12 A Monster Drops a Gold-Tier Equipment
Fatima still harbored feelings for her sister.
By testing me and asking me to team up with her, she was assessing my true intentions towards Emily, Henry surmised, reflecting on Fatima's recent actions.
Thinking about Anna and Emily possibly worrying back home, Henry didn't dare delay and rushed back as quickly as he could.
Seeing Henry return safe and sound, the two women finally relaxed.
After explaining everything that had happened, Emily looked at Henry with complex emotions and said,
"I'm sorry, Henry, for bringing you such trouble."
"You don't have to be, after all, we're teammates, and we should support each other."
Henry felt a bit guilty saying this.
Having witnessed Fatima's formidable power, he couldn't deny a certain allure.
"We're teammates…"
Emily murmured the words and then suddenly hugged Henry, whispering in his ear, "Thank you, teammate."
The faint scent of the girl, along with the gentle breeze, wafted around Henry's ear, her lips pressed close.
The thinness of their clothing allowed Henry to feel the softness at her chest, momentarily restrained only by her bra.
A surge of male hormones reached its peak, and Henry's lower body responded instantly, touching Emily's private area through their clothes.
Emily instantly realized what was happening, her face flushed red, and she shakily released Henry.
"I should go now."
With her head bowed, too embarrassed to say anything more after the awkward moment, Emily ran out of the door.
Her mind, however, kept replaying their close encounter, the burning touch stirring something within her heart.
Watching Emily's retreating figure, Henry stood there, mouth agape.
The feeling just now was actually pretty nice.
Watching Henry's reaction, Anna grasped the root of Henry's problem through his pants.
"What are you up to, you little temptress?"
"Still saying you have no interest in Emily? If I hadn't been here just now, would the two of you have already gone to the bedroom to do things you shouldn't?"
Anna teased with a playful smile.
"It looks like it won't be long before you win Emily over."
"Hmph, isn't that what you've always wanted?"
Henry didn't hold back with Anna, a fiery desire already smoldering in his heart.
With a forceful hand, he ripped open Anna's short skirt, revealing the beautiful view beneath.
"This fire can only be extinguished by you." Henry carried Anna back to the bedroom.
...
The next morning, Henry didn't have much trouble convincing Anna and Emily to go to Snowland.
However, since Snowland was a newly opened dungeon, it attracted many professional players.
There was even a queue forming at the dungeon's entrance.
"Have you heard? After the dungeon opened yesterday, two people found silver-tier equipment inside. Their luck was incredible."
"That's nothing. Haven't you heard?"
"This dungeon has three levels of tasks. Just by completing the first level, you can get a blacksmith in the castle to craft almost gold-tier equipment."
"That's outrageous. Such a reward for completing the first level? Then wouldn't the rewards for the next two levels be gold-tier equipment?"
"It's not that easy to get gold-tier equipment."
"Forget it, you guys. Didn't you see that even level 30 players are queuing with us today? We'd be lucky just to pick up some leftovers beside these big shots."
Listening to the discussions about the dungeon nearby, Henry roughly understood the gameplay of this dungeon.
Upon entering, players would automatically receive a task.
After completing it, they could go to the castle to find a war-god level blacksmith who would craft a piece of equipment for them.
After the first task was completed, all players in the dungeon would automatically start the second task, which was to join the Snowland's Snow Sect and devoutly recite scriptures for three days.
Upon completion, regardless of the experience gap, the player's level would automatically increase by one.
The third task was to find the lost magus relics, rumored to contain a gold-tier set.
Hearing about the third task, Henry suddenly remembered Fatima's warning.
Algado was of the magus class.
If they entered the magus relics, might they encounter him?
Henry shivered at the thought, feeling it was a strong possibility.
Regardless, he decided to complete the first two tasks first.
A few minutes later, the trio entered the dungeon and arrived at a castle amidst a snowy landscape.
At the castle gate stood an ugly-faced giant holding a blue-tinged massive axe in one hand and a flaming glove in the other.
Upon seeing the newly arrived players, the giant was not alarmed but spoke authoritatively, "Outsiders, I know you've come to Snowland in search of treasures."
"I'll give you a chance."
"Go to the Frigid Region and capture an ice dragon for me."
"Once the task is completed, I can craft a near gold-tier piece of equipment for the one who captures the ice dragon."
There really was a near gold-tier equipment!
Hearing the giant blacksmith's offer, the players were eager to try, wishing they could set off immediately for the so-called Frigid Region.
"Set off, outsiders, towards your treasure!" urged the giant as a dozen players hurriedly made their way towards the Frigid Region in the north.
In contrast, Henry's team was taking their time.
"Aren't we going to look for the ice dragon? What if others get there first?" Henry said calmly.
"Relax, have you forgotten about my 10x amplification? Even if there's only one ice dragon, it doesn't matter. We can just casually fight the monsters in this snowy world."
Right, with Henry's 10x amplification, there was no need to compete with the other awakeners.
Just then, a sly-looking ice bear appeared about 100 meters away.
Emily instantly locked onto it, conjuring an Ice Array.
"Boom!" The giant was instantly killed by the magic array.
"Ding, you have gained 5000 experience points."
"Ding, you have obtained a silver-tier weapon—Ice Staff."
"[Ice Staff]: When you attack with the Ice Staff, it can summon a blizzard within a 100-meter radius, slowing down and blurring the vision of enemies."
They had just started and already obtained a silver-tier weapon!
And with a massive gain of 5000 experience points, Emily, who had just stepped into level 19, saw her experience surge, bringing her to the threshold of level 20.
Is this what leveling up feels like?
Emily was so excited she couldn't speak, hugging Henry tightly. Thankfully, Henry restrained himself, preventing a repeat of last night's scene.
"Henry, I'm about to level up again, thank you!" she exclaimed.
"As per our earlier agreement, this silver-tier staff is yours to handle."
"Forget it, you keep it. That kind of trash isn't of much use to me." Henry casually waved his hand, revealing the ring he was holding, which left Emily stunned.
What was that shiny object? It couldn't possibly be a gold-tier ring.
"I casually kill a monster and you end up with a gold-tier ring?" Emily's joy was instantly overshadowed.
Though a silver-tier weapon was impressive, it paled in comparison to a gold-tier item.
It was like comparing gold to mud.
"Yes, indeed, this is the Snowland Queen's ring," Henry confirmed.
"Wearing this ring, all NPCs in Snowland will have a 50-point increase in favor towards us, and it can also summon a level 25 NPC from Snowland to fight alongside us."
Those players frantically rushing towards the Frigid Region had no idea how laughable their dreams of crafting near gold-tier equipment were.
Henry had effortlessly obtained a piece of equipment a grade higher – a gold-tier ring.
"Outsider, the ring in your hand makes me feel comfortable," said the giant blacksmith at the castle gate, looking at the ring in Henry's hand and speaking gently.
"If you successfully capture the ice dragon, dead or alive, bring it to me, and I'll reward you with a gold-tier set."
A near gold-tier piece of equipment upgraded to a gold-tier set?
Anna and Emily's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Each grabbing one of Henry's arms, they hoisted him up.
"Forget those foolish players. A gold-tier set, we must get our hands on it!"
