again? Just like before, always backing down when we disagree!"
SoulSong, unable to maintain his earlier aloof demeanor, stomped and bellowed furiously, "What are you doing? Are you pitying me? I don't need your pity!"
"Why didn't you kill me, Galewind? You always have this sympathetic look on your face. Do you know it makes me hate you even more?"
John stopped in his tracks, turned around and said calmly, "You're overthinking. I'm not pitying you, I'm just ignoring you... You no longer qualify to stand before me, so I can't be bothered to strike again."
SoulSong's face darkened, and a vein throbbed furiously on his forehead, "Should I thank you then? Should I thank you for sparing my life? I'm telling you, it's impossible! I, SoulSong, never regret my actions."
John shook his head and sighed, continuing to walk away.
He knew that killing SoulSong wouldn't be a true punishment for him.
SoulSong's pride was his downfall; only by completely ignoring him could John make him suffer unbearable shame.
John left, leaving SoulSong behind in the valley, roaring in futile rage.
...
Before long, John had returned to Silverglow.
It was almost time for the auction held by Dawn Breeze Auction House.
Silverglow was buzzing.
The streets were jam-packed with players of all races.
Everyone was discussing the upcoming auction.
Some savvy players had even set up stalls on either side of the streets.
They hawked their self-crafted items to passing players, capitalizing on the opportune moment.
Given the traffic in the streets at the moment, even if they were selling crap, they'd probably make a killing.
John navigated through the bustling crowd, the noise of the various shouts and calls resonating in his ears.
His previously troubled mood finally began to settle.
He didn't harbor much resentment towards SoulSong anymore.
Despite being betrayed by SoulSong, the two of them now belonged to two different worlds.
An overly weak enemy was nothing more than a joke.
As John headed towards the Dawn Breeze Auction House, his communicator suddenly buzzed.
Emma: Johnny, where are you? Are you coming to the auction tonight?
John replied with a smile: Just finished a small mission, I'm on my way to the auction house now.
Emma: Great, I'm right at the entrance of the auction house. I'll wait for you here.
John: OK, sounds good.
At the entrance of the Dawn Breeze Auction House, Emma disconnected from the communicator, a genuine smile spreading across her exquisite face.
Beside her, White Feather impatiently asked, "What's the word? Will Galewind be joining us tonight?"
Emma responded with a sweet smile, "He will, Johnny will be here soon."
White Feather finally relaxed, patting her chest and saying, "That's excellent news! Our guild has been working overtime these past few days, creating a large batch of Silver Tears, perfect for trading with Galewind."
Emma nodded eagerly, looking incredibly adorable.
The two stunning beauties standing at the auction house entrance attracted a lot of attention from passing players.
Some bold players were even preparing to approach them for contact details.
But before they could act, they saw a group of well-equipped, high-level players approaching the Dawn Breeze Auction House.
These players, fierce and formidable, had equipment that glimmered subtly, revealing their high worth.
Judging by the badges on their chests, they seemed to belong to two top-tier factions โ "Genesis Guild" and "Blue Sea Guild".
"Look! As expected, both top factions, Genesis Guild and Blue Sea Guild, have shown up. The items at this auction must be really rare."
"Of course. These are two of the top 10 global guilds, and their leaders are here personally. They must be determined to win."
"With these two guilds coming together, it looks like they have agreed to cooperate in advance. What competition abilities would the other factions have at the auction?"
"Well, not necessarily. I just saw the members of the Black Rose Guild and Silent Ones Guild entering. Both are among the top ten global guilds, and their strength is not inferior to Genesis Guild and Blue Sea Guild."
"We might get to see the shocking scene of the top 10 global guilds gathering tonight."
"You know, that might be possible."
"Who are those people who just went in, all cloaked and hooded?"
"They should be from 'Travelers'. I just don't know if their mysterious leader is here."
"What's 'Travelers'?"
"You must be new, not knowing the famous Travelers."
"That's the world's most powerful association of game traders. They're in almost every popular game, doing business."
"These people only trade and don't participate in any guild power struggles, but their strength has never been doubted."
"Travelers is notorious for having a bag full of tricks, they're like walking treasure chests. Didn't expect even they would be roused for this."
...
Players were chattering all around.
Walking shoulder to shoulder, Blue Sea and Adam were all smiles.
Blue Sea initiated the conversation, "This is quite a lively auction today, wasn't expecting it to be this bustling."
Adam nodded, a smile lingering on his face, "Indeed, after all, it's the only auction featuring two legendary equipment, it's bound to cause a stir. Have you heard? Even the understated gang from Traveler has shown up."
Blue Sea frowned, "That's exactly what I'm worried about. Those guys are notoriously wealthy. With them around, it could add a lot of unpredictability to the auction."
Adam, however, appeared quite confident, "Sure, Travelers has money, but we're not pushovers either. When the time comes, we'll let the chips fall where they may."
Blue Sea shook his head helplessly.
This guy was as domineering as ever.
Suddenly, Adam glanced at Blue Sea, a gleam in his eyes, "Speaking of which, I heard you're pretty chummy with the hotshot who put up the two legendary equip for auction?"
Blue Sea nonchalantly toyed with a small item in his hand, responding casually, "Pretty much, we're on good terms."
Adam chuckled lightly, suggested nonchalantly, "How about, after the auction, I play host, and you invite this hotshot? I'd like to see the kind of person who has the guts to auction two legendary equip."
Blue Sea returned a mysterious smile, "What's this? Is guild leader Adam taking a liking to him, hoping to recruit him into your guild? Just a heads up, that person is not your average Joe. Given his personality, he might not be willing to join any guild."
Adam arched an eyebrow, exuding confidence as he responded, "Whether or not that's possible, we won't know until we try. As long as the offer is enticing enough, I don't believe he wouldn't be tempted."
Blue Sea pondered for a moment, and didn't say everything that was on his mind, "Alright, I'll ask him. As for whether he want to meet you, that's up to himself."
Blue Sea's cautious demeanor only increased Adam's curiosity about John's identity.
It was the first time he'd seen Blue Sea treating a solo player with such respect.
The leaders of the two top guilds fell into a simultaneous silence.
Despite their previously agreed cooperation, their competitive past couldn't be ignored.
Undercurrents were always swirling.
Chapter85-"The Mysterious One's" Identity
Blue Sea and Adam led a group of people to the entrance of Dawn Breeze Auction House.
Suddenly, Blue Sea stopped in his tracks.
The player personnels in charge of hosting at Dawn Breeze Auction House had already greeted them.
But they were waved away by Blue Sea, indicating they should stand back for a moment.
"What's up? We're at the entrance, why aren't we going in?"
Blue Sea responded nonchalantly, "I spotted two friends, I'll go say hi."
He walked straight up to Emma and White Feather.
With a warm smile, he greeted, "Miss Emma, we meet again."
Emma had initially been looking down, fussing over her clothes, preparing to look her best when meeting John.
At the sound of his voice, she hastily lifted her head, and was greeted by a somewhat familiar face.
Emma pondered for a moment before realizing who it was.
"Isn't that the Leader of the Blue Sea Guild whom Johnny introduced me to before?" She responded with a smile, "Ah, it's Leader Blue Sea."
Blue Sea's smile remained intact, "I saw you two standing at the door for quite a while. Are you waiting for someone?"
Emma nodded, "Yes, we are waiting for Johnny here."
The mention of Johnny brightened Blue Sea's eyes, "Galewind? He's attending the auction personally?"
Emma kept nodding her head, "He'll be here, any moment now."
At this point, Blue Sea seemed in no hurry to enter the auction house and stood a short distance away from Emma, "Then I'll keep you company while waiting."
Adam, standing nearby, was a bit flabbergasted.
He approached Blue Sea, frowning, "Blue Sea, what's the game here?"
As he spoke, he discreetly looked Emma over.
Indeed, she was an incredibly attractive woman, but surely not attractive enough to warrant this treatment from Blue Sea.
Adam was silently guessing at Emma's identity.
Blue Sea gave a slight smile, "Let me introduce you. This is Emma, a friend's companion."
He then pointed to Adam, introducing him to Emma, "This is Adam, the Leader of the Genesis Guild. You must have heard his name."
Emma, cluelessly, nodded her head.
In truth, she had no idea who Adam was, but didn't ask out of courtesy.
On the contrary, White Feather was well aware of the identities of these two men.
At this moment, she felt dizzy, as if she were dreaming.
These two were the leaders of two of the top ten guilds in the world, with supremely prestigious statuses.
They'd actually come over to greet Emma?
White Feather's lips parted slightly, her face full of disbelief.
On the other hand, Emma was casually introducing White Feather to Blue Sea, "This is my good friend White Feather, a Priest player from Silver Church..."
Blue Sea and Adam gave a friendly nod to White Feather, startling her into hurriedly bowing to the two leaders.
Subsequently, White Feather pulled Emma aside, "Tell me, since when did you start knowing such big shots? Don't tell me you're also some secret bigshot posing as a newbie?"
Emma responded with a bewildered expression, "What are you talking about? I don't know them. But the Blue Sea Guild Leader, he seems to have a good relationship with Johnny. I even saw them planning an exploration of some secret dungeon together last time." ๐๐๐ฑ๐ป๐จ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น.๐๐จ๐ฆ
White Feather was dumbfounded.
She'd always known that Johnny was very strong and mysterious, possibly a big shot.
But it seems her guesses were too conservative.
Judging by Blue Sea's attitude towards Emma, Johnny was definitely not a simple character.
Not just White Feather, the other players passing by were even more stunned.
What's going on? The leaders of two of the world's top ten guilds were voluntarily chatting with two girls?
And by their demeanour, this wasn't their first meeting.
The bystanders became extremely curious about Emma and White Feather's identities and began to guess.
Moments later, Emma, who was still standing in a daze, suddenly beamed and started waving frantically, shouting, "Johnny, I'm over here."
John emerged from the crowd and slowly made his way over.
Emma immediately grabbed John's hand and cooed, "Johnny, you're finally here. I've been waiting for you for so long."
A fond smile spread across John's face as he gently ruffled Emma's hair, "Sorry, I was doing a little task, and it took a bit longer."
"Which boss-level beast fell victim to Galewind's might this time?" Blue Sea's teasing voice rang from the side.
John nodded to Blue Sea and laughed, "You're overdoing it. I just went to collect some Essence Blood from the Abyssal Serpent, didn't even kill it."
Blue Sea was rendered speechless.
The Abyssal Serpent?
That was a lord-level boss in the hundreds level.
From John's tone, it seemed as effortless as stepping on an ant on the roadside.
John then greeted White Feather with a smile, "Miss White, thank you for taking care of Emma these past few days."
White Feather waved a bit nervously, "No need for thanks, we just leveled up by fighting monsters together."
She then continued, "Galewind, we has produced another batch of Silver Tear. Do you need more?"
John nodded, "Absolutely, I said I'd take as many as you have. Let's trade after the auction."
White Feather obediently nodded.
At this moment, Blue Sea wore a peculiar expression, "Wait, is the Silver Tear you're talking about the same one that was auctioned off recently?"
Before John could answer, White Feather responded with reverence, "The ones we produced are just regular Silver Tears. The high-level ones are all made by Galewind."
John sighed and touched his forehead.
His secret was out.
As expected, Blue Sea's expression grew increasingly odd.
He pointed at John and said with some embarrassment, "So, you made those things?"
The thought of his past flaunting of the Silver Tear in front of John made Blue Sea want to dig a hole and hide in it.
John glanced at Blue Sea, emotionless, "So what? You've used it. Don't tell me you want a refund now?"
Blue Sea fumed, "No, why didn't you say earlier that you made it? I treated it like some precious commodity and spent so much on the auction."
John patted Blue Sea's shoulder, his voice serious, "Tell me, isn't the Silver Tear worth the price?"
Blue Sea thought for a moment, indeed, it seemed so.
Just the effect of the Silver Tear against undead creatures alone determined its value.
John cracked a smile, "From now on, I'll give you a discount whenever you buy this kind of item."
Blue Sea's face lit up with a satisfied grin.
That's exactly what he wanted.
Throughout their conversation, Adam had been silently observing.
The shock in his heart was like waves, each one higher than the last.
Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Blue Sea, who is this gentleman?"
Blue Sea wore a strange smile as he introduced, "Let me introduce you. This is the one and only Galewind you've been eager to meet, the star of the night."
"The two legendary equip that shocked the entire server, they were his contributions."
"I just found out today too, the Silver Tear that we all fought over at the last auction was also his creation."
Adam's mouth fell open, his face full of disbelief.
As the high-ranking leader of the Genesis Guild, it had been many years since he last wore such an astonished expression.
Ever since he became the leader of the Genesis Guild, he was usually as calm as a still lake, nonchalant no matter what occurred.
It was as though he'd keep his cool even if a mountain were collapsing in front of him.
But right now, he couldn't maintain that previous composed demeanor.
He hurriedly greeted John, "So you're the mysterious expert Blue Sea has been talking about. I've heard a lot about you."
Though John and Adam had never crossed paths, he was not a stranger to him.
Seeing Adam taking the initiative, John also responded politely, "I'm not as impressive as Blue Sea makes me out to be, just a friend who plays the game."
Adam's smile was friendly as he shook John's hand, "You're being too modest. I've heard all about you from Blue Sea. You're practically a legend."
At this point, Blue Sea also came over, laughing as he teased, "Galewind, Adam was just saying to me that after the auction, he'd like to host a gathering and have a proper chat with you."
John replied indifferently, "Let's discuss it after the auction."
While Adam wished to recruit a powerful individual like John, he knew that rushing things wasn't a wise move.
The most crucial matter at hand was still the auction.
So, he nodded in agreement, "Indeed, let's talk after the auction ends."
Finally, the group turned to enter the Dawn Breeze Auction House.
As they walked in, it was John who led the way.
Both Blue Sea and Adam purposely trailed half a step behind, showing respect to John.
This scene deeply imprinted in the minds of all the players present.
For a moment, whispers fluttered around the bystander players.
"My god, am I seeing things? Are guild leaders Blue Sea and Adam really following behind someone else?"
"Who exactly is this mysterious one, making two guild leaders from the global top ten willingly play second fiddle?"
"Could this be the legendary leader of the Travelers?"
"Don't make wild guesses. Even if it was the leader of the Travelers, it's unlikely that Adam and Blue Sea would show such reverence!"
Chapter86-The Guest Personally Received by Master Reo
Not only were ordinary players guessing about John's identity.
After entering the Dawn Breeze Auction House, several bigwigs from various powers who had already arrived also turned their eyes towards him.
Nearly all eyes were first drawn to John, who was leading the way.
"Who is this guy?"
"No idea, never seen him before."
"He seems to have a close relationship with the two guilds, Blue Sea and Genesis. Even the two people, Blue Sea and Adam, maintain quite a respectful attitude towards him."
"Could he be the leader of some hidden power?"
"You're kidding, what kind of hidden power could make the leaders of the top two global guilds behave so humbly?"
...
At this point, the spacious auction house was already packed to the rafters.
Some solo players and smaller powers with decent abilities could only take seats in various areas on the first floor.
The true heavyweights and powers with deep roots were all located in the private rooms on the second floor.
As John and the members of the two major guilds entered the auction house, nearly all eyes were drawn to them.
There was a buzz of conversation, whispers passing from ear to ear, with speculations about John's identity forming the crux of the conversations.
Facing such a spectacle, John didn't flinch.
With a blank expression, he strode forward.
What happened next was even more astonishing.
As John and the others entered the auction hall, they were greeted by none other than Master Reo of the Dawn Breeze Auction House, the most respected figure.
The crowd was dumbstruck.
Master Reo was the most renowned appraiser and evaluator in all of Silverglow. More importantly, he was an NPC, not a player.
When had an NPC ever taken the initiative to welcome a player with such deference?
"Greetings, Master. I didn't expect to disturb you to greet us personally," John greeted, putting his hand on his chest in surprise.
He hadn't expected this esteemed master to receive him personally.
Master Reo stroked his long beard, his smile warm.
"Young man, there's no need for formalities. You've brought substantial profits to our Dawn Breeze Auction House. It's only right for me to greet you personally."
John then had a sudden realization.
The main reason for this esteemed Master Reo to greet him personally was probably because of the two legendary equip he had brought.
Indeed, Master Reo added, "The two items you brought were personally appraised by me. Their properties are truly extraordinary. Mr. Galewind, your willingness to put these two equipment up for auction is quite a bold move."
John gave a slight smile. ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ.๐๐๐
"You flatter me, Master. Although the attributes of those two items are quite good, they do not match my class. They are nothing more than a waste to me, it's better to sell them to players who truly suit them."
Master Reo's smile grew warmer.
"Indeed, Mr. Galewind. This kind of thinking is what we cultivators should have. If we stick to our old ways, it's quite detrimental to everyone's cultivation development."
As John and Master Reo chatted amicably, they moved towards the private rooms on the second floor.
"Where's Isabella?" John asked, seemingly nonchalantly, just before entering the room.
Master Reo chuckled.
"I have assigned Isabella to handle all the affairs of this auction. She should be busy at the moment, but she will personally attend to you once the auction ends."
John nodded.
He read between the lines of Master Reo's words.
It seemed Isabella's position at the auction house had been promoted.
That she was responsible for all the work of such a high-profile auction indicated that Isabella was close to becoming a member of the auction house's management.
For a lifestyle player, it was quite an achievement to advance to the management layer of a local power in the game within a few months.
"It looks like I will have to congratulate Miss Isabella when the meeting ends," John said teasingly.
Master Reo showed a happy smile.
He really valued Isabella and genuinely trained her as his successor.
"This girl Isabella was originally inexperienced and unqualified to handle such a high-profile auction."
"But this girl has been pretty lucky. First, she served these two ladies next to you and secured a Legendary Item, and then she got two more Legendary Equip from you. These two events have directly shocked our auction house's management." Master Reo explained the details without any hint of concealment.
John smiled and nodded.
Emma and White Feather at his side were genuinely happy for Isabella.
Under Master Reo's guidance, the group finally arrived at the entrance to the private room on the second floor, which had been prepared in advance.
Master Reo glanced at the group in front of him and chuckled, "It seems like you belong to different factions. Would you prefer to sit in the same room or separately?"
John didn't answer.
Instead, Blue Sea took the initiative, "Master, no need to worry. We had already booked our rooms before coming. You just need to arrange for Brother Galewind."
Blue Sea then turned to John, "Brother Galewind, we'll see each other after the auction."
John nodded in agreement.
Blue Sea and Adam, each leading their own guild members, headed towards their respective private rooms.
Master Reo personally escorted John and the two ladies into their room, reminding the attendants at the door to provide attentive service.
He then went back to prepare for his own work.
The spacious private room was lavishly decorated.
What came into John's view was a huge transparent glass wall replacing the front wall of the room, allowing the guests inside to directly view all the scenes of the auction hall.
The floor was covered with a thick carpet, unknown from which animal it had been taken. It was soft and comfortable underfoot.
In the center of the room was a long sofa, with a bar next to it, stocked with various drinks and snacks.
Overall, it met the standards of a high-end auction.
Emma, with White Feather in tow, excitedly rushed towards the bar.
This little girl was a classic foodie, unable to resist any kind of delicious food.
Even in the game world, she was always trying to satisfy her taste buds.
As she tasted various dishes, she would occasionally let out exclamations of delight.
Even White Feather was quite happy.
The last time they attended an auction, they didn't receive this kind of treatment.
It wasn't that the Dawn Breeze Auction House underestimated the two young ladies, but at that time, even though they had brought a Legendary Item, Isabella didn't have the authority and the two didn't particularly ask for such treatment.
This time was different.
John's status and power were enough for the Dawn Breeze Auction House to provide the highest standard of hospitality.
On the other side, John was lounging comfortably on the sofa, his eyes scanning the auction hall.
Among the sea of faces, he spotted several familiar ones.
Some were solo players he had met in other games.
Given his level of power, the solo players he knew were quite strong.
They were also doing quite well in this game, naturally qualifying for this auction.
Some others were old adversaries, including the grim-faced Darklord and the Wolf Guild, with whom he'd had a conflict.
Their faces were dark and indiscernible, full of apprehension, a stark contrast to the curious and excited expressions of the people around them.
It's clear they saw John's entrance to the auction house.
How complex their inner thoughts must be at this time, probably only they would know.
"Why does Galewind get to be personally attended by Master Reo?"
Darklord was agitated and roared angrily at SoulSong, "With so many of your elites, you couldn't kill Galewind? And you nearly got wiped out. What on earth are you good for?"
SoulSong kept his expression neutral, calmly saying, "Galewind's strength far exceeds our imagination. For now, we can only lie low and look for another opportunity to strike a decisive blow."
Darklord was even more enraged, roaring, "Lie low? Are you saying I should avoid Galewind in the future? I refuse to believe he can take on my entire guild alone!"
SoulSong lowered his head, a flash of contempt in his eyes.
He was at a loss for words for Darklord.
If it weren't for his wealth, this kind of fool would have been hacked to death on the street long ago.
Taking a deep breath, SoulSong managed to suppress his inner discontent, speaking coldly, "If we want to act against John now, even if we bring out everyone from our guild, success is not guaranteed. And even if we succeed, our guild will pay a heavy price, the cost outweighing the benefit. Your goal is to make the Darklord guild a top-tier global guild. You can't risk the guild's growth over one person."
Darklord still couldn't calm down.
But he was clear that if his guild was to grow, it couldn't do without top players like SoulSong.
So, he forced down his anger and said coldly, "Time. I want an exact timeline from you. When can we get rid of Galewind?"
SoulSong remained silent for a while before replying, "We will need to wait at least until our guild is promoted to a level three guild, and we also need to get the Legendary Equip today."
Darklord took a deep breath, his eyes gradually becoming fiery, "Sounds reasonable. It seems I need to at least bid on one of those two Legendary Equip today!"
Chapter87-The Auction Begins, Bone Spur Dagger
Unlike Darklord's blind confidence, the Wolf Guild on the other side was in a state of chaos.
Their guild leader and vice-leader had personally witnessed John's grand entrance to the auction.
Both their faces turned ashen.
"What is Galewind's identity? Why would it warrant Master Reo's personal reception?" The guild leader and vice-leader of Wolf Guild exchanged complicated looks.
The guild leader regretted being at odds with John before.
But what's done was done, there was nothing he could do about it.
He could only hope to have the opportunity to apologize to John after the auction.
After all, he still wanted to continue playing this game.
Crossing such a powerful enemy wasn't a wise move.
In contrast, Wolf Guild's vice-leader, Wolf Howl, wasn't that scared.
His gaze was filled with more hate and plotting.
John's eyes kept roaming, from the auction house's first floor, gradually moving towards the various boxes on the second floor.
The Dawn Breeze Auction House did a fantastic job in terms of privacy for its distinguished guests.
The floor-to-ceiling glass windows allowed the inside to clearly view the outside, but from the outside, not a thing inside could be seen.
It was clearly one-way glass.
John's gaze swept across the dozen or so boxes on the second floor.
He became curious about who represented the powers in these boxes.
The top ten guilds globally would undoubtedly be among them, along with the mysterious Travelers Association.
Thinking of the Travelers, a smile flickered at the corner of John's mouth.
He remembered an old friend who seemed to have a high status among the Travelers.
As John was pondering, a stunningly beautiful woman in a nearby box was also scrutinizing John's box.
Behind her stood three or four strangely dressed players.
They tightly wrapped themselves with their cloaks, wearing large hoods that concealed their faces.
"Guild leader, we just got a message that the person Master Reo personally received is called Galewind. His class and level are unknown, but he is closely connected with Blue Sea, the guild leader of Blue Sea Guild. We also heard that Galewind had conflicts with a few smaller guilds, but he always came out on top. We suspect that the two Legendary Equip at this auction could belong to Galewind."
Upon hearing the report, the beautiful woman smiled, instantly lighting up the box.
She sat with her curvaceous body elegantly displayed, her chest so full it threatened to burst her top.
"We don't need to investigate Galewind anymore. Everything you said is within my expectations. If anyone in this game could first obtain high-level items and equipment, it would undoubtedly be Galewind. I'm just curious about who would be foolish enough to be his enemy."
The woman's voice was clear and cold, displaying a superior aura.
Her words suggested she was not unfamiliar with John.
The reporting underling continued, "One is called Darklord Guild, a level two guild. They've had conflicts with Galewind from long ago. Their current strongest member, SoulSong, used to be in the same guild with Galewind, but for some reason, they went their separate ways. Another guild is Wolf Guild, also a level two guild. They had a dispute with Galewind recently over a trivial matter. However, they suffered heavy losses in that conflict. Blue Sea, the guild leader of Blue Sea Guild, personally led an attack on Wolf Guild, joined by the local Silverglow church and other small forces."
The smile on the beautiful woman's face deepened, her red lips curled into a mesmerizing allure.
"He's as popular as ever," she mused.
The underling who reported kept his head down, not daring to respond to the woman's soliloquy.
He was just curious as to why his guild leader, who usually kept a low profile, seemed so familiar with the player called Galewind.
He couldn't help but wonder what kind of relationship they had.
The underling mused, it had been a long time since he saw the guild leader wear such a radiant smile.
Apart from this box, people in other boxes were also speculating about John's identity.
Everyone had their own sources of information.
Yet, the information they could gather was extremely limited.
There was no information about John's past, nor about his profession.
Everything seemed mysterious and unpredictable.
Just as the various forces were intensifying their investigations into John, dazzling light suddenly lit up the auction hall.
A holy-light class character poured all their mana into the hall, activating the lighting system.
Dozens of light beams descended from above, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day.
These lights eventually converged on the stage above.
An ear-piercing drumbeat filled the room.
The sound of the drum was dull and grand.
The drumbeats became more rapid, finally drawing the attention of all the guests.
Their gaze followed the movement of the light, all focusing on the stage.
Dressed formally, Isabella walked into the light column and onto the stage,
"Good evening, first off, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all of our esteemed guests on behalf of the auction house. This auction is organized by the Dawn Breeze Auction House with the purpose of passing on valuable items to their destined owners. We hope every guest here tonight can reap something and get what they desire."
Isabella's voice was crisp and pleasant, instantly igniting the passion of the audience.
"Get it started already, I can't wait."
"Hurry up, I've saved up a lot of money, just waiting to snag those two Legendary Equips."
"Dream on, do you really think you can get your hands on those?"
"I'm the Thunder Guild leader, who the hell are you to lecture me?"
"Thunder Guild? Never heard of it. Any tom, dick, and harry seems to think they can make a fuss here."
"How dare you insult my Thunder Guild, seems like you're tired of living."
"Stop shouting, even our Mountain Guild isn't talking. A no-name guild like yours shouldn't embarrass itself."
"Even though your Mountain Guild is all that, you're not ranking high here, are you?"
"What's all this noise about? The auction items haven't even come out yet, what's the point of arguing?"
"Exactly, let's see who's better when the time comes!" ...
The guests beneath the stage were getting restless.
Isabella gave a slight smile, much more composed than the previous auction.
After all, she had seen the spectacle last time.
Isabella waved her hand, signaling everyone to calm down, and then unveiled the first item on the stage by removing the dust cover.
A pristine white dagger equipment was revealed.
"This is the first item of our auction today, the Bone Spur Dagger. It's an assassin class equipment with excellent attributes. You can check out the specific attributes yourselves."
A projection panel appeared on the dagger, displaying its attributes:
[Bone Spur Dagger (Epic Equip): Forged by the renowned blacksmith Master O'Conner from the Northern Myst Empire, the material chosen was the spine bone of a lord-level boss, the Blizzard Lizard. Mixed with various precious metals, it greatly enhances the sharpness of the equipment.]
[Level: Usable by those level 80 or above, or those with Agility 100 or above]
[Attributes: +150 movement speed, +50 attack power]
[Additional skill: Deadly Strike. There is a 15% chance of executing an enemy whose health drops below 50%...]
The moment the attributes of this equipment were revealed, the audience beneath the stage erupted in excitement.
"Holy moly, the first item is an Epic Equip?"
"Is it really this intense?"
"I knew it, coming to this auction was the right move."
"No need to say, this 15% execution effect on low health enemies is enough to make all the assassins go wild."
At this point, no one was more excited than the assassin-class players.
Nearly all of them were salivating over the equipment, the yearning in their eyes practically turning into tangible beams of light.
Isabella gave a slight smile and gently said, "The starting bid for this Bone Spur Dagger is 15,000 gold coins, each raise must not be less than 5,000 gold coins."
No sooner had Isabella finished speaking, an eager lone assassin player in the audience raised his hand.
"20,000 gold coins, this dagger is mine."
Before he had finished, another lone assassin player scoffed, "20,000 gold coins to take home such top-notch equipment? I bid 25,000 gold coins!"
"30,000 gold coins!"
"You guys are too slow, I'm going straight to 50,000 gold coins!"
"75,000 gold coins!"
Other than lone players, some small forces could no longer hold back, and began to state their own bids.
Among them was a small guild from the Elf race.
The Elves were known for producing a high number of archers and assassins.
Among them, the Night Elves were all master assassins.
But the Elves were notoriously bad at forging, so they were desperately short of suitable equipment.
The Bone Spur Dagger was a godsend for them.
When someone bid 75,000 gold coins, most of the lone players conceded defeat.
This price was already quite high.
Even though it was an Epic Equip, its attributes were not exactly the best.
Just when everyone thought this dagger would be taken by the small Elf guild, a heavy voice suddenly rang out from the side: "85,000 gold coins!"
Chapter88-A Fierce Auction
"Who's that?"
Watching their near-guaranteed equipment being outbid, the members of the small Elf guild glared furiously.
To their left, the one who just offered 85,000 gold coins was from a Human guild.
The Human guild leader snorted, "In an auction, it's survival of the richest. If you elf players can't put your money where your mouth is, stop making noise."
His words caused all the elf players present to glare back in anger.
"85,000 gold coins, any higher bids?"
Up on the stage, Isabella's light laugh rippled through the tense vibe.
After all, such scenes were a common sight at the auction.
Players would naturally butt heads over the equipment they desired.
As long as they didn't resort to physical fights, these minor disputes only served to intensify the atmosphere of the auction.
Upon hearing Isabella's question, the previously bidding elf guild leader gritted his teeth and said, "I bid 90,000 gold coins!"
This price was already their guild's limit.
It was clear how much they desired the Bone Spur Dagger.
The Human guild leader's face changed several times, as if he was hesitating whether to continue raising the price or not.
90,000 gold coins had actually exceeded the worth of the Bone Spur Dagger.
Although it was an Epic Equip, its attributes weren't exceptional, and there were clearly better items coming up.
So, after weighing the pros and cons, he gave up on further bidding.
The Bone Spur Dagger was successfully won by the small Elf guild.
Isabella lightly tapped the table with her gavel, confirming the transaction.
Then, she signaled for the attendant on the stage to unveil the second item.
On the exquisite tray was a green bead emitting a soft glow.
Isabella presented the item to the audience: "This is a rare item that can be embedded in a weapon to enhance its attributes. As you all may know, items like this that can be embedded often value higher than one's level. Plus, the effects that this 'Soul Gem' carries are quite rare, making it just as valuable as an Epic Equip."
"Please check the attributes for yourselves."
Everyone present widened their eyes and meticulously examined the properties of the bead:
[Soul Gem (rare Item) (Embeddable): From the rare soul-type boss, the Soul Snatcher Banshee, a scarce species residing deep within the southern sea territory. Formed from the magic concentrated within the banshee upon death, it possesses a unique effect.]
[Equipment Level: None]
[Properties: When embedded in a weapon, it grants the weapon soul-attacking effects, increasing the weapon's sharpness by 25%. It also comes with the skill - Deter.]
[Deter: Upon activation, it can briefly stun the enemy, disrupting their attack, and cause the enemy's body to momentarily freeze for 0.5 seconds.]
After reading through the properties, the audience gasped in surprise, causing a wave of commotion.
The properties of this Soul Gem were simply game-breaking.
Despite being just a Rare blue item, the skill it carries was an absolute battlefield asset!
The ability to freeze an enemy for 0.5 seconds was like a miracle pill for many players with killer skills.
Although 0.5 seconds might sound fleeting, within the blink-and-you-miss-it opportunities in battle, this 0.5 second could be lethal!
An impatient player from the crowd shouted, "Hurry up and start the bidding! I can't wait to get my hands on this item."
Isabella gave a faint smile and calmly said, "The starting bid for the Soul Gem is 30,000 gold coins, with each subsequent bid increasing by no less than 5,000 gold coins."
This time, the starting bid was 5,000 gold coins higher than the previous Epic Equip, the Bone Spur Dagger, but it was within the expectations of many players.
After all, although the Soul Gem was one grade lower than the Bone Spur Dagger, its attributes were significantly superior.
Furthermore, these embeddable items were naturally rare, so a higher price was reasonable.
"I bid 35,000 gold coins, and none of you better try to outbid me."
"On what grounds, just because your head is bigger? I bid 40,000 gold coins!"
"Being too petty, I'll go straight to 50,000 gold coins!"
"60,000 gold coins, my Sky Dominator guild wants this Soul Gem."
"Sky Dominator Guild? Some wannabe guild from nowhere? Never heard of it. My Mountain Guild bids 75,000 gold coins."
And so, the bidding continued...
The vibe on site was becoming increasingly heated.
The competition among players was more and more intense. ๐๐๐๐๐ค๐๐๐๏ผ๐๐ค๐ข
Many did not forget to trash talk their competitors while placing their bids.
It was a war of words, with everyone giving as good as they got, transforming a proper auction into something akin to a marketplace.
In the end, the Soul Gem was won by a guild from the dragonborn at a jaw-dropping price of 100,000 gold coins.
Godslayer, the game, had been launched for several months by now.
After several major events, the value of gold coins had finally stabilized.
Nowadays, gold coins could be exchanged at a certain ratio with real-world currency.
This has led to many financially powerful guilds having no shortage of gold coins.
With a second slam of her gavel, Isabella successfully sold off the Soul Gem.
Then she uncovered the third item.
[Trident of the Sea God's Chosen (Epic): Once a standard weapon of those favored by the Sea God, it possesses a trace of the Sea God's power. It can perform miracles like summoning storms when on the ocean. Even on land, it still has a powerful spellcasting effect.]
[Equipment Level: Level 100 or Psychic Power above 300]
[Attributes: +15% Casting Speed, +100 Psychic Power, +150 Magic Power]
[Additional Skill - Favor of the Sea God (Passive): Enhances the spell damage of Water-type Mages by 50%, increases the attack range by 15%]
โฆ
Without a doubt, this was an excellent piece of equipment for mages.
However, it was only useful for water-type mages, limiting the item's value.
But as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining.
This kind of equipment, exclusive to certain job classes, was exactly what players of those classes coveted the most.
In a way, it was their personalized weapon or equipment.
The non-water-type mages in the audience quieted down, but the water mages went completely wild.
Who wouldn't want high-level equipment just for them?
The water mages started placing their bids.
Isabella set the starting price for this item at 35,000 gold coins, with each increase not less than 10,000 gold coins.
In just a few minutes, the price was driven up to 120,000 gold coins and continued to rise.
It has to be said, mages are indeed wealthy.
Soon, this piece of equipment was taken by a low-key water mage big shot at a staggering price of 150,000 gold coins.
Judging by his casual demeanor, it was evident that 150,000 gold coins was not his limit.
Isabella's smile grew brighter.
Under the lights, she looked exceptionally beautiful.
All three pieces of equipment auctioned so far exceeded the auction house's initial estimates, which meant that today's auction was sure to bring in a considerable income for them.
How could Isabella not be pleased?
With the final gavel sound, Isabella uncovered the dust cloth from the fourth auction item...
More and more items were being won by the players.
However, it was mainly the players on the first floor who were competing.
The real big shots, sitting pretty, hadn't budged.
Except for one of the top ten guilds globally, the Black Rose Guild, who expressed interest midway and successfully bid for an epic equip.
Surprisingly, none of the other booths on the second floor had placed a bid.
It seemed as if they were all waiting for something...
After auctioning off the last item on stage, Isabella chuckled, "Esteemed guests, the first round of the auction has concluded. Please take a short break, and we will start the second round shortly."
She gestured, and the auction house staff promptly served various foods and beverages to the many players present.
In the booth...
John lay back on the sofa, bored out of his skull, flipping through the catalogue of auction items in his hand.
The guests on the second floor had a more prestigious status, and thus the Dawn Breeze Auction House had thoughtfully prepared such catalogues for each booth, listing all items up for auction today.
This helped top powers have a clearer direction and focus on bidding for what they wanted.
Emma pouted, holding a pile of snacks as she sat next to John, "So it was just the first round of auction, it's so dull."
John ruffled Emma's hair lightly, chuckling as he said, "That's how auctions are. The earlier items are generally of mediocre value, mainly to hype up the atmosphere. The real showstoppers are usually later on."
Emma quirked an eyebrow, "Really? I thought the first round had pretty valuable stuff too, how can it be insignificant?"
John, grinning, explained, "Well, it depends on your perspective. The equipment and items from the first round might be great for average players, but high-level players wouldn't give them a second glance."
"Don't believe me? Did anyone bid from these booths on the second floor during the first round?"
Emma fell deep into thought.
Chapter89-Cozy Ambiance in the Booth, Everyone Stand Up!
John's gaze once again swept over the booths surrounding the second floor.
Although he didn't know who exactly sat in each booth, representatives from significant powers no doubt.
But he was certain about one thing - these folks were definitely waiting for the second round of the auction to start.
Suddenly, Emma offered the snacks in her hand to John, "Johnny, try this. The food in this game world tastes really good."
John indulgently opened his mouth, letting Emma stuff a small bread puff that resembled a cream puff into his mouth.
A rich, creamy sweetness exploded on his taste buds, a lingering sensation that left him wanting more.
He had to say, the creators of Godslayer had done an outstanding job.
Even though these in-game foods didn't actually satiate real-world hunger, they possessed the same texture and taste.
Occasionally experiencing this novelty of eating in-game was quite enjoyable.
John smirked slightly.
Suddenly, he bent his head and bit lightly on Emma's slender, white fingers.
"Eek!" Emma exclaimed, immediately covering her mouth with her other hand.
She quickly looked back to see if White Feather, not too far behind them, had noticed their little flirtation.
Fortunately, White Feather was engrossed in dealing with the food at the bar and hadn't noticed.
Emma hastily withdrew her hand, pinching John in annoyance, "Johnny, what are you doing? White Feather is still here."
John leaned in close to Emma's ear, a teasing grin on his face, "You didn't seem to mind when we were rolling around in bed earlier. Why the sudden shyness?"
Emma's cheeks burned bright red at his insinuation.
John was surprised to notice even her ears were flushed.
He hadn't noticed this detail when they were previously caught up in the heat of passion.
This discovery made John more playful.
His lips drew closer to Emma's ear, "When are you going to come back to school? The lingerie I bought has gathered dust."
"Don't you want to wear that lingerie and show off your perfect figure to me?"
Emma's blush deepened, feeling the heat of John's breath tickle her ear, which made her body subtly hot.
Although they were not in reality, Godslayer's simulation of senses had reached an uncanny level.
Emma felt her in-game body was even more sensitive than in reality.
She gently punched John's chest, a shy tone in her voice, "Johnny, you're too naughty... such a big rogue!"
John chuckled, speaking in a low voice, "But do you like this big rogue?"
Emma snorted softly, her voice soft and tender, and her punches lacked any real strength.
"Hmph! Not at all, I hate rogues the most."
John's eyebrows shot up, "What did you say?"
Emma felt a pair of large hands stealthily move over her chest, and before she knew it, the neckline of her top had been pulled down.
John was making a move inside her top when Emma hastily begged for mercy, "I was wrong, I was wrong, Johnny, I was wrong. I like big rogues the most, okay? Can we not do this here..."
White Feather behind the bar seemed to have noticed something unusual.
She glanced up and instantly blushed, swiftly averting his gaze.
Emma felt even more embarrassed, her sensation akin to that of making out in public.
This intense thrill made the girl feel like she was melting into a puddle.
John smirked, pulling back his hand, no longer teasing the shy girl.
He drew Emma into his embrace, his gaze returning to the auction hall.
After a brief intermission, Isabella once again took to the stage, "Esteemed guests, welcome back to the Dawn Breeze Auction House. I trust everyone has rested and is ready."
"Next, let us officially start the second round of the auction. Trust me, the items in this round will exceed your imagination."
No sooner had Isabella finished speaking than a group of muscular warriors emerged slowly from behind the stage.
These were players under the banner of the Dawn Breeze Auction House, but they were not the lifestyle kind, rather real warriors.
Carrying in their hands were a dozen or so ancient-looking boxes, accompanied by mages wielding staves.
Each person was on full alert, gripping their weapons tightly.
Such high-level escort spoke volumes about the treasures within the boxes.
The warriors lined up the boxes on the display stand.
At Isabella's wave, all the boxes were simultaneously opened.
Instantly, various rays of light shone on the stage.
The inner layers of the boxes rose slowly, showcasing the items inside.
There was a sudden uproar from the crowd, as players jostled to get a better look at the attributes of these items and equipment on stage.
At this point, Isabella smirked and projected the attributes of the equipment and items onto the big screen behind her.
[Heart of Magma (Epic): ...]
This was a necklace emitting a fiery glow, and even from afar, you could feel the explosive fire energy contained within.
[Pursuer in the Dark (Epic): ...]
This was a pair of boots encrusted with high-grade gems.
While modest in appearance, its attributes were astonishing.
Upon equipping, the player would gain the ability for short-distance flight.
John's eyes lit up at this. He was quite interested in these boots.
[Forest Stalker (Epic): ...]
The screen switched again, showing a longbow.
Its attributes were equally top-tier.
John noticed a small detail: the more extraordinary the equipment, the more unique its name.
For example, the previous auctioned items with average attributes were simply named "some wand" or "some necklace".
But the equipment in this second round of auction, each had a unique name...
As the attributes of each item and equipment were displayed on the big screen, the place went totally bonkers.
Nearly every player's eyes glittered with avarice.
Even the powerful factions in the second-floor booths couldn't sit still.
They got up and approached the glass windows, carefully reading the equipment attributes on the screen.
As the auction progressed, the equipment and items on display got even more impressive.
Until finally, Isabella suddenly paused the content display on the screen.
She laughed lightly, "The next two items are the biggest reason why our esteemed guests are here tonight. Two unprecedented Legendary Equip!"
"Dear guests, please carefully observe the attributes of these two pieces of equipment."
With a wave of her right hand, a beautifully-shaped necklace appeared on the screen, followed by the description of the necklace:
[Medusa's Tears (Legendary Necklace)]: Formed from the despairing tears that Queen Medusa shed when she left the abyss. Legend has it that within the endless abyss, Queen Medusa once bore the important mission of revitalizing the Medusa race, but because she chose the wrong side, she was forced to leave the abyss and was exiled to the lower-level Dark Spirit Realm. Knowing that she could no longer revitalize her race, Queen Medusa shed tears of sorrow.
[Level: 200, wearable when reaching level 200 or Intelligence 800 and above.]
[Attributes: +1000 HP, +600 Intelligence, +150 Magic Resistance, +150 Physical Resistance, +20% True Damage.]
[Attached Skill: Soul Rip (Advanced), Queen Medusa's famous skill. When released, it can temporarily disturb the minds of all enemies within 500 yards, making the enemies lose their ability to fight for two minutes. If the skill is used on a boss or regular monster below this level, it can control them to fight for the user for 30 minutes. Cooldown: Three hours.]
With a bang, the place instantly exploded into chaos.
The exaggerated attributes of Medusa's Tears made the players dizzy.
Even those in the second-floor booths went completely wild.
They had only one thought in mind now, they must win this beautiful, irreplaceable necklace, no matter the cost.
Equipment of this caliber could make a guild's strength leap qualitatively.
Just as the players were barely calming their excitement, Isabella gave a light smile and revealed the information of the final item:
[Serpent King's Blade (Legendary Weapon)]: The inherited weapon of the Medusa race. The legendary first Queen Medusa's spine bone was used to make it, and it has since become the symbol of each generation of Medusa Queens.]
[Level: 200, usable when reaching level 200 or Speed 1000 and above.]
[Attributes: +500 Speed, +300 Stamina, +450 Attack, +25% Armor Penetration.]
[Attached Skill 1: Fang of the Giant Serpent (Passive), the weapon comes with a strong poison effect. Each attack hit can cause 250 points of severe bleeding per second, lasting for 30 seconds, and cannot be removed.]
[Attached Skill 2: Ultimate Petrification (Advanced), each attack hit on the enemy will cause a rapid petrification effect. The speed of petrification spread will decrease successively according to the enemy's resistance. During petrification, Defense is reduced by 80%, and Armor Penetration is increased by 40%.]
Below the stage, it was practically pandemonium.
Particularly for the Elves and Demon players.
These two races are known for producing assassins, and the Serpent King's Blade is best suited for the assassin class.
On the second floor in the booths, the leaders of the top guilds from around the world stood up, their gazes blazing, fixed intently on the screen above the stage.
These included Blue Sea, the leader of Blue Sea Guild...
Adam, the leader of Genesis Guild...
The leader of Black Rose Guild,
The leader of Silent Ones Guild,
And the leader of Cycle Guild...
All the leaders of the world's top 10 guilds had risen to their feet!
Chapter90-The Bigshots Make Their Appearance
The scene fell into an eerie silence after a brief bout of uproar.
Every player's attention was utterly absorbed by the last two legendary pieces of equipment.
They were staring, their eyes wide open, at the gear.
Isabella glanced down and couldn't help but shiver.
The sight was unnerving.
These players resembled hungry wolves on the prairie, the green glint in their eyes revealing greed and desire.
Fortunately, the auction had a system-protection mechanism in place; items whose transactions were not yet complete couldn't be forcefully bound.
Otherwise, this horde would have rushed the stage long ago.
After all, the players present were from a wild mix of races, including chaos and evil factions such as the Demons.
For Demon players, struggles and fights for possessions were almost routine.
They were used to grabbing what they wanted by force, a distinctive trait of their chaos and evil faction.
Lawlessness, danger, and disorder defined them.
Below the stage, the group of Demon players were already raising their weapons, intending to storm the stage at any hint of disagreement.
This glaring ill-will activated the system's self-defense mechanism.
A system warning appeared above the auction hall, "Warning: Unfinalized auction items are forbidden from being seized. Violators will trigger the system's erasure mechanism!"
The blood-red system warning lit up three times in the auction hall's airspace, forcefully suppressing the Demons' greed.
The crowd quickly dispersed, and the players from other lawful and good factions immediately distanced themselves from the Demon players, their faces showing displeasure.
The Demon players, however, seemed unfazed.
To them, honor and dignity meant nothing.
The only thing that mattered was what they could grasp in their hands.
"Ugh, a group of unruly beasts. Who would choose to play as Demons?"
From within a second-floor box, a voice with a hint of mockery echoed.
The speaker was none other than the leader of one of the world's top ten guilds, Silent Ones Guild's leader, Chillminder.
Chillminder's words had barely landed when a challenging voice erupted from another box, "Oh, you've got a problem with us Demon players? If you're not happy, how about we settle it with a real fight, instead of just running your mouth?"
Hearing his authority challenged, Chillminder became infuriated.
The floor-to-ceiling window of the Silent Ones Guild's box instantly turned transparent, revealing Chillminder's tall and imposing figure, "Which cur dares to spout off here?"
Not far from the Silent Ones Guild's box, another box's window also turned transparent, revealing an even more imposing figure.
Not only was this figure formidable, but his face was also terrifyingly grotesque.
Covered in dense tattoos and sporting a shiny bald head, his black robe was surrounded by a murky aura of death.
A huge scythe was slung over his back.
He was not a figure to be trifled with.
"Hisss~ It's him?"
Many players recognized the identity of this burly man and sucked in a breath.
"Who is this guy?"
"You don't know him? He's one of the leaders of the top ten guilds worldwide, the Shadowrealm Guild's leader, Karthus."
"The Shadowrealm Guild is the most unreasonable among the top ten guilds. Its members are mostly evil characters who particularly enjoy hunting players in the game. They often chase solo players out of the game after a minor disagreement."
"I heard that many members of this guild are gangsters. They don't believe in rules or order and do whatever they fancy." A player explained about the Shadowrealm Guild in a whisper, making many newbie players tremble.
They didn't even dare to lift their heads to look at Karthus.
Chillminder, however, remained unfazed.
After all, being from one of the top ten guilds worldwide, they were not significantly different in power.
He scoffed and sneered, "I wondered who it was. So, it's you, the freak. Instead of staying in the Demon territory, what is the Shadowrealm Guild doing in the Northern Myst Empire?"
Karthus caressed his bald head and flashed a freakish grin, "Do I need to report my every move to you? Let me tell you straight, these two legendary pieces of equipment are as good as mine. If you, Chillminder, dare to compete with me, be ready to be hunted by the Shadowrealm Guild."
Even Chillminder, a person of such stature, couldn't help but have his complexion change upon hearing these words.
As for the guild's power, Chillminder wasn't particularly afraid.
However, the Shadowrealm Guild was infamous for its ruthlessness, and if targeted by them, it could become a troublesome affair.
The guild had the highest number of rogue players amongst the top ten guilds worldwide.
They enjoyed ambushes and sneak attacks.
It was their modus operandi.
The dark attributes of Demons gave them an overwhelming advantage in stealth attacks and assassinations.
Regardless of how proud Chillminder was, he couldn't guarantee that he would emerge unscathed from the onslaught of all the assassins of the Shadowrealm Guild.
Before Chillminder could even respond, another female voice echoed from a different box.
The voice sounded sweet and lovely, yet carried a significant bite, "Karthus, you son of a bitch, thinking you're invincible? Believe it or not, I'll annihilate your entire family, you corpse-loving freak. I'll dig up your wife from the grave and blow her up like a firecracker!"
The explosive voice reverberated throughout the venue.
Everyone was stunned.
John, who was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle while munching on some melon seeds, nearly choked on his beer.
The window of another box turned transparent, revealing a petite young woman with an explosively attractive figure, hands on her hips.
Her snow-white hair fluttered in the breeze, and her delicate features looked as if they had walked straight out of a painting.
It was hard to imagine that such venomous words had come from the mouth of this adorable young woman.
"Another big shot, the leader of the Black Rose Guild, Snowla," exclaimed the players on the first floor in recognition.
It made sense if it was her.
Everyone knew of the fiery temperament of the Black Rose's guild leader, who wouldn't hesitate to curse someone's entire family if provoked.
Yet, people didn't hold too much resentment towards Snowla.
Her harmless appearance was too endearing to evoke any animosity.
Despite her penchant for cursing, she was a fair individual who never bullied the weak and often helped solo players.
Therefore, the reputation of the Black Rose Guild was surprisingly good.
Seeing Snowla siding with Chillminder, Karthus's face darkened instantly.
However, he dared not provoke Snowla directly.
His threats might work on Chillminder, but they were useless against Snowla. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๏ฝ ๏ฝ.๏ฝ๐๐
She was a top-ranking player of the holy light class, and her guild, the Black Rose Guild, was filled with holy light class players, making them the natural nemesis of his Shadowrealm Guild.
"Snowla, you crazy bitch, can't you get your head checked?" Karthus cursed, "You're a holy light class, yet you're calling yourself the Black Rose. What kind of sane person does that?"
Snowla rolled her eyes, her words filled with as much venom as ever, "What's it to you? I like it. If you have the balls, come and kill me."
"Just try to lay a hand on me today, and I'll let you taste the highest holy praise of the Lord." Karthus was rendered speechless by Snowla, unable to utter a single word.
"Karthus, there's no need to engage in a war of words with this madwoman. Don't forget our purpose today," another ominous voice joined the fray.
The voice belonged to a mysterious player enveloped in dark energy.
But the fact that he could appear in a second-floor box meant his status was no ordinary one.
Snowla arched her delicate eyebrows, hands still on her hips as she continued her tirade, "So the venomous snake decided to show up? Your Dawn Guild isn't busy playing the mole underground? Now you dare to crawl out into the light?"
One of the top ten guilds worldwide, the leader of the Dawn Guild, Kingserp.
The Dawn Guild was similar to the Shadowrealm Guild, both belonging to the faction of chaos and evil.
If the Shadowrealm Guild was a beast without rules, then the Dawn Guild was like a venomous snake in the world of the game.
Their favorite pastime was torturing ordinary players in the cruelest ways possible, often leading some to quit the game permanently.
Kingserp, hidden within a cloud of darkness, sent chills down everyone's spine with his ominous voice, "After today, every member of the Black Rose will be a target for my guild. I sincerely hope your mental fortitude is stronger..."
Snowla, unfazed, shot back, "If you've got the guts, bring it on. Let's see if my Holy Light Cannon teaches you some manners!"
At this point, the leaders of the other major guilds also made their appearances.
Blue Sea, the guild leader of the Blue Sea Guild.
Adam, the guild leader of the Genesis Guild.
Iron Mountain, the guild leader of the Iron Wings Guild.
And the list went on.
The arrival of one big shot after another sent waves of awe through the players in the room, each wave higher than the last.
Finally, the mysterious guild leader of the Travelers Association made her first public appearance, igniting the vibe of the venue.
Players were shocked to discover that the notoriously elusive leader of the Travelers Association was a stunningly beautiful, mature woman.
It was the same mysterious woman who had evaluated John earlier.
Seeing this woman, the fiery Snowla, who was effortlessly holding her own against both men, immediately redirected her verbal attack.
She raised her delicate eyebrows towards the glamorous woman and yelled, "Old hag, give me back my necklace!"
The beautiful woman ignored Snowla entirely.
Her enchanting eyes instead focused on the last opaque box on the second floor.
"Galewind, long time no see."
Chapter91-John's Old Acquaintances, Auction Continues
Inside the box, John was introducing Emma to the big shots who had made their entrances.
"Silent Ones Guild, guild leader Chillminder, his base class is archer, his hidden class is unknown. Most of their guild members are human and elf archers..."
"Shadowrealm Guild, guild leader Karthus, his base class is necromancer, his hidden class should be something related to the grim reaper, judging from the scythe behind him..."
"Black Rose Guild, guild leader... um... Snowla, her base class is priest. But this woman is a little off her rocker, she doesn't act like a holy light class at all. Keep your distance from her..."
Mentioning Snowla, a fleeting look of helplessness crossed John's eyes.
Emma, always sensitive to his moods, quickly caught on.
She looked up at John with teasing eyes, "Johnny, did you know this Snowla before?"
John was taken aback. ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ป๐จ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น.๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ
When had this girl's sixth sense become so sharp?
Weren't you always into cute and innocent girls before?
John gently stroked Emma's long hair and asked back, "What makes you think that?"
Emma said matter-of-factly, "Because when you mentioned Snowla, your tone was very different. You must know her well, right?"
John awkwardly rubbed his nose.
Emma's gaze grew more suspicious, "Don't tell me... Snowla is your ex-girlfriend?"
"Cough!" John almost choked on his beer, "What are you thinking? I've just had a few interactions with her in a previous game."
Emma pouted, her face full of disbelief.
John coughed lightly and quickly continued on the previous topic, "Um, next, the Dawn Guild, guild leader Kingserp, his exact class is unknown. I suspect it has something to do with some snake-like bosses from the abyss. He's a really cunning guy."
Emma looked up blankly, "What's the abyss?"
White Feather, who had been eavesdropping, also looked over curiously.
John smiled slightly, "Consider it a high-level secret realm, you guys aren't able to reach it yet."
"Oh, okay." Emma nodded her little head, listening attentively to John's explanations.
"You've just met Blue Sea and Adam..."
"The Iron Wings Guild, guild leader Iron Mountain, his base class is a heavy armored warrior..."
John's words came to a halt as a stunningly beautiful woman appeared in his line of sight.
That familiar face, still captivating as ever.
Even Emma and White Feather, both girls, were amazed by the woman's beauty.
Emma murmured, "Such a beautiful lady..."
White Feather nodded frantically.
Then, they saw the beautiful woman say something towards their box.
"Galewind, long time no see."
...
Her voice was like an orchid blooming in an empty valley, with a hint of magnetism, seemingly naturally noble and mysterious.
In terms of beauty alone, this mysterious woman wasn't the only standout.
The hot-tempered Black Rose Guild leader, Snowla.
The naturally cute Emma.
The radiant Isabella...
Their beauty was no less than this woman.
What they truly lacked, perhaps, was the woman's grace and mystery, which provoked an irresistible urge to uncover more.
John activated the mechanism to open the floor-to-ceiling window, finally revealing the last box on the second floor to everyone.
"It's been a while... Miss Bambooist..."
John's calm words, like a bolt from the blue, immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Wow, it really is you, big brother Galewind!"
The moment John appeared, the formerly cursing Snowla suddenly became docile.
She held her hands to her chest, greeting John in a cloyingly sweet voice.
Others didn't think much of it. But the Silent Ones Guild's leader Chillminder, who was most familiar with Snowla, was looking at her like she was an alien.
God, when did the so-called "Tyrannosaurus Girl" Snowla...
Showing such a sweet and docile side? Is this even the Snowla I know?
John chuckled lightly, teasingly adding, "I just saw you here, verbally battling it out. You're as sharp-tongued as ever, aren't you?"
Against all odds, Snowla blushed.
Her pure, usually composed face turned a rare shade of red, a sight that nearly made the eyeballs of her entourage and the familiar guild leaders around her pop out.
"Galewind, you're teasing me again. I'm not as ferocious as you make me sound..."
Snowla was cooing sweetly when she spotted Emma and White Feather standing behind John.
Her fine eyebrows shot up immediately.
"Brother Galewind, who are these beauties behind you?" She asked, teeth clenched.
The threatening gaze in her eyes made Emma and White Feather hastily shrink back. John frowned slightly, "Don't harbor any ill thoughts towards them, Snowla."
This light comment instantly tamed Snowla.
One could say that her change of expression was as fast as flipping a page in a book.
Having watched the entire scene with a joyful smile, Bambooist finally spoke again. "Long time no see, Galewind. You're still as charming as ever."
Just as John was about to reply, Snowla pointed her verbal gun at Bambooist again, loudly rebuking, "Shut up, old woman! Galewind is not someone you can comment on freely. Give me back my necklace now, or I'll beat you into a real old hag!"
Bambooist, smiling charmingly enough to dazzle anyone, taunted, "Little girl, aren't you afraid of losing face in front of your ex-boyfriend again? Don't forget, you lost to me last time."
Snowla was both angry and flustered, her chest heaving.
John figured out that these two apparently had some history, and the usually haughty Snowla seemed to have suffered a loss at the hands of Bambooist.
"Hey, you two beauties, calm down a bit. Shouldn't we focus on the auction at this time?" Blue Sea, always the most composed, brought the conversation back on track.
Right, the main purpose today was the auction, wasn't it?
Other disputes and grievances should wait until the auction was over.
The gamers present suddenly understood.
Their attention had been completely absorbed by the high-level disputes in the second-floor private rooms and they had completely forgotten their real purpose for being there.
Snowla grunted and stopped attacking verbally.
The top two guilds in the Demon, Shadowrealm and Dawn, also fell silent. B
Bambooist sat back down on the sofa with a mysterious smile...
The farce seemed to have come to an end, and the auction was back on track.
But everyone could sense the undercurrent swirling between the private rooms on the second floor, a powder keg that could explode at any moment.
On stage, Isabella smiled faintly.
She had been busy watching the drama as well.
The grievances and grudges among these top players were as compelling as a court drama.
After hearing Blue Sea's words, Isabella regained her composure.
"Ahem, dear esteemed guests, please be patient," she began. "I believe that after seeing the second round of auction items, everyone has already made up their minds."
"I hope everyone here feels welcomed and secures the equipment and items they desire tonight." Isabella's soft voice finally calmed the restless gamers.
Seeing this, Isabella seized the opportunity and announced, "Now, let's start the auction with the first item โ the Heart of Magma. The starting bid is 3 million in cash, and each subsequent bid must increase by at least half a million."
All the lights on the stage focused on the necklace embedded with rubies, the Heart of Magma.
The crowd instantly burst into a frenzy.
The first item reached the million-level.
Even though it was a cash deal, it was enough to demonstrate its value.
"My guild, Mountain Guild, bids 1.5 million."
"2 million. This necklace is mine."
"3 million, please show some respect for my guild, Fire Guild."
"Flame Guild? Never heard of it. We, Thunder Guild, bid 4 million."
...
The players on the first floor were the first ones to become restless, each throwing out their bids.
The price was rising at an alarming rate, quickly surpassing the 7 million mark.
Behind John, Emma widened her eyes, her little face full of surprise.
She had experienced the auction of the legendary item [Ancient Parchment] last time.
She thought that was already a crazy price.
She never expected that today's auction would be a hundred times more exaggerated.
Money seemed to become a simple number in front of these players, uttered without any hesitation.
"10 million."
Finally, someone on the second floor made a move.
Chillminder, the leader of Silent Ones Guild, raised his hand and stated his price, directly pushing the price into the eight figures.
Hearing this price, many players on the first floor changed their expressions.
These small and medium-sized powers knew well that they were not eligible to compete with the top guilds on the second floor for the later auction items.
They would be more than satisfied just to win a few early items.
So, the previously bidding leader of the Mountain Guild gritted his teeth and made another bid: "I bid 10.5 million!"
Chillminder remained expressionless, his eyes not even flickering. "12 million!"
The leader of the Mountain Guild tried to raise his hand a few times, but finally let it fall despondently.
12 million was the financial limit of his guild.
But Chillminder on the second floor could obviously keep raising the price.
The financial power of a top-tier guild was something that a small and medium guild could not compete with.
The players on the first floor sighed inwardly.
In the end, the Heart of Magma necklace was taken by Chillminder for the staggering price of 12 million.
And this was just the beginning of a wild night!
Chapter92- Darklord the Trouble Maker
Isabella's small hammer lightly tapped on the table.
The Heart of Magma was quickly escorted by the Dawn Breeze Auction House security to the second floor.
Members in charge of financial management from the Silent Ones Guild greeted them.
The exchange of goods and money was done, contracts were signed, and the Heart of Magma was immediately transferred into the Silent Ones Guild's warehouse.
This was the way Dawn Breeze Auction House operated for these costly equipment and items auctioned in the second round.
As soon as the auction was confirmed, they would carry out the transaction on the spot to avoid any potential mishaps.
Chillminder was more than satisfied.
This Epic necklace, the Heart of Magma, might not be useful for his class.
However, the vice-guild leader of his guild happened to be a fire mage, whose attributes matched perfectly with this piece of equipment.
The Heart of Magma would significantly enhance the vice-guild leader's strength, thereby indirectly boosting the overall strength of their guild.
Once the transaction for Heart of Magma was completed, Isabella waved her hand, and all the lights in the venue converged on the second auction item.
[Shadowchaser (Epic): ...]
The boots were entirely black, adorned with light blue gems at the top.
Under the light, they were dazzling.
They are all familiar with the specifics.
Without saying much, the short-distance flight ability alone is enough to double the worth of these boots.
Besides, the Shadowchaser has another special ability... it can increase the wearer's speed by 50% while chasing enemies.
The two special abilities made these boots a hot item for many players.
Isabella gave a slight smile, "The next auction item is the 'Shadowchaser,' with a starting price of 1.5 million, each increase in price must be no less than 500,000 ..."
No sooner had Isabella's voice faded, then bidding voices echoed from the floor.
"I bid 2 million."
"Screw it, I'll empty my savings for this, I bid 2.5 million."
"Are you kidding, thinking you can bag this premium item for 2.5 million? Our guild bids 3.5 million."
"Is 3.5 million a big deal? I bid 4 million."
"The attributes of this equipment are too astonishing; our guild bids 5 million."
...
The independent players and some of the smaller guilds on the first floor started the bidding war.
It's quite amusing actually; they all knew they couldn't compete with the wealthy top-tier guilds on the second floor.
But they couldn't resist the temptation.
Always hopeful they could snag a bargain.
In less than fifteen minutes, the price was raised to 8.5 million by the players.
Compared to the previous item, Heart of Magma, the speed of the price hike was even more astonishing.
Most of the players, who didn't have the resources to compete, turned to the dozen or so boxes on the second floor, getting ready to watch the drama unfold.
"What do you think? Should we try our luck?"
Chillminder sent a private message to Snowla. Before the auction began, they had already agreed to cooperate.
This was why Chillminder was able to stand his ground when he clashed with Karthus.
Snowla was always there to back Chillminder up right away.
Soon, Snowla replied, "No need, there's no one in either of our guilds that this equipment would suit. It's just a waste of time."
"Moreover, you've just won the Heart of Magma. If we bid again, we'll just paint a target on our backs. Let them fight over it."
Chillminder nodded in agreement, "True, these early appetizers aren't that important. We should hold on to our resources. The last two Legendary Equipments will be the real battles."
Similar conversations were happening among other guild leaders.
Before the auction started, the guilds with no major grudges had already allied quietly.
These folks were leading some of the top 10 global guilds.
None of them were fools.
They all knew what this auction meant.
The two Legendary Equipments up for auction were unique server-wide.
No single force had the capability to take them both.
So, collaboration was an inevitable trend.
On the other hand, Adam, the guild leader of Genesis Guild, was about to bid when he received a message from Blue Sea, "Don't rush, we're not desperate for this piece of equipment. And I bet Galewind is pretty interested. You might as well give him a favor."
Adam lowered his halfway raised arm and discreetly withdrew his gaze.
In these few minutes, the price of Shadowchaser kept rising, now surpassing 10 million, and was about to match the transaction price of Heart of Magma, 12 million.
In the box, after a moment of contemplation, John finally spoke, "11 million."
The voices on the first floor had quieted down a lot by now. Hearing John's bid, several players unwillingly chose to bow out.
The leaders of the major guilds on the second floor also tacitly quieted down.
Bambooist, who was initially interested in bidding, smiled knowingly upon hearing John's voice and decided to quit competing for the item.
Guild leaders Karthus from Shadowrealm Guild and Kingserp from Dawn Guild had been observing quietly.
They were interested in the Shadowchaser boots, which perfectly suited assassin classes.
These two guilds had the highest number of assassin class players among the top 10 global guilds.
However, when they heard John's bid, both fell silent.
Although they didn't know John, they had noticed his impressive entrance earlier.
Clearly, this player named Galewind had deep connections with several guild leaders on the second floor.
With the unknown strength of John, Karthus and Kingserp naturally wouldn't rush into action.
Just when it seemed like John's bid of 11 million was about to be final, a discordant voice came from the first floor, "How can such a top-notch item be worth only 11 million? I bid 12 million."
The voice was incredibly sleazy, and the confrontation was quite obvious.
For a moment, numerous players turned their heads, curious to see who would dare challenge Galewind, the mysterious powerhouse.
Their gazes converged on Darklord, seated with a gloomy expression and a face filled with arrogance.
Perhaps he was reveling in the attention, Darklord taunted again, "What's the matter Galewind? Is 11 million your limit?"
Seeing John speaking on equal terms with the leaders of the world's top 10 guilds had made many players admire him.
Darklord, hiding in the shadows, was seething with jealousy.
He felt that he should be the one in that position, that he, Darklord, deserved to be in the spotlight!
Now that he finally had a chance to undermine John, Darklord was not going to let it slip away.
John stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his hands behind his back.
His straight figure was like a javelin, his handsome face expressionless.
He simply breathed out a number, "13 million."
Darklord chuckled and continued to raise the bid, "Well, then I'll go 14 million."
John continued without hesitation, "15 million."
Darklord was hot on his heels, "16 million."
The two continued to raise each other's bids, all the way to a staggering price of 20 million.
The scene was deathly silent, with everyone gaping, watching the two perform.
Isabella, on stage, was somewhat worried.
She was mainly concerned that this kind of bidding would affect the reputation of the Dawn Breeze Auction House in the mind of the big shot, Galewind.
As for Darklord, Isabella was already utterly disgusted with him.
It was he who caused trouble in the last auction.
Although it could increase the revenue of the auction house, this kind of troublemaking would damage its reputation.
"21 million, Galewind, if you dare, keep going. I'm here for the long haul."
As the price kept rising, Darklord's expression became increasingly twisted.
He was gritting his teeth, staring at John, completely oblivious to the gloomy expression on SoulSong next to him.
From beginning to end, John didn't spare Darklord another glance.
He simply continued to bid in an unemotional tone, "22 million."
"I don't believe you can afford it. You, a pauper, dare to compete with me in wealth?"
Darklord was about to continue raising the price when he was suddenly interrupted by SoulSong, "Young Master, we can't go any higher. Our money today is prepared for those two Legendary Equipments. These Shadowchasers aren't that important to us."
Darklord was not pleased with being interrupted by SoulSong, but his words cooled him down for a moment.
From a rational point of view, he shouldn't get tangled up with John at this time. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก.๐๐๐
Darklord was about to give up, but when he looked up, he saw John glance over at him with an indifferent expression, seemingly full of mockery.
How could Darklord tolerate this?
The rage he had just suppressed flared up again.
"I'll raise the price one more time. I never intended to buy these rotten shoes. I just want to make Galewind bleed heavily. Over 20 million for an Epic item, I want to see where he gets the money."
While reassuring SoulSong, Darklord gave another price, "23 million."
John finally frowned and fell silent for a moment.
It seemed that his financial resources only stretched to this number, and he was preparing to give up the competition for this item.
Chapter93-Failed Plot Against Others Turns Against One's Self
As John fell silent, his communication channel started to flash with multiple message notifications.
Blue Sea: Brother Galewind, if you need it, I've got some spare change. I can lend you some.
(Snowla requests to add you as a friend): Brother Galewind, send me your card number.
(Bambooist requests to add you as a friend): Galewind, do you need me to bid on this item for you? Consider it a gift for our long-awaited reunion.
...
John accepted the friend requests, then politely declined their offers.
Emma came up behind John and whispered, "Johnny, I haven't sent out the proceeds from the last auction of that Legendary item. I can transfer it to you first."
John simply smiled and shook his head.
Everyone assumed that his silence was due to a lack of funds.
However, John was actually just contemplating the best way to outsmart Darklord.
He had seen through Darklord's little tricks at a glance.
So, the competition between them wasn't about money at all.
They both wanted to outwit each other.
The challenge now was who was bold enough and detail-oriented to guess the other's bottom line.
...
When John fell silent, Darklord actually started to panic inside.
If John didn't continue to bid, Darklord would become the big loser.
The price for this Epic equip had already far exceeded its value.
He would be making a huge loss.
Fortunately, after a short pause, John calmly increased the price by another million.
"24 million."
Darklord felt relieved again.
He found that Galewind seemed really desperate for this item.
Even when he had pushed the price this far, the bastard still didn't want to give up.
Well then, let him bleed some more.
Darklord thought, feeling an insane sense of exhilaration inside.
His moment of glory was finally here.
However, in his excitement, he was also reminding himself: this price increase would really be the last one.
"25 million!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Darklord's heart skipped a beat because he noticed a mocking smile on John's face, "OK, you win. Congratulations on successfully securing this precious item for 25 million."
Darklord turned as pale as a ghost.
It wasn't until Isabella on the stage struck the gavel that Darklord finally realized the truth.
All his plans had been anticipated by his adversary.
"Wow, someone really spent 25 million on an Epic equip?"
"This Darklord guy is really bleeding cash now."
"Some people are so damn rich, they just throw out 25 million without thinking."
"Who said we first-floor players are all broke? There are plenty of undercover tycoons among us."
...
Most players weren't aware of the grudge between Darklord and John.
So now they were just genuinely amazed by how rich this Darklord player seemed to be.
But Darklord felt like his world was crumbling.
What had he done?
He was going to spend 25 million on an Epic equip that didn't even match his class.
The praises from the other players sounded like mockery to Darklord, stabbing his heart like a sharp sword.
"What do I do now? I can't really be expected to cough up 25 million, can I?"
Darklord was in a panic, looking at SoulSong next to him with a twisted face, only to find SoulSong even paler.
SoulSong was numb.
Having a leader like Darklord made him feel like he was in hell.
"We have to pay. The deal is done, and we have to respect the rules," SoulSong said.
Still unwilling to give up, Darklord scratched his head, searching for a solution.
"Can we announce that we give up on the item? Real-life auctions have instances of unsold items, right?"
SoulSong replied with a wooden face, "If the lady on the stage hadn't dropped the hammer, you could have announced that. But it's too late now."
"The hammer falls, the system automatically initiates the transaction. The only way out is to refuse to pay."
Darklord's face turned from green to white.
In the game Godslayer, refusing to honor a transaction contract is a serious offense.
The system would severely punish players who violated the contract.
Not only would the guild's credibility drop into the negatives, but all guild members would also be banned from participating in any transactions in the future.
If the violation was serious enough, the system could even confiscate all the player's assets.
Darklord was very clear that he had been completely outwitted by John this time.
He glared at John with resentment.
Their already irreconcilable enmity deepened.
Inside the private room.
Emma curiously asked, "Johnny, are you going to give up on the item?"
John smiled mischievously, "Who said I was giving up? If someone wants to be the sucker, I'm more than happy to let them. I'll just snatch the equip back later."
Emma gazed at John, not repulsed at all by his robber-like declaration.
On the contrary, she felt that the man she loved should be this domineering.
With a reluctant heart, Darklord accepted the item and put it into his backpack.
25 million in cash, gone just like that.
Darklord felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his resentment towards John only grew stronger.
Gritting his teeth, he asked, "SoulSong, how much is left in our guild's coffers?"
SoulSong on the side could only shake his head helplessly.
"After selling the company's shares, we had nine figures in funds. But now, we've lost a quarter of that. Bidding on those two Legendary Equip might be a stretch."
Darklord's face turned even paler.
The reason he had been so low-key at the start of the auction was to pool all his resources to bid on the last two Legendary Equip.
Now, his plan had been ruined by a moment's impulsiveness, getting royally screwed over by John.
What was once a substantial fund was now dangerously low.
"Can we sell more shares?... I must get my hands on at least one of those Legendary Equip items!" Darklord was desperate.
The two upcoming Legendary Equip items had god-tier properties.
Even a high-and-mighty player like Darklord recognized their significance.
If he could get one, his power would skyrocket.
He must have it!
After a moment of silence, SoulSong responded with a wry smile, "It's tough. Most of your father's company shares have been sold. I have no idea how we can fill the 25 million hole."
Darklord felt helpless, the transaction had been completed, and his account was definitely 25 million lighter.
How could he recover from this loss?
Just as Darklord was about to seek help from his own father, his communication channel started blinking.
[Wolf Howl has sent you a friend request...]
There are two ways to add friends in Godslayer.
One is if both players are in the same area, they can add each other as friends by inspecting each other's attributes.
This was how Bambooist and Snowla added John as a friend.
The other way is to know the other player's ID in advance, then search for it in the communication channel and send a friend request from a distance.
Darklord looked around but didn't spot any suspicious players.
He pondered for a moment and accepted the friend request.
Wolf Howl: Mr. Darklord, are you interested in a partnership?
Darklord frowned and replied: Who are you?
Wolf Howl: Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that we have a common enemy.
Darklord: Galewind?
Wolf Howl: Exactly, our guild has a deep grudge against him, and we just can't seem to get the upper hand. Since our grievances are the same, why not join forces?
After careful consideration, Darklord gave his answer: I'm in! ๐๐๐๐๐๐๏ฝ ๏ฝ๏ผ๐๏ฝ๐
Meanwhile, at another corner, in the Wolf Guild...
Wolf Howl reported to his guild leader, Wolf Prime, "Darklord has agreed to collaborate... Now it depends on our sincerity..."
Wolf Prime cautiously responded, "Isn't this a bit risky? Galewind's identity is too mysterious, and he has deep ties with many top guilds. Even if we team up with Darklord, can we pose a real threat to Galewind?"
Wolf Howl didn't respond.
Wolf Prime was cautious due to his deep-seated fear of John's power.
But Wolf Howl wasn't scared.
In terms of background, no matter how powerful the world's top ten guilds are, could they ever compare to the native forces within the game?
With these thoughts, Wolf Howl scoffed.
Even the most formidable players were just small fry in front of the game's local powers.
As long as he found his NPC master in the game world, why would he fear a minor player like Galewind?
Back in the private suite on the second floor.
John was oblivious to the undercurrents brewing.
After Shadowchaser, John didn't place any more bids on the items.
He simply let the other big forces compete among themselves.
The epic bow-and-arrow item "Forest Hunter" went to Chillminder.
"Flower of the Netherworld" ended up in Shadowrealm Guild's possession.
As Isabella's hammer constantly tapped on the table, one top-tier item after another found its new owner.
There was a minor episode during this process.
An unknown independent player somehow outbid the top powers on the second floor for an item with superior properties.
It proved once again that this game was full of hidden talents.
Numerous wealthy players preferred to keep a low profile.
One by one, the items up for auction were claimed until only two sought-after treasure chests were left.
Isabella, still as composed as ever, introduced the next item with a smile, "The next item up for auction is: Medusa's Tears..."
All attendees were thrilled.
The real blockbuster was about to begin!
Chapter94-The Deep-Pocketed Travelers
This widely anticipated auction.
After numerous twists and turns.
The main event was finally here.
Isabella, splendidly dressed, shone like a blooming peony under the lights.
Her smile was radiant as she said in a soft voice, "I'm sure all of you have been waiting for a long time and might be growing impatient. But as the saying goes, the best wine is saved for last, only a grand finale can highlight its significance."
"Now, the moment has arrived. From this point forward, it's up to your abilities..."
Isabella's words, full of passion and generosity, instantly stirred up the vibe at the venue.
Players, who had already been itching to bid, began to clamor.
"Miss Isabella, please announce the starting price."
"I can't wait anymore, the money in my pocket is ready for this moment."
"Finally, it's the turn for these two pieces of equipment, my butt has gone numb from sitting."
"Start the auction quickly!"
...
Isabella's subtle gaze swept over the private boxes on the second floor.
Compared to the overly excited players in the grand hall on the first floor.
These guild leaders of major guilds.
Appeared much calmer.
But by looking at their burning eyes, it was clear that even these guild leaders were far from tranquil.
"Finally, it's starting. The only two Legendary equipment in the entire server..."
Emma was munching on an unknown fruit, her face full of anticipation.
She turned to John, who was resting on the couch with his eyes closed, and asked curiously, "Johnny, what do you think these two pieces of equipment will go for?"
John didn't even bother to open his eyes as he replied indifferently, "That depends on how much funds these guys on the second floor have prepared."
White Feather, standing beside them, chuckled and interjected, "Mr. Galewind, aren't you interested in bidding?"
John cracked a faint smile, "These two pieces of equipment were put up by me. Do you think I would be interested?"
White Feather froze on the spot.
The fruit she had just picked up dropped to the floor.
She had been surprised many times today.
But she didn't expect to hear even more shocking news at this moment.
All she could say was, big shots truly lived up to their name.
These were the only two pieces of Legendary equipment on the entire server, and he was willing to put them up for auction.
White Feather was secretly impressed.
At the same time, she was even more determined to maintain a close relationship with Emma.
As long as her friendship with Emma was solid.
She could latch onto Mr. Galewind's coattails.
Fame and fortune were within reach.
Thinking this, White Feather even started to chuckle foolishly on the spot.
John gave her a strange look, wondering what she was thinking to display such an expression.
Emma was also puzzled.
She nudged White Feather, "Why are you giggling like that? You look so goofy."
White Feather snapped out of her daze and her face instantly flushed with embarrassment.
Meanwhile, up on the stage,
After sufficiently whetting the appetite of the crowd, Isabella finally announced, "Medusa's Tears, starting bid of 10 million, with each increase not less than 2 million."
There was a resounding "Boom" as the crowd erupted in disbelief.
"What? A starting bid of 10 million? And each increase is not less than 2 million? Is this equipment made of gold?"
"Don't kid us, gold isn't that expensive."
"A bunch of losers, if you can't afford it then don't waste time here. This is the only pair of Legendary equipment in the entire server, it's worth any price."
"Exactly, my bid is 12 million!"
"14 million!"
"Make it quick, straight to 20 million!"
...
The hefty starting price immediately deterred most of the players in the room.
But the well-heeled bidders became even more excited.
The world is full of rich people after all.
They are also willing to spend exorbitant prices to purchase some items that are incomprehensible to ordinary people.
To put it bluntly, no matter how precious "Medusa's Tears" and "Serpent King's Blade" are,
They're ultimately just virtual items in a game.
It's hard to understand why some people are so fanatical about them.
One could only say, money can't buy happiness...
Soon, Medusa's Tears had already reached a price of over 20 million and was still soaring.
Some small and medium guilds on the first floor started trying to cooperate with other players to secure this top-notch equipment.
"Bro, I'm Thunder, the guild leader of Thunder Guild. Are you interested in collaborating?"
"Hi Thunder, I'm MouWind, the guild leader of Mountain Guild. How would you like to cooperate?"
"You see, our guild's finances aren't enough to bid for Medusa's Tears on our own. I guess your guild can't afford it either. Why don't we join forces and bid together, so we can compete with those top guilds on the second floor."
MouWind's eyes lit up, but he quickly thought of a crucial question: "I'm okay with cooperation, but how do we split the equipment after we win the bid?"
"That's easy. We'll set up a joint account, you use it for one week, I use it for the next week."
...
Such cooperative proposals were popping up among the players on the first floor.
The price of "Medusa's Tears" continued to skyrocket.
Soon, it reached an astonishing 30 million.
By this price, the bidding calls in the room had greatly decreased.
Then, the long-observing top guild leaders on the second floor finally made their move.
Chillminder, the guild leader of Silent Ones Guild, who had been itching to bid for a while, spoke first: "35 million!"
The players on the first floor gasped in unison.
True to their reputation as one of the top 10 guilds worldwide, they were truly big spenders.
With his first bid, he added a whopping 5 million.
No sooner had Chillminder's words fell than Karthus, the guild leader of Shadowrealm Guild, followed up: "40 million!"
After Karthus, Blue Sea and Adam shared a tacit glance, and both gave their bid: "45 million."
Then, the leader of the Travelers, Bambooist, added a staggering 10 million on top of that: "55 million!"
The bigwigs in the private rooms on the second floor all frowned.
This price was close to their expectations.
Snowla even couldn't help but swear, "Bloody hell, Bambooist, who the hell bids like that? Adding 10 million at a time, are we supposed to play this game or what?"
Bambooist snickered, coolly retorted, "Little girl, if you can't afford it, get out of the game. This is how I roll. What are you going to do about it...?" ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ.๐ค๐๐
Snowla ground her teeth in frustration, but she was powerless against Bambooist.
The other guild leaders also seemed at their wits' end.
Although they were financially robust, they were no match for the Travelers.
After all, the Travelers were notoriously wealthy.
They were major players in the in-game business world.
Rumor has it that they were backed by several globally renowned corporations in the real world.
To them, money was truly just a number.
Blue Sea quietly sent a message to Adam: This can't go on. There's no way we can compete with the Travelers when it comes to money.
Adam replied immediately: Yeah, the Travelers are businessmen after all, their liquid assets must be way more than ours.
Blue Sea pondered for a moment and said: Let's wait and see for a bit longer, if it comes to it, we may have to back out...
Despite their reluctance, they had to consider the overall development of the guild.
If they used too much of their liquid assets in one go,
Even if they managed to get these top-notch equipment,
The development of the guild would be greatly affected afterward.
Karthus gritted his teeth and decided to give it another shot, "60 million. That's the highest I can go. I hope the Travelers will give me a break."
Bambooist smirked coldly, not backing down at all: "65 million!"
Karthus's face instantly turned gloomy.
He glared at Bambooist, his eyes full of menace.
But Bambooist remained unmoved, quietly watching the stage.
Isabella waited for a moment, seeing no one else was raising their bid, she banged the gavel down hard, "65 million once, 65 million twice, 65 million three times, sold!"
"Congratulations to the Travelers on successfully bidding for the Legendary necklace, Medusa's Tears."
The players in the hall were all stunned.
Emma and White Feather were too shocked to speak.
Even John raised an eyebrow in surprise.
He wasn't shocked by the price of 65 million.
After all, the Legendary item "Ancient Parchment" they had previously found sold for a staggering 40 million.
That was a one-time item and no one knew if it could really lead to The Devil's Treasure.
If someone was willing to pay for that, let alone this Legendary equipment with clearly displayed top-tier stats.
What truly surprised John was Bambooist's impressive wealth.
Thinking back to their past collaborations in other games, this gorgeous woman always seemed quite moderate, never hinting at her riches.
But when he thought about the fame of the Travelers, John nodded in understanding.
For a merchants' association of this magnitude, there was no surprise in the amount of money they were willing to put forth.
Hearing Isabella confirm the transaction, Bambooist let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Truth be told, if the bidding had continued to rise, she would've been under a lot of pressure.
Bambooist might be the guild leader, but the Travelers weren't hers alone to control, with multiple complex forces operating behind the scenes.
"Guild leader, should we notify your father?"
One of Bambooist's black-robed subordinates whispered from behind her.
Bambooist shook her head: "No need for now. I can manage this amount. Besides, you should understand the significance of owning one of the two unique Legendary pieces of equipment. If we Travelers want to monopolize the business in the Godslayer game, we must have some ace up our sleeve."
Her subordinate nodded in agreement, saying no more.
Their guild leader had always been known for her sharp business sense.
If she said it was fine, then there should be no issues.
Chapter95-The man who endured the system's punishment
Under the tight security of Dawn Breeze Auction House, "Medusa's Tears" was swiftly delivered to the Travelers' private room on the second floor.
Most of the players in the vicinity ogled the chest with blatant greed.
Some even harbored wicked thoughts of robbing it.
After all, it contained an item worth 65 million.
A sum that would tempt many to risk everything.
The game system detected these thoughts immediately, issuing stern warnings which ultimately deterred them from acting out their plans.
The Dawn Breeze Auction House and the Travelers quickly finished the necessary paperwork, and "Medusa's Tears," along with the chest, was stored in the Travelers' inventory.
Relieved, Bambooist whispered: "We won't interfere with the next Legendary equipment. With Medusa's Tears, the Travelers have already acquired enough clout."
Her fellow Travelers behind her also breathed a sigh of relief. ๏ฝ๐๏ฝ๏ฝ๐๏ฝ๐๏ฝ.๐๐๏ฝ
The bare-faced greed displayed by the other players had put them on edge.
Put simply, the Travelers were a coalition formed by business people.
They were better at trading rather than being the center of everyone's attention.
The members who attended today were not the combat personnel of the association.
Aside from Bambooist, their combat power was mediocre.
If a conflict had erupted, they weren't confident of making a clean getaway.
Meanwhile, on another stage, Isabella had started the auction for the last Legendary equipment, the "Serpent King's Blade."
Compared to "Medusa's Tears," "Serpent King's Blade" attracted more attention.
The former was merely a piece of accessory equipment.
Despite its superior attributes, it only served as a supportive role.
The "Serpent King's Blade" was different, as it was a genuine weapon.
Not very long and more like a dagger, it was basking in the spotlight.
Glistening with a chilly light, Isabella smiled and said, "The starting bid for the Serpent King's Blade is the same as the previous equipment, starting at 20 million, with each increment no less than 5 million."
No sooner had her words faded than a sinister voice came from the second-floor private room,
"30 million!"
The speaker was none other than the long-silent Dawn Guild guild leader, Kingserp.
He had long coveted this weapon.
In Kingserp's view, this weapon was practically custom-made for him.
The dark aura from the undead perfectly complemented his class.
Even the name was a perfect match.
As soon as Isabella announced the starting price, Kingserp didn't hesitate and took action.
Before the players on the first floor could even bid, Kingserp issued a cold threat, "This piece of equipment is a must-have for Dawn Guild. If anyone dares to oppose me, you'll face the relentless pursuit of Dawn Guild!"
The first-floor hall fell silent.
The solo players and small to medium guilds wouldn't dare to provoke a behemoth like Dawn Guild.
Isabella, belonging to a native game power like Dawn Breeze Auction House, was not concerned about Kingserp's threats.
She just found him annoying.
Wasn't he disturbing the order of the auction?
Kingserp, shrouded in a cloud of black mist, let out a harsh laugh, "Hehe, I'm just giving everyone a heads up, and I didn't really do anything. It's their own fear that keeps them from bidding. What does it have to do with me?"
He paused, then added, "Miss Isabella, even as a life player, you still need to level up outside the city, right?"
Isabella went pale.
Kingserp's underlying message was clear.
If she hindered him, Dawn Guild would target her.
The infamous reputation of the Dawn Guild rushed back into her mind, bringing fear along with it.
At that moment, John, who had been quietly meditating, suddenly opened his eyes, "This piece of equipment won't be sold to you, no matter how much you bid, so don't waste your effort."
John's voice wasn't loud, but it reached the ears of all the players present.
Kingserp was stunned.
He hadn't expected anyone to dare challenge him openly.
Although he had been wary of John's real-world status before, at that moment, all he felt was unparalleled anger.
As one of the most influential players in Godslayer, Kingserp had never been treated this way.
Even other guild leaders of similar status treated him courteously.
Who gave this player named Galewind the audacity to confront him?
"Hehe... it's been a while since someone dared to talk down to me!"
Kingserp's dark aura began to surge in response to his rising anger, "Kid, don't think that just because you know Blue Sea and the others, you can bluster in front of me. If you cross Dawn Guild, you'll wish you were dead."
John's brows furrowed slightly as he uttered two simple words: "Too noisy."
The next second, he vanished from his private room, reappearing directly in Dawn Guild's box, nonchalantly standing before Kingserp.
The barrier at the entrance of the box surprisingly didn't react, allowing John to barge in freely.
Standing in front of Kingserp, John suddenly extended one arm, his movement as swift as lightning, directly penetrating the dark mist shrouding Kingserp.
"Damn! How did you get in?" Kingserp's sharp voice had just begun when John abruptly cut him off.
Sparks flashed on the dark mist, striking John's arm.
But John didn't seem to care about these attacks.
With a slight shake of his arm, he shattered the dark mist.
A scrawny, stooped young man appeared in front of everyone, his face filled with shock and gloom.
This was the real appearance of the Dawn Guild's guild leader.
John suddenly laughed, "No wonder you hide yourself in this dark mist. Turns out you're too ugly to show your face."
Kingserp's ugly face instantly turned crimson, but he didn't dare to make a move, because John's hand, like an eagle's claw, was firmly clutching his throat.
[Warning: You are performing dangerous attacks in a safe area. Please stop immediately!]
[Warning: You are performing dangerous attacks in a safe area. Please stop immediately!]
The system's warning continued to sound, its tone becoming increasingly urgent.
John, however, ignored it and even impatiently turned off the communication channel.
"You... how dare you attack me... aren't you afraid of the system's punishment?"
Kingserp choked out, his voice intermittent due to the grip on his throat.
John smiled slightly, "Before the system's punishment arrives, I think it's necessary to punish you first."
Kingserp mustered all his strength, yelling at his stunned subordinates, "What are you waiting for... attack... kill this bastard!"
Only then did they come to their senses, pulling out their weapons and charging at John.
John, his back to them, didn't even bother to turn around.
He just casually waved his other hand backward, and a light blue burst of energy exploded, sweeping across the entire box.
The dozens of Dawn Guild members, like snow in the sun, were instantly obliterated.
"You..."
Kingserp's eyes widened in disbelief.
As John wiped out Dawn Guild's members with a single move, the system detected the fluctuation of the energy attack, and punishment descended instantly.
A dark cloud appeared over John's head, and a massive bolt of lightning carrying an aura of laws struck towards John.
"Haha, you're done for. Let's see if you can..."
Kingserp had just started to mock John's stupidity when his words abruptly choked off.
He witnessed something he couldn't comprehend.
The lightning bolt, a system punishment, struck John but was unexpectedly caught by him.
It didn't kill him, and it didn't even break his defense.
Kingserp's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.
Was this system punishment a joke?
John cocked his head, a mocking smile on his face, "Go on, what were you saying about my capabilities?"
Kingserp was left speechless.
The hand clutching his throat was tightening, and he was gasping for air.
John withstood another bolt of the system punishment's lightning, his face expressionless, "I didn't want to bother with you, but you really make me sick. The Dawn Breeze Auction House painstakingly organized this auction, why can't you play by the rules?"
"Since you like breaking them, it's time for you to scram..."
John slightly increased the force in his arm.
His long and strong hand crushed Kingserp's throat.
Massive energy poured out.
One of the world's top ten guilds, Dawn Guild's guild leader, Kingserp.
One of the top players in the game Godslayer.
In front of John, he didn't have a chance to fight back and died on the spot!
He was directly sent back to the respawn pool in a certain city of Demon race.
After John cleared all life from this box, he simply shook off his hand as if the contact with Kingserp's body disgusted him.
The system detected that the attack was over and the dark cloud over John's head dispersed.
John's mouth curled into a smile as he lifted his head and seemed to look through the ceiling into the deepest part of the sky.
He had borne three system rule lightnings and was completely unscathed.
Everyone in the auction hall was dumbfounded.
They had clearly seen everything that had happened in the Dawn Guild's box through the glass windows.
But at this moment, they would rather believe that they were trapped in an illusion than admit that this was real.
Except for a few players who knew John, everyone else had only one thought in their minds.
Is this Galewind even human?
Even the divine beings in the legends of the gaming world wouldn't be so powerful, would they?
Chapter96-The Crazy Darklord
The players were in a frenzy.
All their attention had initially been focused on the auction of the final legendary equipment.
But at this moment, the ownership of this equipment no longer mattered.
All eyes were on John in astonishment, filled with fear.
John, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of a suite that wasn't his, hands clasped behind his back.
From high above, he surveyed all life.
"Miss Isabella, you may continue..."
John's calm voice was like a divine whisper in the ears of everyone.
The players bowed their heads, one after another.
They dared not look straight at the mysterious expert who had just made an astonishing and appalling move.
Isabella was also stunned at this moment.
She had just found time to check the auction house backend.
The defensive barrier set up at the door of each suite had not been activated.
That is to say, John used an unpredictable method.
He directly bypassed the barrier at the suite door, stormed in, and killed Kingserp, the guild leader of Dawn Guild, and several experts with one move.
In the end, he even withstood three punishment lightning strikes from the system, still completely unharmed.
Oh my god, can a human really do this?
Isabella shook her little head frantically.
But the shocking scene just now had been deeply imprinted in the deepest part of her heart.
Not only were the ordinary players on the first floor making a commotion.
The other major forces in the suites on the second floor were also in an eerie silence.
Adam quietly sent Blue Sea a message: Brother Blue, you must introduce me to Galewind after the auction. It would be a great honor for Adam to meet a top expert like him.
Blue Sea: Could it be, Adam, do you have plans to recruit Galewind?
Adam sent a bitter smile emoji: Are you joking? How can such a powerhouse be casually recruited by me? I just want to make friends with Galewind...
Blue Sea shook his head with a light laugh.
The shock in the depths of his eyes had not faded for a long time.
He had never doubted Galewind's strength, knowing that Galewind had a great encounter in the game Godslayer, and his strength far surpassed other players.
But he never expected that Galewind could actually ignore the system rules, withstand the system's punitive lightning and come out unscathed.
How terrifying would it be to achieve this?
...
In the suite where the Silent Ones Guild was located.
Chillminder was also messaging Snowla: Snowla, guild leader, who on earth is this friend of yours?
Snowla replied nonchalantly: How about that? Isn't the man I fancy amazing?
Chillminder sincerely nodded his head.
It wasn't just amazing, it was freakishly unhuman.
Kingserp's strength was not weaker than his own, in some aspects, it was even stronger.
But in the face of this mysterious powerhouse, John, there was no power to fight back.
With this level of strength, even if the guild leaders of the top ten guilds worldwide teamed up to fight him, they probably couldn't make much of a splash.
Chillminder immediately declared: Snowla guild leader... oh no, my dearest Sister Snowla , when can you coax Brother Galewind into your bed and make him our beloved brother-in-law?
Snowla was immediately embarrassed and replied with just one word: Scram!
...
In the suite where the Shadowrealm Guild was located.
The guild leader Karthus, who had been domineering just a while ago.
He had quietly moved away from the floor-to-ceiling window at some point.
He was now huddled on the couch, shivering with fear. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก.๐๐๐
Kingserp was his ally, so he was all too aware of the guy's level of strength.
In the entire game of Godslayer, Kingserp was at least in the top ten among all the advanced players in terms of power.
Yet, he was easily crushed to death as if he was a mere chick.
How could Karthus not be terrified?
Thinking back to the cold stare John gave him after he crushed Kingserp to death,
Karthus felt a chill run down his spine.
For such a powerhouse, killing him probably wouldn't be too difficult, right?
...
In the suite where the Travelers were located.
Bambooist's red lips slightly parted, her mesmerizing, long autumn eyes filled with astonishment.
After a long time, this mysterious Travelers guild leader let out a sigh for no apparent reason:
"What a loss..."
...
John's gaze swept across the entire auction hall.
Everywhere he looked, players bowed their heads to avoid him.
They dared not look straight at him.
John noticed a few malicious looks in the crowd.
But he didn't care in the slightest.
After this battle, those who wanted to continue to target him,
Would probably have to reconsider their own weight.
Darklord and SoulSong hid their bodies in the crowd.
Both looked at each other, finding unerasable fear in each other's eyes.
Is this really Galewind?
SoulSong struggled to accept the scene he had just witnessed.
Darklord, like he was possessed, mumbled to himself, "Damn it, why can he show off his power in this situation? It should be me who does this, damn it!"
"No matter what, I must win the last piece of the legendary equipment. Only by arming myself quickly can I dominate the game."
"Galewind, you just wait..."
Without any hesitation, Darklord sent a message to his subordinates.
Requesting them to immediately sell his remaining shares in his father's company.
And gather the funds in place.
His subordinates quickly replied.
The buyer from last time is still interested in buying these shares, asking Darklord if he agrees to the transaction.
Without any hesitation, Darklord gave his consent.
At the same time, John opened his own transaction channel.
"Mr. Foster, the company you asked me to keep an eye on is selling shares again. Do you want to continue buying?"
John's mouth curled slightly, replying, "Buy, but this time we need to push the price to the lowest."
The manager who accepted the commission said, "No problem, the guy is selling 20% of the shares, and I am confident that I can push the price down to no more than 35 million."
John casually said, "Get it down to 30 million. If you can make the deal, the extra 5 million will be your commission."
In the real world, the manager who accepted the commission was nearly delirious with joy.
He was merely showing up as an agent.
And he could get a commission of 5 million.
Isn't this like manna from heaven?
"What, they want to buy 20% of my shares for 30 million?"
Darklord was both shocked and angered when he heard the reply from his subordinates, "They must be dreaming, those shares are worth at least 40 million!"
His subordinate responded somewhat helplessly, "There's no helping it, this is how businesspeople are, knowing that we're desperate to cash out, they're driving a hard bargain."
Darklord thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth, "Sell it! After all, those shares are of no use to me. As long as I can become the top player in this game, I can get as much money as I want later on!"
The stock transaction in the real world was completed quickly.
At this point, John had quietly acquired 30% of the shares in Darklord's father's company.
Becoming the second-largest shareholder in the company, second only to Darklord's father.
And Darklord had no idea about all of this.
He was now completely blinded by greed, with only one thought in mind.
That is, he must win the last Legendary Weapon - Serpent King's Blade.
A shocking interlude soon subsided.
Isabella on stage calmed herself down, then said, "Sorry for the interruption, the auction will continue now."
"The bidding for the Serpent King's Blade restarts, the starting price is 20 million, each increase cannot be less than 5 million."
Isabella's icy voice finally pulled the players back from their astonishment.
The atmosphere heated up again.
Players looked at the "Serpent King's Blade" in the box, their eyes growing hotter.
What John had done earlier made these people realize the extent to which a truly powerful top player can go in this game.
They were eager to strengthen their own power.
"25 million!"
"30 million!"
"35 million!"
...
With the players constantly bidding,
The auction price for the "Serpent King's Blade" quickly reached a staggering 50 million.
Reaching such a terrifying number,
Most players who had hoped to snag a bargain automatically dropped out.
The real competitors were actually just the top guild bosses in the second-floor suites and some hidden wealthy players.
Down in the main hall, Darklord looked at the newly arrived balance in his account.
Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Without any hesitation, he gave his price, "I bid 55 million!"
Originally, his funds were seriously depleted due to John's maneuver.
But now the 30 million from selling shares transferred into his account,
Along with his collaboration with the Wolf Guild,
He had secured nearly 40 million in funds.
Darklord now held a huge sum of 70 million in his hands.
It seemed that winning the legendary equipment shouldn't be a big issue.
Darklord thought cheerfully.
His face was filled with greed and desire.
The bid of 55 million indeed discouraged a part of the auction participants.
But the big shots on the second floor were far from intimidated.
"60 million!" Snowla's soft and sweet voice rang out, brimming with unmistakable determination.
At this point, Darklord was frenzied, raising his bid without hesitation, "65 million."
Snowla's delicate eyebrows quietly furrowed as she promptly increased her offer, "70 million."
Darklord was going mad.
Was this really necessary?
The final price of the last legendary equipment was only 65 million.
Even if the "Serpent King's Blade" had slightly better attributes, it surely wouldn't skyrocket to 70 million, right?
Darklord, throwing caution to the wind, shouted once again, "75 million!" Although he only had 70 million in cash, he could scrounge up an additional five million without much issue.
With the competition this fierce, he had never contemplated giving up.
The price of 75 million made Snowla somewhat helpless.
It wasn't that she couldn't afford it, but she simply felt this price was beyond the value of the equipment.
Seeing Snowla fall silent, Darklord quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just when he thought everything was about to settle down, a dominant voice sounded from the Genesis Guild's suite.
"On behalf of Genesis Guild, I bid 80 million!"
Chapter97-The End of the Auction
Adam and Blue Sea, who had been observing the situation, finally made their move.
They started with a staggering figure that left everyone awestruck - 80 million!
Upon hearing this bid, many players took in a sharp breath.
This figure was truly astounding, exceeding the original value of the "Serpent King's Blade."
Even if it was one of only two legendary equipment in the entire server, no matter how outstanding the attributes, it couldn't possibly reach such an exaggerated price.
Some clever players on the scene had thoughtful expressions.
Perhaps for these top forces, what they were really buying was not just this piece of equipment.
They were paying more for fame and uniqueness.
After all, the top ten guilds in the world were essentially on par.
If one guild alone possessed a piece of legendary equipment, they could elevate their strength and status significantly in a short period.
The invisible power boost it brought was priceless.
At this point, Darklord's eyes were practically glowing red.
He wasn't thinking that far ahead.
He simply hoped to boost his own power level.
John's previous show of strength had dealt a heavy blow to Darklord, filling his heart with jealousy and resentment.
Why should his nemesis command such awe from everyone while he remained unknown?
It wasn't fair!
Regardless of the cost, Darklord was determined to secure the final auction item, the "Serpent King's Blade", driven by his spite towards John.
However, the reality is often cruel, and it doesn't cater to personal desires.
No matter how hard Darklord tried, his financial strength could not match the top guilds.
Adam could nonchalantly quote a terrifying price of 80 million.
But he couldn't.
Even with the full support of the Wolf Guild, Darklord couldn't muster 80 million.
"I bid..."
Darklord's eyes were wide as he was about to raise his offer again, only to be stopped by SoulSong beside him, "Give it up, young master. We don't have that kind of budget."
SoulSong's eyebrows were furrowed, and his earnest attempts to dissuade Darklord were utterly ineffective.
The fact that his subordinate dared to stop him made Darklord furious, "If we don't have the money, then we should find a way. Let's have the guild members sell their equipment. Whatever is valuable, we sell it."
"No matter what, I must get the Serpent King's Blade."
"You all enjoy my hospitality daily, and now it's time for you to share my worries!"
Darklord's roaring words drew the attention of the other players around him.
In their eyes, he had gone mad.
The members of the Darklord guild were completely disheartened.
They never expected that their guild leader would require them to sell all their hard-earned valuable equipment just to bid for a weapon.
Such selfish behavior made the Darklord guild members regret their decision.
If they had known, they wouldn't have joined Darklord's guild.
No matter how furious and helpless Darklord was, even if his subordinates willingly sold all their equipment for him, it was too late.
Adam's high bid of 80 million successfully deterred all the competitors, making him the biggest winner of the auction.
"80 million once, 80 million twice, 80 million thrice, sold!"
Isabella's small hammer gently hit the table, making a crisp sound.
It also announced that the final legendary equipment "Serpent King's Blade" was successfully won by Genesis Guild.
Isabella smiled sweetly, "Congratulations to Mr. Adam, the guild leader of Genesis Guild, for successfully acquiring this top-tier weapon. Our auction staff will contact you later to sign the transaction contract."
With this, the grand auction finally came to a successful conclusion.
The majority of players were quite satisfied with the auction.
Those who won their desired items were celebrating with their friends.
For various reasons, players who didn't manage to win anything also felt the trip was worthwhile.
The many bizarre incidents at the auction were enough to provide them with bragging material on forums for a long time.
Perhaps the only ones who were dissatisfied at this moment were Darklord and the Wolf Guild, two forces that, coincidentally, were both sworn enemies of John.
Wolf Howl, the deputy guild leader of Wolf Guild, sent a message to Darklord, "Guild leader of Darklord, are you interested in deepening our cooperation?"
Darklord, who was currently berating his subordinates, especially SoulSong who bore the brunt of it, was taken aback by the message.
He believed that his failure to win the "Serpent King's Blade" was due to their interference, and he naturally blamed them for all the failures.
He didn't realize that the subordinates in front of him were filled with resentment.
"What do you mean by deepening cooperation?" Darklord asked in response to Wolf Howl's message.
Wolf Howl replied with a cold smile, "Because of some minor conflicts, our guild and Galewind have become sworn enemies. Although I don't know the specifics between you and them, I guess the relationship is probably similar. The enemy of an enemy is a friend. You've seen Galewind's strength today, and either of us alone is not his match. Only by joining forces can we deal with him."
"Even if our two guilds unite, I'm afraid it would still be very difficult to defeat Galewind, right?" Darklord questioned.
He might be arrogant, foolish, and proud, but he was not blind to reality.
John had managed to kill the leader of one of the world's top ten guilds in one strike, even under system punishment.
This kind of strength was not something that players of their level could have.
Darklord didn't know John's specific level, but he guessed it must be over 100.
Otherwise, he couldn't possibly have such powerful strength.
Wolf Howl quickly replied, "On our own, we certainly can't suppress Galewind. He's beyond what players can handle now. But what about the indigenous forces of this world?"
Darklord's eyes lit up.
Right, the players might not be able to defeat Galewind, but there are many powerful NPC forces in this game world, and they are a completely different story.
Intrigued, Darklord asked, "Can you get the indigenous NPCs to help us?"
Pretending to be mysterious, Wolf Howl replied, "I have to admit, I have an apprentice in this game, and my current class is a result of this. And my master is an affiliate member of the 'Hermit Association'..."
As Wolf Howl elaborated, Darklord's eyes shone brighter.
The two quickly came to an agreement.
Together, they were determined to force John out of the game, Godslayer.
As for John, he was oblivious to this coalition between the two forces.
Even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care.
Bug-like beings, no matter how many there are, can't kill a person.
John had already returned to his private room by now.
As the auction came to an end, he did a quick calculation of today's sales.
Even for him, it was somewhat astonishing.
It was downright outrageous.
Today, just the second round of bidding had brought in a staggering 600 million.
This figure alone was enough to make one's head spin.
Even in real life, the well-known major corporations probably couldn't make 600 million in cash in a single day.
All one could say was, this game was indeed full of hidden talents.
A smile tugged at the corner of John's mouth, his mood quite cheerful.
After all, of these 600 million, the two items he had put up had already accounted for over 20%.
Even after deducting the auction house's commission, he could still net over 120 million.
Was he a billionaire now?
John raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling as if he was in a dream.
The money had come so fast that it took him a moment to react.
Just as John was lost in his thoughts, Emma suddenly rushed over, hugging his arm, "Johnny, congratulations, you're a billionaire now."
This young lady was no fool, after all, she was a college student now.
A simple calculation made her realize just how impressive John's earnings were today.
John affectionately ruffled Emma's hair and chuckled, "Yes, I didn't expect to become a billionaire one day..."
Before Emma could respond, John revealed a mischievous grin and whispered, "When I get back, I'll buy a few more lingerie sets as a reward for you."
Emma's cheeks immediately turned red, and she spat out, "Gross! The reward is clearly for you..."
John laughed heartily, in high spirits.
Suddenly, his communication channel began to ring.
He had received several messages at once.
Casually opening the channel, he found that the messages were from the big shots who had been showing off on the second floor today.
Blue Sea: Galewind bro, the auction is over. Do you have time to grab a drink with us?
John knew that Blue Sea was trying to introduce him to Adam.
He thought for a moment and replied, "Sure, just let me know when and where."
On the other side, Adam was anxiously waiting for Blue Sea's message.
He wasn't even this nervous when he won the "Serpent King's Blade".
The scene of John's prowess earlier had deeply shocked him.
Not until Blue Sea gave him a reassuring nod did Adam finally relax.
He quickly ordered his subordinates to book the most luxurious and expensive private room at the best tavern in Silverglow...
After replying to Blue Sea, John turned to the next message. ๏ฝ๏ฝ ๏ฝ๐๏ฝ๐๐๐.๐๐๏ฝ
Snowla: Galewind bro, could you take me on a raid later? We haven't been in touch for so long, and now some people are bullying me.
Even through the communication channel, John seemed to picture Snowla's eager and adorable face.
Chapter98-Forum Upsurge, Gifts from the Auction House
John was about to respond, with a satisfied smile on his face.
However, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Emma's little head poking over with curiosity.
"Johnny, who are you chatting with? You seem to be really enjoying it," Emma pouted, her voice filled with a hint of complaint.
As the chat channel was only visible to the player himself, Emma couldn't see anything despite her best efforts to peer over.
Unable to suppress his amusement, John said, "It's just Blue Sea, he's inviting me out for drinks, probably planning to introduce me to Adam."
John thought it was wise to keep Snowla's message under wraps.
Sure enough, Emma immediately let out a sigh of relief, "Oh, is that all? I thought you were rekindling an old flame."
John could only grimace.
Regardless of how naive a woman might be, her sixth sense was always eerily accurate in these matters.
Emma waved John off, "Let's get back to fishing, Johnny. You go attend to your business."
John nodded, then advised, "You should head back to school soon, your studies are being neglected..."
Emma's face turned a shade of pink, and she hastily made her exit with White Feather.
John watched them go, a fond smile on his face.
Only with this little rascal could he feel this relaxed.
After some thought, he responded to Snowla: "Quite busy today, feeling a bit worn out. I have some things to handle later, after which I'll log out. If you need help with any difficult dungeons, feel free to ask."
Despite being a bit upset, Snowla knew that John was a man of his word.
So, she agreed, "Alright then...but you better not refuse when I need your help next time."
John then looked at the last message, from the guild leader of Travelers, Bambooist.
John had always kept a respectful distance from this woman.
Despite several encounters in the game, their relationship was more ally than enemy.
But she was always a mystery.
John only knew she held a lot of sway within Travelers, assuming she was one of the high-ranking officials.
He never expected her to be the guild leader.
Bambooist's message was similar to Snowla's, seeking John's help for some high-level secret dungeons.
Clearly, John's strength displayed today had caught the attention of many powerful factions.
John's reply was essentially the same as to Snowla - he didn't commit, but said he'd consider it later.
Meanwhile, within the Travelers' private room...
Seeing the message, a seductive smile slowly spread across Bambooist's face.
"As expected, he can't be easily coerced. This man isn't one to bend under pressure. Let's take it slow... Galewind, we'll see if you can escape my clutches..."
As the last traces of presence in the room dissipated, only the echoes of Bambooist's whispers remained.
The auction ended, and the myriad of players began to depart.
Those with the energy headed back to grind and level up, vying to become a top player like Galewind.
The exhausted ones logged off, only to start chattering and bragging on the Godslayer game forum.
Overnight, the name 'Galewind' became known to all.
Some had secretly filmed John's show of strength at the auction and uploaded it to the forum.
The views skyrocketed at an alarming rate.
Doubts arose about the authenticity of the video, especially with the claim that John had managed to obliterate the guild leaders of the top ten guilds in a single blow and endure the system punishment lightning.
It was unbelievable.
It wasn't until high-level players who had been at the auction started vouching for the video's authenticity that people began to believe.
In the meantime, Dawn Guild posted a bounty of 10 million on the forum, incentivizing players to hunt down Galewind.
With that, it became clear that the video was not a hoax.
The 10 million bounty stirred many a heart.
However, the thought of facing John's terrifying power quickly cooled their excitement.
No one wanted to be the laughing stock attempting to take down a man who could stand against the system's punishment.
As time passed, a new trending topic emerged on the forum: Can players ever truly fight the system if they maximize their abilities?
It was well-known that a game was a low-dimensional world created by human programmers.
The system acted like an administrator.
The player's in-game actions, despite their avatar's high level or power, were supposed to be under the system's control.
But John's stunt today had turned everyone's perceptions upside down.
Withstanding three rounds of system punishment lightning and coming out unscathed was simply unheard of.
The discussion grew, drawing in more and more players, until the game developers themselves had to intervene.
The game company released an official statement: "In light of the numerous online discussions surrounding the rules within Godslayer, we'd like to make the following clarifications:
1) Godslayer is unlike any other game on the market, boasting a high level of freedom. There are numerous hidden easter eggs within the system, and players' growth isn't strictly bound by system constraints - in principle, they can grow infinitely..."
2)The internal regulation system of our game utilizes a high-level intelligent supervisory system, and the game world is vast. We encourage players to explore and research...
A thousand-word-long official announcement made players' eyes light up.
The first two points of the statement alone revealed a vital piece of information:
Players truly can challenge the system as long as they continue to grow.
As a result, an increasing number of players swarmed into the game, sparing no expense to level up and increase their power at a frantic pace.
The game's popularity continued to rise, and the number of concurrent online players reached an astonishing figure...
John, however, was unaware of the butterfly effect he had set in motion.
He was quietly waiting in his private room.
Soon, there was a knock at the door.
With a calm voice, he said, "Come in."
The door opened, and Master Reo, accompanied by Isabella, walked in.
Isabella's face was flushed, the excitement of the event still lingering.
As soon as Master Reo entered, he gave a deep bow to John: "Thank you for your substantial support of Dawn Breeze Auction House. On behalf of the auction house, I extend my highest respects."
John was momentarily surprised.
He hadn't expected such a grand gesture from Master Reo.
He quickly dismissed the formality, saying, "You're too kind, Master. I'm just a casual seller. I just happened to have some nice items and chose your auction house for consignment. It's nothing substantial."
Master Reo, stroking his long white beard with an amiable smile, responded, "I'm not exaggerating, but stating facts. It seems you haven't realized just how significant your consigned items have been for our auction house. The two legendary equipment today alone will elevate us to the top auction house in the Northern Myst Empire. Reputation and status are things money can't buy..."
"And let's not forget the Silver Tear that set our auction house's fame. For such great kindness, no amount of gratitude is excessive." Master Reo cast a glance at John, who was deep in thought.
There was another key point he had not explicitly mentioned: John's audacious move to quietly break through the barrier and intervene.
The auction house higher-ups fully realized that this mysterious strongman's power far surpassed their imagination.
This was no ordinary guest; he was potentially a goldmine for the auction house.
As long as they maintained a good relationship with Mr. Galewind, would they ever lack valuable items to auction?
After a swift meeting of the auction house's higher-ups, they had sent in Master Reo.
John, quick-witted as he was, immediately understood their intentions.
He politely responded, "I've worked with your auction house several times, and the trust between us is strong. In the future, if I have suitable items, I will continue to consign them to your auction house for auction."
Master Reo nodded in satisfaction.
That was exactly what he wanted to hear.
"Our esteemed guest, Isabella will handle your profits, so I won't bother you further," said Master Reo, suddenly producing two items as if by magic.
"These two items are additional gifts from our auction house. Please do accept them."
John accepted them curiously.
One was a black card with gold text engraved on it.
The other was a small white object that looked like a broken tooth.
John immediately cast a detection spell:
[Dark Gold VIP Card: Self-issued by the Dawn Breeze Auction House in the Northern Myst Empire, this card is exclusively given to our most prestigious guests. Only 150 of these cards exist, and this is the last one. The other holders are either the upper echelons of the Northern Myst Empire or renowned powerhouses in the Godslayer world.]
[Effect: The holder of this card can receive the highest standard of treatment at all branches of the Dawn Breeze Auction House. Furthermore, the consignment fee for all items at the Dawn Breeze Auction House is reduced by 10%.]
Chapter99-The Mysterious Silver Manor
John raised an eyebrow.
This little card had such an impressive effect?
The highest standard of treatment was nothing he cared much about.
But a 10% reduction in the consignment fee was quite a shocking figure.
As time passed and players continued to explore the game, this effect would become even more crucial.
By then, the items and equipment for auction would undoubtedly become more advanced.
The 10% fee reduction would significantly increase John's income from each auction.
John pocketed the Dark Gold VIP Card and then turned his attention to the broken tooth-like item.
However, the result of the detection spell was:
[?]
John's eyes suddenly sharpened.
Even though he hadn't activated his divine skill, the Eye of Artemis, his current power level was enough to detect the details of most items.
Yet, when he cast it on this item, he couldn't even find out its name.
This object was far more intriguing than it appeared.
However, he didn't activate the Eye of Artemis right away.
Instead, he called to Master Reo, who was about to leave.
"Master, wait a moment. What is this?"
Master Reo glanced at the tooth-like object in John's hand and answered with a smile.
"Two years ago, a mysterious old man traded this to our auction house as collateral. According to the agreement we signed at that time, if he didn't redeem it within a year, the item would automatically become the property of our auction house."
"Later on, the old man went to the Sunset Mountain in the northern border of Silverglow and was never heard from again."
"I must confess, in my lifetime as an appraiser, I have been unable to determine any information about this object. I can only assume it to be a tooth from some kind of beast. Though its purpose remains unknown, the high level of mystery surrounding it surely hides a secret," Master Reo said. "This item has remained in our warehouse ever since. We've invited other master appraisers to help, but all our findings have been the sameโunknown. With your abilities, perhaps you might be able to uncover the truth behind this tooth."
John nodded thoughtfully as Master Reo exited the room, leaving only John and Isabella, who was staring at him with an awestruck expression.
Her intense gaze made John slightly uncomfortable.
"Miss Isabella, is there anything else?" he asked, bringing her back to her senses.
Blushing, Isabella immediately realized what she had just done, staring foolishly at a man.
Lowering her gaze, she replied in a whisper, "Mr. Galewind, your earnings from the auction have been transferred to your account, a total of 140 million. Please check."
John was taken aback, "According to your auction house's commission standards, there should be a 20% deduction. How come it's as much as 140 million?"
Regaining her composure, Isabella looked up, "Didn't you forget? The Dark Gold VIP Card given to you just now reduces the commission by 10%, so our auction house only deducted 10%."
John stroked his chin, deep in thought, "I see. I thought it would only apply for the next auction."
"Then, in that case... Send me your account information."
Confused, Isabella sent him her account details.
Shortly after, she received a notification:
"You have received a cash transfer of 10,000,000 in your savings account at xxx bank. Your current balance is ..."
Isabella was stunned.
It was 10 million.
An amount she had never dared to dream of, not even a million.
In real life, Isabella was just an ordinary girl from a normal family.
She chose a life player role in the game Godslayer because it required minimal investment and could supplement her family's income.
Her lips parting in disbelief, she asked, "Mr. Galewind, what are you doing?"
John replied with a casual smile, "Consider it a reward for your diligent efforts in auctioning those two pieces of equipment. We will have many more opportunities to collaborate in the future. Keep up the good work."
Suddenly, Isabella felt a wave of happiness enveloping her.
She was taken aback by the warmth filling her heart, and her carefully made-up eyes started to mist up.
This left John speechless.
He quickly asked, "What's wrong? Is 10 million too little?"
Isabella shook her head vigorously, choking back tears, "No, not at all. 10 million is too much. I feel unworthy."
John chuckled lightly, saying nonchalantly, "Not at all. It's what you deserve..."
Isabella chuckled through her tears, her heart growing even warmer from his recognition.
Out of the blue, she said, "Thank you, Mr. Galewind, for acknowledging my efforts. You really are the best person in the world." With that, she rushed out of the room.
John was left standing dumbfounded.
He touched his nose and shook his head wryly, "I can't believe I got my first 'nice guy' card here. How dramatic."
...
Silver Manor.
The largest and most lavishly decorated pub in Silverglow. ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐๐.๐๐๐
The fact it was called a manor attested to its grandeur.
Located in the northwest corner of Silverglow, it spanned hundreds of hectares.
Building such a vast pub in a city where every inch is valuable says a lot.
Rumor has it that the owner of Silver Manor might have close ties with some members of the Northern Myst Empire royal family.
The main building of Silver Manor was a gigantic castle, surrounded by an incredibly expansive open-air courtyard, complete with pavilions, bridges, and ponds.
A squad of heavily armored warriors stood guard at the entrance.
John casually cast a scouting spell, surprised to find that the average level of these warriors was over 100.
John raised an eyebrow.
Silver Manor was indeed more profound than he had thought.
These doormen were even stronger than the high-ranking soldiers of the city guard.
Entering the manor's main gate, John headed towards the castle, passing many small, pavilion-like structures intended for patrons who enjoyed their drinks alfresco.
As he saw the imposing 10-meter-tall castle, his astonishment grew.
The NPCs entering and leaving the castle were all notable figures in Silverglow.
If not the boss of a large business, they were senior officials from the Silverglow City Hall.
While admiring the high production value of the game, John walked into the castle.
The noise that greeted him made him frown.
The first floor was bustling.
NPCs and players were clustered in small groups, discussing topics of interest.
Uniformed waiters weaved between guests, periodically placing trays of drinks on the tables.
Upon seeing John enter, a gracefully curved female waiter came to greet him.
"Welcome to Silver Manor, esteemed guest. Do you have a reservation?"
John glanced at the waiter.
To his surprise, the stunning woman with a curvaceous figure was dressed in rags.
The few pieces of cloth she wore covered only the sensitive areas, the rest of her was exposed to the air.
Her head was adorned with bunny ears, adding to her seductive allure.
John silently marveled, "Daring to employ such scantily clad women as waitresses, the owner of Silver Manor sure isn't afraid of customers losing control after drinking."
However, it didn't take him long to understand why the patrons didn't dare to get frisky with the waitresses.
He cast another scouting spell and found out that the level of this waitress was a whopping 120, even higher than the guards at the entrance, and her class was...a mage.
This revelation made John even more curious about the owner of Cloud Manor.
What sort of powerful backing did it take to have a team of level 100+ mages serving as waitresses?
Noticing her new guest seemingly lost in thought, the waitress did not rush him.
She patiently stood by John's side, her smile unwavering.
After a moment, John snapped out of his reverie.
He gave the waitress an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I was lost in thought. Yes, I have a reservation..."
John checked his chat log, "Where is Suite No.8 on the 'Heaven' floor?"
The bunny girl waitress bowed slightly, extending a hand in gesture, "The 'Heaven' suites are on the second floor, please follow me."
With her movement, her ample bosom undulated impressively.
After John nodded, the waitress led the way.
Each sway of her hips seemed infused with a mesmerizing charm.
Suddenly, John furrowed his brows.
He realized these waitresses weren't typical mages; they were more like a seldom-seen class: Enchantresses.
Enchantresses also belonged to the mage class but were primarily female practitioners, with skills mainly centered around passive charming abilities.
John's suspicion arose because he found his gaze involuntarily attracted to these waitresses.
Chapter 100-The Game is Too Real๏ผ1st update, Cheer me with Power Stones!๏ผ
The fact that John, with his capabilities, was drawn to an NPC character speaks volumes.
He kept silent, subtly activating his Eye of Artemis.
Sure enough, a small line was added to the waitress's profile:
[Mage Class (Enchantress)].
John was startled that a regular detection spell couldn't reveal the true class of these waitresses.
He surmised someone had cast a cloaking spell on them.
Finally, John understood why Silver Manor had such an influx of patrons.
With top-tier Enchantresses like these, attracting customers would be no challenge.
Clearing his throat and lowering his gaze, he found himself less enticed by the bunny girl before him, now that he was aware of her powers.
Once they reached the second floor, the waitress guided John to Suite No.8.
He pushed open the door, surprised to find only Blue Sea and Adam inside, each accompanied by a ravishing beauty tending to their needs.
Upon seeing John, Adam's eyes lit up, and he quickly stood up.
"Brother Galewind, you're finally here! If you were any later, this fine Dragon Tongue Wine would've been wasted on Blue Sea," he joked as he ushered John to his seat.
Lazing on the couch, Blue Sea allowed a beautiful woman to feed him a cherry-like fruit.
Hearing Adam's teasing, he couldn't help but retort, "I only had one sip, you're just spouting nonsense with your eyes wide open!"
Adam laughed heartily, appearing jovial.
John returned a faint smile, saying, "With the two Guild Leaders inviting me so graciously, how could I refuse? I was just delayed and hence, late."
Adam, hospitable as ever, held up a filled cup to John, "Have a taste. This is Silver Manor's rare Dragon Tongue Wine, not something just anyone can get their hands on."
John took a sip from the cup.
The taste was indeed remarkable, rich and slightly sweet.
More importantly, as soon as the wine went down, a system prompt appeared: [You have consumed Superior Dragon Tongue Wine, Speed +100, Strength +50, Duration: 1.5 hours]
John opened his eyes in surprise.
He didn't expect the Dragon Tongue Wine to provide buffs.
No wonder it was so coveted; it was more of a consumable item rather than just wine.
"How is it? Pretty good effect, isn't it?"
Blue Sea winked at John, appearing quite self-satisfied.
Only when he was with John, would Blue Sea drop his usual stoic and stern demeanor, seeming more laid-back and casual.
John nodded, "Indeed, it's a good wine." Seeing John's satisfaction, Adam breathed a sigh of relief.
Blue Sea chuckled, "This wine is exceptionally rare, even here at Silver Manor. If Adam didn't have a connection with the owner, they wouldn't sell it at all."
John politely acknowledged Adam's efforts, understanding Blue Sea's hint.
The underlying message was to show how much Adam valued him.
Recognizing Adam's sincerity, John was willing to return the respect.
Suddenly, John posed a question, "You seem quite familiar with the owner of Silver Manor, Adam. Do you know his true identity?"
Adam smiled, nodding slightly.
He gave a light tap on the voluptuous woman's curvy rear, indicating both women to leave the room as he had private matters to discuss.
His smooth move made John raise an eyebrow.
It appeared that this Guild Leader Adam was quite the ladies' man...
Once the two ravishing women exited the suite, Adam pondered for a moment before replying, "Truthfully, I don't know whether the NPC I met is the real owner of the manor, but he does hold a lot of sway in Silver Manor."
"It was a serendipitous encounter during a class change quest. The NPC got stuck in my quest instance for some reason. After I completed my quest and the instance disappeared, I was able to rescue him. Maybe that's why he's always been grateful to me, and gradually, we developed a rapport."
"The fellow is a high-level mage, named... Mystโฆ Yes, he shares the same surname as the Northern Myst Empire's royal family. I assume he is a member of the royal family, but I'm not clear on his exact role," Adam shared all the information in one breath.
Then, curiously, he asked John, "Brother Galewind, why are you interested in the owner of Silver Manor?"
John shook his head, casually replying, "Just curious..."
However, he was already forming a hypothesis in his mind.
It appeared that the Northern Myst Empire's royal family was secretly cultivating rare class holders, like the Enchantresses.
Once considered a support class, it was supposed to have disappeared from Godslayer Continent long ago due to its low combat power.
But encountering it again in Silver Manor hinted at the royal family's efforts in reviving and nurturing it.
Unsure of the real intent behind this, John decided not to ponder too much, but to keep it in mind.
Adam took a sip of his wine, a thoughtful look on his face, "Sometimes, it's hard for me to believe we're playing a game. The NPCs in here, they behave so human-like, it's hard to think of them as mere code."
Blue Sea agreed wholeheartedly, "Indeed, many times I feel as if we've been suddenly transported to a different world, rather than into a game created by someone else."
"Why do you say that?" John maintained his poker face, but his mind was suddenly alert.
As expected, the guild leaders of these major guilds were no fools.
They had already noticed the subtle differences between Godslayer and other games.
Adam explained, "The NPCs in this game have an extraordinary level of autonomy. They can converse with us without any hindrances, act freely, and they simply don't behave like a programmed code."
"Also, you can physically experience a lot of things in this world."
"None of these features were possible in any of the other games I've played before."
"I can't even imagine what kind of advanced development system would be required to create a game that mimics the real world so closely."
John simply smiled without saying a word.
In his heart, he had also had some speculations...
After inheriting The Devil's memories, John knew many unknown secrets about the world of the Godslayer game.
Some of the content in these secrets was too shocking to share with others at this stage.
Seeing both Adam and Blue Sea lost in thought, John raised his glass, smoothly changing the subject, "Speaking of which, congratulations are in order for Blue Sea, your guild has successfully upgraded to a Level 4 guild, hasn't it?"
Blue Sea replied with a joyous nod.
Even the usually composed Blue Sea couldn't contain his delight at the mention of this, "Yes, we've completed the upgrade. Our guild is now the only Level 4 Guild in Godslayer."
Adam interjected, "Speaking of which, Blue Sea here silently pulled off a big surprise."
Blue Sea laughed heartily, then raised his glass to John, "I have to thank you, Brother Galewind. Without you, it would've been hard for me to get the Level 4 Guild Establishment Order."
John shrugged nonchalantly, "It was no big deal."
Adam, driven by curiosity, asked, "Now that you're here, Galewind, can you tell me how you obtained the Level 4 Guild Establishment Order? You always sidestepped the question before. After all the effort I've put in, you owe me an answer."
Adam's expression became serious as the topic shifted to business.
Blue Sea nodded, "Don't worry, I always honor my commitments. I've promised to share the process of upgrading to a Level 4 Guild with you, and I won't break my word."
Adam huffed, "It's because I trust your integrity that I agreed to pay such a huge price to get your information. Otherwise, do you think I'd willingly share the Serpent King's Blade with your guild?"
John remained silent, drinking his wine with an air of indifference.
Listening to their conversation, it seemed that they had completed some sort of deal in private.
After Blue Sea's guild became the first Level 4 Guild in Godslayer, Adam naturally couldn't sit still.
Genesis Guild and Blue Sea's guild were both among the top ten guilds worldwide.
Now that Blue Sea's guild had taken the lead in upgrading, it had seen a significant increase in strength.
How could the proud and ambitious Adam bear this?
So, he contacted Blue Sea, hoping to learn the process of upgrading to a Level 4 Guild.
After much negotiation, they reached an agreement.
Adam had to acquire a piece of Legendary Equipment and share it with Blue Sea's guild.
In return, Blue Sea agreed to share the entire process of upgrading to a Level 4 Guild, and provide Adam with a piece of information that could possibly lead to a Guild Establishment Order.
That's why they were able to collaborate at the previous auction, allowing Adam to secure the "Serpent King's Blade" at such a high price.
